I Heart Faces | Bust a Gut

Haven't done this in a while and thought why not! :)

Maple & Cinnamon Baked Apples(or Pears)

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(Recipe VIA)

Forever ago (OK not that long ago) we did the Reboot for 10 days.  5 Days of super healthy raw food and 5 Days of juicing.  I just have to post a super easy and fast breakfast that is beyond yummy while also fitting into the holidays. This is something that can be done when you wake up, pop in the oven, get ready, eat, and move along.

2 large hard Pears or Apples (Fuji, Rome, Pippin, Granny Smith or Jonathan work great)
2 tsp. Pure Maple Syrup or Agave
3 tsp. water
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Raisins
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice off the tops of the apples or pears and set aside. With a small knife or apple corer, hollow out a 1” cylinder in the center of each apple, being careful not to poke through to the bottom. If you are using a paring knife, you might need to make the initial cut and then use a spoon to dig out the core.

In a small bowl, whisk together the next three ingredients. Divide the raisins between the apples or pears, and then fill with the liquid mixture. Don’t worry if the filling doesn’t reach the top, it will expand as it cooks. Replace the tops on the fruit and place in a small baking dish lined with parchment paper, making sure that the fruit are snug in the dish so that they don’t tip over. Cover the dish with foil. With a paring knife, cut three slits in the foil to let steam escape. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until tender. Drizzle with extra maple syrup or agave upon serving, if desired.
Calories: 274
Protein: 1.5 g
Fiber: 10.5 g

Inspiration Tuesday

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So extremely true.  I need to read this daily.  We are lucky enough to have options.  Whether or not the first, our favorite, option may have failed we have more that we can make the best of!  Just have to remember, we make it what it is.  So make yours awesome!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the dude.  

He has been behind me through all my crazy choices and has never doubted who I could be.  He is an amazing father who knows how to make his family smile.  He checks the bumps in the night, makes dinner often, and takes out the trash (hehe).  He still hugs me like it was the first time and lets me know how beautiful he thinks I am on a daily basis.  We have had so many laughs together and many more to come.  

I never thought I would find someone who was so in tune to who I was.  Someone who jumps those cliffs, rides bikes too fast, attempts anything crazy, and still wakes up wanting more to this amazing life.  

Love ya babe!

Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkin carving, moments, and LOVE.

The annual pumpkin carving took place just the other weekend.  Although the girls didn't carve a pumpkin we got to spend some time with them exploring my grandpas backyard.  

They really loved playing with all the leaves and seeing the huge turkeys waddle by.

Lately,  things have been a bit of a struggle for me.  We aren't really sure as to what's causing it all and I'm mostly talking about it because I feel like I need a release in all that is on my mind.  A doctors appointment was even needed just to make sure nothing else could be going on like simply being anemic or something along those lines. So far blood work is normal and it must just be in my head.  It could be my school schedule, not seeing my girls as much as I'd like, the weight of getting school done quickly, changing schools, doing some side work, and much more.  The stress of everything I think is just crushing me more than usual.  As I like to say quoting my brother (teasing me of course) I'm being a pansy. Normally, I have ways of fixing the stress quickly, or finding out the issue and taking care of it.  For some reason this has just been building and wont go away.  

 I can't sleep at nights, I have anxiety attacks throughout the day, because of lack of sleep I'm exhausted all day long, I can't focus, headaches have become a part of a daily thing, the list goes on really.  

One thing I have been working really hard to do is remember in hopes of helping are moments. 

Special moments I get to spend with my family.  Most specifically moments spent with my baby girls.  Like the photos below.   

Sometimes I think we forget to remember these special times as special times.

They are moments that we will never get back and it is my goal to laugh, cry, and be most importantly happy about all these moments.  

Like the memories I have as a kid in this backyard.  In those trees is a hallow, full of old tractors, huge climbing trees, a jungle/alligator trail that my grandpa made for his grandkids.  I must not forget the huge infamous rope swing that I remember watching as the brothers spent the day putting it up and remembering the hours on end we spent as kids swinging as high as we could to touch the branches above.

 I am so very blessed for the support I am getting from my loved ones right now.  Letting me know that I'm working hard for our future and so that I can really be there more to enjoy moments like these.  So much love is in my life, it is truly amazing how something so complicated is really so simply perfect.  

My grandpa, as we were visiting, was so sweet and let me know he understood why we don't visit often, that packing up the twins and taking that time can be hard to squeeze in with a busy life.  I can't help but thank him for trying to make things seem easy and light.  But the truth is that it's those moments we would take out of our busy schedule to visit him that would be worth all the effort in the world.  

Why is it so hard to see that it is really worth the effort?  That a 100 mile car ride no matter if you commute long distances daily already, is worth that day/afternoon/evening you can spend with someone you love.  

I want to change my efforts.  Because those times are times I can push away what is going on and enjoy the moment.  

Holidays are coming up and I'm just so excited to spend time with family.  I can already feel it, the feeling of festivity.  That's rare!  I'm not a festive person, hehe.  

So, just need to keep telling myself: pick it up Hetty!  Less hum drum!  

Everything happens for a reason and the outcomes are life changing!

Family Photos

We finally took that leap, that leap that you always say, "lets wait till this time" or "it will be better if we do it later".  Using every excuse in hopes of finding the perfect time for it.  Truth is, there is no perfect time and you just need to jump.

What am I talking about, well the title says it all, Family Photos.

I don't know if it's just me but I dislike with a capital "DIS", getting my picture taken more often then not.  Even more so when taken by someone else.  I tense up, and turn into a rigor mortis corpse with a half decent pretend smile.  But that's besides the point. 

It's finally happened that I realized I have very little pictures of me with the girls, besides hospital pictures.  That's not good.  I want pictures as they grow up of me and them growing together, as well as all of us as a family growing together.  

Generally the dude tries to capture some of these moments, but with most I'm looking away or shying away from the camera.  This should change I know but I think that goes into a much deeper matter we will not address, ha.  

So I've decided to make it a definite yearly thing to get the family photo done.  But also it is my goal to relax and when the dude grabs that camera to just pretend it isn't there.  I want my girls to have these photos of us together when we have gone so that they can look back and hopefully see how much we were there for them.  Photos are what capture the memories for lifetimes to come.  No matter our fears we need to embrace those moments with full force!  

Anyway-- I hope you enjoy so of my favorites  :)

PS.  as you've noticed yet again I've been very absent.  Well school has been crazy this semester, not to mention I have some amazing things happening that I hope to be able to share soon. ❤

What I'm thinking Thursday

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• I love this fall smell but miss those spring flowers.
• The classes I'm taking seem less busy but I feel more worked?
• Could use a good Jamba Juice right now, Peach Passion...yes!
• Still working on getting into a routine.  
• I just dropped the twins off and I miss them already.  
• Je suis prêt pour une soirée avec mon homme. 
• That's right, I'm taking French this semester.
• So stinking lucky to have the people I do in my life today.
• Rihanna's new song stinks as much as the dog poop I just stepped in.
• I didn't really just step in dog poop.  ;)
• Love that K is walking around saying "RaWr"!
• In need of new jeans...like 2 years ago...
• Hope everyone else is having a great morning/day <3

Wordless Wednesday-Pure L.O.L awesomeness!

(Admit it, you laughed <3 )

Growing up- 16 months

The growing up thing is something we knew would happen.  It's just inevitable that they wouldn't stay small.  It's filled with so many mixed feelings though, happiness to see them go through and experience things.  Then sadness to know that they will never be this tiny again.  

Right now they are at my favorite stage so far.  Every day I just can't stop smiling as I watch them explore, learn, and play.  They seem to happy with the little things and easily brush off the big things.  

Sometimes I wish I could think like they do and see the beauty and fun everywhere.   

A little bit about them-

They weigh in at about 23lbs now and shooting up like bean stalks, to us at least, hehe.  Both are still sporting the beautiful blue eyes and dusty blonde hair which has grown into a cute little mullet of curls.  We refuse to cut it...is that bad?  If not daily, weekly, we seem to occasionally mix them up.  Leaving it up to a guessing game for people who are unaware that their earrings are different.  It's amazing to see that as they grow the differences, like Oakley's stork bite, grow less and less noticeable.  

Both are walking, yes you read that right walking.  They have been for a month now and are getting to the point they just want to run every where.  Kenzington started her first steps on her own a couple weeks before Oakely.  We expected this due to Oakley's broken leg in the past.  But, it didn't slow her down for long.  She was determined to be right there with her sister!  

It's so fun and cute to see them chase each other, the dogs or even run away as we say "we're ganna get you".  Just to think not that long ago we were just waiting for them to crawl.  

Mopping floors is a bit of a bitter sweet thing in this house.  I can't help but laugh as they slip and slide and eventually end up crawling to the carpet, as they can't help but yell and get mad that they can't keep walking on it.  Yet, they keep coming back for more... kids ;)

The bumps and bruises have already shown their ugly head and sometimes it makes me feel so horrible but I have to tell myself it happens to them all.  

K has 10 teeth and O just got her 11th.  Which means K is not far behind on getting the same one.  

They are eating pretty much anything we give them now, but recently was limited due to us trying to find out what was causing their tummy issue for over a month.  Narrowing it down to Hot dogs, bananas, and juice.  We think it's juice.  

Favorite things for them to do is read books, yes it's upside down and of course it's in another language we have yet to figure out (or should I say they have yet to figure out?)  but none the less they read to us and each other as if they knew all along.  

They don't say much other than the normal simple words.  Kenzington is on a kick of pointing at everything and saying "da" as if to ask "what's that"?  I'll answer and she'll move onto the next thing.  The same is with something, toy, book, anything she wants me to do or figure out for her.  She hands it to me with this stinking adorable face and say's "da"..just now as I type she handed me a little bucket with it's lid.  I put the lid on for her and she walked away.  Freakin' love these girls. hehe

Oakley has mimicked her sister but we joke because her "da" is in a much deeper voice.  

They sing, they dance, they make loud noises, and they even tend to whisper on occasion.  

They still sign milk, more, please, and recently learned thank you.  

We already hopefully seemed to have passed the biting stage.  First it was Kenzington who bit Oakley, hard enough to leave a welt for a day.  Then it was Oakley to show revenge and bite K the following day, for the same reason, a toy.  

At first I was lost as what to do to, but thanks to advice from everyone I chose the smother the victim with affection and ignore the other (for a short period of time).  To my luck it worked and since then we haven't had any incidents to report!  

TV isn't something they really pay attention to, not that we really try.  But music is definitely their favorite poison.  Any music even heard off in a distance they start to bust a move and sometimes sing.  

Through out the summer they were able to really experience a lot of new things from all our vacations and trips.  Some I hope to blog about soon.  To me those are the best times, the times when I was young and our family went out and did things together even when I was really young.  We really hope to do it often.  

Other than the normal bumps in the road they have been amazing little gremlins and as much as I hate to see them grow I cannot wait to see what they will figure out next.  We are so lucky to have two growing happy healthy baby (or not baby toddler?) girls.  I can't imagine life without either one of them.

I'll miss

Tonight as I was going through some of my pictures from this summer I came across this one-

It was the beginning of the summer, a calm, cool, clear night with a nearly full moon.  The moonlight was hitting the lake perfectly. The tall dark silhouettes of the surrounding mountains loomed in the distance and the twinkly lights made their presence known as we sat at our little house on the hill looking at all we had around us to be grateful for.  

As much as I adore the fall, holidays, fluffy white snow, and cuddles by the fire.  I'm really going to miss  nights like this one.  Where all you hear are the crickets, smell of the fresh cut grass, and listen to the slow summer breeze through the trees.  

It's gone by in a flash and will be upon us again before we know it.  But sometimes don't you just wish you could freeze frame time.  Just that one special moment you never want to lose, that a picture will never be able to capture?  

It's been asked

People have been asking or curious about the lack of posts and noticing I have not updated!  

First off I have to say I'm sorry it has been so long!  I haven't forgotten and haven't had nothing to write about.  This summer simply has just gone by in a flash, sprinkled with blessings, laughes, cries, little miracles, big adventures, new beginnings, and we have been busy without taking a breathe.

I just wanted to say-

We're still here!!

School started this week and I'm feeling like I need to get back into a rhythm, if you know what I mean?  I've tried now and then to keep up with my blog roll and missed keeping in touch with so many of you!  

I swear, coming here soon you will be seeing the old us, back on track.  I hope everyones summer is smoothly coming to an end and was full of great things.  ❤

Water Parks

 As soon as the summer weather was finally set in and before we set out on all our road trips we bought our season passes and headed straight to the water park to cool off.  Since it was the first week of great weather the park was packed and finding even a sliver of grass was so impossible.  Luckily we found a nice place even with some shade from a tree.

 It was going to be the first time in 7 months since the girls have been in water greater than 2 ft deep.  

They love their kiddie pool and love the bath so it was to be expected that they would completely love the water park.

Their most favorite was the lazy river, were we just held their arms and let them float and enjoy splashing around.  They even attempted to kick their legs like little frogs!

Due to their size and age we kept to the river and a small kid area where they could stand on us and splash away in the shallows. 

We were actually a bit surprised in how well they have taken to water.  I've seen kids be frightened and cling to their parents in pools but these girls were fearless!  

Regular sunscreen and snack breaks were in need because of the blazing sun and heat.  

They actually held strong for 3 hours until they were definitely showing sign of "we need a nap, now"!

We have been so busy since it's been hard to go again, not to mention the weather has been as bi-polar as it could get.  Hopefully if the forecast is correct we will get a couple more good days in soon!

I have so many pictures from our adventures so far to go through it's crazy.  Just memories we will hold onto for a life time, a life time that keeps changing as the days go on!  Hopefully I'll get more down time and get in those other updates soon! 

I hope everyones summer has been full of fun in the sun!

{Happy Thursday!}❤

There's one, where's the other?

It's been a while since I've done an update post on the gremlins and their progress.

Things have changed so much in just a months time.

At 13 months they weight about 23lbs each. Both are crawling and the statement, "you'll be chasing one while the other goes the opposite direction", has come to life.  I end up hearing one in the kitchen while the other one attempts to attack the entertainment center.  Luckily if mom says no they generally listen and move along.  Keeping them in one spot is nearly impossible unless there are snacks.

Both can pull themselves up to stand using furniture or other things around them.  Kenzington has once or twice walked a gap from one piece of furniture to the next but they generally stay attached to the furniture walking along it.  For now, anyway.  They love little animals and fluffy things.  Especially Oakley who likes to cuddle them.

Both talk and giggle all the time.  It was probably one of the most adorable things as a mum to watch Kenzington sit on her gammas lap with a magazine flipping through the pages and reading to her gamma.  Literally for 5 minutes just pointing at pictures and text, jabbing away.  

Yes, Doggy, Igty (kitty), hi, daddy, momma, are the choice of words so far but they are constantly trying to say new ones.  They can both sign milk, all done, and more.  Dancing to music and clapping is something they just love to  do daily.  

Just like their mom they love to swim and can't get enough of the water, they are even attempting to kick their legs to swim now.  We recently took them to Las Vegas for the 2nd time this last week and they do amazing in the car.  They talk and play, never fuss and sleep without a problem.  Going to see new things and new people is something they love to do as well.  They flirt and just smile shying away.  We thought while we were in Vegas visiting my brother that they would get scared like they sometimes do with guys they haven't met before and it had been a while since he'd seen them.  Surprisingly it was like they remembered him and just loved sitting on his lap and playing.  He's such a good uncle.  

We now realized we have to keep their pants on at night otherwise they take off their diapers, haha.  Luckily there wasn't an accident.  

Both have 8 teeth and counting, we are getting to the more painful sets and it's causing some discomfort. They are chasing the dogs more and more. I'm pretty sure the dogs never thought this day would come, as Auzzie sat without moving while K probed his eye with her finger...yeah we have to watch for that now.  

I cannot believe how fast they are moving along and how much we get to see for the first time daily.  I've said it before but it just amazes me and I love it!

We have been blessed with some amazing kids, family and great friends who are always there.  I seriously hope we can keep up with the craziness because I don't want to miss one minute of it! 

For the 4th we are off to spend time with family and friends in WA.  It's going to be so much fun and great to see everyone.  

Everyone have a safe and happy holiday weekend! ❤

Summer Adventures To the Zoo!

This summer started off pretty busy, as a lot of you can tell by my lack of posts!

I had this great idea that I'm going to post our summer adventures (So far we have 4 that I'm editing pictures for and so on)!  Great idea? Yes! I agree, hehe.

  We took the girls camping and it was probably something that I never thought would go as smoothly as it did.  Of course nap time was a bit of a hassle but other than that I think it went better than planned.  

Just before it got too hot out here we decided that since the girls were showing more and more interest in animals it would be perfect to take them to the local Zoo.  Neither of us had been in so long, the girls weren't the only ones excited about seeing animals.  

The entire time was just so much fun and the girls G-rents came along for the experience, which made it even better.  At first it took a while to get the girls to notice the animals.  They were mainly entertained with the simple fact that they were out of the house and seeing new people around them.  

We saw some kids on wooden horses and I insisted on putting the girls on them..I'm pretty sure we enjoyed it way more than they did, ha!  It was just too cute. :)

Our zoo has a Jurassic theme going on where scattered throughout the park there are animatronic dinosaurs.  It was cool at first, but to me it just got annoying only being able to hear fake dinosaur roars instead of the wildlife.  

The girls were afraid of the T-Rex because he would roar every so often and it was loud!  

But we still figured feeding him might make him happy ;)

After a bit they really started to notice the animals around them.  Kenzlee especially completely fell in love with them all and would squeal with glee despite the "please be quiet" signs.  Oakley on the other hand has a completely odd reaction to animals.  She does it at home as well with her pretend kitty and ducky.  She gets super excited but if they come too close or she feels like they are too close she gets very nervous and does this "I'm excited but I'm going to cry too", type of thing.

The male tiger was separated from the females and was just walking around his area growling!  It was sooo cool!  He would just get louder and louder and then he would jump around from his den to tree stumps.  I can say I completely loved seeing him almost as much as I loved seeing the Chimps and Monkeys.  

They had the baby elephant out that day and o.m.g. so cute!  Everyone was just in aw at how adorable the mother and it were!

Something I have to say while we were leaving we saw protesters outside the zoo, stating that the elephants were suffering within the zoo- while they stood in the 90 degree weather with no shade holding a child that looked to be 6 months non the less.  Anyway, I couldn't help but just shake my head at the fact that these people seem to not understand the options these animals have.  I will admit, maybe I fully don't either.  What I do know is this:

I've been to Africa, I've spoken to the people, villagers, and park rangers about the elephants.  Even if the elephants are placed in a "protected" thousand acre reserve out in Africa, poachers still sneak in at night and kill them.  It's something that is so completely hard to stop that it's causing lots of government issues among other things.  Heck, while we were there we saw poachers jumping the fence and running as we were leaving the park late at night.  From what I've seen and heard, how is it worse to live in a zoo were you are fulling taken care of, live a full life, compared to the chance of being killed while your young is left to die to the elements?  Isn't that suffering as well?

Sorry, it's my "people don't make sense to me" speech...but moving on!

Going back to the monkeys this little guy and his buddy just made me laugh and giggle.  He just sat quietly on his branch holding his lovey!  Another tiny monkey.  He would just pet it and look at it.  

The girls really seemed to like this guy, he was walking back and forth in front of the window waiting for his trainer.  The girls would just giggle and watch saying "igty igty"...loved it.

Surprisingly we finished in a couple hours, it resulted in a great experience and a good chance to get out of the house.  We cannot wait till they are more aware of what the animals are and can take them again.

What summer adventures are you experiencing?  

Happy Tuesday! ❤