The Chugg Family

Twice the Fun in Lake Powell

2010-07-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Lake Powell twice this year. In June with some friends and again 3 weeks later in July with the annual Thomas family trip. We can never tire of that place, just the long 7 hour drive there. Here is Ella and her bestest friend ever, Madeline. Nate entertaining the kids.The muscle men tightening the anchors after a near break from the strong winds.Our family picture, minus this cute little dude, he was back on the boat sleeping.Trip with Grandma and Grandpa. Shirts they gave all the grandkids!We couldn't get Andrew out of the water. He has become a "water junkie" and would do anything from kneeboarding, wakeboarding, and skiing on one he got up surfing this time too.

Stockton and his best buddy Cole.

Taylor and Gramps getting involved in the "minute to win it" gamesElla even was brave this year. On the kneeboard with dad.

The 3 pink amigos

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

Our Little Leprachaun We had a fun day of Green. I was out of eggs that morning, so no Green Eggs and Ham, so I made green milk instead. Ella and Stockton didn't really go for it in their cereal , it kind of looked gross. For dinner I made the traditional Corned Beef with cabbage. I love that stuff and apparently so did everyone else! They ate it all up. Maybe it was because we had rainbow cupcakes with pot of gold jello after dinner.
It's amazing what a little food coloring does, I swear they tasted better than just plain old white cupcakes! They sure were cute and pretty easy to make.

Pancakes

2010-02-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

So who doesn't love pancakes! I made these pancakes a while ago and Nate said they are his favorite. Very hearty and good for you too.

These pictures don't do these yummy pancakes justice, but trust me they were divine! I took a couple different recipes and did my own take. One was from Bobby Flay and the other was Giada De Laurentis. So here is my version:

Lemon-Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

4 cups whole wheat flour, or 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat

6 Tb sugar or 4 Tb xagave

3 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

4 eggs (2 separated)

4 Tbs oil

3 cups buttermilk

1 Tb lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

Blueberries; or my favorite: huckleberries

Mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, oil, buttermilk, lemon zest and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Gently stir in the ricotta cheese. In a small bowl, beat the 2 egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into the batter just until incorporated. Let sit for 15 min. Cook on hot griddle, add berries as desired.

These were great with a more mild syrup so you could get all the different flavors. I used a honey syrup. 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup honey, Heat water and sugar over med heat until sugar dissolves. Stir in the honey, set aside and keep warm.

6 Weeks!

2010-02-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

So Canyon is 6 weeks old already! Time flies. He has already started smiling at us. I have been waiting to get it on film but seems to be rather difficult. Night time is still not great. He did better for a few nights. I found this wonderful Snuggle Me blanket and it keeps him so tight he can't move and he has been sleeping a lot better at night with that on. He is also getting so chubby. See those cheeks! His legs are bigger than any of the other kids at that age and he is getting little rolls on them, so cute!
Here he is after his first Bath. He was more excited to be out than in.Mom and Dad trying to catch up on some sleep. It works best if he is in our arms.Here are my attempts to catch the smile. Stock did a good job and got him to smile at him, you just can't really see it.Ella was the big helper and decided to bathe with Canyon and help hold him!

He's Here!!

2010-01-07T09:16:00.001-08:00

So here I am on Sunday the 27th of December and I thought for sure this was it! I was ready to have this baby. But I guess he wasn't quite ready because he held on for 3 more days.

Here I am in the hospital. Nate loves to get me when I look my best and having a contraction at 8 cm. I was walking around trying to get things moving a little quicker. I decided to try and do it naturally and really it wasn't bad at all until the last 5 min when you are complete and start the pushing process (which luckily for me was maybe 5 pushes and it was over, even with shoulders stuck and the doctors hand in there trying to turn him, OUCH!). So all in all I loved the natural delivery, the recovery has been wonderful and so much quicker. I felt so much better.
Yes, He is finally here! On December 30 at 3:30 pm our littlest bundle of joy joined our crazy family. Canyon John Chugg 8lbs 7oz. 20.5 in long!

No children are allowed in the hospital anymore for health reasons. So the kids didn't get to see their new brother until we were home. Taylor came in and saw him on the couch and started saying "he's here, he's really here!" They really couldn't believe it.

The boys admiring him for the first time. Stockton really loves to hold him and is always the first one to ask.

Taylor and Ella loving their new little brother.

We are so blessed to have a healthy baby and so many friends and family to help out. Thank you everyone for the love and support we have gotten already.

Baking

2009-12-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

So I haven't posted recipes for the longest time, but I have been baking and trying new things. I just tried these delicious little morsels today and they are great, especially if you like dark chocolate like I do. I got the recipe from the back of the Hershey Kiss bag and it was a hit.

Chocolate Meltaway Brownie Bites. I tried them with the mint truffle kisses and the meltaway kisses and the meltaways won!! So go get a bag and try them for yourself. I won't bother putting the recipe on the blog since you have to get the kisses anyway and it is on the bag.

Tis the Season

2009-12-03T13:48:00.001-08:00

A silly picture, but the kids were so excited to get the tree out. I let them decorate it this year. They had a blast at putting all the ornaments on and finding the ones they have made in school years past. I thought I would rearrange and add things but I've decided it's good enough this year and they did a pretty good job!

Andrew turns 9!!

2009-11-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Andrew is 9!! Just the day after Halloween, he woke up early and was so excited for his birthday.
Happy Birthday Anders, Hope you had a great day!!

Halloween

2009-11-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

We flew home on Halloween and got home just in time to Trick or Treat, I have to say this was one of the more relaxed Halloweens at our house because we were still on East Coast time and the kids were exhausted so we went to bed early.I got a lot of laughs with my baby skeleton shirt at the airport.

The Magic of Disney!

2009-11-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

Well, we just returned from our family vacation to Orlando with the whole Thomas fam. We spent a week there going from all the different parks and enjoying the fun of a Disney vacation! The weather was very warm in the 90's so needless to say a 7+ month pregnant mom was very hot.

Ella was enchanted by the Cinderella castle and all the princesses. The girls got to have a special Breakfast with mom and all the princesses came by to say hi and get a photo.

Grandpa even got in on the action and went on the rides with the kidsThe cousins on the Kilamanjaro SafariIn the mouth of Bruce the Shark from Nemo!We had to wait for the Beast to come for the shot with Belle and Ella, she was so happy to see him!Nate was the best Disneyland Dad, he wouldn't stop and took the kids on all the rides at least once or twice until they were exhausted, while Ella and I hung out and did the shows and the smaller rides we could do. We had a great time. Thanks mom and dad for planning the trip and getting us all together for a wonderful vacation!!

Fall means Football!

2009-10-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

This Fall has been football crazy. Andrew started his first year of tackle football which means practice every night from 5:30-7:30 and games on Saturday. He never complained about going each night so I guess he liked it. He learned a lot and got in pretty good shape too. His last game was Saturday and he did awesome.Ella was the best side line cheer leader. Taylor and Stockton were on a flag football team that Dad coached. They had a blast. It doesn't hurt that they were undefeated. Taylor was a power house and would practically score each time she got the ball. Stockton is a speedy receiver and could out smart the others easily.

Trophies at the last game were the highlight of the whole seaon!

It's a Boy!!

2009-10-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

So this is a little late in coming, but yes, we are having another boy!

We went camping right before school started and had the envelope that told us what the baby was. We told the kids we would open it on our trip.

Here are the kids reactions:

Ella was really crying and devastated that it didn't say "girl." She is over it now and happy to be getting a little baby brother.

Family Lake Powell Trip!!

2009-08-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

So our annual Thomas Lake Powell trip finally came. It was somewhat delayed this year due to the new boats arrival. It was worth the wait. The boat was awesome to say the least and will be great fun for all our future trips.Nate and Stockton surfingThey had contests to see who could climb up the rope the farthest.So we gave the family some exciting news one night. We took the kids out on the ski boat and I read them a little poem telling them that we are expecting a new addition to the family!! Yes baby number 5 is on the way. I am due January 7, 2010. The kids had fun going back to the boat and telling everyone the news.
We got to celebrate Nates birthday!Andrew tried wakeboarding which is now his favorite thing to do.Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for allowing us to create all these fun memories with the family at Lake Powell!!

Ella Turns 4!!

2009-06-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

Friday was Ella's birthday. I can't believe my baby is 4, time flies. Of course she wanted anything princess or Barbie. She got to go with Grandma Thomas to Build-a-Bear and got a cute lamb with princess clothes. Then she got to go shopping with Grandma Chugg and picked out, surprise, more princess stuff!She loved her new Princess Dress and couldn't wait to try them on.

Happy Birthday Princess Ella, We love you!!

Cute Hairdos

2009-06-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

So I've been trying a couple of new do's for Ella. They are cute, some may take a while, but she sits pretty still and loves having 'beautiful hair'.
Another plus is they can be fine for a couple of days with just a light touch up!

Dance Recital

2009-05-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Taylor had her big dance recital. She waits all year and does dance just for this one night. She was so excited the day of and couldn't wait to get ready with hair and make-up.

She found Devree back stage and they were both all giggles.

After the performance was a different story. I guess there was too much excitement and fun. It was a long night and she did great!

Memorial Weekend Camping

2009-05-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

The first camping trip of the new year. Always filled with excitement and dirt, or in this case MUD!! Just a few little rainstorms and we were up to our knees in mud. The kids of course, loved it and the boys rode their bikes around splashing mud everywhere.

Ella and Dax

Taylor and Gretel playing Cheerleader with Andrew the Stud!

Duck, Duck, Goose!

How do we get out of here?

We had to pull Boyles out of the mud pit then everyone had to gun it out of the mud trail so they wouldn't get stuck. Always fun and exciting. The best part is finally being home!!

BLT Anyone??

2009-04-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

So who doesn't love a good BLT? They are one of my favorites, but I usually only make them in the fall when the tomatoes are abundant and so delicious. I found this sandwhich and had to try it. It was "totally awesome".

*One loaf of French Bread, sliced lengthwise in half
*2 chicken breasts (put in crock pot with Montreal Steak Seasoning over them and cook until done, then shred)
*1 lb bacon, cooked
*2 tomatoes, sliced
*1-2 sliced avacados
*1 cup Ranch dressing
*shredded cheese
To assemble: Lay bread on cookie sheet, spread with dressing on each bread half, Layer, avacado, tomato, bacon, chicken and cheese on top. Broil open face until cheese is melted and bubbly. This makes 2 huge sandwhiches. Enjoy!!

And the Winner Is........

2009-04-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

So this last weekend was good old Dairy Days!! Nate dreads it every year because it is so much work to show off those beautiful cows. Who knew it took so much effort to get a cow ready for her beauty pagent. They clip their hair, paint their hoofs, wash them, brush them, hairspray and rat their tails, parade them around, it really is a beauty pagent. Well after all is said and done, we faired pretty well. I guess you could say we got the Queen!
Nate and "Brittany's" final walk to accept the award and parade as Grand Champion!!
The Next day is Junior Day. So the kids get to show a cow and get them ready for their own show. They always love it and have so much fun.

For all their hard work and effort they each get a 2 dollar bill, a blue ribbon, and a can of pop!What a day! Just taking it easy and enjoying their awards.

Sugar's Out!!

2009-04-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

So I am on a no or less, sugar lately. I have been using Xagave a natural sweetner in all of my cooking and baking lately. You can't even tell a difference! Another plus is that by using it you also cut back on the fat (oil or butter) in the recipe. So Sunday morning I made whole wheat waffles, whipped cream, apple filling and maple syrup with the Xagave. It was all so delicious and crazy that it was good for us.
Yesterday I made strawberry jam and instead of using 8 cups sugar, I only used 3 1/2 cups of the xagave! It even tastes good and is plenty sweet. One small problem I have, is that the stuff is so expensive!! Why does everything that is good for us have to cost so darn much? Next up, peanut butter bars and whole wheat choc chip and pumpkin cookies..

Tag

2009-03-31T11:44:00.001-07:00

Tag from Candace. It was 4th folder and the 4th picture.

So this is from January. As you can see the girls are showing their OJ mustache. Daddy likes to make fresh juice in the morning and it leaves quite the mark!

tag: Stacie, Julie, and any one who wants to...

Gooey Orange Rolls

2009-03-27T12:23:00.001-07:00

So I tried a new recipe for Gooey Orange Rolls. They sounded way to good to pass up. Here they are.

This was a HUGE batch, I took them to a party that night, so that was my excuse for making them. I think they were a hit.

Gooey Orange Rolls

2 Cups hot water
3 cups Orange juice

1 cup sugar
1 Tb orange zest

3 Tb yeast

2/3 cup oil

2 Tb salt

3 Tb lemon juice

10-12 cups flour

Fillling:

1 cube butter (melted)

1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding

1/2 c. sugar

3 Tb orange juice concentrate

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 cube butter, softened

1 8 oz. cream cheese

2 Tb orange juice concentrate

1/2 + bag powdered sugar

Place hot water, oj, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Mix and let stand 5 min. Add oil, lemon juice, zest and salt. Slowly mix in flour 1 cup at a time. Dough should be a little sticky. Cover bowl and let rise to the top, divide dough in half and roll out like cinnamon rolls. Melt the cube of butter and orange juice concentrate together and drizzle half of the mixture onto the dough and spread around. Sprinkle half of the vanilla pudding onto the dough along with 1/4 cup sugar. roll up the dough into a long rolled log.

Cut rolls into 1 inch and place on greased cookie sheet. Repeat with other dough. I let them raise about 20-30 min and bake at 350 for 20 min. Combine all frosting ingredients and spread on when rolls are still warm.

The rolls were good, but I like my old stand by cinnamon roll recipe better. I thought they would have more orange taste than they did, and the dough was not as soft and tender as my other recipe. Try them, but I would make 1/2 the batch and you will still end up with probably about 16-18 rolls. I would add more orange zest to the filling next time.

Dessert for Breakfast!

2009-03-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we had yummy crepes for breakfast. The kids loved them and said it was like eating dessert.
We had all sorts of fresh fruit and whipped cream and chocolate. I let the kids design their own and man they were a hit. It did however, get them going crazy with all the sugary yumminess.

This is Taylors Masterpiece.

Later that night we had chocolate fondue with the left over fruit another yummy night.

The recipe for the crepes is simple: In a blender combine: 1 Cup milk, 3 eggs, 3/4 cup flour, 1 T sugar, 1/2 tsp salt. Blend then stir in 1 Tb melted butter. Store in refrigerator for about 30 min while you are preparing the fruit and toppings, just to let the bubbles settle. Cook on electric griddle on 250 degrees pour out into a big circle, when slightly firm, flip over and cook other side for about 1 min. Serve and enjoy! p.s. I doubled the recipe for my family.

Frozen Food!!

2009-03-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was the monthly dinner club exchange. There are 11 of us who each make a meal for 11 families and we get together once a month to exchange the dinners.

We line up in a row with trunks open and start dishing out the meals to each car. It only takes a minute then we chat about specific details to the meals or make comments on past and future meals.

Some of the dinners this month were: Bruschetta and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts, BBQ Spare Ribs, Chicken Enchiladas, Taco Pie, Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Yogurt Chicken. Sounds yummy, I can't wait to try them!!
This is really a life saver on the nights when everything is going on and you don't have time to cook. My only problem has been to remember to get it out of the freezer in the morning.

Stockton is 6!!

2009-02-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

February 20--Stockton's big 6th birthday. He was so excited and started his countdown 10 days ago. He never really even said what he wanted for his birthday just presents and fun. So he finally decided he wanted a Star Wars cake and we tried to make a Darth Vader Light Saber, but I ran out of time so I didn't get to freeze it before I frosted it, so it looks a little sloppy. Just as I was adding the food coloring Stock said "I don't want pink," too late it is as red as we could get for Darth Vader.

After opening toys, Stockton opened up the next one and didn't know quite what to think, he got a jersey from John Stockton. Although it is a little big, he loves it and having his name on it is "awesome." I was going to frame it and put it in his room, but he hasn't taken it off yet. He also got a new big boy bike, just like his big brother Andrew. With his new helmet, he was out in the snowy roads today trying to ride it and it already has taken some falls and gotten some scratches, oh well it will be loved. As I tucked him in bed that night, he said that was the best birthday ever!! They say that every year. Happy Birthday little Bocks, we love you.

2009-02-16T15:45:00.001-08:00

Hawaiian Vacation!!

We Just got back from a wonderful vacation to sunny Hawaii. We took all four kids this time and they loved it! They couldn't get enough of the beach. Andrew really picked up on boogey boarding and lived in the water. We had great waves to play in also. Stockton was determined to see a shark. Even though that wish didn't come true (thankfully) he did get to see a pod of dolphins swim right by our boat and they looked like sharks so he was happy. They all loved snorkeling and seeing the fish are turtles swim by.

We even got Grandma and Grandpa to come on a hike with us to see the waterfalls! Grandpa was about to have a heart attack anytime someone went to the edge of the gigantic cliff so he put a big walking stick down and said no one could cross that line. We loved whale watching and just listening to the calming ocean waves. Stockton and Ella came down with a cold at the end of the trip and had to stay in for a day. We all managed to get a little too much sun the last day and now have itchy, peeling skin. Thanks mom and dad for letting us come play at your new place and we hope it won't be the last!
Labels: Hawaiian Vacation

2009-02-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

So this is my first time blogging. I love to look at all the blogs out there, they are so cute. Each time Taylor says "mom, don't you wish we had one of those". So I guess we'll give it a try.