Creepy Critter Cupcakes

My dear friend Abby gave me a "Hello Cupcakes" book for my birthday and it is awesome! It is amazing what you can do with melting chocolate wafers and m&m's. Cupcake anyone?!

Good Morning

I appreciate Paul's unwavering dedication to fulfill all his professional and church responsibilities. I also love slow mornings when I get to see this! The girls love their daddy so much and it is fun to watch them snuggle up together.

Pumpkin Patch

We love taking the girls to the pumpkin patch. This year the pumpkin patch was in a field in the middle of a subdivision; not the environment we are used to! However, they had a free kids corn maze, hay rides, and a great pumpkin selection. It was a lot of fun and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

The wheelbarrow mommy! It was so convenient to have a wheelbarrow when it came to hauling pumpkins and kids around!

Hailey loved the wheelbarrow and did not want to get out! She stayed in there almost the whole time.

Aubrey loved sitting in the tractors! This was her highlight. Our John Deer Aubrey.

I am a mother

I am a mother. I am not JUST a mom, or ONLY a mom, but I am a mother! I have two wonderful children who mean the world to me. I can kiss away their owies; I can sooth away their bad dreams; I can comfort them when sad; I second for a bucking bronco or a tickle monster. I am a great story teller and story reader...for hours and hours on end! When tummies are upset and the girls have thrown up so many times that we are running out of clean blankets to give them, I am the mom who gets to sit up and rock and rock and rock them to sleep, soothing their aching tummies and drying their tear stained eyes. I get to hold them and cherish them, knowing that they feel safe and secure and loved with my arms around them. Not all aspects of motherhood are glamorous or fun, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have been blessed with the two most beautiful girls in the world. I am so grateful to be their mother. I am a mother!

Go Team!

My sister recently sent us a BSU cheerleading outfit. Go Boise State!

Paul's Admissions Ceremony

Paul recently passed the Bar Exam and was admitted to the Utah State Bar. It was a great ceremony and I am so proud of all that he has accomplished! What a great man! Congratulations Sweetie!

The Smells of Fall

I love the smells of Fall! I love the smell of pumpkin, warm apple cider and the smell of cold fresh air. I bought a new candle the other day, mulled cider. I lit it and enjoyed that delicious scent all morning. Then I put out the candle and started simmering broth for homemade chicken noodle soup...with homemade noodles! Yum! All afternoon the aroma of warm soup drifted through the house and made me appreciate Fall! What a great time of year!

Happy Birthday Ashley!

My birthday was this last week and, for my birthday, I wanted to make a cake. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work due to all the colors I used. I had to re-learn a lesson that I first learned on the last fondant cake I made...don't roll the fondant out too thin! I also learned to really kneed and work with the fondant to make it nice and smooth before rolling it out. So, here is the first fondant attempt, looking more like old wrinkly skin. The second attempt turned out much better! For my birthday the girls and my father-in-law got me cake decorating supplies while Paul promised me a 1 hour back massage!!! Heaven! In all, it was a wonderful birthday!(Sorry we didn't get more pictures!)