A new haircut

Zoey's hair grows pretty quick....well as quick as ultra thin red hair usually grows.

I would love to grow it out, but because it's so thin it just doesn't work well with length. It still needs some time to fill in before long hair will actually look anything but straggly. So, today I gave her a haircut. She thinks it's pretty cute on her :)

My Little Super Hero

A neighbor told me the other day that Jane reminded her of a certain cartoon character....can you guess which one?

Nancy Jane can Crawl!

Just taking a break from cleaning the house to post this cute video of Jane crawling. It's pretty cute! Enjoy

Bear World Round 2

After Yellowstone we went to Yellowstone's Bear World with Paul, Serena, and kids. We've been once before and loved it and it was just as fun this time too! Paul's van got some great bear action as we drove through the bear territory (thanks to Joe throwing a potato chip out the window...:) Their back van windows were barely cracked and all the bears came right up to the window trying to sniff out their food. Pretty fun. The petting zoo was a hit. Zoey loved it and was pretty brave to pet all the animals. Hopefully we can go again when my mom comes up in a couple weeks.

Zoey was so brave to go on this ride! She even put her hands up :)

In the chicken coop...Zoey likes the roosters

Miss Nancy Jane..she was interested in the animals this time and tried to touch a couple deer.

The grumpy pig from last time was obviously pregnant because now she's got a little piglet :)

Esther and Joe...Joe looks a little intimidated by this deer :)

This was such a pretty deer! So soft, it would just sit there licking Andrew's hand and didn't mind being pet by Zoey.

Yellowstone National Park

A week and a half ago we went to Yellowstone! It was everyone's first time and we had lots of fun. We were planning on meeting up with Paul, Serena and their kids but there was no cell reception for AT&T which made that impossible. But, I'm sure it turned out better because our babies limited the things that we could actually do. We definitely would have slowed them down. We got their Sunday night and camped right by Yellowstone Lake. As we drove in we got to see the geysers from our car with the plan to go back the next day. Camping went well. We all slept good even with the crazy rain and thunderstorms. Thanks to Andrew who knows how to camp warmly. He always gives me the warm sleeping bag and it really does keep me nice and toasty all night long. The next day we got up and started our drive up to Mammoth Hot Springs. On the way up we saw TONS of buffalo. One was walking right by our car and Andrew unrolled Zoey's window so she could see. As it got closer, it started growling/snorting/whatever that sound is and Zoey jumped as high as you can jump in a car seat. I don't blame her, that thing was maybe three feet from her. After that she LOVED the buffalo. It was a really fun trip for her with all the animals we saw. We honestly didn't do much outside our car. For one, it was raining pretty good most of the day and secondly once one of the kids fell asleep I wanted them to stay asleep. But, it was all worth it because we are going back in a couple weeks. We basically drove through the entire park, so we know exactly where we want to stop next time. The places we actually got our were at Mammoth Hot Springs and then at the Norris Geyser Basin. We were planning on doing Old Faithful and stuff but by then it was storming and our kids were both asleep...next time. We also stopped at Firehole Falls and Andrew got out to check into the swimming. Apparently the water in the river is warm like pool water and people are allowed to swim in it. We didn't swim but Andrew definitely wants to next time. That about sums up our trip. Not the most exciting but we got a year pass so I know there will be much more to come.

This was Norris Geyser Basin. It was seriously awesome (picture doesn't do it justice.) It reminded me of Land Before Time when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. The neat thing was that because it was pretty chilly with the storms, it made the hot pots, geysers, and such WAY more steamy and noticeable. Very neat.

One of the pretty views at a random pull off.

In this picture you can see where the land settled however long ago. There's an entire ring around yellowstone with these columns from when the basin sunk.

Taking a break from the car.

They are just SO cute together. I wonder how much longer I can use my "double stroller." I really do want a real one. Any suggestions on good brands?

Zoey was saying "hi buffalos" the whole time.

After our mini picnic lunch at Mammoth Hot Springs

Yeah I know she's cute :)

Recent tidbits of Information

Last week...

-I discovered that Walmart now sells bulk frozen fruit! ya know, Costco size bags. I have been waiting for this day for a long time :)

-my new blender broke right after I bought tons of frozen fruit for smoothies, BUT luckily it was just a plastic piece that Andrew easily super-glued back together.

-we went to Yellowstone and Bear World while Paul, Serena, Joe, Esther, Jessica, and Jasmine were here.

-Zoey started going to bed without diapers and has been dry ever since.

-Jane started doing the cute little "I want to crawl" rock with her bum up in the air.

Today...

-everyone in the house woke up really grumpy....great way to start a week right?

-Zoey had two potty accidents....I can't remember the last time she had an accident :( One was just because she tried to hold it and it leaked out. The other there was simply no excuse for. She came and told me she needed new underwear and then said "I need a spank" lol silly girl.

-Jane decided she wanted to be grumpy all day long :( Luckily she is taking a really long nap now.

-my home is a mess

What a difference one day can make. But, I still love my family and I am blessed to be able to live my life even on the down days.

Family Pictures

I know women are very different than men at least my man :) Andrew doesn't like taking family pictures but I really really wanted some. Andrew was nice to enough to "grin" and bear it. I love him a lot and I love these pictures too. Andrew's cousin took some pictures of Jane as a newborn and her and her husband did an amazing job with these pictures too. I am so grateful to have such talented family members. Thank you so much Michelle and James.

Zoey is a pretty shy girl and was no different while taking these pictures. It was tough to get her to smile, but I love her pictures anyways. This one is a classic Zoey look which makes me love it even more. A little twist of the head :)

She does this whenever she has something inquisitive to say.

All of Jane's pictures were so cute. These are my two favorites. The one with the tongue is ADORABLE to me.

With two of the cutest girls in one picture...what could be better?

I love this picture because Zoey posed it :) She thought to do this all on her own. It's a mild version of what she does at home....completely smooshes Jane with all her weight. This time she didn't get in trouble for doing it and Jane didn't scream.

and as Andrew likes to call it...the engagement picture :) we look young enough I guess

This was a little funny watching them take these pictures but I thought Zoey's face in this one was a perfect capture of her cute smile.

This is my favorite family picture. Everyone looking towards the camera, cute girls, cute hubby, and my "good" side....(you know you have a good side when taking pictures too!)

Tonight's Dinner

Chicken Tikka Masala-YUM!

Well, I normally don't post much about cooking but tonight's dinner convinced me I needed to share this little bit of heaven. It was SO good. This could be contributed to the fact that I've been horrible with making dinner lately or that I really hadn't eaten anything all day. However, it's the third or fourth time I've made it in the last few months and every time I have LOVED it.

It's an Indian dish called Chicken Tikka Masala. Don't let the name fool you, it's really quite simple to make and tastes even better. Zoey licked her bowl clean which is really saying a lot. It's also a pretty quick meal plus it's fairly healthy. If you like Indian food you will LOVE this meal. If you have never tried Indian food, now's the time. If you don't like Indian food, well that's just too bad :)

Recipe from SistersCafe

I made a few minor adjustments because I didn't have all the proper ingredients. I used normal white rice instead of the special basmati (I've used basmati before and it is yummy but normal rice works fine and is cheaper.) I also didn't have yogurt this time so I coated my chicken in sour cream as an experiment (it's close enough right?) but it turned out just as good. Basically I think the yogurt justs gives it a yummy creamy, moist taste and the sour cream did the same. Anyways, this stuff is plate licking good!

A word on the cooking technique for the chicken....it has you place the seasoned and coated chicken on a rack on top of a cookie sheet to catch drips (I used a cooling rack.) You place it about 10 inches below the broil coils and broil it for about 6 minutes on each side. This is the easiest and quickest way I've ever cooked chicken. It's really nice! I've boiled chicken, baked chicken, fried chicken, and grilled chicken but this way beats them all. It may not be the best for all types of chicken but I plan on using it more in the future.