Friday, July 8: El Ensayo Cena

Friday the 8th was day before wedding day, which traditionally means rehearsal and rehearsal dinner day! But, being the low-key, relaxed couple Eric and Caroline are, they did not plan a rehearsal. Hey, if you don't have a plan, then the plan cannot go wrong. :-)


We did go by their apartment that morning to talk through the service and iron out a few details (for my Type A brain's sake). Brooklyn dressed up Caroline and took pictures with my phone (and because I love my new sister I will not be sharing those), while Jake admired Furbaby, the kitty, from afar and watched Yo Gabba Gabba on Netflix.



After a few hours at the Hollywood Hotel pool that afternoon, we all showered and dressed up for the "rehearsal" dinner at Malo Cantina.

Malo was unlike any Mexican restaurant we have ever been to. It was pure authentic Mexican cuisine. Their specialty- and one of Eric and Caroline's favorites- is the Pickle and Beef Taco. Even Chad, the non-pickle eater, said it was awesome. Unfortunately, due to some personal issues that day and evening I was unable to partake in the dinner, but everything looked and smelled sooooo good. Everyone was raving over the food and all had a great time! Thanks, Mom & Dad, for hosting a fun night!

[Cheers with Opa]

[The happy couple]
[Dessert table]
[Me and my little bro- the GROOM!]
[Caroline with her mom and grandmother]

[The groomsmen catching up.]

[Grandparents of the groom]

[Best bud-in-laws]

[Me and my NEW SISTER]

[The kids were soooo good with all these "adult meals.]

Thursday, July 7: A Deputy and a Celebrity

On Thursday, July 7th, I did something that not too many people can say that they have done.

I became a Deputy Commissioner for the State of California.


At 11:40am, I was sworn in as a Deputy and thus given permission to legally marry Eric and Caroline. Basically, I get to sign their marriage license and then officially say, "By the power vested in me by the State of California as a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages I pronounce you as husband and wife." What power! Ha ha!


My mom watched my two precious ones, and they decided to spend time riding rides outside the local Rite Aid. It's the little things that thrill them to death!


After I took the oath and signed the papers, Chad and I drove northeast to Pasadena where we met our friend, Brendan, for lunch. It was soooooo great to spend a few hours with Brendan and catch up (and laugh about college days).

Brendan showed us around Pasadena, including a drive by the Rose Bowl.

We really saw some beautiful California land in our driving that day. We ended the night at the yummy Souplantation with the whole family.

And a special happy birthday to my sweet hubby today! (And actually, cooincidentally, Brendan, too.) Happy Birthday, Chad! I love you so much!!

Wednesday, July 6: Griffith Park Observatory & Bachelorette Night

The pictures are reversed so here is how my evening ended...

A raspberry cake shot....probably my first shot in about 7 years. And my only shot for the night. :-) No one else had two babies sleeping off jet lag at home so I made it an early night and headed home after dinner with my mom.

The girls out to dinner at BoHo on Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles. I was 5 minutes from passing by Nick Jonas in the building.

Caroline and her beautiful sisters.

These girls know my style!

I mean, seriously, only in LA! This was the first bachelorette party I have ever attended located beside where they film the American Idol Season finales!

Earlier that day, we saw a magnificant view of the city from the Griffith Park Observatory.

What an awesome way to kick off our vacation on the west coast!

Our Sweet Callie Girl

While Chad and I were up way early packing the van and heading to the airport Tuesday morning, my precious in-laws were saying goodbye to our family dog, Callie. I say "our" dog because really Callie was the only pet that Brooklyn and Jake ever really knew well. Not being "pet people," Chad and I decided early on that cats and dogs were not in our future as a family, but we could always depend on this sweet golden retriever to give my kids a taste of what having a family dog is all about. Callie was the sweetest, most patient, quiet, loving dog ever, and both kids loved her sooooo much.

Brooklyn was a bit apprehensive when she was younger, but my in-laws were so great about letting her be a part of the "Callie chores." Brooklyn loved feeding her dinner and then watching her eat it all gone.
And Jake had just committed himself to being the official "Callie treat giver." He walks into the house every Sunday afternoon saying, "Callie- treat- Callie- treat."

Brooklyn took the news of Callie's passing really well, but Jake is still asking about Callie and treats. It will take a while, but for now, we told him that Callie is not home.

Rest in peace, sweet Callie girl. You warmed my cold, non-pet loving heart when you showed my babies that special kind of doggie love.

Happy Fourth of July/Vacation Eve!

I'm back after a wonderful 9 day vacation on the west coast. No computer was available while I was gone, and I could not stand to try and blog on my iPhone, so I hope to get you all updated over the next several days. I'll try to stay in order of adventures. :-)

We left the house at 4:15am on Tuesday morning so our July 4th celebrations were very low key.

Impossible to get pics of the 2 kids together these days...

Mood Swings

So, vacation started for me today! And though many of my days over the next few weeks will be spent flying, driving, sleeping, recovering from jet lag, perfoming the marriage ceremony of my brother and Caroline, and gambling- just to name a few- I took a moment this morning when we didn't have to rush out of the house to take out the real camera and shoot a short video for ya'll.

Jake's sporting his sweet new hair cut and showing what he learned this week.

worst.blogger.ever

Seriously, worst.blogger.ever.

I would say that I am super busy and don't have time to blog....or maybe that there is just nothing interesting going on...but really they are both true and then not true at all.

So, until I find the time to take a few pictures that are NOT on my iPhone and collect my thoughts into something witty and entertaining, I am sending my faithful blog readers elsewhere.

-I didn't have a Slow Cooker Sunday this week because we attended the wedding of one of my co-workers, Meg.

-Visit my friend, Mary's, blog. She is giving away things from Korea everyday this week. I mean, how can I compete with that???

-Dustin's Greenhouse was in Peru. Pretty amazing trip for these youth.

-And Russell turned two, Sophie lost a tooth, Ryan got a haircut, and Norah is smiling.

Thanks for keeping me entertained this week, blogger friends! I'll return the favor one day soon!

Way Back When-esday!

If you want to see some farther Way Back When-esdays, click here. :-)

Otherwise, here is my family July 4th weekend last year.

Wow, I am happy to report I am 42 pounds lighter this year.

And here are my sweetnesses in their patriotic attire.

What a difference a year makes with these little ones!

Way Back When-esday: Kindergarten Edition

In honor of Brooklyn finishing up her first year of Elementary School, today's Way Back When-esday celebrates Brooklyn's first day of Kindergarten in August.

And then for fun, I had Brooklyn wear the same dress on her LAST day of school 2 weeks ago.

...And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

I can't believe it's been over 6 months since this post.

This week, Brooklyn and her Daisy troop wrapped up their first year as Girl Scouts. They held an investiture for a newer member and all received their Daisy Petals that they earned this year. It was a great year, and they are so excited to get back together in the fall.

Thanks to Nanny and Gramma (aka Mrs Bader and Mrs Johnson) for being the BEST and most well-trained (haha!) leaders ever!

Happy 10th Birthday, Allie!

Today our sweet God-daughter, Allie, turns 10. I seriously cannot believe she is 10 years old. She has grown up from a precious dark haired baby who quickly learned to say "Whatcha talkin about Willis?" to a beautiful rising 5th grade "big sister" to my two munchkins.

Allie- we love you so much and hope you have a GREAT week celebrating at Girl Scout camp! :-)

Slow Cooker Sunday: Round Steak with Mushrooms & Onions

Another keeper! This was a great dish served over white rice. (I did the Minute Rice in the microwave for 10 minutes, and it was perfect.)

Round Steak

Ingredients:
1 boneless beef round steak (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup of water
1 medium onion, quartered
1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup milk
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 bay leaf
Seasonings, to taste: salt, pepper, ground sage, dried thyme

Directions:
1. Place steak in a large resealable plastic bag. Close bag and pound meat with mallet to tenderize the steak. Combine flour, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Add to bag with steaks. Shake to coat meat evenly.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Remove steak from bag and shake off extra flour. Add steak to skillet and brown both sides. Transfer steak and pan juices to the crock pot.
3. Add canned soup, water, onion, mushrooms, milk, dry soup mix, bay leaf, and seasonings to crock pot. Mix well. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until steak is tender.

Happy Father's Day, Honey!

Just wanted to take a quick moment to wish my husband a very happy Father's Day! Chad, you are my partner, my rock, my comforter, my listening ear, my love, and these days even my executive assistant. :-)

Thank you for supporting me in everything I do! You are a wonderful husband and an even better father. I wouldn't want to navigate through this life with anyone but you.

Especially since one day you will be a real life rock star. Ha ha!

Happy Father's Day, Chad! I love you! Best friends forever and always.
~Me

Summer Goals

By the end of the summer, I would like to see this cutie move from the alligator pool to a big pool...

And I would like to see this cutie swimming by herself in the big pool...

Brooklyn starts swim lessons on Monday. Thanks to Nanny for committing to take her for 8 afternoons this month. Brooklyn has been doing awesome in the big pool with no floaties and voluntarily going under water. We just have to get those hands and feet moving in the right direction.

Jake has decided that the big pool is scary stuff, so I am just hoping we can get him to stop crying in its presence by the time we hit the beach in August.

So, what are your summer goals?

Happy Endings

Brooklyn's last day of school was about a week and a half ago. Before I forget, I wanted to share a few pictures from that special day.

Is anyone surprised that Brooklyn received the "The Mother Hen" Award, for always helping her classmates open drinks, find a seat, get a pencil, etc.?

Brooklyn's teacher was Mrs. Hamilton. Mrs. Hamilton was a fabulous teacher. She was so instrumental in working with Brooklyn on her confidence and her social skills. We were very lucky to have such a caring, sweet, patient teacher.

Lots of hugs goodbye that afternoon, but Brooklyn and Avery will see each other this summer at church and around town for playdates!

I was so lucky (since my camera battery had died the week before) that the kids decided to reprise their "Fifty Nifty" song at the end of the year party.

Slow Cooker Sunday: A Double Edition

To make up for my last of posting (and my pretty slack previous posts), I have TWO slow cooker recipes for you tonight! Tonight's dinner was doubly slow-cooker delicious thanks to these two recipes.

The Main Course (courtesy of my dear friend, Chris):
BBQ Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
2 pound pork tenderloin
1 vidalia onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced (but you all know me well enough by now to know we had to omit this for the hubby)
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
2/3 bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar BBQ sauce

Directions:
1. Line the bottom of the slow cooker with 1/2 of the peppers and onions.
2. Place pork in cooker and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Top with remaining peppers, onions, and all of the pineapple.
4. Pour Sweet Baby Ray's over everything.
5. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

The Side Dish (compliments of a last minute "google" of "Slow Cooker Sides")
Chedder Potato Slices

Ingredients:
1 can of cream of chicken -or- cream of mushroom soup
1/2 teaspoon of ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
4 medium (or 2 large) baking potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 ounces of shredded chedder cheese

Directions:
1. Combine soup, pepper, and parika.
2. In greased slow cooker, arrange potatoes in overlapping rows.
3. Sprinkle with the cheese.
4. Spoon soup mixture over the cheese.
5. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.