Out of Order

I decided that I always post our trip in order of who we visited 1st-last, but I think I'll go out of order this time!  Today I'm going to do Randy's mom's house, which was our last stop.
 

 Randy's Grandma lives in a nursing home close to Randy's Mom and Step-dad's house.  We all got to visit her once together, and then Randy went every day after that with his mom.  In this picture he is with his brother Mark.  Mark was so nice to stay as long as he could to be with us and catch up with Randy.  Randy loved that.  Anyway, we enjoyed getting to visit with Grandma.

 On our visit with everyone to the nursing home Randy's mom got to entertain the kids with Grandma's wheelchair in the hall.  They had so much fun getting rides down the hall.  She had fun with her grandkids- although the amount of rides she had to give might have been a little much.  =) They never wanted it to end!

 Randy's mom lives in the beautiful Washington country.  They have a little land and therefore a tractor and other fun things for kids to climb all over.  The little boy in the pictures is their cousin, Payton, who got to spend the week with us there.  The girls had so much fun with him.

 They have this beautiful lake and river that goes to the lake right out their back yard.  The kids went on a walk with Randy down to the river/lake when I was in town shopping with his mom.  =)  That made everyone happy.

 Mom bought the grand-kids a slip-n-slide and they were on it ALL DAY.  I mean, over, and over, and over again.  It was definitely a hit.  They were so sore the next day.  We also got to have a family bonfire complete with s'mores, and a day at the Moses Lake pool.  We had such a great visit.

 Randy, Mom, Kenadi, Mya, Emma (left to right, top to bottom)

Oh, and this is the only picture I got of John the whole time!  He was busy working so not around as much.

After we left Mom and John's house, we headed back on our long journey to Oklahoma.  WAY too long.  But I just keep dreaming about this delicious, expensive (for a milkshake) but worth it, milkshake.  OHHHH, I WILL stop here every time I drive this way.  Can you guess what kind it is?  Nothing but my favorite, huckleberry. 

 Now this has nothing to do with our trip, but I thought I'd give a few updates of what happens at home.  EVERY single time I go somewhere with Emma and Mya, they bring an armload of babies, horses, puppies, baby doll strollers, baby doll carseats.... etc.  Every time.  I can't get them to leave them home.  But I can make them leave them in the van, so at least we don't haul all of that into stores and stuff.  But still.  It's crazy.

And Kenadi has hardly any teeth left in her head.  She keeps losing them faster than she's growing them back.  She looks hilarious.

So Much Has Been Happening

We finally got to go home to visit our family this summer!  So, I'm going to post pictures in stages- this the time I spent on my way to NW Washington.  I took the girls from Oklahoma to Idaho Falls in 2 days, then stayed with my sister Haley for a couple of days.  I was lucky because our youngest sister Jenna was staying with Haley and was able to drive with me to northern Idaho and stay with our grandparents and then over to West Washington where our parents live.  The trip was SOOO long.  Well, the driving part anyway.  I have so many pictures of the girls conked out in their car seats.  They handled the drive up there pretty well.  On the way home to Oklahoma Mya hated it and was pretty difficult, but at least I had Randy with me then.

 I think Kenadi or Emma fixed Jenna's hair in this pic.  =)  Left to right: Jenna, Mya, Paige, Haley, Kenadi, me, Emma, and Sadie.

Haley was so sweet and took us in for a few days and Paige was only a month old.  I had such a good time with her and Jenna.  It was so good to see my beautiful sisters!

 Little cousins.

 I LOVE my family!  I was so happy I got to see Lois and Mike (my aunt and uncle- my dad's sister). They were like my parents when I was at college and they took Randy in as a son too.  Their kids/my cousins all live around there and I got to visit with at least one of them.  What a fun, loving family. I had so much fun visiting them.

 Kenadi, Emma, Mya and Sadie got along pretty well too.  They had so much fun playing ponies and swimming together.  My girls couldn't get enough of Haley's newest baby, Paige.  She was so adorable!

 On to Northern Idaho!  This is my grandparents barn- it's now a "store" or kids play fort made into something like a store.  The girls would climb the TALL ladder up there and play for a long time.  My grandparents farm is a paradise- for adults and kids.  The girls loved to just explore and not be under my thumb all of the time.  I loved to see their independence.

 My cute grandma.  If only I could have her energy.

 Grandma, Kenadi, Mya, Jenna, and Emmy

 Big, pregnant, me- and the rest of them.  =)

 Kenadi, Grandpa, and Emmy.  He is so good with the little girls.  

 The raspberries were in season, and the girls spent a LOT of time raspberry hunting.  yum!

 This is the upper pond at my grandparents house.  There are 2 small islands and a bridge that grandpa built to one of them.  So peaceful.

 In the field.  It was nice to have Jenna with me to help take pictures.  =)  

These are a few of the pictures I took... I WILL post the rest of the trip and in a timely manner!

A Favorite Cookie Recipe of Mine

I posted on Facebook today a picture of all of the bread I made and a batch of cookies.  The bread recipe is already on this blog- here's the link to the page because it was written a long time ago: Bread recipe.  I wrote it for 2 loaves, but it is easily doubled.  I always make 4 at a time.

The cookies are a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I've perfected to my tastes, and I must say they are perfect!  (for my family anyway)
Here Goes:
Tara's chocolate chip cookies
1/2 C butter
1/2 C shortening ( plain or butter flavored is fine) ( this helps them not flatten out so much)
3/4 C brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white flour
1 bag chocolate chips

Cream butter, shortening, and sugars.  About 3 minutes, or until it is really creamy and lighter in color.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix in.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking soda) and mix well.  Add chocolate chips last.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

If you want an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, do the same recipe until the flour, and instead add: 1 C whole wheat flour, 1 3/4 cup white flour and 1 1/2 cup quick oats.

• Here's the Key: I love my cookies thicker, and soft in the middle so I add the shortening to help the cookie stay more round and I have more flour than other chocolate chip cookie recipes.  
• Another thing- put your cookies on the cookie sheet in a round ball and don't flatten it out.  
• Make sure you take them out at 8 minutes or as soon as you start seeing the first tiny bit of golden brown color on them.  Not all over it, but just on the highest tip of the cookie or whatever.  They wont look done, but when you take them out they will continue cooking on the sheet for a bit, so they will be perfect.  
• Transfer to wire racks after they've sat about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.

Oklahoma, OK

I'm pretty sure I've aged 20 years in my 7 years of being here.  5 of those years were within the last week.  All of these tornadoes have gotten uncomfortably close, and I don't think I can make it another year here.  Just when I'm starting to get comfortable and think that I could stay forever, a tornado, or hail, or an earthquake, or excessive 100+ degree heat comes to bring me back to reality.  I do like Oklahoma though.  I will be really sad to leave it, and our wonderful friends and ward here.  People in Oklahoma are genuine.  They are kind, thoughtful, resilient, strong, and not weak.  I think all of the crazy stuff that happens here has brought people together.  They love God, and they aren't afraid to talk about Him, and praise Him.  They realize all of the blessings He has given them- even in times of tragedy.  That's something I don't remember noticing in Oregon.  I LOVE Oregon, but I don't remember Oregonians being so willing to talk about God, or religion there.  (Correct me if I remember wrong, my Oregonian friends.)  These are things I want to remember about my friends here- and the people here.  Living here is not for the faint of heart.  It has strengthened me, and grounded me.  Reminded me of what is most important- people, not things. 

 During this last tornado that came about 2 miles from our house, (it was actually heading straight for us until it made a sudden turn south) we had our most important things with us in our neighbors storm shelter- our family.  I even thought, "this tornado could take our house completely out, and I'd be ok.  I would be sad, but it would all be ok".  Which is true.  I think that's crazy that I could think that way, but you know, it's just me realizing that as long as my husband and children are ok, we can rebuild together.  Family is what matters, not stuff.  

I still feel so sad and heartbroken for all of the people who lost their homes, and especially family members.  I'm so sorry for them.  I still pray for them, and will look for ways to serve them.  We went down to our friend's cabin last weekend and drove through Moore.  It was as bad as it looks on tv.  Here are some pictures of our drive through.

 Here are some pictures of us on Friday night as we hunkered down with our good neighbor, Grandpa Curtis, in his shelter:

I just think Mya's face is hilarious in this picture.

Randy Emma and Mya were watching the shelter door and listening to the huge hail pound it.

The rest of the pictures are of us at the cabin/lake by the cabin.  It was so wonderful to get away for the weekend and bond as a family.  We needed to just relax and enjoy each other, and that's just what we did.

These pictures are not in order, but the temperature was so nice the first day ( a little chilly at first when you got in the water, but really nice after you were in for a couple of minutes- perfect for those on the beach).  The second day was very windy and the girls didn't last near as long in the water as they did on the first.  What was terrible, was that they asked me to jump in that chilly water and swim with them- so I did.  And as soon as I got in they were done.  So there I was, wet and cold right along with them.  It wouldn't have been so bad if the wind would have just quit.  But hey- it's Oklahoma!  It's windy here!  So, Mya spent the second day wrapped in a towel most of the time.  

 Kenadi swam for a bit, and then wrapped in a towel too.  =)

On the first day Kenadi and Emma and some friends of theirs ( family friends came down the first day of swimming to hang out on the beach with us, that was nice) made some little sand castles.  This one is a sand snowman.

 This is me and my friend Jashel and one of her little boys.  Enjoying relaxing on the beach.

 Our friends with the cabin let us use their fun little electric car to go back and forth from the beach with.  It was cute and the girls LOVED it.  

Randy and Emma ate most of the Doritos.  Emma takes after her daddy with her love of chips.  I think she'd rather have chips then a sugary treat.

 Mya has no fear of the water.  Which makes me a little fearful for her.  She would have swam out to the middle of the lake if we'd have let her.  Kenadi and Mya are similar that way.  Little fish.

 Emma's more comfortable on land.  

I love Mya's little tongue sticking out here.  She does that a lot when she's thinking.

On to a different topic- Kenadi lost her first top tooth finally.  It hung there for 3 weeks while she wouldn't let me pull it out.  That makes 3 teeth she's lost I think.  Maybe 4?

32!?

I'm keeping my goal!  1 week later, I'm writing another post!  Anyway, sorry for the blurry picture, but I love this picture of Randy because it's a real smile, and those are hard to get with a camera.  

Randy's birthday is on Tuesday and he turns 32.  So, this will be his birthday post, even though I haven't done one for Kenadi or Mya this year.  (I guess I could still dedicate a post to each of them, couldn't I?)  Today I have been reminded several times why I love Randy so much.  I'm going to get sappy on you, so I'm sorry in advance.  Randy got up in church today and bore his testimony.  It was such a nice testimony, and I really loved listening to him tell it.  I thought it was so cute too because he is such a thinker, and a scientist, that he compared his and our testimonies to the moon and all of it's different phases.  A good analogy, really, but it was just like something he'd say, and I loved it.   What I really loved the most today was when we were sitting in church next to each other, and he just held my hand.  I don't know why it was more touching today than other days, it's not like he doesn't do that sometimes, but today it felt more meaningful, and I soaked it up.  =)  Then, after church I was making dessert for after dinner tonight and he was in the living room playing telephone and all of the other little games that Kenadi and Emmy were making up.  One of them was, "ok, now we have to all sit on each other!"  Or, "now Daddy, touch your toes with your left hand and stick your right foot out!"  Cute little silly games like that.  I really love that he will do those things with them, and they adore him for it too.

I am really blessed to have him as my eternal husband, and my best friend.  I love you Randy!  Happy 32!

Let's try this again, shall we?

I've pretty much given up on blogging the last year-ish, but I've decided it's a great way to "journal" and my kids will love to see it later.  And Mya- well, she's missing out because of the lack of posts and pictures that she's been in on here.  SO, I'll start with a big announcement and see if anyone still reads this thing.  ;)  BABY #4 is on the way!  I'm 14 weeks pregnant, and finally feeling better.  I'm not going to find out if we're having a boy or a girl this time, and the baby's due sometime in the end of October.  We are all excited to have another little baby, and the girls are REALLY excited.  =)
Here are some pictures of us lately:

Ok, Well apparently I don't take pictures anymore either, because these aren't VERY recent, but recent enough I guess.  

Oh Wait!  I found some recent ones!  Ok, here are some updates:

Kenadi turned 7

 My little brother Reid and my parents all came to visit this month

 Mya turned 2 in January

 Emma is now 4 1/2 and VERY interested in that bird on Randy's shoulder.

• Emma now wants to be called Emmy
• Mya is potty trained with out a night diaper and everything!
• Randy still teaches early morning seminary- but they're done in a couple of weeks and then I get my husband back in the evenings!  He studies every night, so it's pretty quiet around here.
• Ok, I think that's it, and I'm going to blog at least once a week again, I'm writing it here to help keep me to my new goal!