christmas with the chivers

while the fam was here we opened a few christmas presents early.

kennedy had us and we had her, so it worked out perfect.

we decided to wait and open my parents gifts for christmas,

but they went ahead and opend the gifts that we got for them.

 everything we bought kenny, i wanted...

i made my mother a photo bragbook of all of her grandchildren.

it fits right in her purse!

 my father was very much in need of a new wallet...

 and he claims he could always use straps.

kenny got me a new frying pan and these awesome

mats that you use to dry your dishes on.

{good call mom}



our thanksgivng break...

..was quite spectacular because
we had these very special people, all to ourselves, for 10 wonderful days!

Saying that we had a great time feels like an understatement.
We went to the zoo, shopped, shopped, and shopped,
{now I can relax because Christmas shopping is done!}
we went to the movies, ate out at every place we could fit into the 10 days,
baked, and because we don't have cable, we talked, laughed, let Layla be our entertainment,
watched plenty of movies, and Einstein, and The Muppets, and Sesame Street.
We relaxed and took naps, and probably ate way to much.
AND it was all just so much fun.

They left us on Tuesday, and it's been a rough week.
You'd think it would get easier, but it just gets harder and harder to say "See Ya Later"
I have to make myself stay busy, I have to plan things for Layla and I to do,
and if I don't, I find the time to feel so homesick, specially during the holiday seasons..
and then I cry cry cry.
So now I look forward to April, when my Mom will come again for baby #2.
That's right around the corner right?!
{I'll just keep telling myself that}

 {little miss loved sleeping with Aunt Kenny}

 {this is how most of our evenings turned out, we would exhaust ourselves}

 {she was absolutely obsessed with my dad's chaptick}

 {grandma enjoyed giving her fun new hair styles at bathtime}

 {she loved to help grandma make waffles. she'd get ten stirs then grandma would get ten stirs}

 {made Christmas cookies the day after Thanksgiving. Everyone contributed}

 {and she would even talk papa into giving her chocolate chips for her morning snack!}

It was a great holiday.

We miss you Mom, Dad and Kenny.

It sure is quiet around our home.

we're thankful for...

{in no particular order}

::our new home

::my wonderful husband

::his job

::running vehicles

::the gospel

::the food we have to eat

::clean water to drink

::our good health

::our beautiful, healthy little girl

::the joy she brings us both

::all of our utah family and mississippi family

::our wonderful friends

::Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

::computers and skype

::clothes we have on our backs and shoes to wear on our feet

::my healthy body, so that i can carry this child

{18 weeks}

and for my own document, Lance felt it kick last night for the very first time.

11/24/2010

it was a special moment for us.

::doctors

::medicine

::heat

::and especially air conditioners

::and most of all our eternal family

Happy Thanksgiving 

chicken with orzo, carrots, dill, and avgolemono sauce

Okay, I'm always taking pictures of my foods to share with my blog family and I never post the recipes!
I'm going to try and make it a new years resolution to post at least one yummy recipe a week...
(what a resolution huh?!)

This dish is awesome, specially if you like lemon.
Lance bought me a Food and Wine cookbook a couple years ago and I love every recipe I've cooked in it.
This one is a favorite. And it's very simple.
To make it all flow perfect, prepare everything before you even start cooking.
Oh and don't let the recipe title scare you, it's just a fancy name for a delicious Greek sauce!

Chicken Breasts, with Orzo, Carrots, Dill, and Avgolemono Sauce
-Courtesy of Food and Wine Cookbook

2 Tbs. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
   (about 1 1/2 pounds)
   Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups canned low sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 tsp. dried dill
1 1/2 cups orzo (you'll find this in the pasta section, it looks like rice, but it's pasta)
2 whole carrots, quartered and cut into 1-inch lenghs
2 eggs
2 Tbs. lemon juice

1. In a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbs. of oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken breast with salt and fresh ground black pepper and add to the pan. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the broth, dill, and 1 1/4 tsp. salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer partially covered, until the chicken is just done, about 4 minutes. Remove the chicken and cover lightly with aluminum foil to keep warm. Set aside the pan with the broth.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the orzo for 6 minutes. Add the carrots and continue cooking until the orzo and carrots are just done, about 6 minutes longer. Drain and toss with the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and salt and fresh ground pepper.

3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, lemon juice and 1/8 tsp. of pepper until frothy. Bring the chicken broth back to a simmer and add to the eggs in a thin stream, whisking. Pour the mixture back in the pan and whisk over the lowest possible heat until the sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Do not let the sauce come to a simmer, or it may curdle. Put the orzo and carrots on plates and top with the chicken and sauce!

If you try it out, let me know what you think!
Enjoy!

it was a rainy weekend...

..and the only thing she wanted to do was go outside.
It was the 5th weekend again,
Lance was on call.
So we headed down to Picayune.
It was quiet, grandma and papa are in Utah visiting Ryan, Misty and the kids.
Uncle Greg and Aunt Amanda are in California.
When we pulled into the drive she was SO excited to be at grandmas.
I know it's because she has endless acres to run around on, her swing is still hanging
on the oak tree, and of course, it's Grandma and Grandpa's house.
She called for them all weekend and had no answer.
It was pretty sad.
It rained hard hard, and she cried, because apparently, she'd scared of the rain now.
So Lance tried to make it all better for her
by putting this together...

The funny thing is, I tried to make her a "fort" by draping a blanket over a chair and the couch.
She enjoyed it for about 2 seconds.
So Lance said, "Give me a min. Let's see what I can do."
Clearly you can see who grew up building forts!

our silly little girl {things to always remember}

Although the terrible two's are just around the corner,

 I mean,

are already here,

I wouldn't trade it for any other stage.

Layla is so funny!

She is constantly making me and Lance laugh.

And we're always in total ah (sp?) of how smart she is!

She surprises us everyday.

We just love this little girl. 

--

She still wakes up with the best bed head ever...

--

Shoulder pads or mama's bra?



--

She'll be your masseuse if you'd let her...



--

Can you tell what we've been working on around our home?

Saturday morning she came to me saying,

"Mama, Potty! C'see C'see!"

I thought for sure she had put some toys in the potty.

But nope, she was just helping her puppy out.



--

Loves the baby's swing..



--

Makes this cute new face all the time.

Specially when she's in deep concentration.



::she sings I am a Child of God

(and the first time she did it, I cried. It's the sweetest sound ever)

::counts to 15

::sings her ABC's all the time

::loves Sandra Boynton books

(I highly recommend these books, they are so cute. Buy them!)

::would rather read to me or daddy instead of being read too

::comes up to me with arms wide open saying "hold you?"

(meaning she wants me to hold her)

::You Are My Sunshine sounds beautiful coming from her lips
::will sing Drop It Like It's Hott, and bounce her little bum
::still LOVES Baby Einstein
(and I'm about to go crazy every time I hear it!)
::shortly after getting in trouble she'll say "I sawry Mama."
::plays mama to her little baby
(she'll rock it, wrap it up, say prayers with it, read it books)
::waits for Lance at the door when she hears him pull into the garage, then goes crazy when he walks in
::likes to play hide-and-seek
::she'll make a mess of her room, leave, then walk back in and say "Oh my josh!, What a mess!"
(she must here me say that to much)

::still the light and joy of our lives!

I often wonder how I will ever love this second baby of ours as much as her. I know I'm an emotional wreck already because I'm pregnant, but I just cry every time I think of another baby coming. I so enjoy the time I have with Layla everyday. I must cherish every second of it, because it will all change too soon.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for our new addition. Just scared of change.

{sigh}

halloween 2010

Isn't Halloween much funner when you're kids enjoy it?

Last year we just dressed up and took pictures, because it was to chilly to take Layla out

and I would have been the one to eat all the candy!

This year was much better!

I took Layla trick-or-treating with her cousins and her aunt Kelly on Saturday night,

then Halloween day we went to Uncle Troys for the most amazing pulled pork sandwiches,

and some activities for the kids.

{all buckled in and ready to go trick-or-treating for the first time}

{uncle denton's and aunt kelly's was the first stop}

{she already had candy in her mouth and we had only been there for about 5 min. when i snapped this picture of her and her cousin katie}

Halloween Day

Her little cousin Kaylee just loved her and took such great care of her...

 {Waiting patiently for Uncle Troy to take them on a hay ride}

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween Weekend!