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Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween!

 1. Happy Halloween!
After dropping off Max and Mia at school I turned on a little theme music in the car. We listened (and danced) to Monster Mash and Ghostbusters all the way to Starbucks for hot chocolate.
Such a happy start to our Friday!

2. Sadly.....the jack-o-lanterns that were carved on Monday night are seriously soft and coated with fuzzy mold.
I really want to throw them away, but I am leaving them out through tonight, just for the kids!
(I guess the mold will add to the creepy Halloween feel.....)

3. We will be spending the first part of our Halloween night at a Halloween party with friends, but we promised the kids we would leave early enough that they could still come home and trick-or-treat in our neighborhood.

4. I am so happy for the weekend! 
I have an awesome to-do list for the next few days:
sleep in (at least a little bit!)
go for a long run
decorate for Thanksgiving (make a Thanksgiving thankful chain with the kids)
watch the latest episode of The Kitchen on Food Network
watch the latest episode of The Pioneer Woman on Food Network
finish painting ornaments for our 25 days of Christ 
make brownies with Max

5. Ty and I had so much fun with our little at home date last night.
We stayed up way too late watching our movie, but it was so worth it.

Have a wonderful Halloween and an awesome weekend!


Thursday, October 30, 2014

Thursday Things

 This is Mia's adorable 2nd grade picture! I stole it off of her school ID card. I didn't order the pictures this year, because I never do....but these turned out so cute I am kind of sorry we didn't order them!
We are taking new family pictures in November. Hopefully we can get some good ones.
 Zoey loves raspberries and chocolate. I am quite sure she learned of that wonderful combination from me. It is one of our favorite snacks to share together.
 Today I made a big batch of chocolate sauce. I have been making my own chocolate sauce for years, but THIS recipe is my favorite. It is super simple too. I am taking the chocolate sauce to some of the sisters I visit as a last minute treat.....(Tomorrow is the last day of the month, so it's not as last minute as it could be right?)
 I was sampling the sauce with berries and Zoey joined me.

It's Friday eve! Rejoice :)

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Happy Thoughts


Ty is working late tonight, and I am thinking about the good things that have helped me through the week so far! These are just a few:

1. While I was waiting to pick up the older kids from school, a friend of mine came and sat next to me on the grass. We were able to talk for about 10 minutes before the kids got out. A 10 minute conversation with an adult does wonders!

2. My visiting teacher stopped by with a bag filled with treats. She apologized for bringing over so much sugar. I told her to never be sorry for such a thing. I shared a few treats with the kids, but put a few favorites away for myself!

3. After my meeting tonight, I took the kids through the drive thru at Starbucks for hot chocolate. It was the perfect bedtime snack/wind down tool.
We got home and everyone was able to head right up to bed.

4. Once the kids were asleep, I made my way to the kitchen and made myself a more gourmet hot chocolate.
I sipped it while I browsed pinterest.
It was a great late night snack/wind down/stay sane tool!

5. Thanks to all of that pinterest browsing I now have dinner planned for tomorrow night. Ty will actually be home tomorrow night (first time this week!) for dinner so I need to make something good!

6. I am looking forward to an at home date night tomorrow, after we put the kids to bed. We are renting Divergent, and I am making a giant skillet cookie with hot fudge sauce for the two of us to eat straight from the skillet while we watch.
It is seriously going to be the highlight of my week!

Very insightful!


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Family Night

 I had a super fun evening planned last night. It started out a little rough, because Ty ended up getting home later than we had planned!
We started without him :(
 The kids and I made home made pizza for dinner. Everyone got a ball of dough and I showed them how to squish it into a flat circle.
They piled on sauce, cheese, and toppings.
 The pizza was delicious and everyone ate! Super successful :)
Ty made it home for the second part of our evening....(Thank goodness, because I am not a pumpkin carver!)
 Ty did all of the carving and I did all of the gutting/pumpkin seed prep and roasting.
 We ended the night watching the Halloween Curious George special and drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream.
 Zackary guzzled his first cup and then asked for a second cup. He guzzled that one too.
It was such a fun night!


Monday, October 27, 2014

Life Lately

 We have been painting.
The kids love painting! We have been working on our ornaments for the 25 Days of Christ. (Mia has been working on a few projects of her own!)
 We went to Target and I took pictures of everything the kids said they would like for Christmas this year.
 Max really wants this $100 robot. If it cleans bathrooms and vacuums floors, I wouldn't mind having it around.

Zackary spent all of last week walking around with a black eye.
He ran into the wall so hard that he knocked the paint off. I hope his teacher believed his story when he explained what happened!
 We set up the dining room table for Halloween.
 Saturday night we had our ward Trunk-Or-Treat.
 Zoey was Dorothy.
 The kids came home with tons of candy (as usual!)
We used a bunch of it to make a big batch of monster cookies last night while watching Hocus Pocus. We will be doing that again soon, because the cookie dough was awesome and loved by all.
 Today Zoey and I are home.
 Zoey is using all of the Halloween cookie cutters to make play-doh creations.
Tonight, for FHE, we are carving pumpkins, roasting pumpkin seeds, and making hot chocolate!
I have been looking forward to it!

Happy Monday!
Friday, October 24, 2014

Friday!


1. It has been a busy week and I am so happy it is Friday!

2. Last night I went to a Stake Leadership Meeting for Relief Society. I always dread going, because I would much rather stay home and wear stretchy pants, but the meeting turned out to be completely worthwhile!
I feel very blessed to be able to get some extra encouragement and inspiration.

3. Ty will be working late tonight so I am planning some activities for the kids.
I think the kids are going to love making some, and it gives me an excuse to buy m&m's....win, win, win :)

4. Speaking of Lego creations....THIS blog is amazing! I think we will use it for a little FHE inspiration.

5. Tomorrow is the church Trunk-or-Treat activity. I bought a giant bag of candy and I am supposed to make a batch of chili to share.
The kids are excited to wear their costumes!

6. Max asked me yesterday if we could make peanut butter cups and then make peanut butter cup ice cream....He had me at peanut butter.
Ty is not a peanut butter lover like I am so I am happy to have a partner in crime with Max!
 
Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Block Tower

 Zoey loves her blocks. She loves to build towers and houses.
Ty was home this morning and he built a skyscraper with her.
 She was very impressed and happy with their creation, so I had to document it!
It's taller than she is :)
Maybe she will be an architect.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Tuesday Things

1. Silly souvenir photos like this are my very favorite things to bring back from a vacation!
I have been working on a timeline project for Mia all day. I am using lots of photos. I remember when Ty and I bought our first digital camera, just before Max was born. I am so thankful for all of the memories and moments that we have been able to save!

2. I had a bunch of very ripe bananas on my counter this morning. They were too ripe to freeze, so I made THESE amazing cookies.
So yummy!

3. Zoey had a major meltdown at the store today (no pictures to document that moment!....thank goodness.)
It seems that most of her upsets can be solved with chocolate milk. I need to carry around an emergency supply in my purse.

4. THIS granola recipe looks amazing!

5. Max started a Lego Comic Workshop course at the library yesterday. He built all of his sets and wrote the dialogue, and then photographed all of his work. Today he goes back to upload everything onto the computer and put it all together. I can't wait to see the final product. I am so amazed at what our kids are able to do using technology at such a young age.

6. I adore Ina Garten (aka: the Barefoot Contessa).
Have you read THIS article about her. I would just love to be her next door neighbor!
Monday, October 20, 2014

Monday

 Happy Monday!
1. We had such a nice Sunday!
After church we sat around the table together and worked on painting our "25 days of Christ", Christmas ornaments. We are not done and will need another day of painting, but I am sure we will be finished in time for December!
I made a roast for Sunday dinner. I have discovered that a cap full of liquid smoke does amazing things to a roast cooked in a crock pot.
After dinner we took a walk to the park and then came home to eat THIS pumpkin cake, (Zackary ate 3 pieces on Saturday night. It is really good!) and to watch Toy Story of Terror (yesterday was the first night of ABC Family's 13 nights of Halloween!).

2. Ty will be working long days every day this week including Saturday. We are bracing ourselves and hoping we can make it to Sunday with our sanity still in tact.

3. I listened to THIS talk today.
Really good stuff!

4. In the spirit of all things peanut butter....
I want to make THIS biscotti,
and then THIS hot chocolate to dip it in.

5. Max is getting pretty good on his cornet. Last night he and Mia played a little duet with Mia on the piano. They played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and I loved it!

6. We are so excited that Halloween will be falling on a Friday this year. Ty and I are planning a little driveway bonfire party for the evening. 

Have a great week!
Thursday, October 16, 2014

Thursday Things


1. This morning I am listening to Highlights from General Conference.....Perfect little bits of inspiration!

2. To go along with that...HERE are 64 quotes from General Confrerence.

3. I still wake up every day and run. It is still my favorite way to start the day.

4. We came home from meetings and scouts last night and made a big pot of hot chocolate. Hot chocolate before bed is the best part of cooler weather!
It is time to stock up on cream, chocolate, cocoa, and marshmallows!
Maybe we can try THIS recipe next time!

5. The kids are getting very excited for Halloween! I let the kids pick out costumes from the store this year. Max and Zack picked out dragon warrior ninja costumes. Mia picked out a bunny costume, and Zoey picked Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz....she has never seen the movie, but she looks so cute in that little blue dress and shiny red shoes!

6. I bought 2 enormous bags of Halloween candy. I am hoping it is enough to get us through the holiday. Ty is looking forward to stealing candy from the kids after trick-or-treating.

7. I am pretty tired from the week! Max had 2 reports due this week. Both about sports. He chose baseball and soccer. I am glad today is Thursday. We can pack the backpacks for tomorrow and wipe our hands of homework for the weekend.
Yay!

Happy Thursday!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Weekend Wrap Up


 The four day weekend was amazing! It was a much needed break from reality.
After our San Diego trip on Friday, Ty spent Saturday on a 100 mile motorcycle ride with friends from our ward. He had a great time!

On Sunday we attended stake conference. It was in the Redlands building right next to the temple!
 We got there early so that we could take the kids around the temple grounds and enjoy a little time together there.

Sunday afternoon we drove up to Forest Falls for a hike and dinner at my parent's house.
 I fell and almost killed myself twice. Everyone else was fine.
 I am glad my family enjoys the outdoors. It just doesn't seem to agree with me! I did enjoy the beautiful surroundings and cool mountain air in spite of my calamities.

 After dinner we had hot chocolate and watched episodes of "Mr. Bean."
We always end up watching Mr. bean at my parent's cabin and it is always hilarious.
 Max and Zack stayed the night with my parents. Ty and I took Zoey and Mia home.

On Monday I took the girls out for a little girl time. We picked up some donuts and did a little shopping. At home we made brownies and caramel apples to pass out to friends for Family Home Evening. I was making brownies. I had Mia and Zoey set up to unwrap peanut butter cups to go in the brownies....I looked up and they were just happily sitting there eating all the candy. Not the best helpers in the world, but they were very cute and happy!
We took the treats around to friends last night. It got me excited for Christmas candy and cookie making.

It was sad to hear my alarm go off this morning knowing that I couldn't turn it off and go back to bed!
Back to reality.
Until the weekend :)

Have a very happy week!



Friday, October 10, 2014

Day Trip to San Diego

 The kids are on Fall Break until Tuesday! Ty took the 4 days off so that we could run around and have some fun together. We decided on a day trip to San Diego to start off the weekend. We visited the U.S. Midway museum.
They offered an activity for the kids. They were able to wear headsets and go on a little junior pilot tour and answer questions along the way. At the end of the tour they would earn their "wings".
Ty and I got all the kids involved, but didn't expect anything.....Max took the whole thing very seriously and answered every question with thought and detail. He even held up the tour at times!
He was so happy to earn his wings at the end. It was worth it!
 At one point in his life, many many moons ago, Ty wanted to be a pilot....so it was very fun to sit in these jets.

 Zoey was waiting her turn.....
 I don't know is she is quite ready to head out on her own!
 Mia and Zack took a turn as well.
I love a good Zackary smile!
 There was a lot of information and so much to see on the ship. We were so amazed at the difference between the crew quarters and the officer quarters. If you are going to spend any time living aboard an aircraft carrier, I would only recommend doing so as an officer!

 Helicopters.....

 Inside planes....(When we were leaving this plane, Mia somehow got stuck in her seat belt and someone had to come help her out. Never a dull moment!)

 The kids in the brigg. We need one of these at home :)

After the Midway everyone was starving so we made our way to Old Town for lunch. We had options....mexican, mexican, or mexican....so we decided on Mexican!
Zackary ate the world's biggest quesadilla all on his own. 
After lunch we toured the Mormon Battalion Museum.
 We loved it! The tour was 45 minutes long and held the kids attention the entire time.
 It was very entertaining and very informative. I love learning about church history, because I consider it my own history!
 Max got to dress in uniform.
 He really wanted to take this gun home!
Next we took a walk through Old Town and bought lots of candy from a little shop we found.
We drove home and finished the evening with a little cookie baking. I made THESE snickerdoodles.
I don't even proclaim to like snickerdoodles, but these are seriously delish.

Such a great day!