It's Alive!

It has been a bit crazy the last couple of months and I feel bad that I have been a bit anti-social. With my two classes, my new calling as primary president, sickness, family stuff, and housework, I have been a bit swamped. I just thought I would let everyone know that I am still alive and we are all doing well. We are still as busy as can be, but busy is good. I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped us get through this rough spot and have been patient with my unreliability. You are the best!

Family-Size Baked Burrito

2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

3 cups diced cooked chicken

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 lime

3/4 cup thick and chunky salsa

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded colby & Monterey Jack cheese blend, divided

4 burrito-size flour tortillas (11-11 1/2 inches)

1 can (9 ounces) bean dip

Assorted toppings such as shredded lettuce, sliced pitted ripe olives, snipped fresh cilantro

1) Preheat oven to 450. Thinly slice tomatoes; set aside. Dice chicken and chop onion. Juice lime half into a bowl. Add chicken, onion, salsa, and pressed garlic. Microwave chicken mixture 3-4 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.

2) Arrange tortillas in an overlapping circular pattern on a flat pan so they touch in center and extend over edge of pan. Starting in center, spread bean dip over tortillas forming a 10 x 10-inch square. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over been dip. Fold edges of tortillas up over chicken mixture in an envelope pattern.

3) Arrange 16 tomato slices in rows over top of burrito. Sprinkle remaining cheese over burrito, covering completely. Bake 18-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are browned. Cut into rectangles; serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Hawaiian Dip With Fruit Kebabs

Dip

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted, divided

1 lime

Kebabs

6-8 cups assorted fruits such as apples, bananas and pineapple cut into 1-inch chunks, cantaloupe and honeydew melon balls and whole strawberries and grapes.

1. For dip, combine mild, sour cream and pudding mix in small bowl whisk until smooth.

2. Stir in pineapple with juice and 1/3 cup of the coconut. Zest lime to measure 1 teaspoon zest Juice lime to measure 1 teaspoon juice. Stir lime zest and juice into dip. cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

3. For kebabs, alternately thread fruit onto twenty-four 6-inch wooden skewers. Spoon dip into serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining coconut. Serve with kebabs. Yield: 12 servings

Salt Water Taffy

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2/3 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla (or 1 teaspoon other oil based candy flavoring)

Grease a 9 x 9 x 2–inch baking pan. In a 1 1/2–quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in corn syrup, water, and salt. Add butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, until temperature reaches 260 degrees on a candy thermometer, or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a ball that is hard enough to hold its shape, yet pliant. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Pour into prepared pan. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Butter fingers and pull taffy until it has satin-like finish and light color. Pull into long strips, 1/2–inch wide. With scissors, cut into 1–inch pieces. Wrap individual candies in wax paper. Makes 1 pound

Greek Pasta Salad

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
• 3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup sliced red bell peppers
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives
• 3/4 cup sliced pepperoni sausage, cut into strips
• 
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add cooked pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, green onions, olives, and pepperoni. Toss until evenly coated. Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight.
• 
  

Baklava

2 cups honey
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon cinnamon
14 philly (filo or fillo) pastry sheets
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups toasted and/or roasted nuts* chopped fine

One day in advance:
Bring honey, sugar, water, orange rind, and cinnamon to a boil. Continue boiling over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and save 1 cup for later use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a shallow baking pan and line with 4 pastry sheets**, brushing each one with butter. Extend sheets over the rims of the pan. Spread 1/2 cup mixed nuts evenly over sheets. Sprinkle them with some of the syrup and melted butter. Cover with 2 sheets, brushing each with butter. Repeat procedure 3 times. Cover the last layer of nuts, syrup and butter with the last 4 sheets brushing each with butter.

Press the pastry sheets firmly against the rim of pan and trim with a sharp knife if needed. Cut through the top layer of phyllo diagonally to make 24 equal diamond shapes. Bake for 30 minutes, then increase the heat to 400°F and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pour the cooled syrup on top and let cool. Slice all the way through previous cuts to make 24 diamond-shaped bars. Brush the top with the remaining butter.

The Baklava will keep 2-3 weeks in a cool dry place.

*Almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios

** Keep phyllo sheets from drying out by placing a damp, clean dish towel over them until they are ready to use.

A Master of Professional Communications and Published Author

This weekend was Jeff's graduation from Westminster College for his Masters in Professional Communications. We spent all day yesterday at graduation events in celebration of his accomplishments. To be perfectly honest, as incredible as Jeff's accomplishments have been, the graduation seemed a little fake because he doesn't actually finish until August, so the celebrations yesterday didn't provide as much closure as I would have liked. Don't get me wrong, it was fun watching Jeff be hooded and receive his diploma (even if it was empty) and he looked very distinguished in his robes, but it won't mean anything for another three months. Honestly, it has been other things that have happened this week that have proven how extraordinary Jeff is and how hard he has worked.

Most of you probably know that Jeff has been working on writing a book for his final project (like a thesis) for his Masters program. I won't go into the details of the book. You can find that out if you visit his blog (there is a link under my friends). It is enough to say that he has been working very hard on the writing and research for the past 2 years. Well this week he finished this first draft. It is 176 pages and over 50,000 words of sweat and toil. I am so proud of him. Now he just needs to revise and edit and then he can get it published. His professor that is editing for him has no doubts that it will be published. I agree.

There is another cool thing that happened this weekend. We got home from the graduation ceremonies yesterday (completely exhausted from the length) and were about ready to collapse, when Jeff discovered a manila envelope from the LDS church distribution center sitting on our end table in the living room. When he inquired after it, it was discovered that this was yesterday's mail. He opened it and removed two copies of the June 2009 New Era along with a letter of congratulations. Yes, Jeff has a story that has been published in this months New Era (page 24)! We were so excited we couldn't contain ourselves. My husband is a published author and well on his way to his next publication! I almost feel like a celebrity!

To see his work online, visit:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=c7a39ffc50481210VgnVCM100000176f620a____

Pozole

1/2 a Lettuce Head
1 large onion
5 Radishes
1 bag of Tostadas (hard fried flat tortillas)
1 Can of white Hominy
1 Can of Yellow Hominy
3 Garlic cloves
1 Can Tomato Sauce
Chicken or Pork
Powdered Chicken Bullion
Crushed Oregano

Broil Chicken or Pork in some onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Remove meat from broth and shred. Add chicken bullion, Tomato sauce, and Hominy with juices to broth. Bring to a slow boil. Add meat back into mixture and heat through. Serve topped with oregano, radishes, diced onion, and shredded lettuce with tostadas on the side.

Flan

8 eggs
2 14-oz. cans Egel Brnd condensed milk
2 cans whole milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup of sugar

Carmel: Melt 1 Cup of sugar in a heavy skillet, then pour into a casserole dish 3-4" deep.

Mix condensed milk and whole milk. Add vanilla and eggs and stir, breaking the yolks and beat. Place the caramelized casserole in a sink of cold water, so that the Carmel cracks. Strain milk/egg mixture into the caramelized casserole dish. Place the dish in a pan surrounded by 1" of water and bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

The Essence of a Queen

In April I went to the American Mothers Inc.'s National Convention. We had a wonderful time, feeling pampered and spoiled. But I am planing on telling you about that in another blog. Right now I want to tell you about my grandmother. My grandmother is a beautiful woman. Not because she wears extra fine clothes or even has an extraordinary face. She has a deep beauty that comes from within and shows on her countenance. When we went to the convention we had an interesting experience involving Grandma. 

On our second night together, they had a dinner honoring the artists that had won the contests offered by the American Mothers association. We had a little concert featuring the musicians and had displays showing the work of the painters and photographers. One of the painters sat at our table for dinner. She was very excited to be there. Throughout the evening, she kept looking over at Grandma. Soon she said to her, "May I take your picture so that I can paint you? Every once in a while I am inspired by a face. It doesn't happen very often, but you do that for me. I would love to paint your portrait." Grandma was stunned, but reluctantly agreed. They went over to the window to get some proper light and the artist took her picture. 

We continued with dinner and thought the whole thing was over, or so Grandma hoped. Not five minutes latter, a woman cam over to talk to someone at our table. While she was there she turned to Grandma and expressed to her how beautiful she was. Throughout the night we had several people come to her and let her know just how beautiful she was and how much she looked like a queen. It got so bad, Grandma almost left out of embarrassment.

You may think it ends there, but it doesn't. After that first night, during almost every meal someone approached Grandma to express their awe at her beauty. At one point my mother was talking to a group of the National board members alone. They asked her if she had any family with her. When she mentioned that her mother was with her, they said, "Is your mother 'that woman'? We saw her get her picture taken and were wondering who that beautiful woman was." She was like Cinderella at the ball. She enters the room and everyone starts to whisper, "who is she? She must be a queen!" Mom and I had a great time with the joke, although grandma didn't always appreciate it. That just shows you how wonderfully humble she is. 

I just have to tell you that I think my grandmother is amazing. She always thinks of everything and everyone. She has aged with grace and beauty and even though she might not think so, she is a queen to all who meet her. You inspire us all Grandma. Thank you!

Easter

I know it is late, but I am finally going to post the pictures from Easter. We had a great Easter this year. We always try to gift them the things that they need for church. Miranda and Hayden got new outfits. Joey got new Sunday shoes and a tie clip. Charissa go new Sunday shoes and a new scripture bag (her old one fell apart). We also decided this year to skip the candy and fill their baskets (bowls) with fruit instead. they loved it just as much as candy and got to eat it right away instead of waiting until after breakfast and Mom's okay. 

Even with all this fun stuff, I am grateful that the kid's favorite part of Easter is always the resurrection eggs. Several years ago, we bought a package of plastic eggs that contain little objects that symbolize the different parts of the Saviors last days on Earth. We leave them out for the Easter bunny to hide (along with our dyed eggs) and when we find them all, we tell the story. They love reviewing it every year. 

One of my favorite parts of Easter this year was our primary sharing time. We had the room set up like a court room. Jeff was dressed as a judge. He welcomed everyone and explained what a judge is and what a witness is. Then he told the children that we were going to have some special witnesses come and testify of Jesus Christ. It would be up to the children to judge for themselves whether or not what they say is true. Then we had Mary Magdalene, Peter, Doubting Thomas, Joseph Smith, and Nephi the disciple (from 3rd Nephi) come and share their testimonies. The kids really got into it and it was almost as if those people had actually arranged to make it into our primary to share their stories. It was great.

Lunch with Brandon Mull!

I am behind on my blog postings and, quite frankly, don't have time to catch up with the end of the semester looming over me. I want you all to know what we are up to, however, so I am going to try to use what little time I have here and there to catch up. I apologize that some posts I will make over the next little while are older and no longer excitingly fresh. I will try to be better. To try and offset this effect, I will post something exciting that happened today to Miranda. Brandon Mull, the author of the book series Fablehaven came to our elementary school today to do an assembly. Mull is Miranda's favorite author and she has been on cloud nine since she found out he was coming. In honor of Brandon Mull, the school invited the students (3rd - 6th grade) to make posters welcoming him. Anyone who submitted a poster would be entered into a drawing for a chance to eat lunch with Mull when he came. Miranda worked very hard on a poster and was chosen. Today was the day! She came home from school with the biggest smile on her face I have ever seen. She said, "I think this is the best day of my life." I think she meant it too. She got a special lunch that the school provided for her and a few other students that were chosen. She got to sit with Brandon Mull in a private lunch room and carried on a private conversation with him. She even took our copy of the most recent Fablehaven book with her and He signed it, along with her poster, and her journal. This is a big dream for her that has come true. I am very excited for her. Now all we have to do is get Jeff to finally meet Terry Brooks!

Rice Krispie Easter Baskets

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (about 10 ounces) marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
Green food coloring
Jelly beans (can also use Peeps or robins eggs)

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add a couple drops of food coloring to desired color. Remove from heat.
2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into muffin pan coated with cooking spray making sure the mixture comes up to edges and dips in the middle. Cool. Remove from muffin pan and place a few jelly beans in each basket. Best if served the same day.

Garden Vegetable Omelet Ring

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
8 eggs, divided
1 teaspoon Dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound fresh asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls

1) Preheat oven to 375∘F. In bowl, whisk cream cheese and milk; add flour and whisk until smooth. separate 1 egg; reserve egg white. Add the yolk, remaining 7 eggs, dill mix, salt and black pepper to cream cheese mixture; whisk until smooth. Add asparagus, bell pepper and onion to bowl; mix well.
2) Melt butter in 12 in. skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, 4-6 minutes until eggs are set but still moist. Remove pan from heat.
3) Unroll crescent rolls; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles, slightly overlapping, ina circle on round pan (pizza stones work great) with wide ends 4 inches from edge of pan. (Points will extend off the edge of the pan.) Roll wide ends of dough toward center to create a 5-inch opening. Scoop filling evenly over dough in a continuous circle; sprinkle with cheese.
4) Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring. (Filling will show.) Brush with remaining lightly beaten egg white. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Natural History Museum

For March's adventure, we went to the Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah. They have a fantastic exhibit right now called "Toadally Frogs". We got to see live frogs of all kinds (Hayden's favorite part) among history, stories and fun facts about frogs. Their regular exhibits include a mineral exhibit (Miranda's favorite), a dinosaur exhibit (Joey's favorite) and a bugs exhibit (Charissa's favorite) complete with live spiders, scorpions, and centipedes. One thing we loved was the bug brigade brought out some of the bugs for us to see. Joey's favorite animal is a tarantula and they got really close to one that was being held by the bug brigade. We saw some amazing frogs and discovered that most frogs don't sound like you would expect a frog to sound. We heard some that sounded like a door opening and closing, a clicker, and a squeaky shoe. Miranda gave us a demonstration on the types of minerals and how they are made. You would have thought she was being payed by the museum to give tours. It was great. We all had a great time and now we have talked our cub scouts into going for there next pack meeting. They will have fun too. If you would like to see pictures of the adventure, just go to the following link.
http://gallery.me.com/jennamoulton#100047

Corned Beef and Cabbage

3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
10 small red potatoes
5 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges

1.Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender.
2.Add whole potatoes and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes.
3.Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid reserved in the Dutch oven or large pot) as you want. Slice meat across the grain.

Easy Key Lime Pie

5 egg yolks, beaten
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.Combine the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix well. Pour into unbaked graham cracker shell.
3.Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool. Top with whipped topping and garnish with lime slices if desired.

Cook's Tip: You can adjust the recipe to only 4 egg yolks, 2 cans sweetened condensed milk, and 1 cup key lime juice.

Hint**If you can not find any key lime juice then just use equal parts lemon and lime juice (best if fresh)

Round Steak (or Chicken) Parmigiana

2 pounds round steak (tenderized) or 4 chicken breasts
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons water
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
6 tablespoons shortening
1 can spaghetti sauce (medium)
1/2 pound Mozzarella cheese

Cut fat and bone off meat. Cut into nice serving-size pieces. Beat eggs and water. Dip meat in egg mixture, then in bread crumbs. Brown in shortening. Arrange meat in long baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over meat, covering well. Bake at 325〫for 1 1/2 hours, covered. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over top of meat and cheese; bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes more. This dish reheats nicely. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Cooks Tip: I like to serve this over spaghetti noodles.

Chocolate-Banana Phyllo Bundles

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, grated
3/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
5 small bananas, sliced
1/2 (16-ounce) package thawed, frozen phyllo (or filo) dough (20 sheets)
Nonstick cooking spray
Thawed, frozen whipped topping, additional hot fudge ice cream topping and powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grate chocolate morsels. Combine chocolate and ice cream topping in bowl. Coarsely chop almonds; set aside. Slice bananas.
2. For each phyllo bundle, place one sheet of phyllo on large work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place second sheet of phyllo over first, pressing sheets together to seal. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the chocolate mixture evenly over one narrow edge of phyllo. Arrange banana slices (about half of one banana) evenly over chocolate mixture. Fold bottom edge of phyllo in toward center. Gently roll up phyllo from bottom to top. Repeat with remaining phyllo dough, chocolate mixture and banana slices.
3. Place phyllo bundles, seam side down, onto cooking sheet; lightly spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with almonds. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown. Remove from oven; serve warm. If desired, serve with a dollop of whipped topping; drizzle with additional ice cream topping and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Yield: 10 bundles
Cook's Tip: keep phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap while working on a recipe. Otherwise, phyllo may dry out and crack, becoming unusable.
From: The Pampered Chef Season's Best Recipe Collection Spring/Summer 2006 p 32

No imagination lacking

Yesterday as I was walking my children to school, my six year old struck up an interesting conversation. She told me in a very matter of fact way that she felt she didn't have an imagination. This is particularly funny because of all my children, Chissa has one of the largest and most active imaginations. When I disagreed with her she asked exactly what was an imagination. I explained that it was when you see things differently than they really are. We then discussed at length situations in which she has used her imagination. After about five minutes of silence, she said "I love having a dog. I wonder what it is like to be a dog." Then she went on a diatribe about how if she were born a dog and didn't like being a dog, she would have to learn to be happy with who she was and not wish to be a cat or a bird or a human. She expressed how important it is to be happy with who you are and not wish to be something else. I chuckled a little that this was my child who didn't think she had an imagination and yet here she was, an emotionally challenged dog who is having to come to terms with who she is. From the mind of a six year old.

Beauty and the Beast

Last night we went as a family to the local high school production of Beauty and the Beast. It was a wonderful production, but even more than that, the kids had a great time. All four of them, including Hayden, sat riveted through the entire experience. If you have never seen the production of Beauty and the Beast, it is much like the Disney Movie. The costumes are very animated, the songs were memorable. The kids left the theatre singing and excited. We decided that we must now keep an eye out for future productions at the local high schools. It was great to spend the night together as a family, sharing something we all love.

Mother of the Year

As many of you know, my mother, Connie Turley, was chosen as Arizona's 2009 Mother of the Year by the Arizona American Mothers Association. She is the perfect choice. I wanted to share some of the feelings I have about my mother.

I have always tried to emulate my mother. Her opinion has always been the one that trumped all others. As a child growing up with eight siblings, she was sure to make me feel that I was unique and important. This was especially difficult because, being a twin, I was one of a pair. As a teenager I learned that if I trusted those with more experience than myself, I would rarely be lead astray. Now that I am an adult, she is always telling me to trust myself and I will be great because I am great.

There are many things that make a hero: sound judgment to decide what is important, dedication to others before self, and courage to do what is right even when it is hard. If there is one person I know that embodies all these qualities, it is my mother, Connie Turley.
The aphorism “mother knows best” truly applies to my mother. I cannot count the number of times I decided to follow her advice and was better for it. I learned to trust her judgment on little things as well as the important ones. Now that I am grown, I understand how wise she is. When I come to a difficult decision in life, I often find myself thinking back on the things my mother taught me and make decisions based on what mother would do. I feel that if I always keep her in mind, I will not be led astray.
I have seen my mother give so much of herself to make sure family, friends, and even strangers were well taken care of. I will never forget how hard it was for her to sacrifice her time, money, and even the chance to spend her days with her youngest children so that she could return to school and support her family. She studied for more than 8 years, competing with students half her age, all the time wishing she could be at home with her babies instead. When she did graduate and became a music teacher, she fought through budget cuts and dying arts programs to restructure the music curriculum, much of the time after hours and on her own dime. Even now she is helping provide worthwhile activities for the youth in her area or organizing musicals so the new kid in her theater class can gain some self worth or making dinner to take over to another mother in need. It is always about others.
My mother has been through some very difficult times in her life and she has always come through with undeniable strength and faith. She has known the strain of a financial hardship; the distress of raising a large family, sometimes on her own; the pain of a loved one living with a life altering illness; and even the agony of the death of a child. Through it all I have never seen her falter in her faith or her integrity. I remember her relating the Bible story of Job and how he never turned his heart from the truth, even to ease his pain or pacify his friends. Even as Job was, so is she.
My mother is the greatest kind of hero. She is a true example of all a woman and mother should be and I am proud to call her “mother”.

Getting old in primary

Yesterday was our first primary activity of the year. The kids were able to have breakfast with their new teachers and learn a little about our theme for the year, "My Eternal Family". It was a wonderful activity and a great success. The thing that was unusual about it was that all my children were invited. Jeff was just as excited about it as the kids were because he got the whole morning to himself. Yes, I have all my children in primary with me. My youngest, Hayden, is a Sunbeam in primary. That gives me two in senior and two in junior primary. Last Sunday was the first day having no children in Nursery. It was fun having everyone with me in primary but it is making me feel very old, especially with my 30th birthday coming up next month. I know that I am not that old, but with my oldest coming on 10 and my youngest out of nursery, I can't help but feel a little worn. Anyway, we are entering an exciting stage of life. Time to buckle our seat belts and enjoy the ride.

Our goodlooking kids

We had pictures of the kids taken and we thought you would like to see them. We think they are the best looking kids alive, but you had better look for yourselves. If you would like me to send you the links so you can download all their pictures onto your computer, just let me know. They can't be printed, but they can be enjoyed.
http://gallery.me.com/jennamoulton#100039
http://gallery.me.com/jennamoulton#100037
http://gallery.me.com/jennamoulton#100033
http://gallery.me.com/jennamoulton#100016

September Adventure: Utah State Fair

We enjoyed the Utah State Fair for our adventure in September. Miranda and Joey earned free tickets through a summer reading program. They got entrance into the fair along with a free ride and a free drink. They were really excited and we were all proud of them. We had a great time riding on rides, looking at the animals and exhibits, eating, watching shows, and just being together. I have posted more pictures on MobileMe. You can see them by visiting the following address: http://gallery.me.com/jennamoulton#100023