Decisions Decisions

I've been doing a lot of research lately. One of the things I read said I need to let the cat out of the bag. Really, it told me that - in slightly different terms. We've had this thought, something we need to do about our family. I told Jake I wasn't going to bug him about it any more. Then, he decided to have this crazy dream. He woke up in the middle of the night and said "not in this life" and went back to bed! Can you believe that? This is Jake we're talking about after all...

So what is this all about?! We're going to have a baby! Well, it might not be a baby. We've decided to adopt. We don't know who or when it will happen or how it will happen; but, we know we're going to do it. Remember that crazy post I wrote about a week ago about having faith? It had to do with this whole decision.

I called LDS Family Services the day I wrote that post. We pretty much have no chance at adopting through them. Joan said that because of our specific circumstances, "[we] have better chances going through a different agency." That's O.K.. I didn't feel like they were the right agency anyway.

On to the research. Lots of research. Are we going international, domestic, what agency, fundraisers, grants - I mean, how are we going to pay for this?! It's a good thing it felt so right before we saw price tags!

So, what have we decided? International - absolutely! Jake was excited about Brazil, (I was too) but some of the countries requirements will be a little hard to meet. O.K., a lot hard to meet. Haiti would be awesome but we're not old enough and have too many children already. So that leaves us with the one that I keep coming back to. Ethiopia.

Water, Water, Everywhere!!!

Splash! Water was every where! When I caught Christina, she had almost covered the entire bathroom floor with it! I put my hand on my hip and said "Christina, don't get the floor wet!" Stina looked up at me whith her big inocent eyes and asked "What? What do you mean? What'd I do?" I couldn't help but laugh. :)

Go Forth with Faith

Do you ever feel like you need to do something, and you want to do it, but don't know how to accomplish it? And then, to top it off, without the Lord's help, it would be impossible. And you know the only reason it will work out is because you have His help?

That's where I am, and I know I'm not the only one. I was reminded of a quote by President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973). It says, “You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and perhaps a few steps into the darkness, and you will find that the light will appear and move ahead of you.” 2

Rely on the Lord, follow His promptings, and "Go forth with faith."

Wondering...

The other day, I picked up Alex, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and all of the sudden, he says "Eew, CACA!"

What is up with that?

Surprise in the Camera

My dad bought Jake The Undaunted for Christmas. It's about a Pioneer expedition in Southern Utah. Jake loved it! He couldn't put it down! He was sick, probably a lot longer than he would have been, because he kept reading till the wee hours of the morning. During the day, I'd tell him to go sleep; but, he'd just smile and say "I want to read my book more." I'm glad he liked it, and so is my dad!

Happy Anniversary! On January 3rd, we celebrated our six year anniversary. I made peach cobble and we ate it with the kids. Call us boring, but it was fun!

This photo was the surprise in the camera! I didn't know it was there until I uploaded the photos to the computer. Mercedes must have taken it of herself, or Christina took it. It's a little fuzzy, but I love it! She looks so sweet and funny at the same time!

This is our family. Mercedes always draws three girls and three boys. Hmm...

You can't catch me, Mom. I'm quick!

Alex can't get enough oatmeal! He's crazy about the stuff. He's good for three bowls almost every day of the week!

Mom, it's early. I'm in my "I don't like pictures" phase, and I'm eating breakfast! What are you thinking?! This is all you get.

You can't see me...

I love my little family!
(Thanks for the camera, Melanie and Doug! And thanks for the memory stick, Dad)!

French Toast

The kids really enjoyed this French Toast! Even I liked it, and I don't like French Toast. The banana wasn't really strong but it added a nice flavor!

4 large eggs
2 T. banana, smashed (I used 1/4 c.)
1/4 t. cinnamon
4 slices of bread (I used 8)
butter for skillet
syrup, powdered sugar, or fruit for topping

Beat eggs. Add banana and cinnamon. Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture and turn to coat evenly. Cook in hot buttered skillet until golden brown - 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve with syrup, powdered sugar, or fruit on top.

This recipe came from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. She recommends using any of the following purees: banana, pineapple, sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash, or canned pumpkin.

Chicken and Rice

We had this for dinner last night and it was scrumptious! You can substitute one pkt. onion soup mix for the dehydrated onion, onion powder, beef bouillon and most of the salt

1 c. rice, uncooked
6 boneless chicken breasts (I used 5 thighs)
3 T. dehydrated onion
1 t. onion powder
1 T. + 1 t. beef bouillon granules
1/2 t. salt
1/16 t. pepper
2 c. milk
1 can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rice in greased 9x13 pan. Place chicken on top. Mix dry onion, onion powder, beef bouillon, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over chicken. Mix milk and cream of chicken soup together and pour over chicken and rice. Cover with foil and bake two hours. Uncover last 30 minutes to brown chicken. If this appears to be drying out, add more liquid.

I cooked it in a slow cooker for 3.5 hrs. on high. Worked great!

Awesome No-Bake Cheese Cake

I just wanted to share an awesome Cheese Cake recipe with all of you! Crystal Godfrey, of everydayfoodstorage.net, demoed this on the news the other day. The texture is very smooth and the flavor was great! Make sure you use a blender because a mixer will not puree the cream cheese.

No-bake Cheese Cake

1/2 c. hot water
1 c. sugar
1 c. non-instant powdered milk or 2 c. instant powdered milk
1 T. butter

Blend in blender until it looks like sweetened condensed milk - about 30 seconds. Then add:

1/3 c. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
8 oz. cream cheese

Blend until smooth. Pour into prepared pie crust and refrigerate until set - about 2 hours. If desired, top with your favorite topping. Enjoy!

*One can of Sweetened Condensed Milk can be substituted for the first four ingredients.

Meet Chicken Nugget

Meet Chicken Nugget, our short-haired tortoise. (Tortoise refers to her coloration). I had originally named her Sienna; but, a few days ago we were playing when Christina saw her and exclaimed "Oh! My cat, Chicken Nugget!"

We love Chicken Nugget's energy! She's so fun! She jumps, she runs, she tries to climb the walls, and attacks us all randomly throughout the day. She is also an EXCELLENT mouser! I can't tell you how many times I have seen her try to catch the mouse courser as it moves across the computer screen, lol :)

And...I'm so excited!

We're going to get a dog! (But not right now). After testing, and a brief study of the many dog breeds that fit me specifically, I have discovered the one I want. No more of this buying a dog on a whim and not understanding it's specific breed needs. I tried this once. It led to too much stress! (Luckily, Sunday now has a good family where everyone loves him - not just the kids). So, what dog have I picked?


This is a Newfoundland (Landseer, which is what I want) puppy. The Newfoundland is sweet, gentle, patient, and love their family's very much! When full grown, average height for a male is 28 inches at the shoulder and 130 - 150 pounds. I've seen them referred to as the "born babysitter" many times; and, "Nana" from Peter Pan was based on a Landseer, not a Saint Bernard.

I've been having lots of fun reading about Newfoundlands and hope we're able to have one in our family someday.