Christmas Vacation!!

Well we returned from a visit to St. George a couple days ago. It was a really fun and hectic week, but we had tons of great times. Our kids had a blast with their cousins and family. With three year olds there were naturally some battles, but they all had fun together. We had our annual Steel family competition..more like war. You would be shocked at how into we all get. I have never heard more trash talking. We sadly were defeated but we had great fun and were pretty happy with our Noah's Ark. Next year we plan on dominating!!! We did our annual pillow and pajama treasure hunt on Christmas Eve. On Christmas, Katelyn received her darling doll house built by Santa's elf in Virgil's shop. She was so excited when it was there. Tate just kinda hung out and vacuumed, he just does his own thing. It was a fun holiday together.

Katelyn's Gymnastics Birthday

Katelyn had her 3rd birthday party last week at a fun gymnastics place in Layton. It turned out to be a wild weather day, but it was a great time still. She is still talking about her "nastics birthday". We were so glad her little friends could come...now we are having a difficult time getting this pink outfit off.

And one more Happy Birthday

Man, this is a lot of posting. I receive free pictures from kiddie kandids each birthday so here at Katelyn's 3 year old ones..Not the greatest pictures taken, but they are free.

Happy Birthday to Kate!!

Today was our little Katelyn's 3rd Birthday! We had such a fun day. This morning we went with her best little friend Caleb to the Library, she was so happy to see him today, they really love each other. We did a little birthday shopping and then we went to dinner at a Japanese steak house with my parents and Paige and Gabe, it was fun to have them there. Katelyn said her favorite part of her birthday was "all of it" but "not the fire", I think it scared her. She got lots of fun presents and she is quite hyper now..we are looking forward to her party on Friday. Tate wasn't too thrilled about not having all the attention on him, but he still stayed pretty happy.

 

Katelyn got a new camera for her birthday this year. It is just one of those little kidtough digital cameras, but we were impressed with the quality of the pictures. She loves it. She ran around the house for a long time taking pictures of random things and setting up poses for her barbies. She took 86 pictures in like 5 minutes. We were laughing so hard at her, it is a miracle she is now sleeping. She just kept saying "say cheese, yep, that's it". Here is a little sampling of her masterpieces.

All Red & White & Pepperminty

Recipe Monday..I found a picture of these cute marshmallows and I thought, hey I should figure that out. So here is a recipe that I found and tweaked to make them Christmas-ish. They would be so cute as gifts wrapped in cello wrap with a cute ribbon right? So while getting pictures I thought "are you seriously taking photographs of mallows you weirdo", I convinced myself that everyone takes pictures of marshmallows, it's not a big deal. Anyways, here is the recipe.
.75-oz unflavored gelatin (3 envelopes of Knox gelatin)
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Line 9 x 9-inch pan with plastic wrap and lightly oil it. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
Pour the boiling syrup into soaked gelatin and turn on the mixer, using the whisk attachment, to high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. After 10 minutes, add in the extract beat to incorporate.
Leave just maybe like 1/4 cup in the bowl and scrape the rest of the marshmallow into the prepared pan and spread evenly (Lightly greasing your hands and the spatula helps a lot here). Okay, now with the 1/4 cup drop several drops of red food dye into it and mix well until you are happy with the color. Then drop big spoonfuls onto the white mix. Then with a few toothpicks just swirl away. You really don't need a set pattern. Let mixture sit for a few hours, or overnight, until cooled and firmly set. Makes about 36 squares.

Our Kids

 

I don't have anything to say about these photos..I just wanted to try this picasa collage thing.

I Heart "Enchanted"

The other night we went and watched the movie "Enchanted"...so we absolutely loved it. It is the most darling show. Even Preston stayed awake through it. It has lots of singing and dancing and just cute stuff. Katelyn absolutely loved it, she said "Mommy, this is wonderful" and "thank you for taking me" over and over. We left Tate at home this time, the Bee Movie was his last for a while.

Happy Happy Anniversary!!

So today was Preston and my 4th Anniversary of being married. It has definitely been the best four years of our lives, I'll speak on Preston's behalf too. We are so grateful for Eric and Janae for setting us up on a blind date...it is so crazy how life works out the way it does. Tonight we went out to The Melting Pot in Salt Lake..fabulous! If you haven't been you should try it, even if you just get the desserts. Then we went and got a couples massage, also wonderful. I got the giggles during half of it though...next time you see Preston ask him about his bum massage!!! It was a very fun date together.

This is the picture..

So here is the picture that has been printed in the USA Today and The Spectrum. A few days ago my Grandma called and told us it was in the St. George magazine. So we basically have a model living with us..just kidding. I think it is because she looks like a Who from Whoville. It is a cute picture of my dad and her though. My niece and nephew are in the background too.

We had a really fun Thanksgiving in Ogden this year..we still missed St. George though. On Thanksgiving morning I ran a little turkey trot race and then we ate a delicious meal with the family in the afternoon. The day after, Black Friday, we just played with Daddy and went to the BEE Movie, which we loved, then did a little shopping. We decorated Gingerbread house too. On Saturday was the BIG VICTORY of the Cougars. Then at night we went to the Ogden Christmas Parade. It was a fun filled weekend..we made lots of great memories! We are so so so excited for Christmas!!!

Recipe Monday

Eggplant Parm
So I found out that at the Macaroni Grill Eggplant Parmesan has 1,200 calories per serving, no sides. Yowzers!! Who would have guessed eating vegetables was so unhealthy. Well they are dipped in butter, bread and junk. Well anyways, this is skinnier recipe with only 170 calories for a whopping 1/4 of the recipe and a huge 13 grams of fiber! You gotta love that..plus lycopene, vitamin A, calcium. Plus it is totally yummy. Even Preston loved it..he couldn't even tell a difference.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 large egg whites)
1 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original); ground to a breadcrumb-like consistency in the blender
1 cup canned tomato sauce w/ Italian flavoring (I love Shar's Prego Tomato Basil)
1 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup reduced-fat grated parmesan-style topping
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Optional: dried Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, etc.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice ends off of eggplant, and cut it lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips. Use a paper towel to blot eggplant slices on both sides (to remove excess moisture). Spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray. Season crumbs with garlic powder, salt, pepper and, if you like, additional seasonings. Coat eggplant slices on both sides -- first with egg whites, and then with Fiber One crumbs. Place slices flat on the baking pan, and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, flip slices over and bake until browned on both sides (about 10 minutes longer). Remove pan from oven, but leave oven on. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce over the bottom of an 8" X 8" baking dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Arrange half of the baked eggplant slices evenly over the sauce. Continue to layer ingredients evenly in this order: sauce (1/4 cup), mozzarella and parm topping (half of each), sauce (1/4 cup), eggplant (remaining slices), sauce (1/4 cup), and cheeses (remaining amounts). Cover dish with foil and return to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until heated throughout. Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into quarters. Enjoy! MAKES 4 SERVINGS

My Celine!!!

So if you didn't already know this already, I am an avid fan of Celine Dion! I am still slightly devastated that her dad died the day we went to see her in Vegas. Her new album comes out this week. Here is a new song I saw on Oprah and I love it! What do you think? Her voice is so amazing!

Christmas Cards

So the other day my parents had their friend come over and take some family pictures for their Christmas card. The friend is like the funniest man ever and Katelyn loves him. She was sorta being a showoff for him.

Recipe Monday..Or Tuesday for me

So Megan Shaheen had a fun idea to do a recipe every Monday..so hopefully I will remember to post. If not, I will try to put one up every couple weeks or so. So all of my friend and family or anyone who reads this should do it too. These are the best cookies ever. You will be thanking me for years to come. PS. They are definitely not light, so don't blame me if you gain a few!

Homeade Oreo Cookies
1 box devil's food cake mix
3/4 cup butter softened
2 eggs
1 8 oz package cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter
2 t. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
In large bowl combine cake mix and 3/4 cup butter and eggs.
Chill about 10 minutes and roll into small balls.
Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 7 to 9 min.
Cool.
Prepare filling by beating cream, 1/2 c. butter and vanilla together, add powdered sugar and mix well.
Spread filling on top of cookies then top with another cookie.
Makes 2 dozen.

New Shoes!!

So we have had an extremely difficult time getting shoes to fit Tate's massive feet. We have received a surplus of comments on the fact that he doesn't wear shoes and we are aware that winter is coming up too..so our problem is solved at last!! I had to go down to Bountiful to get these babies, but it will be worth it. And they are cute too!

Ooo..ooo..This is Halloween!!

So I have a little confession to make..I don't really like Halloween! I think it is a really weird holiday to celebrate. However, this year I decided I really need to be a cool mom and get into it, perhaps to help me like it more. So I did all the making, baking, and preparing. We did our usual traditions - ghost french toast, pumpkin carving, caramel apples, Dehart chili dinner (mmm, Kendra), and trick or treating...and lots more. By the end of the day we were wiped out. So my conclusion, I had more fun than years in the past but it is still not a favorite holiday! The kids had a great time too!

Fancy Nancy

For all of you with little girls out there this is a must read. Or if you just like girlie stuff or plan on having a girl around. I seriously love it so much and so does Katelyn, she has most of it memorized. We have read it in our house like 300 times and I love it more and more, it is just darling. I would only recommend the original Fancy Nancy..unless you like dogs or want one in the future, which is not us. Anyways, It is such a cute book!

Halloween Pictures

No More Diapers..at least not for the girl

Well Katelyn is officially Potty Trained...Wahoo! Well at least 95% finished. She still wears a pull up at night. She did so good; it really only took her about two times to get it down. She was good to go after a day or so. She was most excited about all the prizes. Her pumpkin water bottle and pajama pants were a hit. We were very proud of her.
P.S. Yes, I do change our template often..I have been having technical difficulties with the past ones.

Family Pictures

My cute little friend Shar took our pictures a while back. She is really good! We are happy to finally have some family pictures. The place up the canyon had tons of pretty fall colors!

Recent October Pictures

The Steel family is very excited for Halloween to come. For family night we decorated a Halloween gingerbread house. Also Katelyn loves to play with Sharstin's little cute boy, Caleb...she loves her little friend. And we went to a little pumpkin patch and the kids loved it. Katelyn really wanted the really ugly ones and Tate wanted the small perfect ones that resembled balls. It is a fun time of year!!!

Boys and Girls

Well we are definitely noticing a big difference in our little boy and girl. Tate aka wild thing just gets into everything. These pictures are taken within like 10 minutes..five minutes later he tipped over a plant. Katelyn just loves to sing, dance, and arrange and fold things (I wonder where she gets it). They are both so fun to watch grow.

A Day at the Beach

We went to Little Corona Beach in California one of our trip days. The kids had lots of fun playing in the sand and finding seashells..the water was really cold!

Disneyland Trip...yes, we of course have lots of pics

We had a wonderful time at Disneyland last week. Katelyn was in true heaven. She was so excited to have everyone sign her autograph book and ride the rides. I think Cinderella and Minnie were her faves. Tate also had a grand time just looking around and riding a few rides. It was a great trip.

Guess who wins?

BYU Game

Bowling Night

We decided to hit the bowling lanes one night this week. It was very fun and we are really good..not! Katelyn won..that shows you how awful we are. It was fun though. Little Tate was most excited for the balls to come out of the machine.