Thanksgiving etc.

Here are some pics of our festivities:

Here are the details:

• Officer Skinner Funeral: A police officer whose family live in our neighborhood died this month. They had just moved in, had twins and the first Sunday they came to church is the day that evening that Officer Skinner was killed in a collision chasing a stolen car. We didn't know him well, but it was great to see how the neighborhood has supported the family. It gave many of us an excuse to get to know each other better. The open house I went to was PACKED with people and community donated cookies. The site was very amazing. It reminds me that eventhough bad things happen, good things can come too. Here's a newslink about it: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4794286
  
• Sanitize!: Troy, Sophy, (Kara part of the time she was here) and I have been sick this month. I feel like I've not been able to get out of the house since August, and I feel like I'm always doing laundry, cleaning throw up and outfits other family members as well as my own. We are hardly every sick though and when we do get sick, it's usually October or November so we expected it.


• Jazz Game: Troy got free tickets from work for the Jazz vs. Chicago game this month. We went on the FrontRunner and even bought food there (we went all out!). It was so much fun to see the Jazz in action and would have been a perfect night if it weren't for Chicaco's last split second win.


• Sophy is nearly walking!: We are so proud of our sassy girl. Each day this month she has seemed more determined to join the "human world" and leave the "baby world." It makes me sad but excited. She stands all day long now (for practice I assume), and will take a few steps on her own from mom to dad. I got impatient and bought her a grocery cart that's really neat. She loves being independant (with supervision) and playing with all the sounds and lights. Since she doesn't know what Christmas is and we'll be in WA anyway, we're planning on wrapping it back up and letting her open it for Christmas too.
  
• Thanksgiving in Morgan with Troy's family: What's not to like, family, food, kids, fun, etc. I am so grateful to have family close and to have family far. My sister came to visit. It was great to have part of my family here for a holiday. Because of scheduling and money, we haven't been able to spend much time with my family for holidays in years, so it was great to have Kara here. We saw Twilight, played many card games, watched many movies, had Troy's family up a few times, went down to spend time with them, she got to go 4-wheeling in Morgan, and get her hair cut and dyed.

Here is a video of Sophy "walking":

Pumpkin Pancakes

This may not seem important, but we've had them 4 times since I found the recipe. You may know that I am addicted to pumpkin (have been since I was pregnant and can't stop). This is my new favorite pumkin recipe. I am open to anyone else's favorite pumpkin recipes too!

Pumpkin Pancakes

3/4 C Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ginger

1 C Evaporated Milk

1/2 C Pumpkin Puree

1 Egg

1/2 tsp Vanilla

Directions: Mix and cook like regular pancakes. Yummy! Try with whipped cream and hot cocoa on the side!

Happy Halloween!

We have been trying to be more active and do more for the holidays (get involved and have fun instead of saying "we have a baby, we can't...it would be too HARD, and take too much planning...maybe next year.), so we did! Sophy was a pumpkin (there's a funny story to that: I craved pumpkin of all different varieties during most of my pregnancy-not just the fall) and we went to three Halloween parties! 1) Troy's cousin Marie invited us up to their house for doughnut eating, apple bobbing, baby looking (lots o' cute kids in cute costumes!), galore! 2) The ward had a Trunk or Treat in the church parking lot. We brought our strollers and enjoyed free doughnuts (I think Troy has a fettish) and hot chocolate. 3) On Halloween Night we went to Troy's parent's house and ate Chili and breadsticks, went Trick or Treating (I know we are too old, but it was fun--we took Sophy as our alliby) with his sister Trisha (a Monster drink-costume made by her and Troy's dad, foam!) and her fun friend Jared (the oversized midget on a box). We also threw caution to the wind and went to a very cool corn maze (with some very good friends and our kiddos) in Syracuse and then out to dinner at Famous Daves (there's a reason they are famous!) for tummy stuffing! Hope you enjoy our pictures!

Sophy Update

We've had a lot going on lately. I got a MAJOR haircut by our professional neighbor, Debi Ingles (if you want contact info, e-mail me) who does a great job! I wanted it to look like Amy on Disney's "The Kid," and look how close she got it! Here's some cute pics of Sophy and friends. Thanks for being our friends Tanner, Madeline, Lily, Wiliam, MacKenna, Autumn, and others not pictured. We learn alot from you!

Happy 3 Years Troy!

On October 20th, Troy and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. We went bowling (he won both games and got to choose lunch and what we'd wear going out in the evening), hiked Ensign's Peak, dressed up and went to our favorite pasta place: Spaghetti Mamma's, went to a movie theatre (that didn't exist anymore because it had been turned into a Haunted House and they hadn't updated the website), went home and rented a movie, went to the temple the next day to celebrate our marriage sealing, went to Troy's parents house to pick up Sophy, went the senic route to Park City and went shopping (browsing) and came back home to relax from all the fun. Here are some pictures from each event:

I can't believe that it's already been three years. Time has gone so fast and we are having so much fun. Troy is such a great husband. When I go crazy (which seems to be more frequently everyday), he takes the time to listen to me even when he's tired. He is funny, handsome, romantic, spiritual, consistant (which I need a great deal!), humble, a hard worker, wonderful cook, my best friend, and so much more than I could ever dream of deserving when we first met. I pray everyday that I will be able to let him know how much I love him. Thank-you for supporting me through all my many issues (small to large), and LOVING me despite it all!

The Choice to VOTE!

This year, more than ever before it seems, the choice to vote is on the front of many minds. A friend of mine sent me a link to this video. Please take the time to view what our friends from the Catholic church have to say about the importance of voting. There are many issues that, no matter what your beliefs are, have the opportunity to change the world that we live in....that CHANGE could be for the better--or the worse. Much of the decision is up to us. Lets do what this country was made free for-VOTE!! If you are not already registered, there is a link on their site, just to the right of the video entitled "Register" that will give you the information needed to do so. http://www.catholicvote.com/

Life Lessons Learned Today...

And more to come, I'm sure. Yesterday I took up the challenge to make Chicken Fajhitas and they were (and I quote Troy) "AMAZING! And you can add these to my list of favorite dinners!" He said they looked like a meal from a fancy $10/plate+ restaraunt! I had already made bread that turned out really well that morning, and I got so excited that maybe I could cook afterall, "Today is My Day!" etc., so I decided to venture to make Snickerdoodles that night too. Afterall, they are fairly easy to make and I've made them several times before, even batches good enough to give away to neighbors! So I endeavored the task. I was so proud (too proud I found out later) when I put them into the oven, that I remarked to Troy at how fast I made them and with such skill. Well, I had tasted the batter and it didn't seem perfect, but then again eating batter is not good for you anyway, so I figured I shouldn't use that as a taste test of my delicious cuisine. When they came out I tasted them and learned the following things:

1. If something is labelled "not too bad," it's probably "not too good" either.


2. Not just ANY cookie is a good cookie.


3. Maybe quality control/inspection teams are not a waste of $ (that's for you Corianne and Katie).


4. It's okay to WASTE IT if you WANT IT NOT.


5. It's not okay ot leave out 2/3rds of the sugar to a sugar-based cookie recipe...it may sound healthy, but it isn't good for anyone.


6. It's okay to spend a little more $ and buy good quality butter flavored shortening instead of cheap quality vegetable shortening...in some (many) cases, you CAN tell the difference.


7. Sometimes (most times in my case) husbands are right about how you should cook.


8. It is ALWAYS a good idea to stop talking and read the recipe properly.


9. It's okay to throw out a bad batch of cookies. No one will benefit from eating them (not the starving children in China, not even your neighbors' kids!).


10. Something that looks pretty, isn't always good on the inside (or for your insides!), and as we know, it's what's on the inside that counts...no matter how much "frosting" we add to "sweeten" the bad deal. :)

Well, with more lessons to come, I am reminded that I am supposed to continue to work on "creating" things. President Uchtdorf's talk at the Relief Society General Conference Address was spot on about women, me in particular. I loved how he spoke highly of women and their talents. We are to aknowledge that we are on earth to create things. Whether or not those things turn out well, is mostly irrelevant. All that matters is THAT we create and continue working on that everyday. My cookies may not be good today, but if I continue to work on them, someday they will be worth eating! Baby Steps, right? :)