Growth Spurts!

Mason is going through some sort of crazy growth spurt right now. I know this because:

#1 - the kid who has never been a big eater, eats constantly. He is always hungry. We'll eat breakfast and 5 minutes later he wants to know what he can have for a snack. And that goes on all day long. Always wants something more to eat. Crazy!!
#2 - he is complaining that his legs hurt a lot. This morning he came into my bedroom crying because his knees were hurting so bad and he didn't even want to walk. He'll often ask me to rub "magic lotion" (aka sports cream) on the backs of his knees at night because they hurt him.
#3 - he is tired and ORNERY!! Today was the first time in probably a year that he has had an out and out, laying on the floor kicking and screaming, can't breathe kind of tantrum. It was like he was possessed! It took me by surprise because, like I said, its been awhile since he's had one like that. And although he sleeps between 11 and 12 hours every night, he seems like he needs a nap most afternoons. He won't ever take one, but I'd sure like him to.

So I'm going to measure him and hopefully he'll catch up to Mallorie in height with this growth spurt. If not, that's okay, but we're crossing our fingers. Lets just hope we all make it through this alive!

Mesquite Fun!!

We had a great time visiting Grams and Pops (Jeff's grandparents) in Mesquite over Easter weekend. It was a good distraction from the stress of daily life and we had so much fun! Here are some pictures of the good times. Love to all!

General Conference

I just wanted to make a quick note before I go to bed. I was very glad that I was able to catch almost every talk from General Conference this last weekend. I even took notes!! The kids were great to play and color while it was on, so there weren't a ton of interruptions. Anyway, my point is this: I thoroughly enjoyed conference and I am so glad that I'm able to receive direction from the living prophet and the apostles. I feel like some of those talks were written directly for me in my life right now. I have discovered a lot about myself over the last couple of years and one of the things is that I have a great spiritual strength that I didn't know about. And that I need to rely more on Heavenly Father than I do and not try to be strong and make it through life's difficulties on my own. That is extremely hard for me. If you know the Haag family at all, you'll know that we are strong-willed people and like to do things on our own. But I'm learning...

Skillet Sensations!

You may think this is a weird thing to blog about. Jeff is a little picky when it comes to food. I know, shocker. If you ask him, he will tell you that he isn't, but I know the truth. Well, recently I had some bratwurst that I needed to use and didn't want to just cook them and throw them in a bun, so I looked for a recipe on one of my cooking websites Allrecipes.com. And I found this gem. It is now Jeff's favorite thing to eat. He will eat it every day for three days in a row if I will make it for him. I have to admit it is pretty good. I'm blogging about it because anytime I can find a recipe that Jeff loves, its a miracle. Plus, it is really easy to make. So, here it is. The recipe that Jeff has dubbed "Skillet Sensations".


2 Bratwurst, cooked and sliced into 1/2 in. discs
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2 potatoes, cut into 1/4 in. chunks
1 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 Tbls. soy sauce
1 Tbls. orange juice
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash Pepper

Heat a 10-inch skillet on medium heat. Add oil. Put potatoes in skillet carefully (they'll sizzle). Cover and cook until crisp-tender (about 6-7 minutes), stirring occasionally. While the potatoes are cooking, mix together in a small bowl: soy sauce, orange juice, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Set aside. To skillet, add green pepper, onions, and cooked Bratwurst discs. Cook and stir for about 5-6 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender and the bratwurst is heated through. Pour soy sauce mixture over the skillet mixture. Stir to coat, and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Be careful, you may end up having this 3 or 4 days in a row, its that good!


Recipe from Allrecipes.com translated by me.

Spring is here...sorta!

After two weeks of snow, rain, snow, sun...well, every day its different, we finally had a warm day today. Relatively speaking. Its in the mid-60's today, so the kids decided to sunbathe on the deck between General Conference sessions. They loved being able to go outside without being bundled up!


Also, I took some really cute pictures of them just before church last week when they still looked well dressed. Because, you know after Primary and wrestling through Sacrament meeting, they look a little uh...disheveled. Ha ha!