What-Shall-We-Give?

Here's a great video that will get you in the Christmas spirit...

What-Shall-We-Give?

Christmas Devotional Quotes

The first week of December, the LDS church always has a Christmas Devotional. It's such a nice way to start the month and really gets you thinking about the true meaning of Christmas. My friend Melody posted some quotes from this year's devotional on her blog, so I stole them. Thanks, Mel! It's good stuff!


President Uchdorf

"One sees clearly only with the heart, anything essential is invisible to the eyes." (quoting a french story) -I love love this!

What some men esteem to be of great worth, others trample under their feet.

-All of the spectacular displays of Christmas that compete for our attention can be beautiful and uplifting but if that is all we see we are missing something that is in plain sight.

-Despite our best intentions, we become preoccupied with responsibilities, commitments and stress of our many tasks that we fail to see with our hearts that which is most sacred.

Sometimes when we read about people who could not see the Savior for who He was, we marvel at their blindness. But do we also let distractions obstruct our view of the Savior—during this Christmas season and throughout the year? Some are external distractions—the gifts we worry about, the decorations, or the clamorous advertising—but often it is what is inside us that blinds us from seeing the Christ.

Some may feel a certain level of intellectual aloofness that distances them from Christ. In an age when vast amounts of knowledge are at our fingertips, the familiar story of Jesus the Christ can get lost amid the flood of scientific advances, pressing news, or the latest popular movies or books.

Some are so caught up in the details of running their lives that they don’t make time for much else. They might pay lip service to the things of the Spirit, but their hearts are so focused on the world that they cannot see the Christ.

Some, like the Pharisees, seek for the Christ, but their hearts are so set upon their own theories, spiritual hobbies, and opinions that they fail to recognize Him. In spite of their good intentions, they miss the transforming revelations of the Holy Spirit and thereby miss the only way to receive a certain testimony of Jesus Christ.

This is a season of rejoicing! A season of celebration! A wonderful time when we acknowledge that our Almighty God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world! To redeem us!

It is a season of charitable acts of kindness and brotherly love. It is a season of being more reflective about our own lives and about the many blessings that are ours. It is a season of forgiving and being forgiven.

But perhaps most of all, let it be a season of seeking the Lamb of God, the King of Glory, the Everlasting Light of the World, the Great Hope of Mankind, the Savior and Redeemer of our souls.

I promise that if we unclutter our lives a little bit and in sincerity and humility seek the pure and gentle Christ with our hearts, we will see Him, we will find Him—on Christmas and throughout the year.

President Thomas S. Monson

My brothers and sisters, finding the real joy of the season comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done or in the purchasing of obligatory gifts. Real joy comes as we show the love and compassion inspired by the Savior of the World, who said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ... ye have done it unto me.”³

At this joyous season, may personal discords be forgotten and animosities healed. May enjoyment of the season include remembrance of the needy and afflicted. May our forgiveness reach out to those who have wronged us, even as we hope to be forgiven. May goodness abound in our hearts and love prevail in our homes.

As we contemplate how we’re going to spend our money to buy gifts this holiday season, let us plan also for how we will spend our time in order to help bring the true spirit of Christmas into the lives of others.

The Savior gave freely to all, and His gifts were of value beyond measure. Throughout His ministry, He blessed the sick, restored sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear, and the halt and lame to walk. He gave cleanliness to the unclean. He restored breath to the lifeless. He gave hope to the despairing and bestowed light in the darkness.

He gave us His love, His service, and His life.

What is the spirit we feel at Christmastime? It is His spirit—the Spirit of Christ.

How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming; but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.⁴

With the pure love of Christ, let us walk in His footsteps as we approach the season celebrating His birth. As we do so, let us remember that He still lives and continues to be the Light of the World, who promised, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”⁵

President Eyring

We can choose this Christmas and every day to create a small part of the Christmas story in our own lives. We can accept the invitation of living prophets to help those who are lost along the pathway, and have wandered, to come back to it. We can offer the gospel, which is the only way home, to all we meet along the way. We can lift up those who are tired and hungry and lonely, as the Savior did and now invites us to do with Him. As we do, they can feel how much the Savior loves them and wants to lead them on the way to the God He loves.

In the stories of Christ’s birth, we can see and feel who He was and who He is. That lightens our load along the way. And it will lead us to forget ourselves and to lighten the load for others. That can make every day feel like the best of our Christmases past.

You can watch it and hear the beautiful Christmas music from the motab at www.lds.org

Merry Christmas from the Dixon Family!

Rally for Rafe!!!

http://www.rallyforrafe.blogspot.com/

Our neighbor and friend Rafe has been battling cancer. He is an incredibly good man, with an amazing wife and three beautiful little boys. Many of his friends and neighbors have been rallying together to show Rafe we love and support he and his family at this time. In order to help alleviate some of the burden associated with his extraordinary medical expenses we are conducting an online auction. Any support you are able to give will be put to great use and much appreciated. The online auction will begin on December 7th (TODAY!) and will end on December 14th at 5:00 p.m. Please check out the blog for more info and to bid on items. There have been tons of amazing items and services donated, so check out www.rallyforrafe.blogspot.com and start feeling generous!

Please cut/paste this post into your own blog, and help us spread the word! (Make sure to include the blog address, since it's not on the flier). Thanks!!!

CMT Music City Madness competition

CMT's Music City Madness is the ultimate online search for singer-songwriters. Dan's cousin Chance McKinney has made it to the finals in this competition, which is really exciting. It all comes down to this round where two finalists battle in head-to-head competition. VOTE now for who you want to win Music City Madness and check back Dec. 15 to see who wins. The winning entry will travel to Nashville to record their own CMT Studio 330 Sessions, play a private showcase with A&R executives at Valory Music and have a once-in-a-life backstage experience with country superstar Reba.

Please take a few minutes to vote for CHANCE MCKINNEY (You can vote as many times as you want, so open a few windows and vote a few times while you're at it!). Here's the link that will take you to his video...you just watch, then vote. THANKS!
http://www.cmt.com/interact/music_city_madness/vote/bracket.jhtml?quad=2

My friend Emily is having a jewelry open house on December 8th. She has some really great stuff, which make fabulous gifts. I love the interchangeable earrings sets that she has. I've given them to several people for birthdays, etc...and everyone just loves them. Anyway, let me know if you want to join me and I'll get you her address. Since my blog isn't private, I thought I shouldn't post her address. :)

Need your help

Dear friends and family,
We need your help. Our neighbor and friend Rafe is battling cancer. He is an incredibly good man, with an amazing wife and three beautiful little boys. Rafe's cancer has spread to multiple organs, including his brain. He has undergone chemotherapy, radiation and most recently, a surgery to remove a large tumor from his brain. During the surgery the surgeon found two more tumors. They are planning on doing radiation again to his head, in an attempt to shrink the tumors. You can imagine the financial strain that this has placed on their young family.

Their family has been very private in their struggle and have had a difficult time asking for help from others. They are independent and humble, yet gracious and kind, the type of people who would do anything for anyone. Although this will remain anonymous, many of Rafe's friends and neighbors have been rallying together to show Rafe that we love and support him and his family at this time. In order to help alleviate some of the burden associated with the extraordinary medical expenses we are conducting an online auction. Any support you are able to give will be put to great use and much appreciated. The online auction will begin on December 7th and will end on December 14th at 5:00 p.m. Please check out the blog for more info at http://www.rallyforrafe.blogspot.com/ about the auction.

Dan and I have decided to forgo neighbor Christmas gifts this year and will make a donation (via paypal on their blog http://www.rallyforrafe.blogspot.com/) to their family instead. There are many ways that you could help make a huge difference to this family. You could forgo neighbor gifts as well, and write a note or card to friends letting them know that you made a donation in their name to a family in need. OR if you have a special skill, talent or product that you could donate for the online auction, please do so. Here are some ideas just to get you thinking....jewelry, haircolor/cuts, photography, timeshare/condo stay, free tax service, clothing, products, massages, discounted services, gift certificates, Jazz or BYU tickets, hair products, body lotions, home decor, quilts/sewing, handmade items (i.e. cards, aprons, purses, hair accessories), tutoring, video games, piano or guitar lessons, party planning, graphic design, invitations, baby products (nursing covers, slings, hairbows, beanies, clothing), etc...(By the way, if you received this it's because I believe you have talents and skills!). No donation is too small. Also, if you know someone who might have something they could donate, please forward this email to them. Or simply post a blog or facebook message with the blog website http://www.rallyforrafe.blogspot.com/ and encourage people to donate raffle items or to bid on items. Once again, the online auction will begin on December 7th, so mark your calendars and check the blog on that day to see the list of items up for bid. The auction will end December 14th at 5:00 p.m. Even if you aren't able to donate, please spread the word about the online auction!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I can't imagine how difficult the past year has been for this family (and even more difficult during the holidays). I hope that we can all pull together to make things just a little easier and to provide some hope for this incredible family. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you have anything you would like to donate. In order to make things easier, I'd be happy to coordinate on your behalf. Thank you!

All the best,
Holly & Dan Dixon

Orange Almond Wassail

Isn't it the perfect time for wassail? I wish I had all the ingredients, I'd make this right now. I'm not about to brave the cold again today, so I'll have to give this a try another day. If you're looking for a yummy wassail recipe, this is the one. It has such an amazing flavor. It's the perfect drink for the holiday season. I've never had almond extract in wassail before, but it really seems to be the secret ingredient in this recipe. My friend Sunny said she added even more than the recipe called for, and will add even more next time, so use a heavy hand with the almond extract for a little more tastiness!

Orange Almond Wassail

Makes 12, 6-oz. servings

- 2 cups water

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 large cinnamon stick

- ½ tsp. whole cloves

Boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Then add:

- 6 cups water

- 1 6 oz. frozen orange juice

- Juice of 1 lemon

- ½ tsp. almond extract

Pour into crockpot and keep warm

Yummy biscuits & amazing salad recipes!

For gourmet club last month the girls made two different kinds of biscuits--pumpkin & buttermilk, served with cinneberry and orange-pecan butters. I'm totally going to have to steal this idea for a dinner party. The biscuits just melted in your mouth. And the butters had just the perfect amount of flavor. Sunny also mentioned that the biscuits are great alternatives to rolls for Thanksgiving dinner (and you don't have to wait for them to rise!), so if you're looking for a fun, new idea for your turkey dinner, give these babies a try! You'll love them!

Pumpkin Angel Biscuits

***Use a light hand when working with this dough to ensure that the baked biscuits will be tender.

Makes about 24 biscuits. Prep time: 30- min. ₊ chilling. Baking time: 12 – 13 minutes.

- 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast, room temperature. (1 pkg.)

- ½ cup warm water (105 degrees – 115 degrees)

- 5 cups all purpose flour

- ¼ cup sugar

- 1 T. pumpkin-pie spice

- 1 tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tsp. table salt

- 1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed

- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

- 1 cup buttermilk

- Melted, unsalted butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; set aside.

Whisk together flour, sugar, pumpkin-pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the 1 stick cubed butter into the dry ingredients until butter pieces are the size of peas.

Stir together pumpkin puree and buttermilk; add to the flour mixture along with the yeast mixture. Stir just until ingredients are moistened. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough lightly 4-5 times to incorporate the flour.

Roll dough to a thickness of ½ inch. Cut dough with a 2-inch floured cutter to form 12 biscuits. Place biscuits in one of the prepared pans. Gather remaining dough scraps, then gently roll out dough again. Cut 12 more biscuits and place in second pan.

Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter. Bake biscuits until lightly golden, 12 – 13 minutes.

Turn biscuits out of pans and serve warm.

Make-Ahead Directions:

This dough will keep for 2 – 3 days stored in the refrigerator. You even can cut the dough into rounds and place the rounds into the prepared pans. Cover biscuits and chill them up to 1 day before baking as directed.

Buttermilk Biscuit Option:

You can replace the cup of canned pumpkin puree with an extra 1 cup of buttermilk. Omit the pumpkin-pie spice. No matter what version you choose to make, these biscuits taste fabulous as a base for mini leftover turkey sandwiches!

Cinnaberry Butter:

Combine 1 stick unsalted butter (softened), 2 Tbsp. chopped dried cranberries, 2 tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, and ½ tsp. kosher salt in a bowl. Scoop mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap; roll wrap around butter to form a log. Twist ends of plastic wrap tightly to seal. Chill log in the refrigerator until butter is firm. Store butter, sealed, up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or freezer.

Orange-Pecan Butter:

Combine 1 stick unsalted butter (softened), 2 Tbsp. chopped toasted pecans, 1 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. minced orange zest, ½ tsp. kosher salt in a bowl. Scoop mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap; roll wrap around butter to form a log. Twist ends of plastic wrap tightly to seal. Chill log in the refrigerator until butter is firm. Store butter, sealed, up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or freezer.

This salad is a recipe from Stacie's grandmother (who is German). I'm seriously in love with this salad. It had the most amazing flavor! I agree with Sunny who said that it just looks like an ordinary salad, but tastes anything but ordinary!

German Family Salad

- 2 bunches of Romaine lettuce, chopped

- 1 large Gala apple cubed

- 1 ½ avocado cut up

- CCaesar or Garlic croutons

- pPine nuts

Dressing for German Salad:

o ½ cup olive oil

o 1/3 cup rice vinegar

o 2 T sugar

o 2 cloves garlic

o About ½ - 1 Tablespoon of “Season All” salt. (I use 1 + even a little more. It’s what makes it.)

o Pepper to taste

More good recipes!

I really post recipes more for myself than for anyone else. I just forget about so many great recipes, so if I have them here on my blog, then I have easy access to them and I don't forget about the keepers! Here's some from gourmet club that I have and need to make. In fact, I'm going to make these sweet potato fries for dinner tonight!

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic and Sea Salt
*These were AMAZING!!! The best sweet potato fries I've ever had!

• 2 lbs sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Course sea salt

Preheat oven to 450. Rinse and dry sweet potatoes. Cut sweet potatoes into batons about ¼ inch wide and 3 inches long. Mix the oil, mustard, and lime juice in a large bowl or ziplock bag and toss with the sweet potato batons to coat. Spread sweet potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring with a spatula midway through baking time, until tender and browned on the edges, 20-25 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix parmesan, parsley, and garlic. Add warm oven fries and mix gently to coat. Season to taste with additional salt and serve at once.


These panini's were amazing....so amazing it makes me want to buy a panini maker just so I can make this!

Farmers’ Market Panini

Tart apples such as Granny Smith, chopped
Red onion marmalade
Brie Cheese, rind cut off and sliced
Roasted Turkey Breast, sliced
Hearty Wheat Bread, sliced
Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil. Lay the slices oiled side down and spread the top of each slice with the red onion marmalade. Sprinkle the apples on top and place sliced turkey over the apples. Arrange a couple slices of brie on top. Top each sandwich with a bread slice, oiled side up.

Place the sandwich on a panini press, close the lid, and cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve immediately.


Moist and Tender Turkey Breast
From Recipezaar.com
Ingredients
1 (5-10 lb) fresh or frozen turkey breast (thawed)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1-2 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions
1. Place turkey breast in a roasting pan.
2. Combine melted butter and chicken broth.
3. Pour over turkey.
4. Rub mayonnaise all over turkey's exterior. Salt lightly if desired.
5. Roast at 300°-325°F until internal temperature reaches 170°F on an instant read thermometer.
6. Remove from oven and let sit for about 30 minutes before slicing.
Note: because the butter and broth are for making gravy, if you need to make a lot of gravy, double the amount of both.

Red Onion Marmalade
4 ½ pounds red onions
4 garlic cloves
1/3 pound butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
375 ml bottle red wine
375 ml bottle red wine vinegar

1. Halve and thinly slice the onions, then thinly slice the garlic. Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Tip in the onions and garlic and give them a good stir so they are glossed with butter. Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves, and some salt and pepper. Give everything another really good stir and reduce the heat slightly. Cook uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they're really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelizing. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Slow cooking is the secret of really soft and sticky onions, so don't rush this part.
2. Pour in the wine and vinegar and simmer everything, still uncovered, over a high heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany color and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. It's done when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice. Leave the onions to cool in the pan then scoop into a container. Can be eaten straight away, but keeps in the fridge for up to 3 months.

I heart Frozen Yogurt Junction!

(In memory of GAY's...)
There is a little mom and pop-style (self-serve!) frozen yogurt place Dan and I love. It's called Frozen Yogurt Junction. It's in American Fork, right next to Seagull Book, right by where the old Smith's was, by Chadder's. etc... I feel bad that it's not in a better location. The huge vacant building where Smith's was doesn't help either. Anyway, when we lived in Huntington Beach we loved getting froyo from GAY's (Great American Yogurt), so we were excited when we found this place. They have great flavors and great customer service. I'm all about supporting the small businesses...you should too. Give it a try, I promise you'll love it!

Become their facebook friend (and mention it!)and get $1.00 off today. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/American-Fork-UT/Frozen-Yogurt-Junction/58068158262

They also have a blog that lists their daily flavors. http://frozenyogurtjunction.blogspot.com/

Anyone want to join me in Draper on Thanksgiving morning at 8 a.m. for the Utah Human Race? All the benefits go to the Utah Food Bank. Come on, it's only a 5K, anyone can do it! ;) Anyone? Anyone?? Check out more details or register at http://www.utahhumanrace.com/

Sienna 1-year pics...

....give or take a couple of months! ;) She was probably closer to 13-months. My friend Emily and I went up Provo Canyon to check out the leaves before the big snow storm (which happened the next day so we were glad we went when we did!). It was such a pretty day and the leaves were so pretty. Emily took some amazing pictures of her little girl, and then was kind enough to shoot some of Sienna as well. Here's one of my favorite's of cute Liv.
Sienna was being a little booger and was refusing to cooperate, that is, until Emily gave her a sucker. That just kept her from screaming or moving quite so quickly, she still refused to really smile for us. She is definitely trying to tell me who's boss these days. Despite being quite difficult, she still took some sweet pictures. It's a good thing she's so cute!

Think she was done?

Flashback....

I just came across these pictures of Sienna from the Spring. I can't believe how quickly she has changed. I love the smirk. She definitely has some sweet facial expressions!

Steph's White Bean & Sausage Soup

This is a recipe of my good friend Stephanie Jensen. It was in our ward cook book and I finally tried it a couple of weeks ago. I have made it a couple of times and always get raving reviews and requests for the recipe. I made it with Amber's breadsticks and it was a perfect meal for a cold snowy day! I've never gotten a real copy of Amber's recipe for the breadsticks, she just explained it over the phone, so hopefully the verbage makes sense, and hopefully I didn't miss anything. Thanks, Amber & Steph for the yummy recipes!


White Bean & Sausage Soup
4 (15 oz) cans of white cannellini beans, drained
2 (32 oz) cans or boxes of chicken broth
2 (28 oz) cans dices tomatoes (I like to do 1 can of the italian-style tomatoes)
2 lbs mild Italian sausage (next time I'm going to try 1 package of hot sausage & 1 turkey sausage)
2 oz fresh basil (I used dried basil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook sausage in frying pan until cooked through (and crumbled). In large pot, add sausage and then add all other ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Amber's bread sticks
2 cups flour + 1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp active dry yeast (2 packets)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Garlic salt
Parmesan cheese (in can)
1 1/2 cubes butter

Mix 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar & salt with 1 1/2 cups warm water in kitchen aid mixer (it will be pasty). Add 1 1/2 cups flour (add 3-4 tablespoons more, if it's sticky). Knead bread for in kitchen aid mixer (with hook attachment) for a couple of minutes . Flour counter, form bread into mound and place on counter. Cover dough with dishtowel and let rise for 15 minutes. Place cookie sheet in oven with 1 cube butter (to melt). Roll out dough into a large square and cut with pizza cutter into long, narrow strips. Fold each strip in half, place ends together and twist dough. Roll each twist in the melted butter and place back on cookie sheet. Sprinkle bread sticks with a little garlic salt & Parmesan cheese. Let rise another 15 minutes. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes--watch closely! After baking, I like to melt 1/2 cube of butter and brush or drizzle on top.

SLC Gourmet Club

We had another amazing gourmet club the other night. They did a "Ghouls Night Out" theme--how cute is that!? Go HERE to see pics and to get fabulous recipes and fun ideas for entertaining! I'll add more details and give you a sneak-peak later, since I'm all blogged out for today!

Happy birthday, Mama Hanson!

We went to my parents house on Sunday to have a little birthday dinner for my mom. Her birthday was on Thursday, Oct. 22nd. My dad was out of town on her birthday, so he reminded her several times that her "real" birthday was on Sunday, and that she couldn't think about it before then. She was actually sick on her "real" (don't tell Dad I said that) birthday so it ended up working out to celebrate on Sunday.

For dinner, I made a White Bean & Sausage Soup, with homemade bread sticks & a really good salad. I'd never made the soup or the salad, but they were both keepers. Janelle made a pumpkin sheet cake, which was super tasty. My mom told us some neat stories about growing up (from a autobiography her sister Pat wrote). It was cool to hear the stories and to reminisce about the times we had growing up.

Happy birthday to the best mom & grandma in the world!

My mom is amazing.
A few things about my mom...
She is always thinking of things she can do for others.
Both she and my dad are such great examples of selflessness and compassion.
She is a great cook and homemaker.
She always puts others needs before her own, particularly her family's.
My mom is an amazing teacher.
She is a bookaholic and loves to learn.
She loves the Utah Jazz.
She loves playing games (even though my dad hates them!)
She is the ultimate friend.
I am grateful for the example and strength she is in my life. I rely so much on her support and advice and she never leads me astray. I love being to live so close to her now and spend so much more time with her. Sienna is so lucky to be able to have such an amazing grandma (who spoils and loves her to death!). Love your guts, mom! You're the best!


The Girls--Janelle, mom & me (miss you, Carolyn!)

Rob feeling left out

Brad, Grandma & me

Dan & Rob gaming it up (looking ever-so competitive). This is serious gaming going on.

My dad and Sienna. She really loves spending time with my parents.

Sienna was fascinated by Uncle Brad's scooby-doo shirt (pointing out the dog and saying "ruff, ruff...". Somehow it never gets old!)

Sienna is finally standing and just starting to take a few steps. Come on, she's 14 1/2 months! It's about time, don't you think? It's not like I'm in a rush, but I think I'd rather have her walking. It's not like she's not getting into things when she crawls, and her clothes are nasty and she is constantly finding things to put in her mouth. Maybe walking will slow her down a little.

....and she's down!

Corn Belly Maze at Thanksgiving Point

I love being able to bundle up in a sweater (and hide the fat rolls), wear cute knee-high boots, sip hot cocoa, go to pumpkin patches, canyon drives, carving pumpkins, fresh fruits & veggies from the garden, the vibrant changing colors of the leaves, farmer's markets, the crisp fresh air, making caramel apples, yummy homemade pies (not made by me!), the list could go on and on...

Thanksgiving Point has a really fun fall festival going on right now, The Corn Belly Maze. They have tons of activities (including these awesome "jumping pillows"--I've never seen anything like them!). We met up with our good friends Amber & Tad Baltzer who were in town from California. It was so fun to spend time with them and their boys--wish we could hang out more often!

Sienna definitely has a good selection to choose from with just the Baltzer boys--I think she picked Micah. Little flirt. ;) It's perfect. He's just a couple weeks older than her!

The pumpkin canon was (of course) the boys favorite thing to do. Boys will be boys!

The train ride through the corn fields

Yes, Sienna is now off the bottle (pardon the phrase!) and 100% sippy cup. The whole weaning process wasn't too bad. I think I was more attached to it than she was.

Sienna didn't want to sit still for a family shot, so this is the best one we got!

They make a cute couple, don't you think!? :)

Sienna's favorite part was this little pumpkin maze. She was having the best time just crawling around, climbing over the pumpkins, trying to pull of the stem, biting them, etc... She was loving it, so giggly and smiley. I was totally wishing that I had Emily with me to take some professional shots with a nice camera! Next time!

Here's one of me and Amber (and Sienna and little Dane).

Dan, Holly, Amber & Tad on the ginormous Corn Belly rocker. It was huge!
(If Dan were here, he would have just said "That's what she said!")

Park City

I had a social work conference up in Park City a couple of weeks ago, so Dan and Sienna came up and stayed overnight with me at the hotel. The conference was actually really good, and it was fun to have Dan & Sienna to play with at night and at lunch. I love Park City! I especially love main street. They have such quaint, cool restaurants and always have fun things going on. We went to dinner at Chimayo, which I've been wanting to try. It was good, but I think it looked prettier than it tasted! (If I were going to spend that kind of money on dinner, I would definitely go to Wahso instead...next time!). Anyway, we went to Loco Lizard for lunch the next day and we were both huge fans! We actually liked it way better than Chimayo...and it was way cheaper! Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, there was snow on the ground! So wrong! I'm definitely not ready for winter...especially not in September! I'm just glad that it wasn't a bad enough snowstorm to leave all the trees bare. The trees were still super colorful, even with a little snow/frost on them. Wish I would've gotten a picture or two!

I love this picture!

fancy schmancy...

I had to post these pictures. I'm sure these will be used for blackmailing Sienna when she's a teenager! It's amazing how quickly this kid can tear apart a room, which she did to our hotel room. I just turned my back for a second and she had the entire tampon box out and was trying to hold (and chew!) as many as she could. She was totally fascinated! So funny!