malin!

you know how some babies are so cute you can barely stand it?  and every picture you see of them is cuter, and cuter, and then even more cute?  get ready to be jealous.  because that baby is my niece malin. 

I haven't been able to meet her yet, but CAN'T WAIT until I do.  I mean, let's be honest, cutest baby EVER.  

Malin currently resides in Stony Brook, NY; and is very anxious to meet me. 

  

...malin marie king...

A very happy birthday to the newest member of the family...

Malin Marie King!

07/08/11

5 lbs, 6 oz.

How perfect is she?!

Her gender was a surprise to her momma and daddy, so we are all off to buy lots of incredibly girly things for Malin.

Tim and I can't wait to see her in August! Stonybrook, NY...here we come!

...the low down...

Here's the skinny...in sequential order

I'm a bad blogger,

bad birthday celebrator,

bad sister,

and bad daughter.

I'm working my best to rectify all of the above, and the devote some of my plentiful free hours of time on getting the WORD out on the oh so exciting life of moi.

Following is a small picture homage to my sister Abigail. She turned the age of twenty-seven on May 23. Thankfully, I was able to be in CO on the 24th, and a cake was made. No big deal, only 5 layers; but I WOULD go so far to say as one of my better looking creations.

She's such a good sister she even visited me in Chicago! The Bean!

She's such a good sister she eats the questionable food I cook!

She Matron of Honor's for me.

She's such a good sister she deals with not only MY antics, but also his.

After Abbey's birthday, it was time to celebrate SPENCER and his high school graduation!

It's pretty ridiculous that my little brother, who was unquestionably the cutest child EVER, has graduated. Congratulations buddy, I'm your biggest fan.

AND THEN, Father's day. Obviously, I had to see my dad on the big day, so we met at the Albuquerque airport. That's just how we roll.

Actually, I was lucky enough to be included in a psuedo-family vacay. And by lucky enough to be included, I mean I guilted my dad into including me by moaning about the woes of unemployment in a pricey city.

I love my dad, and I'm glad there's a specific day set aside to recognize how great he is. Anyone who knows me and my parents notice how alike dad and I are; from blue eyes, to the same nose, to the same tendency to believe we are always in the right. :)

All I know is that he's a great influence, has made incredible sacrifices for our family, kept me on the right path, and always threatened to punch anyone who didn't like me in the nose.

And by the way, he's a darn good athlete.

Dad, I just want you to remember that I SUCCESSFULLY mowed the back yard when I was in Colorado. We're making great strides.

...mother's day...

I'm glad there is a whole day devoted to mothers.

I think there should be several dispersed throughout the year, so we are constantly reminded of how much our mother's do for us. But one day is a good start.

When I think of everything my mom means to me, I can't really find the appropriate words to explain it in writing.

Thank you mom for being a constant supporter, and always fiercely standing beside me with unconditional love.

Thank you for being a role model as a mother, companion, friend, and most importantly as a follower of Christ.

Thank you for drawing faces on my fruit and vegetable stacks.

Thank you for your unwavering help and support in the past couple of years when I moved, and then moved, and then moved again, and then got married, and then moved again.

Another great thing about you is that you're an awesome dancer. And sometimes when you're talking you break out in a truly convincing southern accent. (But only for a couple of words)

Thank you for setting an example in your marriage for Tim and I, Abbey and Josh, and yes, eventually SPENCER.

Thank you for being a best friend to me, and to everyone who has had the pleasure of being close to you.

Thank you for taking care of this poopscotch.

And this one...

Thank you for not caring when I make you ugly/"unique" cakes with a #9 candle on top.

Thank you for being willing to risk having a meal with me when I used no directions in cooking.

Thank you for your company.

Thank you for being who you are, and for teaching me what it means to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.

I LOVE YOU MOM!

And I couldn't let the day go by without also saying a big HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to my mother- in-law Victoria Erickson. Thank you for raising your son to be a wonderful man of God, and also my husband! :)

...when did this happen?...

Upon facebook stalking my own flesh and blood (aka my brother), I stumbled across his high-school senior photos.

One word.

Stud.

He's such a handsome guy! I'm a lucky girl to have such an awesome little bro, who is not only a looker, but has a matching personality.

He's one of the funniest people I know. Hilarious, in fact. Anyone who disagrees with me can BRING IT, because I'll defend him to the grave. THE GRAVE!

Oh, and did I mention he's on a D-1 golf scholarship to Oral Roberts University.

Yeah. D-1.

Let's talk about it.

...visitations...

I, as a Chicagoan, have hosted my first guest in our apartment.

We pulled out all the stops. Gourmet food. Delightful breakfasts. The best accommodations and sleeping conditions. Everything was simply perfect.

Who was the visitor? None other than the great Abigail Davis.

No, she is not, nor will ever be a politicians wife, even though I still claim her name sounds very regal.

And no, accommodations were anything but perfect. Even though I had the best intentions of testing our air mattress before Abbey arrived, somehow it just didn't happen. As a result, the plushy air mattress I had promised her ended up being more like a paper thin layer of padding against the hard-wood floor.

Abbey ended up sleeping on a "pallet," (her words, not mine).

The pallet was a camping pad.

She's a good sport.

After the failure of her sleeping situation, I tried to woo her affections with food.

Making her latte's in the morning...

And the best of my Italian cooking work at night...

And of course, the finest wines.

That's just how we roll.

Hang on Dolly-Lou!!!

Last night, a major breakthrough took place.

Location: Castle Rock

Sub-location: Rockyard Brewery

Event: Cousin get-together

Attendee's: Laura, Danny, David, Andrea, Abbey, Josh, Stephen, Sarah, Tim, Annie, Brandon

Result: Successful

Because Tim and I are moving to the windy city, we wanted to have an "older cousin" hang out sesh one last time. We're pretty lucky to have almost everyone in the same state...so we really had no excuse for not seeing each other.

This particular event was a breakthrough on several fronts. One: No "adult" supervision--and by adult supervision I mean no parents, aunts, uncles, or wayward guests that seem to appear out of thin air. Two: Location change. Our first meeting as a group, EVER, that hasn't been at a family members home. (barring the barrage of weddings that have been happening the past couple of years) Three: Enlightenment. Now that the ice has been broken, we cousins just might do this again sometime.

Thanks so much to everyone for coming! It meant a lot to Tim and I, and we really had a great time. Come visit in Chicago!

Look how happy we are!

Oh and P.S. cousins...I was serious about the camping trip. Let's make it happen.

Fresh Dog Treats

I had the pleasure of dining at my parents home this evening for soup night. I happened to see a recipe for fresh dog treats, which I assumed Kapsie had in the works for a Christmas present for Jake (pictured below).

Jake Sheets

The recipe is as follows...

1 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup margarine

1 cup boiling water

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons white sugar

2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

1/2 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg, beaten

3 cups whole wheat flour

Sounds great right? I comment to my mother on how kind it is to make these for Jake, and she says "Oh, I'm going to make those for myself! I think they sound great! I might leave out the beef bouillon..."

Hmmm....not sure what to think about this...

My dad also thinks they sound good. I'll definitely be posting about the results of this abnormal experiment.

Yummo!

So after all that smack talk about us having the best food at Thanksgiving...in the rush of excitement to eat said food, I didn't take a single picture of the feast! However the mental image alone of peeling, cooking, and mashing 23 lbs of potato's should be somewhat rewarding.

One of my favorite features of our Thanksgiving is actually the Christmas decorating frenzy that takes place after the meal. We create a line of people from inside the attic down to the living room. This year the line probably had upwards of 25 people...pretty awesome, and SO efficient! So while I failed to capture food images, I DID get a picture of my cousin Clara placing the angel on top of the tree.

Clare-Bear

Mom and Grandpa!

We typically have several dogs present at the Thanksgiving meal as well. Below are the poodle Kipper, and the Shelty Jake. Unfortunately the Golden Retriever puppy Elway couldn't sit still long enough for the photo shoot. There was also a random chihuahua (NOT PICTURED!). This year it wasn't TOO hectic...I was kind of hoping Aunt Pam would bring her Pit Bull and two German Shepherds...

Jake and Kipper

Jake's skinny legs vs. Kipper's poofs

Grandma's new favorite Christmas decoration

Next, we're off to go dashing through the snow in a two mule open sleigh with Two Below Zero Sleigh Rides!