The ABCs of Me

A-Attached or Single: Attached
B-Best Friend: Adam
C-Cake or Pie: Cake
D-Day: Friday
E-Essential Item: Computer
F-Favorite Color: Right now it's brown, but I love lots of colors
G-Gummi bears or gummi worms: worms
H-Hometown: Alpine, Utah
I-Indulgences: Ice cream, expensive hair products, MAC makeup, and sexy shoes
J-January or July: Definitely July
K-Kids: Amber, Karli and Rex
L-Life is incomplete without: My family
M-Marriage Date: April 25, 2002
N-Number of Siblings: 5 (4 sisters and 1 brother)
O-Oranges or Apples: Both
P-Phobias or Fears: Being followed
Q-Quote: “Whatever you are, be a good one." -Abraham Lincoln
R-Reason to Smile: I live a charmed life
S-Season: Autumn
T-Tag: Kathrine, Stephanie L., Stephanie C., Christina, Liz
U-Unknown fact about me: I love to eat stale marshmallows
V-Vacation destination of choice: Switzerland
W-Worst Habit: Wasting time on the computer
X-X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds
Y-your favorite food: Hot homemade bread
Z-Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Eatin' Like Hobos

Yesterday we got a hankerin' for some tin foil dinners, so Adam dug out the overgrown fire pit, I bundled up a few potatoes and carrots with ground beef and onion soup mix, and we trekked down the terraced yard to enjoy one of the finest outdoor meals I can imagine.

Nothing is better than dessert before dinner, so we taught Amber and Karli how to make s'mores while our dinners cooked in the fire.

They were obviously a big hit!

Here are the bundles of delectable hobo fare; they smelled fantastic and we couldn't wait to bust out the juicy, smokey goodness.

Amber and Karli loved the beef, and they even had enough courage to eat a few of the veggies. Adam said, "Isn't it funny that the girls eat veggies when Dad cooks them?" To which I replied, "That's great. Dad can cook dinner every night!" He laughed and humbly declined (typical). The dinners tasted even better than I thought they would and for about three seconds, I contemplated forsaking my kitchen for a campfire to be able to eat this kind of food for every meal. Don't worry though, I came to my senses when I saw a bug crawling down Adam's cheek as he took his first bite. I'm way too domesticated for regularly-scheduled campfire cuisine.

The tin foil dinners were a great success...and that's all she wrote.

A Validation of My Theory

Ever since Amber started eating baby food in a high chair, I've thought about how wonderful it would be to build a house that had gently sloped cement floors with a central drain in every room, thus requiring only a hose and maybe a scuba mask to produce a pristine dwelling despite habitation by toddlers. Sweet potatoes, rice, red popsicles, chili, blueberry yogurt and Play Dough have been mercilessly mashed into the carpet and walls over and over despite my best efforts to drape every porous surface within flinging distance in dishtowels, sheets, and even a shower curtain. An experience today reaffirmed my genius in such an idea.

Karli sneakily transferred the contents of twenty mini-containers of Play Dough into a 24-ounce cup full of cold water and let it stew just long enough to morph into a slimy, gelatinous batch of goo that, if you've never experienced this atrocity for yourself, is nearly impossible to remove from any surface, and flung it around the entire kitchen. Seven paper towels, a bucket, a mop, and a timeout later, I was convinced I needed my cement floors and drain so I could hose everything down pool-deck style.

I'm thrilled that my brother-in-law is skilled in the cement floor arena because as soon as we pay off our law school loans, I'm enlisting him in my battle against indelible food stains, finger paint, and soggy masses of modeling compound (although, by the time that debt is paid, my cement floors may be handy for my grandchildren and not my own kids).

A Great Day

Saturday was a blast! Upon waking, the girls donned their princess gear and headed outside to help Adam clean the pool and get it all ready for winter (boo hoo hoo), and I took Rex outside to supervise. I have utterly enjoyed living free from creepy neighbors who notice every, single thing we do, but the culmination of my appreciation for fenced-in, single-family property came when I needed to feed Rex and could do it on the swing in the wonderfully private backyard. Adam makes a great pool boy, too (no, he didn't wear a sparkly thong a la Legally Blonde, but nonetheless...), and after he finished, we all headed over to the trampoline for some bouncing. Rex loved it and Amber and Karli got a big kick out of hearing him gasp after an extra-high jump.

After exploring in the yard for a bit, the girls found an adorable, fat, fuzzy, yellow caterpillar and insisted on adopting it. We made it a nice home in a food storage container and watched it wiggle and climb while we enjoyed our lunch of Hebrew National Fat-Free hot dogs (the best...and only kind of hot dogs I'll eat), green apple slices dipped in caramel, and vanilla yogurt with bananas and almonds. Then the kiddos went down for naps and I had two hours to shower and get ready before our friends arrived for dinner.

Ryan Hanvey and his wife, Kim, and James and Amy Thomas and their kids came over for a barbecue which ended up as a kitchen party (we ran out of propane while heating the grill; thank heavens for electric griddles!) with tons of yummy food and great conversation. J.J., Hannah, Mariah, Amber, and Karli all loved the treats Ryan and Kim brought for them and had a fantastic time swimming. Despite the chilly air, the water was warm and we all loved seeing Hanvey's crazy dives that really impressed and inspired the little kids.

Once the excitement died down and our company went home, Adam, Amber, Karli, Rex and I snuggled up under a big quilt on the porch swing and enjoyed the starry, cold night. It was a wonderful end to a great day in a gorgeous place. I love living here!

Here's the view from the trampoline; I could lie out there all day!