Hockey Night

Friday night we all went to see the Utah Grizzlies start their season. I wasn't sure how the kids would like it but they had a blast! They were all screaming as loud as they could to cheer them on. Ella was even cheering on the fights.
They ended up beating the Idaho Stealheads in overtime. It was a fun and exiting game. But what made the whole night for Emma and Eva was that they got the Grizzlies mascots autograph.
We all had so much fun that I have a sneaky suspicion we will be back soon to cheer them on again.

Chicken Waldorf Salad Recipe

I have had a few people say that they want this recipe so I decided to post it. Here it is...

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in juice
2 cans (12.5 oz) chunk chicken
1 Gala apple, cored, chunked
1 granny Smith apple, cored, chunked
1 cup cashew pieces
1 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
8-10 crescents

Drain pineapple well, pressing out excess juice. Reserve 1/4 cup juice. In a large bowl, combine pineapple, chicken, apples, cashews, celery and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, reserved pineapple juice, poppy seeds, vanilla, and lemon peel. Pour over chicken mixture and toss well. Serve in crescents. Makes 8-10 servings.

This recipe was originally from Janai Ott. I changed it up a little though to appeal more to my family.
It is also great as a low cal/fat recipe. Just use light mayonnaise instead of regular and pita bread instead of crescents.

Our Little Secret...

The other night after being on the phone for quite a while, I went to check on Lee to see what he was doing. He was watching TV...

...This doesn't sound unusual, but I will let you in on a little secret. He was watching High School Musical 2!!!! That is funny enough, right? But also notice how close he is AND that he is holding a blanket! Should I be alarmed? Should I be seeking professional help for him? :)

We'll Miss You, Debbie!

This week I (Lara) flew to Cali for my aunt Debbie who passed away a week ago. Her memorial service was Wednesday. My mom, dad, and myself took a quick trip and I am so glad we did. It was so nice to be there with the fam. Debbie had been suffering with Alzheimer's Disease for over 10 years. She was only in her early forties when she was diagnosed which is SO young!

She was such an amazing person. No one ever saw her without a smile. She was so happy and lived life to the fullest! She instantly loved you, no matter who you were, unconditionally. She was such an example to me of kindness and charity. And what a wonderful mother she was! Jack, her husband and my uncle, said at the service that he had the most perfect 30 years being married to Debbie and it was so obvious! They were such love birds and so obviously in love with one another.

Seeing Debbie slip away little by little over the years was devastating to everyone. No one expects to have to take care of their mom at such a young age. But unfortunately that is just what Coral had to do. She has been so amazing with her mother and I just cannot imagine how difficult that must have been. Debbie was not the first in her family to die from this dreadful disease. Her grandmother and mother passed away as well, and her brother was just diagnosed.
My father spoke at her service and he concluded with a poem:

God saw you were getting tired, and a cure was not to be...

So He put His arms around you, and whispered, "Come To Me."

With tearful eyes we watched you suffer and saw you fade away...

Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating; working hands were put to rest...

God calmed our hearts to show us that He only takes the "BEST".

This picture of Ella and Debbie was taken right before her health started to really decline fast. It was so sweet. I just had to include it.

What a perfect poem for Debbie. She was truly "the BEST" and how comforting it is to know that we will see her gorgeous smiling face again! If I had only one word to summarize Debbie, I think it would be LOVE, because she loved life, she loved people, and she loved the church. And we love you, Debbie! We'll miss you!

What a "Gal"

In case you didn't already know, our nickname for Ella is Gal, hence the title of this post. I have been so sad lately because she is growing up so fast. I think it has hit me harder than the other kids because we are pretty sure she is our last. Emma the other day said that she wished Ella could stay this age forever, and I so ditto that. She is just in the cutest stage right now!
No matter how hard of a day I may be having, Ella always knows how to make me laugh. I love her cute vocabulary. I love her cute sense of humor. I love her sparkly, happy eyes.
I even love her when she makes a mess. And boy is she good at that! She is our only one that has colored on walls, dumped whole bottles of conditioner on the carpet, and finger painted with toothpaste all over the bathroom counter. But for some reason, that is what makes her so endearing to me. I love you, my little Gal!

Good Times

This weekend was so nice. Nani and Christian came to visit. We always look forward to their visits. We went to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. It is sort of becoming a tradition to go there and celebrate Papa Z's birthday. And that's just what we did. After dinner we came back to the house and talked and talked about Papa Z and what an amazing man he was. So many of the good qualities that I see in Lee, he got from his dad; pure selflessness, charity, and the ability to treat their wife like a Queen, just to name a few. The one thing that could have made the night better was if all the brothers were together. :( We missed you David, Gary, and John.

Christian was nice enough to get some tickets to conference so he, Lee, and Emma were able to attend the last session. Thanks Christian, for that amazing opprtunity!

This was Emma's first time actually attending General Conference. I can only hope that she will treasure this experience for a long time. The sun was in Emma's eyes, but it is a great picture nonetheless.

Grammy and Papa Rex were able to make it down to watch Conference with us. After Lee, Christian, and Emma got back, a jam session on the Piano got started. I heard "Heart and Soul" like I have never heard it before, and many different renditions at that. I only wish Grammie would have played "Come, Come Ye Saints". Ryan and Eric, does that bring back memories? It should, given the fact that that is the only song she played for each and every family night growing up. Grammie, we love you. Thanks for the sweet memory.

We were so excited that Julie and the kids stopped by Sunday night, during their trip to Park City, for a quick visit. Cordin, Gavin, and Shea are so sweet and it was so much fun seeing the cousins play together. They may live hundreds of miles away from each other, but you'd never no it when you see them playing. Love it!

I just had to add this picture. It is so cute to see how Ella acts around Papa Rex and this picture shows how much she adores him. Who doesn't, really? I just LOVE her tiny little hand on his thigh. Moments like this are truly priceless!





Thank you Nani, Christian, Grammie, Papa Rex, Julie, Cordin, Gavin, and Shea for a very memorable weekend!



Good Times!

Oh How Observant

Ben has always been quite observant. These binoculars he made at preschool were his favorite toy for a long time. He notices everything and asks about everything. So I shouldn't have been surprised when he came up to me the other day. This is what was said...

BEN: Mama, do you have a baby in your tummy?

ME: No.

BEN: Then why do you look that way?

ME: (speechless)

Some moms (Julie) get darling little notes from their kids. This is what I get from mine. :)

So, I am taking that as a not so subtle hint to hit that treadmill again. Thanks Ben, for the motivation!

My Favorite Time of the Year, Part 2

Another reason why I love this time of the year is Emma and Eva start Dance. The dance season officially started this week and the girls are so excited. I must confess that I may be even more excited than them. I just love watching their cute little bodies get their groove on. This year Eva is taking tap again and Emma is taking tap and ballet, and is also starting jazz. In June, when the girls have their BIG recital, they will be in a total of 8 dances (6 of them being Emma's). The recital is so fun to see, because that is where you see all of their hard work has really paid off. Good luck this year girls!
These picures are from their recital last June. As hard as it gets for me, driving the long drive back and forth, and all the time it entails, it really is all worth it seeing them like this and knowing (and seeing) how proud of themselves they are for their accomplishments. I can't wait for next year when Ella gets to start dance!

My Favorite Time of the Year

Looking up at the mountains and seeing all of these amazing colors literally takes my breath away!
Every year we go on a hunt for the brightest trees. We found one that sure came close.
Every summer I get home sick for HB. But during this time of year, I wouldn't trade this for anything!












A little side note: Notice Ella's shirt is on backwards and inside out. If you look closely, you can see the tag in front. She insists on putting her clothes on herself. For me, it's all about picking your battles and there could be worse things right?

Uh...hmmm...well - what to say?....uh - TWINS!