Pictures are a little backwards- Brooklon and Tia having their own fun after the party was done.

Tia.

Being silly together.

The whole group of friends - minus one girl that had to leave a little early.

(this is a long blog. Make sure you go all the way to the end even if there is a space. I'm not sure of how to get rid of the gaps)

Brooklon's 12 year old birthday
The Amazing Race!
Challenge #1 (We went to the DI) You have $2.00 and 10 minutes to find and accessory that will be used in another challenge. Don't be late and work together or you may get a penalty challenge.

(The girls each got an invitation saying either to wear as much green as you can or as much pink as you can. The colors determined the team you were put on. This is the GREEN TEAM!) Emerie, Jessica, Becka, Rebecca, and Marissa.

*The pink team got a penalty for running late so they had to run outside and write on the sidewalk with chalk a happy birthday sign.

Challenge#2 Take your shoes off and gather in a circle on the floor for a round of "Musical Nail Polish". Make sure every person on your team has at least 1 pink nail and 1 green nail. Good Luck!

Challenge #3 How is your dress making skills? I guess we'll see. Make a dress out of paper on one of your team mates. The dress must be wearable, modest, and as decorative as possible. You will be judged.

* This is where the accessory from the D.I. had to be used.
Challenge #4 was to put together a puzzle of either Justin Beiber or Jacob Black.- We used large posters of them glued to poster board.

Challenge#5 Was a Detour . They had to find as a team 1 balloon with a dog, 1 balloon with a hamster, 1 balloon with a cow, 1 balloon with a pig, etc.. out of many and pop them.

Challenge 6- decorate a cake for Brooklons birthday. Work together as a team. The pink team and their cake.

(Kirra, Cassidy, Kennedy, Brooklon, Maron, and Tia)

Finding their animal balloons.

Cassidy modeling her paper gown.

Becka getting her dress put together with helpers.

Pink team putting their dress together.

Green team putting together their dress.

Pink team trying to decide what accessory to buy.

Green team trying to find what accessory to buy.

We planned the party for 3 hours. I thought maybe I had too much for them to do and worried if we would make it time wise. Wellllll .......they were speedy and finished everything in about an hour. (Not Cool!) so we played "What if"- a game they learned at Clear Creek- and Curses. We then jumped on the tramp and dug up an old game of pin the tail on the donkey. PHew!!! And one Mom and Dad opted to not pick one girl up until 2 1/2 hours late.:) Very cute girl though. Her (Tia) and Brooklon sewed with Brooklons new "Birthday" sewing machine. All in all they had a fun time. Brooklon has a cute bunch of good friends. Happy Birthday Brook.

Green teams finished product.

I'm not sure what's with the crazy face. He is definitely a face maker. He keeps us in stitches. -Gavon making a Christmas ornament.

Isn't he handsome! My camera wasn't working for awhile so we lost out on pictures of all our doings. I'm glad we are back in business. We made salt dough the other day for Maron's state of Utah map and we ended up with extra. With the extra we decided to make some Christmas ornaments. While listening to Christmas music. We are all getting so excited for Christmas. It's fun watching Gavon this year. He is so excited. Jordon and Gavon have been making lists of all the things they "need" :). I think they just repeat the same list over and over. Both Gavon and Joe are into cowboy everything. We'll have to see:)

With all of the hard work and exercise I have done lately I'm proud to say I am down 1o lbs. Yeah! I'm hoping for another 10 by Christmas. I actually feel better. No meat, more fruits and veggies, very few sugary treats, and exercise. Tonight's meal is a meatless meal that I happened to stumble upon. I haven't tried it but the girl I got it from loved it so I thought we would give it a try.

Spinoccoli Pizza
Ingredients:

For the white sauce:

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour

¾ cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1 clove garlic, smashed

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese



For the pizza:

Pizza dough

Olive oil, for brushing

½ cup packed baby spinach leaves, torn

1 cup very small broccoli florets

2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Grated Parmesan



Directions:

To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until bubbling and light golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the heavy cream and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and whisk in the grated Parmesan until completely melted and smooth. Discard the garlic clove. (Note: This will make a bit more sauce than you need for the pizza, but with a little extra cheese it makes a great dipping sauce for crust.)



To make the pizza, preheat the oven and a pizza stone at 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round. Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of the white sauce over the crust, leaving a border clear around the edge for the crust. Sprinkle the torn spinach leaves over the white sauce. Evenly distribute the broccoli florets over the dough. Layer evenly with the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Finish with additional grated Parmesan, if desired. Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Yesterday was a little crazy so for dinner we just had homemade bean and cheese burritos. They are quick and easy. We just buy a huge bag of pinto beans and pressure cook them into jars and make our own re fried beans. We sometimes add garlic, taco seasoning, small amounts of cheese, and maybe some veggies.

Today for dinner we are going to have a tried, true, healthy, and loved recipe. Try it and you will see. Quinoa Taco Salad-We pretty much follow the recipe to the t except we don't add so many bell peppers. Maybe a little red. I also don't usually add salt to anything. I 'm not a huge salt fan. I seem to think everything tastes salty whether it's been salted of not.We use spinach and lettuce. And I don't chill it. We eat it warm on top of the salad like I think taco salads are suppose to be.:)


•1 cup quinoa
•1 red onion, chopped
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•half a red bell pepper, chopped
•half a green bell pepper, chopped
•half a yellow bell pepper, chopped
•1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
•1/2 teaspoon oregano
•1-2 teaspoons chili powder, depending heat preferences
•dash cayenne pepper
•1 -15 ounce can black beans, drained
•3/4 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
•2 limes
•salt and pepper, to taste
•6-8 ounces baby spinach
•1 bunch cilantro
•1/3 cup cheddar or feta cheese
•1 avocado, diced
Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, swirl a bit of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and peppers and saute an additional 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill.

Roughly cut baby spinach into strips like you would shred iceberg lettuce for tacos. Remove about 1 cup of cilantro leaves from the bunch, rinse and pat dry, and toss with the spinach. Divide spinach and cilantro mixture evenly among 4 salad plates. Top each plate with a scoop of the quinoa salad. Top each salad with your choice of cheese and diced avocado. Cut the remaining lime into slices to garnish the plates.

I thought maybe we would try this blog thing again for a couple of reasons. I will just share one of those reasons now. One of the reasons is I think blogs help you keep your goals. I think when you write your goals down you/and others help to keep them. One of my goals is we are trying to change our eating habits . Not that we really eat bad, just that we want to eat better. Something that has always somewhat plagued my mind is D&C 89:12. Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;. It's that last word "Sparingly". Now I'm not saying what anyone else should think this word mean to them at all. To me I feel like it means sparingly. Not to eat a lot of meat all the time. My Merriam Webster Dictionary definition says- Sparingly= to use frugally or rarely. We are not becoming vegetarians! We are just cutting back. More fruits and veggies. Less sugary and processed things (not that we really eat a lot of processed things). I will try and share my favorite recipes with you. I have some really yummy meatless dishes. I hope you will enjoy and maybe try some. Now after enduring all of that I will treat you to some sweet pictures. (I'm sorry they are backwards. I'm having to re-learn how to do this)

Landon dressed as the Mad Hatter this year. I think he looked awesome. I guess no one at school recognized him. He got first place in the costume contest and his picture taken several times with others and for the year book.

Madison dressed as a flapper. (She sewed this get up all by herself. Didn't she do a great job).

Jenson - G.I. Joe. Jordon- settled on The Hulk (He changed his mind several times). Gavon- Spider Man. Trenton- Cowboy. Brooklon- Cheerleader. Maron- Cute Witch ( I found a cute skirt tutorial and made her skirt. I will make this pattern again)

The younger kids school did a fun run and we all participated.

Sorry it is sideways but that's Brooklon.

Landon and his scout group ran in a 10k race called "The Dirty Dash". It was a beautiful day in a beautiful place -Soldier Hollow. We went to watch as a family and support Landon. He did an awesome job.

Well there you go. Life is busy. We will try this again.

Christian is working hard at work. He helps a ton with all of the many activities that goes on at our house as well as helping with the 12 year old scouts.

Me...I'm trying to exercise to help combat stress and maybe lose a little weight. I still teach Relief Society. I've decided I'm not a teacher. I have learned a lot though about the gospel and am thankful. There is always homework assignments/projects/activities etc... going on and now I'm going to try and change our eating:). Call me crazy because sometimes that is how I feel.

Madison- Besides going to school she volunteers at a developmental center. She has decided to go to nursing school. I am so proud of her. She never ceases to amaze me with her kindness and compassion. I think she is amazing to me. Amazing!

Landon- Just finished football. He was able to play a few different positions and did a great job. We really enjoy watching him play. He is a straight A student and has a lot of friends who invite him to everything.

Trenton - has just started wrestling again and we look forward to watching him at the meets.

Brooklons last day in primary was today and she is soooo excited to go to young women. She is doing great in school and absolutely loves her teacher. She has lots of friends and is looking forward to her 12th birthday party.

Maron is the smartest 4th grader. Her teacher has to keep giving her extra work to keep her and me:) busier:)

Jenson is in love with reading. He wants to read, read, and read some more. He loves going to school and is doing great.

Jordon loves to do anything to do with school. He loves horses, cowboys, and playing outside. He wants it to snow so bad so he can play in the snow and build snow men. It snowed early on and we built a snow man then and he loved it so much he wants to do it again and again.

Gavon is the baby here and I think he knows it. He is so sweet. I love to hold him. He also loves to be read to as often as possible. He also loves horses and anything cowboy.

A very happy Mothers Day.

I feel spoiled. I have the best family. They really have done a wonderful job of making me feel special. My sweetheart and kids have made Mothers Day so nice. I feel grateful and blessed to be a mother to the best group ever. I couldn't ask for better kids or husband. Yesterday the girls pampered me with a foot massage. They secretly plotted and planned a spa day at home. My feet were massaged and painted after soaking in a foot bath. While being massaged they gave me a homemade smoothie and favorite treats to enjoy while watching a fun movie together. My feet haven't felt or looked this nice for a long time. Today Christian made a nice dinner. He made barbecue chicken salad (YUM). Jordon worked hard on making a delicious chocolate cake to put in my new glass cake plate that Christian gave me. At church they usually have the primary children sing a mothers day song but today for some reason they didn't sing. Jenson was pretty upset about it so at dinner he sang to me mother I love you. It was beautiful. Lots of pictures, flowers and homemade gifts. Tomorrow I'm going to a "Mothers Day" banana split party with my favorite six year old. Jenson made a beautiful plate that he will give to me tomorrow. I love my family and am thankful for all they do for me.

This last week was a busy one.

This last week was a busy one.

Going backwards starting with Saturday: Saturday was Brooklons soccer game. Brooklon is an awesome goalie. She was able to stop many a ball from going into the goal. This game was very exciting. The girls on the team have come so far. They play a mean game of soccer. (Mean meaning it is very exciting to watch not that they elbow, kick, and push).

Friday after taking everyone to school Jordon, Gavon, and I spotted an owl in the road with a broken wing. We called the animal rescue team (Christian) and he helped us get him out of the road and home. We were able to call around and find out that the Wild Life Preserve wanted to help nurse it back to health. We took it to the Animal Shelter (after everyone came home to see the owl) where they would take it to the Wild Life Preserve in Springville. It was fun to see an owl up close.
Wednesday we were able to go as a family to see Brooklon perform in The Hope Of America program at B.Y.U. I thought it was amazing. I was thankful we were able to go. It was amazing.

They turned out the lights for part of the program and the kids in the program sang while waving a flash light. It was awesome.

There were a lot of dancers.

This was a 93 year old woman who danced in a group of ladies who were 50 and older. At the end of their dance she did the splits. I thought it was great that they formed this group to dance/stay young and in shape.

The 50 and older dance group.(I can't remember the name of their group.)They seemed like they were having fun.

All of the kids wore different colored shirts to form the flag.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were dentist day. Everyone has clean teeth and only one had cavities. I won't say who;)

Also on Friday Jenson had to teach his class something he could do. He decided to teach them how to do a handstand which he did quite well I might add. (I didn't get a picture though).

On Tuesday the girls and cousins baked cakes in a canning jar in the oven. (I didn't get a picture of that either) I found a recipe and thought that would be a fun activity. I think they enjoyed making it and especially eating it.

On Monday we did family home evening on testimonies. It was kind of fun. We found a game where you have cards with words like -priesthood, Joseph Smith, faith, personal progress, prophets, etc... etc... Everyone took turns drawing a paper out of a bag and then standing up in front of everyone and telling us what they know about this word and what it means to them. It was fun and gave everyone a chance to stand in front of others like you would in testimony meeting and basically share your testimony on the word. It made you think a little about what you thought about each. It was fun. We then wrote our testimonies down on paper to put in our books of remembrance/journal.

All in all it was busy but fun. Thanks for reading. Love Amber

Brooklon is a winner!

Brooklon is a winner!

Brooklon wrote an essay and won $20.00.

At school Brooklon's class was asked to write an essay on "My Grandparent is My Hero Because" and Brooklon and a couple of classmates followed through. Brooklon and the classmates all won money. We are so proud of Brooklon for following through and doing a great job.

We put them to work early around here:)

We put them to work early around here.:) Actually my little boys jump at the chance to work with me. I love it and they love it. Sometimes it takes me a little longer to get things done but I don't mind. You have to enjoy every minute because it goes way too fast. Enjoy!

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.

See my new beach cruiser or American Fork cruiser? Me and the three musketeers have been enjoying the weather while riding our bikes together. We just hook the stroller on the back of my bike (where Gavon sits) and away we go. Maron and I have taken a few trips out and around too. I love the one on one time we have been able to spend together.

They turn from boys to men fast around here. Notice anything? It's not peach fuzz and it's not a caterpillar. MUSTACHES! (We went to the movies last week as a family and in one of the vending/gum ball machines they sold mustaches. -What will they think of next-don't ask)My boys thought this was the funnest/coolest/silliest things ever and enjoy hours of fun. They would wear these mustaches everywhere to see if anyone would notice. I love how they can keep me in stitches laughing. A good laugh is good!

I LOVE MY MAN CHILD'S!