Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you had a relaxing and fabulous Thanksgiving. We did! Food was yummy! Company was great. Kids played with their cousins an entire 2 days straight . . . which was awesome! Our menu this year was: Appetizers - sweet & sour meatballs, veggies and dip, canteloupe, spinach and artichoke dip with chips, and cheese and crackers. Main - turkey, cranberry sauce (thanks to my MIL), stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, sweet potatoes (ones we had at our R.S. dinner), carrot souffle and rolls (flat ones cause I let them rise on the oven and they got too big and then collapsed *sigh* - my one major catastrophe). Dessert - pumpkin cheesecake, and apple pie with ice cream. I swear I gained 5 lbs. It was all so yummy! My poor baby is probably squashed in there with all that food.

My cute hubby holding up the turkey he just carved - good job!

Funny faces daddy caught while we finished getting things all ready to serve

MK and B making some more funny faces (*Yay cousins*)

Four cute kiddies at the table

Kari and Michael (no family resemblance at all --lol)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Fun Thanksgiving Ideas

Can you believe how FAST time seems to go during the holiday season . . . from Halloween on it just seems to be one fast moving downward slide into the new year. I always find it hard to manage to fit everything I WANT to do into the limited time. Anyway, here are a couple cute quick ideas that I will probably attempt to do with my family this year.

The first one is a thankful chain. I saw this on a blog, and thought it was awesome. There are some other great creative ideas on this one too. Basically, every day during the month of November, each family member writes down something they are thankful for on a thin strip of paper, and then you make it into a loop and attach it to the chain. On Thanksgiving, you can spend some time reading all the things you were thankful for (this is good because I always *hated* being put on the spot to try and think of something I was thankful for -- plus it gives you LOTS of time to think about how blessed you are.)

Ours is clearly a work in progress and while we haven't had full daily participation, I think we have all added at least a link or two to it. I think next year I would use more orange and red and vibrant colors. I still think it is a really neat idea though.

The second is just a fun favor . . . this one is from Family Fun and I hope I will have some time to make some. They are corn crackers (like christmas crackers, but for your thanksgiving table).

DIRECTIONS HERE:

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12062

What are your fun Thanksgiving traditions with your family? I would LOVE to hear about them. Leave me a comment and let me know all about it. Thanks for reading my blog. I know one thing I am thankful for are the awesome people who read my blog, hang with me through the slow times, and leave friendly feedback! Happy November!

FINALLY . . .

It's a girl! We know at last! I was so nervous that we would not be able to find out, but the technician said she can always tell and she has not been wrong so far . . . she got a great shot of our new baby girl's stuff too! Hooray! They really knew what they were doing at this office . . . the equipment was awesome and clear.

Now I get to think pink! E is SO excited because she really, REALLY wanted a baby sister. J was a little less than excited, but oh well. I am so excited that I will have 2 boys and 2 girls. No boys outruling the girls in my house. Here are some shots from the U/S today.

Profile of face

Side View of shin, ankle, and foot

Foot print

Baby Shower for Amy

The baby shower turned out fabulous. I was a little nervous about if anyone was going to come, but they did. YAY! The food was yummy to me! Most importantly, I think Amy had a good time! There were a few kids there as well, and they were all so well behaved and played quietly for a good part of the shower- which was AWESOME!

We played some games (Guess Mommy belly size - using yarn, Don't say Baby -if you do you lose your beads, Guess the Gerbers - actually kind of hard, Good Advice - where you write a problem the mom of a new baby might have, and someone else writes the solution -- pretty funny, Baby Talk words - I am always surprised by what people call things. . . too weird!), ate some food, chatted and had fun.

I think everyone liked the favors I made and the prizes, and the diaper cake went over well. Here are a couple pictures from the event.

The favors I made (sour cream containers that match the diaper cake as well as some of the invites I made for the event! I really LOVE this paper! (My Minds Eye)

Kristi, Amy and Kathy playing games

Amy opening up some gifts near the end of the shower

Amy measuring Rebecca's guess at her tummy size (she was really close but not as close as Marrene who was the winner). I love this picture cause it shows Amy's cute tummy!

Goodbye Grandma

All good things must come to an end. We took my mom to the airport this morning, but before we left, we took a couple more pictures (*something we NEVER do* lol). I wanted to have some pictures of the kiddies with their grandma. I also had J take one of me, E and Grandma (3 generations). Pretty fun! Hope my mommy had a safe and uneventful flight home. *waves*

Happy Halloween!

I can't remember the last time Halloween was on a Saturday! We spent the day making chili, carving pumpkins and spending time together as a family. It was a good day. Busy, but good. Here are some carving pumpkin photos:

Mic expertly scooping out the tallest pumpkin

J scooping pumpkin guts out after I carved Mickey's face

And the finished pumpkins this year:

Shrek and Mickey Mouse

Homer Simpson (DOH!)

We did a quick photo shoot outside the house before we left to get some pictures of the kids in their costumes to put in our Costume Memory book that we made last year, and then we headed off to the ward Trunk or Treat.

We got there thirty minutes late, and therefore we had to set up chairs to be able to hand out candy. It was chaotic and frustrating at first, but eventually, my awesome hubby made it all work out and we had a relaxing time hanging out with the Wright family and eating chili and handing out treats.

Mic chilling out eating some chili and my mom holding baby skeleton E

Ally and J at the Trunk or Treat

Then we walked over to Pacana Park for the big trunk or treat activity. We decided to trick or treat at a few houses along the way. Mic thought this was the most fun part of the night. The party in the park was fun but CRAZY! Tons of people. Kids got more loot and then were feeling tired, so we headed home. All in all, a fabulous Halloween!

Ally and E being goofy at our house before we left and E in his Skeleton costume

Pumpkin Turkey Chili (from allrecipes.com)

I altered this recipe a bit to make it my own/and simplify it. I used McCormick chili seasoning packets (yep, I cheated), and two green peppers rather than one green, one yellow. I just cooked the meat, then stuck it all in the crock pot and let it simmer all afternoon. Original Recipe click here.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey

2 cans kidney beans
3 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 packets McCormick Chili Seasoning

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Pathway Halloween Fun

My mom and I had so much fun at E and J's class halloween parties and trick or treating. The kids were all so well behaved and happy. E is Aurora this year, and J is Spiderman. They were so stoked to wear their costumes. They got SO much junk . . . not sure how we will ever go through it all. EEK!!! (*warning: Picture overload*)

From E's Classroom:

E and her popcorn hand and with her teacher Miss Merritt

E and her desk buddy Lily

E getting wrapped as a mummy and Aubrey wrapping Emi

Aubrey, Emi and E as mummies

From J's Classroom:

Wyatt, J and Sierra being good little students

J's bat with the red glittery eyes

J & classmates making pumpkin faces cut and paste -- and Christian and J in their costumes

Trick or Treating Around the School:

J Trick or Treating and a cute picture of E & J's friend Ally as a cat

E trick or treating . . . so pretty!

E trick or treating from Mickey (Principal Cardine) and J with his class trick or treating

Hey funny face! J being silly as Spiderman

E and J on the slide at the end of the day -- tired and ready to go home

All the loot they brought home from school -- almost no point in going out trick or treating! WOW they have so much junk already! *scared momma*

Trip to Schnepf Farms

We figured out that the last time we went to Schnepf Farms was 5 years ago. CRAZY! J was only 7 months old or so.

We had such a blast this year. We did EVERYTHING (or at least it felt like it). We roasted marshmallows, played mini golf (where J left his mark on a bush because he *really* had to go suddenly and it was far away to the bathrooms *embarassing*), went on a hayride, rode tons of rides, saw pigs race, went in a petting zoo, wandered through the pumpkin patch, and more. We seriously had such a good time. I would TOTALLY go again. I think it had to do with the fact that we went on a Thursday. It was SO not crowded at all. Last time we went there were lineups, but this time, it was smooth sailing to go on everything. My kids went on some stuff more than once. FABULOUS!!! Here are some of our favorite pictures from the ones we got before my camera decided to die on me.

On the Carousel

Little's First Carousel Ride

E's Pumpkin Face Painting

J doing the Jr. Road Rally Tricycles

My Little Baby Punkin' and Momma as a pumpkin head

J driving the Engine of the wooden train in the playgrounds

Little showing off his two teeth while chilling in the stroller

E & J playing with goats in the petting zoo

Watching the pig races . . . I just loved this picture

Posing in front of the building where they do the races

Modest? (22 weeks)

Yet another ultrasound, yet another day of NOT finding out what we are having. ARGH!!! Seriously!!!

The baby was in a weird position and they still could not get a clear shot of the face or of the umbellical cord attachment, so they have decided after two in office attempts to send me to a high risk ultrasound specialist. The Dr. is confident we will be able to see what we need to because they have better equiptment. *crossing my fingers*

Why do I get the feeling this child will be an uncooperative one? *scared*

First picture is of the top of the baby's head and the second is of his/her spine.

Christmas Pictures (by Kiddie Kandids)

I decided that since my kids had a half day, and my mom was in town, I would take the kids and try to get some cute pictures for Christmas cards. Last year I totally neglected to send out any at all, so this year I am working on it early. It was also nice because then my mom did not have to wait to get her pictures in the mail, but could take them home with her when she goes. The one at the top is the one I got for cards. Then the individual of the baby and the other one are just for my wall at home.

The pictures turned out really awesome and the photographer was great as well as the girl who showed me the pictures afterward. She kept my kids busy with coloring, and let me play on the computer to look at them over and over again to decide. It was great! I would totally recommend the Kiddie Kandids in Babies R Us at Ray Rd. Plus, while you wait for your pictures to print, you can shop, which is nice. Anyway, let me know what you think? The scans were a bit dark when I scanned . . . but I think you can see the most important people in them for the most part *smiles*

Halloween Goodie Bag Tags

As usual, the autumn months are just swooshing by. I can't believe we have already made it to the end of October. I will try to be a better blogger . . . I am just finding myself SO busy lately.

Anyway, I made two simple goodie bag tags for classmates for Halloween. I used my nestabilities to cut them out. The kids write "Love, and their names" on the back of each tag. Here are two pictures of the final goodies, with tags. I hope the kids like them -- I know my kids do!

One contains: BooBerry Fruit by the Foot, a gummy eyeball, and a sheet of stickers and a card to make the funny faces on from Lillian Vernon. The other one contains: a halloween pencil, a halloween eraser, a caramel apple pop. I was trying really hard to make treats that would be okay for kids with peanut allergies, since both of my kids have at least one of those in their classes.

Stamps: 2009 Halloween Tags (Papertrey Ink) Paper: Lovely Lilac (SU), Green Galore (SU!), Solar White Classic Crest (Neenah), Only Orange (SU!) Ink: Green Galore Classic (SU!), Lovely Lilac Classic (SU!), Only Orange classic (SU!), Onyx Black versafine (Tsukineko) Accessories: Spool o' Ribbon in black and orange (Offray), nestabilities circles (Spellbinders), cuttlebug (Provocraft), cello bags (SU!), pretzel bags (Wilton)

Tomorrow we are headed to the pumpkin patch and then Thursday is my ultrasound -- hopefully this time we will be able to see everything that needs to be seen, including whether we will be having a girl or a boy!