Another Great Weekend

I was so lucky to have my parents come for a visit this last weekend. I love how they always just come and pitch in and be as helpful as possible. My dad fixed our outdoor lights and helped me figure out what to do with our unwanted wine rack. My kids had to fight and bicker about who got to sit by them. They are very loved. We went to the top of the arch and hung out at the great museum under the arch. On Sunday they were able to stay for Sacrament Mtg. and hear Richard speak and the big girls and I sing. Unfortunately I forgot to have Dad look at the closet door and have him fix it. I guess he'll have to come again.

A Fantastic Weekend

My incredible friend, Shelly, whom I haven't seen since Ellie was a tiny newborn just happened to be in my area on business and was able to spend the weekend with me. It was so great. We stayed up late and talked and talked. It was just like no time had passed since we last saw each other. We went to the butterfly house because I thought Lauren and Ellie would really like that and much to my dismay they cried and wouldn't go inside (pictured above). I never even knew a person could be afraid of butterflies and I certainly didn't know that my own kids were.
Then then the two of us went to see CATS. A touring broadway group just happened to be here. (On a side note: The music and dancing and costumes were amazing, but I have to say that I have NO idea what it was about. Is there really any sort of story line or plot to that thing? If so, please enlighten me.) And then we stopped for devilish desserts, something neither of us has probably done for 20 years. And more amazing, we ate it all. I still haven't fully recovered from that. It was so great to see you Shelly. Please, let's do it again.

Brace Face

Here are the before and after photos of the girls. Neither set is looking all that great. I can't wait until the Braces Off post. Those are sure to be looking fabulous. They all agreed that it hurt more than they expected, even though I kept trying to warn them. I guess they thought I was exaggerating. There's no better way to learn something than to experience it. And now they can add braces to their list of experiences.

Maddie's 15th

I can't believe my girl is already 15. Yikes really! She is getting more lovely everyday. For a complete post of her birthday check her blog post.

Flip Book Kids

My crazy little kids decided to take pictures of themselves in pieces so they could make mixed up body pictures. I put them together intact, but they were playing around with the different parts of each other. I thought it was a pretty ingenious way to play.

First Day of School

Here were the girls on the first day of school. Don't they look so studious? Maddie didn't feel like she needed her picture taken. Or maybe I just didn't have it together at that moment of the day. She leaves the house now at 5:45. I get up to make sure she gets something to eat at 5:30. I'm kinda liking the new routine, but I don't think she is yet.

Homemade Crackers

If you've ever seen my family with a box of Cheesitz you must have been around for a rare 2-3 hours right after I bought them. That's really about how long it takes for my girls to devour an entire box of this delicous treat. And if you've ever had them in your house while my girls happened to be there, I'm sorry. Surely I now owe you a box of crackers. So, given that I can't seem to keep them stocked I thought that perhaps I would try to make some myself. After doing a quick search I came across a cracker recipe that I thought would be great. I substituted some of the flour for cheese powder and this is what I came up with. They really were pretty good. Of course, they do NOT compare to the real thing, but were a tasty treat all-in-all. Good news: I thought it was a success. Bad news: I ate them all because noone else did.