Pure. Raw. Talent

This is one of my favorite pictures of Luke (taken at Easter):

And this is a watercolor that my sister-in-law Marika painted:

Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to sit down and create a gift for someone that you know would make their heart stop the moment they saw it?!

This isn't just a cool gift. It is the kind of gift that will be passed down for generations. The kind of gift that makes a Mom get all teary-eyed every time she sees it.

(forgive my flash...I need to work on my camera skills).

I think my new goal is to give gifts that are more meaningful and personal. It will be a little hard with the severe lack of artistic talent that I have...but I'm sure still possible.

(Don't worry friends...you won't be getting any watercolors of your children from me...unless you like abstract art).

Our Favorite Summer Dinner

This is our favorite dish to eat in the summer and since summer is ending quickly, you better try it soon! It is easy, not expensive to make, and tastes delicious. I have been making it way too much lately. I especially recommend it if you need to feed a lot of people because it goes a long way without being ingredient heavy. Andrew used to eat this all the time on his mission (in Italy). The colors of the peppers are supposed to represent the Italian flag (green and red). It is a very patriotic dish.

Ingredients:

-Italian sausage (we use Johnsonville mild --it is admittedly my weakness)
-approx. 3 assorted peppers (there is no rule as to which colors to use, but we like to make it really colorful)
-1 box of penne pasta (or any pasta that has grooves and can grab onto the oil/vinegar)
-balsamic vinegar to taste
-olive oil to taste
-optional: mozzarella cheese

Cook sausage in bite size pieces. Cook pasta al dente. Cut up peppers in bite size pieces. If you use cheese, cut that up in bite size pieces. Toss it all together with plenty of olive oil. Use balsamic vinegar as dressing (best to let people add this separately). Balsamic vinegar is really what makes this dish delicious.

Its so simple that I feel silly writing it in recipe format. But people ask me how to make it all the time. Enjoy.

Oh, and you usually eat it cold...which is why it is a summer pasta.

St. Louis

A few weeks ago, we made a quick trip to St. Louis to see my sister, her husband and 5 kids. They drove to St. Louis from Utah for the weekend to see my brother-in-law's extended family. We figured it was the closest we were going to be for the next little while since we can't go to Utah for Christmas this year (see the baby clock to your right).

It was a whirlwind trip with not many pictures, but I'm so glad that we got to see them. It was well worth the drive.

By the way, St. Louis really surprised me. I tend to judge the middle states harshly (without really visiting them). I'm afraid to like them because they are so far from the ocean among other things. But St. Louis made a great impression on me.

On the way down we had to make a random stop to change a diaper and the only place we could find was a graveyard. Kind of weird but Luke had a lot of fun throwing rocks in the trashcan.

Andrew won't let me cut his hair...its not my fault...

Luke was so happy with his cousins!

On an unrelated note, if your last name is "Raper" you probably shouldn't name your business after yourself. Just an idea...

This guy has about 50 signs on I70 and I get the creeps every time I see them.

Oh, and this is for Cortney. We spotted a Marble Cliff Ward move-out!

Why we all need good friends

[It's our 200th post! Yikes!]

Take a look at this year's freezer jam:

Whenever I eat this freezer jam, I will remember how much I appreciate good friends. Here's the story...

Periodically throughout the year, Andrew tells me (usually while we're eating fresh bread or biscuits, etc) that if I really loved him, I would make freezer jam because there is nothing he loves more in the world than freezer jam (friends of Andrew will understand that Andrew speaks in hyperbole about most things). Honestly, freezer jam is never on my radar. I just never think of making it. I'm not a big jam eater and I don't remember ever making it growing up. So year after year, Andrew is forced to eat store-bought jam...a true travesty.

However, this year I was in the grocery store in late August and saw that strawberries were on sale. The stars aligned, I remembered that the only token of true love that Andrew has ever wanted from me is in fact, freezer jam, and I got all the supplies right on the spot.

It also happened to be one of the busiest weeks of the year for our family. Of course.

I planned to make the jam on a Wednesday afternoon that was mostly busy, but not as bad as the other days. Everyone always tells me how easy it is to make anyway. My friend, Amy, offered to let me make it at her house where I could use her food processor and Luke could stay busy playing with her boys. When I got the strawberries out that morning I realized that many of them were moldy (seriously? after 2 days!?) and I didn't buy enough of the gelatin, so I planned to make a quick trip to the store on the way to Amy's house. That's when things took a turn for the worse.

Luke decided to pull a preview of the terrible two's and was an absolute disaster in the store. After many attempts to jump out of the cart, I put him down and he ran down the aisles pulling everything sweet off the shelves and laughing hysterically when I tried to discipline him. Of course it was the one time that I didn't put his shoes on him because I thought we would be fast. I actually checked out and made it half-way to the car when I realized I forgot to get more gelatin. I don't know what possessed me to go back inside, but I did and Luke's sprint only got faster. I couldn't find the gelatin, I couldn't keep up with Luke or which aisle he was currently destroying....in short, terror reigned in dirty tube socks.

I gave up. I texted Amy and told her that she could have my moldy strawberries because there was no way I was making freezer jam EVER (texting is so great when you're near tears). I may have thrown in some other choice words...who can remember? :).

Amy took my moldy strawberries and the ones I bought to replace them; she took my little package of insufficient gelatin stuff; she probably fed me something because she always does that; she let me vent about the day without passing judgment; and then she sent me home. Later that night, I got a text with a picture of Andrew's jam, all finished and looking perfect in glass jars.

And that is why I am grateful for good friends. They save the day and rescue me in their own individual way whether it is through a much-needed chat, a warm meal, or even a kind word when Luke throws a car at their TV (he really is a sweet boy most of the time).

Thanks friends, for coming through for me when I fall desperately short. Andrew thanks you too.

And here is a picture of my sweet, energetic little boy when he finally runs out of batteries. It is a fact that this kid enjoys life to the fullest...every. single. day.

I Was Wrong!

Take 1:

Take 2:

Take 3:

(hopefully you're getting the message, because that's as good as it gets)

I'm throwing my mother's intuition out the window! I was so sure that this baby was a girl that I even had Andrew completely convinced. Please don't mistake me by inferring that I preferred a girl, only that I felt like it was probably a girl. I knew that Luke was a boy before I even got pregnant (if that makes sense) and I guess I thought I had a knack for this sort of thing.

No wonder this little man keeps kicking me all day long...he must be very upset that I've been referring to him as a girl this whole time!

We couldn't be more ecstatic to be adding another little mister to the mix. I'm pretty sure Luke has been secretly praying for a little brother. I'm sure he has a best friend on the way and I can't wait to see them wrestling together, sleeping in bunk beds, and playing a little b-ball in the front yard. Maybe I actually will have a little army of boys!

We Took our Talents to South Beach

Not really. But I promised Andrew that I would use that as the post title because someone is still a little bitter about losing Lebron to Miami.

We actually took our talents to Cape Canaveral and boarded a ship for the Bahamas. Spoiled rotten? Yes. But after one of the most frustrating/stressful summers ever, we needed something to look forward to. Call it, vacation therapy. We are big fans of such things. (For those who are interested, Andrew DID in fact get his application turned in to over 60 residencies....just in the knick of time).

A big thank you to Grandpa Stacey who watched Luke for our weekend trip. Luckily there is nothing Luke adores more in this world than spending time with his Grandpa (although binkies might come close).

The Boat

We don't have very many pictures on the ship. It was our first cruise and we loved it. From my perspective, it was so nice not to worry about cooking or cleaning or chasing after a little blonde boy. And those afternoon naps...priceless!

This was for the formal dinner night. We were slightly under-dressed.

And this is from the ship as we sailed into Nassau, Bahamas.

Nassau

Fort Fincastle

Can't remember. Maybe a governors palace or something?

It's pink. That was good enough for me.

This guy forced us to take this picture because he wanted a tip. That was the kind of annoying part of Nassau for me. Everyone bugging us for money. For the record, we did NOT give him a tip because he really shoved that gun into Andrew's neck hard when he pretended to apprehend him. It made me mad. Don't upset the pregnant lady in 95 degree weather.

Christ Church Cathedral (first church built here) was my favorite part of Nassau. I wish we had a video because someone was playing the organ and it was absolutely amazing (coming from someone who isn't a huge organ fan). The music just filled the whole room and you can see why with all those pipes.

It rained. I love how my belly catches all the water.

This is the Queens Staircase. The slaves quarried limestone out of this area to build forts, palaces, etc (see the very high walls on either side). After Queen Victoria abolished slavery, the ex-slaves built this staircase as a symbol of climbing out of slavery and dedicated it to the queen by having each step represent a year of her reign. Very cool.

Overall, Nassau was cool and a great place to pick up some inexpensive souvenirs. But it was not that impressive. Even though we were only there a short time, it was difficult to get a sense of the culture. Paradise Island is where I would recommend spending most of your time.

Paradise Island

Just a short taxi trip from Nassau (over a bridge) is Paradise Island, home of the world famous Atlantis Hotel . When I saw people taking pictures of Atlantis from our ship, I thought they were a little weird. Who takes pictures of a hotel? But I must admit that this place was pretty impressive and had amazing beaches.

We had a little too much fun with the sunset pictures. I guess this is becoming a thing, because people will ask me before we go on vacation if we are planning on taking more sunset kissy pictures. Really, we could have come up with some more fun silhouette pictures for hours, but the sunset insisted on leaving us. Which is okay because night swimming in the warm ocean when you have the beach all to yourself is also quite fun.

I had the awesome idea to do handstands but realized quickly that the big weight I have in the front was going to be troublesome. This was the best I could do.

Here is the Atlantis Hotel. Did I mention that this place is HUGE?! We were trying to get from the beach to the hotel and probably spent 1/2 hour wandering through all these different pool areas with waterfalls, lazy rivers, aquariums, etc. I've never seen anything like it.

Cococay

The last day, we sailed to Royal Carribean's private island known as Cococay. Andrew said it was some of the best snorkeling he has ever experienced. I took his word for it and read a book on the beach for hours. Perfect.

The water is SO clear and blue and WARM. Gorgeous!

This guy that Andrew is pointing at literally spent the entire day walking in the ocean with a metal detector looking for who knows what. So funny.

And that's about it. The only regret was that I didn't look closer when I bought sunscreen and accidentally neglected to get a waterproof kind. We are burnt to a crisp, but oh so relaxed!

Daddy Games

There are a few games that only Luke and his Dad can play. Girls not allowed. When Andrew is gone, I try and play these games with Luke but he just stares at me like I just walked into the men's bathroom and should be embarrassed of myself.

To call them games is a bit generous. Father and son can come up with the most interesting ways of entertaining each other. Here is an example of a game they play in the basement (and I'm not even going to apologize for my messy basement...its a basement).

This game usually lasts longer, but unfortunately my camera battery did not. Hopefully you get the idea. This example is a mild one. Usually I am upstairs wondering what in the world those boys are yelling about.

(For the record, Mom has her very own games that she plays with Luke too. One of my favorites is blanket monster. Pretty self-explanatory I think).