Arugula Salad with Mangoes, Macadamia Nuts, and Avocado!

I am so craving this delicious looking salad right now!

You can find the recipe HERE.

Are avocados in season right now????

The Pumpkin Patch

 We spent the morning at the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch in Yucaipa. We met my mom there and had an awesome time.

 There were hay bales and corn stalks and pumpkins. All sorts of things to help put us in the pumpkin patch/fall type of mood.

 Max the scarecrow.

 We started out at the petting zoo. It was full of adorable baby goats!

 When baby goats are around the big goats get very little attention.

 Mia and Zack loved these little guys.

 There were a few turkeys thrown in the mix.

 Can't wait for Thanksgiving! :)

 The kids played a little game of King of the Mountain on this hay bale castle.

 Max won!

(Zack has a little red band-aid on his head, because he fell in nursery at church this past weekend and split his little forehead open. He is healing nicely.)

 My mom and I decided to take the kids through the corn maze.

 It  turns out we are not very good at mazes.

 After ending up at more than one dead end and stepping through all sorts of mud and puddles I made the decision to cheat a little. I lead us off the path and through the corn. It was very much against the rules, but I was glad when we found our way out!

 Next it was pumpkin time!

There were all sorts of pumpkin varieties.

 Lots of indian corn and mini pumpkins too.

I bought a bunch for my fall table decorations.

 Everyone got to pick out a pumpkin of there own.

 Max picked out a green pumpkin, and Mia and Zack ended up with little orange pumpkins with long twisty stems.

We had a great time and the kids are already asking when we can go back!

A few thoughts for Thursday

1. Ty is home today and the kids are off from school tomorrow so today Totally feels like a Friday!

2. When it actually is Friday I am taking the kids to the pumpkin patch. They have been looking forward to it for weeks!

3. Ty and I went to Costco this morning and did a little Christmas shopping. I rarely have a chance to get out without the kids and I have to take advantage when I can. (Zack was with us, but he doesn't talk yet, so our secrets are safe!)

4. I bought more brownie mix :)

5. I ate a hot dog :)

6. I just need to get through the rest of October and November and then we can bring home our little baby Zoey!

7. We may need to set up the crib eventually.

8. We are all getting very excited for Halloween. I am so excited to be in our house in our little neighborhood and I am looking forward to a great night of trick or treating.

Happy Almost Friday!

Good Morning!

Monday was a serious work day at home for me. I cleaned and cleaned, laundered, and washed. I love getting things pulled together on Mondays. It seems to help the rest of the week go by smoothly and I always feel very accomplished! Today, since most of the work is done, I am going to spend a little time in the kitchen making this:

Double chocolate Pumpkin cake with pumpkin spice buttercream from Picky Palate!

I am going to top it all off with some festive fall sprinkles for the kids. 

Max and Mia are off at school, Zac is watching Baby Einstein, and Ty is having a little video conference  with some of his converts in Peru! Happy Tuesday :)

Homework

 It's school time for Mia! She has her water cup and a little bag of cool ranch doritos to keep things interesting.

 She is working on her vowels right now.

Love my little miss Mia!

Saturday!

Just a Few Things!

1. It is a gorgeous day in Southern California! We have the windows open to let the fresh air and sunshine in.

2. I took Max shopping this morning for some long pants. The ones he had were just a little too short or just a little too big. We found some great pairs and now he can be styling at school on Monday.

3. I bought a box of Ghiradelli brownie mix for us to make today. I have been craving brownies and sometimes it is safest to go with the mix when you need a guarantee. (Ghiradelli is my favorite brand of brownie mix!)

4. I picked out a going home outfit for baby Zoey the other day. 8 more weeks!

5. I pulled out my scentsy burner this morning and I am loving the spiced apple cider smell that is filling the house!

6. Ty and I got to go out last night and enjoy an awesome dinner all by ourselves. (Thanks to our fabulous friends for watching the kiddos!)

7. We watched Soul Surfer this week with the kids and everyone loved it! Mia didn't really understand what was going on and about 20 minutes after the shark attack scene she asked me what happened to the girl's arm. I told her that the shark bit it off. She covered her face with her hands and said, "Oh No!" It was so cute!

8. Zackary has decided he really likes Clifford. Too bad we only have one Clifford movie to watch over and over again. Mia has decided that she loves Barney. I asked her why and she told me that Barney loves everyone so I guess I can't argue with that!

9. Ty is on call for the next 24 hours so we will be staying close to home and enjoying this beautiful day!

Bar Cookie Crazy

Max is a bar cookie junkie.

He loves cookie bars and brownies alike. I usually have some waiting for him to eat with a big glass of milk when he comes home from school. Yesterday there were no bar cookies and the afternoon didn't go so well. Today I Pinned this recipe for peanut butter cookies off of pinterest. (Find the link HERE) I used the cookie recipe but baked the dough in a 9 x 13 inch pan to make bars. They turned out awesome! Max is going to love them!

Happy Birthday Mia!

 We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of birthday celebration.

For Mia's day I made a cupcake tree. There were funfetti cupcakes with pink frosting topped with cute little eraser characters, and some s'more cupcakes thrown in for good measure!

 I stuck 4 candles into the top cupcake when it was time to sing the Happy Birthday song.

 Mia blew the candles out in one try.

 Mia was born in 2007. That year the American Girl doll of the year was a doll named "Mia". At the end of each year the doll of the year is discontinued by the American Girl doll company. My parents bought this doll back in 2007 and have been waiting for the right time to give it to Mia.

 She was thrilled with her new friend and has been dancing through the house with her all evening.

 Ty and I gave into the squinkie craze.

I think Mia had a great day!

Mia stats:

Mia is 4

she loves pink

she loves nutella

she loves to do puzzles

she loves to dance

she loves fairies and all of the disney princesses

she is a great little girl and we love her tons!

Birthday Morning

After dropping Max off at school, Mia and I went to Starbucks for a little birthday hot chocolate. It was conveniently chilly this morning and perfect cocoa weather. Mia loved getting her own little cup. Next we took mini cupcakes to Mia's school for a little celebration there today. When I picked her up she was wearing a birthday crown and very pleased about being the birthday girl. We are looking forward to more birthday fun later today!

It's October!

1. Tomorrow is Mia's 4th Birthday! I made homemade funfetti cupcakes for her to take to school, but because of lack of planning on my part I did not make enough for us to celebrate with her at home, so now I have to make another cake or buy one or something......

2. Something is wrong with the washing machine and it flooded the upstairs laundry room. Thankfully Ty is coming home soon!

3. I bought enough canned pumpkin today to last me through the season.

4. Max requested hot chocolate with his breakfast instead of his usual milk. He wanted more when he came home from school today. Time to stock up on cocoa!

5. I am 31 weeks pregnant and am planning on buying some really fabulous yoga pants to get me through the final stretch :)