Twilight Fever

So I realize that I'm probably a big nerd because I love books about vampires and werewolves, but besides my family and the Church, the Twilight series and chocolate (good chocolate that is) are probably two of my most favorite things. I remember our big girls night out last year when we all went to the first one and swooned over the entire movie, (all secretly wishing we could be Bella Swan for one day) - it was an event to remember. Hopefully this year I'll be able to find some fanatics to go with. I came across a new trailer that, if you haven't seen, you really have to see, I've posted it below.





Can't Wait!

Talen Made Pumpkin Bars

This is a great recipe, we've already made them twice. Everyone loves them and they are a great way to bring the taste of fall into your home. Mmmmmmmmm Good.


Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 2/3 C. Sugar
1 C. Vegetable Oil
15 oz. Canned pumpkin

Mix 4 ingredients above together until light and fluffy.



Then add:
2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cloves

Mix well. Pour into a 10x13 inch pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.



Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.



Wait until bars completely cool before adding frosting.



Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick of butter
2 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and cream cheese together, then add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.




Well done little baker Man!

St. Louis

We took a trip to St. Louis last week because Jared had a job interview there. We decided to make a trip of it and see a little bit of the city. We went to forest park, which is like this 90 acre park full of free stuff to do, which happens to include the St. Louis Zoo which is currently the number 1 zoo in America. It was a pretty amazing place. I was most impressed with the beautiful habitats for the animals, the huge number of animals, and the cleanliness of the grounds. The animals seemed happy and well taken care of.

Jared's job interview went fine. He was the first applicant interviewed so it's just the beginning of the interview process for the company. Based on the afternoon we spent there, the area is beautiful and would be a nice place to live.

The pumpkin patch

We went to the pumpkin patch last week with all the kids and we had a wonderful time. I loved seeing Kendal tread through the marshy patch and attempt and succeed at picking up pumpkins way heavier than I imagined she could handle. I also loved seeing her explore the environment like the corn stalks, the muddy ground, the pigs dirty snouts, the itchy hay on the hay ride, the crisp air, and the corn kernel sand box. Talen loved the tricycle track, the slides, and running through the hay maze and corn maze. At one point Jared and Talen ran off without me and Kendal, found a hiding spot, and jumped out and scared us as we passed by them. It was a really fun evening spent together.

Below are two scrapbook pages I made and then below them is a cute little slide show if your interested in seeing more pictures from the patch.

Happy Fall!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Humbling, Overwhelming, and Grateful

I've been serving now for just two days (training is finally over) and I have met some incredible people already. Last night I had the pleasure of meeting a newly married couple (Brian and Michelle Severs) from Wisconsin, honeymooning in Branson, MO. After lots of chatting they learned about our situation out here, about my kids, and about Jared without work, and they found it very interesting. They told me how wonderful they thought it was that I was working and how much they respected me for it, and also complimented me on my serving. I also learned all about them. Basically they were just lovely lovely people and I remember now why I loved serving so much in Utah - I just love to meet new people and to try and provide an enjoyable experience for them. Well after picking up the check and wishing them a good evening, I checked my tip a little later and became instantly overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness the Severs bestowed upon me. I received a $50 tip on a $50 ticket. My eyes actually stung with tears and I had to take a moment in the back of the kitchen to regain my composure. I have never received that kind of generosity from people I barely knew in my life. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and I am humbled by this couple andthe love that existed in their hearts for me. I don't think I'll ever forget them. They touched my heart. This kind of thing just doesn't happen everyday.

On Occasion...

...my little ones surprise me with things that remind me of why it's so special to be a mother. One morning I came out to find this...




This hardly ever happens so I had to take a picture. On occasion they also say some really cute things and I wanted to record them and share them(which is probably only interesting to grandparents):


Kendal (22 months):

"elphadent" - elephant
"betadee" - Bethany (sister-in-law)
"funder" - thunder
"sun beep" - sun beam

"abcstars" - for the past few months now, whenever you ask her what song we should sing she always says "abcstars" because she has figured out that twinkle twinkle little star and the abc's are the same tune - and so we have to sing both because to her they are the same song.

"are you okay daddy/mommy" - whenever someone coughs.
"catarpillllllaaar" - caterpillar
"eatmeel" - oatmeal
"gogiegocks" - goldilocks
"i lick me" - when the dogs lick her
The other day Kendal chased me down in the hallway and said "you silly pilly"
"Can-di-sit by you?"
"Can-di-do it?"
"nukala bar" - granola bar
-She can count to 10 all by herself, and she knows almost all of her abc's and she knows all of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She always yells "yay!" for herself and for Talen after they finish singing a song.
-she knows the first and second article of faith by memory
-You ask her what her name is and she says,"kiki biki" because I always call her that. I think it's really cute that she says that, I also call her "gorgi porgi", "suguar boogar", and "kenny benny"?

- I'll ask her who my "kiki biki" is and she'll say, "I'm right here!"

-Tonight on the way home from the mall Kendal said, "I tooted in my mouth", which meant she had burped. I thought that was pretty hilarious and I'm pretty sure she learned it from Talen.

- I was putting her to bed and I told her that I wanted to tell her a secret and I whispered, "I love you and your my little angel" and then I said "do you want to tell me a secret?" and I put my ear to her lips and she whispered, "be quiet" and then we both started busting up laughing - she the complete opposite of loving. (she won't snuggle or say I love you unless she is forced)

My favorite story: I was getting her out of the van one night, and there was a full moon, and she said, "Can-di touch the moon?" and I said sure and she reached her hands out to the moon, and then she said, "can-di grab it?" and then I said sure and she pretended to grab the moon, and then she asked, "can-di eat it?" and I said sure and she pretended to eat it, and then I asked her "what does it taste like?" and she thought about it for a minute and then with a grin said "apples" and then we both started giggling - it was so so cute.


Other interesting things about Kendal:

-she loves the story of the three bears (she likes to help tell the story and fill in the blanks) (for example I'll say, "so she tried papa bears oatmeal but it was too... and she'll say "soft" or "hard" or "spicy")
-she loves when I do little piggies on her toes
-She loves to read books one on one and help you tell the story and repeat everything you say, and if you get animated then she gets really animated. If there is a book with flaps she has to make sure every flap is closed before you can go to the next page.
-The only time I've ever been able to get her to use her falsetto voice is when she imitates a kitty noise "meow" - everyone comments on her low voice and I've been told by many people that they think she'll probably be an alto : )
-she loves to play hide and go seek - she always has - she just loves to be found - I think it's exciting for her
-she loves to be chased
- she loves to tease (she'll take toys from Talen and Kashton and hide them behind her back with a big smile on her face while they are screaming for the toys back - little stinker, and when you ask her to come here to get dressed or to put on shoes she'll come just close enough for you not to be able to reach her and then she'll start smiling and taking a few steps back and then when you reach for her she'll turn around a run away so that you have to chase her - little stink butt)

Talen (3 years old):

-he was writing letters to some friends in Virginia, and after finishing one he asked if i wanted one and i said "sure" and he said "okay but you have to be a good girl" (then I said"what??" and I tickled him to death)

-so I've been walking a bit here and there for exercise around the nieigborhood, which is pretty hilly, and one day I was pushing Talen, Kendal, and Kashton in our double stroller up a very steep hill and I was going very very slow and I was huffing and puffing... (Talen = 37 lbs, Kashton = 25 lbs, Kendal = 26 lbs + stroller weight = approx. 110 lbs) and Talen said looking down at the pavement "mommy ... you're not very good at this ..... I think we need to go get the car" : ) I started laughing so hard in the middle of pushing that I had to stop pushing for a minute. So after I gained control of myself I made him get out of the stroller and help me push the two littler ones up the hill - little stinker.

-he snuck some fudge out of my purse one afternoon when I wasn't looking (and shared it with Kashton) and after I caught him and put him on time out he said, "mommy I'm sorry I ate your special fudge, I just ... wasn't thinkin about it, I forgive you" followed by a hug around my legs. How do you ever stay angry at any child when they say things like this.

- One day he grabbed Kendal and said "do you want to sit on my lap" and grabbed her around the waist and had her sit in between his legs and they snuggled for a minute, and then he said,"Mommy do you want to take a picture of this?" (He knows me too well)

-Jared made roasted chicken for dinner and gave Talen a chicken leg on his plate to eat and Talen said, "Daddy, I'm like Bear Grills" and I asked him "who is Bear Grills?" and he said, "The guy that eats bugs."

We are having a rainstorm and he said, "mommy mommy it's raining, we need to go find a new house before it rains in Missouri!"

Jared had some pumpkin muffins in the oven and the buzzer was going off and Jared was ignoring it while looking at a website on the computer. Talen came over and said, "Daddy Daddy it's beeping, it's beeping, it's beeping", and Jared said "okay, okay, okay" and Talen said, "Daddy just say thank you for telling you it was beeping." (Ha Ha Ha - I love it)


The End... for now.

Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse

So I've been training for the past week to be a server at a restaurant called Texas Land and Cattle(TXLC)and I start on the floor tomorrow! Yea! Training was brutal and required in depth classes, tests, and lots and lots of studying and I was starting to get a little annoyed because I've been so anxious to get on with the job and to start making some money. Learning all the alcoholic beverages we serve has been the most challenging. We have tons and tons of options.

Below are a few pictures of where I work, it's kind of a cool place because it overlooks a lake called Lake Taneycomo (it looks like a river) and it also overlooks these fountains that are actually a very popular attraction here in Branson because there is a fountain show with fire, put to music every hour on the hour, and they also occasionally do fireworks displays right over the fountains. It's a great location and it's only about a 5 minute drive from my brother's house. Hopefully I'll make good money. I think I'll enjoy it. I actually do enjoy serving and I just hope that the tips are better out here than they are in cheap Utah Valley.

Wish me Luck : )

Blessed Sunshine

So it rained here in Missouri for like 9 days straight and it was starting to just get everybody down, the kids had cabin fever BAD, we just had nothing to do and we were running out of ideas, and I have to admit my mood was starting to get a little gray as well, but finally the gloom ended and the sun graced us with it's presence. So here are some pictures celebrating the sunshine.

Best night of TV in a long time

If you haven't watched Glee yet, you are missing out. Now that's funny : )

New Bath Toy

So Jared decided it would be fun to make bath time a little more exciting by bringing in our little backyard friend to play in the tub. He's in the backyard almost every night, so he's our new tub toy - poor guy.