Tres Hermanas

I love getting together with my sisters,

and unfortunately,

it's not often enough.

Thankfully,

with the leisure of summer,

there's a little more flexibility in the schedule

for getting together.

Today,

we traveled to Marysville for
a little fun in the sun!

{I love how Ava begins and ends this journey...}

 We ate some snacks on the lawn before we hit the water...

Ava & Taylor

We took a break for lunch...

...and Taylor made me laugh!

I was teasing her for having sleepy eyes...

...so she obliged me with opening up those beautiful peepers!

{How do I have blond-haired and blue-eyed nieces?!?}

Owen's up on his water consumption!

And Gabriel's down with keeping the bod protected from the sun!

{Such health-conscious boys!}

Now we just have to work on keeping your food IN your mouth...

Beautiful girls:

Isabella and my younger sister,
Julia Maria Sabrina!

Gabe's a total baby about getting in the water.

When it was almost time to go,

that's when he wanted to
mosey on over to the water.



Water-fun was short-lived.

This boy thrives on a different kind of liquid...

We had a great time, Sophia!

Thanks for having us out,

and we definitely need to do this again!

{Sweet dreams, Ava!}

A "Wicked" Birthday

My mother-in-law, Clista, will be mortified by this post.

{Smile}

Let me start by saying that I am so blessed to have wonderful in-laws.

They love their children so much,

and their hearts are so full,

that each and every in-law really is like a child to them too.

It's easy to spend time with them,

and even more fun,

to think of ways to surprise them...

for example,

...a birthday.

Samuel has 5 brothers and sisters,
and typically we pool our money together
and spring for one big thing.

This year, Samuel and I had the best idea (or so we thought!):

Tickets to see

Wicked

in San Francisco!

Needless to say,

though we know they would have loved to see the show,

traveling to S.F. just didn't work out.

Oops!

So what to do...

they managed to give the tickets away and

purchased tickets to a show in-town.

They enjoyed a wonderful dinner too,

and had a great, great time.

And that,

is what matters most!

WE LOVE YOU!

Happy, happy birthday!



Ward BBQ

Our Ward Activities Committee did a great job

putting together this fun event for our ward family.

As you can tell,

July is hot, hot, hot!

But crayons...

and a great burger or dog-

make it all worth it!

After some water fun,

chit-chat,

and just plain lounging around,

we dragged Owen away from his Sunday School mate

and headed home for some good ol' fashioned A/C!



Temple Night & The Heavy-Weight

Hands down,

one of the things that has brought Samuel and I closer together

is regular Temple attendance.

And we needed that

-and continue to need that-

desperately.

I love my husband.

And I am so very grateful to be his wife...

...for time and all eternity.

 And just as refreshments are crucial
to any successful Family Home Evening,

a date IS NOT a date,

unless you feed me!

Hence,

The Heavyweight Roast Beef Sandwich at

Sam's Hof Brau in Sacramento. 

If you've never been,

GO.

Don't forget...

Get your bun dipped,

order the mashed potatoes (brown gravy only),

and don't even think of sitting down

until you have at least

6-7 tubs
of
pickles!

Samuel's a smart man.

I left a happy woman!

And that means a very, very happy man!



Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Zucchini is one of my all-time favorites, and a classic preparation that never fails is fat slices sauteed in olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper and served with a generous sprinkle of mozzerella cheese!  Sigh.  Heaven! 

But an experiementer I am, and as I've never tried my hand at zucchini bread before, it was my time.  Since I'm a little bit of health nut, the use of vegetable oil, which seemed to be a common demoninator in most recipes, wasn't at all appealing to me.  So I did what I enjoy best, which is to tweak things until it's to my liking!

I hope you enjoy it too!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Makes 36 mini-muffins

Nutritional Info (3 muffins):
211 calories; 5.5 fat grams

Ingredients

1 c plus 2 tbs, sugar
2 large eggs

1/4 c plain fat-free yogurt
1/2 c applesauce

2 tb unsalted butter, softened

2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbs dutch processed cocoa powder

2 medium zucchini, shredded and strained of excess moisture

1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pam Cooking Spray

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini-muffin tray generously with Pam Cooking Spray.

Trim the squash on both ends and grate in it's entirety.  Place the zucchini in a fine mesh sieve and squeeze out as much excess moisture as you can.  Toss the squash with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and place in the strainer over a bowl for 15-20 minutes to draw out any additional liquid.  Squeeze the zucchini once more and then set aside. 

 In a mixer and usig the paddle, set to low and cream the sugar, eggs, yogurt, applesauce, and butter.

In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together and then slowly incorporate into the wet ingredients.

Add the zucchini and the chocolate chips and mix on medium for several minutes.

{Resist the urge to lick!  But I don't always!}

And place approximately two tablespoons of batter into the mini-muffin tins, and bake at 350 degrees for approximately nine minutes.

Enjoy!

What a Difference a Hat Makes!

Where's my little boy?

I expect this little guy to take to the field at any second

to catch the fly ball!

{Is that even a baseball term?!?}

I love you, my son!

And don't get too big for your britches:

You are, and always will be...

MY BABY!

What Motivates You?

For potty training with Owen,

you can plainly see what works best for us!

To Owen:

Great job, my boy!

Remember...

Shoot down!!!

Quidditch

If you read my earlier post about Family Camp,

you'll understand why we gathered to play Quidditch

at Samuel former elementary school.

The kids had a blast,

especially when munching on Rice Krispy Treats!

The girls LOVED getting more face-time with their cousins!

{Guess who's turning nine?}

Meggers planned well and wore some battle gear. 

Though next time I'd think twice about wearing a skirt...

The Wyllies

...

Who knew Quidditch could burn so many calories?

We must have been a sight

because we even drew a small crowd of on-lookers!

Happy Family Home Evening!

5-second rule!

Owen & Lennon

Lennon is the oldest child of Samuel's elder (that sounds so old!) 

sister, Rachel.

Owen adores him,

and it's really sweet to see Lennon

take the time to talk and play with him.

Owen,

being blessed with three beautiful, bossy, mother-hen-like big sisters,

surely appreciates the brotherhood.

And though he tries his hardest to keep up with the "big boy's",

he's still my little guy.

Loves, Owen!

Lot's of loves!