Friday, June 27, 2008

Carter Cookies


Yesterday Cali went outside to run through the sprinklers with her friends, which gave me and Carter some mommy and son time. He wanted to make cookies, which he named "Carter Cookies They Have No Nuts". He was such a happy helper and devoured 15 of the gooie things. Here's the recipe for Carter Cookies.


Mix together:

One chocolatecakemix

1/3 c vegetable oil

2 eggs


Add:

1 1/2 c chocolate chips

1 c coconut


Cook:

9 minutes at 350 degrees

Take out of the oven at 9 minutes and place 1/2 of a big marshmallow on top (cut the marshmallows in 1/2 while the cookies are baking). Return to the oven for 2 more minutes. Cool. Eat. So good. So easy.

My Latest Creation


I took these four coordinating fabrics that I inherited from my grandma's fabric collection and transformed them into a cute little apron for my friend Rachel. Rachel was one of the first girls I taught in Young Women's when we moved to Herriman. Now she's all grown up and getting married tomorrow. I made her this apron for her wedding shower, after all any good wife should cook, right? Well, even if cooking isn't your thing it's still nice to look good while doing it.


The apron is reversible, so this is side A. Sorry the picture is a little blurry


This is side B. I think they are both equally cute. Not to mention the stunning wife-to-be-dance-major-ballroom dance-champion model.

Hold Still


It's rare, but it does happen from time to time. Carter holds still. Not only that, but he looks so peaceful and precious doing it.



Thursday, June 26, 2008

Happy Birthday Mom



Today is my mom's 50th birthday. Instead of having a giant birthday bash, she is giving the opening devotional at youth conference. It may even be hard to find her, because she will be busy chasing kids and organizing youth conference activites all weekend. She's a saint.


Here are 50 Things About My Dear Adorable Mother:


1. She never quits or gives up on anything or anyone.

2. She loves and laughs at ALL my dads jokes.

3. She is the best grandma to my kids.

4. She is a great phone talker, and can talk for hours on the phone.

5. She likes to swim, and actually learned how to swim about 7 years ago.

6. She has the most beautiful hair.

7. She never sweats the small stuff.

8. She is famous for saying, "Don't worry it will al work out in the end." And she means it.

9. Her full-time job is keeping my dad from going totally squirrelly.

10. She is an excellent pianist, but most people don't know that she can sing too.

11. She is as beautiful as a "jersey calf" (a direct quote from my grandma Cook).

12. She is great at baking treats, cookies, and cakes.

13. She is "Castle Dale's sweetheart" (thanks for another memorable quote, grandma).

14. She is funniest when she gets mad and when she swears.

15. She claims that she was "not so perverted until she met us (her children)."

16. She's a good skiier, and had dreams of being an Olympic figure skater.

17. She is very good at keeping up on her scrapbooks and has completed one for each year since

1980.

18. I don't think there is a movie that she has seen all the way through. She usually falls asleep within the first few minutes.

19. One day in 2003 she asked me, "who is Princess Di married to these days?" I had to tell her that Princess Di was dead.

20. She smiles all the time.

21. She was a pre school teacher for many years, and has a love of 3-6 year olds.

22. My kids love her many many toys, and she never cares when they pull out them ALL out and scatter them around the house.

23. In recent years she has learned to play the harp.

24. She can be found in the morning doing Turbo Jam, or walking on the dip road.

25. She is very respectful to everyone.

26. She is slowly trying to get caught up on technology. She knows how to mail merge and scan pictures.

27. She reads her scriptures everyday.

28. She loves M&M's.

29. She always waited up for us to get home, there was no sneaking by her....ever.

30. She is very good at letting her kids make their own decisions.

31. She only gives advice when asked.

32. She a very good seamstress and used to make us matching dresses. Not to mention the thousands of stage costumes.

33. She loves the Oregon coast, and has a small obsession with lighthouses.

34. She loves ice cream, especially flavors with liquor or coffee in them.

35. She is very affectionate, but HATES to be kissed on the lips. So we try to smooch her on the lips all the time.

36. She grew up on a turkey farm, and has no fear of mice or other dead animals.

37. She likes animals, but NEVER in the house.

38. She served as a gospel instructor to the women at the Emery County Jail. She learned a great deal about meth.

39. When I would complain about my hair or clothes before school she would say, "It's not a fashion show, it's school."

40. Her favorite color is purple.

41. She loves Suburbans and teared up a little when hers finally bit the big one.

42. She has had about every calling in the church and is now in the Stake Young Women's Presidency.

43. She has had a lot of health struggles in her adult life, but you wouldn't know it, and she would prefer that you don't.

44. I can tell her anything.

45. She always gives money for gifts, and I like to plan what I'm (she's) going to buy me for my birthday.

46. She likes to help those in need.

47. Her strength never ceases to amaze me.

48. My dad would never survive without her.

49. She has more talents than any other person I know.

50. She is the best mother.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Really?


I saw this headline on MSN this morning, and said (aloud) to my computer screen, "No duh." I know it's a really mature thing to say to a computer. It just seemed so....well...no duh(ish) to me. Although I don't believe in dinosaurs, I do believe that there are other worlds out there. I don't have any proof to back up the dinosaur thing, but apparently science is "on the verge" of discovering Earth-like planets. More here .

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Fun with the Freer's


Our good friends, the Freer's, came to Utah for a whirl-wind adventure. We were able to meet up for dinner at Ruby Tuesdays on Saturday evening. It was so fun to visit with them, and watch our kids go completely squirrelly. What could we expect? With us as parents, they don't have much of a choice.



Here's a picture of us acting more "normal", if there is such a thing.



The kids: Cali, Cole, and Carter (Carson stayed home with his grandma) splashing around in the fountain. They acted like they'd never seen water before! There was no way to keep these kids out of the fountain.

Book of Mormon Go Fish + Cursing = Pollastro Family Home Evening


Last night we decided to play Book of Mormon Go Fish. We've played it a hundred times, and it's pretty hilarious. "Give me all your Captain Moroni's." "Go Fish!" "Give me all your Sariah's." "Go Fish!" This goes on for a while until there are no more cards to fish. Usually we play on teams, Christian and Carter against me and Cali. Christian and Carter always kick our trash. It may be because we have a hard time holding all our cards, and always tip our hand. Whatever the case may be, we never win.

So last night Cali had her game face on. She wanted to win so bad. In fact, she said a prayer that we would win (couldn't Christian just let us have one??). We were half way through our first game. We had one match, Christian had four. When Christian said to us, "Give me all your Nephi's." We had three, which we reluctantly handed over, and he had his 5th match. No sooner had Cali handed him the cards than she slammed her hand on the floor and screamed, "DAMN IT!"

Christian laughed so hard he had to hide behind his cards. He couldn't even speak. The only thing I could say was, "Cali you just swore at the Book of Mormon game." She apologized and said, "I'm sorry mom I was just so frustrated."

We finished our game (we didn't win), and went on to play a second game (which was a tie).

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Where's the Fire?


What would you do if you were just minding your own business and your super-cool uncle Tyler drove up in this enormous fire truck? a) Try to climb up it? b) Try to run under it? c) Ask to drive it? d) all of the above. The answer of course is, d) ALL of the above. Oh yeah, and take a picture of it. Although this picture does not do it justice at all.

Friends


Every morning when Carter wakes up we have the same conversation. It goes like this.

Carter: "Mommy, is it morning time?"

Me: "Yes, good morning to you!"

Carter: "What are we going to do today?"

Me: "I don't know, what do you want to do today?"

Carter: "Make some friends!"


Carter makes friends where ever he goes, and EVERYONE is his friend. Even when we are at the store he will point at another kid and say, "hey, look at that friend over there." We were at Christian's softball game on Friday and Carter, true to form, made a new friend. Actually he made several. This picture is of him and his friend running around playing Fu Panda (Kung Fu Panda). They ran around for most of the game, until they started crying and I had to put a stop to their Kung Fu.


I made "friends" with the mother, and she told me that he her son will be five next month. So either that kid is very very small or Carter is headed for the NBA.


How different would this world be if our first thought each day was about making new friends? I need some work in this area for sure. The things we learn from our kids, amazing.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Whose Pants?


My sister Bethany and I spend a lot of time together. We live relatively close to each other, and now we even work in the same building. However, I have two other sisters who I don't see as often, Jayna and Dory. They are so hilarious, so I can only imagine what happens when they get together. Lucky for them they both live in Logan now, and are enjoying spending some quality time together, as you can see from the above picture.

The pants were a pair of old football warm ups that my dad had. They were way too big for him (and everyone else for that matter) but he kept them around and somehow they ended up in Jayna's possession. So, what do to crazy sisters do with large pants? Jump off the counter into them!

Uncle Carson


Could these two boys be any cuter? My brother-in-law Carson and I have had many wonderful adventures together. He was 16 when Christian and I got married. Now he's 25, graduated from college and well on his way to fantastic career as a mining engineer. Back in the day he would load up his truck and stay with us for the weekend at the University Village. We had long talks about girls and sports, and enjoyed hanging out. We've been on road trips together, and boogie boarded together in Mexico. He is a great brother and a fun uncle. I snapped this picture of Carter and Carson when we were in Price last weekend. It's so fun to look back and see how much fun we had, and to see how things change over the years.

Oh So Sassy


This amazing designer and very talented seamstress is a sister of my friend, and a friend of my sister's. Her designs are classic with very playful (and dare I say) sassy details. You must check out her etsy shop here.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A Wild Meowzering Weekend


The weekend started at 5:30 a.m. Christian and I got up early and went to the temple. When I got out of the car I noticed that the Angel Moroni was especially bright and shiny. I kept staring at it as we walked. After staring for a few minutes, I decided to take a picture. Christian asked what I was doing, and I told him I had to take a picture the angel was just show bright and shiny and I couldn't figure out why. He pointed out that the sun was coming up and shining on it from the east, which was causing it to appear very bright. Sunlight, that's simple enough. Christian ran into Richard G Scott coming out of the dressing room, so all in all it was a pretty great way to start the day.



After our little temple trip we drove to Price, with one stop for breakfast in Spanish Fork. We wanted to grab a breakfast at Burger King. When we pulled into the drive through Christian ordered a whopper (yes for breakfast), the friendly voice at the drive through told him that they were not ready to start serving whoppers. Christian kindly pointed out that the sign clearly said, "whoppers for breakfast". She told him the grill wasn't hot enough of yet. Which caused Christian to throw the car in reverse and high tail it out of there.



Whilst in Price we attended Melissa's baby shower, Melissa's birthday party, Nykelle's birthday party, along with a Father's Day celebration. A lot of of partying! Cali went to Grandma Gwennie's house for a sleep over.





We rocked some guitar hero until midnight. Well, that's when I gave up and went to bed. Christian and Carson were up way past their bed times!

Sunday morning came early, 6:00 a.m. to be exact. We got ready for church and drove to Castle Dale to church. There we met Cali, who had a wonderful time at Grandma Gwennie's.

After lunch my dad took me, Christian, Brandt, and Carter to see the baby goat. He decided to get the female instead of the neutered male. Don't ask me why, I don't speak goat. Our tiny goat was huddled in the shade with her brother, she didn't come over to the fence. Carter was in animal heaven!
Around 6:00 p.m. it was time to head home. So we loaded up our stuff and headed back to the city!

Friday the 13th


It started out like any other Friday. Alarm goes off, 6:00 a.m. Time to get up and get ready for work. My kids were gone to their Grandma Vicki's for the day, so getting ready was a little easier. Until....my highly favored and very expensive flat iron died! Just died. As in quit working all together. I was nearly done with my hair styling procedures, so I finished up the best I could with only a round brush and blow dryer. I was furious. I or may,or may not have thrown it across my bedroom

When I got to work I presented my "how to" presentation on, "How to make the most of a trip to Costco." It was a smash hit. Thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions, they were all very good. In the end I had to go with Natalie's suggestion due to my undying love of Costco. Everyone in the training class was very impressed, and my boss said it was the best one. So, I am on my way to earning my certification. Thank you all!

Afterwards I went to lunch at Costa Vida (an OK Cafe Rio knock off) with Bethany. She had a little bit of a rough day, and needed some venting time. As we were walking into Costa Vida a lady stopped us and said, "Are you two hair stylists?" No, we replied at the same time. Then she said, "Oh, I thought with such amazing hair you guys were stylists." I stopped dead in my tracks (remember the flat iron issue). I told her thank you, and that I was having a very bad hair day and her comment was much appreciated.

All in all it turned out to be an OK day. With no kids in sight, Christian and I drove up Butterfield Canyon (it's amazingly beautiful up there), and hung out the rest of the night. I also have to throw a shout out to my sissy Bethany, she saved my bacon not once or twice, but three times that day. First, by bringing me her flat iron to work so I could use it until I resolve my flat iron "issues". Second, by bringing me her jump drive so I could jump my presentation to another computer. And third, by bringing me homemade granola and grapes for a morning snack.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Wii Love Daddy


Happy (late) Father's Day to all the fathers. Especially the father of my children. This year Christian got a Wii, complete with guitar hero. He's actually been playing it for a few weeks now, he was just too excited he couldn't wait.

Wii Love Daddy because...
1. He is funny
2. He is an awesome diaper changer
3. He grills good food
4. He is fun to climb on
5. He is a hard worker
6. He gives good hair cuts
7. He likes to shop
8. He can make stylin' braids, buns, and piggytails
9. He keeps us safe when we are scared
10. He brings us surprises home from Costco

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Guess What?


Yep! I just got a call from my dad, and he is in the process of purchasing a goat. Not a Pygmy Goat, a Nigerian Dwarf Goat. Apparently they are much smaller, cuter, and more tame than a Pygmy Goat. Really. It's so hilarious.


The lady who does the goat breeding doesn't have any babies (I think they're called kids) until her mothers give birth (very soon), after six weeks the baby can leave it's mother and join my mom and dad on their "farm" in Castle Dale. Chances are, by the end of July my children will have their very own goat.


Brandt wants to name him (it's a neutered male), but my dad says that Cali and Carter get to name him. I think we should name him Replacement Dory. My sister Dory moved to Logan last weekend. She's not even been gone a week, and my parents have already replaced her with a goat.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

How To....



On Friday I have to give a training presentation at work. The topic is, "How To..." The other trainers who are participating in the course are going to give their presentations on topics that they are already teaching as part of their jobs. I, on the other hand, am not a trainer. I work in the Education and Development Department, but I am not a classroom trainer. My main job is to coordinate training related projects and generate revenue for our department. I am taking the course as part of a certification program.

That being said, I am having a hard time deciding a topic. I know I know I have to present on Friday, and obtaining my certification depends on it....But I just don't know what to do. Any suggestions? My boss and teacher of the course (as well as best boss ever and experienced corporate trainer) said it could be ANYTHING. Well, that really narrows it down. Help.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Perspective


Have you ever felt small?

Petting Zoo Remix: Grandpa Neal and Grandma Gwennie Style


Checking out the pygmy goats. My dad is so close to buying some pygmy goats for my kids, which he will keep at his home in the country. I don't think my mom is totally sold on the whole idea, but I think it would be hilarious. By the way, I must throw a shout out to my mom's magnificent hair. Have you ever seen anything so amazing? She thinks she is going to cut it, but we (mostly me and my dad) keep stopping her.


I'm not going to lie, I was little frightened by the size of this horse.


Inside the "Dance Hall", he and Cali performed a wonderful dance rendition. I snapped this while he was taking a break from dancing.


He rode the pony ride four times. I guess by the third time he realized that they weren't going to go any faster. So he leaned out like a jockey and told the pony to "gittie up!" I hope he didn't have his heart set on becoming a jockey, he is already too big for that. Sorry Carter.


Cali was deep in thought as she rode the big pony.


Feeding the tiny goat-sheep, or whatever they were. Carter was trying to feed them one kernel of corn at a time. He didn't like it when they licked his hands.

Not on My List


On Saturday I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few items. On my list: oranges, bananas, apples, cheese, and milk. Not on my list: chocolate chips and a Fabreeze plug-in-changeable-scent adjusting-air freshener.

We were just shopping around minding or own business when a kindly elderly gentlemen invited us over to his demo table. Cali thought he was giving out free food samples (hello, Costco samples). Not so, he was demo-ing the Fabreeze plug in. He told Cali how cute and beautiful and smart she was, he told me how beautiful and striking and tall and magnificent I was, he told Carter how handsome and wonderful he was. Then he gave us coupon for $1.00 off and walked us over to the air freshener section. He gave Cali a free plug-in warmer, told her how beautiful she was again and left us there staring at the Fabreeze scents. Cali's no dummie, she started smelling them and had no problem picking the raspberry/melon combo.

On the way out of the store we went down the baking aisle and Carter snagged a bag of chocolate chips that he held on to with his Kung Fu grip. I had to pry them out of his hands to scan and pay for them. So all in all it was a successful trip to the store.

That is, if your definition of "success" is getting seduced into buying a random air freshener buy an elderly gentleman, and having a full-on melt down over a bag of chocolate chips.

On the bright side: Cali's room smells pretty wonderful, and we made chocolate chip cookies!

My Greatest Joy, My Biggest Struggle

If you were looking for a full-time job and someone offered you a job, but told you the hours would be unpredictable, would you take the job? What if they told you that the people under your supervision would be ornery, whiny, and at times just plain rude. Would you take it? On top of that, what if the job had no salary and most time-off requests would be denied. Would you still take the job? I'm a pretty logical person, and this job description doesn't sound all that great. However, I think I was hired for this exact position the day I had Cali. It is very strange to me that my greatest joy in life is also my biggest struggle. Have you ever felt this? The feeling that you wouldn't trade your life for anything, but you didn't realize how challenging it would be. I guess if we knew all the ins and outs of parenting children we would either be pros, or wouldn't do it!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Spread the Word


The class of 1998 now has an official blog. http://www.emery1998.blogspot.com/ if you have some exciting news or would like to add a post, email emery1998@gmail.com. If not, at least check it out and look through the list of lost classmates. If you know where any of them are (or how to find them) email the info to the above email address. Thanks to Lyndsay for getting this party started. Go Spartans!

Ladies Night/Card Club/Baby Shower/Sweat Shop/Eat Until 1:00 a.m./Great Time

Last Saturday our little group of friends got together for our monthly card club. We really packed it in this month. Not only did we exchange cards (which I didn't get a picture of), but we threw a surprise baby shower for our wonderful host, Laurie. She in turn taught us how to make the cutest tote bags (I did get a picture of those). Mine is the brown with the brown stripes. The sewing project took most of the night, be we didn't even notice that it was 1:00 a.m. That's what happens when friends have an endless supply of food and a lot to talk about.


The bags turned out so well, and were pretty easy to make. I am actually working on a princess one for Cali, imagine that.


Some hot sweat shop workers. Audrey, Regina, and Stacey.

June 4, 2008


There is something very wrong with this weather. It has been cold, raining, and snowing in the mountains. I am freezing and drinking hot chocolate on June 4. My kids went to bed in their summer pajamas and woke up as popcicles. Christian turned the furnace back on this morning because our house was 65 degrees. Seriously. It's June.


I look happy about it, but I'm not. That's my fake happy smile.