our family's week in review

We had somewhat of an eventful week.
*We got our first real snow, and Sam loved it. All he wanted to do was be outside running in it and eating it. Will enjoyed it, too, but he enjoyed it from in the house.

*One random thing with Will was this silly rash. He just woke up one morning with this rash all over and by the end of the day it was covering his whole body. I called my PA friend and she helped me conclude that it was probably just a virus and that he would be fine. It was gone the next day. I thought, here we go again, another kid that's allergic to everything!!

*Pete sprained his ankle at work this week and it got pretty nasty. He's feeling much better now. I wish the picture did justice. He wasn't the only one hobbling around this week. I feel like I broke my toe. I was running into Will's trying to stop Sam from climbing into Will's bed right on top of him; Calvin got in my path, and I tripped and kicked the door. OUCH!!

*Will had his first full day at Amy's house on Thursday while I worked. I hated to leave him, but he did fine. I don't know how Amy handles all the kids, but she does great. We want our kids close, and they are.

*Sam has been trying his hand at hair; he has used almost a whole tub of pomade on his hair. His hair was a sticky mess, and he had it standing straight up. He thought that would be a great time to cut it. He used the clippers to cut out a chunk of hair. Thankfully I caught him before too much damage, and thankfully he had it "styled" like he did because you can't see where he cut when his hair is down. I knew it would just be a matter of time.

We had lots of fun times just hanging out as a family; we find ourselves doing alot of that. However, we did go out with some friends to dinner and the rec center to swim. Don't worry I didn't get in a swimming suit!! That body is long gone!! It was fun watching the kids though.
Just another great week for our family...

recipe sharing

I love to cook, and I love trying new recipes. I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite, creative recipes. Give them a try, let me know what you think, and feel free to share your recipes with me. I get tired of eating the same old things over and over. The recipe I'm posting today is one I've used for awhile. It's different, but it has a great flavor. This time I made it a little spicier than normal, and Sam was practically drinking the sauce and saying "I love it." He loves it spicy just like me. Let me know if you try it.

Enchiladas Negras (A Yucatan recipe)

2 lbs mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (7 oz) diced green chilies 1 1/2 c. green salsa verde
1 small onion, finely chopped 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
1 tsp cumin 1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. vegetable or chicken broth 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp cornstarch 12 corn tortillas (6 1/2- 7 in.)

1. In a 5 qt. pan, combine mushrooms, chilies, onion, cumin, and 1/2 c. broth. Bring to a simmer over med.-high heat; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are juicy and limp, 12-15 min. Uncover, increase heat, and stir often until vegetables are dry and beginning to brown, about 20 min. BE SURE TO STIR OFTEN OR THEY WILL BURN AND STICK!!
2. In a bowl, blend cornstarch with remaining 1 c. broth. Add sour cream and whisk to blend. Add to mushroom mixture and stir until boiling, 1-3 minutes.
3. In a blender, whirl beans, salsa, and enchilada sauce.
4. Pour 1 1/2 cups bean sauce into 9x13 baking dish. Stack 6 tortillas and cut in half. Lay 6 of the halves in casserole straight edges against casserole sides, then overlap 3 whole tortillas to completely cover bottom. Scrape mushroom mixture onto tortillas and spread level. Fit straight edges of remaining tortilla halves against casserole sides then overlap remaining whole tortillas to cover filling. Pour remaining black bean sauce over tortillas and spread to coat.
5. Bake in 350 oven until sauce is bubbling, 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until melted, 3-5 min.
6. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 min. Serve and enjoy!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving in Park City. We spent the weekend in a beautiful condo in Park City with Pete's family. We loved being together, and we had a great time. We watched lots of movies, played games, ate lots of food, sat in the hot tub, a little shopping, and lots of good conversating and hanging out. I can't believe how the weekend seemed to change Sam; it was as if he grew up while we were there. He loved playing with cousins on their level, and he started talking so much in sentences, too. He just doesn't seem like a baby anymore!! Will loved it, too. He's so mild for everyone and loves to be held. Pete and I loved it, too. We got the privelage of having the huge master bedroom and bath all to ourselves; it was quite an improvement from where we normally end up on familly vacations. :)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the time I can spend on this day thinking about all I'm thankful for. I have realized what a wonderul life I've always had. As an adult I'm grateful for the ability to better understand my childhood and the people that were in it. I'm just so thankful for the efforts and concerns that everyone in my life has always had for me. As always, I'm so thankful for my family (parents, grandparents, siblings, husband, children, and in-laws); each one has touched my life in such a valuable way. I came away from this weekend wanting to live with more gratitude. I don't want to be so uptight all the time and try harder to just embrace the wonderful life I have.

Will is rolling over

Well, Will is finally starting to do baby things. He started rolling over yesterday. Sam and I put him on the floor and were encouraging him to roll over and he did. Sam and I were clapping and encouraging him so much that he kept doing it again. It's fun to share these moments together. I savor every minute because I'm learning how quickly they pass.

weekend getaway

We took off with our friends The Linfords for a weekend trip to St. George. Their family has a condo there, so we all just stayed there. We had a great time. All we did was hang out, swim, shop, eat, sleep, stay up late talking, and we did venture to Snow Canyon for a picnic and hike. They have 2 girls ages 3 & 4 and a little boy named Will only 33 days younger than our Will. Sam loved the girls; he followed them constantly and by the end of the trip he was trying to pick the girls up. The whole ride home he was asking for "the new house and the girls." Gosh, girl crazy already and already wanting a new house!! Will had a great time with his new friend Will, too. We put them in the floor together, and they both loved it. They were both kicking like crazy, and our Will kept holding their Will's hand. It was cute. Pete & I had a great time, too. We were up until 1:00 every night talking and playing games with our friends. It's easy to forget how wonderful adult company and conversation is; we had to savor every second.We played scrabble one night, and that was fun until Pete kicked all our butts. :)
Just a reminder of how important it is to get away; a break brings so much refreshment to our life that everyday seems so much better after that.




Sam and Will sharing our bed

happy now?

Sam has been asking me the most interesting question that has caused me to think alot. He will do something, anything (eat, change his clothes, bring me a toy, etc.) and then ask me "Mommy, happy now?" I wish I understood his thought process and what he is feeling on the inside everytime he asks me that. I have found myself asking inside if I am really happy and thinking about the things that really do make me happy. I have decided that I need to be a happier person and I need to focus on the things that really do bring happiness. Be sure to take the poll on the left so I can learn about the kinds of things that make people happy. Some of my favorite happiness quotes...

"Happiness is not in things."

"Happiness is not getting what you want, it's wanting what you have."

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."

"The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances."

Maybe Sam should ask us all, "happy now?" and hopefully we can all answer that we are.

kids say the funniest things!!

Sam has sure started talking alot; he has said a few things in the last few days that have given us a chuckle. A few days ago Pete was bothering Sam by spinning him around and he wasn't liking it much. He was screaming and yelling "No, Snookie, No!" It was so funny to hear him calling Pete snookie like I do.
Yesterday Sam came and got me when Will woke up from his nap; he said "Mommy, Sugar is awake." That was also funny to hear him call Will "Sugar" just like I do. Just another reminder that children really do learn and repeat everything they hear, so we all need to be careful!!
A sad/cute thing Sam said today was to Pete. He wanted to call Pete on the phone this morning, and he said "Pete, please come back home." I guess he was really missing his dad after not seeing him yesterday (Pete was working at the candy store last night, and Sam was already in bed when he got home.)

Will is 4 months!!

I can't believe how quickly time flies!! Will was 4 months old on Sunday. He had his 4 month appointment yesterday. Everything was great. He's still just a little guy, but the babies grow so quickly normally that I'm grateful to have a little baby for so much longer than normal. He only weighed 11 lb. 8 oz.; that puts him in only the 3rd percentile for weight. He was 25 inches long which was the 50th percentile. He just has a little head and was only in the 6th percentile for head size; now that's quite a change from Sam in the 95th percentile!! Dr. Durham made sure I knew that Will is healthy. He will just spend the first year catching up from being born early. He also kept pointing out what a beautiful baby he is; I would certainly agree, but can you blame a mother?

let's get this started

I guess it's time that I get with this technology world and finally start a blog. Maybe my sister will think I'm cooler!! :)