Fireworks!

A couple weeks ago Ben and I went to see a Bee's game. We both love to be at the ball park watching a good baseball game and wanted Logan to experience it all too.

There was the usual peanuts and cotton candy (which Logan wouldn't touch. He'll eat dirt, but not cotton candy? Come on kid!) drunk fans, and the good ol' 7th inning stretch. But Logan's favorite part was watching the fireworks at the end. He sat so still through the whole thing, not bad considering the 13-inning game lasted until 11:45 pm.




I just found a cute fireworks craft at one of my favorite sites: No Time For Flash Cards. I haven't tried it with Logan yet but I think he'll love it now that he's experienced fireworks and will again on the 4th.

A Package Came Today!

I'm a little behind on posting, somewhat due to an Oprah challenge that we took last week, but I wanted to brag for a minute.

Today we got a special package in the mail. Normally I can't not open a package that is addressed to Ben when it is delivered in the middle of the day and it is taunting me all day long. But, today I didn't peek. {pat on the back}


So when Ben got home and opened this curious little cylinder of a package, we were both excited to see his diploma!


So you're thinking, "So what, a another piece of paper to frame and hang in the office?" Well my friends, this diploma is wonderful for two reasons:

1: This represents a raise in his pay, now in effect now that the diploma is here. Not gonna lie... more money is a welcome thing right now.

2: This piece of paper is a small representation of how awesome Ben is. He spent the past two years working hard on his masters degree in Educational Administration from the University of Scranton, all while:

• working full time to support our family
• serving as the Young Men's President
• having many hobbies to fill the little cracks of time left available (see here)
• cleaning the bathroom every Saturday morning (and more!)
  
• having a baby (ok, well I had the baby, but you get what I mean) and delving into the sweet world of fatherhood
  
• doing more than his fair share of bed time and baths for Logan
• taking Logan while I served in my Primary calling and worked
• repaired numerous things around the house
• and the hardest one of all... putting up with me!

These past two years weren't always a walk in the park for our little family but what's life without a little trial? The blessings have far outweighed the hardships.

I actually can't list every awesome thing Ben has done in the past two years, but I just wanted to say how proud I am of him and how thankful I am for a hard working and extremely talented husband. My husband ROCKS! Love you Ben!

Bear Lake Weekend

A few weeks ago Ben competed in the Bear Lake Classic (a 50 mile race around Bear Lake). This is his fourth year racing at this particular event and we love going each year. We usually camp the night before the race and every year it is absolutely freezing at night, so this year we got smart and camped cabin-style with the Cooks. Yea! It was 10 x's better than the past 3 years. Ben did great, as usual, and we had a blast. Here's some proof:

Before the race (you can see our sweet cabin in the back ground. It even had a little bathroom - wonderful) !
Lining up (the 5 guys in the front row are all from the same club that Ben helped start up. Their jerseys are coming in soon).
Playing at the park while the guys were racing

Like father like son.

At the finish line

The boys and their bikes.

Sol (aka Sauce) eating dirt


The Cooks


After the race we got to play on the beach a little bit. The water was freezing, but that didn't stop Logan.

He was so concerned about sand on his hands.

Soaking up the heat from the sand.

Love this shot

That night we played at a park where Megan discovered a swing for a disabled person and boy was it fun. We all had to take a turn. :-)

What's Music?

Ok, so I'll be the first to admit that since this guy came into my life

some things that just aren't necessary have taken a backseat...such as keeping up on current music. And I'm completely ok with that. I've learned to embrace kid songs, primary songs and my good old stand bys from high school and college days {yea for Weezer}!

But tonight while watching So You Think You Can Dance {anyone else a fan?} I heard a song that I've heard before and loved, but have forgotten about. So I did my research and came to find out that song is Winter Song by Ingrid Michaelson {and Sara Bareilles}. So I checked out some more of Ingrid Michaelson's songs and discovered that I love her music that I've heard so far.

If Grey's Anatomy was its own music genre then I would have to say that it would be my favorite. I love the mellowness and honesty of {most of} the music featured on Greys. And I think that Ingrid captures that same feeling. Her songs make me think of pasley wall paper, vintage style washed out photographs and yellow flowers.

So there you go. I induldged on music tonight and loved it so I thought I'd just share.
Here's a blip on YouTube about Winter Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU-x9fZRQT4

Two Years Already

Well it's official, Logan has now survived TWO YEARS of life! Happy Birthday Mr. Mack!



I started a tradition last year of writing Logan a letter every year on his birthday that I can give to him when he's 18. While trying to think of what to write, I have come up with some of my favorite parts about this past year:


You've learned to walk, run, jump, climb, kick, throw and catch (thanks Katie!)

Your vocabulary has exploded! We can actually have a small conversation now at the end of each day, even if it's really short and is all about balls and choo-choos. I love knowing what your curious little mind is thinking about!


You started in Nursery (and thankfully you love to go!)

You're now a pro at flying (while you were free to fly :-) You took 6 trips with mom last year, 13 flights and she never wanted to strangle you! Well, okay, maybe once or twice...but she didn't.


You only threw toys in the toilet 3 times (sorry Maegan!) :-)

You've started saying your own prayers


You learned to use utensils and no longer throw your plate full of food on the floor (hallelujah).


I'm so proud of you baby guy. Here's hoping this year is not as terrible as everyone says it is!

Mint Brownies

For anyone who loves the BYU Mint Brownies as much as I do, here's the recipe (thanks jera!):

BYU Mint Brownies

Sugar-n-Spice, Cougareat Food Court

MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)

MINT ICING

5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

The Good News Is...

... we're in Denver right now visitng Ben's family! They had Stake Conference today and because I'm blessed to have a very busy 2 year old, I got to hear about half of the speakers. One lady that spoke mentioned a phrase that she has adopted as her mantra in life: "The good news is..."

For example: " The bad news is I got in a car accident, but THE GOOD NEWS IS I get a new car."

This pic has nothing to do with the post, but who can resist a baby in the almost-nude?

I thought that was such a great phrase that I should also adapt into my everyday vocabulary. I think I have been more pessimistic than usual and that a little dose of optimism would do me (and my family) some good.

Let's try it out:

The bad news is Logan some how jabbed a wooden dowl into the back of his throat when I was turned around for a minute. The good news is I got to refresh my knowledge of anatomy while doing research to make sure he couldn't have hurt anything precious back there, like his brain stem. (Ok, so that was a far reach for something good).

The bad news is our backyard fence collapsed since we have been out of town, but the good news is we get a new one and hopefully my plants aren't damaged. I hope.

The bad news is I ate deep fat fried dough tonight (aka: scones!) but the good news is they tasted really yummy and logan gets more play time at the gym this week.

Ok, I'll write the rest in my journal so as not to bore any possible readers.

Hope you all have a "good news" week in recognizing the blessing behind every trial.