Memorial Day

What a wet day it was here. Matt tried to mow some lawns to keep on his schedule. I went with my mom out to my Grandpa Williams house to see some family that came from Utah and Rexburg. We had pizza and salad and an assortment of brownies. My mom and I made about 5 different brownies the night before to try them all out and see which ones were the favorites. We had a good time visiting and catching up with each other. My one cousin that currently lives in Utah came up with her husband and two boys. Her youngest and Paxten are just a few hours apart. We were both in labor at the same time. So it is fun to compare the two boys and to see how much they are growing and changing. The kids and I also met them at the park today and had a picnic before they headed home. It was so fun to spend time with Lauren. She grew up in California so I am loving her being in Utah a little closer and being able to see her at family get togethers! We are hoping that the weather starts to change soon, we have had more than enough moisture to last the rest of the year. There is major flooding going on at places around town and I know we are all eager for summer weather.

The summer movies start this week and the kids and I are going to attempt to go on Thursday. It will be interesting with three kids. Let the summer fun begin!!

Memorial Weekend

Matt's family goes camping every year for Memorial Day. They have been going to the same spot for the last 45 or 46 years so it is a big family tradition. Something that we look forward to every year. I was a little hesitant to go this year with having a newborn but we decided to brave it. We planned on sleeping in Matt's enclosed lawn trailor with air mattresses to sleep on. It took me 4 days to get everything ready to go and it took Matt about 4 hours to get the trailor clean enough that I would actually sleep in it. The weather wasn't in out favor but we thought we would be plenty warm in the trailor. We left on Friday evening and got there about 8:00 pm. It was already cold. We arranged everything in the trailor and had a great little setup and the beds were pretty comfortable. But it dipped into the 20's overnight and we were all freezing. I could see my breath while I was laying there in the bed not sleeping. In the morning I checked the temp in the truck and it was 29 degrees!! In MAY!!! too cold for me. I told Matt that we were going home that night. Paxten seemed to do alright and kept warm, but hated being bundled all the time. The other kids slept ok, but had a great time with their cousins despite it being cold. Parker caught a fish and Paige fell in the creek. When it started snowing on Saturday evening that made my decision to leave early that much easier. I was so glad to sleep in my nice warm bed, in our nice war house on Saturday night. I keep thinking one of these years the weather will be nice and we will come home with sunburns instead of frostbite and wind burns. But we love to be together and to keep the tradition alive!

1st Haircut

Before




After


It was unavoidable! Paxten had his first haircut last night. We all know that he was born with a full head of hair and a natural Mohawk but I didn't realize how much it had grown until this last week. We received quite a few comments at church on his hair and how wild it was looking. I didn't think much about it until I took a few pictures of him and realized how long it really was. He was beginning to have the alf-falfa look from Little Rascals and I didn't want him looking silly. Also I am taking him today to get 3 month pictures and wanted him to look handsome. So last night I took the scissors to him and gave him a little trim. Not too much off, I still wanted him looking like a baby and not a toddler. It seems like after the first haircut they change so much and I wasn't quite ready for that. So after a little off the top and sides, he looks so much better and is quite the little handsome guy. I am glad I did it and I know the pictures will be that much better. What 3 month old needs a haircut...I never thought it would be one of mine!

Park

We finally had some good weather last week and the kids and I took full advantage of it. We rode our bikes at the green belt and then played at the park for a few hours. We even got our first sunburn of the season. (ooops! Forgot the sunscreen, now I know it is getting warmer!) The kids had a great time and we are hoping the weather keeps us because we like being outside!!

Cookies, oh so yummy

Paige had a meltdown at church on Sunday because Parker got a pink heart shaped sucker and she didn't get one. Of course he wouldn't trade with her and she was so upset over it. In order to try and make her feel better I offered to make heart shaped cookied with pink frosting, she liked that idea. I usually don't make sugar cookies because 1) they never turn out 2) they take forever to make and 3) because the shapes always get messed up when I try and put them on the pan. Well I came across this recipe that my Grandma Nila used to make and decided to give them a try. The dough was super sticky and I was getting frustrated and realizing WHY I never make sugar cookies. So I decided to put the dough in the freezer to firm it up hoping that would help. And it did. They turned out perfectly!! I had a hard time not eating them. I started a diet last Monday and was down about 4 1/2 pounds...that is until I made the cookies. Now I am trying to get back on track. Now I know I can make good sugar cookies, I just have to remember not to make then while on a diet!!

Grandma Nila's Sugar Cookies
They are super moist and have the perfect texture for a sugar cookie. They are wonderful on their own, but even better with frosting.

Sugar Cookies
2 Cups butter, or lard
4 cups white sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups cream (sweet or sour)
2 tsp. vanilla
(I added 1 tsp. almond extract too because I like it in the cookies as well as the frosting)

Mix these ingredients together and then add:
6 tsp. baking powder (sweet cream)
or 4 tsp. baking powder, & 2 tsp. baking soda (sour cream) and 4 cups flour.

Mix together slightly then add 4 more cups of sifted flour. (You may need more flour if dough is still pretty sticky) Roll into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Put in fridge for 1 hour or freezer for 30 minutes. Don't skip this step because the dough needs to firm up again to roll out nicely. If you skip it the dough will stick and become a big mess.

once chilled, roll out to about 1/2 in thick and cut out. Put on a parchment lined or silicone mat lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool for about 3 minutes on pan before moving to a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. Makes a lot of cookies

Grandma's Pink Frosting
1 cube butter, room temp
4 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk
Mix until your desired consistency and tint color of your choice (my grandma always did pink). Spread on cooled cookies.

3 Months

Our little Paxten is 3 months old today. I can't believe it!! He is such a cute little boy and we all love him so much. He weighs 11 lbs. 6 oz. and is 24 inches long. So he is slowly growing and getting bigger. He has really been smiling a lot lately and it is the cutest gummy grin. His most favorite person is mommy and loves to be held as much as possible. He is a light sleeper and gets awakened easily, guess he doesn't want to miss out on the action. He is loved by Parker and Paige, sometimes they show him a little too much love. It will be a miracle if he survives them both. I can't believe how fast 3 months has flown by. We are sure loving having a new baby in our home and cant wait for the many milestones to come this year.

My Big Ideas

I saw on the Bountiful Baskets site last week that they had pickling cucmbers on a great deal and I thought, "hey I want to do pickles." So I ordered a 36 lb box for $17 and planned the week to have everything I needed. I even enlisted my mom to help me for a few hours. Well the box was bigger than I thought and we got twice as many quarts as I had originally planned on doing. Which made me run to the store in the middle of the whole process to get more dill and vinegar. 4 hours later we had 35 quarts if pickles and two tired mommies. I am so gratful that my mom was willing to come and help me and that the kids were relatively well behaved. Now we will be enjoying pickles all Summer long. I need to keep my goals a little more realistic next time! 3 kids and canning makes for a long day!

First Cereal

I am desperately trying to figure out why this little boy doesn't sleep very well. So I am trying everything. I know he is a bit small, but I started giving him rice cereal a few times a day hoping that his little tummy will be fuller longer allowing him to have a better nap and also to be a little more content during the day. He really seemed to love it and of course loved the one on one attention from mom. He is still trying to get the whole swallowing thing down, but does end up with some ceral in his stomach and not all of it all over him.

Almost

I have been trying to get Paxten to take a pacifier since he was born and he has refused it every time I try. But I still keep trying, I know it would help him sleep better if he would take one and it would help him put himself back to sleep. The other day I tried and he took it...and fell asleep. I was so excited! I put him in the crib, put a blanket on him and took a picture marking the occasion. I closed the door to the bedroom and about 1 minute later he was sreaming. So I don't know what to do to help him sleep better, besides hold him, and that won't work forever!