Good Food - Good Company - Good Time

Pizza for everyone!! Our neighbors and us decided to order pizza and eat on the lawn!! The kids were so happy we didn't have to interrupt their play time. I love my neighbors!
Go Cougars!!
(That has nothing to do with anything I just thought I'd add it.)

Salsa!

Break out the tomatoes and peppers, Andrea and I made Salsa!! Dave and I grew two tomato plants in the backyard (Early Girl-Gavin's favorite and some other variety) and I probably had between 60-75 tomatoes. We started out with a recipe from my BHG cookbook but it soon came to be our very own. We chopped and diced and cooked and don't forget the rubber gloves when you're cutting up the jalapenos, Andrea's eyes and throat were a lot stronger than mine. After cutting 2 Jalapenos I was tearing up bad but it didn't seem to bother Andrea-go girl. So here's our original recipe, some pics and other happenings during the salsa making. Eventful.

Thanks Andrea, making salsa was a lot of fun lets do it again next year!

YUMMY CHUNKY SALSA
12 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 cups yellow onions chopped
10 Anaheim chili peppers seeded and chopped
2 green bell peppers seeded and chopped
3-4 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped *with rubber gloves on*
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cilantro, divided
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1. Blanch, core, peel, seed, and coarsely chop tomatoes. Place tomatoes in large colander. Let drain.

2.Place drained tomatoes in an stock pot. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer while adding onions, chili peppers, bell peppers, 1/4 cup cilantro, garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper. Andrea and I would get onions chopped and add them, chilies and peppers chopped and add, etc (we did not add all the ingredients at once). At when it had simmered for approximately 2 hours we tasted it and decided it needed more salt, sugar, and another 1/4 cup cilantro the values given were approximately what we added total.

Here is what the kids were up to when the salsa was being made!

Happy Birthday Noah!!

It was Noah's 5th Birthday and we decided to surprise him with a "Lego-Dragon" party. On that day Dave, Gavin and Noah went to Gavin's soccer game and I decorated and finished the party prep. When they got home Gavin and Dave hurried in the house and when Noah came in we all yelled, "Surprise!! Happy Birthday!" Here are some pics from the party!!

Noah's Top 5:
5.Holds "it" till the last possible second.
4.Chocolate Haystacks -if he has snack for FHE this is what he wants to make!
3.Gavin -Noah's favorite person in the world.
2.Creativity -Noah can come up with the most amazing and original ideas
1.Mommy's hair -he asks me every night if we can snuggle so he can hold and play with my hair.

Happy Birthday Noah!! We love you.

First Day of School

Here it comes again..... the First Day of School!!! They were so excited. They both started on the same day. Dave wanted them to wear something a little nicer on the first day but I wanted them to pick it out and feel comfortable so this is what they chose, Noah in the Army getup and Gavin in the free t-shirt and shark shorts:SWEET- and they look awesome!!

Poor Autumn doesn't know what is going on!!

Sporting the backpacks -oh yeah!!!

Still not quite sure what is going on, she knows her brothers are excited for some reason.

This is the cookie Noah made on his first day. He carried that thing around for and hour before he finally bit the head off and then eventually his arms and legs. He loved making a cookie. He had a first good day he told me the first rule he learned was, "No eating the teacher!" And then he started giggling. :)

This is Gavin in front of his class room. I asked him how his first day was and would it be anything but, "It was sooooo awesome!!!" Just like that. Happy 1st Day of School Gavin and Noah!!

Ten Years!!

For our 10th Anniversary we dropped our kids off at "Gramas House" (actually her work but that's what the kids say) and Dave and I took off to the Beach at Seaside, OR. It was so great, so relaxing and fun just to be with Dave and no little interruptions. The first thing we did when we got to our bed and breakfast was take a nap. The sea food was awesome and so was the weather (ok, a little foggy but it was still great because we were kidless!) I love Seaside, all the shopping and elephant ears-yummy!

We picked Black Berries- they grow everywhere in Oregon. The kids ate more than they got in their buckets and also learned the art of black berry 'pickin' gotta dodge the thorns!!

Twin Falls, Idaho Temple Tour

So I decided to meet my sister and her kids at the Twin falls temple for the open house back in August. Ah.... note to self: don't go to temple open house with cousins that are 7 and under and really excited to see each other. It starts off nice, "be reverent please, remember where you are" and then it ended up as, "Autumn get off the alter!!" Great experience won't do that again. We had a fun day afterward at Shoshone Falls. Abby and Lexi you guys are seriously the best baby sittin-helpers ever!! Mari is not going to have to lift a finger when her baby comes!

These two...These two are inseparable when together, ya just know they were buddies before this life time!

The guy who took this picture forgot one very important person........... Moroni!!


This temple was absolutely beautiful, inside and out. Look at these cute cousins!!

This is Shoshone Falls-gorgeous!!

Lexi, Abby and Autumn berry pickin!

Family Pics

We had family pictures taken and my friend, Dana, took them. I was so pleased at how they turned out. Dana has a great eye for photography she did and awesome job and it was fun too!!

I love this hat of Autumn's. It is the only reason I want fall to come - so she can wear it.

Here are some more!!


This is my favorite picture. It just happened that the kids were playing on the gate and Dana had a great eye for how to take it !! Cute huh!!

We finally got family pictures taken, WAHOO!! My friend, Dana, did it from our ward. She did a great job. Here are some of my faves: