Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! We Love you!

Whats with all the cookies?

The kids and I are getting some of our favorite cookie recipes together for a family cookie cookbook. We thought it would be fun to include pictures of us making them in the book. Im sharing some of what we have so far, this is a Christmas project so there will be more to come in the next month. Thanks for looking!

Hershey's Kisses Peanut Butter Blossoms

Recipe:

48 Hershey's kisses milk chocolates

1/2 cup shortening (we use butter)

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt
1. Heat oven to 375, remove chocolate wrappers

2. Mix all ingredients together in order listed

3. Roll dough in 1 inch balls and roll each in granulated sugar

4. Bake 8 minutes in oven

5. Immedietly after removing from oven press a kiss into the center of each cookie

The best cookie dough ever!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 sticks butter softened

1 & 3/4 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 c. crunchy peanut butter

Mix till creamy

then add:

2 & 1/4 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking soda

Mix well, then roll into balls. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. As soon as you remove them from the oven, tap the top of each cookie with your spatula to flatten. Cool on rack.

Halloween Night

The kids had fun handing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters this year. Cami and Megan switched costumes.

Halloween Eyeball Cupcakes

Cami and Megan had fun tonight decorating these eyeball cupcakes, We used gummy lifesavers and black m-n-m's with red frosting.

Halloween Costume Preview...

Levi as Max from Where the Wild Things Are:

Lucas as Ash the Pokemon Trainer:



Cami as Dorthey from The Wizard of OZ:

Megan as a Bumble Bee:

Megan and Cami

Tom's 38th Birthday

This September Tom turned one year older...

So finally after living in Arizona for 15 years I make it to the Grand Canyon! We rode on the Grand Canyon Railroad, near Flagstaff, to get there. It was a fun trip. There was a train robber show on the way to entertain us and musicians on the train. The Canyon was spectacular! I was only slightly terrified of my kids falling over the edge. Levi really pushed it to the limits, as usual, and scared not only me but other tourists as well. He has a daredevil streak...wonder where he got that from???

A Visit From Uncle Austin and Auntie Amy

We had a fun visit from Tom's brother Austin this summer. It was our first time meeting their newest addition, Jacob! We had a great time and the kids loved seeing their cousins.

It's been so long since I promised to post new pictures! Sorry to leave you hanging... here's a shot of the backyard where we are living now. We had lots of fun in the pool this summer. I can't believe it's Fall already!

~I have been very busy going to school for the past 6 months. I am studying massage therapy at a school in Scottsdale. I graduate in March!

~Tom is still working at Intel and was hired on as a full-time employee with benefits just this month. He is still cycling regularly and is doing a race in Safford this weekend.

~Levi is a freshman in High School this year! I think he has a girlfriend...yikes.

~Lucas is in 8th grade and loves school and can't play enough Pokemon on his Nintendo DS. ~Cami and Megan are doing great. They love their pet hamsters and have fun at school.

Cami and my Mom

Here is a picture of my mom with Cami. It was taken during a visit up to Edmonton to see my family.
I will be updating the blog soon with lots of new pictures!