A Little Family Croquet

Last week while we were in Denver visiting Grant's family there was a heated family croquet match.  Paul made sure all the participants knew the ins and outs of croquet regulations.

Those who didn't swing the mallets played with babies instead.

I didn't play.  I have nowhere near the hand eye coordination required to get a ball through those little wickets . So I took these pictures instead :)

It really was such a wonderful weekend.  Now we're counting the days until we can visit family again.  :) 

The Search for Sanity: Part VI

Want to read previous posts about my acupuncture adventure?

The Search for Sanity: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V

Forgive me for failing to update in a while.  The three appointments I have had since I last wrote are blurring together.

Appointments 8, 9, 10:

• Calli has continued to test through the rest of the 14 vials in the basic food allergy vial set. I think that I have gotten through them all now.
• I was sensitive to three more vials (hence the three appointments).  Honestly, I'm not sure I remember them perfectly.  One was stomach acid, one was grains, and the last was base (digestive juices and enzymes from intestinal tracts)
• After finding a vial I was sensitive to, Calli used acupressure and acupuncture to reprogram my body and then I was put on a specific diet to avoid that allergen
• I feel like I have had one of those "walk in my shoes" experiences.  I have had to do so many crazy diets, even if only for one day each.  For the last one I had to avoid, "raw and cooked vegetables, beans, eggs, and milk."  Random.

I can feel myself pulling away from the hope of being "acucured," as Grant calls it.  I have had 10 appointments in a little over a month and I haven't noticed any significant changes.  Last Friday I had the most intense migraine that I've had in a long time... no bueno.

I have also started slipping (and not caring) on my gluten-free diet.  It started on Saturday at the BBQ when I may or may not have had 3 hot dogs with buns.... (not in one sitting though :)  Whoops!  I have stayed gluten free on all the big things (bread, etc.) but choose to ignore the flour in cream of chicken soup and other silly things like that.

We're looking at new directions to take in terms of my migraine care.  I'm working on getting in with a neurologist.  I haven't been to see one since I was kid and I know there have been lots of developments in the last 15 years.  I'll keep you updated :)

...and the Living is Easy

If there is one thing we have learned, it is that summer in Texas must be spent in water.  

Yesterday we attended a BBQ with a bunch of friends.  It was hot, but breezy, which made for a perfect day by the pool

The boys played a lot of volleyball.

Really, they were all wrinkly by the time they got out of the pool.

Grant's long monkey arms are especially useful in games like volleyball.  Especially when it is as competitive as this...

Us girlies stayed out of the endless volleyball game for obvious safety and emotional reasons.  

And it doesn't get much better than that!  Well... until you add those...

That's What You Get...

A killer, unexpected migraine has sucked my will to blog today so instead of writing something witty I'm just going to post a series of pictures and you can make up your own story :)

Take that!

Duck Face

I got a new book this weekend at the mall in Denver and I'm in love with it!  It's called, "What's New Cupcake?", and it shows you how to make all kinds of adorable cupcakes.

It's the second book from the authors who made this book:

So we got home and I got to work on my first set of cupcakes!  I baked me up some boxed cupcakes:

And gathered some special tools and ingredients:

I dyed some frosting yellow and set it aside

I assembled a marshmallow snip and a donut hole on top of each cupcake and stuck the little buggers in the freezer to solidify a bit.

And then, I forgot to take any pictures until I was done.... but what I ended up with was this!

I dipped them into semi-melted frosting to get a smooth look and then put on Mini M&M's for the eyes and half a Starburst for the beak.

What I didn't notice when I took these pictures was his saggy neck... See it?  Problemo Giganto.  Why, you ask?

Because the Texas heat & humidity don't allow ducks to stay capitated (the opposite of decapitated, of course) for very long...

Their heads are just too darn heavy!  Also... it's just too darn hot and humid!  No, really... I was trying to come up with lighter alternatives to a donut hole... my ideas so far consist of cheeto balls and ping pong balls... hmmm.  

Other problems encountered besides the very obviously lead headed duckie here.... Frosting too thick.  Notice the swirly lines.

As well as frosting too thin.  This poor duck head never stood a chance.  If microwaved too long, the frosting gets too thin and separates a bit= no bueno.  If there isn't very much frosting in the bowl, then it hardens back up too fast and the frosting is too thick=no bueno.

Also, now that I'm looking back on these pictures, I'm realizing that I put the tails on upside down... oh well.  Most of these unfinished and/or decapitated creatures will be going to work with Grant and will all be eaten anyway :)  Woohoo for fun projects!

Oh, and for fun, name this quote! (It's been a bit altered...)

 "And when the wind blows hard and the sky is black? Ducks Die Together!"

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

We spent this weekend in Denver with Grant's family.  It was awesome!  There is something so wonderful about being in your parents (or in-laws) home, surrounded by family with nothing to worry about.  It literally feels like Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows   (That is one of our favorite songs.  It's from our favorite movie: see here).

One of the best parts about visiting family is playing with our nieces!  We have three: Kate (3), Gwen (1) & Elaina (3 mo.).  They are all at such different stages and have different personalities so they are each fun for different reasons.

Kate, 3, loves to talk and has tons of energy.  She is super smart and asks questions like, "So... Uncle Matt... how do you like living in Utah?"

Uncle "Guck" taught her how to play croquet... sort of.  Here she is contemplating the meaning of the universe... maybe...

I don't have a ton of pictures of Kate, mostly because she loves to run around... and I don't know how to use my camera that well yet.  I'm good at taking pictures of things that stand still...

Which is why I have a lot more pictures of her baby sister, Gwen.

Gwen is 1 and her parents call her "the unloader" because she loves to walk around and find things to dismember.  Luckily, she didn't do too much unloading this weekend.

But she did do a lot of smiling and holding still, which made it easy for me to take pictures of her.  Woohoo!

Gwen also loves to eat.  (But really... what one year old doesn't?!  Oh yeah... that would have been me... Sorry mom.)

There is something about her red hair and greyish eyes that I find absolutely beautiful.  What a cutie!

She also loves her Uncle Guck.  This picture reminds me of a picture of me as a baby... Do you know what picture I'm talking about mom?  Do you have it?

And then there is baby Elaina!  She is in quite a mommy stage so we didn't see as much of her as the unloader or the talker :)

I am in love with her chubby cheeks! Why is that it's so cute to be a chubby baby but not a chubby adult?  Sometimes I think we should reinstate the idea that extra poundage=status.  Yeah!

I love all these faces she made so I made a collage.  What a cutie :)  Someday we'll have our own little one to take millions of pictures of.  But for now, I will attack every child that gets near with my camera.  (Well, not literally attack... ya know...)

How to Sneak Up on a Deer

Step One: Leave Texas.  The best way to do this is by airplane, not by car.

Step Two:  Go on a hike. We hiked Mount Falcon Park just outside Denver, Colorado.  Um... beautiful!

Step Three:  Find a lovely meadow surrounded by forested mountains.  For an accurate example, see Disney's Bambi :)

Step Four: Spot a deer!  (If this isn't your forte, take someone with you who has eagle eyes.  That's what I do)  Can you see her in these pictures yet?  Look close... where's waldo...?

Step Five: Sneak.  Okay, I'm not that good at actual sneaking directions.

Step Six: Over the meadow and through the woods...

Step Seven: Find a big rock to hide behind... or a tree... or a hunting blind (if you have a gun and you're hungry...)

Step Eight: Zoom!!  And don't move too much, especially if you have big bold stripes on that don't match the landscape...  Deer can't see colors very well, but they can see shapes.  I didn't exactly dress in camouflage.

Step Nine: Say "Awww" as you snap some pictures.  And then watch the deer prance away.