Sunday, December 28, 2008

An extra present for the family

My brother and his wife Jill received and extra Christmas present-- Alexandria Joy Coil was born a few weeks early on December 26th around 3:30 in the morning. She is a little over 5 lbs and 19 inches. She also has huge feet like her dad. Mom and baby are doing well.



The other exciting news is my sister Lindsey is carrying her 4th baby and she and Cory have requested that we all hope and pray she has a boy to add to their 3 girls. She is due in July around the time Corbin comes home from his mission. We are so happy and excited for them.

Santa Made a Visit

The kids had a great time and were super happy with all that Santa brought. Mike and I were amazed that they didn't wake up until after 7:00. We are so blessed. Hope all of our friends and loved ones had a wonderful holiday and a wonderful new year!!!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Snow fun and Fondue

I am obsessed with Rachel Ray and look forward to the new magazine every month. This month featured a story about snow activities and then cheese fondue for lunch. The kids and Mike played in the snow while I cooked the fondue. It was super yummy and perfect for a cold day.

Building and snow fort with the fire pit keeping them warm.



Enjoying Lunch



Here is the recipe:

1 1/4 pounds baking potatoes, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
12 ounces gruyère cheese, shredded (3 cups)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 clove garlic, halved
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 pinch ground nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes and oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and arrange in a single layer on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until browned.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the cheese and cornstarch. Rub the cut sides of the garlic on the inside of a fondue pot or heavy 2-quart saucepan; discard the garlic. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the cheese mixture, then cook for 1 minute. Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with the roasted potatoes for dipping.

Christmas Concerts

McKenna had a solo as an elf---she did great.



Jackson sang well and played the drum for "The Little Drummer Boy".



Christmas in NYC

Carriage ride in Central Park--it was freezing.



The famous tree---it was beautiful.



Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall---those girls can kick!



My Angels



Lunch rink side at Rockefeller Plaza



My favorite treat--cupcakes from Magnolia bakery.




Lunch at Rolf's--the entire ceiling is covered in ornaments, garland and lights.



Wreaths on the sidewalk

Thanksgiving in Detroit



We loaded the car and headed to Detroit to visit Mikes dad and step-mom who are serving a mission for the LDS church. We had a great time visiting, eating and relaxing. The drive wasn't bad. We learned Ohio has really great rest stops and there is not much in Pennsylvania. We read, watched movies and played rounds and rounds of the alphabet game----trucks work great for the letters Q and Z!!!

Thanksgiving Dinner



Jackson had more desserts than turkey



Cute Kids!!!



Ride the horsey into town---favorite thing to do with Grandpa Bob!!



Grandma Jan is so strong. You should how many push ups she can do!



The GM building in downtown Detroit--72 stories high.



Detroit People Mover Station--loved the bright colors.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Maelee Baby



Just wanted to let you all know of something I am doing. A friend of mine from high school has started a diaper bag company. I am helping her sell them out here in my area. They are great bags, made well and feature a new idea. The inside is customizable with self-adhesive labels to remind you where everything is.They are fashinable enough to use as a large purse and/or travel bag after the baby is grown. Please check out the website and let me know if you are interested. Please tell your friends and family. Visit www.maeleebaby.com for information and other products. New products will be arriving in Janurary of '09.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Cold with a Cold

We got back from Michigan last night after a 10 hour drive. I started to get a sore throat in Ohio and sure enough by bedtime I had a cold. Top that off with freezing temps and rain and we are hanging in the house all day. The kids are making race tracks for marbles with various toys, Mike is napping, and I spent sometime looking at old pics and thought it would be fun to post some of my favorites. I will blog all about our Turkey day once I get the pics uploaded. Hope everyone had a great holiday and took time to be thankful for family, health and all that is truly important.....lots of love to everyone!!!

First picture taken with a digital camera...Montana 2003



Love this one of Jackson



I miss my babies in cozy PJ'S!!!



Favorite Halloween--McKenna the parrot and Jackson the pirate



Easter 2004

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Blog Catch Up

So I have been busy with kid stuff, Elska and Randy in town, and Christmas shopping and have neglected the blog. I thought I would post a few fun pics from the last few weeks to catch up. Halloween was super fun and the kids had a great time. Can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. We are headed to Detroit to see Grandpa Bob and Grandma Jan---should be a fun adventure. Hope all is well with everyone and taking time to remember what is important in life. Love to all!!!




Jackson as some Star Wars guy (just like all the other boys in his class) and McKenna as a Dallas Cowboy Football player---that's my girl!!!






The "Candy Store" the kids made with all their Halloween treats.






Elska in the belly dancing outfit my mom got in Turkey for her. You should see her dance she is awesome!





This years leave day. We bought the brown paper yard bags and they worked great!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Dad and Pam

My dad and his new wife just came and spent a fun filled week with us. We watched the kids play soccer and football, had a mad game of croquet,picked pumpkins,had a birthday party for Jackson, made lots and lot of cookies, went to the beach, went to the city, saw Mamma Mia, and then sadly had to say good bye. It was an amazing week and we loved every minute of it. Check out the pics.....











Sunday, October 12, 2008

Autumn

The air is cool and the leaves are changing and that means fall clean up. These are the pictures from last year. We had no idea how much work it was going to be and how many leaves there were. Most of the eaves are still on the trees but give it a few weeks and our Saturday mornings will be spent raking and taking bags and bags to the dump. Lets hope the wind blows them all into the neighbors yard :)

Leaves Leaves Leaves

Friday, October 10, 2008

Attention Shoppers



I love the Tide simple pleasures lavender vanilla. It makes everything smell so good and I love climbing into to bed and snuggling up with my scented sheets. Today I scored....I was watching the price of everything as I was checking out at the store and the Tide came up at the wrong price. I said something to the cashier he yelled for a price and check and sure enough they had the wrong price on it. The store policy is to give you the item for FREE!!! So for the next few weeks I will be enjoying my FREE lavender and vanilla. If you have never tried it you should it is wonderful.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Prettiest Cities in America

With all the madness and worry in the world right now it is hard to find things that make us happy. As I was checking the Internet for the latest news of the election and financial crisis I stumbled on an article from Forbes magazine on the prettiest cities in America. I was so pleased to see that I had lived and or visited many of them. Being out East now has allowed us to experience a new part of our beautiful country. Check out New Hope Pa---Mike took me here for my 30th birthday week end. It is an artsy town full of wonderful restaurants and quaint bed and breakfasts. It was the best week end Mike and I have spent together. Also on the list was Park City Ut!!!

New Hope PA



Park City UT

We really miss spending time here and appreciate how lucky we were to make lots of fun memories in Park City. We can't wait to go back.

New Hope PA

Friday, September 26, 2008

Lemon Aid

The kids had many many lemonade stands this summer. A neighbor submitted the pics to the local paper and it was published this week. They were so excited. It was a great way to entertain them and they learned a valuable lesson.

 
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