Merry Christmas!

I can't believe that Christmas has already come, and gone. I guess when you're the one stressing about the gifts, putting up the tree, wrapping everything, and doing everything that comes along with the holidays it comes a lot quicker than when you're a kid, waiting for Christmas morning to come.

December was filled with so many fun things. From our traditional family Candy Day, to fun days full of shopping with my hubby, to Pickeville Christmas plays. There is nothing better than a month full of fun activities!

Andrew was so much fun this year. He still doesn't understand the whole Santa thing.. but he absolutely loved opening all of his presents. Christmas is so special when you have a little one that gets so excited.

We spent Christmas Eve with my family in Logan. The night was full of so many fun things. We had a delicious turkey dinner, opened sibling presents, played bingo and played the almond game. The almond game is a tradition that we have done for years. We make homemade ice cream, and the person that has the almond in their ice cream wins an awesome prize! We also watched some old family videos of when we were little.

Christmas morning was so much fun. When we woke up, Andrew opened all of his presents from Santa, and he helped Steven and I open our gifts too! Then we headed up to my parents house to do gifts up there.

After we got ready for the day, we headed down to West Jordan to spend Christmas day with the Olsons. Stevens family got Andrew an awesome little car, that he LOVES!! It is so cool, because we can control it with a controller, or Andrew can drive it himself! He is going to have so much fun with his little car.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year!!!

for the record

I HATE apartments. I am so happy to finally be back in Logan, but I absolutely hate living in an apartment. Don't get me wrong, they are decent apartments, but the people living above us drive me nuts. They are a bunch of young college guys, who seriously don't do anything all day. I can hear them ALL day long. Like go to work or something!!!!!!!!!!!! I constantly hear moving furniture, and it's always conveniently when I have just put Andrew down for a nap. It sounds like they rearrange their living room 10 times a day, and they are constantly sliding their kitchen chairs around on their tile!! GRR! I am a bit annoyed right now, if ya can't tell! So, for the record, I hate apartments, and I hope this is the last one I have to live in!!!!!!!!

if you give a moose a muffin....

This morning as my mom and I were on our way to get a diet coke, we noticed this cute guy!

I apologize for the poor photo quality, it was taken with my Blackberry

Too bad I didn't have any muffins to feed him :)

Blueberry Dumplings

If you're looking for a {delicious} dessert...this is it! And I don't even like blueberries, but this is amazing!!!

{BLUEBERRY DUMPLINGS}

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1 1/2 cups
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 quart fresh or frozen blueberries
• 2 cups water
• Vanilla ice cream or fresh cream, for serving

Directions

Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.

In a large saucepan, combine berries, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into hot boiling berries by the tablespoonful. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid before 20 minutes has passed, and do not stir dumplings. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.

fall time family pictures

Halloween 2011

Halloween this year was pretty low key. Andrew went all out as a Cheetah, and Steven and I went as ourselves.. pretty cool. We took Andrew around to a few houses to trick or treat, (to get Steven, and I candy..) and then spent the rest of the night at my aunt Allisons house in Wellsville with the rest of my family. Oh, and I LOST our camera. Well apparently I was the one who lost it... according to someone else.. :) So I had to steal pictures of Andrew from my family, because I was unable to take any. Sad day. I was hoping that as soon as we got completely unpacked it would show up somewhere, but it hasn't. So a new camera will definitely be something on the Christmas list this year!

I'm pretty sure he was the cutest cheetah i've ever seen!!!

Chicken Alabam Recipe

This recipe it by far one of my favorites. It is something my mom has made ever since we were little, and it's always been a family fav. Its super easy, and sooo good. I guarantee if you try it, it will be one of your favorites, too! Enjoy!

CHICKEN ALABAM

8 Chicken breasts
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onions
1 tsp paprika
14 oz can chicken stock
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp thyme
3 tbsp. pimientos

Dredge chicken pieces with mixture of flour, paprika,salt, pepper and thyme. Save remaining flour mixture. Brush chicken with 1/3 cup melted butter and brown in oven for 20 min at 350. Saute onion lightly in 1/3 cup butter for about 5 min. Stir in excess flour from dredging chicken (Should be 1/3 cup). Stir in soup stock. Cook and stir until thickened. Add milk, cook on med/low heat until smooth and thick. Add lemon juice and pimiento: blend well. Pour sauce over chicken,cover, and bake for an additional 50 min at a reduced heat of 325...or until chicken is fork tender.

*Goes great on top of white rice!

quote...

Just what I needed to hear today....

"Marvelous is the power of women of faith. It has been demonstrated again and again in the history of this church. It goes on among us today. I think it is a part of the divinity within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity to achieve. Please don't nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know and the Lord will accept of your effort." -Gordon B. Hinckley

All Settled

Well we're finally all settled in to our new place, and it feels so good to be back. As great as St. George is, there is nothing better than Fall in Cache Valley. I sometimes forget how breath taking Cache Valley is, especially this time of year. I love the crisp air, and the changing leaves. It's too bad Fall flies by so quickly.

Anyway, we've gotten completely unpacked, and finally started to get somewhat of a routine down. We live in an apartment.. and we like it, but its not our favorite! We have some neighbors above us, who are currently moving in.. and they are verrrry loud. Oh the joys of living in an apartment.. Although, we absolutely love the location. We live about 30 seconds away from Chase, where Steven works, so that is a huge plus, and are very close to family. Steven is loving working at the new Chase branch, and I have started working at Al's again. I try to work before Steven goes in to work, which generally means I am up by 4:20, and into work by 5:00am! yikes! It's definitely exhausting, but I'm so glad that I can be home with Andrew the rest of the day.

As for Andrew...He is sure getting an attitude!!! He is such a good little boy, but is very demanding, and in charge. He just cut 2 new teeth, which is now a total of 8 teeth! It blows me away at how grown up he has gotten. He can't say a whole lot, but he is definitely trying to talk! He has a few "words" that he always says. I'm not quite sure what they're supposed to mean, but it is so cute to see him try. He is great at walking, and has gotten so fast! He gets going so fast, that a lot of the time I don't think his little legs can keep up, but he manages! I always thought that newborns were tough...until I had a 1 year old!!!! Busy, busy, busy!

Now that we're all settled... is it too early to put Christmas up?!? :)

A Mickey Mouse Celebration!

We're Coming Home!!

Although I absolutely loath packing, and hate the fact that all my stuff is just EVERYWHERE, I am SO excited to be moving back to Logan. I never thought in a million years we would make our way back to Logan, just because it seems almost impossible to find a good job there. For the past few months we have been hoping, and praying that Steven could transfer, or find another job that would move us closer to our families. We have loved being in St. George, but is has been hard being so far away from friends, and family.

About a week ago, Stevens assistant branch manager decided she was going to do all she could to help Steven transfer up near the Wasatch Front area. After only a few phone calls, she heard that the new Chase bank in Logan, needed an extra person! YAY! We were so excited to hear the news. It feels so weird to think we are going back to Logan. I think we both feel like we have just been on a really long vacation, and just waiting to go home, and get back into the groove of things! I can't even tell you how much I miss MY stuff. I miss my furniture, our bed, Andrews rocking chair, and just being home. I am so happy that this job opportunity turned up for Steven, and feel like the Lord really had a hand in it. There were so many times when I felt so depressed, and homesick, and felt like our prayers were never being answered. As hard as this move has been for me, I have really learned patience. I've learned that some things don't work out for a reason, and instead of letting it affect you negatively, you just need to realize that the Lord has something even better for you in store, but you have to be patient, and trust that things are going to work out the way they should.

We found out about this move about a week ago, and we are going to be heading home the end of October, just in time to celebrate Halloween in chilly LOGAN! We can't wait!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Andrew!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday (oct 7th) to my sweet boy, Andrew! I can't believe that one year ago, I woke up to my water breaking, rushed to the hospital, was in labor for 14 hours, and finally had the baby I had longed for, for 9 long months. Andrew has been such a blessing in our lives, and we cannot imagine life without him.

Andrews favorite thing is Mickey Mouse! So his 1st birthday is going to be themed Mickey! More pictures to come soon...!

He had a blast with those balloons!!

Fall Pictures