Friday Favorites

Today's favorite is one I currently have a love-hate relationship with. One one hand, I love them because they are tasty and yummy and just so gosh-darn delicious. On the other hand, I CAN'T STOP EATING THEM!!!! I mean, I really, REALLY can't stop. They are that addicting.

I am talking about, of course, Girl Scout cookies. Thin mints and tagalongs, to be specific. My taste buds are enjoying every morsel of deliciousness, but I fear my scale will not be forgiving next time I pay it a visit.I mean, I'm all for supporting the Girl Scouts but seriously, these cookies are dangerous!!! I found it amusing that my facebook page comment about how I was eating too many Girl Scout cookies generated way more responses than anything else I've ever written. I guess it's a universal problem. Let me just say, I'm glad gs cookie time comes only once a year.

Way Back When-sday

I have had to wake Ben up from naps more often lately in order to go pick one of the kids up from school, or drop off at track practice, etc.

It made me think back to when I had a baby and a two-year-old. We had no schedule, no reason to get out of the house by a certain time, and the whole day to do with as we pleased. Sure, now that I have a baby that is missing naps due to his older siblings' schedules, I think that would be so easy, but I remember at the time that it was actually pretty difficult. The days got soooooo long and I was nervous to take a baby and a temperamental two-year-old out very often by myself. Plus, we lived in Seattle so there were several months at a time where it was too wet to play outside. Needless to say, we spent quite a bit of time at home.

One thing I did do on a regular basis, and that we all loved, is go for walks. I would pack Caleb up in this snugly blanket/jumsuit thing, strap them both in the double stroller, and walk around the neighborhood. We all got some fresh air, I got some much-needed exercise, and it was a nice break from home. I remember around this time period Olivia got really into fire hydrants. Every time we would pass one she would yell out "FIRA-HYDRA! FIRA-HYDRA!" There were a lot of fire hydrants in our neighborhood.

Nowadays when we go for walks, these two kids ride their bikes or scooters, and I just have one kid to push in the stroller. Times have changed, that's for sure. But I must say, I'm glad we're still in the "going on walks together" stage.

Come to think of it, I hope it's a stage we never outgrow.

Visiting Teaching

Special Bond

Last Sunday morning I came into the living room to find two of my children like this. They were having one of those moments that only those who are truly comfortable with each other can have. They are sharing some quiet time together, with no need to speak or interact. They are happy to just be next to each other, knowing the other is there.

I love how they're both leaning the same way here.These two have always had a special bond. They love each other more than just about anyone else. Ben's face lights up when his big sister is around. He is always happy to be with her, even when she spins him around too fast and precariously holds him upside down.

When Ben was a baby and Olivia decided she'd had it up to here with her stinkin' family, she didn't just threaten to run away. She threatened to take Ben and run away. Even in the throes of anger and discontent, when she was ready to kick us all to the curb, she couldn't imagine life without her baby brother.

Because after all, there's nothing like a sibling who shares your passion for literature.

Bee Boy

One of our favorite movies around here these days is the Bee Movie. Truth be told, it's one of the few kid movies I can not only tolerate, but enjoy. And with lots of sickness going around lately, we've been watching more movies than usual. This reminded me of one of Ben's outfits. It's actually yellow and navy blue stripes, but with the hood on he always gets a lot of bee comments. I just think he looks so cute with his little hood hugging his size large noggin. Buzz, buzz!

Way Back When-sday

It is roadshow season around here, and even though I am not directly involved, I have some friends who are, so I get to hear bits and pieces about it. Our ward is doing a Wizard of Oz theme, and it sounds like it will be really fun. I can't wait to see it. In honor of that, here is a picture of me when I was in the ward roadshow, back when I was 14 years old. I'm with my sister Angela, who's 17. Aren't we stylin'?

The theme was "Under the Big Top" and of course our ward, with all of its uber-talented and creative adults, interpreted "big top" as "everyone has big hair." So we all got to spend a fair amount of time getting our hair sprayed and teased and sprayed some more. If I remember right, it took awhile to get all the snarls out afterwards. But, I also recall that we had a great time. I'm happy to see that the road show tradition lives on.

V-Day Treats

So I had a mildly clever idea for some Valentine's Day treats, and I wanted to share. Not that it will help you this Valentine's Day since it's over, but you can file it away in the deep recesses of your brain for next year, if you wish.

Subconsciously, I think I wanted to see how many pictures I could put in one post, so I took more photos than actually necessary to get the jist of this. Bear with me.

It all started when I found these:

I thought Hey, I have an idea! Let's combine those with this,and one of these,

and make ourselves a fancy little treat. So we did.
Then I got a little crazy. Or fancy. Or perhaps a little of both. It's hard to tell sometimes.Last step, packaging:

Let me tell you, these things were as fun to eat as they were to give away.

Just ask Ben.

Friday Favorites

Are you looking for a sweet and crunchy snack? Something that will satisfy your hunger around 3:00 in the afternoon, when your stomach is rumbling but you really can't afford to eat too many calories? A time when you know you should just eat some carrots, but a candy bar is all you really want?? Behold, I give you this week's favorite item:
These things are great. Crunchy and sweet, yet won't tip the calorie scale if you know what I mean. And for you Weight Watchers fans out there, one bag is worth a mere 2 points. So go crazy and have a bag every day. You won't be sorry. And you might just get addicted...not that anyone would ever do that. Not me, especially.... hey, where's my box of Mini Delights?!! Kids?!! Bring them back to Mommy!! .... Mommy needs them!! .....

Way Back When-sday

Erik suggested I post a picture of us when we were young and skinny. I think the idea was that we could fondly reminisce on the days when we (meaning he) didn't have to worry about what we ate, because we (he) stayed the same weight no matter what.

So, here you go. This is us when we had been married for just a year. That's nine years ago for those of you who don't keep track of our wedding anniversary. And yes, we were young, and we were skinny. But instead of making me think fondly about the early days of our wedded bliss, it kind of makes me depressed. I mean, granted my cheeks will always be a dominating feature, but aside from that, I'm thinking I looked pretty good. Thin(ner), with nary a wrinkle or age spot to be found. And Erik looks like he's about 18, I think.

So here you go, Honey. Us when we were young and thin. I assume that means that now we're old and fat... but at least we have each other, right?

Way Back When-sday

This picture is from Halloween a few years ago. Olivia was Sleeping Beauty, or Princess Aurora for all you Disney connoisseurs. She looooooved her dress and wore it for a week straight. Caleb, age 2, adamantly refused to allow his adorable cow costume to come near him. So, we put him in a dress shirt and sunglasses and said he was Tom Cruise from Risky Business. It got kinda cold, but we didn't go trick-or-treating for very long. Looking at this picture, I am reminded how quickly they grow up.