Saturday, December 20, 2008

so this is what we woke up to the other day in st. george!  Wow... we were so excited to see snow that actually stuck!  Some of you that live where it snows every winter are probably thinking big deal.. but it was serious business around here :)  they even cancelled school for the day :) Also i had NEVER made a snowman before so i thought it would be fun to play in the snow with maddie for a bit... i think it was most fun for me ... i even had a carrot nose on the snowman that got eaten soon after when maddie got hungry :)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008


This year i made some yummy gingerbread snowflakes... I wish i had a picture of the counter after i had made them because i had no less than a hundred cookies all frosted !  but here is what a few of them looked like... they are a martha stewart recipe and i have had many requests for the recipe so i thought i would just post it on the blog :)  

Gingerbread Snowflakes* 

-6 cups flour ( plus more for work surface)
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
-1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
-4 tsp ground ginger
-4 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
-1 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
-2 large eggs
-1 cup unsulphured mollasses
Royal icing (directions below)
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

1.  sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.
2. put butter and brown sugar in the  bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix med. speed until fluffy.  Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and mollasses.  reduce speed to low.  add flour mixture; mix until just combined.  divide into thirds and wrap each third in plastic.  refrigerate until cold, about an hour.  
3. preheat to 350*.  Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick.  cut out shapes.  i used a snowflake shape.  space 2 inches apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, about 15 min. 
4.  bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12-14 min.  let cool on wire racks.  
5.  after cookies are fully cooled, ice and let icing set at room temperature about an hour.... then you can package as you like :)

Royal icing

-1 lb powdered sugar
-5 tablespoons of meringue powder (can be found in cake decorating isle)

Mix sugar, powder, and 1/2 cup water .  mix on low for 7 min ... if icing to thick add water tiny bits at a time ( easy to add too much water!)  if too thin i just added more powdered sugar until it was not runny.  




Friday, December 12, 2008

The tree hunt

Shawn and I began a family tradition the first year we were married and that is to go and cut down our own christmas tree!  We look forward each year getting into our warm clothes and driving up the mountain with christmas music and hot chocolate to find the perfect tree.  this year we got a late start on going and by the time we got there we had no more light and we realized all we had was a tiny wind up flashlight :)  we were dead set on finding our tree still so we drove up one of the canyons in cedar slowly so our headlights could hopefully spot it.. i thought for sure our tree would be less than perfect this year, but luckily we found it in pretty good time and as usual i feel like our tree gets prettier every year!  It was a fun warner tree hunt this 2008!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

so here it is!  i am really happy with how it turned out ... shawn is the best handyman ever!  i love the walls and the paint, he did such a great job :)  I think maddie likes her new room too. She is transitioning into a big girl bed fairly good.  She gets in like an angel at night and at nap time, but it seems that each night she is finding her way into our bed a little earlier :) the first night was 7 am (what a cutie climbing into our bed).  the second night was at 6 (still cute but be quiet maddie it's still early for mommy). the third and fourth night has been at 2 am (NOT CUTE!  GO BACK TO SLEEP MADDIE)  so i have had to get her back into her bed and inch my way out for two nights now... love her, but i value my sleepy time :)  if anybody has any advice please speak up!  up next is Mia's room :)


Sunday, November 23, 2008

Maddie and I decided to come and visit grandma for an extra week before thanksgiving and we have been having way too much fun! We have been busy bees like usual and waking up early and going to bed late... there is just too much fun to be had :) The main reason why I wanted to come early was to do a little shopping for the new nursery... I told myself after making Maddie's bedding that I would never do it again.... and guess what? here i am making my bedding! i couldn't find the right bedding for the right price so i started looking at fabric... Bad Laura! Well 20 fabric stores later and i finally found the fabric i wanted at Target in the drapery section.... yes my baby's bedding is made out of curtains :) i would post pics, but i am on my moms computer and i haven't a clue how to work it!
On another note.... my husband is the best in the whole world and while i have been playing in california he has been coming home from work and re-doing maddie's room for me! what a guy! i requested white wainscoting on the walls and pink on the top half.... she is going in a big girls bed when i get home and so i am changing her room to match her new bedding. Well i will post all the fun pix when i get home or when i can get some help on the computer...

Monday, November 10, 2008

I am so proud of my Shawnie!  He has been running a lot this past year and has been signing up for a few races... he decided he wanted to push himself a little further and try a half marathon.  He did really good! he ran it in just less than 2 hours and took 164th place out of about 950!  Anyway here is the only picture we got.... i forgot my camera!  Way to go Shawn!

Friday, October 31, 2008


My brother and sister-in-law got maddie this car for her first birthday and it has been the biggest hit from day 1!  she has mastered the idea of the trunk.... all day long she is constantly taking her car from point A to point B unloading and re-organizing and then we start again.   i can literally watch her all day doing this because it is so funny how meticulous she is... and she won't just put anything in her car... she picks and chooses from all areas of the house her special items... here is just a random sample of what some of her most valued goods are :)




Here we are.... Halloween 2008!  The Flinstones :)   We had fun at our ward trunk-or-treat... we love our ward and neighborhood, we have such great friends and love that there is always something fun going on :)  We took maddie around to all the trunks for some candy and she had a blast! ... she loved running up to the car by herself and putting it carefully in her treat bag... but she did NOT want anything to do with the scary trunks or costumes :)  cute girl! 


Sunday, October 26, 2008

Halloween fun!

We had a fun Halloween party at our good friends the Jensens house.  We ate goodies, carved pumkins, and the kids got to play :)   here are a few pictures to satisfy my cute mom that keeps reminding me to update my boring blog:)Love you!
 
Andrew and Shawn cleaning up the pumpkin carving mess.... what good little husbands :)

Addie and Maddie just love each other!  Addie is giving Maddie a big smoocher :)


Here are all the kids with the finished product... they didn't do much of the work but they lokk much cuter posing by them than we would have :)  

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Family Fun!

We decided to take a family trip to the grand canyon.  We wanted to do a little camping, hiking, and spend some time with my parents.  Look at my happy little camper!

I was so surprised one day when Maddie just plopped down on this mattress and said "night night" and then didn't move.... we must have just worn her out!   what a doll, she got her best nap on the whole trip outside in our campground :)

Maddie loves her daddy and was spoiled the whole trip getting to spend every second with him!  where ever daddy went Maddie was sure to follow.  
Shawn and my dad went on a hike while we were there.  They did a hike that is considered one of 10 of the most dangerous hikes in America... they even started hiking at 2:00 in the morning to beat the heat of the hike coming back up the grand canyon! Wow! 

Maddie already has a shoe fettish!  she was having a ball dancing and jumping around in these cute boots.... 


For those of you who don't know, i kinda have a thing for the claw... i go in wal-mart and if i have a quarter or ten handy you better believe it is all going to the claw.  So when i saw this claw machine at New York New York in vegas i had to try it.... so sad i lost (like most of the time), but it was sure a thrill :)


Thursday, September 4, 2008

It's a Girl!

I got my ultrasound and It's a girl!  so i guess Maddie is going to have a baby sister.  Yay!   i have to admit i was still hoping for a boy.... when we were watching the monitor i thought i saw a pee pee but she surely proved me wrong :(   i had been looking at so many cute boy things kinda getting my hopes up.. so serves me right huh?.... i better go shopping today and look at all the cute girl stuff to get me pumped .... i really am excited though.  i hear having a sister is the BEST.. and i can only imagine how much fun the two of them will have :)  oh and another thing... the Dr's prediction of my due date was wrong, and NO not towards the direction that i would like.... he was three weeks off!  i am now back to 15 weeks.... bummer i thought i had a good reason for this belly!  

Monday, August 18, 2008

I finally went to the doctors and he checked me.... he said right away that he thought i felt about 15 weeks,  yay!  Then we heard the heartbeat (so fun) ,and now a little more waiting.  i have an ultrasound to find out how far along i am for sure.  September 3, and hopefully i will be able to find out if it's a boy or girl too!   i have come to the conclusion that i really don't care what it is because if it's a girl then Maddie will have a little sister to pal around with, and if it's a boy then the pressure is off to get my little shawnie that i want so badly .... so either way i'm a happy camper :)   i'll update again after the ultrasound :)

Friday, August 15, 2008

We have had so much fun these past two weeks!  Every year my mom and I get together for about two weeks and PLAY!  we do everything we want to do and nothing that we have to :)  This year we shopped like always, went to the beach twice, got a babysitter and went to the spa, fed the ducks, got a pedi, ate out everyday, sewed, laughed and played games!   My mom is my best friend and we have too much fun when we are together :)  I also felt like Maddie grew alot on this trip.  She talks quite a bit more and loves to make all her animal sounds... especially her elephant sound .  Anyway that is what we've been up to in a nutshell.... here are a few fun pix!


Beach day #1.... maddie ate handfuls of sand.... YUCK!

Beach day #2.... she is saying "cheese" .... one of her many new words.

popcorn party :)

Feeding the ducks.... she loved it! 

worn out from yet another day of shopping!

talking to daddy while playing at potterybarn kids :)  that is the best store to let your kids rome around in!

She loves the carousel.... we went to a couple different malls that had one and what a cheap thrill for such a cutie!


Just the first day of loot :)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

We went camping this weekend with some friends and were very excited to get out of the heat in st. george.  It rained on us the whole time ... but we couldn't help but just enjoy the refreshing cool air (even if it meant a little water too:)  Maddie and her friend Addie had tons of fun making a huge mess in the dirt, playing with Rue (our friends dog), and running around to have us chase them.  It may not have been the most relaxing vacation ever, but it was just what we needed to get away for a couple days :)




Saturday, July 12, 2008

We have a...


BUN IN THE OVEN!   i was trying my best to keep it a secret until i go to the doctors but you know how that goes.... it never works :)  anyway i am anywhere between 8 weeks and 12 weeks and i haven't a clue.  i am dying to go to the doctors to find out what he thinks, but we are just waiting on some health insurance things .... i will update when i find out more! (and yes the ribbon is hopeful thinking :)

Friday, July 11, 2008

Howdy!


nothing more to say other than we have a little cowgirl in the making :)

Monday, July 7, 2008

We had a really fun fourth of July this year just the 3 of us (plus puppies:) ... We first went to the splash park with maddie and played and ate lunch.  then we went over to the city park where there were some fun festivities.  After we were dying from the heat we went home to take naps (and yes the whole family participated in this event!) then we had a little BBQ.... and follwed that up with some swimming at the pool.  



After our fun full day we had our amazing boxed up fire work show :)  What a fun day!
Look at those wicked fireworks... watch out, they're crazy :)

I earned it!


Two weeks are over!  it was tough at first and then I was good :)  i do have to admit shawn gave me a freebie once... but i only had a few sips.  And now i have fifty bucks and tonight is the Bachelorette Finale and it is perfect timing for my sweet treat! 

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

So Shawn thinks I'm addicted to diet coke and i told him "okay and your point is?".... so he challenged me to stop drinking diet coke for 2 weeks and if i do it he will give me 50 bucks.  At first i thought I'd rather have the coke.. but then i thought it might be a good personal challenge, what can it hurt right?  Well it's day two and I'm already blogging about my experience because i am craving that beautiful bubbly drink :)  (i know what you're thinking, but there are much worse addictions so give me a break)...  well we will see if i can make it !

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Maddie got a haircut and as you can see she is quite pleased with it :)


This is my feminine little girl.  I teach her the finer ways of life :)

Random Mix ...

My parents came to visit with us for a few days.  I thought it would be fun to go on a hike in Snow Canyon... Maddie fell asleep and her head was bobbling all over the place.  We felt bad that she didn't have a more comfortable nap, but at least it made for a good picture :)

Maddie's new favorite pass time is getting into the cabinets under my sink... It's a super fun game of "peek-a-boo" .... i think she totally looks like shawns baby pictures here!


we went to Texas road house for dinner and Maddie does really good to stay clean when i am feeding her, but when shawn get his hands on her it's all over! she had BBQ sauce everywhere! and what was even better is that he thought it was a good idea to just take off all of her clothes in the restaraunt.... our child looked homeless!