Where did you get that hair?

So I'm thinking, "where did Ty get that hair?" It seems vaguely familiar.

Nope. Jake was bald until he was nearly one.

Closer - but Cason's hair grew straight up, defying all laws of gravity. We had to buzz it for two years before it was finally tamed.

That's it - Ty has Kay's hair. Outside of the color, they have the same hairdo.

Don't worry Ty. I promise no bows or curlers.

Ty at One Week...

Ty is one week old today, so I took the opportunity to snap a few photos of him to share...

I also have to take an opportunity to brag on him. He is such a good baby....

He is sleeping well ~ only getting up twice at night.

He has already mastered the whole nursing thing and is a great eater.

He is beginning to spend more of his day time awake so that we can enjoy his beautiful eyes.

How lucky are we?

52 Blessing Project Week 26 ~ BLOGS

Somehow I missed a week of gratitude - I can't imagine how just a week after giving birth! I'd begun this, but left it unfinished as a draft and now I can't remember what I was going to post. So I'm starting over ....

About two weeks ago I had a friend read my blog, as well as she looked at some of my family/friend links. Her comment back to me was "everyone seems to just have a perfect life". I was caught a bit off guard and I have thought about her comment a lot, trying to interpret it. I know my life isn't perfect, and I just assume nobody elses is either, but we do tend to blog our lives with a positive (perfect) twist. However, the more I thought about it, I am glad and I don't think that I'm misrepresenting my life. I think that the act of sitting down and typing my blog makes me look for the positive in my life - and by looking, I find it. Even in the worse chaos, my blogging helps me find the humor in the madness as I share it in a post. So for this week, I'm grateful for BLOGS.

I'm grateful for my own BLOG because it gives me a chance to document events in our family that otherwise would not be documented, and would surely be forgotten. I love sharing the joy that my family bring to me and I love sharing a bit of me.

I'm grateful for the BLOGS of my family because I feel closer to my family members by reading what is happening in their lives. I really love getting to know my nieces and nephews through their daily adventures - as mischievous as they sometimes are.

I'm grateful for the BLOGS of my friends because no matter how hard I try, I'm not very good at keeping in touch. We all have families and busy schedules and time just gets away from us. Our BLOGS keep us in touch so that when we are able to catch up, we instantly feel reconnected.

Thanks to all who keep a BLOG. Thanks for sharing your lives with me and for letting me share my life with you.

Whole Wheat Blender Waffles and Coconut Syrup

The Sister's Cafe has come through again - I really like their "real" recipes.

Last month I ordered 400 pounds of wheat with our ward's bulk wheat order. It came from Montana Wheat and it is the prettiest wheat you have ever seen. It grinds down to look like white flour and my homemade bread is gorgeous in color and height. But I digress. With all this wheat I was really excited a couple of weeks ago when this recipe for blender waffles (using wheat berries) was posted and so I had to make the waffles the very next day.

The waffles are good and really easy. But the part about this recipe that has made me not be able to stop thinking about it is the syrup. Seriously, I would probably drink it if nobody would find out about it. It's that good! Just beware, you will be tempted to eat two (or three) waffles just so you can keep eating the syrup - remember the waffles are whole wheat so you may not want to do that. You're probably better off just drinking the syrup at that point :)

Whole Wheat Blender Waffles

1 c. plus 1 Tb whole wheat berries
1 c. milk
2 eggs
4 Tb oil
2 Tb sugar (or honey)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Blend wheat berries and milk on high for 4-5 minutes, until batter is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend on low for a minute, or until incorporated. Cook on hot waffle iron. (Stir batter before pouring into waffle iron, because the heavier wheat particles will settle at the bottom.) Makes about 10 waffles.(To make pancakes instead of waffles, use 1 c. wheat berries and 2 Tb oil.)

Coconut Syrup

7-8 T. butter
¾ c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

18 months old...

It happened....while I was in the hospital with Ty, Jake grew up.

When I left for the hospital, Jake was my baby. The little boy that cuddles on my shoulder with his blanket and gives me great big open mouthed kissers.

When I came home from the hospital, Jake seemed like he had aged and grown up. And I swear he weighs twice as much.

I knew that this would happen, but that doesn't mean that I was ready to give up my baby Jakers. And then it hit me...in all the hubub of Ty's arrival, Jake had turned 18 months old! In fact, he and Ty's birthday are exaclty 6 months apart from each other. So on the very day that Ty was born, our Jake turned 18 months - he really had grown up.

Jake, I love you so much and you bring so much joy into our home and to our family.

I love your bleached blond hair - where did you get that?

I love your energy - you truly are a pinball machine ball - bouncing from one thing to the next and never stopping.

I love the way you say "mama" and use your little hand to sign it at the same time.

I love the way that anyone who will get you out of your crib gets the title of "mama".

I love how you already show a sensitivity to others feelings - always chasing after someone that looks sad to "check" on them.

I love your fascination with everyone's bebo (belly button).

Rar Rar Jakers! I love you!

It's nice to meet you....

We may all be family, but Ty, here are your hospital visitors....everyone was so anxious to meet you and to hold you. It seems that the loving bond with a new baby is pretty instantaneous!

And after all the excitement of seeing, meeting and holding Ty in the hospital you wouldn't have believed all the enthusiasm when we got to bring him home. It was all I could do to get the kids to sit down long enough for a photo with Ty- they just wanted him out of that car seat so that he could be in their arms.

52 Blessing Project Week 25 ~ TY'S ARRIVAL

It's pretty easy to know what I'm grateful for this week - TY'S ARRIVAL! I really do appreciate the sacredness and miraculous event that birth is. It is just an amazing process and throughout it all it's so easy to see the hand of our loving Heavenly Father. Especially when the end result is such a beautiful child of God.

Missing...

Toward the end of pregnancy, you begin to miss certain things....

• being able to lay on your tummy
• seeing your toes
• your ankles
• turning over in bed
• getting a full nights rest
• your full lung capacity
• clothes that cover your belly

I made it to the end of this pregnancy and have welcomed this beautiful, sweet boy into our family.

But as I sit here watching him rest and listening to his soft breathing, I realize that he is my last little baby and I already miss....

• his kicking and his acrobatics in my belly
• sharing his hiccups with him
• hearing his heartbeat at the OB's office
• the kisses my older kids give my tummy
• having him with me everywhere I go
• the anticipation of a new member of our family

Welcome Ty! You will always have a special place in my heart, as the baby of our family. We all love you so much and already can't imagine our lives without you!

Happy "BIRTH" day

Ty's "BIRTH" day....

Rich and I went to Summerlin hospital at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday June 22nd

I was already at 3 centimeters and was induced at 8:45 a.m.

It was a quiet morning with easy labor. I received my epidural around 1:30 p.m. and my water broke shortly thereafter.

The baby was "face up" which slowed the progress, but I was a good patient and turned side to side all morning to try to get him to turn - which he finally did.

I finally reached 10 centimeters at about 3:20 p.m and the doctor was called.

Dr. Michaels arrived right about 3:40 p.m. ~ one contraction later (and 1 1/2 pushes) and we had ourselves a little BOY at 3:46 p.m.

Rich promptly announced "he's TY"

One look at him and I was in 100% agreement.

Tyler John Dougall weighed in at 8 pounds 9 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. He has a full head of hair and cute, round, full cheeks. Here we are minutes after Ty's arrival. Welcome to our family, sweet little one.

My belly : clarified

After my last post, and the response of my cute friends posting comments stating my belly was "little", Rich had had it. He told me that I had to be honest and post a side shot. I believe his exact comment was something along the lines of "your belly is huge". He was correct. The front shot was misrepresentative. So here is my candid shot of the belly yesterday a.m. as we left for the hospital to give birth....

The Date is Set....

Okay, so the date is set for this baby! Let me hear the roar of applause!

Here is my belly as of yesterday (thanks KayKay for taking mommy's picture). I'm pleased to announce that it will only be this huge for three more days! (Well, sad truth is that it may still be this huge for lots longer than three days, but only pregnant huge for three more days - anything past that is just the sad post belly bulge).

(my sister-in-law's sister posted a similar pix when she was expecting - I copied - thanks Ticey)

We had an ultrasound on Tuesday a.m. and I was told that the baby was already 8 pounds 6 ounces. My amniotic fluid was also borderline for being too low, so there is some question as to how much nutrition the baby is getting. So, in other words, it's time to go.

So the official word is, if I don't go into labor on my own before then, we will go to the hospital the morning of Sunday 22nd for an induction.

Wish me luck - I'll need it with a potential 9 pound baby! The baby is also "face up", so we are hoping that he/she turns and doesn't complicate things, especially at that size!

52 Blessing Project Week 24 ~ SWIMMING POOLS (ours specifically)

We have been enjoying some cooler than normal weather for most of the spring. Love it! Last week that all changed. In fact, we are now not enjoying warmer than normal weather. I have no room to complain, considering how long our weather was mild, but that doesn't mean that I can't express gratitude for our SWIMMING POOL! I love that our community has a SWIMMING POOL - so that we have access to it, but that it's not in my own backyard. Not only does our community have a beautiful lagoon pool, there are 8 water slides, so we are very spoiled. With me nearing the end of my pregnancy, I have promised the kids lots of (long) trips to the pool to make up for the short, evening visits that they will get with their dad once I am on maternity leave :) The offer may seem extremely generous on my end (my willingness to even put on a bathing suit I mean). But in truth, I am enjoying the relaxation of the POOL and the cool (cold) water that takes my mind off the 100+ heat.

Welcome Aidan

This is sweet Aidan - the newest addition to the extended Dougall family, all the way from London! He is one week old today and we're just so excited for his mommy and daddy and his three older brothers.

What's more, we get to actually meet this little guy in just over a month. He will be the closest cousin to our pending addition, which is fun because our family and Rob's family have really mirrored each other in regards to our family additions. It' makes getting together lots of fun because there is a cousin of (relatively) same age for everyone.

Congrats again Rob and Laurel - he's beautiful!

Happy Father's Day to my dad!.

I wish I lived closer to my family - especially on days like today. It would be nice to be able to wish my dad a Happy Father's Day in person. I guess, for now, this will have to suffice.

Happy Father's Day dad!

This is my dad with me and two of my brothers. Dad has always been a "hands-on" dad, which I think is one of the reasons I appreciate that trait so much in Rich with our own kids.

I've always loved this photo - despite my sad countenance in the picture. I always loved it, growing up, when my dad would sit down at the piano and play. He didn't know many songs, but there was just something about him sitting at the piano playing, especially when we were sitting next to him.

This is my dad and my younger brother. Just another example of my dad "being dad" and another photo that reminds me so much of Rich with our kids - the reading together and snuggling. It's something kids crave and all the better when provided by dad.

Disregard the hair - it was the 80's and it wasn't my fault :)

Dad was always the "go to" guy for homework help. If dad had ever learned it or read it, he could recall it. A trait I did not get, by the way. I don't know that dad knows how much I appreciated his help with homework and projects - looking back, the homework was a great blessing as it gave me reason to spend time with just my dad.

Thanks dad, for being a great dad. Hope your Father's Day was great!

Grilled T-bone Steaks & Cinnabon Cake

I just had to share a couple of the recipes that I used today for our Father's Day dinner.

The first is a recipe for grilled steak - it's from Rachel Ray (easy!) and it's the second time I've made it. It is soooooo good - the name of the recipe alone tells you that.
I've posted the recipe as per the food network - but when I make it I use about 1/2 the butter called for in the compound, though I leave the lime and cilantro measurements as written.
Don't cook the steaks too long - medium is melt in your mouth good!


GRILLED T-BONES with CHIPOTLE CHILI RUB AND CILANTRO LIME COMPOUND BUTTER

1 stick butter, softened
1 ½ Tbs. finely chopped cilantro leaves
½ lime, juiced and zested
2 Tbs. steak seasoning (Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
1 Tbs. chipotle (smoky) ground chili powder or dark chili powder
1 Tbs. sweet paprika
4 T-bone steaks

Preheat outdoor grill to high.
Combine butter, cilantro and lime and then refrigerate till cold enough to slice.
Combine the steak seasoning blend with the chili powder and paprika. Rub the seasonings into the steaks, distributing the spices evenly among them.
Place steaks on HOT grill. Cook steaks 6 minutes on each side for medium doneness. Remove steaks and let them rest so that the juices can redistribute, 5 minutes.
When ready to serve, top steaks with disks of sliced compound butter.


The second recipe was posted on The Sister's Cafe, but they gave credit to Picky Palate. I wanted to make a cake for dessert today, but didn't want the same old chocolate or variation of chocolate. When I saw this posted, I thought we'd give it a try. Rich's exact words when he finished his first peice was "that is good enough to require a second piece" - that's a high review from my chocolate-only husband.

I've posted the recipe as per the Sister's Cafe, which cut the butter in half for the cake portion (down to 4 Tbs. from 8 Tbs.) When I make it again (when, not if) I intend on cutting the butter down for the cinnamon swirl part of the cake as well - probably down from 2 sticks to 1 stick - but would leave the sugar and cinnamon amounts alone. Also, despite the 25 minute cooking time listed, it took my cake nearly 40 minutes to test done, but that may resolve itself if there were less butter....


Cinnabun Cake

3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 T. butter, melted

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 T. flour
1 T. cinnamon
2/3 cups nuts, optional

2 cups powdered sugar
5 T. milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In an electric or stand mixer mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center.
Place powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Let me know if you try either of these recipes. If so, I hope you enjoy!

Happy Father's Day to Rich...

I just wanted to wish Rich a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

I feel very fortunate to have him be the person that my kids call "dad".

Rich and Kaitlyn - January 2001

Rich and Cason - December 2002

Rich and Jakey - December 2006

And soon to be....Rich and ?

Thanks so much for being such a great daddy...I love you!

Wild animals abound

Our camping trips seem to always come with a bit of wildlife. Last June I took the kids camping in Utah and we had an adventurous bear sighting - way too close for comfort. This past October we went camping as a family in Oregon and had a family of racoons join us in our evening activities and then discovered that night that the racoons lived under our yurt. Last night, camping in Nevada, we had another wildlife adventure. This time it turned out to be...

... a wild chicken.

Oh the horror! I'll take the chicken any day over the bear or the racoons.

The dirtier the better

Jake found his heaven this weekend at the campground.

Outdoors with no limitations....

He had his shovel, his rake, a bucket, our broom and an empty gallon jug.

Oh, most importantly, he had dirt. And he made good use of it.