Thanks to our neighbor we have some pictures of Boston and Gage talking to Santa at the ward party. Trevor disappeared when Santa came out and Mallory wanted nothing to do with him. Gage told me that Santa was bringing him a surprise. And, Boston just wanted Webkinz. Santa is getting off easy this year!
While living with my in laws our first Christmas here in Kentucky, my mother in law made this wonderful English Toffee. She said she got the recipe from a friend a long time ago and made it every year. Much to my embarrassment, I ate almost all the toffee she had in the downstairs freezer and had to learn to make it myself to repay her the toffee I had stolen. Now, I can only make this at Christmas because I seriously can't stop eating it once it is made. I usually break it up when it is all good and hard and put it in baggies which are twist tied shut and ribboned. So, if I do get to where I want to eat it late at night, I have to undo all the pretty ribbons to get to it and that gets me to at least second guess myself. It hasn't saved me every time though! 
English Toffee
1 lb. butter
2 Tbs. white corn syrup
2 Tbs. water
2 cups sugar
1 (12oz.) pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 lb. sliced almonds
1 large Hershey milk chocolate bar - the huge one
(1) Butter a jelly roll pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips and sliced almonds. Set aside. Melt butter, corn syrup, water, and sugar in a large pot (photos 2 & 3) over medium (slightly medium high) heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Stir and cook until mixture is 280 degrees. When mixture comes to 280 degrees, remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips and almonds. Break up Hershey Bar and lay pieces over toffee (photo 4). Let the chocolate start to melt and then spread with a spatula (photo 5). Let toffee set in the refrigerator (but I put mine in the freezer because I am impatient). Break in to pieces and ENJOY (photo 6)
On Saturday, I came out to the kitchen where Boston's friend Tanner informed me that it was Marathon Puzzle Day. I didn't know what that meant until I turned the corner and saw what was in the hallway. I didn't realize we had that many puzzles and I am told that we had more in the boy's bedroom. Tanner brought over his "scratchy" 500 piece Toy Story puzzle. I found out that meant that it was 3D (all the vertical lines in it made the images change on each piece and made the pieces scratchy). Guess who stayed up until midnight Saturday night working on it? Zane roped me in and we didn't finish it until after church on Sunday. So, it wasn't just Marathon Puzzle Day, it was Marathon Puzzle Weekend for the adults in the house. Thanks Tanner!
I thought it would be a calm Thanksgiving weekend due to our lack of plans and guests for the big day. Parts of it were. Other parts not so much. We got our new counter tops (after a year of pulled apart ones) on Wednesday night and they were here until 10 pm putting them in. Because they cut the hole out for the sink here at the house everything was covered in this light dust which I stayed up until midnight trying to clean up. Well worth any mess and any sleep given up. Things were crazy here Thanksgiving Day and not because we had a house full of house guests. We had a house full of Underwoods - just the usual ones (us and grandma) The boys were a bit at each others' necks and by the time we ate, Gage and Boston were no where to be found. I guess that's the blessing of just having one Thanksgiving guest, there was no pressure to all sit at the table with cute place settings. But, on the other hand, I might invite more friends next year just so that maybe my boys will want to sit at the table with someone other than those they sit with everyday. Zane hit the sales the next day because I am too fear full of crowds to do it! We managed to get our Christmas tree, decorate it, put the lights on the house, and ask a kind doctor to stitch up Mallory's chin. Yes, you read right, Mallory needed to be stitched up again. And, yes, it involved a chair. We are seriously considering going chair less around here. So, we had some crazy moments due to cabin fever, but there were plenty of sweet moments (hearing the uncontrollable laughter come from the boys as they watched "Home Alone 2", decorating the tree, decorating our graham cracker houses).
It gets a bit hard each year to make each of the boys feel special on their birthdays when they are back to back. We either go all out for Trevor's and then lose steam by Boston's or the other way around. This year it was a family party year, so they had to celebrate it with good ol' family (and the Mortensons). On T's birthday (the 18th), Zane woke the boys up really early and took them out to breakfast at the Waffle House before school. Then, I took Gage and Mallory to school to meet T with a Fillet O Fish from McDonalds for lunch. When he came home from school we had rented "Kung Fu Panda" and the boys watched that while I made cinnamon rolls for T to take to cub scouts with him. We let them open one gift each which was a pair of BYU flannel pjs and shirts. Then, on B's birthday we ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast and Zane brought him a hot apple pie from McDonalds at lunch. We took the rest of their gifts to Red Robin where we met the Mortensons and Grandma Betty for dinner. Since I had no milk or eggs in the house that day I couldn't make them a cake, so we let the lovely servers of Red Robin sing to them and bring them ice cream sundaes to celebrate. Flat Stanley (a nephew's school project) came too making a great time all around.
Flat Stanley being smooshed at the Waffle House
Future Cougars - B and T in their BYU pjs
Back of pjs with their names on their shirts
T, Andrew, B, and Sydney at Red Robin
Gage and Kari
Messy faced Mallory
T and his card from grandpa
B and his card from grandpa
Boston and Trevor
Flat Stanley at Red Robin
I am having a little giveaway at my craft blog here. It's for a pair of baby 6-9 month lounge pants and matching long sleeve onesie with birdies on it. I have been testing out sizes and trying new things and now they are starting to stockpile. It's amazing how many pairs of baby lounge pants you can get out of one $1 thrifted sheet! So, if you want the outfit (whether you have a baby or want this as a gift), just leave a comment over there and I will put down your name. Even if you are in my ward and I just have to bring it to you on church on Sunday, I don't care who wins! It's like I am playing "Throw Out" like I did with my friends in my neighborhood when I little - just giving away stuff!!!
Just an FYI - Urbane Home's first house is officially off the market. It sold on Monday and we are so thrilled to have success in this crazy housing market. But, who wouldn't want a home that has an electric bill of $30? I know I would appreciate that this winter. Plus, it has four bedrooms, a loft, granite countertops, awesome cabinets, etc. etc. etc. I only wish there was a lot in my subdivision to build it on just for us! I'll keep dreaming with that one. You can still vote for it for People Choice in the Energy Value Housing Awards here (just go to People's Choice on the left side bar). I think it's one vote per person, but not positive.
7 Things I Heart About Boston (and of course, we know there are way more!)
1 - His freckles. LOVE THEM!
2 - He is so sensitive. I love his tender heart.
3 - He is funny and tries to lighten the mood with his sense of humor.
4 - He always wears slick pants (track pants) and has a constant athletic (or boy) look and smell to him.
5 - He is proud when he is sweaty and used to push the sweat through the front of his hair just to make sure it looked like he was sweating.
6 - He writes little notes in notebooks and on little pieces of paper. Once when we were on a trip without the kids, I came home to lots of letters he wrote to me everyday.
7 - He is always trying to do what is right and asks a lot of questions about whether the things he is doing are good for him. I love that he wants to be good (even when it is really hard). He often tells me, "mom, remember it was hard to be good when you were a kid too."
Top 10 Things I Heart About Trevor (although there's more than 10)
1 - He loves his family and shows affection to them easily.
2 - He is Gage's helper and is always willing to test him, read to him, and just play with him.
3 - He loves soups and what the adults are eating. He can out eat his mama!
4 - He can carry on a conversation with an adult pretty easily.
5 - He is sensitive to other's feelings and has a very tender heart.
6 - He is a great artist and spends a lot of time doodling.
7 - He is willing to try new things even when he is really scared.
8 - He is a graceful loser. When playing games with his brothers, he often lets them win and they don't even know it!!!
9 - He is proud that he is a Texan - born in Dallas, TX
10 - He still wants us to lay by him at night and read with him. He often has a book in mind and wants us to read it together.
Lacey, I am stealing your post because you really did sum up our weekend in the very best way. I am even stealing your photo. So, since I am a thief and I was at Time Out For Women, hopefully, I will have found the strength through the uplifting speakers to try to be better! Thanks to all my TOFWFF.
Pick Me!
Urbane Homes (Zane's company) is up for a couple of awards through the EVHA (Energy Value Housing) and one of them is People's Choice. Vote here! The house you want to vote for (or the one I am making you vote for) is the one from Louisville, KY. The house is up against 11 others and check out their construction cost (price per square foot). It absolutely blows the others out of the water!
VOTE, so Urbane Homes can win People's Choice!
I didn't buy any new costumes this year. It seems as though we have enough that we purchased in the past or hand me downs, that Gage was something different each time he dressed up this year. So costumes were easy this year. Trevor wanted to be a hippy (which I purchased the little kit that had glasses, headband, and peace necklace). Boston was Darth Vader. Gage was a race car driver and Mallory Tinkerbell. Trevor went with his friends trick or treating in another neighborhood and since I wasn't going to be with him that night, I went over to their house early in the evening and made him put his costume on so I could take pictures of him. He was a bit embarrassed, but that's what you get for growing up and going out on your own Mr. T! We all missed him. We had a pizza dinner at our neighbor's house and then went out trick or treating with the kids. They didn't want to go for that long and all came home after an hour with the perfect amount of candy - "just enough." It was so warm and such a pretty night that most of the neighbors were sitting out in lawn chairs passing out the treats. That made it nice and easy for the kids - for the adults too!
I just checked when my first post was and I it was November 1st, 2007. That's today. It's my blog's first anniversary. One year of family memories recorded. I've kept this up better than scrapbooking and for that, I am glad. I can follow through on something. Hurray!
I caught Gage doing some cute things yesterday and was able to catch them all on the camera.
I could call this "our trip to Utah", but I think my kids would not remember exactly where they went, only that it involved being with their cousins. And, to them, that was the best part about it. Over Fall Break we went and stayed with Zane's sister in Highland, UT. I went a day early with Mallory and spent some time with my old (she's not old) roommate and dear friend, Kathy. That was a treat for me. We enjoyed the best weather and the view of the mountains the entire week. When I asked my boys if they did everything that they wanted to do while we were there, they said, "no, we didn't buy a house." There happens to be any empty spec home right next door to their cousins and they spent all week trying to convince us to buy it. If only it were that easy! The cousins have a pool and a heated one at that, so each night was spent swimming. Mallory thought she could swim, so she tried to wiggle out of Zane's arms each time in the pool. She would find her bathing suit hanging up in the bathroom and try to get us to put it on her as well. The boys went to Boondocks (a version of Family Fun Center owned by the Huishes) where they raced cars and played laser tag. We made it to Thanksgiving Point, BYU campus, the jumpy jumpy place (with tramps not bouncers), visited with the Bradleys, and just rode scooters around the lake by the cousins' house to feed the ducks. My sister in law and I started a few (hundred) sewing projects and we even managed to finish a few of them. I even picked up some fabric to finish a few at home. Zane is so happy about that! It was such a nice trip that we might just have to buy that house next door. (Just kidding kids).
In front of the BYU Bookstore
At the ice cream counter at Thanksgiving Point
In the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point
Mallory's face when I ask her to say "cheese"
Zane and his brother Beau who came down to visit from SLC
Trevor at the lake by the cousin's house
Gage next to one of the art pieces next to the MOA at BYU
Mallory trying to swim away from Zane
Zane and I at the ice cream shop at Thanksgiving Point
Trevor, Gage and Sadie at Thanksgiving Point
The kids with their cousin Shad ready to head to the lake for a walk
The lady at Costco asked me on Friday night if I was excited for the weekend. "Yeah," I said, "but it's going to be a busy one." Little did she know that I was at Costco sneaking away from my babysitting duties for just a few minutes before they closed as Zane relieved me back at home. It had already been a crazy week - baseball game every night (a few rained out), my turn for kid swaps, sewing, etc., but the weekend brought on more fun. Saturday was Super Saturday at our ward and I was teaching a diaper bag sewing class. That morning as I was working out I got a phone call from Kristi to inform me of a great garage sale. So, I hopped off the elliptical and drove all sweaty to find some good books and future Christmas gifts for the kids. I came home and quickly got ready for Super Sat. and spent 4 hours sewing. Then, came home to clean up the disaster that Saturday brings to our house because my mom (who is tending) and four nieces and nephews were coming to stay the night and visit. My kids were so excited to see their cousins. They live in Cincinnati and are so close, but we haven't been able to see them as much as we have wanted to with gas prices, baseball games, and life taking over. Now they are moving to Spain (where their parents are house hunting at the moment) in just a month and I know my kids are going to miss them badly. So, this was a well needed cousin visit. We went to both Trevor's and Boston's baseball games that night with 4 extra kids in tow. It was a bit wild keeping track of them all and they did manage to get quite dirty, but I think the rock and dirt throwing was fun for them. Right as we were packing up to get to Trevor's 5 o'clock game, Zane called to say Trevor got a hit and even managed to score. It was his first hit in a baseball game and he was on cloud nine. I wish I could have been there to see it. Boston's game was at 7 and we managed to see two innings. But, my mom and I needed to get them all home to get them in baths. And, as for Sunday...you know the routine - try, try, try to get there on time, but still end up in the overflow where we are louder than everyone else! All the adults in the house managed a small nap after church and then the Cincinnatians and their leader (my mom) packed up to leave. We all drove out to see Zane's finished house (which is up for a National Award for energy efficiency - do you want to buy it?) in Middletown and they left back home from there. Ummmm...a great and tiring weekend!
*Did anyone else gain 5 lbs. from baking over Conference Weekend? It's dangerous to be inside that long.
*Gas was $3.33 and I was soooo excited. Who would have thought that would be considered a good deal? I think I am just happy when something is cheaper than it was the day before (like rotisserie chickens at Coscto - now back to $5.99)
*It feels so good to have my Halloween decorations up and now I am wanting to create some more to add to the mess!
