Frittata Love

Frittatas are so easy because they usually require leftovers. We don't really eat potatoes, so I used whole wheat penne instead. It's another egg dish like quiche and you can put anything you want in it. I put spinach, pasta, eggs, fresh thyme, paprika, parmesan and bacon in this one. And it only took 20 minutes to make!

Surprise Visit

Brynn, Emma, Dave, Me with Maximus in my lap, Holly holding Simon, Eli and Addie.

Friday night as we drove home from the rehearsal dinner, I got a call from my brother! I haven't talked to him in a very long time. He was calling me because he and his family were driving through Nebraska. They live in St. Louis and had been in Utah for the last couple of weeks. He asked if we could meet up when they came through Lincoln and although we had the wedding the next day, I would do anything to see him.

He and his family arrived and I can't explain how great it was to see him. The last time I saw him was at my grandfathers funeral (5-6 years ago) and I hadn't even met his two youngest children. I can't believe how skinny my brother is! And I think he shrunk! His two oldest daughters (Emma and Addie) were so tall and beautiful. And his middle child, Brynn, isn't a baby anymore! The last time I saw her, she was Maximus' age. Eli was running around like a typical 4 year old and little Simon (8 months) was all smiles as he crawled around. My brothers wife, Holly, was all hugs and kisses as usual. His children are the best behaved kids I've ever seen. You can tell they were raised well. I MISSED THEM.

We all hung out, played, talked, laughed and hugged for an hour or so. They couldn't stay for a while since they had a long drive ahead and that worked for us because we had a wedding to get to. Maximus met five of his nine cousins! I'm really at a loss for words because I can't explain how amazing it was to be with them. I love them dearly and I can't wait to live in Salt Lake so we can have them and more of my family visit us at our home. Saturday was one of the best days I've ever had.

Maximus playing with Simon and Emma in the playroom.

Handsomer's "Hurts"

We don't call scrapes and bruises "owies" like most people. We just call them "hurts". We wanted Maximus to not have a scrape on his body for the wedding. But sure enough, he falls on gravel during the rehearsal dinner and scrapes his forehead. Then he jumps off the back of the couch and hits the hutch behind it. The day after the wedding, he biffs it on the basketball court and cuts his forehead, nose and hand. He is so fair and now has THREE bumps on his forehead. Why?! Jesse thinks he's learning to run faster and I think he was really tired this weekend and got clumsy. Poor beat up kid.

Wedding Pictures

Here are a few pictures from DJ and Ashlie's wedding. We were in the wedding and thanks to Jalena, we have pictures of it. It was such a busy weekend, but it was a lot of fun. Friday night was the rehearsal dinner and the wedding was Saturday evening. The weather was beautiful and they couldn't have asked for a better day.
Stacey, Maximus, Jesse, DJ, Ashlie, Dan, Vicki and Fletcher.
Jesse, DJ and Fletch. I love this picture! The brothers look so handsome.
DJ and his ho's :)
Ashlie and me.
Jesse and Fletcher sharing brotherly love.
Handsomer and "guy-tun". She chased him around during the entire ceremony and reception.
Maximus working on his abs after the wedding ceremony.
Picture of a stud.
Family picture.
Jesse and I dancing at the reception. I had to change out of my dress. It was the most uncomfortable thing ever. I couldn't hold Maximus when I wore it, so I felt sort of lame putting on the only clothes I had there with me.
Ha! Chocolate syrup, dish soap, toilet paper, maxi pads, plastic wrap and streamers simply say: CONGRATULATIONS DJ AND ASH! We love you guys!

It Worked!

My tomato plants successfully produced an edible tomato. There were two little red cherry tomatoes and I had to pick one. I ate one half and Maximus ate the other. Jesse hates tomatoes. And get this...it tasted homegrown! I thought it would taste like a store bought one, but to my amazement, it tasted like a dream. Christy, are any of yours red yet? :)
Here is the other one. I'm going to let it sit for a day or two more before I yank it off the vine and eat it. I'm planning on eating my weight in tomatoes this summer...at least three times.

Greek Chicken with Orzo

So good! And the easiest thing ever! I used my trusty Crock Pot and was able to capture authentic Greek flavors while making it taste fresh. I added the orzo and fresh lemon juice and peel in the last 30 minutes and it was awesome! You can pretty much go Greek if you use oregano, lemon, garlic, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives. Mmm! It looks sort of ugly, but it was so good. So good. You can pretty much figure out how to make this by looking at the pictures. There was no added fat and when you only use whole foods to cook with, you can't go wrong health wise. I really think that people would live until they're 100 if they quit eating fast food, packaged foods and enriched/refined foods. But that's just me preaching.

This is the creation on low for 5 hours. It looks scary to those who haven't tasted real Greek food. I think Greeks live forever because of the good fats and lean meat they eat. And the fact that they're Greek. Jesse is going to make fun of me for this one. He thinks our son isn't half Greek...uh, okay...

Time Out

Maximus went into my sewing desk and pulled out a container of hand needles. He shattered the box they were stored in and scattered the needles all over his playroom (that's also my sewing room) and hallway and who knows where else. He actually knows he is not allowed to open the drawers of my antique sewing desk, but just in case, I've removed my scissors and other dangerous things. Jesse and I noticed how oddly quiet he was and we heard his quiet giggles every so often. I checked on him and nearly hit the floor when I saw that he was playing with sharp needles! What a fantastic mother I am! We decided to sit him in his chair and point to the desk and ask him, "Maximus, are you supposed to play with mama's sewing desk?" (He knows he's busted when we use the words "are you supposed to...") He sat like a good boy in "time out" for one minute because he's one year old. I think he understood. It was pretty amazing. He sat quietly and hasn't touched the desk since.

4th of July Weekend!

So much fun! I had to post this picture...it's Maximus' tux for the wedding this weekend. I picked it up Thursday night and he wasn't happy wearing it because it was so hot. But he still looks totally handsome.
Friday night we went out to dinner with a bunch of people. Jesse had plans to take his brother out with a few friends to go bar hopping for his bachelor party, so we all went to dinner beforehand. Max and I had to leave early because it was his bedtime and he crashed out in the car on the way home. I let him sleep on the couch while I ran his bath.
This is Max's new car! He loves it so much! He played in it and wasn't interested in the amazing fireworks that were going off. Jesse's brother, DJ, is a pyromaniac and bought 3 giant boxes of fireworks and we were setting them off like kids. We had so much fun! And in Nebraska, you can buy REAL fireworks. Ones that you only see in shows back in Utah. It was such a blast.
DJ and I were playing street football and the ball hit a tree. He noticed this little nest! The eggs look like Easter candy.

This is Handsomer and Grandpa. Since he was an infant, he's loved his beard.Toward the end of the evening. We were both noticeably tired.
It was so, so much fun! Jesse's youngest brother, Fletcher, has been on a nationwide tour with his band for the last month and we finally got to see him. We grilled, hung out, played, set off explosives, laughed and had such a good time. Super casual/laid back events are some of the best times.

Prius Commercial

What is it about Toyota Prius commercials that captures Maximus' attention?

Really?

We were at Best Buy today and I had to grab my phone and snap this shot. Yeah, it's totally mean of me, but I really don't care. And I know my friends and family who are reading this would never, ever leave their house with a statement on their ass. C'mon!

He's Brilliant!

As I was posting the blog entry below, Maximus was busy in the kitchen.  He discovered two additional magnetic surfaces besides the refrigerator!  That's my boy!

Wheels

Who cares about riding bikes when you can flip them over and play with the wheels instead?

To the MAX

As I tell Maximus so often, it takes "Max muscle" to be such a strong little boy. (We saw this today as we left the store)
And here he is demonstrating his Max Muscle in his abs:

Quiet...

I was watching the Today show this morning, Jackie was on my lap and I was enjoying my cup of coffee this when I noticed how oddly quiet the house was. When it's quiet, I expect that Handsomer is into something he shouldn't be. I got up and started looking for him and found him in his big tote of balls in the corner. He's so cute. I think he likes little closed spaces, kind of like a fort.

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy second fathers day honey! I love you more than you'll ever know and you're the best dad to our amazing son. Maximus truly adores you and you know why (clinging to you when you come home from work, using you as his jungle gym, playing football in the backyard, helping you fix a car, cuddling with you in bed, biting you as he climbs, etc.) and I also absolutely adore and cherish you.

And happy fathers day to my father and all the others out there.

Pictures From my Blackberry

I don't know why I never send photos from my phone to my blog. I have a Blackberry and it's pretty much like a mini laptop. Anyway, here are a bunch of photos from it:

The Greek Norsky
Tired eyes

Double dodo
It was the smallest little "hurt" ever, but Jesse insisted on a bandage

My daughter
Doesn't he look like a 9 year old?
"Teef"

My Dream Came True

I've been buying Baked Frito Lay products lately. I know they aren't healthy simply because they are baked, but when I want to eat a chip, I don't have to feel as bad. I love Cheetos and ever since I met Katie Shane in high school, I fell in love with Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Thanks, love! I know you're reading this! Remember the days of Flamin' Hots, Dr. Pepper and early morning LDS seminary?! Anyway, I found these online...and I can't wait until they are available at a store near me! And Shane, (I know you're Roundy now), if you find some, mail me 20 bags!

Dodos

We have to purchase replacement dodos every week because the baby shark actually rips them!

The Cost of Night Night Suits

I don't know why, but I've insisted that Maximus wear full zip-up suits to bed. You know, the Carters ones that have built in traction on the feet. I'll admit, it's really hard for me to let go of Maximus' babyhood and putting him in suits nightly is part of that. Max has really bad diaper rash right now and I decided to let him sleep in airy "bummies" (pajamas). They help so much! And the cost?! We were spending close to $20 per suit before. And we'd buy about 6 of them at a time and then he would remain that size for a month or so. Anyway, I found this set at Target yesterday and it was $6! Just $6! I can tell he is more comfortable in them too. Go Target! (And they're not made in China either!)

Boy Toys are Cooler Than Girl Toys

If you were a little boy, of course you would want a truck! Jesse and I were looking for the original "Cozy Coupe" online last night and he found this on littletikes.com. I guess many other parents think it's pretty rad since it's on back order. If you have a kid, do not go to that site. I could easily spend $1000 a week on all the old school toys I had as a child.