Aaron's Birthday Party

One of Sandy's friends turned one and we went to his birthday bash. (Aaron is the son of my old roommate Jen who married my third cousin.)

The party was fantastic - food, games, decorating cupcakes. But the best part was the pinatas. There was a regular pinata for the older kids and a special pinata just for the babies that was made out of paper. Sandy dove right in, ripping paper. Then, she ripped off a paper chain decoration and proudly crawled back to daddy with her loot.



Once it was opened and she realized there were toys, she crawled back into the fray.

Here she is with her loot from the pinata.


Here's a couple of pictures of Sandy with her daddy.

New Bike Helmet

Bill came home with a bike helmet for Sandy. We have a bike trailer and hope to take her out in it this summer. She didn't like wearing the helmet very much so Sage tried to make her feel better by licking her face.

Anniversary Update

Saturday night we left the babies with Molly (thank you, Molly!!) and Bill and I went out to celebrate our anniversary. It's been a long time since we've had a date without Sandy and it was very nice.

Bill took me to a restaurant in Bountiful called the Sego Lily. It was fantastic!! The restaurant is in a beautiful historic home and I would give the ambiance and food both five stars. Bill had fettuccine alfredo with asparagus, wild mushrooms, and chicken. I had chicken pesto: a chicken breast with fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic vinegar reduction. The prices weren't bad, either, for as nice as everything was. The service wasn't very fast, though, so if you go plan extra time.

After dinner, we stopped by Game Night Games, a store near our house. Every Friday and Saturday night from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. they open up their game tables for $3 per person. You can play their games or bring your own. When we stopped by all the tables were full and the games were in full swing. We decided not to wait until a game opened up, but I definitely want to go back. I think it would be fun to go with friends and stake out our own table sometime. Anyone interested?

Family in Town

My parents, sister, and niece are in town for the week. It's so much fun to see them and, since they live in South Dakota and Ohio, it doesn't happen nearly often enough.

Here is a picture of my dad with both the babies, Sandy is on the left and Lexie is on the right.


Tuesday my grandparents came up for the day and my aunt, uncle, and cousins joined us for dinner. We had a great time and we even got an official four generation photo. We have pictures of Sandy with everyone in the picture, but this is the first time we were all together.


My dad's hobby is photography and so one of the side benefits of his visit is we always get great pictures afterward. I downloaded this picture (and the one above) from my mom's blog. I'm excited to get the rest of the pictures he took. Look at this cute one he took of Sandy.
The main reason for the visit was that my grandpa got married on Wednesday, April 8 (yup, now we share a wedding anniversary). Here is a picture of Grandpa and Gayla on their wedding day.


Here's my mom holding Sandy at the wedding.

And one of me and Sandy at the wedding.

Anniversary

Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary. I thought I'd mark the occasion by posting this survey that's been going around facebook.


HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR HUSBAND?

Here's a chance to see how well you really know your husband. Cut, paste and fill in the answers, then forward . . . shoot, you know what to do. The real challenge is to send it to your husband to see how right you really are.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
If we're together, we watch one of the sitcoms we tivo: Chuck, Big Bang Theory, NUMB3Rs, and The Office. If he's by himself, he catches up on podcasts (GeekBrief, Tekzilla, 1-minute chef) and watches woodworking shows.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Blue cheese.

3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Pork roasts because they bother his stomach. Which is too bad because my sister Molly makes a great bbq pork roast (just like Cafe Rios) that I'd make all the time if he liked it.

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
Raspberry lemonade. Or, if we are at The Old Spaghetti Factory, an italian cream soda.

5. Where did he go to high school?
Taylorsville High School.

6. What size shoe does he wear?
10 1/2, but one foot is actually a size 10 and the other is a 10 1/2.

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
He collects computers and ham radios and all the associated wires, cables, etc. He's still trying to convince me his collection of 1980s computer magazines is worth keeping.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
I'm not really sure. I like turkey so that is what I usually buy and he eats it.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Why so many questions on food? Bill is very unmotivated by food. He doesn't understand why I'm always interrupting him to feed him.

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Once again, I just buy what I like and he eats it.

11. What would he never wear?
Um, a dress? He would wear a skirt, though.


12. What is his favorite sports team?
Do the couples on Dancing with the Stars count as a sports team?

13. Who did he vote for?
Romney in the Primary, McCain in the Election

14. Who is his best friend?
Bill has some great friends, I'm not sure who I'd pick, but it would be one of these: James Hooper, Kelly Dalton, Jared & Justin Elliss. I'm very lucky because I really like all of their wives, which makes hanging out with them fun for both of us.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Refer to Sandy as "YOUR" daughter when I'm telling him about the latest trouble she caused. As in, "I left her in her room just long enough to wash my hands and YOUR daughter tipped over the diaper pail and pulled out all the diapers."

16. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, fresh raspberries as a garnish


17. Did he play sports in high school?
nope... wait, I think he might have run track.

18. What could he spend hours doing?
researching the latest tech developments on the internet

19. What is one unique talent he has?
Hmm... in my last survey (on his birthday, November 6) I mentioned his ability to instantly rewrite song lyrics. So this time I'll comment on his ability to fall asleep anywhere, even sitting up. I'm amazed, that's something I've never been able to do.


He can also get Sandy to fall asleep in his arms, another thing I have trouble doing.


20. What is his dream car?
blue or yellow T-bird. (Okay, I cheated and asked him on this one. My guess was a red Ferrari)

Happy Anniversary, Bill! I love you!

Bill in the News and Pictures of Sandy

The big vote on the Villa expansion is tomorrow. Bill is quoted in tomorrow's Salt Lake Tribune (already posted online) about the latest developments.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11979145

On another subject, I've been trying to get a picture of Sandy's two bottom teeth. I didn't have very good luck, but if you look very closely you might be able to see part of them in this picture.


I didn't get her teeth in this picture, but she is almost smiling.


Here's a video of Sandy. I was once again unsuccessful in getting her to show her teeth, but I thought my mom might like to watch her climb around on the floor.

A Scottish Evening

We went with Bill's parents, Doug and Jaydene, to a Scottish dinner commemorating the birthday of Scottish poet Robert Burns. The dinner was a lot of fun. We tried some new foods, including Haggis. Other than the Haggis, which was just bland and dry, the food was quite good.




Bill served his mission in Scotland, and ran into some people he knew at the dinner. He wore his kilt. He wanted to wear his kilt for our wedding pictures and reception, but I was against it. He looks pretty cute in it, maybe I should have relented.




Sandy came with us. She was pretty good, but it did take all four of us to keep her happy and entertained. Here she is sitting on Bill's shoulders and pulling out the rest of his hair.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so many things to be grateful for. This year I am most grateful for Sandy. I hope someday I can tell her how much we wanted her to join our family. I'm grateful for Bill. He's a wonderful husband, and he makes it possible for me to stay home with Sandy. I'm grateful for both of our families.



We went to Doug & Jaydene's for Thanksgiving dinner. I made two pies: a lemon meringue and a coconut cream. I was pleased with how the lemon meringue turned out. I wasn't as happy with the coconut cream. I liked the crust, but the filling reminded me of suntan lotion. Next time I make a coconut cream pie I'll try an instant coconut pudding for the filling. Pictures and recipes of both pies are below.


Here is Sandy sitting with her Aunt Heather and Uncle Jared. There were several shots that would have been adorable if they hadn't been blurry. This was the least blurry.




Here is a picture of Sandy playing with her cousin Christian.



Kelsie watched Sandy while Bill & I went to see the new James Bond. We enjoyed it. It was nice to go to a movie. We haven't been to the theatre since before Sandy was born (we saw Get Smart on her due date, June 20).


Lemon Meringue Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie



Pie Crust
1-1/4 (6-1/4 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP vegetable shortening chilled
4 TBSP cold unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4-5 TBSP ice water
1/2 cup finely crushed graham crackers


Lemon Filling
1 cup (7 oz sugar)
1/4 cup (1 oz cornstarch)
1/8 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups cold water
6 large egg yolks
1 TBSP grated zest and 1/2 cup juice from 2 or 3 lemons
2 TBSP unsalted butter


Meringue
1 TBSP cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup (3-1/2 oz) sugar
4 large egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Pie Crust
1. Process the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the shortening and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl.


2. Sprinkle 4 TBSP of the ice water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix. Press down on the dough with the broad side of the spatula until the dough sticks together, adding up to 1 TBSP more ice water if the dough will not come together. Flatten the dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before rolling.

3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable). Sprinkle the work surface with 2 TBSP graham cracker crumbs and roll out to a 12-inch circle, sprinkling additional graham cracker crumbs underneath and on top of the dough as it is rolled. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pie plate, trim, and flute edges. Refrigerate the dough-lined pie plate until firm, about 40 minutes, then freeze until very cold, about 20 minutes.

4. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough-lined pie plate from the freezer, press a doubled 12-inch piece of heavy-duty foil inside the pie shell, and fold the edges of the foil to shield the fluted edge; distribute 2 cups pie weights (or beans or pennies) over the foil. Bake, leaving the foil and weights in place until the dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before making pie filling.


Lemon Filling
Mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water in a large nonreactive saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally at the beginning of the process and more frequently as the mixture begins to thicken. When the mixture starts to simmer and turns translucent, whisk in the egg yolks, two at a time. Whisk in the zest, then the lemon juice, and finally the butter. Bring the mixture to a good simmer, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat; place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling to keep it hot and prevent a skin from forming.


Meringue
Mix the cornstarch with the water in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally at the beginning and more frequently as the mixture thickens. When the mixture starts to simmer and turns translucent, remove from the heat.

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix the cream of tartar and sugar together. Beat the egg whites and vanilla until frothy. Beat in the sugar mixture, 1 TBSP at a time, until the sugar is incorporated and mixture forms soft peaks. Add the cornstarch mixture, 1 TBSP at a time, until the sugar is incorporated and the mixture forms soft peaks. Add the cornstarch mixture, 1 TBSP at a time; continue to beat the meringue to stiff peaks. Remove the plastic from the lemon filling and return to very low heat during the last minute or so of beating the meringue (to ensure the filling is hot).

Pour the hot filling into the pie shell. Using a rubber spatula, immediately distribute the meringue evenly around the edge and then the center of the pie crust to keep it from sinking into the filling. Make sure the meringue attaches to the pie crust to prevent shrinking. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks all over the meringue. Bake the pie until the meringue is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Serve the same day.


Coconut Cream Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie



Crust
6 ounces animal crackers
2 TBSP shredded coconut
1 TBSP granulated sugar
4 TBSP unsalted butter, melted and cooled


Filling
I didn't care for the filling in the recipe, next time I think I'll try it with instant coconut pudding.


Whipped Cream and Garnish
1-1/2 cups heavy cream (cold)
2 TBSP granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP shredded coconut toasted in a small dry skillet until golden brown

For the crust, adjust oven rack to a lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, pulse animal crackers, coconut, and sugar to fine crumbs, 18 to 20 1-second pulses. Then process until powdery, about 5 seconds. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, add butter, and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened. Empty crumbs into a 9-inch pie plate and press into bottom and up sides. Bake until fragrant and medium brown, about 15 minutes, rotating pie shell halfway through baking time. Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.


Prepare the filling. Once soft set, spoon into pie crust, press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the filling, and refrigerate until firm.


For the whipped cream, just before serving beat cream, sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer until soft peaks form, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Top pie with whipped cream then sprinkle with coconut. (If you want to add the cream before you are ready serve, heat 2 tsp unflavored gelatin and 2 tsp water in a small measuring cup over the stove, stirring constantly. When it thickens and turns translucent, remove from heat and very slowly add to the cream while whipping.)

Baby Legs & Birthdays

Bill took some pictures of Sandy after church. We try to take pictures of her every Sunday.

She is wearing purple polka dotted leg warmers. They are called "baby legs" and Grandma Gingie gave them to her. I think they are absolutely adorable. Not to mention very convenient when it comes to changing diapers.

Speaking of changing diapers...

We also went to Doug & Jaydene's house to celebrate Bill & Eric's birthdays. I made Bill's cake, it was German Chocolate. Yum!

Here is Eric blowing out his candles.

We also tried an impromptu family photo.

Happy Birthday, Bill!

Today is Bill's birthday, he is turning 32. It hasn't been much of a celebration day. He had to go to work all day then school tonight, and I attended my great-grandma's viewing tonight. So I made German pancakes for breakfast, and he opened presents when we all got home. Tomorrow he has the day off, though, and I'm planning a birthday dinner with cupcakes and candles.

My sister, Molly, posted answers to a husband questionnaire on her blog on her anniversary. I thought I'd do the same here in honor of Bill's birthday.

1-What is his name: Douglas William Buhler, but he goes by Bill. It still throws me every time someone refers to him as Douglas.

2- Where did you meet? A singles ward, the University of Utah 46th Ward. We were both on the Activities Committee. Bill remembers meeting me in January and remembers sharing a beanbag chair at a Valentine FHE. My first memory of him is in March. We had a movie night activity and I brought a projector, but didn’t know how to get the sound to work. Bill got everything to work and I was impressed.

3- How long did you date before you were married? Hmm… It depends on what counts as dating. We met in January (16 months), the ward informed us we were dating around April (1 year), I decided I was interested in Bill in May (11 months), I asked Bill if I should wait to see if our relationship went anywhere before submitting mission papers in July (9 months) but he said no, in September he changed his mind (7 months), in October he asked my dad for permission to ask me to marry him and got told no (6 months), and in December I decided not to go on a mission and my dad told him yes (4 months).

4- How long have you been married for? 2 ½ years (April 8, 2006)

5- Who said I love you first? Bill.

6-When and where was your first kiss? At my house. I can’t remember exactly when it happened… I would guess, but Bill will know and correct me.

7- Who kissed who first? He kissed me first.

8- Who proposed? Bill did. He was determined to get my dad’s permission before he asked me. My dad told him yes at the end of December but asked him to wait until I worked out some health issues. My mom told me about their conversation, though, so we went ahead and started planning the wedding. My uncle made my wedding ring and Bill waited until it came to officially propose. He took me to Market Street Grill in February or March (once again, Bill will know) and I knew he had the ring so I kept picking through my food looking for it. I even ordered dessert – even though I was full – because I thought my ring might come out with it. After dessert, he gave me a dozen red roses and my ring and proposed.

9-What's your favorite thing to do as a couple? Bill loves to go dancing and I wish I could say that was our favorite thing, but we haven’t been in a long time. At one time I would have said walking, but that’s another thing we haven’t done much lately between his work and school schedule. I’d have to say just talking and spending time together.

10-Do you have kids? How many? We have one baby girl, Sandy.

11- What does he do that surprises you? Any time I ask Bill to do something he does it – and usually does it immediately, but he doesn’t usually say he will and sometimes even acts like he won’t. Then I come across what he did and I’m always surprised.

12- What's your favorite feature about him? His eyes.

13- What's your favorite quality about him? His respect for other people, he treats everyone with great respect.

14- Does he have a nickname for you? He calls me Megs sometimes, which I like.

15- What's his favorite color? Blue.

16- What's his favorite food? His Grandma Buhler’s round steak with mushroom gravy (which I’ve attempted and he says is a good match) and her fried chicken (which I haven’t attempted).

17-What is his favorite sport? Does ballroom dancing count as a sport?

18- What's a hidden talent that he has? He can rewrite lyrics to songs instantly to fit any situation.

19- How old is he? 32

20- What's his favorite type of music? Bill has very eclectic taste in music. For example, all of these artists appeared on his birthday request list this year: Blood Sweat and Tears, Peter Breinholt, Belinda Carlisle, Carpenters, Phillip Glass, Jazz (no particular artist mentioned on his list), No Doubt, Pink Martini, and Jon Schmidt. I’ve only heard of half of the artists on his list, but I almost always like the music he has playing.

21- What do you admire most about him? His ability to diffuse tense situations.

22-What's his favorite past time? Searching the Internet, always researching something.

23- Do you think he is going to read this? Yes, and he will probably have a list of corrections to post in the comments. Bill has an incredible memory and I have a very poor one, so I defer in advance to any corrections he might post.

24- Who eats more? Me

25- Who is taller? Him.

26- Who sings better? Definitely Bill, he has a great voice. He laughs at me for following whomever I am sitting next to in church – even following him through the bass part sometimes.

27- Who is smarter? Him. Bill knows how everything works – or finds out if he doesn’t.

28- Who does the laundry? Me.

29- Who pays the bills? We’re still working that out. It was him, but now that I’m staying home we’re transitioning to me.

30- Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Bill.

31- Who mows the lawn? Bill. I’ve never mowed a lawn in my life.

32- Who cooks dinner? Since Sandy was born and I’ve become a stay at home mom, I’ve cooked dinner. But Bill is an excellent cook and very capable and willing to cook.

33- Who drives? Bill. I’d rather he drive, and he’d rather he drive. Shortly before we got married, I rented a rental car that was wider than I was used to. He was very disturbed by my driving that day. I’m sure he’ll elaborate if you ask him.

34- Who is more stubborn? Bill.

35- Who has more friends? Bill has more friends. He keeps in touch with friends much better than I do. He would argue that I have more friends, but that’s because I meet people easily and have lots of acquaintances. For example, I know more people we go to church with, but Bill has more friends that we do things with.

36- Who is more sensitive? Me.

37- Who has more siblings? Bill. He comes from a family of 7, I come from a family of 5.

38- Who wears the pants? Can we share the pants?

39- Who controls the T.V. remote? Bill.

40- Whose temper is worse? Mine. Bill rarely gets angry.

41- Who does the dishes? Usually me. But when they get backed up, I can get overwhelmed. Then Bill will do a load of dishes and get it back to where I feel that it is manageable and can finish.

42- Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Bill is always quick to apologize and make up, even if he isn’t wrong.

43- Whose parents do you see more often? His, they live in town and mine live in South Dakota.