Cecret Lake

Our summer of hiking continues... This week we went up to Alta again and we hiked up to Cecret Lake (pronounced Secret Lake).  It wasn't a bad hike- not too hard, but more than a walk along the Jordan Parkway.  I had sprained my ankle last week- so it was a little more of a challenge- but I stuck it out- and my family is incredibly patient and sweet to wait for me when I slow them down.  

Cecret Lake was probably one of the more picturesque hikes we've taken.  Here in a couple of weeks it will probably be even prettier- all the wildflowers will be in bloom... We might have to go again!  

I got a couple pictures of the boys hanging out in the water...

 And a family picture...

 The boys with their grandpa...

 Kate OBVIOUSLY enjoyed the hike down... can't you tell?

 Too bad she slept right through the meeting of our new friend... Morty the Moose.  I can't believe this guy.  We were standing in the middle of the trail... and he just kept coming closer and closer!  It was nuts!!!

 It was such a fun morning!

Just Keep Swimming

There is a pervading smell of chlorine and sunscreen around our house these days.  We have been spending the majority of our time the last few weeks at the pool down the street where I signed the boys up for swimming lessons!  

Ty was put in the Dolphins group and did really, really well the last two weeks!  I was so proud of him!  He's on his way to being an actual swimmer!  Woohoo!  I'm not talking Michael Phelps here... but I think everybody needs to know how to swim and be comfortable around the water.  He passed his little swim test and is moving onto the next level.

 Ryan was in the Star Fish class- or rather- he was SUPPOSED to be in the Star Fish class.  On the first day- he flipped out (surprise surprise right?) and cried and wouldn't get in the pool.  I didn't have the time or energy for another "Jiggy" conversation- so I peeled him off my leg and handed him into the water to a teacher named Amy.  She carried him away and talked with him for about ten minutes- but by then- the main swim instructor just told Miss Amy to take care of Ryan for the next two weeks.  SWEET!  Private lessons! It actually turned out really well- Ryan loved Miss Amy and went willingly into the water most of the mornings.  And he did awesome too- he even passed his Star Fish swimming test and can move on next week!

 And little Kate... well... I didn't sign her up for anything this year.  There was the option of doing a "Mom and Me" type class- but I kind of figured I can dunk her head without someone else telling me to... right?  I didn't think I really needed to pay for it.  So- she spent her days in the little kiddie-pool that is about five feet from the big pool where the boys were swimming.  She loved it.  And really- as long as she's in the water and feels comfortable around it... I'm a happy camper!

 Here's Ryan hanging out in the kiddie pool after lessons Thursday... I think this was his favorite part of swimming lessons...

When Life Gives You Lemons

I'm irritated.  To my husband- these words are not new and are ones that he probably hears too much of.  To that, I say... I'm irritated.  

Somedays, I think that I am starting to get the hang of the gluten free cooking thing.  And some days (like today), it just ticks me off.  I like to cook.  But I LOVE to bake.  There is something so satisfying in pulling your little creation out of the oven and saying "Wha-la!  I'm awesome!"  I never really had to go through a lot of trial and error with traditional baking- I followed the recipe and it worked.  Easy- peasy.  I guess gluten free baking is the universe's way of telling me it has a sense of humor.  

I have thrown out three batches of lemon bars now because THEY JUST AREN'T WORKING!!  It makes me... irritated.  Okay- maybe there's another adjective or two that I could use- but don't exactly feel comfortable spewing them out in blog-land.  Grrrrr....  I think it's the crust that isn't right yet- I just can't figure out the shortbread.  It ends up too hard- think brick with lemon custard on top.  Appetizing right? Not even in the slightest.

So since I can't share my triumph in lemon bars... Instead- I'll share my Chocolate Almond Cake recipe instead- it was inspired by a cake I used to make found in Kim Warren's Family Comfort Favorites and a flourless cake recipe that was on a Channel 2 News lunch segment years ago.  I love it.  The recipe works and it tastes good- even if my lemon bars don't.

Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter

4 eggs, whites and yolks separated

1 cup granulated sugar

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1 1/2 scant cups almond meal

Handful of chocolate chips

Strawberries

Whipped Cream or Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease either a 10" round cake pan, or a muffin tin of paper liners.  If you are using the 10" pan- you can use butter and then dust it with cocoa powder to make sure the cake doesn't stick.  If you are doing the cupcakes- just spray the heck out of the muffin liners.

Over medium heat- melt chocolate and butter in a sauce pan.  

While chocolate is melting- beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until they get to be a really bright yellow color.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture by using a spatula.  Be really careful you don't mix it too much- otherwise you'll deflate your egg whites.

 Next fold in your almond flour and the melted chocolate into your eggy mixture.  Pour into pan and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.  

Bake for about 30 minutes.  

Let cool.  

You can either leave the cake be at this point and garnish with a little powdered sugar and the berries- or you can wait until it cools completely before you pile gobs of whipped cream over the top.  Once the cake is completely covered- cover it again with the berries of your choice (strawberries and raspberries are my favorite)!  

Grandma Jacki's House

We had the chance this weekend to drive up to Declo to visit Shaun's parents for a few days... and we took it!  It's so nice to unplug for a few days and do nothing out in the country sometimes.  It's nice to visit with family we don't get to see very often too.  Gma Jacki hosted a BBQ on Saturday night and invited Grandmas, Grandpa, Aunt Betty and Shaun's brother's family too.  It was so fun!  I got a couple pictures of us just goofing off and roasting hotdogs- my boys LOVE cooking their hotdogs over a fire- though I'm thinking part of that may be attributed to what comes next... roasting marshmallows!  

 

This is baby Carson... check out the eyelashes on this kidd!!  

And a quick one of Dad and Kate... He loves his baby girl!

And a quick one of Kate being Kate.  I wish I had gotten better pictures of my boys- but they were usually running to and from the marshmallows I never really got a chance!  Next time boys... YOU'RE MINE!! (imagine an evil chuckle here)

A World Where Gaining Weight is a Good Thing

Ty had a Dr appointment today up at Primary Children's Medical Center- it was a follow up appointment to his Endoscopy that he had almost three months ago.  His Dr wanted to see how he was doing and make sure that he wasn't having any additional problems.  

As any of you with kids know- the first thing that happens in any dr's office is weight and height.  For the last year and a half- there has been almost no change in Ty's height or weight.  He is a massive kid for his age- and always has been.  Then all of a sudden- it just stopped.  We just kind of figured that his body had grown and grown for so long that it was all out of umph and that he was going to be stagnant until the next growth spurt.  

In three months- since changing Ty's diet- he has gained 6 pounds and grown another 2 inches.  In THREE months!!  His body stopped growing because of the Celiac- he was essentially malnourished.  CRAZY!  Fortunately though- he's back on track and is back to growing.  He's excited- he wants to be as tall as Kevin (a friend that tops out at 6'7")- he's hoping this will give him an edge when it comes to dunking the basketball.  And I have to admit- that if this keeps up... it just might!

All of Ty's other symptoms are gone too... No more headaches, tummy aches or gas.  His behavior is even different than what it has been in the last couple of years.  He's much more mellow- not as quick to flip out.  I am still in awe of what effect food has on our bodies.  I have a friend who recently took her little girl off of red food dye and can't believe the changes that have happened because of it.

Long story short... I'm so happy for my biggest boy- I know that he's feeling better than he has in a long time.  I know it's going to be a long hard road- sticking to a diet that none of his friends have to follow- but I'm so happy that there is a way for him to be healthy and for him to feel good.  Love you Ty!

Donut Falls

We went on another quick little hike Monday night- just up the canyon to Donut Falls. It was a really short one- so it was perfect for a week-night!  In fact- it was so much fun that I think I may take just the kids one of these mornings!  For this trip though- we did leave Kate home with Grandma Janet since it was kind of hot.  

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

The smell of hot dogs, the sight of the green green grass and the crack of a bat are some of my favorite things about summer.  Growing up- we went to our fair share of ball games and we went to even more once my brother started playing.  Baseball is just one of those things that goes hand in hand with summer- and thankfully- the rest of my family agrees!  

We went to the Bee's baseball game on Saturday night- unfortunately they lost- but it was still fun being there.  There were fireworks after the game- another smell that I associate with summer and my dad, which my boys LOVED- but scared poor Kate into her dad's arms.  

We went with my mom and dad...

And Melissa and Jeremiah- who I didn't get a good picture of- Sorry Miss!!

Dog Lake Trail

We took the kids on another hike on Saturday- but this time- we steered clear of anywhere that we might have run into snow.  Though I think we're getting closer to not having to worry about it anymore... it's getting HOT around here now!  We went up to Dog Lake (which would maybe should have been named Dog Puddle... it wasn't much as far as a lake goes), which is up Big Cottonwood Canyon and was a little bit harder than our jaunt up the ski hill two weeks ago.  Okay- maybe it was just hard for me- the movie "127 Hours" kept coming to mind as I dragged my sorry butt up the last half a mile... but I couldn't figure out what I could cut off that would let me avoid the rest of the hike up and the trek back down the mountain.  Everything from the neck down maybe?  At that point maybe I could have just rolled down the mountain... just in two separate pieces.  

Alas.  

I had nothing sharp enough to make it happen.  Next time... :)

Despite my violent tendencies on the way up the hill- it was nice once we were there.  The kids spent some time throwing rocks in the lake and I spent some time laying on a log praying for an instantaneous alien abduction.  

Grandpa, Melissa and Jeremiah came with us too.

Kate had a GREAT time- her dad is the equivalent of SUPER-DAD.  He carried her most of the way (we borrowed a friend's backpack for her to ride in this time) and didn't bat an eye.  He's awesome like that.  She spent the morning yelling at the birds and screaming at the butterflies.  She snacked on mangoes and drank her brother's water (Ryan was sweet enough to share with her).  And she and her dad counted to 12 more times than I could keep track of and the two of them sang songs together.  She played around on the trail for a little bit, but was more than content to be carried on the way down.  So content in fact- she actually fell asleep.  It was so cute watching this little blonde head bob up and down with each of her dad's steps.  

I came to a realization though... while the hike was OVERALL very fun- I need to do it more often.  What a fun way to get some exercise AND spend time with my family!

I don't think Project Runway will be calling anytime soon...

Ahhh... The fashion sense of a two year old.  I promise you that at the beginning of the day- Kate was wearing pants and her hair was done.  By 5:00 as I was making dinner- I looked over at her as she came into the kitchen and she was no longer wearing pants or a diaper- but was instead in a pair of underwear and she had added a snow hat.  You look good Sis!  

Hot Hot Hot

For Father's Day... Shhhh!!!

You all know that I can't keep a secret.  What I'm hoping for is the fact that the men in our lives are super un-observant for the next couple of days...  Maybe??  We'll see.  The kids and I went and took some pictures tonight for our Father's Day card.  Is it ultra-original?  No.  But hopefully dad will chuckle.  That's all I'm going for here people!!

Rub A Dub Dub

Sooo.... I'm a big believer in reading.  At anytime.  Anywhere.  Which is why I giggled when I checked on Ryan in the tub this morning and found this...  

Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo... How About You You You

Did you guys ever listen to Raffi as a kid?  He was a family favorite at our house.  In fact- he was a must have on road trips.  I remember VIVIDLY singing "Down By the Bay" over and over on our way to the Ranch...  Watermelons aside...  We went to the ZOO!

I actually got the chance to run away with my kids to Logan last Friday to meet with one of my very best friends and her kids.  Jamie still lives in Montpelier- but we still find time to chat from time to time- and we were lucky enough to find a time to get together for a few hours as the summer started.  We ended up having lunch at a park and taking the kids to the Logan Zoo.  It's just a tiny Zoo- run on the honor system- but the kids had a good time.  I love that our kids hadn't been together in almost a year- but they picked right up where they left off... True friendship!  Or just kids being kids...  :)  

The Mud Tub

My boys love to get down and get dirty.  Daily it seems.  I know that there are some people out there that think I'm uptight and that I never let my kids get dirty.  I wanted to post these pictures to prove that- at home at least- it's just not true.  I'm a little more uptight about it when we're out of town- just because we see people that we don't usually see... I want our friends/family to see that my kids CAN be cute... Of course if you are a regular reader of the blog... you know that for the most part- I am raising three little hell-ians that put on a nice face ONCE IN A WHILE.  

Anyway... that said... we have a giant dirt patch in our backyard right now.  Our landlord took out a falling-apart-gazebo a few weeks ago and told us we could do what we wanted with the space.  We are going to put a swing set up eventually... but for now- it's the cheapest and easiest entertainment my boys have seen since we left our sandbox behind 9 months ago.  

The mud pit was found innocently enough.  One of Ty's chores is to water the garden.  Well... the garden is next to the dirt.  And once he found that Water plus Dirt equals Mud...  It was Mud-tastic from there on out.  My two boys spend ample time outside playing in it each day.  Shaun thinks we don't even need the swing set now... 

 If these pictures don't scream summer... I don't know what will!

A Big Girl Room for a Big Girl

You know the PullUp commercial that boasts, "I'm a big kid now!"?  My daughter is oozing with "Big Girl-itis" since her birthday.  Okay- it's probably been going on for a while now- I have just refused to see it.  I suppose it's time to remove my pretty rose colored glasses.  It was time to make some changes in her very baby-ish room.  

My mom and I saved an old bed from being thrown away and I brought it home to my house.  It was filthy.  And kind of ugly.  But it had some potential!  

 I cleaned it up and did some sanding before I pulled out some pink spray paint and got to work in the backyard...

 Naturally, I had my trusty helper with me the entire time.  Note to self for next time though... Spray paint is HARD to clean off of a wiggly 2 year old (though really I suspect it's hard to clean off a non-wiggly 2 year old too... i've just never had one of those).

 The next phase of our big girl room actually had to be the room.  I cringe a little at these before pictures because it shows how messy and unkempt Kate's room had become before I finally addressed the problem.  Don't judge me too harshly...

 On the fly, I went up to the home improvement store and grabbed a can of paint and a paintbrush and started painting... Here's what we came up with...

 There is an oval mirror that goes over this dresser- but it needs some repairs before I put it up... so that's why there is a BIG blank space in the middle of the wall here.  The dresser and mirror actually came from my Great-Grandma's ranch in Central Utah... Kind of cool!  It's a little rickety- and I'm hoping that Shaun can carve out some time to re-enforce it one of these days.

 I think we need some curtains... but that's a project for another day!

What do you think?  Does the wall color bring "Enchantment Under the Sea" to mind?  I can't decide.  I think I like it.  And Kate LOVES it...  She got new Hello Kitty sheets from my mom for her birthday and just giggles as she crawls into bed each night.  I am currently working on a quilt for her bed too- it has the same colors as her wall and bed- hopefully it will tie in okay!  Working on a twin size quilt has been almost more than my little sewing machine and I can handle- so it's taken a little bit longer than I anticipated!  Too many projects... too little time!

Look Who's Two!!

It's here.  It's really here.  My baby is two.  TWO!!  I'm still in shock.  She's still just a baby!  Apparently not though.  Kate is officially entrenched in the toddler stage and is rapidly advancing onto the preschool years.  Even as I write this- I'm shaking my head.  She's our last one and I've tried really hard to soak up every second- but it has still gone by too quickly for me.  

The morning of Kate's birthday came- despite my wishes for time to go backwards.  I snapped a quick picture of the birthday girl as she came down for breakfast- she has the wildest hair, before we sat down to birthday pancakes (chocolate chip of course)- Kate's favorite.

Most of the day was spent in preparation for Kate's party later that night.  I  have never had the chance to throw a party for one of my kids at our own house- we have always either been at Shaun's parents or at my parents house to celebrate.  It was kind of fun to be able to plan and put together!

And I know I took WAY too many pictures of Kate throughout the day... but I couldn't help it.  She's such a ham!

Here she is showing me her special birthday girl shirt...

I think she was saying "Cheeseburger" here...

 We worked really hard at getting her to hold up two fingers... Weeks we worked on this... to no avail.  I had to settle for a picture of her holding up two fingers on two different hands.  I guess it adds up to the same...

 And here's Kate singing "Do As I'm Doing"- her favorite song right now.

 As I said earlier- I spent the day kind of preparing for dinner/dessert later that night.  So I started the cupcakes at about 10:00 in the morning.  But as the day wore on- I noticed that one of the cupcakes started disappearing on me.  Did I make magic cupcakes?  Of course not... I have little fingers in the house that wouldn't leave the treats alone.  I noticed the same thing happening to my watermelon... I think it's funny that all the kids thought they were getting away with it.  I'd hear little feet trying to sneak into the kitchen... it would go quiet for half a second and then the feet would dart away- in no way quiet- followed by a case of the giggles...  I don't think they have a future in larceny... Though perhaps I should be thankful for that...

 Kate is a tiny bit obsessed (is that an oxymoron?) with Minnie Mouse right now.  She calls her "No No".  I'm not really sure why- but it is what it is.  That said, however, I tried to make a cupcake for her that kind of resembled her favorite mousey friend.  I put two oreos (G-Free of course) and a bow on top of a cupcake... Minnie Mouse?  Maybe not- but it was enough to satisfy Kate.

 Everyone else got pink ones...

  Some pics of the party...

 Kate and Grandma Jedi... She is actually Kate's namesake... We love this lady!

 Grandpa JB is helping Kate open her new Barbie... Something else she is totally in love with right now!

 When it came time for cake though... In true Kate fashion... she was terrified of the candle.  Didn't want anything to do with it and her brothers had to blow it out for her.  Goose.

 The next morning was kind of cute though... After breakfast, Kate gathered her toys on the kitchen table and had a tea party with them!

I really do love this little girl- there is something about her that I can't really explain.  It's like when I see her- I can't help but scoop her up and give her a kiss- and then inhale her scent.  Does that sound creepy?  It's not meant to be... If I could bottle "Essence of Kate", I'd be a millionaire.  I love my baby girl.  Happy Birthday Kate.