As long as you're comfortable...

It was cold the other day and Brynn really wanted to go outside. So we threw some clothes on her and then realized how hilarious her outfit was! Had to snap some photos.

This one's my favorite.

Even fatter!

So last night we made the microcake (our new awesome name for them) with Kam and we added some mini chocoalte chips to it. I thought they would remain a little firm and give the cake a nice little chocolate chunk quality to it. Instead they all sank to the bottom of the bowl and melted. So when we turned the cake out onto a plate, it was pure heaven! I am so looking forward to getting into a swimsuit this summer!

Wanna Get Fat?

Lindsay and I came across this recipe in the Food Network Magazine and it is going to destroy us. If you want a quick and easy chocolate fix, try it out! You will not regret the experience, but you may need to express more self-control and not make it every night. We are trying to limit ourselves to once a week.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
6 tbls. sugar
2 tbls. cocoa powder
1 egg
3 tbls. milk
3 tbls. vegetable oil
Dash of vanilla and salt

Whisk ingredients in a large mug and microwave for 2 minutes. Plop onto a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. ENJOY!

Katniss!

Jennifer Lawrence has been cast as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games series. I haven't seen her in anything yet, although I would really like to see Winter's Bone. I know some will be mad that she doesn't really "fit" the descriptions of Katniss, but Collins (the author) is excited about her and that is all that matters, since the character belongs to her. I am excited that things are moving forward with the movie. Gary Ross (the director) seems to have a passion for this story and is working closely with Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games was a book that totally took me by surprise. I read a blurb from Stephen King about the book and thought I would give it a try. Easily the best book I read that year--then it became a huge thing that started to be compared to Twilight and that really irked me. Oh well. The great thing about books is that they are a personal experience for you. No one else can have the experience that you have.

Brynnie Boo!

 

Brynn just turned 3 years old! I can't believe she is this old. I wanted to share a few thoughts on her and why we love her so much. Brynn does the funniest things in the world. She will give you a look or do an action of some kind that just makes us laugh. I know it shouldn't be funny, but when she gets mad she says, "I kill you, Mom." I have to hide my smile when she does that (the joy of having older brothers). She loves Disney princesses, which is hokey, but she loves it and it's fun to watch her dress up and dance and sing like them. She can be absolutely crazy sometimes. She gets in a mood and goes berserk. It's great! I don't want her to grow up anymore. Someday she is going to find a man more important than me. I think I just might kill him and hide the body.

Quick Trip!

I had a long weekend because of a snow day today! We just finished with our sixth grade science fair, so it was time for a break. We took a quick trip down to our Hale family ranch in Grover, Utah! Just about the best place on earth. We took the dirt bike down and the boys had a blast riding around for the first time. They were awesome. Besides getting stuck in the mud on the dirt road (our cars, not the dirt bike) and having no running water because a pipe broke, it was an awesome trip. Just what we needed!

I can't take credit for this photo. My cousin Perry took it earlier this year and posted it on her blog. I had to include it though so that you can see what the view is outside our front door. Amazing!

We went up on Boulder Mountain to do some sledding.

Brynn celebrated her 3rd birthday and Lindsay took this sweet photo of her opening her presents!

Swinging like "Tinker Bell" in the cottonwoods.

Max chillaxing.

Love the Classics!

We have downloaded the original "Legend of Zelda" on our Wii and I've been having a bit of nostalgia playing it. Reminds me of some great times growing up. One of the greatest games ever created! Those of you who played this growing up--doesn't that map just fill you with happiness?

Go Cougars!

My mom and I just got back from the BYU game. This is the first time I have been to a Cougar game in a long time. It felt more like an NBA game--much different than when I was a kid. Awesome to see BYU have such a great season! GO Cougs!

Thoughts on the Oscars

I remember when I used to have Oscars parties. It seems like it used to mean more to me. The movies that have come out in the past few years have not motivated me to really care about these awards anymore. I miss the days of Silence of the Lambs, Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Forrest Gump. These were movies that really moved you. Movies that made you want to root for them and go see them again and again. In short, I want to have cinematic “experiences” again.

Anyway, some thoughts on this year’s telecast:

·      Hathaway and Fanco were entertaining, but no one will top Billy Crystal. He made the Oscars so much fun to watch. His appearance and story about Bob Hope flipping him off was awesome!

·      Why are we nominating 10 movies? It splits votes and doesn’t make it as exciting as it used to be.

·      David Fincher did not win Best Director! SERIOUSLY?!

·      I thought the opening montage was great, as well as the “Year of the Musical” montage. Very funny.

·      I loved my “Chuck” singing for Tangled!

·      Where was Dido for the 127 Hours theme song? Florence (from the Machine) sucked. Sorry.

·      I liked the homages paid to past films. That was cool. Especially when Spielberg mentioned the films that didn’t get Best Picture. However, he should have added E.T. to his list.

·      Best acceptance speech was the dude who won for the Best Short Film God of Love. Hilarious and touching!