Trick-or-Twilight?

This year, Alex and I decided to go as Edward & Bella from Twilight. I think it's fair to say that Alex wasn't entirely thrilled of the idea; playing Edward isn't exactly the most manly of costumes. :) But I absolutely LOVE the movies & the books, and we thought it'd be a popular idea amongst the family, so we decided to run with it. Turns out, we looked pretty close to the real thing. ( See pics!)

We went to the annual Halloween party at his aunt's house & we had so much fun! Right as we were walking up, every girl there immediately knew who we were. As for the guys....well...they thought Alex looked like Tom Cruise from Risky Business. Our adorable nieces dressed up as Sleeping Beauty & Belle; my sister-in-law came as the Octo Mom; there were pirates, and 1920's flappers; football players and mad scientists. It was a lot of fun! Afterwards, we went over to a family member's home and watched scary movies. I don't love Halloween so much for the scary stuff, but I do think it's a lot of fun to get dressed up!

"Other Things May Change, But We Start And End With Family"

Alex and I recently celebrated our anniversary & we both cannot believe how fast time has gone by. Alex surprised me with a dozen roses in my favorite color- fire and ice- and they bloomed into some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. We went to a nice dinner & just spent the evening talking about some of our favorite memories since we've been together. We exchanged cards, and I was so touched by Alex's words. He always speaks directly from the heart, and his words are so incredibly honest. He is such a wonderful man, and he is going to make an amazing father someday.

This past weekend, we were able to spend some time with our cousin who is a Marine and is leaving for Afghanistan soon. We are so grateful for his service and the many sacrifices he makes, as well as his family, so that we can enjoy the many freedoms we have. We were sad to say goodbye, but we know he believes so strongly in what he is fighting for, and we pray for his safe return.



We carved pumpkins on Friday with my two nieces- Alex carved a mummy & I carved a bat. I must admit though- we did cheat :) We bought a carving & stencil kit from Wal-Mart, which really are essential for pumpkin carving. The kits provide the perfect little tools to carve the best images, and we had such a great time. We munched on halloween candy, and spent the time with family just laughing and enjoying each other's company. We love the holidays!

Pumpkins 'n' Bread

You know the fall is finally here when you're bundling up in your sweatshirts and boots & heading to your local pumpkin patch! Alex and I took our nieces, sister, and brother-in-law to a favorite pumpkin patch where there is a giant hay slide, a pool or corn kernels that the kids can dig around in to look for candy, and a giant corn maze that's pretty easy to find your way through, no matter what age. We had an absolute blast!! ( I'm sorry that I don't have a picture of Alex for this post- somebody has to take the picture :). We had such a great time, and it was so much fun to see our nieces get so excited. We were kind of disappointed to find out they had run out of hot chocolate because you can't go through a corn maze & be in your sweatshirts without ending the night with a cup of hot cocoa :).

I am also so proud to present my very first loaf of HOMEMADE bread! We had a very chilly day earlier this week, so I made a homemade chili that slow-cooked for 6 hours, and topped it off with...get ready for it... 6 loaves of homemade bread. That's right-I misread the recipe serving size and thought I was making a single loaf of bread, but it actually called for 6 loaves. So, we surprised family with a hot loaf of bread and I happy to say they all loved it :)

Bring on the Holidays!

Hi There!

We're sorry it's been some time since our last post. We've had a lot going on, but we have committed ourselves to keeping up on our blog as often as possible.

We absolutely LOVE the holidays! We love the smell of autumn spices, weekend football games, and getting together with family over good food. This week, we had our two nieces over for the day, and had a lot of fun activities planned. Let me start off by saying that Michael's is the best store for the seasons. The store is filled with so many great ideas for home decor, but also has a lot of neat things the kids can get involved with. Alright, so we picked up some halloween masks- an owl & a pirate- along with paint & brushes. In the pics above, they hold up their finished products. We also made these fantastic spider cupcakes. We took chocolate cupcakes, topped them with fudge frosting; then, added chocolate sprinkles for the "hair" and orange candy gel for the eyes. We finalized them with black licorice for the legs. The girls had an absolute blast! Many times, I caught them taking the sticks of licorice and scooping out fudge from the jar. I hope my sister-in-law forgives me for all the sugar they had yesterday :)

This weekend, we are going to a pumpkin patch with the family. We are bundling up in our sweatshirts and picking out pumpkins, and may be going on a hay ride as well!

To any birth moms reading our blog, we love you and hope you are enjoying this time of year as well.

My Cousin's "Little Miracle"

My cousin had to deliver her baby girl 5 weeks early due to toxemia. We're so happy to report that both mom and baby are doing well! Her little girl was born at 4 lbs., 14 oz., 18 inches long. Before we went to visit her in the hospital, my cousin sent me a picture text of her, and she looked so tiny. However, it wasn't until we actually saw her in person & got to hold her, that we really saw how tiny she is and what a "little miracle" these premies are. My aunt asked if I wanted to hold her, and I was afraid to because she is so small and fragile, but also because I knew I was going to ball my eyes out! And sure enough I did! We are getting close to welcoming our new spirit in to our home, that holding this little one felt like a small glimpse into the future. It makes me so incredibly grateful, every single day, for our birth mother's sacrifice. I would never get to experience the joy of motherhood if it wasn't for her. So thank you!

Birthdays, Weddings, & Homecomings!

Birthdays...

August a very busy month in our family! It feels like it's somebody's birthday every week, sometimes even twice a week! In this case, it was my niece, Amyrlin's, 4th birthday. She was so excited to open her gifts-and so was her sister :) They are so sweet to always share with each other and let the other sister help open gifts.

Homecomings....

My youngest sister returned home from her summer job- we couldn't be more proud of how hard she worked & we're excited to have her back in Utah! It was so fun to have my sister & good friend back so we could spend some girl time together before she starts school. We had a lot of family events going on (missionary homecoming, weddings) and we were able to meet up with extended family to celebrate. In case I'm not making my point... I LOVE FAMILY!

And finally...Weddings!

Our cousin had his wedding reception in his parent's backyard and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! They have a gorgeous backyard, with a white fence and horses, and draped white christmas lights all around the back. They had a to-die-for dessert bar and it was so fun to see everyone get a little dolled up for the occasion. Weddings are always fun in our family because we appreciate good food, good music, and love to dance. We love spending time together and when we see all of our nieces and nephews, it gets us so excited for our baby to arrive!