Recipe for a fabulous weekend

First you start with two adorable missionaries who are both serving in the Guatemala City North Mission: Elders Jordan Smith and Tayler Larsen

Next you add their two crazy moms who have shared many laughs and tears together over their missionaries. Who are as close as sisters and have discovered freaky amounts of similarities in their lives. I made a list that was almost a page long!

Then you throw in their two sixteen year old siblings who happened to set up a blind date with each other and to top it off it was their first official date of each of their lives!

Then you mix in their two awesome dads who went out of their comfort zone so their wife's could have a great time together. What great sweethearts we are blessed with!

Then you top it all off with the beautiful scenery of Glenwood Springs Colorado, add a few sprinkles of rain during a river rafting trip for added memories (ok, BIG sprinkles of rain), throw in some tubes, great food (I mean REALLY great food ala Chef Amy), a teenage all night party that lasted until 7 in the morning, an amazing golf course in their backyard, 3 more cute girls and 1 more sweet boy, a sacrament meeting to never be forgotten and there you have it folks!!! A dream weekend for the Smith and Larsen family. Thank you Lance, Amy, Kelsey, Lindsey, Zack, and Bailey for a fabulous time! Now if we could only get our missionaries to actually meet and serve together in Guatemala....ha ha!!!

Making Guatemalan lunch of handmade tortillas and yummy beans!

Amy accidentally squised a bug into hers. Oh well, more authentic we all said!

It's always a blast!!

The 4th of July has come and gone yet again. Definitely one of the most anticipated days for everyone in the family. Tank Wars were bigger and better than ever. More of the grandkids were old enough to help light fireworks and our family Steal the Flag game resulted in only one injury this time (Allison sprained her ankle). Words cannot adequately describe the fun. Hopefully I was able to capture some of it in these photos:

I vote for Lynlee to be our family 4th of July spokesmodel!

Most of the fun is in the building the tanks

LET THE WARS BEGIN!!!.......................

A beautiful sunset to end the day.

But the fun wasn't over for a long time.......

Just a little taste of the Cul de Sac of Fire's Grand Finale!

TAMALES made Guat style!

Ever since I was a little girl, I remember the rituals that surrounded my home when it was time to make tamales! It is a tradition in Guatmala to have tamales for Christmas and it's been one in our family as long as I can remember. Every once in a while, my mom will gather the ingredients and set aside a day or two in the middle of the year and surprise us all with the best food in the whole world! These tamales are made out of a pureed and liquified rice mixture instead of the traditional corn flour that is used in most other countries. The sauce is made out of roasted red peppers and is heavenly!  A small piece of pork is added to the middle to add substance and to top it off a green olive or two is added at the end before wrapping them individually in banana leaves. 

As a little girl in California, we had a banana tree in our backyard and were able to use those. Utah's weather isn't as "banana tree friendly" so a trip to a local mexican market is required. Then the whole thing is wrapped in tin foil and steamed until it's cooked to perfection.  It's so great that Brendan and our boys have loved them so much from their very first bite. Allison isn't much of a fan, but then she isn't much of a fan of anything that doesn't involve chocolate.

Though I've seen them made many, many times, I have yet to try making them on my own. It's a very intimidating and long process that doesn't have an exact recipe (most of my mom's specialties are like that). I need specific intstructions!!! One of these days I'll give it a whirl. I'm glad that while Jordan will be missing many of our family traditions while he is on his mission, he will feel right at home having tamales for Christmas this coming December.

Everyone's Favorite

I happily concede the title of "Favorite Parent" to Brendan. I try to bribe my kids with homemade cookies, or an announcement for a spontaneous family activity, or a new outfit here and there, but let's face it.....I've got tough competition. Brendan is genuinely just more fun than I am. If I was my own child, I would pick him too! So rather than sulk about coming in at 2nd, I cheer with my kids at having the best husband/dad that we could ever dream of. We're a lucky bunch to have him be a part of our lives. This photo was taken on Father's Day 2010.

Speaking of Father's Day, I just had to add this story that happened that evening. We all went to my brother Ed's house for dinner that evening. His three little kids put on a series of skits/plays in honor of the their dad and grandpa. They practiced all morning and even made tickets to their show. We were all escorted through their booth where Ian handed out tickets with seat numbers printed on them. Taya then guided us to our assigned seats where we found the corresponding numbers on the couches.

They did three little plays, but my favorite was their musical of Three Blind Mice complete with singing and choreography! Afte the grand performance Grandpa handed them each a dollar to "pay" for his ticket (and because we all know how much grandpa genuinely loves to hand out money to his grandkids.) Ian (age 5) looked at his dollar and exclaimed, "A dollar!? That's weak! How 'bout you give me 5 bucks!" Oh man....another Ian classic! After we all calmed down from laughing, grandpa exchanged his dollar for a 5 dollar bill. Ian's smile says it all!

Privileges and Responsibilities

Did this little sweetheart just turn 16!!! SIXTEEN!!! Holy Cow....where did the time go? Turning 16 is such a huge milestone in one's life. I remember marking off each day on the calendar until my 16th birthday not long ago. Jake has always been my baby boy. Jordan always thought of himself as one of the adults in the house, but Jake has savored every bit of his childhood. He plays to the fullest, laughs until he cries, eats until he is ready to explode, and yet he is quiet when it's time to be reverent and is obedient when guidance is given or promptings are felt. He's been my little angel from heaven. As a little boy I remember him asking me once, "Mom are you happy?" I said something like, "Of course I'm happy Jake! I have you and you are my little piece of heaven." He smiled and said, "Good because Heavenly Father sent me to make you happy."  He has lived up to that every single day of his life. I am so proud of the young man that he is. Such a good example to our family and to his friends. Such a happy person. Always looking for adventures. Never wanting to waste a moment of precious time by idle activity. Always on the go and in search of good things.

To celebrate this milestone, Jake had lots of his friends come over for a grand sweet 16 party. We played lots of crazy games. Some from the TV game show "Minute to Win It" and other tried and true family favorites  like Chubby Bunny

   To add to the fact that Jake can now officially go on dates, we played a game where he was blindfolded and had to guess who it was that kissed him on the cheek.  It was so funny to see him tense up as he new his guy friends were up to no good. Ryan sat on his lap, puckered up his two fingers, and "kissed" him on the cheek. Jake's reaction was hilarious!

Jake worked hard by getting up early the first two weeks of summer break and attending summer driver's ed for 3 hours each day and range and road driving sessions in the evening. He finished his last test the day before his birthday and was able to drive to the DMV on the morning of his 16th birthday to get his long awaited license. He's gone on a few group dates and is making plans for a double date with some friends soon. 

Dating and driving are two of the most anticipated privileges that come with turning 16, but Jake was also ordained to the office of a priest by his dad that following Sunday at church. What a blessing to have the privilege and responsibilities that come with that office of the priesthood. What an honor to be able to bless the sacrament and to receive the keys necessary to baptize someone a member of our church. We love you Jakers!