What have we been up to?

Let's start with some birthdays. Sarah turned 8 this year and had a fun friends party. There was a lot of squealing going on with all those girls!


And of course, she was most excited about getting baptized.

And then our baby girl, Grace, turned 4 in March. I can't believe how big she's getting!


And then in April, after 3 years of sacrifice and hard work, Shawn graduated from Law School!


Then, we moved to Olympia, Washington, for Shawn to work at the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorneys Office and study for the bar exam. We are living in my parent's house while they are serving a mission in Switzerland. We are definitely enjoying the Pacific Northwest!

Grace and I tagged along on Anders' field trip to the Point Defiance Zoo. It was a pretty wet day, but the kids had a blast and it was the most exciting day I've had at the zoo, including wrestling polar bears, a dancing elephant and a birthday party for the 1 year old twin tiger cubs. Here's a few pics:



And then our sweet boy, Jacob, turned 6 in June and is enjoying his birthday present. Even with all his missing teeth :)


And then we finished the school year with Jacob "graduating" from Kindergarten. He is such a cutie!

Spring Break in Tillamook, Oregon

We took a day trip to Tillamook, Oregon, with our good friends Kris and Emily and had a fantastic time touring this little coastal town. Our first stop was the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory. They have the best cheese and ice cream which we got to enjoy after our tour.

Lot's of cheese! These are 40 pound blocks that they cut down to the different sizes to sell. The kids had a blast at the Air Museum there in Tillamook - 1 of 17 sites along the eastern and western coasts that built humungous hangars that would hold blimps that would then patrol the coasts for enemy vessels during World War II. Sarah loved gettng soaked at the Oceanside Beach The Octopus Tree at Cape Meares Lookout Cape Meares Lighthouse

Happy Birthday, Grace!

My baby is 3 years old!

Fun with the Nelsons

My wonderful sister, Liz, and her family came to visit us this weekend. The kids had a blast playing together, the weather was perfect and we had some yummy food. We had a fabulous time and enjoyed some highlights around Salem. One of which was the beautiful carousel at the Riverfront Park downtown.

And while Liz and I were helping the kids go on the carousel for about the 10th time, Shawn and Tom were...

Oh, don't they look adorable?

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

I can't believe it's been 7 years since you were born. We sure love you very much and we are so grateful to have you in our family!

Boy, did we have a fun party!

Recipe Link

Ok, I thought I set up the last post with a link to the recipe, but I must have done it wrong, so just click here: Tomato Mozzarella Basil Recipe and hopefully it will work this time.

Tomato Mozzarella Basil Tart

I have come to realize that those 3 things (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) make the most delicious edibles. Add some garlic, olive oil and salt & pepper and you really can't go wrong. My good friend and cooking kindred spirit, Alexis, and I made this dish yesterday and pretty much ate the whole thing. It was AAAAMMAAAAZZing! It's not super labor intensive but it does take some time because you have to chill the dough for an hour but it is so worth it. You've got to try it!

End of Summer Fun

Liz and I and the kids had a blast at Northwest Trek near Eatonville. We went on a cool, cloudy morning so all the animals were out. It was amazing!
"Oh, rise and shout..." These cougars were huge.

Check me out

Ok, so I know some of you out there are further along in your culinary skills to get very excited about this, but this is an exciting accomplishment for me.Doesn't it look amazing? And it was so easy. Click here for the Caprese Salad recipe. It's delicious!

Summer Recap - Part 2 (July 4th, 2009)

Firecracker Triathlon Group, from left to right: Lance, Mom, Dad, Lauren, Adam and Amy. This event was so much fun! I totally want to do it again, but hopefully with a different bike. :) Check out Adam's sweet ride!

My supportive family

These guys are the real competitors! They each came in 4th place for the men and women's groups. I love how they totally get into it. Good job, Adam and Lauren!

Our evening activities were held at Nelson's and Cramer's awesome neighborhood. Adam bought some killer, slightly illegal fireworks for the occasion. And Liz painted everyone's fingernails, even Rhett and Jacob's. Thanks, Liz :)





Cute Cousins!

As you can see, Jacob really enjoyed the festive cupcakes. Let's count how many Jacob ate...

Here's Cupcake #1

Cupcake #2

And here's Cupcake #3

Fun with Sparklers

Check out this pensive look. "Do I want to try a sparkler?"

"Oh ya, this is great!"





Ok, I like 'em too

Daddy's little girl

Sarah with the neighborhood girls

Megs and cute little Benjamin!