I think I'm back

I have to say I'm really glad these last couple months are over with. We moved to a new, less crappy, bigger and cheaper apartment. We're really happy about the move, we always despised that apartment, we never wanted to live there in the first place, but it was really our only choice. It probably wasn't that bad, but we moved there from a brand new house that we LOVED, and I think we just never forgave the apartment for being what it was.
Moving sucks, though.
Our new place is still a disaster zone in some areas. It stresses me out, but I'm really low on energy at the moment.
I am pregnant, too. I think I'm at 10 weeks now, due at the end of July. I'm not too sick, just really tired, and very cranky/impatient/hormonal. It has made the move difficult, and put my preparations for Christmas on hold, which I hate, because then I don't really enjoy christmas that much.
But I'm really enjoying this vacation--sleeping in, the kids being home all day, relaxing. And I can't wait for my family to get here on christmas day!!

And Jared finished a semester! One down, three to go. Life is good :)

Dang It It's 5:30 Already and we're All Starving Black Bean Quesadillas

As the name suggests, this is a last-minute meal idea.

Black Bean Quesadillas


Ingredients:
2 teaspoons oil
3 tablespoons onion (finely chopped)
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn (drained) (I don't use this much, it makes them too corny, I just add a handful of frozen corn)
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese (or more)
butter

Step 1: In a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened (about 2 minutes). Stir in beans and corn. Mix well. Cook until heated through. (I add garlic at this step)
Step 2: Heat large skillet to medium heat. Butter one side of each tortilla. Place a tortilla flat into the skillet. Spread cheese all over the top. Place some of the bean mixture over the cheese. Place another tortilla on top of the bean mixture. Cook until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown.
Step 3: Repeat until all tortillas and bean mixture are gone.

Top with salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, whatever you want.

Jason's Pizza Cake or "I Love this Cake"

I don't know if you read my post "I hate this cake" back in January when I made an R2D2 cake for Tyler's birthday. I thought I was just in a foul disposition that day, and things just didn't work out, but in August this year I made Joey a Lego cake, and I realized I've been biting off more than I can chew when it comes to cake decorating. Not the cake eating part. I can bite off a lot of that. But the decorating part. I want to be the Cake Boss, but I'm no Buddy Valastro, I guess. While making the cursed Lego cake I told the boys they have to have easy cakes from now on. No more hard ones. So Jason picked a pizza cake, and I thought it looked fairly simple, but I thought that about the *#!@ lego cake, too. So I was really, really happy when I made it, because it was SO EASY, and also super awesome at the same time. Can't beat easy and also awesome.
The Lego Cake that the boys loved, but was the last straw for me and which I was so bitter about that it didn't get a post:

The beloved pizza cake. Even in a real pizza box. Even with real pizza grease on it. You want to know why? Because if you go to Little Caesars and buy 2 pizzas and ask for an extra box for your pizza cake, they will tell you the box costs the same as a pizza. So you will go home with your 2 pizzas and no extra box because that's s rip off, and take one of the pizzas out quickly, but not before there is already grease on it, of course. That's why.


The pepperoni are Fruit Rollups, don't they look like real pepperonis? The cheese is white icing and also grated white chocolate.
And Jason loved it. Which was the whole point, anyway. Joey loved his Lego cake, too, by the way. And it really was worth it to see them so happy.

Crispy Potato Wedges -- Share a Meal Monday

It looks like I need to update my blog more often. These meals on Monday might just take over.

I got this recipe from my friend Katie, and we've changed it a little over the years. It's a really great side-dish, like with hamburgers. But I usually just make them by themselves, for an easy dinner night.
There are different seasonings you can use. If you want more mild ones, just use salt, pepper and garlic. My husband invented the seasoning below. My favorite is KC Mastepiece BBQ seasoning (find it in the spice section). I just add a generous amount to the oil (maybe a tablespoon or so).

Crispy Potato Wedges
4 medium potatoes cut into large wedges
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Seasoning:
2 teaspoons paprika
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Place potatoes in a large bowl; add cold
water to cover. Let stand 15 min.
Preheat oven to 425. Spray baking sheet
with cooking spray. Set aside. Drain
potatoes, then spread on paper towels.
Cover with more paper towels and press to
dry potatoes. Place potatoes in bowl with oil
and seasoning to taste. Bake in oven for 25
min. then flip fries over with spatula and
bake for another 25 min.

Share a Meal Monday

My friend Michelle came up with this awesome idea for a linky party to share recipes we've made during the week. Here's one of my favorites that we recently discovered and that we make all the time. You really should try it.



Lime Chicken Tacos

1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small pieces)
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
½ lime (juiced, or 1/8 c. lime juice)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (I never use this much. Doesn't it seem like a lot of pepper?)
2 green onions (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
10 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1 tomato (diced)
¼ cup shredded lettuce
¼ cup Monterey jack cheese
¼ cup salsa
Sour cream (optional)

Add a little oil to the pan and sauté chicken pieces in the pan for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions, garlic and oregano. Simmer for another 10 minutes (just until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is not quite so thin)

Warm tortillas and add chicken mixture to each one evenly. Top with cheese, tomato, lettuce and salsa. (Makes 4 servings). I actually like to take the chicken out of the pan, leaving a little of the sauce, and warm the tortillas in it on the stove. It makes them so yummy! But the sauce burns quickly, and I've only ever been able to do 3 tortillas before the pan is a burnt mess.


They are seriously yummy, and an easy, quick meal. Love them! And aren't I a great photographer? Don't you love my black dishes?
I really got the picture off the internet.

Porn Hog

They get a big kick out of nonsense words. This time we got a kick out of it, too:

Jason: Dad, you're a CORN DOG! (Ha ha ha, so funny, they can't stop laughing)
Jared (AKA Dad): Well you're a Corn HOG! (Hysterical laughing, rolling on the floor)
Tyler: Oh yeah? You're a PORN HOG! (Having no idea what it means they still think it's hilarious, but we're now the ones that can't stop laughing)

Geez, Jared, quit hogging all the porn! Share the love, will ya!

"Sometimes we should get a chicken"

Conversation between Tyler and me:

Tyler: Sometimes we should get a chicken.
Me: A chicken? Why on earth should we get a chicken?
Tyler: Because you can give them pieces of bread to eat. Chickens are better than cats or dogs.
Me: They are? Why?
Tyler: Because you can give them pieces of bread! (with an un-said "Duh")
Me: Oh. That's why they're better?
Tyler: Yes. Cheeto has a chicken (Cheeto is a neighbor boy, and he does indeed have a chicken). It goes across the street sometimes.
Me: Hmmm. Why did the chicken cross the street?
Tyler: I don't know. But it looked both ways.

11 Years

It's our anniversary today. 11 years, I can hardly believe it. I feel like the luckiest woman on earth because my life turned out pretty much exactly as I wanted it to. I'm married to the love of my life, and we are the best of friends. I have three boys who are, in my opinion, the three best little boys in the whole entire world, and how was I lucky enough to get the best three?
The only thing missing is a house of our own and some extra cash. And a cruise to the Bahamas. But those will be here soon enough.
Here's to 11 fabulous years!!

Handymen

Lowe's does these free Build and Grow Clinics a couple times a month. They give the kids little kits with all the pieces they need for a little project, with pre-drilled holes where the nails are supposed to go and everything. The boys have loved them, and I for one have loved seeing them in the awesome safety goggles and little red aprons that they give them.



This is a little planter they made for Earth Day. By far their favorite was the catapult. It was pretty awesome, it launched plastic balls. And when their cousin Riley came to visit he loved it just as much as them, if not more.
There is usually some crying over a smashed finger, and frustration over unclear instructions, and me telling them to "knock it off or we're never coming here again!" (A hollow threat, since I like it almost as much as they do). But we have a blast. If you have a Lowe's near you, take your kids to it, they'll love it.

New, but sadder news

Alas, that there have to be such blog posts as this.

Life throws you curveballs sometimes. Pulls the rug out from under you.

All I wanted to know was is it pink or blue??? I have three healthy boys, have had three picture-perfect pregnancies, so the thought crossed my mind that of course, I just want a healthy baby, but why shouldn't I have one? I have such a great track record.

I knew immediately that it was all wrong. The baby was too small. And it was just laying there. Usually they start doing backflips when the ultrasound starts. It should have been moving. Its heart should have been moving. It wasn't. The ultrasound technition was saying things like “Let me just check some things,” and then “This isn’t what you expect at your 20 week ultrasound,” and finally “I’m sorry.” And I had to ask what I really already knew but didn’t want to face. “Are you saying that this is a miscarriage?” And she confirmed it and I clung to Jared’s hand and cried, and my heart ached over what we had lost.

That night was a very long and sleepless one. I was so sad, so confused. I spent many hours crying, thinking and pleading with the Lord for understanding.

Before the night was up, though, I had found some peace.
I thought the plan was for us to have a baby in December. I was wrong. That's all. I wasn't cheated, something didn't go terribly wrong. The Lord had a plan, and this was it. I don't have any idea why, I just know this is the way it was always supposed to be.

Don't get me wrong, I still sometimes have a terrible ache in my heart when I see baby things and pregnant women, I still feel a sense of loss and cry sometimes. And it has taken time to work out all my feelings. That's why it has also taken me two and a half weeks to get this blog post up.

The rug gets pulled out from under us, but we can still get back on our feet again. I have my three boys, and I have definitely gained a greater appreciation for them. I have my awesome husband, who is the love of my life. The world is beautiful and we are all part of a plan so much bigger than us all.

Really it kind of feels like a miracle, that my heart can heal, after being so broken. Like that song from Charlotte's Web: "It seems so exceptional that things just work out after all. It's just another ordinary miracle today."

New things Happening

Finally, finally, only 2 years later than we planned, Jared got into Nursing school. Now there is an end in sight, and we are so excited!! Kind of nervous, too because we need to live for 2 years with no income.

In other news, I am pregnant! I'm due December 2nd, and we'll find out in a few weeks if we add yet another boy or a girl. We're sure it's a boy. We don't know how to make girls.

Dance Festival

The boys had a dance festival at school yesterday, which was rather cute. Jason did the chicken dance. The movie is probably boring to most people.


And Joey did the Chinese Hat Dance. Well . . . at least he thought that's what is was called . . . what do you think?

Oh how we hate shots!!

I really hate shots. I once passed out while having blood taken. I'm told that in my unconscious state I punched a nurse in the jaw.

So one of the dreaded doctor's appointments was coming up for the boys, and I knew it was going to suck for all of us. I thought it would be a good idea to warn Jason and Tyler that they would be getting shots. It probably was a good idea, but Tyler started crying immediately. I promised we’d go get a treat after. He insisted he did not want one, thinking, I’m sure, that he wouldn’t have to get the shots then. You know—if he eats his broccoli he gets dessert—but he can get out of eating the broccoli if he can live without the dessert. That’s the delusion he was under.

It was Jason’s kindergarten check up, so he had to have his finger poked to test his iron. So the nurse poked him and his poor finger is dripping blood—onto the nurse’s hand and the carpet. Then when she goes to put the band-aid on she does something weird and snaps it on and blood spatters across the carpet. I start to wonder how much blood has accumulated over the years on this carpet. You can’t tell because it’s dark greenish grey. It occurs to me that it would probably be a great setting for a murder since it’s already covered in blood.

The doctor checks them from head to toe, while listening patiently to Joey talking nonstop about all sorts of important stuff; loose teeth, the dangers of riding a bike, how well he can hop on one foot, etc. They are pronounced fit as a fiddle, and then the part that we have been waiting for is upon us.

Tyler starts crying when he sees the nurse coming with that little buffet tray of needles. I grab him and pull his pants down to reveal his thigh, and the nurse starts rubbing his leg with one of those alcohol wipes and he screams and whacks it out of her hand onto the floor. We’ve already discussed the cleanliness of the floor so she has to get a new one. The other nurse grabs the first shot and tries to pull the cover off, but before she can, Tyler grabs it, by now screaming like a psychopath. She has to wrestle it out of his hand, then we have to pin his arms and legs, but he gets all the immunizations he needs and somehow manages to survive. During all this Jason has completely lost his head, crying, running around the room, looking for a place to hide. Joey is standing with his hands over his ears. I feel like a huge jerk when I plop Tyler down beside me and grab Jason for his turn to be tortured. Taking his cues from Tyler he screams every bit as dramatically, but gets all his shots, and now they are protected from measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and chicken pox. And when I tell the story it sounds funny, but I was crying the whole time. Doesn’t it suck to see your kids scared and in pain?!!
But actually, if I'm perfecty honest I'm a little glad that it was them and not me.
And the candy rack at Macey’s drove the whole bad experience from their minds.

Learning Letters

When I asked what they were doing Jason told me he was teaching Tyler his letters, which is really cute because Jason really only knew a few letters himself, and most of those were backwards or otherwise illegible.

Pinewood Derby

He had so much fun making this car and couldn't wait until race day. The first two races he almost won, but his friend Alex's car kept pulling in front at the last second. Then he dropped his car on the ground and broke a pretty important piece off, so the car was only racing on 3 wheels. So since Alex won third place, Joey thinks he won fourth. I don't know if that's true or not, but either way he's happy and had a great time, and was a good sport about it all.

Chess Heads

The boys have discovered chess. Since I knew nothing of strategy or rules or anything I started taking them to a chess club at the library. Joey has actually gotten pretty good at it. He has beat me twice and Jared once. For a long time he was just frustrated because he couldnt win any games (unless we let him) and I kept telling him that there will come a day that I won't be able to beat him anymore. He's got that detailed, analytical brain which makes a good chess player, and which I certainly lack. Jason's pretty good, too, but has been banned from playing recently for unsportmanlike conduct (throwing a tantrum when his queen got captured, and crying and refusing to play if he doesn't get to be white). It's ok, though, because he really likes playing by himself. He always wins.

I hate this cake

Tyler submitted his request for another R2D2 cake. I convinced him we should do it different from Jason's though--I thought it would be fun to have him standing up, a 3D sort of cake. I had grand plans; I was going to rig up a stand so he'd be off the ground with just his legs touching, like the real R2D2 is. Unfortunately on the day of the cake-making I was too tired, all out of energy, and so that didn't happen. It required two 9x13 cakes, one of which was really crumbly and unusable, though still delicious we discovered as the third cake was baking. Then I had to stack all the layers and ice it, and when Jared walked in the kitchen not too long after I had started the decorating I told him "I hate this cake! If anyone ever requests another R2D2 thing, the answer is an emphatic 'NO'!" I hate all his little butttons and switches and whatever else those things are. After 2 costumes (one of which ended up in the trash before it was finished) and 2 cakes, I've had enough. No more.
Joey summed it up when he said "It's not as cool as I thought it would be." Luckily Tyler was absolutely thrilled with it.
And Joey took a picture of his presents, because Grandma West wanted to see them. As you can tell, he likes "little" things. The things at the top right corner are Star Wars underwear. That white and blue hotwheels car is really cool. You put it in cold water and it turns blue, but it stays blue at room temperature until you put it in hot water. Then it stays white at room temperature. Isn't that amazing?! When we were kids you'd put those sort of things in ice water, then 5 seconds later it would go back to the original color.

I love this video, and can't get enough of it!! Is it because I'm Canadian, or is it just really beautiful? Whatever it is, I love it. And mom, will you get me some of those mittens? I love them.
I don't know how to post a youtube video, does anyone else? Here's the link anyway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v0o27BPIIk

I saw the torch once. Back in '02. We found out it was going by 1 block from our house, so we bundled up and joined the crowd gathered nearby. A lady from our ward had made this humongous, beautiful banner that was set to drop as the torchbearer ran by. There was a band ready to strike up. Everybody was ready. The torch was going to come by at 7:32, give or take half an hour. This struck us as very funny--7:32? Why not make is something sensible like 7:30, since it was give or take 30 minutes? Anyway, soon enough, two guys came running down the street with the torch. The banner was dropped, the band played, everyone cheered, and then they were gone. Something didn't seem quite right, though. Shouldn't there have been security? People who looked official and important? And didn't it kind of looked like the guys were wearing long johns? Everyone was leaving, and we were standing there saying "Was that it?" And the guy next to us said with a smile "That wasn't the real torch." And we realized it was all a big gag. Imagine the nerve of those guys, to run down the street and get all the glory for carrying the torch! We had a good laugh over it, and to this day it brings a smile. The real torch came soon after, but I don't even remember it. The joke was too funny.

Kids Reading: Fiction and Non-fiction

I really like teaching my little kids how to read. I had a lot of fun with Joey when he was little, and he went to kindergarten able to read simple words, and I was very proud of myself. My goal is for my kids to never wonder if they're smart--I want them to have an easy time in school right from the start so they have a good self-esteem. Jason, A.K.A. The Neglected Child, for various reasons has had very few reading lessons in his short life, and so I thought it was time to start. I heard about a book called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons," and that many people have had success with it, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
I also have been thinking lately about how censored things like blogs sometimes are. You know how it is--you're not going to post a picture of yourself yelling at your kids, or a video of them whining--it's all about how great a time you had on vacation, and the cutest pictures of the kids, etc, etc, and I don't know about anyone else, but I sometimes start to wonder why everyone else's life is so perfect and mine, although great in general, has some stinkier aspects. Of course I get why, we should be positive, and nobody wants to hear kids whining. But still.

Fiction:
I can't believe how quickly Jason and Tyler are picking up reading! They're so dang smart, I wonder how they're my kids, lol! And not only am I giving them the priceless gift of literacy, but we cherish the time together, and our love and respect for eachother has increased. Tyler just turned 4, and already he can read, I'm thinking he might have to skip right to 2nd grade. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime we'll be reading some some great books! We flew through Dr. Suess, and are starting in on Harry Potter. I think next I'll start them on a classic like Moby Dick or A Tale of Two Cities. So much fun!

Non-fiction
When I announced to Jason and Tyler (in my most excited, postive voice) that I was going to start teaching them to read every day (Won't that be fun?!), their first reaction was a very whiny "Why???" and "I don't waaaaant to!" Followed by a lot of crying. I got mad and left the room. I had to come up with a plan, so I fell back on old reliable: bribery. Yes, I bribe them with candy, Air-Heads to be exact, and it's the only reason they tolerate it. Oh, and I think a more appropriate title for the book would be "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 lessons Which Are Sometimes Easy But More Often Make You Grumpy and Annoyed and Sometimes Make You Wonder If Your Kid is Kinda Dumb."

They are learning to read (at least I'm pretty sure they are), and it is rewarding to see them learn, I just thought I'd present the true story, for your reading pleasure.

Who needs cats?

Jared got this laser light thing in his stocking for christmas and pulled it out one day and was shining it around the room. The boys started chasing it, and I commented that they were like cats chasing the little light, and so they started making their version of cat sounds, which are actually quite annoying, and don't really sound much like cats at all. They looked cute and were having so much fun I captured it on video. Of course it's all fun and games until . . .

Christmas in Canada

We braved the scary winter roads to spend Christmas with my family in Canada. It was totally worth it, especially since I got to see my new adorable niece Catie, who is a little angel baby, never cries and sleeps all night. The boys had a blast playing with their cousins Riley, Gage, and Brenden. At least, they had a blast when they weren't fighting. What do you expect from 6 little boys, right? We got to go ice skating, something I really love, and haven't done for about 15 years. Joey pretty much hated it, no surprise there, though. Jason had the time of his life and says he wants to play hockey now. That will never happen since I'd have to get up at unholy hours of the morning to take him to practice, and fork out a fortune for equipment and ice time. Tyler also liked it a lot. We'd like to go again sometime, but who know when, since we learned that it would be virtually impossible withouth the help of many adults. It takes 2 just to keep them on their feet.
Me and my brother-in-law, Brad with Jason.

This picture of Tyler is deceiving because it looks like he can do it himself. Really we propped him up for a few seconds and took some quick pictures. This is more like it.
We also got to visit my Grandma West, which was awesome, since most likely the boys won't get a chance to see her again since she is not in very good health.

Tyler went for a ride with her on the wheelchair.

Christmas was fun, and Santa even found us at Grandma's house. No surprise, since Santa is Canadian, after all.
Jason got a ball launcher thingy that he's been asking for for months, Tyler got a train set with puzzle tracks, and Joey got his dream come true, a Lego Star Wars video game. They also got a million other toys that they can't get enough of--no boredome these days!
I love Christmas, and especially with all the family. If only we didn't live so far away. Alas.

New family pictures

I've been dying to share these gorgeous pictures my incredibly talented friend Katie took of our family. I've had to keep them secret because I made my mom a calendar using all these pictures and I wanted them to be a surprise for her. Now that christmas is over I can finally post them!

Years ago, actually at a baby shower my ward did for me when I was pregnant with Joey, at the host's house there were adorable pictures of her kids all over her house. Ever since then I've dreamed of having such pictures. These really were a dream come true.

Such cute boys!

Thanks Katie, you really are amazing!!