Robbie & Sarah Neilson

Halloween! I'm always one holiday behind...

2011-12-02T09:11:00.004-07:00

We had so much fun at Halloween this year! From friends parties, to ward parties, to pumpkin carving, and trick or treating...it was an awesome year. Especially because both little lovelies were so excited about it this year.

Especially my Etta. For a long time she said she wanted to be rapunzel...I was a little bummed thinking that was kind of cliche and every other little girl would be dressed like that. But I'm all for letting the kids pick so I figured I go pick up a dress and wig, nice and easy. Then my mom gave us the movie Aristocats and Etta was hooked. She wanted to watch it everyday and even got all her little friends to start playing Kitty Cat in the neighborhood. Her favorite was the mom, Duchess. So she adamantly decided that was the costume for her. To make a very long story short I was amazed how hard it was to find cute white cat apparel. So I thought how hard could it be an decided to make it. Let's just say it was harder than I thought but now that I've done it once it'd be a cinch! It all turned out great except for the mounds of fur every where in our bedroom and she loved every minute of being Duchess.

By the way if you're wondering I'm a child of the seventies...or my mother. This was her dress she left from her wedding reception in. Kinda cool. I didn't get quite as decked this night with jewelry and braids and such...

Knock, knock, knockin with Cass and Oakers err Alice and the Rabbit!

Mickey did not start out in the best mood.

He got a bit happier once he got some Cheetos...

Hopefully I can get some pics of our friends party where the boys dressed up too. :)

Boys Will Be Boys

2011-11-02T15:51:00.002-06:00

Since I have known rob he has participated in and loved every minute of flag football season. For the last 4 years he and his cubbies team mates have reigned supreme in their provo flag football league. These boys take this so seriously and revel in this accomplishment. We have fun tagging along, hanging with friends, bringing snacks, sitting in the rain, cheering through mega phones, and delighting in breakfast wednesdays win or lose.

We love it and we love watching our handsome Rob!

Congrats to the Cubbies and their 4 years of total domination!

August 2011

2011-11-01T16:02:00.007-06:00

This summer has been super fun and obviously wore us out a little bit.

(See the flashlight? haha)

We had some fun trips to the zoo to see the dinosaur exibit.

Lovin our cousins...

Look at these cuties...

Oh Aunt Jacqueline you're so silly...

And Etta started school!!! I can't believe it!!! We decided to put her in preschool this year and after much research and consideration I decided Kids Village was the place for us...and we LOVE it!

She was so excited for her first day of school! (And a little nervous)

She's loving her teachers and new friends. She goes to music, art, cooking, and science. Then she has a general class everyday where she learns reading and other preschool basics.

Rob went to Argentina with the Youth National Team. It was such a cool experience. He spent a little over a month during the summer training the team before they went to Argentina for the World Championships at the end of August. They placed very well for the USA team and he had an awesome time...

As you can see in this picture. The man loves him some volleyball. Or maybe rather competition at a high level and working hard to accomplish something.

Then Rob started the school year along with the EMBA program and here we go again!

His name is Liam and Liam is his name.

2011-11-01T15:53:00.004-06:00

I have a little boy and his name is Liam.

He is the sweetest snuggler...

he loves putting things away...

he loves eating, anything...

and he's all boy.

Every last drooling, snotty, caked on food, dirty, no pants wearing, ball loving inch of him.

And we are absolutely nuts about him!!!!

How on earth could you not be?

Rain...check!

2011-09-30T08:16:00.007-06:00

We had some really fun storms this summer that were great for splishing and splashing!

This one in particular was crazy!! In a matter of seconds it went from drizzly to torrential downpour. Our side walks, grass, and streets were flooding almost immediately.

So of course Etta wanted to suit up and have some fun.

Liam some how got the shaft and made it out there with no gear.

It was super warm though, so don't feel too bad for him.

Pretty quickly Etta thought it would be more fun sans her boots...

But they were a little tough to get off!

I told Etta to put her arm around Liam for a cute picture and this is what ensued...

I always try to explain to her that when she's gritting her teeth she's crossed the line.

Am I a bad mom for not putting down the camera at this point?

Help me...!

Poor boy...always getting beat up by girls. Well we dried off a little and got better equipped and spent the rest of the morning enjoying our freakish weather.

Tin Foil Dinners!!

2011-09-27T14:50:00.011-06:00

I love camping and I LOVE tine foil dinners. Over the years we've perfected (at least in our minds) the tin foil dinner. It's just the standard ground beef, carrots, onion, and potato but taken to another level. Mmmmm...

So we headed up to our spot in the upper bridal veil falls right by the river with my fam.

Look at my cute sister.

And my cute BIL.

The kids had SO much fun running around getting dirty and if you know Etta you know there's nothing she loves more than picking flowers. Everywhere we go (church, grocery stores, neighbors) she wants to pic the flowers and I won't let her. So when I told her she could pick as many as she wanted she was in heaven.

And this all boy, boy of course didn't want to pick flowers...he just wanted to throw around the pigskin.

Every one sat around enjoying themselves...

while I slaved over the fire...;)

Which made my feet look like this. Who wears flip flops? I actually love it though. Usually I don't get to let the pyro in me come out because Rob takes over fire duty, but he met up with us later so someone had to get things movin!

All of the bubbling sizzling gloriousness.

Rob testing the delectations.

Grammie

Papi

Awww...while Rob was gone for three weeks this picture brought Liam to tears from missing his dad so much and remembering the good times! I really think he thought Rob was never coming back! :(

Preggos preggos.

Kurt so strong man.

We had so much fun and can't wait to do it again again. There's nothing better in my book than being outside, with no distractions, good food, and family.

Cody Here We Come

2011-09-01T16:26:00.008-06:00

So back in July Rob's family had a little reunion in Cody, Wyoming (where rob's mom grew up). Unfortunately Rob was out of town with the Youth National Team till a couple days in and had to leave straight from there to return to work. In light of this I decided to drive with the kids (including our infamous little vomiter) to Wyoming on my own! Sounds like a great plan right?

Realizing this was a horrible plan my mother-in-law offered for us to drive with her.

Most people thought I was crazy when I told them I was driving with my MIL sans Rob to his family reunion in Wyoming of all places...but I assured them that if they knew my amazing MIL (and family) they would understand.

So we set off...very early...

And made lots of interesting bath room breaks...Mindy being the biggest trooper, driving 7/8 months preggos alone with her four kids!

We stopped for ice cream at an old mom and pop store in the middle of nowhere (a neilson tradition)

which of course the kids loved...

Then after long last we arrived in Buffalo Bill Town, Cody Wyoming.

It was really beautiful and the town was quaint and charming.

Margaret's family were amazing hosts and so generous with their time and love.

And Margaret and Bob arranged for us to do all sorts of fun activities...

We went river rafting!

To Yellowstone...which I opted out of with the baby and the vomiter on the all day windy drive...I've seen it before and I'll see it again I am sure. But the rest of the gang had a blast!

We went horseback riding in and absolutely beautiful mountain landscape...

We went to a great cowboy review show, trolly tours of cody, the famous cody rodeo, and more...it was sooo fun to just spend time with everyone!

We also ran into some friends at dinner one night...what are the chances that you're at the same restaurant, the same night, in cody wyoming? So crazy the way those things happen!

Then the last day we had a fun family reunion with my MIL's fam.

They put out a great spread and we laughed, played, took loads of pictures and had a wicked water balloon fight!

Etta's fav new relative!

We had such an amazing time and are so grateful to Margaret for setting this whole thing up and making it such a special family memory.

There were a few more pics of Etta at the rodeo and of our family (with Liam included!) that were just darling that hopefully I can track down...but that's all for now!

My Mom

2011-08-31T14:03:00.002-06:00

My mom turned 61 this year! It's been so fun having my family move so close. My kids absolutely love going up to Grammie and Papi's house.

So for my mom's birthday that's just what we did!

The Birthday Girl!

We all went to dinner...not the best shot but the best of the two we took!

My mom really is the best. She always tries to make everyone happy and do kind, fun things for all of us. We're so blessed to have her in our lives! Happy Birthday Mom!

After this Julia and I went to see the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter! So fun...!

Some July Happenings

2011-08-30T14:15:00.004-06:00

This fall we enrolled Etta in preschool at Kids Village (first day of school picks coming soon). As part of their summer programs they do various summer "camps." We sent her to one titled the Enchanted Kingdom!

So we got her all fancied up and she loved it...as is not evident by this picture.

Or this one...

This is more like it, holding her goblet (with pinkies up of course) shouting skumps!

While she was at camp me and this little boy hung out...

Oh, come on...

Love you my sweet darlings!

Strawberry Days

2011-08-27T14:51:00.003-06:00

Man, we did so much fun stuff this Summer it's taking me forever to catch up!

These pics are from Pleasant Groves Strawberry days back in June. The kids, Julia, and I had so much fun scarfing strawberries and cream, riding rides, shopping, and getting our faces painted!

I'm not sure what in Etta's thought process made her think she'd like this ride but when she asked I was all about it. Needless to say as soon as it got going she regretted her decision which was much more true to form. Poor little bug was terrified the whole time, I only wish you could see her face better. In her defense this was probably the worst first roller coaster experience, it was the jerkiest thing I've ever been on.

Etta was so excited to get her face painted...

She sat sooo still and never opened her eyes, she did awesome!

And this lady did the best job I've ever seen!

She couldn't stop looking at herself and shyly smiling.

Sooo cute!

Trying to get a pic of all of us looking these days is impossible!

My sister and I got two buckets (like 40 balls!) and of course the 3 yr old with 5 balls is the one who gets a fish!

She was so excited she hardly knew what to do...

Unfortunately "Fishy" (as she so creatively named him) passed away just this morning.

As far as I'm concerned he had a full life being loved here at the Neilson home for over two months...not bad for a tiny fair gold fish.

Etta was sad but not overly upset. For a while she tried to convince Rob and I (via skype) that she "had an idea how to make him move again!" It did not work.

Farewell our Fishy friend...I will miss cleaning your nasty bowl every three days.

Speaking of Birthdays...

2011-08-24T13:22:00.006-06:00

Etta turned 3!!

CRAZY!

So we got all dressed up and went to Grammy's to celebrate...

(this is the face I get lately)

(and if I get a smile it's something like this little gem)

(of course Cinderella needed to come)

And we went up to park city with our cousins!

And celebrated all weekend with no dad :( but lots of family!

It was Ethan's bday too...

and I continued my obsession with mini cupcakes...

and we also celebrated Christy!

Then dad finally got home and what do you think we did? Celebrated again!

We had a huge neighborhood party with three pools, two slip n slides, and a pinata!

Etta got TONS of presents which deserved TONS of hugs...

and we were so grateful to have all our friends and family there!

The pinata proved quite well made for $7.99...

After at least 20 attempts by the kids (and the poor thing falling down twice) I had to step in and help, which of course I was super excited about!

And we took that sucker down.

Then we finished off with popsicles!

All in all we had soooo much fun having a birthday week of celebrations for our bug. She lights up our lives in so many ways. She is so funny and observant, I just love hearing all the things she has to say lately.

She's still completely obsessed with all things princess, still loves to read, sing and dance, and above all she loves her friends and family (who she talks about all day everyday).

Thanks for all your love and gifts in more ways than one.

We love you bug!!

Parties!

2011-08-24T12:33:00.002-06:00

This Summer Etta has had lots of fun parties to go to and it seems like the older her and her little friends get the pinker their parties get!

We had very fun pinkalicious party...

And a very fun fancy nancy party...

and Etta started her new trend of not wanting me to take pictures, we'll see if I can fix that...

Cupcakes, fingernail painting, games, making flip flops, candy, singing, and fun fun fun!

We love it!

My Little Man (and his first burrito)

2011-08-15T09:03:00.004-06:00

Tell me this isn't the cutest and most disgusting photo shoot ever...sometimes I really can't even believe how messy this guy gets at EVERY meal. I just stopped trying...

Breakfast, wipe down, bath, and sweep. Lunch, wipe down and sweep. Dinner, bath, sweep and mop.

It never ends!

P.S.-Notice the chipped front teeth? We still have no idea how it happened and no matter what anyone says I'm getting those babies filled next year...what if he has them till he's like eight?

Amen.

2011-08-13T08:58:00.006-06:00

I've been moved by reading a little of this sweet family's blog this morning...this post in particular.

I really needed a little perspective right now. This is so me some days!! I mean really...who skips pages in their three year olds bedtime story!?! What is that saving me, like 2 minutes? *lame*

I'm so blessed with two amazing, healthy children and this mom helped me remember that.

Say a prayer for them and one for you thanking god for how blessed you are.

http://aniandmatttaylor.blogspot.com/

My Girl (and her first dance class)

2011-08-12T16:48:00.004-06:00

This little girl is nothing if not a born ballerina. She's walked on her toes since taking her first steps. She went to her first dance class back in June. The little gym gives one time trials to any of their classes (with a hard sell and lots of follow up calls mind you). Etta did dance, sports, and gymnastics and loved them all. Dance, however, was a stand out. She followed the directions to a tee and relished in the spotlight of flitting around the middle of the circle like a fairy. I'd find her days later practicing her plie and releve.

I love this little girl...

I told her yesterday that we were going to do a music class this fall. She jumped for joy and asked if she could where her tutu again. I told her it was a different kind of music class where she learns to sing and play instruments.

Me: "Wouldn't it be awesome to learn to play the piano?"

Etta: (with slumped shoulders and a frown) "No, mom. I just wanna dance."

What a funny girl. We'll have to see about those dance lessons.

Wheatley Family Reunion 2011

2011-07-22T08:18:00.008-06:00

So the Wheatley clan had a small reunion this year right here in Utah.

Friday night what had a great swim BBQ with family at my aunt Torrie's house in sandy.

We stayed at my parents since Rob was gone and cousins were there, and it was of course a blast. Etta had so much fun sleeping over with my brother's kids.

The next day we spent all afternoon at Snowbird.

Jewels and I riding up to do the zip line! (for some reason when Jacqueline said smile we simultaneously did this)

Little Liam was such a trooper. There really wasn't anything for him to do there and we stayed all day! So here he is chillin in the stroller.

There was bull riding which by my face I'm sure you can tell I was awesome at...pretty sure I held the days record. Oh yeah...

Liam with his buddy for the day...papi! The one thing I really took him on was the tram which I thought would be fun for him. They said it gets pretty crowded with the strollers on there so I left mine. As we're trying to get on Etta refused to put on her shoes so I just grabbed her and went so we wouldn't miss it. Little did I know that there were no benches in there. So I had to hold her the whole time which left my dad holding Liam. The kids were struggling so I thought, "I'll just ride up and ride straight back down." What I also didn't know was that you have to wait 30 min at the top for the next tram. So we get to the top which (in the last week of june) is still completely covered in snow. So me in my flip flops holding my shoe-less child went to find a place to sit. Not a bench, chair, or step to be had to rest your laurels out of the snow. So we hung out throwing snowballs at passersby and Liam passed out on my dad's shoulder.

We got some yummy lunch...yes, in our matching T-Shirts thank you.

And did the alpine slide, which Etta refused to do with me...

Etta did however want to do this...surprised...

Which she quickly backed out of and started crying once strapped in...ahhh, not surprised...

But the people were really nice and let me come in the gates with her to coax her back on. She conquered her fears getting back on the tramp. (although she never let both feet leave the ground at the same time :) Way to go bug.

The only thing that could have possibly made it better would've been to have Rob there with us. You are missed my beloved!

We stayed the night with family again and had a fun weekend playing and visiting with cousins, grandparents, great grands, aunts, uncles, and nieces and nephews! Thanks fam!

Tuscan Villas Regional Qualifier

2011-07-17T07:54:00.003-06:00

Poker Night...

This ended in an intense, head to head, rob on rob battle that was cut short.

We need a rematch.

Love it...

Easter

2011-07-12T09:13:00.005-06:00

Hmmm...Have I really not done this yet? Yikes!

For the second year now we've done an Easter egg hunt with Etta's friends around the neighborhood. This way she's gaurenteed to have a fun Easter hunt with little ones her age.

It's super fun. All the kids wait on my couch itching with excitement while the dad's hide the eggs outside.

The Girls

Most of the Gang

livi-loo

Emory

Daddy and Bug

This is just a fun day with cousin Mason. We just missed an awesome pic of these two pushing each other in the car...too bad.

My little bug starting to look so old!

Liam with some major arm strength.

Later we went up to my moms to do a hunt with cousin Mason. So fun!

Happy Easter! (in July...)

My one and only...Coach

2011-06-24T10:15:00.007-06:00

For those of you who don't know this is Coach.

What you also may not know is that he is a wildly talented, freakishly athletic, endlessly patient, tirelessly hard working, infinitely loving, and an insane smarty pants.

Can you tell I kinda like this guy?

This year has been a tough busy year for Coach and the men of the BYU Men's Volleyball team.

The Cougars got a rocky start to there season by losing their previous coach. After that Rob was brought on as the interim head coach. Seeing that it was august already, Coach and the team didn't have much time to prepare for their quickly approaching season.

This resulted in the last year being a crazy trial by fire whirlwind of 70 hour work weeks, lots of sleepless nights, tons of team dinners, and rob trying to define the kind of coach he wants to be.

It was hard and I am so proud of Rob and the team for their efforts and success this past year finishing #2 in the country with 20-7 record only to be beat by the team who took it all the way to the national championship.

Coach went above and beyond the call of duty to make the BYU men's volleyball team the best they could be.

As many of you know he was up for the permanent head coaching position and did not get the job. Crazy right? How could they not want the guy I just described?

At first I was really upset...then I was pretty pissed off...then I was able to be rational and see that the Lord was just sending us down a different path. And that's OK.

So as of now Rob is the assistant to a wonderful head coach and an amazingly talented team at a university we're still proud to call home.

Coach also decided to go back to school. So a week later he took the GMAT and aced it, the little stinker.

All in all we have no idea where life is taking us now but we're excited for a new adventure...and we couldn't be more grateful for the experience we had this last year and the group of players, families, coaches, and volunteers we had the privilege to know better.

So I guess we'll keep you posted on our next move and in the mean time keep supporting the BYU MVB and my sweet hubby...Coach.

Love you babe...

Tour de Utah: Mountain West Burrito

2011-06-18T19:16:00.004-06:00

If I were to tell you there was a great little restaurant in an old abandoned gas station that now shares it's space with a smoke shop would you try it?

Well there is, and you should.

It's called Mountain West Burrito. This place is absolutely delicious. It's fresh, local produce enhances the great flavors of their vegetarian friendly (but not limited to) menu.

I got the crisp taco, which was delightful. I'll tell you what I was eyeing though...the chicken nachos looked amazing and did not disappoint. They were delectable.

The meat was moist and juicy, the tortillas fresh and delish. From what I could tell everyone in our party was extremely satisified.

How good does that look?

Now if all of that wasn't enough, the owner seems like a great guy and delivers awesome customer service, everything is under $10, and you'll be supporting a local business.

How does it get any better? I submit that it does not.

So if you want some solid Mexican food head over to Mountain West Burrito on 1796 North 950 West in Provo Utah (right off state coming down the hill from Orem) and enjoy!

If you check in with face book they'll even give you a free chips and salsa which guess what? They're awesome too...go figure.

2011-06-18T19:05:00.003-06:00

I just had to steal these from Ashlie's blog. I love these girlies so much. They have tons of fun playing and dressing up.

It's a blast seeing Etta grow and progress in her play. She's really started to "make believe."

The other night they were taking turns dying, gasping, crying, and reviving each other with their spot on renditions of "flower gleam and glow."

These girls are too much in the best way possible.

We love all our sweet friends.

Tour de Utah: Slab Pizza

2011-05-27T01:10:00.006-06:00

Coach and I (and a few choice friends) have started a eating tour of Utah.

This started a while back as a result of gathering to visit one of our recent favorite finds.

Slab Pizza

We started thinking we should pick places around the valley, lesser known, (preferably cheap) rare find kind of joints, try them together and rate them accordingly.

We've been to a few now and I feel like I need to start documenting my thoughts to share with all of you.

So starting with our first stop...Slab Pizza.

How I love thee, let me count the ways.

There's been a lot of hype about Pizzeria 712, and as much as I love the Heirloom Family of Eateries I haven't been blown away by much of anything but the price at 712.

If you know me you know that I love good food and know good food.

I will never steer you wrong.

So the name Slab refers to the way it's served in slabs instead of slices. They only come in one gigantic size which equals a quarter of the pizza. Mmmm...so take a posse and share a variety of flavors amongst the group.

Slab has a diverse menu of classic favorites and funky new combos.

I of coarse was loving me some Veggie/Pepp/Sausage and the Hawaiian (which you can get with SPAM btw, not that I would...yuck) but that's boring so here's what you really need to try...

Rosemary, Potato, + Bacon, Pulled Pork, or maybe some Buffalo Wing Pizza (a favorite among the men).

You won't be sorry.

Their chill atmosphere, fresh local fare, good prices, ever changing specials menu, and quite possibly the best pizza crust I've ever had will get you returning again and again.

They are located at 669 East 800 North in Provo just east of the duck ponds tucked down and around the corner from JDawgs (another cult provo fav).

So check it out and check back for our next stop of the Tour de Utah.

Come join us or post where you think we should go...

Big Blue Eyed Boy

2011-05-08T20:19:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago we were outside enjoying some of the first signs of spring with some neighbors and my uber talented friend Nicole snapped some quick candids of Liam crawling about...

Love this little guy. Thanks for capturing this memory of my boy and his sweet baby blues.

2011-05-01T10:28:00.004-06:00

So a couple months ago I realized I had never made ribs for coach. Seeing that it's one of his favorite things, I had to rectify that. So I got straight to work.

Ribs#1: Terrible. The rub was way too salty and I used too much. I tried reducing my braising liquid for sauce but it was too strong and too thin. I was disappointed but coach still ate them so...

Ribs#2: Better. Great in fact. Made my own separate sauce. Minor tweaking needed.

Ribs#3: Delightful. Unbelievably tender but stayed on the bone. Nice char on the outside. Sweet, spicy, sticky sauce. Mmmm...

If you know my husband you know that he thinks I am the best at all things food and has to share that with the world. So he invites everyone over to try "the best ribs ever!"
So nice to be appreciated.

Along with the ribs I made cornbread, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes.

I've made cornbread from scratch a lot but Marie Calendars packaged mix remains my favorite. It's so good! Just don't over cook it and I've even added sour cream for moisture.

For the slaw I made a riff on something I saw on food network. It was cabbage, bacon, and green apples in a lime vinaigrette with Indian inspired spices. Sooo good, and I don't even like slaw.

Mashed potatoes I did my usual gold yukons, skin on, with tons of butter and cream. :)

Oh and of course honey butter, you cannot forget that. I used this local orange blossom honey.

In other news, my friends Stephanie and I started trading sitting every week. I take her two kids from 10-12 and she takes mine from 12-2 or vise versa. If you're are not currently doing this, you should. It's awesome. Just to get some errands done, clean your house, go shopping, or get your hair done. Thanks Steph!

The kids have so much fun together...

They thought they were pretty hilarious with these matching glasses on. They kept putting their heads together and laughing hysterically when their glasses would touch.

This month was also really fantastic because I got to follow coach down to Pepperdine without my kiddies! A huge, huge thank goes out to my MIL Margaret. She stayed here with the kids for the weekend while I enjoyed swimming, sleeping in, nice weather, eating at great restaurants, shopping, uninterrupted volleyball watching, and loads of time with my favorite guy ever and his 15 goofy and lovable little brothers. ;) I had such a fun time with the team but of course took no pictures like a buster!

Oh, well. :) The memories will stay with me in my mind.

March 2011

2011-04-29T11:53:00.006-06:00

March was a fun and crazy month. We had lots of volleyball as usual, lots of playing inside wishing it were spring as usual, and lots of partying with friends. We had a fun get a way up at Sundance with some of our favorite people, said goodbye to a good friend that was moving, attended Rob's mission reunion, and went to some fun bday parties. We got to have quite a few dates (a rarity especially during season!), visit the children's museum at gateway, and welcome a new soul into the world!

Here are all the boys at Chris' Bday!

What our lazy mornings look like...(btw that balloon lasted at least two months)

Pics of the beloved boy.

If you're happy and you know it...

Clap your hands...

If you're happy and you know it...

Shout hooray!

And the girl...

Being quite the little poser...

Don't tell but I took these while she was on the potty ;)

That's it. That about sums up March. Thanks for all the fun times.

Thanks sis for watching the kids so we could party it up!

Happy Birthday Kennedy, Chris, Katie, Jeff, Taylor, Cameron, Wes, and all the other beloveds.

Congrats to new momma Aubrey who is my new hero.

So fun!

Mommy Maven:Strolling in Style

2011-04-25T19:50:00.004-06:00

Ahhh! Just talking about this and I'm so excited.

So I don't know how many times I've had a conversation about the fact that bugaboo has gotten a little behind the eight ball, no double stroller? I mean come on....and...

Bada boom bada bing, they deliver!

This has been rumored for over a year now and it's finally here.

May I present The Donkey

So get this, it expands from a single stroller with a storage case to a double complete with bassinets and toddler seats and all the other goodies we are accustomed to.

Is this totally awesome or a completely unnecessary nonfunctional doing it simply for the need to be new and different sort of thing?

I'm leaning towards totally awesome.

There are certainly times when I have my double and Etta ends up not wanting to ride in it and I end up pushing my monster Limo everywhere unnecessarily and vise versa.

If any of you know me you know I love LOVE my single bugaboo and though have toyed with the idea of selling it (now that we are a bit larger of a crew) but just can't bring myself to do it.

So I don't know about you but I might be a little to anxious to try this ASAP and not so anxious to find out the price tag.

I'm hearing $1200-2000 range talk...yikes!

I'm hoping I can find another half off killer steal of a deal like I did with my Cameleon.

Anyway, whether I just end up dreaming and drooling or if someday I really take the plunge I'll keep you posted.

For now check it out (I love all the videos they do) and tell me what you think about the donkey....btw donkey? Really? What were they thinking...

Happy Birthday to The Boy

2011-04-20T16:53:00.009-06:00

So I'm finally getting my pictures together from Liam's little birthday party with my family.

A couple things I forgot to mention about him are that he loves to do "If you're happy and you know it."

My favorite part is when you say hooray! and his arms shoot straight up and he has the biggest smile on his face.

And his word of the moment is Uh-oh. It's so cute.

So I don't remember why he is so sad on this happy day but this is a classic Liam crying face.

Aunt Jacqueline...

The Boy

The other birthday boy, my big bro James.

So the moment of truth. Will he dive in and devour or pick and prod like our little bug on her first.

Hmmmm...

Oooh, that was good...

Alright lets do this...

Was there ever any question with this boy? Devour...

How do I get this goodness in me...

Does it get any better than this?

I submit that it does not.

Wow, how am I going to finish this?

Almost there, just a couple more bites...

Oh, I'm sorry did you want some too? (This pic totally grosses me out by the way)

There I did it.

Did you see me do it?

So pleased with himself.

Then it was time for presents, which Etta didn't dominate at all, no way.

Silly little bug.

The Fam

Well that's all folks. Our little baby's one.

Ready for number three?

Bipolar Me

2011-04-05T12:04:00.004-06:00

I am so excited!

I am following Coach to California this weekend sans my tiny humans!

Is it bad that I'm this excited to ditch them with their Nana?

The whole thing about it is that I'm quite sure the second I leave them I'll feel pangs of regret at not packing them along and miss them horribly.

I just have to remind myself that I've done that many times before and I'm nooot quite ready to do it again yet.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Maybe after missing me for a few days they won't sling food at me and pull my hair.

But then what would make me smile at the end of the day?

I am so bummed!

This weekend is The Bijou Market Handmade Event!

It's Fri & Sat 10-8/10-5pm in Provo and I'm missing it!

It is most assuredly going to have more adorable local crafty little nuggets than you can even wrap your head around.

I'm talking clothes, decor, hair accessories, prints, paintings, jewelry, kiddo goodies and more.

Please go for me...

February 2011...Liam's One!

2011-03-11T08:45:00.002-07:00

This month was really fun because Liam turned one! We woke up and have a yummy breakfast...

Then we decided to go do something Liam hasn't been able to do much in his short life. We went swimming. It was freezing of coruse so we went to the Lehi Aquatic Center. It was a little cold but still really fun.

Are you dying over this little boy yet?

Liam at One:

He says hi, mama, dada, dog, and duck.

He laughs all the time...especially if you throw cold water in his face.

He loves any and all foods, he eats ALL the time.

He gets all giddy around dogs.

He crawls around like a maniac but no walking yet.

Goes up the stairs but can't quite come down yet.

He is super ticklish.

He is very cuddly and loves to be held.

He is seriously the sweetest little thing.

He goes nuts over Dad. If dads in the room his diving out of my arms to get to him.

He's a total boy.

Stats:

Head-19in (92 percentile) Haha!

Weight-22lbs (27 percentile)

Height-29.5in (42 percentile)

He took a total dip after his 6 month appt. I guess he's having a lull in growing. He still seems huge to me! We love you so much.

Party post next to come!

January (So close to caught up!)

2011-03-01T12:31:00.006-07:00

January was just january. Volleyball season started so we said goodbye to Coach until May. He was gone the first three weeks of the year. We stayed in our PJ's until at least lunch times and frequently longer. And we spent lots of time with Aunt Jackie and Grammie when we weren't sick...also a frequent occurence.

We have tons of music time. The kids play the piano while I play the guitar or we turn on our Raffi pandora station and have a dance party.

And of course we play dress up.

We go to the provo beach resort or the south town mall and ride the merry-go-round and the train.

And play on the rides.

And we find all sorts of indoor playgrounds to frequent.

All in all we just chill and go through loads of hand sanitizer. That's January for ya.

Homemade "Chicken Nuggets" and Ketchup

2011-02-28T18:13:00.004-07:00

So my two year old is an extremely picky eater. So I'm always trying to come up with things she'll actually eat. Now I admit these take a little more effort than going through Wendy's but our kids are worth it right? Well most days anyway and today was one of those days.

Generally speaking if I'm going to this much trouble I like it to work for everyone in the family. This one does but it's not a favorite for me but do the kids ever love it. Also if they don't eat them all (which they won't) you can frig or freeze them.

So here it is:

"Chicken Nuggets"

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 slices whole wheat bread
3 tbsp milk
1-2 chicken breasts (or ground chicken if you want to make it easier)
1 small egg
5 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/4 tsp thyme
1 1/2 cups corn, fresh, frozen or otherwise (could be substituted with peas, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots whatever your kids like, corn is sweet and blends in)
s+p

Saute onion and garlic in evoo till translucent and tender, set aside.
Soak the bread in milk and tear into pieces
Place chicken in a food processor or blender. Pulse for a few seconds.
Add everything else but corn and blend for a few more seconds till well combine.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in corn.
At this point you could store this in your fridge overnight or make it immediately.
Put some flour out on a plate. (You could also use bread crumbs or panko) With one hand/spoon scoop a golf ball size of chicken into flour and roll around until coated. Pat softly to remove excess flour and form into "nugget" shape.
Heat veg oil in a pan over medium to medium/low heat.
Make one fritter to test for seasoning and adjust.
Cook about 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through.
Serve with Homemade Ketchup.

Homemade Ketchup

2 cans hunts tomato sauce
1 (heaping) tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 tbsp dark brown sugar

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium/low and cook, uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Christmas!

2011-02-28T15:29:00.008-07:00

There may not be two things I love more than Christmas and my family. To get them all together in mass quantities this year just made my little heart burst! I love, love, love Christmas! This year was no exception. We went up to my parents to stay the night on Christmas eve. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, small Christmas program and stories, and Christmas PJ's.

Man do I ever love this baby girl.

Bug getting her Christmas jamas.

She was so excited!

This girl loves Ariel!

Grammy Grams.

Ju-ju.

The Fam

Liam riding our oh so sweet and patient dog Bear, Christmas sweater and all. Poor thing.

Christmas singing although I was completely without voice! :( I look forward to performing and singing carols on Christmas eve for months! I was bummed but it was still fun.

Christmas morning!

Coach opening the calendar we made him.

Bug getting very excited about all her princess paraphernalia.

Nana!

Margaret and Bob came for breakfast that morning. I love Etta lovingly strangling Liam and his face in reaction.

It was a super fun holiday with family, friends, music, and presents!

I love Christmas and all it stands for. I love being reminded of Christ and the reason we're all here on earth. I love being with my family at such a special time. It's just so magical and special and I can't wait till it comes again!

November Baby

2011-01-24T13:32:00.003-07:00

I know. You're probably thinking didn't we already do Halloween? However this was at our totally fabulous Fall Carnival Relief Society activity. We had all sorts of fun booths. A "Wax Museum" to learn candle making, a Candy Bar where you could make gifts for friends and other sisters (this also tied in with our lesson about friendship and not judging others) , a Pie Contest where you could enter a pie and learn how to make the perfect crust, a Fishing Board where you could fish for a treat and info about another sister, donuts on a string, and a "Masquerade" where you could paint faces. Now would you believe I was the only one who painted my face. A bunch of stuffed shirts I say. ;) It was really fun and a success despite the lack of face painting.

This however was not as fun. How do you discipline this girl without laughing hysterically? She got up to the counter, into my purse, into my make-up bag. She took it down to my carpet and started to do her make-up. My $20 mascara was all over her, as you see, and my floors.

*giggle, giggle sigh*

I'm not sure what's cuter...when she wears my shoes or her dads...

Me oh my how I love this boy.

Etta doesn't like taking naps. Etta really doesn't care for her black out blinds. Etta loves to read. So she found somewhere to relax where she could see her books. Then she fell asleep. This became quite a habit for a while.

That is one fine piece of lasagna I'll tell you what.

Playing with some of the last fall leaves of the season.

Goodbye fall, hello winter.

Halloween Hoot 2010

2011-01-20T14:28:00.007-07:00

So are you dying yet? As any mother of two tiny people knows it's nearly impossible to get a picture like this sans Photoshop. Two engaged, open-eyed, smiling faces? I mean really. But scouts honor, no head swapping occurred in the editing of this picture.

It kind of made my day.

Moving on to love some more on my giraffe and princess. Etta was dying over Cinderella at this point. Cinderella was everything. Cinderella is now completely old news and Sleeping Beauty (affectionately known as seeping doodie) is all the rage.

Bug trudging through the rain, parka and wellies in tow giving me her best "I don't recall superman wearing a jacket" face.

Hiding from the rain in a slightly less successful picture of everyone except my sweet hubby. Isn't he a looker?

Come on...

Miss stole my look.

Who wore it better?

(What you don't see after is Etta fist dropping Abby and stealing her heals)

Actually Mason, despite popular beliefs blood is actually a reasonably small part of the vampire bat’s diet...

Awwwww...

The witches (and warlock? not sure if that's what the dunce cap is indicative of :).

Mom and Pops

Cowboy and cowgirl were about the only cop out I could muster last minute much to coaches chagrin. He wanted to me to return this shirt once it was tainted by western culture.

I'll eat you up!

Classic Jacqueline, classic.

All in all we had a fabulous Halloween.

I burnt a hole in my table with one of the fifty candles I had lit but kind it of looks like a knot in the wood.

It rained and poured all over our evening but now Etta thinks trick-or-treating consist of going to 10 houses and going home.

Etta got way more candy than she could handle at our trunk-or-treat but it ended up supplying the goodies for the abundance of kids we got at our house this year!

It's all about the silver lining folks.

I had a blast and love dressing up my little kiddies so they look totally ridiculous and adorable.

Happy Halloween! (in January)

Septiembre 2010

2011-01-09T15:55:00.004-07:00

September is always a fun month. Rob and I celebrated our 4th anniversary which seems crazy. I can't believe that we've been married for 4 years and have two kiddos. Pretty wild.

Schools starts which was always my favorite time of the year. It's still warm but you get peeks of the fall weather that's to come.

We had plenty more time playing outside with friends and family.

For the first time we went up to the farms at thanksgiving point with some good friends. Etta was all about the animals but was pretty freaked out about feeding them.

The girls were loving the flower gardens.

Etta was loving the little houses they have...in this case it was a jail, which come to think of it didn't really make sense there. Anyway, Aubrey snapped this scary picture of Etta.

We had plenty more days lazing around the house.

This is pretty classic Liam at this point in his life. If you left him anywhere long enough, no matter where, he would just pass out.

And of coarse playing with Jimmy as much as possible.

They did both these poses of their own accord, totally unprompted.

We also went to the park more than you can shake a stick at. This girls loves her swings.

August 2010

2010-12-30T09:29:00.008-07:00

August was super fun. Tons of playing, swimming, and friends. We climbed trees...

Rolled around in the grass...

Played with jimmy....a lot.

Played lots of ring around the rosie...

Had some summer love...

And badly needed a de-mulleting...

So Ms. Lauren gave Etta the cutest little girl hair cut I've ever seen...

We tried to just trim it up but it wasn't looking good so I said just get rid of it!

And she was adorable!

We danced around in mommy's shoes, always a favorite...

Had lots of awesome bed head...

Did some of the cutest things ever...are you kidding me? Come on...

Always drawing and reading this one...

Never stopped being in awe of how awesome Liam is...

And drew some more, not sure what it is about this table...

We just had a blast playing around and enjoying the summer before school started again.

Some Stats

2010-12-27T19:41:00.002-07:00

Some past fun facts for journaling purposes. :)

Etta at 2:

Weight-25 lbs 34th percentile

Height-34.5 in 65th percentile

Head-19.25 in 83rd percentile

Liam at 4 months:

Weight-16 lbs 60th percentile

Height-26.75 in 91st percentile

Head-17.25 in 80th percentile

July 2010

2010-12-22T08:29:00.005-07:00

Every summer from the time I was born we went up to our ranch in the Weber mountains of Utah. We'd hike, ride horses, fish, roast marshmallows, build campfires, play games, and spend time with the family. It's one of my favorite places and always one of my favorite memories. The bigger our family gets to more chaotic it is to take everyone but I hope it can still stay a tradition. Especially because Etta LOVES horses and the outdoors.

We also spend TONS of time swimming in the summer. When we don't want to make the trek to our community pool we just set up the little kiddie pool in the front yard for all the neighborhood kids to splash around in. For some reason Etta decided to get in in her clothes which resulted in this diaper situation.

This is what she thought of being objectified...we were laughing hysterically!

Then we had my moms birthday of coarse...

And we did tons of playing with friends...

On this morning Etta was watching a movie intently so I thought I would try to braid her hair while she was distracted... it turned out soooo cute!

Then we had the Fourth of July at Margaret's house which was a blast.

Etta liked the fireworks a little more this year...still a little loud and scary though...

Our best attempt at a family pic but unfortunately Liam was already in bed...

We have so much fun here in the summer! I'm always wishing for fall by the time august comes around then always wishing for it back by the time January comes around...

more to come!

Give away!

2010-11-30T15:21:00.003-07:00

Have you all heard of the Shoeologist? She blogs about, raves about, and loves all things shoes. She's fun and witty and she's giving away free wellies! Go here to her website to enter!

Shutterfly

2010-11-29T16:06:00.002-07:00

So I've never sent out holiday cards but this year I was thinking why not? AND I never did a baby announcement for little Liam so it seems the perfect opportunity to show him off.

As I was looking in to it I ran across this sweet little deal from Shutterfly.

You can get 50 free holiday cards! So that's just what I'm gonna do, what are you waiting for?

Now I just have the impossible decision of choosing one!

Relish the Goodness

2010-11-24T12:05:00.002-07:00

Here's the cranberry recipe I made up and am making as we speak. I've been trying a new one every year...so far this one seems like a keeper but you never know till it's on that bird.

Cranberry with a Kick

Serves 8

· 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries

· 3/4 cup sugar

· ½ cup brown sugar

· 2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

· 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar

· 1 tbsp cider vinegar

· 1/2-1 jalapeno, minced

· orange zest (1/2 orange)

· ¼ cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, ginger, vinegar, jalapeno, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until most of the cranberries have popped, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in zest and dried cranberries.

2. Remove relish from heat. Let cool to room temperature, and serve (or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days).

Salmonella is not a good side dish.

2010-11-23T23:41:00.004-07:00

This is the stuffing I'm making...that ironically will not be stuffed anywhere (i'm doing a half recipe because my mom is making a half batch of hers).

1 1 1/2-pound loaf sliced sourdough bread with crust, small dice (I will use a few different types of bread i.e. french, sourdough, challah, whatever looks good)

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 1/2 pounds hot Italian sausages (I'm only using Costco's mild italian sausage. It's the best)

6 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, divided
3 pounds Pippin or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cubed
2 pounds parsnips, peeled, cubed
3/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves

1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth (I will add more or less stock depending on how dry my bread is. You want it to be pretty soggy before baking because the bread will just suck up all that moisture like a sponge).

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake bread cubes on 2 large rimmed baking sheets until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes. (or you can cut them and leave them to dry out over night)

Sauté sausages in very large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking into pieces with spoon, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl; add bread.

Add onions and celery to same skillet and sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes; transfer to bowl with bread. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes; mix apples into stuffing. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add parsnips and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes; mix into stuffing. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet. Add sage and sauté until dark green, about 2 minutes. Mix sage and butter into stuffing. Season with salt and pepper.

Butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Stuff turkey. (You all know I'm not stuffing my turkey. Sacrilege.) Transfer remaining stuffing to prepared dish; drizzle with 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover with foil. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing covered until heated through, 45-60 min. Uncover and bake until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Turkey Revisions and or Additions

2010-11-23T22:46:00.005-07:00

Okay so I have a few more things to say regarding this turkey.

I've had some questions since this post and remembered somethings I forgot to mention for first time briners.

Why should I brine? How does it work? What does it do? (these types of questions)

Other than, "because I said so..."

The salt solution passes through the permeable meat cells during the soaking process using the method of osmosis. Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane - in this case the meat cells. Through diffusion, the salt and water within the meat cells balance with the salt and water in the surrounding brine which results in a higher concentration of salt and water in the meat. Food chemists disagree about the mechanics of this diffusion and how salt travels across membranes, but at the end of the day, the diffusion results in more water and flavor within the cells of the meat. The high concentration of salt also denatures protein strands. In their normal state, the strands are tightly wound; denatured strands unwind and tangle. During cooking, this unusual structure traps water molecules and holds onto them. The end result of this osmosis is less moisture is lost during cooking.

Are you asleep yet?

In layman's terms: Salt retains water+salt invades meat = moist, flavorful turkey

A few more key points:

1. Don't stuff your turkey. I know this is a great debate and a possible deal breaker for some of you but hear me out. Other than it being a cesspool of germs, a messy pain, and a recipe for soggy stuffing, it won't work so well with this process. You miss out on the aromatics completely, it affects the cooking process, and the saltiness could affect your stuffing. Bake it in a pan. If you want it more moist (soggy like we're used to ;) add more chicken stock.

2. You must have a probe thermometer. A digital reader with a little cord attaching to a probe that can be left in during cooking. Not only is this essential to your turkey success, it's a good investment for your roasting future. You can put it in and leave it in so you're not leaving a gaping whole for juices to spill out of (don't take it out until turkey is done resting!). Also many have alarms so you don't have to wait around baby sitting your birdie.

3. When you insert the probe make sure it's in the thickest part of the breast. Not in the dark meat. Not in the cavity. If it has a pop up thermometer ignore it but don't remove it. It would just be another gaping hole for juices to escape. And I know the temperature seems low but it will keep cooking after you remove it! Trust me. That was based on a 20 lb bird so if yours is smaller, sure cook it a few more degrees. But remember you can always put it back in if it doesn't reach 165 but you can't undo what you've already done. With all of that said, don't stress! I over cooked my bird last year and it was still the juiciest we've ever had.

4. I was going to write a whole gravy post but then I happened on the pioneer woman's site and she's got a great pictured "how to" on gravy with brined turkey that shows exactly what I would've done any how, giblets and all. So hop on over there. I may just finish mine with a little brandy and cream but otherwise she's spot on.

5. Email or text me with your questions...even on thanksgiving morning and I'll walk you through it. And please, let me know how it turns out.

Conversations with a Two Year Old

2010-11-16T17:56:00.002-07:00

Me: Ok Etta. Do you want to watch your reading video?

Etta: No, I wanna have some dinner babe.

Me: :) Ok...what do you want to eat for dinner?

Etta: No want to dinner...Sarah!

Me: Well then, I guess I won't make you dinner.

Etta: I so sorry, I'm happy now. Want a girl cheese please baby?

...loving the mood swings and the pet names.

Let's Talk Turkey

2010-11-16T09:37:00.005-07:00

I'm just going to come out and say with no false modesty that I make the most amazing turkey on the face of the earth. I can say this without being a pompous jerk because I do not take full credit for my success. I will now explain.

Have you been plagued personally or in your family by dry turkey that needs an unholy smattering of gravy to stomach? Enter Alton Brown. Sweet, sweet Alton...how I love thee. Last year I used Alton Brown's cooking method for roasting a turkey and it was absolutely phenomenal.

However, I did used my own concocted twist on his brine and aromatics.

This year I'm going to do it again but I'm going to try a different brine and gravy method. So, let me tell you how to make the most wonderful turkey in the history of the world.

You begin by getting one of these babies who so graciously give their lives for our stomachs.

Fresh would certainly be preferable but frozen is great too. Frozen does however come with a warning. Do not by any frozen turkey that's been injected with a salt solution or anything of the like. This would be a very bad combo with a brine. Also note that a frozen turkey will take 2-4 days to thaw. Now for the preparation of said turkey lurkey.

Open 'er up and take out the unmentionables. Now if you are like my mother you will save these for a little morsel to snack on later. You can also use it to make a fine gravy and that's just what I'm gonna do so take those nasty things and set them aside...we'll deal with them later. Then give the old bird, ha...a really good rinse inside and out.

Now you're ready for the brine. Alton uses this one...

Brine: (for a 14-16lb turkey)

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

Which I used last year with a few changes (which I don't remember of coarse, I kinda fly by the seat of me pants) and it was great. This year I have decided to go with this:

Brine: (for a 20lb turkey)

3 cups Apple Juice

12 cups chicken stock (no or low sodium if using broth!)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cup Kosher salt (careful I'd only do 1 cup if using salted broth)

2 Cups brown sugar

3 tbsp peppercorns

5 whole Bay Leaves

Peel of three large oranges

1 gallon ice water

Now I tell you how large these are because if your turkey is significantly smaller I would take down your salt ratio a bit or scale down the whole recipe.

Okay so when I do my turkey I brine it in a canning pot like this:

It fit my turkey beautifully and already had it. I'm sure it would fit in my fridge but it takes too much room. So since I live in Utah I just give it a once over in saran wrap and put it on my porch...it's usually cold enough.

Another option of coarse are brining bags or just XL plastic bags. If you go this route it may fit nicely in one of your refrigerator drawers and save on space.

To make the brine (most methods are simple and practically the same):

Pour all the ingredients except ice water in a pot and heat until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and let cool. This can be made ahead of time and stored. 12-24 hours before it's time to cook the bird combine the brine, ice water, and turkey in your vessel breast down. Flip it half way in between to be sure it all gets covered.

When it's done brining rinse it in cold water like you have never for rinsed before...inside and out, every nook and cranny, for like 5 minutes. This helps it not be so super duper salty.

Now you are ready to roast. To prep the turkey you need to get it dry, dry, dry so your skin can get crisp, crisp, crisp. Place the turkey in a roasting pan with a rack.

Combine 1/2 an apple, 1/2 an onion, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with 4 sprigs rosemary and 6 sage leaves. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 152 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15-20 minutes before carving.

Okay, so be prepared for your grandma, mother, and everyone you know to say that your turkey wont be done after only two hours. Pay no attention to the nay sayers behind the curtain! It's all about the temp not the time. Now you may think 152, that doesn't sound hot enough...but there is a little something called carry over cooking which means it keeps cooking even once it's out of the oven. The bigger the bird the more the carry over so...You just want to be sure it comes up to about 165 degrees F before cutting.

Did I miss anything? Did I mention this is going to be the best turkey you've ever made, eaten, or heard of? I implore you to try it.

Please comment with any questions or what you do. And please check back for my gravy, sides, and dessert.

Past Pictures not Posted

2010-11-10T17:23:00.006-07:00

So I've been working on organizing our pics on the sweet new desktop we got and I came across a bunch that some how escaped me. So here they are...

Some how I was convinced to take Etta to McDonald's playhouse ;) it was actually really fun but still a little too big for her. I also tried an egg mcmuffin for the first time and it was in no way all it was cracked up to be. Apparently it's all about the sausage egg mcmuffin which I didn't know but I don't think I need to try it to know it's not for me.

We went with good friends Beth and Archer...

This was a freak really hot day in April so we busted out the pool with friends.

At david and lindsey's for a springtime party...

More friends from our hot day in early spring...

Jimmy who we miss...

Kennedy who hasn't left us yet but really wasn't lovin the pool yet either.

Addysin who is also very missed by Etta...

I don't know who she was throwing this at but is it terrible that instead of stopping her I was taking what I thought to be a great pic? :) Whoops.

Wheeler Farms on a very blustery day...

Etta looovvess animals so this is a great place for her...and it's free!

She was both excited and terrified for this picture.

Lovin the saddle.

This girl kills me...

Mace face!

Funny faces!

Etta was dying to take a pony ride! It was only a few bucks and we hadn't paid to get in the farms so I figured why not. She would not let go of me and hold on to that horse. She was looking at me with total nervous elation the whole time.

Cutie cousin Mason and Aunt Jacqueline.

California Part 3

2010-11-09T09:08:00.010-07:00

Next we went down to LA for Rob's recruiting and to visit Sara and Shawn. They are always such a blast and so sweet. They arranged a babysitter for us and took us to The Greek for an Imogen Heap concert which was surprisingly pretty awesome. I like her music and everything but she's a hilarious person who puts on a great concert. It was so thoughtful and much needed. Thanks guys!

We were also in LA for birdie's actual birthday so we had to do a little celebrating. Shawn in true fashion couldn't just sing happy birthday so we got all sorts of percussions and such to give a memorable birthday singing to. Singing, cupcake, that was probably enough for her but we had to go to.....

Disneyland!

Not sure how this picture happened considering we gave our camera to the professional photographer there to take it but whatever, you get the idea.

I couldn't get her off this tiny doorknob although she was eternally bothered it didn't open.

"It's stuck mommy, open it!"

So first of all this was probably the most busy I've ever seen Disneyland in my life and it was scorching hot...not the best day ever. Two year olds don't really understand waiting in line for 30-60min. However, we still had tons of fun thanks to daddy. He held, fed, and watch over liam while Etta and I road all the rides. He was one expensive babysitter but I think it was worth it. ;)

First we went on Alice in Wonderland which is completely psycho and terrified Elizabeth. It was hard to get her to go on another ride after that. We decided to drag her kicking and screaming on to small world knowing she'd love it. People probably thought we were nuts. And as we pulled in to the dark tunnel she lost it...but as soon as we came around the corner and she saw all the singing people she was transported to another world and she was in heaven!

Then we went over to the princess land they have now. A special place where they can meet all the princess and have a little moment with them. So we waited...and no I didn't pose her this way.

Then she got to meet Jasmine! Which was hilarious because she's never even seen Aladdin and she sooo excited.

Then we saw Ariel who she couldn't focus on becuase..."look mommy, Belle!!!"

She was really shy with Belle but the look on her face says it all.

We were bummed that there were only those three because she loves Cinderella but just after we finished they had a show with Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty and they came out for greeting afterward. This truly blew her mind...she looovvess Cinderella and still talks about this moment.

She's was pretty wiped but we still had more rides to do!

So we went on the merry-go-round...shorter lines, and one of her favorite things.

And dumbo...at least we know I had fun right? Hahaha...classic.

The boys with the girls. These two make for pretty good seats to see over all the crowds!

We hit up a few more rides, toon town, the train, and the big parade before...

She was done, so we got a funnel cake and parked it outside the gates to chat with our great friends we don't see nearly enough.

Les Homlesses

We couldn't make it home without stopping in Vegas to see some more of our favorite people...the rowl-outs. We met Giuseppe for a little pancake house and tried to ready to kids for one last drive...

All in all we had so much fun. It was our second trip with both kids and we definitely have some kinks to work out. It's getting more and more difficult to just show up on someones doorstep and crash...for us and them. ;) But I'm glad we went and you better believe we'll do it again because no matter how crazy it is that's just what you do.

P.S.-I've loaded smaller pictures due to the sheer volume but you can always click on them to see them bigger.

Tagged.

2010-11-02T15:27:00.004-06:00

My friend tagged me for this and I thought why not?

1. How do you sleep?

Side, belly, back it's all good but my legs always have to be making a four shape...ya know?

2. Do you exercise?

I go through phases but always feel sooo much better when I do. I love doing ab work outs!

3. What are your favorite foods?

Ethnic foods, I love trying new things.

4. Do you cry easily?

Pre babies no...post babies oh yeah.

5. How often do you cry and when was the last time?

Really cry? Actually not that often but I probably tear up at least once a day now.

6. Describe your personality.

Relaxed, happy, detailed. Que, sera, sera.

7. Were you named after anyone?

Not that I know of...the wife of Abraham?

8. Do you think you are strong?

I've always been freakishly strong for my size. In high school I could bench more than my body weight. Believe it.

9. What is the first thing you notice about somebody?

Just their demeanor in general...their vibe.

10. Do you smoke?

Nope

11. What are you wearing right now?

A blouse from my favorite Sundance, a thrift store tweed vest, skinny jeans, and otk boots.

12. Mountain hideaway or Beach House?

Mountains, mountains, mountains. Snowball fights, fireplace, hot tub, snuggling...come on.

13. Rolling Stones or the Beatles?

As my fathers daughter I may have to go stones on this, but barely.

14. Summer or Winter?

Fall...

15. Would you live with someone without marrying them?

No, people say it's better to know all those things before deciding but I think all the things that you find out afterward good or bad help you grow as a person and couple. You can't just ditch out when you find something out you may not like.

16. Share two truths and one lie about yourself.

I just stuffed candy wrappers in my couch, I still have baby teeth, I sang in Carnegie Hall

17. What would your dream house be like?

I love wide open spaces, tons of wood, light and airy, cozy, character, modern/vintage mix. And my huge white kitchen. Think barn chic. ;)

18. Have you ever met or kissed a famous person?

haha, yes.

19. Sunrise or Sunset?

Sunrise. The crisp air, the quiet and stillness of the city, it just always feels so good to be up and at 'em so early. (ok, not right away.)

20. What did you dream about last night?

I usually can't remember past like 8am but I have vivid messed up dreams.

21. What was the last movie that really moved/thrilled/scared you and why?

The first 5 minutes of UP. I bawled like a baby and grinned like an idiot. See what I mean about the babies messing with your hormones.
22. Ever kiss a random person and then walk away?

Not exactly.

23. Have you ever had surgery?

...not one that counts.

24. How do you feel about tanning booths?

Ooo, great in theory, terrible in actuality. Warm, relaxing, hot tan body...cancer, nasty leathery skin...yeah, not so good.

25. Favorite TV show?

I love no drama reality/makeover/competitions. Aaaaannndd Vampire Diaries. ;)

I tag aubrey shaner, lauren evans, and rachel bell.

California Part 2

2010-11-01T12:20:00.015-06:00

Next on our trip we took a little drive north for some of this...

But we'll come back to that. Here's Etta post vomit and yes, she's biting her toe nails. Strange child...

My brother Andrew and his family live in San Jose and came down for the weekend. So we had a little bonfire/beach fun.

Etta had such a blast with all of her cousins. It's so fun to see them whenever we can since he is my furthest sibling.

Andrew and Alyse

Julia, Andrew, and Me

Not a great pic but the only family one we got...climbing around the rocks searching in the pools.

All the kids having fun at Dennis the Menice park despite the cold...

I love coming to Carmel. It's truly one of my favorite places, the beach, the shops, the aquarium, cannery row...it brings back so many memories every time.

Etta loving the swings as always...this park is really awesome. I can still remember going here as a little girl...and my nieces and nephews are just adorable.

Went to Dametra Cafe a new favorite right down the street from the beach house in Carmel by the Sea. It was tiny, delicous, and charming. The owners come out and sing and dance. Even a customer got up and beautifully sang I left my heart in San Fransisco. It was so fun.

Now the reason for this not so on the way detour from southern cal is that every morning we'd wake up at the beach house and get all bundled...

Walk 30 seconds over to my grandparents...

Past the house...mmmmm, love it here.

Down the back driveway...

Through the golden gates...

To paradise...

Needless to say Rob was in heaven...it's just breathtaking. And it was awesome to be right there because you couldn't stay or park anywhere. People stayed hours away, parked 30-60 minutes away then took in shuttles. Yikes!

Now I've been to pebble many a day on walks with my grandpa, but seeing it in full tournament swing was pretty awesome.

The mowers out in the morning...it was very cool. There was just a buzz about the whole place. The grounds were in amazing condition. It wasn't hard to spot the celebs...especially Tiger. He had more cameras and security following him than I could even imagine...I don't know how he can focus. Then he had people shouting all sorts of things good and bad in his direction. It was crazy but very cool to see him play up close.

A lot of what I saw was the practice rounds which was actually really neat. You'd watch them hit a shot that maybe wasn't so great while they get a feel for the course. So they take it again and nail it. Just to cement the stroke they'd take it a third time and with scary precision they'd stick it exactly where they'd hit the second shot. They were really amazing to watch.

I didn't go every day so Etta and I would do a lot of running around town...

While Rob did a lot of this...

We also had some unseasonally nice beach days for Carmel in June and we were loving it.

Our good friends Mike and Beth joined us for a second time in Carmel and although mike did get to go to pebble, he also did a lot of this...

Thanks! They are always a blast to have around and troopers in any situation. Cause heaven knows I couldn't carry both kids and we all know where Rob was...

It was so fun. I think I have more pics too from the aquarium and such (one of the best in the country...so fun!) I'll have to post later.

Then coming up we drove back down to LA for rob's volleyball stuff aaaannnnddd...Disneyland!

California Part 1

2010-10-27T08:51:00.006-06:00

So in June we made a pilgrimage to California for a couple weeks. We started in good ole Corona to celebrate Keith and Sally's (rob's grandparents) 70th....yes 70th wedding anniversary that Nancy and David did a wonderful job hosting.

It was so fun to see so much family.

The kids put on a wonderful performance full of songs and memories.

4 generations of Neilson men.

Etta was loving tazzie.

They have such a special spirit and love about them. We learn so much from watching their example.

Lots of fun with cousins.

And our wonderful friends who let us stay in this paradise they call their home. Our trips to cali are only made possible by all the friends and family who let us invade their homes.

Little bird passed out in the car on the way to Carmel. (Pre-vomiting.)

Next to come...my favorite place ever, Carmel. (and pebble beach!)

Beautiful Bugs Birthday!!

2010-10-26T11:42:00.004-06:00

On June 19th our little bug turned 2.

So we had family and a few friends over to celebrate with us.

This was pre-hair cut when Etta was constantly blowing her bangs out of her face.

We had delicious strawberry cream and German chocolate cupcakes.

Etta was loving it!

Then she opened some presents. If you didn't know, this little girl is pretty obsessed with princesses. So when she opened this dress and put it on she lost it!

She squealed and screamed and started running up and down the sidewalks wanting nothing to do with any other presents.

We calmed her down and she opened this adorable apron...

and this precious shopping cart...

to go with her sweet new kitchen!

Thanks to everyone who came. It was soooo fun!

Our bug at 2:

-She loves to read. She'll sit through chapter books if it means snuggling up with a good story.

-She loves her brother. A little too much sometimes. She likes to feed him his bottle, pat his head and tell him it's ok, it's ok buddy. She runs into his room in the morning and says good morning big boy!

-She pays attention. I was driving home and we passed the street you take to get to the store and she said, "We go to Winco mommy?"

-She loves animals. We watch Jack Hannahs into the wild every week and she freaked when we went to the zoo.

-Her favorite movies are Cinderella, Mary Poppins, Kung Fu Panda, and Tinkerbell

-She walk around singing go down medicine, go doooowwwnn medicine.

-She loves to go on an on rattling off all th people she loves.

-She has a bit of a crush on Rob's volleyball player Futi.

-She's about 25 lbs

-She loves loves loves playing with her friends, she's very social.

-She's big into asserting her new found autonomy. Mom: "We need to put a coat on." Etta: "No want to need a coat on!" Mom: "Let's have bath time!" Etta: "No want to bath time Sarah!"

-Yes, she sometimes calls me Sarah. "Come oonnnn, Sarah." It's pretty funny.

-Her love of music hasn't changed and neither has her little dancey tip toeing prance.

-Her favorite foods are plain Greek yogurt, applesauce, grilled cheese, pasta, any fruit, and any treat.

-She loves to help me cook and is really getting into pretending. She loves to cook for me in her kitchen. "I'm makiiinnngg, mmmmm....pancakes."

-She has on more than one occasion taken her toothpaste and brushed it all over her body with her toothbrush.

-There is SO much more I could just go on and on about my sweet Elizabeth. She is so funny and a joy to be around.

Walks like an angel...

2010-09-10T22:27:00.002-06:00

Coach and I just got a glimpse of this and could not stop laughing. Oh man...do we love our little devil.

Time Flys When You're Having Fun

2010-08-15T15:23:00.005-06:00

The most treasured thing in the Neilson house...sleep.

If you look closely you can see BYU written on her forehead...

Carrying her toothbrush and her dog Hugo, a typical occurrence.

Got into my old Prom dresses and dance outfits...this girl man.

Camp out in her room with dinner and a movie...Cinderella of course. We set up this tent in her room in May and it just came down last week. Its run its course.

Short story: My brother's family had a BBQ on Memorial Day. My brother's family has a trampoline. My brother's trampoline has a cinder block wall around it. The cinder block wall is too big for the trampoline creating a hole just big enough for one Etta. My sweet Etta had a run in with said hole and wall...Wall 1 - Etta 0.

Did we have to go to the hospital? No as luck would have it we just needed an on site doctor-check. A towel for loads of blood-check. Hugs, kisses, rocking, and songs-check. Six Otter Pops for swelling and pain-check. Then believe it or not this girl was up and playing on that very same trampoline. This picture of her face was the day after and half as swollen. The next day her face was yellow...the next black and blue. Woo...I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry, but just for a second.

Then on June 5th we celebrated Julia's 18th birthday with dinner...

Sisters...

And cake...

And cousins...

Mason was particularly fond of Liam's fists.

The Birthday girl.

Wide eyed goober face Mason and Grandma.

We had a crazy first few weeks of summer that's for sure...but its been so fun to spend with with friends and family. Next we took a trip to Cali, but that needs a whole post of its own. Coming soon...

Sunday.

2010-07-12T01:32:00.006-06:00

Laid in bed while Etta watched Cinderella for the 100th glorious time and poked me in the eyes.

Ate Oreos for breakfast...yeah, you heard me.

Traded Rob places at church so as not to infect everyone with our diseased child.

Came home to a wonderfully clean and quiet house...husbands are the best.

World cup...woot.

Made a new station on Pandora. How rad is Pandora?

Salsa and reheated au gratin for lunch.

Seriously thought about doing laundry.

Played some soccer. I outta fly down there and teach those guys how it's done.

Speaking of flying, gave the kids some wicked airplane rides.

Actually did some laundry.

Vacuumed over the same spot 20 times instead of bending over to pick up that darned kernel.

Soaked up the sweet moments with my family before goodbyes and goodnights.

Made a To Do list including aforementioned laundry which I then proceeded to cross off. It makes the list seem more approachable if somethings already done doesn't it?

Dinner: Popcorn and I may have had a few more Oreos. Jealous?

Read about crazy LSI sales people who by popular opinion should apparently burn. Harsh. I don't know about you but I thought those movies were pretty boss when I was eight...ok 18.

Watched Next Food Network Star which I convince myself I'd win...I'm the best at everything from my safe little couch at home.

Baby Blessing

2010-07-08T23:20:00.003-06:00

Our sweet Liam was blessed on May 16, 2010. We felt so lucky to have family and friends join us for this special day. He was blessed William Keith Neilson by his dad with a special prayer.

This is a rough time of day for Etta if you can't tell...

Liam is a very special little boy. You don't think you'll be able to love so much time and time again but you can. He is very tender, snuggly, and always happy. I have a feeling he's going to be one of those people you just want to be around...who always has a huge smile, a warm hug, and a way of putting people at ease. A humble peace maker just like his daddy. What a sweet spirit we've been given.

Fabulous Flank Steak

2010-06-29T14:37:00.002-06:00

I've been requested to post numerous recipes to here's the first of a few. The most simple crowd pleasing flank steak ever.

Flank Steak: (Difficulty-Easy)

Ingredients:

Flank steak

Unseasoned Meat Tenderizer

Teriyaki sauce

Dark Brown Sugar

McCormicks 25% Less Sodium Montreal Steak Seasoning

Place the flank steak in a shallow dish. Sprinkle lightly with meat tenderizer like you would use salt. Cover with teriyaki sauce and let marinade up to 24 hrs. Sprinkle lightly with McCormicks Montreal Steak Seasoning just prior to grilling. Grill for approximately 2 minutes per side over high heat. Move over to medium heat on another side of the grill and go another 3-5 min per side to medium rare. Sprinkle liberally with dark brown sugar.

Let it rest for 5 minutes covered with foil then slice thinly against the grain.

Mmmmmmmm...

Daddy's Little Girl

2010-06-07T09:34:00.001-06:00

Rob got Etta this little outriggers shirt in Hawaii and she loves it. Or maybe we just love it. Either way it is super cute.

Now, Etta is a very cautious little girl so I would've thought skateboarding and scooter rides would scare her to death but we've come to find out that she has some adventure in her after all. She is a little speed demon!

The whole time you could hear her around the block...weeeeeeeee, fast, fast, weeeeeeeee! Again, again!

What it comes down to is that anything with Dad is her favorite no matter how terrifying...she's a daddy's girl!