Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to all of you! We love this time of year. Food, family, and a warm fire--does it get any better? We got to hang out with Grandpa Erv and Grandma Ruthie on the 19th, and yesterday we visited Fred and Kelly. Jake and Emily were there, and it was so much fun.

Izzy finally lost her sad, loose, little front tooth. So cute!

Isabelle (and I) were so surprised when she opened the last gift box of the morning. When she opened the box to find an American Girl doll from Grandma Ruthie and Grandpa Erv, she just about did a back flip. What a special present! It's just the one she wanted, too!

Dylan flipped out when he opened his new skateboard. You can hear Isabelle on the video saying, "he's got his Christmas wish".

I feel so grateful, and have so many things to be thankful for. Health, a warm home, plenty of good food, freedom, and most of all, the gift of the Savior. We are so lucky to have such fabulous friends and family; we love you all!

Beware

Watch out for frantic holiday shoppers who are trying to get a good parking spot. They might back up really fast without even looking and make the front of your car look like this:

Merry freakin' Christmas.

My Winter Solstice Baby

It may be the shortest day of the year, but it's still a birthday! Dylan turned five today. We had a lot of fun. Presents, pizza, bowling...


and a trip to Build-A-Bear for a new pal. Meet Dylan's new zebra, Spot Stanley Larsen.


What a great day! Thanks for everyone who called, sent cards, and took the time to wish Dylan a happy birthday. We have the best friends and family ever!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

You'd never guess who burst through our front door last night. Santa Claus! Isabelle almost jumped out of her own skin when she answered the door, and Dylan froze--literally. They were so excited to sit on Santa's lap and talk about what a great year they've had. When he left, Luke went outside to tell him thanks, but he was gone. He disappeared, but the kids noticed that there were reindeer tracks on the front lawn that suddenly ended. He must have parked his sleigh right in our front yard, and flown away as soon as he left! The kids want to ask our neighbors if they saw anything suspicious, and Dylan is so mad that he was just feet away from Rudolph and didn't get the chance to meet him. Maybe next year.

Good Luck, Luke!

It's about time I posted, right? I've been waiting for Izzy's other front tooth to fall out so I can post a picture. It is very wiggly, but it just won't fall out.

I do have fun news, though. Luke got in to the Canyonlands Half Marathon. I am so excited for him! It's in Moab in March. Perfect, right? The kids get to see the Delicate Arch, so they are very excited, and I've never been to Moab. It should be tons of fun.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Rice Pudding

I found a great recipe for thick, custard style rice pudding. Perfect for this time of year!

1 C heavy cream
4 C 2% milk
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C uncooked rice

Mix all ingredients in a casserole dish and bake (covered) at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Leave it covered and let it sit for 30 minutes after taking it out of the oven. Garnish with cinnamon and serve warm (or cool it in the fridge for later). It's good either way!

Ahhh...

There's nothing like coming home and putting on my favorite slippers after a long day at the theatre. Seeing Isabelle perform was worth every second, though. Can you say personality?

The whole show was inspirational. Kelli and Thayne (from So You Think You Can Dance) did an improv number that took my breath away, and some of the pieces had me near tears. I love movement and the stories that can be told without a single spoken word.

Tagged...again

Angel tagged me again, but this one is a little different. What the heck, right?

Rules:
1) Post rules on your blog
2)Answer the six "8" items
3)Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV shows:
- Friends
- Nanny 911
- John and Kate Plus 8
- Little People Big World
- Without a Trace
- Cold Case
- Food Network (except for Rachel Ray and Emeril)
- The First 48

8 Things I did yesterday:
- Ate Red Mango
- Took care of my cute kids
- Taught two dance classes
- Talked to my mom
- Visited with Jamie and held Taylor
- Laundry
- Started reading "The Book Thief"
- Filled my car with gas ($1.86...wahoo!)

8 Things I look forward to:
- Thanksgiving in Logan
- Finishing our backyard
- Paying off our vehicles
- Hanging out with friends
- Seeing "Four Christmases"
- Isabelle's front teeth falling out
- Seeing my kids as adults
- Christmas break

8 Favorite Restaurants:
- Carl's Cafe
- Cafe Trang
- Cafe Rio
- California Pizza Kitchen
- Old Spaghetti Factory
- Famous Dave's
- Happy Sumo
- Red Mango

8 Things on my wish list:
- a blender
- a Presto popcorn popper
- straight hair
- healthy, happy kids
- a trip to Hawaii
- a pedicure
- grass in our backyard
- a great pair of jeans

8 people to tag:
-anyone who wants to participate and is lacking blog material

Red Mango

I'll try to make this quick...

There was a little place called Mill Hollow in Logan when I was young, and they had the best frozen yogurt ever. Peach was my favorite, but every flavor was good. I was really sad when it closed down. But I am sad no longer! Last night I tried Red Mango for the first time, and it tastes just the same as the frozen yogurt of my childhood--it was fabulous. I got original and pomegranate swirled with granola on top. It was heaven. I'm going back tonight.

Long story short--you should try it. You are worth the $4.

Black-Bottom Banana Bars

When the weather gets cold, I want to bake. What is it about a chilly autumn day that does that to me? Dylan and I tried a new banana bread recipe, and it turned out so well we thought we'd share.

Black-Bottom Banana Bars

1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C baking cocoa

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Blend in the bananas. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
2. Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to half and spread it into a greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen

Tagged

Annie tagged me, so here goes...

I am...April Nyman Larsen
I know...I need to spend more quality time with Izzy and Dylan.
I want...my car to be paid off.
I wish...I lived closer to my sisters.
I had...never eaten pesto until I married Luke.
I hate...being cold.
I miss...being cool.
I fear...something terrible happening to someone I love.
I feel...so grateful to be a mom!
I hear...cartoons.
I smell...black bottom banana bars baking in my oven.
I crave...pork salads from Cafe Rio.
I search...for my phone almost every day.
I wonder...what babies think before they know words.
I regret...not finishing college.
I love...Saturday nights with my kids.
I care...about my friends.
I always...have somewhere to be--I can hardly wait for a break during the holidays!
I am not...a good swimmer.
I believe...everything happens for a reason.
I could...work on being more organized.
I dance...almost every day. What a great job!
I sing...never. I even mouth the words at church just to make sure nobody hears me.
I don't always...make my bed.
I write...short stories.
I win...at Scrabble.
I lose...at trivia games.
I never...get in fights.
I never listen...to people who whine.
I can usually be found...at the Treehouse.
I am scared of...spiders.
I need...diet coke.
I am happy about...gas prices going down!

I tag anyone who is reading this. I am interested to see what your answers are!

Snow Day

It started snowing late last night, and it hasn't stopped yet. I just took a yardstick outside, and it looks like we have just over 7 inches of new snow. The kids were thrilled!

Until Dylan fell down...

I guess this means it's time to get some snow gear. And flannel sheets!

One More...

So sorry--I couldn't help posting this photo. In the video on my last post, you can't really see how cute the kids look. I shot the video with our regular camera, and I know it's pretty rough. Luke just sent this from work, though, and I love that I can see their darling faces.

Little Bears

Thanks to Luke for a fun night at the Jazz game. I think the little bears were the highlight, although I may have a biased opinion due to the fact that Izzy is the tallest little bear, and Dylan is the littlest little bear. Getting up in front of over 20,000 people is a hard thing for anyone, let alone a 7 or 4-year old. I was so proud of both of them!

Halloween 2008

Halloween started last Saturday at the annual "Boo at the Zoo", and then just kept on going. I have to admit, Halloween is not my favorite holiday, and this one seemed to drag out for. ev. er. The kids were wound up so tight! It was almost like they lost their minds for a week. However, it was a lot of fun to see them get dressed up and have fun. Here are a few pictures:

Boo at the Zoo

Dylan's preschool program. All of his little friends looked so cute and did such a good job singing. Dylan had to ditch his costume to go out to the playground, though. He was melting.

Isabelle had a costume parade at her school. My favorite was the kid who dressed up as the Geico caveman in tennis clothes. Hairy legs and all. I tried to get a photo, but no luck. It was a really funny costume!

Luke and I grabbed a quick picture after we got home from the trunk or treat at the church so we could go hit a few houses on our street. As we were leaving, it started to rain just a little bit, but that didn't bother the kids. They were all about the candy.

I thought this was a cute picture of them trick or treating at Bob and Dana's. It might be the only time Dylan looks wider than Izzy in his life!

The night ended with Luke trying to pull out Izzy's loose tooth. Several attempts were made, but the tooth is still there.

It's been a fun Halloween, and we are looking forward to the holidays. Halloween seems to be the kick-off to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the other fun stuff that comes with the end of the year. What a fun time!

Pumpkin Patch

This is the first year we have gone to a real pumpkin patch to choose pumpkins. Dylan really had his heart set on it. We got there when the pickins were pretty slim, but Izzy and Dylan both had a great time. The people who owned the place were very sweet, and we will definately go back next year.

You can guess for yourself why the kids thought this pumpkin was funny.

For Angel

My sister was tagged by a friend who challenged her to post the fourth picture in the fourth folder on her computer. She made a very subtle hint on her blog for me to do the same, so here it is:

We went out to dinner with my parents, and I got this photo of Izzy eating squid. She is such a funny girl! It was a really fun night with lots of yummy food. Thanks again mom and dad!

Triathlon

It's over! I actually did it. The tri was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and it wouldn't have been possible without Luke cheering me on. I am very proud that I finished, and hopefully next year I will beat my time. It ended up taking me 1 hour and 5 minutes, which is better than I expected.

I think the look on my face explains how excited I was to get into the pool. I'm not going to lie--the swim sucked. It was most definately my weak point, and something I will work on. A lot.

After getting out of the pool, my legs felt like jelly. Just walking over to my bike was a challenge, and I knew the first half of the course was uphill. Not cool. There were no ipods allowed, either, so I had no music to get me pumped. It's amazing what a difference music makes to me, so I was pretty bummed. A little 'Welcome to the Jungle' would have been very helpful at this point.

Ok, so the run wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My legs were so weak when I got off the bike, and I knew it was going to be tough. As soon as I came around the first corner, though, there were Izzy and Dylan, cheering me on. Luke was right there, too, and all the support really kept me going.

Crossing the finish line was awesome, and I was so happy to see Liz and Amy there, too. What a morning! It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without my friends doing it with me, and I think we are pretty much rock stars for participating.

After relaxing for a bit and grabbing a bite to eat, we did a little hiking. The weather was perfect, and Isabelle and Dylan love to be outside. They found this 'mini' delicate arch and hiked to the top. Awesome.

Last time we were in St. George, we went to the same place to hike, and Izzy kept jumping over the ditch in the picture below. Dylan couldn't quite make it last time, but this time he was money. They are both getting so big!

The sun started to set, and we were off to get ice cream with Amy and Ben and the kids. Little desert creatures started coming out to enjoy the cool evening, so we turned back and headed for the car. Luke stopped to take a picture of this spider. Yuck.

It was a great weekend. It was exhausting, but well worth it. I think Luke is going to enter with me next year, as well as Izzy. There is a kid's tri the same morning, and she seemed really excited about entering. Atta girl!
Thanks to everyone who wished me luck and sent good vibes my way on Saturday morning. It really meant a lot!

5 days to go...

So it's here--the week before the triathlon. Yikes! I am really looking forward to this challenge, but I have a feeling it's going to kick my butt. OK, it is definately going to kick my butt. It's kind of nice to think that next week at this time, it will all be over. As nervous as I am, I'm really excited for a weekend away from teaching dance, getting away from the cold, and time with my awesome friend Amy and her cute husband Ben and their darling kids. We get to meet up with Liz and Anton for dinner on Friday night, and Blue Bunny is a must Saturday after the girls have napped. I hope we have enough energy to swim, hike, and do a little bit of shopping after the race.

I am wearing Izzy's bike helmet, and Dylan's goggles for good luck. I got a fortune cookie that said:

Achievement is one percent aspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

I'll let you know how true that is next Sunday. I'm sure there may be at least one post with pictures before we take off. Wish me luck! I need it!

Gotta Love Tina

Love or hate Palin, this is funny.

White Corn Chowder

Last Thursday was yet another awesome dinner club! The theme this month was "fall favorites". We got together at Amy's house for lots of good food, great conversation, and plenty of cold diet coke. Liz suggested I look on Williams-Sonoma.com for a new soup recipe to try, and I'm so glad she did. It was really good, and not too hard. I'll definately make it again. Here's the recipe:



Ingredients:
4 to 6 ears of white corn, husks and silk removed
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
1 large celery stalk, minced
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1 cup half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives

Directions:
Holding each ear of corn by its pointed end and steadying its stalk end on a cutting board, cut down along the ear with a sharp knife to strip off the kernels, turning the ear with each cut. Alternatively, remove the kernels with a kernel cutter. You will need 4 cups corn kernels. Set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock, water and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add the corn, cover and continue to simmer gently until the corn is tender, 3 to 5 minutes more.

Transfer about 4 cups of the soup solids to a food processor along with enough of the cooking liquid to achieve a puree. Secure the lid and cover with a kitchen towel. Process until smooth and return to the pan. Stir in the half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.

Reheat the soup gently over medium-low heat. Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with the chives, dividing evenly. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Let me know if you try it!

7 years later...

We are having a hard time believing that Isabelle turned 7 yesterday. Her birthday was so much fun! She had a Rich's bagel for breakfast (thanks, Luke!), wore the 'birthday crown' all day at school, and had a special dinner at home. She also got the present she had been hoping for, but didn't think she'd get:



It seems cheesy to say it, but it seems like not that long ago, we were pulling away from the hospital with a 6 lb. 6 oz. bundle in our back seat. We had no idea what to do--what a strange feeling it was to suddenly be responsible for a tiny little person. And now that tiny little person is 7. Crazy! Time does fly when you're having fun.

Happy birthday, Isabelle!

Isabelle and Dylan

Just a quick little post about the cutest kids ever. I am so lucky to have Isabelle and Dylan in my life, and can't imagine what it was Luke and I did before they got here. Everything seems just a little bit sweeter with them around. Isabelle is full of energy and confidence. She has always been independent, and accepts any challenge head-on. She is a great reader and loves to learn. Dylan is very compassionate and emotional. He is very loyal, and makes friends easily. He is a good golfer, but prefers a cart to walking--my kind of boy. They keep me on my toes, make me laugh, and try my patience. I love to see the world through their eyes and learn with them every day. I wouldn't trade being their mom for anything in the world, and I hope each night when they fall asleep, they know how much they are loved.

Just For Fun

This is Isabelle's gymnastics coach:



If you want to see Paul's floor and bar routine, check out YouTube.

Labor Day

Ahh. Labor Day weekend. Ripe tomatoes, cool nights, school, and basketball. Lots and lots of basketball. I look forward to the leaves changing and apples and pumpkins. I love it all, and Labor Day seems to mark the beginning for me. Luke started off the holiday weekend with a bang. He took Dylan out to the Larry Miller Speedway for a night of hillbillies and racing. I'm not sure which was more entertaining, but at least Dylan got a churro. Isabelle and I stayed home for some much needed girl time. I have missed her this past week. Having her in school all day is a huge adjustment.

On Monday morning, we woke to this:

Crazy! We managed to find some relatively warm clothes, so we headed downtown to the planetarium. It was a lot of fun. Tons to see and learn, and everything is free. Yes, free. Unless you want to catch a 'Laser Floyd' show, but I graduated over a decade ago, so I opted to skip it. There were some really cool interactive exhibits that the kids loved. Isabelle tried out being a weather girl.

The kids visited Mars

and walked on the moon.

And I don't care how old you get, Uranus will always be funny.

To top off the day, Luke had a gift certificate for bowling. We love to bowl--it's tons of fun, plus it's a perfect opportunity to people-watch. Also, it gives everyone a chance to work on their pose. Because really, who needs to keep score when your pose looks like this:


All in all, a great weekend!

Tastes Like Summer

My sister Heather gave me the recipe for this dressing, which she tosses with halved cherry tomatoes. So simple, but totally summer. I like to put a little on top of a sliced cucumber or even a chopped bell pepper. All I know is that it gets me eating a lot of raw veggies, which I'm pretty sure is a good thing.

3 T oil (I use canola, but I bet olive oil would be good)
3 T vinegar (I like good old distilled white)
2 T granulated sugar
1 tsp. seasoned salt

A little goes a long way, so I just keep mine in a squirt bottle in the fridge and use it whenever. Yum.

Broken Camera

I dropped my camera last weeek. We were at Pioneer Heritage Park with cousins (tons of great photo opportunities). I turned the camera on and as the lens came out, it went down. I'm pretty bummed because it was a great camera and I took it everywhere with me. Anyway, just thought I'd let you know why there aren't any new pictures or posts. I'll get the camera looked at tomorrow so I can get some new photos up--I know there are about three people out there sighing with relief. My mom, my dad, and...wait. Maybe only two people.

Didn't You Hear Me?

It seems that Dylan didn't take me too seriously the first time he colored his face to look like a tiger. With markers. I clearly remember telling him not to do it again, but I guess he didn't hear me. Because this is what walked out to have lunch this afternoon:


He had time to really plan this time. He even thought to get his legs. For that super-authentic tiger look.

Going on Vacation, eh?

Luke went to Canada for five days, so we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory. Not quite even, but a good excuse for italian sodas and spumoni, right?

Puppers

When Isbelle was born, our friend Jon gave her a Beanie Baby puppy named Puppers. At that point, I was still under the impression that Beanie Babies would somehow become valuable, and for that to happen, I couldn't remove the tag--or even bend it for that matter. So Puppers got a tag protector (thanks, Angel!) and was put on display on Izzy's dresser. By the time Dylan came around, I had come to the realization that Beanie Babies were probably not going to become the collector's items that Ty would have had us thought. So, into Dylan's sticky little hands he went. They have been best buds ever since. Long story short, we were at Barnes and Noble the other day, and of the five stuffed animals in the children's section, wouldn't you know one was a brand new Puppers? Dylan scrounged together pennies, a dime, and a couple of quarters when we got home and begged us to take him back. He needed to save Pupper's little brother, baby Puppers. What do you say to a four-year-old who really believes that the stuffed animal's heart broke when he was left all alone at the store? Dylan was on pins and needles until we made it back to the book store the next day, and there was baby Puppers, squished behind the plush Cookie Monster where he had hidden him. Baby Puppers is a bit softer and new-looking, but at least we know the original has been well-loved. What would we do without our sweet little Dylan?

Bees Baseball

Luke took us to a Bees game the other night, and we had so much fun...

Dylan even got to meet Bumble. Finally!

Bullwinkle

Look who Luke ran into when he was hiking yesterday...

Seven Layer Dip

I'd never made seven layer dip before yesterday, but I was asked to take it to a family party. It ended up being really good, so I thought I'd share the recipe!

Seven Layer Dip
INGREDIENTS
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (16 ounce) container guacamole
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa (I used HOT Pace Picante)
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch chopped green onions
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture into a 9x13 dish.
2. Spread the guacamole over the beans.
3. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread carefully over the guacamole.
4. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, and green onions over the salsa, and top with cheese. Garnish with black olives.

Top Two

The top two most ridiculous things I saw today:

1. A guy standing on the corner of a main intersection with a sign that read: IMPEACH BUSH. Really? It was like, 102 degrees today. Nothing better to do? I mean, seriously, do the math. The election is less than six months away. I'm pretty sure you're wasting your time.

2. A lady (let's say around 65ish) on a red jazzy scooter barreling up the sidewalk with another lady of the same age. On her lap. Who was smoking. They were in quite a rush to get somewhere--I really didn't know jazzy scooters could go that fast. Anyway, they hit a crack in the sidewalk, and came pretty close to falling over. Pretty funny.

Maybe you had to be there.

Adoption

There are a few family members and friends out there who read my blog that may not know my dear friend Jamie, so for that reason, I am linking a post from her blog on mine to further spread the word. She and her husband, Dustin, are adopting. Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know when it comes to getting a perfect match between a birthmom and adoptive parents, so take a look and tell your friends! Dustin and Jamie are going to be incredible parents...just go to the following link to read more:

http://tatechronicles.blogspot.com/2008/06/growing-pains.html

Or, to view their profile, visit www.tatefamilyprofile.blogspot.com

The 4th of July

Isabelle and Dylan dressed themselves to go watch the fireworks. It's a good thing we just walked down the street to Liz and Anton's house and sat on their grass (hope that's OK, guys!). In the dark. It almost looked as if we were on our way to an open casting call for Annie. Oh well--they had fun, and the country club put on a decent fireworks show. It totally beat driving somewhere and having to fight traffic to get home. Hope you all had a happy 4th of July!

Ouch!

Dylan got in a fight with some cement at the pool the other day. The cement won.