Camilla's Birthday Cake!

Create your own free digital slideshow

Build A Bear, or Horse or Kitty...

Camilla decided she would like to go to the Build a Bear workshop to celebrate her 9th birthday. She invited her friend, Camilla Adams. Here is a shot of them after they picked out their bears...oops, I mean Camilla Pearl picked out a horse and Camilla Rose picked out a Kitty Cat. They are standing in front of the stuffing machine.

Camilla Pearl picked out a heart for her horse and pushed on the foot pedal and the white puffy stuffing began to fill up her horse and make it come ALIVE. Camilla Rose did the same for her kitty.

After the animals were properly stuffed and sewed together; the girls washed and groomed their new best friends. Then they set out to find clothes and shoes for them. After they were clothed in the latest fashion, Camilla Pearl, named her horse, Beezus, and Camilla Rose named her kitty cat, Crystal. They both received printed birth certificates and everything!

Here they are the two little princesses with their new Build a Bear Worshop hand-made kitty cat and horse.

After the workshop we dined on hamburger, fries, chicken and shakes from Iceberg. Then we went to the movie "Ramona and Beezus"..it was very cute! It was a fun day. Camilla said "It was a lot of fun, but the bears were much bigger than she thought they'd be." She explained to me later that she was thinking she'd just make a cute little cuddly bear, so when she saw how BIG they were she decided to get a HORSE.

Today is Camilla's actual birthday. She had breakfast in bed. Eggs over medium, toast lightly buttered and a berry smoothy. Camilla asked for Ramen Noodle for lunch, which I delivered. Now I will be preparing her favorite dinner entree..Spaghetti!

Happy birthday to our 9 year old daughter! This morning she told me she was a little sad to say goodbye to 8. I told her to remember all the fun things she did when she was 8 and then let it go and EMBRACE "9". She said, "I am!" So, I left her for her brief moments of silence and returned to my job of making her birthday wishes come true.

Thanks Camilla Rose and Dawn for celebrating with us yesterday and making it so much FUN!

A funny picture of Neal

I came across this picture today and it made me LAUGH.  I just had to share it.

Neal is 2 years old..well, almost 2 1/2 years old.

He is a HANDFUL.

At church he is up and down and over and LOUD.

He likes ELMO.

He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

He likes his...let me rephrase, he LOVES his blue kitty blanket.

He still likes his blue binky.

He likes to sing, "The wheels on the Bus, If you're happy and you know it, 1, 2 buckle my shoe, Popcorn Popping, I have a little Turtle."

He gives kisses on the lips, sometimes.

He hits.

He can almost jump with both feet off the ground.

He climbs.

He runs.

He runs away from me when I ask him to come to me...

He has a temper and he screams.

He laughs.

He dances.

He says "hi" to people when we walk by them.

He wrestles with Spencer.

He plays with Camilla, usually.

He likes to take walks with Eric to the park.

He rides in the stroller while I walk to the school, then he hops out and plays on the playground until I say.."Okay, Neal, mommy is ready to finish her walk, get back in the stroller and you can have your blanket and binky"

This evening Neal ate cookies dough from a fork as I was making cookies...he kept saying,"Mow pease?"

Neal just said his own prayer at bedtime tonight!

Some days I have to remind myself just how far he's come, days when I am at the end of my patience, energy and don't think I'm going to make it to bedtime. 

I have a friend who has a little baby in the NICU.  She's been staying in the hospital feeding him and preparing for him to go home with her.  Listening to her, even though her story is different than Neal's, brings back memories.  Memories of the prayers, support, two and half months spent driving back and forth to Mt. Timpanogas Regional Medical Center. Staying home for months after he came home, during flu and cold season for two years.  All in hopes that Neal would be just who he is today!

Neal begins my day and ends my day with pure happiness.

Summer..SunBURN

Eric took Spencer and Camilla to the Payson pool and they put sunscreen on, but probably not enough or not often enough.  All three of them came home sunburned. 

Neal and I were saved because we didn't go.  SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN!!!

4th of July

Spencer and the Linx 

Neal and the Baboon

Camilla and the Reindeer

For the 4th of July we went to Provo and experienced Colonial Days. Camilla enjoyed meeting Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln.  We spent a bit of time there and then headed to the Bean Museum at BYU.  As you can see from the pictures each child had their favorite animal.

Summertime SALAD

I posted a picture of this salad on Facebook and got a lot of responses, as well as request for the ingredients.  It is REALLY good.  I didn't even use the dressing, shared some with Lisa last night at the park and we just drizzled a tiny bit of BYU reduced ranch dressing!  Eric said the dressing is good and sweet. So give it a try and let me know how you like it!

 I served rolls with it as well, and Lisa and I shared an Oroweat bagel..the flat kind.  

Erlene & Maranda's Spinach Salad

Dressing:

Mix hours ahead; it keeps for weeks

2/3 Cup white vinegar

1 1/4 Cup Corn oil

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

3/4 Cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Salad:

Mixture of salad greens: spinach, red leaf lettuce, romaine, and iceburg lettuces

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained

Feta cheese OR cottage cheese OR Swiss cheese  (I used Feta..LOVE IT)

Slivered almonds, toasted  (I used whole almonds)

Bermuda onion, thinly sliced (If you don't like onions I would suggest still putting some in for the flavor)

Craisins

Mushrooms (optional)

Can also add...sliced carrots, cucumbers, chopped apples

I made the salad about an hour before eating and let it sit in the refrigerator to blend the flavors together a bit more (Nez)

(Erlene Curtis Fairview 1st Ward Relief Society Tried and Treasured Recipes, 2006)

Summertime personal pizzas

I discovered that I could use Rhodes Rolls to make personal size crust for pizza. I let them sit out to thaw for maybe 30 minutes, then flatten them with my hands, kids can help, and then top them with spaghetti sauce, cheese and whatever toppings you might like.

I like to use my pampered chef pizza stones and bake them in the oven 350 degrees for about 15 to 18 minutes.

They turn out with a thick crust, they are DELICIOUS and the KIDS LOVE THEM.
So, so, so easy.
Just thought I'd share.
You can find the recipe on the Rhodes Rolls bag as well..so I didn't just think it up all on my own.
They are fun to make and fun to eat.

More Kern Summertime...

My friend, Lisa, and I decided we'd like to take a trip and attend a temple endowment session at the Manti temple.  So, we planned it out and we were SO EXCITED to have this opportunity to go to that historic temple together and spend the evening together.  So I took extra time to get all ready and was looking forward to my time with Lisa.  She called me when she was leaving work and asked if I'd like a salad from the Trolley in Springville...Of Course..I love them.  So she planned to take some ice and put the salads on ice so we could enjoy them at a park somewhere in Manti.  I was so happy to be able to spend this time with my friend.  As I finished getting ready, all of a sudden this thought sprang in to my mind.."The Temple might be closed because of the Manti pageant".  The pageant is held each summer in June.  So I got on to the internet with the help of Eric we found out that the temple was CLOSED.

Deflation hit my soaring spirit.

I hurried to call Lisa.

Both of us quickly decided we still wanted to attend the temple.

One of the blessings of living in Northern Utah..or Central, is that there are temples close by.

We decided to go to the Mt. Timpanogas temple in American Fork.

Still planned for the salads..YUM, and we would still have our time together.

Lisa and met in Springville.

Lisa had found a BOX full of old photo albums and momentos from the past.

If you know me, you know I LOVE going through old letters, pictures and anything that brings back memories and tells the story of a person's life.

So I began looking through albums, which were filled with photos and cards and notes written to Lisa from others and it was so much fun..Somehow, Lisa was able to stay on the road and we didn't hit anyone.  We laughed and she shared memories with me, some I was a part of, but there were many photos and memories that took place long before I came along, hee, hee.  

When we arrived in American Fork, we stayed in the car and looked through all of the albums and other items Lisa brought to share.  It was AWESOME!

I gained even more love for my dear friend.

Well, we had sat there for so long that it was a bit difficult to get out of the car.  Plus, my bladder was FULL.  So as we stretched out the kinks in our joints and began walking to the temple there were two things on my mind.  One was that I had not done an endowment session in this temple and two was that Linde was married there. I remembered Lisa and I sitting together feeling so happy inside for our dear Linde.

Oh one more thing..I was praying hard that we'd make it to the bathroom before I couldn't hold it any longer!

Well, we made it.  We had a wonderful time in the temple and since I brought my camera we took a few pictures together.

CHEEEESE!!!

A nice man took this one for us..it was so windy, we opted for sunglasses, so our eyes wouldn't be squinting and watery!

We are so COOL!

After the session at the temple, we found a park right across the street.  Found a picnic table and enjoyed our salads, mine was so GOOD, and talked till dark.

Dear Lisa,

Friends don't get any better than you!

Thanks for sharing so much of yourself with me.

Can't wait till we can go to Manti together....

Love,

Your not so secret admirer

Summertime..Kern Style

There was a day in June that Grandpa Kern came to visit.  He brought his brother, Nick.  We had a great time together.  Grandpa brought a rocking horse he made for Neal and a blanket that was made by grandma for Camilla.  We went outside and sat in the shade.  Neal and Camilla swam in the baby wading pool...well, they played in it.  We had our friend Camilla Adams over as well.  All of a sudden the ice cream truck came around the corner and started down our street.  Grandpa quickly got up from his seat and took off with the kids to purchase a tasty ice cream treat.  Something that mom's and dad's don't do..at least this mom and dad.  So, I quickly said, "That's what grandpa's are for, they bring things in to their grandkids life that are treats."  As you can see, Neal, the two Camilla's and Spencer enjoyed their ice cream from the ice cream truck!  We enjoyed our visit with Grandpa Kern and Uncle Nick!