our snowy day

 Yesterday I got a text message from a friend that said, "church is cancelled tomorrow. please refrain from doing a happy dance." The only reason why a snow storm cancels church is because our ward boundaries include people 150+ miles away. That's one long drive in windy snowy storms. I bet the pioneers would have gone 10 times their distance if they had heated seats and windows that closed... makes us look wussy!

 So Emmy just did a little happy dance. 

When the snow did fall, when we thought it was done, Mark started to gear up to go shovel. So I grabbed the camera off its nail in the wall, and started to take some pictures (my mom recently asked for some non-saucey-non-iphone pictures - iPhones kill my motivation, they're just too easy!). I am still getting the hang of shooting manual again, but this camera we have now is all back to the basics, which makes it lots of fun, but I have to be fast with the dials to make them clear (like the one above.. not so clear, but it shows off her eyes! and goodness do I love her eyes. They must be a present from my mother, her namesake. Even though I'm adopted. My mom and dad are the only ones with blue eyes in our families!)

So on to the fun:

I am a mean mom and Emmy hasn't been outside a whole lot this winter. Maybe it's because I'm from the desert, maybe it's because it's just plain cold, but I don't know how to dress kids warm enough, and I don't want her to get sick. Mont is wearing two hats and two sweatshirts. Emmy doesn't have actual coats. Emmy has a carseat, and I think she'd just be miserable in there sitting on the driveway watching Mont run around like a free little pony. So instead, she's inside the window saying, "whyyyy!!"

So she found the next best thing.. the blind pulls. Woopie!

Here's my absolute favorite neck in the whole wide world. Oh, I just love to kiss and squeeze her!! 

Mont kept finding the deepest snow to just collapse in, 

thus leading to snow up the sleeves and down the pants, 

so Mark would run him in to warm up. 

but just one look outside, he turned right back around determined to go right back out:

So the process started again for a second time. 

"oh, Mont."

cheap. cold. entertainment. Happy snow day!

butter cookies

I make these cookies about 3 times a year, and whenever I do, we cannot get enough of these rich little things. Granted, everyone has their favorite sugar cookie recipe, but I must proclaim that this one is mine. It's what my mother made for us growing up, and while my icing isn't applied with the same graceful hand, they still are dang tasty. Here's the hopefully-not-secret-recipe:

1/2 c butter
1 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1T lemon juice
1 t vanilla extract
2 c all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, lemon juice and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and gradually beat into butter mixture until well blended. Tint with food coloring if desired (while these cookies can stand alone without icing, I do like the colored frosting more than just a colored cookie). Divide dough in half, flattened into a 1" disc and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).

Heat oven to 375º. Roll dough on floured surface to 1/8" thick and cut with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheet (I always lay down tin foil so I don't have to clean the sheet afterwards). Bake 8 - 10 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Cool.

Icing:
Beat 1.5 c powdered sugar and 1 egg white 3-5 minutes until icing is glossy. Add a few drops of water if icing is too stiff, or more powdered sugar if icing is too thin. Tint with food coloring. Pipe icing using decorator tips or spread and decorate with colored sugar. (I have found that I need to double this recipe to easily ice all the cookies - nothing wrong with laying it on thick!)

6 years ago..

This morning as we were going through our morning routines, we began to think of all we could remember from this day 6 years ago.

Here are some things I remembered:

• My mom nearly having a breakdown while we drove through snow trying to be on time to my hair appointment (she'd been living in Las Vegas for the past 25+ years! snow was scary!)
• The hair stylist pulling my hair tightly back into an insane amount of bobbi pins (which I still use to this day). 
• Mark being late to pick me up from the hotel for our temple sealing; I was so worried we were going to miss the cut off time! Mark hit traffic and all he can remember is that I was 'so mad at him'. ha! Lovely. 
• Waiting in the Salt Lake Temple's Celestial Room looking at all the beautiful woodwork the pioneers carved, and talking to Mark while trying to calm my nerves. I never would have thought I'd be so nervous sitting in such a calm place! I couldn't remember if I ate breakfast; my body doesn't fare so well on an empty stomach.. just ask me about anatomy class in college.
• The marriage ceremony was beautiful. I remember walking in to the ceiling room and seeing sooo many people! I don't think I could look at anyone for too long because I was just overwhelmed and touched that there were so many people there to support us. My mom and dad were the main pullers of the heartstrings. 
• We were lucky enough be married by Mark's Grandpa Benson. 
• I cried afterwards when I hugged my dad. Of course. And then again when I hugged my mom. Of course. 
• For pictures outside, it had just snowed, but the clouds parted and it was sunny for just a while. But it was still pretty cold. After walking around taking pictures while in my white lacy heels, my feet were red and in pain. I started to cry... probably just because I'm a girl. Mark carried me all prince-charming like to the place where I could hobble quickly inside. He still makes fun of me for it, but they really hurt! (I bet you a nickel my dad is rolling his eyes right now!)
• In the parking garage after we changed, I had to wait for Mark to get the car because I felt so sick. When we got in the car, I did get sick. Thankfully we had a little baggie. Nice. Welcome to marriage, Mark!
• The reception was an open house at the Reeders, where his cousins played live music (they're all brilliant musicians, we lucked out!), and we sort of happened into a spot where people lined up and oops! There was a line. 
• Instead of one big cake, we had lots of small cakes, all different kinds for people to choose from. I didn't even get to take a bite of one! ah! 
• After presents and goodbyes we said adios and set off for our new life as newlyweds. The rest is history. 

While today wasn't nearly as eventful, the kids kept me pretty busy laughing and steaming. Mont has this thing where all wrestling and playing turns into him using his feet and legs... essentially kicking everything in sight while he lays on his back. It is driving me crazy. But he also helps me like I wouldn't have believed possible just two months ago. He loads and unloads the dishwasher with me, even puts some things away (if they're within his reach), and can even start it by himself (sort of wish he didn't know how to do this). Emmy has been such a charmer the last few weeks, but the last two days were hard, but I lucked out and got a happy baby again today. She's so considerate. Mark's schedule didn't allow for too much anniversary-ing, but that's okay! As I told him, we always have next year. : )

the spaghetti diaries

One wonderful perk about this new assignment and living on base (combined), is that we get to see a lot more of Mark, including during the day for lunch. Today, he made us spaghetti! 

 (Emmy being a sweet saucy girl and eating her spaghetti with her two little fangs)

(the smile that gets Mark and I laughing every time)

Mont, as always, cried and ran away at the mere mention of trying a new food. In an effort to get him to try new foods, it's either, take one bite, or no this or that... or okay, then you have to eat an entire piece of toast; all of it. It's a wonder he doesn't starve! Thank goodness for cereals and fizzy drinks (Emergen-C mixed with V-8 fusion) and Carnation Instant Breakfast (his 'hot cocoa'). 

So here he is, in all of his toasty glory egging Emmy on for one more AHH!

I really hope he gets tired of toast soon.

We're finally feeling better around here. We had a ferocious cold the last 2 weeks, and finally after a blessing on Sunday, my ears cleared for a few minutes for the first time in 8 days. It's been so fun, let me tell you! But we're all on the mend! Hallelujah.

The sun has also been showing more of it's warm "fire" as Mont calls it, and I'm itchin' for Spring already. So exciting!

Emmy is a full on crawler now and loves to pull herself up and stand whenever / wherever she can. She is really good at avoiding furniture on the way down, thankfully! She also is starting to do the Mowgli crawl (with her knees straight, bum up). She says "Mama" in her crib when she's wanting me, and "Bah-bu" whenever she sees / gets close to Buckwheat. She is a hoot and a half! I hug and kiss her way more than she probably wants me to. Not possible, right??