Day at the Park

Cousin Carter and Kate hanging out.
Carter was very interested in Kate's accessories. Bows and a pretty binky holder; he wanted his hands on it all!



Loving this warm and sunny weather! I laid out today! What did you do Danica?!

The fun continues

The day after Christmas we took Kate to Fisherman's for lunch. It was windy and super cold. But she staid toasty laying down in her stroller all bundled up! (beanie is from when she was 1 month old, found in my diaper bag...little small!) It was beautiful and so nice to get out after all that rain!
Matt thinks she looks like an elf in this picture. And she does.

Then we went bowling with the fam. Matt was playing Peek A Boo with Kate and she was loving it! Laughing so hard.


Matt has nice form. Me, no, I have terrible form. Now I have a pulled groin and a very sore arm!


Matt's family is visiting from Sacramento and staying in Oceanside on the beach!
Kate, Matt, Jamie, Michele, Ryan, and Pam!

a merry little christmas

Christmas Eve we had a good dinner. Megan made a really delicious Flank Steak, her sister Rachel brought twice baked potatoes, Dawn G. brought bread, and I made green beans and a salad. It was a very yummy!

Cheers...To a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Present opening
Kate is more interested in the gifts than the handsome Benjamin next to her!
Dad reading out of the Bible
Mattie reading The Night Before Christmas to Kate bug before we went to bed. It is fun starting our own traditions.


Getting our bug all snug in her bed.
Christmas morning! Yup, mama still buys us all matching PJ, and we still line up on the stairs for the traditional picture. AND...my mom still yells from downstairs, "SANTA HAS COME!!!"


Best gift from Matt. I am definitely going to hold him to this one!

Love my cute guy with his awesome just-woke-up face!

Even though she is just seven months, she had fun! It was the best watching her excitement.



Christmas day all my sister and her cute family (and new puppy) came! For dinner, everyone, (including the boys) had an assignment.
Mom&Nana- Stuffing and Turkey
Dad-Jello Salad
Danielle- Rolls
Aaron- "Festive Drink"
Mike- Mashed Potatoes
Megan- Broccoli Casserole
Ani- Sweet Potatoes
Matt- Creamed Corn
Dave- Cranberry Sauce
Did we miss anything?!?! Nope. We were stuffed.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas! We sure did!

Holiday Fun

Matt's work party was on Friday night. It was at the Salt Creek Grill. It was very yummy, fun dancing, but the best part of the night was when Matt won a plasma TV!
We took our "Little Present" (doesn't she look like a present with that huge bow!!?) to the mall to see Santa.
I am not sure she will be getting any gifts this year because she was not very nice to poor Santa.
This is Kate pulling Santa's real beard! He yelled "OW!!!" And the elves then kept asking, "Santa! Are you OK?!!" All I have to say is that I am sure glad it was real or else someone would have been found out. (Ill be posting the picture we paid and arm and leg for maybe tomorrow or the next day. It is cute. Be excited)

This is Kate's friend Presley. She is only 5 weeks younger! They had fun hanging out in their matching outfits while their mama's attempted to make them bows! Three hours later we had one ugly bow to show for our time and effort. BUT, we had fun. And these girls did too!
Little Miss Presley was kind enough to let kate suck on her hand.
And her knee...
After I put Kate down that night I took the bow apart and made this one. Not to shabby.

More pictures and fun coming soon...Matt is out of town so I am experiencing single parenting. I don't like it.

No more Days of Christmas

Don't know what I was thinking trying to post every day until Christmas. I got pretty far though right? I am done. 

The End!

My little Munchy

Kate is seven months. Seven! I cannot believe how fast it has gone! She is truly our favorite thing in the world. She has developed quite the sassy personality in the past month. She really thinks she is a funny girl. She has chubbed up quiet nicely too! She pretty much went straight from her 0-3 clothes, to 6-12. Her thighs are very yummy. And her cheeks too. I could nibble on them all day.
With Christmas company in the house, she is bunking up with us. She woke up for a 5 am bottle/ snuggle and I laid her in bed next to Matt. Matt, appearing to be asleep gave her quick little kisses on her soft head. I asked him, "Why do we love this little thing so much?" And my half asleep husband mumbled, "Because she is ours."

On the Sixth Day of Christmas

I was too busy sewing, wrapping, shopping, and getting crazy at Matt's work party. Ill be back tomorrow. 

Does everyone else feel like a crazy person right now?! 

Winner!

This lovely lady is getting a yogurt on me! You totally deserve it! 

(Still live at the same address as last year???)

A handmade Christmas (for the girls)

My hands, and especially fingers, are sore! I have been a busy little beaver this past week making gifts. Last month I decided I wanted our gifts to be more meaningful, and I hope the hours and hours and hours I have put into these gifts(projects) will mean something (even if the finished product isn't amazing)! I really had a great time working on my handmade gifts. While I have made each one I found myself thinking about that person and trying to make things they would like and appreciate. I am so excited to give! I will post pictures of the finish products after Christmas! Now, if I could just figure out how to make things for the boys.

On the Fifth day of Christmas...

Your true love (me) gave to you:

A Golden Spoon Yogurt!

Leave a comment and Kate will pick the winner, and I'll mail the card to you. (Lurkers are welcome to participate, I would totally comment on a strangers blog if it involved free Golden Spoon, just for the record.)

This one is for California, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada

On the Fourth Day of Christmas

your true love (me) gave to you:

A Christmas Story

A Brother Like That

Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.

"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.

Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.

"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?"

"Oh yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.

"Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car. "There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he had said: "It is more blessed to give..."

On the Third Day of Christmas...

your true love (me) gave to  you..

My Favorite Hot Chocolate Recipe

Single Serving:

Heat mug full of milk, then add:

2 heaping tablespoon HERSHEY'S Cocoa

2 heaping tablespoon sugar and 

Dash salt 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

If you want to share:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
Dash salt
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups (1 qt.) milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Miniature marshmallows or sweetened whipped cream(optional)
Directions:
1. Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do Not Boil.

2 Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy. Serve topped with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired. Five 8-oz. servings.

(Or just throw it all into your Cocomotion. )

VARIATIONS: Add one of the following with the vanilla extract:

SPICED COCOA: 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Serve with cinnamon stick, if desired.

MINT COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon mint extract OR 3 tablespoons crushed hard peppermint candy OR 2 to 3 tablespoons white creme de menthe. Serve with peppermint candy stick, if desired.

COCOA AU LAIT: Omit marshmallows or whipped cream. Spoon 2 tablespoons softened vanilla ice cream on top of each cup of cocoa at serving time.

SLIM-TRIM COCOA: Omit sugar. Combine cocoa, salt and water; substitute nonfat milk. Proceed as above. With vanilla, stir in sugar substitute with sweetening equivalence of 1/2 cup sugar.

CANADIAN COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon maple extract

On the Second Day of Christmas

Your true love (me) gave to you...
A Christmas story!

It is my favorite Christmas Story. It it a little long, but it really changed how I look at Christmas.

The Christmas Envelope -By Nancy Gavin It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing that he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly. "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he knew them, having coached youth league football, baseball, and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year, and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, their toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown, and someday will expand even further, with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation, watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we all remember the true reason for the season, this year and always.


So, two years ago, we started this tradition in our family. My mom wanted a Christmas Envelope instead of gift. We decided to put together a blanket, some food, a McDonald's Gift Card, and Book of Mormon. Matt and I had been praying that we could find someone who really could use what we had to offer. One day we found him. He was on the bridge over the freeway. We parked at the nearest gas station and got out package out of the truck. We had in the in car all ready for a couple of weeks. We walked over to the bridge and approached the man. He was so surprised that we were talking to him. We introduced ourselves to him, and he to us. We told him we had a blanket that we wanted to give to him. He quickly said, "Oh no! It is cold, you need that blanket!" We told him we had others at home, and this was for him. He was so thankful, and told us he had nothing to give us in return, but that he would sing us a song. So there were stood, over the freeway, being serenaded by a man we had never met. It was a beautiful and memorable experience. I will never forget it.
Oh, and Kate chose Danica for the Toffee!!! Email me your address! I know Claire will love it!
It probably won't look pretty when it gets there...so here is evidence that it once was.

It's Raining, It's Pouring.

We are still in our PJs and I had toffee for breakfast.I love it. (And her sweet face)

True Love: Sweet Summer-Matt's version

We had a bunch of fun dates, and a good time getting to know each other. It was a dream come true. I finally met the girl of my dreams, but I was concerned that she was leaving my life as fast as she came into it. I knew I had to do something or she would leave me.

First official date at the Shore Bird

I was planning on going back to school and in the process of doing that, so I was a little uncertain of how this would all work out. But I knew I had to do something if we were still going to date.

We hung out every day. We went surfing together, we went to Waimea Falls, we wento the beach, visited Diamond Head, hiked lighthouse, and went to the Reggae Feast. I thought Ani was an all around cool chick. She liked all the same stuff I liked, and we had really easy conversations. This was working out just great. Not to mention she was drop-dead hotness.
Diamond Head

When the time came to make the decision I didn’t know what to do. I had planned a trip to come visit her in California, so I knew I had an extra two weeks to make my decision. It kept putting it off, and putting it off.

To be continued….

True Love: Summer Lovin'-Ani's version

And for the rest of the summer we did not leave each other’s side. My best friend Bree, due to be married in a few short weeks, was in a serious accident, and in a coma. Matt was there to support me, listen, and let me cry on his arms. I got to see his tender side, and also found that he had a strong testimony. We also had lots of fun. We hiked up to Diamond Head and to the Lighthouse, we snorkeled, played golf, we went camping and skydiving with friends. We explored the jungle, we swan in waterfalls, and laid on the beach. We fell in love.
Skydiving

I was on cloud nine! One problem was that the summer was coming to an end. Very quickly. I was in a panic. I had been dropping hints that he should move to Utah the whole summer. He said he would seriously think about it if he did not get into school. But if he passed his test, which would allow him to go back to school, then he would stay. Since I was living in his old house, and he didn’t change his mailing address, the test results would arrive in my front yard. I ran to the mail everyday. I had decided to leave it all up to fate. If he passed, then we were not meant to be. If he failed, we were destined. I prayed every night that he would fail.

After a fun day of hiking and swimming at the beach with some friends, my roommate called. Dun Dun Dun….it had arrived. I had a pit in my stomach the whole way home. He went in to get it. Got back in the car and opened it. He needed a 550 to pass. And a 550 is what he got. My heart broke. I said, “Good job Mattie.” And then got out of the car and walked in. I was planning how I would distance myself from the best thing that had ever happened to me. I was not going to get my involved only to make the heartbreak worse. That night we had a long talk about everything and decided to just take it a day at a time. If it was meant to be, it would work out.


So I went to work trying to figure out a plan. I found out they had my major at BYU-H, so I quickly applied to stay as a full time student for the Fall. And I tried to find out where Matt could further his education on the mainland. (He had already graduated with a degree in business, but wanted to be a teacher.)

Climbing around in the trees in the jungle

Matt had an obligation with some friends one night, and I was surprised when he showed up late, just as I was about to go to bed. He told me he was taking me somewhere. We drove up to a golf course and walked up to the top of the hill that looked over the ocean. He pulled me close, and put one of his earphones into my ear, and one into his own. “We need to catch up on our dances.” And so we danced. I knew it would work out.

It had to.
Reggae Concert

To be continued...