Treadmill Triumph

Yesterday I had to run 12 miles for my half marathon training.

Several things came up and I wasn't able to do it outside.

So I ran 12 miles on my treadmill.

Normally I would post this sort of thing on my running blog but then I thought,

12 miles on a TREADMILL?!

I just had to share that triumph with everyone : )

p.s. and I think I burned enough calories to justify the giant chocolate texas sheet cake a made for myself tonight : ) mmmmm....

Friday Fotos: Homemade play-doh and 6 fingered mom

The other day my friend Laura came over to watch the girls so I could go for a run. As I was walking out the door Teya said, "I want to play with play-doh!" "Sorry" I responded, "You guys left the lids off and now it's all dried up. No more play-doh"

Then I walked out the door and forgot all about it. When I came home however, what did I find on my counter? A tupperware container full of bright blue homemade play-doh. Laura decided to be the awesome babysitter of the year and make the girls some homemade play-doh! They were pretty happy, and I was inspired to be a better babysitter!

I love this 2nd picture because it really captures what my girls hair usually looks like. Teya with her scraggly fly away hair that never stays in a pony tail and that she generally refuses to let me style. Brinley with her own little fuzzy mop that requires a spray bottle to tame but often doesn't get it because she's too busy with other stuff to get her hair brushed. I swore if I had girls they would ALWAYS have their hair done, slickly combed, styled, and accessorized. HA! As if....

And now, a little gem. Brinley is learning to count and I got a clip of her counting my fingers. Apparently she saw one more on there than I normally do. I thought it was pretty cute : )

Little Chefs

When I was in Utah my crafty friend Melinda made these adorable aprons for the girls with their names embroidered on them. I had mentioned on my blog that I wanted to find little aprons for them so she just went ahead and made them!! I thought it was the sweetest most thoughtful gift and the girls LOVE them. Especially Teya who wouldn't even take hers off last night until it was time to get in the bath tub!

With their little aprons we have been inspired to do some kid friendly cooking.

We made the very hungry caterpillar pizza one night.

And last night we decided to make mummy hot dogs.

Probably more of a Halloween type meal but the girls didn't care! They were just happy to be cooking with their mommy.

Thanks Mel for the awesome gift! They are being put to good use!

Brinley's first birthday party

Last week Brinley was invited to her first birthday party for her little buddy William who was turning 2. I don't know why but if felt like a big moment for me, like she was being asked on her first date or something! I guess it just made me feel sentimental so I kept the invitation for her scrapbook : )

it was the cutest little Elmo party, the kids played pin the crayon in Elmo's hand and Elmo bean bag toss.

They also got to paint and play with play-doh, which were huge hits with the Brinster

Best of all there was a little mini bounce house for all the little tots to play in

Brinley had a blast and once again I was reminded that babies sure don't stay babies for very long.

Sidewalk Chalk and my first iMovie!

Here's my first attempt at using iMovie. It's actually really easy and so much fun! I'll probably start putting more videos up now that I can edit them with such a neat program!

This is a little montage from the girls favorite activity lately, sidewalk chalk. The last 3 days the weather has been gorgeous, and we usually find ourselves outside at least a couple times a day chalking up the driveway.

They love to have me trace their bodies and Teya loves tracing mine and Brinley's. Teya also taught Brinley how to do hopscotch. I don't know why but the first clip of her hopping with both feet is just the cutest thing ever to me. She just seems so little to be doing that already! Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Sidewalk Chalk - March 2010 from Rigg Family on Vimeo.

Delicious GUILTLESS Recipes!!

Being a foodie has it's disadvantages, mainly the toll it takes on your waistline. Which is why I am SO pumped about these recipes I found on the weightwatchers website. I know, I know...You're thinking, "weightwatchers....diet food? Bleh!"

But this is not diet food!! At least, it doesn't taste like it. It's rich, savory and DELICIOUS!!! My family went crazy over it, even Brinley was chowing it down! And when you find a recipe that's good for you and that your kids will actually eat, well, it's only right to share.

Recipe 1: Mushroom Risotto: 5 ww points per serving

I made two risottos, I'll share both recipes but this one was hands down the family favorite. So flavorful and creamy. Taber was just sad I didn't double the recipe! (by the way, I took this picture when the food was still piping hot and you can kind of see the yummy aromatic steam coming off it. mmmmmmm....)

Ingredients

	5 cup(s) vegetable broth, mushroom-flavor recommended (I coudn't find mushroom flavor but I still thought it tasted awesome with regular vegetable broth)
	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	2 tsp unsalted butter, divided
	1 small onion(s), minced
	1 pound(s) cremini mushrooms, shredded or thinly sliced (also known as baby bellas)
	1/3 cup(s) white wine (They have cooking wine in the vinegar section)
	1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked arborio rice (found this by the regular rice in a little box)
	1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano recommended
	1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
	1/2 cup(s) parsley, fresh, minced

Instructions

• Place broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm.
  
  
• Meanwhile, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add1 teaspoon butter and cook until melted.
  
  
• Add onion; cook, stirring, until onion begins to caramelize, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release moisture, about 5 minutes. Add wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; reduce liquid by half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan; set aside.
  
  
• Add remaining teaspoon of butter to same pan; cook until melted. Add rice; stir to coat with butter. Pour about 1/2 cup warm broth into rice; stir to keep grains from sticking to sides of pan. Keep stirring until all of broth is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup warm broth and repeat process. Keep adding broth and stirring in this manner until all of broth is used and rice is just cooked but not mushy (should still be slightly chewy), about 18 to 20 minutes. (this is the most time consuming part because you really have to babysit it for the whole 20 minutes, but again, totally worth it!)
  
  
• Stir in vegetables and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in parsley. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving.

Recipe 2: Creamy Orzo Risotto with Butternut Squash 5 ww points per serving

The butternut squash was a beast to cut up, but I did that while Brinley was napping so when it was time to make dinner everything went really smoothly. Taber and I loved this one, the butternut squash has a subtle sweetness to it that really balances the creamy parmesan flavor of the pasta.

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	2 cup(s) butternut squash, cut into small cubes
	1/2 tsp olive oil
	1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
	1 cup(s) uncooked orzo
	1 1/2 cup(s) water
	1 cup(s) canned chicken broth
	1 tsp thyme, fresh, or 8 whole sprigs (sprigs preferred) (I didn't have fresh thyme so I used 1/2 tsp of dried)
	2 Tbsp fat-free half-and-half
	1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano
	1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a small rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
  
  
• In a medium bowl, toss squash with oil and salt; spread in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, leaving space between squash cubes. Roast, stirring halfway through, until squash is tender and lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  
  
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add orzo. Stir constantly until orzo begins to smell toasty, about 3 minutes. Add water, broth and thyme sprigs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is nearly absorbed, about 15 minutes.
  
  
• Remove thyme sprigs; stir in half-and-half, cheese and roasted squash. Season well with salt and pepper; serve. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

Recipe 3: chocolate dipped macaroons: 1 ww point per serving

And you can't have a great dinner without dessert right? This recipe looked easy and I had all the ingredients so I figured why not? We tried them with and without the chocolate. Taber liked them better without and I liked them better with! I probably ate more than I needed but hey, at one point each I didn't feel too bad : )

Ingredients

	3 large egg white(s)
	2/3 cup(s) sugar
	1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
	2 1/2 cup(s) packaged shredded coconut, unsweetened
	3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small bits

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line one or two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  
  
• In a large bowl, whisk egg whites with sugar. Add vanilla and coconut; stir to combine.
  
  
• Scoop up a level tablespoon of batter and form into a ball with your hands; repeat with remaining batter. Place each ball about 1-inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.
  
  
• Bake until tops just start to turn light tan, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove cookies to a cooling rack for about 30 minutes.
  
  
• Place chocolate in a double boiler or heavy pot; melt over low heat, stirring occasionally (do not allow to burn). Keep chocolate warm and pliable as you dip tops of cookies into chocolate. Place dipped cookies on a metal tray evenly spread apart so they’re not touching; freeze until chocolate sets, about 20 to 30 minutes. Yields 1 cookie per serving.

Hope you enjoy these! I know I did : )

Family Update

Last Saturday was the official 2 month mark of living in New Hampshire, so I thought it would be appropriate to do a family update to let you know how everyone is doing.

Taber:

Taber has really sunk his teeth into his new role as HR manager. He has a 40 minute commute each way and has to work some crazy hours sometimes since the plant operates around the clock. Sometimes he will go in at 6am, come home for dinner, and go back in at 10pm! He works very hard but I can tell he's enjoying it. He just seems really confident and like he's stretching and growing in his job. Sometimes he brings his work home, but we don't mind since it's usually in the form of trix flavored yogurt or chocolate raspberry delights!

Another exciting thing that Taber has done lately is pay off his student loan from Grad school. When we graduated we had a fair amount of debt. When we moved to Tennessee Taber started listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio. He liked the show so much that he bought the Total Money Makeover book. 2 1/2 years later and we are now officially debt free! I'm really proud of Taber for making that goal for our family and working so hard to realize it. We celebrated by buying a new computer to replace our dying laptop. After months of watching Taber drool every time he passed by the Apple store, we are finally the proud owners of a Mac. I dragged my feet at first (people are afraid of the unknown and PC's are my comfort zone!) but I gotta say, I really do like it ; )

Becca:

I feel like the transition for this move has been pretty flawless. I've been able to make some wonderful friends who I feel like I've known for a lifetime! The people in our ward have welcomed us like family and have showered us with love and support. Having the church makes moving so much easier! I love going to playgroup every week and already got my feet wet in my new calling as Enrichment Leader with our Relief Society Birthday dinner last week.

My New York half marathon training is going well and I'm excited to run it with two of my friends. Our husbands are all coming down with the kids to cheer us on! I'm really looking forward to it!

Teya:
Teya continues to be her funny 4 year old self. The other day she turned to me and said, "Mom, what if hair talked?" then I guess she imagined what it would be like because she was quiet for a minute and then giggled, "That would be weird!"

She got a bike for her birthday and has surprised us with her diligence in learning how to ride it. She's never even had a tricycle, so the pedaling thing is new to her. After her first frustrating efforts at riding it she stopped and in a dejected voice said, "I...I...I..." then she took in a deep breath with renewed determination and said, " I won't give up!" (dead serious) Everyday she would get up and try it and a few days later it just clicked! Now she wakes up and says, "I'm going to go practice my bike!" Then she speeds around the house like a little pro. Won't be long before we can bring it outside and really get her going!

Brinley:
Brinley is 20 months old and we're starting to get a peek of the terrible twos! She got addicted to watching Go Diego Go on my iPod when we were traveling on the long flights to and from Utah. Now she constantly roams the house saying, "I wan, Ego! I wan iPot" When I don't give it to her she screams, "EGO!" I swear that show has addictive subliminal messages in it because she begs for it like a drug!

When she's not looking for a Diego fix though she's really a pleasant and super funny kid. She's very independent and climbs like a mountain goat, so that keeps me on my toes. She loves to dance and like many kids her age, enjoys being naked. Every time she takes her clothes off she gets really hyper and wiggles her hips while chanting "Shake uh boooteh! shake uh booteh!" Don't know who taught her that one...; )

She just had her 18 month well baby check (a little late) and is in the 30th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight. Short and little stocky but darned if she isn't the cutest little thing I know.

So that's the latest and greatest with the Rigg fam. We're starting to get a glimpse of spring and are looking forward to exploring a little more out here as the weather gets better. : )

Saturday Foto: Fire Eaters!

Friday came and went so here's a Saturday Foto for you : )

Taken in 2000 when Taber and I were dancing in a group called MSO
(Multicultural Student Organization)
He didn't actually dance the Samoan fire knife dance, as you might've guessed from his mariachi get up, but he did learn how to eat the fire.
And yes, my 20 year old self thought that was hot. : )

Highlights from Utah and Jake's Wedding

To get there I survived 2 long flights with 2 kids by myself.

Manchester to Phoenix: 6 hours
Layover: 1 hour
Phoenix to SLC: 2 hours

The Good:
-6 hour flight wasn't full so Brinley got to sit in her car seat and was able to sleep.
-iPod holders work great on airplane windows! girls were thoroughly entertained.
-with the girls plugged into their iPods I actually finished a whole book!

The Bad:
We didn't get into Salt Lake until 10pm (midnight Eastern time)
My brave little travelers hit their limit and upon arriving at my parents house erupted into simultaneous epic meltdowns.
Brinley was screaming so hard her face turned purple.

The Best!
After calming the girls down and getting them to sleep I discovered these insanely beautiful roses waiting for me in my room.
There was a card from Taber saying, "You made it! you're amazing! I love you!"
My heart was all a flutter and suddenly the epic meltdowns didn't seem so bad : )

The next morning the house was in full wedding preparation pandemonium! I jumped in and started chopping tomatoes and onions for the lomi salmon. I actually had a lot of fun chatting with my dad while he taught me how to make it just right.

With all that was going on I was still able to sneak out for some shopping with my sisters! Let me just say that shopping is awesome, but doing it with my sisters is nirvana! LOVE those girls!

Taber flew in late Thurs night and we took a little pit stop on our way home from the airport ; )

The next morning we went to the Salt Lake City Temple for Jake and Scarlet's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and so amazing to be in the temple with my family.

The Uda girls with our MARRIED baby brother!! AHHH! The only sister missing was Naomi, who lives in Chicago and just had a baby 3 weeks ago. With RSV season her doctor strongly advised against flying out with the baby. We missed her soooo much but we were glad she sent her husband Kevin to represent their family : )

The boys with Jake and his darling bride. The only brother missing was Chris, who lives in Thailand and as you can imagine, it's hard to travel out from across the world. We missed him too and are looking forward to his future wedding with his sweet fiance Pae!

The wedding was followed by a delicious luncheon and then we started decorating for the luau. There was a great turn out and lots of good food and dancing. Jake did the haka and there were some great performances of hula as well as cultural dances from the Dominican, where Scarlet's family is from.

I got to catch up with lots of old friends at Jake's wedding. One of the highlights was seeing Scott & Mandy and Joseph & Melinda, two of my best friends from high school and their lovely wives. We all have little girls who are a year and a half old and are going to be roommates at BYU when they're 18 : )

Scott also has a son who is 3 months older than Teya. We told them they are betrothed and it looks like they're okay with that : )

Other highlights from the weekend:

Getting to see my friend Crystal, who I danced with at BYU and haven't seen in ages! She was sweet enough to watch my kids while we were at the temple!

The beautiful breathtaking Rocky Mountains and getting to do an 8 mile run with my brother in law Kevin up Provo Canyon.
(More pictures from that adventure coming to my running blog soon!)

Helping out with my nieces 5 year old birthday party. It was a princess theme and Teya and Brinley both had a ball!

Getting to see Taber's parents who dropped in on their way out to Arizona for Spring break. (sadly I didn't get a chance to take any pictures with them but it was so fun seeing them!)

Catching up with Taber's nephews and niece who are are going to BYU (again, no pictures because I was seriously slacking!)

Eating the green chili chicken salad at Bajio with Rae and Sarah. I seriously fantasize about that place when I'm not in Utah!

-Catching up on chick flicks! Saw Julie and Julia, The Time Traveler's Wife, and Valentines Day.

-Hanging out with my sister Liz and her hubby Tony who live in California. My girls both mistook Tony for their Dad on different occasions : )

-Watching the girls play blissfully with their cousins.

-Just being with family : )

I'm so glad I got to go out and enjoy that special experience with my family. Congrats again to Jake an Scarlet, you guys are an incredible duo!

Teya's Ariel Birthday Party

Monday was Teya's birthday and we celebrated over the weekend with a much anticipated Ariel the Little Mermaid party. She really really REALLY loves Ariel! It doesn't matter if you give her a stick, a rock, a piece of trash, as long as it has Ariel on it you've made her day. It's hard not to give in when it's that easy to make her happy! Here is a look at her fun birthday full of Little Mermaid happiness : )

We decked the house out in streamers and Little Mermaid decor

The table was all ready for party festivities to begin

Taber found these super cute Ariel plates at the Disney store on clearance! He scooped them up for the party and figured Teya would be happy with the new additions to our dish collection.

Little friends started arriving and Teya was ready to greet them in her Little Mermaid dress-up costume.

We had them search for their hidden treat bags while everyone was still arriving.

Then it was on to the crafts. The girls made foam door hangers with lots of stickers and foam paint.

It's hard to go wrong with little girls and stickers. This kept them busy for awhile.

The finished products!

Then it was on to pin the flower tiara on Ariel.

Each girl got her own flower tiara for playing.

After that Teya requested hide and go seek, so they played that for awhile and then launched into making beaded necklaces while Taber got lunch ready.

Hot dogs, Cheetos and fruit salad, a few of Teya's favorites!

Then it was time for the cake!

You can tell she was so happy about her pretty Ariel cake. We sang and she managed to blow her candles out without any other "helpers" pitching in : )

Then she went straight for the frosting.

It was kind of sad cutting into that beautiful cake but I'm happy to say that it tasted as good as it looked!

On to presents!

Everyone brought such fun and thoughtful gifts, including plenty of Mermaid toys, clothes, books, and dolls. Teya was very happy and grateful : )

After a few rounds of Freeze Dance it was time for friends to go home. When they left Teya came up to us and said, "Thank you for my WONDERFUL birthday party Mom and Dad!" I couldn't help but smile at her sweetness and her genuine gratitude.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful little girl. I love you so much and am so grateful that the last 4 years of my life have been blessed to have you in them!