Soft Gingerbread Cookies

I love love love these cookies...and it's never too early for a fall recipe right?  October is right around the corner & these delish little cookies will fill your kitchen with those yummy fall smells. Gotta give props to my good friend Tiah Wright for sharing this recipe with me cuz it is now one of my favs!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

3 c. Flour
2 tsp. Ginger
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 c. Margarine (softened)
3/4 c. Brown sugar
1/2 c. Molasses
1 Egg
1/4 c. Sugar to roll dough in

Preparation

Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, slowly add dry to wet. refrigerate dough for 4 hours or overnight. roll into balls (about tsp. size) and roll balls in sugar.
Bake on ungreased sheet at 350 for 10 minutes. Makes about 50 small cookies.

Gavin's Newborn Pics

He's finally here!!  We are so happy to welcome this sweet boy into our family.  I will post more about him later...but I just had to share some of his newborn pics.  The pics turned out so adorable...I can't pick a favorite yet, but here are some of the highlights:

can you believe those cheeks?!

this picture makes me smile because you can see his stubborn finger poking up...we had such a hard time keeping that finger under control :)

Handsome man...love the bow tie!

sweet smile

This might be my favorite...cuddly little bear cub

love his lips in this one

The photographer is Valerie Hart & she is just amazing.  Truly amazing.  We love her so much & will always consider her an angel in our lives, sent to us during the most difficult trial of our life.  She was the photographer sent to the hospital when our sweet Taytam passed away.  Valerie was there to capture my final moments with her.  Danny was hurrying home from out of town, but wasn't going to make it to the hospital before they moved Taytam to the mortuary.  Valerie offered to come take pictures before the funeral, so we could do some nice family shots with Danny & the other kids.  Then if that wasn't enough she even came to the cemetery and took some graveside pictures for us as well.  The moments she captured for us are some of our most treasured possessions.  Words are not sufficient to thank someone for this kind of selfless love & service.  We love you Valerie!!

Lake Powell

Lake Powell was a blast this year!  The kids are all getting old enough to really enjoy it & have fun.  It is nice for Danny & I because they are getting more independent which means less work for us!  

 Of course there was a lot of fishing to do-the kids each caught something.  Owen has really taken an interest in fishing-finally!  Danny is pretty proud of his new fishing buddy...I predict lots of fishing trips in the future :)

We took a trip to the Glen Canyon Dam Visitor Center.  The weather was too windy to take the tour down to the bottom, but we explored the visitor center & watched the movie about the history of the area.  Pretty informative & the kids even liked it!

We had so much fun playing some 'Minute 2 Win It' games.  Everyone got into it & had a blast cheering on their team.  Above is Averee getting wrapped up like a mummy.

Danny took the 3 older kids on long boat ride & hike with the rest of the Jones Clan.  Since I am about 7 months pregnant, Reese & I stayed on the house boat.  We watched a movie, took a nap & played on the beach.

The kids are getting so brave!  Averee actually tried tubing this time & LOVED it!  She couldn't get enough of it & asked me why we didn't make her do it sooner :)  She also got the courage to go down the slide on the back of the house boat.  Adee is our little dare devil!  She has been tubing for awhile & this year she tried knee boarding.  She got a little discouraged at first, it was harder than she thought it would be.  But she finally got the hang of it & didn't want to stop!  Owen is also making progess-he actually rode along in the boat & watched everyone else tube & board.  :) Baby steps right?

My favorite part about our annual Lake Powell trip with the Jones Family is all the uninterrupted time we get to spend with each other.  The kids have so much fun with their cousins.  The adults even get in some real conversation time.  What a great place to make some wonderful memories!

Can't wait till next year!!

Reese's Dance Recital

We are making progress!  This time around at Reese's Dance Recital she actually put on some of the costumes & walked around in a circle :)  She didn't really dance, but it's still progress!  Last time she sat on my lap for the whole thing.  She is such a performer at home-she loves to dance & sing for us.  She just gets a little nervous with a room full of strangers- go figure?!

Reese & Daddy enjoying their little picnic after the recital.  She is such a Daddy's girl & she has him wrapped around her little finger!  Love you Reesie Roo!

Taytam's Birthday

Well, today was a pretty hard day.  Not gonna lie.  But I was expecting it to be, so that helps a little.  This year Taytam's birthday is also on Mother's Day.  Horrible right?!  I prepped myself all week & expected the worst-and hoping that it's never quite THAT bad.  It was a very emotional day of course.  Church was an exercise in keeping my emotions in check.  I am usually pretty good at this, but today was a real test.  It is hard to think about what she might have looked like now?  What she would be doing...walking maybe?  Jabbering & pulling everything out of the cupboards? 

After church we headed over to the cemetery.  Danny & I have talked a lot about how hard it is to deal with the unfulfilled expectations & righteous desires.  Like how a beloved child's first birthday is supposed to be celebrated.  Instead of celebrating Taytam's first birthday by having a big bash with family & friends, we are singing 'Happy Birthday' and releasing balloons at the cemetary.  I hate it.  I miss her. I want her to be here with us.  Now when I say 'we' are singing 'Happy Birthday', what I really mean is that the kids sang.  Danny just held me while I tried not to cry too hard & upset the other kids.  The kids were so great about the whole experience.  They loved singing to Taytam and sending her some birthday balloons.  They were really cute & had just happy things to say about Taytam.  Thank goodness they were strong today, cuz I was struggling more than I have since the early days of this experience.  We had been told that the anniversaries are the hardest & now we know how true that is...

After spending a little more time at Taytam's grave, we went home & got ready for a big family dinner at our house to celebrate Mother's Day.  Even though it was kind of stressful to have everyone over today, it was also good for me to have something else to do & think about.  Plus, it is always good to be surrounded by our loving families on days like this.

Happy Birthday to our sweet angel baby...We love & miss you Taytam!!

Owen's Graduation

Owen was less than excited to participate in the Kindergarten Graduation Program...can't you tell?  His part was about being a doctor when he grows up.  We practiced for weeks leading up to this big day but he was still pretty nervous.  Owen hates attention or people looking at him, so I was also pretty nervous as to how this was going to play out.  But he did a great job!  He got right up there to the mic & recited his part.  We were so proud of him :)  He only half halfheartedly participated in the rest of the songs & such, but that's okay!  He has come a long way this year.  It started out kinda rough but he slowly warmed up to his classmates.  His teacher, Mrs. Fonnesbeck, was great & really helped him make this transition.  Way to go OJO!  We love you buddy!

Chicks!

After thinking & talking about it for a year now, we FINALLY did it...we got chicks!  Aren't they so cute?!  The kids are loving it, they just want to hold the little puff balls constantly.  Now, you may be wondering why we would want to add another level of crazy to this circus we call life :)  but we love the idea of fresh eggs from chickens that we feed- so we know exactly what we are getting, we also liked the idea of the kids getting a better understanding of where food comes from & how all that works, and finally- we are hoping it will be a good learning experience for the kids to be responsible to help feed, clean up & gather eggs.  So in other words- we have pretty high hopes for these chickens!

Here is Averee holding one of the Barred Plymouth Rock chicks.  These chickens will be black & white stripped and lay light brown eggs.

This is Adee holding one of the Rhode Island Red chicks.  These chickens will be a reddish-brown color and lay dark brown eggs.

We also got some Americana Chickens- they come in a variety of colors so we aren't sure what they will end up looking like yet.  They are also called Easter Eggers because their eggs can be pink, blue, or green.  So fun!  They won't start laying eggs till they are about 6 months old...so probably around November.  Right now they are living in a box in the laundry room under a heat lamp to stay warm.  But eventually they will move to a bigger crate in the garage, and then to a fenced in chicken coop in the backyard.  What an adventure :)

Zuppa Toscana Recipe

My hubby loves this soup from Olive Garden & every time we go he raves over it, I keep thinking I need to find that recipe!  Well, thank you Pinterest!  Danny was pleasantly surprised by this copy cat & said it tasted even better since I made it just for him...thanks babe!  Click here for this week's featured recipe:

Zuppa Toscana Recipe

Goodbye Kai...

So, after much prayer & deliberation...we decided to sell Kai.  I am really disappointed that things didn't work out with her, but know this is the best decision for all of us.  The problem, well 2 problems were that Kai barked...A LOT!  But we can't blame her, the woman who raised her never suppressed her bark.  We tried to train it out of her, even got a bark collar-it didn't faze her!  The other problem is that she was never socialized with other dogs.  Her and our other dog Katch, weren't exactly friends.  They got in a few fights the first couple days which was scary.  We did our best to help them like each other, but they still seemed to be on edge around each other.  Again- we can't really blame either dog-both of them have always been single dogs.  I was nervous that one day they would start fighting & one of our kids would get caught in the middle-scary!  Plus, with a new baby on the way, it made all of this seem that much more overwhelming.

But on a happy note, we found her the PERFECT home & I am so relieved!  The new owners love the things that we didn't like.  The husband works out of town a majority of the time so they wanted an intimidating guard dog that would bark at everything.  Well, that's Kai!  Plus, the wife goes running early in the morning by herself & wanted a partner to protect her.  Again-this is perfect for Kai!  They just love her so much & feel like she is the perfect dog for their family.  What a relief!

We miss Kai, & her absence is obvious.  I miss those big beautiful eyes & her funny personality, but we also know that this worked out the best for everyone involved...including Kai.

Emma Smith's Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

 A few years ago I was in a book club that I loved & I really miss it :(  We read the books 'Emma & Joseph- their Divine Mission' & 'The Holidays with Joseph & Emma'.  Both are by Gracia Jones.  She is their great, great, great....grand daughter & one of their first descendants to join the church.  Well, I was talking to some friends one day about the books & how much I enjoyed them.  One of my friends started laughing & said 'Well, if you want to meet her I could arrange that...Gracia is my step-mother'.  What?!  I couldn't believe it!  Crazy coincidence huh?  So, we arrange to have her come talk to our book club & it was an amazing night.  The spirit in that room was tangible.  Her testimony of both Emma & Joseph's divine missions were inspiring.  She brought several heirlooms that she had handed down to her including a brush & Joseph's death mask.  The death mask proved that Liz Lemon Swindle has done the best job of capturing what Joseph really looked like.  Gracia shared so many insights & stories...we didn't want the night to end.  Anyway, another thing Gracia shared was this recipe from Emma.  She was famous for these cookies & they are pretty delish!  I love making them & thinking of her & all the other strong & courageous pioneer women.  What a legacy!

So, for this week's featured recipe click here:

Emma Smith's Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Absolute Best Brownies Recipe

 I found this recipe one Sunday when the kiddos wanted brownies but we didn't have a boxed brownie mix.  I got on Pinterest & this is what I found.  It is so good & so easy that I don't think I will go back to the box mix!  Click here to enjoy this week's featured recipe:

Absolute Best Brownies Recipe

First Tooth!

Owen had mentioned to us a few times that his tooth felt loose, but we didn't realize HOW loose it was.  Danny barely touched it & out it popped!  Owen didn't even cry or anything-I was so surprised!  He was so brave & super excited for the Tooth Fairy to FINALLY visit him instead of his older sisters!

At our house, we put the lost tooth in a glass of water by the bed.  This way the Tooth Fairy has to dip down in the water to get the tooth & leave the money (4 quarters).  In the morning the water is colored & has fairy dust in it!  So fun!

Art City Salad Recipe

Okay, so this is probably the most delish salad ever!  I definitely recommend using a rotisserie chicken, makes it that much easier.  My hubby loves this salad & can't get enough of it when we make it.  So click here for this week's featured recipe:
Art City Salad Recipe

Adelyn the Birthday Girl

 So after years, literally years, of asking...we finally got Adee a 'real' gumball machine for her birthday. She was more than a little excited :)

She helped Danny make her cake...it had cut up candy bars on top.  That's my girl!

Since this is an odd birthday year, it is her turn for a family party.  Adee decided on going to Fiesta Fun & Dairy Queen-YUM!  We had a great time playing the arcade games & winning TONS of tickets.  The hard part is deciding what to spend the tickets on...too many choices!

We love you so much Adee...You are such a sweet & helpful girl.  Plus, your spunky personality always makes us laugh.  Love you Adee Bug :)

Happy Easter to you!

Every year we go to the park for a picnic lunch on Easter Saturday.  The Easter Bunny comes to our house on Saturday, we asked him to do that so that we could focus on the Savior on Easter Sunday.  This is a tradition that I grew up with & we just love keeping the Easter Bunny & the Resurrection of our Savior separate.

 We had a delish lunch of ham, potatoes, fruit & a yummy cake.  Thanks Grandma V!

 You are never too old for swings...right?  Alesha & Kyle

 Reese, Averee, Avia & Uncle Jason getting the track ready for rolling eggs

 Owen, Averee, Reese, Lydia, Adee & Aiva

Roll those Eggs!!

Easter Eggs

 Gotta love decorating Easter Eggs!  I decided to try something a little different this year...thanks to Pinterest.  However, our eggs didn't turn out quite like the professional looking ones on Pinterest :)  But the kiddos had a great time making a mess-I mean decorating their eggs with glue & glitter.

 Reese LOVED the pink glitter the best

 Averee & Adee are getting so creative & artistic

 Owen is a good sport...Aunt Alesha's eggs were gorgeous!

Look at those BEAUTIFUL eggs!!

Mosiah 29

So, in my recent scripture study I was reading in Mosiah chapter 29.  Let me set the stage:
King Mosiah is getting old & since none of his 4 sons wanted the throne (they walked away from it to serve missions to the Lamanites-very admirable!  These were the same boys who tormented the people of the church with Alma the Younger before they were visited by an angel) he sent out a letter to his people explaining why they should have a group of judges instead of a king.  He gives the example of King Noah vs. his father King Benjamin to show the difference when the people are ruled by a wicked king instead of a righteous king.  Huge difference!
Anyway, the people agree with him & choose judges to rule over them instead of a king.  In the Book of Mormon study guide I use, it points out that up until this point the people had recorded time in reference to when Lehi left Jerusalem, but now, since this was such a significant change for the people-to have judges instead of kings- the time will now be recorded in reference to the beginning of the reign of judges.  Quite amazing the impact that a righteous king can have on his people & history!
I am sure that one of my awesome seminary teachers taught me this back in my good ole high school days, but I had forgotten.  Hopefully, now I will remember!

Sherbet Slush Recipe

Now that it is getting warmer, I thought I would share a yummy slushy drink...click here to view this week's featured recipe:
Sherbet Slush Recipe

Mosiah 12-17

I love the story of Abinadi & wicked King Noah.  He was such an amazing prophet with such a strong testimony!  I love that he uses the 'word traps' set by the priests to prove that they don't know the scriptures & the words of the prophets.  In Mosiah 12:27 he says that 'ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise.'  We can read & study the scriptures, but if we don't apply our hearts-if we don't exercise faith- then we will not be wise. 

Also, as I read this story I love to think of Alma, one of King Noah's priests.  He listens & believes Abinadi's words, then becomes a great man, & prophet who leads the church.  I can just imagine him sitting there in King Noah's court listening to Abinadi & his heart burning with the knowledge that what Abinadi was saying was true...he just needed to hear it.  Then he acted on it...that's the important part.

Chewy Granola Bars Recipe

These granola bars are SO easy & SO good...my kids think they are like cookies.  But the best part-they are actually pretty healthy :)  Click here for this week's featured recipe:

Chewy Granola Bars Recipe

Mosiah 2-4

With what I refer to as the first General Conference, King Benjamin addresses his people.  He is getting old & fears his time is coming to an end so he wants to make sure his people know of his testimony & the truthfulness of the gospel.

I can just picture the families pitching their tents around the tower, & gathering food & supplies so that they could sit & listen to the prophet.  He teaches them so many wonderful things: service-to each other & to God, keeping the commandments, no fighting & contention, repentance, the power & goodness of God, Jesus Christ & his atoning sacrifice, salvation, overcoming sin, not judging others, SO many wonderful teachings!

He ends by saying 'if ye do not watch yourselves, & your thoughts, & your words, & your deeds, & observe the commandments of God, & continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.  And now, O man, remember, & perish not."

AMEN!

FrogEye Salad Recipe

 I had to make this for our Blue & Gold Banquet & thought I would share the recipe with you.  I grew up with this salad...we always had it at EVERY family function.  No one makes it as good as my Grandma Funk-but we can try!  Click here for this week's featured recipe:

FrogEye Salad Recipe

It's a...

I have had so many mixed emotions about this pregnancy, this baby.  We are over the moon excited to add another baby to our family.  But also very anxious and nervous about the emotions involved this time around.  I have written about this before in a previous post, so I won't dwell on those emotions.  However, since I announced that we were expecting again, everyone asks what you think you are having, or what you want to have??  Honestly, I couldn't careless!  Part of me wants to answer ' a baby that we get to keep this time', but I don't think that would go over well :) But that is really how I feel, I just want a healthy baby that we get to keep around for a good long time...boy or girl-does it really matter?

A girl: it would be like a second chance, a 'do-over' for Taytam.  Which is kind of a double edge sword...we would never what to 'replace' Taytam-how could we?  And yet, It would be a chance to experience all the girly things that we are missing with Taytam.  But yet, I also worry that I would always be thinking of Taytam, that this should be Taytam, or Taytam would have done this, or looked like this.  UGH!

A boy: obviously we have A LOT of estrogen in our house & a boy would help to even things out a little.  A boy would be a fresh start, a whole new experience from Taytam, or having another girl.  But we would miss that chance to experience what we are missing with Taytam.  But maybe that's good-something different so there isn't so much comparing to do? again-UGH!

But like I said before...does it really matter?  A healthy baby is all I want...all I can ask for.  Plus, it's already been decided-I can't change anything & worrying about it won't make any difference.  Boy or girl-we will love & spoil this baby more than we probably should.

With all that said-drum roll please.....it's a BOY! We are super excited and can't wait to meet our new little man.  It's funny because everyone has said that I am having a boy so I don't think anyone will be too surprised :)  I think I knew deep down that it was a boy, but we are just so used to having girls around here that it almost didn't seem possible...can we even make boys? he he he-yes we can!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Since it is our anniversary today, I thought I would share one of my hubby's favorite recipes.  Now, before you dismiss it because it is a 'casserole'...you have got to try it!  It is so easy & so delish!  So, for this week's featured recipe click here:

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole Recipe

Happy Anniversary!

Wow- where does the time go?!  We have been married for 13 years...crazy!  Can't believe it all started with a blind date about 16 years ago, but here we are!  Life has been quite a ride so far and I can't imagine taking this ride with anyone else.  Is life perfect? No, but Danny is the perfect person for me to endure this life with & then enjoy eternity to come!  We have so much to look forward to :)  I love you more each day Hot Stuff!