I LOVE AUTUMN!

notice the strawberry shortcake candle addie put on
andy took this of ava

for my birthday, andy gave me a new lens for my camera so i took a picture of one of the first gifts he gave to me. thanks andy, they were both great choices!

I just love this time of year! The colors, the smell in the air, my birthday(i love getting older!-rachel), and all the holidays are just around the corner. I was starting to feel a little jipped when the snow came on saturday but now it is beautiful again...aaahhhh-I'm lovin' it!

SNOW DAY

As many of you also experienced, there was a huge snow fall on saturday. it was great! addie wanted to set up the christmas tree and isaac couldn't stay out of it. yes, that's ike making a snow angel in flip flops. the snowflakes were huge, it was fun to watch. it did do a lot of damage to many branches around town though, check out this huge one that came crashing down at porter park.

ALRIGHT, ALREADY!

I don't know what it is but people must think I love zucchini. When in all reality I can't stand the dang thing. This time of year I get zucchini donations on a regular basis. I dislike the taste, texture, and smell of it. I am starting to wonder if anyone really likes it or if everyone is trying to pawn theirs off too. I have tried to be a good sport about it and make stuff but the only recipes I can find call for maybe 1/2 cup of shredded zucchini, so what do you do with the rest? Freeze it? Then it piles up in your fridge until it takes over and all you have in there is frozen zucchini. These things don't usually get brought to my house when they are the size of a banana, they come when they are the size of my 6 year old son. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but seriously........

ADDIE'S FAT LIP

We were out on a walk on Monday when Addie got running faster than her legs could control and she wiped out on the street. She cut her lip open and had a fat lip by the time we got home. For someone this age a bandaid is the answer to 93% of her problems. So trying to explain to her that a bandaid wouldn't stick to the inside of her mouth was out of the question. We finally were able to flip her lip up and stick the bandaid to her cheeks. She looked pretty rediculous so I had to take a picture. Enjoy!

WHAT A FIND!

As a teenager, I used to be emarrased driving around town in our green suburban but I should have been thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't driving around in this! Andy and I saw this driving around Rexburg and had to follow it so we could get a picture. Words alone would not have colored quite the picture that an actual photo can. We were so mesmorized at all the work and creativity somebody put into this true lap of luxury! Who knows, maybe this could be our inspiration for the next Clarkmobile!

OH BABY!!!

I had put Ava down for a nap when a little while later thought I could hear talking coming from her room, sure enough Isaac and Addie had decided to join her and they were trying to all have a nap together. Sorry Ava, I guess this is what comes when your the 4th child with adoring sibilings.
Ava gets a new view of her world.
These cheeks almost look painful!

I FOUND THIS RECIPE FROM ONE OF MY FRIENDS BLOGS, I HAVEN'T TRIED IT BUT I THOUGHT IT SOUNDED GOOD....

Fresh Papaya and Chicken Quesadillas

If you're nervous about how papaya and chicken might taste together surrounded by a love bed of cheese--don't be. It's terrific, take my word for it. The papaya gives it a sweet and tropical flavor that is a little different but nothing to fear.

With the chicken in there, these quesadillas are much more than just an appetizer, these are officially a Healthy Main Dish. From henceforth and forever. Because I say so.

8 large flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 chicken breasts, grilled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup of red onion, finely diced
1 papaya, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups of fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
sour cream
salsa

Lay out four of the tortillas and divide the ingredients among them in this order: first the cheese, then the chicken, onion, papaya, cilantro and spinach. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with the remaining four quesadillas. Grill lightly in a frying pan coated with non-stick spray. After lightly browning both sides and melting the cheese, remove from pan and cut each quesadilla into quarters and top with a dollop of sour cream and 2 tablespoons of fresh tomato salsa if desired.

OUR LITTLE VISITOR

The last week we had my sister Kristi and her husband Craigs' little girl, Savannah here to stay with us while her parents basked in the Hawaiian sun. All I can say is that I have a new found respect for people who have twins! The old saying 2 minds are better than one was more like 2 minds are NAUGHTIER than one! They had a great time keeping me on my toes. We sure do love our little Savannah!

So Andy and I watched a show with Dr. Memmett Oz and lets just say that Andy and I are very motivated to eat healthier. It was a real eye opener. My motto on cooking has changed, it is no longer "the more processed the better" . it will take more work but we owe it to our Maker who gave us these wonderful bodies.

We tried this qualifying recipe last night and it was a hit with all of us.

It is Barilla spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and basil...

1 box 'barilla' thin spaghetti

2 Tbs olive oil

1 clove garlic

2 cups cherr tomatoes(halved)

salt/pepper

1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped

1/2 c. shredded parmesean

Cook pasta, meanwhile, heat olive oil and garlic in a large skillet until garlic is golden. Add cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Drain pasta nad add to skillet mixture. Add basil and toss over med heat for 1 minute. sprinkle cheese over each serving.

How We Love These Kids!

Those adorable eyes!!!!

All dressed up!

We thought we should capture this moment before we walked to church, it is such a rare sight to see these kids NOT covered in dirt! Ain't they sweet?

Our Trip To Howe, Idaho

We went on a drive after church to Howe Idaho to this warm spring that people come and leave their tropical fish that they don't want anymore. It is filled with African chiclids, we want to go back and see if we can catch some to put in our fish tank. Here are some pictures from there.