(Another) Trip to Cali

Last weekend (I'm behind - I mean the weekend of the 19th) we went to California for our friend's surprise birthday party on Friday night. Mike is Jeff's best friend from growing up, and a bunch of their old friends from Yucaipa were at the party. It was hilarious to hear all of their stories from high school. Jeff's parents watched the kids that night, and they were nice enough to watch them again Saturday morning so Jeff and I could go to the Redlands Temple.

Saturday afternoon we met some of Jeff's friends at the apple orchards in Oak Glen. Lexi was so excited to wear a balloon hat and ride on a little choo-choo train.

Sunday we went to church and had dinner with Jeff's family then drove down to San Clemente to stay with Mike & Lindsay. On our way down, we got kicked off the road due to a fire burning on a hill to the side of us. (This was the start of the fire that was in Orange County). It was pretty scary to see such a big fire burning so close to us and know that if the winds changed, it could head our direction at any time.

Monday we woke up and there was tons of smoke outside from all of the fires. Despite the poor air quality, we decided to head to Disneyland as planned. Jeff and I finally redeemed our annual passes that his parents had given us. We spent most of the day at California Adventure, which I had never been to. Loved it! They have the best roller coaster I have ever been on, and we loved Soarin' Over California, the Bug's Life kids rides, and the Maliboomer. Lexi was hilarious dancing with the Miner 49's band. They asked kids to come up and learn a dance. She didn't follow instructions like the other kids, of course. Instead, she just pushed her way to the front of everyone and just danced around. It was hilarious! She stole the show! We stayed until around 8:00pm, and by that time Jeff, Lexi, and I were exhausted...but Jackson was somehow wide awake! Where do kids get their energy from???

Jeff had to work the next morning, so we drove home that night. Due to the fires, the I-15 was closed, so Jeff and I had to drive through an alternate route which didn't get us home until 2am. We were dead, but it was such a fun weekend, and we can't wait to go back to Cali for Thanksgiving.

Friday night we took the kids to a pumpkin patch.

Jackson hung out with Jeff

while Lexi got to go on rides!

He was still happy!

I attempted to get a cute shot of the kids with the pumpkins, but this is the best I could do with my SLOW camera (after which I informed Jeff that I need a new one!)

Saturday night we took the kids to the BYU/UNLV game. It was Jackson's first football game, and he loved it!

We were all happy that BYU won!

And Sunday, we went to church.

Fall Treats

Last night we had a meeting at my house for a Music Makers group we're starting. I though it was a perfect excuse to make some yummy treats! I served Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust. Yum! I especially loved the crust! I found a few recipes off of allrecipes.com that I combined to come up with this:

Crust:
1 1/2 c. gingersnap crumbs
3 T. brown sugar
6 T. melted butter

Mix and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.

Cheesecake:
2 packages cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1 (16oz) can pumpkin
1 1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs

Beat cream cheese and sugar. Add pumpkin and spices and mix. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Pour onto crust. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Chill overnight.

Top with a layer of homemade whip cream (add sugar and vanilla to taste).

NOTE: I thought the cheesecake could be a little bit sweeter. I think next time I try it, I'll increase sugar.



I also served Carmel Fondue with apples and banana slices. This recipe has been a favorite for years, and it's so easy.

1/2 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. karo syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Warm almost to a boil to melt sugars. Add vanilla.

Weekend Fun

Friday night we had a ward luau. We dressed the kids up for it, and it was a lot of fun to eat and hang out with our friends. Lexi loved it. She danced up front during all of the musical numbers they had. And she found a few packages of butter that she thought was some type of dip, and she went to town! I think she was on her second package when we found her. Yuck!



We spent most of Saturday and Sunday watching general conference (which was great! I loved so many of the talks and felt really inspired to live better.), but Saturday night we went out with our friends to Tony Romas, since they had some all-you-can-eat ribs special. Halfway through the meal we piled all of our bones on one plate, and we were amazed at what we had eaten. Kris and I tied for the most with 2-3/4 racks of ribs each! I think we're all done with ribs for a long time!

It's Over!

Wahoo! Our Primary Program for Sacrament Meeting is over! I feel like I just finished finals week or something - I even stayed up until 2am last night "cramming!" I had to put together a bunch of posters that the kids could read off of, and of course, I didn't start working on them until 10pm. So me!

I have to say, the kids really pulled it off and did a good job. After our disastrous practice on Friday I was a little worried, but the kids did great, and everything ran very smoothly today. All I have to say is, I'm glad I have a whole year until the next one!

What I've Been Up To

I know I've been slacking on my posts lately, but things have been so busy, because I've been:

1. Reading: In the last two weeks, I finished Water for Elephants and Encyclopedia of An Ordinary Life, and I just started Eclipse last night.

2. Visit Teaching: three appointments this week, all at different days/times.

3. Planning the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program: I'm the counselor in charge of it, so I had to write it, assign parts, and coordinate our practices. Our last practice is tomorrow night, and the program is on Sunday. The rest of the presidency and our chorister have all been really helpful, too, but I'll be happy once it's over!

4. Working Out: I just joined a new gym last week, Las Vegas Athletic Club, and I love it! It is a lot further than the other gym I had been going to, but the facilities are much better, and I love the classes they have. I've been trying to get back into working out after slacking all summer. I've been taking the kids on walks, too, since the weather is finally cooling down.

5. Cooking/Baking: Now that our crazy summer travelling is over, I'm getting back into all of my normal routines...like actually cooking dinner! Something about fall also just makes me want to bake (and eat). In the last week I've made Reese's PB cookies, Ande's mint brownies, and Chocolate Scotcheroos. Mmmmm...

6. Running errands: After several trips to Costco, Vons, Smiths, and Walmart, I think we've finally restocked our cupboards and fridge. (All summer we were saying "let's not shop much, we're leaving again in a few days anyway," so our supply of food was severely depleted.) Plus there are the other usual errands. The kids both had doctors visits last week. We finally got Lexi measured, and she is 38" tall, which is off the chart for her age. The doctor said she's the height of an average 3 1/2 year old!

7. Watching TV: With football season coming, the pressure was on from Jeff to turn our TV back on after having it off for months. I was hesitant, but I agreed on the condition that if it becomes a problem, we'll cancel it. For the first time we got more than just five channels...we signed up for DishNetwork's top 100, and it includes Tivo. I still don't watch much, but I don't know how I'll ever go back to watching shows without Tivo. It's the best thing ever!

6. Taking care of the kids: Jackson is teething and has decided to stop taking naps. What a fun phase! :) I don't get how he sleeps so little. Not to mention that he still doesn't sleep through the night! He is crawling everywhere now, which is fun. Lexi hasn't been so great with naps, either, because long after I think she's asleep, she'll climb out of the crib and come inform me that she needs more juice or she has a dirty diaper or she wants to watch a movie. We're working on teaching her to answer "what is your name?" and "how old are you?" I think she mixes her answers more than she gets them right (What's your name?" "I'm two!"). Someday.

7. Other: We watched my cousin's three kids last weekend at their house. I had book club Tuesday night. Jeff and I taught the young women in our ward how to play tennis last week. We've been to the park a few times, since the weather is so nice. And Jeff and I met some friends at Claim Jumper last night for dinner, which was a lot of fun.

No wonder I've been so tired!

Newport Beach

Jeff and I took the kids on yet another trip last week! We spent three nights at marriott's Newport Coast Villas. Our good friends, the Banners met us there, and it was so much fun to hang out with them again. We had perfect weather the whole time, so we spent quite a bit of time swimming and laying out by the pool, which overlooks the ocean. Loved it! :)

My brother-in-law's cousins live about ten minutes from the Villas, so I was able to arrange babysitters for the kids for Wednesday and Thursday nights. It was so nice to go out without the kids! We went out to dinner and then stopped by a bakery/ice cream shop both nights. I think I'm still full from all of the food we ate!

Friday we decided to go to Disneyland. I hadn't been in ten years, and this was the first time our kids had been. Lexi thought most of the rides were scary at first, and I couldn't blame her! Even I thought that Whinnie the Pooh's crazy dream and the little dolls in It's a Small World were a bit creepy. Lexi has just discovered Princesses, so she loved the parade. In a classic Lexi moment, she ended up watching the entire parade from the lap of a stranger in her scooter chair! The kids did suprisingly well all day, and we had a great time, but we were EXHAUSTED by the time we got home that night!

Saturday we spent more time at the pool before heading to Yucaipa to see Jeff's family. We crashed their ward's BBQ at the park. They had a bunch of stickers for the kids, and Lexi thought they accessorized her dress perfectly!

Now we're home again...for at least a few weeks.