OK... The Rest of the Gang

I CAN'T believe I have no pics. of my sister's beautiful children!  What??  They seriously are beautiful and I guess the kiddos were always off playing, so I have no pics.!  Darn it!  Well, here we are in the Red Rocks minus the kids.  We had a great hike that day and took everyone to our favorite giant swing.  It was a hit!

My Sweet Family

Our Grand Canyon Adventure!  My favorite Step-Dad Randy, looks like he's about to fly off the edge, but don't worry... he's an expert!!  In his hand he's holding our little friend "Flat Stanley".  The girls brought him and he's supposed to go around and have his pic. taken in interesting places, then you send it back to the owner.  "Flat Stanley" became the word of the day and was cracking us all up!
9 mos. pregnant and on the edge of the Canyon!  It was a beautiful day.  We couldn't have asked for better weather or company!
My amazing little "cousins".  They took such good care of my boys.  I really want to adopt them both.  They are the sweetest girls in the universe!
Hiking back to the car, Dylan made it his mission to impress the girls by lifting heavy objects.  Here is proof of his mighty strength!

OK, now I have more pics. somewhere with the rest of the gang.  I will find and post ASAP!  This was such a wonderful week.  Great weather, time with my wonderful family, hiking, eating, talking, laughing, shopping.  What else is there?  We are truly blessed to have these people to love.

My Key Lime Pie

Another easy recipe for you that promises to be SO SO GOOD!

My Key Lime Pie

80z pkg. cream cheese softened (I use Nancy's organic cultured cream cheese... good for you)

8 oz of heavy whipping cream (Organic Valley is good)

juice of about 4-6 limes... depending on how limey you like it

3/4 c. sugar... add more if you like it sweeter.  No substitutes, use real sugar!

whip all of these ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.  Stir in about 2 tbsp. lime zest.  Pour into an organic graham cracker or homemade crust.  Sprinkle a little more lime zest on top and add a few lime slices for garnish. Chill for at least one hour.

YUM!  And don't feel guilty... this is real food!

It Don't Mean a Thing if You Ain't Got a Swing!

This picture doesn't even show how BIG this swing was, but Michael is 6 feet tall and is reaching up for Dylan, so that kind of gives you the idea!  The boys and the Grandma and Grandpa had so much fun.  This huge swing was right by the creek!  It was such a super find after a long hike.  The weather was perfect and starting to feel spring-ish... even flowers blooming around the trees and grass.  The boys played in the water, caught crawdaddies for the fish tank (craymen), dug in the soft sand.
Grandma Ann and Soren.  Soren was a little too tipsy on this big swing by himself.  I think Grandma and Grandpa had just as much fun as the kiddos!
I know I've said it before, but these kids are so happy outside.  They are like different people when they can just run free and be kids in the great outdoors.  I LOVE that they can do this practically all year round... it's just a hop, skip and a jump away.
My sweet gentlemen.  See those red legs in the background??  That's another family that came across the giant swing.  You can really tell how high it was!
Look at the handsome guy :-)  It was so funny, at the end of our hike we came across some Japanese girls.  Grandpa taught Dylan how to say hello to them in Japanese and they thought he was the cutest little American boy ever.  One of the girls had me take a picture her posing with him.  Dylan was SO embarrassed by all of their giggling and attention and of course we had to tease him just a little about his new Japanese girlfriend.  Dylan reminds me of Michael... the ladies love him, but he has no clue!

This week my sister and her kiddos are coming, my dear cousin and her girls and my favorite auntie :-)  It's going to be an "est fest" (my mom's new phrase) with all these girls around.  I can't wait and I'll be posting lots of pics. of our adventures.

Speaking of adventures, we are about to have a big one.  Our baby girl is coming in about 3 weeks!  I can't believe it and I'm a little nervous, but so excited to meet her!  At our last appointment she measured about 5.5 lbs. which is right on for this point in pregnancy.  We saw her profile and I thought she kind of looked like me.  It's so hard to tell though.

We'll keep you posted :-) 

Zoo?

Sadly, these are the only pics. I have of the boys at the World Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium.  They didn't come out very good and we were a little disappointed with this zoo experience.  Not to sound ungrateful, but it cost an arm and a leg to get in and then you had to pay for each little ride and extra separately.  I think Dylan enjoyed it more than any of us.  As you can see from Soren's look in every pic., he was not a fan!  The highlight was a water ride that the boys all rode (no pregnant girls allowed), it cooled them off and went under the aquarium, which was pretty cool!!
In front of Dylan's favorite, the Cassawaries (sp?).  They've been studying Australian animals in school, so these birds were a hit!
Another pic. where Soren refused to smile.  It was more like "get me out of here and let's go swimming ASAP!!!!!".  I think we all agreed and spent most of the rest of our weekend at the pool, shopping and playing miniature golf!  The Valley hit 90 degrees this weekend and while we love a mini-vacation, we were all happy to be home in the cool pines :-)

Under a Bridge...

No, it's not upside down!  It's D standing next to a little pond we came across.  Who would've thought you could drive down a lonely highway, pull off on a little dirt road, park under an overpass and find such an adventure waiting for you!
Daddy and Sory next to the pond.  There was so much super soft, red sand there.  The boys loved digging in it and so did the rest of us.  We had many rock throwing and dirt clump throwing contests that day!
Our little hiker and his coveted walking stick.
Climbing the rocks along the way was fun.  These boys are both fearless explorers and I always have a great time watching my little guys in action.  I hope little sister is tough enough to keep up!

Sweetheart's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Tonight is date night with my sweetheart and we decided that just being together without the kiddos for a night was romantic enough... no fancy restaurants required!  So, we're out for pizza and a movie tonight and I can't wait.  I've been craving a good slice of pizza lately anyway :-)

Yesterday was my day to volunteer in D's class and it was his Valentine's party.  The first part of the morning we worked on phonics.  The kids were completely not into it and just wanted the party to start, so Ms. K wrapped it up early and Ms. S came in for "creative movement", which is a lot of instruments, singing and dancing.  Well, D has had this little crush for awhile on a sweetheart in his class, so when they had to pick a dance partner he picked her.  The held hands and did the sweetest little dance to an old Valentine song.  When the song was over and they all sat in a circle and I heard D whispering to himself over and over... "I love her, I love her, I love her".  It was too cute!!  And she really is a sweet little girl and plays Star Wars with the boys, what could be better than that!  Little Sory sat by his own little crush most of the day and had a ball.  He loves "L", probably because she's cute and tiny just like him.

I'm so grateful for my sweet husband.  He's the most loving father, hard-worker, loyal, thoughtful friend that I have ever known.  He's always thinking of us first, even to his own detriment at times!  I have to remind him to take time for himself.  I hope he knows how much we love him.

Have a lovely day everyone!!

xoxo

My First Burpy Lovey...

So, I've been so inspired by all of these crafty ladies around me.  I decided, no more excuses, time to get busy.  Here's the back.  I can't decide if this is a burp cloth or a lovey... burp 'n love?
And the front.  I need some tips... where the tab goes it doesn't look like I wanted it to.  I probably should've hand stitched that part.  Any other ideas??  The front is just a cloth diaper and fabric and the back is super soft plushy fabric.  This was fun!  Thanks for the inspiration ladies and keep it coming!

A Kickin' Good Birthday!

Dylan celebrated turning 6 the other day at the Tae Kwon Do place with friends.  He had a blast!  And he got so many great gifts... lots of Star Wars, which is the coolest thing among the kindergarten boys!
He also, got to show all the kids how he can break a board with one solid kick!  A lot of his friends didn't believe him at first and were very impressed ;-)
Even Soren got in on the sparring action and LOVED it... poor little guy, he wants to do Tae Kwon Do SO badly.  This was the first time he was even allowed on the blue mat and he felt very BIG.
Here he is after his match... see the glow in his cheeks?  He's in heaven :-)

Happy Birthday Dylan!!  We all had a great time.  It was quick, fun and easy clean-up since it wasn't at my house- perfect!  I asked Dylan what his favorite part of the day was and he said "the whole thing!".  So, yes, he had a wonderful 6th birthday.  

Today another huge snow storm has come in and we're thinking about doing some sledding. This is the only part of pregnancy that bugs me... when I can't participate with my kids.  I'm 8 mos. pregnant now and I'll do the little hills with Soren, but no big jumps for me... darn it!  

Oh yea, and tomorrow I turn 32... yippeee!  I actually really love getting older.  People have told me that's because I'm not old yet.  Maybe so.  So far, each birthday has been great and I feel better and better.  I'll let you know at what age that all changes ;-)

It's a Beautiful Day...

This passed weekend was my baby shower.  I was amazed at the beautiful job my dear friends Susie, Jill and Amy did in throwing this shower.  Down to the tiniest detail it was perfect, beautiful, personal and better than I could ever imagine.  I hope these girls know how grateful I am for their hard work, generosity, thoughtfulness and most of all FRIENDSHIP.  Speaking of friendship, I am also so grateful to all of the wonderful friends who were able to attend.  I must admit, I am lucky to know such an amazing group of ladies.  They are all inspiring in their own way... hard workers, loving mothers, beautiful creators.  Every gift I received, I LOVE!  They were all so thoughtful.  Thank you everyone for sharing my special day.

This weekend was also VERY special for my BIG boy Dylan!!!!  He turned 6!  I can hardly believe it.  He is a great kid, so smart, witty, confident, thoughtful and of course very cute :-)  He was so excited to finally be 6.  We had a small family celebration this weekend and next weekend will be his big friend party.  I will post pics. as soon as I get them.  Dylan has always amazed us and seemed older than his years.  He's serious about life.  He wants to do good.  He's a bit of a perfectionist, which is good and difficult sometimes, as he is easily frustrated.  I think his passion for doing things right will serve him well as he gets older.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN!!!  We love YOU!!

Lean, Green, Painting Machines...

Painting away on a Sunday afternoon.  Daddy's gone and we're feeling crafty.  All we had was green paint, so we did lots of grass, beanstalks and green roses.
D's beautiful green rose.
Sory's beanstalk.
The best part of all was smooshing green paint between our fingers and then making a green swamp in the bathroom sink.  The boys are missing their Daddy as he has been in Orlando on business all weekend.  We hope our green works of art make him smile when he comes home tonight!

Nudists, Nice Weather, New Babies (not in that order ;-))

I realized I haven't written a real post in awhile, so here's a little update.  The last three days have been marvelous as we have been able to get out of town each day and head to warm weather.  A hike with friends Friday, the Valley on Saturday (I was actually a little hot and it felt great :-)), and another hike Sunday with Grandma Ann and Grandpa Ran.  On our Sunday hike we happened upon a few little nudist families... lucky for us just the kids ;-)  The boys were a little curious for maybe a second, but never said "hey, why are they all naked??  can we get naked??"  which, is good because I would have said no!  I'm just not that free when it comes to being in the nake. There are some strange people out there... you just never know.  Today is a holiday, so no school and I think D may be fighting a little cold, so he's wrapped up on the couch right now watching "Go Diego Go" and of course, little brother is right by his side.  When D is home they are inseparable.  I hope it lasts when the baby comes.  I am going to need those breaks!  Speaking of baby, we just put curtains up in her room.  It's finally coming together and starting to look more complete.   Sometimes I walk by and just want to sit in there and stare at the pinkness!  I love it.  It's been so much fun decorating for a girl.  So much of it is stuff I'd pick for myself.  I really feel like our family is complete now that we have a girl coming... it just seems more balanced.  

I'll post more pics. again soon! 

Sugarboo Designs

These frames are way too beautiful.  I want them all SO bad and they are SO expensive!  Go to sugarboodesigns.com to view the entire collection.  I may have to splurge... I'm not sure I can hold back.  I want this one in cream for my bedroom.  The internet is such a dangerous place!

Desiderata

Desiderata used to hang in our house growing up and it has always been one of my favorite writings of all time.  I've been looking for years for a pretty antiqued wooden plaque with these words or maybe a large tile.  Anyone know where I could find such a thing??  I wonder if one of those vinyl lettering places could put it on a wooden plaque or tile for me.

Here it is for anyone who hasn't read it:

Desiderata

By Max Ehrmann

Go Placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain and bitter;

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals;

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.

With all it sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Remember how I said I'd post recipes?  Well, this is what I made last night and it's pretty much "no fail".

1 whole chicken (organic if you can)

2 boxes "Imagine" organic chicken broth (the right broth really makes the soup)

1-2 cups chopped carrots

1-2 cups chopped celery

1 pkg. egg noodles (I like the noodles I find here that look homemade)

Start by cooking your whole chicken in the broth for a couple hrs. with the lid on.  Once it's cooked through, take it out of the broth and pull off all of the meat and put it (the meat) back into the pot.  Add your veggies and simmer until veggies are soft.  The noodles only take about 10-15 min., so add those at the end.  Depending on the size of your bird and how many noodles you added and how "brothy" you like your soup, you may want to add some water and a little chicken boullion.  Maybe some salt and pepper to taste.  That's it!  Your kids will love it.  We give our boys straws for the broth and then they eat the rest with a fork.  Enjoy on a cold day :-)

Red Rocks

One nice thing about the winters here is the easy escape to the beautiful Red Rock Country.  Whenever you're just about to die of cabin fever, there's a warm sunny hike waiting for you less than an hour away.  Here's little Soren taking a breather.  It looks like he just put his pack down to rest, but actually Daddy put Soren AND the pack down and is probably hiding somewhere.
D the tree climbing expert.  Nothing could make me happier than to see my guys just exploring, being kids and enjoying the outdoors.  I feel really fortunate to live in such beauty.  Michael and I always wonder if our kids will appreciate it... growing up in it their whole lives.  Maybe when they're older :-)
I, almost 7 mos. pregnant, was "bear crawling" and huffing and puffing up these rocks.  Michael, who was miles ahead with a 3 yr. old on his back and keeping up with a wild almost 6 yr. old, was not even out of breath...  I can't wait to get back into shape (one of my resolutions)!

Happy New Year everyone!

"Seriously So Blessed"

Anyone heard of this blog???  Well, I read it this morning and I have to admit it is... seriously so funny, but I could see where they they were coming from.  Some of these blogs and holiday cards can be a little much.  I'll be the first to confess, I tend to put our life's highlights not "lowlights" into my blog and holiday letter because I feel like SERIOUSLY who wants to read about someone else's bad life... unless it has a funny twist of course.  Trust me, I in no way try to sugar-coat life.  I am am optimist though and truly feel most things aren't worth getting that down about.  I try not to give negativity a whole lot of my energy.   I don't mean to make light of any of very sad or difficult situations.  I know some of these cause real suffering and I have empathy for those in these very tough situations.  My sister was bothered with me the other day because I don't share my problems.  She said my life seemed "bullet-proof".  Seriously, I don't have any huge problems going on.  At least nothing that warrants gabbing about.  My life is not "bullet-proof" and believe you me I have had plenty of ups and downs (like everyone else).  I could complain a ton about the injustices of my life or I could... count my many blessings... name them one by one (that was for you, lds friends ;-))  and move on.  Check out seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com if you want to laugh and if you are lds you may find it even more seriously so funny!

When We Get There We'll Scream YES!!

We travelled through a blizzard this year for our yearly "Polar Express" tradition, but it was well worth the adventure once we arrived.  It was freezing cold and we were happy to board the toasty warm train headed straight to the North Pole :-)
The kids lined up in front of the window waiting to get a glimpse of Santa and his reindeer.
Two happy boys!  Our Soren and his lifelong buddy Ben.  Ben wanted to hold his hand, which was so cute.
Hang on to your hats we're almost there!  After the trip we went and sat on Santa's lap... Soren wants a race track and Dylan wants a Star Wars set this year.  Next year between us and the two other couples we went with, we will have FOUR more babies with us!!  I can't even imagine!

Snow Pictures

Part way through the storm it looked like this.  Michael just called and said we may get ten.. yes TEN more inches this week.  D is SO excited for ski lessons.
D on the side of our house.  He's hoping Daddy will build him a snow fort.
Snow, snow, snow every way you go!  Here's the pile in front of our house.  The boys are worried it's going to melt.  I don't see that happening for a loooooooong time...

Snowed In

Yes, you could say that.  This is the third day of school cancellations and while that may sound scary, I'm getting used to it and kind of starting to enjoy it.  I told D today that I was so happy he was home and I'll miss him when he goes back!  Homeschool anyone??  Luckily, Christmas break starts Friday and we'll have two whole weeks where we can just hang out, go shopping, make treats and snuggle by the fire watching movies.  My two boys had their "well child" Dr. visits this morning and both are WELL.  Both little string beans, but both as healthy as horses.  D shot up 5 1/2 inches over the past year and a half!!  I thought his pants had been looking a little short.  And my littlest continues along his own curve, but also grew almost 3 inches since his last visit!  We won't talk about weight... let's just say my kiddos grow up and not out.  One day they'll be grateful :-)  The Dr. suggested instant breakfast, but I think I could pour straight cream down their throats and they'd be exactly the same.  They eat a ton as it is!  My husband and I were the exact same way.  The third little bean in my belly is doing well.  I know I keep forgetting to mention her.  Sometimes I forget I'm even pregnant!  She's been kicking up a storm lately and my OB says she'll be just like the boys- a tiny little feisty thing!  I can't wait!!  The boys have both been able to feel her kick, which they loved.  

I'll post some pics. of our monstrous snowstorm soon.  We probably have about 2 feet out there right now!

Happy Anniversary!

To our good friends Susie and Matt.  I know they are holed up in their cabin right now with their two sweet girls and probably getting tired of all this snow, BUT we want you to know we are thinking of you and hope you have a beautiful day... maybe even a little romance ;-)  You guys are such a wonderful couple.  We hope your day is special!

Love, The Skaggs Fam.

In the Land of Snow and Ice!

We have a freezing cold storm that hit last night and is supposed to come again and bring a TON of snow... we're crossing our fingers!  The boys have had a blast all morning riding their truck through the snow drifts and down our icy road.  The littlest has NO fear on this thing and would probably drive it off a cliff if we let him... (no, all you Grandmas reading this, we would never let him :-))
D's new ski outfit (minus one glove ;-))  We hope he and Daddy can get up to the mountain soon for some skiing and snowboarding this year!  Think SNOW!

The Big Test...

D had his belt test for Tae Kwon Do this weekend and passed.  He worked so hard and we're so proud of him!  Way to go D!
He broke this board with a side kick on his first shot!
Prepping for the big moment...
Waiting so patiently... which is a big part of Tae Kwon Do.  It's hard for these little guys to hold still for even a minute, but they did it!  Well done Mister!!

Birthday Party Pics.

The best part of the day was definitely the birthday juice box!
The prized car!  He played with this all day and even took it to bed.
One, two, three... blow!  He was so excited for his cake and blew all the candles out on the first shot.  It was an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and I have to admit it was really GOOD!

Happy 3rd Birthday sweetheart!!

Bad Bug, Good Bug

Our almost 3 year old little bug!  Happy Birthday to you!

I'm proud to say we made it to almost December without sick season catching up with us. This could be a record! We are now all in recovery from a number of not so friendly bugs. Soon we WILL ALL BE WELL AND FREE OF YUCKY BUGS!!! Tomorrow we are celebrating our littlest's birthday even though he officially turns 3 on Dec. 19th. These three years we have had with him have kept us laughing... and cleaning quite a bit. He is such a character and so mischievous, yet such a sweet little snuggle bug all at the same time. Looking at him you would never believe he was capable of the following: Bleaching our brand new master bedroom carpet with blemish cream, flooding our bathroom so bad that the water came out of our house and onto the deck below, coloring on nearly every surface of this house, cutting his pants with scissors, ripping apart any book he is left alone with, covering himself from head to toe with Mommy's VERY perfumy lotion and spreading it all over the bathroom floor and these are just a FEW of the highlights!! While he keeps us on our toes, I never known a more affectionate little guy. He's too cute... I can never stay mad too long. If I do seem frusterated he'll always say with his arms around me "Mommy, you happy??" How can I say No to that! He's my Mama's Boy and I love him to pieces!