Kansas

I have always wanted to go visit Kansas!! I finally had the time and the money to go. When I arrived at the airport Jane came up to me and gave me a hug, and at that point I knew it was going to be a good week. I got some good videos of the girls but I had difficulty trying to get them on this post. Sorry there are no videos so if you want to see them come see me. I am going to give a day by day account of my trip.

Thursday: We just played outside and the girls got all wet by the hose.

Friday: Jane showed me her preschool classroom and gave me a big hug. After preschool we went to the candy store. It was called the Nifty Nut House and it had every candy imaginable. Why did I choose M&Ms??? Later we watched Enchanted, which the girls loved.

Saturday: Jane had invited me to go to the Primary activity so I went along with Mandy. That afternoon we headed to the Kansas State air. It was the best car ride ever as we had fun singing and telling jokes.

We saw lots of farm animals and enjoyed some fun rides. They had everything from giant cows to baby pigs. Jane got to pet the pigs, which she enjoyed.

Jane and I went on a small sized ferris wheel. I had to admidt to Jane while we were up there that I was scared. And she told me, "Don't be scared Aunt Katelyn I will hold your hand." And she did the whole rest of the time on the ride. We enjoyed some yummy treats and Annie ate the entire frozen chocolate covered banana. She was so cute and got so messy but was a nice sister and shared with Jane.

On the way home Jane had to make a list of everything we did at the fair. She repeated the list lots of times and even one last time before she went to bed.

Sunday: We went to church which was good. Mandy made a delicious lasagna and homemade bread for dinner with a strawberry pie for dessert. Later we went on a walk to a nearby pond and had fun.

Monday: That morning, before preschool, us girls went to a little corn maze. Jane had fun being the leader while Mandy was the caboose.

Afterwards, Jane found a giant slide and decided she wanted to go down it. She got up there and was too scared to go down so Mandy went up there and came down with her.

That night Brad and Mandy went on a date while I watched the girls. I had brought some fun Halloween crafts to do with them and Jane loved them. We put the decorations up and Jane was pleased with her work. We watched a movie that night and Brad and Mandy came home a little later.

Tuesday: This was my last full day there and we decided to go to the zoo. We brought their friend Beth and had a nice time. They got to feed the fish and the sheep which they enjoyed more than the other animals. We got to see some really cool animals but had to leave when it got hot.

That afternoon Annie was down for her nap and Mandy fell asleep so I played with Jane. We had a dance party that night and quite enjoyed ourselves. I will never forget Annie shaking her little hips! We had family home evening with a short cute lesson.

Wednesday: In the morning before I left we ran a few errends and then went out to lunch. I cried when I had to leave because I became so attached to them. I just wanted to thank Brad and Mandy for such a fun week! Whenever you need a babysitter feel free to call me and I will fly right over.

for nicole & garrett....

I promised to get these recipes to you!

CROCK POT CHICKEN TACOS

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn (i use green giant shoepeg)
i pkg chicken taco seasoning mix (mccormick)
1/2 cup chicken broth (more or less depending on how thick or thin you want it, i usually always use 1/2 cup)
1 cup salsa (i use regular pace picante)

Place all ingredients in crock pot. cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 6-8. just before serving shred chicken and add:

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
(make sure when you add sour cream the crock pot is off. it will curdle if the mixture is too hot)

SPANISH RICE

1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 TB dried minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 can (2 cups) chicken broth
1 TB butter

Put all of ingredients in a pot. bring to a rolling boil, cover, turn heat to low. let cook 25-30 minutes. take off heat and let rest 5 minutes. fluff with a fork and serve.

AVOCADO PICO DE GALLO (my favorite!)

1 cup diced tomato (about 1 large tomato)
1/4 cup diced white onion
3 TB finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 TB diced, seeded jalapeno
1 TB fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium avocado, diced
1/4 tsp salt

mix together. chill or serve right away.

TORTILLAS (makes 12)

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening

combine with a pastry blender, or a fork until little pea sized balls form throughout.

Add 1 1/4 cup water.

Mix and knead until combined. I use my kitchenaid with the bread hook. Separate into 12 pieces and form into balls. On a floured surface roll each ball into a tortilla with a rolling pin. cook on hot griddle turned up to 400 degrees. cook on both sides, turning once you see bubbles appear on the surface. Keep warm by putting them between two paper towels folded over.

ENJOY! It was great to see you guys. Oh and I better give credit to those who deserve. The crock pot chicken recipe i got from my friend Sam, the rice i found somewhere..., the tortillas I grew up with so thanks mom!, and the avocado pico I got from a relief society dinner. Let me know if you have any questions! It was good to see you guys twice this summer!

End of Summer...NO WAY! Part 3

Cute Dad loves the pool at the Mountainside Resort!

Dad and I in front of the Park City time share.

Gary, Lori, Riley and Katelyn

Birthday Buddies Allison and Steve 2010. Too bad we dropped Allison's cake on our way up to the resort. She was a good sport.

Sorry guys, the pictures are out of order again, we are back to Mutual Dell.

Katelyn, Riley and Allison by our good friend Moose on Main Street!

Cute Riley

Katelyn and Allison at the Jon Schmidt concert
at the Sandy Ampitheater in July. Riley was the there too,

but I think he was taking the picture.


Parade goers.

Dad and I awaiting the Park City Fourth of July parade.

More of Allison's 20th birthday poolside at the Mountainside Resort.


Riley's first day of school--Senior year. Can you believe my baby is a senior in high school? I think this is the last time I will be taking a first day of school picture. Time flies...

Sorry we are out of order, but we are back to Starvation Resevoir. Jim and Kerry.

Dad, Me and Paula relaxing.

Drew, Nate, Caleb and Will

The three beauties! Loren, Melanie and Judy- another one of my favorite girls!

Anna is behind the waverunner.

Those are some of the highlights of Summer 2010. Sure was a filled with lots of fun and family togetherness. As usual, I missed many important photo opportunities, such as Matt and Stacy's visit and our campout at Granite Flats. Needless to say, we loved it all!

End of Summer...NO WAY!!! Part 2

These pictures are of Starvation Resevoir. We had so much fun with all of the Aunts and Uncles and the younger cousins. I bet some of them look grown up since you saw them last!

Everyone (well...mostly Judy!) seems a little jealous that Dad and I are by ourselves alot of the time. We just take off and do what we want! I love the water, and I think waverunning is about my favorite!

Brock, Will, Jarem and Steve

Aunt Paula and Aunt Mary. Two of the best girls around!

Trent and Tanner

Abigail. She had to have a thing removed from her neck last week and it became infected, plus she sprained her ankle and it was black and blue too-- but she was a good trooper and still had lots of fun. Sorry I couldn't get the picture turned around.

Trent, Tanner, Nate and Steve

Janie, Brock, Becca, Paula, Ellen, Anna

Katelyn's 23 birthday. Isn't she pretty?

Katelyn loves her birthday. She still counts down everyday following Allison's birthday earlier in the month. It's a long wait, but it is always a special day! We just love having Katelyn in our family.

End of Summer...NO WAY!!!

We took this lovely picture of ourselves while waiting for the concert to begin. Don't mind Mrs. Freckle-Face!

One of our favorite nights ever. Dad and I had a blast at the Paul McCartney concert at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy. He sang so many of our favorites. I don't know which was more fun...watching the concert or watching Dad enjoying the concert or watching all the crazy people at the concert! Thanks again Gary...

Riley wearing Allison's new birthday snuggie that her friend Taylor made. Another one of Allison's wishes come true!

Katelyn and Dad at Deer Creek

Allison and Riley waverunning at Deer Creek Resevoir.

Grandpa and Grandma's 55th wedding anniversary party held in June at Mutual Dell up American Fork Canyon. All the Utah siblings were there to celebrate.

Not sure why Riley has a spoon sticking out of his mouth.

Our cute anniversary couple! Still happy after all those years.

Mu doings this summer

Well folks, I'm bored and I thought you would all appreciate an update on my life. I work every day 8-5. I finished my quilt yesterday! Now I just need to wash it and then I'll post pictures. The pictures below are a sneak peak at the finished project. Now, I know I'm not the craftiest person (Brad and Mandy can attest to that), but I feel I did a darn good job. My crafting stamina has improved and I completed a very long and difficult project! I overcame many hurdles and FINALLY learned how to thread a bobbin and a sewing machine. For those of you who don't know, I have never been able to do that successfully. Mother was kind enough to help me on a few occasions, she would pin the flowers on and I would sew. I fear that if I had been left for myself than the quilt would never be finished. Please, don't look too closely, this is a very forgiving quilt, easy to hide mistakes. For the most part, I think it is excellent and I will look forward to many picnics.

While sewing I listened to the Children of the Promise book on tape! I only finished the first book, but will continue listening to the rest. They are easy to listen to and very entertaining. I have read a lot of books this summer! Here are a few:

-The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio.

-The Glass Castle. If you haven't already read it, do it now.

-Ana's Story. The one by Bush's daughter, it was ok.

-Hattie Big Sky. I want to be Hattie. Live on a farm in Montana, so cool.

-The Last Tsarina. LOVED this book! Learned a lot and found that I didn't know very much about the Russian Revolution or culture.

-The Angel on the Square. Another russian one, entertaining.

-The Road. Don't read it! It may be just that I'm not a very symbolic or deep person, in fact I'm quite shallow (kidding) but this book was weird and twisted.

-The Help. This is what I'm currently reading and I love every second of it!

I'm almost done with my book list, so if you have any suggestions for me please leave a comment :)

Let's just give a few special thanks,

Katelyn, thanks for getting all the library books, I haven't been to the library once this summer! Just write Kate a list, and you'll get your books.

Riley, or Roll, thanks for sharing a bathroom with me and picking up your clothes after you shower. Much appreciated.

Bauer, thanks for looking cute and walking all over my quilt when there are pins in it.

Mother, eh, you're the best!

Hey Dad!

Ok, clearly I am bored at work... so enjoy your day and post something soon, ya hear?

KELLI & JAKE BUY TRUCK

Jake and I bought a truck last week. It's a 2004 Ford F150 Lariat edition (for whatever that means) The inside is amazingly clean and I think we got ourselves a nice little truck. Here are some pictures if you'd like to take a look.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLI!

Happy Birthday Alli!

Alli is one of the cutest and funniest girls I know. She is always there to give you a good laugh and cheer you up whenever you might need it. She is always thinking of others and goes above and beyond to help anyone out. She is smart, thoughtful, cheerful, funny, nice, dedicated and now she's 20! Happy Happpy Birthday Alli! Have a lovely day!

Stawberry Days

Well, I thought I would give a quick update on a few things. (Not that there is anything new to talk about). I bought a car.... a month ago! So, still new (to Me)! It's a 2000 Mitsubishi Galant and it runs very well. I have been very pleased with it so far! I have to drive from Riverton to UVU daily, I'm not sure why I thought that would be a good idea, probably because I it saves a lot of money. I can't decide if driving that far and saving that money is worth it. All the time I spend in the car (or on the bus which I take 3 days a week despite the new car) makes me creative. I play a LOT of games. I have yet to try a book on tape, which I think I will enjoy. I sing a lot, which is probably good practice for... nothing, but it's still fun. I have a CD from my piano teacher on ear training, it will play a couple of notes and you have to guess which one is higher, louder, what key it's in and so forth. It's scratched so I get a lot of answers wrong, but I blame the CD. I have enjoyed living at home, although I do think I have messed up everyone's schedule. I come home from work at night and usually exercise, then I grab a redbox movie and make mom watch it with me (Kate used to work nights, but she'll probably join our nightly routine shortly). She complains that it keeps her up to late and she has to get up early, which I understand. Having mom up late really throws a wrench in Dad routine as well, he hardly ever goes to bed until Mom is there too. I have purchased almost all of the fabric for a rag quilt that I am making! It's going to be adorable, but I won't spoil the surprise (so act surprised when I blog about the finished product).
Let's see... I went to the Strawberry days Rodeo last night! It was fabulous. I'm not sure I will ever understand rodeo's, what is the purpose or who started them? Who found out that strapping up a horse's or bulls manliness makes them go wild? Who thought sticking kids on sheep and seeing how long they can stay on would be a good idea? There was a lady there that entertained the crowd with her trained buffalo's (yes Matt and Stacy, I saw 2 MASSIVE buffalo). She had her truck and trailer out and she made them walk (there was a ramp) onto the TOP of the trailer! It was incredible. How long do you think it took her to make them do that the first time? The rodeo's bring some... interesting? people out and about, kind of like Lagoon, which is always a treat. Those are my thoughts on the rodeo. It was a great time with some good friends. I don't really have anything else to say. 2 weeks till my birthday! You can get me whatever you would like, I'm not very picky. You are all invited up to Park City to celebrate my birthday with a BBQ by the pool (dream birthday). I expect all of you to be there, that includes you (Brad, Mandy, Jane, Annie, Matt and Stacy)