Honk!

Last night we attended a musical production at a small community theater. One of Bill's co-workers was in the play, so his boss decided that everyone should support him. It was a fun family event!! I was pleasantly surprised at how incredible the girls were! They both sat through the ENTIRE thing- 2hr. & 20 min. running time. It helped that there was a lot of singing & dancing, and some little kids on stage. The show & songs were witty and entertaining and of course the message of inner beauty is timeless.

After it was over Bill leaned to Madisen & asked her, "What did you think of the show?" Her response was, "It was GREAT!", spoken enthusiastically! I grew up going to plays & various other community events so it was neat to be able to begin exposing my children to the 'fine arts'.Honk! is the musical interpretation of the classic Hans Christian Anderson story 'The Ugly Duckling. The musical has been written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Hans Christian Andersons innocent story has been turned into a modern musical comedy. Honk! tells the story of Ugly, whose different and gawdy looks become a subject of speculation for his family and neighbors. He is the separated from his family and then pursued by a hungry cat. Ugly tries very hard to find his way back to his mother Ida. His loving mother is searching for him. As his fascinating journey continues he not only discovers his true beauty and glorious destiny, but he also finds love and acceptance. (from this web site)

What's for Dinner?

My late grandmother LOVED to cook. She collected cookbooks from all over the world! When she passed away 6 years ago I inherited a variety of them- lucky me. Last night when I was trying to decide what to cook for dinner- something new- I found myself turning to one of grandma's books titled, "Betty Crocker's Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook". I tried the following recipe and wanted to share it with you. At our house we decided it was a keeper- even the girls both ate it! (We had it sans mushrooms b/c I didn't have any.) Bon apetit!!

Orange Stir-fried Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. grated ginger root or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 c. orange juice
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. vegetable or olive oil
3 c. thinly sliced fresh mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
1/2 c. coarsely shredded carrots (about 1 medium)
2 c. hot cooked rice

Trim fat & cut chicken into 1/4 inch strips. Mix soy sauce, 1 tsp. cornstarch, the ginger & garlic in medium glass or plastic bowl. Stir in chicken. Cover & refrigerate 30 minutes.

Mix orange juice & 2 tsp. cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved. Heat 1 tsp. oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Add chicken mixture; stir-fry until chicken turns white. Remove chicken from skillet.

Add remaining 1 tsp. oil skillet. Add mushrooms & carrot; stir-fry about 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Stir in chicken & orange juice mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 30 seconds or until thickened. Serve over rice.

Happy Campers

In an effort to beat the heat this weekend we headed for the hills with some friends. Any of you locals who enjoy camping but weren't able to come this weekend- stay tuned for further trips. It was DEFINITELY cooler there (we were actually cold during the night)! And it was such a peaceful escape from the city and the hustle- bustle of life.

I told Madisen we were going a couple of days before we left. She started the countdown immediately and was elated to know that this time we actually got to spend the night.

After camp was set up Kate entertained the kids inside their tent trailer for a few minutes by playing Candy Land.

Due to the fire restrictions we could not cook ourselves any tin foil dinners, so we had sub sandwiches- followed by S'mores brownies. They are a far 2nd from the marshmallows roasted over the open fire, but we were pretending.

Madisen, Mara, & Reagan had so much fun together! Sometimes with little girls 3 can be a crowd but I was pleased to see that this was not the case for these fun friends.Here they are eating some snacks while they are waiting to watch their daddy's repel off the side of a mountain. It was kind of a long wait, but they were troopers.

Repelling was the grand finale! The guys had high hopes of repelling down & then we would all take turns climbing. But the rope didn't quite make it to the ground so Bill was the designated climber to retrieve the anchor.

Yes, these photos were all taken from the ground with my 10x optical zoom lens- I LOVE our new camera!

My girls favorite thing was to ride the 4-wheeler! Caitlyn was especially fond of it!

Our Grandma's Came to Town

We've been busy hosting our grandma's (and grandpa) these last few weeks. There is honestly NOTHING we'd rather be doing! Madisen is constantly asking when her grandma is coming again, or when we are going to their house. She's sincere in the fact that she misses them & wants to be with them, so THANK YOU for visiting us- it made her month!! (and the rest of us loved it, too)

Grandma Carruth:
Just a few days after Don, Karlea & their boys left, Grandma Carruth came for a visit. Sadly, she came while we didn't have a camera, so we don't have any photo proof that she was here. But we have some great memories! Here are some things we did:
*Painted aprons- complete with iron on patches * Went to the park * Enjoyed grandma's cooking 2 nights in a row * Attended the temple while grandma babysat * Watched Enchanted & ate ice cream * Ethel M Chocolate Factory * Toys-R-Us * Bellagio Fountains * Lions @ MGM * Train exhibit @ Bellagio * Water skiing @ Lake Mead * A BBQ with Uncle John and family * Watched Madisen & Eden use each other's skills to unlock the gate to the pool *

Grandma & Grandpa Dodds:
Just last week, Grandpa Dodds had meetings in Vegas so he brought Grandma to visit with us. His conference was held at Caesar's Palace so we got to swim in the pool there for 4 days in a row! Mom also helped me with some sewing projects, the girls got to have a sleepover at grandma's hotel, we ran a few errands, had a BBQ, and just enjoyed being together!

Madisen is turning into a fish. She loved jumping from the step to grandma or mom & she's getting better at kicking her legs while laying on her tummy. Caitlyn is TOO brave for me! The first night she kept saying, "Et go!" like a broken record. Of course we didn't let go & once she learned that it was safer in our arms, we were all happier! She made a game of throwing water bottles in the water for us to retrieve.

Caitlyn has always had an affinity for men. This trip was no exception- she is grandpa's girl! She would ONLY let him put her to bed all 4 nights they were here. He even rescued her from the cold water to snuggle her with a towel. On Friday afternoon when we were all water-logged, we walked around the Forum Shop's @ Caesar's. We ended up at FAO Schwartz- a 4 level toy store. Despite being tired, the girls found the energy to run up & down this keyboard at least a dozen times. The keys really did light up & play music. They were also fascinated by the over sized stuffed animals of every kind.

Summer's Here

Summer is upon us & the water fun has begun! Just over a week ago we went to the Town Center outdoor mall where they have a FABULOUS water/ playground area for the kids. My girls were in heaven & they played in their matching bathing suits for nearly 2 hours. Sadly the hats only lasted about 10 minutes but it was a start!Madisen is our little sweetheart! She can be so dear & thoughtful to her friends & sister. Those moments are great payday for a mom!
Caitlyn's personality & language have exploded these last few weeks. She's such a delightful girl, especially now that she has 2 molars & 2 more front teeth! It's neat to watch her face light up as she discovers things for the first time. And I LOVE how she adores her sister! Her newest word is "Ma-sen".

Father's Day

This is my late tribute the the father of my girls... my wonderful husband! We had a perfect day! The girls and I let Bill sleep in while they helped create his present & we made his favorite breakfast- German Pancakes & orange julius. The only picture I got with daddy & his girls is them in their P.J.'s.

Here you can see Caitlyn is eager to help daddy unwrap his presents. She knows that something tasty is inside. As soon as Bill opened & shared his Sour Patch Kids with the girls, they immediately spit them in their hands. Caitlyn handed it to me and said, "No wike." Madisen gave me a look of disgust since she couldn't figure out why that candy wouldn't taste good, as she handed the half eaten piece to me and said, "Here mom, you try." Bill grinned b/c he had scored a sweet treat that the girls weren't going to be sharing with him.

I had to include a picture of the note that Madisen dictated for her daddy. As she 'reread' it to him she had changed a few words at the end, and what she was trying to say is that she loves her daddy when he doesn't go to work. So sweet!!

The talks in our ward were fantastic tributes to fathers and grandfathers! After church the girls took L-O-N-G naps! I was able to read, take a rest myself, make dessert, dinner, & clean up the kitchen. In fact the girls slept so long that they slept right through dinner. Bill & I enjoyed a kid-free dinner at 6 pm!

I don't know about you, but Bill seems to like everything I cook for dinner- I guess he has to. So thinking of something that would be his favorite was tricky. I quickly decided on using the BBQ grill, but since we'd had steak previously that week I was trying to think of something different. I came across this recipe a few weeks ago & decided that it was definitely a meal for a special occasion- so this was it!I must say that I was quite pleased with how these Chicken Kabobs turned out... they even look appetizing in the raw form!

We did, however, find out that they DON'T taste good the 2nd day. So next time we'll make them for company!

It's About Time...

Yes, it's true we have returned to the digital world with our new camera! Bill and I met for a 'lunch date' to Costco where we purchased the Panasonic Lumix TZ4. You might be wondering why we didn't just do that 7 weeks ago, when we discovered the camera was missing... so I'll tell you why:
*We spent the first 2 weeks hoping it would 'reappear'.
*Then we had to research cameras, consult the experts, & visit a few stores.
*2 weeks ago we ordered one on-line b/c we found a smokin' deal, expecting it to arrive in 10 business days- when it didn't arrive on Tuesday we knew something was fishy.
*Called the 'company' who told us the camera was on backorder for 4 weeks & please don't call again.
*Canceled the order with the 'company', found ourselves at Costco, and left with an entirely different camera than we had initially ordered.

Now if we can just get the software installed on the computer and figure out the specifics of the camera, we'll be set! It's been amazing to realize how often I use my camera- we're always most grateful for things when we don't have them. Stay tuned, pictures from the new camera to come.

It's Official.... I'm OLD!

No, I haven't turned the big 3-0 yet, but my body is telling me it's close. On Saturday we went boating with Bill's mom. I was super excited to jump in and ski- I LOVE water skiing! Once I said "Hit it" and the boat started to drag me, I realized that it's been a l-o-n-g time since I skied. In fact, it's been 2 years! Last summer we had a series of 'unfortunate' events (wind and boat trouble) that prevented me from skiing and the summer before that I was pregnant with Caitlyn. As I was gliding along the water struggling to hang on to the rope, I was reminded of a T-shirt that I bought years ago at Lake Powell, "Arms burning, knees pumping and back aching... Never felt better." My arms and back are sure feeling it today, but it was worth it!

{This picture is cheesy, but it was taken when we were dating.... we did more cheesy things back then.}