Think Green!!

Craig and I were watching TV the other night and came across the new reality show where Shaqille Oneal has chosen a bunch of overweight teens to join his program to help get them in shape. They did all these tests with a doctor and it was interesting to really see how unhealthy they are! I think so often we forget about health, and focus more on physical appearance, when in reality it is our health and our children's health that is the most important. There are many people who are very thin that are probably less healthy than heavier set people, but since they are thin, they still eat whatever they want! Anyway, after watching the show, it got me thinking about ways I can eat healthier, and ways I can get my kids to eat healthier. I thought I'd share some of my ideas for getting my kids to eat veggies, and hopefully you could share some of yours! This goes for anybody, even if I don't know you. . . Just leave a comment. Thanks!

Green Smoothies: My mom actually introduced me to these and at first I thought, gross, I could never drink anything that looks like that! After a while, I decided to try it, and it was actually pretty good! We make them regularly and my kids LOVE them, which is great because it is a good way to get nutrients from veggies and fruit! The basic recipe that we use is: 1/2 bunch fresh spinach,1 banana, 4 apples (cored and sliced), and two cups water. Put it all in a blender (we have a high power blender, but you can use a regular one and just blend for a longer period of time). Add more water or juice concentrate (I like orange juice or peach juice) if you like it more liquidy, or less if you like it thicker (I like it more liquidy). Sometimes we also sweeten ours with Agave (a natural sweetner) or juice, like I mentioned earlier. . . pineapples work well for sweetening too. You can basically experiment with all kinds of fruits and greens to see what you like. We blend ours for like 5 min. and it isn't chunky at all! Good Luck!

A snack that Cade really likes is cucumber slices with a little bit of cream cheese, and a little bit of this Organic Season Salt. I also put this on Kidney beans, and avocado pieces and he loves it!

The last thing I have to share is just a recipe that my kids both love. Some recipes with veggies, they aren't too crazy about, but they will eat the veggies in this every time!

Pasta Primavera with Shrimp (use chicken if you don't like shrimp):

1 ½ cups (about 6 oz.) baby carrots, trimmed
2 cups (about 7 oz.) sugar snap peas, or any other green vegetable (we like broccoli).
3 cups (about 8 oz.) uncooked penne pasta
1 tbs. olive oil
32 or so (about 8 oz.) fresh or thawed peeled shrimp
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream (we use fat free evaporated milk instead to make it less fattening).
1 tbs. lemon juice
¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the carrots and let them simmer for 1 ½ minutes. Add the snap peas and simmer for another minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Now cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package directions. Drain the pasta well.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook them, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, peas, salt, pepper, and garlic and continue cooking for another minute, stirring often.
Stir in the chicken broth, scraping the pan to loosen any browned bits. Then stir in the cream and lemon juice and cook for 1 min. add the pasta and grated cheese, stirring well to coat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve the pasta warm. Makes 4-6 servings.

What are little boys made of?

Alien Pancakes, Paper Bag Gargoyles, and lots of other boyish stuff!!

It's amazing how excited kids get about things like this! Cade has a book about a little boy who had alien pancakes, so Cade wanted some too! This was my best attempt. . . he seemed satisfied, and has asked for an alien pancake everyday since Friday! Luckily, I made a big batch on Friday and put them in the freezer. We got the idea for the paper bag gargoyles in "Family Fun" magazine! Lots of fun stuff in there! I'm sure in about a year from now I'll be making princess pancakes and paper dolls, but for now we'll stick to the boyish stuff!

It's a woman thing. . .

Most of the time!!!

It's funny, since Craig and I have been married, there have been multiple occasions where he has made bread or cookies for someone if they are sick, or a new neighbor, or a home theacher, etc. He is also a lot better than me at sending thank you cards, get well cards, b-day cards, etc. On many of these occasions, I have recieved a phone call, or a thank you card, thanking ME for the goodies/cards! It seems in our society, people just assume that the women in a relationship is the one who does this kind of thing, and don't get me wrong, I do occasionally, but not as much as my husband . . . and I get all the credit! LOL! So, yesterday, Craig made bread (see above) for his home teachees, and I am sure they were talking all night about what a great wife Craig has, and what a great cook she is! Ha. . . little do they know!

Ambree is ONE today!!

A year ago, at this time, I was laying in a hospital bed at Anaheim Memorial Hospital in LOTS of pain! Why you ask? Because I was in LABOR! And I had been in Labor for 15 hours! In total, it was 18 hours, but who's counting? Fun times?! Even though it was not fun, it was all worth it, in order to bring our little angel, Ambree Joy into the world! She weighed 9lbs. and was 20 1/2 inches long. I can't believe how fast this year has flown by! Ambree has brought such a sweet spirit into our home and we can't imagine our lives without her! We love her so much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMBREE!!

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Here is a copy of the first journal entry that I did for her a little over a year ago:

June 25, 2006 (Sunday)

Ambree, we are so happy and very grateful that you are healthy and strong and here with us today. We had a couple of scares when I was pregnant with you. The first was when my doctor found two cysts on your brain when I had an ultrasound about half way through the pregnancy. The cysts were called Choroid Plexus Cysts. When I first heard the news I had no idea what this meant. Did this mean that you were going to die, or have brain damage, or have big cysts that were obvious to everyone who saw you? Needless to say, I had a lot of questions and concerns. I was informed by my doctor that a lot of babies have these while in the womb and that they usually go away without a problem. He also told me I needed to get another, more thorough ultrasound to make sure that you didn’t have any other problems that they missed. After doing a lot of research on the computer about Choroid Plexus Cysts and reading a lot of stories about other moms who where pregnant and their doctors told them the same thing and then their babies ended up being fine, I wasn’t too worried. Although I wanted you to be perfectly healthy, I knew that what ever ended up happening would be the Lords will and that it was in his hands. Another scare happened when I was about three weeks away from my due date with you. The doctor, Dr. In Hur, said that you were breech, meaning your head hadn’t dropped. He said that it looked like the placenta was in your way and that you probably wouldn’t turn before delivery. He then said if that was the case I would have to have a cesarean section. I really did not want to have to have a c-section, but knew it was out of my hands. I prayed to the Lord, asking him to help you to move, if it was his will, and sure enough you did. I was able to have a normal, vaginal delivery. You are very beautiful. A lot of people have told me what a pretty baby you are and everyone loves your long, dark hair. It is pretty hard to maintain because it sticks up all over the place, but it is still very cute and people compliment you on your hair all the time. It will be interesting to see if it stays dark or if it turns blond like your brother’s hair did. I am going to make a copy of my personal journal entry about your delivery and put it in this book, so you can read that to get more detail about your delivery. It is good to be home now, although I am nervous to try and take care of two children now. Luckily Grandma Williams is going to be here helping me a lot during the day for the first week and then Grandma Poulter will be here the next week. You are a very good baby so far. You barely ever cry and you sleep a lot. We are hoping you will continue to have such and sweet and calm disposition, even when you are a teenager! We’ll see!

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Throughout this past year I have been taking pictures of Ambree every month to document her growth. It is really interesting to see how much she changed every month! As she got older, it was a lot more difficult to get her to lay in this position long enough to take a picture. . . that's why some of the pictures are a little blurry (plus the fact that we got a new camera and I wasn't exactly sure how to do the settings on it). There is also one picture that has a different blanket in it because I left the star one at my mom's house. . . so sad! Maybe some time when I have some extra time I will photo shop the star blanket into the picture and see if that works! Any way, enjoy the evolution of Ambree throughout her first year!

June 2006July 2006
August 2006 September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007

February 2007

March 2007
April 2007

May 2007

Four years of wedded bliss!!

Happy 4 year anniversary to us!!

On June 20th, Craig and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary! We copied the Larson's idea of going to the temple and then to the beach. I think this was the first time I've been to the beach without children since our honeymoon . . . It was so nice to lay out and not get sand kicked in my face, or have a tired, crying baby climbing on me!

Our wedding party: April Poulter, Jenny Williams, Brittany Williams, Leeann Lundval, Janell Salmon, Me, Craig, Bryon Poulter, Justin Williams, Steven Williams, Adam Poulter, Andrew Poulter, and Dallin Poulter (in front)




Here are some pictures from our day of celebration . . . Our shadow picture at the beach was the only picture of the both of us that turned out! LOL! Gotta love beach pictures. . . they always portray people to look so beautiful at the beach in the TV shows. . . what about the sand stuck to the makeup and sunblock and the frizzy hair from the wind and humidity, not to mention how your hair and makeup are after a swim in the salty, sandy water. . .gotta love it!

Since we were married on June 20th, here are 20 things about our wedding. . .

1. We were married in the Los Angeles Temple.
2. We were married at 10:00 am.
3. We were supposed to be at the temple at 9:00, and I didn't arrive until 9:30! Craig waited for half an hour and thought I was standing him up!
4. Our sealer's name was William, just like Craig and his dad, so on our wedding certificate, the name William, or Williams (my maiden name) is on it 5 times!LOL!
5. We sat in traffic for 2 hours on our way from the LA Temple to El Torito in Ontario for our luncheon.
6. We had our reception at 6:00pm. at the Jurupa Stake Center in Riverside.
7. We had dinner and dancing at our reception.
8. Craig's brother, Bryon caught the garter.
9. Craig's sister, April caught the bouquet.
10. My bouquet was made up of 1 dozen purple flowers, 1 dozen white flowers, and one dozen gardenias with pearls in the center of each one.
11. Craig's corsage was made up of 2 white roses and some greenery.
12. Our wedding colors were sage green and lavender.
13. One of my good friends from high school, Maria Mendoza did my hair at 6:00am.
14. We honeymooned for a week in Oahu, Hawaii.
15. In the shuttle on the way from our hotel to the airport there was a family in the shuttle too. The dad said, "I just want you to know that you are traveling with a bless-ed family." We just kind of smiled and said, "oh!" What are you supposed to say to that?LOL!
16. After our honeymoon, we had a reception in Salt Lake City, Utah.
17. One of the cakes at the Utah reception got dropped on the floor!
18. Craig's brothers trashed our car.
19. We had lots of wonderful family and friends at both receptions to celebrate with.
20. I married my best friend!

Poulter Family Reunion!!

I know you have all missed me so much! Craig's family on the Poulter side had a big family reunion in Mesquite, Nevada at the Oasis Resort! Needless to say, we were there for a while, but now we are home again. The Reunion was a lot of fun, but very hot! It was over 100 degrees everyday! Luckily there were lots of pools and air conditioning in the hotel. There were a lot of people at the reunion. . . 86 in all. It was fun seeing relatives we haven't seen for a while, and I was able to meet quite a few for the first time. Check out the pictures below to see what we did!

Bowling at the Virgin River Hotel and Casino!

This was Cade's first time bowling. We had the bumpers up and helped him roll his ball down the lane. He really enjoyed it at first, but after a while he just wanted to run around and try to escape into the Casino! Crazy Kid!!

Cooling off at the pool and lovin' the water slide!!

Aunt Bethany and Cade coming out of the water slide!

Aunt Bethany and Ambree relax after a long day in the sun!

Lots of get to know you activities at the local church!

Two different nights while we were in Mesquite, we went to the local church for activities and dessert. One night we had everyone introduce themselves and we played a bunch of games. The other night, we did skits, and had a talent show. In the above picture, Ambree is playing with her second cousin, Kaylee. . . they are 2 days apart in age, although Ambree is quite a bit bigger!

Lots of babies to entertain each other! They had lots of fun playing with the basket ball while everyone else mingled and played games.

The Peach bandit!

One evening while we were in the hotel room, Ambree was on the other side of the bed being very quiet, so I checked on her and this is what I saw! She got into a bag of peaches that somehow ended up on the floor. She had one in her lap that had a few bites taken out of it, and another one in her mouth. She seemed quite content and pleased with herself!

Enjoying the St. George Temple Grounds!

On Saturday, we all headed up to the St. George Temple where Craig's cousin, Aaron Hickman, was married to a girl named Celia. While we were waiting for the bride and groom to come out of the temple, we had fun taking pictures. . .

Cade is such a little monkey!

Cade is chillin' with Grandpa Bill (Poulter)!

Ambree is always on the go!!

Relaxin' with daddy!

Family Pictures!!

Our little Family!

Craig with his dad and all his brothers!
(Andrew, Cameron, Bryon, Bill (dad), Craig, Adam, Dallin)

Craig's family. . . everyone was there!


Ambree and Grandpa Bill are both beat after a long day of wedding festivities. They both fell asleep at the reception!

Father's Day!!

On Father's Day, we went to sacrament mtng. at the local church and then had a little Father's Day tribute at the park next to the church. A member from each family stood and said some nice things about their father, and then Uncle Mike paid a tribute to Great Grandpa Poulter, which was really nice. There were also some musical numbers and then we were able to give the father's gifts and cards and hugs! After the Father's Day tribute, we loaded into the car and headed back to California . . . which was quite the adventure in itself!

Craig and Cade enjoy opening Craig's father's day gifts!

Here's some Total Momsense

Just the other day, Cade was asking me for a snack in the car. I told him all I had were raisins and crackers. He said, "I don't want that!" I then proceeded to tell him that it was all I had, and if he was really that hungry, he would eat it. Right after I said it, I thought, I sound just like my mom, she said that to us all the time! That is not the first time that has happened, and I know it won't be the last. I am a mom after all, and we all say the same things because kids are all the same! I saw this video and it brought a smile to my face, so I thought I would share it!

Mr.Mom

I found this little video on line and thought it was fitting for my last post! Enjoy!

"Mr. Mom!"

Yesterday, since my husband had the day off, he volunteered to watch the kids while I went to work (substitute teaching). He has done this a couple times in the past, when we just had Cade, but I think this is the longest he has watched both of the kids. I left at 7:00Am, and arrived home at 2:30PM, which isn't too long, but if your not use to watching kids all day, I guess it could feel long! When I got home, he was in our bedroom laying on the bed, with a pillow over his face and ears. Jokingly, he removed the pillow and said, "I can't handle it anymore." He then proceeded to say, "I think I finally get it! I think I finally get how you feel everyday." I then said, "Maybe a little, but in order to really know, I need to leave again, and not come home until 6:00PM, and you need to have dinner ready for me, and then I will leave again at 7:00 and you can give the kids baths, get their pajamas on, brush teeth, read stories, sing songs, and put them to bed, oh, and try to have all of that done by 8:00. . . then you can relax, that is of course if they will go to bed when you put them to bed." Of course, that is not what happens everyday (only when there is a big test the next day). When there isn't a test, or a lot to do at school, Craig is really very helpful around the house and with the kids! Some other quotes from Craig yesterday were:

• "It takes so much work just to try to keep these kids alive (feeding them, changing them, etc.) I could barely get anything else done around here."
• "I don't know how many diapers I changed today. . . a lot!"
• "I've been picking up toys all day long, and they keep coming back . . . where do they keep coming from."
• "I need a nap . . . I am exhausted!"
• "I thought I was going to be able to take it easy and relax now that I don't have a lot of school, but being a parent is way harder than being a student!"

My favorite quote from my husband all day has to be that last one! I can't believe after all these years, he is just realizing some of this! I think I need to work and leave him home to be Mr. Mom more often! LOL!

Happy Birthday Craig!!

Craig turned 27 yesterday!!

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of Craig when he was little. Can you see the resemblance between Craig and Cade? They look so much alike in some of these pictures!

Yes, this is Craig hanging from the ceiling by his overall straps. I hear this was all his dad's idea!

Grandma Clegg is holding Craig way up high!! For some reason he doesn't look very happy!


What a happy baby!

I love this picture of Craig in the bathtub! What a cute little boy!



Oh, now I know where Cade gets it from. We have a pic of Cade doing the exact same thing!
Looks like Craig's turning three! Wow, that was 24 years ago! You've come a long way baby!



27 things I love about my husband . . . Craig!!

1) He chose me to marry!
2) He produces cute children!
3) He is very handsome!
4) He has a great sense of direction (something I don't have)!
5) He is a very good cook and very helpful in the kitchen!
6) He is very organized and clean!
7) He goes out of his way to write me thoughtful notes!
8) He likes to spend money on me!
9) He is a handyman (enjoys fixing things and building things, and is good at it)
10) He is very good with money (investing, saving, budgeting, etc.)
11) He is naturally athletic and good at sports!
12) He is very good at math(something I am not very good at)!
13) He has a very strong testimony of the gospel!
14) He blesses our home with his priesthood power and is worthy to use it!
15) He is self motivated, and when he sees something that needs to be done, he just does it!
16) He is very responsible and hard working . . . he is a great provider for our family!
17) He is very sweet with the kids and takes time out to play with them even after a long day of school and work!
18) He is very helpful with the kids (diaper changing, feeding, bathing, etc.)!
19) He is an amazing public speaker and great leader!
20) He is very good at keeping in touch with loved ones (sending cards on birthdays, etc.)
21) He knows a lot about a lot of things (history, math, languages, writing, politics, science, news, health stuff, eyes, etc.)
22) He loves me unconditionally, despite my weaknesses!
23) He makes me feel beautiful and special!
24) He's learned to love salads and is willing to try my "health food" without complaining!
25) He is always willing to help people in need (helping people move, give blessings, etc.)
26) He is very musical and is a great singer!
27) He has an amazing family (that explains why he is so amazing)!

Happy Birthday Honey!! I love you!!

Really . . . Why do I even bother putting blankets on my children?!