It all started...

When Bry was in Chicago and a bouquet of chocolate-covered strawberries was delivered to our door. I had been sitting at my computer, watching as the truck pulled up and the delivery man walked by with something covered in cellophane. I thought to myself that it'd be fun if he were to knock at my door. Then he did... was he at the wrong door? What was the occasion? Our anniversary wasn't for another week or so. I glanced at the card, they were from Bryan wishing me a happy 4th anniversary. Too sweet :0) (That night he told me that they were suppose to have delivered them the following Monday--the night that we were going to celebrate our anniversary--but no worries. There's nothing wrong with getting chocolate a few days early ;0)) Apparently great minds think alike because I had bought dipping chocolate and strawberries for our anniversary. I bagged my idea and ended up saving them til Bry got home on Friday...all weekend we whittled away at them. Yum.

Instead of doing a typical getaway for our anniversary our friends (the Gublers) were SO awesome to take Brie for us (6:30 PM-11:30 AM). She was overjoyed to have a "sleepover" at Peter & Sam's house and we did a staycation at our place. (They offered to watch Alex too, but he's gotten into the habit of getting up 1 to 2x/night so we decided to keep him with us. Thankfully he went down at 6:30 and didn't get up til 1 AM!)

We had decided that it'd be fun to make dinner together so we came up with a menu, shopped for the items and spent the early part of the evening cooking and grilling. (The majority of the recipes came from Cooking Light magazines. I joked that we could have said that our meal was brought to you tonight by Cooking Light and our Weber Grill ;0)) Bry set the table and put the finishing touches on dinner while I showered and then we enjoyed a romantic candle-lit dinner, with Michael Bublé playing in the background. Throughout the evening we'd spontaneously slow dance around the house to some of our favorite songs. It was delightful.

The Menu:
(Click on the menu items to see the online Cooking Light recipes.)

Raspberry Lemonade
Black Bean Hummus with Toasted Pita
Grilled Romaine with a Creamy Herb Dressing
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Parmigiano-crumbed Zucchini
Sirloin Steak (with a homemade steak sauce)
Pina Colada Sorbet with Chocolate-dipped Cookies

The next morning we slept in as long as Alex would let us then made breakfast together. Just as Alex was ready to go down for a morning nap, breakfast was ready to be served. Perfect!

We had Smoked Gruyère Ciabatta-stuffed French Toast. It was definitely not your typical french toast, but we really liked it...shallots, gruyère and all. We'd definitely make it again for another special occasion.

After breakfast we planned, schemed, dreamed, reviewed our past year and set goals for this coming year. Four years down many more to go! Every day I feel blessed to have married Bryan. He is the perfect match for me. Je t'aime mon amour!

All About Attitude.

When we originally found out that Bryan had a Statistics Conference in Chicago to attend, our little family was going to drive up for the week to discover Chicago for the first time. It was going to be great! Not only that, we were going to meet up with John & Marlene and Michelle too! So when we realized that Bry needed to share a room with another student, that we couldn't go after all, and that it would just be me and the kids at home for almost a week...I was pretty bummed! How was I going to survive Sunday night to Friday night without Bry and his help? But then it dawned on me that my attitude would make or break the week. Why not have fun with it? I ended up jotting down a whole list of fun things to do with Brie. That made the difference. I definitely had my tiring moments (since Alexander was getting up 2x each night and Brie figured out how to get out of her crib), but I felt blessed with energy and patience to make it through each day. And somehow the week flew by and before I knew it Bry was home!

Here are some of the highlights--

*cookie cutter pancakes * walking group/playground * having Brie pick out "fun food" from the store * Brie being my kitchen/cooking/laundry helper * a bubble bath for Brie * painting finger nails * Brie earning her big girl underwear * playing at Anna's * Brie being so excited about Mac & cheese * water color painting * freezer pops with friends * making personal pizzas * sweet friends having us over for dinner * pudding art :0) * a movie party * doing our hair and makeup together (Brie with her plastic & pretend gear) * sleepovers in Brie's room (one during the thunderstorm) * eating out at Fazoli's *

Brie it is SO fun that you're old enough to start doing little dates and such. What a fun time with my Little Bug...and here's to many more Girls' Weeks/Dates to come :0)

P.S. For the longest time I have dreamed of doing pudding art with my kids (putting pudding on parchment paper or a cookie sheet then playing in it, getting all messy, smearing it on each other's faces, throwing fun toppings into the mix and eating it) . It was something that we did in preschool and I LOVED it! I still love it. Try it (with your kids or for a date with your hubby), you'll love it too ;0)

Here's to Four and Many More!

With a Cherry on Top.

After almost a month of potty training Brie earned her "big girl underwear" this week :0) (She helped to pick it out at Walmart a few weeks ago. I have to admit, I think they're SO cute and colorful...I was excited for her to finally earn them and be able to wear them :0))

When the big moment arrived to present them to her I decided it'd be fun to spruce up the presentation. I tied them on to a roll of toilet paper and put a cupcake bar of soap on top (Azhar gave this to me several months back to give to Brie and I'd been waiting for the right moment to give it to her.). It was easy peasy, but made it feel like so much more of a big deal! Needless to say that she was very excited!!







The first two days she had two accidents. With the first one I tried to stay as positive as possible and told her that we'd just put on a new pair of underwear. A few hours later I caught her back in the same spot about to pee...saying that she wanted a new pair of underwear! I promptly told her that if she peed in her underwear she would get a diaper. That seemed to work til the next day when I found her standing in a puddle in the dining room. I have to admit I was pretty frustrated because I had been asking her if she needed to go. I took her upstairs, sprayed her down in the shower with cold water and put her in a diaper. Probably sounds mean, and maybe it was :0( In any case she has stayed dry since then. (We do put her back in a diaper at nap/bedtime until she is able to stay dry while sleeping.) Now that she has her underwear it feels like it's for keeps. No more being lazy while we're running errands and just letting her pee in her diaper--when she's got to go she's got go--so I'm started to familiarize myself with the restrooms around town. And I'm trying to be better about keeping tabs on how long it's been since she used the potty last. It definitely is more work, but I know it will be worth it, and she'll thank me for not sending her to Kindergarten in diapers. j/k ;0) I'm sure we have accidents and setbacks ahead, but it's nice to see how far we've come. And just for the family history record, Brie you've worked so hard with your potty training. If you've gotten this far it's because of your enthusiasm and consistency. Way to go sweetie.

It's a winner!

Thanks to my friend (Christina) we tried a different trifle this year...Black Forest Trifle. It was beautiful all prepared and layered in the trifle dish (thank you also to Christina, for letting us borrow it) and a perfect way to add a German flare to Bry's birthday celebration.

Brie was my little helper. She ate...and destemmed the cherries,
supervised each layer and was the official taste tester :0)

The Layers~

Layer 1: Devils' Food Cake
Layer 2: Sweet cherries (simmered with sugar, cornstarch & lemon juice to make them soft and syrupy)
Layer 3: Instant Chocolate Pudding
Layer 4: Neuf-Châtel Cheese mixed with Whipping Cream and Confectioner's Sugar

I kept layering til I ran out of ingredients and then topped it off with Whipped Cream, Dark Chocolate shavings and Fresh Cherries. It was delicious!

Have I mentioned that we've decided on Trifle as our little family's official birthday dessert? There are so many options, it's relatively easy and so moist and tasty. It's hard to beat!

Burritos, Tacos y Enchiladas.

We kicked off Bry's birthday celebrations on Friday with a spaghetti dinner per request. Afterward the Gublers snuck over to share in the Black Forest Trifle surprise...well, let's be honest, Brie basically gave away the surprise. Toddlers and surprises don't really mix ;0) Oh, not to mention that she blew out Bry's 1 candle. It was SO funny! (I caught her in the act, see picture above :0)) To finish off the evening Cynthia listened for the kids while we went to get concretes at Ted Drewe's. What a fun evening.

Saturday morning I let Bry sleep in (such a rare treat for him) while I made him breakfast. Later that morning Ben & Ashley came to party it up. (A few months back while they were up visiting we decided it was time for another international evening. We narrowed it down to a Mexican Fiesta for Bry's bday. FUN.)

Pulled pork burritos + Cilantro Lime Rice + Homemade Horchata + Photo booth =
One rocking Fiesta :0)

We can't forget Ben's bacon mints, playing Ticket to Ride and our little ditty, "Burritos, tacos y Enchiladas" :0)

Bry was a good sport to go along with my photo booth idea. It really did turn out being fun. I think it may become a tradition of some sort...

Guys only:
moustaches all around :0)

Girls only.

(Look at Alex's facial expression here, I love it!)
You're sure worth celebrating, Sweetie. Je t'<3. Ish liebe dish.

That's it?

(Laura, don't hate me for posting this picture of us looking so lovely ;0)
We need to get a better one, but let's be honest, you look beautiful no matter what.)

These little guys were born 12 hours apart. Alexander on Sunday evening and Adam the next morning. We've decided they're going to be great friends ;0) And our running joke is that everything Alexander does, Adam follows suite the next day. In any case, aren't they cuties?

Alexander kept involuntarily whacking Adam in the face. A few smacks later an overly tired Adam had had it. Poor little guy, but I couldn't help posting this picture for the finale.

I'll let you decide.

See a resemblance?
(For the record, that's me on the left.)

a Name and a Blessing.

On 12 June 2011, Alexander was given a name and a blessing by his father. Our good friends (Christian & Myriam and Estaban and Kate) were able to join us for the blessing and church service. Each of us, my parents included, ended up sharing an impromptu testimony during the meeting. It was truly a sweet and special experience, especially being able to share it with such dear friends and my parents (who had come for the weekend and to fly with the kids and me to Utah).

The whole group.

** Yes, I coordinated our outfits...I knew that we'd be taking pictures after and couldn't resist ;0) AND, Myriam gave us the darling little blessing outfit that Alexander wore. That was a special touch to an already special day. It fit him perfectly and just happened to have blue and YELLOW detailing. (Her Mom brought it up from Nicaragua for us. How sweet is that?) **

Kate gave us this "I am a Child of God" frame (with a newborn picture of Alex). We all got a good laugh that our Catholic friend bought an "I am a Child of God" frame from the Catholic Supply Store for her Mormon (LDS) friends ;0) But joking aside, it was super thoughtful. That Kate.

Keepin' it Real.

I was just visiting the Pioneer Woman's blog and saw that she had an old picture of herself with the title, "Keepin' it Real." That's one thing I LOVE about her is that she is SO down-to-earth and honest about herself, flaws, unflattering moments and all. That's such a healthy way to live life and it's inspiring to see. Anyway, I decided that from time to time I would post some "Keepin' it Real" pictures/moments. They may be more entertaining than anything, but I hope it will help me to be better at just taking life how it comes, the good, the bad, the ugly :0)...and laughing more at my imperfections and embracing who I am rather than getting after myself.

Life according to my Nokia.

My sister Rach was really sweet to give me her old phone when she upgraded to a new one. (I'd had mine for at least 3 years and it was time to say good bye.) It is well loved and has seen better days ;0) And yes, I do refer to it as my "ghetto phone"--the screen is cracked and the camera lens has a scratch through it (hence the bottom right blur in all the pictures)--BUT unlike my old phone, it has a camera! I love that I can whip out my phone any time, anywhere to snap a picture...it makes documenting moments that much easier ;0) Anyway, here is our life for the last several months in a nokia-phone-nutshell...

Brie, already having to make room for her
baby brother and all the baby gear, even before he was born ;0)

brand new.

our little bundle of joy.



getting ready to go to a friend's princess/fairy/ballerina birthday party.

Last Kirk & Graden Dinner :0(

Alexander meeting Uncle Matt for the first time.

A picture of Alexander Robertson,
our ancestor that Alex was named after.

Zupas with the cute Soderquist girls :0)


jumping up a storm at Bompa and Mémé's :0)

Uncle Tim had the magic touch with Alex.

crazy ominous storm clouds blowing in over Provo.


Cousins playing at Julie & Walt's.

Bry & Brie at Seattle Science Center.

A VERY tired Brie after a LONG day at the Seattle Center.

Riding in Aunt Rachie's truck.

Love that Good Earth has kid-sized carts.

Two kids + Two car seats + Sit 'n Stand Stroller =
airport travel dream come true

Brie reunited with her little friends after a month away from home.

Love these two :0)
(And love that the toddler, not the infant, is the one with the pacifier. Long story.)

Isn't it true?...these sweet little souls are definitely heaven sent.

Yep, another thumb sucker.

Brie found some of her clothes for this winter and of
course insisted on wearing them in the middle of July ;0)

Brie and her little pal, Peter.

Running into the Gublers at Target. Love that we live 30
seconds from them but always seem to run into them around town ;0)

Our squirmy, smiley little man...about to roll over.

Sweet.

Alex's last night in his bassinet.
He practically outgrew it within 2 months.

A recipe I tried from a Cooking Light magazine.
Love the variety of fruits/veggies/color.

Alex's first time swimming.

Sunday best.

I had to set Alex down and he was not happy about that. He was crying and crying...Brie laid down next to him and he instantly settled down. I love how those two already have a special connection. They're going to be great friends!

My sweet Alexander.


Brie wanted to be just like her Daddy with towel around neck and all.

Oh those two, love 'em!

Oh how that smile melts my heart :0)