Can You Guess Our Theme?

If you attended Abbie's fun Halloween party last weekend, you are not allowed to guess. We were trying to work around Oliver's monkey costume and Mabel's desire to be a pink ghost. By the way, pink ghost costumes are harder to make than you might think. Those white and blue things are eyes.

He loved the tie.
Oliver will be wearing this ensemble again tonight for trick-or-treating, but Mabel has changed her mind and will be a princess instead.


Doesn't Mike look sweet with brown curly hair and a mustache?
That mustache is made with 100% human hair. Gross.

The World's Pickiest Dresser

After trying on several (like 5) different outfits this morning, this is the one that Mabel finally decided to wear:

Things Mabel will NOT wear:
1. pants
2. skirts
3. shirts
4. anything that is not pink, or predominantly pink
5. anything she doesn't like, which is pretty much everything

Things Mabel WILL wear:
1. dresses that she has picked out

I really shouldn't complain, her pickiness saves me a lot of money. She can get by with just a handful of dresses. With cooler temps on their way, though, this might get tricky.

The Name Game

I am not sure what a "meme" is, but I have been tagged by Leslie, so here goes.

What did you name your kids and why?

Mabel Kay: Mike came up with Mabel's name. When I asked him why he chose it, he didn't really have an answer. He said he just likes it. I remember when we were freshman at BYU, he made me a mix tape and one of the songs was called "Mable" by the band Goldfinger. I don't know if that's where he first heard it, but when we found out we were having a girl, he was pretty set on it. I liked it, but I wasn't so sure. Of course I love it now. It is very old fashioned and not at all popular. When we first named her Mabel, we had a lot of people asking us if it was one of our grandmother's name. We would smile and say no, and then they would look a little surprised, wondering why we would use such an old name if it wasn't a family name. Her middle name is Kay, after her Nana, Susan Kay. I thought it went well with Mabel, and I feel strongly that at least one name should be tied to family.

Oliver Clayton: Mike came up with Oliver's name, too. We were sitting on the couch one night, just throwing names out, and he said, "what about Oliver?" I liked it immediately. A few months later, we were driving home to California from Arizona in the middle of the night, and the name Oliver Clayton came to me. I decided then that our baby boy would have that name. Clayton was my Great Grandfather's name. After he was born, we learned that Oliver is a family name a few generations back on both sides.

Ever since I was about 7 months pregnant with Mabel, I have loved the name Sadie. We had already decided on Mabel's name, and I wasn't going to change it, so I knew that our next daughter would be a Sadie. Sadie Stella was my Great Grandmother's name, the wife of Clayton (right, Leslie?). I love it. It is classic, easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and not super popular. I was really hoping Oliver was a girl so that I could use the name Sadie Stella, but I guess I will have to wait. If I can ever manage to get pregnant again, and we have a girl, this will be her name.

Ok, now I am tagging Robin, Amber, Hilari, and Ginger. Go!

Oliver to the Rescue

my hero

Recipe of the Week

I know these make for very boring blog entries, but who doesn't like a new dinner idea every once in a while? Plus, I feel like I have to live up to my blog's name. So here you go.

Soy-Marinated London Broil

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 clove garlic, thickly sliced
1 1/2 pounds top round London broil, about 1 1/2 inches thick
1 1/2 cups white rice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 scallions, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

In a large skillet, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, and garlic until the sugar dissolves. Rinse the meat, pat it dry with a paper towel, and place it in the skillet, turning to coat. Let stand for 20 minutes, turning once more. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the package directions.

Adjust oven rack to upper third of oven and turn on broiler. Transfer the meat to a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Reserve the marinade in the skillet. Sprinkle the meat with the pepper and broil, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing thinly. Place the skillet containing the marinade over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the scallions, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes. Divide the rice among 4 plates, arrange the meat on top, spoon the scallions and sauce over it, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Tip: Boiling the leftover marinade before using it as a sauce is necessary to kill any bacteria from the raw meat.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

It is delicious! Thank you Real Simple.

These Boots are Made for Walking

We have returned from the lone star state. Here are some highlights:

Dear Audrey,
Mabel LOVES her new boots. I am sure she will wear them everyday. While we were at your house, Oliver liked to pretend that your boots were his. Isn't he silly? I don't know what it is with him and pink footwear. Thanks for playing with Mabel while we were there. She had so much fun in your room playing with unicorns and ponies!

Dear Miles,
Thanks for being so delicious. I couldn't smell you because of my dumb stuffy nose, but I was able to catch a wiff every once in a while. I am glad we got to see you before you get too big.

Dear bounce store,
Thanks for being so fun.

Dear Parker,

Thanks for being such a nice big cousin and blowing bubbles for Oliver. Oliver thinks you are really cool and loved playing with all of your toys. Next time you will have to come visit us at our house.

Dear Gramma and Pa,
Thanks for meeting us there. It was so fun to see you! Mabel especially loved that Pa slept with her on the little tiny twin-sized fold out couch. We can't wait to see you again next month.

Dear Gramma,

Thanks for bringing little chocolate balls. Oliver couldn't get enough of them.



Dear Leslie (and Neal),
Thanks for housing us, entertaining us, feeding us, and clothing us. We had so much fun! I wish we lived closer. Are you sure you won't consider Arizona? It's not that hot, I promise.

Buh--Bye

The kids and I are off to Texas.
See you later.

Fall Fashions

(sorry this is so blurry!)

With a high of only 79 degrees today, I couldn't refuse putting my kids in some "fall" clothes for church. That means sleeves for Mabel and pants for Oliver.

Tonight our kids decided that our neighbors are way more interesting than me and Mike.

Me Time

(Please excuse the glare.)

"There are times when a bear has to be alone with himself,
to think his own thoughts and sing his own songs."

Bear by Himself
by Geoffrey Hayes

It's All About the Metal

Luckily for Mike, I am not a big diamond person. I feel like diamonds need to be earned, and I haven't lived long enough to earn one. Here is my wedding ring, newly re-sized and re-brushed. It turns out it was eating away the flesh on my finger because it was too tight. Maybe now I can start wearing it again. I feel like a blushing bride every time I look at my left hand.

Mike and I Can't Mingle

Now that the temperature has finally cooled off (It is in the 60's at night!) our fabulous neighborhood had a block party last night. I didn't know neighborhoods still did those sorts of things. Our bishop, who lives down the street, provided sandwiches and the rest of us brought salads and desserts. If Mike and I were capable of mingling (since marriage we have seriously and mysteriously lost that ability), it might have been a little more rewarding, but the kids sure loved the bounce house.

Monkey Business

we're ready for halloween

Socks, Part 2

A Kiss for Pa

We love you!