DISNEYLAND!

NO JOKE Disneyland was the happiest day of my year! I'm so basic I know. Michael's parents were SO generous and paid our way so we could all 18 do Disney together! And it was truly amazing. The Jennings (Rachel's wearing the turquoise baby wrap!) lived in Carlsbad, so they knew all the tips and tricks to make the experience awesome. With 9 grandkids (aka lots of tickets!) and tons of helping hands we were able to pull dozens of fast passes - I've never been on so many rides in one day! And a huge shoutout to Michael's dad for watching all the newborns while we kept going on rides. He's pretty great like that.

Somehow Lydia and Cannon were absolutely dreams. They must've sensed this was an important day because they brought their A games for sure. Cannon was so chill and happy in the stroller and wrap and even could go on a few rides! (Like Pirates?! Lydia AND Cannon could go on it! I was pretty shocked. Aaaand Lydia's still slightly traumatized ;). ) Lydia was just an angel the whole time and took a two hour afternoon nap in her stroller! We partied until 9pm and then split a Dole Whip and strolled through Downtown Disney on the way to the car with two snoozing babes. BEST DAY.

Lydia was in heaven the entire day! I could not get over how well thought-out everything in Disneyland is. They had tons of places just for toddlers to run around and explore, like Tarzan's Treehouse and the Toon Town playground.

You can't tell but Cannon was screaming and Lydia was laughing for the entire duration of Dumbo - HAHA! I'm sure people got a kick out of that.

Dabbing in line. 

Most of the crew!

Of course it wouldn't be a Disney experience without a churro! (Aaaand hate to admit it but they kind of tasted just like the Costco ones ;). )

BABIES. These littles are 7 weeks apart! And all three had huge simultaneous blowouts in their matching Mickey onesies right after this picture. HA! Apparently It's a Small World gets things movin ;).

Little did I know I'd be using this wrap the entire day! If you're going with a baby definitely bring a carrier! 

Hahahaha. This was probably one of two times all day Lydia freaked out. Of course right when we wanted to get a picture. 

The highlight for miss Lydia - riding the horsies! From the second we walked through the castle she was begging for the carousel. At night the lines were short and we did it twice in a row! That smile says it all.

Thank you Grammy and Grandad for giving us such a fabulous day of memories - we still talk about high-fiving Mickey Mouse and riding the Pink Dumbo on the daily :). 

Top: Madewell

Pants: H&M

Shoes: Converse 

Wrap: Solly Baby

Grandkids' Mickey Shirts: GAP

Lydia's Shorts & Shoes: Target

Current Wish List (A Shirt Dress, Embroidery, Etc)

Summer is in full swing! Which means I'm allllll about the easy dresses (like a simple  shirt dress or a tank  velvet dress) because sometimes it's too dang hot for jeans. The problem is most of my throw-on-and-go dresses are not nursing friendly. So I rounded up some nursing friendly options that I've been eyeing! And of course a few other fun summery things. This is basically a big LOOK HERE poster to my husband for my birthday in a few weeks ;). 

1. Embroidered Blouse ( here, also love  this and this). Is this not amazing? Pretty sure it could pass as a dress on us short people, and if not it would be adorable with white jeans.

2. Velvet Cami Dress ( here). How sweet with a little tee underneath! Love the simple ruffle.

3. Ribbed Tee ( here). All about the stripes. In fact I have to force myself to not buy stripes. It's kind of a problem.

4. Circle Earrings ( here). Very 70s Mod, and in my favorite color.

5. Embroidered Dress ( here). Ever since the Free People version of this dress emerged a few years ago I've loved it. This knock off is just as cute and has functional buttons up the front!

6. Cactus Shirt ( here). No secret, I'm obsessed with Madewell blouses. And cactus print rocks because Arizona.

7. Plaid Flat ( here). I have a similar pair of these in a black and white ikat and wear them all the time. The plaid is fun and different!

8. Beaded Tassel Drop Earrings ( here). Want. If I'd ever actually wear them, I'm not sure. But in my head I'd pull them off with jeans and tees on the daily ;).

9. Palm Tree Scarf ( here). All the heart eyes for this bandana trend.

10. Embroidered Floral Dress ( here). How darling! This is the one dress here that's not inherently nursing friendly, but that neckline looks stretchy enough right?

11. Nursing Friendly Dress ( here). Okay this awesome t-shirt dress was MADE with moms in mind! There's a hidden zipper down each side so you can just whip 'em out and nurse!

12. Red Shirtdress ( here). Timeless. LOVE.

13. Sail Away Tee ( here). I've been on the hunt for a cute graphic tee, but all of them have embarrassing slogans on them. This one manages to remain adult-worthy (read: NO 'I'm cuter than your ex' or 'always mimosas' or whatever.)

14. Metallic Sandals ( here). For some reason I'm not a Saltwaters fan. I know! Basically unforgivable. But these look slightly more elevated in my mind! And silver is a nice change of pace from my constant gold.

15. Pink Linen Skirt ( here). I WANT YOU BAD. I dream about skirts like these. K not really. But I feel like there is a major hole in the market for modest skirts. Maybe this will be my start-up business, who knows. Come summer we're either faced with mini skirts or maxi skirts, rarely cute knee-length stuff that doesn't make you look like you're going to church. Hence this skirt is amazing.

16. Neon Pumps ( here). Pretty sure these need to be in my closet and on my feet every Sunday. The Perfect Color.

There you have it - my current summery wish list.

PS Michael thinks I have a shopping problem. 

PPS I think he's right. 

PPPS I need to sell a TON! So look out for a giant insta stories selling party sometime soon!

How Do You Get Dressed? and Miley Buns.

I feel super conflicted looking back on these photos. 

It's like 17-year-old millenial meets 90's mom meets frazzled housewife. 

Actually sounds pretty accurate ;).

Also it's totally by chance that these, The Comfiest Shoes on Planet Earth, perfectly match the wall. Except not that chancy because I literally wear them everyday. I have to force myself real hard to put on anything else. Go by yourself a pair. Best $19 ever.

And speaking of this amazing wall! It's.... the outside of a huge lingerie store. 

Yup. I took both my kids there and set up a tripod. WINNING at parenting.

I remember years ago reading this blogger tell how she chose her outfits; she based everything on the shoes. She starts with the shoes and then works her way up from there.

This seems crazy to me. Who does this? Do you?!

I can't. Shoes are a total afterthought for me. Like, Oh dang I guess I can't walk into Target barefoot so I'll throw these on.

I typically start with pants. That's my foundation. Cuz if I exercised that day, I'll go for some high waisted skinny jeans and rock a crop top. Or if I miraculously shaved my legs, I gotta live it up and wear a skirt. Or if I'm feeling bold and retro, I'll shimmy into some mom jeans. 

But I'd guess most people start with tops? 

Tell me. I'm curious. 

And I'm LOLing as much as you are that I'm actually typing about this. But hey! It's fun to know ;). I mean the saddest part about moving out of the house (from my three sisters) is the lack of OUTFIT INPUT. Like, come on Michael! Which dress is cuter! Let's talk about it for 10 minutes! ;) He's so sick of me asking that hahaha. "It all looks great babe." 

Thanks boo. 

Top: Topshop  here

Denim: Madewell  here

SHOES YOU NEED: Birkenstocks  here but I actually found these at Rack for $19!

Lydia's Outfit: Target 

Lydia's Lack of Shoes: Toddler

Cannon's Onesie: Target

Alfredo Chicken Pie

So I'm just an okay cook. Some weeks I think everything I make is bomb, others it's all too experimental and verging on gross ;). For some reason there's this mental block that if a recipe is simple or has less than 5 spices it's going to taste bland. (Even though that's not true.) Anyway, I'm okay at cooking. BUT.

I suck at baking. 

Like literally I don't know the last time I made a cake that didn't sink in or completely stick to the pan. I always under-bake banana bread. Dinner rolls are always doughy.

Hence the cookies on this blog must be pretty darn easy and good if they are going to pass my destructive skills! I can throw together a few simple cookie recipes and that's about it.

I say all this so you're a little impressed when I tell you - I MADE A PIE! From scratch! And it was edible!

I was pretty proud of myself, can you tell? ;)

It took a little extra effort and lot of love but it actually turned out awesome.

And please excuse my creepy/moody pictures. Weird afternoon lighting and an impatient photographer.

So as you're making the dough, I guess the key is to keep everything cold! I froze my butter and then grated it to keep it cool as opposed to cutting it into the flour mixture with knives. 

A million little butter shreds. Did I mention this recipe is calorie-free?

Refrigeration and filling break.

And voila!

We copied Crust Club on this one and went for an alfredo chicken and broccoli filling. But seriously any filling would be amazing with this crust! Savory, sweet, little hand pies, go for it.

I think another key to pies I've been missing is the quantity - to give it that awesome shape you've gotta load in the filling! 

SO YUMMY.

Alfredo Chicken Pie

Pie Crust 

Ingredients: 

- 2 1/2 c flour

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 c butter, frozen

- 1/2 c ice water

Directions:

- In large bowl, combine flour and salt

- Shred butter with cheese grater (working quickly)

- Combine butter with flour mixture until it resembles course crumbles

- Stir in ice water, 1 TB at a time, till mixture forms ball (amount of water will vary)

- Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight

- Preheat oven to 350*

- Divide into 2 balls

- Roll out and press 1/2 into pie plate, the other half save as the top crust 

- Bake bottom crust in oven at 350* for 8 minutes

Filling

Ingredients: 

- cooked and shredded chicken

- steamed broccoli 

- cooked ziti pasta (al dente)

- jar of alfredo sauce

- pepper

- nutmeg

Directions: 

- Combine chicken, broccoli, pasta and alfredo sauce in a big bowl!

- Add a sprinkle of pepper and nutmeg 

- Pour filling into par-baked bottom crust

- The higher the better! 

- Place top crust over the filling, pinch edges and cut dashes on top

- Bake for 35-50 min at 350*

- Enjoy!

Recipes adapted slightly from here and here

Remember two weeks ago when it rained and now its 101*

So I've had this pictures ready to go for like 10 days, BUT I've been way too busy to post lately. So these are super unrelated to the current weather because Utah always goes from FREEZING to BURNING in like a week. So here's a little flash back because Lydia's face is adorable anyways! Ha.

Sweater: J.Crew

Denim: GAP

Boots: Hunter

Watch: Michael Kors

Lydia's Leggings: Target

Lydia's Tee: Walmart

Lydia's Vest: Nordstrom

Lydia's Bow: Bloomies Handmade 

Cannon's Blessing Day

6/11/17

Cannon James received the sweetest blessing from Michael in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I'm so grateful for God's individual plans for each of us. (Because if I got to pick my own plan I'd for sure be a mess right now, ha.)

After the church service we had so many wonderful family and friends come to our home for a little brunch! We had a yogurt bar with toppings, spinach quiches and donuts from Banburry Cross - yummm. And I was SOOOO SAD because we took tons of pictures of everyone who came and all the food but of course my memory card wasn't in the camera, so we didn't get any of it! But just imagine a fun green and blue summery set up.

We were super lucky to have both our moms in town! Moms are the best. They literally cleaned up the whole thing - including  Cannon's massive blow out right when we got home.

Blueberry donut = amaze. I'm not even that much of a donut person but I'll take 10 of these thank you.

So after I realized my camera had no memory card I had to quickly snag some photos with whoever was still around! That would be our BFFs. These are some of the med school people I am always talking about. I seriously do not know what I'd do without this crew (and many other amazing wives and friends we've met here at the U!). These are the girls I text when Lydia cuts her head and Michael won't answer his phone or when I need something from Walmart or when I don't know which picture to post. Another nod to God's awesome plans for us!! If we weren't here at the U we wouldn't have these incredible friendships. 

Students.

Cheerleaders.

I know I've said this before but Cannon is seriously THE happiest baby all of a sudden! He only cries if he's hungry (or if he's been in his Bumbo too long - his head's ginormous and he gets tired quickly lol). He is constantly smiling and laughing! And rolling everywhere! Like the other day I lost him under the couch. WHAT. He is pretty much a 6 month old. I love him so so much!

Dress: Anthropologie 

Shoes: Nordstrom Rack, old

Cannon's Outfit (which is now stained a lovely mustardy color): Jolley's Boutique in Salt Lake City

The Beach! And lots of thoughts about marriage.

After a few weeks in AZ last month (and after Michael's huge test - YAAAAY), Michael flew down and we road tripped together to CA! EASILY my second favorite part of the entire month. First fave being Disneyland, obvi. But I love me a good road trip. Mainly because I have a captive audience to listen to all my rambling stories ;). Ha, sorry babe. But really we were so stoked to get to Newport and be with his family! Lydia is OBSESSED with the water. Like we had to bribe her with food to get out of the ocean. How amazing would it be to do residency here?? Sometimes I think California is the dream, other times I miss the AZ heat, and then a lot of the time I think Utah is actually pretty awesome! So who knows where we'll actually end up long term. 

Anyway - BEACH!

Gosh I love these people! It's funny, every book I've read tells you that happiness in marriage decreases with each child. Which kind of freaked me out, because don't get me wrong, the beginnings of marriage were fun, but they weren't exactly blissful. Marriage is HARD! There was a lot of adjusting and getting to know each other.

So it's safe to say I was a little concerned about this looming decrease in happiness when I was pregnant with Lydia. 

Luckily this girl came into our lives and with it came an incredible measure of love, patience and joy. I think we both finally realized that this whole earth life is something bigger than just Michael and Annika. We aren't just here for ourselves, we're here to teach and rear children, to grow together as family units, to make lasting traditions and memories and create eternal bonds! Suddenly we felt this urgency to give our best to Lydia and to each other.

Not that it doesn't still take work! Michael and I have to re-evaluate ourselves personally and as a couple (and as a family!) all the time. What are our goals? What can we improve on? What's something I'm currently doing that's bugging the heck out of you? Hahaha.

And then this little guy came into the picture and just added a whole new level of joy. 

(Well let's be real - not those first few weeks. But now yes!)

So I want to call all those authors and tell them their books are wrong! YES kids bring with them financial stress, daily exhaustion, and a whoooooole lot of messes. But holy cow have we become so much more selfless because of it! 

I heard once that God is efficient; he's not going to make us jump through ten thousand hoops to learn a lesson if there's a way we can learn it in a hundred. (Though obviously sometimes the quickest way IS to jump through ten thousand hoops - we can be slow learners ;).) Well I totally believe that God's plan to put us in families is super efficient! HA. You quickly realize what matters and what doesn't. Aaaand as an aside you quickly learn to NEVER JUDGE ANOTHER PARENT because holy cow all kids are so different and we're doing the best we can.

Also this quote from Marjorie Pay Hinckley about marriage has been my motto the last few months: 

"Early on I realized but would be better if we worked harder at getting accustomed to one another than constantly trying to change each other - which I discovered was impossible... There must be a little give and take, and a great deal of flexibility, to make a happy home."

Isn't that the best? 

Well apparently I just thought like dumping all of that on you today, ha! Go squeeze someone you love!

My Swimsuit: Target

Lydia and Cannon's Suits: Kortni Jeane