Daddy's Days Off

We really enjoyed our long Thanksgiving weekend and having Rich around so much. Specifically on Saturday, we took the entire day and had an all day "family fun night". We started the day by going to out to Lake Las Vegas. We ate lunch at Cafe Positano and then walked around just a little bit and tried to soak up some sun - but the sun just wasn't cooperating. Even though it was sunny and bright, it was still cold! On the lake there was a floating ice skating rink that the kids watched for a bit. They tried to convince us to go ice skating, but a few months back I wrangled Rich into ice skating as a family and I don't know that he will ever go again (unless he gets a serious case of amnesia and forgets how much he disliked it and how he swore "never again") Oh well! While eating lunch, Cason got his arm stuck in the back of the wrought iron chair he was sitting in. It took a few minutes of trying, and ended up needing a generous dose of lotion, to finally slip his hand out. It's always interesting to me how kids hold on to such experiences. Throughout the rest of the day Cason was talking about all the things that would be hard to do with a chair stuck to his hand (Rich had told him that if we couldn't get the chair off we would just take it with us) - he determined that sleeping would be hard and going to school would be hard, but that playing soccer would be the hardest. I think I agree! From Lake Las Vegas we took the kids to the Springs Preserve. We have a family annual pass and haven't gone there as frequently as we'd hoped we would. No matter how often we go, the kids put up a fight every time that we have to leave because they can never get to everything that they want to do. This was the first visit that we were able to enjoy the outdoor exhibits and play structure, because it is our first visit since the summer heat has cooled down. From Springs Preserve it was off to the library - probably our favorite weekly attraction. If I've never mentioned it, we LOVE the Las Vegas Library District. There are so many locations and they have an incredible inter library loan, so you can get anything you want. The kids frequently will ask us to "order" a movie or a book on the Internet. They will grow up not knowing how to browse a library because we are spoiled with all the books we want always waiting for us. So that was our long day together. It was hard to let Rich back out the door to work on Monday morning after enjoying having him around so much. I don't brag on my husband enough, so I owe an acknowledgment to what a great daddy he is. He loves to spend time as a family and I'm fortunate to have a husband that values his kids and his family as much as he does. Thanks Rich!

New Family Photos

I am so excited - our family photos that we had taken while we were in Oregon last month just came in the mail yesterday. I can't post any "family shots" since we are using them for our Christmas Card, but here are some of our other favorites...

the Dougall boys...

the Dougall girls...

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I thought I better at least make mention of it. Our actual celebration was very nontraditional and I hesitate to mention it for fear of retribution I may receive. So let's just get it out of the way...without having family in town, and not having Tanner and Conner this year, we chose to go to a buffet on Thanksgiving. I can hear the moans already! It made sense for us and in the end it worked out very well - it was a very relaxed day, very much enjoyed as our little family, and when the meal ended we had all had our fill regardless of the fill being pizza (in the case of Kaitlyn and Cason) or turkey and stuffing :) 

On a more traditional note, I have to mention how proud I am of Kaitlyn and Cason. At the beginning of the month I gave each of them a list to write things they were grateful for - there were 105 lines on this "Gratitude List". Kaitlyn has completely filled hers and Cason has filled 87 lines - and they have both done it all on their own. It seems every time there was a free moment this past month they have been at the kitchen table working on their lists together. When we weren't at home with the lists in front of us, they would be discussing what they needed to add to their list when they did get home. This past Monday we went through some of their lists and they gave ideas of how they could show gratitude for the specific things they had written. Then we played a game of pictionary with them drawing pictures of things on their list and we had to guess what they were drawing. I had no idea Cason could draw such a great Church! So I had to mention this and just say how grateful I am for my kids and the gratitude in their hearts for so many things. I love them dearly! 

So fast forward 24 hours from our nontraditional Thanksgiving and we did have a more traditional kick-off to our holiday season. We invited Carter and Erin Buck over to our home, along with their 3 kids, and we had hot cocoa and pie and we watched the holiday movie ELF. We had such a great evening and hope to follow it up again very soon. I made my three favorite pies (recipes to follow) and Erin brought an amazing cherry pie ordered online from Grand Traverse Pie Company (I would highly recommend it!) 

Great Friends + Great Food = Great Night! 

So here are the pie recipes: This first is for the only pumpkin pie I make and the only pumpkin pie I eat. It is my mom's recipe and it's heaven! 

PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE 

1 envelope Knox gelatin 

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp allspice 

1/4 tsp ginger 

1/2 tsp nutmeg 

Combine the above in a saucepan and stir until well blended. Add: 

3/4 cup milk 

2 egg yolks, beaten 

1 cup canned pumpkin 

Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils and the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from the heat and chill until partially set. 

2 egg whites 

1/4 cup sugar 

1/2 cup whipping cream, chilled 

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating to form stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, whip the cream. Fold both the eggs whites and the cream into the cooled pumpkin mixture. Spoon into a prebaked 9-inch crust (or a graham cracker crust which is my preference) and chill until firm. Serve with additional whipped cream. 

 

 The second pie I made was chocolate - a little nontraditional, but Rich isn't a pumpkin pie kind of guy and ever since I made this pie a few years ago it has become as traditional as the pumpkin pie. In fact, grandpa was trying to get Kaitlyn to mail him a piece of it when he found out I was in the midst of making it while he was talking to KK on the phone. I found the recipe in a magazine in an ad for jello pudding - I was at the blood bank donating blood and tore out the ad. I have felt guilty enough for tearing their magazine that I still remember it all these years later, but I've never been sorry! 

DECADENT TRIPLE LAYER MUD PIE 

 3 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted 

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk 

1 oreo pie crust 

1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans (I generally leave the nuts out) 

2 cups cold milk 

2 packages (4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding 

8 ounce tub cool whip 

 Mix melted chocolate and sweetened condensed milk until well blended. Pour into the oreo crust and sprinkle with toasted pecans. 

Pour milk into a large bowl and add both packages of pudding. Beat with a whisk until well blended. Spoon 1 1/2 cup of the pudding over the pecans in the crust. 

Add 1/2 of the cool whip to the remaining pudding; stir until well blended. Spread this pudding/cool whip mixture over the pudding in the crust. 

At this point the recipe says to top the pie with the remaining 1/2 container of cool whip - I don't, but we generally put a dallop of cool whip on the individual slices as we serve it up. 

Refrigerate at least 3 hours prior to serving. 

The third pie is a lemon pie - made for no other reason than I had the time and I LOVE anything lemon. I got the recipe from Good Things Utah last spring, which I think is a hint that it is supposed to be an Easter Brunch pie. But, again, I'm okay with nontraditional - especially when it tastes this good! 

KNEADERS’ CREAM CHEESE LEMON TRUFFLE PIE 

 Baked 9’ pie shell 

½ cup water 

3 Tbs. sugar 

Zest of 1/2 lemon 

1 egg 

1 Tbs. cornstarch 

1 ½ Tbs. fresh lemon juice 

2 tsp. butter 

1 cup vanilla chocolate chips or coins 

8 oz. cream cheese 

1 cup whipped cream, sweetened with powdered sugar 

1 Tbs. toasted almonds 

Toast almonds on parchment covered cookie sheet at 350 degrees until golden brown. Set aside to cool. Put water, sugar, lemon zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix egg and corn starch. Slowly add hot water to egg mixture in the bowl, and then pour entire mixture back into the pan. Stir continually until thickened. 

Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and butter. Stir until mixture has cooled to 100 degrees. 

Pour ½ of the hot filling in a bowl. This will be used as the second layer of the pie. Add vanilla chips to the filling remaining in the pan. Stir until chips are melted. In a second bowl, place softened cream cheese. Add the hot vanilla chip mixture to the cream cheese and beat together. Spread this mixture in the bottom of the pie shell. 

Spread the remaining lemon filling on top. Chill for 2 hours. Top with sweetened whipped cream and garnish with toasted almonds (if desired). 

Keep refrigerated until time to serve.

Our November Outing

You have to love 70+ degree weather two days before Thanksgiving! That is what we had yesterday when I took the kids to a new shopping area in Las Vegas called Town Square. Most of you know that shopper, I am not, but there is one main reason to hit Town Square and to return often....

Yes, that's right, H&M. A moment of silence. The first H&M store in Vegas opened 6 weeks ago, but it's in one of the casino's and there is not a children section and despite my H&M infatuation, I just haven't braved the strip to get there. This second store is heaven. It's a perfect locale and it's in a very nice, brand new, outdoor shopping area. So, anyone looking for a reason to come to Vegas (outside of the weather and the Dougalls) has one more now!

Now, the second reason for going to Town Square was that both Cason and Kaitlyn are out of school for the entire week and we needed an outing. This shopping center has a small park area in the center and within that park is a kids area. So I got the kids to agree to shop with me by promising them a visit to this new park. 

Okay, and how cute is this park?  

There is a tree house (built in a real tree),

a hedge maze, a large two-story playhouse and in the summer there is a water feature.

After the kids had their fill in the play area they went next door to Santa's HOUSE and sat on Santa's lap, then they got their caramel suckers from the Sees candy lady, and then we went to an outdoor cafe that had art easels for the kids to make their own pictures.

When we left, the kids were already asking to return. Kaitlyn's comment was "even the shopping is fun here". I couldn't agree more - being my non shopper self and all :)

Cason's Big Accomplishment

Cason has a new accomplishment - he has gone the entire weekend without biting his nails! I'm not sure when the nail biting began, but as of late it has become a constant habit. We have really noticed it at his soccer games because he will be biting through the entire game. So I finally hit the internet and found some all natural bitter root cream that we could put on his nails to make them taste bad. I was nervous that if he wasn't committed to breaking the habit that it would just become a power struggle, or that it would put pressure on him. But he is so excited and will frequently report "I only bit my nail once and it was SO yucky!" I actually trimmed his nails yesterday before church - I don't remember the last time I cut his nails, they have been at the nubs for so many months due to his chewing.

I'm so proud of Cason and he has made this accomplishment very quickly - much quicker that the 6 week supply of cream that I have :)

Plymouth Plantation Day

I really love Kaitlyn's school. She has been attending American Heritage Academy since preschool and days like yesterday remind me why I want her to attend each year. Yesterday was "Plymouth Plantation Day" at her school. All of the children were asked to come dressed as either an Indian or a Pilgrim. As you can see, Kaitlyn was an Indian, though she corrected me innumerable times that she was a "native American".

The kids began their day in devotional where the story of the pilgrims was told - the real story - not the watered down, non religious version that public schools now teach. They were taught about the religious persecutions that caused the pilgrims to leave their native land, the religious founding of our country, the faith of the pilgrims as they suffered through their first year and the thanks that they gave to God on that first Thanksgiving. After their devotional the kids spent the entire day doing Pilgrim activities - corn husk dolls, dancing, churning cream into butter, archery (Kaitlyn's favorite), stool ball, etc. They even had a traditional pilgrim feast (crepes and fish anyone?) for their lunch.

Then last night we returned to her school as a family to watch the upper grammar classes put on a short play. At the end of the play, the lower grammar classes joined with those already on stage and they sang all the versus of "All Things Bright and Beautiful". It was so fun and Kaitlyn sang every word and she sang loud!

I am grateful that Kaitlyn has the opportunity to be taught everyday in an environment where God has not been removed from the learning environment. I hope that by her being taught faith at home and at church and at school, that she will develop a strong testimony that will hold her through the tough world that each of our children face.

Happy Thanksgiving - a week early!

Jake's Favorite Toy

Make that toys...and it is Kaitlyn's toy dishes and toy kitchen. He LOVES to play in the midst of the mess. Usually his play involves one dish/utensil in each hand and another dish/utensil in his mouth. He can crawl with great speed even with all three "graspers" in use. It is nice to finally have something that keeps Jake involved for longer than the five minute span that we've had up until this point.

Daylight Savings What?

Is it just me or was daylight savings time invented by someone that didn't have kids? Jake's internal clock tells him it's time to wake, but the "fall back" is telling me that it's not! Poor KK - they share a room and by the end of last week she was SO TIRED from too many early wake up calls. So Jake has been banned to the travel crib in our closet (it's ginormous - don't go calling child protective services) until he gets this whole time change figured out :(

Help!

Has anyone been able to see pictures in the entry about KK's field trip? It shows up for me but I think that is because it only works when I'm logged in. Anybody have any idea why - I used the slideshow from the google photo site (picasso?) and followed the embedding instructions. I'll gladly take tips or comments to correct whatever it is that I've done wrong.

Soccer Mom

After 2 seasons of the kids requesting to play soccer we signed up Cason and Kaitlyn for soccer this fall. I had no idea that my life would take on a new dimension. There is a reason that mom’s of soccer players are called “soccer moms”. I’ve used that term before for myself, but I was mistaken to do so. For the past two months (and for the next 1 ½ months) we spend 2 hours at the soccer field on Wednesday for Kaitlyn, 1 ½ hours at the soccer field on Thursday for Cason, 2 hours at the soccer field on Friday for Kaitlyn, and then on Saturday they each play games, which are an hour in length plus the drive to/from (20 minutes both ways) and if their games are too close to go home between, we pack a picnic and just stay there turning our day into a soccer day. I'm now officially a soccer mom. Kaitlyn lives for the game and was made to play soccer. Nobody on her team can believe she has never played before. Her team is still young and learning, but Kaitlyn is truly excelling. Her first two games were while Rich and I were out of town, but from what I understand she made the first two scores for her team for the season. Cason had his first "assist/score" last week. Yesterday he scored two goals for his team and would have had a third on a total breakaway but the whistle blew for the half. Oh well. It was exciting to watch. And Cason is a great goalie too! Noboday gets by him!

Kaitlyn's Field Trip

For the past few weeks I have been volunteering at Kaitlyn’s school for an hour each Friday. I could not do this if it weren’t for my hometeacher’s wonderful wife, Nicole Barnhill, watching the boys each Friday for 2 ½ hours. Nicole is providing a HUGE service to our family because she comes to us so that both boys don't miss out on naps. Every mom knows how huge that is!

I love spending time in KK’s classroom and seeing her interact in that setting and with her classmates. I think she likes me being there too. I watch her teacher, Mrs. Harmon, in amazement as she works with 17 kids, all with such varying abilities. Teachers simply don’t get the recognition or appreciation they deserve!

Yesterday, instead of going into the classroom, I actually joined her class on a field trip to the Springs Preserve. The Springs Preserve is a museum (though that understates it dramatically) geared toward the unique desert here and the role of water in our life. We actually have a family annual pass there and after four visits I have still only seen a portion of what there is to see. I loved going with Kaitlyn's class and being a part of her field trip. She was at the front of the group at every exhibit, not wanting to miss one minute. She is such a curious mind! It was great fun!

Cason and Maya

As a mom, aren't you just thrilled when your kids have great friends? Cason and Maya are true best friends and I couldn't be happier about that. They are in their second year of preschool together and we've carpooled for both of those years, so they get to spend a lot of time together. They also take a music class together and Maya is able to get Cason to participate, even on the days he'd rather not. They are both just about the cutest kids on the planet and I love to observe them as I take them home from school; sometimes they are silly, sometimes they will have deep conversation about what has happened that day, but no matter what they are always so kind and supportive to one another. Last night Cason called Maya because he had left a candy bracelet in their van and we got a message when we got home that they had found it. I thought his phone call would be a quick "where was it?" and "thanks" but he got on the phone and excused himself into the other room, like he was in for the long conversation. SO CUTE! We love Cason and we love Maya and are glad that Cason has such a good friend in his life. We are also glad for Maya's parents, who we think the world of. Thanks Carter and Erin for raising such a great little girl for Cason to pal around with :)

A Mother's Sentiments

I was feeling sentimental over the kids this weekend and thought that I needed to post a note to each of them. I put together the video clips and Bodee is the hero for the day (week? year?) for helping me upload them. Sorry for the lengthy post, it's a mom and her ramblings.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

KAITLYN: Every mom needs an oldest daughter! It’s like having a second mom around, which at times can pose a challenge, but for the most part it’s fabulous! I sometimes don’t give credit to Kaitlyn for how capable she really is – maybe I’m just trying to hold on to her as my baby. She is a far cry from such. She is very capable of doing things for herself and she is a huge help to her brothers. Kaitlyn is in the 1st grade and is just accelerating. There is nothing that she can’t do and the teacher often sends home accelerated work to stretch her, but it’s all fun to Kaitlyn (I got more homework than anyone else!) She has found her new love in soccer and it fits her personality perfectly. She is competitive and determined and you can bet that if there is a group of players competing for the ball, Kaitlyn is right there in the middle kicking to the end. She also is very talented musically. She has a very good ear and very good tone for singing. She’s not sure what she wants to do with music yet, but mom keeps encouraging her and trying different things because it’s obvious that she has been given talent in that area. We love Kaitlyn so much and are often overwhelmed with the task of raising such a strong spirit that has obviously been sent here to earth at this time with an important purpose to play. She is our princess!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

CASON: Cason defies description. He is such a tender heart, he is always thinking of others and his kindness is beyond his years. He is also very active. He loves every sport ever invented – especially football. He is also very bright. He is so quiet but don’t mistake that for not listening or paying attention. He grasps things and retains them and surprises us often with things that he remembers or things that he has put together on his own. He dearly loves his sister Kaitlyn, he is a sweet big brother to Jake and he is truly his daddy’s best friend. We love our Cason so much. It is a constant prayer in my heart that I can teach him the things that he needs to know and prepare him for the world, without damaging the kind, soft heart that comes so naturally to him. I believe that I have as much to learn from him as he will ever learn from me. He is amazing!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

JACOB: Ever since I was pregnant with Jake I have felt that he was a bit of a miracle baby. I had wondered for a time if anymore children were in store for us and so when he came along there was nothing but joy and I’ve not ever taken him for granted. We are still getting to know this sweet little baby boy. He has had a peace and a calmness about him since birth. He is so patient with his adoring older siblings and now that he is bigger, he just wants to play along with them. I often wonder why we had to wait 4 years for him to join our family and I wonder if it was perhaps us that had to be ready to receive him and all that he is to be. Who is this little baby that loves to giggle and bounce and give kissers and stick his tongue out and lights up the room with his presence? I don’t know fully yet, but I do know that he is mine and I love him!

response to Trista's tag

Jobs I’ve had:
o Gary’s Dry Cleaners
o The GAP
o Ace Hardware
o Doxey Hatch Medical as LPN
o LDS Hospital as RN
o AFLAC agent

Movies I watch over and over:
o I really don’t
o Okay, if you count DVD’s of The Office and Arrested Development
o Otherwise: Cars, Madagascar, Backyardigans, The Letter Factory…you catch my drift

Places I’ve lived:
o Centerville, Utah – the home I grew up in
o Ogden, Utah – my college apartment that I paid rent on but I frequently just went to mom and dads for a “good nights sleep”
o Bountiful, Utah – my first home ownership!
o Layton, Utah – my post engagement, pre marriage living with Mel – after the condo sold
o Keizer, Oregon – Rich and I’s first (married) home & where KK was born
o Las Vegas, Nevada – home for the past 6 years. We agreed Vegas was a 3-5 year stay….

Favortie TV Shows:
o No TV shows, we don’t have cable….but if I did….
o Oprah
o The Office

Places I’ve traveled:
o Caribbean, multiple islands
o Alaska
o Russia, 4 cities
o Italy, 12 cities
o Hawaii, two islands
o Mexico, multiple destinations
o All over the U.S., 23 states to be exact
o This sounds more exotic than it really is, but I’m grateful for so the many opportunities I’ve had to travel.
o Favorite destination - a great camping spot with my family (i.e. Moon Lake or Wind Rivers)

Favorite Dishes:
o I assume you mean food, otherwise if you mean literally “dishes” the answer would be paper :)
o I love food in general – pizza, sushi, tender steak, soup, heck, even a bowl of cereal

Websites I visit daily:
o My email account
o My blog
o Google reader (to check my friends/family blogs)
o Bank account

Places I would rather be right now:
o In bed, asleep
o On a family vacation

People I am tagging:
o Anyone who actually reads my blog (and actually read this far)
o I’m still awaiting blogs from Mel, Ashley, Christina, Becca and Kim – and then I will tag all of you…

We must get the word out...

HOW TO WEIGH YOURSELF... And to think I've been doing it wrong for all these years! I'm glad to finally know. Thanks Mel for clarifying a seemingly confusing issue :)

Peter Pan, the rest of the story

We have all heard the story of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook. Well, here is the rest of the story.... Peter Pan continued to live in Neverland, never to grow old. However due to some global warming and changes in Neverland's ozone, the youthful climate intensified and Peter Pan not only defied aging, he began to grow younger. Until one day he realized he was a baby... Captain Hook was advised by his legal council that the ongoing feud with Peter Pan would have to stop. Fighting with a young man was one thing, but Hook was never going to find favor in the eyes of a jury if he was fighting with a mere toddler. Once Captain Hook and Peter Pan made amends, Tinkerbell was able to leave Peter Pan's side and pursue some of her own interests. In doing so her confidence increased, as did her size. She is now pursuing an acting/modeling career and hopes to someday launch her own fragrance line "FLY". And so, with that, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell lived happily ever after.... Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Dealing over teeth

Our Kaitlyn lost her 8th tooth yesterday - in fact she pulled it our herself, which is a first. She has had one kicked out by Cason, one came out at a soccer practice, but most of them mom has pulled. I didn't know she had it in her to pull her own, but I'm really not surprised.

Three teeth ago Kaitlyn left a note for the tooth fairy "demanding" seven dollars for the tooth. The note caught the tooth fairy a bit by surprise (and a bit ill prepared) and so it turned out that the tooth fairy gave Kaitlyn seven quarters. A fair compromise.

Two teeth ago Kaitlyn left a note clarifying that it was supposed to be seven dollars, not quarters, and that only "paper money" was allowed. This tooth just happened to be lost while Rich and I were in New England and grandma Dougall was babysitting. This note also caught the tooth fairy by surprise, but not surprisingly the tooth fairy on duty that night was more willing to negotiate and Kaitlyn was so happy to have her own $5 bill that she has never mentioned the fact that it wasn't actually seven dollars.

Last night the note from my daughter was much nicer. She gave up on the demands and pleaded her case for two dollars, because that is how much she still needs to purchase something she has been saving for. She did deal with me this morning however on the fact that tooth fairy money is a gift and she shouldn't have to pay tithing on it.

Oh my! We better get out of Vegas soon because we have got a real dealer on our hands :)