...ziplining is AWESOME, but not scary.

Flashback to January and Travis upside down on a zipline in Puerto Vallarta.

...lunch is sometimes the best part of a shopping trip.

Paige and I went prom dress shopping today and while the highlight for her was finding her prom dress, mine was eating my favorite salad.  It's the "Hawaiian with tri-tip" at Cousin's Burgers in Valencia.  So good.

...my son is growing into a handsome young man.

I can't believe Conner is 12!  He's growing up so quickly and it's so amazing to watch him pass the sacrament and attend Young Men's activities.  He's loving, and kind, and smart, and funny, and I'm excited to see the man he becomes.

...homemade donuts are better than store-bought.

Well, I think fast Sunday just demands a decadent dessert, so I thought I'd try my hand at donuts! They were delicious!!!! Maybe not perfectly pretty, but delicious!

Donuts

2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening

5 cups all-purpose flour
Shortening for frying

1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons milk or as needed
Directions:
1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured donut cutter. Let donuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in milk one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
5. Heat shortening in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide donuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn donuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip donuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.

...scouts love a field trip.

We had our cub scout pack meeting at the Lockheed Aviation Park in honor of "Aviation Month". Preston had fun looking at all the jets. Too bad it was SO cold and windy! It was forecasted to be 80! What happened?

...a family annual zoo pass is cheaper than individual tickets (for my family).

Went to the LA Zoo today with the kids and my mom and grandma. We were trying to protect "Mams" from the sun, but she ended up looking like a visitor from a foreign country. Cute. You can't tell, but Ty's in his "Jr. Zookeeper" shirt. He'd also just made a 3 point landing and scraped up his nose on the asphalt, but he is the toughest little guy and recovered quickly. The scab took a while to show up, so he still looked fine in this picture. We got a "family membership" so we can go back for a year for free and it saved us $13 today! What a deal!

...making your family larger is better.

My brother is getting married on June 13th, and the whole family is thrilled. We couldn't have picked anyone better in the world for him to marry. We absolutely love Natalie, and already consider her part of the family. Of course, I also love that they've trusted us to be their wedding photographers. What gorgeous subjects we'll have!

...we love our California beaches.

I took the kids to Santa Monica Beach today. They played in the water, built sandcastles, flew a kite, played with a ball, and a frisbee, and ate, and had a great time.

Know why I love my kids? Well, one of the reasons? We were SO close to the pier with all the amusement park rides, and we even walked over to an ATM at the pier and not one of them asked me if they could go on a ride. It's like it never occurred to them. They were talking about who could get to the water first, and what kind of sand castles they wanted to build. Love it.




Destroying each others creations is all in good fun of course!

My laundromat

Travis just finished installing my mom's "old" washer and dryer, so now I have a laundromat rather than a laundry room. I LOVE IT!!! I can hardly keep up with the folding!

Griffith Park

We went with the Richards' family to Griffith park today. Can't post just one picture, so here are a few...

Sunday Activity

After Church today Paige decided to play a "game" where we each wrote down 10 questions about ourselves, and re-distributed them to each other and the family member who got your questions had to try to answer them to see how well we knew each other. Other family members could help if they got stumped. I was pleased with how well I knew most of the answers about my kids, but actually learned a few things too. The kids had fun as well.
And I never would have taken a picture of this if I weren't blogging a "picture a day"!

Ty's introduction to team sports

Ty's first T-ball game was today. Pretty embarrassing when he can't stop picking his nose long enough to watch the ball, but he actually blended in really well with the other 4 and 5 year olds. No one knew where to run, some ran to first then back home. Hilarious. Gotta love t-ball. At this after-game huddle the coach announced the MVP of the game and awarded the game ball, and when Ty was asked later if he won (meaning the game of course), he said "No, the coach gave another kid the ball." Pretty competitive honor to bestow in t-ball if you ask me. This picture captured the look of envy Ty was giving the kid who was holding that "game ball".

March 19, 2010 - Ty's Preschool Easter Party

Blogging Challenge

I've decided to follow in my friend Bethany's footsteps and accept a challenge to blog a photo a day. I can tell you right now, I'll probably miss a few, and I'll probably have to go back and add a few from previous days, but I'll do my best. My blog has been sorely neglected and maybe this will inspire me to do better. Today's picture to follow...