Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

It's Autumn, folks. (Well, in some places, anyway.) That means it's time for delicious autumny things for dinner. Lucky for you, I have just the ticket. It's one of my very favorite recipes for this time of year, and 3 out of 4 Monson children even agree it's one of the best chicken dishes ever. (I'll not mention Alexa, who is on a chicken strike of sorts these days. Or maybe it's just a dinner strike in general.)

It's easy. It's cheap. It's yummy. Heck, it meets all of my criteria for dinner, anyway. If you trust me at all, you will give it a try.

Autumn Chicken

5-6 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
3 T brown sugar
3 T soy sauce
1-2 T lemon juice
3/4 tsp ground mustard
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp minced garlic

In a non-stick skillet coated with non-stick cooking spray, brown chicken on both sides. Place in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 min.

Serve this bad boy with some rolls and mashed potatoes, and it's like a Thanksgiving party in your mouth.

Only without the hassle of cooking all day.

And without the relatives.

You're welcome.

Foiled Again

I guess these chairs weren't as far out of Spencer's reach as I thought they were...

(P.S. This is how you know if he's been sitting on your keyboard.)

Okay, Okay, I Guess Running Isn't So Bad After All...

So, in the past I have been a little (okay, a lot) snarky about the girls' annual school fundraiser called the Fun Run. (What can I say? I'm a little snarky about everything.) Lest you think otherwise, it isn't because I begrudge the school any fundraising money, but rather because I have always hated running and found it ironic that the words "fun" and "run" should be paired together in any capacity. 

Alas, as a wannabe runner as of the beginning of this year, I find that I must keep the snarky comments to myself as I report on the momentous Fun Run of 2014. I still can't say that I find running "fun," per se, given how darn hard it can be, but I sure do feel that it's worth doing after all. And knowing how hard it is makes me prouder than ever of what Savanna accomplished this year. (Only Vanna this time...poor J was sick with a mystery fever and missed school all week.) Running two miles straight at the drop of a hat without having to work up to it is pretty commendable indeed. (I'll just keep to myself how long it took me to work up to 2 miles...)

The school had to move the Run inside instead of holding it out in the sweltering October heat (that's right, I just used the words "sweltering" and "October" together...if you've ever lived here you know what I mean) because the fields were flooded from all the rain we had gotten the week before. Sweet mercy, it was a welcome change for runners and spectators alike. (I just hope they learn from this year and start having it inside every year!)

Here are the highlights:

Savanna and her good friend, L. Just leave it to Savanna 

to smile and laugh for the entirety of a 2 mile run.

Vanna's biggest Fannas

"Um, seriously...you woke me up from my nap for this?"

SUCCESS!

I love my little grinning runner. I am seriously considering hiring her as my coach...maybe she can teach me to smile while running, too. 

J-Notes

Our newly established crap table (er, craft table) means that the girls have ready to access to all sorts of fun, crafty paraphernalia at all hours of the day. It is seldom kept organized, but it does ensure that the girls can crank out little treasures like the following whenever they fancy a little project time. 

These were Julia's creations.

I could die from the cuteness. (If Spencer doesn't send me to an early grave first, that is.)

Slipping Through My Fingers

I was looking at some old pictures yesterday and marveling at how fast time is going by. At this time last year, Spencer was learning to crawl and just mastering solid foods. A mere 12 months later and he is running, climbing, pounding, yelling, and otherwise keeping my heart rate constantly elevated. By this time next year he won't even be a baby anymore. Gulp.

So, I am making some resolves. To hold him even more. To kiss him even more. To enjoy his spunk and energy even more. To smile and play and laugh with him as much as I am able.

{Oct. 2013}

{Oct. 2014}

And, to not get too mad/frustrated/exasperated when he dumps out an entire box of newly opened cereal all over the floor of the office while I sit here and reminisce. 

And then does it again. 

When Family Comes To Town

It's been a great year for family visits and I feel so blessed. All of my immediate family is now here in Arizona within a reasonable range of 2 hours from us (at least part-time) except for my lovely Cyndie who lives an astonishing and painful 7.5 hours away. This means that we don't get to see each other nearly as often as I would like, so when we do get together it's a wonderful, chaotic, and hilarious time, even when she has to spend a lot of precious time dealing with dumb homework and infuriatingly spotty internet connections. (Oh, and a car-towing, but we can talk about that later; I think it might be too soon).

This latest Tracy visit was one of the best. Not only did Cyndie get me out to a fabulous Weezer concert at the ever-sketchy Arizona State Fair, but we also all got a lot of cozy down time and late night talks and cousin bonding time. I laughed until I cried and went to bed exhausted every night.

Just as it should be.

{this is how grown-ups play}

{this is how boys play}

{this is how girls play}

{this is how Lex plays}

{this is how Fan and Zac are pretty much the cutest things ever}

{this is how Cyndie works on boring-oring homework with a beautiful smile on her face}

The real highlight of the trip, though, was our visit to the gorgeous new Phoenix temple, so stay tuned for more...

Being Free

"God will not act to make us something we do not choose by our actions to become. Truly He loves us, and because He loves us, He neither compels nor abandons us. Rather He helps and guides us."

-D. Todd Christofferson

Tiny Dancer

The inevitable dance classes for Alexa have begun. For a chickie who sings and dances her little heart out, ballet is just the thing. She loves class, loves her teacher, and asks me all week when it's time to go back.

Watching her is pretty much the cutest thing ever.

How I love my little tiny dancer.

Sincerely, Spencer

Dear Mommy,

You really tried last week, which is why I'm giving you an A for effort. I hope this doesn't make you sad, but you will probably never be able to keep up with me.

It's so cute that you try, though.

Love, Spencer

P.S. I promise that I love you even though I grin and say "Dada" every time you try to get me to say "Mommy".

Sunday Dance Party

Nothing says "Sunday afternoon" to the girls like having a spontaneous dance party. I don't know where they learned these fabulous moves, but I'm pretty sure Austin Powers would be proud.

 Incidentally, nothing says "Sunday afternoon" to me like taking a nice, long, post-church nap...which is exactly what I was doing when these pictures were taken. Oh, the sweet memory.

P.S. Note the plethora of handprints covering the TV screen. Many thanks to Mr. Spencer for those. He's not very good at eliminating the evidence of his crimes.

Weaknesses

"Acknowledge and face your weaknesses, but don't be immobilized by them, 

because some of them will be your companions until you depart this earth life." 

-Elder Jorg Klebingat

In the Interest of Not Being a Grinch

This year, for the first time ever, I decorated for Halloween. After nine and a half years of having kids and only ever decorating around Christmas, I felt it was time. My mom, with her faithful holiday display every month on the living room table of my childhood home, is probably ashamed. (Then again, she may have only started that after her youngest was in kindergarten, so maybe she's not judging me too harshly after all.)

Halloween is a bizarre holiday, I know, which is one of the excuses I've used for not really decorating in the past. (And by "not really decorating," I mean, "not decorating at all except to hang up the kids' Halloween art projects on the door out to the garage.") But, the kiddos love it, and they do have some really cute stuff out there, and I finally figured out a functional place to put everything (which has been another excuse), so it wasn't too much of a sacrifice after all. (Isn't that so magnanimous of me?)

And then there's the candy corn. (Mmm...candy corn...my favorite vegetable...)

Savanna told me the other day, "Wow, we are getting really good at decorating for Halloween!" I'm pretty sure that was her nice way of saying, "Thanks for finally getting with the program, ya Grinch. It's about dang time."

P.S. Speaking of decorating for Halloween and pretending it feels like fall, Spence is obsessed with the delicious-smelling cinnamon candle I have been burning. He's been dragging chairs over to the counter to be near it and try to touch it. I had to blow it out for now, until I find a suitable hiding place for it.

(It is currently 83 degrees in our lovely town, but I'm so ready for some yummy fall smells!)

Locked Out

The brand is called "Safety First." 

I call it, "Sanity First."

Spencer's months-long toilet-swishing exploits are officially coming to an end.

And you better believe we put one on the office door, too, to keep him from turning off the computer, dumping out the trash, messing with the printer, and other scenes such as the following:

(Spencer sitting on my desk without a care in the world)

Oh yes, just a small bit of sanity is returning to my life.

(As long as we remember to lock the door. Which we obviously didn't when the above picture was taken.)

Welcome October and Birthday Wishes

It has been October for a week and still, I cannot get over it.

I look at the calendar and think, can it really be October already? Time sure flies when you are shut inside all summer. (Actually, not really, but that's okay...it's OCTOBER!)

October is one of my favorite months.

It is the month when we can start to creep back outside after many, many long summer days of wishing that we didn't live in the desert.

It is the month when Christmas displays start coming out; the sooner the better, I say.

Halloween, I could take or leave, but I don't mind at all when delicious candy goes on sale.

And, best of all, it is the month when Laura, my beautiful, kind, genius sister was born.

Happy Birthday TODAY, La!

You are truly the best sister, aunt, daughter, sister-in-law, student, teacher, tea-maker, writer, recycler, and connoisseur of fluffy socks to quietly and unassumingly and beautifully walk the planet. Thank you for never failing in your unconditional love, support, humor, and general cute amazingness.

Happy, wonderful birthday!

P.S. Come visit soon. 

Or, better yet, we will visit you and get cozy and have fires and drink tea and hot chocolate and borrow your socks and read your latest masterpieces and look out the window and play Yahtzee and stay up too late and go for walks in the forest. But not necessarily in that order.

More Loving on Lex

Lexa probably gets an inordinate amount of face-time on this here blog. Partly because I am with her all day. Partly because she is my one and only mama's girl. But mostly because she's so darn funny. 

I love the way she thinks and the fact that she is not afraid to say whatever is on her mind. (Okay, I mostly love that part.) I love that she has an answer or explanation for just about everything.

I love that she says things like this:

Lex: Mommy, I love you everything.

Me: You love me everything? What does that mean?

Lex: It means I love you everything. Like curtains, and dresses, and covers, and speed limit signs, colors, butterflies...all kinds of stuff."

And this:

And, during diaper changes, this:

And she sings this:

 (And then she explains that, "funeral means rock star.")

I really don't know what I would do without this girl and her adorable thinking power.

Saturday Scenes

It's pretty rare to wake up on a Saturday morning to quiet. Usually, either the television is already blaring, or someone is yelling passionately at someone else for a grave injustice that has been unknowingly committed in the early hours of the morning. When I came downstairs this morning and heard none of the above, I figured that the girls were still asleep. Imagine my happy surprise when I found them quietly playing.

No yelling...yet.

No messes...yet.

Just a few moments of harmony until the spell was broken (about 30 seconds after I took these pictures).

Other great scenes:

Daddy and Spencer getting some snuggle time; this is also a rare occurrence since Spencer does not typically stay in the same spot for more than 20 seconds. (FYI, this is not an exaggeration).

The girls making use out of some Halloween kits I got for a ridiculously low price after Halloween last year. (Hooray for planning ahead. And then remembering that I planned ahead.) You better believe there was some voice-raising and a general discord over the sharing of materials (and the singing of songs that didn't want to be heard, and the saying of things that shouldn't have been said), but at least they let me take a picture and pretend that none of that had just happened.

(Except that I just told you. Oops.)

What did your Saturday look like?

Clean Bill of Health

At Spencer's appointment on Wednesday, the doctor said that his fracture is looking great. The bone is healing, there aren't any issues with the growth plate, and he can go ahead and "resume normal activity" now.

Whew. What a relief for Spencer-pants to know that he can be active again.

He has totally been taking it easy these last couple of weeks.