Throw Down!

When I was serving in Chicago, a phrase I heard a lot was "She know how to throw down in the kitchen!" (I'd write it a little more accurately but I'm afraid I'd sound super racist.)

This week, I threw down! It was so much fun.

Our ward had the traditional Chili cook-off and Trunk or Treat. reluctantly, I had signed up to bring some chili to share. (LDS people can be SO competitive!) That week was crazy. Zoey got the flu and Calvin was congested. I was scrambling to finish costumes and lessons and keep the house together. The day of the Trunk or Treat we decided to take everything one thing at a time. When the afternoon came, both kids were miraculously asleep, so I decided to get going on the chili. The recipe I had used in the past was nowhere to be found. So I pulled out one of my favorite cook books and decided to take a chance on a new one. I figured at least we would be contributing.

Surprise, surprise, they loved it! Everyone who tried it loved it! I gave it a couple tweaks and called it "Southern Style White Chicken Chili". It was yummy. Apparently the ward thought so too!

Third place! I've never won any cooking awards before! It made my whole week.

Later this week I decided to try y hand at making granola. I love granola, but it's often really expensive and has stuff in it that either I don't like much or Gavin doesn't. So I found a basic recipe online, once again I tweaked it a little-- and presto! Warm, fresh, homemade granola. Another win! The kids love it! Gavin loves it! And I seriously can't stop eating it. But it's the best kind of addiction.

I love Fall!

Insert Creative Title Here

This week has been a whirlwind of family get-togethers. Yesterday we wrapped things up by taking family pictures and enjoying pie night at Grandma Dottie's house. It was a lot of fun. It's been wonderful having AJ around; he will be sorely missed.

Gavin has been learning more and more Android development and it's been exciting for him to build his resume and expand his knowledge. He's a hard worker and wants what is best for his family.

This week I taught my Mia Maid class. We discussed the importance of gratitude, and how we can better express it to those around us, as well as to our Heavenly Father. It's been neat to see how that expression of gratitude strengthens relationships and helps you enjoy life more.

Zoey is a good girl. She has been having less tantrums and has been more compassionate to her friends and brother lately. It's been really inspiring to see the way she helps those around her and offers so much love. I want to be more like her when I grow up.

Calvin has been talking more and more lately! He's forming short sentences, and loves to repeat what Zoey says. His favorite thing to do is throw things in the trash can, which he calls a "that's yucky". He is walking more, too now, and seems to prefer it over his beloved bum-scooch.

This week Gavin and I celebrated 5 years since the day we became engaged. I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world to have convinced him to marry me. Things were amazing then, but they continue to take on greater heights and depths.

Blah Blah Blah Part III-- Awesome Surprise!

This week has been a good one. Gavin has been hard at work with his new calling, and although we were all hit pretty hard with a nasty cold, we're getting over it quickly and keeping very busy.

Honestly, I did a lot of lounging around this week, trying to get better... so we'll talk about something else. Zoey has been doing better in preschool lately, practicing her "good attitude" when she doesn't get her way. We're very proud of her in this.

Calvin is walking more and more, gaining confidence all the time. He is also speaking more. Recently, he picked up saying "hold me", as well as "pumpkin".

We've been enjoying a bit of Indian Summer this week and it has been unseasonably warm. ('Cause like, that's what that means....) Anyway, I took the kids outside when I could and let them soak up the sun. We played with sidewalk chalk a bit and one time Zoey just lay down, spread-eagle on the concrete because the warmth felt so nice.

I was able to break my quarantine by Friday and go to play group and that was really nice. I love the moms in my neighborhood. The kids play together very nicely, too. Saturday I got together with my best friend and we went to Melty Way, which is very yummy.

For the past 3 weeks my dad has been saying that he had an announcement he wanted to make and that we should all be there if possible. He had to move it back once and we all anxiously anticipated what it might be. I interrogated my mom and even she didn't know, which is super weird. Well, Sunday finally rolled around and we all got together for a really nice dinner. My dad threw down some amazing steak, and just before we were about to say the blessing, the front door opened...

and in came my little brother and his wife and two kids. From Germany. Whom we haven't seen for 2 1/2 years. We yelled, we hugged, we cried a little and hugged a lot more. My dad said a prayer of thanksgiving that was touching and we had an amazing evening together.

The kids all ran around like crazy, playing tag and pretend. It was loud, funny and sweet. I loved it all. It felt like Christmas. We were all together again. I had one small, joyous glimpse into the eternities, seeing how our family had evolved. I love my family. I am so grateful to know that we are forever. I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Weekly Attempt, Part 2

Awesome! Two for two. :)

So for those of you who have been dying to know (I'm sure there are myriad of you), Gavin was sustained and set apart as the ward Executive Secretary this week. He is feeling a bit overwhelmed, but mostly tired. He's been hard at work already! It is a lot of heavy responsibility, but such an excellent opportunity to serve and support the Bishopric in our ward. We are grateful for it.

Calvin learned to walk! Well, what I should say is that Calvin decided to walk. He has been walking with minimal assistance for about 2 months. But last Saturday, he was playing at Grandma Lisa's house, and I was coaxing him to walk to her. He took 2 or 3 steps toward her, and suddenly decided he'd rather walk to Gavin. He turned around and traversed the living room to get to Gavin! All in one day go he knocked off four milestones! (Walking, turning, picking things up off the floor and standing up from the floor.) Crazy kid. When he decides he's going to do something, it happens-- but not a minute sooner.

This week I put up the Fall decorations! Zoey helped me decide where to put all the leaf garland and ran around the living room with the loose leaves that had fallen off. Calvin calls the leaves flowers ("flau-flau") and also loves playing with them.

This weekend is General Conference weekend. We made waffles, goofed around and just enjoyed being together as a family. What we heard of the talks was awesome. We are excited to go over them in the coming Family Home Evenings and in our own personal study. I love hearing the Lord speak in modern times. It's truly amazing.

Lastly, we finally got a washing machine! YAY! I'm so grateful for all the friends and neighbors (and parents) that have let us use their washers over the past 2 months, but I am even more grateful to put an end to this fiasco-ish saga. We found a used one (only 2 years old) for $80! The catch-- the previous owner is a smoker. So I've been working hard to get the smoke smell out of it, both inside and out. So far I've only bleached one shirt and a pair of shoes in the crossfire! I'll consider that a success.

The Weekly Attempt, Part 1

Let's try something new. I'm going to try writing shorter, more frequent posts, in an attempt at being more consistent, and sharing with friend and family who aren't around us as much. It's my effort to keep in better touch with you loved ones. You're welcome. :)

This week, Gavin and I were called in to the Stake President's office. We were nervous, but also confident that whatever the Stake President had to say, it would be inspired by God. Mostly, I was afraid of being released from my beloved Young Women calling. Fortunately, Gavin was extended a call, and we are excited for him to be able to serve in a greater capacity. Unfortunately, he hasn't officially been sustained, so I'm not telling what it is. 

I've been trying my hand at some crafty-lady sewing projects lately. So far the score sits as follows: Dani, 1; Sewing project, 1. Not too shabby. I worked on adding pockets and ties to my mom's temple dress and it worked out okayish, but not great. I've also been working on putting together a kick-booty awesomeness Princess Anna dress for Zoey and it's pretty sweet, if I may say so. And I may.

Zoey is loving preschool. She gets excited to go there and angry to come home. She loves her teacher. This week they studied the letter "C" and she learned to write it pretty well. She loves to spout out words that start with the letter she learns. It's awesome. She's got such a firey personality and it's been a challenge lately to balance her strong will with her sometimes propensity to be a big boss-face. She's a small me. :D

Calvin still refuses to walk! He walks with a walker, or with his hand wrapped around one finger, but simply won't do it alone. He's taken 2-3 steps by himself, but always sort of resents it afterward, like we tricked him into it. He gets around just fine with his bum-scootch and doesn't see the need to change. I sense foreshadowing... Anyway, he's been so happy and sweet lately and is verbalizing more and more. This morning he pointed at a picture on his wall and said, "Baby Jesus!". It was awesome. 

As for our house, it flooded this week, which was not awesome. But thanks to amazing neighbors, the damage was left to a minimum-- cosmetic only. Who needs perfectly flat wood floors, anyway? The washing machine saga continues! Let's see how long we can go without washing our towels! I kid, I kid!

With any luck, I'll write again next week. Cheers!

Summer Fun





 

This Summer has been a whirlwind of fun and crazy family time. Among other things, we visited Hogle Zoo and Lagoon, and celebrated Zoey's and Gavin's birthday.

 

Calvin has become very mobile in his own way. He learned to crawl, but prefers to bum scoot. He gets everywhere on his little bum, and by the end of the day his legs are filthy! All the time in the sun has turned his hair a dark shade of blond! He is learning to sign and can now sign some basic things: sleep, eat, more, hat, and dog. He is learning to sign "please" and "thank you". He is a sweet, happy boy and loves playing with his big sister. He will be 1 this week.

 





 

 

 

 

 



Zoey turned three! When I asked her what kind of cake she would like she said "Strawberry" but then later asked for M&Ms on her cake. The end result was colorful and yummy. She loved it!

For her birthday party she went swimming with her two best friends. They all had a good time.

I've been loving staying at home with these munchkins. They are certainly a handful, but they teach me so much. This year I've dedicated myself to being more patient with them and trying to enjoy the moment, even if that moment involves thousands of tiny Cheerios flying in every direction, or watercolor paints that "accidentally" get all over the Zoey's face. (For those of you who know how OCD I can be, this is a pretty big feat!) So far I feel like we are understanding one another better and the kids are learning more and feeling happier. Now if only I can learn how to do all that and keep the house clean! Baby steps...

 

 

Gavin has been working hard, learning some new things. He has been learning new coding languages and really enjoying that. He keeps things running smoothly and has become the calm voice of reason in our sometimes chaotic home. We've been starting to exercise together and it has been challenging to make the time, but fun too.



And now, we're on to our next big adventure. My brother, Ricky and his family are moving in with us for a few months while he settles into his new job and they find a house. It will be crazy to have a house of 9 people, but we are grateful for the opportunity to have them close by and to serve.

Our family is well and happy and busy and learning. We love our life and recognize how blessed we truly are. We are surrounded in goodness and kindness, and we are growing together.