I'm A Total Dork!

So I haven't been able to post the last week because I couldn't get the pictures to upload off of my camera. It turns out I couldn't get them to upload because I was trying to take them from the wrong drive. I have been uploading pictures from this camera for the last three years, I don't know why I suddenly was not able to remember how to do it. Must have been a brain fart.

These pictures are from the Halloween party we went to last Saturday at our good friend's Anna and Justin. They had face painting by an actual artist and the girls turned out really good!

Hallie was a cat and Avery was a butterfly.

These next pictures are of our carmel apples we did for family home evening. They turned out delicious, but too hard! I knew I shouldn't have followed the recipe, but since I hadn't made it before I thought I would. It said to cook to hard ball stage which I knew was too long, but I thought I better follow the recipe. Too bad because when they were hot they really were good. Next year I will know better!

Me, slaving over the stove!

Jaxton especially enjoyed the carmel apples, can't you tell!

Poor Hayden spent the next 24 hours with a stomach bug, throwing up all night long, about every half hour. She didn't really get to enjoy her carmel apple.

YUM!

Avery's Lunch

Nick let Hayden and Avery make their own lunches today. My, my don't they look delicious?

Yes that is turkey, mustard, lettuce and what else, peaches.

Hayden's looks good too!

Yum,yum!

So if you would like to try the Avery Special, let me know, I'm sure Avery would be happy to make one for you, it was a big hit at our house.

Family Pictures

As per Kristine's request, here are the family pictures, sorry for all of the slideshows, but photobucket will only let you do so many pictures in one slideshow. I hope it isn't too overwhelming to have all of these pictures going at once!

Hallie was so cooperative and did a great job doing what she is supposed to. Thank goodness we had one doing that as the other three children were not quite so cooperative!

I think Avery is ready to get a job as a child model, check out the attitude she is giving!

I can't believe Hayden's turned out this well, she had no interest in looking where she was supposed to, smiling, sitting still. The one with her finger in her mouth was a favorite pose of hers.

Hopefully someday Jaxton will forgive us for having his pants pulled up so high. By the time it was his turn he was cold and tired. The photographer just quickly snapped a bunch of pictures, there was no time for fussing with his clothes.

Is it too much to ask 4 kids under 6 to sit still, look in th same direction, smile, not pick his/her nose? Yeah, I guess it is. Also notice that we forgot to take Hayden's diaper off after her nap, and it started to leak in the middle of the pictures, nice.

Mr. Bandley Was Right

You know those funny little moments in your life that make a big impression and you will never forget them? Sorry if you are not a Northridge Elementary alum, this story probably isn't as funny if you don't know Mr. Bandley. Just picture a really tall, weird guy, balding, wears glasses, smacks his mouth and rubs it as he talks, rests his hands either slightly inside his pants or in his suspenders, am I painting the picture well enough? Oh look, I found a picture.

I am on the top row, 2nd from the left, cute huh. Anyways, so in 6th grade I was walking down the hall at school, by myself, and Mr. Bandley came up behind me and put his arm around me. He said, "You know, in my experience, those girls that are attractive when they are younger turn out not to be that attractive when they get older. It is the not so attractive girls that really turn out better looking as adults."

I remember thinking what in the world is that supposed to mean? Are you telling me that I am an ugly duckling, but not to worry, some day you will be a swan? Is this supposed to be a compliment?

What a weird thing for a teacher to say to a student. I guess he was just trying to give me a bit of hope. Well I think he was right though, I was a bit of a late bloomer.

7th Grade, lovin the bangs, I bought that sweater with my own money at Shopko, I think it was a rather good investment, don't you? I also love the hair bow, you can't really see it, but it is navy blue and doesn't match at all!

10th Grade, this was right after I got a "Make Over" at relief society with Mary and Ann Johnson. They chopped off like 8 inches of my hair, and I couldn't figure out what to do with short hair. I remember sitting on the school bus the day we got our pictures back. I hated this picture and was complaining about it, my friend, Kelly Dockendorf was sitting by me and she said, "well, look how pretty your eyes are."

Our Engagement Picture, I was only 19! As you can see, this is why Nick wears a goatee. He looks like he is about 16, he has such a baby face. In fact I think I look older than him.

1 year later. No, there is nothing wrong with your monitor, I gained 50 pounds in one year!

Almost 21, I lost most of the weight, just in time to find out I was pregnant with Hallie!

24, I am not sure why I thought I needed to rat my hair up like that. Every picture of me around this time I have a weird lump on the side of my head, somehow I just couldn't see that in the mirror. 25, I love this picture. There was not one we took where both Hallie and Nick were looking at the camera. Like father like daughter. I like my hair too!

27, I also love this picture. This was last year. My mother-in-law does family pictures every year. Last year the photographer didn't show up, but luckily we had brought our camera and someone snapped this picture of us.

28, this one is from the family pictures this year. I really think it turned out great. I love how Avery is looking up at Hayden and you can see Jaxton's beautiful blue eyes.

Moral of the story, want to feel good about the way you look, get out your 7th grade school picture! Although, mine is probably the worst one out there, so it may not do you as much good as it does me! Maybe I am just like Mohanna (I have no idea how to spell it, you know, from Johnny Lingo), I just needed the love of a good man to help me blossom.

Okay Cafe Rio Fans

I got this recipe off of armelle jewelry's blog. We had it tonight and it was a huge hit. Hallie said that I make the best dinners ever, Avery agreed and Nick said it was the bomb to the tenth. I haven't had Cafe Rio enough or recently to know if it tastes just like Cafe Rio, but it was delicious either way!

{cafe rio pork salad}

cafe rio pork
3 lbs pork roast
16 oz chunky salsa [or you can blend if you don't want chunky]
1 can coke
2 cups brown sugar

place pork in crock pot + fill half way up the side of the pork with water. cook on high for 4 hours. drain water. cut pork into thirds, then mix sauce [coke, brown sugar, + salsa] and pour on top. cook 4 more hours on low. shred pork. mix back in with sauce if you want it saucy or not.

cafe rio rice
3 cups uncooked rice
4 cups water
4 tsp chicken bouillon
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 can green chili's diced
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp zest of lime
2 tbs lime juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tbs butter
1/2 onion, chopped

saute onion, garlic + butter until the onion is soft. add water, rice, and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. after it begins to boil rapidly, reduce the heat to low and cover with the lid + simmer for about 20 minutes.

cafe rio creamy cilantro tomatillo salad dressing
1 package dry hidden valley ranch salad dressing
1 cup mayo
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 large clove garlic
3 small-medium tomatillos, husk off [like tomatoes but green and has a husk on it]
1/3 cup buttermilk
juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or 1 small jalapeno) - optional

place all ingredients in a blender + blend until smooth. chill in fridge at least 1 hour before serving, then it will thicken.

black beans
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs fresh chopped cilantro

in a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. add beans, tomato juice, and salt. continually stir until heated through. just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Order of assembly: heat a flour tortilla in a skillet, then put on shredded colby +monterray jack cheese, rice, beans, pork, lettuce, pico de gallo - [or chopped tomatoes, diced onions, cilantro, lime juice] guacamole, feta cheese crumbles, lime wedge [for lime juice] tortilla strips, cilantro tomatillo dressing

I made a few changes because A. I didn't have very much time, B. I didn't have all of the ingredients.

1.I just used white rice that I already had in the fridge and mixed some salsa in it, that rice sounds good, but come on, I have 4 kids!
2. In the dressing, I used tomatoes because I didn't have tomatillos (I didn't know what they were but I figured the spelling was close to tomatoes, so what the heck)
3. I didn't have any buttermilk so I just used milk
4. I used bottled lime juice
5. I just used canned black beans, they sounded really good, maybe on a day Nick is home
6. I also didn't add the colby-jack cheese, the feta cheese or the guacamole

Even without these things, it was sooooo good. Next time I think I won't use quite as much brown sugar in the pork, maybe like only 1 cup or 1 1/2, it was too sweet for my taste, but it was still quite delish! If you are a true Cafe Rio fan, you will have to try this and let me know if it tastes like Cafe Rio. You can also use this stuff to make the burritos, maybe tomorrow as I have plenty left over!

Am I The Only One?

I love blogging. What I love even more is getting comments on my blog. It is nice to know that I am not just writing this for myself. Well, I guess for myself and my mom and Nat. However, it has come to my attention that some people have checked out the blog and not made a comment. Can you imagine the shock and the horror? Come on, don't be shy,if you stop by, just say hi, it will make my day. (I promise, I wasn't trying to make that a Dr. Seuss rhyme, it just happened that way by accident)

P.S. I hope this isn't like the people who dig for complements and say, "I look so fat today," so that you will say, "oh, no you look beautiful, I love your shirt."

P.P.S Is that right, or is it P.S.S.? If you don't know how to make a comment, you just click right below here where it says COMMENTS, with a number in front of it.

Hallie

I am so glad that Hallie is the oldest. She is such a great example to her sisters. She is honestly the most amazing kid I know. Here are some of the things that I love about her:

1. She has so much compassion and empathy. She is always thinking of others first. If she gets a special treat or something, she will say, "shouldn't we get one for Avery?" Half of the time if Hayden gets hurt she goes to Hallie. Hallie will pick her up, give her a hug and a kiss and say in her sweetest voice, "Oh bubbas, what happened, are you okay?"

2. She is such a good helper, most of the time I don't even have to ask her, she is really good at anticipating what I need. Most mornings she wakes up and gets the girls breakfast and makes sure that they stay out of trouble. That is a lifesaver for me. I remember one morning when Avery was a few months old and Hallie was 2, I heard Hallie crying for help. I found her in Avery's room in the crib and they were both covered in poop. She had tried to change Avery's diaper, what a help!

3. She tries really hard at everything she does. She always puts in 100%. She loves school and is so smart.

4. She is so responsible. I don't usually have to tell her to do her homework or get ready for school. She likes to pack her own lunch. In fact she likes to do most things herself. I really think I could leave her in charge of the house (I won't of course, not yet anyway!).

5. She has a real enthusiasm for life. She looks forward to things with real excitement and anticipation. She loves to laugh and have fun. It is so easy to get her excited for things and to make her feel special.

6. She has such a positive outlook on life. She is almost always happy and really sees the good things in life.

7. She is so creative and artistic. She is always making some new art project. She loves to write storys. She is always singing some song she has made up.

8. She is so sweet and thoughtful. Many nights when I go to bed, there is a love note or picture on my pillow that she has made for me. I always write her a little love note on her napkin in her lunch. Now that she packs her own lunch, she writes herself a little love note, it's pretty funny!

I am so lucky to have such an amazing and special girl! I love her so much. I need to be better at showing her how much I love her. I get too busy with all of the things of the day and don't take enough time to tell her just how special she is. I'll do better.

Josh Groban

I have always kind of made fun of people who like Josh Groban. Well that isn't true. . . I don't know anyone who likes Josh Groban, I only know people who are FANATICS, by fanatics I mean they are kind of crazy. Well a lot of people have music on their blogs, and a lot of them have JG music on them, and so I have been listening, and I have to say that I think that I am becoming a fan. I am especially loving "February Song" thanks to David and "You Are Loved" thanks to Melissa. If I start driving all night to see him at a CD signing, sending him a Book of Mormon or bearing my testimony about him (actual things that I have personally witnessed), please stop me.