Pumpkin time!

We harvested an onion that was the size of a large baseball...it was huge! I've never seen an onion so BIG!

Our large pumpkins were ready to harvest too. We didn't think they would actually grow. We stopped watering them for a while, believing the plants had died, but sure enough, they survived and thrived! The biggest pumpkins we've grown! Pumpkins are the kids' favorite thing to grow in the garden, they are so fun to watch get bigger and bigger, and turn orange at the right time....they love the harvest too!

For FHE we rotate turns on picking the treat for the evening and this week was Jackson's turn. Guess what he chose? Pumpkin Pie! I guess the season is upon us, whether ready or not! Can you see our tree already starting to change colors in the background?

Fall Harvest

 Brian listened to a story on NPR about how we are losing the flavor of foods; how farmers are concerned that some varieties of produce will become extinct because the fruit is not engineered for a long shelf life and pretty looks- things that grocers want in their produce, but come at the price of less-tasty foods.

 A few callers called in to share their experiences with food and described the tastiest peach or apple or corn they had tried and how the bite of good tasting food reminded them of their childhood, something that has been hard to replicate in today's markets. One caller described this apple orchard that was cut down to build an elementary school...all but one tree was cut down, and he remembers this tree bearing the most delicious apples as he in his childhood would pick them in the schoolyard with other kids and eat the fruit. 

From his description, Brian and I set out one Saturday to find this apple tree. After a bit of searching, we found the one, and picked an apple, although not easy to reach anymore, especially by school-aged children! Although not pruned or cared for, the tree really did produce delicious apples! They were SO good! We picked a bushel and brought them home to mix with other apples and make into some wonderful sauce! It became a family event.

Making the sauce reminded me that Calvin will be starting solids soon, and after checking my food storage, I realized we had better put up some more fruit. SO we did peaches too (along with green beans, tomatoes, corn, and zucchini)...

Up next...grape juice! Maybe?

Summer Catch-up

We implemented "kid date nights" this summer so we can have special one-on-one time with them. They loved it and it's so fun to spend that time alone and talk with a child. They had to get 7 days worth of stars and doing nice things for their siblings, and when they reached their 7th day, we would take them out on a date.

Eli was happy to take a ride in Dad's truck, waving goodbye to the other kids and knowing he wasn't the one who was staying home! He was so easy to please!

Zoey loved spending quality time with us on her dates. She always wanted a picnic lunch, but then she would want to go to the temple, or soak her feet in a waterfall, or go on a bear hunt. She was really creative with her dates! She would chat away and tell stories the whole time and made great company to spend a few hours with!

Jackson always wanted a toy... Whenever it was his turn, he wanted to go right away, first thing in the morning so he could play all day with his new toy. He did go golfing once with Brian, though, and one time he wanted a Hawaiian ice, and he had fun doing that too. But he mostly looked forward to picking a new toy...

 For our last date night, we combined Jackson and Zoey's date together and took them to the Utah Sate Fair. We rode the Farris Wheel and some other rides and they had a blast! It was a great way to end the summer!

8 years!

Brian and I celebrated 8 years of marital bliss yesterday! We treated each other to a new SLR camera! I'm so excited for it!! I'm looking forward to learning all about it and getting great pics of all those things that our point and shoot camera just couldn't capture. We plan to do this year's family photos soon, so keep posted!

 Since we both enjoy cooking AND we know we can make betterfood than what we could buy if we chose to go out to eat (and for cheaper!), we decided to cook our own anniversary dinner together. We put the kids to bed early, used the fine dishes, and decorated the table with boquets of flowers. It was very special, and no need to leave home!

We had a chopped pear salad for starters, than made an amaranth soufflé (it was supposed to be the appetizer, but it filled us up, so our steak will have to wait for another day), and finished it off with a peach triffle (our neighbor gave us fresh peaches from her tree, so it was absolutely delicious)!

Here is a countdown to what the past 8 years has contained for us:


8- years ago (2004), we were honeymooners! I was working at Synergy Dental, Brian competed in LOTOJA with friends. We were living at Riverwoods #101 and loving our new life together!
7- years ago (2005), I went back to school to finish my associates degree at UVU- taking a killer 23 credits to finish it off in one semester! Brian officially launched Alianza, and won the BYU business plan competition in April. We visited San Miguel de Allende and we celebrated our first anniversary in Kauai!
6- years ago (2006), Brian was traveling a TON in Mexico. I certified as a yoga instructor and began teaching at Sundance resort. We moved to Canyonbrook and we were expected our first child! We took a fun trip to Puerto Vallarta.
5- years ago (2007), I transferred to BYU studying Health and nutrition. Our first boy was born! I started taking on-line classes so I could be at home and still work on my degree. Brian was busy with work travel, church service, and home "honey-do's." We got pregnant with #2!
4- years ago (2008) we had our first baby girl! I quit school and became full-time mom. Brian started classes back up again to finish his bachelor's degree. We moved to our first home in Lindon! Brian became an expert repair man in his spare time. I took up crafting to decorate the new home, and we really started enjoying family life- especially Saturday morning pancakes and holiday traditions!
3- years ago (2009), life is busy! Work is stressful and time-committing, a lot of changes at Alianza as they downsize from economic instability. We are pregnant with #3, and decide it would be fun to wait until birth to find out it's gender! I am teaching yoga from our home studio every Thursday night. Brian plays basketball on Tuesday nights with the ward, and is loving his calling with the Young Men. We sell the Jetta.
2- years ago (2010), Brian graduated with a Bachelor's degree! Yay!  We bought a minivan. We had child #3-- it was a boy (Eli)!
1- year ago (2011), I run in an Epic relay race running from Logan to Jackson. We got  pregnant again and find out it will be another boy! Brian's work is taking off and we have high hopes for the future!

Today- incredibly happily married! Calvin is now three months old. Brian's work is going really well. We stay busy trying to support each other in our health goals and make sure we each get turns to run, bike, hike, or do yoga- or any of our other hobbies we like to do (and it's not as often as we'd like, being busy with 4 kids is tough work, but at least we get something!). We spend quality time together and with our kids. Here is to many, many more years ahead.

4 months!

Calvin is 4 months! He's gaining weight, now at 15 pounds and 25 inches long, he's in the 50th percentile for his age. His head however, is in the 90th percentile! Ha ha...I guess we make smart kids or something! He is just now getting the hang of sleeping through the night! Yay! This is sweet, sweet music to my ears! He will sleep from 7pm until 6am. I've had two nights of solid sleep! The first time in over 9 months, and I'm so excited about it!

He's happier than ever, smiling and beginning to laugh. He is close to rolling over. It's amazing how fast they grow! The infant phase is already gone, and we've got a full-fledged baby on our hands! We love this little guy in our home!

3 MONTHS!

Calvin is almost 4 months old and I've never posted his 3 month pictures! It's been a little busy lately, I guess.

This is one of my favorite pictures because it says so much about how far we've come.

I have a photo of Brian sleeping with an infant on his chest with each one of my children. It usually occurs in the newborn phase when the baby will sleep anytime, anywhere in combination with us as parents getting no sleep and also wanting to catch a little shut-eye anytime we can. But since we missed all of that newborn cuddle time with Calvin from his colic and reflux (he spent most of his newborn phase incredibly unhappy and uncomfortable), he just never "drifted" to sleep, especially laying down with us. He always had to be held upright.

But here, at 3 months, he is such a different infant! He has calmed down so much! He has been our BEST baby to fall asleep in our arms, which I LOVE! We still don't have him sleeping through the night yet, but it's coming soon and I can't wait for that day! He is very happy and smiley these days. He loves attention and socializing! He loves to hear the sound of voices and get SO excited when he hears talking. He loves coming to Primary with me for that reason! The kids help out a lot when he is fussy, just by talkingto him. They fight over turns to get to talk to him while he swings or bounces. He loves the attention.

Although he's only pushing 12 or 13 pounds, I've had several people ask "Is he six months old?" when I say he's only 3, they are so surprised. "He's so big" and "He has such a strong neck" are some of the responses.  I don't think he's much bigger than my other babies at this age, but oh well! He sure is cute! He has found his fingers and loves to suck on them, just like Eli did!

Here's to 25 years...

.....of public school! AHHH! I can't believe this day has come. Here are a few shots of our first day of schoolers...

We figure that starting from this day on, Brian and I will have kids in public school for the next 25 years! Yikes! 25 years of first day of school routines, back-to-school blessings, summer vacations and all the ups and downs that come with the school system!

Jackson had a great start to his day. He got to meet his teacher on Monday night (Mrs. Godfrey) and was super excited to see his new classroom, the new playground and to start school!

Zoey was so excited to go to school! She asked about it all summer long and FINALLY started last Wednesday! She couldn't wait for August to come, but here we are! I'm surprised at how fast the summer went by. Brian snapped the first day of school pics, and if it weren't for a crying Calvin who needed my attention, I would have liked to capture the picture of him holding Zoey's hand as they walked to shcool that first day. Ahh, I guess I'll have to keep that in my memory....

A few favorites...

Thought I'd share some favorites I've come across lately. These are just a few 'staples' I make each week or so:

Spring Asparagus Puree:
1 bunch asparagus
3 handfuls baby spinach
2 cloves garlic
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Blanch asparagus for a couple of minutes then add to food processor with remaining ingredients and blend! Easy!
This is great used as a pesto over pasta, as a sauce for pizza, on a sandwich instead of mayo (I've used it on a morning breakfast roll with a wheat tortilla, eggs, avocado and tomatoes-very yummy!), it could also be swirled over soup.... Very versatile and tasty!

Granola Cereal:
4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup sunflower seeds/sesame seeds (I just put some of both in a 1/4 measuring cup)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (my husband hates coconut but loves this cereal, I use an unsweetened finely shredded coconut, although I'd prefer more of a flaked coconut myself)
1/2 cup brown sugar (optional, sometimes I just double the honey instead of using the sugar)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (or other oil of preference- coconut or sesame would work well here)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

mix dry ingredient in a bowl. mix wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. pour wet mixture into the dry and mix well. Spread over rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 300 for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally (i usually turn the sheet around and stir about every 20 minutes).

This will last us about 7-10 days, we go through it pretty quickly. It's great with soy or coconut milk and topped with your favorite fruits or yogurt.

Bread:This is a great bread recipe!! It makes about 4 loaves (although it says 6- I've only managed to make 4). We make it every other week, and my kids won't eat anything else!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dees-health-bread/

I make as directed EXCEPT I omit the lemon juice, use flax meal instead of the whole seed, and sub 1/2 cup old fashioned oats for the cracked wheat and sunflower seeds. Turns out great!

Garden Salsa: I know everyone has their own recipe and a favorite they like to use. I don't have an official recipe for mine, I just chop and taste and add more of this or that. I make it quite often and use it with eggs for huevos rancheros, in a tortilla for a veggie taco, in broth for tortilla soup, as a salsa dip...it's so versatile! my basic ingredients are: avocados, black beans (drained and rinsed), onion, peppers (any combo of red, green, jalapeño, etc. I love red pepper especially), corn, tomatoes, cilantro, limes, limes, limes, slat and pepper (i also will add cucumber sometimes). so yummy and my kids love it!

Veggie Stand

Last Tuesday, Jackson came to me and said, "Mom, I'm going to sell flower petals and rocks to people to make money and buy a toy." (It reminded me of when Jaran tried to sell me rocks) And Zoey chirped in and said, "And I'm going to sell Butter!"

I channelled their idea and help them come up with selling something that people might buy- like the whole flower, and cookies made with butter. Then we added veggies from our garden and WA-lah! They had a veggie stand! I guess summer isn't complete unless your kids try to sell something on the front lawn!  

 They made a whopping $24 and Jackson finished the day by saying, "I am overjoyed!" I think he like his enterprise, making money, working hard, and spending it all (except tithing, of course)!

That Friday, we went on an excursion to the Aquarium! It is always a big hit. They've added penguins and otters to the exhibit which were both really fun to watch. The kids were amazed!

Today is our nanny's (Audrey) last day of work. sniff, sniff. School starts next week and she and the older two kids will be heading back to school for the year. Summer over! I can't believe it. She really helped make the summer manageable. The kids and I counted all the things we did with Audrey and came up with a sizable list of things I wouldn't have been able to do without her. Some of them included the pool, library, aquarium, park, bike rides, doctor appointments, tree house at the mall, etc. She spent a lot of time reading books, playing, swinging, wiping bottoms, cleaning house, etc so that I could nap or run errands. She was such an amazing help and worth every penny! The kids had an awesome summer too.

We gave her a little going away party today, and here are some pictures of the fun we had on her last day:

This is where they would spend most of their time reading books, telling stories, and playing games. 

30 Day Challenge

We are just days away from finishing the 30 day vegetarian diet challenge. The kids never once asked "where's the meat?" I think I was able to get away with it because they are young enough, but had I implemented something like this among teenagers, I'm sure there would have been more griping :)

Here are a few things I've learned:

1) It's easy to be a vegetarian. You can eat pizza, fries, ice cream, cookies and cake all day long and still be a vegetarian. The challenge was feeding my family on a healthy "whole foods" diet. It was a great time of year to start because we got to enjoy tons fresh produce from our home garden.

2) Eating a vegetarian menu was great when we were eating at home, but more of a challenge when eating out. Restaurants just don't have a lot of veggie items that are also yummy...plus their veggies are usually under ripe and not very flavorful.

3) It's amazing what you don't miss. I never felt the craving to have a steak, or chicken. Not that I'm going to completely eliminate those items from my diet, but nice to know they don't have to be the main fare anymore.

4) I learned a TON about new foods. It opened a whole new world of food items I've never tried before. It was exciting to learn about these foods and how to cook with them. Although some things were removed from our grocery list for the month, so many more new foods were there to replace it, that i never felt we were missing out. Not all recipes were a success, but for the most part the kids enjoyed what I made.

4) For the first time in 5 years, since being pregnant and/or nursing, I've felt my hunger level maintain and regulate without going through huge dips of feeling starved, shaky, and sugar-low. I've also felt that my recovery period was quicker and my soreness level from working out and exercise was a lot less.

5) Making my own granola, granola bars, bread and healthy snacks is fulfilling to me. It's not too hard and the whole family enjoys them so much more than the store bought stuff. Plus it makes the kitchen smell good!

6) I challenged myself to pick a vegetable and prepare it in as many ways as possible. I chose a zucchini because we have it coming out our ears. Here is what we did:

Raw: Zucchini "pasta" salad. We loved the tomato, basil, garlic dressing and doubled it for the second time I made it.
 http://www.wholeliving.com/133487/zucchini-pasta?czone=eat-well/seasonal-foods/summer&center=136760&gallery=136699&slide=129181

Baked: Zucchini bread. This recipe came from the "Good to the grain" Cookbook (recommended!). There are a million different recipes of the same variation on zucchini bread. This was something I came across that was a new twist. It used rye flour and I LOVED it! The rye and zucchini flavors were like a match made in heaven! So good. Plus it didn't have a lot of spices that tried to hide the zucchini flavor, so it was a nice hearty blend. So good!

Sauteed, fried, grilled...we just did a ton of stir fry, risottos, savory bread puddings/casseroles, etc. They were all really good.

Other than zucchini, we made quinoa patties, stuffed squash, veggie tacos/quesadillas, different soups, gnocchi, salads, smoothies, just a ton of yummy food! It's been a great month in our kitchen!