Baking Exploits

After four years of marriage I have finally grown brave enough to try to cook something that contains yeast. The results have been varied, but edible. The cinnamon rolls were actually really delicious. The bread is still in need of some practice. It was good, but I need to work on it a little more.

Side note: I am really mad I bought a Kitchen-Aid when we got married. I wish I would have bought a Bosch. The Kitchen-Aid just doesn't hold enough... it just doesn't do the trick. Next time I make bread I'm gonna have to half the recipe and only make two loaves, just so it fits in the machine. But who wants to go to all the trouble of making bread just to get two loaves? Not me! 

Pre-baked

 I almost forgot a picture, so they're half gone. The recipe has you coat the bottom of the pan in butter and sugar so when they're cooked it's like there's toffee or something on the bottom. Amazing!

Easter Continued

Here are the rest of the Easter pics. We went to a super fun Easter party at Grandma Carolyn's house, but there weren't really any good pictures from that one. Rest assured, Raegan enjoyed herself. It prepared her for her second egg hunt, which happened at Great Grandma Shumway's house. she loved picking up the eggs, but didn't get the "put them in the bucket" concept. So after she would pick one up, Michael would take it from her, which of course motivated her to pick up another one. So she didn't do too bad. We had a really great time. I love the picture of her with her Great Grandma in front of the sweat peas. I'm so happy she gets to know her great grandparents, hopefully for many years to come. :)

Easter 2011

We had a fantastic Easter this year. We were so lucky to have my parents come down from Utah and stay with us. UNfortunately pretty much everyone got sick at one point or another with some illness or another. It was kind of a bummer, but still nice to have lots of family visiting. Even my brother and his wife and three boys came down. No pics of them though. We are too busy having fun to break out the camera. 

Raegan with Nonnie and Papa (She had been up all night puking now she is eating candy)

Mack got his first pair of roller skates in his basket. I think he likes them, but Raegan gave them a try a few days later and she definitely liked them. 

 Raegan loves her daddy

 She got her cute Easter dress from Grandma, but sadly she didn't go to church to show it off. 

We also had a fun Easter party at Grandma Carolyn's house and another fun Easter party/hunt at the great grandparents house with all the second cousins. I will have to get to those pictures another day.

Catching Up

I will get there eventually.

More pool days. Lately Michael is planting our lawn so we don't get to go in the backyard often. :( Hopefully soon though we will be back out there and swimming up a storm.

These pictures are pre-lawn planting. Raegan gets bored quickly in her little pool if she is by herself. Cue the friends she didn't know she had  (and doesn't always deserve because she steals toys and doesn't share). Chloe and her new friend Boston joined us with their combined total of four boys. (Not all pictured). Good times.

Backseat Driver

Look out all you drivers out there. Raegan is hitting the streets. Not really. One of her favorite things these days is driving the car. When we get home from going anywhere (and sometimes more often than that) she always wants to sit in the drivers side and pretend she's driving. Sometimes I'll even leave her in the garage for a while. Am I the worst mom? She makes fists and moves her hands up and down to sign "car" and she says "Kai" (prounouced like Why, but with a K) Not sure why she can't say an R sound. It's really cute.  Anyway... It's always an adventure to turn on your car and find the windshield wipers going or the turn signal on. It's just a good thing she still can't reach the pedals for a while. 

Utah Trip!

Now I am really playing catch up. :) Back in January Tracy and I took the little tykes to Utah to visit my parents in their new abode. It was a snowy trip (aren't they supposed to be visiting US in winter?) But it was fun to see the new house and let them fatten us up and spoil the grandkids. 

They keep their house really cold! (By our standards)

 Raegan liked the snow. She would have really liked it with snow boots instead of shoes that get soaked and make her toes cold. :( She liked to scatter it with her hands and stomp it with her feet.

 Mack was not a big fan of the snow.

 But he was a big fan of aunt Amy and snuggle time.

 Everyone was a fan of "horsey rides". Except now any time I have my legs crossed Raegan tries to jump on.

 My parents took us to a restaurant with a great view. They also had delicious fried pickle appetizers. Who knew?

Thanks again Mom and Dad for the great trip!

Valentine's Day

A couple months later...

Here are pics of the flowers Michael sent me for Valentine's Day. He was really cute about it. He was worried all day they weren't going to come and they finally got here around 6 PM. They lasted over two weeks and they were beautiful. Thank you babe! I also wanted to showcase our new piano. Michael's grandma passed away last summer and we were lucky enough to be allowed to house her piano. Yes, it is rather large for our small house, but we are really enjoying it. Raegan refuses to let me play by myself though, so I haven't exactly gotten in as much practicing as I was hoping for.