Peek-A-Boo

I was walking through the house this morning looking for Hyrum and almost missed him. This is his new hiding place.....

The funny thing is that he just stands there. I waited for a long time and finally said his name which is when he turned around and gave me this adorable look....

Honestly is there anything cuter?????

Giant trees

For those of you that don't know California is home to some of the largest trees in the world. There are the Sequoias and the Redwoods. Before we moved here we would visit my mom and talk about the Sequoias. Jed had always dreamed of seeing them and was so enthralled with the idea of these massive trees. Well since we have lived here we just never made the time to go and see them...sad, sad, sad. Last weekend we finally made the trip up into the mountains and had a picnic in the clouds, (it was very rainy and overcast). Ashlee loved the giant trees and had a grand time playing with the pine cones and building the fire. It was very overcast and rainy so we didn't spend a whole lot of time up there but we roasted hot dogs and made smores with the slightly damp wood we could gather. It was so funny trying to light a fire when it is so moist in the air but the kids loved trying. It is definitely worth the hour drive to go and see them and for our far away friends if you come and visit we promise to take you! I think we may even try camping one day as we found a perfect camping spot.

This is a big stump from a fallen tree. This was Jed taking Hyrum and Ashlee on a little hike. I am not sure if you can even tell how truly large the trees are, but take my word for it they are HUGE!

Ashlee gathering pine cones!

This was a cool bench that Ashlee pretend to sit on. It was really very cold there, you can see the fog in the picture from when we first got there.

We stopped at a visitors center that had an explore area for the kids. Hyrum loved to play in the little tent. What a cutie!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. Honestly it was pretty uneventful. The pictures are adorable though so here they are!!!! Jed and my sister took Ashlee and my niece Brianna around while I put Hyrum down to sleep. He was a very tired boy!!

Mary Kay

A few weeks ago I had a MaryKay party. While we were playing around with all of the colors and stuff my little Ashlee decided to join us in the fun. It was funny to watch her putting all of the makeup on and playing around like "Mommy." Aunt Lena joined in the fun by letting Ashlee put some makeup on her. Looking back I don't think she did too bad!

Autumn Day

Is there anything better than sitting at home curled up in a blanket with a good book and the wind blowing outside on a crisp autumn day? This is why Fall has become one of my favorite seasons. Even with kids at home running around I can still be at home with that chill in the air and a wonderful cinnamony (is that a word?) smell from my Scentsy candle I just love it. Maybe it is the excitement of the coming holidays, or getting out old clothes that now feel new for the season. Whatever it is I am so glad that fall is finally arriving!! Is anyone else as excited as I am???

I've been Tagged...

My friend just tagged me. I was supposed to post the fourth picture from the fourth folder under my pic docs. This was it!! Isn't she cute???
So I now tag...Mariana, Sarah, Lauren, and Carolyn.

Fabulous Meatloaf

Thought I would share a recipe. This was taken off the dottie's weight loss website last year ( www.dwlz.com ) and we LOVE it! Don't be turned off by the label "Meatloaf" or by the weird ingredients. It is truly great, my husband keeps asking me "When are we going to have that meatloaf again?" So here it is:
1 box pork-flavored Stove Top stuffing mix
1(8 oz) carton egg substitute
1 cup mild thick n' chunky salsa
1/2 cup honey barbecue sauce
1 (14 oz) pkg fat-free smoked sausage
2lbs lean ground round

Glaze
1/4 c grape jelly
1/2 cup honey barbecue sauce
2 tbsp salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a blender grind up the stuffing mix into fine bread crumbs. In a large bowl, combine egg, salsa, BBQ sauce, and stuffing mix. Stir well until combined. Cut sausage into 1 inch pieces and grind in blender. Combine ground sausage and ground meat with the bread crumb mixture. Separate into two loaf pans you can freeze one for later and then bake the other one in the oven for 50 minutes then spread on glaze and bake another 10 minutes.

Be aware that many times I have used whatever on hand: hickory bbq sauce, turkey stuffing mix, I have even done 1 lb ground turkey, 1 lb ground round - each and every time it has turned out fabulous! Let me know if you try it and what you think....