{o christmas tree}

I think this has to be one of my favorite days of the year. There is just something about going out and choosing the perfect tree, cutting it down, and bringing it home to decorate.

When we left yesterday afternoon, we were bundled up to the hilt. Even though it hasn't snowed yet, it has been cold, and standing outside for what could be several hours can be chilly. So, I was thoroughly prepared. It took us 45 minutes to do it, but we had snow pants, boots, gloves, hats, and jackets on...we were ready to go.

As we were driving, we happened to pass one of those billboard signs that shows the temperature, and it declared that it was 48 degrees. Okay, so we might have overdone it just a bit, but better safe than sorry, right?

After arriving at our favorite tree farm, we chose a saw from the barn, and surveyed the different types of trees available this year. We love long-needled trees, especially the Concolor. When you break open the needles, it smells like tangerines, and makes the house smell so yummy. This year, however, only the short-needled pines were ready for cutting, and we finally settled on the Douglas Fir.

We hopped on the hay wagon to take us where we needed to be, and talked about what kind of tree we would look for. Kate wanted a tall & skinny one, while Miss Emma was hoping for a short & fat tree.

According to Rick, the decision was made in record time--only 30 minutes! He cut it down, and we dragged it back to the path to be picked up again by the hay wagon. Emma insisted on keeping one of the branches, and called it her "tree". That girl carried that branch all the way to the car--how could I not let her keep it?

After getting it shaken, baled, and on top of the truck, we were ready to go. Tradition stated that we stop for hot chocolate afterward, but everyone wanted ice cream this year. Maybe it was the unseasonably warm weather?

Despite the lack of snow, I am definitely feeling the Christmas spirit. Lights are up on the outside of our house, Christmas music is playing almost non-stop, and today the tree will be trimmed. I love it!!

This is the one!



Miss Kate


Ryan carried Jack most of the time, while Rick got the tree down.


Henry missed the whole thing!


Emma, and her tree.


The girls found the tree they wanted to bring home...just their size!

{santa parade}

The Saturday before Thanksgiving is a big day in the town we live in--it's the day of the Santa Parade! It's a super fun tradition that we look forward to each year, but this year was even more exciting, since I had two kids in the parade, and a husband that walked beside the float.

To advertise the Nativity Exhibit each year, there is a live Nativity float done by our two wards. Ryan was a shepherd, and Jack was baby Jesus. How did we choose which baby would play the part? Jack is lighter. :) We figured Mary might get tired holding Henry for two hours!





Can you tell what the girls' favorite part is? All the candy they get! They went home with more candy than they did on Halloween.



Christmas is coming!!

{it's already started}

{my darling girls}

{wordless wednesday}

{three months already?}

Considering how long the last three months of my pregnancy seemed, I guess it's no surprise how quickly the three months since the boys were born have gone. I feel like my life is going in warp speed, and I wish I could figure out a way to slow things down.
These boys are the light of our lives, and we all adore them. The girls have already divided them up (convenient, isn't it---two for two??)...Henry is Emma's "friend", and Jack is Kate's "friend". They take responsibility for "their" baby, and are always more than willing to help.

HENRY



*I really just want to squish him all the time. He is our big boy, and has definitely earned his most affectionate nicknames..."Hank the Tank" and "Bubba" (Emma came up with this one). He's still Henry most of the time though, and his smile takes up his whole face. He does everything big!! As you might guess, he is a big eater. At the time I'm writing this, we have been home from church for 4 hours, and he has consumed 18 ounces of formula. Yeah. Our formula budget is pretty much outrageous. He loves to snuggle, and I love to snuggle him. He is a happy, adorable baby.

JACK



*I can already tell he will be a mover and a shaker. He loves to kick, wave his arms, and play--he is full of energy. I love how he responds when I come in the room, walk by, or talk to him. His whole face lights up, and in turn, lights everyone else up. He is such a content baby, and loves to sit and observe everything that's going on. He has been dubbed "Jack Sprat", or "Jack-Jack". He's just as sweet as can be, especially with his bright blue eyes and fuzzy red hair.

and because I can't resist a good snuggling picture...


(and yes, it was sheet-washing day...)

LOVE these babies!

{halloween parties galore}

Wow. It's now time to take a breath. So many good things, so little time.

1. Halloween Gingerbread Houses

What fun we had making these! Of course a bunch of candy and frosting doesn't hurt, either. Each child's personality came through on their house...Emma was Miss Do-it-Herself ( you can probably tell which house is hers), Kate was mostly concerned about which candy had the best colors, and Ryan was meticulous as he created his house. It will definitely become a tradition at our house! Oh, and you have to love Kate and Emma's bling. It kills me. They even wore it to church. You gotta love what you can get in the grocery store aisle!


2. Halloween Party...Little Girl style

My friend and I decided to throw a party for our girls and a few friends. We played games--ghost bean bag toss, mummy wrap, and donut on a string. Spidery fingernails were next on the agenda, followed by a yummy menu of pretzel spiders, Nutter Butter ghosts, witch's brew, and the ever traditional decorated sugar cookie.



3. Halloween Night

One of the best nights of the year, in my book! I love the excitement in the air, the yummy food, the feeling of family and community, all the fun costumes, and getting together with friends. We enjoyed a delightful dinner of mummy hot dogs and carrot fingers for the kids, and pulled pork sandwiches and pasta salad for the adults. We topped it off with apple cider and Halloween cookies--yum! Trick-or-treating didn't last as long as usual for the little ones...it was FREEZING outside. They are easy to please though, and were thrilled with all the candy the got. After we got home, I put the kids to bed while Rick took Ryan out to another neighborhood.
Oh, and you'll notice I don't have one picture of Mr. Ryan in his costume. For some reason, as he gets older in years, his love of posing for the camera diminishes exponentially. I had my chance at our trunk-or-treat a few weeks ago, but of course I forgot my camera and didn't nary a picture. Take my word for it though--he was awesome as a mad scientist, complete with a very official chemist's flask, borrowed from a good friend, who is indeed, a full-fledged chemist.






Happy Halloween all!!

{take a bite out of...}

I always keep a basket of fruit on my counter, like a good mother should, but in the past it has been in the far corner, and fairly unreachable. This past week I moved it to the center of the island--and this is what I've found...



Hmmmm. At least they didn't throw it away, right?

{fall favorites}

Some things just have to be done in the fall. I think my some of my most favorite traditions happen right now.

1. Cider mill & pumpkin patch

They are aplenty around here, and it's only a matter of trying to choose which one to go to! We always go once to pick pumpkins, and then several other times just to enjoy. We have our favorites, and my MOST favorite in particular is a little over an hour away. It's close to where we lived for grad school, and holds a ton of memories for us. Ryan has been going there since he was 2 years old! So, when we had the opportunity to go there this year, we jumped on it. It was a WONDERFUL day. The weather was nice, the sun was out, and it just felt like fall. We ate a yummy lunch, rode the train and the wagon, walked through a corn maze, watched apples being made into cider, had donuts and apple cider, and thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was perfect!!








2. Something warm...

My new favorite? It's called Autumn Punch, and is very similar to Wassail. Add the ingredients to your crock pot, and not only will you have something yummy to warm you up, but your house will smell divine! I found this recipe at allrecipes.com.

AUTUMN PUNCH

12 c. apple juice
4 1/2 c. pineapple juice
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 T. lemon juice
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 oranges
24 whole cloves

Combine first 6 ingredients in crock pot. Cut oranges into thick slices, then poke 4 cloves into the rind of each slice. Float oranges on the top, then place cover on crock pot. Warm through on medium-low heat, then simmer for as long as you like!!

3. Pumpkins on the porch



I love having pumpkins on my porch, and of course it's extremely traditional across the country. This year I tried something new, and I love how they turned out! They were super easy to do, and gave them a whole new look. For details, check here.

4. Fall leaves & country roads

The roads here are breathtaking. I want to just hold on to the view forever, and wish that the season would last just a little longer. (Not to mention winter is coming, which is a whole other story...) This is the street I live on--



5. Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

What a yummy fall treat this is, and a fall must for our family. A few years ago we decided to try a sweet version of our favorite pumpkin seed recipe, and this is what we came up with. They are sweet, crunchy, and delicious, and DEFINITELY worth the effort!

TOASTED CINNAMON & SUGAR PUMPKIN SEEDS

2 c. pumpkin seeds
2-3 T. butter, melted
cinnamon & sugar

Wash seeds well. Boil seeds in a small amount of water in a medium saucepan for 10 minutes. Spread out evenly on aluminum foil and dry well. Toss the dry seeds in the butter, then coat with cinnamon & sugar. Spread out on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 225 degrees for approximately 1-1.5 hours or until toasted brown.

TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

2 c. pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. butter, melted
1 1/4 tsp. seasoning salt (or table salt, if preferred)

Follow same directions as above.

Happy Fall everyone!!!

{liver and onions}

You'd think that was on the dinner menu last night, by the looks of it. In reality, it was just good, old-fashioned Potato Soup. That's normal, right?

I proceeded to asked Kate what things she liked for dinner. Her list? Ramen and Macaroni & cheese. If only I could make those things every night for dinner, my life would be a lot easier too!

However, I do believe in good nutrition (at least most of the time--there have been chicken nugget sightings at our house), but my efforts to introduce a little variety(and heaven forbid, some fruits and vegetables) have produced noses turned up, and downright refusals to eat.

It's interesting though--Kate and Ryan are the picky ones, while little Miss Emma is my fruit and veggie girl, plus everything in between. The girls have been given the exact same food at the exact same time since birth, yet their attitudes about food are vastly different.

So, what's a girl to do? I would love to hear your tricks of the trade, and how you handle picky eaters. I'm certainly not a short order cook, and I will only prepare one meal, but I don't like to see kids hungry, either.

Don't tell me I'm alone, here!

{194 pictures later...}

.....

and just for fun...the girls before church today-

{how twins are made}

We are 10 weeks, 1000 bottles, and 1000 diapers into their lives, and I am the luckiest mom ever!

In other news...

-Jack has an inguinal hernia, and will be having surgery on October 23rd. I know it's a fairly routine procedure, but I still worry about him being so small. Wish us luck!

-They officially slept through the night last night! From 10pm-8am they were asleep in their beds...and so was I. I'm really hoping it's going to be a trend. I feel like I can do anything when I have sleep.

-Ryan is playing the cello! He just got his instrument yesterday, and I love to see him so excited about it.

{it's good to be prepared...most of the time}

The boys had their 2 month appt. today. Preemies are measured on the same percentile scale as a full-term baby, so it can take them awhile to "catch up". At their first appointment, they were both in the 5th percentile across the board. At 6 weeks, they were about a pound apart. Today, at their 2 month appointment? They are now 2 1/2 pounds apart, and Henry is pushing 13 pounds (80th percentile across the board)! There is a reason we call him "Hank the Tank", and Emma has dubbed him (all on her own) "Bubba".

My first thought? All those darn clothes sitting in the drawer, all the same size, that I bought on clearance...thinking I was saving money by buying ahead.




I'll let you guess which one is which...