Rockin' Out

I have to get around to finding the time to blog/post pics from Christmas, but for now, these were too fun and cute to just sit in the computer.

Here's Sophie rockin' out.

Yeah, we even have the hair goin'.

We waited for so long for hair, that I don't care if it looks like she's rockin' a spiky Mohawk.

So I haven't posted a true blog in quite awhile, but something has been weighing on my mind so I thought that it was time.

I have many flaws (as I'm sure you know) and many pet-peeves (which most could probably be classified as flaws as well). One of them that qualifies for both is when I have to put more effort into a relationship than the other person continually. Now, don't go assuming that I'm talking about Aaron - I'm not. He works just as hard, if not harder, at our marriage than I do. Anyway, I am pretty used to having to put more effort into this relationship. It's something that I accept and willfully do. I DO mind when I feel that I'm being taken advantage of or made to feel bad that I'm not doing more. Basically, I feel as if I'm giving a meal to a homeless/hungry man and then him complaining that I didn't include dessert. It seems that I always get one line of how grateful this person is for something and three lines of how it'd be great if I did it more. Then on top of it, I feel that they let us down for a very important event.

I can't change it. What I need to change is how I feel about it. Right now I'm dealing with feelings of resentment towards a person that I should never feel that towards. I need to not only forgive this person and find forgiveness for my own feelings, but change how I feel about their reactions to my actions. And frankly, I don't know how to do that. Aaron says he just forgets about it... hmmm, that's helpful!

Bishop H. Burke Peterson said:
"The longer the poison of resentment and unforgiveness stays in a body, the greater and longer lasting is its destructive effect. … The poison of revenge, or of unforgiving thoughts or attitudes, unless removed, will destroy the soul in which it is harbored” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1983, pp. 83–84; or Ensign, Nov. 1983, p. 59).

Thomas S. Monson
"The Spirit must be freed from tethers so strong and feelings never put to rest so that the lift of life may give buoyancy to the soul. In many families there are hurt feelings and a reluctance to forgive. It doesn’t really matter what the issue was. It cannot and should not be left to injure. Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals. George Herbert, an early seventeenth-century poet, wrote these lines: “He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be forgiven.”

Beautiful are the words of the Savior as He was about to die upon the cruel cross. Said He, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

3rd Nephi says:
“There shall be no disputations among you. …
“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
“Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.”

Of all the counsel out there though, I'm not sure that I've found "how." I suppose it's b/c it's different for every person. I know that I need to do my 'primary answers:' search the scriptures, pray, fast, etc. I need to get closer to the Spirit and find that forgiving nature that I know is in there somewhere.

Thank You cards for our Troops

For the holidays, Xerox has set up a site: www. letssaythanks.com where you can send a thank you card to a member of our armed forces serving in Iraq. It takes only a minute and you can pick a design, pick a message - or write your own, and then Xerox will print off the postcard and send it to Iraq. So, LET'S SAY THANKS! :)

Snow Days :)

The Best Big, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

We've been doing our Christmas baking (to take around to the neighbors) and I had to post this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's one of the best I've ever tried. Ya know those big, fat, yummy bakery cookies? Well, this is them!


INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

New Pics - well, some are new

Gratitude

Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about being grateful. I love the subject and actually taught a lesson on it for our young women's group last week. I found some interesting stuff on being grateful and thought I might share some of it with you.

Dr. Michael McCollough, of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Dr. Robert Emmons, of the University of California at Davis, say their initial scientific study indicates that gratitude plays a significant role in a person's sense of well-being. The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises (such as writing in a gratitude journal) resulted in
higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. Additionally, the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, was more likely to help others, exercised more regularly and made more progress toward personal goals. According to findings, people who feel grateful are also more likely to feel loved. McCullogh suggests that anyone can increase their sense of well-being and create positive social effects just from counting their blessings. (The Osgood File, CBS Radio Network, July 12, 2002)

People who do not feel gratitude are only cheating themselves out of happiness in life. -Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments

[Gratitude] is a quality I have found in every happy person I know. It is a quality that instantly makes a person more likable and more at peace. Where there is an abundance of this virtue, there is happiness. Where there is an absence of this virtue, there is often sadness, resentment and futility... If we only look around us, there are a thousand reason for us not to be happy... the more we focus on the things we don't have, the more unhappy and more resentful we become. -Joseph B. Wirthlin (Live in Thanksgiving Daily, Ensign, September 2001)

This is one of my favorite quotes:
Think to Thank. In these three words is the finest capsule course for a happy marriage, a formula for enduring friendship, and a pattern for personal happiness. -Thomas S. Monson, as quoted by President James E. Faust (Gratitude as a Saving Principle, Ensign, December 1996)

It is so true! When you are grateful for your blessings and gifts in this life, it is reflected in your attitude and countenance. That alone will make your marriage better. When you are thankful for your spouse (or boy/girlfriend, parents, etc.) it only can foster greater love.

Here are a few other quotes on the subject:

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little,
and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. -Buddha

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. -H.U. Westermayer


Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. - William Arthur Ward


As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter
words, but to live by them. -John F. Kennedy


The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. –Eric Hoffer

So, today I thank you guys - my friends and family. (Wait, this sounds like a Budweiser commercial... so here's to you wingman....) Thank you guys for helping to make my life wonderful! There are always challenges, but you have been blessings to me and help make the challenges seem more like scenic byways rather than detours :)

Spread the Sharing

One of my friends had this posted on her blog. I finally got around to doing it and figured that I would share it with you. It takes just a few minutes and can provide a free meal for a family in need.

Click on the link http://www.spreadthesharing.com and share a story about when you received a meal or provided one for someone else. Then, Country Crock will donate a free meal to someone in need.

Holiday Pictures

We finally did our holiday pictures the other day. We originally went before Thanksgiving, but on the way Sophie threw up ALL over the carseat, herself, and everything else, so needless to say, we never got to the picture studio. But we did end up getting back and getting them done. :)

What great lips you have!

Here's a pic of Sophie all bundled up at the Parade of Lights on Saturday. I can't even remember the last time I went to the parade, but I knew that Sophie would like it, so we packed up the fam and went. She DID love it. It was cold (but not bad for Dec in CO) and rained a little, but she loved all the music and especially all the people.

I just love this picture. I think the lighting turned out beautiful and very art-sy. I showed it to Aaron and he said "yeah, we could put that in photoshop and darken it up a bit." I guess to each their own. I love how the lighting makes her lips and eyes really pop.

Playing in the Leaves

The same day that we picked our onions, we raked all of our leaves up. It was such a nice day for November! What crazy weather we've been having!!

As you can see, Sophie is a "thinker." She's not the kid to go run and jump into the leaf pile and erupt with laughter. I feel a little sorry for that - she takes after me too much I guess. She would much rather explore things thoughtfully and see what they are and how they work. I had to throw her into the pile of leaves, and as the picture attests, she wasn't real wild about the idea. She does know how to have fun, but with new things, she must first fully check them out.

It did get a little funnier when Daddy started to rake the leaves on top of her though :)

Hmmmm.... can you guess where I was pulling leaves out of all day?

Onion Harvesting

At our new house, we have the perfect garden spot! I actually have 3 separate ones, but one is my 'main one. Anyway, it finally came time to harvest our onions... and I think I planted too many :)



Sophie LOVED helping my harvest them. She thought they were all little balls for her to play with.

We ended up harvesting a FULL walmart bag full of onions. I didn't do an official count, but we had around 60 onions. They are now lying on cookie sheets all around my kitchen so they can dry so that we can store them and use them later.

Botched coup bid in Philippines ends

Botched coup bid in Philippines ends
By Karen Lema and Raju Gopalakrishnan

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine military and police teams stormed a luxury hotel in Manila on Thursday to end a short-lived coup attempt by a small group of soldiers and others who had called on the army to mutiny.

Government forces fired teargas into the lobby of the Manila Peninsula Hotel and used an armored personnel carrier (APC) to batter down its glass doors before storming in under cover of repeated bursts of fire in the air. There were no casualties.

The rebel soldiers, a senator and a handful of priests who had occupied the plush icon in the sprawling city of 12 million people surrendered and were arrested.

"We are going out for the sake of the safety of everybody," their leader Senator Antonio Trillanes earlier told reporters. "For your sake, because we will not live with our conscience if some of you get hurt or get killed in the crossfire. We cannot afford that."

It was the latest in a series of coup attempts to plague the Southeast Asian nation since dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted two decades ago.

Thursday's drama attracted hundreds of curious onlookers, but no one voiced any support for those inside the hotel, and there were no reports of unrest within the military.

Most of the guests had been evacuated before the assault, but over 100 people, including hotel staff and journalists, were caught in the midst of the action.

Trillanes, who led a failed mutiny in 2003 against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and was elected to the upper house in May, was hauled away in plastic wrist restraints.
Fellow mutineers, including around two dozen soldiers, a priest and a retired bishop, were also arrested along with scores of journalists.

Authorities said the journalists would be freed after identity checks.

"The wrong ways of some does not speak well for the nation or the armed forces and the police," Arroyo said in a brief television address. "Just like before, we will impose the full force of the law strictly and without favor."

LATEST COUP ATTEMPT
The drama started when Trillanes and some other soldiers walked out of their own trial for the 2003 mutiny, escorted by guards assigned to keep them from escaping.

They marched to the Peninsula Hotel in Manila's Makati financial district and took over the building, calling for the overthrow of Arroyo.

"We have been witness and victims of the kind of ruthlessness this administration is giving to the people. Now, like soldiers we are going to face this," Trillanes told reporters, when asked if he was ready to face fresh charges over this incident.

Journalists trying to do live phone-ins spluttered and covered their faces with handkerchiefs as the tear gas rose from the lobby to higher floors.

Government forces closed down virtually the entire Makati area, and surrounded the Peninsula with troops and trucks. Five armored personnel carriers were used in the assault on the hotel.
The rebel soldiers, who had earlier stopped people from leaving the hotel lobby as a 3 p.m. (0700 GMT) deadline for them to end their mutiny passed, later relented and let them go.
"I haven't been to bed yet," said Dave Anderson from Anchorage, Alaska, who had flown in overnight to Manila.

"They came and beat on my door and told me to leave by 3 p.m. They told me to take my bags, so here I am sitting in the lobby because I can't go out," he said before being allowed to leave.
Arroyo, deeply unpopular due to long-running corruption allegations, has survived at least two coup plots and three impeachment bids because the jaded middle class is sick of political instability, and she has a huge majority in the lower house.

She has also been buoyed by a strong economy.
The stock market and the peso currency pared earlier gains on the soldiers' actions but the main index still finished up 1.17 percent and has risen nearly 20 percent this year.
The peso is Asia's top performing currency, up 14.80 percent since the start of 2007.
"It hurts the whole country," said Vivian Yuchengco, a director of the Philippine Stock Exchange. "People like that should be thrown in jail."

The government imposed a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. in Manila and two surrounding regions on Friday, a government holiday. Officials called it a precautionary measure.
Markets were unlikely to be much affected when they reopen on Monday, barring any further unrest, economic analysts said.

(Additional reporting by Rosemarie Francisco and Manny Mogato; Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Jerry Norton)

Steadfast & Immovable - Help Me!!!!

For those of you who don't know - I'm a young women's leader at our church. Our new theme this year comes from (Mosiah 5:15) which says, "Be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works."

I'm the one in charge of what we call "New Beginnings" this year. Basically, it's a night where we welcome the new young women and present the new theme. No big deal, right? But you guys know me... when asked to bake cupcakes, I take fully decorated ones. I'm a glutton for punishment maybe, but I like to call it being a perfectionist. (Man, I wish that part of perfection would visit my kitchen for a day!) So, I'm looking for what jumps into your head and is Steadfast and Immovable. I have some great ideas relating to the stars curtosy of JennyPhillips.com but just thought I'd see what else you guys thought.

For anyone that is familiar with the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 5:15 is during the King Benjamin address - which I LOVE LOVE LOVE. How possible do you think it would be to kinda re-make King Benjamin's address for our New Beginnings? We could have each family set up a tent in the cultural hall and get a really charismatic speaker to read King Benjamin's address (or parts of it). I'm not sure where I'm going with this... I'm brainstorming as I'm blogging - a dangerous combination? Maybe we could continue the 'camping' part of King Benjamin's address into a whole blown out theme for the night. We could make smores at the end... mmmm, smores. Hmmm, I'll have to think more about this idea. Right now I have no idea how I'd tie the rest of it (the Personal Progress, theme, etc) into the camping bit. Ideas?

Ok, this is the part where you email me or leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking. I'm in serious need of help! What besides the stars is steadfast and immovable? (and hopefully a way that we could tie in good works too) What about the camping idea? HELP!!

Things that Motherhood Changes

As I watched my daughter puke all over both of us and methodically tried to figure out how to keep her calm while also plotting how to get both of us to the bathroom, undressed, and de-pukified (yep, I'm saying it's a word) while NOT getting puke on anything else, I realized - this is definitely something that has changed since becoming a mother.

Of course, there is the obvious - before becoming a mom I didn't normally have puke on me, let alone someone sitting on my lap puking directly onto my chest, stomach, and legs. Hmmm, yeah, I can't remember the last time that vomit actually touched me before Sophie was born. I was never one to drink and get sick, or for that matter have someone else drink and get sick around me. I very rarely vomit when I'm ill (although there was a food poisoning incident maybe two years back, but NEVER would it actually make contact with my skin! eeeewwwwww). But I think that I would need both hands (and perhaps feet) to count the number of times in the last 17 months that I have been puked on.

Secondly IF I were ever to come in contact with vomit BS (before Sophie) I very probably would have officially freaked out. Now, I'm thinking.... "hmmm, do I let it soak in a little so that it doesn't slide off my jeans and onto the couch when I get up? What can I use to soak it up? Oh yeah, my nice throw blanket, yeah, that'll do the trick." It must be that when you become a parent, auto pilot takes over during those really disgusting moments (vomit, poop, pee, blood, etc). I can't say that it's the most marketable skill (unless perhaps you're in Mallory's profession), but it sure comes in handy at home.

So it got my thinking, what else changes when you become a mom/dad? Well, besides the fact that my tummy resembles a silvery target courtesy of my sexy stretch marks, here are some of the first things that jumped into my head:

*I never had conversations about poo. No, seriously - never. Now, seriously all the time. Has she? How much? What kind? blah blah blah

*I am totally enraged by the news. If some of the people that they cover stories on were at my front door, I wouldn't hesitate to pull out my .38 Smith and Wesson 6 round revolver... what I did with it would depend on whether they decided to leave walking or running.

*I respect my parents so much more. I remember being young... How they allowed me to make my own path and decisions is beyond me. How I lived to get past my bratty stage is also beyond me.

*I love to be spontaneous - pick up and go do something fun, travel, explore. I still love to, as long as we're home by 7:30 so I can give S a bath and put her to bed.

*My house is no longer littered with Oprah's book club books and recently released movies. Now you have to find your way through the dolls and board books. My reading material has definitely changed. While I still enjoy good fiction reads, I read way more non-fiction stuff: 'Solve your child's sleep problems,' ' what to expect the first year,' 'sign with your baby,' etc.

Random Update

My random update - or should I say Sophie's....

Sophie's new favorite food lately is sundried tomatoe and mozzarella cheese crackers (store brand at Walmart). She loves them so much that anytime I put her in the highchair or booster seat (which is currently being used as a play toy and step onto the couch since coming home from Denver) she automatically says "cack-r".

She's also starting to get her k-9 teeth (is that the proper term? It makes it sound like she's actually sprouting dog teeth). Of course bone pushing through skin equals fussy baby. She does not like to use teethers, frozen washcloths or bagels, or anything else that people that recommended. She does like to chew on the Ambisol tube.

Sophie continues to learn signs pretty quickly. I have made a personalized sign book for her - pictures of the object (both cartoon and real) and a picture of mommy or daddy doing the sign - BUT they remain unprinted.... I should really get on that. Anyway, her more recent new signs are: bath, bear, cheese, bunny... I'm forgetting one.

She's also learned how to get up and down our small slide by herself. :) She's so big! She has trouble getting her second foot going forward down the slide, so most of the time she's got one leg in front of her, one behind her.



We have a considerable amount of leaves in the backyard so we went and played around in them. Sophie thought the sound was great. I'm waiting till this weekend to rake them so that daddy can be here (he's currently in KY, his old mission grounds) and watch her play in the pile of leaves - the best part of fall!!

We needed a new picture of mommy and Sophie. This one I took just in our hallway and it turned out pretty good. We're having family pictures done in a week or so, hopefully they turn out good too.

Conflict in Manila

SCARRRRYYYY

Any of you who have read my blog entries for a little bit now know that Aaron just got back from Manila and Cebu (Philippines). The southern portion of the country is highly muslim and the country has had it's share of trouble in the past and currently. While Aaron was there, there was talk of a coup to oust the current president by the military. However, president Arroyo brought in more forces from the rural areas into Manila and nothing really happened. (To read more about the previous coup attempt in 2006, see here: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1167191,00.html)

But today it got worse. Just awhile ago, a bomb exploded at the House of Representatives, killing Wahab Akbar, a congressman who supported the War on Terror and his driver. They don't know for sure yet, but suspect that the bomb was placed by a muslim extremist group. Akbar had previously been a member of a muslim rebel group but then signed a peace accord with the government in 1996 and became a law-maker. He since has been targeted by the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group. Here is a link to the story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21767761/

I am SO grateful that Aaron was not in Manila when this happened! It scares me to let him go back (he has 4 trips to the Philippines planned for next year). I realize that it is probably a small percentage of a chance that anything would happen, but I can't imagine that if he did run across a muslim extremists, that they would be very happy to see an American businessman. Not to mention that his company, Sykes, is an American owned company. I am so greatful for my country, my religion, and my blessings!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! :) We hope that your holiday was full of fun! I think next year will be even more fun for us as Sophie will be old enough to go Trick-or-Treating. This year, she was the cutest little butterfly you ever saw :) (but I'm not biased or anything!)

Uncle Todd Came to Play :)

Last week my brother Todd came down from Denver. It was so nice to see him (I think the last time that I saw him was Dec last year) and Sophie loved playing with him! It takes her a bit to warm up to new people - especially men for some reason (I'm guessing it's b/c she's with me or Grandma all the time) - but it didn't take her too long and she was playing with Uncle Todd. He is so great with her!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Silly Uncle Todd! :)

Vampire Cupcakes

I swear I've blogged more in the last few days than in the last few months! However, there is more to come! (You can determine if that's a good thing or a bad thing) Tonight was our church Halloween party. I am a youth leader (young womens) and our booth was a cupcake walk, so I had to make cupcakes. I decided to make vampires and they turned out pretty good (if I do say so myself).

In case you want to give it a go too, here are some basic directions...

1. Of course you have to bake and cool your cupcakes first. I think it's easier to frost cakes and cupcakes if they've been put in the freezer for 10-20 mins before you start.

2. Frost your cupcakes smooth with a spatula or knife. I used a green for the base color.

3. Next make the hair by using a star pullout - tip #16.

4. Pipe on the eyes and mouth using tip#3. Change bags and wash tip. Pipe on fangs using the #3 tip again and white frosting.

Wah-la! What do you think? I think they turned out pretty cute and they went pretty fast at the cupcake walk. Of course, the pre-teens figured out that if you lick the hair, your tongue turns blackish purple. They thought this was great fun! lol

Baby Samantha

Probably most of you either know Mallory or remember me talking about her - she's been my best friend since the first grade. I won't tell you how long ago that was :)

Anyway, on Oct 20th, baby Samantha Aria was born. She was only 32 wks 3 days but so far is doing great for how little she is. She was 2 lbs 14 oz when she was born - which is 4 oz more than her big brother Ryan was. Obviously she's still in the NICU growing and developing but here are some pictures of her.
Sometimes it's hard for those of us who haven't had a preemie to understand just how little they are. Well, you see the wedding ring in the picture above in comparison with little Sam's hand. Also, her diapers are about the size of a credit card.

She hasn't needed to be on a ventilator, so that's fantastic! She's also now off the C-pap which blows air into their lungs.
Mallory has been released from the hospital but still is not supposed to pick up Ryan (now a year old) and cannot drive to the hospital to see Sam. So, Sophie and I are going up to stay with her this coming week to take care of Ryan and shuttle Mallory back and forth to the hospital. SO, if you need to reach me, I'll have my cell phone (my new #, not the old one) but I won't be at home. Yay! I'm looking forward to it :) Sophie and Ryan are going to have SO much fun together!

Cashew Chicken Casserole

This is my mom's recipe for cashew chicken. I think it qualifies as a casserole IMO. It is the absolute best cashew chicken of any kind that I've had!! I often take this over to people who are sick or just had a baby because its so yummy; you can make ahead, refridgerate it, and then pop it in the oven; and the left overs are some of the yummiest ever!

Mom's Cashew Chicken

1 chicken (I use chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken)
12 oz can of bean sprouts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
large can (or 2/3 of a bag) chow mein noodles
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. milk
1/4 lb salted cashews
1/2 c. chopped onions

1. Set aside some chow mein noodles (about 1/3 of what you're using). Mix all ingredients together in a medium to large bowl.
2. Spoon ingredients from bowl into a greased casserole dish. Top with the remaining chow mein noodles. Don't worry if they don't fully cover the dish.
3. Bake uncovered for 1 hr at 350 degrees.

Wine Sauce Chicken

A friend of mine asked for this recipe (she had it over at our house one time) so I thought I'd just post it here. Boy it's yummy!! Not the lowest in fat, but ooooohhh so worth it. I serve this over rice but you could also serve it with warm noodles.

Wine Sauce Chicken

INGREDIENTS
6 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups sauteed mushrooms
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup slivered almonds for topping
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping


1. Place the butter or margarine in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place the chicken pieces on top and add the sauteed mushrooms.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine and heat the soup, milk, Cheddar cheese and garlic powder. Remove from heat and add the white wine and mayonnaise. Pour mixture over the chicken and mushrooms. Top with slivered almonds and grated Parmesan cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Pumpkin Picking

Last Saturday we took Sophie to a local pumpkin patch and let her roam around and pick her pumpkin... kind of. Of course she's only 16 mo and wanted every new pumpkin she saw, so we eventually picked her a pumpkin.

Look at her expression when I first put her down by the corn stalks! I loved her reaction - she was so excited!!

She loves being carried around on Daddy's shoulders!
(Daddy needed a little spit in his hair!)

Sophie loved roaming around, thumping all the pumpkins she could, playing in the dirt, and exploring corn stalks for the first time. She is such a sweet girl!


Out of ALL the pictures of the two of us together, not one of them had both of us looking at the camera! Arg :)

I love this picture. It's so sweet to see a little girl and her daddy walking hand in hand.
Also, look at the beautiful CO mountains in the background. You can see the rain coming too.