Washington, DC

Yesterday we returned home from several days in our nation's capital. We had a wonderful time with Jared's parents Stewart and Kelly, his younger sister Annie, and his older sister Katy, her husband Sean, and their three daughters: Anna, Elizabeth, and Jane. (Aren't those such beautiful, classic names?)

we were a little sad that the reflecting pool was empty

It was so fun to enjoy time with our family while seeing all the amazing sights in Washington DC. The first day we walked around and saw all the monuments. The new monument for Martin Luther King Jr was especially powerful.

The second day we toured the Capitol and visited the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of Natural History. It was amazing to see where Congress meets and to view the incredible works of art at the museum, but the Museum of Natural History was far and away our kids' favorite of course!

The third day was a little more relaxed, starting with a leisurely breakfast at the hotel.

Then it was on to the National Zoo!

We walked so many miles overall, but our kids were total troopers and only tired and grumpy occasionally! By the end we were all amazed by how much we were able to accomplish with 6 kids, 4 of whom were ages 4 and under!

It's a Hard Knock Life...

This morning I ripped up a couple of old towels, dressed my kids in their swim suits, put on some kids music and had them scrub the floors with me.

We used doTerra's On Guard Cleaner Concentrate to make the mop water, so it was non-toxic. I loved not having to worry about their skin, their eyes, or their clothes!

I know, kind of reminds you of Little Orphan Annie a little, doesn't it? They were having fun though! In fact, I couldn't even get Hannah to smile at the camera, she was having too much fun scrubbing!

My floors look great! This may become a weekly routine.

What chores do your kids help you with?

***New recipe coming tomorrow!!!

Hello There!

I haven't been blogging very much lately, not really any excuse except for this little guy:

That's right, in January we will be welcoming a new baby boy into our family! We couldn't be more thrilled.

We had a great summer and our kids enjoyed every minute of it. I found myself spending a lot less time in the kitchen, first because of the morning sickness all-day nausea, then because I found it easier to stick with some of my old favorites instead of trying new recipes while we enjoyed the beautiful Colorado weather.

In July, Hannah turned two. Cake and a balloon, all a 2 year old needs, right?







Isn't she turning into such a pretty little girl? She has such a fun personality too, a little more feisty than Nathan, but we figure with an older brother already and a younger brother on the way, it's a good thing that she is able to stick up for herself.

While I haven't been experimenting too much with new recipes, I have been starting to bake my favorite pumpkin recipes. Yummy!

 

I've picked up crocheting again. Check out this cute hat I am making for our new baby boy! I purchased the pattern from this seller on etsy.





I also have started making my own cleaning and personal care products incorporating essential oils, thanks to a class I attended by Jenn Oldham. This is a video of her demonstrating how she makes her own laundry detergent, lip balm, and deodorant.

The secret is in the Certified Pure Therapeutic-grade Essential Oils sold by doTerra. I'm sure I will blog more on this in the future, because I am falling in love with all the uses I have found for these awesome oils, including relieving stress, nipping colds in the bud, and cleaning my house.

I hope to be back to the blog a little more consistently in the future, so see you soon!

Wordless Wednesday

Merry Christmas Eve!

Look what my husband got me for Christmas!

I desperately needed a new bag. My old purse was one I bought at Target several years ago and was in bad repair.

We were on a tight budget this year so he used his frequent flyer miles to get this Burberry bag. Isn't it pretty? I love it.

Yesterday the kids and I had a fun afternoon in the kitchen. We made Chex Mix and Peanut Butter Blossoms (those recipes to come):

Nathan loved helping me measure ingredients and mix the cookie dough:

The best part was unwrapping the Kisses to put on top:

Although there is a teeny tiny possibility that more chocolate ended up in their mouths than in the bowl for the cookies:

The best part is sampling the end result:

While they stuffed their faces, I packaged some goodies for the neighbors. You don't think I could keep all these carbs here at my house and still be hungry for Christmas dinner, do you?