LIKE BROTHER....LIKE SISTER

SEE...SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!

This is for those of you that think Kresta looks like Jason.

This is me when I was a day old. Now you know how I have all "the hair".

This is Kresta at 10 days old.
We look alike, right? I think so. She has less hair than me,(thanks to Jason) and of course take into account that I was born 5 lbs 2 oz (2 lbs of hair!), nearly 2 2/12 lbs lighter than her 7 lb 6 oz chubbiness....we still look alike. Right?

CLONE WARS: THE CURSE OF MY FAVORITE AND EDAMAME SALAD

One bite and I was hooked.....line and sinker! I knew from that first bite it was doomed...star crossed doomed. It always is. I have what's called The Williams Luck. It's not a joke, it really exists. If I like it, watch it regularly on T.V, or by it often, it's pulled from the market, severely back-ordered or canceled after the first season (Moonlight, Off The Map). I ate this salad once AND Costco decided to no longer carry it. Coincidence...I'll leave that up to you. Luckily, I have recreated my own version and I even like it better than the original.

2 c shelled edamame
1 c thawed frozen sweet corn (or fresh kernels)
1/4 c finely diced red pepper
1/3 c diced canned carrots (using up food storage)
1/3 c pomegranate infused craisins
1/4 c sliced almonds
1 c potsticker sauce (ehtnic food aisle)
1/4 c brown sugar

ROCK-A-BYE BABY IN....BENCH....FLOOR...UNDER A TRAIN TABLEI!

I put Silas on the time-out bench in the mudroom while I cleaned up the mess he made with a PERMANENT black marker. He scribbled all over the carpet and the back of the couch. It took about 15 minutes, and I must admit I forgot about him in the middle of my scrubbing frenzy.

Asleep in the hallway....tuckered out from running around with his cousins before bedtime.

Asleep under the train table while hiding at bedtime.

I promise I do clothe my children! Silas is horrible about stripping off his clothes when he get's hot, sometimes up to 4 times a day. Even though he's seems half naked half most of the time, I swear I'm a good mom!

"This is the key to all life mom! It's the key to heaven."

Jason and I rented a movie called "The Vanishing" from redbox. Big name actors and the storyline was spooky. People woke up one day to a world where everyone just, yep...you guessed it, Vanished! All that was left were piles of clothes everywhere. Could have been better. Anyway, Jason was so tired he headed to bed early without finishing the movie. An hour later I head up the stairs to bed and find this.........(There are a bagillion reasons why I LOVE him, but his sense of humor is top 5. He keeps me on my toes and I don't know what I'd do without him!)

Si was getting himself ready to take Logan to school. Shirt, underwear, no socks or shoes...but don't forget the leather "motocycko jacket", which is of course...upside down.

I'M 29 (FOR THE 8TH TIME!)

Jason surprised me with a beautiful ice cream cake! I've never been given one before. It was delicious and so pretty I didn't even want to cut into it.

The black floral design was sprayed on.....very cool. Sure wish I could do that trick at home!
There is nowhere in the world I'd rather be on my birthday, than in my kitchen holding my sweet boys. It was the perfect celebration!
"Open et mom....open et! Are you so excited? What do ya think it is?" Silas was jumping around and enjoying himself so much, you would have thought it was his birthday.

Flowerbomb! He spoiled me. He knows me very well. I never buy perfume for myself, mainly because I just can't justify the expense since there are ALWAYS a million other more important things to do with the money. Jason was thrilled that I had never heard of it, apparently it's the new thing.

Since birthdays are about your favorites, Jason took me to my all time favorite restaurant in SLC, Bombay House. They serve the most amazing Indian cuisine. The last time I went was 4 years ago, it was also a Birthday dinner courtesy of wonderful sisters-in-law Taska, Andi and Holly.

Since Birthdays are also about trying something new, Ginger Brew was the drink of the evening . It's Gingerale on crack! Quite a bite, but still very good.

Don't worry, I was the designated driver for the evening!

Saag Shorba, my favorite soup in the world! It's made from spinach, onions, tomatoes, cream and lots of delicious Indian spices. Sure wish I could recreate this recipe, or find it on Top Secret Recipes.

Peshwari Naan. Indian flat bread stuffed with a mix of coconut, raisins, cashews, spices and baked in a tandoor (clay) oven. Mouth watering unbelievable!

My dish: Chicken Coconut Kurma, boneless chicken cooked with coconut milk, onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, cashew nuts, golden raisins and spices.

Jason's dish: Chettinad Lamb. A south Indian dish of lamb cooked with potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and spices.

We ended the night with a little Cowboys and Aliens! Good flick. It's been far too long since Jason and I have been on a date. It was nice to just relax and visit, and hold hands....and make out in the dark theater....okay too much information. Happy Birthday to me!

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS!

While Silas was saying the family prayer one evening he said, "tanks fo baby kwesta, sees so sweet, even dough see cwys a lot.....and peas bess Logan dat heo be my best fwend FO-EVO!" (lots of emphasis here)

Silas took a bite of one of the Thin Mint cookies I blogged about earlier in the week, with eyes wide open he said, "Mom....dis is yummy stuff. Yep, it's delightful, delectable and delicious!"...(this comes to you courtesy of the Upside Down Show on Nick, Jr.!)

While driving in the van:
Silas: "Look at da bootiful sunset mom!....What es a sunset anyway?
Logan: "Si, a sunset is when the sun goes to bed, but doesn't really go to bed. It plays with a flashlight for a while til it falls asleep....THEN it gets dark."

Silas asks me one morning, "Mom why awe yo eyes wed (red)? Maybe et's cuz baby Kwesta is cwying, and cwying and cwying all da time?"

Silas says to me, with his arm bent at the elbow, "Doyunnat (do you know that) mom, dis is my elbone!" LOL...grabbed and kissed him. Too cute~

BABY GOT BACK!

Cue SirMix-a-lot music............Baby got back!

I cracked up, out loud, when he walked down the stairs asking for his "faveit cheese peas."....like nothing was out of the ordinary. What can I say, with this kid, NOTHING is ordinary.

To say that he loves his pj's is an understatement, I guess that's my own fault for buying him fun pajamas.

The PAJAMA STRIP!!! 1. Iron Man

2. The Hulk
3. Alligators
Look at his face.....seriously....
4. Pirates!
he could give Jim Carrey a run for his money.....
5. Transformers
such a little goof ball............
6. Construction
7. And last, but not least...his favorite...hence the bottom of the pile.... Dun na na na na na na na na BATMAN!

IPHONE DOWNLOAD.............

Hide and seek. Here I was 9 months pregnant, Jason out of town and I couldn't find them anywhere. I looked and looked for almost 10 minutes and I was becoming frantic! On my hands and knees, looking everywhere...up and down the stairs...calling out to them that they won and it was time to come out now...mommy's getting worried...it's not funny anymore. All the slider locks were on all exit doors so I knew they were still in the house. I had already opened the laundry room and peeked in quickly, but then I turned on the light. Logan was grinning, and I about had a heart attack! This was the first and LAST time they'll climb in the washer. They couldn't get out, Logan had closed it until it locked them in. They were so excited that I couldn't find them. Needless to say, we had a heart to heart about dangerous places to play.

Back in April Silas was giving Kresta "luffs"....then she got the hiccups and he kept his face on my belly to feel her rhythmic thumps.....and he was giggling.

A picture Logan drew at school of his teacher. What a great imagination he has!

"I see a cwack mom...Logan's bum has a cwack en et."

Logan' drew this picture back in April. I love that he drew Kresta in my belly...and how we spelled "picher" and "pregnit."

Si's new hair cut. It's finally done. I'm finally over it, and Jason is happy that he no longer hears, "What a pretty little girl....or she or her. .He's definitely his daddy's little boy! It's amazing how much he looks like Jason.
One of the reasons why I finally cut Siley's hair....the morning rat's nest.

Another of Logan's artwork. Silas and pregnant me jumping rope!

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS...............

I was lying on the couch with the kids as they were watching Scooby-Doo and Silas leans over and kisses me on the forehead. Then he pauses, smiles big from ear to ear and says, "Wow mom, you smeel sooooooo good!" He sniffs my face again...."Yep you do. You smeel like fiyoworks. I LUFF IT!"....as he sniffs my face again. This is truly funny because I actually do smell like a campfire since I have been using a special Dermalogica topical product to clear out my pores (hormone break-out from post pregnancy) and one of the main ingredients is, you guessed it....sulfur!

Silas walks up to me and gives me a big hug and says to me, "Mom yew know dat I love you and I'll never leave you. Nope, I'll never let you go mom. I'll protect you!"

Jason took Silas to Primary class last week. As he walked him down the row of Sunbeams to his seat, Silas pointed to a boy at the end of his row and very matter-of-fact says aloud, "Dad, dat's Gage, he's my fwend. Yeah, I'm pwetty sowa (sure)...... he's a weoewolf." LOL

CLONE WARS: GIRL SCOUT THIN MINTS

Are you a GS Cookie Junkie? I am! Looooooove the Samoas. Toasted coconut, buttery cookie, caramel and chocolate...it's one of the best cookies they sell. I'm the one crazy woman you tell all your friends about......"as she passed the Girl Scout while driving down the road, she slammed on her brakes, jumped out her van and tried frantically to catch the poor little Girl Scout, who is now frightened and has high tailed it in the opposite direction, literally running for her life from stranger danger, (while dutifully pulling her handy dandy red flyer wagon full of boxes of cookies), her pig tails scarf bouncing all around as she escapes the "crazy" woman chasing her down the street!
Needless to say my life drastically changed when Keebler graced the cookie market with the presence of Coconut Dreams....they truly give Samoas some serious competition.

Keebler's Grasshopper cookies have always curbed my mint fix as well, they are really very good. But alas, once more my cookie loving world has been rocked forever! Enter my college roommate Michelle who came to stay with me for the weekend. She introduced me to the sweet and salty and crunchy and mint chocolatety marriage of Ritz crackers and Dark Mint melting chocolate. Oh yes my friends, oh yes....it is delicious!
Just as darn good as Voodoo Donuts butter cream maple bars with big ol' thick pieces of bacon on top!

This is very dangerous stuff. To know that you are only 5 minutes away at anytime from fresh, crispy, mint chocolate cookies....threatening. I'm out of semi-sweet chocolate chips (waiting for the case lot sale), or I would have just tried using them with 1 TB shortening and 1/2 tsp peppermint flavoring. Since I was out and about running errands anyway, I bought the chocolate melting wafers at Hobby Lobby for $3.28, then used the 40% off coupon to pay only $2.10 (cheaper than non-sale chocolate chips). These cookies were incredibly delicious. I'm not a big fan of candy bark or melting chocolates, but I couldn't tell the difference.