Lemon Heaven

Like many of you, I love the taste of lemon- a slight lemon taste, not too much. Each week when we host our Bible study, I make some type of sweet treat, and this time I made a lemon cheesecake. It's no secret that many of my recipes come from Cook's Illustrated Magazine- I even have several of their cookbooks, Rob loves their grilling book, and we regularly watch their show "America's Test Kitchen" on PBS. Because of the research they put into each recipe, the recipes never disappoint us. This time was no exception... I have never made a cheesecake that did not crack on the top, but this one was perfect. The secret came in the preparation, which called for the cake to bake in a water bath- a technique I had not tried before. So, besides creating a very steamy environment in the hot oven, the cake was able to bake evenly throughout. Our friends, including Janet and Kevin, loved it! The cake itself was slightly lemon- fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, and the homemade lemon curd on the top was equally delicious. So, next time you're in town or coming over for dinner, remind me that you like lemon, and I'll make this for you! It's a new favorite at the Z house, and I know you'll like it too.
Google "Lemon Cheesecake by Cook's Illustrated" for the recipe; if you can't find it, send me an e-mail and I'll scan it for you.

The heat doesn't stop 'em!

Kevin, Lilly and Janet... Lilly was sad to see them go!

When family braves an Arizona July to come for a visit, you know you're loved. Aunt Janet and Cousin Kevin came to Phoenix last week for a few days. I think they win the award for "second most frequent family visitor"... behind my mom and sister Amy, of course. We were eager for Janet and Kevin to visit- especially Lilly. She loves having people stay at our house overnight and likes it even more when they play with her! While Janet attended a workshop in Scottsdale, Kevin was a super-trooper as he accompanied us to malls, play places and out for bites to eat. One favorite stop for the girls is the merry-go-round at Arizona Mills mall. This mall is not an ideal shopping destination due to the annoying sales kiosks everywhere and "illegal" patrons hanging out simply for the air-conditioning, but there are bargains to be found. And boy did I find them. You may not be surprised to know that I have begun my Christmas shopping. Yes, I know, I am quite the plan-ahead-girl. Thanks to the Disney Store and some super-duper-sales, lots of my shopping is done. Nice! I wanted to extend a special thank you to Kevin for keeping tabs on the girls and chasing Lilly around the store while pushing Claire in the stroller all while I gathered goodies.
As usual, we had a great time with Janet and Kevin- good conversation, many laughs and lots of fun. Janet has always been a super aunt to me, and now she is just the same to the girls. One funny thing that happened... With a very serious face and hint of desperation in his voice, Kevin asked me to convince his parents to buy him a flat screen TV. Perhaps this blog post will convince Santa Clause or someone else to grant his wish... big hint Janet!

Taking a ride on the carousel... twice!
This is what makes a trip to the mall worthwhile, of course.

Morning at the museum

We've wanted to visit the Children's Museum of Phoenix since it opened last year, and a hot summer Saturday was the perfect opportunity to entertain the girls while staying out of the record heat. We arrived by 9am, the opening time, and it was a good thing we did- hardly anyone was there, so the girls had freedom to explore everything without waiting. Here are a few highlights from our morning museum adventure.

Lilly and Claire riding through the "trike wash"

Scrub a dub

Riding under the blower- Claire grins in the breeze

Claire bravely entered the "noodle forest."

Lilly LOVED playing in the supermarket and kitchen!

Just taking a break; playing is hard work!

Beautiful girls!

I know, I know, I am constantly having pictures taken of the girls. Rob is going to cut up my debit card. They're only little once, right? I am an obsessed mom, I know. But, I know that all of you don't mind looking at the many photos of the girls, right?
This photo shoot highlights Lilly's recent 3rd birthday. Of course Claire was along for this photo ride. My goal was to get just one good one of the two girls together, and I think I accomplished this goal. I hope you think they're as adorable as I do- We are truly blessed.

Lilly's latest cute moment: She hugs my leg, looks up at me and says "Mom, I'm your best girl, right?"

My favorite shot!

Claire's latest: She sticks out her tongue when asked "Claire, where's your tongue?" Thanks for teaching her that trick, Nana.

The many cakes of Lilly's birthday

While we didn't have the official family party while in Kansas this summer, Lilly still had many opporunities to honor her big day. Lilly celebrated her birthday many times: 1. Dinner at Chuck E Cheese (every parent's favorite) on her actual birthday and 2. Pool party with the Z aunts on July 3.

When we got back to Phoenix, we had the "big" birthday party. This year, many friends came to bounce the afternoon away at Bounce Jungle. Oh what fun! As you can imagine, Lilly was in heaven- favorite friends, bouncing, air conditioning (what else is better in an Arizona summer), cupcakes and presents. This was the first birthday where she actually enjoyed the event and understood (in a childish way) her birthday's importance. So, we were happy to host another birthday party in Lilly's honor. Here's to many more, darling Lilly- we love you! Below are pictures of all three cakes that fueled the excitement of friends at each event.

Cake #1 picked by Lilly from the Dillon's bakery on her birthday morning.

Cake #2: a masterpiece! She picked this one too.

Cake #3: a cupcake cake. Genius!

Needless to say, we are caked out! For my birthday maybe I'll bake a pie!

Happy Shower, Mariah

Our dear friends Mariah and Vince are expecting their first baby in August. So, to celebrate the occasion, a few of us hosted a baby shower in Mariah's honor. What fun it was to prepare, set-up and throw the shower! I wanted to post a picture of the diaper cake and cupcakes I made for the party. As many of you can relate, I just don't get as much done as I used to now that I have little children in my life, so any opportunity to be creative is cherished. Enjoy these little creations. The cupcakes were in honor of the super-cute cupcake cafe in Wichita called Sugar Sisters. If only they tasted that good...

(Special thank you to my friend Heather for her inspiration of using the "large tip" for the frosting.)

I fooled some party guests... they thought it was edible. :) It's actually made of size-1 Pampers. :)

Best of Friends

Hannah and Lilly in April

It's no secret that Hannah and Lilly are best friends. Hannah lives across the street, and the two spend hours playing. Lately, dress-up is the favorite activity. The other night Hannah was over, and the two of them must have tried on every single dress, purse and pair of shoes that Lilly has in her collection. For Lilly's birthday (and trip back to Kansas) she was given many awesome dress-up toys. This makes great fun for the girls and even more fun for Rob and me to watch them play.

Keep Hannah in your prayers, please, as she continues her battle with cancer. She is so precious to us, and so much fun for the girls. Little Claire loves playing with her also, and we love having her over to play. :)

Playing dress-up

Best Grill in the Universe...

And the winner of "Best Grill in the Universe" goes to Steve and Lisa Loehr... At least Rob thinks it is the coolest home grill anyone we know owns. We enjoyed dinner at the Loehr's home/farm while in Wichita this summer. Steve grilled delicious chicken on his incredibly huge, very impressive, quite functional, homemade grill. Steve, his dad, and brother built this puppy. Throughout the trip, Rob showed almost everyone pictures of this monstrosity, singing its praises and wishing he had one of his own. Rob's secret plan is to ask our Home Owner's Association if he can build one too. Though I can't imagine the neighbors would mind delicious BBQ, they may mind the view of a grill peeking up almost 2 stories over the fence and the massive smoke billowing out the chimney. We can dream... Rob will continue to dream of the amazing brisket he could make on this smokin' grill.
Thanks for a great evening Steve and Lisa!

Here's Lilly and Monica spying on Bernice the Cow... life on the farm is fun!

Lisa, Monica, Steve, Chris and Rob