Christmas Activities

We have had a busy December. I have been really busy with work and Ryan has been busy finishing up his schoolwork for a NICE long winter break. We tried to fit in lots of Christmas crafts and activities. Be ready for an explosion of photos!

Polar Express to Chicago

We told the kids the metra was the Polar Express

Making Wrapping Paper

The snow does not seem to stop....

Waiting for Polar Express

Making Gingerbread Houses

we made the house 2 weeks ago and lots of candies are now missing...hmmm

friends Amy & Lucy

Holden & Karrie

Decorating the House...

BIG Christmas Tree @ Macy's

Santa @ Macy's

he was the sweetest Santa. he spent a couple minutes with each of them.

Christmas Sunday

Holland said she felt like a princess

Christmas in Chicago

German Market in Chicago

if you have met Holland, you see this on a regular basis!

3 is the new 2

I can't remember who said it, but 3 really is the new 2. My kids were a delight from age 2 to 3...but it seems like the last few weeks are filled with tantrums and time outs. For the longest time I thought, "I am so lucky, my kids have not had the terrible twos".

I was hoping I would get to skipped that part. Well, the tantrums have reared their ugly head...and the terrible threes have begun.
Theses pictures are actualy very sweet. The twins were the perfect little subjects...

Did I mention?

(Rick, Alex, Rachel, Ryan - Canada)

We had lots of fun in Canada. I loved spending time with my BFF, Alex. Ryan enjoyed spending time with his BFF, Rick. We played Canasta Cards until our eyes turned blue. I will never forget Ryan getting mad at Rick telling him "I give up" after instructing Rick how to play the game. Apprarently Rick was not playing how Ryan instructed him.

Are you curious how we are all BFFs?

It all started with me, actually. I met Alex at my church one Sunday in 1998. She was nannying for a family in Draper, Utah. I really could not understand a thing she said because she had an Australian accent. It eventually grew on me and I was able to understand that a jumper (sweater), boot (hood), and nappy (diaper) was. We had a great time while she lived in Utah. We traveled all over together: France, Italy, Amsterdam, Germany, Colorado, California, parts of Southern Utah. We were inseprable. She was and still is my closest friend.

(Ryan, Rachel, Alex, Rick - Australia)
In 2004, Ryan and I visited the Kemps in Perth, Australia for 2 weeks. Alex and I had only kept in touch with emails, letters and the occasional phone call. So this was a true test of our friendship. Would we still be friends? We arrived to her charming home weeks before Christmas. I had never met her husband and I never had a chance to approve/disapprove. But it was a little late now because she had 2 kids with him

During our visit in Australia, Ryan became the best of friends with Rick. They hung out and talked about sports and differences in the US and Australia. I am sure they wanted to prove what country was better. Anyway, they were constantly arguing. I think that must be what their friendship is based on...

(Rick, Alex, Rachel, Ryan - Las Vegas)

Then in 2006, The Kemps visited us in Utah. They traveled more than 24 hours with 2 kids to get to us. We had a great time traveling around Utah and Las Vegas.

That is how we became BBFs! Awwwww, so sweet...

We love the Kempys!

Yummy Fondue

We had a fantastic night with my girls of GNO. The fondue was especially good if I do say so myself. Here is a photo of the girlies.

If anyone is interested in the receipes, here you go. They are delish!

The Melted Turtle
Add 4 ounces of melted milk chocolate and 4 ounces of caramel. Stir until smooth. Top with 2 ounces of chopped pecans.
Recipe from: The Melting Pot

Chocolate Smores
Add 1 teaspoon of marshmallow fluff to 4 ounces of melted milk chocolate. Stir slowly until marshmallow fluff is swirled through chocolate. Top with 1 ounce of graham cracker crumbs.
Recipe from: The Melting Pot

Spinach and Artichoke Heart Cheese Fondue
In a fondue pot over heat:
4 ounces Vegetable Bouillon Base
1 spoonfuls of chopped garlic
2 ounces chopped spinach (drained well)
2 ounces chopped artichoke hearts
Stir all ingredients to mix

Add Cheddar cheese to proper consistency

2 spoonfuls Parmesan cheese
3 - 4 shakes of Tabasco

Recipe from: The Melting Pot

3 Cheese Fondue

1 cup white wine / chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
7 ounces Gruyere cheese, cubed
7 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, cubed
7 ounces Emmentaler cheese, cubed

DIRECTIONS
Bring the wine to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking and burning.

Once the flour is cooked, stir the wine/broth into the flour mixture slowly. Use a whisk to smooth the mixture. Slowly add cubes of Gruyere, Cheddar, and Emmentaler cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Transfer cheese mixture to fondue pot. Keep warm over low flame.

Recipe from: Allrecipes.com

Learned something new...

I think I am ready to start my own photography studio. Look at these photos!

I learned a few new things about Photoshop. You may all know how to do this already, but I was really happy with the results. You can see my before and after shots below of my little cuddle bug. I also played around with the brightness and hue/saturation. Read more about adding a soft glow by clicking here.

Before

H After

Little E - BEFORE

Little E AFTER

Photoshop is my friend

I love using Photoshop. I am still learning how to use all of its functions. Thanks to Kendee and Laurie for teaching me all of their tricks. I really want to become better at this Photoshop thingy....I am open to any and all advice. After playing around today I did these...

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE AFTER