happy birthday cooper

Heather & Colby are always so good to invite our crazy crew to all the fun birthday parties they have. We look forward to them even more now that we barely see each other. It's always nice (and rare) to have friends that both husbands and wives equally enjoy each other. They have been a unique find for us!

Cooper had a Thomas the Train party at Peter Piper Pizza. Ella could have ridden the rocket ship merry-go- round all afternoon. In fact, she did. Allison didn't mind joining her and took the turns quiet emotionless. Auburn wasn't going to go around that easy.. it was a scene of panic each time she got close to the rides. (Brielle didn't mind benefiting from her unused tokens!)It was a great break from the everyday routine and always fun to hang with the Bowers!

Happy Birthday Cooper!

dallin's dictionary

just kidding /juhst-kid-EEng/, intransitive verb: it's what you say when they hear you saying something they don't like, so you don't get in trouble.

-Direct quote from Dallin to Carter

so you want to be president

Some of my most favorite things are 1) when my kids eat vegetables 2) when my kids play creatively together and 3) when my kids are reading. So it did my heart well to see Dallin & Ella cuddled up on their grandparents' laps reading before bed tonight. Dad read them, So You Want to Be President. I love this book.. I find it interesting, informative and the illustrations are award winning. It's a bit longer than a little children's book, but I can usually cruise through it, on average, in 9 minutes. After checking the clock, I was sure Dad had moved onto the next book, it had been 34 minutes! But, no... he was still in there on the reading chair going meticulously through each page. 41 minutes... still reading. 53 minutes...are you serious?!! Finally the book closed but he then had to extend the story by showing the kids pictures of Mt. Rushmore on the internet. We were just shaking our heads... that's so Dad! Once again... luckiest kids alive! (myself included).

proof

I never like to throw the kids' crafts away.. but nor do I like to store them in every nook & cranny of our house. So, I figure, if I get a picture for posterity, and to remind myself in years to come that I did play with my children.... once something breaks of finds its way into "file 13" there has been no long term harm done. Usually when we make things I tell the kids what we're making and we follow my directions, this time I just gave them popscicle sticks and glue and they were in heaven! Among my favorite creations were Ella's model of herself and Dallin's 4 wing-fighter.

chicken enchiladas with green salsa

This turned out so tasty!

4 tablespoons canola oil
2 small zucchini, diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 ear of corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1/2 cup)
1 2 1/2- to 3-pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack
Kosher salt and pepper
12 6-inch corn tortillas
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
1 jalapeño, seeded
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, onion, and corn and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the chicken, Monterey Jack, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix to combine.

Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining oil over medium heat. One at a time, cook the tortillas in the oil until softened, 10 to 15 seconds per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas, roll them up, and place seam-side down in a large baking dish. Bake until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.
In a food processor, pulse the tomatillos, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Serve the enchiladas with the salsa and sour cream, if using.

Should I be nervous that Ella recognized Feist and her song, but had no idea who the Sesame Street monsters were?

pumkin patch

We met all the Stapley's at the Pumkin Patch for FHE.

The girls loved the little chickies. And I'm sure Dallin & Ella had something they loved as well, only I wouldn't know because they were so busy playing with their older cousins, I didn't see them once.

twins mischief

Why are white silk curtains the favorite hiding places for peanut butter and banana covered fingers?

lookin' for fun & feelin' groovy

Karen did such a darling job on Carter's Tie-Dye Party!

She was brave to have so many little boys running around her house, let alone handling paints! They all did a surprisingly great job and their shirts turned out so "groovy"

They also made their own tie-dyed crayons and had psychadelic cupcakes. Good job K. Happy Birthday Carter.

the tuna sandwich

Some years ago there was an incident involving a tuna sandwich. I don't remember the details, but it was along the lines of...newlywed being served lunch by her husband only to find out he had actually eaten all the lunch himself without considering his new bride and her hunger. Something along those lines. So as the years have passed...any time Troy forgets to consider me in food preparation or any fleeting desire I might have.. I remind him of the tuna sandwich.

Back story being told, Saturday I ran to the Dollar Store to pick up some things for Dallin's humanitarian project. While I was there I spotted large cans of IBC rootbeer. (I LOVE rootbeer!) So I bought one for Troy and one for myself. Later that day I drank them both. When Troy came searching for his afternoon treat he promptly called me on my "tuna sandwich" behavior. So to rectify my faux-pas, Monday morning the fridge was FULL of Troy's own personal stash of IBC rootbeer. I think I'm forgiven.

abc...easy as...123

After two years of shuttling Dallin to and from preschool and having to watch from the car window, Ella was more than ready to finally get out of her car seat and go inside of Miss Christy's preschool. It will be extra fun because she already has friends to go with!

prima ballerina

Ella has been so into ballet this last year; all she sings is the music from The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and any other classical music she hears. When she does her "ballet" that means she holds onto something (a couch, your finger etc.) and puts her leg out in an arabesque. So when I was driving her to her first day of dance she was quite put out that I wasn't going to be in the class with her so she could do "ballet". She finally decided it would be o.k. because her teacher would hold her finger. When I explained there were lots of other girls in her class and the teacher wouldn't be able to do that she looked perplexed and said, "then we need to go back because we forgot to bring our couch."

beat the heat retreat

Looking at these pictures, they portray a peaceful serenity that you can only find in nature. Who would guess that the following picture is the antithesis of that serenity.

Allison & Auburn proved to have a loathing toward camping and the great outdoors. They screamed every time they were put down...leaving me with fried nerves and tired arms. I was trying so hard to have a good attitude and put on a good face, but I was miserable! It wouldn't be so bad if we were alone.. I was just extra sensitive with all the other families camping around us. So I spent the entire night juggling the babies trying to keep them quiet..an almost impossible task. It didn't help that it was a lot colder than I had anticipated and in packing for all the kids, completely forgot to pack for myself. So shivering, I finally loaded the twins in the car and put a movie on for them till the rest of the camp woke up. I LOVE camping.. but I'm pretty emotionally scarred after this experience.

Now to look on the bright side... Dallin and Ella were fabulous and all the other kids really took them under their wings. They loved finding rocks to add to the ever growing collection and digging in any sand pile they could find. They were filthy and blissfully happy!

I'm still not emotionally ready to write this post. The fact that we strung Whitney's (& Bryan, Christopher, Bono, & Fritz) departure out for days and days did not help matters either. Whitney and Bryan are heading to Lubbock, Texas where Bryan will be starting law school. Although we are trying to act supportive.. we're not. We're selfish and want them here. But.. Que va hacer?

We started the marathon farewell Sunday with a Texas style dinner at our house. The kids even made a bunch of Texas flags to hang around the kitchen.

It was fun having everyone together... and I just love watching other people (Neil) try to do the twin thing. It makes me realize I have learned a few pearls of wisdom along the way.. like don't ever think you are going to sit down and enjoy your own glass of water with twins on your lap!

Monday consisted of Nertz. This has always been our family game. It's great when we play it at reunions or somewhere with others, because our family always dominates! But when it's just our family (the in-laws don't even bother trying to play anymore) it's pretty cut throat. We're not going for personal bests or anything like that, although we would recommend that for poor Dad who can't seem to keep his score in the positive. We are all just going after Karen. Now to properly give Mom her credit, she is the all time champion.. but somewhere in those lonely junior high years, Karen caught up. She would probably even be that good if she didn't cheat... but we'll never know now, will we?

Then Tuesday we went to Grandma's house before Whit left for the airport. We were just delaying the inevitable. Then it happened. We said goodbye.

I know this will be tough for Bit... first baby, Bryan's law school hours, and I know how much she loves to meet new people! :) But she's amazing...and always surprises me at how grown up she really is.

I think the real person I'm sad for is me. Yes, throw the confetti, I'm having a pitty party. Everytime I think of somewhere new I want to go or something I want to try I want Whit there with me. She's the one I consult before making any kind of fashion or design (not decorate) decision. And no one appreciates a great recipe like Whit. (although she is a food snob!) She is just a great little sis... Ok.. that was theraputic. I've gotta go now... gotta call Whit!

she has a wrinkly twinkly smile

I have the best grandparents in the world. I do. My childhood memories of my Grandma Ella & Grandpa Bill are like fairy tale dreams. They lived in a palace with more rooms than I could count, winding staircases and hidden suites. They had a different room for each meal we ate. Waffles were served with at least three different types of syrups, fresh fruits and whipped cream. The grounds were like the Secret Garden, with walls covered thick with foliage and blooming flowers (all kept beautiful by Victor, the gardner, who always brought us Sees caramel suckers). Looking up from the tree swing you could barely see the branch you were gliding from. It was a fairy tale. Someday I'll write pages about it.

We were spoiled. Grandpa would take us on Donut Brigades and Grandma created an event out of anything we did. It truly was "always fun for everyone, when Grandma came". And actually, the reason I give the backstory, is to explain why my kids will be able to say they have the best grandparents in the world. My mom learned from the best.

On the first day of school Grandma Deney had an ice cream party to cool off her grandchildren's hard working brains. The kids loved to pick out colored cones and funky sprinkles. I'm sure their brains were sufficiently cooled!

An ordinary day...turned extraordinary.

Like only a Grandma can do.

k for kindergarten

I can't believe I have a kindergartner! Dallin was excited to be a Franklin Firebird and didn't seem the least bit nervous. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Would he eat his lunch? Would he remember where his classroom was? What would happen when he had to go to the bathroom for the third time in ten minutes? We even had a practice timed lunch beforehand to make sure he could open everything and eat in the time allowed....it would be a miracle.

The first week was an adjustment. All-day school was a bit long for a little guy who still took naps! The first couple days I picked him up he was on one. He was irrational in his irritations.. "Why did you park in this parking spot." "Ella is looking at me!" "Why are the babies in those seats?" all said in the most ornery tone. By Friday I was convinced I was going to have to pull Dallin out of kindergarten and he would just have to start school when he was 8 or something. But as time has passed he has adapted and is doing great. His penmanship is awesome and it is fun seeing him learn all those phonograms just like I remember doing. OUGH: "o..oo..uf..off..aw..ow"..that's always been my favorite!

making lemonade out of lemons

We got out and supported our local lemonade stand today. It was quite picturesque with the table and chairs under the shade tree, kids eating hot dogs & sno cones. (In real life it was sweat dripping down your back, give me more sno cones now...I don't care if I have to spend a dollar for shaved ice, hotter the Hades.)

Allison wanted to say prayers before we ate anything...what spiritual children I am raising! :)

create

I'm trying to ween Dallin off of naps to get ready for all-day kindergarten. It's been kind of nice having some quiet time with just the two of us. This was today's creation...they are magnet mosaics...they take a while, but the end result is pretty fun!

This summer I set up a little "candy land" type game all down the hallway. When the kids listened this first time, were especially nice, or did anything that they should pretty much be doing anyway without all these incentives...they could move their little game piece forward. When they reached special markers along the way they had special rewards... movie night, extra stories, trip to the Jr. high pool, basically all things we would be doing anyway....but because it was on the game it was even more prized! (I love the psychology of kids!) The favorite spot on the board was "Craft with Mom". Both favorite of the kids as well as of mine. We had a great afternoon painting and the house miraculously just seems more peaceful when we're sitting down creating something together.

hello?

full circle

So I think Sum & I have the best set up around. Being childhood (& now adult) friends was so convenient because we lived across the street from one another. And now our children can enjoy the same convenience. We LOVE when Brookelynn & Brynlee come for the summers and we have even more excuses to go to Grandma's house. Dallin just adores Brookelynn and announced to the entire primary during his Spotlight that he was going to marry her in the temple when they were bigger. (I'm sure it hasn't even entered his mind that she'll be a good foot taller than he!) Swimming lessons together were hilarious to watch (and apparently traumatic to go through from all the crying & screaming beforehand). And we especially loved our "girl day" when Kacy came to visit. Somewhere in between all the fun Brookelynn got a hold of my camera.. not bad shots girl!

Sergei Rachmaninoff & Ludwig Van Beethoven

in the making.

4th of July

We started off the morning with flag ceremony where Dallin led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. He didn't even ask who "Richard Stands" was! (When Whitney was little she asked Mom that question in reference to ..."& to the republic for "richard stands", one nation, under God....") And as all good summer holidays end.. swimming & a barbecue at Mom & Dad's!

We're lame about bedtimes and staying out too late with the kids... so we forgo the live

show and "spoil" the kids by letting them stay up a few minutes to watch the good fireworks on t.v. I mean how is Tempe Towne Lake supposed to compete with Boston Harbor?