Pico De Gallo

I love this recipe! I got it from Martha Stewart's Cooking School book. You have to try it! It's flavorful and refreshing. I usually don't like the 'chunks' in store bought salsa, but when you make something yourself, don't you find you eat all of it? :)

1/2 half white onion, diced
4 tomatoes, diced - plum tomatoes suggested
I skipped this: 3 jalapenos, finely chopped (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (I used the bottled kind)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt (more or less for taste)

Let sit 1 hour at room temperature for flavors to meld. Makes 4 cups.

It's always a surprise...

...what you'll find in our bathtub. That's Britton's dumping grounds for random toys. Usually it's toys, but sometimes socks (since he takes them everywhere with him) and once it was even our rubber mallet.

One year older and wiser, too!

Landon turned 29!! Here is the cake I made him: I covered it with fondant and then used those wafer candies for lumber and pull and peel licorice for electrical wires. I just had to do something 'handymanish' since he's been doing such a great job finishing our basement. I loved how the lego set I got even came with a sawz-all :) You'll notice the 'saw dust' and a small yellow level - fitting, since Landon has made everything perfectly square and level. I love you, Landon!

Biking around Lakes

Another fun thing we did on our vacation was go biking. We went to Minneapolis and biked around Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, and Lake of the Isles. Brit is a great passenger and slept during the whole trip. Luckily it was right during his naptime so that worked better than we even planned.



Brit tips over in this trailer, so we padded it and then supplied him with books and toys. When he's awake, he actually flips through the book - it's so cute. This is the first time that we've done this with Brit in the cities. We have done this many times on the Douglas Trail that's a few blocks from our house. We love it.

Illinois

Ah, our vacation was so nice. We began by Britton's birthday in the cities, and then drove to Macomb, Illinois to visit Landon's brother, Shea and his family. It was so nice to see them and they were so nice to feed us, show us around, and take us out for dinner. Brit was definitely loved :) I'm sad I didn't get a whole group picture.



On the way back, we stopped at the Nauvoo temple and each did a session while the other one watched Brit. Look at how beautiful the day was!




It was so great to slow down the pace and enjoy each other's company.

Britton's Birthday

Britton turned one on May 9th. We drove to Como Zoo and met up with my family there. It was chilly day - and surprisingly, very crowded - but everyone was nice enough to brave it out for our special occasion. After a tour of the zoo, we headed across the street for a picnic and cupcakes and gifts. Brit loved his first taste of cake! Dad - can I get a copy of the group pic you took? I was proud of the little fondant animal cupcakes I made, too. Just got ready-made white fondant at Walmart, colored it with food color gels, and shaped it. It's really easy, like playing with playdough. Thanks, fam, for braving the cold :) It's amazing that Brit's already one. He's doing such cute things and is such a fun age. We love you, Britton.