Mother's Day at My House

Mother's Day was actually very relaxed and enjoyable. I woke up at 2:30 AM and couldn't go back to sleep, so I didn't think we were off to a good start. Fortunately, Matthew was ready for a nap at 9, so Rob and I napped, too. Hurray! Almost felt like sleeping in!This week is Finals Week, so I wasn't expecting to see much of Rob, but was pleasantly surprised. I love spending time with my 2 favorite guys. Here are a few glimpses at my day:

Somebody cheesin' it up for skyping with Grandma, Grandpa & his Aunties (Sparks).

DELICIOUS grapes! Something about Mother's Day screams flowers and FRUIT!

My father-in-law makes a delicious veggie dip. I decided that it would make a lovely addition to our day. Rob & I like to use it on roast beef sandwiches, as well as veggies. I'd planned ahead and made a roast in the crockpot Saturday so it would be cool and easy to cut for Sunday. I also sliced up some celery, cucumbers, cauliflower and carrots. Yum! If you want to try the dip, here's the recipe:

1 C Mayonnaise

1 C Sour Cream

2 t Bon Appetite (seasoning)

2 t Dill Weed

2 t Onion Powder

I'd spotted this recipe on Pinterest and decided it was worthy of my weekend. I whipped up this Strawberry Yogurt Cake and it didn't disappoint! Fresh strawberries, Greek yogurt and some lemon juice/zest make it very moist and tasty. (By the way, the above picture is from online because I oopsed when I took it out of my bundt pan. lol! mine wasn't quite as pretty.)

Lastly, a gift from my guys. We have a ton of hummingbirds around here and I've been wanting a feeder. My husband apparently had the same idea (I don't remember ever mentioning it to him). SO THOUGHTFUL! And of course, iTunes is always fun. Got my mom's recipe for hummingbird feed and am gonna whip up a batch while listening to some new tunes.

Hope everyone out there had a wonderful Mother's Day, too!

Come On, Ride the Train!

Scottsdale is home to the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, which we visited with our friends Melissa & Madison. It was back in April, so the weather was actually B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! I miss those 70s!

They have 2 different trains you can ride. Above is the one we cruised around on a couple times. What a blast! We had a great time - Maddy & Maddie are so much fun!

They have a couple different play areas for the kiddos. We took a couple pics at the little Western Town play area and then had some fun on the Train Playground.



We also had a picnic, but I didn't take any pics. What a great place to take your family. They have BBQ areas, picnic tables, playgrounds, train rides and a museum. Admittance is free, but you do have to pay a couple of $ for the rides and the museum (they have snack shops that are super cheap, too -$1ish for an ice cream!).

Favorite Lullaby

If you're looking for a new lullaby, might I recommend "Godspeed" (by the Dixie Chicks). I came across it shortly after Matt was born and it's become one of my absolute favorites - one that's almost guaranteed to bring tears to my eyes. Check it out:

http://youtu.be/SSHY1IwRBcs

Happy Valentine's Day!

What have we been up to?

Well, not a whole lot. Between Matt and I, we've been sick off and on for the last 2 weeks...which sucks! So, here's what we've been up to:

Lots of hanging in our pj's...(and lots of laundry...)
Lots of baths...

We actually were feeling better for a day or two last week, so we went to Music Makers. It's a group that meets at the university for about 45 minutes to give the kids some fun music time.

They jingled bells, shook shakers, danced, made animal noises, played with a parachute and had a great time. Matt didn't quite know what to think about it at first, but he enjoyed it greatly...except when they took the fun bells away (which brought tears).

There were probably 2 dozen kids there, so it was crazy! As it turned out, a lot of them were from our ward. You can see Madison (our zoo friend) in the background below

We've also recently discovered that Pandora has a "Wiggles" station, so we're practicing our music jamming. Next time we go, we're gonna rock!

We sat by our friend Madge (and her Mom and sister).

Drinking lots of milk (no more nursing!)...

Thoroughly enjoying spaghetti...

Working on the spoon skills...

Really Mom?

Oh the insanity! (actually, he was jabbering away, it just looked like shock & awe)

That's really about it. I currently have no voice. Matt's snotty and fussy - both a cold and teething. Life can't get much better, right? As Rob would say, "we're living the dream!" :)

...oh yeah! I also introduced Matthew to my sick-day tradition - watching Pride & Prejudice! He actually paid attention quite a bit, which was a surprise (probably because there were dogs, ducks and pigs in it).

Zoo Day...

Last Thursday was set to be a beautiful 72 degrees, so my friend Melissa and her little Maddison joined Matt and I for a trip to the zoo. (Have I mentioned that I LOVE Arizona Winters?)

I didn't take as many pictures this trip because 1) I only had 1 free hand and 2) Matthew chose to not interact with the animals...grrr! Oh well, maybe next time.

Here are a few of the critters we saw this time:

This was a random bird that was out and about, but the kids seemed quite fascinated with it. Personally, I was creeped out by it and was reminded of a creature that should have been in Jurassic Park. Seriously, ceck out those feet!

We didn't feed the giraffes this time, but it was fun to watch them anyway. I love that the Phoenix Zoo has their exhibits so much more up close and personal.

We visited Stingray Bay, but of course, Matt wouldn't let me so much as set him next to the pool (they let the kids put their bellies on the wall so they can reach into the water). What's up with my kid??? It was a neat experience and I was a brave girl and petted one of the stingrays. Maddison, however was LOVING it and was drenched by the time we left. We hit the best time because there were two ladies feeding them, so it was like a frenzy. They had us stand between them, so there were tons of sting rays coming up to us.

At the petting zoo, Maddison and Melissa petted the goats...but Matthew did not.

Isn't this how it's supposed to work, Matt? At least Maddison had fun. :)

Here are our little joeys, Matty & Maddie - aren't they cute?

This is the proof that my child had such a great time. Lol! Really, he was quite happy as long as I was holding him, so don't think he was miserable the whole time...just when I put him down or tried to get him to interact with the animals.

Thanks Melissa and Maddison for the great day!

Birthday Photos

To preface the following pictures, I should explain that they were taken for sentimental value. When Rob was little, his Dad built him a little crate. Legend has it that Rob would be wearing nothing but his diaper while side-by-side with his Dad, standing on the crate to help work on the car. Well, we've hung onto the crate...

First Birthday...

Happy Birthday to my Little Man!

Kicked off the day with a trip to the doctor for stats and shots. (Poor guy!)

Height: 28.5"

Weight: 21 lbs 4 ozHe was pretty tuckered out after all that fun and promptly passed out in the car. :)

That evening we had a little cake party with the Sparks family. His Auntie Kimmie had decorated. :)
Grandpa Sparks had made an Elmo cake for the celebration. This served as the birthday cake for the 2 big boys.
We all wore party hats, and Matthew actually didn't mind. He left it alone until Mom took it off to change for cake time.

Daddy made a carrot cake with red cream cheese frosting for him. We thought that it may be a little less shocking to his system since it was his first real exposure to SUGAR. He hesitated to dig in, so I had to cut him a slice and dice it up. Then it was delicious and fun!

Of course, we thought it looked like meatloaf. LoL!

After cake, he got to take a bath - I wonder why? He had opened a the little tub toy early so he could play with it while cleaning off the frosting. :)

Splashing and having a blast, just like at home...

...and he was LOVIN it!

Then he got to open a few gifts before he headed to bed. More books, cars, and the Winnie the Pooh movie.

And lastly, a reminder to the big boys of the greatest birthday gift they'd ever received...and will ever receive again!