Strong Boy

Mason is getting bigger and stronger every day--he lifts his head up constantly and even sits up in the Bumbo baby seat all by himself for a short time.

Pool Party!

Last Saturday my cousin had his mission farewell in the form of a pool party at his place. I love Arizona for the fact that you can have a pool party in March! (of course the pool was heated!) I thought Bree would have a blast swimming with 'Papa,' but she was a little apprehensive, and she only lasted a few whimpering minutes. But, the party was still a success for everyone, since there were cousins galore, popsicles, a neat see-saw, and the glorious trampoline! Our little jumper just loved that! I enjoyed seeing all my mom's family, and introducing everyone to little Mason.

Chocolate Lava Cake

Yesterday our Cookie Group met like we do every Wednesday. This week I ventured out with a new recipe in an attempt to recreate the taste of the Chocolate Melting Cake on the cruise Chad and I went on. It turned out delectably delicious! And I have to say, aside from the weekly dose of sugar and/or chocolate, I am loving the weekly dose of girlfriend time. Whatever else is or isn't going on in my life in a given week, I can always look forward to Wednesday and some much-needed girl talk and cookies.

Here's the EASY recipe (courtesy of Recipezaar):

Chocolate Lava Cake

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spray the bottom and sides of 15 4-oz ramekins (or 8 10-oz ramekins, like we did).
3. In double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter (or gradually in the microwave, checking every 30 sec).
4. Whisk until thoroughly melted.
5. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until just blended. Gradually whisk the chocolate into the egg mixture until combined.
6. Evenly divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes (or 15-18 for larger ramekins) until the tops are firm and the edges are set. (The centers might look slightly soft) Remove from oven.
7. Let cool a minute, then run a knife around the edges to loosen and turn out onto plates. Serve immediately with ice cream.

Big Girl Bed!

I think the video speaks for itself!

A Great Blessing

Mason has been such a blessing in our lives, and today he received a Priesthood blessing from his father. It was almost a surreal experience today, to listen to Chad promise our second child wonderful blessings: the knowledge that our Heavenly Father loves him, the ability to grow in knowledge and spirituality, to go on a mission, to find a perfect companion to marry one day. It's been less than two years since he blessed Bree, and today I'm sitting here marveling at the fact that I have a 'family of four'. I don't know why that should strike me so, but today I'm overwhelmed with all of my blessings, especially my beautiful family.

Ongoing Obession...

So, here's the latest update on the casting for Twilight the movie which has begun production in Portland, Oregon. Here's the beautiful Cullen family:Robert Pattinson will star as Edward, Peter Facinelli as Carlisle, Elizabeth Reaser as Esme, Jackson Rathbone as Jasper, Nikki Reed as Rosalie, Ashley Greene as Alice, and Kellan Lutz as Emmett. Most of these are unknowns to me (some of them have been on shows I never watch), which I prefer, especially in the case of a novel-turned-movie. Several of the other characters have been cast--check out MTV Movies for some photos and interviews. I also check author Stephenie Meyer's website occasionally to see what's up. Can't wait for the next and final installment of the Twilight book series, Breaking Dawn to be released at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2008!

Bag-Tag!

I've been bag-tagged by my amazing friend Mackenzie , so here goes!

Rules:

1. You have to show your bag.

2. Show all the contents in the bag without cleaning anything out!

3. Bag Tag 5 other people.

This is my diaper bag. Sadly, this is the only bag I have right now. Yep, that's right--no purse. It's all in here:

Contents: (in no particular order)

4 size 4 diapers, 5 newborn diapers, travel container of baby wipes, sandwich bag of tissues, travel pack of tissues (we all have constant runny noses apparently), a burp cloth, 4 breast pads, 2 maxi pads (oh, the glamorous postpartum life), toddler sun glasses, baby hat, 3 snack containers (one with goldfish, one with Apple Jacks, and one empty), one bottle cap (but no bottle), travel Purell, diaper rash cream, changing pad, infant Tylenol, 3 pacifiers, one suction bulb for sucking snot out of little noses, roll of Tums, small bottle of ibuprofen, Mary Kay brochures and business cards, Beauty Blotters (for shiny skin), lip balm, eye drops, gum, wallet, check book, lip case (with lip pencil, lipstick, and 2 lip glosses), note pad (containing various ongoing shopping/wish lists), powder compact, hand cream, and 3 pens.

So that's it--my life in a bag!

So who's next? I bag-tag Jaime, Tara, Emily, and Melissa. Have fun!