This is why

Being a mom is hard. I often think to myself, "I have a college degree and yet the extent of my energy each day is spent making macaroni and cheese, scrubbing hands, counters and dishes, and locate missing Batman sunglasses." Is it the outright disobedience, the whining, or the ability a three year old has to make a complete mess of something I just spent two hours cleaning that does me in? Take your pick. I have to remind myself that I'm the adult and can only control how I respond to the chaos. At the end of some days I am just so grateful to be able to go to sleep and hopefully start out fresh again the next morning.

Like I said, being a mom is hard. At the same time, it is so awesome. I wouldn't want to miss any of their firsts or silly things they say. This is why I have kids:

To see the random positions Hannah can sleep in. You'll notice Hannah's 'plumber' diaper, and yes, she puts the blanket over her face every night despite my efforts.


Marvel at her ability to learn to crawl up the stairs.

Kiss Hannah's cheeks when she makes silly and cute faces.


Praise Tyler when he does such a great job at swimming lessons.

Let him ride what can only be called an unsanitary "Duckephant" because he was such a trooper shopping with me all day.

Help him make "crazy" hair.

Let Tyler make a mess eating a treat just to hear him laugh.


Thank you Tyler and Hannah for always forgiving me when I'm the one that has a hard day. You both are the reason I have great days. I love you!

Sharing with others is fun to do

I'm singing that primary song in my head right now! So there is this recipe that must be shared. It would be selfish of me to not pass along this goodness. It is called Apple Cake. I assure you this is the best of both the cake and pie world. You might be thinking, "that sounds good." But it gets better...much better. I have two words to say. Caramel. Sauce. Yes, that's right you pour warm liquid gold over the cake. I may or may not be guilty of drinking the sauce plain. I like to eat healthy and keep my body in shape, but it all goes out the window with this in the house. So without further ado, here is the recipe:

Blend:
4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples (about 4 or 5 medium-sized apples, Fuji or Braeburn are good)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts, but pecans would be great too)
2 eggs beaten
2 tsp vanilla

Fold in:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Pour into 9x13 baking pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. (I spray the pan with a little non-stick spray)

Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir and heat just to a boil. Server over warm cake.



Stop licking the screen and make it for yourself! You're welcome.

What a difference

A week before Hannah was born we went on a family hike to see a waterfall in Pleasant Grove. You'll remember this post and perhaps this picture.

It was a rough hike for me then. Well, just nine months later we went hiking as a family to see the waterfall. What a difference those months have made. It was the easiest hike I've been on. It sure felt great to feel like I could run up the mountain and breath deeply. I loved being pregnant with Hannah, but I love not being pregnant even more! The waterfall was beautiful and Tyler did awesome on the hike. He trekked right along side me while Steve carried Hannah. Tyler must have thrown at least 30 rocks at some point on the hike. Silly boy! It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning.

Hannah has now been outside of me longer than she was inside. Happy nine months sweet girl! She is crawling, a wiggle worm, and gets into everything. Hannah can wave, clap, and knows five or so baby signs. She jabbers constantly and is content as ever. Hannah weighs 18 lbs. 11 oz (48%) and is 29 inches long (92 %). This girl just brings a smile to my face.

Off she goes!

Well as of last night about 7 o'clock, Hannah officially started crawling. She has seriously been so close for over a month. I simply took off my shoes and Hannah crawled, rather wobbly, over to get them. If I had known all she needed was my shoes to motivate her, I'd have done it weeks ago. I guess that it is proof that all girls like shoes (although the ones in the video are Steve's.)

Fun Filled Fourth!

Our long holiday weekend was definitely a busy and happy one. My sister and her family came up for a week and we wasted no time in getting to the fun. On Thursday we went to Seven Peaks water park for the whole day. And when I say whole day I mean eight hours. It was awesome! We had a canopy (thanks Grandma Thurgood) so we could sit in shade in between the wave pool and water slides. Tyler had no fear going down some of the slides! Thursday was a great day.

The next day we met up with one of my mom's friends for a pony cart ride. It was fun because Tyler was almost as tall as Clyde, the horse! Tyler and Hayden were both a little hesitant to feed the horse, but warmed up to him.

Saturday was my hometown's parade and fireworks. Thanks again to the canopy we could watch the parade in comfort. Tyler was totally loving the candy. What kid doesn't? After the official parade, there is a water fight down main street. I moved out of the way, but Steve and Tyler got on the outskirts to get just a little wet. After dinner, we of course lit our own fireworks and sparklers. Tyler covered his ears with each one, whether or not they were loud. Hannah was mesmerized by the sights and sounds. We walked up to my high school and stretched out on blankets to watch Kaysville's fireworks. There's something about a whole city gathered together watching fireworks that makes me smile. Only in America! After a long day, we were happy to sleep in our own beds!

Sunday was a family dinner before Jay and Kristin left for Phoenix. We were sad to see them go! Since Steve had Monday off of work, we decided to hike to the Timpanogos Caves. Grandma Thurgood came with us to help with the kids. We drove up the canyon only to find a four hour wait. What do to? We went down to Thanksgiving Point and walked around. We ate our picnic lunch, played hide and seek, saw the farm animals and ate yummy ice cream.

It was finally our turn to hike the mile and a half up to the caves. After only one small hill, Tyler said he was tired. We instigated Plan B. I carried Hannah in our baby carrier and Steve carried Tyler in our child hiking backpack. Grandma got to carry the backpacks. They gave us an hour and a half to climb over 1,000 feet in elevation. It was rough and hot! When we finally reached the top we only had about fifteen minutes before our tour. The caves were nice and cool, thankfully! It is fascinating to see the formations that nature makes. Tyler wanted to touch things (again thank you Grandma for occupying him) and Hannah was content to snuggle. The hike down went much faster. Hannah was so tuckered she fell asleep despite my bouncing down the mountain.

It was a packed long weekend, but a fantastic one at that! When all is said and done, spending time with family is the best way to spend time.