Sorry

My husband has convinced me {again} to keep up with our blog. Please excuse the poor thing in its naked state. It needs a new look. This pepto pink is not workin' for me.

New Favorite Chocolate Cake

I signed up for Bountiful Baskets for the first time last Saturday, and was AMAZED at all the wonderful local produce I received for $15!
I had to give some away, we had THAT much.
It was good to stretch my cooking repertoire & find new recipes for zucchini, asparagus, cucumbers, etc. The next time you find yourself with a few zucchini, try this recipe out. It is seriously moist & delish!
Alexander helped in the kitchen today, and couldn't believe that "vegetable cake" could taste so good. {recipe from allrecipes.com}

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk {I used sour cream}
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
4 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
{Alexander peeled the zucchini before he grated it, so you couldn't even tell it was there}
About 1 cup chocolate chips {I used semi-sweet}

• Cream together butter, oil and sugar.
• Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Blend well.
• In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients, then add to butter mixture.
• Add grated zucchini, and mix well.
• Spread in greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
• Bake in a preheated oven {325 degrees} for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Lake Roos

Once or twice a year, the wash behind our house will fill up with water.
All the WONDERFUL rain this week made us some pretty sweet lakefront property!One night after the kids were in bed, Darren opened our windows, pulled up two cozy chairs & blankets, and we just sat & listened to the rushing water.
Not the ocean, but I'll take it.
The moon looked so beautiful reflected on the water.

Pinewood Derby-- Year 3

Our last year of Pinewood Derby {sniff, sniff}--I can't believe it. Alexander's awesome design idea this year was to make his car look like a Wii remote. We thought it was a fantastic idea. The boys didn't have much time to work on it this year, but we thought it turned out great! Darren made a painting booth, complete with string to suspend the car from. That's my engineer!

Alexander's car is on the far right. That darn graphite always messes up the best paint jobs!
We combined with another ward, and it was fun to see so many families from our previous wards {before we all split}. These are Alexander's three cars from the past years. Home Depot, Twins & the Wii.

Zoom! Off in a flash. I think Xander's car was 6th overall.

{It didn't help that during a test run on the tabletop, Mom missed catching his car & it got beat up and bent just before the race} Sorry, bud! We're proud of you!

Rosette Headband

My friend Stephanie made THE most adorable rosette headbands for her girls. I found this great tutorial here and made a few. They're fun to do while you're just chillin' in front of the TV. Courtney loves them!

Hot Pocket!

There were some q-pons + a sale on Hot Pockets awhile ago. I caved for the deal! My kids haven't eaten them before, and asked what they were. We brought the laptop over to the table and watched Jim Gaffigan's take on Hot Pockets. Seriously funny. My friend Sarah introduced me to his comedy on the way home from a late night scrapbook crop. Good times!

Even after watching, my kids thought they were pretty tasty. Go figure.

Laser Tag, Roos Style

After a few wild games of laser tag around the house, the boys decided the best location for their sensors was on their heads. Cute, huh? Seriously sounds like a herd of elephants running around the house when they play. Ugh! This Nikon is not what I expected. My pictures are consistently grainy {especially indoors}. Any tips before I take it back?
This might be the best $20 I've ever spent at Target.

Girly Girls!

Two of my sweetest friends both have their first babies due in February-- and they're both having GIRLS! Just HAD to make matching tutu ensembles for them-- one in aqua & one in pink.
Shannon's daughter made a very early entrance into the world-- Miss Izzy couldn't wait to get here! They've had an amazing and inspiring journey.
Ariane... we're still waiting for the big news any day now:)
Good luck, new Mommies!

Update: Congratulations, Mike & Ariane!!! Their sweet baby Phoebe was born on 2/2! {Destined to wear 2/2s?}

The Great Wall

Just had to get something up there. Darren's still in Idaho, I'm desperate, so I called my girl Karen. TaDa! It says:

Inspiring music may fill the soul

with heavenly thoughts,

move one to righteous action,

or speak peace to the soul.
Ezra Taft Benson

It's a Sunshine Day

What a gorgeous day! The last day of sunshine before our guests had to go back to snowy, drifting, freezing Idaho weather.

We walked/biked around our neighborhood to the lake. Bright sun!

We all played a little basketball... I think Grandpa won HORSE every time!
Played a little soccer...
Ha!!! I snuck in a picture of Dad on my PINK bike.

Rebecca's comment after seeing this photo:

"Where's my cape?"

New Year's Eve

Our thoughts and hearts were with Darren and the Roos family today. Darren was able to fly up to Idaho for his Grandpa's funeral. We miss him! Back in AZ, we enjoyed a lovely dinner & evening of games. I wanted to have the New Years countdown @ 9 pm, but Grandma pleaded for the Grandkids to stay up. When I finally agreed to let them stay up until midnight, you would have thought I had given my kids the best present in the world.

Seriously.

Courtney got on the kitchen table and started doing the worm.

Not kidding.

How does she even know what that is?

It was hilarious. The games were great, the company was great, and I hope to always remember it.

Volcano!!!!

Grandpa Raeo picked out this awesome volcano kit for Alexander for Christmas. Grandpa Terrell helped Alexander put it together. It was quite a process-- mixing the cement, pouring it in the molds-- a messy project!

After a not-too-spectacular display of club soda & tablets, we got a little creative. Needless to say, we are out of baking soda and vinegar at the Roos house.

{and it may or may not be because Rebecca & I decided to make volcanoes in our mouths}

I know.

I've heard that when you're with your siblings, you revert back to being 10.

Blame it on that.

Grandpa Charlie

We found out that Darren's dear Grandpa Charlie passed away. Darren was able to say goodbye over the phone last week, when he called Grandpa on his birthday. Tender memories. He will be missed! Grandpa loved the Gospel, his family, sports, Rush Limbaugh:), trucking, traveling & staying active. We were grateful and amazed that he drove here to AZ from Idaho last year to visit.
Sharon, Grandpa's new wife {since having lost his first wife} has been such a blessing. She has cared for Grandpa and added such warmth to our family. She's an angel. Here they are, posing near Grandfather Cactus @ Rawhide.
Great-Grandpa congratulating Alexander with a handshake and hug after his confirmation. We are truly blessed to have had this great man in our lives.

Temple Lights

They still had the lights up at the temple, and we loved going even though it was after Christmas. Breathtaking. I feel such a spirit of peace just being near the house of the Lord.
My boys

Silly Auntie Rebecca can always get my kiddos riled up. She's a hoot and they love her dearly.

Awww...

Not to detract, but just wanted to let you know that isn't a headdress my Mom is wearing-- just some foliage in the background;)

Happy times!

Mangos with My Mama

My Mother's Birthday is in December, so we went out to celebrate. She was a bit... wary when we walked in the door, just because the atmosphere wasn't quite what she's accustomed to. All in all, she acquiesced and decided she had a great meal. {and yes, the walls are that green}
Dad enjoying some fried ice cream.

I dared Rebecca to try a Singin' in the Rain pose. Love it!

The Sherlock Cheesecake Workout

It sounded like a terriffic plan...

Park the car by the theatre.

Walk through the mall to Cheesecake Factory for some Godiva sinfulness.

Walk back through the mall to the theatre, plenty of time to spare, to watch Sherlock Holmes.

Yeah, only...

Yes, I am a bad influence, introducing my baby Sis to the wonder that is Cheesecake Factory:)

K, so, back to the story. When we finished our cheesecake, the doors leading back into the mall were locked!

Chandler Fashion is a HUGE, two story mall, and we were at the opposite end of it.

We power walked like crazy women outside, down a flight of stairs, through a few parking lots, climbed the rock wall by Sears, all the while thinking of dumb movie quotes to keep our minds off the fact that we were two women out alone very late at night. Bunch of crazies!

We made it just in time {missed the previews} and worked off our cheesecake in the process.

Yum. Not talking about the cheesecake here. Did I mention we saw it twice?

Visitors From the North

My Sister, Dad & Mom came down for a quick visit after Christmas. We had the BEST time! My dearest darling Seester, Rebecca, who had been up for days prior to this picture. She was starving, tired & so crazy fun to be with. She just finished putting together a "Jane Austen Ball" up at BYU-I {sounds magnificent, huh?} and was also just cast in a leading role in "South Pacific."

The second day she was here, we played duets on the piano for hours. We might have laughed a little more than we played.

Sweet Grandma Kathie. Lately she's been calling every night and the kids read her a chapter in one of their books. They love it. Here she and Courtney were singing songs from "Wicked."

This was my Dad's first visit to AZ. I was surprised that he enjoyed playing Wii with Alexander. They had a great time--I hope Grandpa's shoulder recovers!

BYU Brownies

Yes, THE BYU Brownies. You know, the brownies that caused quite a stir at the Young Women Fundraiser back in 2006? {Where the brownies were auctioned, as well as the recipe?} Sorry Buckmisters, the recipe is out. Here it is {tweaked a bit}: Prepare one 9 x 13 inch brownie mix according to package directions. Bake and cool.

{While it's baking, hop on your treadmill--it will save you some guilt later}

Mint Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
6 TBS butter
1 tsp. mint extract
3 TBS. milk
green food coloring

Mix until smooth, then spread on baked & cooled brownies.

Chocolate Topping

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with 6 TBS. butter and smooth on top of mint frosting. Chill before serving. Enjoy!

Elements of Christmas...

. . . that I love. . . The name "Natalie" means Christmas child-- it's no wonder why I love this season. My parents gave us this beautiful tree as our wedding present. It's so Victorian & pink! Love baking with the kids
Love our little New England Christmas village-- it reminds me of nostalgic Maine.

When we were kids, my family & I used to gather on cold December evenings and read Christmas stories & scriptures.

I guess we've evolved a bit. We turn out all the lights {except the tree}, make ourselves cozy with blankets & pillows, & watch Christmas videos on the laptop.

We love remembering the life & birth of our Savior.

Chrsitmas Morning

Yet another blog hiatus. For Christmas, we got a new camera {yea!} but I am still trying to figure out how the thing works with uploading/editing/etc.

Geeky smart computer friends, where are you?

Here are some pics from our old camera, just to tide you over...

By far, Alexander's favorite is his new cell phone. It's really important to him to keep in contact with relatives & friends, so this is perfect. He had it figured out a lot faster & better than we did!Babies, babies, babies! Courtney has been begging for a new baby sister or brother, {sorry, can't help you out there} :( but she is content for the moment taking care of a few new baby dolls.