Happy Friday

This picture makes me smile!

My favorite visitors!

This last week and a half has been a whirlwind of fun! I always get so excited when my sis Leah says she is coming to visit. We always have a blast and there is never a dull moment! Jack had so much fun with the girls and has been walking around sulking ever since they left this morning! We miss you guys so much and can't wait for your next visit! We love you!

Pedi's

I love taking the girls out just the three of us and this trip I decided it was high time for a pedicure. The girls thought it was so funny that they were getting it at the "grown up place". They are seriously the coolest girls! It was way to much fun and I'm sure it will become a new tradition.

The Zoo
One of the days we headed over to the zoo. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun with all the kids! Ben and Kristina's family was there too and I have no idea how I don't have a picture of them! :(

Leah and I thought this was hilarious. Why you might ask...because this is on the way TO the zoo! Good thing they were well rested for all of the fun!

I think these two look so much alike. Ellie always claims that Jack is here brother!

Fun in the Sun!
We only had a few hot days and when it was hot we were outside playing! The kids had a great time running through the sprinklers.

Night Out
Leah and I got to have one night out and we had a lot of fun. My cousin Natalie offered to have the girls stay the night with her and they had a blast and my sweet hubby stayed with Jack. This is a picture with Leah, my friend Sam, and myself.

Last day together :(
Sunday we had dinner at my house and then we headed to my cousin Natalie's for dessert. We always have so much fun with our huge family and I am so grateful that some of my cousins live close by. I love these shots with Jack and the girls...I miss them already!

Peanut butter Chocolate Chip Bars

I will just start by saying I AM NOT A BAKER but every once in awhile I will try a recipe and it turns out. Kristina this is for you!

Recipe:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tea. baking soda
1 tea. baking powder
2 eggs
1 tea. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl beat butter and peanut butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. add sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat the flour with the mixer until combined and stir in chocolate chips.

Press dough into a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 360 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Artichoke Hummus

Artichoke Hummus
So easy and yummy this has become a staple at my house. It's great for a quick snack or can be made into a quick healthy meal. I like to pair it with carrots, snap peas, toasted pita, and quesadillas on whole wheat tortillas.

Recipe:
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 garlic clove
1 can chick peas (aka as garbanzo beans)
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons Tahini (aka sesame paste, it can be found in the special foods aisle or at a health food store)
1/2 teaspoon salt

First blend artichoke hearts and garlic in a food processor. When completely blended add in the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Pretty painless!

My Mother's Day

I must say I am really getting the hang of this Mother's day thing!!! I definitely won't complain about a holiday that is all about treating mamma's right! My sweet husband really spoiled me this year with 2 pairs of really cute shoes and my favorite gift, some Ray Ban sunglasses...thanks hun you are the best! Then he took me to Snowbird for brunch and I think we will be making a tradition out of it. We went there for fathers day last year and both times it has been so yummy!

Jack decided to not cooperate so much for his loving mother. He was feeling a little under the weather and the poor thing tried very hard to be a good trooper but as you can see from the pictures he wasn't really diggin' it!

Jack was fascinated with the wall of snow!

Poor thing! He just wanted to run around like a mad man!

The sort of happy family :)

Jack was really getting sick of pictures!

Finally free at last!

Thanks for making me a mom Jack!

Later that evening our really good friends the Barnhisel's invited us over for some dessert and fun. I tried so hard to get a picture of Jack and their cute little guy Sean but they were busy little bee's...no time to stop for the camera!

Check out this awesome swing. It's made out of a tire and looks like a horse.

When Jack see's a slide he does not think "that looks like fun to go down" he thinks, "That looks like a blast to climb up!" Here he is climbing up the slide. Does this remind anyone else of Chloe???

With all the fun festivities Jack and Mom were pooped!

All in all I had a wonderful day and I couldn't be more happy to be the mother of my sweet little Jack! He has changed my life more than I could have ever imagined and life is sooo sweet!

Happy Mother's Day

Baby Jack and Gram (Isn't she beautiful!)

Happy mothers day to the most amazing mother and grandmother I know. This woman is my hero and I hope to be half the mother she is! Mom thanks for being my mom, an awesome Gram's to Jack, and most importantly my friend and my favorite person! WE LOVE YOU!

Bridge Academy of Art

My amazingly talented brother and three other very talented artists have come together to open an art academy in Provo. I can't think of a better place for aspiring artists to learn the craft. To check out the Bridge Academy of Art click here.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

For some reason Dan and I have always loved having a get together on Cinco De Mayo. It's really just a good excuse to get together and eat a lot of really good food and last night was no exception. For some dumb reason I forgot to take pictures but I do have some recipes that are really yummy!

Shrimp Cakes
I got this recipe from Real Simple and it is just that real simple! (I did make some minor adjustments to the recipe)

Recipe:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 jalapeño
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Pulse the shrimp in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add jalapeño, orange zest, salt, and pepper and pulse to combine.

Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Shape the shrimp mixture into 8 patties and dredge in breadcrumbs.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook patties until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Eat and Enjoy!

Helpful tip: The uncooked patties (without the breadcrumbs) can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or frozen for up to 3 months. Dredge in breadcrumbs before cooking.

Jalapeño Poppers
I'm not sure if this is a New Mexican thing but I thought everyone knew about these yummy little bites and turns out not so many people do...so here is the recipe.
Disclaimer: I typically try to cook really healthy food for my family but this recipe is an exception and they are worth every calorie!

Recipe:
6-8 jalapeños cut in half and seeds scraped out
4 oz. cream cheese
1 package of bacon

Cut the jalapeños in half and scrape out all the seeds. Spread cream cheese in the middle of the jalapeño and wrap with bacon from top to bottom (if bacon is not staying put use a toothpick through the middle of the jalapeño).

Cook on a grill over medium high to high heat until bacon starts to get crispy. Then place them on the upper grill or on a lower heat setting (low) for about 20-30 minutes until jalapeños are tender. Then Eat and Enjoy!

Sunday Drive

Because the weather was so beautiful today we decided to jump in the car and take in some views of our amazing mountains. Dan and I have always driven up through the canyons on pretty days, it is so peaceful and beautiful, sometimes I can't believe that we live so close to them.

We were also excited that we got to see them still covered in snow. I love them all white and beautiful but I must say I am getting very anxious for the green to come out!

SOOOO PRETTY!

On a side note...I had Jack's hair cut again because he was starting to look pretty shaggy. I am glad that it is cleaned up but I always feel like it is too short afterwards. Here is the best picture that I got after his hair cut. (See how short the sides are!)

Random

We took Jack to Toys 'r' us the other day and he fell in love with this lawn mower. I was not surprised at all because he loves it when I vacuum and he stare at Dan through the window when he mows the lawn.

He loved being out there with Daddy and I could tell he thought he was sooo big!

I took this picture because it is my new favorite shirt of Jack's. The pirates face is made out of felt and it is so cute. I had my eye on it for a while but waited for it to go on sale and got it for a steal. For any of you who live in SLC I got it at the cutest boutique called Kinder Winkel.