What the Poop????

This morning when I was half asleep, I could hear someone rummaging through the pantry. Soon after, Jackson came bounding upstairs into our room with chocolate crusted all over his mouth and chin. I was trying not to laugh at his face because it almost looked like he had purposefully drawn on facial hair. I was also trying to figure out what he could have gotten into, because all of our chocolate is hidden at the top shelf of the pantry in the very back. So here is the conversation:

Me: " Jackson, what is all over your face?"
Jackson: (very innocently) " I don't have anything on my face!"
James: (not amused) " Jackson, you have been eating chocolate and it's all over your face, now tell us what you've gotten into."
Jackson: (very seriously) "It's not chocolate, silly. This morning when I got up I had to poop, and I forgot that I had poop all over my hands, and I didn't wash them off. I must have wiped
poop all over my face."
Me: (about to pee my pants laughing - I couldn't help it) "Jackson, you really expect us to
believe that their is poop all over your face?"
Jackson: (smiling now) "Well, it's not REALLY poop. It's chocolate pudding powder!"

I just can't stop laughing about Jackson. He'd really rather have us think that he'd smeared poop on his face than fess up to sneaking chocolate! What am I going to do with him?

18 Months

Alanna officially turned 18 months old on January 10th! It was a Sunday, so that was also her first at nursery in church. I was a little nervous about how she would do, as most parents are, but she was great. The teachers said she didn't even cry or seem to miss us, although she did give us big hugs when we picked her up. I guess she'd had enough of tagging along to Sunday school with us! If I could describe our Alanna baby in one word, it would be ATTITUDE! I don't know if it's because she is daddy's little princess, or because she has two older brothers to deal with, or if it's just her God given personality, but she has ATTITUDE! She definitely knows what she wants, and she won't let anyone stand in the way of that - not peaceably anyway! All of our hearts have definitely been softened having this sweet baby girl in our family!

Scooters and Skateboards...Oh My!

Some days I am glad that our basement isn't finished yet! It's perfect for the kids (and adults) to get some energy out during the winter. James was trying out his new skateboard and landed hard on the concrete a few times. I was whizzing around on the boy's Razor Scooters making sparks for the kid's entertainment. I feel like I have missed out my whole life having never owned a scooter! I love them! I did have a little accident though -my front wheel hit a little Hot Wheels car and then the scooter stopped, but I didn't! I landed full force on one knee and felt very foolish as it was witnessed by my whole family! It didn't hurt at the time, but my knee is very sore and it's still recovering. As if it isn't enough to have my muscles sore Monday through Friday from my cardio and weight training classes! It's amazing to see kids fall and you could swear they just broke a bone, but they get up and keep on going without a care!

Alanna got a Disney Princess scooter for Christmas, but she is more comfortable on the 4 wheeler, and Paul likes the Princess scooter better than his Razor scooter. So, it all works out!

Alanna is wearing a dress from my Grandma, and of course, she had long since ripped out her cute hairdo. She is also trying to play laser tag with her brothers - such a tom boy!

Homemade Yogurt...

I am so excited that a friend shared with me this recipe to make my own yogurt with my food storage powdered milk from the church cannery. It is very healthy since it uses honey instead of artificial sweeteners, and it's just a great way to utilize food storage since we don't drink powdered milk! Anyway, I dare you to try it out...

Vanilla Yogurt

1 1/2 T unsweetend gelatin packets (2 packets)
7 1/2 c warm water (between 80-110 F)
2 cups dry powdered milk (not instant, the kind from the cannery works best)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c honey
1/2 c plain yogurt

1) Warm 3 clean quart ( or five pint jars) by filling them with hot water.
2) Measure powdered milk into your mixing bowl. Stir in 4 cups of warm water and stir with a
wire wisk to dissolve.
3) Add remaining 3 1/2 c warm water, 1/2 c honey, and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla.
4) Soften gelatin in 2 T cold water, then warm it on the stove until the gelatin melts or
dissolves.
5) Stir some of the milk mixture into the gelatin, then add it all back into the milk mixture.
6) Test the temperature to make sure it is below 110 degrees F before adding the 1/2 c
of plain yogurt, and mix that in.
7) Empty the water from your glass jars and fill them wtih the yogurt mixture. Cover them
loosely with the lids.

Here is the only tricky part! You want to put a clean towel in your crockpot (the big oval size pot works best to fit the jars) to wrap your jars up in and keep them insulated. The yogurt should not get above 110 degrees, or it will fail. I have a brand new crockpot, and I just put it on the warm setting to preheat while I mix up the yogurt, and that is enough to keep it at the right temperature for 4-8 hours that is needed. Put a candy thermometer inside the towel so you can moniter the temperature every hour or so to adjust accordingly. You may just need to monitor it this closely your first time to figure out how to operate your crockpot. I keep my jars in for 8 hours because we like a thicker more custard like texture, but some people like to keep it in closer to 4 hours to get a runnier texture. Don't be alarmed if you have it in for 8 hours and it is a little runny with a bit of water on top still - it firms up in the refrigerator. This yogurt can be kept for up to 2 weeks. Save 1/2 cup of yogurt from this batch to have as a start for your next batch. You can eat the yogurt with fruit, jam, or granola.

7 Years!

Today marks our 7 year Anniversary! Time just flies when you are having fun! But, on the other hand, it feels like we have been together forever! I think that's a good thing since we will be together for eternity. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful and blessed life, and that is mostly due to the fact that I share my life with James. When we were dating, I made him a card with 101 things that I "love about James", and it's entertaining to go back and look at that now. At the time my list didn't seem superficial at all (most of it), but of course, as time goes on your love grows deeper and more meaningful. Today, my list would be much longer and involved! He hates the expression of feelings etc., so he will be very embarrassed about this post. I have done enough "damage", so I'll stop now. I LOVE you James!

HaPpY NeW YeAr!

Whoa...2010! I couldn't help but ponder upon the last 10 years as the new year creeped up this past week. To ring in the year 2000, my roommates and I threw a big party with friends at BYU where we had fireworks, games, kissing at midnight! But... this year, 10 years later, our celebration was quite different! I was excited that our friends were having a New Year's Eve party, but we couldn't find a babysitter for our kids. Apparently, the girls in our neighborhood have better things to do on New Years! We just had a fun little party for our family, and made hats (don't tell the boys their hats look like princess hats, they love their idea!), played boardgames, had party foods, and watch The Sword and the Stone. The kids were out by midnight, and James and I enjoyed the quiet display of fireworks over the valley.

The next day we spend a few hours sledding and snowboarding in our neighborhood. The boys are crazy and don't give a second thought to thier safety and well being as they carelessly slide down the sledding bowl! It's so fun to watch the look of glee and pure joy on their face as they slide down. Alanna is just as crazy as her brothers. We couldn't move fast enough up the hill for her - she wanted to go over and over again. She tried to pull the sledding disk up the hill all by herself! It's so fun to watch her personality coming out more and more each day!