Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Waffles

I made the best pumpkin waffles for breakfast this morning. Everyone thought they were great. I am usually more than happy to share my food, but I was really sad that Mia wanted to eat my entire waffle.

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
5 tablespoons butter (melted)

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk the egg, milk, pumpkin and butter together. Stir into the dry ingredients.
Bake in a preheated waffle iron.

We ate ours with cinnamon butter and maple syrup !

I am Gaby!

Woo-hoo! I think it means I look just like Eva Longoria!

More fun in the Emergency Room

It was poor baby Mia in the emergency room again on Sunday night! (But for completely different reasons than last time.) Max found a bottle of multi purpose cleanser and sprayed Mia in the face. He never meant to hurt her, but her eyes were badly burned. We took her to the ER where they flushed her eyes with water for 15 minutes. She came home that night with her eyes swollen shut. On Monday we took her to see an opthamologist at Vanderbilt. He said her eyes would heal with no permanent damage, thank goodness! Today she woke up and opened her eyes for the first time since Sunday night. I was thrilled to see those big brown eyes. She is the sweetest little girl. I am so thankful that she is going to be okay!

"Marriage is a joint quest for the good, the beautiful, and the divine." —James E. Faust .

Some thoughts on my own marriage:
I think we have jointly quested for much good and beautiful in our marriage so far. We have made wonderful friends that we have shared laughs with. We have 2 children who remind us daily of our stewardship and that we are all children of our Heavenly Father. We have discovered the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Ty inspires me to be better. I see a lot of divine in Him. I am so glad that we were married in the temple and that we can be together forever!

(in case you are wondering I am the shortest person in this picture)

Curious George and Carmelitas

This is Mia in Max's room. She was watching Curious George and eating Oatmeal Carmelitas. We made them yesterday and have been eating them ever since.

Oatmeal Carmelitas
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter (cold, cut into pieces)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, oats, brown sugar, and salt.

Cut in the butter until well mixed.

3. Press half of the mixture into a 9 x 9 inch pan. Bake 10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle baked crust with chocolate chips and nuts. Top with caramel topping. Top chocolate, nuts, and caramel with remaining flour mixture and bake another 15-18 minutes.
Yum-O!

New Clothes from Mama and Papa!

My parents sent the kids a package with some toys and these sweatsuits. It was pouring rain today and really cold. I thought it was a great opportunity to put them to good use. Max was all for modeling! Mia was just being a goon. We went to Opry Mills and looked longingly at the moose munch at Harry and Davids. Thank goodness Target has the same caramel corn for about $15 cheaper! I did end up buying tons of that antibacterial soap from bath and body works because it was on super sale, and who doesn't love a bargain?

Husband Tag

Ty!

1. Where did you meet? Our mutual friend, Jake, introduced us in Anatomy class at UVSC.

2. How long did you date before you got married? We were engaged after 9 days of dating and married 2 months after that.

3. How long have you been married? 5 years

4. What is your favorite feature of his? His arms, shoulders, and back.

5. What is your favorite quality of his? He is an amazing scriptorian. He has a love for the gospel and a deep knowledge of the doctrine.

6. Does he have a nick name for you? Jessycakes

7. What is his favorite color? Blue

8. What is his favorite food? Steak or Pork Tenderloin with Brownies for dessert

9. What is his favorite sport? I'd say... Shooting, Basketball, and Paintball

10. When was your first kiss? The night we decided to start dating. We were sitting on a park bench at 2 am.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We love to watch Supernatural, and we are always up for ice cream!

12. Do you have children? One cute blue eyed boy, and one beautiful brown eyed girl.

13. Does he have a hidden talent? He is incredibly talented and artistic. he builds beautiful furniture and he can design anything.

14. How old is he? 27

15. Who said I love you first? He did. We had come back from Mexico and we were on a hill overlooking the ocean.

16. What is his favorite type of music? Alternative Rock... Counting Crows

17. What do you admire most about him? His never failing love for me

18. Do you think he will read this? no

I tag: Alex, Jenna, Trisha, and Chantel

Fall

Mia loves to be outside. Today she was sitting in the trees outside of the apartment eating Halloween candy.

Pumpkin!

Max has been asking to get a pumpkin all month long. We finally got one today. I asked Max what he would call his pumpkin, and he said "Max". So here is Max with Max the pumpkin. (Poor Max the pumpkin is unaware of his soon to be fate as a jack-o-lantern)

Finding a Mystery

We went on an exploration into the woods behind our apartment. Max enjoyed walking through the trees. He was thrilled with each new discovery of a rock or stick. He called it "finding a mystery".

Chuck E Cheese

I had $2 just burning a hole in my pocket so we took it to Chuck E Cheese, Max's favorite place!

Max is amazing at skee ball. I think he will be in the skee ball olympics one day. I am so proud.

We had a great afternoon and by the time we got home the kids were exhausted! Ty and I got to enjoy a nice dinner alone together while Max and Mia slept the evening away!

Dumpster Diving

About a week ago I posted a picture of the little kitchen I had found at a yard sale and bought for Mia's birthday. A few days ago I found this one in our dumpster. I cleaned it up, and it looks great. I am giving the other kitchen to a friend who is in the same financial situation we are in. I feel very lucky though. Two kitchens for the price of one!

Thoughts

I search: Everywhere for my keys and find them in the car
I wonder: What I can cook for the missionaries that they will love
I regret: Saying mean things when I could have been kind
I love: My Heavenly Father
I care: About the future my children will have
I always: Sing Mia to sleep
I worry: That I will have acne forever
I am not: Good at keeping secrets
I remember: The first time Ty kissed me
I believe: That because of the Atonement of Christ I can be forgiven of my sins and attain salvation, because of this I will one day live with my family in the presence of my Savior forever.
I sing: All the time
I dance: In the kitchen with Ty after the kids are asleep
I don’t always: Do what I should
I argue: When it involves a celebrity or show I feel strongly about
I write: wish lists for myself every year at Christmas time
I win: Never
I lose:Every game I play
I wish: I could wear skinny jeans
I listen: to Jack Johnson on my i-pod
I don't understand: Ty's brain
I can usually be found: in the kitchen
I am scared: of crazy zombie movies
I need: chocolate
I forget: that we have no income
I am happy: To be in Tennessee!

I tag: you!

Storytime at Barnes and Noble

We love the storytime at Barnes and Noble. Mia's favorite part are the cookies and the stage. She can't wait until the story is done so that she can dance on the little stage and be the star!

Max sat with his friend Dorothy and had a serious discussion about the tv show "Max and Ruby" over cookies and milk.

Before the story started Max did a great job reading Curious George out loud to Mia and me.

Karate Kids

Max and Mia are practicing to be future superheroes to the world. Max is known for his brute strength that is only matched by his extreme kindness and affection towards babies everywhere. Mia charms even the darkest villains with her infectious giggles and smiles. :)

Pumpkin Cookies!

We made these today and Max thought they were delicious!

3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (I used more like 3/4 of the can)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the butter with the sugars. Add the pumpkin and the eggs. Mix in the vanilla.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the flours with the oats and add the baking soda, spices, and salt.
4. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the butter concoction.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Bake 10 minutes.......Fabuloso!

Important Things

What is important? What is necessary?

A large stash of dark chocolate covered almonds

A stack of magazines

Tivo

It doesn't take a lot to make my day. A little goes a long way!

Nap time!

It is nap time at our house. The kids were worn out from a very busy morning. We had breakfast at Panera, one of our favorite places to go, we went grocery shopping, we vacuumed the car, and we visited the playground. I love having fun with Max and Mia and I love having a moment when they are sleeping.

Pigtails!

Mia has a ton of beautiful blonde hair. She is so cute in pigtails. I love my little girl! ( I love Max too but his hair is not much fun)

Guess who Ty is!?

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are talented, knowledgeable and people are drawn to you. You like a good challenge and enjoy the company of a select few, but this is because you are picky and can be set in your ways. Sometimes you over react when things don’t go well, but your intentions aregood and you’re priority is protecting the ones that you love.

I am Pleased to Announce!

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are observant, diplomatic and often aim to please. You are unaware of your

attractiveness and despite being uncomfortable with any form of attention, people enjoy your company. You can be impatient, stubborn and headstrong, but you are true to your word and mature for your age, often taking care of your family and enjoying a good book over chatting with girlfriends on the phone.

Christmas Wish List

I took Max to Toys R Us so that he could show me everything that he might be interested in for Christmas. Here he is with Spike the dinosaur. It was a very fun trip.

Panera!

We went to Panera all of the time while we were living in California. It was just around the corner from my parents house and we loved walking there for breakfast, or lunch or dinner! Today the kids and I stopped in mid-morning. Max had a bagel (he adores bagels) and I had the best hot chocolate that was so good I forgot to take a picture until it was completely gone! It was so nice and relaxing. They had a fireplace with a fire going. I think I want to work more panera trips into our budget!

Aspiring Chefs

Little Mia got this kitchen for her birthday, but Max loves it too. We put it on our patio and they have so much fun with it. Max is always making soup and Mia likes to feed it to her animals!

I forgot the camera!

We had a really great Saturday and I forgot the camera everywhere we went!
This morning I took Max to the Barnes and Noble storytime. They had a special guest today......Clifford the big red dog! Max was so excited. He got to hear Clifford stories and give the real Clifford a hug. After the stories there were cookies and milk for snack. Max wanted to sit at a little table and eat. I sat with him. He is such a slow eater we were the very last ones at storytime. Everyone was gone except for me and little Max, slowly eating his cookie. He finally finished and we went grocery shopping at super wal-mart. Max thought that the Wal-Mart looked like a castle....Ty and I were able to go on a real date! We left the kids with some friends and we went to White House to go shootin'! It was actually really fun. Ty did great and I attempted to be great. I am pleased to say that I hardly killed any clay pigeons today! Now Ty is watching Terminator and I have a relief society lesson to work on, but it has been a great day!

8 Things - TAG

8 TV shows I love to watch:
-Gossip Girl
-The Office
-Supernatural
-Rachel Ray
-Jon and Kate Plus 8
-House Hunters
-What Not To Wear
-CMT music videos

8 things that happened yesterday:
-Took Mia to the emergency room
-Ate amazing tacos for dinner
-Watched the office with Ty
-Had a great workout
-Hugged Max and Mia
-Talked to my mom
-Went to Sam's Club
-Went on an evening walk in the cool fall air

8 things I'm looking forward to:
-Christmas
-Halloween
-Thanksgiving
-Going to the pumpkin patch with Max
-Eating dessert
-Watching Supernatural with Ty
-Getting Mia all taken care of
-The Twilight Movie (November 21!)

8 people who I'm tagging:
Jenna
Dana
Bethany
Trisha
Alexandra
Amy
Rebecca
Caren

Fun in the ER

Over the past few months Mia has had a group of blood vessels growing on the outside of her cheek. The doctors call it an angioma. We were told that it would go away on its own and not to worry about it unless it bothered Mia. A few days ago it started to bother her. If she would scratch at it or pick it it would bleed like crazy, all over her face, clothes, and hands. It took a long time to stop the bleeding each time. Finally today after the house was so covered in bloody rags that it looked like a crime scene, we took Mia to the emergency room. The doctors were really great and gave her medications to stop the bleeding and to help keep everything under control. They referred us to a plastic surgeon that will be able to remove the angioma (all medical people forgive my ignorance with the spelling of the word!) I never would have thought that baby Mia would be getting plastic surgery before me! It was a crazy day but Mia ended up with a cute teddy bear and we were glad to have had some help!

Its Raining Its Pouring!

It is a rainy day in Nashville. Ty had homework and studying to do so I took the kids to Opry Mills. We had a certificate to ride the carousel. It was a continuation of Mia's birthday celebration. They even gave us free balloons, so it was really a party!

The Apple Barn has these really delicious lollipops that keep Mia busy for about an hour. Here she is covered in the butterscotch flavored one.

It was a great outing for a rainy day. We all got some exercise and Ty got some studying done. Maybe after Ty graduates he will get some exercise. :)

Chocolate Rolls!

Chocolate Rolls

1 1/3 cups milk (warmed)
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 package yeast
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
chocolate chips

1. Mix the milk with the sugar and add the yeast.
2. Add the melted butter, egg, vanilla, and salt.
3. Mix in as much of the flour as you can and knead in the rest.
4. Knead until smooth. Let rest for 20 minutes.
5. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a circle and cut into 8 wedges. Place a line of chocolate chips along the widest part of each wedge and roll up.

Bake now: Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Brush with an egg wash, and bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

Bake later: Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove rolls from fridge and allow to rest 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash, and bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

Conference Weekend!

I love conference weekend, especially in October. I love that everyone is home together. I love the great talks and the drive to be better and work harder after each session! We always have pumpkin pie during conference. It is one of the few traditions that we have so I try to make sure it happens. Today we had bbq ribs for lunch, they were on sale at Kroger and few things make Ty happier than bbq ribs. I thought today's sessions were great and I am excited that we still have one more day to go! Tomorrow I am planning a fun breakfast and looking forward to staying in my pajamas a bit longer than usual on a Sunday!

My Boys!

Max loves his daddy. I think he's pretty wonderful too!

Remember what I said about Max's smiles...

Mia in Max's Chair

Mia loves the little table and chairs in Max's room. She likes to climb up onto them and pretend to be a big person. Today she was watching Frosty the Snowman and feeling very holiday.

Happy Birthday Mia!!!

Mia turns one today! She woke up with this absolutely gorgeous hairdo. She had her cupcake for breakfast and she was very happy about it.

I cannot believe my little girl is one! It has a been a great year watching her grow and become the sweet little person that she is.

Muddy Buddies!

Max has a friend, Ava, who lives next door to us. They love to gather grass, dirt, and leaves to make a "soup". Here they are trying out the finished product. Delicious!

Mia's Birthday Box

Mia's first birthday is this Saturday. She got a package from my parents today. It was full of fun toys for her and for Max! She had so much fun just playing with the box. Max was glad for the new toys too. I especially like the new clips for Mia's hair!

Any hope of a good picture?

I was trying to take some cute pictures of the kids in their cute cuddly clothes but they were not cooperating! Mia attacks the camera while I try to take a picture and Max will no longer smile like a normal human being. I still think they are cute though, despite the weirdness.

Treasures

I was reading 3rd Nephi this morning.
3 Nephi 13: 19-21
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth...But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

It got me thinking. What are my treasures? Where is my heart?
Here are some of my real treasures!

My wonderful husband Ty. He works so hard for me. He is willing to go to school and study and learn so that we can have a better life here on earth.

My temple reccomend. I feel so blessed to be able to enter the temple. I feel so special when I go there. I know it is the house of the Lord.

My beautiful children, Max -beautiful blue eyes ... Mia -happy girl
I hope I can be a good mother and teach them truth.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Really what more is there.

The Scriptures. Fuel for each new day

Prayer. Strength and hope

My parents, brothers, and extended family.

Friends. We have been so blessed here in Tennessee. I have met so many wonderful and amazing girls. I am learning so much from them. They make me want to be better!

Eternity. I am glad we have forever.

These are the things that I treasure and wish to have with me forever.
(I would also like to take along some chocolate, here's hoping!)