Welcome Back Sunday Dinner

I love big, traditional Sunday dinners, the kind of food that includes all the fixings--homemade bread, desserts, and the foods that are special enough only for Sunday and the only meal you eat that day.

Unfortunately, in the last year we have gotten away from having a big Sunday dinner because of how busy and varied our schedules on Sunday are. During tax busy seasons, Dave is working and when he is not, our church callings frequently have us attending different wards and meetings, as Dave often travels around the stake. So the traditional Sunday dinner went by the wayside in favor of easier fare that could be gobbled up inbetween meetings or as people came home from church at various times. Plus I just didn't always have the energy to cook up a feast after being so busy at church.

This fall however, I have had a yearning for big, delicious, homecookin' Sunday meals. With pre-planning, the crockpot or slow oven roasting, it can be done. So I just decided to make it happen and if it was just for the girls and I then we would enjoy it ourselves. So for the last few weeks, I have made homemade bread before church and we have enjoyed roasted pork loin, roasted turkey, and lasagna. (Fortunately, Dave has been with us 2 of 3 times!)

It has had a great effect on the family. It just makes Sunday special when you sit down to a nice meal together. Last week, Ashley told me that it was the best Sunday she ever had. I don't know about that, but I think it had something to do with Sunday dinner. So here is hoping I can keep it up and stick to my resolution for Sunday dinners.

Tie-Dye

This is probably no big deal for all the "supermoms" I know, and I know many, but for us this was our first tie-dye experience. The girls chose different methods but fortunately it worked out and there were no spills or disasters.

Fall Festival

Every year our city holds a "Fall Festival" for families. It is totally free with lots of crafts, entertainment and games for kids. It is held at a huge park that is connected to the small community zoo.

We go every year and this year was no exception. So after our soccer games we headed over for a short visit to the festival. The girls had their faces painted,

then painted their own pumpkins,


and worked on small crafts which included bookmarks, nametags and leaf magnets.

This year the girls wanted to skip the petting zoo, I wonder why?

Soccer Season

It's soccer season again and this year we have two players! (And two games every Saturday.)

First up is Ashley, she has played spring and fall for 6 years now! We are three games into the season and Ash already has two goals, both scored in the same game. This is pretty good considering she plays defense about 75% of the time. This by far has been her best season and it has been fun for Dave and I to watch her team grow up and develop as players. Her games are really fun to watch, especially because the skill level of the play has gone up and it feels like we are finally watching "real" soccer. Go Ashley!!

The newest player in the family is Paige! Kindergarten soccer focuses a lot on training with games not starting until the end of the season. So far Paige loves it, much more than I thought she would. She is always asking, "do I have soccer today?"

I love to watch her play because she is just so cute in her soccer gear and so far she seems to be picking it up pretty quickly. The kindergarten team is co-ed but her team is all girls and one boy, poor kid. It's great for Paige though because almost all the kids go to her school and live in our neighborhood. She is also the tallest player on the team, I am going to have to show her how to use her size to get aggressive!

Meet Gilad

Here is my new workout friend---Gilad. He was recommended by Dave's sister Kristin and I have to admit, I am liking Gilad. I'm sure he is just a phase, but he is such a character that I feel like I am watching a SNL skit while working out...you can't beat that!

Gilad is an Israeli beefcake and fitness guru. There is just something that makes me smile when he says in his Israeli accent, "very nice" or "I can feel it, my bun is on fire!"

Of course, I talk back to Gilad to tell him by "bun" is on fire too and it continues to burn for days afterward!

Paige also is getting to know Gilad, as anything I do she pretty much does too. Yesterday, I wasn't in the room when Gilad came on TV so Paige called out to tell me it was starting. Then she said, "it's okay, you have time mom. It is just showing how strong Gilad is."

If you watch the opening credits of his show, it is a montage of Gilad muscle shots and of him running on the beach---it's so funny and I love it!

Let the Playing Begin

When you have a righteous desire and you make an effort to fulfill it, even if it is meager, you will get the heavenly help you need.

We got a piano last week and Ashley started lessons this week. We decided to go with a digital piano, the technology nowadays is pretty advanced so we felt like it would be a good choice for novices like us. We also have the option to trade-up at 100% the purchase price if we decide we would like something different later on.

Finding the right piano was only half the battle, we then had to find an instructor for Ashley. Fortunately, our neighbor was willing to take Ashley as a student for a ridiculously cheap price per lesson. It is a real blessing and so convenient because Ashley can walk to and from her piano lesson.

We aren't going to start Paige yet, but she has loved being able to play with the piano. In fact, when Dave asked her if she would like to take lessons someday, she said, "I don't think I need lessons, dad. I am already pretty good."

Do you read our log?

Paige asked me today if other people read our log. I hated to do it, but I then had to spend about 15 minutes trying to convince an incredulous 5-year old that the word was "blog."

And now the more I think about it, I don't think "blog" sounds like a real word either, although I am definitely not a logger.