Conference Success!

Today I tried a new idea to help my kids listen better during conference. I printed and laminated a bunch of words/pictures for Ava and Brycen to listen for during each talk. Then in front of each picture was a different colored candy. If they hear the word, they get a piece of candy. Simple right? Well they loved it! not only did they keep each other accountable, but it kept them moving back and forth - or awake! Definitely a new tradition in our house!

Today was also the prettiest day we have had in months. It was in the 70's and clear and beautiful - so I let the kids play outside all afternoon. At one point Ava decided set-up a picnic for herself and Brycen. (Notice that Ava was convinced that today was definitely swimsuit weather!)
Finally, to really top off our wonderful day, Drew gave Brycen a haircut and the poor guy was so tired from playing outside that he fell asleep mid cut. I actually had to hold him up so he wouldn't fall off the counter. Precious!

The Best Weekend EVER!

So I had never been on a girls-only road trip before. Shocking, I know. So last Thursday, 4 other girls and I traveled to Portland Oregon to see the broadway musical "Wicked", and enjoy some girl-time without husbands, kids, or schedules! We were committed to being spontaneous!

Left to Right: Allison, Jessica, Lisa, Wendy, Mandy

We barely made it on time to the show due to some crazy grid-lock traffic, but we made it in time enough to not have to loose our tickets. We only missed the first 2-3 songs, and the rest of the show was amazing!

After the show we stopped at a popular shop called Voodoo Doughnuts! It was 11 o'clock at night and the place was completely filled and had a line going down the block. I have to admit, it was well worth the wait! My favorite was the maple bar with two strips of bacon on top!

This is my best friend Jessica - Her husband loves this place!

We stayed up that night unit 2 am - then woke up early for a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. (BTW - this hotel was AWESOME! Two room suite with full beds, serving a full breakfast and dinner. And it smelled good too!)

The next day we went to see Hunger Games! Let's just say, IT WAS AWESOME! I would love to go back and see it again, and I never go to the theater more than once for a movie. It was very impressive, and yes, I cried!

Then it was off to go shop 'til we dropped. If you ever find a store called Charming Charlies, I am in love with this store. We had so much fun.

I wanted to make sure to carve out a little time to see the family, so after dinner, I made my way to mom and dad's house. It was so nice to have Kimbre and baby Riley in town too.

On our last day, we walked all around the Saturday Market, (out door street vendors). My friend Allison thought i looked especially chic in this hat!

This is the waterfront along the Willamette River.

Then finally, one last stop at Multnomah Falls and then a long ride home! Whew! It was a fast few days but we definitely packed in as much as we could! I can't wait to do this again. If you have never taken a road trip with a bunch of girl friends before, I highly recommend it! Ava and Brycen said they missed their mommy, but I know they had a great time with daddy!

My Cute Girl!!

I haven't post pictures of Riley in a while so here are some good ones!

I'm pretty sure we were having one of our great conversations during this one. She's a bit of a chatter box!

I tried pigtails that day and haven't done them since. I think she needs to grow her hair just a little bit more! Either way it was pretty cute.

Bright eyes!

Happy girl!

I found her one morning asleep and hanging a leg out of her crib. I thought it was pretty funny...

We just got a new high chair! I swear I could not get her to smile.

I love this outfit and she's just such a fun girl!!!

Gotta Ricotta??

We don't just "got milk," we "gotta ricotta" 'round here!

So, I've been reading this great book called "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter."  It's all about which foods are better--frugally, quality, and hassle-wise-- to make from scrach or to simply buy.  Its a fun read, AND it includes recipes for those things that the author deems worthwhile!  I made a goal to try something from this book and tonight I successfully made my own ricotta cheese!  

Here is the "before" -- actually I used 2%

Here is the "during"-- add some vinegar and heat it up

And here is the "after"-- drain; 1 gallon of milk makes 2 1/2 cups of cheese, and a lot of whey that can be used in baking bread and bagels.... hmmm maybe that will be my next experiment...

Sounds crazy, but it was super easy, much cheaper than store-bought, and totally delicious--velvety and flufffy and oh-so-yummy-in-my-lasagne!  Waaaahahahaha!!  Take THAT store-bought brands! 

DOMESTIC DIVA IN THE HOUSE!!!

Congrats Drew!

Well most of you know that 2 weeks ago Drew had an interview with the Eagle Fire Department for the volunteer program. Well... we found out on Wednesday that he PASSED the interview and now faced what they call The Combat Challenge! Basically he has to pass a physical test that includes stairs and hoses and other strength and endurance tests.

So here is the run down... (keep in mind he only had 3 days to prepare!)

So his appointment time was 10:15 this morning - so naturally he showed up 40 minutes early. He was hoping to be able to watch a few guys go before him and luckily, he did AND got to meet the testers and pick their brains about helpful tips and proper technique. This turned out to be VERY helpful!

The TASK:

1. Put on the proper firefighter gear: boots, pants, coat, gloves, helmet and air tank. Approx weight: 70lbs

2. On go, grab a coiled hose and haul it up 4 flights of stairs. Approx weight: 42 lbs.

3. At the top, drop that hose and then pull another hose up, using a rope, to the top of the stairs through a window. Approx. weight: 45 lbs.

4. Run down the stairs.

5. Using a sledge hammer, move a steal beam between your legs 5 feet. Approx. weight of the beam: 165 lbs., Hammer, 9lbs.

6. Grab a charged (full of water) hose by the nozzle and drag it 75 feet. Approx. weight: REALLY HEAVY !?!

7. Pick up a dummy person around the chest and drag it 100 feet backwards. Approx. weight 175 lbs.

This all had to be completed in under 7 minutes! He finished it in 4:22! HOLY COW! My husband is a He-Man! This was definitely harder than he thought, and it didn't help that the guy that went before him, (same size a Drew) took three minutes on the charged hose and then quit when he got to the dummy!

So now we wait again to hear from the Dept. but he is definitely IN! The next phase is school. He will have to attend classes April-June 2 nights a week and all day Saturday. Then as a volunteer he has to fulfil 2 night shifts a month plus any other special programs or events that they sponsor. Hopefully this will pave the way for a JOB as a fire fighter one day. (It better!) :)

When he got home today, the kids and I had a the dining room all decorated and rootbeer floats ready. Drew treated everyone to lunch and then we came home for treats and naps! I am so proud of Drew.