Happy Leap Year!

Happy Leap Year! A big shout out to my sister Amber and her husband Doug who are celebrating their 4th Anniversary (okay, really it's their 16th, but it's fun to play into the rarity of the day)!

Maybe?

Well it's been an entire week, so it might be okay to announce that Amelia is Potty-Trained! She has been in big girl underwear all day and night, all week long with no problems! This is quite early for my children...she is the first to be completely potty-trained before the week of her 3 1/2 year mark! :) Hopefully, I'm not jinxing this by saying it out loud!

Here Comes the Rain AGAIN!

We have actually had pretty okay weather since Valentine's Day.....it has only rained once....until today! We have a stretch of rainy days to look forward to :( We have just had such a long winter of rain, that it will be nice to have sun...unless we have a summer like we did last year (maybe one week of warmth!)

There are some good things about rain: The Smell! Last night when I took Megan to church, it smelled so incredible! The smell of rain coming is my favorite :) And although we have a lot of rain, we do get the blessing of GREEN!

Congratulations Valerie!

I just found out that my Young Woman (okay not really anymore, but she will always be "my girl") is getting married! She is a beautiful girl inside and out! She is a strong soul, who I admire and love! She will be married in the Mesa, AZ Temple in June and my heart is so very happy for her! :)

What's Cookin'?

Our ward had a Home, Family and Personal Enrichment activity today that was really fun! We enjoyed learning about Healthy Eating and we sampled some delicious healthy dishes!
This is Grilled Bruschetta Chicken with Rice & Marinara Sauce:

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
Recipe provided by: Emily Kayner

1/4 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing, divded (original recipe calls for Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing)
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb)
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1-2 T. diced Red Onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves (we used half fresh and half dried)

PLACE large sheet of heavy-duty foil (we just doubled 2 sheets) over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. (we had it in the fridge for 1/2 hour, but it doesn't make a difference). Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.

GRILL chicken on uncovered side of grill for 6 min. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil, red onion and remaining 2 T. dressing.

TURN chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170 degrees F).

Rice & Marinara Sauce
Recipe provided by: Debra Cogburn

Brown Rice, cooked
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 small can tomato paste
2 cans water
1/2 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. sweet basil, dried
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 dashes Stevia (or sweetener of your choice)

SAUTE green onions and garlic in olive oil. Add remaining and simmer until sauce thickens.

POUR sauce on top of cooked rice and serve.


HG's Raspberry Cloud Pie

(Recipe calls for Strawberry)
Recipe by: http://www.hungry-girl.com/

2 cups Fiber One cereal
4 T. Whipped Light Butter, melted
1 large box (or 2 small) JELL-O Sugar Free Gelatin Dessert mix, Raspberry or Strawberry
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip Free
Fresh berries for garnish, optional

PREHEAT oven to 350. Grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Combine crumbs with melted butter and stir until well mixed. In a pie dish sprayed with nonstick spray, evenly distribute Fiber One mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to press and form the crust. Use your fingers to press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Bake pie crust for 10 minutes. Set aside.

DISSOLVE gelatin mix into 2 cups boiling water. Stir for 2 minutes, or until completely dissolved. Stir in 1 cup of cold water, and place in fridge for about 1 1/2 hours, but NO LONGER (Jell-O should be jiggly, but not firm).

FOLD Cool Whip into Jell-O using a mixer. Once mixture is very well blended, pour evenly into pie crust. Use a flat utensil to smooth out the surface. Refrigerate for several hours until firm. If desired, garnish pie with berries. Serves 8.

Back to Normal!

Yeah! Mid-Winter break is over :) We really did have a fun time with the children during their week long vacation, however, there is something to be said for routine and normalcy! I like having a semi-quiet house and with most of the children in school it has become quiet again :) :) Now Amelia and I can fill our day with laundry, cleaning and laundry....with occasional computer time for me and hourly clothes changing for Amelia (she rotates her princess dresses).

Instructions for Baby! :)

All this time and 4 babies later, and I finally find some Instructions for Babies!

Snow, snow, SNOW!

We spent 3 days in Leavenworth to enjoy the snow! The children had so much fun sledding (see slideshow below) and seeing the mountains. The first night we were there, Brian took Megan and Zachary to a tubing place with a rope tow. They really loved it!

Sledding in Leavenworth!

Check out Anna's great crashes!! They are classic!! :) :)

No School!

This week, so far, has been lazy and slow! When the children don't have school, things are always a bit more relaxed :) However, we are planning on taking the children sledding tomorrow, so we are preparing for that trip. I will post pictures when we get back!

My sister, Siri, has been visiting from Utah this week! It has been so nice to see her and her baby Jack! Well, he isn't much of a little baby anymore...he is walking around and will turn One in April :) Our family got together last night for dinner, so we could visit with Siri, and I totally forgot to grab my camera!! Bummer! Oh well, we had a really nice time, and it will just be one of those memories that stays in our minds, instead of on photo paper. In my case, that is always a bit risky because my mind is fading fast!

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Urban Sledding" on Snow Day!

Brian and the children created an awesome "Urban Sledding" experience!! They hooked the sled to Brian's bike! Man powered sledding!!

All the children had a blast! A lot of neighborhood children showed up too...Brian was recording the distance while he was towing the children, and he ended up biking for a TOTAL of 3 miles!

Amelia's Turn!

Poor Anna missed all the fun...she had an ear infection, so she camped out on the couch. She doesn't look very sick, does she...?