Pumpkin Everything!

Tonight we had our annual Dinner in a Pumpkin! Alex was especially excited and could hardly stand the hour that it took for dinner to cook. Every few minutes he would ask me "Is our dinner in a pumpkin cooked yet??" Unfortunately Alan didn't make it home in time to have it with us. The plan was to carve our pumpkins and eat pumpkin cookies for family night, but the boys were in bed before Alan even made it home. We still had fun- and we will carve the pumpkins tomorrow, just in time for the big night!!

***Update: I've recieved a bunch of emails asking for this recipe, so here it is! This is nothing fancy at all- in fact, it's anything but fancy! Dinner in a Pumpkin is more for the experience. Alan, who won't eat anything with cream of chicken soup in it usually, will eat this.

DINNER IN A PUMPKIN
1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
1 c. onion, chopped
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 tbsp. butter
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c. cooked rice
1 med. pumpkin

In skillet, saute celery, onions and mushrooms in butter. Set aside.
Brown ground beef and drain. In bowl, combine vegetables, hamburger,
soy sauce, brown sugar, soup and cooked rice. Mix well. Cut top off
pumpkin. Clean inside well. Spoon hamburger rice mixture into
pumpkin. Replace top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serves 4 to 6.

trying to rollerblade...

For Alex's 3rd birthday he received a pair of rollerblades. This was mostly to please his father- Alan has this dream of Alex playing hockey someday, and he figures the sooner Alex learns to rollerblade the better. We put the rollerblades on the day he got them- Alex was not a fan. Every month or so he comes across the rollerblades, begs to learn how, and we try again. Today was probably our 6th try, and alas, no progress was made. He does look very cute in his helmet, though!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

Jen- this is for you!

2 1/2 c. plus 2 T. flour
1 c. plus 2 T. cocoa
1 T. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
2 1/4 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. nutmeg
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 1/2 t. vanilla
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 c. sugar
5 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tins by filling with standard sized cupcake liners.
Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in large bowl. Set aside.
Combine buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla and set aside.
Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour and buttermilk mixture, blending well after each addition.
Fill each tin with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 22 minutes at 375. Makes 36 cupcakes!
Frost with Orange Cream-Cheese Frosting.
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 T. fresh orange juice
1 t. orange zest
1/2 t. vanilla
4 c. confectioners sugar
1/4 t. orange food coloring
*** note- my grocery store didn't have ANY oranges, so I substituted 1 T. of frozen orange juice concentrate and it was fine.

Arizona State Fair

The four of us had a great time at the Arizona State Fair today! Alex was taken out kicking and screaming while Will was so exhausted he fell asleep before we even left. There may be some of the best people watching in the world at state fairs.

This is the mean ostrich who bit Alex's finger and sent us to the First Aid booth.
Stay away from him!

The boys at the petting zoo. One creature (Will) wants in,
another creature (the goat, at least I think that's a goat) wants out!

There was this great exhibit all about farming. We planted seeds,
harvested the vegtables, sold them at the market and made a nice profit.

Alex, milking a cow.

Seriously milking a cow! There was actual milk coming out!!

Will's favorite part of the day.And yes, we couldn't leave without having deep-fried something!
Alan's treat of choice: deep fried Snickers. I have to tell you it was discusting!

a boy and his cupcake

Sewing Project

So I've never been one to sew. Somehow my mother-in-law had the idea that it would be good for me to make a quilt. Not sure why this occurred to her. Not sure how I ended up agreeing to it. My sister-in-law, Sommer, who is very talented at this type of thing, took me shopping for fabric on Monday and today was the BIG sewing day. We made 90 (I think) of these squares, which will eventually be made into a quilt matching the blue bunkbeds we bought for the boys, which I still don't have proper bedding for. The whole process of ironing, cutting, and sewing looks easier than it actually is, and I'm exhausted. When (IF) I ever finish it, I will be so proud of myself!

Pumpkin Patch

The pumpkin patch excursion did not yield many great photos, but we had a great time. We went to a place called Mother Nature's Farm. It was a great little family run farm/pumpkin patch that for some strange reason is also the home to various reptile creatures, including the one pictured above. Will could not get enough of this croc. Luckily his mouth was taped shut... I'm sure that he would have let Will know that he did not appreciate the kind of attention Will was giving had it not been taped. We couldn't keep Will away from it. Alex on the other hand stayed a good 3 feet away at all times. We had a great time choosing and decoration pumpkins, playing in the hay maze, bouncing in the bounce house, riding on the hayride and just spending time with Daddy, who isn't around enough for us to get our fill of him.

The Naughty Corner

It's been a long week. I've lost my patience quickly, used unkind words, raised my voice, and "made a bad choice"(as I have been told by my 3 year-old) on more than one occasion. I think over the past three days I have been sent to The Naughty Corner at least five times. I believe in The Naughty Corner, it's a great way to take a break from a situation that is spiraling out of control. When I instituted the practice of sending my child there, it didn't occur to me that I too would be spending my fair share of time there. What I like best about being sent there is listening to Alex, in a patient yet firm tone, tell me "Mommy, you need to go to The Naughty Corner right now. You a) did not make a good choice b) used a bad word c) are being too loud. I'll tell you when you can get out." Today when I tried to talk him out of making me go by quickly apologizing to my brother Nate (who was on the phone and who I had just told to Shut-up! Alex was firm. I had to go. And when my time was up he came and gave me a big hug and said "That's better!"

I love creative kids

Today we were at the mall with Caroline (Alan's sister) and her kids. While they were waiting for some shopping to be done by the adults, the kids created a little slide out of a slope next to the stairs! Who needs play equipment? Alex spent a good 10 minutes running up the steps, sliding down, and then up again.

Soap Box Moment

I witnessed the something in the Target parking lot yesterday that I can't seem to forget about. I was walking towards the store with the boys while a very "put-together" looking family (mom, dad, about 4-year-old girl) were exiting the store. The wind was blowing, as it tends to do here, and the father, who was carrying the bags, dropped his receipt on the ground. He didn't even look at it after dropping it. His wife said to him, "Should I get that?" He ignored her, she literally shrugged, and they made their way to their massive SUV. I was so mad!!! What responsible grown-up does that?!? Did someone forget to teach them not to litter? I wanted to chase the receipt as it blew into the middle of the road and hand it back to her, but of course my arms were full of Alex and Will and a diaper bag. We have a CD of a children's band called The Happy Crowd (happycrowd.com, I highly recommend it) and they have numerous songs about what we can and should be doing to take care of our earth (ie: "Pollution Solution, Recycle and Rock, Come swim with the Dolphins"- all great songs.) I really believe that we have to try to teach our kids about ways WE can contribute to the solution of the crisis we are facing with the environmental issues in this world. There aren't many things that Alex can understand right now, but he knows we make a habit of picking up trash that we find on the ground at the park. It seems like a small thing, and it is, but I hope he gets it and will do it on his own as he gets older.
Stepping off soap box now.

Impromptu Camping Trip

Seriously, who named this National Forest?? Please be sure to notice the cactus in the background, as appose to the typical pine tree you would see in a real forest.

The boys, hypnotized by the fire as we wait for tin-foil dinners to cook.

Our first attempt at dutch oven cooking- the peach cobbler was fantastic! We had way too much. We need to bring friends with us next time.

Trying to get the boys to go to sleep in the tent...

The boys made breakfast while I tried (unsuccesfully) to get more sleep!

Alan was supposed to go camping this weekend with the scouts he is in charge of at church. Since it was raining in northern Arizona, they cancelled the trip last minute. Alan had already rescheduled his afternoon patients for next week, so we piled in the car and made it a family camping trip! We had a great time- it was so nice to spend some time just the four of us. Now we all smell like campfire and we all need a nap.

Yes, it's fall for most of you, but it's still hot here!

Will playing in the little water park at the zoo. It was the only part of the day he enjoyed.

We went to the Phoenix Zoo yesterday with 2 of my sister-in-laws and their kids. We thought it would be cooler since it is now October, but alas, this is Arizona and- it was not. We still had a great time (Alex and I that is, Will- not so much, since he is still recovering from our trip and totally off his schedule). I'm fascinated by the concept of a zoo. While we were watching the elephants eating their lunch, the zoo employee feeding them was giving a little speech about their history. It turns out that 2 of the elephants ended up at the zoo after long careers as circus elephants. So I guess living at the zoo is like animal retirement. They had long and rewarding and successful careers performing tricks in the circus arena, and now they have moved on to being confined to a small space with not a lot of control over their lives. Sort of like a nursing home. When I was growing up, I spent many Tuesday nights at the Waveny Care Center serving meals to the residents there with my mom. Truthfully, it's not a bad place. If I could live at the Waveny Care Center (which is in New Canaan) I think I would be willing to live in a nursing home after all. Maybe I could check in a little early, like when I turn 50 and both of my kids are grown up and out of the house. I used to say, Shoot me when I turn 70, but I think my new mantra will be, Check me in when I'm 50. I think I would totally dig that life. It's on the east coast, after all.

We're Back!

The boys and I have had a great last two weeks! It started with a last minute visit from my mom (who lives in Guatemala). She was able to come home to help my sister Jeanette with the birth of her fifth child, Evie. Since my she and my dad were going to be coming home for conference anyway, she was given permission to stay home for the month. She came to visit for 2 days to see our new place and play with the boys. The day she was suppose to leave for Utah to meet up with my dad, she decided she wanted the boys and I to come with her. We had already arranged to come for conference, but she wanted us to be there with them longer, so we changed our plans and got on the plane with her that afternoon! It was crazy trying to get everything ready, but we pulled it off and had a great time in Utah and Idaho. We were able to be there for Evie's blessing, and spend time on my sisters 16 acres out in the middle of nowhere Idaho! After we left Idaho, Alex said to me in a very serious voice, "Mom, we need to get some cows and sheep." It was so beautiful and peaceful there- I can see why my sister loves it. We spent the rest of the trip at my parents place in Park City, and we had a great time hanging out with cousins, taking bubble baths in Grandmas tub, visiting BYU campus, jumping on the tramp, watching the leaves change in the mountains, and spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. It was so great to get a taste of fall and put the boys in their fleece outfits! All of my siblings gathered for conference weekend (Alan even came for a short 40 hour visit!) We were all able to be there to support my dad as he spoke in conference. It was-to put it simply- a great experience. We're so glad we were able to be there and spend that time with my family.