gingerbread cookies

This morning I had the usual help from my little Gwenny while making cookies.

She kept insisting on making cloud cookies.  But am I the only one who thinks there is something wrong with cloud shaped gingerbread cookies?

so so thankful!

For my Savior Jesus Christ and the atonement.

If I had nothing else, I'd have a blessed life.

For more information on the gospel of Jesus Christ click here.

so so thankful! (cont.)

My hubs.

Ryan, thank you for choosing me!

so so thankful! (cont.)

My little Buster Brown.  

Before I had him, I was so worried that I couldn't love another baby as much as I loved Gwen.

What was I thinking?

so so thankful!

I am so blessed!  My list is two miles long.  I love this time of year!

This post will be dedicated to Gwen.

I am so thankful for this ray of sunshine in my life.

some silences aren't good

When you're watching a two year old, and a one year old,

 silence is often a sign of trouble, such as:

these cute babies found 6 bottles of Martha Stewart glitter in the craft room

all six empty.  Sorry Tawnya.

Now these are the kinds of silence I prefer!

dream on.....

I know, count your blessings, and I do/am. But here is my WISH list. Ryan wants the emphasis on the wish.
The Dooney and Burke medium Chiara bag in turquoise, I'd take a yellow one too.

these super cute Dolce Vita flats

a cute little bengal kitten

the Von Zipper Dharma's in the gold/white

these super cute Matix straight leg jeans

how have I gone this long with out the Back to the Future trilogy?

a road bike for the triathlons I dream of doing

a Vita Mix blender!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and pretty pretty pretty please the gold mini ticket!?!?!?!? (dead serious about this one Ryan)

And as long as I'm dreaming, I'll throw in my Volvo XC 90!


And Santa, I've been a REALLY good girl this year!

sorry

I deleted that last post as it was a fictitious email (thank goodness).  I apologize for not checking it out on snopes first.  Thanks Carie!  Darn our two party system and the scare tactics that each side will use.  

To make up for the lies I was spreading, here's a funny story.  

The other day Ryan says to me: "get this, today Gwen was calling for me from the bathroom saying 'daddy, daddy, I need you to bring me some grapes right now!'  So Ryan brought her grapes which she hurried to eat.  Then a minute later Gwen says 'dadddyyy, I NEED an apple now!'  Ryan brings her an apple and asks her why she needs the fruit while sitting on the john.  So Gwen told him because she needed to get the big poop out.  Ryan was baffled, so I explained to him that about a week ago Gwen had been constipated, and so I had a little talk with her about what she eats can affect her BM.  I told her that candy and junk can clog her up, and there are special "magic" foods that can make pooping easier such as apples and grapes.  And how cute she actually listened to me!!!

And in other news, I'm missing Drakes hair.

just look at that cute little curl!

tara, don't read this post!

We went out to the desert this weekend for a BBQ, and look what we found!

A huge tarantula!!

faking sick and wants to wear a bra!

Gwen just got over her cold that she had for a week.  She had a pretty yucky cough, and so each morning I would give her a teaspoon of cough syrup.  (yeah I know that supposedly it doesn't work, but I say the psychological effect is good enough) At first she outright refused to take it, saying it was yucky!  It was orange flavored, so I told her it was orange pop cough medicine.  She then took it and was surprised at how good it actually tasted.  So it got to be that each morning she was reminding me she needed to take it.  

This morning was no different.  She reminded me it was time for her vitamins and cough medicine.  I told her no, that she wasn't sick anymore and that she didn't need the cough medicine.  Gwen then proceeded to fake cough and insist that she was still sick.  I said, "no you're not."  Gwen then said, "yes huh, I am sick because I eat my boogers all the time!"  

(she really doesn't, but Drake on the other hand....)

This silly girl also when watching me dress today asked what I was putting on.  I told her my bra.  She asked why, and I told her that it was a part of my underwear.  She asked why again, so I told her that when she grows up and gets boobies too she would wear one as well.  Her eyes then grew BIG and a smile spread from ear to ear.  About fifteen minutes later, she asked if it was time for her to wear a bra!  

I'm in trouble!!!!!

Jack O Lantern Stew

Halloween dinner has become a tradition in our house that we have Jack O Lantern Stew.  The kids love eating dinner out of a pumpkin, and it's packed with veggies so you can get some nutrition in them before they fill their little bodies with sugar!

Jack O Lantern Stew

1 9-12" pumpkin

1 lg onion, chopped

1 green pepper, diced (I used a yellow one for more color!)

1 red pepper, diced

4 carrots, sliced

3 celery, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb ground lean beef

1 lb ground chicken or turkey (I just used 2 lbs ground elk)

2 C cooked rice

1 lg can diced tomatoes

1 lg can tomato soup

Etch the face you want your Jack O Lantern to have in the pumpkin, rub the pumpkin with oil and put in pre heated (350) oven for 30 min.

In the mean time, chop and then sautee all you veggies.

Just look at those pretty colors!

Remove veggies once they've softened.  Then add you meat and brown it.  Season all you want with S&P (we heart salt!)  

Add veggies back to pan, then add the tomatoes, rice and soup.  At this point I also chopped a zucchini and threw it in.  Bring to boil.  

Pour soup into pumpkin and return to the oven for 20 min.  

Then we had fun trick or treating, came home, stayed up late eating candy and watching movies, then crashed!
We love Halloween in our house!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com