The list for Santa...

So this is the first year that Tyse has taken interest in letting in be known what it is that Santa should bring. I guess santa should pay a little more attention to the saturday morning cartoons.... because I have NO IDEA what in the world a "dinosaur that destroys everything and has cars crashing under it" is. I know it exists because apparently my 3 year old nephew asked for the same thing in the same manner. We are all stumped. And then there is the "truck that I can drive. No, not a big one like your car, mom, one that I can drive" and in my naievete, I ask, "a remote control one?" and the answer inevitably continues to be "NO, mom. one for me to DRIVE." Are there any people in america that pay attention to these commercials and can help me out?
And then there are the new requests... does a 4 year old really NEED a laptop, an ipod, and a gun holster? His description of an ipod is impeccable... I didn't even know he knew what one was!. But sure enough, he added it to his list, and when I asked what one was he said, "a really cool machine that plays all the songs you want and shows you movies and all sorts of cool stuff. Mom, Bryce's ipod (11 year old cousin) has, like, 20 THOUSAND songs on it!" I was hoping that this kind of wish list could hold off for a couple more years. Santa better get promoted!

It's all about the pumpkin

HI everyone!
So most of you know I love to cook, and I have stumbled upon a couple really good pumpkin recipes recently that are SO easy. So if you are looking for a new idea or feeling a little adventurous, try them out sometime this week!

Eggnog Pumpkin Pie

1 15-oz can solid pack pumpkin
1 1/4 c. eggnog
2/3 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t. salt
1 unbaked 9" pie shell

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggnog, sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Pour into a pastry shell.
Bake at 375 for 60-65 min. or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until serving. YIELD: 6-8 servings
MY NOTE: It took more like 1 hour 20 min. at my house to get it cooked all the way through- and it tastes a LOT better the second day!

Pumpkin Dessert Dip
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, very soft
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme
1/2 c. canned packed pumpkin
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients until well blended; cover. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. Serve with assorted fruit and cookies
MY NOTE: this also tastes better the day after it is made... and nilla wafers are great with it or those new keebler cheesecake cookies are great!

I hope you try them out and LOVE them as I do!
Happy turkey day!

Halloween 2007

For halloween this year, I had no say in Tyse's costume. He has had it planned out since christmas- it was Batman. No negotiation. So we did the best that we could to add to what we had and make him a batman. I think it turned out pretty well. I think the best part of his costume is the mask- Batman is down one ear thanks to Red (the dog), but tyse doesn't notice anymore, so it worked. His favorite part of the costume was the black undies that went over top the sweat pants. Every time he thought about it he would giggle and say, "Batman wears undies on the OUTSIDE of his clothes! Look- you can even see the hole!" (insert action of him sticking his hand in the hole). It was pretty funny!
Luckily for little ones, I still had a say in Emitts. I made this little lion costume and I love it. I think it turned out really great. We had been working on the roar, but he stopped doing it about a week before halloween, so our lion was a little cowardly, but adorable.
Between preschool, Kent's office, and the neighborhood, we ended up with 4 tupperware bowls of candy. We are going to be re- giving it as easter candy I think. Plus- I had heard that the neighborhood was an absolute ZOO last year, so we stocked up on TONS of candy, and had 8 total trick or treaters come by. So that bag of 200 sour straws that kent insisted on still contains 195 pieces, and no one else can stand to eat them. Anyone LOVE sour straws?

After we got home, Tyse dumped every last piece of candy on the floor and he and Emitt had a great time sifting through (ok, I did as well!) and Emitt did get a little posessive of his share...

We had such a fun night and capped it with cups of hot cocoa and called it a night!

A little help please!

Just thought I would show one of my favorite moments from the week. Laundry is always SO exciting... a little spice is always nice, and I LOVE the help I get from the boys. Emitt loves to put things in the dryer, and tyse loves to load and put soap in the washer. Before long I should be able to just leave them to it, don't you think?

Hogle Zoo

A few weeks ago we (the boys and I) went to the zoo with the Zurmely's. We had such a great time! Tyse lives and dies by the spitting elephant, so we spent a LOT of time next to the fake animals- is that really a zoo visit? We LOVED the monkeys, and emitt got up close and personal with the Lynx.

He was pretty excited. He even made his first animal noise- BAAAA at the mountain goats. Rather boring for a first? YUP. But it was done nonetheless, maybe we can move on to the more exciting. I swear Tyse was talking in sentences by now- I guess I should be glad there aren't a second barrage of questions flying my way. One set is enough!
Have you all seen the white alligator at the zoo? It freaks even me out a bit because it just looks like rubber- that blinks. We have seen it twice now, so I know it moves because it was out of the water this time, but man... it is creepy!
What a great day! Thanks for the invite, Shawna!

Fire Station Visit

A few weeks ago, we went down to the Orem Fire Department's public open house and enjoyed playing with the hoses and the trucks, ambulance, and helicopter. Tyse's favorite part... of course.. is the free cotton candy, but he LOVED watching Dave put out the tree fire, spraying the hose, and climbing in the helicopter!
Here are a few pics from the day!