ThAnKSgiVInG AdVenTuRe

This is a tradition for us... forego the typical Thanksgiving Feast and instead go play and stay in Sedona! It is really one of the most beautiful places on earth- we love it. We hike, Ranger Ride, eat lots of homemade ice cream at the Black Cow Ice Cream store in town, hot tub, watch movies, have fires and smores, relax, eat lots of yummy food and snacks... so fun.

Our favorite trail is Broken Arrow- you feel like you are on top of the world surrounded by gorgeous red rock and greenery! The kiddos are really happy in the above pic but weren't happy looking into the sun for the pic.

Allie did AWESOME! She had such a fun time on the rides- we kept them very safe. :-)

Colby really thinks Chris is just his older brother and could not leave him alone the entire trip. Luckily Chris is pretty attached to Colby too and is so good to him- playing games, wrestling, teasing each other, riding in the Ranger with just them, even snuggling up to watch a movie! Thanks Abby for sharing your hubby! ha.

Ger had the 24 hour flu while we were gone :-( but we carried on without him! The kids love going to the Indian Ruins so we checked them out and then had a picnic right by them. Followed by more ice cream in town! Yum.

The view from where we stayed was INCREDIBLE. A 360 of the whole area. Hot tubbing was always a blast- even Allie joined in for a short few minutes one time and was in heaven.

Ok, of course I have hundreds of more pics from this short 5 day trip that I want to post more of soon... As for now- off to fold more laundry. BAH!

Thanksgiving Goody Bag!

I have the craftiest neighbor and friend Kay Lynn- she is is amazingly talented at crafting and decorating, making and baking. I always get so many great ideas from her. This week she dropped this off and I had to share...

The yummiest little Thanksgiving "trail mix" along with a tag about the celebration of Thanksgiving. My kids have loved it- what a great gift to give friends and neighbors!

With all the different ingredients to add I was thinking it would be a great activity to let your kids help put together- everyone has their ingredient to add to each bag or whatever. A fun family activity to assemble.

So whether you want to make it to take to neighbors or just for your fam... make it together for a fun family activity. Thanks Kay Lynn!

Oh the happiness of a child!

Such a big girly now! Taking baths in the big tub. She LOVES her baths.

She's 7 1/2 months now- woah! Can you see her two bottom teethies coming in?!?

And just like the pic- she really is so sweet!

Speaking of happiness... reading the conference Ensign and loved these points of how to find true peace and hapiness by Elder Scott...

May I share four principles which have brought the deepest feelings of peace and happiness into my own life? The Lord has established these cornerstones in His eternal plan, and each one is essential. All work together in harmony and reinforce one another. When they are applied with diligence and consistency, they produce strength of character, increasing ability to convert the challenges of life into stepping-stones of happiness now and forever. They are:

• •

  Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His program to acquire the power to achieve.

• •

  Repentance to rectify the consequences of mistakes of omission or commission.

• •

  Obedience to the commandments of the Lord to provide strength and direction in our lives.

• •

  Selfless service to enrich the lives of others.

CoLBy is FivE!!

Woah- can't believe Colby is five! He is growing up so fast- he promised me that he wouldn't grow ANY bigger than five... but now says he will stop growing up when he is his cousin Dover's age. (16!) Too funny. I do want him to grow up ... but I don't! He is so sweet and funny... easy going and fun to be around. Loving and kind. Energetic and imaginative. Snuggly and affectionate. I feel very blessed and spoiled to be his mom.

He needed a new bike desperately... and he got it! YAY! A new super fast bike that he loves and rides a lot. Mia and Sydney both spent their own money to get him a gift too. So nice!

Colby in action the morning of his bday, just before school. His grin shows what he thinks of it!

Krispy Kreme donuts, hats, and Capri Suns for his Kindergarten class...

And a party with his best buds at Makutu's Island! (Which we still need to get thank you's out for! We are running a few weeks behind around here- ha.)

So anyways, just wanted to share those bday pics from Colby's big day! I'm thinking of doing a Blurb book for xmas and boy am I behind on my blog... ;-) I may do some catching up this week?!?

Answered Prayers...

Many of you know about Mia's accident and ICU stay. I debated whether I should show these pics of Mia... and decided not to show the worst ones right after the accident but had to show you how amazingly fast she has healed because it is truly an answer to prayer. (For those that don't know the story... it's posted at the bottom!)

She LOVED getting everyone's emails! She was so tired with a massive headache and threw up the first 48 hours, but was so brave and strong. Her poor lip was killing her too- it was swollen up huge and had a cut on the inside. :-(

2 days after the accident, on Sunday, we took the kids in to visit. Her poor little face was so swollen and she had a black eye. :-( But she was happy and feeling better and ready to go home! Prayers were answered and she was able to come home Sunday afternoon straight from the ICU. Rarely happens that kiddos leave straight from the ICU the Dr's told us. Originally we were told she would be there until Monday at least... so we were so grateful to get her home Sunday!

A week and a half later! Wow! All the swelling and road rash gone... just some new skin to take care of with lots of bacitracen, mederma, and sunscreen. She was begging to go to gymnastics this week but has to wait at least another month... She is trying to be patient with walking and not running around with the kiddos, but is also begging to jump on the tramp and dance like her crazy usual self! Her headaches are improving and she is overall just happy and healthy and back to herself. What a blessing. We sincerely felt the strength from each of your prayers and know they were answered. Gerron said something to the effect of, "For as much as I wish that never had happened to Mia we had so many spiritual experiences that have strengthened our testimonies that are irreplaceable." She was born at 31 weeks many of you know and was our Miracle Mia then... and is once again our Miracle Mia. ;-) We sincerely thank each of you for your prayers, phone calls, emails, fasting, texts, hospital visits, etc. We couldn't have made it through this scary/crazy time without all of you!

The story: Mia is fiesty and adventurous and super fun. On Friday the 29th she decided it would be super exciting to stand on the side of our car on the way home from a friends house. I insisted she get in the car a few times but she wouldn't budge. She was grinning from ear to ear and promised to hold on tight to two handles. I was traveling very slowly down a straight road and Mia fell off the car somehow. She was unconscious, then had a seizure, and I called 911 immediately. The ambulance took us to Maricopa Medical Center and she had a huge contusion on her forehead, concussion, cut in across the inside of her mouth with a huge swollen upper lip, lost a baby tooth, and got a few scratches and bruises. They did xrays and catscans and luckily there is no bleeding on her brain, but a small bruise. She was very brave throughout the entire hospital stay, though had moments of feeling so sad and being in so much pain. They at first told us she couldn't do anything for 3 months because of possibility of another seizure or head injury, but now said to give it 4 weeks and then we see the neurosurgeon and will decide what activity she can have then!

Cow"ghoul" Cookies...

A fun gift and yummy treat for Halloween. And a fabulous cookie recipe if you don't want to make them in the jar to give away. The recipe is from Bakerella... and i posted it last year but it is so good I wanted to make sure no one missed out. :-)

Cowgirl Cookies


1 1/3 cup all purpose flour


1 teaspoon baking powder


1 teaspoon baking soda


1/4 teaspoon salt


1 cup cooking oats


3/4 cup m&ms


3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


1/2 cup brown sugar, packed


1/2 cup white sugar


1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)



Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add:

1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated. Then roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Makes about 2 dozen.

Instructions for making a Cookie Jar:

Start with a 1 quart smooth Ball jar. I found these at Hobby Lobby craft store. (Or you can buy a case of regular Ball jars at Walmart for cheap). You will need fabric squares 6x6 for top of jar…

Layer the ingredients in like this:

First: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt


Second: oats


Third: m&ms


Fourth: chocolate chips


Fifth: brown sugar


Sixth: white sugar


Seventh: chopped pecans

Pack each level down really tightly. I mean it. Pack it in. Or else it won’t all fit. Also, I added the chopped pecans last, because if the ingredients were too much or not enough, then I could add more or less pecans to adjust. I’d rather sacrifice nuts than chocolate, you know. The ingredients should be flush to the top of the lid when you seal it up.

We had some of the cookie mixes in jars and decided to try and make them in a ziploc- didn't want to make any messes! It turned out great! Colby did it and loved it- you definitely have to squish all the ingredients together but he enjoyed that part...

He LOVES using the small ice cream scoop and putting them on the pan all by himself. He actually does a great job of it too and the ziploc bag made it easy. So I think I will keep some jars of pre-made mixes around because it sure makes for easy cookies when you want them!

Sneak Peak at Halloween...

The kiddos school had a "Fall Festival" and the kids loved breaking out their Halloween costumes early for it and had a blast.

Colby is War Machine from Iron Man- he just calls it the Silver Iron Man. You couldn't wear face masks to the festival so I did my best with the face paint we had!

His "War Machine" face! This was at the very end of the night- it was impossible for him not to touch his face so he's make up is a little rubbed off...

Mia was a beautiful butterfly! It was actually "chilly" the night of so her costume was perfect. A friend let us borrow this one so THANKS!

She told me just how she wanted her face paint... and I did my best and made the rest up as we went along! She was a little dissapointed when our glitter hair spray wouldn't work... but then decided maybe she would paint her hair black on Halloween? hmm... we will see!

Sydney's costume is very special- it was her last sewing project with Grandma Dover before they moved. It turned out so so cute! And she absolutely loves it...

She chose to have black lips... but said she was a good witch!

And Allie got the only costume we had for her age... a monkey costume! We did add a flower bow to the monkey ear... and it was comfy and warm. She loved her banana. ;-)

So fun to get to dress up lots of times for Halloween!

Ever feel like this?!?

I am going to have this framed in a nice large size... as a constant reminder. Ha! I won't even list all the things that have been going on around here... the errands, the to-do's, the kids activities, the daily demands... the dirty diapers- ha! You all have them and know what I am talking about... And with four I am definitely feeling a little overwhelmed at times and trying to prioritize and let some stuff slide. My favorite conference talk was Elder Uchdorf's on slowing down... simplifying your life... choosing to do the BEST things, not just the good things. I loved getting online and reading it over and over. He said, "If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most."

We were sent here by a loving Heavenly Father to live in JOY! To REJOICE! This isn't always easy but when I am stressing out that my once organized house now has such disatrously messy closets and cupboards it is dangerous to open them... or kids that have their quarrels from time to time... the upcoming Primary Program... or whatever other stresses of the moment... I have to think of all my blessings! And think of a loving Heavenly Father and our ultimate purpose here in this life. Brother Uchdorf said,

"As we evaluate our own lives with a willing mind, we will see where we have drifted from the more excellent way. The eyes of our understanding will be opened, and we will recognize what needs to be done to purify our heart and refocus our life.

Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.

Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace."

So though my blog may look like I've got my act together over here ;-) I will show you otherwise...

Exhibit A: BAH!

Exhibit B!

My messy cupboards and closets and drawers... and other areas of disaster will get taken care of sometime. But I am trying to not stress out but focus on the very best things... re-evaluating where my priorities are... and understanding that "I Can Not Do It All!" How blessed we are to have the knowledge we have- what sweet peace the gospel brings! Can't wait to read the rest of the Conference talks now!

Sandwich Cut Outs...

Kind of a random post... but I saw this idea a while ago and don't remember where. But anyways, we have loved cutting out sandwiches with cookie cutters!

They love doing it themselves... They eat it better because it is that much more exciting than a regular sandwich... and the possibilities are endless! (Do you like our ghetto fabulous fish plates!?!

The girls are always so excited to get a fun shape in their lunch...

Yes it wastes a little sandwich, but my kiddos don't love the crust usually so don't usually eat it amyways. I love the look of the layers- you could do these sandwiches for a party or shower in the shape of the party theme!

Mia LOVES tomato and cheese sandwiches... with mayonnaise. Sydney thinks that is absolutely disgusting- ha! But it's fun to use the mini cookie cutters as well.

One more way to make lunches a little more exciting. What a surprise your hubby would get if you did this in his lunch too!?! ha. I'm pulling out the Halloween cookie cutters this week...

Donuts for A's!

We have a Krispy Kreme around the corner from us.... they offer a donut for every A on your report card! The girlies had fabulous grades so we came home with a dozen free donuts. (Not that we really needed that many.) But every time we go they are so fascinated with watching the whole process through the glass...

Even Allie was excited about it all!

Yummy!

Easy, Fast, Yummy Recipe...

yup, this meets the criteria of

1- Fast

2-Easy

3-Yummy

4- Kids love it! Ger and I LOVE it!

It's a recipe we tried tonight for grilled chicken- really yummy and easy marinade. You can do kabobs with it or just do the chicken by itself. I found it on Allrecipes and it has nearly 5 out of 5 stars with over 1,000 reviews! Hope you enjoy it too. ;-)

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
• 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Note: Homemade Ranch dressing makes this extra tasty. And if substituting dried Rosemary use 1 tsp. AND after reading a lot of reviews I changed the oil to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup that the recipe called for... and also changed the salt to 1 tsp (original recipe had 2 tsp and some people said it was a bit too salty).

Halloween Goodies...

These treat ideas are pulled from another blog but I had to share! So cute! I think they got the idea from Martha Stewart- she had some Christmas Cookie Rolls last year similar to this.

Or if you just want to stick them in a cellophane bag with a tie... go for it!

The website I found them on is http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/. Click on the link below to print up these fun and sassy Halloween labels to use!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLZaqcL2C8VTWKAt6jd2mfFAHScK2IAiSDZWVPq8n_t6-Rg0UeTNcrpia9buHzTPIqct3h-vZea2jRJ5GbVHRCoHIOdmLcJSG2UyS1yiUCrVoMasAg_IA1XEs5uwR10Fat6y2h2mOCTE/s1600/happyhalloweentags.jpg

6 months! WHAT?!?

Allie is just 4 days shy of 6 months- I can hardly believe it! She is still just an absolute joy- such a happy good baby. Loves laughing... loves playing with her sissys... loves listening to Colby sing to her... and loves getting lots of wet smooches from him! Just started eating rice cereal and actually seems to like it. Pics of that coming soon... Already knows how to wave "hi"! ha...

She is sitting up great... her record for rolling over consecutively is 6 times (made great distance from middle of the room to the couch!)... is in 6-12 month clothes for sure... We think she is around 18 pounds from weighing her on our scale...

Is sleeping better and better- up just once in the night- yahoo! Favorite thing to do is play "Pat-A-Cake"... next favorite thing to do is go swimming! She splashes her arms and legs like mad and giggles like crazy when the kids pop out of the water in front of her.

So far has blue eyes and brown hair... with blonde hair coming in we think!?! Loves reading books... loves sucking and chomping on anything and everything. Likes her binky... sometimes likes her thumb... loves to be snuggled when she is tired. She is definitely a full time job but so much fun to have around! More pics soon. ;-)

We've been "Boo"ed!

Wow! It's 105 degrees but already that time of year... Time for Spooking! We got "Boo"ed over the weekend and it was so fun! The kiddos were super excited... The treat was Halloween oreos and lots of chocolate-carmel eyeballs. BAH! ;-) Here's a fun poem/sheet to pass out... the link is http://www.beenbooed.com/ I didn't get a pic this year so here's one from a few years ago! Woah- how the kiddos have grown. Happy "Boo"ing!

Words to Live By

We all have trials. We all do hard things. And then sometimes life is seemingly easy and we forget our true purpose or ultimate goal. But... we all want to be the very best person we can be. This talk is worth watching-so inspiring and speaks such truth to each of us, no matter what our situtation or circumstance.

Elder F. Enzio Busch at a BYU Devotional May 1996

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Ok. These are...

1-quick to make

2- super yummy

3- and our kids even like them.

WOW! Those are the top three things I always ask before trying to decide what to make for dinner. If any of you have recipes that meet these 3 criteria, PLEASE! Send them my way! Pick up a Costco Rotesserie Chicken (or even better the package of shredded Rotesserie Chicken they now carry!) and you can throw this dish together in seriously 10-15 minutes from start to finish... not counting the cooking time of course! There are a few different variations I know but here's the one we use! (It's from a site with great recipes that my sister in law Meghan told me about- http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com Thanks Meg!)

Honey Lime Enchiladas

submitted by Brittany

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

Sauce:

1/3 c honey

1/4 c lime juice

1 Tb chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce

equal parts mixed together of:

mozzarella cheese, shredded

cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I usually use one 9x13 and one 9x9 but it may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top - don't be stingy! (I sometimes use more like 1 1/2 cans- you can freeze left over enchilada sauce in a baggy.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy. Serve with any of the following: salsa, guacamole, rice, beans, sour cream... a salad or green beans!