Saturday, October 30, 2010

Mohawk Man

I love my little guy. His hair is starting to grow a bit longer and I got really excited about it. Ever since I was pregnant I envisioned my son having one of those cute little baby mohawks! I was told that baby lotion worked well so today and tried it and lo and behold...



Isn't it awesome? Now hopefully it stays long enough for me to enjoy :]

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Miriam Ricks 1910-2010

My great grandmother passed away this week. She lived a long and fulfilling life of 100 years. I believe she was the oldest living person in Rexburg before she passed. Here is a picture of her with Talmage when he was 6 weeks old. These two share the same birthday, April 14th.


Miriam's husband, Aaron, was a descendant of Thomas E. Ricks, founder of Ricks college- now BYU-Idaho. If I could describe her in three words I would say she was spunky, charming, and most of all humble. She recognized that all her blessings came from her beloved Heavenly Father. She was also so full of life. In her seventies, she actually made it all the way to the top of Table Rock near the Tetons, which everyone here knows is not an easy feat. She loved flowers and birds and she would tell me all about them every chance she got. She was recently featured in the Rexburg magazine, where there is pictured her being sung to by David Archuletta. My fondest memory is of her barn out in Sugar City. It is so picturesque and she really loved it there. Wild flowers everywhere and kittens crawling over under every haystack. Miriam's memory will always live on, with me and with many members of her family who loved her very much. We miss you, grandma, but we will see you again someday. Lots of loves from us all.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Cookies & Colors

I made some cookies the other day that are great this time of the year. I made them last year, too, and still love them :) With only 3 ingredients, they are the easiest cookies in the world to make.


Pumpkin Pie Cookies:
1 package spice cake mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 package dark chocolate chips
*Cook at 350 for 10 minutes.

Be warned that these are REALLY soft, and they maye seem undercooked but if you let them cool for an hour they are perfect.

Soon I am going to take this recipe and replace the butterscotch chips with cinnamon chips (just to be more seasonal). I've tried the original recipe and these are the best oatmeal cookies I've had in my life!

I am also way excited about our family pics this week. My ex-roomate/great friend Elizabeth took over 600 pictures of the three of us! Since there is NO way I could put even half of those on here, here is a sampling!





The rest are on Facebook :)

I admit it...I kind of got carried away in the blissful colors of fall. I just wanted to take lots & lots of pictures with such a beautiful backdrop. So this morning after Jonathan was done with class we took some more fun pics with my tripod. We did it at the gardens on campus. I love how they turned out!









I think that I've pretty much overwhelmed my husband and little boy with picture taking. Talmage was ready for a nap during the ones today, and you can just see those tired eyes! But it worked out good, and now I am done. maybe :)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Tiddlywinks & Pumpkins

Crafts are fun. and I'm just a tad bit addicted this season. I think it's because these ones are so darn cheap and easy. Not to mention fall is my favorite time of the year!!

Here is my "ghost family", courtesy of Brighton :) I love how they turned out and they look so festive on our table! Definitely an eye-catcher.



The tutorial is here.

I call these "raggedy broomsticks" and I sort of just made them with stuff I had lying around. Then I put them on the door to keep out the devil! ha ha.



Everyone keeps asking me, "What is Talmage going to be for Halloween?" I conjured up all kinds of cute ideas before realizing that 1)there is no ward Halloween party and 2)we won't be going trick-or-treating since he is so young. So really I would waste time and money for no reason. This is my compromise.



Jonathan made it all. He carved the pumpkin and crocheted this little hat for him. I loved the fact that I didn't have to do a thing but take cute pictures :) You may not be able to tell, but he *really* hated being in that pumpkin. We had to act like crazy monkeys to keep him the least bit content.


That lasted for a little while, then he lost it.


Overall it was a wonderful memory and years from now when he has a bride I can show these to her and say, "See how cute he is?!?!"

Sunday, October 17, 2010

I'm so excited & I just can't hide it!

It has been a while since my last post, so I will try to cram all the latest into this one. I apologize if it is long and boring! :)

Our little boy has learned to crawl! What's really funny, though, is when he gets on his toes and hands and puts his bum in the air. Exhibit A.


and the view from behind.


He is such a joy :) We also recently got him this awesome jumperoo which he goes nutso in. He is particularly fascinated with the spinning blue doo-hicky on the side.


As far as other advancements with little Talmage, he now says DA DA (a lot) and YA YA. He eats lots of big people food (mushed up of course) and sleeps fairly well at night- usually waking up once. He is teething and we expect that first tooth to come in any day now!

And now my most exciting news! After months of anticipation, we finally got our SUPER stroller! Phil & Ted, you guys rock.

I decided to go with the all black because it goes with everything, and it just looks chic. We have taken it all over town and it is like walking in a dream. I just cannot tell you how many features on this pram that I am in love with! and Talmage loves it too, of course :)



If you've made it this far down in the post, I congratulate you. And as a reward you can see these cute pumpkin decorations that I made! They are super quick to create with just a few simple materials, including toilet paper!




Thanks Brighton for the idea!
If you are interested in these toilet paper pumpkins, the tutorial is here.

I am really excited for this week, and here is why.
1. Tomorrow we will be taking family pictures! Yay!
2. My good friend/neighbor is getting induced tomorrow! That means another little baby for me to squeeze and hold. double yay :D
3. This weekend Jonathan and I are going on a DATE. I know, those are hard to come by. But we've got a babysitter! We're going to the temple and then to our ward's "Harvest Ball" which sounds like fun. It's always hard being away from my son but I think this date is really needed.
4. I get to take my stroller around town some more! wahoo!

Oh, and if you'd like to make the yummiest chocolate chip cookies you've ever had, try these. I made them last night and they were to die for. I think that the shortening is what makes them super soft and good.
Happy baking, crafting, and loving this season!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Sorry, but I had to...

a little breastfeeding humor, in honor of Halloween.



:)