Racing

That is all Caleb talks about these days. In fact, a couple nights ago, he was dreaming about it b/c I heard him talk in his sleep about racing. Last weekend we went out to the track in Atwater to support my nephews, Lamoni and Ammon. They started off the morning with the trophy presentation from the previous race. In this picture, Ammon is in 1st place and Lamoni is in 2nd, you can't get much better than that!After two practices, qualifying and a heat the race started. Here they are 2nd and 4th:

Close up of Lamoni:

Close up of Ammon:

"Little Pea"

Here is a video of Caleb "reading" Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, a really cute book that Mimi bought him from Anthropology a couple years ago. See it here. Warning - this is a long video.

Tricycle

Last week we received an early birthday present from G&G Cookie, Caleb's first tricycle:

Vegas Baby!

Last week Jared need to be in Vegas for a trade show so I had the chance to pop on over and stay for a few days while he was working. I am so thankful for Mimi, who watched Caleb while I went to Sin City! I had been there about 6 years ago for Sarah's bachellorette party so quite a few things had changed. Most of my time there was by myself since Jared was there working so I set on foot to discover all the strip had to offer. I came back with wide eyes and sore feet! My favorite hotel had to be the Wynn hands down. There was so much color in their decor and they had fabulous water features. Here are a couple pictures of the Wynn inside and out:

This beautiful waterfall is displayed on the left hand side before you enter the hotel/casino.


Floor of the Wynn

Indoor courtyard

We also had the chance to eat dessert at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Paris.
and see the Bellagio water show from where we were eating:

Matt & Ashley Shillito's wedding

A couple weeks ago we were honored to celebrate with the Shillito's and witness a beautful ceremony as they pledged their vows to one another. The celebration was held in Newport Beach at the Island Hotel and St. Marks Presbyterian Church. We had a great time catching up with friends and meeting new ones. Most pictures are posted on FB, but here I wanted to post the pictures of what the hotel did to celebrate Caleb, it was pretty fun.This was on the tub, his name spelled out with multi color sponges.
This was on the desk. The plate is full of a yummy treat, it was a tic tac toe game and m & m's. So much fun, what a treat!!

Cousins

Last weekend I went to Atwater (my home town) to pick up my cousins for a couple days of adventure, work and FUN. On Thursday I picked them up and we made our way to whole paycheck I mean whole foods, where we purchased some lunch and a $6 vanilla bean. Alton Brown has this amazing vanilla ice cream recipe which required the bean, it was SO YUMMY! On Friday we went to boomers where Katelyn beat her brother and I at miniature golf (she was flawless on the first 9). After that we went on the bumper boats desperate to survive the 109 degree weather, Katelyn and I shared a boat and these little boys kept getting us wet, then I dropped my glasses in the yucky water at the end of the ride. Here is a picture after we were dry, hydrated and fed right before we left.
On Saturday we made our way to Bass Lake to do some hiking. Caleb really seemed to enjoy himself which made us all happy, here is a picture of them in the water.

Caleb McQueen

Last week Caleb came up to me and and whispered, "I am speed". It was priceless! Of course you can't mimic those things for the camera but here is out best shot:

btw - thanks to my cousin Nick for the editing!

Edible Cookie Dough Recipe

As most of us know, cookie dough is so yummy to eat but not the best idea due to the raw egg mixed in. Here is a recipe w/o the egg and it tastes oh so good. Make sure to have a glass of milk nearby. Also, you might want to half the recipe for those of you who will not get any help eating it.

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter -- softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, mix flour, soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugars; mix in milk and vanilla. Gradually blend in flour mixture; stir in chocolate chips.

Now grab a spoon and dig in! Store remainder in refrigerator or freeze in blobs for a fun treat later.

July 4th celebration

To celebrate the USA's 233rd birthday we were able to gather together with family to play and feast! Caleb really enjoyed spending time with his cousins (once removed), Jessika and Jeremiah.He was also introduced to croquet (which he called golf for the first half of the day).
We tried doing fireworks at the end of the day but Caleb was not a huge fan of the loud ones so he watched from inside the house. Here is a picture of most of us...
Hope you all had a great 4th of July!

He sleeps

Some of you may be aware of the drama that is getting Caleb to sleep. I will spare you the long list of reasons why and just give you the recent run down. Yesterday for nap time Caleb decided to mess up his blinds and climb on his bookshelf to take the decorate pillows off the wall. Today however, he asked if he could sleep in "dada's" bed. I normally say no and put him down in his bed, but today I figured I would give it a try. I told him that if he got up that I would put him down in his bed and to my surprise...