Birthday weekend

The fun thing about having a birthday on Friday is that you get to celebrate all weekend. All throughout the week and on Friday I received several cards and packages (thanks for the cinnamon bears and Danish dessert!!) and the most beautiful flowers from my awesome siblings. Honestly, it is one of the prettiest arrangements I've ever seen. That night we had a Relief Society (church) dinner and it was a gift in and of itself to be able to go without children. When I got home my awesome hubby was helping the boys clean their rooms and then they gave me my big present . . .

A Bosch mixer!

I've really enjoyed cooking and baking lately and will have even more fun now! Saturday night my awesome hubby took me to the opera! Marriage of Figaro--a fun romantic comedy. What an incredible experience--amazing talent. And thanks to a full house the only two seats together were pretty sweet ones, so it really was a first class experience!

We had some great seafood before the opera. Here's a fuzzy pic with my hot date!

Despite my whining and attempts to plan my own party, Aaron managed to pull off a little surprise get-together Sunday night. I'm so sorry babe that I made it so hard for you!! The kids did a sweet job with the decorations.

I always love the excuse to get together with friends. I made the ladies pose for a picture. Notice the flowers . . . I had to bring them along.

I had a wonderful birthday weekend even though I was a little sick--thank heaven for Z-packs. The best part of birthdays is realizing how many amazing people I am blessed to know. I received cards, emails and Facebook messages from so many wonderful friends. I am one lucky gal and have a lot for which to be grateful. Happy Birthday to me!

Major safety hazard!

These two

Plus these

equals this (this is 10 days AFTER the fall)

and this

Notice the bottom tooth. This picture does not even begin to give it justice. But it's hard to get him to open his mouth for a picture. Poor Wesley took a major fall last night forcing his little tooth straight forward. They were able to force it back into a somewhat vertical position, but it is still pretty darn crooked. The oral surgeon is hoping the fracture on the top ridge of his jaw and the torn gum will heal on its own. He'll just look like a Hillbilly--with his bottom tooth in front of the top ones--until his permanent tooth comes in. He is a pretty tough kid (it looks awful today) and we're just grateful he didn't suffer a major head injury.

And Aaron is not the only adult that has taken a fall on these stairs. I did a while back and it hurt a lot, but my bruises weren't near as nasty. So after 4 falls and 2 insta-care visits I think I am going to see if our landlords will consider carpeting these stupid stairs. The cost of carpet has got to be less than our medical bills. Maybe we're just really clumsy people, but I like to blame it on the stairs. Let's just keep our fingers crossed it doesn't happen again.

I hope I never forget

Wesley had a hard time getting to sleep tonight. He kept crying and calling my name. I tried to be tough and just let him cry it out, but I eventually went in to see him. He handed me his teddy bear and soft blanket and reached out his arms for me to pick him up. So we rocked and sang for a minute. It was so sweet to watch as he got sleepy. He struggled to keep his little eyes open. As I rocked I thought about how much importance I put on a sleep schedule and falling to sleep on his own, etc. when Dillon was little. You should never rock your baby to sleep!! But as I rocked this sweet little boy I decided that none of that really matters and that the most rewarding part of being a parent is having moments where you feel the deepest love one can imagine. You look into their sweet little eyes and get a little taste of heaven. So we kept singing, humming and rocking and eventually I stood up and we kept swaying as his eyes got heavier and heavier. He has the sweetest little face that I just can't get enough of. When he gets older and loses some of the sweetness I hope I can remember tonight and how precious he really is. So hopefully by writing this, it'll be harder to forget. I'm so lucky to be a mom.

Mom, where's the mouse?

Last week we made a trip to our local library and, as always, Dillon ran straight for his two favorite sections--Transportation and Dinosaurs. As I took the stack he brought me to the front counter, I noticed a book called "The Field Mouse and The Dinosaur Named Sue." When we got home it was one of the first books we read. It's a cute little story about a mouse who lives peacefully in a nice burrow beneath an old bone. His life is turned upside down when a strange group of people show up and start working and pounding all around him. He ventures out and upon returning discovers that the roof of his beloved home--his special bone--is gone! He is determined to find his bone and embarks upon an adventure that lands him at the Field Museum in CHICAGO, IL! His search for his special bone continues amidst the commotion in the museum until one day when he finally finds his roof, in the foot of the biggest T-Rex in the world--Sue. So he makes himself a nice little nest there, right under Sue's foot, happy to be home.Today Dillon got to meet SUE! As he gazed up at her, he turned and quietly asked, "Mom, where's the field mouse?" I told him he probably hides when all the people are there and just comes out at night! It was magical to watch his face as he thought about that little mouse.

I love children's books and I love reading with children, especially my own.

And the winner is...

...ME! I won our ward Chili cook-off! I am not a person that wins any kind of contest, but especially one that has to do with cooking, but I really did it. I can't take all the credit because the recipe came from my mother-in-law, who actually got it from a friend that won at her chili cook-off, but I'm still proud. I wish I would've tried making it beforehand, so I could have tweaked it and really made it my own. I did get a little creative with some of the amounts since I was trying to make more, but didn't quite have enough to double. When I make it again, I want to make it a little thicker and am going to try smashing one of the cans of beans. I'll have to experiment. But, since many people have asked, here is the "famous" recipe, along with a picture of my little prizes! Enjoy! Award Winning Creamy White Chili: In large pot saute: 1 pound chicken, cubed (one of my competitors shredded their chicken and I may try that) 1 medium onion chopped 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 Tbsp vegetable oil Add: 2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained (try mashing one?) 1 (14 oz) can chicken broth 2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper My competitor also had a can of corn in her's that I might throw in next time. We decided the combination of our two chilis really would have been amazing! Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30+ minutes. I then pulled it off the heat and let it sit for an hour or so to let the spices really do their job. Then I warmed it back up and added the secret ingredients: 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup whipping cream! The original recipe said to take it off the heat and serve immediately, but I had lots of globs of sour cream so I turned the heat up for a bit to try and get them to blend in. It's super creamy and yummy, so enjoy. Play with it, make it yours and let me know if you win! p.s. I do need to give a little credit to my husband who has touched a pot maybe 5 times since we've been married. He actually put the oil in the pot AND rinsed the beans!!! A huge step for him. I am so proud of you Aaron! We won!

Our V-day present

My awesome husband came up with a great idea for a combined Valentine present for both of us. It was much needed, kind of boring, but kind of fun and romantic too--new bedding! We have had the same bedding for almost 7 years and it was time! I've never liked having a down comforter. I sweat no matter the temperature. Getting new bedding was a process---running back and forth between different stores, mixing and matching throw pillows, bed skirts, etc. But we finally have a finished product that I am really excited about. Happy Valentine's Day to us! Next step--replace the terrible Walmart furniture.

He even let me get matching towels for our bathroom!

I still got roses! And he still got his traditional breakfast in bed (heart-shaped french toast). But it was especially impressive this year, since I had to get up at 5:00 AM to do it so he could get to early morning church meetings. I must love him A LOT!

Just Dillon and Me

I have decided I have awesome kids---by themselves. Somehow, they become sooo much more difficult when they are together. Last Saturday Aaron and I divided and conquered and it was so fun to have a little one on one time with Dillon. He is a cool kid. We made a quick stop by the Ice Fest before hitting a couple stores.

Dillon wanted to take a couple pictures of me---not bad for a 4 year old.

I love my Dillon.