If I Married A Pizza Dough Recipe

This would be it.

My entire life I've bounced from dough recipe to recipe, sometimes looking for quick and easy, sometimes looking for gourmet and delicious.  This one is the best of both worlds.  Seriously, the best.

I didn't try the sauce because I had some leftover in the fridge already, but I can't wait to make the dough again and give the sauce a try as well.

Mel, you would have been one of those pioneers that would have made pizza night a bajillion times easier and a bajillion times tastier.  And I would have loved you for it.  Oh, wait, I already do.

Better Out Than In

That's what my mama always says.

Actually, she's never said anything of the sort.  I just like to ascribe such sayings to her wisdom.  She loves it when I do that.

So, anyway, do you want to know just what, exactly is better out than in?

This little guy.  That's right.  He has now been out of my belly longer than he was in it.

And I'm NOT happy about it!

Just kidding.  He loves life.  He's just grumpy here because he's suffering from a matching set of ear infections.  And because his mama won't let him eat the tissues she uses to clean the constant goo draining from his nose.

The nerve of his mama.

One of his main skills as a 9-month old is the pincer grasp (between thumb and forefinger, for those of you not current on Baby Milestones).  He's pretty good at it.  But sometimes he likes to mix things up and pinch it between two pudgy little fingers instead.  However he picks it up, he's pretty good at getting it to his mouth.

As far as mobility milestones, well, there hasn't been much improvement.  Except that now he's bugged when he can't get to what, or who he wants.  Which is pretty much always me.  He loves me.  He really loves me.  And so, I think he might start crawling or scooting sometime.

It's stressful, okay?

He's still happy most of the time, though.  In spite of being sick for the last three months, basically.  He's quite the trooper.

9-Month Stats:
Height--29 inches, 75%
Weight--18 lbs. 4 oz., 25% (and yet people STILL have the audacity to call him "big")
Cuteness--Immeasurable, Off the charts

We love our little guy!

Oksana Baiul

Once said, "And still I'm not completely happy with my skating. I always feel I can do more and climb higher."

That's exactly how I feel about my roller skating skills.

Honestly, I remember the first article I read about Roller Derby and I got so excited.  I totally wanted to be a part of that.  And I've held onto that dream for a few years.  Then Kayli's school hosted a family night at the local roller rink.

And then I remembered that I.  Am.  Terrible.  On skates.

I have no skills.  No coordination.  It's chaos.  One time in high school we did these live music videos in Drama.  One of the songs I was a part of was "Cheese Burger In Paradise" and we decided to do a sort of "Sonic" type diner.  I had to be a waitress on roller skates.  I just prayed the whole time that I wouldn't go skating right off the stage.

Good times.

Back to the here and now:

These two were so excited to have their skates on!

They headed out with Daddy, while Trey and I stayed behind to watch.

Kayli pretty much just hung onto the wall the entire time around.  And around and around.  I couldn't believe it was fun for her to do it that way, but she loved it.

Bryce was small enough that Blake could take him out and skate together.  I love the Concentration Tongue.

This is not the Concentration Tongue.  This is the I'm-Pooped-From-Dragging-These-Kids-Around Tongue.

Meanwhile, Trey and I were having good times just watching them.

But then Blake came and insisted I get out there.  Right as the guy in the booth with the microphone told all the girls to leave the floor for a "guys only" skate.  So, I tried to get Bryce to hold my hand while I skated (so it would look like I had a reason to be out there with all the guys AND so it would look like I knew perfectly well how to skate, I was just going slow and awkward to help my son out--I'm SUCH a good mom).  But, Bryce kept brushing me off and telling me he could skate by himself.

You can tell how natural and at ease I feel, can't you?

Roller Derby, here I come!!!!

Fortunately, I switched places with Blake before they did the Limbo.  Oddly enough, these three didn't win.

But they were the Champions of whatever this game was.  There were numbers all around and you had to go stand by one when the music stopped.  A giant die was rolled and determined which numbers got kicked off the floor.  My talented family won and each received a prize for free food and drink at the snack bar.  Sah-weet!

After munching some popcorn and "skibbles" and slurping an icee (why do I love those so much?), the kids asked to go out one more time.

How cute is this?  At first they went out holding hands.  So sweet.  I was proud of them for the progress they made as the night wore on.  Not that it would be that challenging to do, but maybe they will surpass their mama's skating skills at least.

I wonder how Oksana does on roller skates?

Matchy Matchy Green Squared

Name the movie.

I'll give you a hint:  David Duchovny, Why Don't You Love Me?

And if you don't know that song, you really ought to YouTube it.  It's a classic.

Back to the matching.

Blake's mom got the boys matching sweater vests for Christmas.  I didn't realize it until then, but they've never had matching clothes.  I guess it's because Trey has more clothes than he can ever possibly wear, so buying more seems unjustifiable.  But they look so cute all matchy, I might have to break down and get some more matching outfits.

So, I sat them down to share the cuteness with Grandma (and all the rest of you).

It's always a good sign when the photo shoot starts off with this.

Fortunately, things took a sharp turn for the better.

But I was envisioning something really cute with them all cuddly and sweet.

This was the perfect picture.  You can't see it behind Zima's head, but Trey had on an adorable smile (as if there's any other kind).  Bryce did, too.  But then he started talking to the dog.  And that ruined it.

We reset everyone and I told Bryce to give Trey a kiss.

This isn't exactly what I intended.

At least their outfits are cute!  Thanks, Grandma!

The Price of Girlfriends

That's just it.  You really can't put a price on girlfriends.

I've really been missing my New England girlfriends as of late.  We used to do these Panera nights.  We'd eat and talk.  Mostly, talk.  Until closing time.  I miss those.

But I'm fortunate.  I've got some fabulous friends here in the North Pole, too.

See all those smiles?  You really can't put a price on that.  We celebrated three birthdays with a big awesome weekend trip.

I missed the first half because Trey and I are still joined at the hip.  Well, not exactly the hip...  Apparently, I missed some gymnastics and ballet lessons and a lotta laughter.  Fortunately, there was a lot more of that to be had during the part of the celebration I participated in.  Along with quite a bit of shoe shopping.  I may have discovered a new pair of excellent shoes.

I'd like to say you can't put a price on fabulous shoes, but I guess you can.  Because they do.  And sometimes I don't like that price.

At least girlfriends come free.

I Found It!

Does anyone else hear Cera's voice saying that when they read it?  You know, from "The Land Before Time"?  When she thinks she found the Great Valley?  Only, it's more like "I fo-ou-nd it!"  In a very bratty voice, of course.

I didn't find the Great Valley, though.  What I did find is a picture I wanted way back during the Disneyland Posts.

This is Bryce with his grandma.  Blake's mama.

Go back in time a few years...

Blake and his mama.

Isn't that so cute?!  I think so.

Christmas Again!

Okay, it's not really Christmas again.  But my friend gave me pictures of the kids with Santa, so, of course, I have to share!

Here's Bryce asking Santa for a fishing pole and a scooter.  Santa was planning on him getting a scooter for his birthday, but since Santa already had the scooter in reserve, he decided it was better to not dash this youngling's wishes and dreams.

I don't know how Kayli asked him for a fishing pole and silly bands (and a few surprises--we've been reading Bernstein Bears and that is what Brother Bear teaches), since it appears she did this weird chew-on-my-lip smile.  But he got them for her anyway.  Santa is good about things like that.

A few days after this visit from Santa at our church party, Kayli said to me, "Was that the real Santa at that party?"  My response to all questions concerning Santa is, "What do you think?"  "No."  And then she thought about it some more, "I think it was Quinn and Connor's daddy."  "Why do you think that?"  "Because he looks a lot like him."

Well, you can really dispute with such logic, so I confessed that it was indeed Quinn and Connor's daddy.  And she was just fine with that.  She doesn't seem to get to swept up in the magic of Santa.  And I'm just fine with that.

And here's our little charmer.  He was all smiles sitting there on Santa's lap.  Not because he was excited to be there, but because my friends and I were all cooing and smiling back at him.  I enjoyed every minute of it, because I know next year he'll be at that fun age where he'll be absolutely terrified of Santa and if we do get a shot of him with Santa he'll be screaming and trying desperately to get away from him.  I'm good about keeping life in perspective like that.

Merry Christmas!

Pink Eye = The Devil

I realize, as I post this, that I run the risk of being shunned like the plague because that is essentially what Pink Eye is.  The Eye Plague.  But I believe our days of quarantine are over and that we fought the awful beast of Pink Eye and came off conqueror.

With a little help from eye drops.

Trey was the first one to get it.  He's been sick pretty much since Thanksgiving.  But he seldom complains.  He just insists on being adorable.  Even when dressed in mismatched clothing and only offered yucky bath toys to play with.

Oh, and lots and lots of laughter.

Can you believe his hair?  It just keeps getting better and better.  Which is why I've shared these pictures all over the place this week.  Much to Blake's chagrin because his poor face is marred by the presence of puffy, pink Pink Eye.  That's right.  The Devil is right there in his eye.  So, I gave him a bath to wash him clean.  A pleasant side effect of getting The Nasties out of his eyes was that it gave his fluffy hair and extra oomph of fluff.

I love his fluff.  And this cute as-big-as-you-can-get-it smile.

Did I ever tell you about his name?  From the get go, I knew he was supposed to be named after someone.  Someone who would be an example and inspiration for him; someone he would gain strength from throughout his life.  Shortly after we learned that he was a boy, I felt very strongly that that someone should be his Uncle Trace.  The next step was deciding if his name should also be Trace, or a variation on it.  I still remember the first time I tried to think of names for him.  I was in the locker room at my gym and immediately, the name "Treyton" popped into my head.

I didn't like it, so I dismissed it.  But I couldn't come up with anything else.  It was like "Treyton" was the only name my brain could come up with.  I had never heard this name before and wasn't even sure it was one.  So, naturally, I googled it.

Turns out, it is a name.  And there are other Treytons out there.  Including one distant cousin of his, oddly enough.  But I still didn't like it.  I liked Trey, so I settled on that as some consolation since I still couldn't get my brain to think of any other variation of "Trace".  So, I finally mentioned it to Blake.  In the naming of all of our children, he had a habit of shooting down all of my name suggestions, as I did his.  So, I knew he wouldn't like Treyton and then we'd have to come up with something else.

Surprisingly, he liked it.  And then we didn't really discuss it much.  So, when Treyton was born we called him that in the hospital, but I still wasn't sure.  In fact, the nurses kept badgering us about filling out the birth certificate forms and that ended up being one of the very last things we did before leaving.  By then, the name had grown on me as it suited this new little love of mine very well.

Why am I telling this story now?

I recently learned that his Uncle Trace had hair like this, as well.  Due to an accident 7 1/2 years ago, Trey won't ever know his Uncle Trace in this life.    I didn't even know him very well.  But I do know Trey was supposed to be named after him.  And though Uncle Trace is not the only individual to have hair like this in our family, I like the connection.

If Sleeping In Had A Downside

Missing this might be one.

But it's hard to recognize a downside when the clock reads 8:30 AM when you're waking up on a Monday morning.  Of course, I woke up a few times before that as Blake got ready for work and then when Kayli came in to ask about school.  She didn't seem too disappointed that it was cancelled, since the cause of the cancellation was snow I promised she could play in--after letting me sleep in.  And the sleeping in was delicious.

And then it was repeated again yesterday (except that I couldn't sleep in because I was waaaay to excited to try out a new bread recipe I'd developed the night before).  School was cancelled this time not because of snow, but because of bitterly cold temperatures.  So, I have no idea what the sunrise looked like yesterday either.  But even a beautiful sunrise can be ruined when the thermometer is reading below 0.

At any rate, we enjoyed the two surprise days off.  The kids went sledding in the backyard.  I got some much needed vacuuming done.  And we played and had fun.  And ate delicious bread.

Today real life resumed (in spite of a -2 temperature this morning!).  And that's okay.  We'd hate to miss violin lesson tonight!

Turns Out Eyeball Punch Is A Bad Idea

You've probably noticed the new theme song for the blog.  There's a reason for it.

Are you ready?  I asked Blake to help me with one thing while I was trying to make the invites for Kayli's party.  The next thing I knew, he'd taken over completely and devoted a couple hour to getting them just right.  This is the front.

And this is the inside.  With certain, personal, details blurred out, of course.

Wanna know just what the "Dossier" contained?

First, a bunch of these.  Can you tell what this is?

And we made all this, too.  Blake trimmed the hats.  I turned the trimmings into whips.  And I made those sweet satchels all by myself.  Important notes for anyone thinking of copying:  Turns out ribbon doesn't adhere to felt super well.  I should have put on some interfacing, or something.  But the kids loved them.

And this little guy played happily while we did a couple hours of prep the night before the party.  He was just dangling here at the end of his car seat.

And then he caught me with the camera.  He's such a good baby.

Anyway, at last it was time for the party!

First, as soon as guests arrive, present them with a hat, a satchel (not to be confused with a purse.  Indiana Jones doesn't wear a purse!), and a whip.

And then let the whipping begin!  Don't worry, we managed to actually make pain free whips.  Seriously.

I tried to get a photo of all of them.  This is most of them.  We played a little "get to know you" game.  And it turns out, Indiana Jones himself was one of the party guests.  He told us that Belloq (the bad guy) had stolen his treasure and he needed our help in getting it back!

Clue 1: The bad guys got scared in the Mummy Gallery.  They dropped the clues and we have to find them.  Break into teams of 3 or 4.  Each team gets a roll of toilet paper.  Wrap up one member of your team with the entire roll of toilet paper and inside the roll you'll find your next clue.

Indiana helped the boys quite a bit as they mummified my baby.

See the little spots all over?  That is the fluff caused by single-ply cheapo toilet paper.  The girls thought they covering the face was the most essential step in wrapping a mummy.

Eventually (with a lot of help), we got to the next clue.

Clue #2:  Belloq and his soldiers have headed to the Archeological dig.  One of his men got bitten by a snake and dropped a clue.  Dig through to find your next clue.  You can keep the treasures you find, but Beware!  The snakes are quick and poisonous!

Off to the Archeological Dig!

Rice, kidney beans, snakes, rats, spiders, and some buried treasure (a.k.a. candy).

I LOVE how excited Bryce was when he discovered his first piece of buried treasure.  This is him asking if he could keep it.  He's so cute.  Notice, his satchel is actually being worn like a necklace.  This method is no more endorsed by Indiana Jones than the aforementioned purse.

As they put their treasure in their satchels, we read the next clue.

Clue #3:  One of Belloq's men headed to Crocodile Creek.  He got eaten by a crocodile, but not before he dropped bombs and traps into the water.  You'll have to pick up 2 bombs each and throw them at the crocodile to detonate them.  Some of the bombs were swallowed by small animals, you can throw these, too.  Use the bombs to knock to crocodile off of the clue he is sitting on.

The part about the small animals was entirely Blake's idea.  Thinking as a mom, I initially vetoed this because, well, why in the world would you involve small animals swallowing bombs and such?  But then he pointed out that it didn't really matter if it made any sense because the kids would love it.  And I realized once again that there is probably a reason men never fully mature.  So, I let him keep it in and this ended up being the kids favorite part.

Do you like our lake?  Zima thought it made a nice pillow.

Here's the Hot Wheels Croc eating one clue while sitting on the other.

You can't tell because I had to sue a flash, but we had it mostly dark in here and Blake found some creepy crocodile sounds that played on the computer and freaked them all out!

But they knocked the crocodile off his perch and got the next step.

Clue #4:  The bad guys just finished eating over at the Pankot Palace Banquet.  They left some clues in the leftover food.  Hurry over, reach into the different dishes, and fish out the next clue.

We hurried up to the Banquet Hall and discovered this enticing menu:

A.K.A. Cold Spaghetti, Grapes in Water, and Lime Jello.

The kids were more than sufficiently grossed out.  And see that man in the back?  In case you didn't recognize him, that is Indiana Jones.  The real deal, folks.  We go all out for parties here.

But they seemed to have a good time sticking their hands in the yuckiness.

I love Isaac's face here!

They didn't find all of the clues (two pieces per team), but after a while I could tell they'd had enough, so we decided we had enough to decifer the clue with.

Clue #5:  Hang in there!  You've almost reached the treasure.  Belloq's men got away in an old airplane but they took the wrong box, mistakenly thinking it was the treasure.  Head over to the Airport Hangar to find the missing treasure!

They searched all over the Aiport Hangar (which looked a lot like our storage room) for this:

I made it.  Well, at least I made the signs and stuck them on it.

This is what it looked like when I opened it up all by myself.  (Yes, this is the case that normally holds my grandma's silverware.  Don't worry, it was not harmed during the party).

This is what it looked like when it was opened by a bunch of excited treasure hunters!  Immediately after dividing the treasure among themselves, one girl turned to me and said, "Can we do it all again!  That was fun!"

Success!

But we didn't do it again.  Instead we headed back to the Banquet Hall for some refreshments.

Remember that little guy from the beginning?  He has friends.  Lots of friends.  Did you figure out what they are?  Kayli asked me to make something like Eyeball Soup (from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom--no, she has not watched this movie in its entirety.  Just the scene with the Eyeball Soup.  And no, it was not my idea.  Remember that undermatured gentleman I'm married to?) for a drink at the party.

So, I thought long and hard and came up with Eyeball Punch.  And I was pretty proud of myself.  This was pretty much the only part of the party I thought up on my own.  I relied HEAVILY on these blogs for the rest of the party:

http://www.executivehomemaker.com/indiana-jones-birthday-party/

http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/2010/09/indiana-jones-birthday-party.html

http://sippycupsareforchardonnay.blogspot.com/2008/06/indiana-jones-birthday-party.html

A GIGANTIC "Thank You!!!" to my friend Sara for providing me with those links.  Without which both I and the party would have been a total wreck.

Back to Eyeball Punch.  If you are considering an Indiana Jones party for your friends, know this--Eyeball Punch is just too much.  At least for those in the 4-7 year age range.  Even after I told them that it was just honeydew with chocolate chips in Cranberry Splash Sierra Mist, they were too grossed out to try it.  Kayli later told me that she thought it was a cool idea (good thing since it was done at her request), but she didn't really want to drink it.

At least I tried.

And the cake went over well.

I was really freaking out about how to make an Indiana Jones cake.  Blake suggested buying one, but it's kind of become a big deal to the kids that I make them a special cake each year.  They talk about it all the rest of the year.  Both the cake they last had and the one they want next.  (Bryce keeps saying he wants one exactly like last year's.  But that one was a BEAST to make.  Cross your fingers that I can convince him he wants something new.)  But since I did sew eight satchels, I gave myself permission to cheat a little on the cake.  And I ordered this cake topper from Amazon.

And then a couple days before the party Kayli said to me, "You should buy an Indiana Jones toy to put on the cake that I can have to play with after."

I love when life is perfect like that.

So, I just had to make the cake and frosting and then I went with a really simple design.  The green squigglies are supposed to be jungle vines.  Turns out, I'm not really sure how jungle vines look when they are strewn across the jungle floor.  But my six year old doesn't know either.  And, more importantly, doesn't care.

Difficult to tell from this far away, but Blake made the little candle holders out of tootsie rolls.  They're supposed to look like tiki torches.

Blowing out the candles!

Why the Scooby Doo tableware, you ask?  Because Indiana Jones is nowhere to be found right now.  I hear there's another movie coming out soon and then he'll be everywhere, just like he was a few years ago when the Crystal Skull movie was out.  But nothing right now.  That's kind of the theme of whatever Kayli chooses for her birthday theme each year.  It makes party planning SO. MUCH. FUN!
But she is almost as obsessed with Scooby and the Gang as she is with Indie, so when I saw these plates and cups, I couldn't resist.

The topper even has a little lever in the back to knock to ball off and send it rolling after our hero.  Fortunately for him, his buttercream foundation kept him standing tall even when the boulder smacked into him.

And Blogger is struggling and doesn't want to upload any of the gift opening photos, so you'll have to use your imaginations.  Her friends all know her well and each got her things she LOVES.  Thank you!  Actually, after this party I realized that she has done a great job of surrounding herself with really good friends.  We all had a great time together.  And the party really felt like a great success.

A special thank you to my very own Indiana Jones.  The kids wouldn't have had nearly as much fun if you hadn't helped so much!