Cute Little Turkeys

I have the cutest little turkeys every! No, really, its true. And this Thanksgiving I am SO thankful for them! (Okay, really, I have 2 little turkeys and one big Tom!)

This Thanksgiving we made turkeys from Oreo cookies. They were meant to go on popsicle sticks, but we couldn't get the sticks to hold our heavenly treats, so we ditched that idea and put them on a platter. It was a really fun family activity and the kids were super proud of their creations. And, wow, it was an intense! Just look at the concentration on those faces!

They were also super proud of the artwork they made in school. When Brykn came home from the "1st Grade Feast" and pulled out the hat, shirt, necklace, and drum he made, Harlee was right behind him saying, "I made a turkey hat too!" The look of pride on her face as she pulled out her turkey headband was like nothing I've ever seen. It was like she was saying, "See, I'm just as big as him!"

Love those little kids!

My Life is a MasterCard Commerical

You know all those commericals that advertise MasterCard and all the unlimited finanical capabilities if you get one? Yeah, well, we need to be featured on one of those ads.

Grooming Supplies     $50
Show Shirt       $35
Gas money       $100
Stall, shavings, show fees     $125
Horse and saddle       $Way too much

Seeing the smile on your kids face as they slide to a stop and tell the crowd "My nickname is Slidin' Sam!"       PRICELESS!!!! Absolutely PRICELESS!!!!

Can't tell you how much I love being a horse show mom--it's such an amazing feeling. I get nervous, excited, and incredibly proud. These photos and video are from the last 2 weeks of horse shows--the first of many, many, many.

Like Father, Like Son...1st place!

She was the world's best cheerleader...for the first 7 hours of the show. Then, only 30 minutes before Brykn went, she crashed! That's okay, Harlee, you hung in there really good!

So, I guess I'll just close my eyes as I sign the credit card bill and take a great big deep breath. Because, after all, these memories are PRICELESS!!!

It's a Ragnar Thing...

We did it--we ran the highly acclaimed Ragnar Wasatch Back. 192 miles of sweat, exhaustion, and...well, fun! I wasn't particularily worried about the runs, but I didn't anticipate the toll the heat or the lack of sleep would take on me.

I'm still a little tired. Okay, a lot tired. And, my legs are still a little sore. I seem to be walking fine, but sitting down is more like a controlled fall (which can be particularily dangerous on while using the restroom, but that's a different discussion for a different time). But, all in all, I feel pretty good and Brandon says he does too. I'm ready to sign up again! Brandon says he'll think about it. I have a feeling he'll think he'd rather go fishing!

At Check-In. Look how fresh we look! This was BEFORE we were all sweaty.

That's right...we're tough! This was after we were all done. Check out the tat on Brandon's arm!

Team "And We Came To Pass." Brandon, Me, Nate, Shelly, Tanya, Don

Immediately after Brandon and I finished our last legs. Here we don't look quite so refreshed...and we were totally sweaty. And stinky. And gross. But, still smiling!

This is after my first leg...me and The Girls!

A Horse--It's a Horse!

We've been looking for Brykn a new horse for a long time. We looked at old ones, we looked at young ones, we looked at reiners, we looked at ropers. We looked everywhere. And, just when I was losing hope that we would ever find something for the littel man, we found one. And by we, I mean Brandon. You know, because he's the horse trainer.

Rio is 8 years old and has had a fair amount of reining training. He's great with kids and has a really fantastic "WHOA" saftey feature built in. The horse can flat out park it! This is particularily appealing because my little Brykn has absoltutely no fear. Zero. Zippo. Zilch. Notta. None.

We actually tried Rio and Brykn rode him for a long time before we decided to buy him. Since  Rio lived at the barn where Brandon has been riding, Brykn didn't have a clue we were looking to buy Rio just for him--he just thought this was a horse he could ride while Dad was riding.

Needless to say, we bought the horse, and Brandon has been working with Rio for the last month or so. We didn't tell Brykn because we wanted it to be a big surprise. Here's the big surprise video and photos too!

The Tooth Fairy's First Trip!

That's right--we've offically lost a tooth! Can you believe it? Brykn was getting so incredibly sad that he was the "only kid in all of kindergarten" that hadn't lost a tooth yet. In fact, he was so sad that at his last dentist appointment he BEGGED the dentist to just pull one out. Ummmm.....no.

But, as it turns out, he actually tripped going up the stairs and smacked his mouth on the corner of the stair which loosened his tooth. Now there could not have been anything more fortuante happen to this child. With a mouth that was a little sore and bloody, he smiled from ear to ear.

2 days later, after lots and lots of wiggling, it FINALLY fell out! Holy crap, this was breaking news! I'm pretty sure that Tremonton heard him screaming when it came out in his hand. And, with that, we began planning for the tooth fairy...

But, brykn didn't want to leave the tooth for the Fairy because he wanted to show Grandma his tooth. So, we wrote the tooth fairy a note asking to please keep the tooth for a few days. With the tooth secure under his pillow, Brykn fell sound asleep and the Tooth Fairy made a grand entrance!

The next morning, the tooth was still there, along with a note from the Fairy telling Brykn she could come back for the tooth a couple days later and $5--inflation happens, you know. (Well, inflation and the fact that the Tooth Fairy didn't have change.) But, that wasn't the interesting part. Oh, no. The most interesting part was the FAIRY DUST she left all over the place. Fairy dust on the windowseal, Fairy dust on his pillow, Fairy dust everywhere! And Brykn was ticked off! And, not just a little big--a lot!!!

Why, you ask (which was precisely what I asked!)? Well, because he didn't want his stuff to float! Seriously...that Fairy had SOME nerve!

With groggy eyes he lept down the stairs to get the windex and papertowels so he could clean up this stupid Fairy's mess.

I honestly haven't laughed this hard in a long time. He told me, "Mom, I hope the Tooth Fairy cleans up after herself the next time I loose a tooth because she was kinda rude. Don't you think? I mean, I don't want my blind to float. I'd be up all night because the moon would be shining in my room!"

Well, Brykn, I guess that WAS kind of rude. Fairies. Rude little Faires, anyway.

I'll Just Call You Grandpa...

Isn't it funny when kids figure out that their grandparents are actually your parents? It's like a light bulb buzzes on and they realize how the whole puzzle fits together. Sometimes a dysfunctional puzzle, but a puzzle nonetheless. Brykn has known for some time that Grandma and Grandpa Wall (aka Grandma Lauri and Grandpa) are my parents. In fact, he's referred to them on more than one occasion as "your parents." Particularly when he's giving weight to something he and Grandma have conjured up....And, well, there's a lot of conjuring and mischief between the two of them. It typically begins like, "Your mom said (insert mischief here)."

Terral Fawn Wall...aka, "Grandpa"

We just, however, had a new discovery..."Grandpa" has a real name! Holy cow! Who knew? When did this happen, anyway? This unique discovery occurred over a fun afternoon of roping sheep--we're country kids, what can I say? Brykn said to my dad, "Grandpa, what's your REAL name?" Grandpa said, "My name is Terral Fawn Wall." To which Brykn responded with a very puzzled/concerned/dumbfounded, "Humm....I think I'll just call you Grandpa."

Great plan, little dude. Great plan. I think that's the name he likes best, anyway.

Sweet Revenge...

The mood: vindictive.
The plot: a distinct disagreement between West Weber Woman and Thai Chicken Pizza.
The characters: chicken, an oven, and West Weber Woman.
That's right, this story's about to get interesting...

Pioneer Woman Thai Chicken Pizza won't win. I'll be darned if that stupid peanut sauce and a smoking blender is going to going to get the best of West Weber Woman. Nope. Not gonna happen. Some might say I'm vindictive--I say I'm determined. Strong-willed. Tenacious. It's in the genes, people! (That and bargain hunting, but that's another story for another time.)

So, I'm getting out the cookbook again. You know the one: Pioneer Woman. The book that brings all your buttery, heavy cream-filled dreams to life. Only this time I'm abandoning Thai Chicken Pizza and seeking revenge via White Chicken Enchiladas.

First, let me say that this recipe is not for the calorie counters. It's not for those who want to avoid a heart attack or even those who try to stay under 500 grams of fat per day. That's right, it's "heavy." It's heavy with cream, butter, more cream, chicken, and...more butter...and cream. Notice a pattern here?

I gave myself a pep-talk before this White Chicken Enchilada meal preparation even began. "You've got this," I said in my busy little brain, "You've totally got this." Then, I decided I should probably abandon this phrase. After all, this was EXACTLY what I said right before the blender began begging for forgiveness after a few good thumpins on the counter. I decided to go with "These enchiladas are going to be calling me Mama!" But, that was weird, so I decided to forget the stupid pep talk and start cooking.

Yup, they're burnt!

First, let me say that I have never roasted a pepper.Today, I was about to roast 3. I read and reread the instructions and had pretty good success--mostly because it's really just a matter of burning the crap outta them under the broiler. I've burned lots of garlic bread the same way, so this was a walk in the park!

I told you the cream was plentiful!

Next came making an amazing enchilada filling from copped onions, cream, butter, perfectly grilled chicken breast and garlic. What an intoxicating combination!

Awe....can you smell it? It's truly magic!

Followed by the filling of the enchiladas, the making of the lusciously creamy and buttery (I told ya--lots of cream, lots of butter) and cheesy sauce that covers the entire pan. Oh, oh, oh, yeah, baby!

This is the "Whala!" part!

And, whala! West Weber Woman has a pan full of enchiladas that I'm pretty sure will make the people of Mexico proud...or at least my kids. I added multi-grain tortilla chips (which are more yummy and have comparable nutrition facts as the baked tortilla chips--ha, NOW we're watching the calories!) and a pan of Mexican rice which was also a Pioneer Woman recipe.

Homemade goodness, people!

Okay, confession time....this makes the whole ordeal sound pretty easy. Well, it wasn't! Total time for this euphoria-inducing recipe? 2 HOURS! This would've been fine on a lazy weekend (is there such a thing?), but on a weeknight it was too long. We ate dinner late--really late. Good thing my fam was patient. Okay, they weren't patient. They were banging forks on table and crying. A little hollering by the kids, a little of me yelling, "I'm TRYING!" and a little "But, Mom, can't we just have a hot dog?" But that's all besides the point.

Little West Weber Woman. I sure hope she's responsible for cleaning up that mess!

 Lucky for me, I had a fantabulous little helper. I call her "Little West Weber Woman." She just calls me "Mom" which is by far my most favorite name.

Awe, REVENGE! Take that, Thai Chicken Pizza! That's right, "I've got this. I've totally got this."

The West Weber Woman Cooks

So there's this cookbook out there called, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" and it's totally all the rage. It's chock full of luscious, yummy comfort food made with real butter (lots and lots of it), real sugar, and real cream--you know, the good stuff. The stuff that dreams are made of.

The photos in the book are amazing. From her ranch in Oklahoma, she's made a living out of writing the story of her life; the people, the scenery, and the food. Of course, the food! After buying both her cookbooks, I decided I was going to make meals that would bring my family to tears. Food that would leave them full and satisfied yet begging for more. Food that would attract the neighbors. Food that could cause the stars to shoot.You get what I mean--GOOD food.

So, I started with beef stew. It was delicious. Made with butter (of course), beef, the predictable stew veggies and a bottle of beer, this stew made me sing like an angel! It was nothings short of Divine. "I'm really going to do well with this book," I thought to myself. "I'm going to cause some serious finger-licking with food like this."

And so I decided to try the Thai Chicken Pizza. You know, because Thai Chicken Pizza is like totally the bomb (or so says Pioneer Woman). I start by mixing up the dough. Yes, I said MIXING THE DOUGH. I was a dough mixing virgin prior to Thai Chicken Pizza. That's right, this recipe de-flowered me. I have now officially made dough!

While the dough was rising, I grilled some luscious chicken breasts until they were true perfection. Resting on the plate in the kitchen, I admired the grill marks. "I've totally go this," I say to myself. "Totally."

And that's when I began making the sauce. The stupid sauce. First, I start by adding the fresh garlic to the blender (Pioneer Woman uses a food processor. I don't have a food processor. So, I think to myself, "It's probably because Pioneer Woman doesn't own a blender. I have a blender. That's the better option than some stinking food processor. Food processors are for wimps," and I went about my blending business.), then I add the minced fresh garlic, followed by fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, and water. Everything was going fantastic. You know, as fantastic as newlyweds on a honeymoon.

The Blender...After the 1st Counter Smacking...

And that's when I added the peanut butter to the stupid sauce. Stupid peanut butter. I add the peanut butter, and turn on the blender. The blender begins with a sputter...sputters some more...and even more. I shut off the blender. Examine it, smack once on the counter, and turn the sucker on again. Sputter...sputter. I stick the metal spoon into my mixture and hit the blade. Nothing. It's still sputtering.

And that's when the smoke started! That's right, people, smoke! I shut it off. I give it another good thump on the counter. I think to myself, "I bet Pioneer Woman doesn't have to whack her stupid food processor every time SHE wants to make Thai Chicken Pizza. She's a ninny, I've got this...I've totally got this." I turn it on again--more smoke--and now, it's making a griding noise. Not the kind of griding noise that indicates the machine is on the verge of kicking it in high gear...nope, not that kind...more the kind of noise that makes everyone run for cover and scream, "She's gonna blow!"

The Stupid Sauce--Vertical View

Then with one big (and I mean BIG) POOF the blender shut off. That's right--I fried the blender with Thai Chicken Pizza sauce and I still don't even have the sauce made. The dough is in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap and longing for Thai Chicken Pizza Sauce. But, I've got news...this West Weber Woman isn't cooking Thai Chicken Pizza today or tomorrow. In fact, I may never cook Thai Chicken Pizza. What was I thinking, anyway? I'm from West Weber, not Thailand!
And so it begins, the quest to use pizza dough for something other than Thai Chicken Pizza. Pioneer Woman has a recipe for Steakhouse Pizza. Maybe I'll try that. I sure hope I don't have to thump any more kitchen gadgets on the counter. The counter's looking like it's ready to hang out the white flag.

Yup, I'm moving on...Steakhouse Pizza tomorrow night. For now, though, I'm off to spray some more Freeze--the blender smoke smell in this house is enough to kill us all! Stupid sauce...



Our Life in Black & White

That's right, I have new photos from the camera. This time I experimented with the "MONOCHROMATIC" setting. I gotta say that Brandon's getting a little tired of my camera. I told him to get over it. He's a cowboy hunk and everybody loves looking at pictures of cowboy hunks.

What'd I tell you? HUNK!

Uh-huh. He's mine. Hands off! I'm stingy that way. 

New Camera!

So I bought a new camera--a Cannon Rebel T2i--today! Holy cow, it takes some AMAZING photos! I could hardly wait to get home and test it out. Brykn wore out pretty quick from all the picture taking, but Harlee kept saying "CHEESE!" all afternoon!

Here's some of the photos I took today. I'm still learning the ins and outs, but check out the photos so far...

This is the face of HOMEWORK!!!!

Just 10 Things You Should Know…

(Brykn, self photo...with my camera...when I wasn't looking)

Every day when we say goodnight, I ask my angels if they know how much their mom loves them. Brykn, now a mighty five-year-old, rolls his eyes and says, “Just a little bit.” I snuggle him tight and say, “WRONG! I love you more than anything in the whole wide world.” Harlee, on the other hand, still hasn’t caught on to the game and usually says, “Nigh, Nigh, My lub ew.”

Well, tonight I’m changing it up a bit, Brykn. I’m going to tell you 10 things you should absolutely know…

Brykn...

10. I love the way you come snuggle with me on the couch on Saturday morning. You have no idea how much I miss cuddling you. You’ve gotten so big and I’m not even sure where the time has gone! Thanks for taking a minute to remind me how much I love your hugs when you’ve just gotten out of bed!

9. I love the fact that you are always on the go! I had a neighbor once tell me that the thing she misses the most about having her children be small is the noise. I thought she was crazy…and, well, there are still sometimes I think she is. But, I love the fact that you are an active little guy who is always up for an adventure.

8. I love making music with you! I love dancing and singing while you rock out on the guitar—even if we do look completely crazy!

7. I love taking you to the bus every morning. Despite how hectic our mornings are, the very best part of my day is when I get to kiss you as the bus pulls up, tell you to have a great day, and pat your but as you run for the bus steps. Thanks for kissing me—in public! (I know that’s not going to last long.)

6. I love watching you become a cowboy superstar! I can’t believe how brave you are and how good of a little cowboy/horse trainer you are becoming. You remind me of another Burnett cowboy when you ride horse!

5. I love that you are such an amazing brother. You help Harlee, you stick up for her, and you love her. You have no idea how proud that makes me!

4. I love seeing the projects you bring home from kindergarten and the pride in your eyes as you show them to me. It’s amazing to me how much you have learned in just a few months. You’re getting to be a fantastic reader!

3. I love reading to you every night. I love how it takes you 15 minutes to choose 2 books to read. I love how you beg me to read it again…and I do. I love that this is special time for just the two of us.

2. I love that you have a soft side. You are a thoughtful, kind person who cares about others. You are always willing to share, you treat others nicely, and you truly care about other people’s feelings.

1. And, of course, I love that you are mine. And, because I am lucky enough to be your mom, I get to tell you that I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD! 

You're a Grand Old Flag!

"Tribute to America!" Yup, that was the flavor of the night and was it ever spectacular! The entire West Weber Elementary School dressed in Red T-Shirts and paid tribute to the land of the free and the home of the brave! The first school program West Weber has had in 10 years, this was truly a night to remember!

I don't know if I've ever felt a more proud moment as when that curtain opened and he was on the front row singing like a super star. I've always thought it was crazy when people would cry with pride...but that night the smile on my face was the size of Texas and I had tears in my eyes. Partially because I seriously can't believe he's this big! And, secondly, because I am just so stinking proud of him.

I'll never forget that he was the only kid with his shirt tucked in! And that belt buckle--it shined like a neon beacon!

Brykn's class sang "You're a Grand Old Flag" and I'm telling you what, there has never been a musical rendition more practiced than that one! Harlee even caught on to the words. I might be partial, but the kindergartner's number was the best one of the whole night!