Best Birthday Ever

After a wonderful day at just the normal stuff and a revelation-receiving experience at the temple, I thought I had had the greatest birthday.  Included was sparklers on the breakfast tray.  Perfect touch.  But at 9:00 pm, Joseph starts making a bed downstairs in the basement.  He is exhausted and sick, so I was really confused what he was doing.  His response, "You never know who might come to visit."  Bah, my kitchen wasn't as tidy as it should have been after having a babysitter, the toys were still out, etc.  So I started tidying up.  Well, I don't like the unexpected - at all.  And I really don't like sleeping with the doors unlocked.  Joseph was in bed ready to sleep, but I was anxious.  "What time will our guest be arriving?"  "Sometime between 9:15 and 10:30 pm."  Okay, I can stay awake that long... Well, I fell asleep on the couch to be woken up at 11 pm by KateLyn and still no one was here.  I finally fell asleep.  This morning, I woke up to find a square tupperware, 2 inches tall on the counter.  Yep, a URE was in my house.  

Brooke and Clint came up for the weekend!!!  It has been perfect!  How I love having family around!  Today, we went to a space museum.  I think Clint had the most fun of all of us.  He will tell you that he beat all the high scores on the rocket-landing simulator.  He was pretty pleased with that.  :)  Although, I think Brooke is the most natural at landing moonships as she can do it on the first try.  :)

This is a infrared exhibit that we could dance infront of, well, KateLyn was so short that she couldn't be seen by the camera.  That didn't stop her though from waving her arms all around.  

Joseph crashed landed a couple of times, but Brooke was a natural.

Moonship

 Brooke was the best weather forecaster I have ever seen.  After she was done, we got to watch her clip.  She was great! 

Everyone is at the car getting ready to go but Sadie is in her own little world collecting wild flowers. 

A little bit of everything

 This is my dad.  Wow, he looks great in his uniform.  The night before Grandpa's funeral, my dad was making sure that everything was just right for the presentation of the Colors at the graveside service.  How I admire and am so grateful for a family of men who have given part of their lives to the service of our country.  Thank you to both of my grandpas, dad, uncles, and brother-in-law!

On a lighter note: the night before, my dad had a dilemma.  He didn't have the skinny tie that was suppose to be the exact uniform.  We didn't know this until after this picture was snapped.  "At ease."  Dad relaxed and whipped opened his jacket like Super Man to reveal the workings of his skinny tie - it was a WEB of criss-cross of suspenders to create the correct look.  With three daughters and my mom on the couch, we couldn't stop laughing for a long time, just to start another round of silent/violent giggles that we could hardly breathe.

Fall in New England is the best, especially because we have loads of oak trees in the back.

 

 "Mom, this feels funny."  "Well, yes Sadie, your leg hole is around your waist and the elastic waist band is around your left leg."  

 

 Joseph sent me to buy lightbulbs.  Easy peasy.  I brought this home and he says, "WHAT???!!!!"  This is a Sylvania brand - the biggest competitor for the Philips bulb.  I should have thought of that to help fuel Joseph's retirement.  :)

 
First Day of the Year 2015 - Sadie is now in Sunbeams!

Little Mommies to Be.  Thank heavens I own just about every kind of baby carrier. My absolute favorite one is my Bobo (the grey one), but nothing beats the Moby Wrap (blue) for brand new babies under a month old.

 I have been getting more into photography lately and its so fun to see my girls mimic what I do.

Why do babies grow so fast?

Joseph went to a Leadership meeting at 4:00 pm wearing an all brown outfit with a blue tie.  As he was preparing to go, I questioned the look as I didn't really like it. He brushed off my opinion and left.  Well, I was to join him three hours later for the Adult Session of Stake Conference.  Because he wasn't home to voice his opinion about my fashion (or lack of it as is the case most often), I deciding to be twinners with my Love.  I showed up to the Church for his jaw to drop and the eye rolls.  Yep, my dear, I look just as ridiculous as you in all brown.  Best part was that other friends noticed!  I had such a laugh while Joseph stood beside me rolling his eyes.

Joseph Update

And for Birthday Dinner?  He asked for fancy olives.  So we went to an Olive Cart and he could pick whichever varieties he wanted.  The marinated feta cheese was one of the grossest things I have ever eaten. But I think he liked it, as he ate a few of them.  Happy Birthday my Love! Sorry but I won't kiss you after you eat those things.

 Joseph's new helmet to go with is really cool new bike. Its kinda like a battle tank.  :)

The new bike arrived!  And the new bike rack for the new trailer hitch.  Oh, this bike better get lots of good riding time...  And the seat even goes up and down with a click of a button on the handle bars.  I guess it makes for more aggressive riding...  But if you want a tamer ride - not to worry, Joseph has two other bikes for friends to join him.

A Visit from Grammy

 Budweiser to see the enormous horses.  They went right past us while walking into the barn.  Holy smokes they are intimidating.

Girls Date to go see "Oklahoma"; Sadie has been singing Oh What a Beautiful Morning ever since.

Nothing beats story time with Grammy!

Happy Birthday KateLyn! One Year Old!

 yummy frosting!

I have a hard time eating things that are not in a natural food color.  This blue frosting was a bit too much for my liking but the girls didn't mind a bit.  Although those cupcakes without the frosting were so delicious!  

Almond Coconut Cake from Bob's Red Mill

¾ Cup Butter, softened

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

½ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla Extract

¼ tsp almond extract

1 ½ cup almond flour

½ cup coconut flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper or oil and flour pan well; set aside.

2.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 7 – 10 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat until fully blended. Add milk and extracts and mix until combined.

3.  In a separate bowl, combine Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour, Organic Coconut Flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until creamy.

4.  Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and smooth tops. Bake until set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

5.  Stack the cakes on top of each other with a generous layer of frosting between. Cover the top and edges with remaining frosting.

Save the Children

As a parent, you know the value of challenges and trials to your children’s growth, but it’s still difficult to see your children struggle. These struggles, however, can be a chance for you to build solid relationships with your children as you foster an environment of love at home. President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) encouraged parents to provide such an environment:

“My plea—and I wish I were more eloquent in voicing it—is a plea to save the children. Too many of them walk with pain and fear, in loneliness and despair. Children need sunlight. They need happiness. They need love and nurture.”

Our Late Christmas Card -> Happy Valentines!