Snow day!!!!

Alex has been begging us to visit the snow since the first day of fall. Today we took advantage of the holiday and took the kids up to the snow with some friends. It was a great time, and the kids were exhausted when we got home!

Before we went to the snow though I started off the morning with some homemade cinnamon rolls (thank you Pioneer Woman!) They turned out awesome and yes, my kids started off the day with a little bit of a sugar high.

Here in the valley we haven't seen a lot of sun, but as soon as we got up into the mountains we could see the cloud cover that has been over us this past month. What a cool shot this was!

The kids were so cute up in the snow! Amelia had never been up to the snow before and had a blast. The kids were so cute. Alex's little girlfriend Makayla was so sweet sledding with him. Miley and Amelia were little snow buddies as well.

With all the craziness in our life lately, it was nice to take a little time and just enjoy mother nature today. :)

My new obsession.....

One of my big resolutions for 2011 was to cook more. I love to cook and bake, and with 2010 being such a busy year between moves, my business & the kid's busy schedules I found us eating take out or prepared food more and more. So I resolved that this year I would be a better wife and mommy and provide more home cooking.

In my journey to cook more and discussing this resolution I was turned on to the Pioneer Woman's blog. If you haven't read her blog or checked out her cookbook, finish this blog and GO, you can thank me later. I bought her cookbook earlier this week and have looked at it daily since. I have promised myself that I will make it through every single recipe in her cookbook. Then you can read all about my diet after that....geesh.

To kick things off I made her Linguine with Clam Sauce last night while we were entertaining friends. To say it was amazing doesn't do it justice. And if you shudder at the thought of clams don't worry, it isn't an overly powerful seafood taste. Just the right balance.

Tomorrow morning we are taking the kids on a snow day, but before we take off for the day I'm making Pioneer Woman's famous cinnamon rolls. I don't think they will disappoint either...!

As for baking, I am on class #2 for cake decorating and learning to make some amazing looking flowers. I can't wait for someone to have a birthday or celebration so I can make them a cake! Alex has been helping me in the kitchen too, such a great baker in training.

Hello 2011!

I was a little behind at the end of 2010 to post all our Christmas fun and pre-New Year celebrations, but better late than never! Maybe one of my new year resolutions should be to do more prompt blogging!

This past Christmas season I was reminded more than ever how blessed we are to have such wonderful family and friends that surround us. We traveled many miles to see everyone, but had such a wonderful time. Many special memories were made and I tried to catch as many as possible on film.

We started the trip with a visit to see my childhood care provider and her husband who are amazing people. We had a fabulous lunch with them and then it was off to see my grandmother, the kid's great grandmother, and my aunt and cousins. It was great to see my kids interacting so well with my grandmother.

We also saw my cousin Kim and Livy, the girls were so darling together as usual!

We headed up to Chico to see the rest of my family. Our Chico family is always so welcoming and show us a great time. Alex LOVES his big cousins and played non stop the entire time we were there. We got some great new family photos and had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.





Christmas morning the kids were so excited to see what Santa brought them. This was the first year Amelia was really into Christmas and she was ecstatic that Santa brought her a princess bike. Alex got a wand and Easy Bake oven he wanted, as well as a sweet Spiderman costume.

Christmas day we went on to Paul's parents house and enjoyed more good cheer, food and yes, our kids got even more presents. We had just enough time to come home and relax for a day before we went onto our annual trip to Cambria! But those photos to come soon....we'll see how I do with my new year's resolution!