What Happened to Fall?

I love living in Utah and having 4 seasons (I didn't have that as a kid since I grew up in AZ). But some years, some of the seasons seem to get skipped. Like this year - I don't think we had Fall. One day it was hot and then it was cold and then it snowed! Too bad I haven't bought snow boots for the boys yet. I better go do that today! The picture is the big 2 walking to school this morning - they were very exciting for the snow!

16-Months Old

Where has the time gone? My babies are already 16-months old! When Brecken was this old I was 5 months pregnant with the twins! I love my babies but I am so happy to not be pregnant - 6 is perfect for us!

I usually try to get the twins to sit for a little photo shoot but I decided to try something different - especially since my little photo shoots didn't work anymore. This time I just took pictures of them "playing". I did manage to get some pictures of them TOGETHER, but none of them both looking at me. They were having a lot of fun on the little slide - but poor little Cameron couldn't figure out how to climb up the little ladder. He kept trying to climb UP the slide - and Kesley would make sure to slide DOWN the slide every time he tried climbing up. So there were some tears but there were also lots of GIGGLES and SMILES!

Brecken's First Day of Pre-School

This was a really exciting yet hard day that I had been looking forward to and dreading for a long time. Brecken is really delayed in his speech and some other areas so he had been getting help from a fabulous organization called Kids on the Move - we LOVE them! But, they only work with kids until they turn 3. So, back in August he was tested by the school district to see if he qualified for their special pre-school. He had no problem qualifying (which I wanted but was still sad that he actually did qualify). Once he turned 3, he got to start going to pre-school. I was so nervous for him to go. I knew he needed it and would be fine once he figured out what was going on but I hated that I couldn't explain where he was going. He does know what a bus is so he was very excited when we told him he was going to get on a bus (I love that a bus picks him up and brings him home - so nice). Actually, he just loves going any where (we don't go many places).

His first day was last Tuesday (he goes 3 days a week). Ed was so nice and came home in the middle of his day to see Brecken off (really to support me because I was having a really hard time and I wanted to follow the bus when Brecken got on it so Ed stayed with the others and got Gavin to school). We waited out front for the bus and took pictures - which Brecken LOVED. He was so excited to wear a backpack like his big brothers. And when he saw the bus come around the corner, his face lit up and he ran for it. I cried but he was happy so that definitely helped. He got right on the bus and the aide strapped him into his 5-point harness. Then he looked out the window at me and WAVED! Then I jumped in my car and drove to the school and waited for him so I could see him get off the bus and go into his class - that made me feel better. But it was a LONG couple of hours until the bus FINALLY brought him home at almost 4! I was very relieved when he got off the bus seemed fine. He was very tired but not upset. I emailed his teacher and she said he did great for his first day. She said his favorite parts were toy time and snack time (no surprise there) but that he was ready to go home before school was over. She said they won't say the "B" words anymore - "bye" and "backpack". I was really relieved the next day when he was still excited for the bus to come and he ran to the bus again!

Fall Decorations

Oh how I love Fall! I love the weather cooling off and the leaves changing colors and putting up fun decorations! It was fun this year to figure out where all my stuff was going to go in our new house. I did buy a few new things this year - I bought a couple of metal pumpkins, on stakes, for the front yard that I have had my eye on for years and a cute tall pumpkin head guy for on the table by the front door. Now it is time to start baking!

An Afternoon in the Park - with the WHOLE family!

The other week, we wanted to take all the kids up the canyon to see all the beautiful fall leaves. But, there was a HUGE line of cars just to get to the mouth of the canyon. So, instead we went to this cute park by "Ducky Lake" - not sure the real name but that is what the boys named it years ago because of the ducks there. Anyway, we took lunch and a football and had a great time. The twins liked being outside (even if it was just in their stroller), Brecken loved throwing rocks in the lake/pond like his brothers, the big 4 loved being outside with their dad and I loved that we were all together as a family.

Happy Birthday Brecken!

Happy 3rd Birthday Brecken! Brecken turned 3 a week ago today! I can't believe he is already 3! We celebrated 2 days late (Ed was out of town and it is easier for friends and Ed's parents to come over on a Sunday afternoon/night). I was really worried about Brecken's birthday. He had no idea what a birthday was and I couldn't explain it to him. So, in the morning when he woke-up, I took a balloon up to him in his room. When he saw the balloon, he started to jump up and down on his bed saying his version of balloon - but it was definitely balloon! I almost started to cry. Then he came down the stairs and found all the balloons I had decorated with along with a few Curious George things and he was just beaming - he was so happy! He was happy ALL day! He was so excited about his presents and played with them all day. He loved having a little party that night with some of our friends and Ed's parents and getting a Curious George cake - I was especially happy when he saw the cake and said his version of George, and he said it with pure joy in his voice! He even ate a little bit of his cake (which for him is huge). It really turned out to be a FABULOUS day!

Favorite Things #3

Anyone that knows me well, knows that these shoes are a LITTLE (or a lot) outside my comfort zone - I like simple things. But, I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I should have taken a picture of them on a plain surface - sorry. But aren't they fun!

Chocolate Caramel Rice Krispy Treat Recipe

I taught Relief Society (woman's group at Church) on Sunday. I wanted to make sure my lesson ended on a good/yummy note so I made these SUPER YUMMY treats for all the ladies (sorry I don't have a better picture of them). My mom came up with this recipe and they are really good and everyone LOVES them! Enjoy!

FYI - the amounts for the almonds and semi-sweet chocolate are approximate (I didn't measure when I made them).

One Simple Word

- MOM -

My sweet little Brecken, who will be THREE on Friday, called me MOM for the first time on Sunday - he doesn't say very much (but we are working on that and he is improving) and up until Sunday I was "Bob", if anything at all. Sunday morning he came into my bedroom (Ed was letting me sleep in), put his face right next to mine and said, "MOM". I don't think I have ever been so happy to hear that word!

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake - YUM!

Oh my - this was a yummy cheesecake. I made this last week for a little Girls Night Out that we had at my house (cheesecake, hot tub, chatting with the girls - what could be better). It made 24 mini-cheesecakes AND a six-inch cheesecake (that I gave to one of my friends for her birthday that was a couple of weeks ago). This cheesecake definitely takes longer to make than others but it TOTALLY WORTH IT! So, if you want a really good, creamy cheesecake that doesn't crack (even if it did it gets covered up), try this one.

Hope you like it!

PS I got this recipe from a magazine/book called "Junior's Cheesecakes - 40 To-Die-For Recipes for New York-Style Cheesecake" - so watch out for more yummy recipes from Junior!

15-Month Check-Up

Last week the twins had their 15-month check-up. They are both healthy and happy. I wasn't very happy at their appointment - we had to wait an HOUR before the doctor came in - which is way too long to wait with one baby, much less TWO. Let's just say I am going to see a different doctor from now on. The twins were really good though - they just played and climbed and had fun. They were so cute in their diapers.

I am still amazed at how much smaller they are than our other kids. Cameron looks huge (next to Kesley) but his weight is only around the 75%. Kesley is tiny - she is only in the 25% for weight! The doctor said 2 of Cameron's measurements were wrong - they have him shorter than Kesley - I think they are pretty much the same height - Cameron just weighs almost 6 pounds more than she does. But I did NOT want to wait for them to re-do the measurements.

Not only did we have to wait an hour for the doctor, my camera's battery died - so I had to take pictures on my phone, which aren't great but better than nothing. Then that afternoon I took Gavin in to get a mole removed and then that night was Matthew's stomach problem - it was a long day. But the babies are healthy and happy so all is well!

Halloween Countdown

I can't believe it is already October (and still in the high 80s here - ugh)! All the decorations are up and we are starting the countdown to Halloween! I bought this fun countdown calendar from Pottery Barn 2 years ago after Halloween (so it was something like 50% off) adn I just LOVE it.

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday - I am not a fan of anything SCARY - but the boys are very excited. And I do LOVE seeing my kids all dressed up and seeing how much they love Halloween and the excitement in their eyes!