Hit the Floor... Someone's Turning Four!

It's time for another birthday!!!  This time the festivities were for Ryan- who just turned 4.  My kids are getting big!

Ryan insisted on a Star Wars birthday... so when I found this cool Darth Vadar candle... I knew we had to buy it!  Ryan also insisted on his favorite cake... chocolate with layers of whipped cream.  It's super yummy- so I don't ever mind making it for him!  

Ryan has turned out to be such a funny little boy with a personality all his own.  I love spending time with him and listening to his stories.  Ryan loves his big brother the most (probably out of all of us).  What Ty loves is what Ryan loves- with the exception of school.  And they are the best buddies.  Ryan also loves baseball.  Actually "loves" might be a little bit of an understatement.  If he isn't playing it in the backyard with Ty, he is trying to talk someone into playing catch with in the house.  If given a choice for something to watch on TV- it is always baseball.  He played t-ball in the spring and is constantly asking me when it starts again.  We love this little guy!

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty

While we were at Grandma's house, we got a chance to play with some little kittens that found their way into her yard.  The two cats were immediately named by the boys.  

Ty is holding Graycie- you know because she's gray.  

And Ryan is attempting to hold Darth Vadar...

The boys had so much fun playing with them!  So did cousin Deja.  Kate just tried to eat their cat food.

Why was 10 afraid of 7?

Because 7 ate 9!  Hahaha!  Get it?  

We just celebrated a birthday for our house-comedian- this just happens to be one of Ty's favorite jokes.  Ty turned 7 this year!  7!  That's insane to me!  I swear I don't have a little boy that is old enough for... well, whatever 7 year olds do.  Whenever I sit and think about it- I am just amazed that he is 7.  

We celebrated Ty's birthday at Grandma Jacki's house this year and started the day with a Number 7 pancake.  Afterward we went out to Steadman's to play on a giant water-slide for a few hours.  It was a lot of fun.  

My camera battery died- so I didn't get any pictures of us on the waterslide.  I stole this one from my sister in law's blog.  Thanks Dani!!

 Then came time for presents... Ty was so excited for his Star Wars sheet set.  Probably a silly thing to get a 7 year old- but when his little brother got a set for his birthday... Ty was super jealous!  We had to come home and wash them immediately so they could go on his bed!  He was all for washing them at grandma's and using them there...

 And we had cake!  Or rather... cupcakes.  Ty wanted a peanut butter cupcake.  So I got a little creative and put a Reese's peanut butter cup in the middle of our chocolate cupcake batter before I baked them.  Then topped it with a peanut butter frosting... It was really good!  Nice choice Ty!

 The cake was naturally a Star Wars cake- I bought some of those Star Wars Legos and built a little fight scene on top of the cup cakes.  Note to self... next year- DON'T put Legos in the frosting.  Do you know how long it took me to clean peanut butter frosting out of all those little holes?!?!  FOREVER!

 Ty also got a brand new scooter... He loves it!

I hope my biggest boy had a very happy birthday.  I know that we have had some really trying years (yeah- that said years)... but I really love my little boy.  He is quite the funny man and is incredibly smart.  Ty loves school and keeps a count down for when he CAN go back to school.  He loves sports- especially soccer (thanks Grandma Jacki and Papa Orllo for the new soccer ball and net) and basketball.  And he is quite possibly the most devout U of U fan around.  Grandpa JB has spoiled him by taking him to so many games!

I have also been so incredibly impressed by Ty's dedication to his new gluten free lifestyle.  I'm sure we'll hit on some times when he's going to try and eat what his friends are... and we'll face that when we come to it.  For now though- he is so diligent in checking labels and asking questions.  I am so proud of him and in awe of how accepting he is of his new limitations.  He is the reason that I continue to tackle gluten free cooking and baking.  I love you Ty!!!  And Happy Birthday!

I don't know

Do you ever wonder what your kids are thinking?  It's a constant question at my house.  And while I'm not privy to all the private moments in YOUR home- I know that here... my kids are nuts.  Most of the time.  It's only once in a while when they show signs of being what I consider normal.  

I came upstairs after folding laundry the other day, and there stood Kate.  On my kitchen table.  She just stood there scratching her tummy for a few minutes before she realized I was watching her.  Then she held her arms out and told me "Want down."  I asked her why she had climbed up there in the first place- she just shrugged her shoulders and ran off to watch Mickey Mouse.  

The "I don't know" response seems to be the most prevalent answer I get from my kids these days.  I found Ty reading a book upside down on the couch the other day and that was his answer for me too.  My mom always got so irritated with that answer when I was growing up.  If we ever gave her the answer "I don't know" she would quip back, "If you don't... then who does?"  And now, I find myself saying the same thing to my kids.  It's eerie how somethings come back to haunt me sometimes... Does this mean I'm turning into my mother?

I don't know.

Every Rose Has It's Thorn... And Other Such Nonsense

So... most of you know that we have three little kids.  That said- we keep pretty busy most of the time and don't really go out on dates all that often.  We really should.  We live closer to family now- so it's not like we don't have the excuse of no babysitter... but I think we've been in this funk for so long- we've kind of forgotten that we CAN now.  It's strange.  Anyway... my point here... We had a date a few weeks ago to the Poison/ Def Leppard concert at the USANA Ampitheater.  

Okay- I'll admit- it's not exactly MY kind of music.  It's totally Shaun's era- but we have been together so long now that our music tastes are kind of rubbing off on each other- since we're both forced to listen to each other's music in the car (roadtrips can get awfully long if you're going to just sit there in silence).  That said- I have since become a fan of both Poison and Def Leppard.  So when my brother in law said he could get us tickets... We couldn't say no!

We spent the evening with Melissa and Jeremiah- we grabbed some dinner at the concert and spent the evening rockin' it 80's style.

Lazy Days at the Pool

Happy 4th!

I LOVE the 4th of July!  It's the best holiday... it's warm, you're outside, eating at BBQ's, fireworks, family... what's not to love??  It's like showing patriotism by eating.  I love it.  

We went to a BBQ over at my aunt and uncle's house- thanks Brent and Lori for having us!  

And because a girl's gotta eat... We had another BBQ at our house for dinner!  Followed by some little fireworks here at the house.  And what home firework show would be complete without someone trying to burn the house down.  Luckily for us... it was the landlord!  Jer had an idea that placed a rather large firework on the top of a ladder.  I missed the reasons why- I only turned when the screaming started.  

Once the firework was lit- it immediately fell from the ladder onto it's side... pointed directly at the house.  It shot at the house- but the force pushed the firework up and around onto it's other side- pointing at the neighbors house... where it shot the neighbor's front hedge (tried to start a tiny fire) before finally righting itself and continued to shoot fireworks upward into the air.  It was hilarious!!  Picture a little pinball machine- our heads swung from the right to the left and up again- thankfully no one was hurt- but it was so funny!  

 

The boys loved the fireworks- Kate hated them and opted to go to bed early with dad.  I took the boys up to the Holladay City firework show with Miss and Jer.  It was so good!  Probably one of the best firework shows I've been to!  The boys had fun sitting by their friends and goofing off until 11:00... yeah... July 5th was a LONG day.  It was funny (apparently that's the word of the day)- the boys were running around playing tag when the fireworks started and it scared them!  Ryan was already in the air- but once the first "pop" sounded- his mouth stretched wide- almost matching the size of his eyes as he did a mid-air spaz out.  Ty just hit the deck.  We had so much fun!

A Tale of Two Towels

I think every kid brings a new and different dynamic to the family.  As well they should.  Everybody is different.  My family is no different.  Ryan is one of those kids that dances to the beat of his very own drum.  He challenges us in very different ways than Kate and Ty do.  He has his own way of doing things, and he also makes up his own words to go along with it.  It's like learning to speak a new language sometimes... Ryan-ese.  Some of you may remember that when Ryan was very little- he decided that his little "lovey" was going to be called a "towel".  He has called his little blanket a towel ever since and feigns deafness if it is called something else in his presence.  He loves his little towel.  It goes to bed with him each night and each morning when he makes his bed- his towel is placed lovingly in it's place of prestige in the middle of his pillow- waiting patiently for Ryan's return.  

That said.  You also know that boys will be boys.  And brothers maybe more so.  About two weeks ago- Ty and Ryan were wrestling in the family room as I was making breakfast... as I was pouring the pancake batter into my pan a blood curdling scream shook the house.  Ryan came flying into the kitchen with his towel in hand- tears pouring down his cheeks.  It took about ten minutes before I could calm him down enough to get him to actually talk to me... though it seemed ominous to me that Ty had made himself scarce.  I was already beginning to guess the source of the tears... but I waited for Ryan to tell me.  

Apparently as the boys were wrestling- Ty took the towel into his mouth and bit down hard, and as he did so- he pulled on the other end of it...  Which resulted in a ripped towel.  

I took the towel in my hands and turned it over a few times...  I knew that I probably could have fixed it- but it wouldn't have been the same.  Plus I was pretty angry at Ty... he knew better than to mess with the towel. After all... no one messes with his HooHoo (his name for his own lovey).

I was at a crossroads...  I hate discipline.  I wish my kids were just good and sweet of their own accord and there were never any problems.  Imagine how easy being a parent would be then!!  However... it's not.  And my kids make bad  choices sometimes.  This happens to be one of them.  I told Ty that he needed to turn his own HooHoo over to Ryan until he earned enough money to buy Ryan a new one.

Tears again ensued... Though this time from Ty.  He can't sleep without his HooHoo!!  So a compromise was offered.  I offered to buy Ryan a new Towel- which would cost about $8.  BUT... in order to borrow the money from me- I told him I would have to charge him interest.  $1 would be the cost to him.

He sat there and wrestled with his decision.  And we had to talk it though a couple of times.  We figured out that he would have to earn a little over $8 to pay for the towel himself and be able to still pay his tithing.  And he would be without his own HooHoo until this was done.  If he wanted his HooHoo now- he would need to borrow $10 from me.  He chose to pay the interest.

I felt kind of like a slimy loan shark after my conversation with him... but Shaun and I had discussed that we really wanted him to understand the implications of what he had done- and that it costs money to fix the things that we break.

It took Ty about a week and a half to earn the money- he had to do extra chores around the house besides his regular ones (the regular ones he did NOT get paid for).  I assigned a dollar amount to each chore that I thought was age appropriate... for example- He got .25 for clearing the table after a meal, and .50 for setting the table... etc.  He ended up doing quite a bit of work- but I was pretty proud of how he handled his mess.

In the end- peace reigns at the Kidd household.  Ryan has a new towel, and Ty is a little bit more careful.  Not a lot though... I forsee this lesson being taught again and again around here... But maybe eventually it will stick.  I love my little ones and I love Shaun for his ideas and support in raising our kids.  

Cecret Lake

Our summer of hiking continues... This week we went up to Alta again and we hiked up to Cecret Lake (pronounced Secret Lake).  It wasn't a bad hike- not too hard, but more than a walk along the Jordan Parkway.  I had sprained my ankle last week- so it was a little more of a challenge- but I stuck it out- and my family is incredibly patient and sweet to wait for me when I slow them down.  

Cecret Lake was probably one of the more picturesque hikes we've taken.  Here in a couple of weeks it will probably be even prettier- all the wildflowers will be in bloom... We might have to go again!  

I got a couple pictures of the boys hanging out in the water...

 And a family picture...

 The boys with their grandpa...

 Kate OBVIOUSLY enjoyed the hike down... can't you tell?

 Too bad she slept right through the meeting of our new friend... Morty the Moose.  I can't believe this guy.  We were standing in the middle of the trail... and he just kept coming closer and closer!  It was nuts!!!

 It was such a fun morning!

Just Keep Swimming

There is a pervading smell of chlorine and sunscreen around our house these days.  We have been spending the majority of our time the last few weeks at the pool down the street where I signed the boys up for swimming lessons!  

Ty was put in the Dolphins group and did really, really well the last two weeks!  I was so proud of him!  He's on his way to being an actual swimmer!  Woohoo!  I'm not talking Michael Phelps here... but I think everybody needs to know how to swim and be comfortable around the water.  He passed his little swim test and is moving onto the next level.

 Ryan was in the Star Fish class- or rather- he was SUPPOSED to be in the Star Fish class.  On the first day- he flipped out (surprise surprise right?) and cried and wouldn't get in the pool.  I didn't have the time or energy for another "Jiggy" conversation- so I peeled him off my leg and handed him into the water to a teacher named Amy.  She carried him away and talked with him for about ten minutes- but by then- the main swim instructor just told Miss Amy to take care of Ryan for the next two weeks.  SWEET!  Private lessons! It actually turned out really well- Ryan loved Miss Amy and went willingly into the water most of the mornings.  And he did awesome too- he even passed his Star Fish swimming test and can move on next week!

 And little Kate... well... I didn't sign her up for anything this year.  There was the option of doing a "Mom and Me" type class- but I kind of figured I can dunk her head without someone else telling me to... right?  I didn't think I really needed to pay for it.  So- she spent her days in the little kiddie-pool that is about five feet from the big pool where the boys were swimming.  She loved it.  And really- as long as she's in the water and feels comfortable around it... I'm a happy camper!

 Here's Ryan hanging out in the kiddie pool after lessons Thursday... I think this was his favorite part of swimming lessons...

When Life Gives You Lemons

I'm irritated.  To my husband- these words are not new and are ones that he probably hears too much of.  To that, I say... I'm irritated.  

Somedays, I think that I am starting to get the hang of the gluten free cooking thing.  And some days (like today), it just ticks me off.  I like to cook.  But I LOVE to bake.  There is something so satisfying in pulling your little creation out of the oven and saying "Wha-la!  I'm awesome!"  I never really had to go through a lot of trial and error with traditional baking- I followed the recipe and it worked.  Easy- peasy.  I guess gluten free baking is the universe's way of telling me it has a sense of humor.  

I have thrown out three batches of lemon bars now because THEY JUST AREN'T WORKING!!  It makes me... irritated.  Okay- maybe there's another adjective or two that I could use- but don't exactly feel comfortable spewing them out in blog-land.  Grrrrr....  I think it's the crust that isn't right yet- I just can't figure out the shortbread.  It ends up too hard- think brick with lemon custard on top.  Appetizing right? Not even in the slightest.

So since I can't share my triumph in lemon bars... Instead- I'll share my Chocolate Almond Cake recipe instead- it was inspired by a cake I used to make found in Kim Warren's Family Comfort Favorites and a flourless cake recipe that was on a Channel 2 News lunch segment years ago.  I love it.  The recipe works and it tastes good- even if my lemon bars don't.

Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter

4 eggs, whites and yolks separated

1 cup granulated sugar

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1 1/2 scant cups almond meal

Handful of chocolate chips

Strawberries

Whipped Cream or Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease either a 10" round cake pan, or a muffin tin of paper liners.  If you are using the 10" pan- you can use butter and then dust it with cocoa powder to make sure the cake doesn't stick.  If you are doing the cupcakes- just spray the heck out of the muffin liners.

Over medium heat- melt chocolate and butter in a sauce pan.  

While chocolate is melting- beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until they get to be a really bright yellow color.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture by using a spatula.  Be really careful you don't mix it too much- otherwise you'll deflate your egg whites.

 Next fold in your almond flour and the melted chocolate into your eggy mixture.  Pour into pan and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.  

Bake for about 30 minutes.  

Let cool.  

You can either leave the cake be at this point and garnish with a little powdered sugar and the berries- or you can wait until it cools completely before you pile gobs of whipped cream over the top.  Once the cake is completely covered- cover it again with the berries of your choice (strawberries and raspberries are my favorite)!  

Grandma Jacki's House

We had the chance this weekend to drive up to Declo to visit Shaun's parents for a few days... and we took it!  It's so nice to unplug for a few days and do nothing out in the country sometimes.  It's nice to visit with family we don't get to see very often too.  Gma Jacki hosted a BBQ on Saturday night and invited Grandmas, Grandpa, Aunt Betty and Shaun's brother's family too.  It was so fun!  I got a couple pictures of us just goofing off and roasting hotdogs- my boys LOVE cooking their hotdogs over a fire- though I'm thinking part of that may be attributed to what comes next... roasting marshmallows!  

 

This is baby Carson... check out the eyelashes on this kidd!!  

And a quick one of Dad and Kate... He loves his baby girl!

And a quick one of Kate being Kate.  I wish I had gotten better pictures of my boys- but they were usually running to and from the marshmallows I never really got a chance!  Next time boys... YOU'RE MINE!! (imagine an evil chuckle here)

A World Where Gaining Weight is a Good Thing

Ty had a Dr appointment today up at Primary Children's Medical Center- it was a follow up appointment to his Endoscopy that he had almost three months ago.  His Dr wanted to see how he was doing and make sure that he wasn't having any additional problems.  

As any of you with kids know- the first thing that happens in any dr's office is weight and height.  For the last year and a half- there has been almost no change in Ty's height or weight.  He is a massive kid for his age- and always has been.  Then all of a sudden- it just stopped.  We just kind of figured that his body had grown and grown for so long that it was all out of umph and that he was going to be stagnant until the next growth spurt.  

In three months- since changing Ty's diet- he has gained 6 pounds and grown another 2 inches.  In THREE months!!  His body stopped growing because of the Celiac- he was essentially malnourished.  CRAZY!  Fortunately though- he's back on track and is back to growing.  He's excited- he wants to be as tall as Kevin (a friend that tops out at 6'7")- he's hoping this will give him an edge when it comes to dunking the basketball.  And I have to admit- that if this keeps up... it just might!

All of Ty's other symptoms are gone too... No more headaches, tummy aches or gas.  His behavior is even different than what it has been in the last couple of years.  He's much more mellow- not as quick to flip out.  I am still in awe of what effect food has on our bodies.  I have a friend who recently took her little girl off of red food dye and can't believe the changes that have happened because of it.

Long story short... I'm so happy for my biggest boy- I know that he's feeling better than he has in a long time.  I know it's going to be a long hard road- sticking to a diet that none of his friends have to follow- but I'm so happy that there is a way for him to be healthy and for him to feel good.  Love you Ty!

Donut Falls

We went on another quick little hike Monday night- just up the canyon to Donut Falls. It was a really short one- so it was perfect for a week-night!  In fact- it was so much fun that I think I may take just the kids one of these mornings!  For this trip though- we did leave Kate home with Grandma Janet since it was kind of hot.  

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

The smell of hot dogs, the sight of the green green grass and the crack of a bat are some of my favorite things about summer.  Growing up- we went to our fair share of ball games and we went to even more once my brother started playing.  Baseball is just one of those things that goes hand in hand with summer- and thankfully- the rest of my family agrees!  

We went to the Bee's baseball game on Saturday night- unfortunately they lost- but it was still fun being there.  There were fireworks after the game- another smell that I associate with summer and my dad, which my boys LOVED- but scared poor Kate into her dad's arms.  

We went with my mom and dad...

And Melissa and Jeremiah- who I didn't get a good picture of- Sorry Miss!!

Dog Lake Trail

We took the kids on another hike on Saturday- but this time- we steered clear of anywhere that we might have run into snow.  Though I think we're getting closer to not having to worry about it anymore... it's getting HOT around here now!  We went up to Dog Lake (which would maybe should have been named Dog Puddle... it wasn't much as far as a lake goes), which is up Big Cottonwood Canyon and was a little bit harder than our jaunt up the ski hill two weeks ago.  Okay- maybe it was just hard for me- the movie "127 Hours" kept coming to mind as I dragged my sorry butt up the last half a mile... but I couldn't figure out what I could cut off that would let me avoid the rest of the hike up and the trek back down the mountain.  Everything from the neck down maybe?  At that point maybe I could have just rolled down the mountain... just in two separate pieces.  

Alas.  

I had nothing sharp enough to make it happen.  Next time... :)

Despite my violent tendencies on the way up the hill- it was nice once we were there.  The kids spent some time throwing rocks in the lake and I spent some time laying on a log praying for an instantaneous alien abduction.  

Grandpa, Melissa and Jeremiah came with us too.

Kate had a GREAT time- her dad is the equivalent of SUPER-DAD.  He carried her most of the way (we borrowed a friend's backpack for her to ride in this time) and didn't bat an eye.  He's awesome like that.  She spent the morning yelling at the birds and screaming at the butterflies.  She snacked on mangoes and drank her brother's water (Ryan was sweet enough to share with her).  And she and her dad counted to 12 more times than I could keep track of and the two of them sang songs together.  She played around on the trail for a little bit, but was more than content to be carried on the way down.  So content in fact- she actually fell asleep.  It was so cute watching this little blonde head bob up and down with each of her dad's steps.  

I came to a realization though... while the hike was OVERALL very fun- I need to do it more often.  What a fun way to get some exercise AND spend time with my family!

I don't think Project Runway will be calling anytime soon...

Ahhh... The fashion sense of a two year old.  I promise you that at the beginning of the day- Kate was wearing pants and her hair was done.  By 5:00 as I was making dinner- I looked over at her as she came into the kitchen and she was no longer wearing pants or a diaper- but was instead in a pair of underwear and she had added a snow hat.  You look good Sis!  

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