19Apr 2017

March Madness

By K + Z 0 Activities, Family, Personal, Sloan Permalink 0

I know it’s April, but so much happened last month besides Targhee and our St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

In March there was a lot of baking. Cookies, mostly. But other things as well.

Cheesecake has been a family favorite. But I don’t ever give up on those sugar cookies. I just can’t. I helped host a shower for a sweet girl in our ward and my food assignment was sugar cookies. So I made three dozen for the shower and I felt like I was eating cookies for the entire month!

The shower turned out so cute, all thanks to Rebecca and her darling decor!

And my favorite part of hosting showers? The leftover flowers.

We spent a lot of time outside – there were days when it really felt like spring was going to stay. It didn’t, but we don’t mind!

And for those days went it wasn’t spring – we painted our toes, made homemade ramen, and went to Kangaroo Zoo. Which Sloan calls “Kazoo!” for short.

We also went to Beauty and the Beast – which we loved. Gaston came, too.

Before Targhee, we practiced a lot inside on the carpet snowboarding with our new helmet.

Only a day after we returned from Targhee, Zach left for Cabo with his friends. But he didn’t leave us empty handed. He had a whole bag of surprises for Sloan to open (one for each day he was gone). He is the most thoughtful person and he even attached a little note for me on each one.

Sloan is beginning to change. Her personality is mostly the same, but she’s growing up. Learning a lot, comprehending more than I can imagine, and exploding with emotions (good and bad). Trips to the store aren’t as breezy as they used to be. Unless we get a cart with a car. And find a friend, I guess?

But luckily she is always down for a run in the jogging stroller. Not without a snack, though. And more snacks upon arriving home.

Some more highlights were going to the Discovery Gateway with our neighbors and friends. Sloan loved it and loved being with the twins just as much.

I also got to attend my old college roommate, Whitney’s, baby shower. She’s having a little girl here soon!

I’m lucky that both of my current roommates love pizza. So I make it often. Probably too often.

We had a couple dates this month, too. Our latest involving hot chocolate and macarons. It was wonderful.

Not as wonderful, but delicious considering, Sloan and I are addicted to protein bites. Almond butter + protein powder + raw honey + chocolate chips. When you want a cookie but you’re trying to eat clean = protein bites!

It was a great month. March was one of the best to date. Our little family of three is making memories that are going to stick.

25Jan 2017

In No Particular Order: January

By K + Z 0 Family, Food, Personal, Sloan Permalink 0

I can’t believe I’m saying this and risking jinxing it all – but my New Year’s resolutions are actually going great! I love to bake and cook and have really made an effort over the last few years to make healthy and somewhat satisfying meals for our family. Some they like, some I like. And there are even a few we all like! I was craving corn bread randomly one day and decided to make cornbread and turkey chili. I found the best recipe on Yummly and it was a hit! It’s even made with yogurt instead of oil, so it was even lower calorie. I love turkey chili – though not everyone in our house does (ZACH) everyone gave it a go and it turned out great. If you ask Sloan and I, that is. One evening after Zach got home from work we rushed over to a pond nearby our house that had completely frozen over. It was the perfect time and place for some more ice skating. Sloan was in heaven. I was frozen solid. I wish they had a one-piece onesie in my size. I don’t know if I am just getting old or what…but I’ve been freezing this entire winter season. Sloan experienced Play-doh for the first time and acted like it was the most revolutionary thing to happen to her since cheese. If you know her – cheese is the end all be all.Sloan and I went to Kangaroo Zoo one afternoon when she was up from her nap. It was a stormy day, so it was great to get out of the house for a bit. Sloan loved all the slides and blow-up activities…but she was more concerned about the chairs being all organized a certain way. She gets that trait from me, poor thing…
We got Sloan her second haircut this month. It was much needed. Her hair is growing faster than it seems possible. We are actually due for another one this week! One night for FHE we made homemade pizzas. It was super easy – store bought dough and sauce – but it was a blast! They actually tasted much better than I expected, too. Artichokes were the hero, I’m telling you… Sloan’s Bubba (my brother) bought her a coon hat at Cabella’s and Sloan has been a big fan. Like, wearing it instead of her shirt, kinda fan. Zach begged me to make manicotti a few weeks ago. I’m not a huge fan of the dish, but I try to be a decent wife once in a while. I was convinced Sloan wouldn’t last through dinner prep – but was surprised at how much she loved helping me fill all the noodles with the cheese filling. She helped me stuff 12 noodles – barely moving a muscle. Recently Zach and I had a date night: Pizzeria Limone and the Jazz game. Because pizza is always on the top of my list and because SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS is on Zach’s list all day erry day.
We had Classic’s company seats and they did not disappoint. PS – Did you know there is a Swig counter at the Vivint Smart Home Arena? Yeah, it’s true. The weather hasn’t been ideal the last few weeks for snow sports. We’re dying to take Sloan up snowboarding, but it keeps storming on us. Luckily, she is just as happy to be indoors and being pulled around on the carpet by Zach. She even learned a new trick: a board grab. While wearing her coon hat, but that’s not surprising. We are in the “dressing ourself” phase and I’m actually not mad about it.

19Oct 2016

Hurricane Henderson 2016

By K + Z 0 Family, Personal, Sloan, Vacation Permalink 0

We try to do a Henderson family trip every couple of years but it’s been a while since our last one. That was Disney World in 2010. The family has grown significantly since then and it’s becoming more and more of a production to find a date that works for everyone let alone all the logistics to actually get us there.

This year the destination was Mexico and there were 40 of us. Quinn and Max, the two youngest babies, were the only family members that didn’t come along.

We left Saturday morning and flew into Puerto Vallarta. The flight there went better than I could have hoped. Sloan has never had her own seat before. She doesn’t turn two for one more month, so technically she could have flown as a lap child, but we were SO grateful we didn’t go that route. We lugged the car seat onto the plane and it was the most relaxing flight we have ever had with her in tow.

We arrived and all boarded our bus to the resort. Yes – we needed to rent a legit bus to transport us all along with all of our luggage. Luckily Sloan took a little afternoon nap on the bus ride and was refreshed once we rolled in. The resort was located in Punta Mita – a new place that Zach and I had never been to in Mexico. Upon arrival the staff had little good bags for each child – and in Sloan’s good bag was a package of mini marshmallows. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

We didn’t waste any time. As soon as we checked into our room we were in our swim suits and on our way out to the lazy river. There were several buildings that made up the resort and ours was called Oasis, because it was on an island surrounded by the lazy river. We couldn’t have had a better room, location wise. Just a few yards away from our door was a staircase down into the river.

It was perfect for Sloan. Not too fast paced and almost completely shaded by palm trees.

Most nights we had reservations for dinner, but our first night was a “free night”. We had room service back at our place after our laps around the lazy river and it was actually really great.

Most of the time I don’t get wooed by customer service, but at this place they had me smitten. We had requested a crib for Sloan and they went all out. She had her name spelled out in sponges (great bath toys) in the bed along with a plush turtle, baby insect repellent, shampoo and conditioner, wipes, regular diapers, and swim diapers. They even brought in a diaper Genie and left a basket for her with some chocolate milk and cookies with her name spelled out on them. She gasped each time she saw something new they had left out for her.

After dinner we tucked Sloan into her bed and Zach and I stayed up late catching up on shows (and sporting events).

Every time we go on a vacation Zach and I always make the same agreement. This one was no different. We made a wager that I got to work out each morning at the hotel gym and Zach got to surf every day. Since I don’t work out on Sundays, I took a day off from the gym and we spent the morning at the resort’s infinity pool.

We swam until lunch time. We found a shady spot with a great view and grubbed as we watched the ocean. Sloan was in heaven. We all were, really. Besides – kids ate for free at the resort. So Sloan had the culinary world at her fingertips – or at least all that the hotel had to offer.

After Sloan’s nap we ventured out again to the Lazy River. Sloan was settling in nicely to this little routine we had started.

We had a dinner reservation at Bahia later that evening with a gorgeous view of the beach. Another amazing thing about the resort was that you could order any beverage for a toddler – and even ask for a sippy cup! They were completely set up for young kids, which was such a huge perk for Sloan.

After dinner the three of us made our way down to the beach before returning back to our room.

It got dark fast after the sun went down – so we made our way back to our room.

The next morning I hit up the hotel gym while Sloan got breakfast delivered to the room. Remember, kids ate free…so she had deluxe service each morning. Besides, she never finished all of her bacon, so Zach had to help her with that. It was extremely humid and the gym really wore me out. After a run on the treadmill I returned back to the room. We got dressed in our suits, grabbed Sloan’s life jacket, and made our way back down to the beach to do some surfing.

All three of us went out and I “attempted” to push them into waves, but I wasn’t doing a very good job. Zach managed with Sloan on his own when I was out too far and couldn’t touch the bottom any longer. That’s me, in the background, not succeeding at my task whatsoever…

Sloan loved it. She wasn’t scared or nervous at all. Just happy to be doing something different and exciting.

After being out in the ocean for a while we rested on the beach and ordered some drinks.

We decided to head back to the infinity pool to meet up with the majority of the rest of our family.

After Sloan’s nap we did some laps around the lazy river until it was time to get ready for dinner. We ate at a different restaurant near the pool and it was all very delicious.

You would think that Sloan’s favorite part of the trip would have been surfing or the Lazy River. Truth be told – we believe it was the golf carts. Since the resort was so spread out, you could call a golf cart to come and pick you up and take you to wherever you needed to go. Sloan was in heaven riding to a fro on the golf carts and could have done it all day every day if we would have let her.

We stopped and got some dessert at the Gelato Shack after dinner.

After dinner we changed back into our swimwear and we went back down to the beach. We found these pods hanging from the steel beams underneath the infinity pool and Sloan loved crawling around inside of them.

She would have ran full speed into the waves if we would have let her. She has no fear whatsoever and it scares ME to death.

We stayed until it was time for bed. By the end of each night, Sloan was absolutely exhausted and slept so well throughout the whole trip.

We continued our ritual each day, and every day being at the gym never got easier. I attempted BBG in the 78 degree gym and nearly drowned in my own sweat. The employees inside the gym were even wearing LONG SLEEVED JACKETS! I could barely breath let alone exercise in that temperature and they were jolly as could be in winter clothing…

We attempted surfing again with Sloan and she loved it even more the second time around. She stayed out with Zach in the surf for almost 45 minutes while I watched panicking from the shore. She even barrel-rolled off the board a few times and it didn’t even phase her. She even lost her binki at one point out in the ocean. As soon as she found it, though, she wanted back on the board. She took out her binki and shoved it down deep in her life jacket so if she fell again she wouldn’t lose it. She is an adrenaline junkie for sure!

I love that she was splashing her hand in the ocean, just content as ever.

After our surf session we went back to the infinity pool for lunch.

We stayed until nap time and once Sloan was snoozing inside in the air-conditioning, we took the monitor out by the Lazy River and enjoyed some time together.

That night was a free night. Since we didn’t have a reservation, we took a taxi to the next resort over to try a restaurant there. We ate at the Sea Breeze at the St. Regis and we had the BEST shrimp tacos I’ve ever tasted. With homemade tortillas and some sort of avocado sauce that tasted like guacamole mixed with crack cocaine. Just kidding. But really, it was amazing. Sloan got a PB&J (toasted) and fruit and sat contently the entire meal.

The next day we had family pictures scheduled. We lounged at the pool, hit up the lazy river, and then met everyone else down at the beach. Thank goodness for the golf carts, or we would have been sweating before we had even arrived…

Sloan wasn’t thrilled about the heat [it was 90 degrees and felt like 90 percent humidity] and we all were a bit fussy. I died when I saw this first photo…

Luckily for the majority of the rest of the photos, Sloan was happy.

Ok…not these two. But I’ll take what I can get.

After our photo session was all done, we had a beach dinner scheduled. I’ve never eaten dinner with my toes in the sand. It was wonderful and it was much needed and relaxing after all the stress of family pictures.

They had a live guitarist playing and they even set up a fire pit for s’mores afterwards.

Sloan and I went back to the room when she started to fall asleep in her high chair [that some sweet waiter carted all the way down through the sand to our table – bless him!] and I got her all ready for bed.

The next day we had no plans other than our little routine. I had stopped at the resort’s boutique gift shop to get Zach and I some sodas when I saw the Flamingo floaty. It was one of those things you just can’t pass up.

Sloan spent the rest of the day floating in Felicia (named by Lori) with a sippy cup and fruit snacks.

We had dinner that night all together at the resort’s Asian restaurant – which was our favorite of all of the meals we had there. Afterwards we all went down to the beach. We were scheduled to release some baby sea turtles into the ocean. Each family got their own box and the staff told us all about the process and why it’s so important not to interfere and to be extra soft and gentle with the turtles. I was amazed at how brave Sloan was with those little wiggly things. She insisted on holding them herself – but wasn’t very gentle in “releasing” them. It was more like tossing them. Let’s hope a few of ours survived and didn’t suffer from blunt force trauma.

It was my favorite night of the trip. Afterwards we walked up and down the beach with Sloan and my sister-in-law caught some great photos of us (thank you Siri). The sunsets were like this each night – bright and bold. The sky was so orange, which made the ocean look even more blue.

The next day was our last full day. I went to the gym and on my way, spotted the infinity pool completely deserted. It was beautiful.

Later, Zach and his brothers tried their hand at the water power board and Zach loved it.

It was a free night for dinner – so we decided to go back to the Asian restaurant for a second round. Sloan even had her very first brownie sundae for dessert and refused to let them take the plate – even when there was nothing but melted ice cream and chocolate sauce left over. We perused the gift shops afterwards and Sloan touched everything within her reach.

We kept telling Sloan it was our last day and that tomorrow we would be going home. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea, and spent the last evening cuddled up in our bed with us.

Saturday Zach did a little morning surf session and I went on a run. We all showered up, ordered room service for lunch, and then packed our bags to go home. Our whole crew boarded the bus and were off to the airport in pretty good time. We were worried because our drive to the airport took a lot longer than expected. Luckily security in Mexico is a lot different than in the US. We were through their TSA in less than 5 minutes. The flight went a lot faster than I expected also and Sloan did pretty good considering she skipped nap time and her dinner was technically 6 different types of snacks I had packed in my carry on. Once we arrived back home, customs went pretty quickly as well. We were really blessed, considering our large party, how smoothly everything went. All thanks to Gina’s meticulous planning and us hustling our butts to and fro to make things happen.

We love being with the Hendersons. We always have the best time and make some amazing memories. One of my favorite things to watch is Sloan’s cousins and how they interact with her. They are all so sweet and playful with her. She doesn’t know it yet – but she is SO lucky to have 25+ other cousins to grow up with. Our future family vacations will only get busier and louder, but honestly…that’s part of the joy in it. Thank you Mark and Jeanene for another wonderful time together, we love you!

16Oct 2016

Conference Weekend

By K + Z 0 Activities, Family, Food, Sloan Permalink 0

A few months ago Zach and his brothers planned a “Sports Trip” aka boys weekend going to every sport possible and it landed on Conference weekend. He left Friday and Sloan and I wasted no time kicking off our girl’s weekend, just the two of us. First we hit up Cross E Ranch, in North Salt Lake. Sloan thought it was a huge hit. The slide, the corn pit, the tractor rides.
Of all the activities – Sloan loved the tractor the best. The sweetest employee at the ranch even gave her a private ride on the big red tractor. It was the highlight of our visit.
I was finding corn kernels all over the car and our house for DAYS afterwards.

Not in order – but still important – I got to go out with a few of the ladies in my neighborhood for a Girls’ Night this week as well to the Dodo. Any excuse to be with friends and eat their turkey sandwich and I’m in!
Sloan also got her first hair cut. Some would argue it was unnecessary…but it needed to be trimmed up and evened out. She did so great. She literally barely moved a muscle. I can’t decide if she was nervous or if she was holding me to my promise of an ice cream cone if she behaved. Either way, I was so proud of her. Saturday came and we had zero plans during the day other than watching conference. So that’s what we did. While I was prepping Sloan some snacks for our long haul – I turned around and noticed she had grabbed a blanket and was already curled up on the couch watching. Let it be known that she lasted ALL FOUR SESSIONS of conference. If she wasn’t watching, she was playing quietly nearby.

We also made blood splatter cookies [from the Cutler’s recipe] and delivered them to some of Sloan’s friends around our neighborhood. It didn’t occur to me until we had already dropped them off them off that it might be a little creepy to give a bunch of kids under the age of 6 bloody ANYTHING. They were really good, though. So hopefully that made up for the gruesomeness.
We have a serious influx of crayons at our house. Sloan goes through a box of crayons faster than a box of goldfish crackers. They are either broken or unwrapped and THEN broken or lost within days of buying a new box. So instead of feeding this bad crayon habit we have – I decided to melt down all the broken pieces in the microwave and make some gem crayons. Sloan loves them (especially the fact that they change colors often) and they are even easier for her to hold because of the size.

I loved Conference so much. My favorite session being the morning session on Saturday, but all of it was wonderful. I’m so grateful that Sloan was so well behaved and enjoyed listening [especially to the choir] along with me so I could feel the spirit and enjoy all of the messages.

Before we left for our family trip we had a rainy day. It just felt right to have chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Sloan had never had chicken noodle soup and thought it was the most amazing thing she had ever tasted.
I also tried a new taco recipe [mostly because I was getting so amped to go to Mexico] and love how they turned out. Mahi mahi grilled tacos with cabbage and mango and avocado salsa.

Zach had a fantastic time on his trip with this brothers and brother-in-laws. They went to three sporting events in three days and were back in time for work on Monday.

It was just a snippet of family time before all 40 Hendersons left for our family trip to Mexico.

27Sep 2016

September

By K + Z 0 Family, Food, Sloan Permalink 0

I’ve been trying to keep up this month, but obviously not doing a very good job. September is my favorite month. It’s still warm, but the nights are cool. It’s Zach’s Birthday. Pumpkin spice everything starts to show up. How can you NOT love this month? We’ve been busy, and even as I type this I can’t believe it is the 27th already.

We visited my grandpa recently. Sloan took it upon herself to organize the contents of my grandpa’s fridge – including all the root beer cans which she lined up in various places around the living room. We had lunch and visited for a while until it was time to go home for Sloan’s nap. Girlfriend couldn’t hang, though. She fell asleep 5 minutes into the drive home.

I’ve been trying to get more organized around my house. My closet has turned into a BLACK HOLE. I’ve made an effort to clean it out every so often, so I did a little purge – which meant Sloan got to play dress up. At one point she had four of my old wrist watches on…

The morning of the Utah vs BYU game there was a Stake Preparedness Fair. We weren’t planning on attending, but Sloan joined me for a run on the trail and saw the Bouncy Castle from a mile away. I had no choice but to let her bounce her brains out with all the other kids…

That night Zach and I had a date at the BYU game. I managed so sneak in my contraband: a can of Diet Coke and a giant box of RED RAGEOUS Mike & Ikes (I have only found them at Harmon’s…M&I are my favorite candy and I only like the red colored ones…so it was like the heavens were smiling down on me when I spotted them) and I enjoyed the game at Zach’s side. It was a typical rivalry game. A rowdy crowd, hilarious comments, tensions were VERY high.

I can confidently say it was one of my least favorite games I have ever been to. It was almost unbearable to watch (the Utes played terrible, and dare I say it…didn’t really deserve the win) but we persevered and the Utes barely escaped with a win!

Sunday my cousin blessed her baby boy at their house. Sloan’s reward for not bombarding the circle during the actual blessing was a taste of Tori’s homemade cupcakes.

Sloan’s been really into smoothies lately. Her dad got her hooked on Jamba Juice while I was away in Park City with the Hendo girls. So I decided to amp up our smoothie game with some pre-made pouches. That and the fact that I am terrible with produce. Fresh fruit and veggies die so quickly in my house. So freezing them in baggies made me feel better about them not going to waste!

Sloan can barely wait to get her hands on her smoothie in the morning.

One Friday night a few weeks ago, I signed Zach and I up for a cooking class. I figured for all the football games I had been to – he owed me this. (Is that a rude thing to say? Maybe.) He wasn’t too thrilled, but later found out the theme of the class was “Japanese Steakhouse” and was suddenly ALL about it. All the way there he told me how he knew the secret to the rice, he knew the technique for the steak. I could barely contain my laughter. He was more excited than I was!

We had a fantastic time. We learned how to make potstickers, shrimp, steak and vegetables, and fried rice.

Zach was in heaven and even let me go purchase a few of the tools and supplies we needed to make all of it at home. Have you ever cooked with a pair of silicone tongs? Go get some. Game changer!

Sloan’s been a serious daddy’s girl the last week or so. She can barely wait for him to walk through the door come 5:00 pm. It makes me so happy to see her light up when he comes smiling through. She squeezes her little arms (and eyes) so tight when she hugs him.

We got to go out on another date night to celebrate Zach’s birthday. Sushi and a movie – always his choice every time. We saw Sully, and if you haven’t seen it yet – GO! It was fantastic.

With the weather being all over the place, Sloan and I have been experimenting with running trail routes. Usually we go on the same route, which is not very long (over two miles for me is really hard with the jogging stroller). But I pushed hard one morning and found a new route even Sloan is obsessed with. I call it the Tour de Parks. We run as far north on the trail as we can (just over three miles) until we get to a little secluded park just off of the trail. We play until Sloan gets bored and then we run back – stopping at every park on the way. I counted once. If you count the park at the end of my street – Sloan and I pass SIX parks on this route. So usually we stop at three or so on the way back. It’s a win-win: I get some exercise and she gets some serious play time.

With an upcoming Hendo family trip around the corner (where I will be in a bathing suit for 7 days) I have been trying to eat healthier. I’ve got a great arsenal of meals down for meal prep and can make 16+ meals in about an hour!

I am obsessed with this ground turkey + jasmine rice + marinara recipe (which sounds awful, but is actually my favorite) that I could eat every day if I had the choice! We’ll see if I am even close to beach ready in a few weeks.

I did have a major cheat meal, however, when Sloan and I stopped to get some fresh local peaches a few weeks ago. For Sunday dinner we made forbidden rice, tri tip, roasted rainbow carrots, and crock pot peach cobbler. It was off the hook, very easy, and even Sloan loved it! Well, mostly the peach cobbler topped with ice cream, but still. It was Halo Top ice cream, though. So it was healthIER?

With winter approaching fast, I am trying to get some creative ideas to help Sloan stay entertained once we have to be cooped up inside. She is so used to going to the park every day, she might go stir crazy when it gets too cold. So I’ve been playing around with some artistic activities and painting has been a hit for her!

At least we will have ONE thing to do once the snow is here. I have to carry her kicking and whining away from the watercolors when it’s time to be done.

This last weekend Zach and I had our regular date night and enjoyed fish tacos at Lone Star and did some shopping for snowboarding gear.

We got geared up for the season and Zach’s already itching to take Sloan up as soon as the slopes are open. He’s going to put his birthday present to good use this year!

Sloan is obsessed with church. Every time we pass a church on a drive around our neighborhood she will point and shout “CHU CH” at the top of her lungs. She is so wild in sacrament meeting that we cringe every time we have to take her to nursery. We usually last anywhere from 7 minutes to 25 minutes these days in sacrament before we are roaming the halls or coloring in a room near by to keep her contained.

But then while in nursery, I get photos like this from the singing time leader…My child NEVER sits still, let alone on a chair by herself. She must really love nursery if she’s willing to behave that well. I really don’t get it. She is crazy town for Zach and I…but an angel as soon as she walks through the door of the nursery room.

It’ been fun to watch Sloan get so excited about our house being decorated for Halloween (oh yes – I put decorations up a few weeks go). She is obsessed with pumpkins and points to each and every one she spots. I bought her this teeny tiny guy at the grocery store late one night and surprised her the next morning with it. It made her whole day!

She is going to LOVE all the activities coming up for the actual holiday. Her little mind is going to explode when she sees all the pumpkins at the pumpkin patch!

09Aug 2016

Back For a Bit

By K + Z 0 Activities, Family, Sloan Permalink 0

It was nice to sleep in our own beds after being gone for nearly a week in Lake Powell. Sloan slept in until 9:30 am the morning we got back. I had to finally go in and wake her up. Once we were home we all got back into the swing of things. Zach and I got to have a Date Night mid week after returning home. We went back to TOPGOLF, where we had an absolute blast. I was hesitant – because it was 100 degrees outside – but we couldn’t have had more fun.

Since being back from LP – I’ve been in a total funk in terms of diet and exercise. It’s because I bought two containers of Benny and Jerry’s Salted Caramel CORE and polished them off BY MYSELF within this short week and a half period. It won best ice cream of 2016 – so I gave it a try. I was hooked after my first bite, I’ll be honest. So after that whole fiasco I had to get back into a groove again. I’ve been trying to eat more protein lately. I find it is easiest to cram it in during breakfasts and found the BEST recipe. Chicken, sweet potatoes, one egg topped with avocado, cheese, and pico. It’s a game changer. Now if I could just convince this cool chick to eat more protein. Eggs and grilled chicken are her only compromises so far – but she does eat better if she’s wearing my sunglasses. Serious.
Zach and I are grilling as much food as possible before the weather starts to get cooler. We’ve tried a bunch of different things, but our favorite has been grilled shrimp with pineapple salsa. Topped on sweet corn on the cob: B O M B!Last Saturday we got to go out for dinner at Caffe Molisse and later saw Bad Moms. It was actually pretty good. Zach was the only guy in the theater – but could totally relate to all the mom jokes. But really…he had popcorn so he could have watched the Little Mermaid and would have been completely content. Speaking of moms…my friend Whitney became a mom of three recently. THREE. Her little Fin is the sweetest – and we got to spend lunch with them this last week. It was great to spend some time with a few of my girlfriends – and Sloan didn’t hurt [or have much interest in, actually] the new baby. So that’s a success! Sloan has been a bit of a cuddle bug lately. I have a feeling it is because she is going to be getting a few more teeth soon – but I’ll take it regardless. She’s really into holding hands right now. It is my favorite. Thursday evening I got a call asking if we’d feed the sister missionaries on Friday night. I had already planned an Olympic themed dinner for the Opening Ceremonies that night – so I figured, why not? Zach and I were already going to order Cafe RIO [because the Olympics are in Rio, of course] and I was going to get out some festive decor. Also, there were Olympic cookies…The best part of the whole story was that I had to call the sisters we were feeding to get their food order. I told the sister all about my plan: we would eat take out and watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. First, she had no idea that the Opening Ceremonies were even this weekend – and then informed me that they can’t watch TV. Obviously, I knew this – but it completely skipped my mind amongst all the excitement of the actual event. It made a lot of sense why she didn’t seem excited for my whole plan of activities. But that didn’t stop me from getting out the garb and hanging it from the ceiling…
When the sisters showed up – they were totally flattered that I had thrown this all together for them. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I had already planned it for just the three of us. But I was worried they would feel left out – so I gave them red white and blue scarves to wear. Correction: forced them to wear. It wasn’t until half way through our meal that I found out that the third sister on the right had only been out in the field for THREE days. The poor thing was green as could be – from Papa New Guinea – and probably thought we were just the most annoying Americans ever in our USA t-shirts.

That night we stayed up way too late watching the Rio opening ceremonies after Sloan went to bed. The next morning I got an early morning run in before the three of us went out and about. We started at City Creek. We did some shopping and had lunch at the food court. We must have worn Sloan right out – because she could barely stay awake during a family cuddle sesh upon returning home. That night Zach and I had our Date Night – this time we went to Park City for some outlet shopping [which was a total bust, but fun nonetheless] and then had dinner at the J&G Grill. I had the halibut and it was the best fish I’ve had. Ever. Like, I could eat this fish for every meal for the rest of my life. We haven’t slowed down much since being home – especially considering we are leaving for Lake Powell again with my family in a few days. So until then we are hitting up the park as much as we can.

Category Sloan