I guess ya take the good with the bad!!

My husband can attest to the fact that I always say there is good and bad about almost everything. . . I guess that's my way of trying to be optimistic! LOL! Our little trip to Burley, Idaho for a family reunion on my dad's side of my family was just that. . . good and bad. Here are a few of the good and bad things that happened on our trip (good-yellow/bad-black).

-Leaving my husband in California because he was unable to get a lot of time off.

-Cara vanning with my family so I have help with the kids on the loooooong drive.

-Getting up at 6:00am to meet my family in Riverside at 7:00am.

-Waiting an hour at my parents house before we leave.

-Staying the night in Provo at my Aunt Kathy's house.

-Losing Cade's favorite shoes (crocs) while at Kathy's house.

-Running into very little traffic on the way there. . . yeah!

-Driving with my brother, Steven, the whole way!

-Getting to my grandma's house on Sunday before everyone else!

-Cade throwing up every hour or so from 12:00am-5:00am our first night at my grandma's house!

-My grandma watching my kids so I could sleep in after being up until 5:00am.

-Spending lots of fun time with family!


(some of the girls)

(Some of the guys)

My brother Justin, his wife Tara, and their son Brogan.

Hangin' out with my little man!

All my siblings were there (me 28, Justin 26, Steven 22, Jenny16, Derrick 24, Brittany19)

We are getting so old!

-Shopping with "the girls" at the Burley mall, which consists of JC Penny and Maurices and finding a cute new outfit. . . buy capris, get the shirt for 88 cents! (see outfit above).

-Having awesome brothers that helped me sooooo much with my kids, while I didn't have my husband to help! Thanks Derrick and Steven!

-Going on a four mile run with my brother Justin and his wife, Tara.

-Keeping up with them the first two miles.

-Needing to walk a while after that.

-Finishing the last two miles alone.

-Having no water and feeling so desperate that I drank water from a sprinkler!

-Finishing the run/walk later than I thought and being too late to go to the parade!

-Have a great dad and brothers who took Cade to the parade anyway!

-Dressed Ambree up in a very patriotic outfit. . . she looked soooo cute!

-Didn't get a picture of her before she spilled baked beans all over herself and ripped the bow off the clip!

Cade having fun after the parade, petting the pony!

My dad with Cade and Steven with Brogan!

- Inner tubing behind a motor boat!

-Feeling very sore from tubing and the previously mentioned 4 mile run!

-Taking Cade on his first boat ride (we are in the back center).


-Having a beautiful view of the Snake River (this is my grandma's backyard)!


-Having way too many people in a small house!

-Being one of the few to have my own room, with my kids of course.


-Cade getting into the sour cream left on the table after dinner and getting it all over himself and his toy. . . luckily he didn't have his shirt on!

-Celebrating Ambree's birthday two times (once with my family in Idaho, and again with Craig's in Utah).



-Cade insisting on opening Amree's presents and blowing out the candle on her cake at both parties!

-Having the battery on my camera die, during Ambree's party in Idaho (that's the reason I don't have many pictures from that party).

-Driving from Burley to Salt Lake alone with two kids!

-Meeting up with Craig in Utah on our way back!

-Spending the night at my in laws house in Salt Lake City!





-Ambree being more interested in feeding Craig the cake than eating it herself. . . I guess that could be a good thing according to my previous post!

-Lots of family to celebrate Ambree's birthday with!





-Watching Ambree and her cousin Jacob play with her new toys!




-Watching the sunset on my in laws roof with my cute husband!

-Having Craig with me on our drive back to California!

-Stopping to eat at the Casa Blanca Buffet in Mesquite and finding out it is $16.50 a person because it is sea food night.

-Deciding to go to the Oasis Buffet instead and wait for 15 minutes for it to open.

-Discovering that it is sea food night there too, and costs $15.00 a person. . . decide at this point just to pay the money and eat!

-Stopping at a rest stop in Baker where it was 113 degrees at 7:00pm and very windy, with no changing tables or grass!

-Sitting in lots of traffic, due to 3 car accidents, high winds, construction, and 2 closed freeways that we were going to get on.

-Having a portable DVD player!

-Hearing "The wheels on the bus" and other children's songs over and over again!

-Having lots of snacks, toys, and books!

-Arriving home at 11:30 pm instead of 9:00pm as planned!

-Arriving home safely and still some what sane!

-The children going right to bed when we got home, and not waking up again until 9:00am!

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!