Life After The Thesis

So, it’s been awhile…again.  I tried posting the other day, but my pictures that I tried to dowload failed, so I have decided to finish posting the older pictures in my gallery.  And, I never posted my cuties in their m&m costumes.  So, here you go:

1.  T-Ball

Adam participated in T-Ball with his friends from church.  He really liked it.  Well, he loved being around all of his friends outside.  It remains to be seen whether or not he will be an all-star baseball player.   He sure was fun to watch though!

2.  Tomato sauce

I decided this year to squish all of my tomatoes and just make tomato sauce.  We still had canned tomatoes and salsa from the previous two years, so we rounded out our tomato supply with sauce.  The boys loved helping, being “assistant chefs.”

3.  Outing to the zoo

We spent one day at the zoo with two neighborhood friends and their cousin.  Fun day.

4.  Halloween

I made the boys m&m costumes this year and it was so fun.  They were all thrilled to be m&ms and the costumes were super easy and super cheap to make.

5.  Visit from Michigan cousins

Lindsey came to Utah for her niece’s baptism and spent one night with us.  We can’t wait to visit these girls and their new brother in a few weeks!

6.  Crazy Branson

He is such a funny boy.  He loves to do funny things and make us laugh and drive us crazy.

7.  Trip to Temple Square

I took the boys on TRAX and we visited the Church History “I Am a Child of God” exhibit and walked around temple square.  Such a beautiful and happy day.

8.  We finally busted out the training wheels on Adam’s bike during Thanksgiving break while my sister Autumn and my parents were here.  Adam loves riding his bike now! 

We also went bowling during the weekend.  Can’t wait to see all of my family in Michigan in a few weeks! 

9.  Branson’s 3rd Golden Birthday

It was Branson’s golden birthday on December 3rd.  He was so excited to turn three and have a “T-Rex Birthday Party.”  Everything was T-Rex EXCEPT for his Thomas birthday balloon.  Somehow, when we went to pick out his birthday balloons, he INSISTED upon the Thomas balloon, despite having a T-Rex balloon available.  That’s our stubborn, crazy, and determined three year old for you!  Whatever you want for your birthday little boy.

Enjoy the pictures.  I really am hoping to post the recent fun events we’ve had.  Wish me luck!

Have you seen the movie “Julie and Julia”?  If you haven’t go get it and see it now!  I was my favorite of the year easily.  I loved it, probably because it was a good romantic story, but it also combined two of my current interests, cooking and blogging.  Also, Meryl Streep does an awesome job being Julia Child (it was no wonder she was nominated for an Oscar for her role).   So, to say the least, I was interested in Julia Child’s cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”  I am shamefully very influenced by some media.  I really wanted to make that chocolate cake with almonds on the side and of course, the Beef Bourguignon.  I checked by trusty website Amazon and found that they had it for a mere $17.  Brandon wanted a financial book as well, so I bought them both in order to get “Free Super Saver Shipping.”  I got my cookbook on Thursday.  Can I tell you how great it is?  The first part of the book tells the story of how the book came to be, it outlines how the recipes read, give an overview of supplies, basic cooking skills, etc.  I loved reading it.  It is actually pretty funny in some parts.  You can tell that Julia truly had a sense of humor.  After perusing many of the recipes, I settled on her first sponge cake–Butter sponge cake with butter cream frosting.  I made it with little difficulty.  Tasting it was interesting–not as good as I had hoped.  The cake was good, but the frosting literally tasted like butter.  It was, after all, made with 3/4 c. butter, 2/3 c. powdered sugar, two egg yolks, and 1 T. vanilla.  Brandon said it tasted “European.”  He went on his mission to Spain and then travelled through Europe with his parents for two weeks afterwards and had multiple French and other European pasteries.  I am making the crepes this week.  I even bought an officially crepe pan.  I am so excited to cook my way through this book!

So, I turned 30!!! yesterday.  Wow.  I’ve left my 20s.  It seems like it’s been ten years since I turned 20, yet it is crazy to think that I’m now 30 and no longer considered really young.  Well, if I had to turn 30, I told Brandon that “I’m not planning my birthday, but it had better be good.”  I didn’t want to be disappointed and I wasn’t. 

Brandon told me a couple of days before my birthday that we had to be ready and have the kids to the babysitter by 11 am sharp, so I was wondering what was up.  We had previously decided that Brandon would take the day off and we would go on a lunch date together and leave Adam and Branson with a friend.  So, a couple of minutes before 11 am yesterday I was in our bathroom finishing my hair and Adam comes in and says, “Mom there is a long car outside.”  I said, “What?” as in, what is he talking about?  So, Adam says again, “There’s a long car outside our house.”  I think, “oh what has Brandon done?  He hasn’t gotten a limo, has he???”  I walk out of my room and there is Brandon grinning and I look out the window and lo and behold, there is a shining black limo parked on the curb in front of our house.  I was sooo shocked!  I said to Brandon, “you rented me a limo!?” and he laughed.  So, we got the kids in their shoes and the driver said he would drive them over to the neighbors, so as we were getting in the car Branson asked what this car was and I told him it was my birthday car.  We dropped them off and my friend’s jaw dropped when she opened the door.  I was giddy.  We then rode in our limo up to Midway, UT (mountain resort town in between Park City and Heber) to a mid-sized bed and breakfast/restaurant called the Blue Boar Inn.  It was so beautiful and the food was great.  I had the best French onion soup I’ve ever had along with a tenderloin steak sandwich and Brandon had a fancy caesar salad with cedar plank salmon.  We had a chocolate mousse cake for dessert that was AMAZING.  We then took a tour of some of the rooms upstairs.  It would be a fun place to spend the night.  We then got back in the limo and drove home.  It was as fun as it sounds.  I was so surprised and it was fun to spend the time with Brandon together like we used to when we didn’t have three kids.  We did have Cory with us, but he doesn’t talk and he was good.   That night, we got Chinese takeout with Claire and David and then we had ice cream cake and I opened my cards and a couple of gifts.  It was so fun to celebrate with our boys.  Adam and Branson are loving birthdays so much right now.  Adam kept telling that he hoped I had the best birthday ever and how much he loved me.  I love my boys so much.  It is so great to a mom to them.  It was such a happy day.  Completely memorable, which is what I wanted.  Brandon spoiled me soo much.  I loved it.  Here are some pictures of the day:

During lunch:

In the limo:

Our family outside the birthday car:

Party night:

Happy Birthday to Me!  Next up, Brandon’s 33rd on Tuesday!

OH P.S.  I highlighted my hair for the first time ever for my 30th.  Can you tell?  It ended up no being as light as I thought, but it still looks cute in person.

AND P.P.S.  Don’t mind Branson.  He is pretty much potty trained now and pants seem to be optional for him after he uses the potty.  Just be glad he had something on for these pictures!  He is such a random boy.