Crazy Balloon Hats.

Of course, I had to start with a picture of Brock =) He was really just along for the ride during this adventure. My friend Stephanie and I, and all of our kids, went to the annual apple festival and had a really fun day! The best party, though, was definitely the balloon hats that the kids got. All except Brock and Audrey. You had to be 3 to get a balloon hat. So sad for them.


This guy was quite the character. And Amy, look at his hat, it's a turtle =)

Caden was THRILLED!!!! He asked for a Spiderman balloon hat - which sparked a frenzy. Luke and Sammy had to ask for a Spiderman balloon hat, too =)

So excited. And pretty cute, too!

A bountiful garden.

Well, my garden did really good this year! I got a couple little zuccini, a little bit of brocolli, and a few strawberries and blueberries. But the one thing that I got an abundance of was the tomatoes! My plants were amazing! I didn't really expect much from them since our summer was so short and it was my first time gardening. But, I was pleasantly surprised! I got several different varieties and they were all delicious. The most unfortunate part of this amazing growing was that since that summer was so short and the plants didn't have quite enough sun, I ended up losing a HUGE amount of tomatoes. They had grown, but hadn't ripened and it turned too cold before they could. Oh well, I can't wait to try again next year!

A boy and his dad.....

"If the relationship of father to son could really be reduced to biology, the whole world would blaze with the glory of fathers and sons."

-James Baldwin

Nigel and Caden really have the best of times together. This particular day, they took a trip up Mt. Hood and climbed up as high as they could. Caden loved it, just like everything that they do together. Their relationship is definitely one-of-a-kind. It's enough to make me jealous sometimes =) Caden is always looking forward to his next "adventure" with Daddy!

A bad hair day never looked so good =)

If I woke up looking like this, I would panic. I would be so worried that I wouldn't be able to make myself look decent! Brock just takes it all in stride. And, I have to say, I kind of like it on him =) Reminds me of when he was a little baby with a baby mohawk on his head!

And I should add - Brock LOVES his cream of wheat. He was eating it every day for a while and he probably still would!

Blessed

I am so lucky. My boys have a dad who love them so immensely, so passionately, and so wonderfully. They are so lucky. He makes sure that they know it, too. Like this........



Before Nigel went to work, while the boys and I were out, he spelled it out with Caden's cars just exactly how he feels. And Caden was thrilled. He didn't want to ever put his cars away. We are so blessed.

No utensils necessary.

Brock likes to do things his own way. Everything. All the time. Don't tell him how to do something. He'll figure it out on his own. Eating is no exception. He's actually very good with his spoon and fork. But, on this particular day, I guess he thought that going primal would be more effective for him =) It worked! He got a little out!

Kristen Cooks!

I have always loved cooking and baking. I mean, I LOVE it. Strangely enough, it's what I do to relax and unwind. And just recently, I decided to take some photos of my favorite recipes. Or recipes that look pretty! Or, just whatever I feel like taking pictures of. It's also a practice in improving my camera skills. I hope I can inspire some of you to get in your kitchen and whip up something wonderful!

First up - Peanut Butter Swirl Browines. YUM.

Erika's birthday "cake" - Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake. Seriously amazing.

Bottom layer - flourless chocolate cake, middle layer - chocolate mousse, top layer - white chocolate mousse. Topped with some chocolate shavings. Yep, I'm serious.

Alright, I must confess - I did not bake these or even make the frosting. My mom did it all! I just helped her decorate. We had so much fun getting these beauties ready for Erika's 30th birthday bash! The cupcakes are either chocolate or vanilla and for the frostings, there's roasted strawberry, chocolate espresso, vanilla bean, and chocolate hazelnut =) =) =)

This beauty here is my very first ever loaf of bread =) I was so excited that it worked! It rose, it filled the pan, and it was half whole wheat! It was good, but I've since tweaked the recipe some to make it delicious! If I have enough time during the week, I don't even have to buy bread - I just make it!

Ok, this is definitely one of the most decadent, rich desserts that I have ever made. It starts with a perfectly sweet chocolate cupcake on the bottom, topped with a Brown Sugar Italian Buttercream frosting on top. Um, it was A. MAZ. ING.

And finally, the most simple thing - homemade Egg McMuffins. It's our dinner once a week. No joke. Nigel's working graveyard shift, so we have breakfast for dinner 4 nights a week. He doesn't like to wake up and eat spaghetti and meatballs or tacos =) He would rather eat breakfast. So, I started making these and they're a huge hit. Pretty delicous, too!

Someday he may hate me for this....

....but I just couldn't resist! I went in his room to make sure he was sound asleep, and I found him like this! So, I turned on his light to get a better picture and I couldn't be more thrilled. I love this so much. Just pure, childhood innocence, sound asleep with no idea of what is going on around him. Precious. Just precious.

Hehe, and notice the superhero friends on the pillow ;)

Another zoo day (with a prehistoric surprise)!

We are really loving our zoo pass. It is a wonderful thing to have and we get to just hop on the freeway and go to the zoo whenever we feel like it! Now that it's getting colder, it's harder to convince ourselves to get out and go to the zoo, but whenever we go, we have a wonderful time! On our last trip, the animals were in rare form. Although, once again, we didn't see the lions (it's been a while since we've seen them when we've been there), but the animals we saw were great! The black bear was doing circus tricks, the alligator was staring at us, and the polar bear was letting us get a nice close look! And by the way, the naked mole rats are one of Caden's absolute favorite things to look at!

Nigel and Caden love the hollow log =)

I absolutely love these 3 guys more than anything else on this Earth. My heart is overflowing with love and happiness =)

Nigel, Brock and a sea lion! Brock loves these sea lions because they're ALWAYS swimming right up to the window!

And now, the prehistoric surprise.......DINOSAURS =) The zoo put on a great dinosaur exhibit that Caden BEGGED us to take him through. Once we got in there, he wanted out immediately. It definitely scared him a little, but he warmed up to the big monsters and we had a lot of fun!

There were a few "spitters" and Nigel got hit a couple of times =)

Gosh, they're all so cute! Well, maybe not the dinosaur!

See the look on Caden's face?!? I had to FORCE him to take a picture with me. He was freaked out by that prehistoric crocodile!

And here's the big guy.....Gigantosaurus! Honestly, that's what it's called. And it's a real dinosaur. I thought it was a joke, so I googled it, and sure enough, it's real. It was HUGE!!!!

Nigel thrills Caden to no end. He's always crazy and silly and full of adventure and it makes Caden laugh all the time.

And Brock had a great time, too! He is so incredibly adorable!

This was our attempt at a family photo - hey, we're all in it =)

So, we decided to do a photo booth instead! The scanner picked out each individual picture even though they're on a strip, but you can see them a little bigger. And the first picture, apparently there was something on the picture or the scanner, because that was definitely not on my forehead =)