the bartle bulletin

Here are the rules:

Link to the person who has tagged you (in my case, my cute sister Holly).

Write down six things that make you happy.

Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it.

Then tell the person when your entry is complete.

Here's my six:

Clean bathrooms (especially this one, which belongs to two little boys.)

Wallflowers that make my basement smell of black raspberry vanilla.

This fabulous event on my calendar for next weekend. Beaverton, baby!

This beyond-adorable dress, a surprise gift from a fun friend last night.

A girly-baby-bedroom project beckoning my attention.

Children who sleep through the night.

No matter how much I plan ahead for something (like the little baby shower shindig I'm hosting tonight), there always seems to be more to do than time to do it.

In situations such as these, when my eyes are drooping and my head is pounding and I really just want to take a nap, I often employ avoidance tactics.

Like eating lunch for a long time, because I'm hungry and my children ate three hours ago.

Like ironing some shirts, because it's productive, despite being unrelated to the bigger task.

Like troubleshooting ridiculous electronic issues that my tech-savvy husband could accomplish in three minutes.

Like replying to email, commenting on blogs, and creating my own posts as if the furniture will dust itself and the lemonade will magically appear and the remains of yesterday's scrapbook supply sale will pack up and walk away on their own.

I'm really good at avoiding, and then during the final hours I'm freaking out about what's not done. It's predictable. And sometimes I just don't care! It'll all get done, and if it doesn't, well, no one else cares that much anyway.

In that spirit, I will now post three pictures that really make me smile.

I got a glimpse of what Miss Bartle might look like when we played outside with a neighbor yesterday. Gavin was enamored with Ruby's hot pink corduroy hat and wore it everywhere. Thanks to Garry, who tweaked this photo so just the hot pink is showing.

Mr. Ty rode down our cul-de-sac hill at least a dozen times on a little skateboard. With his skewampus helmet and bandaged arms (we're getting serious about protecting his awful eczema from his scratching nails) he looked a little silly, but that boy had some fun in the sun yesterday! Short sleeves in February? This is great!

And Zachary just about blew me away when he skated down the driveway. He was so tall in his skates and looked so old! He opted for backyard play as soon as his friend came out of her house, but Zach will probably tear it up on his blades this summer. For all the juvenile antics he still pulls, Zach is definitely growing up.

I have successfully squandered naptime now and still have yet to mop the floor. The time has come!

The old blog has been pretty Mommy-heavy lately, so I thought I'd give a (lengthy) rundown of what's going on with the boys. Warning: you might want to skim for the juicy bits.


Ever since I volunteered in Zachary's class a few weeks ago (for the first and what may become the only time...coordinating volunteering with the teacher and a babysitter and healthy children is rarely successful), I've been working with Zach on a few things to supplement his schoolwork. I won't bore you with details, but this kid needs to be stimulated and it's not happening in the classroom. So part of his daily homework now includes writing five sentences on a random topic I pull from the air. Zach is learning to make his writing more specific and interesting, to vary his word selection, and to write a topic sentence that's worth reading. He is making some progress and I enjoy working with him. This week for an assignment about becoming the president, he wrote a few lines that made me chuckle.

Gavin has recovered from his ear infection from a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday woke up with a rattle in his chest that became an icky cough. What a bummer! We have so enjoyed the return of his delightful personality and, more especially, his consistent and lengthy sleep. Gavin has been SO happy and fun since the antibiotics kicked in about ten days ago that we wondered how long his ears had been bothering him.

Aside from being ridiculously busy and active and climbing on

when he can communicate what he wants.

Gavin loves routines. When he gets a fresh diaper, he immediately stands up, puts away the wipes and Balmex, picks up the dirty diaper, and walks to the garage door so I can throw it away. Gathering for family prayer always prompts Gavin to sit down (usually in Daddy's lap), fold his arms, and close his eyes. (Closing his eyes is actually hysterical eye-fluttering action.) When Dad and Zach leave in the morning, he is always gives a quick wave and closes the door. Gavin loves putting away his bath toys at the end of a bath, choosing things to eat at mealtime, and settling in for story time on my lap. It always makes me smile when I suggest an activity and he sets right off to do it.


Furry friends are a huge part of life right now. Gavin likes to cuddle with anything soft, but our collection of stuffed animals makes him happiest. Russell and Jack top the preferred list, and Elmo and our baby doll, Ben, are pretty popular, too. After Gavin kept stealing little girls' babies and strollers at play group, I pulled out our shopping cart for him to use. Now the animals ride around the house in (boyish) style.

During the last few weeks, Gavin has been to many of my friends' homes as part of a babysitting co-op. I have been pleased to hear that he hardly cries anymore when I drop him off. What a milestone! On the flip side, he starts to whine as soon as he realizes that I'm leaving, but he is only upset for a minute. We hope he'll adjust well to the church nursery when he's old enough...in a little over three months.


Church continues to be a ridiculous exercise with Gavin in tow. It's probably a good thing that we don't live next door to the church building anymore; I would take Gavin home for a nap every week! I get so tired of being the spectacle in every meeting, and I'm sick of people's lame comments that "you've got a live one" and "the nursery leaders should let him in early" and "you look exhausted." Either help me or keep your comments to yourself.

On that lovely note...

I'll put in a plug for the sweet babe growing in my womb. I'm trying hard to identify with her as a girl...a foreign experience for me. I delight in her kicks and wiggles. Last night she was kicking hard enough for Garry to really feel, and that made us both smile. This pregnancy is wreaking havoc on my body and it's hard not to get discouraged, but thinking about having a little girl join the family in May helps me survive. And I've enjoyed getting some things ready, like the crib, and I like to browse the girly sections at the store -- just because I can! I'd like to thank the generous, anonymous friend that left a bag of adorable hand-me-down clothes on my front porch yesterday! That little bag made my day! Two local friends offered to give me a baby shower in April, too. How fun is that?


And there, folks, is an update on the children. If you made it all the way through, congratulations! Or condolences. I was a long-winded Mommy today.

...the boys just have more fun. That's all there is to it!

Here's a question for you moms out there who have children with advanced reading skills.

Zachary and Tyler love to read. I was happily surprised this morning when Zach and I were talking about his talents and he listed reading as one of them! He said he enjoys reading because he "finds out lots of different things." While I am thrilled that both boys enjoy learning and are reading well beyond what is normal for their ages, I am starting to realize that, especially with Zachary, books at his reading level contain material more mature than he is.

I require Zach to read 30 minutes every day, so he sails through a couple chapter books a week. In addition, each night before bed a parent reads a chapter or two out loud to the boys. Zach recently discovered the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. He loves these books, but lately I've been bothered by some of the things I've been reading aloud from them. The plots generally involve pre-teen or teenage kids who invariably have crushes on each other. Sometimes there is hand-holding or kissing. In two of the books we've read lately, two teenage brothers fight physically with each other and yell hateful things. My kids aren't babies any more, but I don't want them to be exposed to this stuff. Zachary is bored with The Magic Tree House and he's read nearly all of The Magic School Bus books, but every one of the new chapter books he has brought home from the school library has had something I find objectionable.

Can any of you suggest age-appropriate, yet stimulating reading material for Zach? I think he's reading around the third-grade level. I'm also not sure if and/or how to screen what he reads. I am anxious to feed Zachary's desire to read new things, and I want his books to be fun and exciting, but I need some direction! Avid reader mommies, you know who you are...and lots of you have kids who are probably in the same situation! Please help!

{A super-huge "thank you" in advance.}

If you are, I suggest the following adventure. It's sure to spice up your life.

First, discover in the process of tax filing that your van registration is missing. Search both cars, all your files, the dark recesses of your brain, and your pride...but come up empty-handed. Wait three days until the first opportunity to rectify the {illegal} situation.

Instead of giving up a nap for your baby and yourself, wait until after school is out to visit the in-the-mall branch of the Department of Revenue.

Take a number. Notice that said number indicates you're 97th in line.

As you find your seats, make mental notes of all the food and activities you should have brought with you to entertain three children (but didn't).

Feel relieved when you see tiny little tables that will work well for first-grade homework.

Ten minutes later, make a trip back to the car in ridiculous, howling wind and while dodging irresponsible mall drivers to retrieve homework instructions, crayons and coloring books, the diaper bag, and snacks.

Return to tiny table and set up camp.

Be sure to bring along a small child who whines "eee-eee-eee-eee" at the top of his lungs because he's confined to the stroller.

Wear your very ugliest painting t-shirt (concealed by a frumpy hoodie) so that when this adventure cranks up your internal thermostat, you'll be forced to either bask in your own heat or risk being arrested by the fashion police.

If you're really lucky, a giant couple who smells like they haven't bathed in six weeks will sit on one side of you, and on the other side, a chain smoker. Adventures in smelling will be especially awesome if you're pregnant. Or an aromatically-sensitive child who likes to make loud comments.

After waiting for an hour, take a frantic walk through the mall to find a bathroom for a preschooler. Be sure to let him run ahead so you can be an obnoxious yeller and lose him to the tomb of The Men's Restroom. Don't worry when he takes twenty minutes and comes out crying.

Run back to the Department of Revenue so the nice people in uniforms don't lock you out at closing time. Pull out an "idiot" stamp for your forehead when you walk back in and see a bathroom tucked in the corner of the office.

Make your baby scream as loud as possible and dare you to entertain him. Resist the urge to let him out of the stroller; you know it'll make him happy but also turn the place into a circus.

Ninety minutes after arrival, pack up your belongings; your number is coming up.

Give two dollars and twenty cents, along with your stupid story, to the nice lady behind the counter. After collecting your papers and change, make an off-handed comment about tax filing being the red flag you needed to replace documents that have been missing for who-knows-how-long. Feel grateful when she gets up again and prints the form you actually need for doing taxes.

Shuttle kids back into coats, through the hurricane parking lot, and back into the car.

Get gas on the way home just to make the squawking children mad.

And do all of this just so that you'll be prepared the next time you get pulled over for speeding.

"License and registration, please."

"Here you go, officer."

Can't wait.

Those of you following our tongue-in-cheek naming saga might be interested in the results of the Normal Mormon Husbands poll administered on our behalf. After 245 votes, the results are as follows:

Sarah Kate: 72 votes (29%)
Alexis Paige: 64 votes (26%)
Autumn Taylor: 50 votes (20%)
Lindsey Nicole: 32 votes (13%)
Allison Kennedy: 28 votes (11%)

We appreciate your participation in his humorous exercise! The Garry-Heidi naming jury is still out and probably will be until Little Miss makes her grand entrance. For now, Garry is still pushing Shyloh (it helps his cause that Gavin can sort of say it), Tyler votes for Lindsey, Zachary likes Sarah, and I favor different names on different days. My current favorite is Kate.

I keep having doubts, however, that this baby is actually a girl. I'll believe it when I see it. Until that happens, I think I need to have a boy name in my back pocket.

Tyler is five. Wow.

Despite our dropping jaws (where did those five years go?), we managed to have quite the celebration for our little boy! Before chronicling all our adventures, allow me to digress with a small bit of nostalgia: the newsletter we issued five years ago to announce his birth to the world (ahem, our online family).

Back to the scheduled programming.

The first celebration phase happened at 7:00 a.m. with the ceremonial opening of presents. As per tradition, out-of-town relatives spoiled him silly, but the teepee I made was also a hit. Tyler played with his presents all morning.





Phase two happened at the doctor's office. Exciting, no? We scheduled his five-year well-check for today because his annual physical on file at preschool expires tomorrow. Happily, Tyler got all his immunization boosters last year, so today's visit was 100% positive and shot-free. I was happy to learn he has perfect vision and excellent hearing. Since we've worried about hearing in the past and one of his ear tubes fell out recently, it was nice to get that assurance. Ty is set to go for kindergarten!

Phase three happened with one SUPER birthday party. I broke my own rule of every-other-year birthday parties since I knew it would mean so much to Tyler (stay tuned for the in-fairness-to-Zachary bash scheduled for March). As expected, the house was all mayhem and madness for an hour and a half as eleven superheroes zoomed around. The kids colored super heroes, played "pass the kryptonite," did super calisthenics, made a human yarn web, and went crazy with a ball and parachute game. We ended with presents, Batman cake, chocolate ice cream, and green "super juice."





I felt every day of my almost-26-weeks gestation when it was all over, but I also felt a little like Supermom watching Tyler. The presents and decorations and costumes and cake and party guests seemed so magical to him! He soaked up every detail and enjoyed every moment of his festivities.

Happy birthday, Tyler! We love you!


Post script: I also feel like today's post wouldn't be complete without mentioning Tyler's special birthday buddy, Candace. We're thinking about you today!

I'm not a superstitious person, but when the shoe fits....

Garry was just in a fender-bender. Apparently last night's snow flurry and today's sub-freezing temperatures have made for slick roads. Slow driving and early braking just weren't enough to get out of the neighborhood safely this time, darn it. Thankfully, Garry is safe and the damage to both cars is minimal.

The other car.

Our car.

Keeping up with active toddlers is not for the faint of heart. I know I'm not alone in my crazy-boy-chasing, but I thought I'd post these pictures, which capture the essence of an afternoon with Gavin. To say he is busy is a serious understatement.

Since discovering the joy of chair climbing, Gavin has learned to empty his bookshelf. While this keeps him occupied for quite a while, the integrity of his books has suffered. He is also incapable of righting this wrong by himself, of course, so I usually only clean up the mess once a day.

Another new discovery: opening the pantry. Yep, he can reach the doorknob, and I have yet to figure out a child-proofing method for bi-fold doors. Gavin is especially fond of raiding the goldfish crackers. He was dipping into the sugar and then the crackers before I caught him this time.

Perhaps the grossest thing I have found Gavin doing this week: plunging the toilet. It was just water, but eeewwww....

Here's Gavin perched atop an office chair, wearing the slippers he stole right off my feet. If I want to get something done on the computer, I'll often give up the chair (and/or my footwear) so he'll play happily in the room. Am I a pushover or what?

Apparently the dining table makes a great playground. I often finding him walking the length of the table. This time, since he was sitting, I snapped a picture. I am significantly more disturbed when I find him on the kitchen island; he can scale stools, too.

Getting ready in the morning is always a challenge, especially if I leave the job until after Garry and Zachary leave. I usually hold Gavin captive in the Johnny Jump-Up in the doorway, but sometimes he roams. And gets into everything. He loves absconding with tubes and creams from the drawers.

The shower is another favorite hang-out. He thinks it's hilarious to stomp around in the puddles. And usually I let him. I just make sure my razor is on a high shelf first.

Using the dishwasher cannot be done while Gavin is awake...unless he's strapped into his booster seat. This is why.

Whenever I go downstairs, the first thing I do is close the doors to the bathroom, the game closet, and the boys' bedroom. If Gavin spots the boys' door open, even a crack, he squeals and RUNS straight for it. He knows that on the other side is a delightful ladder he can climb, which leads to a high, bouncy bed that lets him touch the ceiling. What fun!

Here's a tag from Kari. I'm happy to participate if it means putting off the laundry.

1. Go to the photo folder in your computer
2. Go to the 6th folder of photos.
3. Go to the sixth picture.
4. Put the picture on your blog and description of it.
5. Invite six friends to join the challenge.

Here are three delightful people at girls' camp in June 2006. Kori (whose face you see) and I were church youth leaders for the 14- and 15-year-old girls, and on this day we visited them at their annual summer camp. Kori and I had a small group, and the two girls Kori is seated with were our most fun and active girls at the time. We had a lovely day touring the camp, playing games, and eating lunch with them. Now the girls are seniors in high school, scheduled to graduate in June! I will always consider them "my girls."

I tag clodhopper, angieinpink, joeyship, rachbechep, reddladybug, and hollyoak.

This is not a post about Scarlett O'Hara.



It is a post about trash and recycling cans getting blown over by gale-force winds at nine o'clock in the morning. It is a post about being grateful that at least the garbage had been collected so only the semi-clean recycling had to be plucked from bushes and trees and the neighbor's back yard. It is a post about being grumpy that as soon as Gavin wakes up I have to take the kids out in the wind and on to Wal-mart because Tyler has the preschool snack tomorrow and we only have one diaper in the house.

And that is all.

I love the Russian proverb that says, "The guest has not to thank the host, but the host the guest." Being in charge of ward activities that go well really makes me feel that way.

Last night's High School Reunion was delightful! Ward members provided high school memorabilia for the decor, and adventurous ones also dressed as they did in high school. The letter jackets, poodle skirts, and big bangs came out to play....what fun!

As the guests arrived, they made name tags (to which many added their graduation year) and started completing a "classmate quiz." Each person had to find 20 people who had done specific things, like been in the honor society, skipped classes, drove a truck to school, was a varsity athlete, etc. That definitely got the conversations flowing! It was a very fun mixer activity.

Eating happened next. People either brought a goody to dip in the chocolate fountain or a simple appetizer. Once everyone had a plate, we started playing a game of Family Feud, which was based on surveys about high school that we distributed one Sunday last month. The volunteer contestants were hilarious and our host did a great job. I was a little sloppy with my "survey says" results board, but people helped out in the end. The winning team got 200 points during the speed round, so they went home with a slice of cheesecake and a gift certificate to a local ice cream shop.

For a few minutes after that, guests took turns reading aloud the wacky things people did in high school (these were also gleaned from the surveys). It was fun to learn who dated spouses in high school, who was voted best dressed, who was a scholar-athlete, etc.





And then there was dancing! The DJ we hired was worth every penny just to see the Bishop do the Chicken Dance and a couple of guys bust a move to rockin' 90's tunes. Once the lights when down and the music started pumping, though, I rocketed back in time 15 years and the wallflower in me came out. I hated dancing then and I hate it now, but it was super fun to watch the less inhibited folks enjoy themselves!




Garry took 124 awesome pictures, and there are way too many gems to post here, but I made a new album on my Facebook page if you want to check them out.

Last year I started following a blog written by a guy who calls himself the Normal Mormon Husband. The first post I read on the NMH blog, entitled "Pregnancy Brain," had me laughing out loud, so I became a fan. I enjoy the author's dry humor and the way he highlights issues common to a lot of parents raising families in the LDS faith. Little did I know that a bit of my personal life would one day be a subject put before his readers.

Last week NMH issued a call for people who needed mediation on something silly and inconsequential. As a joke, I submitted a comment, explaining that Garry and I have had a long-standing debate regarding the name of our first-born girl. Since we've been married almost eleven years without producing a female offspring, this has been a lengthy debate indeed, but we now find ourselves faced with the need to resolve our little dispute. Seriously, I asked for mediation to give myself (and Garry) a laugh. The truth is that I really don't care what other people think; Garry and I are grown-ups and can decide on our own what to name our child, thankyouverymuch.

And then NMH responded. He wanted to do a mediation post on our great name debate. Garry and I thought this was hilarious (and so did my mom and sister, who follow the blog and saw my comment). And so NMH and I exchanged a few emails and Garry and I had a few laughs. We were honestly interested in what the public thought of our "great dilemma," and a baby name poll on the NMH blog seemed like a fun way to get a bunch of opinions.

This morning the post appeared (and yes, this was the "delightful blog post" to which I alluded earlier this week). It was funny. It generated lots of comments. In addition to many of the NMH's opinions and witticisms, it included a side-bar voting widget with five name options we picked for the purpose of his post.

Here's the problem: in my zeal to avoid tainting the public by exposing The Name in Question, I gave the NMH a liberty he shouldn't have had -- the power to skew our poll. He unilaterally axed the name Garry and I have been arguring about and didn't allow it to be voted upon! Lest you think we feel a great injustice and hold malice toward the NMH, let me be clear: we still think the whole thing is pretty silly and inconsequential (see the end of paragraph two), not to mention quite amusing. The blog comments alone have made for some very entertaining reading!

I fully intended to let the issue die with that post, since the poll is meaningless without The Name in Question. We had our chuckles, and we know that sometime before May we'll figure out what to name our little girl. However, I have already gotten several emails from friends (and one even posted about our "star sighting" on her blog), so I figured I'd better offer a direct link -- and the background story -- to my dear readers and see what you have to say!

Are you ready? Check it out: Normal Mormon Mediation: Name That Baby! Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know you did.

So NMH, if you're reading this, thanks for our 15 minutes of Normal Mormon fame! It will be fun to see what the poll results are in a week. But if you want to know what the REAL results turn out to be, you'll just have to follow my blog. Because we can name our baby girl ourselves, thankyouverymuch.

It's three o'clock in the a.m. and I can't sleep.

I was dreaming bizarre things before I woke up. Something about camping in a wooded glen, talking to Garry and my mother about jury duty, and then needing to find the outhouse. So I started running (yes, running, in my awkward state) up a giant, forested hill until I reached the summit. Then I turned onto a dirt road that became an urban road and I ran into a guy from college that I haven't slapped eyes on since the Fall of 2001.

We chatted amiably as we both ran along, as though we were both out for a leisurely jog. I was amazed that I could keep up with him, and I wasn't panting at all. He asked about my kids, I asked about his wife, and then I said, "Here's my stop -- catch ya later!" and watched him run away. Then I pulled out a key, opened the door to a Motel 6-ish place, and went to sleep in the bed. In the dream I woke up at dawn when the migrant workers in the room next to me started blaring their radios as they got ready for the day.

When I woke up in my actual bed, I thought I smelled rotten eggs...aka a gas leak...so I got up and sniffed around the house and checked on my babies and decided I was completely insane.

I was also completely awake. Still am.

But I'm not so worried about it. Because today, for the first time this week, I don't have something on my calendar at 9:00 a.m. No medical appointments, babysitting endeavors, play groups, registrations, volunteering, or errands. No giant projects hanging over my head. I fully intend to stay in my pajamas all morning, just because I can. Sure, there's some stuff I have to do for the ward party tomorrow night, and I ought to sweep the floor. And make dinner (gag). But thankfully, the house is pretty clean and it's not laundry day and my giant sewing and birthday and Valentines and organizational messes of the week are finally put away.

So here's to a lazy Friday. Mmmm...sounds good.

It is 12:37 p.m. and the current outside temperature is 57 degrees. The perpetual blue sky and sunshine in Colorado Springs are always good for my soul, but this -- this warm, delicious taste of glorious Spring -- just makes me happy.

I've been *forcing* the children to play outside every afternoon while this weather lasts, and incredibly, to Zach and Tyler, it's a chore to play in our giant backyard with no friends. Go figure. But today is playgroup day, and Tyler, Gavin, and I spent part of the morning in the park with some of our best buddies.

Gavin was a delight to watch as he explored the play structure. Now that he's a climber, he's reasonably safe and content on the smaller structures. He was amused for quite a while, and even chased some dogs across the grassy field.

...I am 24 weeks plus 1 day pregnant

...I am grateful for Rachel's maternity hand-me-downs

...I am looking forward to the promise of a delightful blog post later in the week {details to come}

...I will wash, dry, and {hopefully} fold five or six loads of laundry.

...I will babysit for three hours as part of my weekly co-op

...I will register Tyler for kindergarten

...I will help Tyler practice the piano {I gave him his first lesson on Saturday}

...I will watch Zathura with the boys after school {perhaps taking a nap in the middle}

...I will enjoy my walk down memory lane as I go through my high school memorabilia

...I might stay up far too late again reading A Thousand Splendid Suns

So a few things have been bugging me and I thought I'd ask y'all for help.

Note: I am aware that these concerns are {very} superficial. Just work with me.

Number one: I want to convert to digital scrapbooking.

This has been a nagging thought for a couple of years. Even though I'm fairly computer-savvy, the whole-hog conversion is overwhelming to me. But I know a lot of you out there (many of you lurkers, in fact) are digital divas. So...please comment or email and share your favorite websites, magazines, resources, products, printing options, etc. I'd like to start a baby book for our little girl all 2009-digital-style.

Number two: I'm starting to really hate my wood floors.

Nothing can be done about this, except perhaps finding a better way to clean them. On advice from a couple of people, I'm operating under the assumption that hot water is the best/only way to mop. Seriously? After eight months here (woah...has it been that long?) I'm not convinced. Please enlighten me if you know of a great cleaning product or method or how much you pay your maid to do this ugly job.

Number three: Ditto for my granite-tile countertops. And my stainless-steel-ish fridge.

They are pretty, I will say that. But a dish cloth and water just leave them streaky and gross. I'd like to know if there's a way to make them really shine. Notice how I inherited some nice stuff in this house and I don't know what to do with it? Where's my formica and linoleum and metal? I'm a trailer-park girl at heart, I guess.

OK, that's all for now. I could have sworn there was a number four, but, well, you know how my brain works....

I'm not one to experiment in the kitchen very often. When I do, my efforts almost universally crash and burn. New recipes either don't turn out or are met with general disapproval from those forced to eat them. It's a bad cycle because I get bored of the same old stuff, but experience tells me, "Don't rock the boat!"

However, our recent Family Fun Time institution calls for the making of something yummy on Sundays, usually for the purpose of a Family Home Evening treat on Mondays. Tyler and I really enjoyed the fruit salsa and cinnamon chips we had at a friend's house this week, so we decided to try making our own this morning.

Zachary and Tyler scooped out frozen o.j. concentrate into a pitcher and Zach stirred it up.

I cut up strawberries, kiwis, and Granny Smith apples. That all went into the Vita-Mix with some blueberries and a little orange juice (um, too much orange juice).


To make the cinnamon chips, the boys dipped sliced tortillas in water and covered them with cinnamon and sugar. They baked in the oven (a little too long...).

If nothing else, we had a good time in the kitchen together. That's the whole point, right?