Moab: Take One

Oh Nutella.  My ever present love affair. My  fettish, my constant, my 11 grams of fat per 2 tbsp. serving. How I love thee. I'm enamored at your rich brown cocoa-hazlenut delishnishness. Had a bad day? Lather some on a strawberry.  Feeling lonely?  Scoop out a spoonful and lick to your heart's content.  Or, heavenly day, try this new recipe I found delishly entitled: Nutella Cupcakes 
Does life get much sweeter?  Two beautiful things combined into one bite of pure---translate me to heaven oh city of Zion--ecstacy. 

Until, I tried the little doozy myself..and this is what happened:

However, the second batch turned out much better.

I even tried my hand at piping the frosting on top with a lovely swirled pattern. Cam took one look at them and said: "This one looks like it has a terd on the top." Thanks dear. In his defense, the one he commented on really did look like it had a terd on top.

MOAB

Dry desert beauty, hot sand between my toes, grippy sandstone, red rock cliffs, blue, fluffy clouds: pure, simple, satisfying enjoyment.  There is something about this magical place that communes with my soul.  Maybe its the grand openness of the desert, the expanse of it all.  Or maybe it's the colors-the dynamic red rock cliffs against the bright blue sky.  What ever it is, it keeps calling us back again and again.  Here are some pictures from our little weekend excursion.

 Josh learned to drive the dirt bike. 

 Ella pretending to be an alien.

 Daxton meditating in the camper.

 Me and the cute, chubby baby.

 Eating sand.  Great for digestive cleansing.

 Ella and Kelli dancing on the rocks.

 Hiking with the family.

 Check out that milk belly!

 Almost the whole fam-damily! Shera, Jeff, Jack, Kenny, Kelli, even Mom and Dad came for the adventure! (this was a treacherous hike too, they had to cross the stream on 4 different occasions.)

 Amelie enjoying the ride.  Wish they could make one in my size.

 I love this picture. Kelli took this one of Josh, out on his own, soaking in Moab.

Joshua

The kids were playing in the toy room downstairs when I heard loud cries and utterances of "spider!"  I went down to check on the scene, and after taking a look at the poor creature, told Josh I would pay him $10 if he ate it.  Now, if we look at Josh's past, he is very adamant about NOT causing any physical harm to ANY of God's creatures; big nor small.  But when his eyes met mine and he said "Seriously?" I knew I was about to shell over some cash. Ten dollars later and some pictures to prove it:

Daxton

Dax and Ella are great playmates and rarely have a scuffle.  The other day they were playing in the kitchen.  Dax was the motor-bike racer, and Ella, sitting atop the banister, was the announcer.  She would count down: 3, 2, 1, and then hit the button on the metronome to create a loud buzzing noise which was Daxton's cue to race across the kitchen floor to the finish line.  Looks like fun, no?

Ella

Sigh.  Ella.  Is it wrong to say that I am terrified to see what the future holds for this little girl?  I guess not so much as what it holds, as what she's going to dish out and create in years to come.
You see, I found out yesterday in church that Ella likes to tell our neighbors how dirty their kitchen floor is.  In fact, she mentions the cleanliness of their home so often while she is playing, that it is now the new tool the parents use to make sure their kids did a good enough job of cleaning the home.  "Did you clean your bathroom?  Do I need to go get Ella to check?"
Plus she's a complete Diva.  Granted, I am realizing that I often times add to this problem (shown below).

But look at that hair!  I mean WOW just doesn't do it justice.
But what do I do?  I love to do girly things with her, paint the nails, fix her hair, shop.  This girl is a leader, and she's so dang smart too.  I fear for the direction that she made lead her future girl friends (mean girls, ring a bell?)  I suppose Dax is only a year older, and can hopefully keep her pointed in the right direction.


Amelie

Just gotta keep this girl alive.  Man, she is everywhere. Climbing up the chairs, onto the table, in the trash,  splashing in the toilet, pulling open the oven, throwing away kitchen utensils, pulling the movies and books off the shelves and then climbing up them........is this painting the picture well enough?  I can't keep track of her!  I've tried keeping her in one room, complete with hundreds of baby toys and a gate, but she will just stand at the gate and scream until she is released (the record is her crying for 48 minutes, then I gave in.)  I have thought about putting a leash around her ankle, and tethering her to something, but I'm pretty sure this may be illegal.  Just gotta keep this girl alive.

 Climbing atop the table with the phone in hand and something in her mouth.  Typical.
Note the curly hair.  That's 3 of 4 with curls!

Diving head first into the tub with all her clothes on.  The two black things in the bottom of the tub are barbie shoes that were in her mouth before she took the plunge.  Typical.

 Bath time.  Love those chunky thighs!

Cameron

Though he is traveling at least 2 weeks out of the month, the drive to Montana is proving to be quite scenic.  He has driven through lots of mid-western wilderness, and we are planning a family trip in July to hit some of the hot spots, including Yellow Stone. (can't wait!)

Cam signed up for the immensely popular road bike riace, Lotoja, and also a triathlon in Moab in a few weeks.  The triathlon is Olympic sized, complete with trail run and mountain bike course.  I have no doubt he'll kick some serious tail, if he can only stay afloat during the swim portion......can't wait to see him in a skin tight wet suit.  Oww oww!

Cindy

I feel so much better.  It's like feeling the sun on my face once again.  The world is a good place, ya know?  I like being happy.  The enveloping darkness was so suffocating in December and January and, well gosh, into February as well.  But now it seems to have dissapated and I feel myself again.  I had my first appointment with a little angel named Christy Foster.  She's a touch therapist, and is helping with my scholiosis, in efforts to realign my spine, and my lifestyle.  It was amazing.  I felt that she gave me a ticket to a new journey in my life, a brighter outlook and a way to help control and eliminate the anxiety I feel all the time.  How sweet is that?! 
I also read a book that is so rich and well written that it is in my top five.  It's called The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher.   It was so good that if Amelie had been born after I read this novel, I would have strongly considered naming her Rosamunde.  Phenomenal read, if you're interested.
And finally, I want some art.  Not just a cheap print from the local retailer, but a real touch and see the brush strokes original piece of art work by George Handrahan.  At first Spring Snow caught my eye, and then No More Work, but finally I have set my heart upon In the Shadow of the Mountain.  I love how you can see the great expanse of the mountain by it's creeping shadow, and how you feel like you are on top of the world, looking down to the beautiful valley below.  I like to imagine I just finished a hike, warm in the body with rosy cheeks and nose, anxious to get back home to a steaming cup of chocolate and crackling fire.  Plus, if you knew George, it's reason enough to own anything created by him.  He's Daxton's primary teacher and a phenomenal, I mean outstanding man.  He's the kind of man who can make you feel important just by looking and smiling at you.  But, where most paintings run from $2,0000 to $4,0000, I best start pinching my pennies now in efforts to save for one of those beauties. Wish me luck!