Easter Part 4

I came from a family where Easter was pretty low key, although I remember my Grandma and Grandpa Henseler giving me pretty awesome Easter baskets, but in my home, not such a big deal. I still have the same sentiments. I love Easter and the time to reflect on all things "new" and what it really means to be thankful for my Savior. That being said, Easter morning is not a big deal for the kids. Call me crazy, but the whole idea that its almost like Christmas just ain't my thing. So the boys got some casual summer clothes and sand buckets. They searched for eggs with jelly beans. Owen loved it, he cracked all the eggs open into the sand bucket. Mile's eggs, however, were not filled with anything, but he loved playing with the plastic eggs. And yes, both of my boys are in Christmas pajamas. Maybe it is like Christmas after all...

Easter Part 3: Mom and Owen Dying Eggs

I'm a wait til the last minute kind of gal...so Saturday afternoon was when we dyed eggs. Things like this are hard for me because I get anxiety over messes. I don't like spilled dye, stained clothes, etc, etc. But I knew it had to be done. Owen was really good and would whisper "Gently" as he put the eggs into the cups. He loved coloring the eggs and even more loved egg salad sandwiches.

Easter part 2: Breakfast and Kites with the Hansons

Another fun tradition, every year the Saturday before Easter is breakfast and Kites with Great Grandma Hanson (or Grandma Bethie as we call her). We had a delicious breakfast...fruit, eggs, sausage, pancakes, hashbrowns...for 60+ people? It was pretty warm in grandma's house. Then the kids get to hunt for REAL eggs (boiled and dyed of course) and then they turn them in for money and candy eggs. Then we headed down to the park for kite flying, which eventually turns into playing in the playground. It was really fun and we appreciate grandma keeping up this fun tradition.

Estee, Vince, Jules, Owen and Kaycee:
one more of Owen: we laugh when he puts this hat on, he looks like a little elf.


Steve, Miles, Matt and Greg's face.

Kit, once again being adorable. She was pointing up at a kite. She is proficient in "Baby Signing Time" I think that means "what's that?" Or maybe it's just pointing...


This is hilarious. It looks like Owen is standing in awe of his kite flying so high. Not so. He is PISSED because his dad took off running with his kite. He doesn't quite get that that is how a kite becomes airborne.Grandma Bethie and the Boys. We really appreciate all her work and sure love her!
FUN FACT: Growing up, Steve's mom got a kite every year in her Easter basket. This was how her parents kept the tradition going.

Easter Part 1: Seare family Easter egg hunt

We had a multi-part Easter, starting a week before the actual day. Grandma Cyndee and Grandpa Scott had an Easter egg hunt for the kids since it was our week ON (we alternate Sunday dinners with them). They are equal opportunity grandparents. Each kid has 6 eggs (except the babies) and they are color coded, or themed. Owen got the basketball eggs and Miles got Elmo. They go all out every Easter and are sure to give plenty of candy, money, fun toys and my favorite, swimsuits. I appreciate a practical gift, and just in time!

Kit and Miles: aren't they so cute? Just 7 weeks apart!

Gracie and her prize:
Parker: the older he gets, the more like a Seare he really looks...

Maya and her cute glasses:
Kit: one of my favorite babies to photograph. Those eyes are unreal. She is a doll.
Miles: I love him through and through.


Owen and his basket and spiderman surprise:

Estee, Avery, and Kaycee. These ladies are 6 months within eachother. They were jumping on grandma's tramp (about 3 ft wide, 1 foot off the ground and a screen all the way around). I had to trick them to take a picture. I would let them bounce then I would say, "1, 2, 3, FREEZE!" It worked like a charm.

The faces of the Cutest Baby EVER

I can't get enough of this BABY! It is so fun to see his little personality develop. I could squeeze him all day long, if he let me...

Then and Now: Steve's mission reunion

(above: Steve and President and Sister Martino the day he arrived in the mission home)


(above: Steve and Elder Martino)
We had the opportunity to attend Steve's mission reunion. We hadn't been to one in a really long time. Elder Martino (Steve's mission president) was in town from Guatemala and was going to be speaking for the reunion. I felt that was definitely worth going to. I really love Pres. Martino and his wife. Great people. So we went and we saw lots of old familiar faces and had a good time, actually. Ha. I kind of hate mission reunions...
So 10 years ago this year Steve left the MTC and headed to Maracaibo Venezuela. FUN FACT: the heaviest Steve has ever been was while on the mission working in the mission office. The skinniest Steve has ever been was right at the end of his mission and right when he got home. Poor guy, his digestive system has never been the same...if your husband went to South America, perhaps you know what I mean? TMI? Ha.(above: Steve and Helgeson 2001)(above: Steve and Helgeson 2011)
It was really fun to catch up with mission comps that I have met before, particularly Helgeson and his wife, whom I met RIGHT when Steve and I first started dating...he and his wife were also dating at the time. He is hilarious and I can totally see why he and Steve got along so well. (they lived together in the MTC for 2 months) FUN FACT: Helgeson's best friend growing up is Ben Banford, who married one of my best friends. Small world.
Elder Rose. FUN FACT: I went to Dixie with Elder Rose. He lived behind me with a bunch of our friends and what a small world that he came home 6 months before Steve and lived behind me? Great to see him.

**Bakers, you were missed!

Tradition

I don't know about you, but I am slightly fearful of loosing some traditions. For instance, Spanish is the primary language of my family, but my generation and the generation after is lessening the amount Spanish spoken and also the amount learned. A really big tradition in my family is cooking. I have some of the best cooks in my family. Serious. And the funny thing is, all the things they cook are in their head. Once I asked my Abuelita to teach me to make homemade tortillas...the recipe went something like: 4 handfuls of flower. 1 handful of lard. 1 pinch of salt. a little bit of water. They just know how much of whatever, but there are no such things as "cookbooks" in my mom's family. I've been wanting to make some tamales for a while, so I talked to my aunt Abby, and we made it happen. I can't tell you the recipe, but here is the gist:
soak corn husks. Deseed and boil about a trillion dried red chili peppers. blend with oregano, onion and garlic. Sift through fine sifter to keep out seeds and skin. Buy the maza from a Mexican store. Mix with lard and oregano. Cook shoulder of pork, shred. mix pork with blended sauce. spread Maza mixture onto corn husks, spread a fair amount of pork and sauce onto maza. Fold, wrap in parchment paper for less mess. Layer it all into a big pot with water in the bottom (do not let tamales touch the water) steam for about an hour. Eat the most mind blowing tamales ever.
Sadly, pretty much no one in my generation cooks (I can't speak for the ones in Mexico, maybe they do) but us ladies here might be doomed. I am trying though. I made me first batch of Chile Verde the very next day...it was a success!


My aunt said "plan on about 4 or 5 hours." What she should have said..."plan on 8" It was a long day, but well worth it. I asked my aunt, did you just make these so often you remember by heart? She said whenever Abuelita Margarita (my great grandmother) would come into town she would make Rosita tamales. My question was what makes Rosita so special to get her own batch of tamales, she is my mom's cousin, and apparently she was the spoiled one. I hope Rosita doesn't read this or else I just started a family feud. Really. But ANYWAY every time she came into town she enlisted my aunts to help her make the tamales. Things don't quite happen like that anymore...being that everyone basically lives in the same town around here:)

Inspiration/Interpretation

People! I started a project and finished it! AMAZING. Steve went out of town a couple of weeks ago and for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to make a skirt. I had a pretty simple idea and thought I would whip it out in a couple hours. No Problem. WRONG! I worked on it for an entire day and hated it and decided to start over. I decided I didn't want a zipper, then decided I had to have a zipper, and well 2.5 weeks later I finally finished it. And wore it. And it has not yet frayed or come apart at the seems. I may never wash it. We will see.
I have been seeing lots of skirts like the ones pictured above from this lovely store, anthropologie. I love the high waist, the gathered at the waist, full skirt, and I love a big bow to top it off. I can't say this is the last skirt I will ever make, BUT if I ever have to sew a zipper onto an article of clothing I might rather die. This picture is actually not the greatest...looks like it could lay a little better and the bow is a little smashed, but Steve couldn't be bothered to take more than one picture on Master's Sunday. Ugh.

10 things about me.

I've been working on a little project recently. It's about my mom and I've been asking her some questions here and there. Mostly about her childhood and her younger years. I've been thinking a lot lately how "once upon a time," my mom was my age. She was once a mother to a 3 year old. I don't really know that person then, just the person she is now. Weird to think about, really. So I got to thinking, I'd like my children to know about me as a young mom with young children. This is partly why I blog. So they will look back and know what life was like...you know EVERY little detail:) and maybe get an idea of what their parents did for them so when they are 16 year old ingrates they might think twice....just kidding! Ha!

so here is 10 things about me today. it could change tomorrow.
1. I enjoy taking on sewing projects, but I hate that it consumes my life while I am working on them.
2. I've been really loving Mumford and Sons on Pandora. Have you heard them? A little folksy, but really good.
3. I have not ran once since running the St. George Marathon in 2009. I am certainly getting the itch. It's time to start. Who's with me? SLC Marathon 2012? Ogden 2012?
4. I am currently on my 2nd run of Sex and the City reruns in about a 3 month span. I'm just getting to the good part...you know where things are going great with Carrie and Aiden, but Big starts popping up. Oh man, seriously, best season. I love watching this show because for some reason it reminds me of one of my favorite vacations...Steve took me to San Francisco for our 1 year anniversary. What a sweetie.
5. Photography is ALWAYS on my mind. How I want to take new pictures, where I could take new pictures, who I could take new pictures of, what I could take new pictures of.
6. I make a to do list on a daily basis, and rarely refer to that list. Not sure why I do that.
7. I am a primary teacher and I really love it. I love the kids in my class and I love the age (7 turning 8). A couple of weeks ago I was asking the kids what we might be tempted to do, and no joke, one kid said MURDER. Oh man, gotta love em.
8. I love to read. Lately, I have a harder time making time, but when I finish a good book I feel really happy inside. And accomplished.
9. My house is rarely entirely clean. I've tried doing it all in one day, breaking it up through the week, but it just doesn't happen for me. HELP. How do you tidy people do it?
10. I love to make my kids laugh. This is often done through lipsincing, dancing and silly faces. Their laughs are priceless.

So tell me 10 things about you today.

Firefighter Buhler

A couple of months ago we went to dinner with some of Steve's Highschool buddies and their wives...we kind of lost touch for a while. BUT, we got caught up and Steve's friend Jason informed us he was a firefighter at station #5 and that we could bring Owen by any time. A couple of weeks ago we decided to take him up on his offer. When we first arrived, Owen was quite grumpy.

We put him in the front seat of the Fire Engine and he said "I don't want to be a fireman"

I got him to quickly snap out of it by telling him to shoot me with the hose. He thought that was fun.

Here is firefighter Buhler helping Owen handle an Axe.

This helmet was really heavy and kept weighing down Owen's head.

Owen, always a goofball.

We got the full tour and then some. Owen loved it and still asks about "Jasy" everytime we see a firetruck. The boys were sent home with firehelmets, stickers and lots of tattoos. Thanks Jason!

Mom, Are you ready to rock?

...is what Owen asked me last week when he got his guitar out. He loves it, he might just be my musical child!

Two Teeth!

Around the middle of February Miles finally had his two bottom teeth popping through, but they are really starting to show now!

Miscellaneous Wednesday: some brotherly love

Just love these boys and their brotherly dynamic.

Happy Birthday Stock!

We celebrated Owen's friend Stockton's Birthday in late March. I'm determined to be a thorough blogger this year, so bare with me as I do some catching up:). Anyway, Cas had a small playdate and the kids had cupcakes. Well, the adults had 2 or 3 also. I love that:
A. I'm still in good contact with my best friends from school, both highschool and college
B. We are pretty much all in the same boat...kids all near the same age (mostly boys, too!)
C. Our kids are growing up to be such close friends.

Here is the birthday boy:
The only way Owen knows how to eat a cupcake: eat the frosting off the top and then MAYBE take a bite or two out of the cake. This kid loves straight up sugar. Anything frosted in our house doesn't last very long...So it doesn't happen all that often.