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!

My Favorite Season Has Arrived

I'm a lucky girl for a lot of reasons, but one on the top of my list today is that I've been able to experience the change from summer to fall twice this year. A week before we left Michigan, the air cooled down, the sunlight changed (my favorite characteristic of early fall), and football started. Woohoo! Chalk it up to my years as a cheerleader...I still get so excited when I hear a drumline or the crunch of pads or a cannon booming after a touchdown. I'll watch any football game, but college gridiron is my ultimate entertainment choice from August 28th until New Year's Day. Go Utes!

Now that we're in Utah, I've seen it again. I love the mild weather, especially in the evening when it's almost cool enough for a jacket (it makes for great running), and a campfire does wonders to enhance the ambiance of early-fall twilight. Add to this list the wonderful bounty of fall fruits and veggies, and I am truly a happy girl! I always know fall is on its way to Utah when the Black-Eyed Susans bloom in the yard in Alpine. They're one of my favorite flowers and I'm thrilled to be able to enjoy them all season long!

Bottoms Up

Amber and Karli preferred to sleep with their bums in the air for several months, and I think it's adorable that Rex does, too. They have such cute little bottoms and they look like snuggly peanuts in this modified fetal position. I just love it!

A Nostalgic Tribute to Mr. Victorio

Every once in a while, my inner Martha calls to me, begging to escape from captivity to take on a ridiculously involved, lengthy, and complex homemaking project. Today I let it out for a few hours when I noticed the box of tiny, homegrown apples on the counter were about to go bad, and ended up having a delightfully reflective moment on a childhood memory that is dear to me.

My Grandparents Rydalch had four apple trees in their yard in Rexburg, and every year, my mom and siblings and I picked and gathered and hauled all the apples into the kitchen for a marathon applesauce-making session. I loved the smell of the cooking apples, and thought the old Victorio Strainer was an ingenious machine. Just how did that hunk of metal know how to separate the fruit from the peel and extract the yummy, juicy pulp from whatever went into it? The entire experience, though painstaking and sometimes way too long for a bunch of rowdy kids, was a sure and charming indicator that fall had arrived and that by putting forth a little effort, we'd have delicious applesauce to eat all winter long.

So, while enjoying this great memory, I washed the little apples and decided to make some homemade applesauce, inspired by my ever-industrious mom and by Grandma Joan, a dear friend in Michigan who makes her own scrumptious variety as well. But since plain, old applesauce is just plain, old applesauce, I entertained a whim and decided to roast the apples instead of boiling them (Alton Brown has taught me well...water doesn't bring any flavor to the party). I was quite nervous to see the results, but went for it anyway. I set up the same, old Victorio Strainer that belongs to my Grandma Rydalch and went to town. A few minutes later, I had three jars of beautiful, pink applesauce with the wonderfully sweet, tart, and earthy flavor that can't be reproduced in a factory. The process was not as horrid as I imagined it could be and the results are grand!

Here are my roasted apples, complete with a drizzle of olive oil. The two may sound like a strange combination, but it actually is a quite harmonious flavor pairing.

If this thing isn't old school, I don't know what is. I believe it can officially be considered an antique.

The final product is a beautiful shade of pink and my girls are so excited to have "girl applesauce". I recommend roasting when making applesauce! It produces excellent results.

New 'Do, Volume II

I finally took a well-needed trip to the hairstylist and got a brand new hairdo, so here are Karli and I modeling together. Amber said, "Oh, mom, you look cute like Leslie Larson!" and I was utterly flattered (Leslie Larson is adorable). I feel like a million bucks and love, love, love to get my haircut because I always feel like I lose 50 pounds. The 4.5 hour session in the styling chair was well worth it (yes, I do have a TON of hair) and I couldn't be happier to be blonde again, because, like, blondes really do have totally so much more fun (I'm popping my gum and twirling my hair)!

New 'Do

Karli got a new hairdo and it's so darling! She probably looked at herself in the mirror a hundred times yesterday to admire her cute little bangs. She kept saying, "Loot mommy, I pitty lite a pincess!" She's a cutie!

Allison Goes to the Empty Sea

Today we took my sister, Allison, to the MTC. She was the cutest missionary there! All the guys were checking her out (yikes; focus, please!); she's gorgeous and exuberant and will make a fabulous missionary. It's been great to be able to spend the last few days with her and to feel her missionary spirit brimming. Amber and Karli were really excited to go to the "Empty Sea" and see where Adam spent time learning how to be a missionary. I'm excited for Allison and for the Danish; she'll help many people find happiness.

Amber said, "My daddy has a tag just like that one!" Sister Liljenquist is adorable, huh?


The shadow in this picture is horrid (sorry), but it's the only one I have of my kids and Sister Liljenquist. Good luck, Albums! We love you lots!

Relative Excitement

The kids have been enjoying their cousins' company more than ever now that they are a bit older and better at sharing things. My sister's family came up for Allison's farewell and Amber, Merrick, McKay, and Karli had fun playing with my cousins, Hunter and Bella (is it strange that I have cousins who are younger than my own kids? I must be a Mormon!). Every night, the kids are wiped out and ready for a good rest. I'm thrilled because Amber and Karli have slept in their own beds every night but one!

Amber, McKay, Hunter, and Merrick reading a story on the stairs.

McKay and Karli being sweet. They are only two days apart.

Karli loves to cruise around the basketball court on the Barbie four-wheeler. I thought she'd be too scared to ride on it, but she loves to drive it all by herself.

Rex loved to sit in Cooper's excer-saucer and got a big kick out of spinning around.

Karli, Amber, Kinzi, and Gracie had a sleepover on Sunday night. It was adorable to see them all snuggled up together.

A Yard Free From Disgusting Debris

To me, playing in the "yard" in Lansing seemed akin to playing in a prison yard; the sparse lawn was dry and brown, the spaces between the sorry little blades of grass were actually filled with an assortment of razor blades, plenty of cigarette butts and bottle caps, and shards of broken liquor bottles, and we had spectators galore (the really creepy kind). We love playing in our yard in Alpine, where the grass is lush and green, the swings are free from any questionable substances that may or may not be infested with diseases, the air is cool and crisp, and we have a spectacular view! Karli would sit in this swing 24/7. She loves it!

Amber and Gracie are great pals and have had a riot playing together.

Rex loves his cousins, Mckinzie and Whitney. The two babies are pudgy little pals and love to stare at each other all the time.

I love the dry air here! My hair is slightly less-humongous and everything smells fresh here (except, of course, Utah Lake, but that goes without saying!).

Here's the view from the deck behind our house. The photo just doesn't do it justice. I love to look out the windows and see mountains in every direction. Next on our list is to go up the canyon for a campfire.

A Nice, Long Trip

We are finally in Utah. YAY! We actually arrived Saturday night around 11:30 p.m., and I'm so glad to be here. All in all, it was a good trip, but very long. Here are a few shots of our fantastic voyage:
Amber loved the plane! As soon as we started taxiing to the runway, she yelled out, "Here we GO!" Then, as we accelerated to take off, she screamed, "MOM! THIS IS SO FUN!" She loved to look out the window and see the "map" beneath us (that would be the outline of fields, rivers, trees, etc.). She couldn't get enough.

After a 30-minute tantrum in the car while leaving Lansing, Karli finally settled down and was pretty mellow the whole trip. She had fun sucking on her finger, snuggling with her soft blankie, and eating treats for every meal.

In case you've never been to the Long Beach Airport, this is it. Yep, this is the WHOLE airport. It's a touch bigger than a church gym, and we got to spend ten hours here. We ran out of things to see after about 45 minutes, but thank heavens for portable DVD players. By the time we left, I think every airport employee knew us by name.

After we made three hundred laps around the pint-sized airport, I had to break out the blue Ring Pops to entertain the girls. They loved having blue tongues and teeth.

Rex was an angel as usual and chilled in the stroller for most of the time. He slept through each leg of our flight and was a great little traveler.

I knew it was going to be an interesting day when I boarded the plane in Chicago and the pilot immediately offered me a complimentary cocktail. Luckily I didn't need it; the kids were very well-behaved and didn't even have any potty accidents. After 40 hours without sleep (packing...fun), and a very turbulent ride to Salt Lake complete with five vomiters on the plane (all sitting within three seats of me; I nearly lost it, too), I was so thrilled to land in Salt Lake and to see the marvelous mountains. I don't think I'll ever fly standby with three kids again!

Word of the Day

Amber and Karli always try unsuccessfully to convince me to let them watch Spongebob Squarepants on T.V. I can't even begin to describe my dislike for that character and that show; maybe it's because the whole thing is just plain annoying, but I would rather eat a plate of worms than watch an episode of Spongebob. One day at playgroup, I was talking to other moms and the subject came up. I said, "Spongebob is hideous!" and I guess Amber heard me.

Today, while lying on the bed, Amber said, "Mom, Spongebob is FRIDEOUS!" I said, "What does frideous mean?" So Amber explained, "It means Spongebob is freakin' out and hideous at the same time!" As an English nerd, I'm so proud of her for developing her own word, and I'm overjoyed that she finally realizes my point of view.

Obsessive and Progressively Strange

Since we've been on standby to leave for Utah for more than a month, I have continually put off buying specific products like hair dye (I have an appointment scheduled for the day after our arrival), wax for my eyebrows and other fuzzy facial areas (yuck, sorry), and most recently, conditioner, thus I have morphed into an unruly, gray-haired, ponytail-bound mess simply because I'd rather go without for a day or two or thirty than tote more stuff than is absolutely necessary around an airport. If this sounds crazy to you, don't worry, it is. I realize the madness of this, but also cannot bring myself to buy these products when I'll likely leave them behind to waste for the sake of a lighter suitcase. Zero hour is rapidly approaching, though, so come Saturday night, I'll be a brand new and much better-looking woman!
On a different note (but still regarding my increasingly strange behavior), I've always been a planner and love to write lists so I can cross off every item, but over the past few years I've become totally obsessive about it. While preparing for our cross-country trek, I find myself making lists for everything: items to clean, items to leave in Michigan, items to pack in the diaper bag, items to load onto my flash drive. I've made so many lists that my kitchen table is completely covered in papers.
Even worse, however, is my desire to have every single item on said lists organized perfectly into their respective receptacles. I can't stand having anyone help me pack because I won't know where every single thing is. Moms can understand this fear, but I think that anyone who has not had to supervise one or more children in a confined space with other passengers present would find this to be absolutely ridiculous. I plan the placement of objects in the diaper bag down to the centimeter, carefully layering items in use-order, making sure diapers and wipes are arranged for perfect one-handed removal, crumbly snacks are enclosed in a zippered pocket, and DVDs are arranged in alphabetical order so I don't have to sort through the whole binder to find Monsters, Inc. when Karli pipes up with an ear-piercing wail.
I hope all of my madness results from experience gleaned from three years of child-filled airline trips gone amok, and not from some new found mental disorder. I'm just trying my best to avoid carrying anything that isn't absolutely necessary and having a total meltdown by one or more kids, or even worse, myself. I never imagined I'd be so psychotic regarding planning (I'm all for spontaneity) and accumulating, but having kids has definitely made me reconsider my habits!

Fierce Enough to be a Star

Amber is in complete Princess mode these days, and her favorite apparel comes from the dress-up bin instead of her dresser drawers. Here she is modeling her Ariel/Aquamarine garb and showing off her newly-acquired strutting skills. Thank you, Project Runway.

Call Me Carlos

Long ago, Amber began calling Karli "Carlos". She made up the nickname all by herself and it made me laugh so hard when she, out of nowhere, said, "Hey, Carlos, get over here!" I thought this picture was fabulous because Karli has a cute little Mexi-stache made from caramel frosting. Now all she needs is a poncho and a sombrero.

Life's a Breeze When You're Not Picky

Rex loves to suck his thumb, but he'll settle for any of his fingers as long as he can put something in his mouth (thus he's been sleeping like log through the night for more than a month now, yay!). Here is a sample of the various comfort mechanisms he employs.

Shear Genius

I've become a huge fan of some competitive reality shows on Bravo lately: Top Design, Project Runway, and Shear Genius. While I watched an episode the other day, Amber ran into the bathroom and emerged with all of my hair styling tools. Then she said, "Mom, who is that girl with short blonde hair? I'm her." So I said, "Hi Nicole. Can you cut and style my hair for me?" Nicole/Amber said, "Sure, but I need you to hold the scissors." She handed me some invisible scissors and went to work on my atrocious style (or is it atrocious because I let these amateurs have at it every day? Hmm...). She was using all the lingo from the show and explaining the steps she took just like the stylists on T.V. did. Then Karli became the assistant and held up the mirror for me to see. She kept asking me, "You look pretty? See?" It is now an every day occurance and it's so cute (that would be the situation...obviously not my hair)!

Ready, Set, Roll!

Rex can now roll over all by himself. He did it first on Thursday and now loves to sleep on his tummy and make us worry about him all night. The best part is that he usually needs the leverage from having his thumb in his mouth to get all the way over. I can't believe he's growing up so quickly. It's fun but sad (what a mommy thing to say!).

Just Leave Me Alone

Karli is learning so many words and phrases at this point, and sometimes it's downright hilarious to hear such a sweet, adorable little voice say some of the things she does. Here's a perfect example; she sings "I Feel My Savior's Love" and then tells Amber to leave her alone.

I'm Leslie

Our friends Leslie and Derrick had their baby boy last week, and we took our kids over to see him last night. Upon returing, Karli immediately took out her five baby dolls and re-named them Oscar after the new baby. Then, she re-named herself Leslie and has been taking great care of her "babies" ever since. It's adorable! By the way, congraulations to the Larson family!

Slap Your Grandma

Here's a clip of Amber singing her favorite song, "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk". She thinks the title is "Slap Your Grandma." It's pretty cute to hear her sing jibberish when the words say "Keepin' perfect rhythm, makes you wanna swing along."

Intriguing Tragedy

I am so fascinated by the Caylee Anthony case; it's all I watch on T.V. and can't get enough of Greta's analysis (Amber now recognizes her and was disappointed when Greta took the night off last week). I guess I just can't comprehend how a mother could appear so empty and nonchalant when her darling daughter has been missing for two months. Adam says it's the perfect defense because it's easy to prove insanity when there's no emotional reaction or excited statements. I'm dying to see how this case plays out and hope law enforcement gets to the bottom of it very soon.

No More Law School!

Adam's last day of law school was Friday. As soon as he came home from turning in his final paper, he hit the hay for some well-deserved rest. I'm so proud of him for making this grand accomplishment and for setting a goal and attaining it no matter the cost. He has sacrificed more than I can document for me and our kids, and we all think he's the greatest dad, husband, friend, student, and pugilistic-near-attorney ever! :) Congratulations, Adam. We love you!

Urban Cavalry

If you read my post last week, you know how I feel about these Rascally devils who cruise around town on their state-supplied motor scooters. While outside with the girls this morning, I saw five different riders eek by on their pimped-out chairs (I think I saw hydraulics and a bass cannon on one..he he), and I felt good to know that one of the largest ladies was miffed because my girls dirtied up the sidewalk where she had to drive. Giddyup!

FYI: The guy in the green shirt is not an offender in my eyes; he's actually disabled.

It's Official: We're White Trash

The minute Amber woke up this morning, she said, "Mom, I have the BEST idea. We can get Rex's tub and fill it with water and take it outside and dump it in the dirt and put on our swimming suits and play in the big........huge........MUD PUDDLE!" Despite my ever-increasing desire to avoid messes at all costs, I could tell that the wheels in her little brain had been turning all night to work out every detail, so I couldn't say no.

The girls loved rolling around like piglets in the mud puddle we created between the sidewalk and the seven or eight feeble blades of grass that are left of our front lawn, and to make this vision of low-class living even more authentic, I was still in my pajamas. We were quite the hee-haw spectacle, but the girls had a grand time and I even got a little bit of a sunburn line on my horrifically white feet.