Never too Old

Yesterday at 3:55 Madeleine and I said goodbye to the boys and Makayla (our sitter) and headed down the road. It would be MY FIRST PIANO lesson with Madeleine's teacher, Arlene. Madeleine has been counting down for two weeks. On the way to piano Madeleine was so sweet to offer me her piano books to practice with; I let her know that I would have my own Adult beginner books. She said that I could use her piano back pack to keep track of my books. She continued, "You know Mom, now that you will be taking lessons we will have to schedule practice time for you." So cute!!
Well, I was to go first, and though I suggested that Madeleine could read or do homework she said she just wanted to watch and listen to me....which is exactly what she did. I could feel her eyes glued to me:) Arlene is so kind and I feel very comfortable with her. I took one year of piano when I was 6 0r 7 years old and did not like it at all. I protested so much that my parents, to my utter disbelief, allowed me to quit (all the other kids had to take 5 yrs). I am so glad they listened to me because I remember disliking my teacher and practicing so much. Having said that, since I have grown I have wanted to play and I have decided that it is NEVER TOO LATE to learn something new.
About 6 years ago, when we lived in Vancouver, I decided that I wanted to learn how to make pottery and I didn't care that I had always thought that I didn't have a creative bone in my body. Desire counts for a lot! I loved it and no I was not the quickest learner in the bunch but I made steady improvements and absolutely loved the feeling of creating something with my hands. So, I have adopted the attitude that though something might not come naturally it does not mean that I can't become good at it and in so doing develop new and hopefully useful and enjoyable talents. Here are some things I have learned in the past 6 years:
-pottery -knitting -sewing -quilting (still in the process) -scrapbooking -cooking (lots of new recipes) -bread making -bow making -canning (peaches) -making freezer jam -piano (just beginning) -My friend Marla has taught me how to make a delicious salsa that I can and I shucked and cut off the kernels of corn from the local farms so we have fresh corn to eat year round.
On the physical side of things I have: began to run consistently and entered some races! I have become a bike rider, not a cyclist) and love our rides.
I am so happy with my progress and really do believe that if we have a desire to try something new and keep realistic expectations of ourselves there is a whole new world of wonderful talents to develop and share with our family and kids. I am so excited to begin piano! I hope to become a painter too...but that will have to be another day!

Stepping Out

This week I have branched out of my comfort zone and have made 2 batches (6 loaves) of some very delicious whole wheat bread. For some reason bread making (other than the banana and zuchinni type loaves) has seemed to be beyond my capabilities and I would console myself by reflecting on all that I do do and that "I can't do everything" (so funny b/c I am not even close to doing everything).
So what inspired me? We LOVE bread, really love bread....most likely influenced by our time in France, and our children love bread, and well, most store bought bread is just ok. Over the holidays my sister Heidi, who has baked a zillion loaves of bread, inspired me with her words and upon our return I began to flip through the bread book Eric had purchased this Fall. Eric was by my side for the first batch, frankly I needed his emotional support as I am always a wimp when it comes to the first time of trying something in the kitchen. The kids and us loved the bread and Austin even ate the CRUSTS! So two days later I made three more loaves and realized we were out of my freezer jam. I remembered preparing two bags of strawberries to use any way we might need them, so I thawed a bag and made 10 jars of jam (not without burning the pectin...who knew you couldn't speed up the boiling by placing the lid on top and letting it just go, oops!) It took Eric and I at least an hour of scrubbing to get the bottom clean.
Today my friend Marla was over and I was at a loss as to what to do with the pork loin I had removed from the freezer for tonight's dinner. She gave me an incredibly yummy idea of pulled pork (crock pot recipe with salsa, brown sugar and pork) with beans, rice, avocados, tomatoes, sour cream, corn and salsa on tortillas. It was FABULOUS! Yeah, I love adding new recipes to my collection, thanks Marla.
I am feeling so good about the "state of affairs" in my kitchen. I need order, it is a sickness, but I really do thrive on having order in my life. Well, I had none in the kitchen. We arrived home from the holidays with some new cookware and there was absolutely no where to put the new items. Our drawers felt so cluttered and unorganized, hence, I felt unorganized and frustrated. Well, my good friend Amy (pictured below) came to visit last week and helped to put my life, ok mostly my kitchen, back in order!!! She was so amazing and I am so grateful for her help.

To Cut or Not to Cut?

It is very hard to man the camera and get her to smile at the same time.


I love it when they first see you after their nap and they are so happy to see a loving face and beam ear to ear.
Olivia's hair....she was born with a lot and it has not fallen out, but has continued to grow (especially in the back). I should have included a photo from behind. I have been wondering what to do with it and decided that before I cut it all that I would try out some pigtails on our little cutie. Well, I think she looks Adorable! I took these photos today of her.

From Grandpa and Grandma Cornille's house we went to the Cluff House. The kids enjoyed wrestling, jumping on the trampoline, playing with their cousins and watching their cousin Mitchell play basketball. Eric and I enjoyed our evening out with Heidi and Roger and the great Thai food (my choice I think was the best :). Heidi wanted to try wo of our family recipes which was fun to share, and of course we had to make the chocolate chocolate cookies, yum!

The next stop, the Davenports. Once again the kids were thrilled to have time to just hang out and play with their cousins and enjoyed getting outside to the sport court and on walks. What great weather!

We were so happy to have been able to visit our friends the Malans. Jessica and I taught French at BYU together and then were in the same ward together after we were first married. They now live in Beaverton and are expecting their 3rd child. Thanks for such a great visit and a yummy dinner! Your family is wonderful and the kids loved their time with the boys.


We then made it to Washington and spent time with the Harbertson cousins. This is a photo of an indoor play place that was fantastic! I had no idea the kids would heat up so much from their running around; poor Justin was dying with his long insulated pants and long sleeve shirt. He ended up with a headache due to overheating. The kids were introduced to the Wii and loved it. Playing bball outside on the hoop with the big cousins was so fun for them.

The last stop was at the Neil's home. This is a picture of the kids making their own pizza's and calzone's; they had so much fun with that. Swimming at the local pool was a highlight for the kids as was playing outside with their cousins. So fun to see their new home and enjoy its space and beauty.
This family visit couldn't have been nicer. We cherished all of the time we had with family and friends and only wish it could have been longer. We love you family and miss you already.

The New Year

We spent New Year's Eve in Victoria with Leif and Corinna. We went to the stake New Year's activity for the kids and they absolutely loved the dancing, eating, staying up late and being goofy.
This was a daddy-daughter dance. It was so sweet to see them dance.
Auntie Corinna got involved with the kids on the dance floor. The next morning we headed to the ferry to begin our trip South to Washington and Oregon. First stop: Depoe Bay, Oregon.
My mom and Robert went the extra mile to make our time with them memorable. We fed the seagulls, went hot tubing, went to the aquarium, let off bottle rockets, had turtle pancakes and much much more.

Shortly after we arrived our good friends from Northern California (met at UBC in medicine) came with their two kids, Elisabeth and Justin. It had been two and a half years and it was so nice to catch up with them! We appreciate their time and effort to visit us and we loved our time with them.