New Favorite

Last night we went to Friendship Park -- just a nice stroll down the way from our place. We took the opportunity to take some pictures and this is my new favorite of Samantha. As frustrating as she can be at times (she's screaming in her crib right now because I needed a break), how can you not love this girl? Look at that face! AH! She makes my heart melt. I think I'll take her out of her crib now.

Callie too!

So, Marcus told me not to post any more video because "people may not think our kids are as cute as we think they are, and maybe they aren't as interested as you think they are." He's right. I know. But, I told him that I didn't care because I want our family to see these little videos but I don't know how to send them via email. So I have to post them. Besides, you don't have to watch the video if you don't want to. We have gone a little video crazy lately, so I'll try to calm down.

Callie has been so cute lately. The same night that I got Sammy on tape while she was eating, I got Callie too...and boy was she all giggles.

The next day Marcus was playing with Callie. He does this growl, and it startles her, so she crawls to me, looks back to see if Marcus is coming, and just smiles waiting for him to swoop her up and tickle her. Of course they were doing this for about 15 minutes before I decided to tape it. The cutest stuff isn't on tape, but you still get an idea. We sure love our girls.

Too Tired To Eat

Oh, how funny! Tonight Marcus got invited somewhere to watch the BYU football game...without me. :( So, while I was feeding Samantha mashed potatoes for dinner, she was getting awfully sleepy. When she gets tired, she doesn't swallow her food and she giggles easily. Before this video was taken, she was laughing hysterically. Of course when you bring out the camera it stops. Ignore my loud voice. This is definitely her tired laugh.

Now I Get It!

Last week I was exhausted. I didn't understand it. By the time I put Samantha and Callie to bed, I was ready for bed. Really. I went to bed a few nights at 9pm! Talk about the being and old worn out mom. Today, I scheduled an appointment for Samantha. As I wrote it down on the calendar, I noticed that she has 6 appointments within 5 days! No wonder I'm pooped at the end of each day! There's the every day stuff, then each day I'm packing up the kids and literally carrying them from place to place (which is tiring enough alone), presidency meetings, church activities, etc. I'm tired. If the girls would sleep in longer than 5am that would help me a lot too. But at least Samantha and Callie are both usually sleeping through the night. That has helped. Sheesh. Life gets busy. How do moms who have more than 2 kids do it? I just don't know.

Handbags Galore!

Who doesn't love a good bag? Jessica Alba apparently loves hers. Handbags are functional while giving a pop of style. Right? Right. Handbag Planet is launching their new website and to celebrate, they are giving away a FREE handbag every hour on the hour! Hello!!!! Go to their website and sign yourself up ladies...or gentlemen (it's a great free gift for your wife). All you have to do is plug in your email address and you're in the drawing. How easy is that? So dear friends, click on the link, add your name to the list, and you just may win a free bag.

As a side note, I couldn't help but put this picture up. Her arm looks about a mile long and her hand is bigger than her head! Is this what the new fad in Hollywood is? If so, well sign me up. Stretch out one of my limbs until I can take it no more! ha

www.handbagplanet.com

Halloween Is Here

I think Halloween is a fun time of year, and it's not just because of all the candy. It's just fun. Plain and simple. I debated for awhile trying to figure out what the girls should be for Halloween. Samantha was Cinderella and then Tinkerbell for her first 2 Halloweens. I definitely wanted Callie to be something cute and pretty but was completely unsatisfied with what I found. This Halloween may scar Callie for years to come...but this year the girls are being:

Samantha as Princess Leia

Callie as Yoda

Yes, we are going with the Star Wars theme. So will Marcus and I dress up following the theme? IF we dress up this year, I think it would be fun to be the Star Wars family, but I don't know. Who should we be? I found this test to see what Star Wars character you are. http://www.gotoquiz.com/which_star_wars_character_are_you_1 I thought, How wonderfully perfect. A test will just tell me what character I should be. My results?

Jenny as Jar Jar Binks

And though Marcus wasn't here to take the test, I answered for him and his results were...

Marcus as Luke Skywalker

hmmm? Any suggestions? Though Jar Jar is quite happy and amusing, I'm not sure how I feel about dressing up as an incomprehensible blubbering reptile/amphibian-like creature.

Super Yummy Santa Fe Chicken Sandwiches

So, several of you asked for this earlier, so I took a picture of the meal to put up with the recipe...then I kept forgetting. In my picture, the peppers and onions are falling off the sandwich, but oh well. Here you go...Santa Fe Chicken Sandwiches. It's a bit spicy, but not too bad. Marcus doesn't like spice but loves these -- so the heat is definitely manageable. And as far as I can tell, this is a healthy option for dinner. Protein, good fats with the olive oil, peppers and onions, mmmmmmm.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large green pepper thinly sliced
1 large onion thinly sliced
olive oil to saute the peppers and onion

Marinade:

2 T. chili pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/3- 1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. vinegar
4 oz. French dressing (1,000 Island)
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
juice of 2 limes

Directions:
Marinate the chkn. breasts for at least 3 hours in the marinade ingredients. (I just make it up in the morning and let it suck in those fabulous flavors all day.)

Either preheat the grill or oven to 425. Saute the peppers and onions in the oil. Bake chkn for 20-25 minutes, turning frequently and basting with the marinade. (I just leave it in the oven and baste periodically -- no turning over for me. That's too much work.)

When chkn is thoroughly cooked (no longer pink) serve with warm, toasted onion rolls or the roll of your choice. (We used whole wheat or multi-grain buns.)

I topped the chicken with a bit of shredded cheese, then the peppers and onions. mmm mmm good. Some other good toppings for this type of sandwich may be tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, red, yellow, and green peppers, red onions.

Enjoy!