Bow Tie Chicken Ceasar Salads

This is one of our all time favorites. I never think to share this recipe because I don't actually have it written down anywhere. But we love it, and I am writing it down now. It is so easy and makes a great meal on a hot day. The measurements here are only approximate. Adjust to your families liking :)

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 lb. bow tie pasta, cooked and cooled
1 grilled, sliced chicken breast or 1/3 lb. deli chicken, thinly sliced (We love it either way)
1 c. croutons
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Light House brand Caesar Dressing (It is the best!)

Toss everything together and enjoy!

Lost Bird

I was doing hair this past week and Jack came into the salon and said "Mom, there is a bird stuck in our window well." I didn't believe him at first, but sure enough this little guy was hopping all around the window well. I gave him some water and then a little time to get out of there himself. I didn't want to open my basement window and have him flying around my house. A couple of hours later, he was still there. I found an empty cereal box and decided that I would scoop him up in that. He let me. We took him to our back patio and I dumped him out. He just sat there. I thought he'd fly away the second that he got a chance, but he didn't. I think he was too young and didn't know how to fly yet. He sat there for quite a while. We transported him to our front yard, via the cereal box, and dumped him out again. He sat there, this time with his mouth open. The boys and I gave him little drinks of water right from our fingertips and eventually he started hopping around our yard. We went out every so often to check on the little thing and he was always just sitting right where we left him. The last time we checked on him, the boys said that he had hopped under our fence into the back yard. I think he went under our shed. I like to think that his mommy came and found him and that they are living happily ever after...and hopeful that we will not start smelling something stinky coming from under the shed.

Flight of the Conchords

This past Valentine's Day Chad surprised me with tickets to see the Flight of the Conchords live in concert. I have been anxiously awaiting our big night out. Chad and I have enjoyed many hours watching these guys and they are hilarious. We also have a CD of their songs and I am a little embarrassed to say it, but our boys know almost all of the lyrics. We went this past Sunday and the night was great. I very much enjoyed the show and the company. Flight of the Conchords rock! Check out my very favorite song of theirs by going to the link below. Don't forget to listen closely to the words. They make me laugh every time. Thanks Chad for such a thoughtful gift!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64a_1fWTsls

St. George May 2009

We spent last weekend in St. George with Chad's family. It felt great to get away from the busyness of our everyday lives and to enjoy each other's company. The evening of our first day there, Roxy and Will (Chad's mom and step-dad) took us to a great new restaurant called Pirate Island. You would never know it from the outside, but wow! If we didn't know any better, we would have thought that we were in Disneyland. It is a themed restaurant with a wonderful environment, delicious food, reasonable prices, and an arcade.

Here is a picture of Roxy, Will, Jack, and Nixin:

In this picture Jack is shooting pirates. Ironically, he has been asking a lot about going shooting lately. He got his chance here:

Nixin was stoked when he put his token in the machine and won 25 tickets!

We spent our second day in St. George with Chad's darling grandparents, Don and Elaine. When they asked us where we wanted to go to lunch, our boys insisted on Pirate Island. Chad and I thought that was a little funny since we had just eaten dinner there the night before, but Don and Elaine were excited to go there since they hadn't been before. It was every bit as great as it was the first night. This time we were even seated in our own private cave. It was a lot of fun.

Here are Nixin and Jack with Grandpa Don:

I snuck this picture of Grandma Elaine and Nixin holding hands. Isn't it the sweetest thing?

Here is a picture of Chad and Nixin sitting on the porch swing in the back yard:

And I just had to get a picture of Chad and his family before we took off:

Our boys were so excited to visit the "Dinosaur Tracks", so that is just what we did on our third day in St. George. I think that Chad and I would agree that it was over priced and a little boring, but our boys are still excited about it. They had a good time, so it was worth it.

Here are some pictures of us that day:

On Saturday, Roxy and Will took us to this great little lake in....hmmm....I don't remember where! It was beautiful though. Jack and Nixin had fun throwing rocks and pine cones into the lake. We took a little walk and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Here is a picture of Jack and Nixin following Grandpa Will down a trail:

Isn't this a great picture of Chad and his mom? I like it.

And here is our little family at the lake:

After the lake, Roxy and Will took us to a fun country diner for lunch. It was such a nice day. I was glad to be able to get out there and do something different.

Our trip was great. The company was perfect, the food was amazing, we saw and did different things, had the chance to relax, and traveled safely. Thanks Roxy and Will for a great weekend. We love you!

Such a Handsome Guy

Jack got his first suit and boy does he look handsome in it! We also cut off those shaggy curls of his and gave him a grown up haircut. I can't believe how big this kid of mine is getting!

Up To Bat

My friend, Carrie Butler, is an AWESOME photographer. She took this great picture of Nixin in action at one of his recent tee ball games. Isn't it adorable?

Hogle Zoo

Jack had his first elementary school field trip today. He was SO EXCITED to take the school bus. Nixin and I drove up separately and met Jack there. It was the perfect day to be there. The zoo was quiet and the weather was perfect.

Nixin on a caterpillar:

Nixin and a gorilla:

Emily, Jack, and Nixin:

Jack and his school buddies (Brandon, Caleb, Brian, Jack):

Jack on an elephant's trunk:

Jack is almost the same size as a gorilla:

Chilling on the rocks:

Emily, Nixin, Jack, and the giraffes:

Nixin, Erica, and Jack with a rhino:

Tee Ball

Nixin's tee ball season has come to an end. He loved playing with his friends as a "Blue Devil". It was fun for Nixin to have his dad as a coach. He made great progress and can't wait to play again next season.

His Name Will Be...

Our poll is closed and we are glad to know that our friends and family agree with our baby name choice! The baby's name will (most likely) be Cohen. Cohen is a Hebrew name meaning Priest. Although all of the names on our poll were actual possibilities for us, we both agree that Cohen will be the best.
Just over a week ago, my friend Kim called me and said "I just got back from my daughter's soccer game. There was the cutest kid there and he had a great name. I want you to write it down and think about it. His name was Cohen." I immediately liked it and took it to Chad. He too immediately liked it and it seems to be sticking. Thanks Kim for the wonderful suggestion!
As for the other names...
Royal was Chad's choice. He loved it. I, on the other hand, did not love it.
Sam has been on my list for a long time. I still love the name, it just doesn't feel like "the one".
Miles is a darling name. We considered it for a few days but realized that it is a bit hard to say with Williams.
And Jonah was my choice. I loved it, but Chad did not.
So, Cohen it is. I feel such a sense of relief to have that decided!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! We have the greatest women in our lives and we hope that each of their days are wonderful ones.
My morning started off when a very excited Jack brought me a card that he made. His babysitter helped him a couple of days ago and he has been dying to give it to me. It is darling, I love it!



I also got a new purse and a matching pair of sunglasses, which I am very excited about. We had breakfast together this morning and are planning on sluffing all but Sacrament Meeting of church today, then heading to Bountiful for a barbecue with Ken and Becky.
I am so grateful for the blessing of being a mother. I love every day of it. My children are wonderful and I can think of nothing more that I would rather be doing than caring for them.

24 Weeks

This morning I went in for my 24 week prenatal appointment. Everything is still going great. I feel really good. For a while there I was exhausted all of the time, but for now I seem to be over that.
I can feel our little guy move all of the time and I love it! It is so neat. Jack has been telling me for a couple of weeks now that he wanted to be the first person to feel the baby kick. I laid down the other day while baby boy was moving around and had Jack put his hand on my stomach. Just a second later, Jack was being kicked. He laughed and ran into the living room where Nixin was and said "Nixin! That was so freaking cool. I was the first person to feel the baby move!" And as far as he knows, he was.
This past weekend was a big one in the baby naming department at our house. I think that we may have finally agreed on one. I would like to know what our family and friends think though before we make it official, so don't forget to vote on our poll!