Did I really just do that?

As you may know, I have had quite the enlightening experience living here in Kingman! Most of the time things happen that make me laugh till I cry, once in a while I've simply cried, well this last weekend--I coughed! Cough you say? That's right people-our little family went to a drag race! We saw the downtown streets all blocked off and were curious enough about all the old cars that we headed on in for a look. Turns out Kingman hosts an annual drag race, tire burn-out competition and massive car show. I sat in those bleachers watching muscle cars burn rubber on the road in front of us pondering the conundrum that is "wife-beater" tank tops, daisy dukes, mullets and cold beverages. I would panic slightly and wonder if you take the girl out of Kingman, will you ever be able to take Kingman out of the girl? Much to my surprise--and chagrin--I actually enjoyed myself. The custom built cars that they raced were pretty impressive and the boys (all three of them:) loved every minute. Scott kept me happy with snow cones and kettle corn! All in all it was a fun afternoon--don't worry I won't be headed to see anything Nascar related and I do still have a full head of teeth! but I enjoyed the old cars a lot (made me feel like I was the star in CARS sitting in my own little Radiator Springs city. I did find myself wanting to go home and listen to some opera just in case I needed to balance out the "culture" levels in my life :) As always, Kingman continues to ewww and ahhh me--in good ways--but if any of you send me tickets to La Boheme I won't argue with that either!

Welcome Fall!

"You can travel fifty thousand miles in America without once tasting a piece of good bread." Henry Miller

I once shared your perspective Henry. There was a three month period in my life where I lived to walk the streets of Ecuador with fresh, warm bread in one hand, fresh fruit in another, and the thought in my head "how can I go back to the States and leave this culinary perfection behind?" And yet, home I went and a baker I became! Oh Henry, to have lived so long but not long enough to try this moist, spice-filled bit of heaven! Close your eyes, open your mouth, taste the nutmeg, cinnamon, clove--usher in the fall season. It is almost impossible to imagine eating this delectable, savory pumpkin manna without a fireplace, sweater, good book and some rich, creamy hot cocoa--falling leaves outside the front window would simply be a bonus.

Food is life, it is love, I am inadequate at describing it and without it I would be empty. Welcome fall, welcome crisp mornings and evenings filled with pumpkin bread!

*I started an all-things-food-related blog--I post recipes, tips, projects etc on there if anyone is interested :) Just visit An Edible Life!

Game Day Fun

(yes another football post!) get used to it people, it is that time of year :) Saturday we hung out with our good friends eating some fantastic food, watching BYU smoke Tulane and letting the kids pretty much run wild for a solid 4 hours. Every parents dream right? I can still taste the mozzerella sticks, wings, brownies, chips n' dip--totally all fat free--ha ha! Just thought I'd include a few photos to document the day. Enjoy!

Jason sporting Uncle BJ's hat that got left here during his visit. I know I'm biased but that is one cute kid!

Ryan taking a half time break--don't ask me why behind the sofa. The kid has a mind of his own!

Nothing special about this one except to show you that Scott has TV envy and I wouldn't be surprised if one of those 52" beasts found it's way to our house by Thanksgiving!

Jason with his friends Gracie and Emily--two of the cutest girls we know!

Short story: Ryan has a knack for finding the one potential mess in a thirty mile radius that you don't want him to find. This time it was a partially empty kiddie pool. Of course he jumped in fully clothed during the 1st quarter. Sooo what is a mom to do (when she refuses to miss the game to take care of her nutty 2 year old)? She strips him down, lays his clothes out in the sun and lets him "air" dry. I don't think he minded do you?

Ryan is 2!

Yesterday Ryan turned two. It is fun celebrating milestones with your children. I think I tend to get more excited than they do--at least at this age. The day was spent at the park for play group, shopping the "case lot sale" at Smiths, decorating cupcakes, opening presents, cleaning up from cupcakes and reading stories (thanks to the GREAT gifts from Grandma Judy!)


And now, a moment for the traditional birthday blog reminiscing....

Ryan was born at 7:19 pm in Las Vegas. I was only in labor for about 8 hours (I say only because it was 26 with Jason--blah!) My water broke just as we were walking out the door to head to the hospital--some say it is just a little trickle, but not me. We're talking Niagara Falls bursting! Then after a few short hours, he was here. Even while pregnant I could tell he was going to be very different from his brother--always calm, not a ton of movement--as opposed to Jason who was nuts--when I would go for ultrasounds they always asked if I had been shooting up caffeine! Ryan is my snuggler--he is often content to just sit on my lap, read stories, give his stuffed animals hugs etc. But he turns on a dime and can be the most adventurous, rambunctious, "no-fear", STUBBORN child I have ever crossed paths with. We love Ryan and the "diversity" he brings to our family :) Glad he is here!

DIY & other things!

Just as a quick preface, I fully recognize my football background as being completely over the top however, I just couldn't help myself! This week was a fun one. We are trying to be more "active" as a family. That is a nice way for saying I'm gaining weight because of all the baking I do and when a handicapped boy at church asked me when I was due, I decided something needed to be done! Sooo....I got new running shoes for my bday and Scott got a tennis racket and soccer ball for his--we have been outdoors much more! We are terrible tennis players but that suites our purpose since we spend most of our time chasing the balls around the court--makes for some great cardio! The boys love it and I am sore in places where I didn't realize muscles existed. Jason was my little worker elf one afternoon as I refinished a set of dressers for the boys room. Ryan managed to completely destroy the cheap hand-me-down they had so it was time for something a little more "sturdy". Jason was given a stern lecture about where paint does and does not belong. He did pretty well for a three year old boy in mess heaven. He was sooo excited when Scott came home from work and he could show him what he did. We even found some great sports wall stickers that he put everywhere. Finally, a very "boy" bedroom for the kiddos! Last but not least, my favorite part of the week: when I was little I had a Sesame Street book featuring the blue little monster Grover. It was called "Monster at the End of the Book" and is all about Grover being afraid of the monster. He nails pages together, tries to tie the book closed, builds brick walls etc only to have the reader continually turning pages. Finally he throws his hands in the air and screams "YOU TURNED ANOTHER PAGE". I LOVED it and my mother, being the wonderfully inspired woman that she is, gave the same book to the boys last time she was here. Jason enjoys it too, usually it is the first book chosen for story time and it is generally read more than once. The other day I peeked in Ryan's room where he is notorious for hiding out and playing for hours at a time. There he was, flipping pages in this infamous book. He gets to the page where Grover becomes frustrated and suddenly Ryan throws his hands in the air, face turns beet red and he screams "THE PAGE" which as the afternoon wears on evolves into "OH NO, THE PAGE". He has been obsessed ever since. He lays in his bed at night and we can hear him muttering "oh no, the page" for at least a half hour. I finally caught it on camera--for posterity's sake :) enjoy!

A Time For Miracles

It is amazing how another's struggle hits so close to home. Yesterday we found out that our friend's baby girl was born 3 months early. She was only a little under 2 lbs and was air evacuated to Phoenix right after birth. Little Sharon's parents are inspiringly optimistic. I know they are strangers to you but prayers are appreciated from any source right now and I sometimes think they are heard best when offered unselfishly on someone elses behalf. You are welcome to get to know them and follow their story: Ammon and Caitlin. As a mother I can't imagine many worse case scenarios. As a faith-filled believer in Christ I can't imagine a better opportunity to pray and believe in miracles!