Gone Too Fast

I have so many Mom moments where I think to myself "Time is going by waaaaaay too fast!" It can be a good thing though, because those become the moments that get photographed the most and create the best memories. Those moments of stillness that are extremely rare with a 15 month old, become cherished. Lately Maggie has loved sitting in her rocking chair in her room flipping through books and looking out her window. Really though she just loves that she is big enough to climb up there all by herself. 

Then there are these moments, when they actually pretend to like each other outside of feeding time, when scraps are dropped to them from her highchair.  One day they will be best friends, that is if Maggie learns to stop poking their eyes out. 

The bad moments have to be documented as well, no matter how angry I was ten seconds before this picture was taken. I was cleaning our bathroom while Maggie was playing by the tub. I turned my back literally for 30 seconds and when I came back, she had gotten into a bottle of nail polish and attempted to paint pretties on her face. I knew something was up when I heard her going "mmmmmm" in the bathroom, and knew there was nothing edible in there. She knew she was in deep crap and refused to hold still for a picture. My Bathmat is now a piece of artwork with hot pink splatters on it, as are the pants she was wearing. 

We had a cousins birthday on Saturday. She wasn't sure what to think of all these hats on everyone's head. 

Friday we took her to the Zoo for the first time. She was just as thrilled to run wild as she was to see the wild. All of her stuffed animals came to life and she was so captivated. We wound up buying an annual pass so we will be going back often. 

Daddy's shoulders made an excellent means of transportation when her legs gave out. 

Somewhere buried at my parents are pictures of myself and all of my sisters drinking from this fountain. It's an absolute must have photo for all kids. 

What size Gorilla are you?!?!

The train was the coconut syrup to her Dr. Pepper! Heaven. She loved it and giggled the whole way. The giraffes were even kind enough to come out as we Choo-Chooed on by. She was so much fun to watch. 

We capped off our week of growing too fast by making a giant measuring chart. You've probably seen these floating around on Pinterest. They are a cinch to make. I purchased my already primed piece of MDF from Home Depot for about $7.00. I wanted something white rather than the stained wood. I just then just marked my tic marks with a yard stick and painted them on. I got my number stencils at Hobby Lobby. Seriously the whole project took maybe 2 hours. I love having it right in our Kitchen reminding us how quickly they grow and to make the best of each moment. 

I took the liberty of marking her 1 year old height...you know, for Good Measure ;)

This board will be so fun to look back at in twenty years and hopefully it will be filled with the markings of future littles, who I'm also sure will grow up way too fast. 

Happy Monday

XO-Kelli

Hump Day

School Starts in less than three weeks and our mornings will no longer be filled with laziness. They will however be filled with many more matching headband days like today. I'm loving making these knotted t-shirt headbands. What I love even more is that Maggie keeps them on. She thinks it's pretty silly when she sees we are wearing the same thing. I think I look pretty silly in this picture period. I tried so hard to get her to take a fun selfie but this was the best I could do. 

Lately we are spending more time upstairs playing in Maggie's room, pulling every stuffed animal and book out of their shelves, and attempting to put on every pair of pants in her dresser. She is all about trying to dress herself lately. I think we are going to be in trouble before too long. 

Wednesdays get even more exciting when packages come. I took advantage of some major JCrew Factory sales and stocked up on some Fall necessities. I am soo looking forward to rocking these with my favorite Boots. I'm so in love with the Jewelry tray. I can finally take my most frequently worn jewelry out of the tupperware container it has been housed in. 

We have had thunderstorm overload this week and I have been loving it. This is what every evening has looked like for the last several days. Doesn't get much better than this. 

Here is the best part. A successful test kitchen run in the middle of the week?....My work here is done. 

This was so easy and delicious, and it looked like I slaved for hours. Triple Win!

Here is what you need:

1 Roll of refrigerated crescent rolls. ( I used generic brand but wished I had used Pillsbury. FYI). 

1/2 a Bag of Frozen Meatballs

1/3 of a Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

1 can of Diced Tomatoes (mine had onions and garlic in them). 

About 1 cup of mixed cheeses. Anything will do really. I used Italian Blend, Parm, and Colby/Mont Jack. 

Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Italian Seasoning, Dried Parsley, and Pepper. 

Baking Stone. I used my Pampered Chef Stoneware Baking Sheet. 

Thaw your Meatballs out in a strainer with some hot water. No need to cook them. 

Roll your Crescent dough out into a rectangle. 

In a bowl, put your meatballs, can of tomatoes and about 1-2 cups of spaghetti sauce. 

Mix together and pour down the center of your crescent dough. 

Sprinkle with Garlic pwdr, Onion Pwdr, Pepper and Cheeses. 

Next take a pizza cutter or a knife and cut the excess crescent dough on a diagonal until you reach the filling. Pull the dough over the top, alternating sides to create a braided look. 

Top with Parsley and Italian Seasoning. 

Bake @ 375* for about 18-22 minutes, until brown and and no longer doughy to the touch. 

Makes about 6 servings. Don't worry, the brown was just the juices that browned onto the stone. It was perfectly flaky, buttery and delicious. 

Happy Hump Day. 

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

It's a common known rule that when a July Thunderstorm hits...you dance in it. 

You take advantage of not having to water your plants. 

But most of all, you do the stinkbug walk!!!

And when that loud clap of thunder hits, you hightail it back into the garage and in the house as fast as you can. 

And finish watching the storm from inside. 

And when the Sun finally peeks through the clouds, you wish you were as smart as the neighbor kids and put on your swim suits to take advantage of the flooded storm drains. 

I have only seen this drain overflow flood one other time in the last five years. Usually it's completely dry, but today it was at least 5-6 feet deep. That's what a torrential downpour does on a July afternoon. 

With all these rain storms, we haven't been able to get outside much, so I decided to get a head start on some Christmas projects. We intend to get Maggie a play kitchen for Christmas, so I wanted to whip out an apron to go with it and use some of my scraps. 

Not to bad for having no pattern. I just used a small dessert plate to cut the curve in the body of the apron. 

Happy Tuesday

XO Kelli

24th of July

We get an extra dose of Summer Celebration here in Utah with the 24th of July Pioneer Days. Nothing says Summer like small town parades. They have quickly become a favorite of Maggie's. She gives her undivided attention and an extra special applause to the fire engines and the high school marching band. 

I would give all the sour patch watermelons in the world to have her sit this still at home. 

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to snap a photo of the Jazzy Couch!

After the Parade we headed over the park for fun and games, and some Giddy Up time. She was a little unsure at first but she warmed up pretty quick. I can't get enough of her squinty little nose when she really smiles. 

We opted out of joining the rest of the family for fireworks, since Maggie goes to bed so early. When I heard them all going off I decided to wake her up and let her experience them. Living on the side of a mountain has its perks. We had a view of the entire valley, and about 50 different fireworks displays. She loved the fireworks, but she was more fascinated by the stars. For someone who goes to bed before the sun goes down, she hasn't had many opportunities to see them. 

I love to have someone remind me of the little things. 

Geez these Summer sunsets never get old. Too bad it takes a bunch of forest fires to make them so beautiful. 

Happy Weekend. 

Patriotic Weekend

One of my oldest memories I have as a child goes back to when I was about 18 months old. I very distinctly remember my mom rocking me in the living room chair and giving me a late night bottle. Why I remember this I don't know, but I do know it has very much affected the way I parent. You never know what the first memory is your child will remember. I always anticipate these amazing holidays, and somehow the plans I would like to make, never really happen. Instead something better happens, we wind up getting these simple, memory filled days that make this little girl extremely happy.  

We had a laid back 4th. We went to a Splash Pad we haven't been to yet with cousins, and it quickly became our favorite. Maggie decided to start walking, and was all over the place. She is so proud of herself. Later we went to the Freedom Festival in Provo and walked around the booths and had a picnic on top of a parking garage while we waited for the fireworks to start at the Stadium. 

Last year Grandma and Grandpa were serving an LDS Mission back in Philadelphia, so needless to say they were excited to be home with Grandkids for the 4th. Grandpa makes for an excellent jungle gym. We had an amazing view of the sunset that night and I couldn't help but snap a pic of it reflection with a patriotic flare. By the time fireworks started, Maggie was going on four hours past her bedtime and was not a happy camper. I tried to snap a few pics of fireworks but they were all blurry, thanks to the squirming, screaming child I was holding. She's a ball of fun when she is tired. Up until that last half hour though, she really was a blast and was so into everything that was happening around her. Unfortunately Daddy was at work that night and wasn't able to join in our family picture. Maybe next year. I couldn't help but post a flash back of her from the 4th of July last year, 2 months and 1 day old, wearing the same hair bow. We will see how many years in a row we can get her to wear it. 

I hope you all had an amazing Holiday. I love this time of year, and love being in Utah even more, because in 2 weeks we get to celebrate again for the State's 24th of July Celebration...until then, onto the pictures. That is what you came for after all right?

XO: Kelli