i think we'll keep him

Yes, he thinks he is all that!  And he is!  This is just one of his many tricks with many more to follow, I'm sure!

Dad and the boy--I think they like each other.  

I think he has those disappearing smiling eyes.  What do you think?

kitchen bliss

Okay--so I do not profess to be a great cook, but I do have to brag.  I make mini muffins often enough to be annoyed with my mini muffin pan. You know the routine--trying to spray Pam in each one of the muffin holes so that they don't stick; and then getting them out can be just as tricky! Our family loves lemon poppyseed muffins (recipe from my darling neighbor and her sister's cooking blog sisterscafe), but this time I borrowed (and will be buying) her Demarle muffin pan. Wow!  They popped right out!  And absolutely NO Pam spray which I love because not knowing what is actually in that stuff makes me nervous! This is not a plug for any product. I am just ecstatic how well these turned out and just so happy when I find something that makes my life easier in the kitchen! 

Fall Fun

The neighborhood kids enjoying the fall leaves!  Our neighbor took these pictures with his great photography and post editing skills.  He did a good job!  I hope that he doesn't mind that I post them!  Cute kids, huh?!

Chef Maren

A wonderful family in our ward just had a baby and Maren was desperately trying to find something to do for them!  (You always want to encourage this behavior when it manifests itself!)  I told her that it is always nice to have extra meals on hand because the meals stop coming in and cooking is the last thing that I want to do when I have a new baby. So freezer meals it is.  She planned, shopped and cooked all on her own--only with a little help from me!  I was amazed at how focused she remained the whole day!  

At the end of the day, she made 4 meals and a bag of frozen cookie dough balls! We even had a couple of meals for our family freezer!  

Maren was so proud of herself--as was I!  She was SO excited to make the delivery!  It is so wonderful to witness those moments when your children "get it"--when they really enjoy serving other people and seeing how happy it makes others feel.  Great job, Maren!

thanksgiving 2008

Where did November go?!  Wasn't it just Halloween?  This year we enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday in Nevada with our wonderful family--and lots of sunshine!  Unfortunately, I was sick and was not much use--it was all kind of a blur to me.  The kids had a fantastic time with their cousins!  And we enjoyed a great Thanksgiving dinner together!  

Just a few highlights. . . 

Maren and Ian created these cute turkeys--thanks to Grammy!

And pretzel salad is always a must!!  YUM!

The day ended with a few playing a mean game of Scrabble!

Many thanks to our fabulous photographer, Maren!  She always comes through for us! And a big THANK YOU to the Nisbet family for hosting the weekend!  We are so thankful for our family and the opportunity we have to create memories together.  Wish it could be more often!  We love you! 

More of this little guy

Eli is attracted to our entry table and is constantly banging on it and standing up to it. One day several weeks ago, I heard all of these noises from the next room and then it was silent.  I went to check on him and found him here!  He surprised himself by climbing onto the shelf and didn't quite know what to do next!  He was stuck and couldn't figure out how to get off.  Notice it is only a few inches off the ground!  I could just watch him all day (of course, I literally have to watch him all day or he'd be in the toilet or into dad's computer cords!).

And here is our little concert pianist!  LOVES, LOVES the piano! 

Oh so serious!!

halloween 2008

This is what we saw while driving the kids to school Halloween morning. I think that the temperature gauge said 38 degrees!  What a beautiful, brisk fall morning!  

A few days prior, we were pumpkin hunting for Family Home Evening! Not quite sure about the "night" button on the camera--it made it a bit blurry. But you get the idea!

Off to school Halloween morning!  Notice how dark it is outside--UHG! We have a cat, a skeleton, and a little witch!  They had a school-wide parade followed by a lot of partying. 

Just before the trick-or-treating began--just look at these blondies! Davis had already taken his pillow case for the loot and headed out with friends!