Coco's Collarbone :(

Cosette had her first trip to the ER last night after she broke her collarbone falling off a bench at church softball. :( No fun, but she is being a little trooper. It is just a small break, and the sling is there to just make sure that she doesn't try to swing her hand up. The funny thing is that she is definitely a lefty, and she injured her left side. So, we are trying to train her to use her right hand more!

Collarbone breaks are really common, and she should heal within a week. She thinks her dinosaur sling is "pretty"!

Homemade Udon!

If there is one thing Fox and I miss about Japan, it is the food, especially udon. Kagawa prefecture, where we lived, is famous for its udon. You can buy it here for $3.50 a little pouch (yikes!), but we decided to try our hand at making it from scratch.

Coco rolling the dough out, before we put it in a plastic bag and smooshed the heck out of the dough with our feet. You alternate kneading and then smooshing several times. Very fun!


Fox sliced up some big noodles. The finished product:


Yummy! When the noodles are done, you can put them in hot memmi broth, which you might find in the Asian section of the grocery store, or cold broth. Fox likes cold. I like hot. Either way, udon is delicious! Oh, the things you can make with water, flour, and salt!

Fun in Victorville!

My little family and I just got back from a trip to California to see my parents and siblings for our annual reunion. We had so much fun! Perhaps the most surprising part of our trip was how much fun the kids and I had in Victorville (otherwise known as "the ghetto", "Victimville", and "the armpit of California"--yes, it is not the safest place to visit). Before I left, I swore that I only wanted to spend a day in my boring hometown, but we stayed there four days and loved it! I think we were all just in awe of my dad's huge and beautiful backyard, coming from our tiny apartment. The weather was perfect there, too. And of course, seeing old friends is always the best!

The real reason the kids did so great on the 9 hour car drive: Reminders that they would soon be loving on Cookie, the family dog. I guess that bump/tumor/cyst on her back is just more of her to love?

Catching up with my very first bff Lisa, whom I hadn't seen in 7 years! She moved back to her childhood home and is marrying her very first boyfriend from fourth grade!


My dad has a little swing on the patio. As soon as Cosette would be ready for a nap, she would ask to swing, and I would push her until she fell asleep. Every day, without fail!


Dave and Mom next to some pretty pink flowers.


Backyard fun! My dad, who works so hard on his yard, was kind enough to let the kids ruin his grass for a few afternoons of slipping and sliding!


We had a lot of fun with Grandparents, sisters, brothers, and cousins on our trip. I love my family!

18 Months Old!

This past month has been a month of change for Cosette, who is such a toddler these days!
Yay, I'm in nursery now!

Coco is still our cuddly and violent child. We are still trying to figure this one out. She is a cuddlebug but also loves to attack her brother and the kitties...and baby dolls! She has been sawing away at her baby doll for the past couple of weeks. Uh oh--I think we should be worried!

In the last few weeks, I weaned Coco and put her in a big girl bed. She has done great, except that she wakes up earlier in the mornings. So, she conks out often before I can put her down for her nap. Her toddler bed has been great! She loves it and never gets out of it unless it is morning and time to get up.

The best change for Coco: Auntie Kelsy is back! Kels babysat for quite a while the other day, and Coco didn't even realize we were gone (unlike Cash, who was searching for us...)


We love our crazy Coco! And yes, I will cut her mullet (eventually)!

Family Time!

*This post is way late, but I have been having trouble uploading pictures on our computer!*


A few weeks ago, I got to see four of my six siblings--yay! Tommy, Megan, Kelsy, and Dave...and even my mom! We had so much fun with them. I got to meet sweet baby Dax and do some fun stuff: chocolate factory, movie, dinosaur museum, Kangaroo Zoo, and of course, Target! (Come on, Logan...2 Walmarts and no Targets...really?)

Here are some pics:

Cute and cuddly Dax. I love this baby boy! He is all baby pudgy and yummy!

The cousins!

Aunty Amber meets Dax!

Aunty Megan catching up with Cash:

Mom, Dave, and Amber at the Dinosaur Museum.


I already miss everyone, but luckily we get to meet up in California in a few weeks. Yay!

Buddies!

Cash has been blessed this year with making some new friends--his sister included! Cosette has always been in love with Cash, but now he is finally coming around to thinking she is pretty special, too! They have their occasional moments where he threatens to throw things at her head and she sneaks up behind him to pinch the skin on his neck...but for the most part, they follow each other around, copy each other, and give each other the giggles. It is a mother's dream (that I probably just jinxed)!
Getting ready to play outside in April:


Having fun at an Easter egg hunt at Matthew's house:


Cash has also made great friends with another 3 year old in our ward, Matthew. They are great buddies and hang out a few times a week. When we don't see Matthew, Cash talks about when we can see him again! They also have their violent moments, but they are pretty equally matched, which means no bullying and less bruises!


We took a little trip to the Ogden Dinosaur Park the other day. My camera died after a few shots, but the kids had fun!


We are so grateful to have such good kids in our area. It makes life much more fun!

Happy Spring!

April Fools! (said Mother Nature, as we looked out the window this morning). Boo.