The Cook's Lemon Cookies



Tonight we said goodbye to some friends in our ward that are moving to Spain. SPAIN! I'm a little jealous. What an awesome life experience. Brian has mentioned before using his time off in the summer to "live" in another country for a few months. It is a dream, and who knows maybe someday we'll make it happen...

 

Anyway, I offered to bring some treats to their farewell party before I realized I had no butter. (A side note: is it bad that I couldn't think of a single goodie to make that didn't require butter?) I looked around pinterest for some ideas and found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that used coconut oil instead of butter. I have a huge tub of coconut oil and so I thought I'd try my hand and baking with it. The reason I didn't use the recipe is because we also wanted to give some treats to David's primary teacher at church, WHO IS THE BEST PRIMARY TEACHER EVER!!! But she is allergic to cocoa so she can't do chocolate. Thus, I came up with this recipe for lemon cookies.

 

This seems like a good time to also express my deep and undying love for coconut oil. We use it as a moisturizer, for eczema, for our teeth, make-up remover, etc. So many great uses. I wish I would have discovered it a long time ago.

 

I knew these would be really boring looking so hot out of the oven I sprinkled some...sprinkles...on each cookie. They were hot enough that the sprinkles stuck to them and stayed put when they cooled. If you make these and try that out, make sure and do it while they are hot out of the oven or they'll just fall right off. I figure you could roll them in sprinkles before baking too and they'd turn out nice. Or there are lots of other fun ideas you could try to make them fun.

 

RECIPE NOTE: I would use coconut oil that is solid. If your oil is liquefied you can pop it in the fridge and it should solidify to where it looks like shortening. It probably works okay if the oil isn't solid but it might make the cookies flatter than they are in the picture. Also don't over bake the cookies. After 8 minutes they may seem doughy at first but once they cool they are a perfect texture. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before transferring them to a cooling rack.

 



 

The Cook's Lemon Cookies

 

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar

1 cup Coconut oil, packed

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Pure lemon extract

1 (3.4 oz) Lemon instant pudding mix

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

 

Cream oil and sugars. Add eggs, lemon extract and pudding mix. Beat together with electric mixture until well combined and smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Shape in to rounded balls, about tablespoon size. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes on greased cookie sheet.

 



 

 



David's Birth Story

A friend recently asked me for any advice that I could give her about birthing in a hospital naturally, without an epidural. I've been thinking a lot about my experience with this and decided to write about it. David's birth was completely unmedicated and lasted 12 hours from start to finish. Nathan's birth (you can read it HERE) was with an epidural and lasted about 4 days. Jonah was breech and I had a C-section. I learned somewhere that after your first baby labor gets shorter and shorter with each pregnancy. In my situation that is laughable. Each of my deliveries have been so incredibly different from each other.

****Caution!****This is a birth story!****Turn back while you still can!****

Brian blogged about David's birth (you can read it HERE) but I never did.

David was due Nov. 13th and born Nov. 1. I was not expecting to have him at 38 weeks gestation. I thought for sure I would go past my due date since that happened to my mom and sisters. So let me rewind to Halloween, the day before he was born. Brian and I had spent the day putting together the world's best costume (found HERE) and carving the world's best pumpkin. After I had my costume assembled we realized we had nowhere to go. This wasn't going to work for us so we decided to go trick-or-treating. Yes we went trick-or-treating...two grown adults (one extremely pregnant). We didn't ask for candy but gave out cookies to the doors we knocked. I think all the walking that day must have jump started my labor. Plus it was a full moon that night and some people seem to think that affects labor. Don't ask me. I started feeling some mild contractions that night. I assumed it was Braxton Hicks. The next morning was Sunday and I was feeling more contractions but nothing painful. I wasn't even convinced I was in labor. I did laundry and put some dinner in the crockpot for after church. Church didn't start until 1:00. By 11:00 am I knew I wasn't feeling well enough to attend church but still didn't think I was in labor. Brian and I took a walk and the contractions were pretty consistent. We finally decided to time them. By about 3:00 we realized I was probably in labor but didn't decide to go to the hospital until the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart. At this point I was in a lot of pain. I remember walking slowly around the neighborhood (looking back I can't figure out why I thought walking around was the best thing to do at this stage of labor). I was getting attacked by mosquitos (because mosquitos are cool like that in Houston and suck your blood even in November). We decided at about 4:00 that afternoon to check in to the hospital. They confirmed I was dilated 5cm, asked if I wanted an epidural and admitted us. I told them I didn't want one. About an hour after that I was in the hospital room with an IV access in my hand, a monitor wrapped around my stomach and another one attached to the baby's head between my legs (sorry I don't know how else to put that). My nurse, a sweet black woman, told us they would just turn the lights down and leave us alone. I was obviously confined not only to the bed but laying on my back. The contractions at this point were really strong and painful. The next two hours were a blur of pain, each contraction melting in to the next one. The nurse came in and told me to labor on my hands and knees, and we were grateful to get some kind of guidance. As I switched to the new labor position all the monitors I had on fell off or out, and I didn't even care.

The extent of my natural labor prep was an extremely old, worn out book that featured the Bradley method. I got it from the library a month before I was due, realizing that I should have some sort of grasp on how to give birth without medication. This book was so out of date. The entire thing was black and white, featuring pictures of couples going through labor. So much of the book emphasized the importance of the labor coach, and insisted where possible it should be the husband. I realized as I got closer to finishing the book that the person that really needed to read it was Brian. He was going through an extremely busy semester of grad school so I went through the book and made copies of the pages that contained pictures or information that he needed to know to coach me through labor. I stapled the giant packet of natural birth goodness and sent it with him to look at on the bus to and from campus everyday which was about an hour commute. We had a good laugh imagining someone peaking over his shoulder, finding him looking at grainy print-outs of naked women giving birth. Pretty sure nobody would have assumed that he was preparing to help his wife through labor when they saw him browsing a black and white illegally copied packet full of revealing pictures of men and women from the 70s in a birthing tub. Needless to say Brian never really did get the chance to go through the packet since I had David a bit early. We were so unprepared and undereducated. Looking back, if we could have had a nurse that was willing to guide us along it would have made the labor so much better. What I needed was a doula.

So after taking what little advice we received and laboring on my hands and knees for a few contractions the doctor came in and broke my water. I knew it wouldn't be too much longer before the baby came. I couldn't believe my contractions could get any worse at that point but somehow they became more painful and more frequent. It was at this point I started screaming. I've read books before that describe a women giving birth and hearing screaming but not knowing where it came from when all along it was the laboring woman. That was exactly how it was for me. I was not unconscious but most definitely not coherent and all I could do was curl in to a tiny ball and scream. My whole body was tense and suffering...not at all the way it should have been. I needed to be breathing through the contractions but couldn't even catch my breath. At some point Brian's face hovered over mine and he told me to sing through the pain. Can you believe that? He even modeled for me a deep inhale with a lovely singing/groaning exhale. Not having a clue what to do or who to listen to, I actually tried it one time before coming to my senses enough to push his face away from mine, which was only inches away. The smell of his breath combined with the suggestion of singing tipped me over the edge. The nurse came in to check me and told me I was almost fully dilated. I was in the transition phase of labor, the most painful part, and would be ready to push soon. At this point the pain was so bad I threw up. I still was stubborn about the epidural but asked for something, any sort of medication she could administer that would help. She told me there was something she could inject in to my IV but that if I was close to the pushing stage it would be better and safer for the baby to not take it. I was desperate and told her I would take that chance. Soon after she left the room I felt the urge to push. It was too late for medication. I was screaming "I FEEL LIKE PUSHING". I didn't have the mind to push the nurse call button and Brian was too occupied holding my hand and helping me cope with what felt like the end of my life. The nurse heard my yelling and came in with the doctor. This was the second time I had seen my doctor during my labor, the first being when he came in to break my water. Quickly the room changed and I was told to push. I had been in so much pain with the contractions it took me off guard when I didn't feel any pain pushing. I literally was numb. I've heard this is the body's natural anesthesia during the pushing process of labor as there is so much pressure when the baby crowns. I thought I'd feel the "ring of fire" at this point, which is supposed to be incredibly painful, but either I didn't feel it or it didn't compare to the pain of contractions for me. It only took 10 minutes of pushing and my beautiful baby boy was born.

Because David had meconium (all 3 of my boys have pooped in the womb during labor, what is the deal???) I couldn't hold him right away, which actually didn't disappoint me because as the doctor was stitching me up (I had torn) I began to shake violently. My body was in shock. I still wasn't in the right state of mind to get control and enjoy my baby...not just yet. After I was stitched up and had a few warm blankets on me David was cleaned up and ready to hold. It was a magical experience. I loved holding him for the first time. It ended too quickly as the nurse said I had to switch rooms (the hospital I was at had separate rooms for labor and recovery). The hospital had a nursery and took David to get his vitamin K shot and first bath while the nurse took me to my recovery room. They removed the blankets and had me get out of bed and go to the bathroom and walk to my room. I was so embarrassed when the nurse helped me go to the bathroom. I was shaking so bad I couldn't even sit down by myself. After that I was directed to my recovery bed and I tried to rest. My adrenaline was still too high to sleep even though I was exhausted. I was checked in to the hospital at 4:30 and had David at 8:30, just 4 hours later. Brian decided to go grab some dinner with his parents and told me he'd bring me back something. After Brian was gone I laid there thinking how surreal everything was. Just a moment before then I was surrounded by a large number of people and things were chaotic. Then I was put in a room where I was laying in a bed all by myself trying to rest unsuccessfully. I really wanted nothing more than my baby, and finally had the nerve to call in a nurse and ask what was taking so long. She thought I would want some rest after everything I'd been through and so had been keeping him in the nursery on purpose. Of course I asked that they bring him to me immediately, and I enjoyed some quiet time with my sweet newborn, just the two of us for a few minutes.

I had never thought my birth story was a negative one, but as I've become more educated and experienced in childbirth I realize that the number one thing that could have made my birth better was a doula. I really needed a birthing coach. Aside from Brian who really was trying his best, I had no support and real direction the entire labor. Birthing mothers don't have enough options for natural labor and delivery at a hospital. I actually love staying in the hospital. I love those couple of days where I don't have to worry about anything but holding my baby and nursing him. Medication and meals are provided and administered and there is no stress. But I hate that the only option for a natural birth in a hospital is an extremely painful one. It is no wonder women that deliver naturally usually do so in their home or a birthing center. But I know there are women out there like me, that feel most comfortable laboring in a hospital, where immediate care can be given in case of an emergency, but want an unmedicated birth. I am curious to know if there are hospitals that don't make a birthing mother have IV access and monitors on the baby at all times. I think mothers should be able to move freely the entire labor. I think mothers should be able to explore other pushing and laboring positions other than lying flat on their back for the entire process. I think nurses should be better trained to coach and aid mothers that are giving birth without an epidural. I think umbilical cords shouldn't be clamped and cut so soon after delivery in a hospital. I think sometimes the world sees birthing in black and white. There is the group of women that want an epidural the second they feel labor starting. They rest and relax and laugh until it is time to push. Their husbands watch TV and they have visitors in and out of the room the entire time. And then there is the group of women that have a midwife, set up a birthing pool in their home, have the baby in front of their children and encapsulate their placenta to eat later. Okay, I know I'm making major generalizations and there are excellent birthing centers available to mothers that don't want to birth at home but don't like the idea of the hospital either. The point I'm trying to make is that there is a vast number of women in that in-between gray area, that don't fit either of these scenarios, and more options need to be made for them.

Soon I'll be posting about Jonah's delivery, which was a C-section.

Naked Dragon

I had a funny experience with my 5 year-old today. A little voice in the back of my mind said "You should blog that. That is exactly something you would have written about back when blogging was your thing."

I feel like my family has entered a new chapter of life. My babies are now little kids, well except for my baby, he's still a baby but that'll change the next time I blink. We now live in Colorado. David is going to be a kindergartener and here they have an open enrollment system in the district. That means if I don't like our neighborhood school or if I like that this school has ipads or this school is dual immersion, or this school is all day kindergarten, or this school is an academy, I can try to opt in. I never thought of putting David in any school other than the public school we were zoned to, but here there are seemingly better options than the our home school. As I've attended meetings and talked to other parents I've gathered advice on what is and what is not important. One thing that has come up a lot is that David will learn things on the playground that I won't necessarily want him to know. I mentally was preparing myself for conversations with him about how our family might do things a little differently than his friend's families, and so forth.

 So after I picked David up from preschool today I said "Hey you look cute. Did anyone notice your haircut?" After a moment of hesitation as we were walking out to our car he said "Naked dragon." "Naked dragon?? What does that mean?" I asked. "Nothing" David said with a giggly grin. Knowing that this moment was coming at some point with him I jumped right in to having a heart to heart with him in our van about potty talk and bad language. I think I went a wee bit over board as I started firing questions at him like "Who said naked dragon at school today? Why were you talking about naked dragons? What does naked dragon mean?" David at that point was frustrated and defensive "MOM! I didn't say naked dragon, YOU did!" "What? Don't you remember you said naked dragon after I asked about your hair coming out of school today?" I asked. "Mom I said MAKE a dragon. I was wondering if we could cut my hair so there could be a dragon on my head".

I was so relieved David hadn't been talking about naked objects with other five year-olds! (But am slightly concerned he wants a dragon haircut). One thing I'm learning entering this next chapter of life is that it's important to keep calm and not accidentally teach your kid words that they could repeat on the playground to other kids at school.

Embarrassing!

So I visited my blog, which I haven't done in a loooong while, only to find that an extremely awkward post I had written a year or so ago about PMS OF ALL THINGS was randomly published. I have no idea how it was published and I know for sure I wasn't done writing it and wasn't planning on posting it. So if anybody read it, my apologies....and please still be my friend.

Update on the Cooks!

Hello friends and family!

Here is a brief update on some recent changes:

Brian got a job at Klein Collins High School and is enjoying the change from middle school to high school. Also exciting for him (he has been to modest to share this with most people) is that his arrangement of Sing We Now of Christmas is being published by Alliance Music! He has a SSAA and a TTBB arrangement and both are being published. You can hear the song on YouTube here.

We moved in to Brian's parents house again because they are leaving for Berlin, Germany on a 2 year mission. The high school Brian works at is just across the street. Couldn't have worked out better and it will be nice to save the money living here on future endeavors such as doctorate degree or our first house! (Or maybe a masters degree for Kayla).

We are expecting baby #3, a BOY in March. We are thrilled! Names up for the running are Elijah and Jonah. They are both very biblical--it wasn't planned that way. I don't know any Jonahs personally so I'm trying to get a feel for the name and how it is received. When I ask people between the two they always go for Elijah so...? Elijah would be shortened to Eli probably. I guess one will stick sooner or later! Nathan was almost Benjamin and I still like that name too.

I'm still teaching piano. David started preschool which has been awesome for him (and me!). Nathan is an early talker and is so fun-loving and carefree. He has been such a great addition to our family.

And of course I can't post without some kind of picture so here is a cute one:

The Parable of Peanut the Pitbull

 

About a week ago we noticed a stray dog hanging around our yard. The first time I got a good look at him I felt a knot in my stomach. I was pretty sure it was an aggressive breed of some kind. My husband and I don't have a dog and don't know a lot about dogs in general so I got online to look at pictures of the breed and confirmed that our stray was a pit bull.

Woah. A pit bull? Even though I didn't have personal experience with this breed, I knew enough to have the following thoughts: This dog is going to kill my children. This dog could attack us unprovoked. This dog's bite can kill. This dog is evil. This dog is vicious.

With these thoughts in mind my husband and I decided that our kids couldn't play near the dog or even go outside to be in the general area of the dog. Animal control could come pick him up if he was contained so my husband and I set out to contain him. This was a challenge because we live on about 10 acres of land. I knew he must be hungry so I approached him with some slices of ham hoping I could trap him. When I got too close however, he barked at me and my husband. One time my husband got so close he gave him a low growl. This only confirmed our fears of the stray. Animal control came and tried to capture him but no amount of whistling or smooth talking would get him to come to us. He was smart. He could see the catch-pole the dog catcher held and knew what would happen if he got too close. So he disappeared for a little while. Animal control made plans to set a dog trap in the yard the following week if he was still around. The dog catcher left telling us that we did have the right to shoot the dog if it attacked or seemed vicious. The dog catcher wasn't the only one giving this advice. Everyone said we needed to scare it away...use a bb gun, bang pots and pans, use an air horn, target practice...I wasn't shocked at this advice at all. This dog could harm us and we needed to protect ourselves even if it meant killing the dog (I'm not quite sure how we would have done that, seeing as how we don't own a gun). I asked the dog catcher what would happen to him once he was captured. The reply was that the dog was unsafe to adopt out and if nobody claimed him within three days he would be put down. This made me sad because there was a possibility that this dog was loved by someone very much.

Animal control wouldn't be able to come around again for a few days so we were on the defensive. We watched the dog from inside the safety of our home and hoped he would disappear on his own. Instead he marched around marking his territory around the yard. He lay down under the shade of the trampoline or porch for hours at a time. It appeared to us that this dog was going nowhere so we resolved to bide our time with him around until animal control could trap him. Each time we had to go outside we tread our path carefully not wanting to provoke the dog in case he was dangerous. The dog became more suspicious of us and continued to bark at us when we came outside. It seemed he was just as uncomfortable with us as we were with him.

It was on our way home from running errands that we noticed a missing dog sign on a light post near our home. Sure enough it showed a picture of our stray pit. I immediately called the number and was greeted with much relief and appreciation from the dog's owner. They said they were going to come right over. I told them the dog wasn't around at the moment but maybe they could come call for him and he would show up. When they came we formally introduced ourselves. "What's the dog's name?" my husband asked. "Peanut" they said. "Peanut!? Peanut!? Not Killer? Not Spike or Brutus or Buster?" were my thoughts. They continued, "He's a great dog. He's great with kids and won't harm a fly. He loves to eat. Please, please let us know when he comes around again."

An entire day went by without a sign of Peanut. Now that we were assured of Peanut's harmlessness we whistled and called for him. Knowing how much Peanut's owners loved him and cared for him I was so hoping he would come back. I was worried that he had been killed somehow. I said a few silent prayers that he would show up. We checked before we went to bed one final time. I updated the owners that there was no sign of him. I was beginning to fear the worst. The next day when my husband and I woke up we searched the perimeter of our yard for him. No Peanut. At this point our 2 and 3-year old boys caught on. They would yell Peanut's name outside and my oldest asked if Peanut died. We were in our van and on our way to church when we saw a very ragged and hungry Peanut laying in his usual spot on the porch. He must have gotten there between the time we checked the yard that morning and the time we left for church.

I couldn't contain my excitement. "Get some ham!" I yelled to my husband. He came back with the ham and my camera. I called the owners and they were so joyful. While I waited for Peanut's "mommy" to come get him I noticed that he was dirty. He had an eye infection and his ribs were showing. Suddenly the ferocious dog I saw from my window was just a poor, vulnerable, sweet creature that needed some love and attention. I wished in that moment that I could have known that about him all along. How much better we would have got along!

 

When the owner showed up I was glad I had my camera. Even at the sight of their car coming down the drive, Peanut perked right up. When the owner stepped out of the car, he bounded toward her and immediately gave her a hug. I have never seen a dog look so much like a human before. He was so happy and for a moment I shared in the bliss of the owner and the dog. So much of the dog's suffering could have been eliminated if I could have seen past my fears and loved instead.

Of course I'm not saying we should trust stray dogs. Fear serves a purpose and I know my husband and I were just trying to protect our family. But I couldn't help but learn an important lesson through this experience. Sometimes our fears of the unknown eliminate the possibility for love. How many problems could be solved if instead of seeing each other through the windows of our homes, our jobs, or even our computers we could see each other face to face? If we could see people as they truly are we would probably see vulnerability and suffering. People need love. All people need love. It doesn't matter who you are or what you believe. In all the debate, the bullying, and the pride we stop seeing each other as people and start seeing each other as vicious pit bulls out to destroy what we are trying so hard to protect. We are all fighting for protection. Protection of our families, protection of our rights, protection of love itself. Is there a greater definition of turmoil than this--that what one person fights to protect is the very thing another is fighting for? There is no perfect outcome for this dilemma. Such things require great pain and suffering for both parties at one point or another. The only solution I can think of is to love more and love more easily.

Well, well, well

We just got back from another great Utah trip! Highlights included hiking the waterfall trail 3 times, fireworks, Hogle Zoo, baseball games, baseball games, and more baseball games, movie nights, homemade ice cream and popcorn and Chinese food, basketball in the driveway, car detailing, and swimming! It is always a little hard coming back to Texas because of course I can't help but think about how nice it would be to live near my family, but I also see how many blessings we have here in the Lonestar state. What started as Brian getting a masters degree at the University of Houston has turned in to quite an adventure. I never imaged the first 5 years of my marriage would turn out the way it has, but we truly have had some great experiences living here. Growing up in a close knit family with all of my married siblings living in Utah I just never experienced life outside of my comfort zone. Not only did we never move growing up, but I never really experienced visiting relatives outside of Utah/Idaho. After the masters degree I was more than eager to move back to Utah, but the job opportunity was here. Now Brian has just finished two years at Arnold Middle School and just accepted a job as a High School choir assistant in Spring, TX just a few miles down the road. Brian's parents are planning on serving a mission so we will be staying in their home for 2 years. Six years in Texas at that point! I just can't believe it!

I have definitely felt lonely and discouraged at times in the last 4 years but there has also been some great benefits to living here--I even made a little list of the awesome things:

-Members of the church here are really close to each other. There is a strong sense of ward family and most people truly depend on each other as you would family members. Not living near family has helped me reach out to others and make friends I probably wouldn't have made living somewhere surrounded by family.
-It is awesome talking to people about the gospel here. There are a lot of good Christian families in Texas and most people have a pretty good idea of Mormonism. Brian and I have both had some really awesome missionary experiences.
-Spanish! We use our language skills constantly here.
-The months Jan-April are just beautiful! So sunny and nice.
-Fine Arts. Brian and I have been to some amazing operas, concerts, plays. The culture in Houston is one that values the Fine Arts very highly. Next on my list is the Houston Ballet! Brian and I were able to sing in a choir called the Houston Camerata. It was such a fun experience for both of us.
-Brian's salary as a teacher here in Texas is one that provides us with a  comfortable standard of living. Teachers aren't paid enough in general, but Texas is one of the best states for teacher-pay in America.
-We've created strong friendships with people from totally different cultures and backgrounds. Some of our closest friends here are from Korea, India, and Brazil. We've had some really amazing Korean and Indian food! Some of the most thought provoking conversations I've ever had have been with our friends and I love learning from them.
-Since we live near one of the largest cities in America there is so much to do! Amazing museums, the beach, NASA...just to name a few.
-By living here I have spent a lot of time with Brian's parents and know them well.

Though I miss home and hope to return to the Mountain West in the future, I am grateful for our experiences in Texas and know that living somewhere out of my comfort zone has helped me become a better person. I think a good definition of a trial is when the unexpected in life happens and for me that was moving to Texas instead of Utah. It might seem a small thing for some people (what is a trial for one isn't for another) but living here has pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of.

********

 

I'll post some pictures of our trip soon! 

Must...Keep...Blogging

Some days I really miss my blog. I used to update it so frequently... Around the time I finally got a FB account is about when I stopped posting often. So here's to keeping the blog alive!!!

This picture is the view from the front yard of my Utah house. Last summer I spent so much time outside...just breathing in the cool summer night air and gazing at the mountains that hugged the neighborhood I remember so well. I was in Utah a few weeks ago and I took a nice walk that turned in to a hike in the foothills by my house. It was so beautiful. I miss mountains. I miss open spaces and dry, cool air. I miss hiking! I miss mountain biking! I miss playing basketball with my family on the driveway. I miss these beautiful sunsets. I miss hilly, ragged, asphalt roads. I miss houses that don't conform, yards that need work, yards that are beautiful and unique. I miss houses painted pink and churches on every corner. I miss the familiar clank of my grandparents door when I walk inside to visit with them--the unmistakable smell of grandma's house. I miss seeing children playing and wandering the streets at dusk. I miss, oh I miss aspens--quakies as we call them. I miss the slow pace of an unchanging city. I miss Taco Amigo. I miss shopping at Macey's grocery store. I miss soft green grass that you can lay on. I miss the colors of fall. I miss driving up Battle Creek road--the familiarity of Mount Timpanogos and the thrill of seeing little blotches of red and orange on the mountains in late September. I miss seeing, watching, hearing hummingbirds--dozens of them at a time drinking nectar from our backyard deck. I miss the G on the mountain and the beautiful meadow even higher on the mountain that goes unnoticed by so many hikers. I miss my enchanted waterfall a short hike from my house. I miss running, biking, roller-blading the Provo canyon trail. I miss walking along the canal that stretches for miles in the valley. I miss gardening--being able to plant corn, squash, cucumbers and tomatoes straight in to the ground. I miss family. I miss children laughing, playing, screaming. I miss games around the dinner table. I miss ongoing conversation--opinionated, heated, caring...I miss father and mother, brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, neices and nephews. I miss my dear Pleasant Grove...you never, ever change and I like it that way.

Most Embarrassing Moment

As I was going through an old journal, I found a writing of my most embarrassing moment. I was 19 at the time. This was my first summer home from college. I am going to suffer through the embarrassment and shame of this story to make whoever reads it laugh. Enjoy.



"Sometimes people are going to have their share of bad luck. I got hired for Lehi City employment--this required a drug test. So this morning I go in to the place that is specifically for drug and alcohol testing. The building was tucked away in an obscure part of Orem. I felt pretty weird being there. I decided to go on my lunch break (I just started my other job). I was in a hurry to get back in time. One guy ran the drug testing place and he was a hippie. He got my info, put on his gloves, and unwrapped the pee-in-cup kit. He said "This might sound uncomfortable, but I need you to not flush the toilet or wash your hands until I have your cup." He marked the line where I needed to fill it. I felt pressure right away...could I fill it all the way to the line? Well it was stop and go but I did it, with a perfect fill right to the line. It did take a while to fill it and I was starting to worry what hippie man was thinking. I didn't want him to think I was doing anything crazy (like washing my hands or flushing the toilet) and I had to get back to my other job. Without thinking, I set my lengthy stream of toilet paper that I used to wipe on the counter by the sink--why I didn't put it in the toilet I do not know. Was this also a no-no according to hippie man? I already felt so restricted in this whole process. While I was hurrying I felt a tremendous amount of pride in my healthy cup of pee. I did it. I took my first ever drug test! I set it down and fumbled to find the zipper on my pants. To my horror, my unimaginable horror and dismay, I knocked the cup of pee off with my elbow and watched as it slowly hit the floor and quickly spread out all over the place. I didn't know what to do. If I wasn't allowed to wash my hands than I certainly wasn't allowed to spill my pee the floor. I had to let the guy know why I was in there for so long, lest he arrest me for tampering with my test. I threw the door open and looked at the hippie in horror. "I have something embarrassing to say" I blurted. Only I didn't say anything I just held open the door and let him look at the disaster. I can't imagine how disgusted he was--even as a hippie. This is when I realized that my wad of toilet paper was on the basin, not in the toilet. I was so worried about achieving the "in and out" method of drug testing that I had no time to gather my senses while finishing up. Why oh why did I put it on the counter? Well Hippie man wasted no time. He walked straight to that wad of toilet paper, touching only a tiny corner of it, and as it unfolded in to a never-ending stream of crumpled bath tissue, he disposed of it. I was a little thrown off. Why attack the toilet paper so quickly? Wasn't the large amount of pee on the floor the most disturbing of it all? I don't know when he noticed the pee but he must have at some point because he grumbled something about going to find a mop somewhere. He came back with mop in hand and said "I have never cleaned in my life, I have never even held a mop before". I didn't have time to analyze how odd that statement was so I grabbed the mop and cleaned up the Kayla-covered-pee-floor. I was so embarrassed! When it was over I turned to leave--get this--and the Hippie turns to me and actually SAYS "I know how you feel. I spilled coffee on my shirt this morning". Are you kidding? What a consoling man."

And at the bottom of the page is a portrait I drew of Hippie man.

On being Yoo-Neek

Did you know the pronunciation guide in the dictionary for unique is seriously "yoo-neek"? I love that.

I sat down to post something non-motherhooddy but here I am and all I can think of is this:

I have read a handful of blogs today, all Mormon mothers that stay home with their children. And I could have been the author of any of the posts I read. Mostly they talked about the struggles and triumphs of our (Mormon mothers) situation: choosing to stay home with the kids rather than pursue a career.

I like to think of myself as someone that had a promising career (I had fabulous grades in college, I studied music and communication which both intersted me, I had a great internship that could have possibly landed me a great job). But instead of pursuing that career I chose to start a family and followed the teaching of my church which is that mothers, where possible, should be home with their children instead of putting them in another's care.

But I don't recall making that choice. I don't know that I ever even considered the alternative which is that I put my kids in day care, or maybe just didn't have any children. When I met Brian and got married it was a given. We didn't even think about another scenario. We started our family when we knew I could graduate from college, Brian got his education and got a job.

I wonder if it is like that on the flip-side. I wonder if most women (I'm talking non-mormons here) get their job and earn money because it is just the norm. It is a given. And maybe in the thick of the demands of their job, when they come home tired and stressed, they ever realize they could choose to live a completely different life, one where they have children and care for them at home.

Maybe when I have a really hard day and I wish for a different scenario, one where I have a career, there is a woman on the other side of the fence that wants what I have?

I guess what I'm saying is that you have to find happiness with what you've got. Even though on those hard, tiring days, I think I would possibly enjoy a career more than staying at home with my kids, the fact is, I probably wouldn't be.

When I read all these other blogs I don't feel lonely. I know EXACTLY what and how the other stay-at-hom moms are feeling. In fact, I'm amazed at how my situation is anything but unique.

It is when I think about myself compared to most women my age in the world that I feel unique. Really I shouldn't even be married yet, let alone have two children by the world's standards. The uniqueness comes by that comparison.

Not too long ago Brian and I had a small reception at a nice restaurant with the Houston Camerata, a choir we were both in at the time. We sat across from another couple that was probably in their fifties. They both had very busy, accomplished lives. They had no children. In fact, they were surprised to find that we had two children. They even asked if we were Catholic (when we told them we were Mormon they had no response). Probably they didn't grow up in big families. Maybe even they didn't have any siblings. They, like me, probably followed the examples of their parents, which for them was pursuing a career. They probably didn't even realize they had a choice.

Even though I never really gave much thought to life outside of being a stay at home mom, I'm still happy with what I have. I know that I could go get a job if I wanted one or felt like that was a better thing for my family, but for now, I'm sticking with being unique.

Writing Again

Hello Blog. I'm sorry I have neglected you for so long.

I think I'm going to start making this blog more of a place to write.

So here are some thoughts I've had lately...

One of the worse feelings in the world is picking up some trash on the floor and realizing when you've picked it up that it is a dead bug, or worse, a dried up frog.

Motherhood is still hard. But not hard in the literal sense. It is hard mentally. It requires daily positive self-talk. Negative thoughts are my worse enemy. I have to tell myself over and over to be more cheery, to think happy thoughts, to play with my children.

If I think too much about yesterday or tomorrow I go insane. One day at a time when you stay home with kids all day every day. If I can have a good day today, everything will be fine.

I'm always tired. I look tired. I can't get out of bed in the morning. I can't fall asleep at night. Pregnant you say? Nope. Your thyroid is low? Nope. I don't know what it is. Getting older I guess?

I find joy in focusing on my children and recognizing their personalities and unique gifts. When I take time to look at them more closely I can almost see them 10 or 15 years from now. And I feel lucky that I get to be around such cool people all the time.

I'm really blessed that I love cooking and baking so much because feeding my family is a big part of what I do.

Alright, I'm tired so I'm going to take a nap now while I have the chance.

Adieu.

Girls Camp, Utah Trip, and a bit of Geneology

Wow what a summer we've had! And it has been quite a while since I have done a proper post. Our summer has been so great...

In June I went to Girls Camp! It was so fun and so different than the Girls Camp I remembered in Utah where we slept in a sleeping bag in a tent and went to the bathroom in an outhouse that didn't flush and we didn't take showers and ate what we cooked over the fire. At Camp Ta-Ku-La we slept in cabins with air conditioning and ate cafeteria food together in a mess hall. There was no grueling hike, no snipe hunting, but a swimming pool and a water slide and warm showers. It still felt like girls camp though, despite all the differences. I learned a whole bunch of new camp songs, and taught the girls the songs I remember singing as a YW going to camp in Utah. Camp was five days instead of three or four and on the last night of camp there was no "lights out". I wouldn't have cared so much about the stake tradition of not going to bed the last night, except that the next morning as soon as I got home from camp, I would be driving 8 hours to Oklahoma City.

So on to that part of our trip. I was so excited to see my boys when I got home! I had missed them so. I took a shower, and we hit the road for our month long trip to Utah. We hit up Brian's family in OK City and Fort Collins, Colorado. We started our Utah trip with a Cook Family Reunion in Northern Utah. Part of the reunion was a surprise birthday party for my father-in-law. He turned 70! I bet most people my age don't have a 70 year-old father in law!

After the reunion we moved on down to PG and had a great 4th Utah style. I'm telling you, nothing beats Utah's Independence Day celebrations.

We spent a week in Rexburg with our wannabe grandparents and my awesome brother Tyrel and his wife and kids. Julia and David are two peas in a pod. I'll put pics up later and a more detailed post of our time with them. Also while we were in the Burg I got to meet up with Alea! It was so fun to catch up. Alea moved to Idaho when we were in High School and I had only been able to keep touch with her on blogger and facebook. It had been a long while since I had seen her and it was so nice to see her again.

I got to catch up with my other really good friends too and that is always so great. They are one big part of why I miss my Utah!

Nathan turned 1 on July 11th! Just this week he has started walking all around the house.

Brian turned 27 on the 18th...the same day my sister turned 17. They had an awesome birthday. Brian and I took the kids swimming, Rachel got to (finally) meet Jef Holm and tour his business in PG and get free stuff. I think she was on cloud 9. Later that night we celebrated by going to Los Hermanos and having cake and ice cream and games (which included Mexican Race Horses...my fave).

The Grand Finale to our trip was heading down to Fishlake, UT...which is one of the best places on earth...you just don't know it yet because you've never been there. We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary :). I'm going to blog more about that trip too.

Right before we left, we celebrated my grandma's 80th birthday. A few years ago I recorded my grandparent's life history. That propelled me on to bigger and better family history projects. After two years, I finished compiling and transcribing as much ancestry on the Salisbury family as I could find and put together a book for my grandma's birthday. The book included bios and pictures of our ancestors. I loved doing the project, and made me realize that bit by bit family history can get done and it does matter! I thought I would never get the project done, but one day it just came together. Every little bit counts! So the only pictures on the post will be a few of my favorites from my project that I already have saved on my computer.

My beautiful young grandmother, Belva Joan Salisbury.

My grandpa in the Korean War. His story amazed me. Nathan Douglas is named after him.

My Great-Grandpa Salisbury playing the mandolin.

My Great-Grandmother Coral Erickson Salisbury. Isn't Coral a beautiful name?

The best part of the whole trip for me was just being with my family. I love being around my parents and siblings so much. We have a great time together and laugh a lot. We can get pretty silly. In fact, I laugh to myself sometimes that most people don't know how weird I really am. Being around my family is so good...they force the seriousness right outta me which needs to happen from time to time.

So that, in a nutshell, is what we've been doing lately. Ciao.

UTAH, LET ME COME DETAIL YOUR CAR!!

Hi Guys! This is Brian, here.

I wanted to let everyone know that while we're in Utah during the month of July, I will be doing some Auto Detailing. I have only a limited number of days that I'll be available to detail your car, so if you're interested, send me an email at brian@jccook.net.

Here are some pictures of what your car could look like when I'm done with it! :o)

(Toyota Sienna)

Well, this is actually the BEFORE photo.
Here's the AFTER...

(BMW)

(Honda Odyssey)

(Buick LeSabre)

If you think you might be interested... read on!

My full detail service takes at least 8 hours. Can you imagine how much cleaner your car will be in that amount of time?! Treatments include:

Exterior

• Clean Wheels/Rims
• Hand Wash
• Clay Bar Treatment (further removes road dirt and contaminants)
• Polish the Clear Coat
• Wax to protect the Clear Coat
  

Interior

• Vacuum interior
• Shampoo carpets and seats (if cloth)
• Clean/Treat leather
• Treat/Protect vinyl and rubber, including dashboard
• Clean Glass and other surfaces

Rates for detailing depend primarily on the size of the car. Typically, they are as follows for the day-long service:

• 4-door Sedan --- $150
• Small, Cross-over SUVs --- $175-$200
• Mini-Vans, Large SUVs --- $225 - $250

You will love the feeling of driving down the road in a nice clean car! I get HUGE satisfaction by setting you up to go for another year or so in your clean-smelling car. If you have any questions, let me know.

Please reply to brian@jccook.net.

Happy Driving! See you real soon, Utah!

11 Questions

My friend tagged me in this so I'm doing it. I love these kind of things...don't you?

11 Questions: Post these rules
Post a photo and eleven random things about yourself
Answer the questions provided by the one who tagged you
Create eleven new questions for the people you tag
Contact those you choose and let them know they've been tagged

11 Random Things About Myself:

1. I floss my teeth every single day.
2. I have TMJ problems and had to wear an ugly mouth guard 24/7 right after I was married. I still have issues and can't chew gum or eat popcorn or raw carrots anymore. Pooh.
3. I'm still trying to figure out this whole motherhood thing. But oh how I love my children!
4. I'm going to Girls Camp next week. We get to stay in air conditioned cabins. It is the Texas way. Yee haw.
5. I used to be a huge trouble-maker/prankster in middle school and even high school. I did some pretty crazy things. I regret it and get teased about it relentlessly by my family.
6. I am a direct descendant of Pocahontas.
7. I was a radio broadcaster for NPR and a religious radio station while I attended BYU-Idaho. I really loved it.
8. I have legit nightmares and wake up screaming on a regular basis. It freaks my husband out.
9. When we first moved to Texas my husband was victim of a gang initiation crime. It is a pretty funny and slightly scary story. I'll have to write about it sometime.
10. My husband wrote me a song and used the Men's Choir at BYU-Idaho to propose. I got a special VIP performance of it (he almost did it at the actual concert). Best engagement story ever.
11. I started a field on fire once with my friend when I was a little girl. It was a close call. My dad was a fireman at the time.

1. If you could live one day over again, what day would it be?---Most definitely my wedding day.
2. What is one thing you miss from your childhood?---Being near my family and friends. I miss my Utah stomping grounds so so much.
3. If you had 24 hours to live what would you do?---Hug and Kiss my children all day and lecture Brian about not getting remarried. Just kidding of course....maybe.
4. If you had to eat one thing the rest of your life, what would it be?---I really can't answer this question. I have tried and tried.
5. Favorite date night with your husband?---Once we went to a Fun Zone place that had those fast track race cars. We just went to see if we wanted to go mini-golfing there but got caught up watching these little kids race each other on the track. We watched them for a good hour or two and laughed hysterically. Maybe you had to be there but some of those kids were going so fast and would crash into each other or the wall. It was hilarious...and didn't cost a dime.
6. Salty or sweet?---Sweet. But not sugary. We're talking ice cream and cinnamon rolls. Not skittles and twizzlers...yucky.
7. What is one of your favorite memories from high school?---I had some really great memories in choir. I remember when I made the choir I auditioned for it was a happy day and a huge blessing to me (I realized later).
8. What would be your dream vacation?---I really would like to go to a perfect beach. Or Vail/Eagle/Aspen Colorado.
9. What is one thing that always makes your day better?---Scripture study. Personal meditation and reflection. Journal writing.
10. What is one thing you love about yourself?---I keep trying.
11. What is your biggest fear?---Intruders.I can't imagine having someone come in to my house to hurt me or my kids. A close second...never being able to eat ice-cream again or losing my legs...wait no, my arms.

Okay so I don't have time to come up with my own questions so I'm just going to re-use my friend's (getting ready to leave for Camp and Utah and have a million projects to finish).

I'm going to pass this off to Bethany and Alea...Bethany I chose you because you haven't updated in a while and I miss your posts. Alea, I know you read this blog and I would find your answers amusing.

Thanks for thinking of me Amy! That was fun!

Fathers and Sons AND Mothers too

My husband and sons are at their first ever father/son camp-out. Sending them out the door armed with long pants and bug repellent, I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit older and more mature than I usually do.

Speaking of more mature, my birthday is tomorrow. That is if this ever gets posted on the 18^th of May. Tomorrow I have to attend a meeting, but we have big dinner plans. In fact, I told Brian that we are going somewhere really nice to celebrate. We are talking $15 dollar a plate here people.

I’m going to be 24. When I realize the gravity of only being 24 and reaching only what I hope is a quarter of the life I’m supposed to live, I feel…relieved. I still have so much to learn. Sometimes it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders when it’s not at all. I have time to get it right. And as I look back on even just the last few years of my life, I can see how much I’ve grown (on the inside and out sadly).

One thing that I’ve learned recently is that you can’t go through two pregnancies without exercising much and eating whatever the heck you want and come out fit and trim as you’ve always been. It isn’t that I have gained a ton of weight, but the few extra pounds I have put on are most unwelcome. So a few months ago I decided to do something that I never thought I could really do, and that is wake up at 5 am and go running. Yes, I am finally one of those people. I never thought it would have to come to this, but here I am. I go three times a week. I run about 2 miles and have a 13-minute a mile pace. I am improving too, don’t you worry. My goal was to lose 10 pounds. That would put me about where I was pre-baby. Well folks, after running for about 8 or 9 weeks I have lost a total of .8 of a pound. I know right? So now I realize that you can’t eat whatever the heck you want even if you are getting up in the AM to go running. Sheesh. Can’t I just choose one? Eat healthy or exercise? It isn’t that I pig out on candy all day. Or that I don’t eat veggies. I love veggies. I love grilled meat. I love vitamins and drinking water. I heart green smoothies. I love sprouts. I mean come on! No, my downfall is my deep and abiding love of baking. One day last week it was a drizzly, cloudy, dark day. The kind of day that it just feels so right to stay inside and watch the storm out your window and BAKE. So that one day I made sugar cookies with lemon frosting, WHOLE WHEAT banana bread (in case you were worried I didn’t know what healthy food was and/or thought I didn’t like it), and those sinful little peanut butter cookies with the Hershey kisses. Man I love those.

I’m just so not okay with giving up cookies and delicious ice-cream sundaes, and milkshakes, and cinnamon rolls. Sorry Charlie. No can do.

So even though I’ve lost just less than one pound, I have lost inches, which has to count for something. And Brian thinks my chubby cheeks are loosing just a bit of chub…that is always a good thing.

Other than feeling more energized, etc, etc, etc, that comes with running, I really want to lose the weight so I can GAIN IT ALL BACK AGAIN in the form of another baby. No, I’m not pregnant. But eventually I would like to be, and it just seems better to start off where I had started with my first pregnancy, otherwise by baby number 13 I’m going to be one fat mama!

I’m realizing more and more what this “season” of my life is all about. Have the baby. Feed the baby. Feed yourself. Feed yourself and your baby cookies. Lose the weight. Repeat.

This is one seriously taxing stage of life. But I’m happy to do it. I love children. I love my children so much it just plain hurts sometimes. I can’t seem to kiss Nathan’s little face enough, and when David blows raspberries on my collarbone I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. And when I gaze into their perfect faces and notice their shining eyes and flawless baby skin I can’t help but feel grateful for the stretch marks and dark circles under my eyes. I grew these babies. I gave a portion of my youth to them that I will never have back on my person, but it manifests itself in their beautiful little faces and I’m so, so, so happy do have given them the gift of life.

Well my boys are walking in the door. David immediately told me that Brother Carter, his nursery teacher, was there as well as Santa. And Brian told me nobody had a quilt (I told him to take one for Nathan to sit on and he politely informed me that no man brings a quilt to a campout).

My Jolly Husband

To know the Cook family well you have to know Brian. He hardly ever posts on our blog so I will do the honors. Plus, I kind of really sort of love him a lot so he is on my mind at the moment.

Brian is a choir teacher. He has a masters degree in Choral Conducting and he is a middle school teacher at a very diverse school. For the most part his students are disrespectful, but he tries to make them laugh and he tries to make them behave even though they don't want to. He comes home with the craziest stories...probably not the type that I could share (unless my blog was private). Teachers are the bomb. I have way more respect for public school teachers than I have ever had. Especially good public school teachers.

Brian details cars for extra income and sheer entertainment. He finds joy in jobs that make a noticeable difference--like mowing the lawn.

Brian is at a complete loss in the kitchen. He has cooked maybe 4 or 5 meals in the four years we have been married. That excludes frozen pizzas. He can do those. 

Brian showers everyday without fail. Sometimes he showers twice a day. I can't remember a single day when he didn't take a shower. It may seem gross to you that I find that fascinating...I can think of plenty of times when I went a day or two without showering.

He teaches voice lessons...voice lessons that turn into guitar lessons or piano lessons. People think that he can teach anything musical which is actually probably true. 

Brian has never criticized me. If the house is a mess he doesn't say a word about it. If a meal I make is not as good as I had hoped, he still thanks me for it and sings my praises (a little something I have learned is that if you marry someone that can't cook at all you will be sooooo appreciated. He tells me over and over again how lucky he is to be fed so well. I try to tell him most Mormon women can cook well--I haven't met any that can't put a good meal together and probably should just generalize that to all women--but he still thinks I'm exceptionally good at it).

He wins trophies.

 

He greets our children with energy and enthusiasm everyday. He plays and plays and plays with them. In short, he is a good daddy. 

He is funny. And I know funny. 

(Pictures taken the last day of school before Spring Break. We had a little too much fun with David's balloons. And let me tell you, I could have posted worse pictures but I didn't.)

 

He tries to make me laugh and brightens my day by leaving me little notes or doing the dishes in the early hours of the morning. Just yesterday I woke up to find a giant note left for me on our bathroom mirror written in marker. "ITS YOUR DAY" the note said, along with "I LOVE KAYLA COOK" and a giant circle where my reflected face would go that said above it, "I AM AWESOME" and an arrow pointing down to the outlet that said "You don't have to blow dry your hair today because it is your day!" and at the bottom a PS "I thought of this idea in the shower. I hope it is a good one." Let me tell you what he meant by that.

Brian is a very deep thinking shower taker. His best, worst, (and sometimes weirdest) ideas come to him while showering. This is due mostly to the fact that he isn't really awake until he gets out. The funniest idea that he had in the shower lately was a wedding gift that he thought to give a couple that was getting married at the school he works at. That particular day the faculty was invited to share their congratulations during lunch or something. Brian had very few encounters with the couple, maybe only a "hi" in the hallway, but he remembered when he first met the groom that he discovered that Brian was a Mormon and he said something like "Ah! I used to date a Mormon." So with this bit of information in the back of his mind, he thought of giving the new couple (neither of them members) a copy of The Family Proclamation to the World. But instead of just sticking a folded up copy in a nice note of congratulations, he thought he would put it in a frame. So on his way to work he stopped at Walmart and bought a frame for the nice copy of the proclamation we already had on hand. He bought a cute gift bag and tissue paper and a card to explain the gift to the couple. Now don't get me wrong, I was impressed with Brian's courage in giving something to them that has been so meaningful to us in our marriage. But when Brian got to school and actually began to wake up out of the half-sleep he usually is in when he is thinking in the shower he realized that not only did none of his co-workers have a gift for the couple, but he actually did not know these people at all. He realized that maybe he should re-think his wedding gift and at the end of the day, the gift came home with Brian along with his explanation. I'm usually still in bed while he takes his shower in the morning so he had to explain the whole process of the gift gone wrong. Only it was well intended and he hopes to give them a copy of it someday...just maybe not a framed copy for their wall since that might be a little overboard. 

Brian aspires to work in the choral department at a university somewhere (preferably one in Utah or Idaho that starts with "B") or if that doesn't work out for us we'll take The Mormon Tabernacle Choir...but only if we have to. And first he will need a doctorate degree... 

Well I don't know how many people have read this, but I know that Brian will and that is the whole point! I love you my jolly husband!

It needs to be documented

Some of my family came to Texas to visit me this spring. (Cool new changes on blogger btw....trying to get adjusted here.) I am the Girls Camp director and Young Women Secretary in my ward. I wanted my sister to share her message with our YW as part of a camp kick-off activity and it went so well. She stayed for a week and we took advantage! We went shopping, we went to the beach, we ate some authentic Texan food, and talked and talked and talked. To see Amy's post about her trip go here. But I'm warning you it isn't pretty. 
Amy you need to come back! And bring your family with you next time!
       

About a week after my sister left, my parents and younger siblings came for their spring break. My sister flew here, but my parents and siblings DROVE. I was so impressed with their stamina. After driving for two long days (only one if you don't stop for the night...our preferred method) they arrived at 2:30 in the morning on Sunday. It was Easter Sunday and they came to sacrament meeting despite getting in so late. That particular meeting was special not only because it was Easter but because our ward has a tradition of doing an Easter program, similar to the Christmas programs done in other wards in our church. My husband is our ward choir director and he put together such a beautiful program. He arranged "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" for piano and flute as well as conducted our choir singing some beautiful songs about the resurrection. Do you go to ward choir? You should. It is the bomb. Plus every ward choir needs more singers--every single one--I guarantee it.

So here are some pics our time together. This is at a park in Brenham where the Blue Bell Factory is located. We did the factory tour which was fun...despite having to wait like an hour and a half. There were six elders there too...boy did they stick out!!!

This is my little sister (I know she looks older than me. She is 16). I love her a lot and somehow after every trip I take to Utah she seems to be the one I start missing first.

Here we are. The coolest of all the Salisbury children. Isn't my brother so good looking? :) He is 10.

The picture below is important for two reasons. One to show off our Blue Bell factory hats, and two to show off my little sister's gladiator sandals. Ooooh la la. But seriously I could never pull those off.

We rode the Bolivar ferry from Galveston and fed the birds Cheetos from the back of the boat. Pretty good picture despite my crummy camera.

We played on the beach where we learned that Parker (my little bro.) is quite a daredevil...whereas my parents have old-parent syndrome and were screaming his name from the sand to GET BACK HERE! I wish I had a picture of how far out my brother got, but I do have this picture of my little David having the time of his life.

Who is that? Hubba hubba.

We went to the Woodlands Waterway for some fun. My brother is an awesome uncle :).

We also went to NASA, The Holocaust Museum of Houston, the Galleria, and ate at some fantastic restaurants. More than half of the things we did were free. We fit my whole family in our home (and it was perfectly comfortable). If any friends or family are looking for a fun vacation, come see us! Mom, Dad, Rachel, Parker, and Amy, please come back soon!!!!!