Play Time!

Zach had a break between spring and summer classes/clinic and we took the opportunity to head to Utah for a week.

We went to Stephanie's half marathon. They had a big slide and bounce toy for the kids there. Sarah and Joe both liked the slide, once they finally got down. Initially, Joe just sat at the top watching all the other kids go down. A little girl helped Sarah up the stairs (there were a lot of kids, it was a little crazy) and once they went down, Joe finally had the guts to follow. It was funny to me that it took him so long because just a couple days before he went down a huge, steep slide by himself, unprompted.

I think Lily didn't know what to think of Joe's hug.

I think Dallas liked the brushing just as much as Joe liked doing it.

Joe got stuck getting off the doghouse and I had to take a picture before I helped him down.

Will loved being outside on the deck. He wanted to be out with Dallas (the dog) as often as we would let him. I missed a perfect photo opportunity when he laid down on Dallas' pillow with him one morning. So sweet.

Girls Afternoon Out

Since the our husbands went golfing one afternoon together, Ashley and I decided we needed to have a sister outing too. We decided on Gloria's Little Italy.

I've always really liked it in the past. Our waitress was really nice, but completely spacey. I'm pretty sure she forgot we were there for a while. Steph and I ordered a sandwich to split that had pancetta on it. To our surprise instead of biting into a sandwich with a crunch, we encountered uncooked pancetta. I guess it is cured, but it's basically bacon. Imagine for a moment, thick, fatty slices of bacon ruining an otherwise scrumptious sandwich. Yeah, gross. When we asked the waitress about it she didn't know if that was typically and had to ask. When she returned she said that was how it was normally served, and left it at that. Later she came back and offered to replace the sandwich, we gladly accepted.

You can't go to Gloria's and skip on dessert. And if you are a Provo resident you should check it out Saturday nights after 7pm all their desserts are half price!

Chrissy and Steph. My dad used to call these two Vanilla and Chocolate when they were younger.

Ash. One of the cutest pregnant ladies ever (betcha couldn't even tell she's expecting).

After lunch we visited this cute boutique across from the Provo Library. It had some really cute stuff, and a bunch of darling purses. We picked out a hat for my Gram for a Mothers Day/60th wedding anniversary gift.

I had so much fun hanging out with my mom and sisters. They are the best! I am so blessed to have them in my life.

Happy Easter

This morn renews for us that day

When Jesus cast the bonds away,

Took living breath

And conquered death.

"That Easter Morn"

Five a Day is the Healthy Way

Am I the only one who remembers that little song from Elementary School? I generally have no problem getting Joe to eat a variety of fruit, but Joe is a terrible vegetable eater. He will eat raw carrots dipped in ranch. That's it. No other vegetables. I always put some of whatever we are having on his plate, but he won't touch it. I finally decided I need to do something about it.

First, I tried making brownies with spinach in them. While they weren't gross, they weren't good enough to share the recipe. They tasted like bittersweet chocolate, and had a funky aftertaste. Joe did eat one though, so they weren't a complete failure.

Tonight, we had Sweet Potato Pancakes. Recipe found HERE.

sweet-potato pancakes

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup store-bought pancake mix (I just used 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp baking powder and 1 Tbsp sugar)
• 1 small pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 small sweet potato, boiled, peeled, and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups, I had to use three small potatoes to get this much)

They were a total winner. They turn out very moist (moist, I don't like that word - just say it out loud and tell me you don't agree). Joe ate three pancakes. The recipe makes about twelve. That means he ate 6 Tablespoons of sweet potatoes. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it's .37 c. I call that success.

One other way I've successfully persuaded Joe to consume veggies:

These are great. There is one combined serving of fruits and veggies in each box. They also have 1/3 less sugar than regular fruit juice. Which I think is the fancy way of saying they've watered it down for you a little bit. I don't buy these often, but when I do, Joe loves it.

"Fruits and vegetables, they're okay! Five a day is the healthy way."

Yogurt Sequence

As evidenced by the yogurt all over Will's face, this is not the first bite.

Both boys are thinking this is pretty fun.

Preparing for another bite...

"Hey wait! I though that was mine!"

"I think I'm done, Joe"

And now, he's really done.