:: i heart roller derby ::

The time has come to share my new love with you. For the last 6 weeks I have been taking off on a Thursday night down to the Derby Depot, home of the Wasatch Roller Derby, to learn the ins & outs of Roller Derby. Ever since Derby came back on the scene a few years ago I have wanted to play but it has not been so conducive to growing & having babies. Most reactions I have had from people back home in Australia when I told them I have started derby have been, "What?! I thought Roller Derby is really rough & people get hurt! You're so little!" Well... yes, it is rough & I am little but it's also a really fast game which requires a lot of tactical & quick thinking. Plus, its a really healthy way to get some aggression out, and I have always had some of that! 

Our track on one of my 1st nights.

Here's how I found out about the Red Rockette's. I was sitting in a coffee shop down the road & picked up a free magazine, In This Week. I turned to this article about the founders of the Red Rockettes & thought, "Wow. I have always wanted to do this!". The next morning I was showing Danny the article & I looked at the starting date for the new sessions. It was that night and if I wanted to start then I would need skates & pads. Hmm... my quick thinking kicked into gear & I was at the computer researching where I could get them from. I jumped onto Ksl.com & unbelievably there was a set of skates in my size with elbow, knee pads & wrist guards, basically brand new, just an hours drive away. So that afternoon I loaded the kids in the car & took a drive in just about the worst weather ever. When we got there I had to  wrestle the boys out of the car just as it started snowing. Inside the house the gear looked great & fit perfectly, so I took it home, very happy but just a little nervous cause now it meant that I had to go & give it a try. 

6 weeks later & I feel like I am doing great, considering I hadn't been on skates for a good 10 years. Every week I get more comfortable with the skills & just a bit faster around the track. There is really nothing better than getting a little bit of speed on some skates, dodging other girls, then having to pull out some tricky moves so you don't land in a heap on the track to be run over by whoever is behind you. In a few weeks we will get to have our first scrimmage, which should be scary & amazing. I might even be able to swing a babysitter so that Danny can come out for a look. 

As far as outfits go, I think that Jamin is looking a whole lot cuter than me, but he's 3 so I guess that's ok.

My derby name... Salty Vandal

So that is my new love. If you wana know more you can read some of these articles/blogs.

Red Rockette, Babe Rainbow's blog at In This Week
Wikipedia's take on Roller Derby

+ vegetarian success! +

I am always on the look out for good vegetarian recipes that my meat loving boys may actually enjoy. While back in Australia I bought the 'A Taste of Vegetarian' Thermomix cookbook. Since being back in the U.S. I have browsing through it & this week settled on making the 'Tomato Pasta with Vegetables and Feta' (on page 72 for those of you with this recipe book). 

It came out looking quite gourmet, was easy to make & best of all, combines plenty of vegetables to make a great flavour. Danny & the boys gave it the tick of approval which is all I need to put it on the permanent rotation in my meal planning. 

It looks great!

I like it, Mum.

A messy Thermomix but it gives you the idea of how it came together. 

The best thing about this recipe is that it can be done on the stove as long as you have a few pots & pans & a steamer. I have found the recipe on the web here but for some reason they seem to have mixed up the Feta cheese with Parmesan. That might be worth trying too if you are feeling adventurous. 

Let me know how it goes!

+ another aquarium visit +

I woke up yesterday morning to a miserable rainy day, looking down the barrel of a very long week with no family daycare for the boys. Deciding that its better to start out positively I took the boys to the aquarium & it was a definate spirit lifter for all of us. Apparently 11am on a Monday morning is a good time to go the Aquarium because it was almost empty. Good for us & it meant that I could let my almost 2 year old have a little more freedom in the empty rooms. 

I forgot the camera so was playing around with Instagram on my phone. The results are a little blurry but I like how different they look. 

Big fish, little Kael

Jamin & Blue Frog

Kael & Super Swimming Penguins

Jamin & Slow Swimming Penguin

Kael & Stingray

Kael & Fish

Boys Driving Boat

:: makin a mama's day ::

This Mother's Day has had me thinking about all the mother's out there who I have shared a bit of life with... 

The mothers who mothered me when I was a young child & still care for me now with the wisdom of ones who have walked this season of small children. And the mothers who I have the comfort of walking beside right now. In every single of these women I see one thing clearly - love. I see a love that is all about putting your children before your own needs, about loving them with everything you have then maybe even with a little bit more. 

I am constantly amazed by the way that God created 'mother'. The way he laid this need to care for, nourish, protect & teach into our DNA just so that we could have everything we need to care for our little ones. It's not an easy task but it is one that seems to give back again & again. 

So to all the mothers who walk this little bit of life with me, thankyou for inspiring me & for caring for me. Thankyou for helping me to be the mother to my boys that I dream of being. 

Now for a few photos of my Mother's Day here in Utah. 

It started off with a super sleep in (the highest currency in our house at the moment) while Danny made Eggs Benedict for me. 

The finished product that tasted divine!

Followed by coffee's & baby chinos. Yes, Kael's is all over the floor after he decided to shake his cup.

A calm moment for coffee amidst the chaos.

Danny bought me a new dress & some lovely roses. This only reinforces my current pseudonym from Jamin as Dorothy the Dinosaur.

After a very lazy morning, staying my pyjamas & reading books, we headed out for a late lunch at the Bear Diner down the road.

Very American food but I had a craving for a burger & fries. 

Jamin making a silly face for the camera. 

I had a great day feeling special although it did feel a little odd being so far away from our own Mums this year. Happy Mother's Day Mum & Sue. We love you very much! Promise we will be home for Mother's Day next year ok?

:: a cute spring outfit ::

This morning we decided to take a trip into the city to visit our favourite coffee shop with boys. I felt the need to get out of my 'mum uniform' & dress up to greet the beautiful spring weather. I slipped into the super cute dress my friend Becci talked me into buying on our trip to Melbourne in March, added some boots & a cardi & voila. I am not much of a fashionista but on the days I do like to dress up, I want to get it right. I even attempted to style my hair, thanks to this grand post from 'A Cup of Jo'. I suprised my socks off (not really cause I was already wearing boots :) ) because it actually worked & looked very cute. 

It's amazing (& maybe a little shallow?) how much a great outfit can lift your spirits. Any thoughts to add or maybe a picture of your own Mother's Day dress up fun...

+ little boys love... +

diggers, dump trucks, excavators, dirt & pipes

We've been riding down to the street below our house the last few days to visit the very busy worksite. Looks like they are doing some major work relaying pipe under the road & my two boys are pretty interested in all the goings on. This morning the man driving the excavator used his bucket to wave at us. I think the work crew are a little amused by the amount of time we spent sitting on the sidewalk watching them work, but really, it is very interesting & I've never been so close before! We had to move into a driveway to watch after a while because a bucket swinging a metre away just doesn't seem so safe.

It's been beautiful, warm spring weather here this week so a walk to look at the flowers & the trees shooting their leaves & blossoms is one of my favourite things to do. How I love warm weather!

Kael thinks its all pretty great & his commentary consists of "dig, dig". 

Have a great weekend!

:: seriously cool shoes ::

I have a confession to make... I am coveting my 3 year old sons new shoes. Ever since I was 16 year old fire twirler I have wanted a pair of Converse flame shoes & now we have a pair... unfortunately they are in the wrong size 8. Little boy size 8, not women's size 8. Oh well, I will stick with my black & white pair & just live vicariously through Jamin. I think they may just look better on him anyway.

My favourite part of the morning was when I was taking them off & I asked if they felt good to wear while we were out. Jamin looked at me with a cheeky smile & said "Well... they were a bit hot... cause they have fire on them." My boy just made a joke & it was actually funny! So proud!

Now I do have a request to make... I have Jamin in a new pair of size 4 Gap jeans that fit quite well except they are extremely long. As you can see in the photos above I have gone with the option of folding them up into big cuffs. Cutting & hemming isn't an option because he is a growing 3 year old & will no doubt need the length sooner rather than later. So does the folding look ok or do the kids fashion gurus reading have any other suggestions? This one has me a little perplexed.

Kael has just grown into a beautiful light jumper that Jamin was still wearing when we arrived a year ago & I do believe that he looks gorgeous in it. 

My two little men are growing up fast. Loving it!