Easter

Jesse and I really try hard to celebrate holidays, but any holiday that falls on a Sunday will still result in a normal, crazy Sunday.

This year Easter just happened to fall on Stake Conference where Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke. We wanted to get good seats so we arrived at the Stake Center at 8:00 am for the 10:00 am meeting. Landon can't sit more the 2 minutes at a time so Jesse took him for a 1 hour walk. They were walking near the Stake President's office when Elder Nelson exited the room. He saw Landon, smiled and then waved. Luckily Landon wasn't as shocked as Jesse and waved back.

During Elder Nelson's talk he shared that if there is any one thing we teach our children, we need to teach them that they are a child of God and God loves them very much. He had all of the Primary age children stand up and sing "I am a Child of God"

I am a child of God,

And he has sent me here,

Has given me an earthly home

With parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday.

We didn't have an Easter egg hunt or a special meal but we had a day full of the Spirit.

Grandpa Egbert's Weekend Visit

At the beginning of March Grandpa Egbert came for a fun weekend visit. I know what everyone is thinking, it's June, why are you telling us about it now? Well I've never claimed to be a good blogger and based on the fuzziness of all the photos I'm apparently not a good photographer either. However, I will do my best to give you the basics of what has happened since Grandpa Egbert's visit until the present. It will take a while so don't get too excited.

On March 4 Grandpa made the long journey to Flagstaff, AZ. Late Friday evening Bob flew into Phoenix, and Jesse picked him up and made the 2 hour trek home; they didn't get to Flagstaff until 11:30 pm. But thanks to Landon we all got up bright and early the next morning at 6:00 am. Thank you, Landon.

Jesse really wanted to show Bob around Flagstaff and let him see our life in a nutshell. Because I had Stake Relief Society Conference Saturday morning, Jesse and Bob went with the kids to the Seminary building and played ping pong. I left the conference a little early so we could get a move on with our day. While the kids napped, I ran, and Jesse and Bob went on the grand tour of Flagstaff. Jesse showed him his office at work and the NAU campus. Bob really wanted to introduce us to a game called Cribbage so he also got to see every store in Flagstaff trying to find it, luckily there aren't many stores here.

Because our Valentine's day dinner went so well Jesse and I really wanted Bob to try the Indian food recipes we had made. Bob and Jesse were in charge of dinner while I got the kids down to bed and sat around.

Sunday was a typical Sunday, we went to battle with the kids to get them ready for church and then went to battle to survive church. During Sacrament Landon sat on Grandpa's lap and poked him in the face for the full hour and 15 minutes. I have never seen Landon so well behaved. Sadly on Sunday evening we had to take Grandpa back to Phoenix so he could make his flight early Monday morning. We had a lot of fun playing and spending time with Grandpa.

The Blur in the top left hand corner is our dog Penny!

Thanks for coming to visit Grandpa!

Valentine's Day

For Valentine's day Jesse and I decided that since we couldn't go out to dinner to celebrate, we would bring the restaurant to our kitchen. Anybody who knows Jesse and I knows we don't like the same things: he likes Indian food and I like Chinese; he likes ice cream and I like chocolate. So we compromised and made Indian food for dinner and German Chocolate Cake for desert. Mm mm...everything was so yummy.

I made the cake and Jesse did everything else.















Jesse normally gets me flowers for valentines day but this year he let Landon choose. Landon insisted that Jesse get a beautiful butterfly balloon.

Landon was thoughtful enough to let me look at it, but he was the only one allowed to touch.

Apple Pie

If possible do not use Granny Smiths Apples; although crisp when raw, all too often they turn mushy when baked in a pie with both a top and a bottom crust.

Use Flaky Pastry Dough with recipe.

Prepare:

Roll half the dough into a 13-inch round, fit it into a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the overhanging dough to 3/4 inch all around. Refrigerate. Roll the other half into a 12-inch round for the top crust and refrigerate it. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel, core and slice 1/4 inch thick:

• 2 1/2 pounds of apples (5 to 6 medium large)

Measure 6 cups. Combine the apples with:

• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 to 3 tbsp's of all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp of strained fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp of salt

Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring several times, so that the apples soften slightly and will better fit into the crust. Pour the mixture into the bottom crust and gently level with the back of a spoon. Dot the top with:

• 2 tblsp's of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Brush the edge of the bottom crust with cold water. Cover with the top crust, then seal the edge, trim, and crimp or flute. Cut steam vents and sprinkle with:

• 2 tsp's of sugar
• 1/2 tsp if ground cinnamon

Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Slip a baking sheet beneath it, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degree's F., and bake until the fruit feels just tender when a knife or skewer is poked through a steam vent and thick juices have begun to bubble through the vents, 30 to 45 minutes more. For the filling to thicken properly the pie must cool completely on a rack, 3 to 4 hours. If you wish to serve the pie warm, place it a 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes. the pie is best the day it is baked, but it can be kept for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.

What's New with the Egbert's

2011 is proving to be chaos. I get up at 6:00 am go to bed at 9:00 pm and by the time I get into bed I'm always momentarily shocked that the day is already over. It is during these busy times that I wish we lived closer to family. Living in Flagstaff has taught me a few major principles: how to rely on God and how to rely on my husband. From the time Jesse and I were married God has made it very clear that he has a plan for our family, and we just need to put our heads down and work.

I will never forget the time when we were living in Provo deciding on what graduate schools we should apply for. Jesse decided on 5 schools and sent in the applications. We felt good about the schools Jesse applied for, we put a lot of prayer and thought into them but one after another Jesse was turned down by all 5. I often reflect back at this experience and have come to the conclusion that the only way Jesse would have ever come to know of NAU is if he was turned down by all the schools he applied for. We had to be brought to our lowest point in order to find the right path. Sometimes it feels like all we can do is weather out the storm and hope that we endured it well. But the key is, did we endure it well?  I don't know exactly why I have been thinking about this experience. Maybe it's just because we are waiting to hear back about some very important things and I really don't want Jesse to be rejected again. Any who, moving on...

For the past few months Jesse has been working hard to secure our future. He applied and was accepted to take additional classes so he can get a certificate in statistics . This will allow Jesse to teach statistics on top of English and Linguistics. Also he has been working hard to present and publish his research. Just recently he went to New Orleans to present his research at a large conference with his group. He is also reviewing a book and hoping to get his review published. We have not heard back about the National Science Foundation Grant yet, but Jesse was offered the Applied Linguistics Doctoral Research Award of $4,000 per year for four years. Yay free money!!!

Landon just got put on the waiting list for pre-school. Jesse and I figured that he loves nursery so much he could probably use a few extra days a week where he can spend time with kids his own age. We have been working on Landon's room for some time now and just  finished.  Eventualy we would like to put Travis in that room so we had to get bunk beds and a big dresser. Landon is a very tidy little boy he is very particular how you clean his room. He likes his stuffed animals on one shelf and books on the others and his big bear and all of his blankets have to go on his bed.  I have had to be patient because I am just as particular and sometimes we clash in opinions.

Travis is happy and chubby, just my type of baby. He is growing and developing quickly. He rolls all over the place, sleeps through the night, eats solids, sits-up on his own and puts everything in his mouth. Travis looks up to Landon. It's really special to see how much Landon and Travis are learning from one another. Landon loves to make Travis laugh and each afternoon when Landon wakes-up from his nap he always goes and checks in on Travis before he comes down stairs to find me. I just love my boys. 

Book of the Month

"Anidora-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kilindree spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt's incredible stories, and learning the language of the birds. Little knowing how valuable her aunt's strange knowledge would prove to be when she grew older. From the Grimm's fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become a queen."  (http://www.goodreads.com/).

This is the first book The Books of Bayern series. I really love this book. It was fun to watch Isi grow and gain her own back bone through out the book. This is a must read.

Bob's Wedding Weekend

 Bob and Debbie
January 2011

Everyone who went to give their love and support.

Ben, Cam Cam, Rob, Cameron, Ashlyn, Jesse, Lizzy, Emily and Chris.  Laura and Sawyer were taking the picture

With 11 kids, 3 in laws and 6 grand kids you can only imagine what an Egbert family gathering looks like. Luckily we didn't have to shock Debbie too much, only 11 out of the 20 attended Bob's wedding. over the weekend everybody stayed at Laura's apartment. Just to give you a picture of the sleeping conditions, Jesse slept by the refrigerator. The Thursday evening before the wedding Bob came over to Laura's to play games with the fam. As weddings go there was a lot of driving and not enough time, but Bob and Debbie were sealed that Saturday for time and eternity in the Portland Oregon Temple. Congratulations!



The Egbert Clan!

I sent Jesse with our camera and he only took 3 pictures and one video. Needless to say 2 pictures and the video were of Sawyer, Laura's cute little boy. Laura was kind enough to donate her pictures to me.

I thought I would include one of the pictures Jesse took. He may have not taken very many but he at least took some really cute ones. Isn't Sawyer so cute!!!

Welcome to the family, Debbie!!!

What's New with the Egberts

Life is busy, what more can I say? It seems like every time Jesse and I commit to slowing down our lives something is added to our list of things to accomplish. But no matter how much is thrown our way it will never be as bad as last semester. Over December break Jesse submited a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation. If all goes as planned he could be getting paid to do research with 2 very famous corpus linguists. We should find out in a few months if they get the grant. On Sunday Jesse calculated how long it would take to complete his PhD. If all goes according to plan Jesse will be done with his course work in a year and a half. His PhD should take about 3 more years.

It used to be a big bother when Landon walked into my bedroom every morning at 6:15 and turned on my light. Now, I look at it as a big blessing. I have been blessed with a 2 hour block to run and shower while Travis sleeps and Landon eats his breakfast. My kids are pretty scheduled so I can count on Travis waking up at 8:00 and Landon finishing his show and breakfast at 7:20. It has been pretty hard to get myself to run, but now I run 6 days a week and I hate and love every second of it. Recently I was called to serve as the Relief Society secretary. It has been a really special calling, and I can honestly say that I have grown and matured more then I ever have before over the last few months.

Jesse and I decided it was time to start potty training Landon. I really hate to talk about it, but I will be honest and just say that is frustrating and gross. One day...maybe. Landon is now a little boy it makes me so sad to see my first child growing so fast. But it is also extremely helpful to have him doing chores around the house and taking care of himself in some areas. He's mommy's little helper most of the day. Travis is a bundle of joy. He is mommy's chunky monkey. He has the cuttest baby rolls you have ever seen. Travis will start eating rice cereal within the next week. Wow, I Just can't believe how fast my kids are growing.

Book of the Month

"When Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables farm on Prince Edward Island, she surprises everyone: first of all, she is a girl. Marilla Cuthbert and her brother, Matthew, had specifically asked for an orphan boy. She has bright red hair that won't manage and a mouth that won't shut. Nothing will ever be the same at Green Gables!"  (http://www.goodreads.com/).


Anne of Green Gables was a great book. I read the entire series a few years ago. Although I found some of the books with Anne's children boring I am really glad I stuck it out and read the series.

Pork Chop Casserole

Jesse was teasing me the other day that when we first got married I often cooked the same meals each week. Now that I think about it, it's true. So to make myself feel better I am posting a few recipes I have picked-up over the years.

PORK CHOP CASSEROLE

4 Pork Chops
flour
oil
3 cups potatoes, cubed
1 cup fresh peas, fresh or frozen
3 tbsp onion, chopped
2 tbsp parsley, minced
1 can cream of mushroom
1 envelop Lipton's french onion soup mix
3/4 cup hot water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Dip chops in flour and brown in hot oil. In Large casserole dish, place potatoes, peas, onion, cream of mushroom and french onion soup mix. Mix together. Top with browned chops. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are done.

French Dip

I got the idea of this reciepe from the Rachel Ray magazine. Jesse and Landon love this meal. Landon ecpecially love the dipping part.

FRENCH DIP

1 can campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup
1 can campbell's Beef Broth
2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 lb deli sliced roast beef
4 hoagie rolls
4 slices pepper jack cheese

Broil hoagie rolls until golden brown. Then heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat soup, broth and worcestershire sauce in saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Add beef and heat through (we like to add banana peppers also), Stirring occasionally. Divide beef among rolls. Top beef with cheese slices and place sandwiches onto baking sheet. Bake 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Spoon extra soup mixture into bowls for dipping.

Merry Christmas

Having children is an extraordinary thing! Landon and Travis have taught me how to smile and laugh more; they've taught me how to love. This year my greatest gift was sharing this special holiday with my husband and children. 



Landon and Travis looked so cute in their Christmas pj's

Jesse and I decided that each Christmas we wanted to read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. This is a story that teaches that change is possible. That no matter who you were yesterday you can choose to wake up a better person today. I look forward to reading A Christmas Carol each year. Jesse and I finished reading it on Christmas Eve.

That evening we tried to watch the Muppet Christmas Carol to see how similar it was to the book. Landon was running around the living room acting like a wild child while Travis was spitting-up every three minutes. About half way through we decided to stop everything and get the boys dressed in their Christmas pj's, take pictures and put them to bed. After they were in bed, Jesse and I shared our own Christmas with each other. Jesse got a frame for his diploma and I got a vintage plate that had my favorite quote on it.

"This Is My House

I'll Do As I Darn Please"

I plan on hanging this in my kitchen for everybody to see. It will be the Rachelle Egbert Motto.



Jesse brought both of the boys down on Christmas morning.

On Christmas morning Landon woke up at 5:30. Jesse and I decided the night before that no matter what time Landon got up we would get up too. So, being the good parents that we are, we changed Landon's diaper, gave him a sippy and let him play in his room until 7:00. All the while we were snug in bed.

Every time I leave the office door open Landon will come out carrying a pen and paper to color on. I decided it's time for him to have his own learning space. So we got him an easel/desk for Christmas. I was really worried that he wouldn't like it, but I was excited to see Landon happily coloring away all Christmas morning. Travis got rattles, teething toys, and a blanket. We even got a present for Penny. She got a bone that was 2 feet long.

Landon and Travis didn't know why they were getting so many cool presents, but they weren't complaining.

Since Jesse and I wouldn't be going to Utah for Christmas this year some of my family came to us. Landon was already acting pretty spoiled, but at 9:00 am, when my parents got here, he was so overwhelmed with presents he didn't know what to do. We finally had to put his desk in the back room so he would open the rest of his presents. For Christmas Jesse got a Kindle and I got a new bed spread. I also got my dream time out corner: a head massager, a neck pillow and a hot cup for my hot chocolate. These are supposed to be used with my foot bath I got for Mothers Day. I plan on spending a lot of time in time out.



Penny got new booties for Christmas. She slipped and face planted it in the snow. I think this pictures is so funny I had to include it.

It's the most yummiest time of the year



Travis is huge and didn't fit on Landon's lap. It didn't help that Landon didn't want cute little Travis to be touching him. Poor kid.


Christmas is the only time of year where I kick back and eat what ever I want. I love food and I am slowly but surely beginning to love cooking too. I thought I would share some of my favorite holiday recipes that I grew-up with and am now sharing with my own children.

BARBECUE MEATBALLS

75 Italian style meatballs
4 cups ketchup
3 cups brown sugar, scant
3 1/2 tspns liquid smoke
2 tspns onion powder
1 tspns garlic powder

Mix together ketchup, sugar, liquid smoke and powders in a large bowl. Add meatballs and mix until meatballs are well coated. Pour meatballs and sauce into crock-pot; cover and simmer for 3-5 hours.

WASSAIL

(Read the NOTES First.)

• 1 gallon apple cider

• 4 small cans frozen orange juice, diluted

• 2 small cans frozen lemonade, diluted

• 8 cinnamon sticks

• 40 whole cloves

• 20 Allspice berries

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 8 cups water

• 4 cups sugar

Simple Syrup: Put water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, Allspice berries, and ginger in crockpot, and let cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. I normally do this overnight.

Mix in 5-gallon container: orange juice and lemonade according to directions on the juice cans. Add apple cider and spiced simple syrup. Strain while pouring the spiced simple syrup into the juice ingredients 

Stir well.

Notes:

• For a deeper flavor, I add to the crockpot simple syrup, the water used to make the 2 concentrated lemonade cans. I put the concentrated lemonade in the 5-gallon container and the water in the crockpot. 

• If you don't have a crockpot simmer the simple syrup on low heat in a covered pot for 4 hours.

• We use a 5- gallon orange Igloo drink dispenser.

• Serve hot or cold; store in the refrigerator.

• Makes 4.5 gallons.