Family Pictures

With everyone's different schedules on when they could be there, there was just one day during the week that we had everyone in Sierra Vista. Dusty and Mary Anne didn't get in until late Tuesday night and then Tyler and Peter had to head back to Phoenix for Allstar baseball on Wednesday evening so Wednesday morning was when we did family pictures. My parents, all seven siblings and spouses, and 15 grandchildren makes for quite the experience trying to get everyone looking, smiling, eyes open as we are looking into the sun peeking through the overcast sky...yeah, it was quite the event but thank goodness for Photoshop! Here's a few of the hundreds of pictures taken!

Kovacs Family Reunion 2008: Treasure Hunt

To make things easier and not bombard you with a million pictures all at once, I decided to break things up into main events/activities from the reunion. So you'll just be bombarded with lots of posts...I'll try to space them out for your viewing pleasure :) In no particular order...we'll begin with the Treasure Hunt.

Each reunion, my dad takes the pocket change he has saved up in a jar and buries it in the sandbox. The kids get to go at it and dig for coins. Grandpa let the kids age 4 and under go first and spend some time in there before the older kids joined them. Even after the official digging was over (it was getting WAY too hot out there!), the kids would find money throughout the week when they were playing in the sandbox. They would run inside all excited that they found more money!

Grandpa explaining the "rules"; Advice from the parents...dig and fill your containers as fast as possible and go for the big silver ones! :)

In the end it was Brynlee with $13.99, Ashlee with $10.79, and Landon with $9.38. I think my nephew, Spencer, ended up with the most...around $25. He had tons of quarters. My dad didn't count how much was in there but we estimated there was probably over $150 in coins!

6 Months

Trevor turned 6 months old a couple weeks ago. It was the day before we left for Arizona so I didn't get a chance to post about him. He had his well child check that day and I was sure he was going to hit 20 lbs. But he was only 17 lbs. 1 oz! He only gained 1 lb. in two months. The sad news was he had a double ear infection...I guess I can't be too surprised. All of my kids have had multiple ear infections (that's really an understatement). Brynlee had tubes at 9 months, 18 months, and 3 years (a tonsillectomy at 3 years also) and finally hasn't had an ear infection since. Ashlee had one set of tubes and Landon was almost going to get tubes if he got one more ear infection but then hasn't had one since. Trevor has a ear check tomorrow so I'm praying it cleared up and he doesn't get any more!

We just got back from AZ late Saturday night so I'll have to blog about that when I get some time...it will take awhile to get through all the pics!

5K...Check!

So I did it...I ran my first 5K. Technically it wasn't a race...well, really it wasn't but I had to get it done by Friday in order to get my points for my goal. Let me explain. USU is having a Wellness Challenge for its employees that Rob is participating in so I thought it was a good idea to do one with my family, ending the challenge at the Kovacs family reunion on June 21. The challenge involves eating 5 fruits/veggies, exercising 30 minutes, drinking 64 oz. of water, and reading for 15 minutes. You get 1 point for each of these per day...you can do more but those are minimums and you don't get more points for doing more. You also had to set a goal that you wanted to accomplish during the 10 weeks. It could be not drinking soda, not eating chocolate, running a 5/10K, doing a triathlon, etc. This is worth 10 points. At first I was going to have a lofty goal of a triathlon. Sports Academy was sponsoring a sprint triathlon that was a 300 yard swim, 12.5 mile bike and 5K run. After considering the fact that I hadn't swam laps in who knows how long (maybe never actually!) and hadn't been on a bike for a few years, I'd better just do the 5K!

I kept looking in the paper for races in the area. There was one on a weekend that we were going to be out of town and then I found one in Providence on Saturday, June 7th. I was all ready to do it and then came Boot Camp Friday night...I could barely walk on Saturday! Since there hasn't been another "real" 5K, I decided to just look up a route on the internet and do it myself. I found the map of the First Dam 5K that they do in the first weekend in November and this morning gave it a try. The weather was beautiful, a nice 60 degrees with a slight breeze, I finished, I didn't walk, and now I'll work on improving my time for the next race!

Happy Father's Day!

I know....lots of blogging today but I had lots to blog about :)! This will be quick but I wanted to give a SHOUT OUT to all the daddy-o's out there! I debated doing this because honestly, I can't put in to words what these men mean to me...But here's to the dads in my life! :)

First to my own dad...the first thing that comes to my mind about my dad is what a hard worker he is. He can do anything! He is up way too early in the morning, never letting a minute pass by when he can be hard at work... whether it's in the yard/garden, projects around the house, his full time job, or fulfuling his church callings. It's so hard to put into words what my dad means to me...thanks dad, for everything!! Your example of love and service mean the world to me! Here is my dad with Landon the day he was born and then giving some grandkids a tractor ride in 2006.

To my father in law...what a fun grandpa he is! My kids love when grandpa comes over. They always beg him to "crawl while we run!" Basically, they want him to chase after them on his hands and knees...guess you gotta be there. He is a good sport while they jump all over him and play with him. I've posted these pictures before but they are some of my favorites of him with my boys.

Then to the daddy of my children...thanks, Rob, for being an awesome dad! It's so fun to see our kids' faces light up and get so excited when Daddy comes home, to beg to be tickled or swung around or ask for piggy back rides. You never complain (at least out loud :)) when I ask for help with diaper changes, getting the kids ready for bed, doing things around the house, or letting me have my girls nights out. I couldn't do it without you and you help me stay sane (although some days you probably wonder if I am still sane)! Love you babe!

I forgot to get a picture of Rob with the kids and their Father's Day creation. Thanks to Kristen (or should I say Kennedy for being up in the middle of the night!) for the idea!

Mmmm, Grean Beans!

We've ventured into the world of baby food, which actually makes me VeRy sad! Trevor is growing up way too fast! Here are some pics of his first taste of green beans.


He did pretty well the first time but then yesterday he was gagging and spitting them out. He liked bananas (I know, shame on me for doing fruits!) Today, we tried squash and in a few days we'll do sweet potatoes.


Remember my terrible three year old...here he is in action. He threw a complete fit when he saw Trevor in HIS seat! He sits in the booster seat pulled up to the table. We put the tray on it when we put Trevor in it to help keep him sitting up but I guess we'll pull out the highchair from storage....

Cute Hair Do's

I was so excited when I found out Ashlee was a girl because I couldn't wait to do her hair so cute. My dreams were dashed when #1, her hair took FOREVER to grow enough to do anything with besides a bow stuck to her head with Karo or KY and #2, she was a thumb sucker who played with her hair and pulled out anything I put in it. Then came another girl but with extremely thin, fragile hair that breaks when I put an elastic in it making her hair a million different lengths, and yet another thumb sucker! Add to that, my girls inherited my impatience and hate when it takes more than 2 minutes to do their hair. I always see such cute hairstyles and try to do them, but my girls just want their hair done quickly so it's always the same, old boring styles...usually a single pony tail (or maybe french braids if I work fast) for Ashlee or a clip for Brynlee. My friend told me about this blog, Hair Today (LOVE IT!), and since Ashlee's hair is really thick and long now, I decided to try some new things. She also decided since her ballet recital (they had to have their bangs all back) that she wants to grow her bangs out so we always have to have a clippie there to hold them back. I discovered sitting her in front of the TV takes her mind off what I am doing and she lasts a lot longer than standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom! What I love most about the blog is that it shows step by step what to do. Alot of times I see something I like but can't figure out how to do it. I know, call me a retard! There are so many cute styles and I can't wait to try some more! Here's how her hair turned out today. It was supposed to be "The Messy Bun"...okay so it doesn't look exactly like the instructions, but I think it's cute!

DO Pizza

We made deep dish Dutch Oven pizza recently. Often I'll just cook them in the DO inside the regular oven, but we made two kinds of pizza and wanted both done at the same time, so I cooked them with charcoal inside our old charcoal grill - it hasn't seen much action since we got the camp chef. The camp chef wasn't really an option in this case, however, since you need to put more heat on the top than on the bottom when cooking breads.

We made alfredo chicken pizza with Bertolli's sauce and barbecue chicken pizza with Sweet Baby Ray's. Behold, the single piece of barbecue chicken pizza left at the end of dinner:

For the dough, I used our favorite, Jay's Signature Pizza Crust and put a little vegetable oil in the DO right before putting in the dough and let it raise a little while before topping it. I cook the chicken before putting it on the pizza, then just add sauce and cheese. The girls don't really like red sauces, so the alfredo sauce is a great alternative. It's just as easy to pour on alfredo or barbecue sauce and end up with a gourmet pizza as it is to add plain old Ragu. Sometimes I'll add bacon, ham, onions, green peppers, or whatever other toppings we have in the fridge.

The alfredo chicken pizza, had a bit of a problem. Since I cooked it in our charcoal grill, the legs of the bottom DO went through the grill and the bottom of the pot was resting directly on the charcoal, and the bottom of the crust actually burned. It turned out okay, since the crust around the edge was fine, so we scraped the toppings off the burnt part and stuffed it inside the puffy pan crust from the edge.

We always make pizza at scout camp, and I haven't had that problem before, since we stack the DOs on the ground. With the legs on the hard ground, the bottom of the pot stays just off the coals. The last time we made pizza at camp, we couldn't agree on what kinds of pizza to make, so we ended up making four. The four DOs stacked high were a sight to see. I'll have to see if I can find a copy of that picture.

More Dutch Oven Bread

I've been playing a little bit with the DO bread that I discovered recently. The original recipe called for a very hot oven. By dropping the temperature down slightly to 425, it doesn't seem to get so brown so fast. I think some of it maybe has to do with the seasoning in the DO it's being cooked in, since it browns faster in one of my DOs than in the other. I don't know if there's a little excess oil and it smokes a lot inside the pot if that makes it darker maybe, but the lower temperature seems to reduce that issue.

The other thing I tried was adding gluten and dough enhancer. The following picture is two loaves of bread, exactly the same except that the one on the right has 2 teaspoons of gluten and 2 teaspoons of dough enhancer in addition to the regular recipe, whereas the one on the left is the standard recipe, both with white flour.


You'll notice the one on the right is tall and round instead of flat like the one on the left. They both still taste good, as you'll see the one on the left got cut into before I even had a chance to take the picture.

I don't know the difference between dough enhancer and gluten, so I also made another two loaves, one with 2 teaspons of gluten and the other with 2 teaspoons of dough enhancer. They turned out about the same. When I did those two loaves, I made one with sunflower seeds and the other with garlic, basic, and rosemary (partially because I needed a way to tell the two apart and partially because I just wanted to try something else). Both turned out great. One of these days I'll make some with wheat flour.

For the garlic herb loaf, I cut 5 or 6 cloves of garlic into about 4 strips each and added that with a few sprinkles of the herbs. For the sunflower one I threw in a handful of sunflower seeds and I also stuck some on top when it was just about to go in the oven. Since this is a no-knead, slow-rise bread, you have to put in any extras right at the beginning.

Look Who's 3!!

Happy Birthday to my funny, cute, huggable, three year old....yep, today is Landon's 3rd birthday! I took him to get his pictures done and he was just hilarious! The photographer couldn't stop laughing and honestly, he was just hilarious and cute! Sometimes I just want to squeeze him!

I was telling my sisters-in-law last week that I think Landon missed the terrible two's but may be headed for terrible three's! He had many meltdowns the past week so we're hoping maybe he had to get in his terrible two's the last week that he was two and now that he is three, he'll be back to being my angel boy! Okay, so maybe he's following in his daddy's footsteps and will be a monster at age 3! Let's pray it's the first!

He got a soccer ball bank and Grandpa gave him some pocket change to put in it. He thought that was pretty cool!

Watch out Kovacs family! Landon is practicing for the Homerun Derby at the family reunion. Only two more weeks!

Chicken Recipes

50 Ways To Turn a Paltry Breast into a Funky Feast

I haven't tried any of these but they look good, quick, and easy...a priority for me when cooking! These recipes are for a single breast so adjust according to your situation.

Wok This Way

THE BASICS: For a stir-fry, cut a raw chicken breast into bite-size pieces or thin strips. Cook it in a nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until browned (three to five minutes) and add one of the following groups of ingredients--in the order listed--and cook for five more minutes, stirring frequently.

1. Bell Pepper Mix: 1 Tbsp -reduced-sodium soy sauce; 2 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 c green or red bell pepper strips; 1/4 -medium onion, cut lengthwise into strips; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2. Veggie Blend: 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce; 2 tsp sesame oil; 1/3 c matchstick carrots; 1/3 c chopped celery; 1 scallion, sliced; 2 Tbsp chopped unsalted peanuts

3. Asparagus & Cashew: 1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce; 2 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 c asparagus tips; 2 Tbsp chopped unsalted cashews

4. Sweet Lemon: 1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce; 1 Tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp lemon zest; 1 tsp honey; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1/2 c snow peas; 1 c chopped celery

5. Asian Broccoli: 1 whisked egg; 1/2 c (or more) chopped broccoli; 1/4 medium onion, cut lengthwise into long strips; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 Tbsp reduced--sodium soy sauce

6. Hoisin Snow Peas: 1 whisked egg; 1/2 c snow peas; 1/2 c green or red bell pepper strips; 1/4 onion, cut lengthwise into long strips; 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

TIP Sesame oil gives stir-fries a distinct flavor. Nutritionally, it's similar to olive oil because it's full of heart-healthy unsaturated fats. (Make sure you get plain, not toasted, sesame oil.) But if you don't have it, use canola or peanut oil, not olive, which goes up in smoke at high temps.

Get Baked

THE BASICS: Preheat the oven to 350°F and douse your chicken in sauce, rub it with spices, crust it with goodies, or stuff it with savories. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes.

SAUCES Watery baths like salsa will do just fine in the oven. But thicker sauces, like barbecue or ranch, must be mixed with water or broth or you'll be left with sticky, blackened char. Use a small baking dish with raised sides to keep the meat swimming.

7. Fiesta: 1/3 c salsa

8. Melted Fiesta: 2 Tbsp jalapeño cheese dip, 2 Tbsp salsa, 1 Tbsp water

9. Italian: 2 Tbsp marinara sauce, 2 Tbsp water

10. Texas Style: 2 Tbsp barbecue sauce, 2 Tbsp water

11. Ranch Dipped: 2 Tbsp ranch dressing, 2 Tbsp water

12. Honey Mustard: 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp olive oil

13. Spiced Up: 3 Tbsp chicken broth; 1 Tbsp mustard; 1 clove garlic, crushed

14. Cream of Mushroom: 2 Tbsp condensed mushroom soup, 2 Tbsp water

15. Pesto: 2 Tbsp pesto, 2 Tbsp reduced-sodium chicken broth

16. Sweet & Sour: 2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 c crushed pineapple with juice

17. Coconut Curry: 3 Tbsp chicken broth, 2 Tbsp light coconut milk, 1/4 tsp curry powder

18. Apple Glaze: 1/3 c chicken broth, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 Tbsp apple juice

19. BBQ Sauce: 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce; 1 clove garlic, crushed

20. Hot Stuff: 2 Tbsp hot sauce, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp chili powder

21. Herbed Citrus: 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp orange marmalade, 1/4 tsp rosemary

RUBBED Rub these mixtures evenly over each breast, then coat with cooking spray.

22. Chili Covered: 1/4 tsp each garlic powder, chili powder, black pepper, and oregano; salt to taste

23. Three-Alarm Fire: 1/4 tsp each black pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, and hot sauce

24. Tri-Herb Rub: 1/4 tsp each dried basil, rosemary, and thyme; salt and pepper to taste

CRUSTED Crack an egg into a shallow bowl, whisk it, dip the chicken in it, and then roll the chicken in a plate of one of these coatings:

25. Nut Covered: 1/3 c finely chopped nuts

26. Italian Topped: 1 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp Italian breadcrumbs, a pinch of black pepper

27. Faux Fried: 1/2 c crushed corn or bran flakes

STUFFED Pound the daylights out of your chicken breast with a meat tenderizer until it's uniformly thin. Then arrange any of the following ingredients on the breast, roll it up, and secure it with toothpicks or kitchen twine.

28. Ham & Cheese: 1 slice cheddar cheese, 2 slices deli ham, 1/4 tsp black pepper

29. Stromboli: 1 slice mozzarella cheese; 3 slices pepperoni; 3 leaves fresh basil, chopped

30. Pizza: 1 slice mozzarella; 1/4 c chopped tomatoes; 3 leaves fresh basil, chopped

31. Spinach Stuffed: 1 small handful baby spinach leaves, chopped; 1 Tbsp blue-cheese crumbles; 1 clove garlic, crushed

32. Deli Style: 1 slice mozzarella, 1 slice salami, 1 Tbsp chopped roasted red pepper

33. Sun-dried Tomato: 1 1/2 Tbsp part-skim ricotta cheese, 1 Tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 tsp oregano

34. Mediterranean: 1 1/2 Tbsp part-skim ricotta cheese, 1 Tbsp diced olives, 1/4 tsp lemon zest

35. Parmesan Pesto: 1 Tbsp pesto, 1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp black pepper

TIP To lock in juices, sear the breast in a hot skillet for 1–2 minutes per side before baking.

Grill Power

THE BASICS: Soak the chicken in these marinades for at least an hour. Heat a grill or place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Cook for three to five minutes per side.

36. Booze Infused: 2 Tbsp bourbon, 1 tsp deli-style mustard, 1/4 tsp black pepper

37. Sweet Booze Infused: 2 Tbsp bourbon; 1 tsp honey; 1 clove garlic, crushed

38. Red Wine Dressed: 2 Tbsp red wine; 1 tsp barbecue sauce; 1 clove garlic, crushed

39. White Wine Dressed: 2 Tbsp white wine; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1/4 tsp thyme

40. Rich & Creamy: 2 Tbsp plain yogurt, 1/4 tsp dill

41. Curry Cream: 2 Tbsp plain yogurt, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp curry powder

42. Margaritaville: 2 Tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp cilantro

43. Cumin & Lime: 2 Tbsp lime juice, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

44. Lemon Zest: 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp lemon zest, 1/4 tsp black pepper

45. Balsamic Herb: 2 Tbsp vinaigrette, 1/4 tsp rosemary

46. Ginger Spiced: 2 Tbsp orange juice, 1/4 tsp powdered ginger, 1/4 tsp cilantro

47. O-juiced: 2 Tbsp orange juice, 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

48. Soda Popped: 2 Tbsp cola, 1/4 tsp black pepper

49. Red Pepper Pop: 1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

50. Hawaiian Punch: 2 Tbsp pineapple juice; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1/4 tsp black pepper

TIP Mix the marinade ingredients well in a resealable plastic bag, drop in the chicken, seal, shake, and refrigerate.

Joined the Club

I joined The Sports Academy. I've always wanted to join a gym but couldn't ever justify the expense. My friend was doing a contest where if she got 5 people to sign up, then she would get a lifetime membership. She told me she would pay 3 months of it, plus if I signed up in May for a year contract I would get 3 months free. Plus, they have really good membership rates for Utah State University employees. Normally I would have to sign up for a couple membership since Rob is the employee not me, but they were nice and are only charging the single rate. So I get 15 months of membership and only have to pay for 9.

With the membership you get a new member activity card with all sorts of freebies... a 2 week swimming lesson session ($40 value, I've been taking my kids there for lessons the last two summers), a 20 hour Kids Klub punch pass so I can take my kids there while I workout, a smoothie, bottle of water, 30% off massage/facial/waxing, one tanning session, and best of all, a session of BOOT CAMP ($125 value)!! For the next month, I am going to be getting my butt kicked by a personal trainer in a group setting (basically like Biggest Loser), three days a week for an hour each day. I start today...wish me luck!

School is Coming to an End

This is the last week of first grade for Ashlee. Last Friday they did class plays in their classroom. Ashlee was a narrator for The Little Red Hen and the Cat in Bremen Town Musicians.

Today was the Spring Music Program. The kids did such a good job and sang some really cute songs. Rob videoed the songs on the digital camera but the memory card got messed up so we could only view the first and last songs. Bummer, since the version of the Five Little Monkeys song was really cute with the actions! Oh well, I did get it with our regular camcorder...it's just not digital so I can't post it here.

After the performance we took some pictures in her classroom. Landon somehow got lost in the crowd and when I went into the hallway to look for him, a teacher was helping him find his mommy. He was very upset and decided hanging on to mom's leg was best!

Rollin', rollin', rollin'

Trevor is 5 months and has figured out some new things. He is full of rolls, and not just those cute chubby things! A couple weeks ago he figured out how to roll over from his back to his stomach. He has also discovered his feet!

Don't mind the absolutely FULL diaper. Rob was changing him into his jammies and he was just so cute playing with his feet so I grabbed the camera. And I'm not quite sure why he has the beanie on his head. I came home and he was wearing it...who knows, the kids love it when he wears it so I'm sure they put it on him!

Lil' Preschool Graduate

Today Brynlee graduated from Rainbow Corner preschool. Her teacher, Mrs. Lee, is so wonderful! She is seriously like a grandma to all of the kids! Whenever she sees Brynlee, she kneels down to her level, gives her a big hug and usually whispers something in her ear. We LOVE Mrs. Lee! She lives just around the corner and is our Bishop's wife. She has been teaching preschool for about 20 years in her home.

Spiced Pita Chips

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 whole-wheat pitas, cut into 1/8's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine olive oil and all spices in a large bowl. Add pita wedges and toss to coat, Spread in 1 layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, tossing once, or until pita is brown and crisp. Cool completely before serving.

I made these yesterday and sorry to say it, but Rob didn't get any. He wasn't feeling very well after work (allergies have hit him hard the last couple days) and when he finally got up off the couch around 9:00 last night, he called me (I was out walking with a friend) and asked if there were any more pita chips...oops! Nope, I ate them all! I ate them with hummus. For those of you who haven't tried hummus....try it! I tried it for the first time last Thanksgiving and it is really good. I think I always associated it with haggis so I was always afraid to try it...hummus, haggis, both don't sound very appetizing! Trust me, you'll like hummus...sorry, can't testify in behalf of haggis. That's not something I will be trying! You can buy hummus in the deli section at the grocery store.

"First" Lost Tooth

Brynlee lost her tooth today. I say it was her "first" tooth she lost because it's the first one she lost naturally! Her top two front teeth were knocked loose last summer and eventually got pulled by the dentist. A few days ago she told me her tooth was loose. I felt it and it was a little wiggly. Yesterday, she showed it to me and I could tell it was SO loose, but she wouldn't let me touch it. I was fine with that because I didn't want it coming out on Sunday since the Tooth Fairy wasn't prepared with the goods (I got cash back at the store today to be prepared)! So today she came home from her friend's house with a little plastic baggie...with her tooth in it!

P.S. After reading Mary Anne's comment I had to laugh because usually this Tooth Fairy leaves quarters! When Ashlee lost her first tooth, she came running into my room in the morning so happy that the Tooth Fairy left her a QUARTER! I figure like they know how much money is worth....they are in heaven with any money at that age! Then her friends would lose their teeth and be like "I got a dollar or I got $5" WHAT??!! So yes, Brynlee got a dollar only because I really had NO change at all and I didn't feel like asking the cashier for quarters!