"New" Friends, Tasty Dinners, Valentine's Day and Some Bottled Hamburger
February 11th - February 16th, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER LAURA ON FEBRUARY 11th, AND TO MY WONDERFUL FRIEND BROOKE BURBANK ON FEBRUARY 13th!!!! I LOVE YOU BOTH!!!

Before I get into the pictures, I want to say first that my sister Laura called me early in the morning on her birthday, February 11th. She asked me to come and pick her up because she had food poisoning and couldn't drive over to my house! She had been up the entire night throwing up and doing other unpleasant bathroom things! She spent the entire day and into the evening over at my place, puking her guts out! I felt so bad for her! She wound up having to go to the emergency room for dehydration TWICE over the next few days. So we don't have any pictures of her on her birthday, and for good reason! So we'll have to wait until we can have a real birthday party for her. I LOVE YOU LAURA!!!

So on February 12th, Brian and I decided to go over to Brian's parents' house in Springville to watch American Idol. Yes, we love to watch it. We're not obsessed, but we really do enjoy the show, especially when we watch it with other people! When we got there, we were happy to see some extended family there. Tyler and Michelle Thornstrom (I think they're 2nd cousins once removed or something) were there with their two kids. Our cousin Mellie was also there. Mellie brought her kettle corn maker, and I have to tell you, it was the best popcorn I've ever had! So from left to right in the picture above is Tyler, Mellie, Robert and Michelle.

Here are Tyler and Michelle's two kids Brynn and Todd. They are SO CUTE! Brynn is very interactive and talkative. And Todd loves to look you straight in the eyes and make you fall in love with him. I couldn't get enough of the two of them, especially because they both have the cutest curly hair. It reminded me of my sister Lindsey when she was a toddler with her curly locks.

Vaughn, being the shy kid he is, took a while to warm up to his new friends. He played it solo for a while, and spazzed on some toy he found. He practiced making it wiggle back and forth really fast, and did a pretty good job of it!

I think I took this picture of Jared because he was eating a really funny sandwich. But now I can't remember what kind of sandwich it was! But aside from that, Jared looks really great, doesn't he?

Brian got on the computer for a little while to check out prices on arcades and parts he needed for restoration. I thought he looked really cute concentrating like he was. And nice shirt babe! (He recently got it on a steal of a deal...only $2.50 I think!) We had a really fun night with Tyler, Michelle, Mellie and the kids, and we couldn't wait until we could hang out with them again!

The next evening, Wednesday the 13th, we went back over to Brian's parents' house to watch the second night of American Idol. Since it is easier to cook for more people, I brought over some homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. (If you wonder why I post pictures of us eating together, it's because I do it for Brian's mother! She likes to know that her kids are well-fed and get together often. She and Dad Higginson are out on seminars for a while, so they keep up with things by checking out our blog. We love you Mom and Dad!!!) By the way, did you notice Vaughn smiling? What a nut!

Here's a picture of the soup. And yes, those are homemade noodles too! And no, I didn't raise the chickens, although my next-door neighbor does! Now there's a thought!

After dinner that evening, Vaughn was in a really good mood, and decided to show off by doing some gymnastics. He loves to do the back bend when being held by his uncles, so naturally when Jared picked him up, he went right into it! Vaughn is no feather-weight, so Jared was dying by the time I got the camera out and was able to take this shot!

Robert took one look at Vaughn and got in line to be next to hold him. There is just something about holding that "little" kid that makes your heart melt. As you can see on Robert's face, his heart was already in the melting process!

The next day was of course, Valentine's Day! Robert was SO NICE to watch Vaughn for us while Brian and I went out to dinner. It was great to get away for a little while. And we realized, we hadn't been on a genuine "just us" date for MONTHS! We went out to a place called Fuddruckers. (Be careful when pronouncing that one!) We really enjoyed our meals, even though Brian looks a little like he's upset in the picture above. Just so you know, Brian has a natural frown to his face, so if he isn't smiling really hard, it looks like he's frowning. He really did have a good time!

And here I am VERY happy to finally have my DELICIOUS chicken sandwich! I was SO hungry! I had a really fun time just talking with Brian. You know, he is one of the funniest people I've ever met. And being on a date with him where it was just me and him talking, without the distraction of kids or other responsibilities, really reminded me all over again of why I married him. He had me laughing pretty much the whole night. Brian is my best friend. He has a fun personality, great humor and he's quite to looker too! I love you babe!!!

The next day, February 15th, Vaughn was extra tired from having such a fun-filled night with his Uncle Bob. So he decided to get cozy very quickly during nap time. To both of our amazement, Ivan crawled up on the bed next to Vaughn and went to sleep next to him! Vaughn very slowly, so as not to disturb his companion, lowered his head and tried to lie down next to Ivan.

Once he was next to Ivan, Vaughn kept very still for several minutes, just to make sure Ivan wasn't going to move. He kept his eyes open the whole time, which was so cute!

Then finally, convinced that his friend wasn't going to move, Vaughn relaxed and let a smile creep across his face. And then he and Ivan both fell asleep and took a cute "cat nap" together!
ADORABLE!!!

The next day Vaughn was in great spirits because he'd had such a wonderful nap with Ivan. I was also in good spirits because I was bottling again! Yes, I decided to bottle some more hamburger to make sure we had some before the baby was born. We were down to only 4 pints, and I didn't want to try to bottle after the baby was born. So we began the day with me preparing by washing the pint jars. Vaughn was more than happy to help, since he loves to wash dishes (which really means playing in the sink!)

He just kept on smiling! What a nut! He stuck with me until every last bottle was clean, and I was ready to start cooking the hamburger! (PS, I look really big because I am! I'm pregnant!)

So to explain what I do when bottling hamburger.... I take 10-pound tubes of hamburger meat and break them up into pans where I make sure to cook the meat through. In the meantime I have a mixture of beef broth on the back burner heating up to use as the liquid in the bottles. Once the meat is cooked through, I heat up the bottles and lids, fill the bottles with meat and liquid, take out air bubbles, secure the lids and rings on, and then process them in a pressure-canner for 75 minutes. That sound pretty easy, but it's a lot of work!!! I spaced my bottling out over two days, Saturday the 16th and then Monday the 18th.

I was able to bottle 70 pounds of hamburger meat, and I got 77 pints out of it! (36 pints on Saturday and 41 pints on Monday). Pretty cool, huh? This wasn't all for our family. I also was bottling some of the meat for my good friend Melvin Kuhni and his wife Barbara. The meat turned out great, and I was glad to finally have the bottling done! So there's my first canning experience for this year!

Love, Lisa

Dinners, Family Fun, and Adieu Bambi!!!

February 1st - February 11th, 2008

On Sunday, February 3rd we went over to Brian's sister Julie's condo for a relaxing evening. We enjoyed being able to sit and talk while Vaughn was snatched up by Julie's roommate Mashell. She brought out a bubble-blowing gun. Little did she know that Vaughn LOVES playing with bubbles. Here he is on his first attempt!

Mashell was very patient to sit and hold the container that held the bubble solution while Vaughn dipped the gun in it over and over again. It's a wonder her legs didn't freeze up because Vaughn kept her there for so long!

Vaughn is a strange kid because often when he gets really excited he decides to hold it all in. He gets this strange serious look on his face and shakes from the excitement instead of laughing or smiling. We call this "Spazzing." And we love it! So here he is "Spazzing" because he just blew some awesome bubbles! (As you can see, Mashell was very encouraging about it all!)

Mashell finally got a break and took some time to look up information on the Internet about Beta Fish. She is a Beta Fish lover, and she took some time to show me a few things about them. Vaughn was totally attached to Mashell by that point, and felt the need to squeeze in-between us and get cozy. It was adorable! Mashell quizzed Vaughn on the different colors of the Beta Fish, and Vaughn responded by saying the word "Blue" for the first time! Mashell, you're the best!!! (Vaughn has always liked pretty blonds!)

On Tuesday of that week, the 5th of February, we went over to Brian's parents' house in Springville to have dinner with Brian's siblings. (Brian's parents are still out of town on seminars.) Above from left to right are Brian, Julie, Robert and Jared.

We brought over a lasagna to share, and as Mom Higginson would say, "It was nice to have everyone help us eat the food." Just looking at that picture makes me crave lasagna!!! Yum!!!

Here's another shot of the group, which I put in to prove that me and Vaughn were there. (Robert is looking very serious in the background because it was the night of the Super Tuesday Presidential voting results, and he really gets into it! We all do in fact.)

Cute Vaughn was a little more tired than usual that evening, as you can see in this picture. The poor kid! He looks like he could have fallen asleep at the table!

Robert's good friend Scott (far right) also came over to watch the voting results and to share dinner with us. He was also great to help us clean up after the meal. Scott is a really nice guy, and he's a lot of fun too!

Vaughn found that he got bored with all the voting results, and decided to surf the web. He honestly knows how to do certain things on the computer, and it baffles me! He's only 2 and 1/2 years old! We got on the Disney website and he enjoyed watching some Disney cartoons. It was adorable!

That same week on Thursday the 7th of February, I finally decided we couldn't take being stuck in the house any more during the day! The weather had been bad for a long time, and I finally decided we had to get out, snow or no snow! So we bundled up and went outside for a few minutes to brave the cold. Vaughn of course had to take his golf club in case there was anything that needed hitting.

Vaughn alternated between hitting the snow and being fascinated at the tracks he made when walking. He is a very observant kid.

I just thought he looked cute here!

Our cat Ivan made sure to put in an appearance. And once Vaughn caught sight of him, Ivan made a run for the window sill, which put him out of reach of Vaughn! Poor Ivan is very patient with Vaughn, even when Vaughn tries to tackle him and rip his tail off. I've had to result to just keeping the two separated until Vaughn is older. It's either that or Vaughn's gets a few fingers bit off or an eye scratched out!

Later that evening Brian's brother Jared stopped by for a minute after work, and wound up staying for dinner. We had a great time talking and then watching some old Disney nature shows called the True Life Adventures Series. Vaughn LOVES Uncle Jared, as you can see in this picture. Vaughn couldn't stop smiling the whole night because Uncle Jared was over, and he always pays a lot of attention to Vaughn. They have a really tender relationship. Jared is great with kids!

The next day on Friday the 8th, my sister Laura came over to visit for a little while during the day. I can't remember if we wound up watching a movie or just talking. But eventually she and Vaughn got tuckered out, and they fell asleep next to each other on the floor. It was SO CUTE!!!

Now here's the sad part of the blog. The following evening, on Saturday the 9th, we were coming home late from Brian's parents' house in Springville. We were in the middle of Center Street in Springville, which is a residential area, when out of nowhere a big deer popped up in the middle of the road! I barely had to time to recognize what is was before we hit it. Brian had tried to swerve, but the deer had popped up so quickly that there was no time to avoid it. We hit it with the front left end of the car, and the impact sent the deer flying to the other side of the street. We immediately called 9-1-1, and the police were there within 3 minutes. Being pregnant, I immediately began bawling, and was pretty shaken up for the next few days. Luckily the deer died almost instantly, and didn't have to suffer for very long. We were also very lucky because we hit the deer in such a way that it didn't go up over the hood and into the windshield. Vaughn was also on the opposite side of the car, so he wasn't near the impact. And Brian was fine too. We felt very blessed. And the car received minimal damage as well. We're so sorry about the deer, but we're glad it's in heaven!

Vaughn had no clue what went on, and was totally calm throughout the whole ordeal. He just sat in the back seat without making a sound, even though I was crying so hard! He got home and went right to sleep. What a great kid! (This is a picture of Brian and Vaughn earlier in the day taking a nap together. Aren't they cute?!?) Brian was very tender with me and took some time to sit with me on the couch and hold me until I could calm down. I love that man!

And here's my "One for the Road." I just had to show Vaughn spazzing again!

Love, Lisa

ANOTHER Arcade!
January 13th - January 31st

On the 19th of January, our brother-in-law Jim came down with our other brother-in-law Danny to help him move some things down from Boise. Danny and his wife Linda had decided to move down to Utah from Boise, and Jim had offered to help with the move. So we were excited to have them both come down that weekend.

One would assume from the way I wrote the title of this blog entry that I am sick of Brian getting arcades. On the contrary, I am actually really happy that Brian has found something he really enjoys doing. For his birthday last year I asked him what he wanted and he said an arcade. At first I was a little shocked, but then I eventually thought the idea was okay. And now, Brian has kind of turned his liking into a hobby/side-job. So we keep an eye out for cheap arcades that Brian enjoys, the classic ones of course. Then he restores them, and eventually we will sell them. It is a fun project for Brian, and also one that will help us financially. So above is Brian and Jim unloading a Donkey Kong Jr. arcade from the trailer Jim and Danny hauled down from Boise.

As you can see, Dad Higginson was also helping out. It really did take three people to unload this. Danny had been so kind to pick up the arcade for Brian, since it was up in Boise, and we couldn't make the trip up there to get it. It worked out perfectly because Danny was coming down to Utah anyway with a trailer full of stuff. We were really grateful for Danny's help, and then Jim and Dad's help unloading the beast! And Dad and Mom Higginson have been very kind to let Brian use their garage to restore the arcades he gets.

Brian's sister Julie was there that morning as well, and took the job of holding the marquee to make sure it didn't get dropped! She did such a great job! We were so pleased that the arcade was in such great condition. You can see that the marquee looked brand new! I think this is a really cute picture of Brian and Julie!

Here's a fun picture of Jim after unloading the arcade. Jim is a HUGE guy. He used to play football for Brigham Young University here in Provo. So naturally we call him Big Jim. Jim is also the nicest guy you will ever meet. I've never heard him raise his voice at his kids. He is very sweet, and loves to give hugs. He is also a party animal. When he and his wife Rebekah are in town, we always have a lot of fun! Just take a look at the pictures from the New Year's Party and you'll see what I mean!

Jim had been so kind to help Danny move, and unfortunately had to go right back up to Boise that morning. Since his birthday was the day before, on January 18th, we very quickly held a small birthday party for him. It consisted of having milk toast for breakfast, and then opening presents! Julie got some tasty doughnuts for Jim, which he very much appreciated! He enjoyed them all the way home to Boise!

We gave Jim a bottle of my homemade salsa. I wasn't quite sure if Jim liked salsa, but he told me he LOVES salsa, especially with lots of cilantro in it. So it was a hit!

We also gave Jim a bottle of my zucchini relish. I use it to make tartar sauce for fish. Jim recently went up to Alaska with Rebekah and caught a lot of salmon, so he was happy to get this to make tartar sauce to eat with the fish! Jim also took some time to talk arcades with Brian. He thought it was the coolest thing that Brian was restoring arcades. Brian told me later that it really gave him confidence in his new found hobby. It also made him feel pretty cool. Jim is the kind of guy that is always building others up. He just makes you feel good, no matter what. I was grateful he and Brian were able to talk. It was great to see you again Jim!!!

And this is my "One for the Road." When I was a little girl I used to sit like this all the time. Now that I'm older there's no way I can get my knees to bend that way. But I thought it was so cute that Vaughn has picked up this habit!

Love, Lisa

Little Lampateeze, Vaughn The Helper,
& Mark Nakao's Birthday
January 1st - January 12th, 2008

You probably thought that after such a great party at Amy and Brenden's house on New Year's Eve, that nothing could be more fun. Well, I guess we forgot that little Alvin was still around. He always seems to find something to really get excited about. In this case, it was a Nerf sword that Vaughn got for Christmas. Alvin LOVED it! So here he is New Year's Day having some time with his new-found love.

He also took some time to really examine his weapon of choice, much to Vaughn's dismay. Poor Vaughn has never lashed out at another kid for taking his toys. He just suppresses a cry and holds in the tears. This case was no exception. We eventually had to take Vaughn's sword back, which led to tears on Alvin's part. It was a tough situation, but at least we got some cute pictures of Lampateeze!

On January 2nd I got the cleaning bug and decided to take down our Christmas tree. I like to start the New Year out fresh, and that means a clean house with no pine needles! The whole time I was vaccuuming up the needles, Vaughn kept protesting because he was afraid of the vaccuum. (He wasn't afraid when he was younger). So I took the time to hold him and let him hold the vaccuum hose while I was holding him. Then I showed him how it sucked up the pine needles. Well, once Vaughn saw that the hose sucked things up, he was hooked! He wouldn't let me do any more vaccuuming, and he proceeded to get every last one of the needles that had fallen off the tree. It was so cute to watch him concentrating! Thanks for your help Vaughn!

The next week, on January 12th, we went up to Draper to visit the Nakao family. Mark and Julie got married back on November 17th, and we hadn't been to see them since then. But we also had a fun excuse because it was Mark's birthday the following Monday. So we were glad to be able to spend some time with them that evening.

You know how people say that they make kids toys for the parents? Well, it's true! Julie brought out some toys for the kids to play with, and the adults wound up having more fun with them than the kids did! They were these really neat metallic connecting pieces that you could build things with, and we actually spent quite a bit of the evening playing with them!

One of the neighbor girls that came over built this palm tree. Isn't that cool?!

Brian decided to take a different route. He found that there was little to no resistance between the metal pieces when rotated. So he built this neat structure, and gave it a spin. He timed it to see how long it would continue to spin, and it lasted for over 15 minutes!!! Yikes! We couldn't believe it! And Brian couldn't believe how much his arm hurt after holding it up for that long!

Later that evening, Mark and Julie's girls came out with quite a display. They had gotten some of the balloons and as you can see, gave themselves some rear enhancements! It was so funny to see at the time, but I hope it's not offending anyone right now!

This was definitely my favorite one. I think this would qualify as what people call a Brazilian Bum Lift. Have you ever watched a plastic surgery show where people do that sort of thing? It looks SO painful, and in the END, things looks a little weird. I don't think a person could pay me to do that!

After the "Shake Your Bootie Contest" we had some great desserts and talked for a little while longer. It was a really fun and relaxing evening, and best of all, we got to spend time with Mark and Julie. And Vaughn really enjoyed playing with their two girls Shelby and Kaylie. Thanks you guys for a wonderful evening, and again, Happy Birthday Mark!

Love, Lisa