Thursday, December 30, 2010

Kate vs Santa

Encounter #1: the ward Christmas party. When they announced that Santa would be coming, I snatched Kate up and ran to stand in line. As soon as the big fella walked in, she became very frightened. She started yelling for Daddy. We had to leave Ada in line and go find Daddy. Any time we tried to get her close to him, she would scream. No lap sitting, but she did somehow walk away with a candy cane.

Encounter #2: the Lisonbee Christmas party. My MIL's family party actually took place at our church. This time Santa had presents for all the kids. When Kate's name was called, she slowly inched her way over to Santa and reached for her present while standing as far away as she could:


We made her sit on his lap, and this was the result:


On Christmas Eve, we kept asking the girls who was coming that night.

Kate: "Angie and Hyrum!"
Ada: "Santa!"
Kate: "No! I don't wanna see him!"

Christmas morning, Kate woke up before 7:00. She acted like it was any normal morning, but she was super grumpy. Ada slept past 8:30, so we put on a show for Kate and tried (unsuccessfully) to keep her happy until Ada got up. When it was finally time to go downstairs, Ada ran with excitement while Kate kicked and cried. As she saw the spread, however, her eyes got big and she got very excited. She didn't know quite what to think, but she was happy and remained so the rest of the day.

Perhaps there's hope for next year after all.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Weekly Quote 12/20/10

"You told me you would bring presents and treats,
Cheering my spirit with homemade sweet meats,
Here I sit waiting beside the tree all by myself."

This is from the song "The Christmas Song" by Weezer. I do love me a little Weezer now and again. Sorry I've been such a slacker! We went to Disneyland last week and I've been trying to play catchup since we've been home. I have to apologize to my neighbors for the ghetto gifts (with the ghetto wrapping). I threw them together quickly, and Tyler was making fun of me for them. Shoulda started before I left.

Anyway, new quote up!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Weekly Quote 12/6/10

"Keep your foot out of my eye...clumsy ox." and "Out of my way, assassin!" are both from Dumbo. They are spoken by the deep-voiced elephant when they're making a pyramid at the circus. This is Kate's new favorite show and she asks to watch it every day!

New quote up! I've been a slacker with the posting, and I probably will next week too. I'll do my best.

Monday, November 22, 2010

The girls

No, this is not about "those" girls; it's a long-overdue post about Ada and Kate! I keep meaning to post about them and then everything changes. It's crazy! Here is the latest on these two rascals:

Food

Ada: Usually won't eat what I make for dinner, so ends up eating cereal or pb&j more often than not. She does, however, love apples, celery, carrots, broccoli, and tomatoes (phew). She'll even eat lettuce and spinach leaves.

Kate: Doesn't eat much else than honey on toast, zucchini bread, pancakes, and cereal. She could eat pancakes or zucchini bread nonstop. She sometimes eats fruit, but I have a hard time getting her to eat anything healthy. She is a ridiculously messy eater, too!

Temperament

Ada: She is much more mild than she used to be. She is a lot of fun! I'm so glad the hard days are done. She still throws an occasional fit, but all I have to do it throw her in her room and then she's fine. She used to spaz out whenever she didn't want to do what I asked, but now she just sort of sighs and says, "All right." She is impatient and gets bored easily, but I'll take that any day over crazy Ada.

Kate: All I can say is that two is a very difficult age for me. It has made even sweet little Kate pretty terrible at times. She gives in a lot faster than Ada used to, but I still struggle with this one. When she gets mad, she hits or pulls hair. Sometimes she scratches and kicks. I don't know what to do! Suggestions on getting her to stop? She is full of energy. She now refuses to stay in the shopping cart at the store, so shopping is difficult because she wants to run around everywhere. She runs around at church too. She requires a lot of patience (which I don't always have) because she has to do everything herself. She definitely has many sweet moments, though, and is so adorable. She makes Ada laugh all day long. Those two are hilarious when they're getting along!

Funny sayings

Ada:
-She is so silly and makes up silly words all day long. She also likes to make up funny games. She and Kate play one where they start at the couch and then run to hide behind the curtains like they're running from a monster. When they're running, Ada always says, "It's a good thing I cut their shirts off so I can see their belly buttons and nipples." Not sure what to say about that, but it makes me laugh every time!
-She made a Christmas list recently and told me she wanted to leave it outside so it would blow to the North Pole.

Kate:
-She is always full of funny sayings. One day I was playing with her and she pointed up and said, "There's the Palace of Versailles!" I guess she's watched a certain episode of Little Einsteins too many times!
-One time I asked her if she was a boy or a girl and she replied, "Uh, a black boy!" (she was wearing a black shirt)
-While she was eating pancakes one day, she help up a piece and said, "This pancake looks like a Book of Mormon!"
-Once I overheard her in her bedroom singing 'I Love To See The Temple' and when she got to the last line, she said, "This is my Sleeping Beauty (sacred duty)!"

Random

Ada:
-She has a little brood of animals she carries around with her. She gathers them around her plates or bowls whenever she eats so she can "share" with them. Before that, she would do it with a bunch of animal-shaped Silly Bandz.
-She loves to color and draw. She is getting so good. She also writes on her own and tries to spell out words by herself. She usually leaves out a lot of vowels and spaces, so it's hard to tell what she has written. She did, however, draw a picture last month and wrote 'Octobr' at the top. Not bad!

Kate:
-She's learning to use the potty. She has peed many times in it and pooped about three times. I've tried to get her to wear Pull-Ups but she refuses. I can't believe she wouldn't want to wear something that's pink and covered with princesses! I need to get her some real underwear and just buck up. She is eager to go, but often tells me she needs to go after she's already messed her pants!
-She's been done with binkies for a few months. We probably waited too long to ditch them, but I'm glad we finally don't have to worry about that anymore. It wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be.

These girls definitely are keeping me on my toes. As difficult as they can be, I love them to pieces. They make me happy every day and I'm so grateful that they're healthy, fun, sweet girls.













Weekly Quote 11/22/10

"Grizzly Adams DID have a beard." Good job, Rachelle. It's from Happy Gilmore. I'm not such a huge fan anymore, but that show is full of excellent quotes.

New quote up! Actually, quotes! I couldn't decide between the two, but since they're from the same movie I decided to include them both. They're spoken by the same lady within a minute or two of each other. Best of luck.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Weekly Quote 11/15/10

"You're willing to take 2/8 instead of a quarter? That's awful big of you." is from 'It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'. I'm so impressed that Shanny got this one! I thought that only members of my family would know this one. It's one of our favorite movies and we used to watch it every Christmas. We laugh our tails off!

New quote up!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Weekly Quote 11/8/10

"Your aim would suggest otherwise." is indeed from Ever After. Well done, Shan! I used to watch that show quite frequently. It's now been years, but I still love it.

New quote up!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

This recipe was posted on a friend's blog. Though I really hate the name of these, I'm very partial to pumpkin and cream cheese and just had to try them! I made them for my parents' Halloween party last week (there's a picture on the previous post). I'll post the recipe as it was and then add the changes I made.

2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups solid pack pumpkin puree
2 eggs
3 cups flour (I use slightly heaping cups in MA)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (or ½ T. ground ginger, ½ T. ground cloves)

Preheat oven to 350ยบ. Lightly grease baking sheets. Combine the oil and brown sugar. Mix in pumpkin and eggs, beating well. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tsp. vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets (I fit 12 on an industrial cookie sheet). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will spread quite a bit, but if they seem really thin, you may need to add a bit more flour. Let cookies cool completely; then make sandwiches from two cookies filled with Cream Cheese Whoopie Pie Filling. It’s usually best to let them sit for a few hours after putting the sandwiches together so the filling can set a little bit.

For filling: Beat 3 egg whites until white, fluffy, and thick. Add 8 oz. cream cheese, softened. Mix until smooth. Add 2 tsp. vanilla, then 4 cups powdered sugar; mix well. Add 4-6 more cups of powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached (total of 8-10 cups). I like the filling to be somewhat thick, so it doesn’t slide out of the cookies when put together.

Yield: 18 pies.

I added lots of extra flour at the beginning, so they didn't spread much. They were super thick and then I loaded them with filling, so it was difficult to fit my mouth around them when they were done! So tasty though. I was a little nervous about a filling with raw eggs, especially since they'd be in the car for a time while I ran errands on the way to my mom's, so I left out the eggs and added 4 T of butter. I kept everything else the same, though I didn't measure the powdered sugar. I just added a bunch and whipped it really well until it seemed about right. I will definitely make these again!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Fall

Fall has fast become my favorite season. I love everything about it! Here is what we've been up to since September or so:

-Midnight 5k to prepare for the Dirty Dash. I don't like running in the heat, but I love running when it's cool. This 5k was especially nice because it rained for the first half or so. It was my first real race and I beat 30 minutes, so I felt pretty good about myself.


-Ballet. Ada has been anxious to take dance, so we signed her up for ballet with her friend Ellie. I think she looks adorable in her dance clothes. It is so funny to watch these little girls!




-School. Ada LOVES preschool. I threaten to keep her home if she's being naughty, and it works every time. She loves her teacher and all her classmates. I'm so glad she's having a good time.






-Visit from my sisters. They both came to town at the beginning of September. It was so nice to be with everyone! We went out to eat, played games, stayed up way too late, and had a barbecue/b-day party for Abby and my mom. This is the cake that Emily and I created. We were too lazy to add a crumb layer before frosting, so it's not nearly as pretty as we'd hoped.



-The State Fair. The girls got to go twice in one day! Tyler took them in the morning while I went for a run, and then we all went back in the evening. They loved the animals and the rides.





-Air Force Ball. Tyler's dad was in charge, so we went to support him. It was fun to dress up and eat a fancy dinner. Thanks to Rachel for lending me an outfit!


-Baking! I LOVE fall food and I've been indulging in way too many sweets. I'll post the recipe for these behemoths on Thursday.


-Many Halloween festivities! We got to dress up a lot this year. We dressed up for the Ward party, Ada's friend's party, my parents' party (I told my mom I'd dress up if she did. Needless to say, the girls were the only ones who dressed up), trick-or-treating, and Tyler's parents' party. Ada also got to dress up for her preschool party.

Ada's darn wig wouldn't stay put









Tyler took the girls trick-or-treating in the rain. They were so excited to wear their rain coats and boots and to carry their umbrellas, but after a while they just got too cold. Kate's hair was soaked when they got home!



Tyler catching hot dog pieces in his mouth. Eww.


Watch those hands, Judice!



"Is that bad?"

This is what our Halloween costumes looked like this year:

-I'm Minnie...


-I'm Snow White...


-I'm white trash...


-And I'm Judice!

Don't know what I'm dressed as? Check this out: http://tysqui.blogspot.com/2010/09/judice.html

Happy Halloween!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Weekly Quote 11/1/10

"Look, my dear! A little frog!" is indeed from Moulin Rouge. I have to admit that I love that show. New quote up!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Weekly Quote 10/25/10 and Super Soft Sugar Cookies

"Where a rose is a ROSE!" is from Anastasia. It's in the song 'Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart'. I always thought that was such a random line. This dude appears out of nowhere to say it. Props to Rachelle. New quote up!

And, because I've been such a slacker...

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

2 c sugar
1 c sour cream
3 eggs
1 c butter
5 1/2 c flour
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 t vanilla
1 t almond flavoring
1/4 t salt

Cream 1st four ingredients until fluffy, then add remaining six. Chill 1-2 hours. Roll on floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and bake 6-8 minutes at 350.

This is the frosting recipe I use (it needs to be doubled at least):

1/3 c butter
3 c powdered sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla (I substitute some with almond for this recipe)
2 T milk (I always end up using more)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Weekly Quote 10/18/10

"Sexy cardi!" is from Notting Hill. I'm pretty sure Hugh Grant's flatmate says it. I love cardigans, so that line has always kept with me.

New quote up!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Double D

A few weeks ago I participated in one of the most fun things I've ever done: The Dirty Dash. It was essentially a 10k with obstacles and lots of mud. It took place at Soldier Hollow, which meant lots of hills. I trained with my friend Rachel. We had lots of fun running three times a week. We trained for a regular 10k, but we were nervous because this was not a regular 10k. How do you train to run in the mud? I pictured myself struggling, being extremely exhausted and barely able to crawl across the finish line. Luckily, this was not the case. Though I pictured myself running the entire thing, we stopped a lot to wait for teammates (or walked up hills to let them catch up) and we had to wait in line for several of the obstacles. Hey, there were 4,000 runners that morning!

We ran with four other ladies (there were five to a team, but the race organizer said I could run with them). We got matching shirts and called ourselves The Sexy Sows. Our outfits were very mild compared to the crazy array of costumes out there. We saw tutus, prom dresses business suits, and lots of guys in tights and/or underwear. There was even a duo in sweaters and overalls running as Mario and Luigi. I'm glad I stuck with a t-shirt and leggings.

The beginning of the race was an uphill dash through slippery mud. After making it to the top, I was exhausted! I still had six miles ahead of me! But I continued on, encountering many more hills in the first mile. Right before Mile 2, we ran uphill into a snow-making machine that sprayed water on us. After that came the hay bales. They were too tall to hurdle, so we had to jump on top and then jump down. I didn't count how many, but there were lots of hay bales. After another long run, we came to the tunnels. We had to crawl through I think three sets of tunnels. Luckily, it was a piece of cake. After another long run we came to the obstacle I was most nervous about: the walls. I didn't know how I was going to be able to climb over a wall! It turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the race. There were three sets of walls that were all surrounded by deep, slippery mud. This is where the real fun started. I covered my face with mud (partly for fun, partly to prevent a sunburn) and went for it. Luckily, there were three different heights of walls and I was able to climb over the shortest one each time. I wanted to finish the race in its entirety, not cut corners or skip obstacles like some people were doing.

The next obstacle was stepping through a bunch of tires, and then it was on to the swamp. We had to jump a creek to get there and then it was wet ground and more mud. It was smelly and dirty, but lots of fun. After lots more running, we had to run up hill to get to the "Slop 'n Slide", supposedly the world's largest slip 'n slide. It was an enormous inflatable slide with five lanes for teammates to go down simultaneously. This was probably the most fun of all. The hill wasn't steep enough for us to slide down the whole way, so we slipped, ran, slipped, ran, and slipped again. It was a blast! Right before the slide is when I saw Tyler for the first time. I was so happy he came and supported me! He tried (and failed) to throw water balloons at me. This was right near the end of the race, so he got to see me finish in all my glory. The final obstacle was a large pit of wet, wet mud. We were told to crawl through to the end. This is where we got the dirtiest of all. When we climbed out, the race was over! It was such a good feeling to be done! I felt good too. We got a group picture, ate some fruit, and then waited in line for the FREEZING COLD showers to rinse off. It was one of the best times I've ever had and I would definitely do it again. Here are a few articles about the event:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700069612/The-Dirty-Dash-is-part-masquerade-ball-part-mud-wrestling-event.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/blog/68/10010194/Reasons-to-run-Running-dirty.html

http://www.parkrecord.com/summit_county-sports/ci_16198010

http://www.standard.net/node/55305


And, of course, lots of pictures!


Bethany made a new friend before the race


Just arriving (and looking very clean)


The Sexy Sows!


Running through mud after the walls


Me climbing over a wall


Rachel and me lookin' good!


Our team after climbing the walls


Can't forget this was a 10k. There was a lot of running!


Bethany and me running to the slide


Rachel getting pegged with a water balloon


The Slop 'n Slide. I'm on the far right


Rachel at the bottom


The final stretch


Slopping through the mud!


The whole team




Climbing out at the end


We did it!


Me, Bethany, Rachel, Sara, Sunshine, Rachael









Waiting to rinse off!