One more week...

It seems a little surreal that this is most possibly the last week of my last pregnancy. In someways it seems actually exciting to think no more stretch marks, no more extremely uncomfortable sleepless nights, no more heartburn, no more swollen ankles, no more painful siatic nerves, no more backaches, etc, etc, etc. But also kind of sad...no more feeling a little baby inside you, hearing the first sounds of life through a doppler. I don't know if there is another sound like it. I have never been one to love being pregnant but I do love having babies. I love being a mom. I love to watch my children as they reach all the different milestones and try to figure out how the world works. It gives me goosebumps to sit and watch them tinker with different things and figure them out.

Soon my family of 5 will be a family of 6. It seems pretty perfect to me. I can't wait until we see our newest and probably last addition. Hopefully, with this being my last, time will slow down and I can really enjoy every moment of him growing up. I can hope, right?

I will post pictures of the new baby as soon as possible.

More Summer Fun!

NEWCASTLE
Allison and Abigail feeding the goats with Aunt Katey...

Austin learning how to ride the BIG 4-wheeler...

Allison learning to ride the "Little" 4-wheeler...

May the Force Be With You...Hey Mindy, I thought of you when I saw these pics...maybe it is not just a boy thing after all...Allie looks like a natural :)

Day at the Park

Look at my little Allie...she is such a dare devil...

John, Keith and Anne Marie

Stair Sliding

I was cleaning up our little toddler bed one day because Abigail and Allison are now sharing a bunk bed...I thought it would make a great "sled" to use on the stairs for the kids. It was! Even Chris tried it but he was too fast for the camera.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

I have decided to try something new. (I don't know what I am thinking starting a new goal right before my life gets turned upside down again...maybe it is due to the nesting stage...:) ) Some of you know that I try at least one new recipe every week. I love doing this because I figure if I have to cook everyday I might as well try and make it interesting for myself. I have been doing this now for the last couple of years and have learned so much about cooking. My kids have also become less picky because they are so used to trying new things. They even eat peppers, onions, all kinds of veggies...all the anti-kid food. (You can see the recipes my family likes the best here.)


Anyway, so I have been really obsessed with trying to get my year supply of food. I still have a long way to go but I decided that I was going to try at least one new recipe a month using just my long term food storage (wheat, rice, oats, powdered milk, etc.). I have over 1800lbs of wheat...AND NO WHEAT GRINDER! I know, kind of dumb...but I will get the grinder eventually. :) So I have heard of Blender Wheat Pancakes where you don't need a grinder, you just need a blender. I decided that would be the best recipe to try first.


Blender Wheat Pancakes (sorry no picture, I forgot to take one)

1 Cup Milk (translation for powdered milk is 3 T. Milk and 1 C. Water)1 Cup Wheat Kernels, whole & uncooked
2 Eggs (2 T. powdered eggs 1/4 C. Water) (I found my powdered eggs in the new preparedness section of Walmart in most Utah locations)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs. Oil
2 Tbs. Honey or Sugar


Put milk and wheat kernels in blender.Blend on highest speed for 4 or 5 minutes or until batter is smooth. Add eggs, oil, baking powder, salt and honey or sugar to above batter. Blend on low. Pour out batter into pancakes from the actual blender jar (only one thing to wash!) onto a hot greased or Pam prepared griddle or large frying pan.



VERDICT:
My family actually loved these pancakes. I doubled the batch for my family and it made about 14. The texture of the pancakes was dense and very cake like. The flavor wasn't very "wheaty" tasting and we actually ate less then usual because they were so filling. This recipe may actually replace our normal pancake recipe.

Kolob Reservior Camping Trip

I am not sure what I was thinking going camping at 38 weeks pregnant but I did. It was very exhausting but the kids had a blast, the food was great, the scenery was beautiful so who could ask for anything more. Here are the pics from the trip...

We brought so much stuff that our kids were literally packed into the van...



Beautiful Sunset!


The kids playing and getting DIRTY!!!

Fishing...

We took this picture of Chris because it looks like he is...well, use your imagination...:)

The kids were catching craw fish... but not many fish. :(




Worn out after being in the sun all day...

The best part of camping is the food....we love Dutch Oven!

Family and Friends!

Mesmerized by the campfire!

House project #000002

I was sitting in my room a couple of months ago and looking around at everything that had been packed in our room (the whole office went into our room after the flood) and started thinking, "Where are we going to put a crib." Umm...there was really NO WHERE to fit one. SO, as much as we REALLY wanted grass to keep the dust out of our house, we decided to finish another bedroom and bathroom downstairs.

Despite all the other commitments that Chris has and all the other people he helps he was still able to finish part of our basement. Once again, he is so AMAZING!!! He is the hardest worker I know!!

Finishing up some drywall around the windowsills.....



and the finish carpentry (base and casing)...

Austin and Allison helped putty the holes and did such a great job!

Austin was so excited to help paint his room...and me! :)


Uncle Keith and Chris going on a "painting mission."

This is Austin's VERY GREEN room. I let him pick the colors and he really wanted Green and Black...I nixed the black (maybe black decor). He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES it! I was a little worried that he might be lonely or scared in the basement by himself but he actually doesn't mind at all.

We finished the bathroom...

We finished the storage room and got rid of A LOT of junk! We actually love getting rid of stuff...however I couldn't part with any of my baby girl stuff...maybe next year.

Fourth of July!

I am a little late in posting these but here are the pics from the Fourth of July. We attended Chris's extended family reunion which is usually held on Chris's Grandpa's property so we didn't have to go far. The kids love getting to play with new cousins they have never met or seen much and the adults enjoyed getting to visit, play games and eat yummy food. After dinner we walked back to our house and watched the fireworks from our back yard....the city fireworks are let off just down the street from our house so we had an amazing view! How AWESOME is THAT?! The kids had been playing hard all day so they actually slept through about half of them. :( Here are some pics of our fun day!


Chris's grandparents have a big beautiful yard that is just heaven for the little kids...there is volleyball, tether ball, and 3 different playground areas with different swing sets, slides, tree swings, and sand piles. Plus a whole lot of grass to run around in. Plus don't forget the train rides!

Allison and Abigail were so tired from playing all day that they fell asleep riding the train together. I just love this pic!

Chris's family always has home-made root beer at Family Reunions!

Back at the house, we were able to wash up the babies and put them in their pajamas while waiting for the fireworks to begin! Did I mention how awesome it is that the fireworks are let off down the street from our house so we have front row seats without all the traffic and crowds!! My sister made this beautiful Fourth of July celebration cake!

Bryce Canyon

Last Friday we took my nephew and an old college friend of Chris's, who were both visiting, to Bryce Canyon. The weather was beautiful and the scenery amazing!

This is an overlook from Cedar Mountain to Zions....

Bryce Canyon