St. George

I just found this blog post un-published for some reason.  So, better late than never, right?

A few weeks ago, we went to St. George with some of our good friends.  We didn't take many pictures, but we had a lot of fun.  Swimming, biking, running, hanging out and eating lots of good food.  This is always one of our favorite vacation spots.

Hogle Zoo

Several weeks ago, Lynlee and I made a trip up north to see the animals at the zoo.  It was such a great day to go!  All of the animals were out and walking around, and it seemed like every time we stopped at a new cage, it was feeding time for that animal.  Lynlee loved it, and I might have to say that her favorite animal to see was the monkeys.  There were so many different kinds of monkeys!

Unfortunately, we didn't take too many photos of her looking at the animals, but there was a really great playground that we let her run around in for a while before heading home and I remembered to pull out my camera.

We loved the zoo!

We tried to see how big she would be next to a gorilla, but there was a melt down instead.

Baby elephant!

My favorite!

She always has to taste the dirt.  Don't know when she will learn that lesson...

Dane's Graduation!

So, it is probably not news to anyone who reads this, but it is time to start blogging again....now that I charged the battery for my camera and can take the photos off. :)

I have to say that Dane's graduation was an amazing accomplishment and I am sooooo proud of him!  (Also so excited that he doesn't have homework anymore!)

Here are some of the great pics!

Lynlee was a trooper and stayed happy for the entire convocation.

Bridget's Triathlon

It isn't very often that I take the time to brag about my self on this blog.  For the most part, everything on here has been about my family, and lately, Lynlee.  Well, I have to take a chance to record a major goal that I finally completed this last weekend.  I completed my first triathlon!  It is something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and finally set my mind to it earlier this year.  And I have to say that I have caught the bug.  This will most definitely not be my last!

Here is my classic "before the race" picture.  I have to say that these are my two biggest, best fans.  Thanks so much for coming out to cheer for me Dane and Lynlee!  And also to my dear sister Kathy who took all of these great pictures!

 And here is the "after the race" shot.  Just made it out of the pool, (it was a reverse-tri) still feeling great!

So here is how it all went down:  run 3.1 mi, bike 10 mi, and then swim .25 mi. 

Just finished my run!  One down, two to go!

Getting my shoes changed for the bike

Off onto the bike portion, this was my strongest leg of the race.  (Don't worry, I did indeed buckle my helmet before I made it onto the road.)

My adoring fans waiting for me to come in from the bike ride.

Run and now bike down, time for a swim!

I don't have any pictures of the swim, but just to make up for it, I decided to show off my muscles to make you all feel better. :)

So, I have never, ever posted this many pictures of myself and to be honest, it feels a little silly, so don't worry, I won't do it again any time soon.

Over all, the race was a ton of fun.  I learned really good things about myself for my next triathlon and I know now how to adjust my training.  I met my goal and finished a little faster than I expected, finishing 3rd in my age group and 21st in the women.  It felt really great.  Thanks to everyone for all your support and and encouragement!

so i thought that i might share another recipe...

Do any of you know that I married the cookie monster?  It's true.  He LOVEs cookies.  We have our ever-loyal cookie recipes, but for some reason have not yet acquired a satisfying chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good ones out there, but we have been on a quest.  A quest for that recipe.  You know the one I mean, right?  The one that is so good, all you do is think about if it has been a reasonable amount of time since you have made it to make it again and not seem like a crazy person.  Well, my friends, I am happy to say, we found it.  And since finding it about 6 weeks ago, I dare say that I have made these cookies about 6 or 7 times.  Yeah, they are that good.

 

I discovered this recipe from my cousin's cooking blog.  I have to say these are BY FAR the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have EVER had.  But don't take my word for it.  Go ahead, make them.  And then you will understand.  

 

 

perfectly chewy, chocolate chip cookies

2 sticks butter, room temp

1 1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

2 t vanilla

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 T milk

2 c bread flour (or I do 2 C regular flour plus a Tbsp of vital wheat gluten)

2 c oatmeal measured then blended smooth in blender

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 bag chocolate chips

Cream sugar and butter, next add vanilla and milk, add eggs, add them slowly while blending ( I use my stand mixer). Blend till smooth. Meanwhile, measure 2 c oatmeal (preferably the 5 min quick cook oats) in my blender and blend till it makes like an oat flour. Combine with flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, till it makes cookie dough. Add chocolate chips.

Bake about 9 or 9.5 min at 375.  You want them to be barely golden, and you might say to yourself, "these aren't done," they are done! If your oven cooks hot, you may want to do 8 min. If they are gold brown, they will be too cooked.  Let sit one or two min on cookie sheet, then remove to a cooling rack.  Let them cool there at least 5 min, then devour! 

yields: about 2 1/2 doz cookies

Month to Month

So, this is one of the reasons why I have been determined to take pictures of Lynlee each month:

just a few hours

one month

two months

three months

four months

five months

six months

seven months

eight months

nine months

ten months

eleven months

twelve months

To see how she has grown!

Happy Birthday Lynlee!

I know I have not been the best at putting pictures up lately, so here is what you have all been waiting for.  Lots of pictures.
(I even forgot to put up an 11 month post for Lynlee, so that will be included here too.)

So the biggest news as far as what Lynlee has been learning so far, is that she is now a walker. Actually, she is starting to be a runner. :)  She took her first steps at 10 1/2 months and was walking all over pretty much by 11 months. 

She has started saying a few words here and there:  hi, bye, yeah, mama, dada, daddy, and ah-dah (all done).

She is starting to really like reading books with mom and dad and loves anything that she can take in/out of containers. 

11 months old

Enjoying one of her favorite foods

We had a little birthday celebration for her yesterday.  I knew the whole day was off to a great start when Lynlee slept in and we got to go wake her up with a birthday song:

The day was pretty normal, but Lynlee did get to open a few presents thanks to grandma!  and mom and dad! (We gave her the quiet book that I finished a little while ago, and she love it!)

Then we ended it with the classic go-to-town-on-a-piece-of-cake-in-your-highchair.  She was a little tentative at first, mostly I think because we have never put a piece of food that big on her tray before.  But after a little bit discovered the frosting.  And that was about it, to be honest.  I was expecting her to have it everywhere by the time we were done, but she must not have seen the same vision we had.

I still am amazed how quickly this last year has gone by.  We are so happy to have Lynlee in our lives and look forward to the next years!