Sweet & Sour...

Despite this face, sweet little Dayne LOVES lemons! He can't get enough of them!

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Whenever we go out to eat, we order a whole bowl so he has plenty to chomp on!

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Chop, CHOP!

Look at this shaggy mop!

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In preparation for his Birthday Portraits, little D got his hair cut... well, just trimmed, really.

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He has always been so good before, but Brooke really earned her money this time around!

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He was a wiggly, giggly grabby-grabber!

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Another Craving...

Okay, maybe it was the Lotion that I used after my shower...

This weird craving gave Cucumber-Melon a whole new twist... together and sprinkled with salt! (Don't ask me why...)

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Nothing in the world could have tasted better for Lunch today!

SO very fresh and yummy... trust me, it was de-lish!)

Blast from the past!

WOW! Lookie what I was surprised to find on the Haley Family Blog this morning!

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To read more or view the post, click here:

http://haleymonkies.blogspot.com/2008/04/ability-to-find.html

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What a blast from my past!

Alison (Perry) Haley was my roomie- roommate my second year at Ricks College. We shared a room and our college-girl lives together in Harmony House #210 the school year of 1995-6. What a FUN time we had! we were such goofballs... I have so many great memories! Love that girl!

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Alison and I had lost touch for a while and have only recently sent annual Christmas cards to each other. Until the WONDERFUL-world of blogging reconnected us! Alison google-searched me and found my Picture This... website and then, even better, our blog! She sent me an e-mail and we have been enjoying staying in touch for a few weeks now and catching up on each others lives.

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This is what I love about the blogging-circuit! In 5-10 minutes a day (or several times per week), I can keep up with the goings on of family, friends and long-ago friends/acquaintances I don't otherwise often cross paths with. It is so fun to see what everyone is up to and feel in some small way connected to their far-away life. If you can't tell, I love it and am totally addicted!
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Ali, remember? We took this CHEEZY photo in the Jailhouse at Smith Park to send to "our Matts" to show them how much we were missing them...

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My Matt was attending Snow College, a million miles away and your Matt ("Bones", we called him!) was away on some Fashion Club trip, or something, I think. I'm not sure if you two were "together" yet or still part of the Harmony 210 triangle... (or was is a square? I can't remember how many of our roomies were into him... but at least 2 or 3 of you! ...Glad the best woman won!)

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So crazy that 13-ish years later, we are both happily married to those very same "Matts"!

We both have 3 boys, almost the same ages and Alison just had a beautiful baby girl, Ella, last spring. I am expecting our 4th, (still to be determined as another boy or a sweet girl) ...funny how similar our families are! We also love so many of the same things and have nearly all the same interests. She is a true bosom-buddy!

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I have such fond memories of that year together, Al. It was such a fun time! I am so glad to have found you (or to have been found!) and to be keeping in touch!

I love your guts, girlie and would LOVE to see you if/when you ever get out this way again!

(Or maybe we'll have to take a trip..!)

Until then, we have blogging!

Boys on Wheels...

Pedaling out in the wide-open air...

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Feeling the rush of wind through your hair...

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There's just no pleasure or earthly joy...

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Like Riding a Bike, to a little boy!

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Skateboards, scooters, scabby knees,

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Jumping off rocks and climbing trees,

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Always going, running past,

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He's growing up.. and way too FAST!

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My guys had such a fun time out cruisin' around their cones on the driveway.

Whether on their bikes, scooters or rip-sticks, they are always on the move!

Staker Family Easter Egg Hunt...

Okay, I know, already... this is OLD news, but I finally got around to editing the photos from Easter Sunday! (It's only been 2 weeks... come on!)

There are even more to come, but here are a few shots from

The Staker Family Easter Egg Hunt 2008

at Grandma Peggy & Grandpa Larry's... always so fun!

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Our little fam...

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Trev was so excited to find a bucket with his very own name on it (that he could read all by himself!)

and he couldn't wait to find an egg in each color!

Thanks, Grandma Peggy!

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Kade, on the other hand, looked high

and low...

until he finally found his bucket...

which he still managed to fill with eggs!

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AND (Drum-roll please...) Here's the traditional 2008 Egg-Hunter Group Portrait, taken under the Gazebo, as always! Look at all those happy Egg-Hunters... looks like they all had a great time (even the Dads!)!

And I guess we wore them out! Little D didn't even make it to the freeway!

Thanks again to Auntie Lynette and Grandma Peggy for a wonderful evening!

We're in TROUBLE, now!

If I hadn't seen it with me own eyes, I'd wouldn't have believed it myself!

Look what this resourceful Little Stinker has figured out how to do...

He watched in awe (you could see the wheels turning!) as each of his big brothers came in and went back out of the front door (where he knew they were playing) and it wasn't 15 seconds before he had crawled over...

Pulled himself up onto his tippy, tippy-toes...

Scooted himself to the side as it unlatched...

Stepped backward and around to open it...

Steadied himself (remember that he's NOT walking and barely standing, so this nearly knocks him over backward)...

And was OUT in a flash! (Notice he NEVER looked back!)

I couldn't believe it!

I wish I'd had the video-camera handy, but my camera was closer (as usual... I'd just taken the pics from the prior post!), so I made him do it again while I took these photos... no problem!

He was thrilled with himself, much to my dismay!

(I may have to start keeping the door locked!)

These Brown Eyes will Melt Your Heart...

This is the sweet face that greets me every morning...

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With his Daddy's gorgeous brown eyes and that mischevious, giggling grin,

he just about breaks my heart every single day!

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He so patiently waits his turn while I get the big boys ready and off to school as he enjoys his morning milk...

...all the way to the last drop!

And he never forgets to thank me...

...with his smile!

He is always ready for an adventure...

...and always willing to play!

Mmmmph... LOVE that boy! :)

TRIUMPH!

It was one of those proud Mom-moments...

I had to share (maybe even brag a little!)

My boys ate and actually LOVED something I cooked!

...Miracles never cease!

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I mean, look at these smiles! And they wanted MORE!

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To truly appreciate this moment, there is something you must understand...

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Perhaps you DON'T know this about me, but I am I am not a good cook. Horrible, actually.

There are many reasons...

Mostly because I don't enjoy it...

(Seems like a lot of work and mess when it doesn't even taste as good as eating out!)

Also, because I never learned how...

(Everything we made in our house growing up, came from a can or a box.)

True Story:

I was 12 (literally TWELVE... I was a Beehive!) when I learned that "scratch"

(as in "make it from scratch") was not a "mix" of some sort. Yeah...

I thought it was like Bisquick... some sort of "just add water" kind of stuff that you could use to make anything. (SAD!)

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Bottom line...

I don't usually give it a lot of effort...

(If there are too many ingredients, too many steps, or it takes more than 15 minutes, I'm out!)

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Well, for the sake of my poor husband and growing children, I have recently embarked on a Personal Culinary-Skill Improvement Project.

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This yummy pulled-pork was my latest experiment...

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Guess what? I DID IT!

I started it in the slow-cooker at 10:30 am and by noon it smelled so good I wanted to eat my own arm! YUM!

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Here's the magic formula:

Rinse (and pat dry) a 3-6 pound Pork Rump or Shoulder Roast

(I got my 13 pound roast at Costco and just multiplied accordingly)

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Rub with 1/8 cup coarse Kosher Salt

Mix: 2 cups Water and 2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke (from the BBQ aisle)

Pour Liquid into the bottom of Slow Roaster Oven

Add salted Roast

Cook covered at 350 for at least 3 hours (Keeping Moist)

Shred with 2 forks

Add more Water/Liquid Smoke/Salt to taste

And THAT'S IT!

My boys LOVED it! (And I felt like a Domestic Goddess!)

Trust me when I say, if I can do it, so can you!

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

Today is my Mom & Dad's 38th Wedding Anniversary!

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They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on April 2, 1970.

(WOW! I can't even comprehend how long ago that was... Good thing, I'm not that old yet!)

They met while working at the church's granite Genealogical Vaults and were engaged on their second date!

As far as I know, they've been happy ever since!

Not that their lives, nor their marriage has been necessarily easy, but I think to their credit, they've both always been committed to making the best of their current circumstances.

What a good perspective... they've taught me so many things.

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I honestly don't remember my Dad ever losing his temper. I'm sure he did at some point, but it was few enough times and far enough between that specific instances escape me now.

And think of the patience it would have taken to wait 7 LONG YEARS to be blessed with t heir first child (ME!) and another 6 before we adopted my brother, Joe. Wow!

I reminded myself of this MANY times while waiting for my own children to come to our family...

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I learned the importance of picking up and moving on at an early age.

Dad was a Navy Career man and we moved often when I was young.

It was always presented as an opportunity for growth, adventure, new friends and experiences. I am grateful now for many scattered friends I have collected easily along the way!

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From Mom I gained a respect for nurturing, loving and serving those around me.

My Mom is unyieldingly loyal to those she loves and she "takes care of her own" at all cost. She and her mother were inseparable and many people actually thought they were sisters! She cared unceasingly for her father, even though it required several visits a day for many years. Now she enjoys watching her grandchildren WAY more than her fair share of the time. Her selfless attitude and willing sacrifices are still such an example to me of true "Mothering" .

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Okay, I could go on and on, but I am too teary to even see the keyboard... (another FUN side-effect of this pregnancy...) sooo, let me just say that I am SOOO blessed to have been raised by such wonderful, loving, supportive parents. I love them deeply...

I am so very grateful for them... for the values they embrace... for the irreplaceable role they have played in my life... and for the promise of an eternal family.

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Love you, Mom and Dad!

Here's to many, many more!

In-between-ers...

Okay, so it's not really an April Fool's joke, but we HAVE been holding out on you!

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I unrealistically wish that I had time to record/scrapbook/blog every moment of my boys' lives, (which of course, is completely ridiculous!)

I DO take a LOT of photos... and I DO (eventually) get around to editing MOST of them...

It's just that since that's what I "do" for everyone else, often times MY OWN family's stuff gets put on the back burner and done LAST! (Hate that!)

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ANYWAY, here are a few of the "Momentous" things that have happened in the last week or so in-between my other posts, that I still haven't gotten around to sharing with you...

Daynen, sweet thing that he is, cut another tooth!
(His 3rd on the bottom... hopefully you can see it, just below the tip of his tongue.)

Amid his cold, ear infections and surgery, I never got around to posting this darling pic of his cute "new" smile!

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Trevan, smarty-pants, passed off all his letters/sounds at Preschool and moved up a Reading Level!
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This was a HUGE accomplishment for him and he was SO excited and proud of himself!

(You should have seen him run to tell me at the end of class!)

He has been working really hard and is enjoying learning to read.

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And here is the one I feel a little bad about...

Kaden just finished his first Junior Jazz season... and I have yet to post a single picture!

(What kind of mother am I?)

I was there, taking photos at EVERY game, just never got any online. Oh well...

To ease my conscience, here are just a couple of my faves:

Let me just say that the improvement from the first game to the last was remarkable! His little team went from ball-hogging ("Pass? What?"), shoulder-high dribbling, half-court shooters to quite a team of "real" players!

Kade learned to play GREAT defense, and was even the high-scorer of his team a couple times... 14 points one Saturday! Wahoo!

We were all sad to see the season end and think it may be our favorite sport, so far!