Ella first day with no ropes

This is Ella skiing the run before she fell asleep (while skiing)

What Darren has been doing!

Wasatch Dawn Patrol - Nov 30, 2010

A fun weekend

We went downtown this week on a Tuesday. It was much less busy than a weekend, yet still very full! It was warm which made the whole experience more enjoyable. One youth group even gave us all hot cocoa and fresh doughnuts.

Here is the best story about our weekend.

We took the kids up skiing at Solitude. They did really well. So much so that Tyler went down a few blues. At the end of them he said his little legs were tired!

Ella was ready to take off the ski ropes from her back. We hold on to the ropes to slow her down. But she was ready to just work on skiing on her own. She and I skied several runs on the beginner hill alone. Then Darren and Tyler came over to see how she was doing. The time was now about 3:15 pm. (Ella usually naps around 1:30 every day)

Darren rode the lift up with her. He commented later that she was rather quiet as he talked to her. We get off the lift and start skiing down. I have to keep reaching out to her and slowing her down. She was just going so fast. Each time I grab her she kind of laid her head down on my out stretched arm. I didn't think much of it, just that she must love her momma! But by the third time of racing up to her and slowing her down , and the third time of her laying her head on my arm... it came together in my head. I bent down and look at her eyes through her googles. SHE WAS ASLEEP! Eyes closed and all!

I picked her up mid ski run and carried her down to the truck. Darren undid my skis and I walk her to the truck. We take off her hat, goggles, skis, boots, and coat and she doesn't even move. I lay her down and she sleeps!

Other news:

• Darren has been skiing early mornings with a friend. Mike, his friend, calls the group he skis with the "Dawn Patrol". I will post a video of their fun adventures. Darren isn't actually in this video. But I think my husband is pretty cool for getting up at 5:00 AM and hiking up a mnt, skiing down and then heading into work!
• I have been climbing still with my friend Ang. It reminds me that I can be a mom, a wife and still be Amy- having fun!
• Tyler is working on Spanish still. He is also practicing the piano a lot.
• Ella doesn't sleep in a crib anymore. She is almost three and I just felt guilty putting her in a crib. But in the last 7 days of no crib, she has taken two naps. She just doesn't want to nap anymore. We all pay for it around 5:30 when she falls apart!
• I got to ski two runs on my own yesterday. Wonderful powder. Darren gave me his "old" skis. Wow! What a difference. I was skiing on skis that were only 9 years old but it was night and day difference with newer skis.

MERRY Christmas Everyone!

Or Happy (late) Hanukkah

Getting Older

I turned 31 on Friday. It was a great birthday. Yet it was so different than any other birthday I have ever had.

This birthday was quite, not too many people and just for me! Darren and Tyler "surprised" me with breakfast. We did put candles in the omelet and it was good! I met Darren for lunch with the kids. Then the kids and I went to Provo to rock climb with my friend Ang. The kids loved it... and so did I. We try to go every week, so they are finally getting better behaving there (which makes for a more enjoyable experience).

Then the rest of the evening just fell into place. I was so grateful! We had to go to a work party in Alpine. The kids got to play with my cousin Kimi and Carlee. They loved it! But the best part was putting my kids to bed at home, and having them wish me a happy birthday all day.

Then Saturday Darren took me on a date. Mexican food at the fish taco place - No I didn't try the fish tacos, just Darren did. Then he told me he got tickets for some movie... "The Tourists" or something like that. I tried not to be too disappointed. But Darren said I failed miserably! I couldn't tell if he was serious- I kept saying, are you serious, you didn't get tickets for Narnia, the Dawn Treader?

He finally told the truth, He did have tickets for Narnia! THANK GOODNESS! I have been so excited to see it!

Does it mean I am getting old when I like quite peaceful birthdays with my little family!?

Texas cousins

My brother is in Iraq for another 6 weeks. So to break up the last stretch of his absense my sister in law, Jeana packed up 3 kids and came to visit. It was a great Thanksgiving treat. Now they can head home, prepare for Christmas and New Years, then he will be home the first half of January!

We made turkeys one day. There was all kinds of goodness to decorate them with. Lunch wasn't a big success after the activity. It seems more candy got in tummies then on the popcorn turkey balls!

This is cousin Seth helping Ella with her turkey. Tyler and I took Seth skiing one day. It was SOOO cold- as in, 9 degrees cold but it was his only chance and it was only for an hour and a half.

Grandpa took all of us to the dinosaur museum at Thankgiving Point. It was a huge sucess.
We could have stayed for longer but the adults were tired and hungery!
Tyler got to hang out with Cousin Spencer. There are 5 cousins all about the same age and when they get together they have fun.
Ella and Sophie had a great time. Ella really is happy in this picture, I must have just caught her at a funny point. Both girls didn't take naps for 3 days and wow, they were done by the third evening together! Too much fun!
We also spent Thanksgiving in Logan with the Balls family. I love Skype. We talked to Ranell in Minnesota, and Jason and Whit in Florida. My parents and Renee were in Washington having Thanksgiving with the Allen's and the Thomas's. I will be there soon!

Green Eggs and Ham anyone...

I follow my cousin's cooking blog.

asianflourgirl.blogspot.com

I love the recipes and try most of them. One of my favorite things she does in her posts is say what she learned while cooking each thing. I always check this before I cook it because I tend to make lots of mistakes while cooking and want to avoid anything she points out.

Well I made her zucchini fritters- This is her photo from her blog- They look GOOD!

http://asianflourgirl.blogspot.com/2010/10/recipe-39-zucchini-fritters.html

So we made some. But I knew my kids would eat it better if they couldn't see the healthy zucchini in it. So (mistake #1) I pureed the zucchini. Then added the other ingredients like cheese, ham and eggs.

Then Darren helped me cook up the fritters (or the mess, the glop, the whatever you want to call it- it was pretty scary looking)

Here is my picture- It looked the same before we cooked it as it did after we cooked it. Still not wanting to give up- Tyler has been reading all the Dr. Seuss Books. So we pretended to have made the crazy dinner just for him.

He tried a bite or two. Darren and I ate some- and the rest went in the garbage.

What I learned: Dont puree Zucchini- It makes a big watery mess!

Carmel Apples

I have wanted to make carmel apples for a long time. Finally we got to it today.

We used extra Halloween Candy to decorate some of the apples. They turned out wonderful!

Halloween Weekend

We went to the Natural History Museum the other day. Ella really wanted pig tails.

This is my husband who I love so much. His boss.... His boss came up with the idea that the whole accounting department should dress up the same. Then he chose the theme---- they should all dress up Gothic- you know all in black, earrings, piercings, etc...

So if Darren has to do something he does it right. His poor children wouldn't even hug him good bye.
Tyler dressed up like a soccer player. He really likes soccer. and Ella dressed up like a cowgirl. Really- neither child cared much about dressing up they just wanted the candy.
We made it trick or treating for about an hour and a half. - in that time we made it down our street and one other. WOW!

Two things I learned

I seem to always have recipes that call for Sweetened Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk- and I never have any on hand.

I have found two great recipes- and they are cheaper than buying the stuff

Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/2 cup hot water

1 cup non instant dry powdered milk

1 cup sugar

1 tbs butter

combine ingredients and mix in blender. use immediately or store in fridge or freezer

Evaporated milk

1.5 cups of water

.5 cups +1 Tbs dry non instant powdered milk

combine ingredients and miz will before using your recipe. Yield:1.5 cups- the equivalent of a 12 oz can