Trick or Treat

We started the night with a mandatory family photo. We get so few of these...

We had Snow White with us for the night. She was so excited!
A hayride and plenty of sugar were looming ahead...
She didn't get much of an afternoon nap, so we were hoping for a miracle. On another note, Halloween marked 24 weeks for Carson & me. I am officially 6 months!
A couple of more photos...
...just before we headed out for the night.
Snow White is usually friends with the blue birds and squirrels.
This Snow White was friends with bunnies, butterflies, and of course TIGERS!
After dinner at our friend's house, we made it trick or treating.

Halloween is always a fun night. But, when they are little...the excitement is so grand. If only it would stay that way...

Happy Halloween from our house to yours.

Little Hands

I wanted to make our annual batch of Halloween sugar cookies this year.

So, I asked for help from one sweet little girl.
She brought along three friends, Tigger, Lion, and Giraffe. Just in case we needed back-up.
She loves to help me in the kitchen, and I love little hands in the kitchen...most of the time :) It was nap time, so I did the cutting out while she was sleeping. Flour is a BIG mess~even for mommies!

Chocolate chips and M&M's were waiting for her when she woke up.
We had sprinkles and icing too.
I made these for me. I prefer the ones without the icing.
I also made these while she was sleeping. Can you tell they are owls? Their eyes are oreos. I am taking them to our annual Halloween Hayride and Trick or Treat Party...for the kiddos, of course!
I summoned TWO helpers for the decorating. Emma and Ray.
They both went to town.
They had some samples along the way too.
And, some serious conversation.
Here's Ray with her finished cookies.
And, Emma with her's. After dinner, they each ate a cookie and swapped hugs :)

This recipe is not my "regular" sugar cookie recipe, but I think I will use it from now on. It was great for icing cookies, and they weren't too sweet! It makes a ton. This one recipe made all of the owls, the plain sugar cookies, and the cookies for the girls to decorate.

4.5 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter~room temp

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Mix dry ingredients together. Add vanilla to milk. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix well.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. I think longer is better...overnight would be best.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375.

Divide dough into four sections. Roll one section at a time. I used quite a bit of flour to keep the dough from sticking. Cut shapes and bake on parchment lined baking sheets. I love parchment...your cookies will never burn! Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool.

Icing:

I used canned icing for the girls' cookies. But, when I want colored icing (like for the owls), I mix powdered sugar with a little bit of milk and vanilla. It should be very thick. To get the color, I use the food gels that I used for Emma's rainbow birthday cake.

The Baby Bump Diaries: Chapter 5

In case you missed Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, or Chapter 4.

I am 23 1/2 weeks pregnant! I guess once I turn 24 weeks this Saturday, I will be six months? yikes! The weeks are flying right by. I can't say this so much for the beginning of the pregnancy, but it is for sure going quickly now.

We are hanging in there with the flu. If Emma doesn't make some sign of improvement today, I plan on calling her pediatrician this afternoon. She is not terrible, but isn't sleeping well and just doesn't feel good. Hopefully, she will be well soon!

I'm back...

Sorry for the delay, but I am caught up (on blogging that is). You can scroll down to see the new posts. This is where I have been...

digging up stuff that we don't need, use, or want. Isn't just amazing what you can accumulate? Each time I do this, I am just in awe.

I am almost done. I have rummaged through every drawer, cabinet, and closet in my house. Chunking, reorganizing, and making myself sane once again.

Please don't look at the photo too close. I won't be held accountable for what's pictured. It was just time for a good ole fashioned cleaning out.

On another note, Emma has the flu. We just found out today, so she is sleeping soundly while on tamiflu.

Rob and I both have tamiflu waiting for us at Walgreens, so please pray that I (being with child) don't get it...please? While you're at it, you can pray that Emma feels better really soon. I just hate it when she's sick.

one more trip to the zoo...

We did it again. She loves this place. Check out her reflection in the tunnel!

A long look at the giraffes. There are TWO babies now!
The weather was amazing!
We just had to bring baby tiger along too.
In case you didn't know, he has stripes too.
A ride on the carousel...

she just smiles! And it never lasts long enough.
We were going round and round...so fast!
The carousel is one of her favorites.
She picked to ride the dolphin.

She usually picks the tiger. Her preference has a common theme...anything with stripes. Tigger included.

She loves the seal too.
And, the train is both her and my favorite.
love it.
One silly kiss for daddy coming right up.
The weather was beautiful, and we had a great day. We were so glad that Rob could join us this time.

we are ready

We overhauled the front yard for the fall. I wish I had a "before" photo...it was pretty bad, but looks SO much better.

I planted some red cyclamens....love them!
And Mr. Owl resides on our front door.
We have pumpkins too. I love the white ones :)
And Mr. Scarecrow keeps a close watch.
I was so ready for the cooler temperatures, and I am so excited about this holiday season. Little hands make the holiday so much fun.

Trunk or Treat?

Emma and Evelyn were all ready to go at the YMCA Halloween Carnival.

We started by decorating cookies.

And, eating them of course!
We did some "trunk" or treating...
And, stopped for a few photos.
Emma and her daddy.
Emma shared her sucker with me!
And, with her daddy!
She ate milk duds too. They got stuck in her teeth, which was quite a scene.
She conquered this slide multiple times. And, loved every minute of it!
There was one sweet hug, just before we left.