sunday sweets

ava and paul made these last sunday.
the recipe is from
a princess cookbook
ava got for her birthday.
and i pretty much love them.
they are a cross between
divinity
and
a perfectly
roasted marshmallow.
so delicious,
delicate
and easy to make.
but they bake for 1 hour
so give yourself time.

pretty princess puffs

ingredients:

3 egg whites
3/4 c sugar
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/2 t vanilla or almond extract
2-3 drops food coloring
sprinkles


directions:

preheat oven to 250. line 2 cookie sheets with foil.

in a large bowl, whip egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form. with mixer on, slowly add sugar, one tablespoon at a time. add cream of tartar, vanilla or almond extract and food coloring. continue beating till stiff peaks form.

spoon mounds {about 2 T each..we used a cookie scoop} onto foil lined cookie sheets; space them about 1/2 inch apart. sprinkle with decoration of choice.

place both cookie sheets on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. then turn off oven and leave oven door closed fror 10 minutes.

remove puffs from baking sheets and store in an airtight container.

makes 18-24 cookies.

to the max

zerbit attack.

happy 4th birthday, bud.
you're getting you first bike today.
i'm so excited to see your face when we give it to you
and to watch how quickly you learn to ride it.
you make me laugh every day
and also drive me nuts every day.
oh, and bug your sisters every day
{and spend a lot of time in your bedroom
because of it.}
but we love your guts.
you are awesome.

your favorite joke of late:

what did the boy ghost say to the girl ghost?
"do you believe in people?"

valentine's day

my tip is a little early this year.
and probably not nearly as exciting as last year's.
but educational in a different way.

so..no matter how much
or how little you do,
i highly recommend waxing.
consider it a vday gift to your husband.
or even to yourself.

behold..
my waxing tutorial in photos:

my first time i got waxed was here.
and even though the lady was nice and sweet, it was horribly painful.
plus, when i got home, i noticed some extra hairs.
for $70, i want to be perfectly bare.

i gave myself a healing period of a month or so
then gathered my courage and started doing it myself.

i bought the warmer and wax off amazon.com
and that has worked for me since.
this last time i was in a pinch
and bought the wax at a beauty supply store and it was $25 + tax..
whereas on amazon it's about $20 total.

bonus:
i've been waxing for about three years
and have very sparse growth
and can go a lot longer between waxing than i used to.
hooray!


the end.

hold up

or so i thought.
right?
i saw this little
staged scene
on the edge of the kids tub
and laughed out loud.
captain bogg isn't as tough as he thinks he is, eh?
but then ava caught me uploading the photo to my laptop
and said,
"oh, do you like that? i did that last night.
i was making a movie..that guy is filming the pirate..."
boo.
what a let down.
that's not nearly as exciting as what i thought it was.

word

oh, believe me,
i know it's almost february
and i am just now posting my word.
but that just shows you how chaotic
this new life of mine is
and how appropriate
my choice of word really is.

i am in a constant state of awe
at women who have
three or more children
and homeschool
with a baby
as well as decorate
and keep their houses clean
and their children fed
and in clean clothes.

on a regular,daily basis
i find myself forgetting to
breathe
deeply.

i just go and go and go and go
and then eat
and go and go and go and go
and then sleep.

and wake up and do it all again.

and so my focus this new year
is on breathing.

stopping
each
day
and
breathing
deeply.

and hopefully in time
i will move beyond just surviving
to developing the capacity to
manage this new life
with the kind of efficiency
that will bring me peace
and satisfaction.

but breathing comes first.

so good

ava made this sign,
put a cup behind it,
sat in a chair
and started to play her harmonica.
i love it.

today

it's been seven years
since this little one entered our lives


{ava at 9 months old.}

soon it will be 8..
then 9..
and i am getting a little weepy.
i didn't know my heart
could ache
with joy
and sadness
at the same time.
i guess motherhood does that to you.

thank you

thank you peanuts
for giving the world peanut butter.
without you,
i couldn't enjoy your creamy goodness.
that creamy goodness of delight
that makes every day just a little bit better.
especially when i pair you with chocolate chips.

love,
aubrey

jewelry

so, ava's afraid of the tooth fairy.
she has not once put a tooth under her pillow.

basically it boils down to this:

she doesn't want some strange person,
fairy or not,
coming into her room at night
while she's sleeping
and digging around under her pillow.
even if she leaves her money.

poor kid.
i can see her point.
but come on.
it's MONEY.
for icky, little teeth.

so, instead of putting her teeth under her pillow,
she brings me a tooth she has yanked out.
{ya..she pulls them out.}
calmly hands it to me
and i drop it into the mesh drawstring bag
that is now The Tooth Bag.

five in all thus far.

what am i suposed to do with her teeth
once they've all fallen out?

so, check this out.
i have found a solution.



sick?
or hip and cool?

i think one tooth
on a chain might be cool.
like your very first tooth.
but still a little bit disturbing.

after 10 years..

i still
miss you when you're gone.

i still
have the most fun with only you.

i still
love holding your hand.

i still
know you'll listen when i talk.

i still
get giddy when you kiss me.

and
i always
give thanks
each day
for the joy
i feel
in being your bride.

best

now,
i've had some pretty sucky new year's eves.
for example,

last year
i had the flu.

two years ago
we paused our boardgame and said happy new year.

three years ago we watched tv.

five years ago we co-threw a party
and it BOMBED.
i mean, embarrassing. bomb. of a party.
luckily, my party throwing skills have improved.

so this year, at the last minute
we decided to throw a party together.
we're a good team.

pictured below: two crazy hosts


we moved furniture,
we strung lights,
we hung a disco ball,
we cranked music,
we threw confetti,
we burned stuff at midnight,
and had the BEST new year's eve.
of all time.

pictured below: aftermath of partying


next year's will be even better.
expect an invitation.

make this

chocolate silk pie:

ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
4 T cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs divided
1 prepared 8 inch pastry shell, baked and cooled

directions
1. cream butter in a mixing bowl for 20 minutes or so.
gradually beat in 1/2 c sugar till well blended. stir in cocoa, vanilla and egg yolks.
2. in a separate bowl, beat egg whites on high till stiff, gradually stirring in 1/4 c sugar.
3. gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture till combined.
then spoon the chocolate filling into the baked and cooled pie shell.
4. refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
5. eat.

Merry Christmas!

here is the Christmas card we "sent" out.
so easy and fun that we might just do it always.



2009 in Photos:
Ava turned 6 and got a bike
Max turned 3 and had a Spiderman cake
My brother, Taylor, came for a visit
Ava lost her first tooth
Paul bought a Sounders FC season ticket
My brother, Kevin, and his family moved to Washington
I gave birth to Mabel Jean on April 22
Max and Ava held her just a few hours after her birth
My mom came into town to be my doula
Ava performed in her first ballet recital
Paul’s parents came to see Mabel and Ava’s ballet recital
I turned 30 and had a big party at a movie theater
We traveled to Utah for the Weaver reunion
We were able to spend time with my Grandpa Weaver before his passing this winter
Then we went to the Petersen reunion
Mabel was blessed
We bought a HOUSE!!
And moved into it a week after the Utah reunion trip
Paul turned 32 and celebrated at Red Robin
Grandma and Grandpa Petersen came for a visit
Ava chose soccer over ballet and LOVED it
My mom and Grandma came for a visit
Max took a sports class with the city of Renton
We found a new pumpkin patch to go to
Paul’s friend, Adam, took him flying and Paul discovered a new obsession
We all dressed as pirates for Halloween
We found a great new curriculum for homeschool called Calvert School
Paul played ward volleyball and their team won the Stake championship
Paul played in a very cold and muddy Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day
Mabel sat on Santa’s lap for the first time
We decided to be cheap and cut down our tree in the Mt. Baker forest.
The kids went ice skating for the first time and loved it.
We took down our dead tree.
And gladly put up an artificial one a nice family loaned us.
We took Ava on a date to a Christmas chorale concert.
Mabel turns 8 months old!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

8 months old

baby mabel is
8 months old
today.

she likes to

suck her upper lip,
bounce in her bouncer,
scoot instead of crawl,
stand up in her crib,
sleep lightly,
wave,
eat bananas,
laugh at her big sister,
cry when i leave the room,
chew on books,
splash in the tub,
gurgle,
and scratch.

miracle

this week
i had the opportunity to assist a friend
and her husband
in the birth of their baby girl.


{picture is of mabel.}

when i got the call on monday night
i was excited but also nervous.
nervous that i wouldn't know what to do
and wouldn't know how to help.
but, i said a fervent prayer
drove through the rain
and arrived at the hospital.

once i arrived
i moved right in
encouraging her and helping out
and making suggestions.
keeping her moving, drinking, etc.

as time went on, though,
the mood became quiet
and calm as her contractions
became more intense
but less frequent.
giving her time to rest
and prepare
for each new one.

during the next few hours,
as her labor progressed,
i was honored to observe this couple.
and see the miracle and beauty of
such a humble union.

her husband was a rock of support...
massaging her aching back
whispering sweet words
of encouragement in her ear
doing anything she wanted him to
to relieve her even a little bit.

and in turn, she relied on him fully.
his touch renewed her
his pressure on her back was
exactly what she needed
to get through hard moments.
and near the end
when the pain became too intense,
she wanted only him, close to her
there for her, holding her in his arms.

at times i felt as if i was intruding
on their sweet intimacy.
i would sneak away to fold blankets
or eat a snack or re-read her birth plan.
just busy myself to give them privacy,
their heads bent low in concentration
both focused in unity
on their goal
of bringing their baby into the world
as naturally and gently as possible.

and when they reached that goal,
when their sweet girl was born
it was such a joy for me
to watch their faces.
to see their excitement and emotion,
their joy and pride
that they accomplished such a feat.

life
is
a miracle.

sunset

on the pier this afternoon.



the cold
{at least cold for us}
is good for one thing...
clear skies for a beautiful sunset!

early

Christmas present!

thankful

i've been reflecting on
this past year
and all that has happened
and all that i've done
and gone through.

in all the memories,
i see paul
standing by my side
encouraging me
loving me
and being firm
and unconditional
in his love.

perhaps it seems
a given
since he is
my husband
and chose me
so many years ago
and made that promise.

but that's the thing:
it's been ten years.
you'd think by now
the love, the patience
would wane
in it's comfort and routine.

but for paul,
it's seemed to grow stronger,
more intense.
and he time and again
exceeds my expectations.

why?

i'm nothing special.

so, i feel guilty.
like all i do is take
and never give back.
at least not equally.
by the time my day is over
i'm all wrung out and empty
with nothing to give to him.

which repeats the guilt cycle
since he understands
and is patient and so forgiving.

so i'm thankful
for him.

but also
for the rest of this
long life
and
forever
that i have
to make it up to him.

my grandpa

i am grateful for

his hugs,

his guitar,

his songs,

his patience,

his laugh,

his testimony,

his prayers,

his hands,

his soft voice,
his gentle way,

his unconditional love

and the wonderful example

he unknowingly set

for all of us to follow

during his life

and now in his absence.

my mom

my mom is fabulous.
she was with me
for the most beautiful moment
of my life.
and the most awful time
of my life.

both experiences sealed
in memory
my adoration of her.

oh,
and she can type fast.
i mean fast.

happy birthday, mamacita!

i love you!