This Morning

Last night we fell asleep to pounding rain and howling wind

This morning we woke up to quiet, still, and white powder snow

This morning the snow clothes came out with a silent plea that they would still fit

This morning Emma started her day making a snow angel, and jumping on the trampoline...much to her dismay, the snow was not ideal for snow man making

This morning Emma had to have hot chocolate to warm her up after her jaunt in the snow

This morning Henry fussed and whined about being outside in the snow, but after being brought inside, continually tried to escape out the front door

This morning the sun is shining, making the ground glisten like diamonds

Tonight we wil get pellets so we can stay warm

The one with the cat, mom.

{tHaNks MoM}

Move Over Ace of Cakes

I was wondering what to do on Henry's birthday. The boys were playing with friends and Nate was hunting. We weren't going to celebrate until Sunday anyway. So I got this idea to make a cake for Henry. I was going to make one...but decided I wanted to really make a cake..fondant, layers, props...the whole 9 yards. So I did a little browsing, found some recipes, and found three cakes that I liked and wanted to combine their features to make a really cool cake for my Henry boy.

OH. HOW. FUN. I loved making this cake. It's far from perfect, but I was pleased with the end result. Henry enjoyed it. He posed for pictures for about a second before he grabbed the car from off the top of the cake. Then he did what any boy would do and drove that car back and forth, making the lovely spitting, zooming noise that cars make when they are being driven by a little boy.

Henry really enjoyed the making of the cake. {There's nothing like a good buttercream frosting.}

And of course there was more fun in the actual eating of the cake.

He liked the lid from the ice cream the most. He didn't go all crazy tearing the cake apart and eating it. Once he got a taste of the ice cream, that's where his attention stayed. And of course the frosting on the nose is nothing more than a prop for good pictures.

My Baby's One

I really am trying to get this post up. I just had a lovely post, and it didn't save. GRRRR. I'll try again later.

The Missing Piece

I met Stacey in April when I went to Ohio for the Akron Stake Conference when my dad was called as the Patriarch. Stacey came to my parents house that afternoon. He entertained us with stories of his time in the NFL, and shared how he came to know about and join the church. He impressed me with his courage, faith, and optismism in the face of serious health difficulties. I love this video that the church put together to tell his story. They always do a beautiful job.

I'm Coming

The other day I was chopping vegetables for spaghetti sauce.

Amelia called for me from the living room.

"just a minute" I really wanted to finish what I was doing, and I was almost done.

The call from the living room came again.

"I'm coming" still chopping peppers

That's when Emma walks into the kitchen. "No you're not"

"What?"

"Mom, you're not coming"

"Yes I am...I'm finishing what I am doing and will be on my way"

"No mom...watch...this is "coming"

Emma proceeds to walk towards the living room saying, "I'm coming" then stops and turns around. "See?"

Yep...she told me.

One One Sick Thing

We went antelope hunting...all of us. Everyone had tons of fun baha-ing (sp?) through the sagebrush on a bumpy trail, eating junk food and looking for any signs of animal life. {specifically antelope} Then Nate abruptly stops the car..."did you see those antelope? They see us. If we go any further we'll spook them." All the kids don some bright orange and get out of the truck with their binoculars and the spotting scope.

It just might be an antelope with an irregular horn?!?! Gotta put the sneak on.

So, the boys are with Nate, sneaking up on the two antelope, hoping that one of them is worthy of a shot. I sit in the car with the girls and Henry, still eating junk and waiting to spot the boys coming out of the brush, from behind the rocks. We spot them, then start up the truck to find them on the other side of the hill. We get up on them and them...bam...we heard the shot. 550 yards. We positioned the truck to get the antelope easily, and then we all gathered around to see the prize. It wasn't an irregular horn, just broken off..hahaha. Well, as Nate started to gut the animal, Emma was not interested in watching. We went back to the truck. She was quiet for a minute, but then said "That is one, one sick thing" "What is?" "What daddy is doing. Do you like that?" "Not particularly." "Me neither."

But Amelia, on the other hand, was right there with her head over the antelope. "Daddy, get the heart. Take the heart out." "I'm working on it" Nate says with guts up to his elbows. "Daddy, get the heart out." with a great deal of urgency and distress. So, Nate reaches in, finds the heart, and takes it out. "Here it is, Amelia" "OH, good. Now it's dead." hmmmmm