Brad vs. Jenni- Chicago vs. Indianapolis

Congratulations to Chicago and Indianapolis! They are going to the Super Bowl!!

Somehow two extremely competitive people married each other. Sometimes it is to our advantage and sometimes it is not. On February 4th it might not be to our advantage. How did it happen that my team is going to play Brad's in the Super Bowl? Brad has always been a Bears fan and has been waiting 21 years for this to happen. I became a Cults fan after I married Brad and decided that the best way to deal with his sports fanatics was to try and become a sports fanatic myself. I have not quite done that but it is helpful to have a team that I care about and want to win.
We will have to see how this plays out but there is part of me that would be happy if the Bears win just because I would be so happy for Brad and it would be such a great comeback for the Bears after so many years of being one of the worst teams in the NFL plus I like Lovie Smith. On the flip side, as much as Brad wants the Bears to win I think if the Cults win he would still be happy for Manning that he would finally have a super bowl ring.
We will just have to see how mature we can both be during the Super Bowl. I am excited for the big game already! (as long as Brad stays under control) :)

Sleepy Ayden

Ayden does not sleep anywhere but her bed and sometimes while driving in her car seat. She never has been the kind of kid to fall asleep anywhere. Even when she was a baby she would not fall asleep in our arms at church or anything no matter how tired she was. So you can imagine my surprise today when I found her asleep on the floor in my bedroom. All of the sudden I realized I did not know where she was and figured she was probably mischievously getting into something so I set off to find her and I found her like this:

Do you know the benefits of flaxseed?

My interest in flaxseed was sparked with one of my friends amazing pancake recipes and it has turned into a full blown obsession. Flaxseed is the best! I put it in everything now and I just want to share it's benefits with you. I know, I am silly but bare with me and you might learn to love it too. Flaxseed is very rich in fiber, lignans and omega-3 fats. It is believed to be the most powerful natural cholesterol controller yet discovered. Just two tablespoons of ground flaxseed delivers as much fiber as one and a half cups of cooked oatmeal. Flaxseed has high levels of lignans, a natural antioxidant and member of the family of plant estrogens. So it can maintain breast and colon health by binding circulating estrogens and other substances that might promote unchecked cell growth. Flax seed has 75 times more lignans then any other plant food. You would need to eat 30 cups of broccoli to get the lignans that only 2 tablespoons of flaxseed offer. Omega-3 fat is important in a diet and flaxseed is very high in the omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid. It has a robust, nutty flavor and I think it makes everything I cook taste better.
I previously mentioned it is great in pancakes and you can also add it to, waffles, breads, cold cereal, hot cereal, muffins, and as I just discovered cookies. One of its great benefits is that because of the oil in flaxseed it can be substituted for shortening, butter, margarine or cooking oil at a ratio of 3 to 1. I made cookies a couple of weeks ago and the recipe calls for shortening and butter. So I substituted flaxseed for the shortening and used Smart Balance butter (another great discovery) and they were really good. I also used whole wheat flour and oats so the only thing not good for you was the sugar and the chocolate chips. I have not decided if I agree with sugar substitutes like Splenda yet but if you were to use one it would end up being really good for you. Ayden loved them and they did the job on curbing my cookie craving.

Sorry if you already knew all of this, and if you didn't I challenge you to research the benefits of flaxseed for yourself. This entry may have bored you to death but I think you will start hearing about flaxseed more and more from doctors and in the news and I just want to be able to say " I told you so." I buy Bob's Red Mill whole ground flaxseed meal and you can read more about its benefits here.

These are the amazing cookies I am sure you are all dieing to taste!

Christmas Vacation- Part 4 Uncle Keith's Dinner

Every year my uncle Keith comes to Park City and celebrates Christmas with us and his gift to us every year is an amazing feast. He is an amazing chef who has been published and he used to own a restaurant in Newport Beach, Ca for a while. This years dinner was labeled "French Country Farmhouse Christmas Dinner." Take a look at our yummy 7 Course meal that look us about 3 hours to eat. My Uncle Keith on the left with my Dad who was the su chef for the night.

The Menu

Yummy Bread

SOUP
Vichyssoise
Chilled leek and potato soup with chives


SALAD
Frisee Aux Lardons
Endive and fresh greens with capapacola and dijon dressing

(oops! no picture. I was just so excited to eat it I forgot!)

VEGETABLES
Fonds D' Artichauts Aux Durelles
Soft cheese, mushroom and almond stuffed artichoke bottoms
(this was my favorite. Once again I forgot to get a picture because I was so excited about it but I managed to get a picture of my sister in law's half eaten one)


Timbales De Brocolii
Broccoli timbales in a water bath with butter sauce

Half Time
We all took a little break to let some digestion take place and Ayden really wanted papa to play his cello.


FISH
Poisson A la meuniere
Tilaapia sauteed in lemon butter sauce with capers and parsley


And for me since I don't eat anything that once lived under water, he made me chicken and it was GREAT!
MEAT
Medaillons de porc au Stilton
Sauteed pork loin finished with a Stilton cheese sauce

A view of the pork dish about to go out the to table.


DESSERT
Windy ridge bakery fruit tart


It was a great meal Uncle Keith I am still thinking about it!
THANK YOU!!

Christmas Vacation -Part 3 Christmas day

Grandpa with Axel and Ayden.

Ayden could not stand waiting to go into the living room to get her presents. (notice Axel and Ayden's matching Christmas P.J's from Grandma and Grandpa)

Brad reading the girls one of their books from Grandma and Grandpa. (note: Alex is wearing her Christmas P.J's too)


Ayden was really excited to get her golf clubs.


Ayden LOVES pirates. Ever since we went to Disney land and she rode on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride she loves everything that has to do with pirates. The whole time we were in Park City she wanted to watch Peter Pan and I had to fast forward it to the pirate part multiple times. If you call her a princess she will correct you and say that she is not a princess, she is a pirate, followed by "ARR matey". So we got her a Captain Jack Sparrow figurine and she really likes it despite the face she has in this picture.


Sure it was a lot of fun watching the girls open their presents but the real fun happened when I got to give Brad his present. I have to preface this gift with some back round. For the past year Brad and I have had one main argument. That argument being whether or not he should have a road bike. He wanted one and I thought that there were more important things he could spend his time and money on. He already has enough hobbies and I just did not want to have one more thing in our lives to take him away from the girls and I. So we fought and fought about it and I told him that I would not budge on the issue, yet he would not stop trying. Our brother in law, Jeff, would call every time he found a great deal on a bike but Brad had to pass up bike after bike. I know, I am a mean wife, but just hold your opinion until the end. Brad was getting to the point that he was going to buy one anyway and then hope I forgave him after the fact but I warned him over and over again that he better not do that because the truth was I finally told myself that it really was not that bad of a thing for Brad to have a road bike. He really wanted it and there are certainly worse things he could spend his time doing. I decided I wanted to give him one as a gift to ultimately end the feud between us and give him my blessing in this new hobby he wanted to pursue. I called my "ever so knowledgeable about bikes" brother-in-law and asked him for some help in getting Brad a bike. Jeff was great because he knew the size and kind of bike Brad wanted and he knew what a good deal was. He played it off great calling me every time there was an option online and we would go over it and decide if it was the bike we should get meanwhile still calling Brad and pretending to continue to persuade Brad into getting a bike as he always had done with this deal or that. Eventually we found the right bike and had it shipped to Jeff's house in Salt Lake to wait there until Christmas and all along Brad had NO clue. My Parents picked it up from Salt Lake and brought it to Park City so I could give it to him on Christmas morning.
The other part of the story is that this year Brad and I told each other that we would just tell each other what we wanted for Christmas so that we would both get something we really wanted. He told me he wanted a 5 wood golf club and so that is what he thought he was getting. When we left for my parents house I even grabbed one of his existing golf clubs, wrapped it and put it in our car so that he would continue to believe that is what he was getting for Christmas.
On Christmas morning we all took turns opening presents and when Brad went to open his golf club my Dad discretely went and got his real present and put it in the laundry room next to the room we were in. After Brad unwrapped the golf club and realized it was his old, bent driver he looked at me like I was crazy. I then said "oh, oops, I have the right one in the laundry room." Brad said he thought I was just being silly and really went to go grab the right club but when I brought out a brand new beautiful road bike he was stunned! His face was complete and utter shock. Just seeing it made it all worth it. He was so excited and I began to cry, I think some of my other family members teared up too. Brad had no clue and he was so excited. It was so much fun and a Christmas morning I will never forget. I don't think I could even try to top it.
I wish we had it video taped or even gotten a picture of him with it that morning. Oh well. But Brad did go to SLC and go on a ride with his Sister and Brother in law and some of their friends. Thank goodness they took pictures of that.
Brad, Jeff and Amanda with one of their friends and Brads new bike!

Brad and his baby. By the way, it stays in our room with us. I look forward to the day it can go in the garage like every other bike.

THANKS JEFF AND AMANDA FOR ALL YOUR HELP. I COULD NOT HAVE PULLED IT OFF WITHOUT YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Vacation- Part 2 Christmas Eve

It is a tradition in my family to go to the torch light parade at Park City Mountain Resort every Christmas eve. A whole bunch of skiers ski down the mountain holding torches and then at the end Santa comes down. Last year he came down on a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile but this year he just skied down. Ayden thought it was a lot of fun even though it was very cold. While we waited for it to begin we did some sledding. River pulled Ayden up the run a bunch of times and then we would all get in the sled and he would pull us down. It was a blast. After the parade we had a great dinner, an early visit from Santa, Brad and Ayden told the Nativity story, the kids opened their Christmas P.J's from Grandma, and the adults stayed up late telling telling jokes and stories. It was a great day.

Ayden and River getting ready to take off.
Axel and Ayden getting pulled up by River.

Brad and Ayden just as the parade begins.
(see the red lights by Ayden's head)
Now you can see it a little better.
And there they are. It really is a neat thing to watch but boy oh boy did their torches make it hard to breath. My Uncle Keith with the kids. Axel never likes to sit still for a picture and Alex looks like she is about to fall asleep but it is a cute picture anyway.

Every year Santa visits our house on Christmas Eve. This Santa is a friend of our family who every year dresses up and goes to a bunch of peoples homes and surprises them with a visit. This year just as my dad was saying "I wonder if we will get an early visit from Santa this year" the door flung open and Santa paid us a visit. As you can see in the picture Ayden loved it but Alex was not so sure what to think.

Christmas Vacation- part 1

Our Christmas vacation began in Burley at Brad's sisters house for brunch with Brad's family. Let me tell you, Brad's family sure knows how to do breakfast. I am talkin' eggs, bacon, muffins, sausage, blue berry pancakes, regular pancakes, hash browns and gravy and more. It was sure yummy and we had a great time seeing everyone. It had been a long time since I had seen a lot of Brad's family so it was really nice to get to catch up with everyone. Ayden had fun with a lot of her cousins. Alex and Ayden have 20 plus cousins on Brad's side of the family so it can be crazy but tons of fun. We would have liked to spend more time there but we will be back in a couple of weeks for a baby shower. Speaking of baby shower, congratulations to Bryson and Jackie for the birth of their beautiful baby Brooklyn. Now two of Brad's sisters are Grandmas! Crazy.Emily and her baby Chase and Lori and Alex. Lori is the newest Grandma! Can you believe it? Chase and Alex were born less than a week apart.

Woohoo! River has a new friend to play with. This is Harley, Lori and Dana's new golden and River playing in the snow.

Uncle Travis is a favorite among all of the kids because it is hard to believe he isn't a kid also. His daughter Sydney is hanging on his neck and he is holding Alex and Chase.

Alex played with a cat toy under this plant forever. She loved it.

Decorating cookies was Ayden's favorite part of the day. I don't know how much she actually decorated but I do know that she ate a lot! She loved being with her older cousins.

Time to eat it!Ayden with her Uncle Dana.

Alex and Grandma.

Brad with the girls and Allie. Allie is our great Niece. She was such a cutie and a real good baby.