Pioneer Family Night

Last night, I had a pioneer-themed family night with these cute kids.

We started out with learning the Primary song "Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked." We made it as obnoxious as possible with the kids repeating "and walked and walked and walked" over and over again.

Here are the full lyrics to the song.

Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked.

Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked.

They washed at streams and worked and played.

Sundays they camped and read and prayed.

Week after week, they sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked and walked.

The kids identified with this pioneer story that we read.

Next, we played some pioneer games!

Brandon and Jack loved the wooden tops.

They are pioneer children in the making!

Here are some other fun pioneer games to check out and have a wonderful Tuesday!

Cinderella and Babies

Despite having quite a few family members missing, family dinner at Nana's was still the best.

Eliza fell in love with Nana when she gave her snacks and rides on her walker.

Then she decided to rock with Grammy.

Alex was practicing for his baby girl coming in July. Becca loved him!

These two...

were the cutest!

Cousins forever! Kaue loved giving Eliza beijos (kisses).

Ashley and I then decided to stock up on baby toys at Toys R US for our trip. Eliza loved the toy store and her new singing Barney (Ah!).

We finished up the night with seeing Cinderella.

I absolutely loved it! The movie had several great one liners like “To be seen as we truly are, is the biggest risk we will ever take. Will we be enough as we really are?” A life of kindness and goodness is beautiful.

Today, I was so excited that my best friend Katrina came to visit and that I got to meet Noelle Olivia (Yes, she is named after me).

She is darling.

Eliza played with Carson.

Then decided to chill next to Katrina.

It was sad saying goodbye!

Nana, Ashley, the babies, and I spent the afternoon together. I got this chicken piada which was basically a pizza, burrito, and sub sandwich all mixed together. I liked it!

We also went to Esther Price and got some Easter candy.

Eliza was perplexed by the Easter bunny. She kept asking, "What is that?"

She kept saying bye like a Southern belle on the way home.

Tonight, all the girls are going to get Chinese food and watch the LDS Women's Conference at Nana's. Ashley, Caroline, and I are then planning to watch Mockingjay afterwards.

Have a happy Saturday!

P.S. I am SO excited for where Mom, Ashley, Lauren, Caroline, Hailey, our babies, and I are going next week!!

Spring break round two!

Halfway between State College and Dayton, Kenny, Eliza, and I met my mom at Cracker Barrel.

Eliza finally ate a cracker without me breaking it up first.

Then, bye to Dada for a week!

Whenever my mom and I drive from Pennsylvania, we always stop at one of my favorite stores, Grandpa's Cheesebarn.

Basically I sample delicious cheese and buy fancy chocolate.

I was excited because this time, I met Grandpa (I didn't realize I could meet him before). He was so nice!

I loved this sign. Great motto!

Eliza was intrigued by the giant mouse.

Once we got back on the road, we found out there was a hazardous spill on the highway, so we had to get back off. We hung out at Cabela's while we figured out an alternate route.

We finally made it home and Eliza loved getting acquainted with her cousins, Loralee and Becca.

We had a bit of a rough night. Eliza kept waking up and spent most of the night cuddling with me.

We had fun surprising Aunt Caroline at school. I met up with a bunch of my high school teachers and they got to meet Eliza. They loved her of course and Eliza was happy to be offered a lollipop.

Stay tuned for what we do next!

My baby's hands

Ever since my baby Eliza was a tiny newborn, I have loved her little hands.

I loved her wrinkly newborn hands.

As she got older, her hands and wrists got chubbier, and I loved them even more.

By the time she was nine months old, her hands, wrists, arms, and legs really got that adorable roly poly look.

Even though she is now seventeen months old, she still has the sweet crease in her wrist and dimples in her knuckles.

She is now old enough to hold my hand, and I can guide her from one place to another (or lead her away from trouble). I hope in the years to come that my hand will be one that she will hold on to for comfort or love when I hold her.

She is my sweet angel baby forever.

Words

This morning I was thinking about how many words I encounter on a weekly basis.

Here is an approximation:

I read about 300 pages a week, and an average page has 200-300 words, so I read about 60,000 to 90,000 words a week.

Here is one of my favorite reading spots (Do you see the Egyptian weasel in the painting?).

I write about 5,000 words a week.

I learn about 50 words a week in Italian. They are sticking with repetition and time.

For my job, I proofread and edit about 15,000 to 20,000 words a week depending on the assignment.

I love words because with writing I can express exactly how I feel. I believe choosing and arranging words to articulate ideas clearly and coherently is art. 

Eliza loves words too (despite her facial expression).

Scrumptious Chex Mix Dessert

I came across this addicting Chex Mix dessert the other day, and I just had to share. It's chewy, nutty, and sweet...and amazing.

Here is the ingredient list to make it:

10 oz rice chex
1/2 c. Slivered almonds
1/2 c. Halved pecans
1/2 c. Coconut

1 c. butter

1 c. Karo

1 c. sugar 

1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Start by melting the butter, sugar, and Karo together.

Put the Chex Mix, almonds, pecans, and coconut in a bowl.

Once the mixture starts getting foamy, let it boil for 3-4 minutes but no more than four.

After it boils for four minutes, add the almond extract and baking soda.

Then add the buttery mixture to the dry mixture in the bowl and stir!

Put the mixture in a 9 by 13 pan to cool.

I had to refrain from sampling.

Once it cools, enjoy your tasty dessert!