The Holidays Are Approaching....

Working as many hours as both Scott and I do is proving to be harder than expected...however so worth it in the end for our family.

I love my job, I love what I get to do and I love the people I work with...so because I'm so happy at work, it makes me that much happier with life in general. And who doesn't need a little bit of that every now and then right?!?

One of the coolest things I learned the other day was: How to Make Balloon Animals!

I know what you're thinking...but Carter and Brax think I'm the coolest mom ever!

Although my skills are still forming....the boys couldn't be happier watch me turn a long balloon into a giraffe or dog.

Another thing in life that keeps me going is: Stretching our Dollars. Scott and I have always been on a budget, and I have to say stretching our income to cover our obligations is hard at times....but it's times like this that I'm truly grateful for.

WinCo Foods had a coupon mailer come out this week, and this is what I got... 2 Packages of Bacon, 2 Dozen Eggs, 2 Malt-o-Meal Cereals, 2 English Muffins and 1 carton of OJ. Guess what my total was? FREE!!!! I seriously walked away paying absolutely NOTHING for all of this food! I just love getting amazing deals like this.

I've been teaching Carter about the Pilgrims and Indians and early America. To implement our "teaching" into something fun, we've been doing some crafts around the house.

We made a pillow (from 2 pieces of fabric and some filler, I know it's amazing) Carter and Brax both thought it was the coolest thing to watch the pillow come to life as we filled it. We also talked about what we were thankful for for FHE and wrote it all down on my cute Turkey-Inspired cards. So cute...and super easy with the Cricut.
And, I have to say my favorite part of Thanksgiving is PUMPKIN! I love pumpkin pie, ice cream, shakes....you name it! So I went searching for a fun recipe to try out with the boys....because we have so much frozen pumpkin puree from out Halloween pumpkins.

I found a Pumpkin Creme Pie Cookie recipe that is seriously DELICIOUS! And I topped it off with homemade Egg Nog Ice Cream. The boys thought it was pretty cool. (And I have to say, I'm super proud of how it really turned out.)
My mom visited family this past week in Arizona....the boys and I picked her up from the airport today. While we were waiting here's what my mischievious little men were up to... Cute Carter made a poster for his Brown Grandma, and was waiting so patiently for her to arrive... Now that Thanksgiving is only a few days away...it gets me thinking about BLACK FRIDAY! Oh how I love this time of year....

Is It Really November Already?

I can't believe November is half way over already! We've been so busy just doing the "day to day" things lately, time has just slipped right by.

I was offered an amazing position with FatCats. I'm technically part time in the Ogden location (which is a super fun position) and also temporarily part time in the Corporate Office (which is where I truly belong) and to be honest....I LOVE EVERY MINUTE!

Being a working mom is something that I "mastered" with Carter, but this time around it's so different. As much as I love the boys and really miss them when I'm at work...I honestly love what I do and enjoy it so much. (I never really had that when I worked when Carter was little.) So I'm adjusting, because I feel guilty being gone all day everyday....but when I'm at work I am "on fire," and couldn't be happier.

I've been trying to be creative with the boys when I'm home. This makes me feel better for not being home as much, and they really seem to enjoy my "surprises." This was my latest one...

I made ordinary pancakes, into a winter delight!

My sister bought the boys matching pjs, and they are darling! We were at my mom's yesterday and had to model them....(what's not to love about Toy Story 3 right?)

Scott and I both took off time to see Carter in his first "Parent Day" of the year. Our little guy is getting so big! I'm really glad Scott was there, he didn't get to come many last year.
The kids are learning so much this year. they have been going over music theory (Carter's favorite) reading, spelling, math, and social skills (manners) so that when they start kindergarten, they're ready.

We also made a turkey craft....inside we put all of the things Carter's thankful for.

We've been having fun hanging out, playing games and learning new things lately!

Catch Up....

I've been so busy lately keeping Brax healthy, Carter stimulated with learning, the house cleaned, the food made, the bills paid....you get where I'm going....that my body finally had it with me....I got sick!

Not just a little cough and runny nose: but we're talking 103 temps, painful swallowing, achy body, throwing up, dizziness...that's right...STREP THROAT!

The last time I was this sick was 2 years ago...when I was pregnant with Brax. I guess something had to give, but it hit me hard!

So, while I've been recovering, we've been busy doing some random things around the house....like vaccuuming in our diapers...

Making and eating yogurt pops. The boys love them! It's just yogurt too...so I love giving them. Carter likes to layer his with different flavors now...and Brax is just content eating them!

Baking pumpkin pies (individual sizes for easy freezing) and yes people...this crust is from scratch! you should all be very proud, because the pumpkin is an actual pumpkin I bought from the store....I know it's shocking!
And making my friend Katie's, famous pumpkin seeds. We were at her house one day when she made these, and Carter choed down! So I tested out her recipe and they are delicious!

And our sweet Carter had his very first Primary Program last week! My how this kid has grown. He was the first to speak in his class and was seriously the loudest one there! It was so precious to see him, be up in the stands with him and watch him sing the songs.

It was priceless to see him shaking his head, signing and singing beautifully. My mom came, and that made it even more special. Carter and I were able to sit in the stands behind the piano, while Scott had to be with our difficult Brax in the halls. (Gotta love callings right)

It was such a great experience, I'm really glad I was able to be a huge part in it.