Catching up with..... Depeche Mode?

So last August, one of my all time favorite bands came to the Salt Lake City place they love so much and performed yet another out of this world concert. My sister (being a bigger fan than I - crazy, I know) ordered a copy of the nights performance on cd. She actually stood in line after the concert and paid for it then (this was last August, remember?). It came. Finally. The best part of this story is that to make up for lost time, they sent 2 copies and I, being her favorite, got the second copy. I love it when dumb companies make mistakes and I get to reap the benefits. Thanks Care! You are a cool sister and I do appreciate you sharing with me.

This post is actually supposed to be a "catching up with" post because I have been lost for a while, but my title reminded me of my new little gift from Cari.

Saturday was one of those days - you know, the kind that come and go and you wonder where it went as if it were never here. It was Brynlee's FIRST Birthday Party. Her Birthday is today, but the party with all the family was Saturday. She has been so fun. We were tending her in the beginning 3x a week but after I had my almost mid-life crisis, we cut back to one day and let grandma help out (which has been much appreciated). The kids absolutely love having her around. As of late especially. She has so much personality. I have given her the nickname "The Princess and the Pea" with much reason. She is the boss. She tells it how it is. If she doesn't want to nap, she's not going to. If she doesn't want to be held, she's not going to. If she doesn't want the rest of her banana, watch out 'cause she will let you know. She is most definitely loved by all. But, lucky for me, I am her favorite.

Cambree, Atley, Emma, Brynlee, Alexa, Kailee

Emma and I were the only two from our little family that went to the party. Erin has been sick so Jer stayed home with her. Josh was a good sport and stayed with them so that Emma and I could make it to the next part of our day - America on Stage at Thanksgiving Point. We had to be backstage at 4:30p.m. They had two performances and then we were headed home. It was short and sweet this year. Last year seemed more like an all day event so I was excited to not have to entertain Emma all day again. She, on the other hand, was a little disappointed at the lack of shopping done between performances. She left wanting more, but fortunately for her there's only a month until the next competition.

I'm not sure why or how and I know I am biased, but isn't she gorgeous?

We had to stop at Iceburg for a shake on the way home! If there's no time for shopping, there must be time for a shake!!

Josh had a soccer game at 7pm Saturday, but with Erin being as sick as she has been, Jer opted to stay home and miss the game. I don't think Josh has ever missed a game during his entire soccer career, but sometimes the little sister comes first. Like I said, he is a good sport.

Josh and Emma started piano lessons at the first of February. I'm enjoying the process. Emma loves it and takes practicing seriously where Josh still pretends to practice and then somehow gets distracted. He is giving it more than I thought he might. He's still bitter about me "making" him learn to read music. This is one of those things where one day he will thank me. I know it. Maybe when he's on his mission? Or perhaps when he sits down and plays October by U2 and the girls start drooling?

We made it so far this winter without sickness. Unfortunately, Erin started 8 or 9 days ago with a nasty cough and before I knew it she had strep. Poor thing has been on the antibiotic for 5 days and still sounds terrible. She got to go outside today for the first time in a week. A part of me was hoping the 55 degree weather would help - a little sunshine never hurt anyone.

She doesn't even look sick, I know. But if you heard her, you would understand.

We did finally make a dent in the amount of gerbils we have. We took 5 of them to a little girl in Sugarhouse that places them in schools for class pets. And, our cute cousin Noah took 2 of the boys (dad being one of them). The picture of Erin above is the day we took them to their new homes. We cleaned the cages out and did a head count. Erin has no complaints about having a new litter as soon as the previous litter gets to be 4 weeks old. The idea of having 16 pets is rather exciting to a 5 year old. Not so much for the mom and dad, however.

Our biggest priority these days has been getting ready for Tasha to come be a part of our family. I don't know that I have talked about her much on my blog as to not step on any toes or hurt any feelings, but we pretty much have no secrets at this point. :) Natasha started out one of my Young Women in our Ward, but quickly became like family. She was born in Russia and came to America almost five years ago. She has had a rough few years with all that has changed in her life. Fortunately, with all life has handed her, she has become an amazing young woman. She will be living here and adopting us as her family soon. On Monday, March 15th, she will be moving in so we have been using every minute to get her bedroom ready. This is a huge thing for us and has been so exciting, but hard to talk about. I get so emotional about her and the person she is. Josh, Emma and Erin are counting down until she will be here all the time instead of off and on. Jer and I have felt things changing for us for a while. The Lord most definitely has a plan for all of us and I have learned to stop questioning things when they "fall into place." I will surely be posting more about her in the near future.

Emma, Natasha, Erin

So there is the update in the biggest nutshell out there ... you should be all caught up (or maybe I just feel caught up now).

Three Torches are Better Than None

So granted there was a minor mishap during Opening Ceremonies, but that didn't bother us. I would love to take credit for this fun idea, but it was Jer. He suggested that we each draw a country (from a hat of all the countries participating in the Olympic games). Then, from Opening to Closing Ceremonies, that country is the team you cheer for. On Friday, for Opening Ceremonies, we had a few people over and we ate food from the different countries we are cheering for. The countries represented are: Spain, Poland, Australia, Germany, Greece and Italy. Then we have all been cheering for the U.S.A. team! It's been fun so far for the kids to feel like they really have a reason to follow each sport and cheer for the athletes. And, we've all had fun learning about the different cultures.


It helps that we have a dad that is amazing with food. Jer either made something from each country or found a little something at a Deli. We had a good variety of food from all over the world: stuffed grape leaves, gyros, sauerkraut, bratwurst, marinated olives, prosciutto, breads, pitas, anchovies on toast, lemon rice and kabobs, and even a little baklava for desert.

The below picture is my mom, Cari and I trying the anchovies - nasty. But, I did try it! I thought I would like them (there's really not many foods I don't like), but the fishy flavor at the end was too much for me and I had to spit it out. Ick. I couldn't even do it for Jeff Probst. I think my mom cried. Okay, maybe not, but the dance she did was entertaining.

Notice we all have olives in our hands in case we needed a chaser. I needed more than that.

Do you think these two are related?

We spent our Valentine's Day making cookies (and anything else we thought would look cute in the shape of a heart). After I make a batch of sugar cookies, I usually give Erin the last little bit for her to entertain herself with. She takes it so seriously. She rolled it out and cut hearts until there was none left. Fortunately, she knows she can only play with it OR eat it. Not both. And, we don't bake these. They are so nasty by the time she gets done handling the dough.

(Don't mind the heart shaped crayons in the middle of her work space)

They are cute little cookies and so is she.

After going to Grandma B.'s to see all the cousins and then delivering our other Valentine's, we came home to wind down (or clean up the cookie mess that was still waiting for me). As I was cleaning things up, I noticed this in the corner of the front room. I know it's hard to see but I had to be sneaky about taking a picture. Erin LOVES to read (she is still in the pretending to read stage, but we are getting there). She had gotten a couple of books out to read to her baby so Jer decided to help her with the actual reading part of it. It was one of those moments that I couldn't resist getting my camera out for.

Hope you all had a fun Vday. I tend to make fun of the holiday (like I told the kids that I was wondering if Jer would get me something or if he was planning to break up with me - I got tulips... whew), but I do love all the kid stuff. I absolutely love my flowers and I love the excuse it gives us to go out on a date. But, growing up I always hated Vday. Anyway, after we are done celebrating President's Day today, we will move on to another "just because" kind of holiday - St. Patrick's Day.

I {HEART} My Healthy Kids

At the beginning of the new year, I usually sit down and write a list of things I need to accomplish. I can't really call them resolutions - they're more just "to do list" items. One thing that needed to be a priority was to get all three kids into the doctors for well-child visits. I have always been pretty on top of these, but for some reason I dropped the ball last year. Emma had her well child visit on time but I had never taken her to a podiatrist as my pediatrician had advised.

The first thing my pediatrician suggested for Josh was for us to get him to the allergist to find out exactly what caused his Anaphylactic shock in June. I thought I had done the right thing by having the epi-pen with us at all times, but apparently that isn't enough. So we went to see a specialist. Poor kid is allergic to everything! Look at him. I had explained to him exactly what was going to happen, but for some reason he heard 2 minutes instead of 20 minutes when I told him how long he would have to wait with the crap on his back. The nurse gave me a tongue depressor to scratch in between the marks, but I don't know if that even helped. Unfortunately, after all that misery, we still don't know what his Anaphylaxis was from. So, we will keep testing. In the meantime, he will suffer from seasonal allergies (wonder where he gets that?). One interesting finding is that he is highly allergic to cats but not at all to dogs.

The next priority was to get Emma in to see someone about her feet. She has always had issues with her feet. She didn't walk until she was 18 months old and that was after physical therapy and little baby orthotics. She has continued to walk on the insides of her feet so we thought we would check into the next step (now that she's nearly 9 years old). Fortunately, we found a great doctor (he happens to be my dad's doctor and has been wonderful for him). He diagnosed her with Pediatric Flatfoot (there's some other 4 word medical term for it, but I like the simple name). The problem is actually more in her ankle rather than her foot. I always just figured she didn't have an arch, but there is a lot more to it than that. Her clogging has helped a little because her ankle muscles have been strengthened, but there's definitely more that can help. We are starting with customized orthotics (if that doesn't work, we may have to consider surgery). She is actually really excited to have them. I'm hoping the excitement doesn't wear off when flip-flop season comes around and she will still be wearing running shoes. Look at her smile just at the idea of having her feet casted for the molds. I think she is actually just excited to have something done about it (finally).

And, finally, we had Erin's 5 year well-child visit. Again, I had prepared her for shots and she was okay with it because this is her ticket into Kindergarten. However, I didn't realize she would be getting six shots (after adding the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 vaccine). And, I had no idea it would be the beginning of several trips to Primary Children's Hospital to visit the cardiology department. During her exam, the doctor found a heart murmur. I actually didn't worry too much because it's quite common in skinny little kids (she's in the 10th percentile) and both my mom and Jer's mom have had murmurs since they were about 8 years old. But, when she started complaining of chest pains a week later, I decided to call the Pediatrician back and let her know. She had us come into her office and then sent us to PCH for an xray and EKG. The next Monday, she called and said the EKG was abnormal and we would need to be at PCH at 8am the next day. Once there, we sat for 3 hours while they ran more tests. And, finally, we found out the initial EKG had been performed incorrectly (the stickers were placed too close together on her chest) and after doing a bazillion more tests, they felt confident in sending us home with a clean bill of health. Holy cow! What a scare. My baby had a heart problem one day and the next day she was fine. I was a little upset at first, but really what better news is that? I'm going to just say that it was all of our prayers that made it all better.


So, after a crap load of visits to every doctor and specialist out there, I am happy to say that my kids are healthy. Isn't it crazy the things we go through as parents? I have spent so many nights with my eyes wide open worrying. It is a huge relief to know that everything is okay, but the worrying never ends. I know for a fact that my parents still worry for me and my siblings. So, I will continue to look forward to living in a perfect world after this life where I don't have to lose sleep over my children's well being. One more reason to be grateful for my testimony. I don't usually get sappy on my blog, but I really am so happy to have all that I am blessed with. I'm so grateful for the gospel.

If you sluffed church today - you can count this as your own little testimony meeting. It is the first Sunday, right?

Do Not Underestimate the Power of the Taco

Warning: this post may cause or increase hunger pains.

I know we are not the only Utahn's eating at the Taco Carts because if we were, there would only be one. Has anyone else noticed them popping up on every corner? It kind of makes me laugh. I had a good friend years ago (name has been left out to protect the innocent) that went to Mexico City on his mission. I remember him writing home about the street tacos. If you know this friend of mine, you remember his passion for certain things (skiing, clothes, shoes, food). Every time I got a letter that was about nothing but tacos, I figured it was just his latest passion. Now it's years later and the street tacos have started to make it big in Utah. He wasn't kidding. I think he wasn't actually supposed to eat the "street" food due to the unknown ingredients. But, given the County Health Dept. has cracked down on our Taco Carts, we should be safe to assume the meat is what they say it is. I think the first taco stand we tried was the one in the Osborne Apparel parking lot: Taqeria El Primo. After trying several carts throughout the valley, it has remained our favorite.

This is a picture I took of the tacos from Taqeria El Primo just last weekend. Jer's favorite's at this particular place are chorizo (sausage and potato) and lengua (cow tongue). I like to stick with the traditional asada (steak) and carnitas (pork). Josh loves them all. You can request grilled onions here and of course they have all the fresh fixin's in the coolers outside the cart. So yummy. They have lots of other menu items that I have yet to try (tacos are always the fave) but it's so fun to see what others order.

The other place we love is Chunga's (180 South 900 West). It's not a cart but it is one of those hole in the wall kind of places so don't go expecting a nice sit down restaurant. But, the Tacos al Pastor are five star tacos! The saying below is a picture of the wall inside the dining area. The picture on the bottom right is how Tacos al Pastor are made. Tacos al Pastor are made from pork shaved from a spit much like a Gyro. After marinating the meat, it is cooked on a rotisserie with a pineapple on top. The pineapple makes for a sweet flavor and is usually served on the taco with cilantro or salsa. It is like nothing you have ever tasted before. There is a fun review of Chunga's on one of our favorite blogs here.

So, next time you are craving a good taco, skip Del Taco, Taco Time and Taco Bell. Keep driving until you find the next taco cart and give it a try. Or, if you think we are crazy, that's okay too. Leave me a comment. I can take it. If you are a taco cart lover, tell me which one's are your favorites. We are always open to suggestions. I would love to hear if anyone has tried the tacos featured on Diner's Drive-In's and Dive's at Red Iguana. And, I LOVE the taco's at El Ferol (7200 S. State Street). They are deep fried and oh so bad for you but your mouth will appreciate it. If you are looking for a completely Americanized fast food taco, take a drive to Spanish Fork and order a taco at Glade's Drive In. While the burrito is my favorite menu item there, the taco makes a good ketchuppy kind of mess.

I thought maybe we could make ginger bread houses, and eat cookie dough, and go ice skating, and maybe even hold hands.

I used to stress for a week or two before the kids "went off track" for the holidays. Now, having a "trenditional" schedule (that's what Emma called traditional when she was in Kindergarten and the concept of never going off track was foreign for us) I don't have to worry about how I'm going to entertain the kids for 2 or 3 weeks in the middle of winter. I love having the kids get out of school on December 18th and go back the first Monday after the new year. Stick two holiday's in there and a couple o' holiday eve's and there's not a lot of "free time" left.


The last two years Josh has gone to St. George with my parents for a few days during Winter Break. It's fun for him (since he gets along with adults so well) to spend hours in the car with just him and the grandparents. This year he got to help my mom clean out the fridge in Grandma Helen's garage. So fun! He is a good sport. He never complains about stuff like that. He doesn't much care about having to work when he's away from the girls. And, when it's just him and three grandparent's, he gets his way most the time (like when he talked them all into going to In-n-Out Burger and getting him a Double Double). He also appreciates a good sleep and there's no where better to do that than the Indian room at Grandma Helen's.


So with Josh out of town and Dad gone back to work, the two girls and I were left to entertain each other. The first day or two we did a lot of cleaning up after Christmas. But, when we woke up on the third day and it had been snowing all night, we bundled up and headed for the hills. While it wasn't the hills in the mountains (you know - the kind with "lifts" and people going down the mountain in an upright position) it was a pretty good hill for a couple of little girls and a sled. They had so much fun! It actually worked out to go with just the three of us 'cause there was no fighting and when they were nice and frozen it wasn't hard to talk them into going home. It was hilarious to watch them fly down the hill and hike back up. Erin is such a tiny thing, but man is her attitude big. I can't wait to put skis on her itty bitty feet. She's afraid of nothing and the cold doesn't bother her.

You wouldn't know that the girls are almost 4 years apart.

They started out so bundled up, but after getting the blood flowing, they quickly lost hats and gloves. Too bad for the mean mom that won't let them take coats off.

For those that believe Erin is mute - she's not quiet when she's sledding! Her giggles are so contagious.

"Now what can we do?" How many times did I hear that during the Winter break? A lot. That's why, as a mom, I do things like make helping with Sunday dinner an event. You tell them your "plan" and then have them pull up a chair, pour the sugar in, stir a little, take some pictures... and suddenly it was a game.


Actually, the kids request Homemade Chicken 'n' noodles a lot during the winter. And, since my mom taught me how to make the noodles from scratch and she learned from her mom (who probably learned from her mom), I have taught my girls how to make them. I make the dough, roll it out flat and then into a log. Then, Emma cuts the noodles with the thread. She always has to make one big fat 6 inch noodle for herself. Then, she passes the "rolls" to Erin and she undoes them and lays them out on the counter in the flour. Yummy fun. They are quite the experts in noodle making.

Notice how Josh helps - he stands in the kitchen, tosses the ball in the air and talks non-stop. We've all pretty much learned to tune out the sound of the ball until he knocks something off the wall with it. He either has a ball in his hands or at his feet. Now if I could tune out the non-stop talking. :)

This was probably the best batch of noodles we've made... and we've made a lot of noodles.


On New Years Day, we usually go bowling with the B's. There was just a few of us this year and Emma took her camera, so I only ended up with a couple of pictures. I love bowling. It reminds me of my growing up years. My parents always bowled on a league and it used to be cheap to take the family bowling (especially when you're on Military Base with your Military dad). So what happened? Who decided it should be $2 for shoes and $5 per game? That makes it a rather expensive night out for our little family. Most alley's do have a deal on New Years Day, but I sure wish we could bowl more than a couple of times a year.

Erin's little itty bitty feet are in those size 9 shoes and the shoes are too big. Little kid bowling shoes are so dang cute.


So what do we do at the end of a fun Christmas break? This...

A few of my favorites...

Each year during the Christmas Season, Jer is referred to as a "Humbug" by at least one person. The truth is: he LOVES Christmas. He especially loves all of the time we are able to spend together as a family. We find ourselves talking about this every year. What is Christmas really about? Is it about traditions, family, friends, food, gifts, the Nativity, parties, ward dinners and time off from school and work? It's about all of that and so much more. His frustration lies with one particular part of "all of that." The gifts. The point of gift giving at Christmas is to let those in our lives know that we love and appreciate them. Unfortunately, gift giving becomes 90% of the "celebration" rather than being equal to every other aspect and is highly commercialized. So, while Jer protests certain traditions (like white elephant gifts and $5 limits), I find complete satisfaction in handmade gifts. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have my own tradition with my sisters. I guess it's unfair to my hubby, my dad and my brothers, but they survive.

I love that each gift from all my sisters took time, energy, and real thought. Sometimes they are handmade and sometimes they are not. But, the bottom line is that they are personal and always meaningful. I also love the things the kids make at school. I love watching their faces as I open the wrapped gift. And, I always love my mom and mom-in-laws gifts. From the first Christmas Jer and I spent together as a married couple, his mom has impressed me with her thoughtfulness. Most years she brings tears to my eyes (like when she gave me a framed poem with Josh's hand prints). My moms gifts are usually based on some kind of "inside" joke. And if you know me, I appreciate a good giggle.

So, with that said, know that this post is not to celebrate gift giving, but to say thank you to everyone that put so much into each of these "favorites."

Santa (made by Josh) This little guy took almost a week to make in class. Mrs. Selman is such a great teacher. The kids brought cans to school and by Christmas break they transformed them into these darling things.

Poinsettia (crafted by Alisha) If you have ever checked Alisha's etsy shop, you know she has serious talent. This is one of the many things she created for the holidays. The funnest thing was that we all received a different one. I hate that I have to put it in a box until next year.

Antique Monogram (created by Jamie) So I knew for a couple of months that Jame had something amazing up her sleeve for the "sister gifts" this year. She found these old windows at an antique shop in American Fork and with her creative little head - it became this beautiful design. Everything she does is amazing so after much anticipation, there was nothing but excitement from me when I saw this! I love how it turned out!!

Watch Bracelet (designed by Cari) You all know I'm a succor for great jewelry. I was so excited when I opened this. The watch is a charm so it can be worn on the bracelet or on a chain as a necklace. The only thing that frustrates me about this gift is that I didn't think of it. :)

Slippers (made by Gap, given by Lynsee) This year Lynsee did something different for everyone. Some got handmade scarves - which I covet. I wish I had a picture of those. She made a darling scarf for Erin that I should have taken a picture of. Anyway, back to the slippers, I LOVE THESE THINGS! Every year Lyns has given Cari and I slippers. I usually wear them out so it's perfect timing to get a new pair from her for Christmas. I've pretty much been living in these since she gave them to me for two reasons: 1. They are so very cozy and my feet are always cold and 2. If I don't keep them on my feet, Emma will run off with them.

Menu Planner (made by Jenn) Another thing I wish I had thought of. Jenn created this in Photoshop and then made it into a white board. LOVE IT! So I can plan each week and then at the bottom it has a place for a shopping list. It's magnetic so it's on my fridge (convenient) and since it's a white board it can be used forever!

Magic Bullet (given by Mom and Dad) I seriously cringe at the idea of posting this mouth of a picture, but it's no secret that I have a big mouth. Yes, this is one of those "inside jokes" kind of gifts. Though, I think just about everyone I know has heard the story. My parents had me open this first (they gave one to all the kids) so that they could capture my reaction. That face is a true reaction - I swear it's not posed. I really was that excited to get a Magic Bullet.

Photo by Emilie Workshop (from Jer) Nothing new - Jer spoiled me for Christmas. But this was my favorite thing he gave me. Since I decided to be a Photographer when I grow up, I decided to take a class to catch me up with the digital world. I'm so excited - I can't wait! The class isn't until the end of February, but with my registration there were several tutorials. So, I've been reading and practicing already! I will be saving my pennies for a new camera and then I will need "subjects" to practice on. Keep me in mind for your photo needs!

Thanks to everyone for all the thoughtful gifts! Hopefully you all enjoy this tradition as much as I do. Are you as amazed as I am with all the talent?

Trouble With Tribbles

Meet Lilly (look at that guilty little face):

10:00 a.m. Jer and I listed the baby gerbils on KSL. We were being a little sneaky about the whole thing because the kids have been whining about keeping them since Thanksgiving. But, they are officially off the boob and ready to move out on their own.

2:30 p.m. We received an email from a lady in West Jordan asking for just two of the four. I will definitely be contacting her. I love these little things and it is easy to get attached. But, this little family can't have 7 gerbils in one cage. Something has to change.

10:30 p.m. Josh is laying in his bed reading a book and hears some serious squeaking in the cage. This is pretty normal having that many little animals in the room with you. But, as he listened, he realized these little squeaks were not 6 week old squeaks. So, he decides to check on them to find out what all the ruckus is about. Hmmm... could it be another litter?

10:45 p.m. I ran to WinCo to buy bedding, a water bottle and food. Fortunately, we have our old cage (a smaller one) that we kept out in the garage.

11:00 pm. We moved the four boys (from the first litter) to the small cage. Molly (the one female from litter A) gets to stay with mom and dad because the boys have been bullying her. We did a head count and it looks like there are four new little additions. Between Josh and Jer and I, we figure they were born last night. They are smaller than litter A when we found them. And, when I went downstairs this morning at 7:30 to get Josh up, I heard the newborn squeaks but couldn't find them.

So here's the deal - gerbils have got to go. The kids are really fighting Jer and I on this one. They are great pets to have - super clean, super easy, super entertaining. . . and apparently super fertile. If you are interested in taking a couple off our hands, please let me know. We have the four boys from litter A that are ready to go. Litter B won't be off the boob for about six weeks. Zac and Lilly will be separated. Can you have your gerbils spayed or neutered? I still can't figure out why we had them for a year before they figured out the birds and the bees.

I think we will be moving on to this:

Emma got this from Santa this year. My favorite part: "Watch 'em grow then let 'em GO!" Now if we can just convince the kids to go by this with the gerbils.