New Year Resolution.....

(I guess it's actually more of a goal for this year.)

I am going to use my crockpot once a week (if not more!)

Why haven't I done this before?!?! All you do is throw some ingredients in the pot and turn it on, so simple!

Isn't she pretty? :) And it has a touch pad, how cool!

So far I have made Hawaiian Chicken and next week I'll be making Chicken Cacciatori. If you have any yummy crockpot recipes, please share!

1st Christmas!

Now, I know that Aiden won't remember this Christmas at all but it's still his first one so we took pictures and I even made him a "1st Christmas" ornament!

Here he is getting ready to open his first present (more like me opening it!)

I love his little outfit!

He got a Jump & Go! I love the look on his face! So far he likes it but I'm sure when he figures out how to jump he'll love it even more. :)

Eli & Aiden got matching hats, lovingly made by Nana.

Aiden's "1st Christmas" ornament. I don't know about all you other mothers, but I could not find a cute 1st christmas ornament that didn't cost $25+. Ridiculous! So I made him one.

All you need is a clear ornament (Jo-Ann's), some sort of filler (snowflakes, also from Jo-Ann's) and some fabric paint (scribbles, Fred Meyer's). So simple, cute and personalized!

Time Flies...

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! I just noticed that I haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving.... oh dear. Life has been so hectic lately but I'm hoping that after the holidays things will slow down and we'll get to relax more. :)

One reason why we have been so busy is because of our busy little man! 3 months old and he is eager to move. All the time. Here's a video I took of him, showing off his new move.

Ahhh, he is getting so big! I miss his little-ness. :( To tell you the truth, I've been reluctant to put him in 3 month clothes because I don't want him to grow up. But he has SO many cute clothes in that size that I finally gave in. :)

Christmas will be different this year. This will be the first time that the whole family won't be together. I know we'll still have fun, but it's just..... weird. And it's Aiden's 1st Christmas, too! Not that he'll remember it. I guess I need to remember that Christmas isn't about the gifts or even family, it's about God's amazing plan and His awesome gift to us!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year's!

Courtney (and boys)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and fun day!

We sure did. Got to celebrate the day with almost my entire family. Just 1 sister missing. :(

God has truly blessed us this year! So my list is kinda long, but here it is....

1. My sweet, healthy baby boy. At his 2 month checkup he was 11lbs 14oz and 22 1/4 in! They grow so fast!

2. Brittany and Jeremy coming up for Thanksgiving. It's been a long time since Britt has been home for this holiday.

3. My sweet little NIECE! Yup, they're having a girl. I'm so excited! What to knit her...

4. Eli's new job. He is really enjoying it (which is a plus!) and hopefully in a few years he'll be making enough money and I'll get to stay home!

5. All this lovely snow! It's beautiful outside right now. Sun peaking through the clouds and bouncing off the crystalized snow on trees and buildings, gorgeous!

6. God and His unfailing love for us.

7. Life. Some friends of ours lost their brother in an accident a few weeks ago and it just reminds me how precious life is and to be thankful for for it.

8. Friends who love and support us. Our community group is awesome at this! Praying over our grieving friends this past week was another reminder of how important it is to have supportive, loving friends.

9. Our ever growing families! How could I forget them?

Our little turkey!

Nutella Cupcakes

Saw this recipe on Pinterest (cool sight!) and couldn't resist making them. And I just happened to have Nutella on hand. :)

Don't they look yummy?!?!

Self Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola or mild vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. The batter will be thick. It needs to be in order to swirl in the Nutella!

Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top of each, and swirl through the batter with the tip of a bamboo skewer, knife or other pointy object. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Tilt them in the pan to help them cool. Makes a dozen cupcakes.

I was making these to take to a party, so I used my mini muffin pan. It made at least 24 mini cupcakes (I still have a little bit of dough in my fridge).

If you've never tried out Pinterest, I definitely recommend it! So many cool ideas, recipes, pictures and you can keep track of everything you like. So handy! You do need an invite from a member to join, let me know if you want in!

State Fair 2011

This was actually back in August, but I figured I'd get caught up on my blogging while Aiden is sleeping.

The Alaska State Fair is synonymous with rain and clouds. And surprisingly, it was rainy and cloudy when we went! But we still had a good time. Mainly people watching and eating fair food. :)

Eli and his dream car! It was pretty sweet.

They had a "Down Under" exhibit this year. The little kangaroos were adorable!

This guy kept on making weird noises and walking up and down the fence way. I don't think he liked being confined.

Who knew that pelicans were this big?!?! I was amazed.

A Kookaburra. He didn't like me....

I entered an arrangement into the Wedding Bouquet category and won 1st place! I was super nervous that I wasn't going to get anything!

Stock, Lisianthus, Bear Grass, Plumosa and Yarrow.

The Many Faces of Baby Aiden

I obviously haven't been on in a while, but I have a good excuse. Babies take a lot of work!

I realized the other day that I haven't put up any pictures of Baby Aiden, besides the ones from his birth. He makes the funniest faces that I just have to share them with you!

He makes this face all the time while sleeping.... doesn't look very peaceful.

We were getting ready for a walk and I don't think he really cared for the position he was in. But he fell asleep a little bit later.

So serious!

And now goofy!

This one just makes me laugh. :)

I sure do love him! Especially when he is sleeping in his own bed! Now to see how long he'll sleep.....