Pumpkins, Baking, & Go Hogs!!

Wednesday evening the girls got a package in the mail from Granny & Pepaw. It was filled with some Razorback necessities (hog noses and sweatshirts), some pajamas & socks!

They put the hog noses on immediately!

When they touched noses Elizabeth just giggled it was so cute!!

showing off one of her new pajamas

Daddy got a new Bass Pro cap - Elizabeth had fun trying it on!

Thursday morning I baked another pumpkin...

and made some more spinach artichoke dip - yum yum!! (Madilynn loves it too!)

Then we (all us girls) made pumpkin cream cupcakes, they were so good!

Here's how I displayed them for Thursday night small group (bible study) at our house...

Saturday morning I added some of that fresh baked pumpkin and a little cinnamon to my normal pancake recipe and we had yummy pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup - so so good! (so good we're probably having it for supper tonight!)

Then began our Razorback Saturday...

the girls showing off their new sweatshirts!

And after two lightning delays Arkansas came out with a win!! Go Hogs!
Sunday morning ready for church

take 2 (i couldn't decide which was better!)

holding hands

I finally got in on a picture!

We had a great weekend and spent lots of time at home together. We've taken advantage of our basement family room more this weekend as there is a fireplace (wood stove) down there. We've had a couple of fires already and they've really warmed up the whole house and kept it warmer through the night! The girls have really enjoyed playing down there and we've moved a couple of chairs down there, so it's more comfortable for us!

Loving the fall weather we've been having, but it's cooling down even more here this week. We woke up this morning to the mountains covered in snow, but it's just spitting snow here today. So beautiful on the mountains I'll have to get a picture of it soon!

Elizabeth's words

For the last week Elizabeth has been saying, "Hello" and "bye-bye" really well. We like to think she is very vocal. She's always making some sort of sounds, and trying to say stuff.


It's so cute wherever we are if we pass by other people she says, "hello" but sounds more like hedow and waves! And of course they say "hello" back and she loves it.


Then whenever we leave a place she says, "bye-bye"


I'll have to try to get it on video soon!

Sunday

Elizabeth sported a little ponytail to church...

After church (while baking cornbread to go with our soup) we played outside, it was beautiful fall weather!

Look who's walking around the yard
Madilynn looked so cute, but she didn't want her picture taken yesterday.

Daddy & Elizabeth playing

so sweet

Mommy & Elizabeth

My attempt to get a picture with Madilynn

During nap time Michael helped me bake a apple pie. He peeled and sliced the apples for me! So, here's our first apple pie of the season.

Did I mention that while my mom was here we got a 10lb. bag of Jonagold apples at a local orchard? They are sooo good! This is all we have left...

Here's some pumpkins and butternut squash from our garden this week!

It's Monday already...I've been doing lots of laundry today- 5 loads to be exact! But it's been a good day!

Thursday/Fall Break!

Thursday morning we said goodbye to Nana and dropped her off at the airport. Since we made the trip to SLC we decided to spend the day seeing some new places! Friday was considered Fall Break for USU, so Michael took Thursday with us and spent some time working on Friday(while no one was around!)

After leaving the airport we went just south of SLC to the Cabela's store...

The girls enjoyed the aquarium inside...lots of big trout!
After Cabelas and a snack the girls napped in the car as we headed to downtown SLC to the Children's Museum!
They had everything little for the kids to play, a construction site, a house, a neighborhood market(provided by Wal-Mart), a farm, and a water works area. Very cool!
I couldn't get Madilynn out of the kitchen in the little house...she loved it!

getting milk out of the fridge

Elizabeth played with the baby in the house

sitting in the little chair

ironing...

Elizabeth spent a lot of time doing this with Daddy following her all over the place!

Madilynn finally made a trip to the market to get more things for her kitchen

She even put her stuff up at the register to pretend to check-out

We finally got her over to the farm to sit on the horse

Riding the horse

Elizabeth & Daddy driving the car!

Then Madilynn made it over to the construction site

she even had to put on all the gear, the vest, hat, and she found a hammer and got to work!

This cracked me up, this other girl came over to play with her and Madilynn said, "Hey girl! Let's work!" and she started hammering. I couldn't stop laughing that she had just said that!! She's so funny and so social!

Then we went upstairs to check out more stuff

building a house with Daddy

letting her paper fly

Elizabeth had to check everything out too!

We had a big time and then we went to the Macaroni Grill for dinner and it was soooo good!! We got home at bedtime...a big day!

Nana Came to Visit!

Last Friday night we picked up Nana at the airport and she spent a week with us! We had so much fun together! Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market and got lots of vegetables. Then we headed to the grocery store to stock up on more food! Saturday evening we even got in a little shopping at Old Navy! (Daddy spent the weekend elk hunting...more to come on that!)

Sunday we got the girls dressed in their new fall dresses!

so cute!
such a stinker...

Nana and the girls

Then we headed out to lunch at Olive Garden!

Michael spent Saturday & Sunday elk hunting aka hiking in the mountains...he spotted a moose, but no elk. Then Monday afternoon he was invited to go elk hunting with someone else and this time on horseback....

Michael and "buddy"

They got very close to some large elk, but never saw any he could shoot. (He had a spike elk tag) What a cool experience! So glad they took pictures!

We picked more pumpkins from our garden...and my mom brought me this baked apple pie candle! It's what she always burned at home this time of year, and I've been missing that smell...

We baked the first butternut squash from our garden and made some gluten free muffins

Nana and the girls by the river

The weather was great and we enjoyed the time we were able to spend outside playing too!

The girls being silly, I think they were talking to Mama on speakerphone!

Elizabeth eating her first oreo (well the gluten free version) still good!

yum! Check out that sweet bracelet Nana made...

We did lots of cooking...we made a new spinach artichoke dip (that I loved!!), squash cakes & chicken parm, roast w/potatoes & carrots, beef/vegetable soup & cornbread, more spinach dip, baked apples, and squash muffins. We had a great week, cooking, baking, and playing with Nana! We're so glad you were able to come!!

Kitchen Helpers

Thursday morning the girls helped me bake pumpkin bars! Here they are...we're just getting started and getting everything out...

Then they got busy...cleaning away!
Madilynn did a great job rinsing out the bowls and measuring cups for me! Later she said that was her "second job" - the first is folding washcloths, of course!

And...our final product!

It was supposed to be pumpkin bars, but I didn't have a large pan to bake it in, so instead it came out like a cake and it was great!! With cream cheese icing on top!! Michael was very impressed when I told him it was homemade, he thought I used a spice cake mix with my pumpkin added. It was all homemade and pretty simple! Soooo good!!