"Birthday for Sammi-kins!"

My baby turned 8 today. I'm still processing it...we watched old videos of her when she was born and her first year. Wow. I am so grateful to have this special little girl as my daughter. She's amazing! Happy Birthday, Sammi!

"Maiwage, is wat bwings us twogeva..."

Wow. 10 years. You hear about how quickly time passes as you get older...(or is it "when you're having fun"?) Well, both cases are true. 10 years ago, today, I married my best friend and the hottest guy on the planet. :)Although I couldn't see into the future, I had some predictions:
1) I knew being married to Matt would be great
2)I knew that we'd have our challenges (because that's what everyone says..."marriage is hard.")
3)And I knew our kids were going to be AWESOME.




Well, the result are in:
1) Being married to Matt has been not only great but FANTASTIC!
2)We've definately had our challenges but have also discovered that we are eachother's best sidekick and champion. Bring it on!
3)Marriage IS hard, but worth it. Being Matt's wife is the best part of my day. :)
4) Our kids ARE AWESOME! :) Good gene mix, I'd say.

So, looks like my predictions were spot on. However, I couldn't predict just how perfect a match Matt is for me. I have grown as a person in so many ways, just by being his wife and friend. He's a pro at loving me and our kids and being my best buddy. I love you Matt! Happy Anniversary!

(This is now Matt Writing!! I have broken into Dy's Blog and thought I would write a message of my own).

I too thought marriage to Dyanna would be great! I was not prepared for HOW GREAT! My wife is exceptionall at everything she does. She is constantly becoming a better person and by doing so has made me better. I am proud to call her my best freind and eternal companion. I could not have married someone more perfect for me and my weekneses (by now you can tell that one of my weeknesses is spelling...you see if dyanna was here right now she would have corrected all of my spelling problems. However, she is not here...I am hacking into her blog. For this reason I fear that you will be stuck with my poor spelling and grammar until she checks her blog and corrects my mistakes.)

I love my wife and am grateful to her for all of the things she does for me.
I LOVE YOU DY!
Happy 10th (tin) anniversary!

Matt

Bo-oooooook!!

Matt's aunt Miney put on a "Witch Niche" party that was FANTASTIC! We were all to come adorned in our best witch garb. I schemed with Katy and Abbie and we came up with an excellent depiction of the Sanderson Sisters. Too fun! The decorations and overall event was awesome! Thank you Miney!

Onto the finals....

Sammi sang "Der Holle Rache" at the semi-finals and made the cut for the finals. I was so proud of her - she has improved so much in her "stage presence" (she's more nervous about talking to people than singing) and we're all having fun sharing these experiences with her. The finals will be November 29th at the Festival of Trees. Good job Sammi!

Broccoli Cheese Chowder

This recipe is from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook" by Julie Badger Jensen. I LOVE this recipe book. Everything is GREAT! Anywho, I had a lot of people ask for this recipe, so here it is!

BROCOLLI CHEESE CHOWDER
2 bunches (about 1 lb) fresh broccoli
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup butter
4 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Cook broccoli just until tender. Do not overcook. (I steam mine for about 8-10minutes). Drain and cut into small pieces; set aside. Saute' chopped onion in the 1/4cup butter until tender; set aside.

In a large saucepan or soup pot prepare a white sauce: melt the 1/2 cup butter over medium heat, then stir in flour until well-blended. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and salt. Stir constantly (this is important! Stir constantly or it will scorch!) until mixture reaches a boil. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. Add broccoli and onion. Stir in cheese. Cook briefly over medium heat. Avoid bringing to boil (this will scorch it also).

Serve immediately or keep warm over low heat. Makes 6 to 8 servings. (this serves enough for my whole family with leftovers the next day).

Bon appetite!

L-O-V-E

Sammi performed Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E" at the preliminaries of a competition here in Boise called "Boise's Got Talent". There were three judges and they "critique" you at the end. Sammi did GREAT and got some wonderful feedback from the judges. She made it to the semi-finals which are on Oct. 15. We're thinking she'll sing the Revenge Aria from the Magic Flute.... in German. Yes, that's right. She sings it in German. She cracks me up.

Eight Months Old!

My baby is growing up WAY too fast. I just want to squeeze his cute little cheeks and kiss him all the time! He says "Ma ma" now and will mimick me saying "hi" to him. (So it sounds like he's saying "hi" - he's so brilliant!) He screams and laughs when I come into his room to get him out of bed, and is SO HAPPY all the time. *sigh* Words can't express how blessed I feel to have this little baby in our family. It's heaven.

Blonde again...How I've missed you!

My sabbatical from highlights is over. I love them.
(Sorry - no pics....Matt has the camera that I've taken pictures on for the last couple of months...and so - no pics.) But, on the bright side - I'm catching up on my blog! Yey!

Teeth, Anyone?

After Sammi's last dental check-up, it was decided she should get a consultation with an orthodontist due to her baby teeth having no spaces between them...a sign that braces are in the future. Anywho, we went, we saw and WOW, does that girl have a mouth full of teeth just waiting to happen! Her x-ray was pretty funny and grotesque at the same time. Teeth, teeth, EVERYWHERE! Her adult teeth are all under her baby teeth, just trying to squeeze through somewhere. After looking and "consulting", the orthodontist (who is a really great guy - love him as a doctor!) slid his chair back from Sammi as he mouthed the number "8" to me, indicating how many teeth we should pull. That's right! EIGHT! I gasped while trying to smile at the same time so as not to freak out Sammi. (try it, it's hard to do), but, she was okay with it. In fact, she was tickled about the whole "orthodontist, getting braces eventually". I asked her why she was so excited and she said "Mom, I'll have glassses AND braces!" I nodded, still waiting for why this was exciting... "I'm going to look AWESOME", she said. I smiled, gave her a big hug and said "You sure are!".

So, the day came and she had eight teeth pulled. Quite the trooper...and she doesn't look that different. Just more.....awesome. :)

He's "intolerant" to WHAT?

*Note: Corrections made since posting this. Further research into the tests Matt took has shown that he is not, as we say "Allergic" to these foods.."intolerant" is putting it more correctly. He is advised to avoid these foods in order to "heal his gut" and then gradually add some back in.*

Original Post: A few years ago, Matt was diagnosed with what we lovingly call his "girl disease" a.k.a. IBS. Recently, however, he's been seeing our good friend and Chiropractor who believes you should get to the root of the problem, rather than just treat the symptoms or put a label on them (hence, the past IBS diagnosis). So, he did 2 blood Food Panel Allergy tests (IgA and IgG) and we got the results yesterday as to what Matt is allergic to. It is a bit overwhelming, but, I must admit, pretty funny...here's the list:

Barley
Cheese, Cottage
Coconut
Coffee
Crab
Egg yolk
Gluten
Malt
Milk, Cows
Rye
Sesame
Strawberry
Walnut, Black
Wheat
Yeast, Baker's
Yogurt

I've saved the best ones for last....

Blueberry
Corn
Potatoes, White
Lettuce
Mustard

All I can say is, who the heck is allergic to lettuce and mustard?!

That would be Matt. Good times.

A Boy and his Binky

I wasn't going to allow it. But, it was introduced when he was just a wee thing. Now, it is a necessity. We only have one. We lost it once. I drove BACK 3 miles to get it. I hope we never lose it permanently. For he would be so sad. I would then be sad. *sigh* It will be interesting trying to separate this boy and his binky. Hm. For now, we shall let them be. Check out Eli's skills...he's been able to do this since 5 months old!

Ladies Night!

I organized a "Ladies Night" for the gals in my family...Bonnie and I bounced ideas off eachother and it turned out so cute! It was a "pajama party" but then morphed into being themed with lemons and limes. We drank sparkling limeade in goblets, had everyone bring their favorite indulgence to share, and played games for hours! At the end of the night, there was a prize for the overall winner of the games, and a prize for the loser. :) "...It's been a real SLICE!"

"Second Grade is AWESOME"...

...and so Sammi says her first day of school. I can't believe she's in 2nd grade already! So far she LOVES it and her teacher. She's doing great and is such a fun kid - my little pal. We all miss her while she's at school, but it's fun when she comes home as Keith and Maddi race upstairs yelling 'Sammi's home!". *sniff* I love my kids!

ZOO Boise

We took the kids to the Zoo here in Boise. It was a lot of fun...the Zoo has added a new Africa scene to the park and it was really cool. Maddi LOVED the lions and tiger and sitting on everything she could.

Solids, here we come!

Eli is now eating solid foods! So far, he'll eat anything (peas and spinach included!) Every meal, the "first bite" is the funnest thing to watch - his short little arms are outstretched, his mouth wide open and he's almost SHAKING, he's so excited. So cute.

Sammi's haircut

So, Sammi too needed a haircut and we took her in. I was thinking a trim, some "swoosh bangs" but she had other ideas. She wanted it like Maddi's and so, we chopped it off. 7 inches! Ah! I admit, it took me a few days to get used to it...but it is pretty darn cute! Or rather, she is. :)

Brothers

Some of my favorite recent pics of Keith and Eli.

I love this baby!

Here's little Eli...he is such a sweetheart. So easygoing and loving. It never fails: I enter the room and he busts out in a HUGE smile and laughs. He's always SO happy to see me. It does a lot for my self-esteem. :) He's very intrigued by Matt and will just sit and stare at him when Matt is near by. It's funny. He's my "Angel Baby" and makes me want to have a dozen more....much to Matt's chagrin. Seriously, though...how can you not love this face?

Fourth of July

It was a beautiful day - we went to breakfast at the Stake Center, RELAXED and then went to Matt's parent's house for a potluck BBQ and some water fun. Complete with a pinata! (Thanks Mariellen!) We then drove to the railroad tracks and watched the fireworks in Ann Morrison park. Keith loved the "firebumps" and still will randomly say "firebumps are fun!" :)

Here, fishy, fishy FISHY!

Keith and Maddi love to go fishing with their dad (probably more for the snacks they buy than the actual fish) but they LOVE to be with their dad. Here's some of my favorite pics of them....

Horses, Horses

Miss Maddi LOVES horses. Matt's colleauge owns a couple and she invited the girls to come and ride them at the end of June. Maddi was in heaven and loved every moment. Sammi was pleased to learn that she had, and I quote "Amazing horse-riding posture".

The Jo Bros....

It was a night to remember. Katy and I went with Lexi and Sammi after making it a complete Girl's Night at Olive Garden. The girls were SO excited. It was fun to watch them. Enjoy the pics. (Yes, I know...Sammi is quite the ham. I wonder where she gets it from?)