These are a few of my favorite things...

Okay folks, this is a post about me, and about the things that make my life easier/more enjoyable/yummier/ etc. I'm not talking kids, family, friends, etc. I'm talking about stuff. These are some of the items I currently can't go without, or could but don't want to!

The Magic Bullet. No kitchen is complete without one. Matt and I are smoothie freaks and use it every single day to make yummy fresh smoothies. I make all Piper's baby food in seconds with fresh fruits and veggies. Anything that needs blending, chopping, pureeing, etc. gets done in the bullet. I love that it's small and dishwasher safe. Plus, has anyone seen the infomercial? It's completely addicting! LOVE the magic bullet. I also want a "Ninja" master prep. Look at the infomercial. You'll want one too.

Mmmmm...Girl Scout Cookies. Need I say more? I think I will! I love them. Well, 2 of them at least! Samoas and Tagalongs. I even just made homemade Samoas. Good, but way too time consuming. We just discovered Dreyers Girl Scout Cookie Ice Cream. TO DIE FOR! It's definitely good that the cookies are only available once a year.

Sketchers Shape Ups. Honestly I just received my first pair in the mail this week. They look kind of goofy, but I can really tell a difference in my posture when I wear them and I can definitely feel my legs working when I'm wearing them. I just have a feeling that they're going to be a "favorite thing!"

Ahhhh, the Haan steam mop cleaner. I've got a thing with clean floors. My house can be cluttered at times, well most of the time, but my floors are consistently clean. I LOVE this steam mop! I love that it heats up in about 3 minutes, uses only steam to clean (nice to know that the baby isn't crawling and around on built up chemicals on the floor) and has a reusable microfiber pad that I use and just throw in the washing machine. Definitely worth every penny!

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Ladies, this book will change your life! Okay, it at least changed mine! My newest obsession is artisan bread. You know that bread that has the great hard outer crust and is soft in the middle? I currently make bread almost every day and LOVE it! The secret is the dough. It's only 4 ingredients but you make enough to last up to 2 weeks. You let your dough raise (no kneading) and then refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks. When you want to make bread, you just cut off a chunk of dough, shape it, let it "rest" for 40 minutes, and bake in a steam bath. It is the best bread ever! There are tons of variations in the book, but I'm still loving the basic recipe. Yum!

Fruit and Vegetable Co-ops: I've decided to not only eat more fruits and veggies, but to make my own baby food this time around. I found 2 local co-ops that make buying fresh produce easy and super affordable! I pick up a box every other week or so, depending on how quick we go through it. The fun part is seeing what produce you get. The baskets/boxes of produce are already put together for you, so it's a surprise to see what you get to take home. Today, I went through http://www.greenbeeproduce.com/ . My box was $18.50 and contained a bunch of bananas, a big bag of romaine lettuce, a bag of oranges, pears, apples, grapes, tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflour, and a pineapple. I love the surprise factor! http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/ is another local site. I've like both co-ops, but the bountiful baskets was more crowded, and took longer to pick up. It's so fun getting produce that I love, and also things that I may not have used before and finding fun ways to eat them!

I have so many more favorite things! Prepare yourself for part 2; coming soon!!!

Hogle Zoo!

Is there anything cuter than a daddy carrying his baby girl around in the baby bjorn?
Maybe a daddy that carries his 5 year old around on his shoulders!

Or braves the crazy hills of the zoo with the double stroller!

Or maybe this squishable little one... Too many cute things to pick!

We finally made it to the "Pogo" (as Londy calls it) Zoo as a family! We met up with Matter's mom, Melissa, Wade, and our niece and nephew, Averie and Keaton. We had such a fun time! There was snow on the ground, but it was a perfect day! The kiddos loved seeing the baby elephant and giraffes. So cute! It's been a while since I'd taken the kids, so everything was new and exciting for them to see. Plus, it was the first time we'd been without there being a million elementary school kids there on fieldtrips; definitely nice. Fun family outing!

Grammy and the grandkids, minus the Pipster

London, Averie, Beck, and Keaton

Too big too fast!!!

Last time I checked, I had a 7 month old. Yes, 7 months old. Not 12. Piper must think she is much older! As of last week, she started pulling herself up on anything and everything she can! She LOVES standing! She's already a crazy crawler, but come on, standing? Too soon! Today, she actually pulled herself up on the little tykes chair in the playroom, and started pushing it around, walking behind it. I'm in for trouble! (Yes, I am fully aware of the messiness of the kids' toy room! Totally not worth cleaning it until the end of the day!)

Dr. Seuss Week!

Beck had to be in a picture, too! Looking good in jammies and London's hat!

London's school has been celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday all week long! Today was "silly sock" and crazy hat day. London definitely went crazy with the socks! Tights, 2 different leg warmers, and actual socks, plus a big summer hat to complete the ensemble! A bit Punky Brewster-ish, but cute!

Antelope Island; an oasis of sorts...

Antelope Island. Need I say more??? Well, probably. On President's day, Matt's buddy Sterling called and said that he, his wife, Erin, and 4 kids were headed up to go to the island. We live minutes from the causeway and it's been probably 20 years since I was last there, and Matt had never been. We met for lunch and then headed out! There's really not a whole lot going on there! Actually, on the causeway we listened to the AM radio station for the island. Hilarious! It boasted "primitive campsites free of electricity, water and shade." Sign me up! It also kept repeating the island's motto "an oasis in an urban setting." Hmmmm.

Matt and the kids explored the visitors center while I fed the baby in the car, then we headed over to the ranch. Interesting and sort of fun for the kids. The kids had the most fun trying to spot animals from the car windows and running around with the Jack kids. Maybe we'll try it again when it's warmer...

More Matchie Matchie (and Beck!)

As long as London isn't humiliated by dressing the same as her baby sister, I'm doing it! I think it's so dang cute! Here are the kiddos all ready for church; the girls in their matching dresses, and Beck in his "suitcase." I love it!

Bestest...

This is Londy and her bestest friend Mazie. They're inseperable! I took these pictures of the two of them before school on Valentine's Day in their cute little outfits!