Food Post

So I have always enjoyed cooking...I remember being a young girl and making my own recipe for salad dressing...but once I got married I really got into cooking. Since we moved to Tetonia I realized that we would not have a lot of chances to eat out and try new food. So I decided that I would try cooking different foods at home and recreate some of my favorite restaurant foods. Fortunately Matt is a great eater and is up for trying anything. So the above picture are the fish tacos I made for dinner. It is cod fried in a batter with cabbage, cilantro, Mexican cheese, and a citrus cream sauce with homemade re fried beans on the side. I had never had fish tacos before...but I thought these were pretty good.
This was a steak sandwich I made for lunch out of leftovers and things I needed to fix before they went bad. I always have lots of leftovers after I cook and I hate throwing them away. We try to eat them for lunch but sometimes you just get tired of eating the same thing....so I like to think of ways to turn leftovers into a different meal. So I took the leftover steak that we had for tacos and left over buns and turned it into this sandwich.....the pictures not that great but it was pretty tastey. I grilled the buns and then topped it with steak, grilled onions, roasted red pepper (I roasted it on my stove top) and to top it off a homemade cheese sauce with chillies to give it a little kick and cilantro for a garnish. I knew Avery wouldn't really want one so I took some of the cheese sauce and poured it over chips and made some yummy nachos for her lunch. Anyway i know this is a lame post....but I thought I would share this little hobby of mine.

On a side note...I grew up with a Mom who taught us to be very frugal...we never ate a lot of ethnic or more expensive types of food which was very understandable and i try to be pretty frugal with our budget. But now that i am a mom I think it is so much fun to try new things with my family...even if it means spending a little more on a spice or a type of fish. The cod I used for the fish tacos was more expensive but even when you divide it up it is still cheaper to make it at home then go out and buy it at a restaurant....and the best part is you have lots of left overs:)

Avery practing her photography

Avery was playing with the camera while i was making dinner and she was going around taking photos of her favorite things...the first picture is of girls scout cookies.....they were hid in a bag...apparently she found them.
Her daddy
her baby sissy...these were some of her best photos....I had to delete many pictures of the ceiling...and the carpet.

Playing in the snow

Matt took Avery for a little ride on the snow machine.

Avery has wanted to make a snowman so bad...but we have not gotten around to it....finally today Matt came home early from work....and they got it built. She was in heaven...it was really great of him to come home from work early.....after it was all over she came in and said....."mommy....daddy is my best friend in the world."

Every day is a play day

This is what Avery usually wears everyday. She loves this ballerina outfit my mom got her. She goes around the house dancing and singing...I really wish I could catch her on video but she gets really embarrassed when she sees me with the camera.....you'll just have to take my word for it...she is pretty funny to watch.

Ding Dong the witch is dead........this is what I found when I walked into our living room...her cute little striped feet....reminded me of the Wizard of Oz.
I told her to smile for the camera and this is what she did.

Preschool and other stuff

So we are doing preschool with two other mom's in my ward. It is pretty fun...I am not sure how much the kids learn but it gives me a chance to get to do some fun crafts.....so far we have made glittery play-dough, bouncy balls(nit pictured) and chunky crayons....next time I am planning on making some glow in the dark slime with the kidos.....should be interesting.
Hailey in her new bed....I finally took the step and moved her to her crib....she has been sleeping pretty good in it and I think she likes her own space.....where her sister can't attack her.
So I started these baby shoes for her awhile back and today I decided to finish them....I love making cute little accessories for girls...but next time I try these...I will have to break down and buy a pattern....so they turn out a little more....professional:)
Finished product...I also need a new camera, one that takes better quality pictures...if you have any ideas let me know.



On another note....Avery had her first encounter with the baby monitor...this is how it went...
Avery was watching cartoons in my room and I had just put Hailey down for a nap in her room. I turned the monitor on and left the room. Not much later I heard Hailey crying...and then I heard Avery..."Hey....mom I hear Hailey....where is that coming from?" I go in and show her the monitor...a little while later Hailey is still crying and I see Avery grab the monitor and say into "Hey Hailey....shut it...I am trying to watch cartoons!" I tell her that it is not nice to talk like that and that Hailey can't hear her in the monitor.....so she yells louder into the monitor "Hailey quiet please I am trying to watch cartoons!" While laughing I tried to explain that although we can hear her, Hailey can't hear us...I think she gets it now.


Also soon to come...Matt and Amie's new additions.....I know...suspenseful..

Family Time

Ahh Sunday naps......that's all I have to say.
So I had to show off this cute little dress I bought Hailey for super cheap.....it came with this adorable hat.......Matt got her dressed....and took this picture...so of course the hat isn't positioned just right and the tag is hanging out....but it gives you an idea of just how cute she looked.
Taco Night! This is how we do taco night at our house.
I love authentic Mexican food and there is nothing better then carne asada tacos....So this is how we roll....first I marinate some steak then grill it. You have to have corn tortillas....because they are just yummy....then you heat up the tortilla and then start building your layers. Next you put on homemade re-fried beans...they are so good and very easy to make. Then you put your yummy steak on, then avocados, sour cream, salsa fresca, cotija cheese, and cilantro....and there you have it.....a mouth watering taco...

The Girls

We put Hailey in this little bouncer because she loves to stand up.....she is not so cuddly anymore...she is learning how to wiggle....she can sit up on her own and is almost turning over.
Yah for the bouncer!

She also likes her swing...this is how I found her the other day. She had fallen asleep and it looked so uncomfortable.

The apple does not fall far from the tree....

Having kids you never really think how much they turn out just like you.......you always hope they are better versions and as I look at Avery I feel like she is a little individual.....but today she did something I totally used to do. She was asked to clean her room and she did......but as I opened the closet the large pile of toays and clothes spilled out....she had just shoved everything in her closet. I just had to laugh because that is what I used to do all the time when my mom asked me to clean my room. When I got done laughing I told her to do it right and put everything away......she sighed and rolled her eyes and said..."fine mom....geese so bossy."

Updates

Hailey has been growing like a weed and my little baby is not so little anymore. She is starting to grab things and tries to sit up on her own. I am just always amazed at the changes she makes everyday. The one thing that has not changed is her smiley, sweet personality. She is such a fun and cuddly girl.
Hailey loves the bath. She is so fun to watch, she loves to kick and splash......Avery loves to help bath Hailey and she always wants to sing the "splish splash" song....it is pretty cute.
Las Vegas baby! Ya Matt and I spent a week in Vegas and it was awesome. We went for his work conventions and it was a much needed vacation. We left Avery with my parents...and she loved it......and we took Hailey with us. I found out that if you do not want to be noticed in vegas....don't bring a baby. We were smothered by people who wanted to see our little package.

The weather in Vegas was amazing....everything was so green and sunny and then......I had to come home to two feet of snow......oh well it was great while it lasted! On another note Matt, my dad and I are in a competition to loose weight......and by looking at this picture it is much needed...uhh me...not Matt...he is not suffering from baby weight that wont come off. So anyway we just started and guess who has lost weight already......ya Matt...not me....and why is that? Well he told me one of the reasons is that he is so busy at work and does not eat...total cheater...my hubby is so competitive that he will skip meals to win.....he wont even eat second helpings when I offer them to him.......this guy is a rock...I am thinking about adding pure fat to all his meals........just kidding......(sinister laugh)

Also in the life of Avery....she has been acting so obedient since she spent the weeks with my parents....and she wants to help do chores.....I think that has a lot to do with my mom and my grandma.....so thank you ....thank you! Also she has been saying "yes sir and yes mam" I don't know where she got that...but it makes me laugh.

Anniversary Dinner Cheesecake Factory

Last weekend was our 5th anniversary and man how time has flew by and 2 kids later we are one happy little family. Our anniversary sort of falls on a convention for work so we spent 4 days in Vegas being wined and dinned by the big oil guys which I must say steak every night wasn't too bad of a deal. We left Avery with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson and flew out of Boise and when we came back into Boise we stayed with our Aunt Tresa and Uncle Jeff along with Grandpa Erickson. We stayed in Boise for a day and watched some of the girls state basketball tourney which was a good time and also ate at one of our favorite places for dinner and took some pictures of the awesome food.

Even though we didn't really have any time to just ourselves I love spending time with Amie, she is my best friend and even though she thinks I would rather hunt all the time rather than spend time with her she is wrong.......I love her so much and am so thankful for someone that shares a lot of the same hobbies and ideas that I do. Life in the last 5 years would be pretty bland without her and she is an excellent mother, wife and friend I could ask for. Thanks for all you do!!

From the Mouth of Avery

Avery is known for saying funny things.....or whatever is on her mind and sometimes she just cracks me up...so here are a few things she has said lately that I thought I would share.

Instead of saying "Mom can you do my a favor," she says "can you do me a favorite"

Instead of saying you hurt my feelings...she says..."you hurt my faults"

The other day she yelled "Hailey is crying....she needs to eat your boobs."

One night we were having dinner and she kept saying that she wanted to do the juice thing....I didn't understand what she was saying. She said "you know the thing where you tap your cups together and then say juice." "Ohh you mean cheers," I said "you say cheers and then tap your cups together." She looked at me and then rolled her eyes..."No mom you say juice not cheers, cheers is when you are at a game and yell GO Team GO, Go Fight Win!"

My girls

My Girls

Little jumpers....these were given to the girls by my grandma and I love them....Avery loves her lady bug dress!
Avery's new hat...she loves it because I have one that is similar...she is a funny girl.