Would this be considered a convertable?

I have to give props to Steve for slowing the car down enough to get these shots. He was willing to sacrifice making "good time" and beating the ETA on the GPS to allow me to take these. He was trying to scare me into not taking them by telling me that they probably had a gun, but I was willing to take my chances.

Twelve Terrific Travel Tips

(Warning: Obscene amounts of family pictures to follow!)

1. Decide that you are going to go on a trip at least a few days in advance. Talking about “maybe” going does not count. However, spontaneous trip preparation can happen. I found that it is possible to decide you are going to Utah, clean and vacuum the car out, do 2 loads of laundry, pack up the whole family, and clean the kitchen (just in case someone breaks in, you want a clean house) within 3 hours.

2. Give your friends who you hope to stay with more than an hour notice. (Sorry Jennings, you know we only did that because we love you, and we know you love us.)

3. Make sure the uncle you are visiting in Ogden lives 2 doors down from a petting zoo to maximize toddler (okay, and adult) enjoyment.

4. Plan on gaining a few pounds from the s’mores being made in the backyard.

5. Put your shoes on and take a walk with your Uncle and Dad.

6. Run around and act happy until you have a rainbows coming out your butt.

7. Make sure the hotel you are staying at has the ever-so-popular kiddy ride , “The Luggage Cart.”

8. Take time to throw down a blanket and relax in the grass. Little boys can have fun searching for caterpillars and you can have a nice time lounging with the baby while the clouds roll by.

9. Make sure you pack the proper hair product for every weather condition.

10. Plan on gaining another pound or so at the Pizza Factory. If you happen to come across an arcade, stop and visit. Little boys love it and parents will get nostalgic over a quick game of skee-ball.

11. You will need more than 30 minutes at Temple Square to get some family pictures. Actually, we found that you end up not taking an entire family photo when the baby is in the stroller and you are trying to keep your son from drinking the fountain water. However, you can get good shots of one or two of you at a time, just plan on learning how to use photo-shop.

***Bonus Tip: Give the three-year old enough notice when it is time to go. This will help you avoid meltdowns that make the mom look awful.

12. Break up the drive with frequent stops to see the sights, have a laugh and eat ice cream.

My Morning Coffee

Here is the scene:
It’s 8:00 am, a nice cloudy day. I’m laying in my bed, totally out of it.

Thomas: (yelling from his room) MOM! MOM!

I'm trying to come to, you know the feeling…Oh crap, he’s awake. He was supposed to sleep in…I mean I love waking up to the sound of him yelling in the morning.

Thomas: MOM! Hurry!

I run down the hallway, I guess it was more of a stumble. My eyes are slit open and I am hoping I don’t trip and fall over the banister. I open the door…

Me: What‘s wrong?
Thomas: Mom, my tummy and back hurts!

I go over to the bedside to lovingly caress his tummy

Me: Oh, I’m sorry you don’t feel well.
Thomas: Mom, it hurts because there is a baby in my tummy.

I have a call into one of the producers from Oprah. I am assuming they are going to book us sometime in the fall after the morning sickness passes. I‘ll keep you posted.

C is for Cookies

Last night I made chocolate chip cookies to take to a ward BBQ. I saved about a dozen for us because I knew I was going to need breakfast this morning, and Steve was on a quick business trip yesterday so I wanted to have a treat for him when he got home late last night.

We got home from the BBQ and Thomas went into the kitchen to grab a cookie. I didn't think anything of it and let him enjoy it. While he was eating it he told me he was going to eat them all up and put them all in his stomach. I said, "really" with a hint of sarcasm and went about my business getting baths ready. I came back into the kitchen to find him standing on the chair next to the cooling rack doing exactly what he said. You would think I would have learned by now to take this kid seriously.

Just so you know, I didn't let him eat them all. I'm not that stupid!

Here is the recipe. I have tried many different chocolate chip cookie recipes over the years, but this one is our favorite. They are simply known at our house as The Shirley Harris Cookies. If you know her, you know they will be good.

Shirley Harris Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup shortening (ouch!)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

12 oz package of chocolate chips, even better if you accidentally add a half a package more.

Cream butter, shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet.

Obituary

World-renowned Cucumber Plant, Cucumis Sativus, died Tuesday in The Planter. The gardener is still unsure of what exactly caused the death, but believes it was due to complications after Mr. Sativus grew too fast and suffered pains in his vine. She also thinks it was due to the extremely high temperature that May afternoon. He was 2 months old.

Cucumis Sativus was a green thing, who enjoyed everything about life in the backyard. He was often mistaken for a vegetable, but truly, he was a fruit. He had a very pleasing personality and never did get upset when people would classify him in the wrong food group. He was known for his thirst for water and Miracle Grow, which he often ate and may have even lead to his demise.

Cucumis Sativus is survived by his partner Tomato Plant, and their 1 child, the soon to be pickle.

In leu of flowers, the gardener asks that you send good, dark chocolate.

Love Notes

After being married for 8.5 years, love notes have taken on a new form. This is the note that was on the counter this morning. Even better, it was attached to breakfast - the last brownie. To give up the last brownie in this house is a sign of true love!

Pools and Pigtails

We had a weekend of firsts:

First time getting the pool out for the summer

It is warm enough for Thomas to play outside in his pool. On Friday, Maverick came over to play. They spent 2 hours outside playing in the pool and eating Popsicles. Sometimes I see him playing and wish I could be that young and care free! About 5 minutes after this picture was taken he had his swim trunks off and was running around naked. I had to give him the "you're too old to be running around naked" talk. I hope I am not the only mom who has ever had to have that conversation with their son.

First time in pigtails

Clara has had enough hair to be put in pigtails for quite a while, the problem has been getting her to sit still. I put her in her bumbo chair and gave her a empty water bottle to play with. For some reason letting her play with trash was the magic ticket. She sat still and I was able to get her hair up into tails!