A few things to catch up on.

#1-Favorite aunt Barbara always coming up with ways to make my little Mia look so cute. Lucky for Barb, Mia is pretty good about letting people do her hair. Let's be honest here, how many babies have enough hair to do this to? Aren't I just so lucky?

#2-Mia's hilarious faces when doing ANYTHING. This little girl makes the cutest funniest faces. I think she knows and loves to entertain already. This picture is of here just laying on Joe one morning in bed, so I pulled out the camera and she started making cute/funny faces.

#3-Our awesome neighbors!! Last year we had some neighbors give us some tickets to Cornbellies at Thanksgiving Point, and this last week those same AWESOME neighbors gave us some tickets to go to Farm Days at Thanksgiving point. It was so much fun. The kids loved it. We saw lots of animals, got to go for a "hay ride" and the kids got to ride on ponies. Jack got on a pony, and then started freaking out and crying...he was scared, so we took him off. Mia was pretty scared at first, but loved it in the end. Kylee just love the whole ride period. I think the funniest part (aside from Mia making her favorite excited noise at every animal she saw) was when we were standing by the Turkey's (the very angry turkey's) my phone went off, and seriously almost all of them at the same time started gobbling (you know that noise they make) it was like a certain pitch on my phone ring set them off. It scared the tar out of all of us, but then we started laughing, and I had Joe call my phone again, just to see if they would do it again...and they did! FUN TIMES!!! Thanks Denny's for the tickets.

 

Random Recipe

Here is another one. I am telling you, this one is TOTALLY worth doing because it is SUPER easy, and SUPER yummy! Meghan, even you can do this one. I decided at about 4:30 yesterday to try it, and we ate at about 5:00, so it was really easy. Once again, the pictures don't do it justice, but here it is anyway. I got it again from My Kitchen Cafe on my side bar, one of my favs. TRY IT!!!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach




6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this doesn't add spiciness - just the right amount of flavor)
6 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
6 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

EASTER

Easter, spudnuts, easter egg hunts, family fun, and more!
 

What are spud nuts you ask? Only the best donut in the world. Yesterday we spent the day making spud nuts at the Dayton house hold. They are called spud nuts because they have potatoes in them. They are pretty tedious to make, but Margaret was teaching us how yesterday. So, Me, Barb, Hillary (Joe's cousin), Kylee and Jack were all making spud nuts yesterday. So, you make the dough, let it rise, cut out the donuts, FRY-em, glaze-em and then the best part....you EAT-EM! It was kind of a tradition we started last year, cause Barbara came home from AZ for Easter last year, and we decided to do it again this year....maybe it will become a tradition...who knows. It was super fun and super delicious!
 

We also had a super fun Easter egg hunt yesterday before spud nut making. Lynn and Margaret hit a bunch...and I mean a BUNCH of yummy Easter candy, and I am not talking the nasty stuff, I am talking the best stuff like the peanut butter chocolate eggs (like the big Reese's kind, yummy) The kids had soooo much fun finding candy that after we found it all, they hid theirs again, and found it again. It was a blast. They even took a few of their candies and hid them for Grandpa after it was all over cause he didn't get any. Have I ever said I have the best family? Well, I do!

Friday night Kylee and I got to have a little mother daughter date. One of Joe's cousins (Marie Dayton) is on BYU's ballroom/pretty much everything tour team, and they had an awesome performance, and we were invited. It was SOOOOOO good. Marie is SOOOOO good, and gorgeous! She did amazing, and it just made Kylee and I want to dance. There was one dance where it looked like a girl was in a wedding dress, and she had a tiara on, and Kylee said "is she the queen of Utah?" Kylee had fun, and it was fun to spend time with her.



Of course I am not forgetting the real meaning of Easter, I saved the best for last. I know that my Savior lives. That sentence means so much to me, and I am definitely reminded of that at Easter time. I am so thankful to be a part of this amazing gospel. I love it, I love our Prophet, I love my Father in Heaven, and his Son, my brother, Jesus Christ. I AM SO BLESSED. I know I say that a lot, but I am.

Too many things.

There are so many things to blog about today. First, but probably not of most importance is, WHY DO I KEEP TRYING? Jack did it again, he cut his own hair for the FIFTH TIME!!!!
I keep trying to grow it out and as soon as it starts to get remotely long, he goes ahead and cuts a chunk out right in front. AHHHHH! I guess I am DONE! I don't think I will try to grow it out anymore. And of course as I am going to buzz it all off, Joe chimes in and says give him a mullet for a day.
I don't know why I do it, but I did, so here are some handsome before pics, NASTY pictures of my sons half mullet, and then his after pics. I like my "thug" son better than my "WT" son.

Second, I have to say Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband. Today is his 29th birthday... Wow, 29. I feel like we are still so young (and we really are) but when I WAS young 29 seemed so old. IT REALLY ISN'T!!! Anyway, my husband is the best. I know everyone always says that, but he really is the best. I say this all the time,
I don't there is anyone that is better for me than Joe. He is so patient with me, he is always so complementary to me, he is just a thoughtful awesome guy! I love ya babe! Happy Birthday.

And lastly, but not leastly (is that even a word) CONFERENCE!!! I just have to say, that was such a great and uplifting conference. They always are, but my kids are finally at the age where I can actually watch some of it and enjoy, and actually get something out of it. I am so thankful for our church leaders, our amazing and inspired Prophet. I am SO grateful that we can get inspiration, and direction from them on a regular basis. I am so grateful we are so close to so many temples, I know they are a blessing and they are important in my life. I feel so blessed to live on the earth in this day and age. I know I will have trials, but I also know that my Father in Heaven will always be there with me to strengthen and help me. I love the spirit I feel when I listen to conference and I really want to keep feeling that way! I AM SOOOOOO BLESSED!!!

Well, sorry about the rantings and whatnot, but there you have it. My "too many things" to blog about. I guess it was only 3 things, but it seemed like a lot in my mind!

Interviews

So I got this idea from my sister Mandy who interviewed her kids and I thought it looked interesting and wondered what my kids would say, so if you are the same as me, feel free to copy and interview your kids too. It is fun, and funny! *Note, I interviewed Jack while Kylee was at school, and Kylee while Jack wasn't around, just to see the difference, or similarity, in answers.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Jack- Clean up! Kylee- Clean up!
2. What makes mom happy? Jack- Um I don't know. Kylee- If you put things where they go.
3. What makes mom sad? Jack- I won't give her a hug. Kylee- When we don't do what's right.
4. How old is your mom? Jack- Um, I don't know. Kylee- I don't know.
5. How tall is your mom? Jack- BIGGER that the whole world or as big as a small lake. Kylee- 12
6. What is her favorite thing to do? Jack- Wash the dishes. Kylee- Get kisses and huggies.
7. What does your mom do when you're not around? Jack- Look for me. Kylee- Play with Jack.
8. If your mom becomes famous what will it be for? Jack- Um, I don't know. Kylee- I don't know...tell me.
9. What is your mom really good at? Jack- Dancing. Kylee- Folding laundry.
10. What is your mom not very good at? Jack- Doing...I don't know. Kylee- On the treadmill.
11. What does your mom do for her job? Jack- Wash the dishes. Kylee- Fold Laundry.
12. What's your mom's favorite food? Jack- Basketti-o's..I mean cake. Kylee- Anything.
13. What makes you proud of your mom? Jack- Don't know. Kylee- Her grabbing stuff off of the treadmill when she is on it, she is good at that.
14. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Jack- Capitan Hook. Kylee- Rachael Ray.
15. What do you and your mom do together? Jack- Baseball. Kylee- Go play on the play ground.
16. How are you and your mom alike? Jack- I don't know. Kylee- Because we work together.
17. How are you and your mom different? Jack- Like this....(he started rolling on the floor). Kylee- I clean up and you make your bed sometimes.
18. How do you know your mom loves you? Jack- Because I love you. Kylee- Because I hug her and kiss her.
19. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Jack- Pizza store. Kylee- Brick Oven.
20. What does your mom do to make you laugh? Jack- Tickle me. Kylee- Tickle me.

Camping in

Well, this last weekend we were supposed to go to Cokeville Wyoming with some of my family, and "camp out". It turned out to be not such great weather, so we ended up not going. Kylee and Jack were pretty darn excited to go, and were pretty darn disappointed when we weren't going. So we decided to set the tent up in Kylee's room, and have a "camp in" instead of a "camp out". They were so excited, they could barely hold still. We told stories, and laid there for a while, then Joe and I left and started watching a show, and just let them play for a few. Well, it got to be about 10:30 and they hadn't settled yet, so we put them in their own beds and they fell fast asleep before we even left their rooms. It was a fun little evening for them, even though they didn't actually "sleep" in the tent. It did make me excited to go camping sometime.

Random Recipe

So, I have decided to do a Random Recipe every once in a while, just for fun. This happens to be my hundredth post, isn't that awesome. So what a way to start a new tradition on the hundredth post. I don't know how to take good food pictures just yet, but hopefully I will learn fast. So, this is a lot better than it looks. This is called Crispy Chicken Wrap, and I found it on My Kitchen Cafe. It is SUPER easy, and my kids even ate it.....it may have taken an hour, but they ate it nonetheless. Try it, it is worth it, EASY (which is my thing) and very delicious!



CRISPY CHICKEN WRAP

**To prevent the wraps from unrolling during cooking, be sure to start them seam-side down in step 3.

1/3 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, sliced very thin
2 celery ribs, chopped fine (I omitted these due to my non-celery preference)
2 tablespoons sour cream, light or regular
2 teaspoons hot sauce (this does not make them spicy but adds great flavor!)
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the better, in my book)
4 (12-inch) flour tortillas

1. Whisk the mayonnaise, cilantro, scallions, celery, sour cream and hot sauce in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to combine.

2. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.

Toothless wonder, green eggs and ham, and St.Patricks day.

So I am a bit of an idiot. I realized (well, actually Joe realized) that our little usb port thingy wasn't plugged in last week and that is why I couldn't upload these pictures. Here they are finally a week and a half later. Here is Kylee with no two front teeth. Grandma Margaret says she has a hole in her smile, but it is a cute smile nonetheless.


I don't know if I mentioned this in the previous post, but Kylee got to choose what she had for breakfast on her Birthday and she chose green eggs and ham. Don't ask me why. We have never had it before.

Last Monday the granparents and Barb came over and brought St. Patricks Day shamrock cookies and we all decorated them. It was fun and yummy!!

Sakes alive! Guess who is 5!!!

Today is my Kylee's birthday. I can't believe she is 5 years old!!! HOLY CROW!!! This is probably one of the cutest cards I have ever seen! Joe's mom Margaret made it for Kylee. The pictures were taken a few months ago. Kylee is holding a huge umbrella and wearing my shoes. So the front of the card says "Sakes alive, guess who is 5" and it has a picture from behind the umbrella with just cute legs and big shoes. Then you open the card and it says "Our beautiful Kylee" SOOOOOO cute and creative! My mother-in-law is the best! Kylee has been such a joy to us. She helps me out a lot around the house, and with Mia and Jack. She has such a huge heart and is always concerned about everyone around her. I just love her so much! When Kylee was just under 2 years old she fell and smacked her face on our granite counter tops and knocked her two front teeth out. Well, one was in half length wise and the other in half width wise. One of them was totally dead so she got a root canal, and got caps put on. So she just keeps bumping her teeth and last Friday I was planning on going to get her caps put back on because one was completely off and the other was loose. Well, the dentist ended up just pulling both teeth. So Kylee on her 5th birthday had a hole in her smile. It is a darn cute hole though. I have pictures, but my camera is being retarded so I will post those later. She was very brave. She had to fast after dinner on Thursday night, so we let her choose what to have for dinner, and she chose the "popcorn restaurant" (Wingers) it was a fun little family date night. The next morning my sister-in-law Mari came and stayed with Jack and Mia while Joe and I took Kylee. She got a shot in her arm (which was what she was most afraid of) and then she was out in about 2 min. She did awesome, and the dentists office was great! They gave her toy after toy! She was spoiled! Then the tooth fairy came and gave her a dollar a tooth! (it was a lot less when I was young!!!) HAPPY toothless BIRTHDAY KYLEE! I hope by next year you have teeth growing in...doubt it!!

The power of prayer.

*****WARNING***** this is more like a journal entry, and my be boring to some of you, so read at your own will!

What a wonderful day. Sundays are always great days because we get to go eat at the in-law's house, but today was extra special because we had a special visitor eating with us today. Elder L. Tom Perry and Barbara Perry ate with us today. We are kind of spoiled because this isn't the first time they have eaten with us. Elder Perry is Joe's uncle. Not by blood, but his aunt is Elder Perry's second wife. Anyway, we had a really cool experience today. First of all, let me go back to when Joe and I were newlyweds we were eating Sunday dinner, which ALWAYS consists of some sort of dead cow, potatoes, gravy corn, salad, and rolls. (I know, no wonder I can't lose any weight) So Joe has a small esophagus and he didn't chew his meat well enough, it was a fast Sunday so he wanted to scarf down his food. But, his first bite got caught in his esophagus. (note, the food throat, not the breathing throat) so he can breath, but he can't get any water, food....NOTHING down. So he has to either force it down, or try to get it back up. Well, that day he ended up going to the emergency room, and going into surgery with a tube down his throat to try to get the meat out. A few hundred dollars later, he was all better. So, today he gets meat stuck in his throat again, and is struggling he couldn't get it to go one way or another. So after about 25 min my amazing and inspired mother-in-law asked my father-in-law if we could have a little prayer for Joe. He asked if Elder Perry would say it, and he did. It was such a great prayer, it may seem silly to you, but it was such a powerful prayer, and he blessed that it would pass. (Joe didn't even know we were having a prayer, he had been in the bathroom working on it the whole time) LITERALLY not even ONE minute later Joe came out of the bathroom, and had worked it down. It was so amazing, and it to me was a real miracle. I was just thinking to myself..."we can't afford it, we don't have time, Joe can't miss work, how are we going to do this..." then my mother-in-law, who I think is always inspired asked to have a prayer! AMAZING! I am so grateful to be a part of this miraculous amazing gospel. I KNOW my Father in heaven hears and answers prayers. I KNOW he knows of our needs. I am so thankful to be in such an amazing family. By the way, just in case you didn't know my husband is awesome!!!

My trash was kicked!

First of all, I will give major props to anyone who can name that movie that quote is from. It actually is (pardon my french) "my nuts was kicked" but it is a funny movie. Joe can't guess, cause I KNOW you will get it. Anyway, back to my trash being kicked, yes I am struggling. I HATE THE STINKING TIME CHANGE!!! I am always tired, but about the time I start getting used to the time change, it changes again. What is up with that? Plus it just complicates it even more when you have kids, that don't know any better. We finally got Jack sleeping until 7 by telling him he can't come out of his room until there was a 7 on his clock. He just got really good at it, and now it will actually be 6 when there is a 7. So, we decided to just leave his clock alone, so his is still an hour behind, so now MY clock says 8 when his says 7, so it makes me feel just a little bit better. We will see how long this lasts!! I just think we should do away with the time changing, but what do I know.

It's only just begun.

Yep, now that Mia is one, she is all over the place. I swear I am cleaning up mess after mess. Here is Mia the day after I SCRUBBED the house clean, she got into one of the plants, and left a BIG MESS! It's a good thing we lover her (yes buger nose and all)!

My baby's FIRST!

Yes, today is Mia's first birthday (sniff sniff, sob sob, boo hoo!!!) I cannot believe how fast the time goes. I don't want Mia to be this old already. I honestly don't know where this year went! Mia is such a great girl. She is such a joy to have in our family, her cute actions, to her amazing spirit just bring us so much happiness!! Here is a little tribute to Mia. Somethings she likes, likes to do, and has accomplished....

Mia has always let her big brother and sister MAUL her. They lug her around like she is a doll. This shows me that she is very patient! (unless it has to do with food, then she is NOT patient at all.

Mia can sign please, drink, and more. (pretty good in my eyes)

Mia started walking at 10 1/2 months.

Mia is such a daddy's little girl. She loves me but, if daddy is home, she wants only him. One day she was having a hard day, and it was almost time for Joe to be getting home, so the only thing that made her happy was to wait by the window and watch for Daddy. When cars would pass by she would get mad if it wasn't him. Then he got home...she got so excited...his car went into the garage, and she was mad at me for not going into the garage also. She thought I wasn't taking her to him, but I was going the other way.

Mia takes two 2 hour (or longer) naps per day!!!! YES!!!! This helps so I can do hair. She also goes to bed at about 7:15 and sleeps until 7. FINALLY!!!!

Mia was my little cuddler. Jack and Kylee wouldn't really cuddle with me, but Mia would....that didn't last too long though.

Mia loves to give "Kissem's" if we say "kissem" she will pretty much give a big tongue kiss! Yummy.

Mia puts her hand in the air, hand facing up, toward whatever she wants then looks at you to make sure you can see her, then says please. This might be one of my favorite things right now.

Mia has a hook for a finger.....it is hilarious that she uses her finger like a hook, and it is ALWAYS in her mouth.

There are plenty more things I could put down, but I will stop at that. I LOVE my little Mia. I can't imagine life without her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE BABY!!!

By the way, Kylee took this picture. I was quite proud of her.

My personal photographer

Kylee loves to take pictures, she even got a little camera for Christmas. This was before Christmas, but I was going through my pictures yesterday and laughing sooooo hard at these. Kylee wanted to take some picutres of Mia so she did. They are so funny, I couldn't decide which one I wanted to blog, so I had to make a collage!!! So, if any of you are in need of a photographer, just call Kylee, as you can see she is very professional!!!! I love my Mia, she is so cute, these pictures for sure don't do her justice in the "beautiful" category, but they sure do her justice in the FREAKING FUNNY category!!!

Our new favorite thing!

Kylee and Jack have a new favorite thing to do in the winter. Kylee found this little mat on Mia's changing station (that we never use) and decided to put it to use, (cause we never use it). I laughed pretty hard when I saw what they were doing. It brought back memories for me, I remember sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags, and cardboard boxes! Sorry the video is so dark, and my voice is so loud. URG!! I hate hearing my own voice. Good times!

Week or so in a nutshell

Well, I am a little behind here, I haven't posted for a while, that is because my poor little Jack-a-buda is a sick little guy. It all started Friday night poor Barbara was over here babysitting, while Joe and I went to the hunting expo (which is a whole other great story) and Jack got sick, and threw up while Barb was here. She was awesome (as usual) and cleaned it all up. He pretty much hasn't been able to keep anything down since then. It really is sad. He really looks like the walking dead. I called the doctor and the nurse said that it is going around instead of being the 24 hour flu it is like a week long flu, so watch out!!!

Here is Jack when he is feeling well, he got this pirate outfit from his cousin for his birthday (Thanks John and Ang) I didn't get a picture of his little hiney, but let me tell you it is soooo cute in this thing! He loves it!


Now, about the hunting expo (not usually my thing, but it sure is Joe's thing) we were invited (by Senator Margaret Dayton, oh the connections we have in this family) to a Private dinner and auction hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, we were on like the second row, and then we were on the sixth row for the show after which was a Jeff Foxworthy comedy show! The dinner was awesome, great food, more than I needed, and then we went to the award thing/auction where Jeff Foxworthy (hosted it), Carl Malone (I was sitting like 3 feet away from him and he is HUGE) Shaun Bradly (another basketball player who is probably the tallest person I have EVER seen) and Marcus Luttrell (an AMAZING GUY) were. It was so great I cried even at the thing, I guess that isn't saying much, cause I cry a ton! If you don't know who Marcus Luttrell is, go here. He is the author of the book called Lone Survivor, and he is the Lone Survivor!!! YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!!! If you didn't click on "go here" YOU NEED TO!!!! It is long, but it is worth it! He was there signing books, and he spoke for about 20 min, it was very sobering, he didn't beat around the bush about things, he said how it is! I am grateful for all of our troops, they are amazing to be fighting for our freedom, and we all need to recognize that.

A Child's Prayer

Too cute not to write down....

Kylee's Prayer tonight...
"Bless Heavenly Father and Jesus to be healthy,
Bless me to have a good home to live in,
Bless my heart and bones not to be filthy,
Bless me never to drink smoke,
Bless me to never do bad things like a bad guy."

She was also thankful for things( you know the usual things), but these were the things that I thought were too cute not to write down. She is such a great girl. I LOVE YOU KY!!!

Tiny, yet almost 5

First of all, my kids are CRAZY. Second of all, can I just say that Kylee is TEENIE?!!!?? She never ceases to amaze me at the things she can put on. I was incredulous the other week when she was still wearing her little skirt that Barb got her when she was like 2. Her waist, her legs, her arms everything (except for her cute pumpkin head) is so small. So the other day I told her to go get her pj's on. She ran out of the room, when and got pj's on and came back. I looked at her and couldn't figure out where she got these new pajama Capri pants. Then I figured it out....THEY ARE MIA'S PANTS!!! Yep, 9-12 month pants, Kylee had them on, and it wasn't like they were tight either! Did I mention she will be 5 in March? YES! She cracks me up! Jack wanted his "silly" picture taken after he saw Kylee posing silly! So, here is Jack being silly too.

I can't believe it!!!

I guess I can believe it.....MIA IS WALKING!! About a week ago she kinda would walk from me to Joe, and then she got scared and wouldn't really do it. Then on Sunday she kind of thought about it, and yesterday we went to Logan to visit my grandparents there and all of the sudden she was just taking off by herself. She let's go of things and stands there all by herself, and even starts walking by herself. She is almost 11 months old. Kylee started walking when she was like 9 1/2 months old, but Jack was a year when he finally started walking, so Mia is pretty much right in between! She is so fun and cute. So here is some video of her walking a little bit.

More snow fun.

So you would think that we really love the snow for how often we are playing in it. This is at my sister's house. We had so much snow that they were able to build a HUGE slide to sled down and sled the whole way across their yard. It was actually really cool. The kids absolutely had a blast. Thanks for the sledding fun cousins!!!