Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

We were sad this year that we live so far away from the Waddoups because for the last 4 years we had invited them over to carve pumpkins, eat dinner and watch a scary movie.  We had our party just with our family this year though, and we had a good time.  We ate pizza and watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with Kennedy.  Our pumpkins turned out wonderfully too!  I'm really proud of mine.  Usually I just do your typial triangle eyes and smile, but I opted for something a little different this time and it turned out great!



Brett's is always extremely intricate and takes him hours and hours to clean and carve.  This year it was just as intricate, but I think he's speeded up a little bit, which is good, because we had time to watch a movie afterward too.  Here's his rendition of Frankenstein's monster.



Kennedy picked out the ugliest pumpkin in the whole bunch when we bought them.  It looked dirty because it's skin was more like a cantaloupe than a pumpkin.  She requested that a ghost be carved into hers, so Brett freestyled one.

The best part about her pumpkin though was that we let her color it with Sharpies.  She used purple and green, and somehow managed to color it for probably 30 minutes straight without getting a fume headache.  She is very proud of the end result and had a great time carving pumpkins.

Ocean World

We went to Ocean World this morning to have a fun day with our kids.  I know that Kennedy looks terrified in this picture, but I assure you she had a blast.  This aquarium in Crescent City, CA is small, but for how little it had, it was pretty cool stuff.  Our first stop (after the gigantic gift shop where Kennedy stuffed toys in the stroller while we weren't looking) was the tide pool where we could pet the animals in the water.

Kennedy loved petting the starfish.  She was even brave enough to touch an anenome!  The other little girl on the tour screamed every time she saw anything, so I was pretty proud of Kennedy.  Although Noah didn't pet anything, he did try to eat a starfish.

Then our guide asked for a brave volunteer.  After seeing what this guy had to do, I'm really glad it wasn't me.  He was asked to feel the sting of an anenome, but because they can't sting through our skin, he had to put his tongue on it.  And he did.

Yuck.  And just so we could take his word for it that his tongue got tingly.  Do you know how many people's tongues have been on that thing?  I'm sure it's clean, but I won't be licking an sea creatures any time soon.  Just so you have a better idea, he licked one of these.

Once again, yuck.  We went to see the actual aquarium part of the place next, which was definitely limited.  They had some fish, and a bunch of manta rays, including a baby which was really cute.  They did however have TONS of sharks.

There are 7 in this picture, and that wasn't anywhere near all the ones they had.  We even got to pet a couple of sharks after looking at them in the tanks.

I caught the fin on this one, and it was a lot harder than I expected.  They didn't feel very slippery either like you would expect.

Even though Kennedy had no problem touching starfish and anenomes, she wanted nothing to do with the sharks.  I think her face sums it up pretty well.

We had to take the obligatory picture in the shark's mouth.

There were also two harbor seals and a sea lion who did tricks.  She impersonated a shark and a dolphin, went down slides, jumped really high, and did double back flips.  Afterward, Kennedy wanted to ride on the jet ski ride out front, and she actually let Noah sit with her.

And of course we couldn't leave without getting a picture of Noah surfing.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Baking

Going to eat dinner with Brett at the station (even though it's only 30 minutes)

The cool June weather here in Oregon

Long stretches of sleep

My daughter being such a good reader

The huge smiles and coos I get from my son

I have an amazing family and a wonderful life. I am so grateful for all of the blessings in my life! And speaking of blessings, Noah is getting blessed tomorrow! Brett got permission to come to church with us tomorrow even though he is on duty. Look for pictures, and make sure to check out my cooking blog which I have been updating much more regularly.

A Good Life and a Winner

I had quite a few good moments yesterday that made me remember how good my life is.  I stood in a clean kitchen eating Phish Food ice cream and listening to "Under Pressure" while Kennedy was asleep.  I watched Kennedy read a book to herself while in her room.  Brett came home and gave me a back rub for no good reason.  I have a great life full of simple pleasures and great people.  And no, I haven't forgotten about my contest.  Congratulations to Noelle who won How to Cook Everything!  For those of you who missed out on the contest, or even if you didn't, watch early next week for another cookbook giveaway!

Things I Love

Here is just a little list of things that I love/am grateful for.

*Farmer's Markets - even if the only one I have access to is tiny.  I love going on Saturdays and seeing all of the people walk around and all of the fun things for sale.

*Kennedy doesn't drink formula or out of a bottle anymore - so much cheaper and more convenient.

*Friends - I love getting together with our friends and just having a good time.  Who doesn't?

*Scripture study - I have been much more regular about this lately and it has been great.  I have been learning a lot and have been getting much better at it.

*Birds singing - it's such a happy sound.

*Walks with Kennedy - she loves being outside and putting her toes in the sun.  I love telling her about all of the things she is seeing.

*Brett - he's always thinking of me and Kennedy, and is always so helpful.  He's so happy and he never fails to make me happy to.

*Disney Channel - specifically Playhouse Disney.  I love these shows for kids.  They are cute and educational and Kennedy loved most of them.

*Food - food makes everyone happy.  Enough said.  But, I am making spaghetti and meatballs tonight and Mexican chicken soup tomorrow.  I'm really excited for both!

A Chain of Giving

I entered this on Noelle's blog, so now I need to pass it along to you!  The first 5 people to comment on this post (and continue the chain on your blog) will receive something made by me!  What it is will depend on how close you are to me, so I'm not going to specify anything.  You'll just have to be surprised. :)  Good luck!

And now for something completely different (that you don't have to put on your blog)...

love that I get to plan Kennedy's birthday already!

hate that I have to wait 2 months to implement it

love that I finally have some snacks and good food around the house

hate that since I'm home all day I will eat it

love that I got my new Cooking Light today!

hate that we already went shopping and I'll have to wait until next week to try any of the recipes

love that Brett now only has to work every 3rd Saturday

hate that he still has to work Saturdays at all

love that we get to watch Lost tonight

hate that we have to watch it a day later than everyone else

love that Brett is doing so well in his class

hate that it's in Lehi in the evening

love that I'm getting way better at using the leftover food we have

hate nothing....

Blood Oranges

This may seem like a really random post, and I guess it is.  I just get so excited when I find produce that isn't completely "normal" in Provo.  Yesterday I found blood oranges at Target.  I bought 4 and am enjoying one for breakfast as we speak.  I started thinking about all of the varieties of oranges and orange-like fruits.  Did you know that oranges are a member of the berry family?  There are 4 varieties of oranges, which doesn't include pomelos, tangerines, etc.  I just think that the variety of plants (especially edible ones) that have been put on the earth for our use is incredible!  I can't wait until I have access to more of these wonderful foods.  I don't think that I appreciate these things as much as I should, and I think that I will need to start looking for recipes to use and try all of the awesome foods that God has given us.  Our diet would be so varied, healthy, and delicious if we take advantage of these things!

Sense and Sensibility

I was talking to Brett last night about some of my favorite things and I thought that I could share them with you.  Lately I have been thinking about my favorite things as far as senses go and realized that there are so many little things that I love about life and that make me happy.  I hope they make you happy too.

Favorite Sights

 - Kennedy's smile

 - Brett coming home and walking through the door

 - Ducks putting their heads in the water and bums in the air

 - Disneyland and Disney World

 - Other cities when traveling

 - Sunrise when camping

Favorite Sounds

 - Kennedy's laugh

 - Kennedy talking

 - Lucy cackling (if you have a cat it's that weird sound they make without voice)

 - Purring

 - An orchestra warming up

 - Dishes moving in the kitchen as I wake up

 - Silence outside on a snowy day

 - Water

Favorite Feelings

 - Taking my socks off in bed and moving my feet around (Brett makes fun of me for this one, but I've been doing it for years and I love it)

 - Brett's warm hands when I'm cold

 - Kennedy's soft baby skin

 - The spirit

 - My muscles relaxing after a hot shower or being in the jacuzzi

 - Lucy's fur

 - Finishing a book

Favorite Smells

 - Barnes and Noble (Brett says one of the first times he remembers falling in love with me was when we went to Starbucks at Barnes and Noble and I made him smell it on the way in)

 - Warm, sleepy kitty

 - Rain and outside after the rain

 - Walking into a house with something cooking

 - Kaye's apple cider

 - Hawaii

 - Citrus of any kind

Favorite Tastes

 - Grandma's coffee cake

 - Chocolate Soufflé cake (especially from Roy's)

 - Tzatziki

 - That sweet chili sauce that I can never find that is sometimes served with egg rolls

 - Honey Bran muffins from Mimi's

 - Yorkshire pudding

A Day of Kindness

I had a really good day today.  Brett has every other Thursday off, so he was home today to help with Kennedy in the morning.  Then I went and redeemed my first of four visits to the spa that Brett got me for Christmas.  I got a facial which was wonderful and so relaxing!  Since Kennedy wasn't with me I was able to listen to whatever music I wanted which was nice.  Then we went to the temple with Brett's parents.

I was so surprised when a man who was working there stopped me and shook my hand.  He said, "Sister, do you know that you have a lovely, radiant glow about you?  You just radiate love."  I didn't know what to say, but I was really flattered!

When we came home we got to work making dinner for a couple in our ward.  Brett was so helpful in the kitchen and I appreciated it so much!  He took care of Kennedy while she freaked out while we were cooking.  All in all it was a wonderful day and I appreciated everyone who helped make it that way!

Simple Christmas Pleasures

A while back I did a post on little things that make me happy.  There are so many things around December and Christmas that make me happy that I thought that I should share some of my simple Christmas pleasures with you.

1. Christmas Music: Ok, I'm totally one of those crazy people who starts listening to Christmas music right after Halloween when the radio stations turn it on.  But in December it's pretty much all I ever listen to.  I just love it!  My favorite songs are Harry Connick, Jr's version of Sleigh Ride and Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song.

2. Baking: I think that baking gets turned up a notch around this time of year.  People have their traditions and love to decorate those Christmas sugar cookies.  This year I am having so much fun looking for recipes to be Lee family traditions for Christmas.  So far so good!  As you can see on the sidebar, 2 out of 3 recipes have turned out well.  I am still planning on making Chocolate Snowballs tomorrow and Cranberry Bread probably on Monday.  Then you'll have to help me decide what to make next week when I put up my new poll!

3. Christmas Lights: I love seeing the lights as I'm driving down the highway or just down our street.  I love the lights at Temple Square, and I really hope that I get a chance to see the Zoo Lights at the Hogle Zoo.  Thanksgiving Point apparently has light displays as well.  I also just love Christmas decorations in general.  The trees are always beautiful.

4. Cold Weather: Yes, you may think I'm crazy, but I almost always prefer cool or cold weather to anything that could even remotely be considered hot.  It's not because I like to bundle up, I just love the crisp air.  It smells so good and it doesn't suck away your energy like heat.

5. Snow: Once again, you may think I'm crazy, but I just love when it snows.  Yes, it's scary to drive in, but that doesn't happen that often and it is so beautiful.  I love going out on a white morning when no cars are out.  It's so peaceful.

6. Kennedy's First Christmas: We're having a great time introducing Kennedy to Christmas.  Taking her to see Santa, writing her a note from Sugar Plum (her Christmas elf, Brett had one when he was little), buying her presents and putting them under the tree.  I am really looking forward to next year when we can put out the milk and cookies for Santa.  Christmas is going to be so much more fun from now on.

3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

For the third year in a row we got together with the Waddoups to carve pumpkins and watch a scary movie.  We watched Signs (which is one of my favorites).  Kim told me that she went on a date once where the boys put a projector up in front of a corn field and watched that movie!  Creepy!  We also had a Dijon Chicken Stew that I made as well as Kaye's famous apple cider that she so graciously gave me the recipe for.  It was awesome and we had a great time.  I didn't get to carve my pumpkin (I'm going to do a Lucy pumpkin tonight) but Brett carved a cute ghost family!  Kennedy is in the middle and I have hair.  You'll be able to see it a little bit better in the later pictures.

Nate carved a goal post with a football going through it (BYU could use a few more of those at the moment) and Kim carved a pumpkin for Boston.  The pumpkin is a football helmet and she carved the face into it.

Our night camera wouldn't steady, so they're kind of blurry, but here they are all lit up!

I thought this picture turned out kind of cool.  It looks like the ghosts are on fire or something.

We're looking forward to lighting our pumpkins on Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday was an eventful day for us.  We ran lots of errands, played a lot with Kennedy, and went on a hayride to a pumpkin patch!  We did this last year as a ward activity down at the Red Barn in Santaquin, and it was so much fun that they decided to do it again.  We got Kennedy decked out in her pumpkin outfit that Grandpa Pitt sent to her.  Her onesie says "little pumpkin" on it.

Here is Boston sporting a pink hat that he borrowed from the Guest girls.  His daddy wasn't so happy about this, but as Kim was putting it on, Boston was smiling away.

Kennedy loves her hat, and it started getting cold right about now, so we had to bundle her up before we got to the pumpkins.

Here we are in front of the wagon that took us over there.  Kennedy was having a great time watching the other kids on the ride that were sitting next to us.

When we got to the patch, Brett very quickly found some perfect carving pumpkins.  We got one for us to share and one small one for Kennedy.  Of course they made sure to have some fun stuff there other than just the pumpkins, so here we are as pumpkins and ghosts.

Poor Kennedy was exhausted after this, and she hardly slept at all last night because her first tooth poked out yesterday!  It is way sharper than I was expecting.  We can't see it yet, but it is most definitely there when we put our fingers in her mouth.  Does anyone have any helps for teething pain?  A repeat of last night would probably kill me or Brett.  Or both.

St. George Trip

Monday afternoon we headed down to Santaquin to pick up Brett's sister Jamie and we all headed down to St. George to see Big River and Les Mis.  Brett's parents were nice enough to pay for our gas and tickets to Les Mis as a graduation present.  Of course, on the way down, Kennedy threw up so much that it seeped through her seat to the seat below, and then she had a total blowout that also got poop all over our car.  Needless to say we were happy when we got to Stefani's house.

Stefani (Brett's older sister), Brian and Kasia let us stay with them.  That night, after helping some older people change a flat tire on the side of the road, we went to see Big River.  There were some amazing special effects.  To create the river they actually flooded the stage using the waterfalls behind it.  It was really cool.  For those of you who have never heard of the Tuacahn theatre, it is a natural red rock outdoor theatre.

It is beautiful.  The next night we saw Les Mis which was absolutely fabulous.  Javert (of course) was my favorite.  He had an incredible voice and really did justice to the part.  After having a daughter of my own, Fantine made me cry twice before she had even died.  I recommend seeing it if you get the chance.

Other than the plays, we went and had lunch at In-N-Out on Tuesday which was wonderful.  We also shopped pretty much all day and got Kennedy a bunch of fun new stuff.  We had a wonderful stir-fry with Stef and Brian too.  We had a great time, and we're getting ready to make the long drive to Duck Creek this weekend too!  Kennedy is such a trooper and was so patient with us the whole time.  Even though we think she's teething.

PS - I went out and bought Giada de Laurentiis' new cookbook today, and it is fabulous.  Treat yourself to it.  You won't be sorry and neither will anyone that you live with.

Yes, yes, I know it's not October yet....

But I couldn't help myself.  I almost changed it a week ago, but thought that might be a little bit to early.  I rationalize doing it now (less than a week from October may I say) because we will be out of town on Tuesday which is when I was planning on changing it.  I suppose that I could just do it on Wednesday when I get home, but I'm getting antsy.  Don't worry.  I won't change to a Thanksgiving one until November 1 and I won't change to a Christmas one until after Thanksgiving.  I just get so excited for autumn and the fun holidays!  You can bet that when I get home on Wednesday the holiday box will be out and I will be decorating with the scant Halloween stuff that I have.  I hope you don't all think I'm too weird for changing it already.

Simple Pleasures

There are a lot of wonderful things on this world, and I love so many of them. I'm grateful for so many small and simple things that make my life so full and that make me smile every time. I thought that I would share some of them with you. A few of them may seem odd, but I love them just the same.

1. Kennedy's Smile - I know that this one is obvious, but I can't help it. My heart melts every time I see it. She is so sweet and she knows who I am now, which I just love. Even when I get frustrated because she won't sleep or won't let me put her down, all she has to do is smile and coo at me and I'm back to my normal mommy self.

2. When Brett comes home from work - This is one of my favorite times of day. Brett works very hard, and it will be even harder when school starts again. I love spending time with him and am always so glad when daddy comes home.
3. Cherry Limeades - Here's where we start veering from the obvious. I love cherry limeades from Sonic. They make my day. I have tried strawberry limeades and cranberry limeades, but nothing compares with the cherry. It is so tart and sweet and they give me cherries in it. Yum!

4. Grandma Emigh's Coffee Cake - Ever since I was little I looked forward to having coffee cake after opening presents on Christmas morning. Grandma would always make two cakes: one with nuts for everyone else, and one without nuts for me. It is still one of my very favorite comfort foods, and I usually get a craving sometime around June or July to have some. I usually eat 75% of it by myself.

5. Duck Bums - Ok, let me explain. Have you ever been around ducks when they put their heads all the way under water and their bums go in the air? It is so dang cute. I love when they do this! They were even doing it at Lagoon when we went a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't pay attention to the ride we were on because I was trying to see the ducks.

6. Disneyland and DisneyWorld - I hate that I can't go more often. This is where I will always choose to go. This is where we went for my high school graduation, as well as for our honeymoon. I always have a great time and feel so good when I am there.
7. LOST - I get so incredibly excited when LOST comes on. It is the best show ever. It is the only show that I have ever watched where I actually get upset if I miss an episode, that's how bad it is. If you haven't started watching it, you should. But be warned - it is highly addictive.
8. Cooking - I love to try new, different, and intricate recipes. I tried my hand at lasagna the other night and it was a success. I love using new ingredients and going shopping for them. I love cookbooks and kitchen gadgets and am a frequent guest at Williams-Sonoma. I watch cooking shows and go to cooking classes. Basically I am obsessed. I make a huge mess in the kitchen most of the time, but it is so worth it. I'm even starting to experiment with my own recipes in hopes of publishing a cookbook through lulu.com.
9. Good books that I can't put down - I haven't had much time to read until a few months ago, and I have been loving it! I just love books, and I always have. I don't know that Brett is very happy about it because he feels like he has lost his wife, but I am so excited that I've actually been able to enjoy reading again.

10. When Lucy sleeps with me - I love Lucy. She is the best kitty I could have ever asked for. I love it when she cuddles with me, when she meows at me, says please, steals my food, and announces her presence when I walk into a room. She brings so much joy into my life and is a great part of our family.

11. Salami and Brie sandwiches on French bread - I love this sandwich because it reminds me of being in Europe, especially Paris. I used to eat this all the time when I was in the Netherlands, along with grapefruit Fanta and Lion bars (neither of which are available in the US). One of my favorite memories is of buying a very similar sandwich, sitting outside Sainte-Chapelle in the cool weather of October in Paris, seeing Notre Dame in the background, and watching the people go by and the light get scattered by the trees. This picture is of Sainte-Chapelle. Isn't it beautiful?

12. Sunrises in the mountains - We went camping a few weeks ago, and even though I often complain about camping, there is one thing that I love. When I wake up early in the morning, it is so beautiful. The light is gorgeous, the world is quiet and cool, and a great breakfast is on the way. I love just putting on a sweatshirt and taking a walk in the early morning. It is always so much better when camping than near home where the cars often ruin it.

These are only a few of the small things that I love. What are some of your small and simple pleasures?