Play-Doh!

Oh boy. We made play dough today. Jared and Ash really loved it. It kept them busy for literally hours.

 If you are trying to save money by making it yourself, don't. It is cheaper and so much easier to buy!

 I really made it so that the boys could have something fun to make that they can play with. They love cooking+creating= play dough. 

In the below picture Ashton was making pancakes. He is even cutting them like Mommy and Daddy do. 

Jared totally surprised me by making a hamburger. 

Looks good enough to eat, almost.

Here's our recipe:

• 1 C flour
• 1 C warm water
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 C salt 
• food coloring

Mix all ingredients except food coloring. Stir constantly over medium heat until a soft dough forms. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Separate into 4-5 small balls and color each differently(optional). Place in airtight container(we used old Play-Doh containers) or plastic bag when cooled. If it is too sticky, add flour.(I had to add a lot!)

The Secret of Life

Dave has been convinced for the past 6 1/2 years that I have OCD because I insist that if we just make it a habit to be clean and organized, it won't take much more effort than it would to have to clean up after a week of chaos.

Then recently I dicovered a blog called The Dying Art of Keeping House.

When I stumbled upon Melanie's blog(thanks to Lesia!), I found that I am not alone in my quest for organization and domestic domination;)

 She blogs about making organization a part of your day and ways to keep your home clean and orderly on a daily basis. I was beginning to think I was crazy for thinking it was possible until I read her blog post on the subject. 

Since I implemented her suggestions in my life, I have been able to maintain a clean organized home, run the business, and still have tons of time to spend with the hubby and kids. I have even started home-preschooling Jared. It's definitely worth looking at if you're a Mom and a wife.

Her last blog post was on pretzel making so we decided to give it a go.
 The boys absolutely LOVE cooking and baking(I will get them a play kitchen as soon as we convince Daddy that it won't make them fruity) and a lot of our time is spent in the kitchen making a huge mess.

So here's to Melanie, who is pretty sure that butter is the Secret of Life.

(I'm telling you, I can't keep clothes on these boys!)

The boys(AND David) had a blast shaping the dough into snakes and dinosaurs but I stuck with the traditional pretzel shape. 

After we baked them we brushed them with butter and sprinkled them with coarse salt.

We gobbled them up so fast...

All warm..and salty....

mmmmmmm pretzels...

The recipe is HERE

Winter Daze

In the light(or dark) of the cabin fever the boys and I are experiencing, we have gotten pretty desperate for creative things to do. Alas, I head to the internet. It is my favorite resource. When my mind gets befuddled and my creative process glitches, I can always fall back on someone else's creativity! 

For snack time Thursday, we were so excited to have our little cousins over to enjoy it with us. 

Here is Spencer with his apple smile.

Yesterday we played dress up and luckily we had a costume for everyone!

Model Pirates

The boys modeled for me yesterday. Click HERE

Fishing Metaphors

  My family used to go to this lake out by Wendover every spring.

 There are two kinds of fish in this lake.

 Bluegill and Bass. 

 Bluegill are stupid. And gross.

 But super easy to catch. Seriously. They love power bait.

 Actually, scratch that, they'll take a bare hook. 

Then there's the mysterious bass.

 My Dad and Uncle Dan spoke of them but I never once caught a glimpse of one. Many a strategy was concocted, many a lure lost in the marshes, I never caught one. 

Then one fateful spring I brought my boyfriend (now hubby) with me.

We were having a nice relaxing Sunday raft ride through the shallow waters..amidst the marshes..whispering and giggling no doubt, when suddenly, David springs up out of the raft and into the water(which he thought to be a couple of feet deep)up to his waist, grabs the oar from the raft and begins thrashing around in the water. I sit in stunned silence at the curious scene playing out before me. He stops thrashing and pauses...waiting, watching..then suddenly, up from the now murky waters appears a ginormous, upside-down, twitching fish.  Not just any fish. A bass. A huge freaking, fat, 15-year-old-me eluding, BASS. WHAT THE FREAK. 

I am currently taking online marketing courses.

 marketing+me=suck.

 I'm doing it though. It's a HUGE part of operating a small business.

What I am being forced to asking myself is this:

Am I casting my line for bluegill..or bass?

Or should I just be whacking my potential clients on the head with an oar?

You be the judge.

Let there be light.

Oh boy. Our newest venture in the world of photography. It's so friggin cold out, I decided to invest in a studio backdrop setup so I can do more newborn and child sessions. I don't have any lighting yet, so I'm still using the old "bounce the flash" trick. Jared was my model tonight,sporting the blue toothbrush more commonly used to scrub the fishtank. Gross.

Here's Jared modeling my favorite accessory, the Jo Tote, in scarlet.

And..to end this post, a picture of the frosty tree in our backyard:)

Domestic Bliss..

This is the best day of my domestic life! I found this:

on KSL.com for $100! Who's making bread? I'M making bread!

A Pirate's Life for Me!

Today while Ashton was napping(a new development), Jared and Mommy got crafty! We made a pirate ship and a monster truck. Jared has a newfound obsession with pirates and oceans and sea creatures. Last week it was dinosaurs, primarily the t-rex. I'm glad he moved on, he does a great T-Rex impression, but my shattered eardrums can use a rest:)

HERE is where we found our crafts.

Happy coloring!

Let it snow..but only this one last time!

We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland!

We love it but we'd be totally ok if spring came early.

We've pretty much been hanging out inside all winter...

You might say we have a little cabin fever over here.

So we went outside!

We built an igloo..

We shoveled snow..

We ate snow..

And we (I) built a little snowdude..

Snowdude is no longer with us due to the tyranny of a 3 year old.

LOVE is in the air..

I've never decorated for Valentine's Day before so this year I'm getting started early. The boys and I cut out paper hearts from old scrapbooking paper(scrapbooking? what's that?) and made frames and whatnot..mostly just made a big mess all over the kitchen and Ashton managed to glue his scissors ("lissors") together with a glue stick. I'm planning a special V-Day photosession with the boys, I'm nervous. It is a lot of work getting them ready and getting them to stay ready and maybe sit still for two seconds so wish me luck!!

Absorbent & Yellow

So Paul & Brittany gave the boys these Spongebobs yesterday and they haven't left their sides. So far I've had to kiss Spongebob's boo boos 3 times and give him artificial resuscitation once. Not to mention the two extra tuck in's at bedtime.

Cache Valley. Home sweet home.

Everyone always asks us "Why Logan?"

I tell them it's closer to family.

I tell them it's just home to us.

But the number one reason we LOVE living in Cache Valley is this.

It is so beautiful!

It Begins

Some parents say it is toy guns that make boys warlike. But give a boy a rubber duck and he will seize its neck like the butt of a pistol and shout "Bang!"

George F. Will

The boys are 3 and 4. Yet they play Halo better than I do. Go figure.

2010

Wow. It's 2010. The year that all the 50's movies and Twilight Zone Episodes portrayed with flying cars, alien invasions from Mars and hostile robot takeovers. I'm finally 25. I now feel like I'm officially an adult. All my life I've looked forward to this milestone. I got kind of a head start on having a family and I am so glad I did. I'm 25 and I'm progressing in an exciting and challenging photography career. I feel so alive! I finally got my tax I.D.set up and I officially have my L.L.C. It's so much fun. All my life I've wanted to run a business and I have to admit I feel a little guilty and a lot naive about it all because I'm not sure it's supposed to be this much fun. It's not a game, right? This is serious business but I can't seem to keep the smile off my face!
 My children are blooming into little mechanics and dishwashers. The age of "why" has begun. So many questions I hope I'm giving the right answers to! I wish I could bottle the kisses and hugs..the sweet innocent voices saying "I love you Mom". I know that before long my boys will be running from kisses and hugs and the "I love you"s might get sparse..but I will tell you one thing: I'm cherishing every moment, breathing it in, savoring every last detail..
Right now we may be stretching to keep food on the table and keep the bills paid..constantly on our toes with this young business we're nurturing.But I  know that the day will come when we will look back on this time fondly. These are the moments we will remember the most. This is a defining time in our lives. I am so excited for the future but I'm relishing in the now..This is the time of my life.

I made them promise..

that when they grow up and get big like Daddy...

they will always come home and visit their Mama..

that they will never forget to give kisses and hugs..

Jared to Mommy: "Mom?

Mommy: "What's up?"

Jared: " I love you. I am going to marry you. You're beautiful."

My heart melts every time.