Cast: Off

I keep forgetting to mention that Neil got his cast off a week ago. Everything seems to be fine, except that he still walks like he has a cast on. He was pretty excited to get it off (as was I). There were no legos or sticks or anything inside there-- only one piece of corn chex. Anyway-- have you ever seen a kid so excited for a soak in the tub?

Recipe of the Week: Black Bean & Corn Salsa

I brought this to a family Memorial Day Picnic and it was gone in seconds, so enjoy..

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed & drained

1/2 c. red onion, chopped small

1 avocado, peeled, cut in cubes

1 tomato, diced

1 c. frozen corn, defrosted (could used a can of corn)

handful of cilantro, chopped

Dressing

1/4 c. olive oil

juice of 1 lime

4 t. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Wisk dressing ingredients together until combined. Toss beans, etc. with the dressing and serve with tortilla chips.

My notes: all amounts are approximate, I didn't really measure. You could add different types of beans or add bell peppers, etc. to your liking. The picture is from allrecipes.com.

Another tag-- The Hubby One

Tagged by Antoinette about my favorite person...

1. What's his name? Russell Mark (or you can call him Hubba)

2. How long have you been together? married 4 1/2 years

3. How long did you date? 9 months

4. Who eats more? Have you ever seen a Dickson boy eat?

5. Who said "I love you" first? Russ

6. Who is taller? Russ

7. Who sings better? Oh, its probably a toss up

8. Who is smarter? We're both very intelligent :-).

9. Who does the laundry? Me

10. Who does the dishes? Both. I think dishes are my least favorite household task, so I'm glad that Russ shares the load.

11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Russ

12. Who pays the bills? My personal CPA, Russ.

13. Who mows the lawn? Russ. Last time I was struggling to start the mower, Joshua told me, "Daddy will help you with that when he gets home."

14. Who cooks dinner? Usually me. Russ has his specialties, like grilling and tasty breakfasts though.

15. Who drives when you are together? Russ

16. Who is more stubborn? Probably me

17. Who kissed who first? Russ

18. Who asked who out first? Russ asked me

19. Who proposed? Russ orchestrated a great little trip to Moab and surprised me with a ring at the Delicate Arch.

20. Who is more sensitive? me

21. Who has more friends? Russ always says he has no friends (which isn't true), but I guess I'd say I have more.

22. Who has more siblings? Russ by far (Russ #8 of 13; Me #2 of 4).

23. Who wears the pants in the family? I don't really think of it that way. We both have our roles where we take charge.

There you have it. I tag Cheryl, Liz, Katie, & Kristy & of course anyone else who feels the need.

Hat

Neil likes hats. He also likes to put random things on his head and say in his deep little voice, "hat". It makes me laugh every time, so I guess that's why he keeps doing it. Here's a few examples:

Playdoh

Toast

And just for fun, the sombrero we got for Neil in Mexico:

ABC Tag

I'm behind on my tags.. I was tagged by Shanna about a month ago to complete this gigantic tag.

a. attached or single? married for almost 5 years!
b. best friend? Joshua told me today that I am his best friend.
c. cake or pie? generally cake.. I can appreciate a good pie as well.
d. day of choice? Hmm.. Saturday I guess.
e. essential items? chap stick, toothbrush/toothpaste, water
f. favorite color? blue in varying shades
g. gummy bears or worms? worms
h. hometown? Tough question. I've now lived in SLC as long as anywhere else, so the simplest answer is Salt Lake..
i. indulgence-Jamba juice (I love it.. but $4 for a smoothie-- I call that indulgence!)
j. january or july? July for gardening, playing outside, camping, BBQs, fireworks, flip flops, and warm sunshine. What does January have to offer?
k. kids? 2 crack-up boys
l. life isn't complete without? my family
m. marriage date 9/5/2003
n. number of brothers and sisters 1 older sister, 2 younger brothers.. not to mention about a million in-laws.
o. oranges or apples? oranges
p. phobias or fear? minor fear of heights.. that's about it
q. quote? "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul." ~John Muir
r. reasons to smile? Russ & the boys are always doing things that make me smile.. and so many other good things happening in this crazy world.
s. superman or wonder woman? Superman
t. tag 5 people: anyone who has some time on their hands.. this is a long one..
u. unknown fact about me- Family will know this, but in case you don't know why my blog is called hubba-christie.blogspot.com, Russ's nickname is Hubba.
v. vegetables? most anything.. especially fresh from the garden
w. worst habit? not making my bed
x. xray or ultrasound? In my mind, x-ray means broken leg.. ultrasound seems happier.
y. your favorite food= so many things.. to name a few(not necesarily together)-- grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, avocados, chips & salsa, homemade chocolate chip cookies
z. zodiac sign: aquarius

Pegleg

Just a little update on Neil's "condition".. He figured out how to walk on the cast last weekend, which makes him a much happier boy. He has figured out some alternative uses for the cast including kicking his brother and banging it on the side of the crib when he doesn't want to be in bed anymore. Bath time is the most frustrating aspect of the ordeal for me-- I'll be glad when he can get back to his daily scrubdown/soak in the tub. Here's a little video of him playing ball so you can see that life is back to pretty normal for him:

Mexico: The Highlights

We were lucky enough to spend 6 days in Playa del Carmen, Mexico with The Dizzles last week. Much thanks to Aunt Cheryl for entertaining the kiddies-- broken leg and all. For some reason I didn't end up with very many pictures, but here's a few of the highlights:

Evening Strolls along 5th Ave. in Playa del Carmen for people watching, shopping and searching for tasty things to eat..

Snorkelling with sea turtles (Russ also saw a baracuda..yikes!)

Ruins at Tulum

Ruins at Chichen Itza (I think it was 120 degrees outside)

Lots and lots of warm turquoise ocean just like this.. sigh.

The End.

p.s. Happy Cinco de Mayo!