Trick-or-Treat!

We went to University Hospital for trick-or-treating again this year.

Grandma and Grandpa Nincey, Uncle Mike and Uncle Kevin joined us for the afternoon of fun! Brandon was scheduled to work today, but was able to leave his post for just a few minutes to come say hi. Even my very good friend George (who also works at the hospital) came down to chat for a while.

We really had a good time this year, and Kaitlin picked up on the idea of "trick-or-treating" right away! It wasn't long before she was running from table to table grabbing anything she could. (And, as expected, Zoey slept the entire time!)

After trick-or-treating at the hospital, the girls and I headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Nincey's house for even more Halloween fun. Grandpa took Kaitlin out trick-or-treating to all his neighbor-friends' homes. (A proud grandpa can't resist showing off his cute granddaughter!) And then back at home, Kaitlin helped Grandma pass out candy to all the kids.



We had a terrific Halloween and hope everyone else did too! As a responsible parent, I should remind you to inspect all candy for razor blades and poison. Call me overly cautious, but I've already had to eat several pieces to make sure they weren't poisoned...... hehe..... ;)

Jack-o-Lantern 2008

Follow these easy steps to carve the perfect pumpkin!

Step 1. Remove all pumpkin goo

Step 2. Place pumpkin in yard and find a cute baby; take lots of photos

Step 3. Help Daddy with the details



Step 4. Admire perfection

Boo at the Zoo!

This afternoon we went to Boo at the Zoo with our good friends Tara, Bronwyn, Laura, Braden and Keegan!

The weather was absolutely perfect!

Besides the massive crowds, and Kaitlin's unfortunate bee sting (she's had a rough week!), we had a really good time!

Check out some of the pics!

Thirty Things

I turned thirty today and thought it would be fun to brainstorm and list thirty things that I am truly thankful for. When I look back on the last 30 years, I'm proud of where I've been and what I've done. Even more so, I'm excited to see what the future holds!

Here is my list of Thirty Things (in no particular order) :

1. My husband - my partner, my BFF, my one true love. ♥
2. My daughter, Kaitlin - who has taught me the true meaning of patience. ;)
3. My daughter, Zoey - who is proving that no two children are alike.
4. My house - a place to call home.
5. My job - money is essential.
6. My husband's job - money is essential.
7. My husband's car - he could ride the bus, but owning a car makes it that much easier to get to work.
8. My car - sometimes I need to go places while he's at work.
9. My cell phone - my way of communicating with the outside world.
10. The internet - so useful in so many different ways.
11. The computer - the portal to the world wide web.
12. My dog, Charlie - our sweet little pal who guilts me into exercise - everyone needs a good walk once in a while.
13. My cat, Kasper - most of the time I love when he curls up in my lap. ;)
14. Our families - so supportive and loving; I really couldn't ask for a better group of people to love my children
15. TV - possibly the world's greatest invention ever.
16. My DVR - yet another brilliant invention. You get to watch the shows you want to watch when you want to watch them. Pause and rewind live TV? Mr. Tivo, you had me at hello.
17. My health - I am even more thankful for this now that we have two young children.
18. My husband's health - little girls need a daddy; thank goodness he's healthy.
19. The baby swing - mama's arms get tired.
20. My bed - geesh, could you imagine life without a bed?!
21. My friends - the greatest group of people ever.
22. The baby sling - allows me to chase daughter #1 while daughter #2 is curled up cozily right next to me.
23. Children's programming - lessens the mommy-guilt I feel when the TV is on.
24. The ability to breastfeed my baby - breastmilk is the best milk.
25. Food and water - required.
26. Freedom - I'm a proud American.
27. Music/Radio - who doesn't love singing along to a good tune?!
28. Myspace/email/text - communication at it's best.
29. Diet Coke - zero calories, yet soooo tasty.
30. My camera - documents moments of our lives.

This list is in no way inclusive of all that I am thankful for. In fact, as I type this, I'm thinking of even more things.

Maybe I'll do the list again when I'm 50... ;)

Halloween Party @ Preschool

We signed Kaitlin up for a couple parent/tot preschool classes this fall. Today was our first class. It was actually a Halloween party and all the kids were asked to wear their Halloween costumes.

Last night before Kaitlin went to bed, I told her about our plans to go to a Halloween party in the morning. I asked her to remind us about the Halloween party when she woke up. Umm.... funny.... she come into our room at 4:00 AM shouting, "Mommy, Daddy... Halloween Party! Time to eat breakfast!"

(Luckily for us, the class did not start that early!!!)

Here are some pictures from the class:

And.....

(BRANDON said it - not me......)

at least her eye matches her costume.

Black Eye! :-(

This morning we met our good friends the Knutson's and the Jones' for a playdate at Monkey Bizness. Kaitlin was super-excited to be there and was having a TON of fun...........until........... she decided to go down a slide head-first, not waiting for an older girl to move out of the way.

Here's the result:















Poor baby!

An Absolutely Beautiful Autumn Afternoon!

Sunday afternoon we took Charlie and the girls to Cherry Creek Resevoir to feed the ducks and enjoy the beautiful fall colors and weather!

I'm sure you've seen the new family portrait I posted in our blog header... can you believe that only took TWO shots to get it right!? We took it using the camera's self timer! Yay us!

An Absolutely Beautiful Autumn Morning!

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day! The skies were blue, the leaves were yellow, the sun was warm ~ the shade was cool. There was even a slight breeze.

A perfect autumn day!

We spent the morning at Anderson Farms. We went with a huge group of friends ~ (22 of us to be exact!)


We fed the goats......

Sat on the "punkins"...

Played on the hay bale maze...

Milked a cow...


And of course - picked a pumpkin...

We really had a great time at the Pumpkin Farm and can't wait to go back next year!

Target - All I Need

This is me, shopping at Target...



I'll admit... I absolutely L♥VE

I mean really... who doesn't?!

The Simplest Cookie Recipe EVER

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling

1 egg

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375. Stir together the peanut butter, sugar and egg in a large mixing bowl.

2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Put some sugar on a plate and roll balls in it to coat. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Press each ball down with a fork to make a crisscross design. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies just start to brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks.

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yep... we ate them all! (They were sooo tasty!)
If you love peanut butter cookies as much as we do, give this recipe a try! You won't be disappointed...

Grand Pam's Visit!

Here are some pictures of our visit with Grand Pam! She flew in last weekend to spend time with Kaitlin and meet lil' Zoey Lee! ♥
We had such a good time! (Thanks again for spoiling the girls!)

Scary Halloween Masks

Last night we had another Halloween craft night!

We decided to make Scary Halloween Masks. Kaitlin chose to make a pumpkin mask. Brandon chose Frankenstein, and I made a witch. We even made a mini ghost mask for Zoey!

It was a lot of fun... and now we have our backup Halloween costumes! hahaha...

Lotsa Fun with Daideo and Mimi!

Daideo and Mimi flew in on Saturday for a quick weekend visit with our family!

We had such a good time! ♥

They spent a lot of time playing with Kaitlin and loving on Zoey. They even took the girls to their FIRST circus!

Check out some of the highlights from the weekend:

Unkie Kyle!

Here are a couple pictures of Kyle and the girls! ♥

Thanks for the fun day, Uncle Kyle!

The Playground

Kaitlin LOVES the playground... and this time of year is PERFECT! Not too HOT, not too COLD.
Last Saturday afternoon the three of us WALKED to the PARK while Brandon was at work... well, I walked... Kaitlin RODE in the stroller, and Zoey CURLED up tight in the SLING and SNOOZED the whole time.

God's Masterpiece

God's Masterpiece

From graceful lilies pure and white,

God fashioned lovely skin

Forgetmenots he chose for eyes,

Then formed your baby chin.

He took a tulip bright and red --

'Twas one that did not fade;

A softer, sweeter little mouth

Before was never made.

Another flower next He used --

A rosebud, pink and fair;

Touched it to your dimpled cheeks

And made is blossom there.

Then with His magic fingers picked

Two morning glories white;

Curled and shaped your little ears,

Soon they were fastened tight.

That crowing bit of golden down

Will soon become your hair;

He gathered pollen from the flowers,

And sprinkled it with care.

For dainty little fingers dear

And precious, tiny toes,

He used slender daisy frills;

A snowdrop made your nose.

This world and all within it

He created here for man;

But Baby was "God's Masterpiece"

Since time and life began!

- Dora Dinsmore