Nine Candles!

My Zoe Pay had her ninth birthday today. We spent a good portion of the day driving home so it wasn't quite the birthday she wanted but she is a good sport. She still got cake and ice cream and presents. She is a joy to our family and I love her very much!

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Zoe picked the colors on her cake, half green and half blue. Marci decorated it. It was so cute. Zoe loved it!
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Zoe is a very enthusiastic present opener. It was fun to see her get so excited for every present.
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She LOVED everything she got. This was one of her favorites! Thanks for all the great gifts!
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New Blog!

We are really enjoy the great weather in Califonia and having lots of fun with family and friends! I haven't figured out how to down load pictures to this computer yet so I can't do a wedding blog yet. But Jordan and Michelle's wedding was wonnderful. Michelle looked gorgeous. The day was perfect. I will put the pictures up as soon as I can. Until then here is a fun post!

I love this blog! This lady uses her crock pot everyday. She had lots of fun and yummy recipes. We tried this one and it was so good. We will make it again.

CrockPot Sweet and Sour Chicken with Mango Lettuce Wraps

–1 1/2 lbs frozen, skinless breast pieces (I used 3 humongous breast halves)
–10 oz jar mango jam (I couldn't find mango, and used apricot-orange. It was great)
–3 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are GF)
–1 T sesame oil
–2 chopped garlic cloves
–1 tsp. chili paste (usually found in the ethnic aisle, but you could use red chili flakes)
–1 inch peeled and grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground)
–2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
–1/2 red onion, chopped
–2 whole jalapeno peppers (do NOT cut, just toss in whole)
–1/2 tsp salt
–1/4 tsp black pepper

to add later:
–2 mangoes, peeled and chopped (if you can't find fresh mango, use frozen)
–romaine lettuce leaves
–2 limes
–2 T sesame seeds

The Directions.

I used a 6.5 quart eLume crockpot.

Put the frozen chicken in. Add the jam, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili paste. Chop the garlic, onion, and cucumber. Add that too.
Add spices and ginger. Toss in the whole jalapeno peppers.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-5. The meat is done when it shreds easily with a fork.

Cut the mango now while the kitchen is already dirty and put it in atupperware for later.

When fully cooked, shred the meat with two large forks, and serve 1/2 cup at a time on large romaine lettuce leaves. Add cubed mango, a squeeze of lime, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.


This is a fun site. Enjoy!
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/chicken

And have a Happy New Year!!

Fancy Hair

I have been practicing fancy hair dos for the wedding. Here is a possibility.

This is the top.

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This is the bottom.
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And a side view!
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This took a long time and Kalixta was a great help. She was so still and patient. So what do you think?

Christmas

We had a great Christmas!

This is before!
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And After!
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Here's all the kids and their bounty except Ammon. Poor boy I forgot to get a picture of him until everything was put away! He was really excited about his awesome plane!
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An hour or so after we finished Britain asked, "So is it time to go to California now?" She is excited to see everyone she misses so much!

Merry Christmas!

Oops! I forgot to post this cute video. 

We had two sets of carolers come to our house and sing. Then Britain and Kalixta in their school classes went caroling to houses near their school. They sang a song to me on the door step and they were the cutest carolers we had!

The Reason for the Season!

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Merry Christmas!

Christmas Pajamas

The kids get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. It is their Christmas pajamas! They all look so cute!

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Thanks Grandma!!

The 12 Days of Christmas

We count down the 12 days of Christmas with presents. Each present is some sort of yummy treat with a scripture on it. The scripture represents a gift that  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have given us. The kids take turns picking a present. We read the scripture and the kids guess what the gift is. We have a little discussion about each gift. So far we have talked about the creation, agency, prayer, opposition, charity, scriptures, revelation, prophets, the Holy Ghost, immortality, and exaltation. Tomorrow we will talk about Christ's atonement. I enjoy taking this time with my kids to remember all that we have been given. This list barely scratches the surface of the blessing I enjoy in my life. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, who knows me!

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This is a tradition that I can't do without. It will always be an important part of my Christmas!

2 Months!

It is hard to believe Tori is two months. The time has flown by. The last three months of pregnancy last forever and then the first few months with a baby fly. Tori is fussier than I remember the other kids being. She likes to be awake in the evening and if she's awake she wants to be held. I don't mind to much. I love holding her little squishy body.

She has been smiling for a week or two and is cooing and talking. They kids try to make her smile and then lit up when she does! Ammon is the best so far at making her smile. 
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Christmas Programs

Both Nik and Zoe had Christmas programs this week. Nik had one Tuesday night in which he played the Saxophone.

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This is the group of sixth grade students he plays with.
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Zoe had a play today. It was very entertaining. She got to choose which stuffed animal she wanted to dress like. She picked a pig and made her costume all by herself. Here she is with her other stuff animal friends, many of them are her close friends.
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She did a little dance routine. This is the end of it. Her tail was falling apart so she is holding it. 
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Her line in the play came after her routine. She said, "No one can make you feel bad without your consent." She did a great job! They sang lots of songs and she knew the words to all of them.
Here is her routine!