Such a Good Helper

Chloe loved helping put up the decorations this year (she didn't have hand-eye coordination last year), but she especially loved Papa's ladder! She held onto it, walked all around it, tried to climb it, and finally used a tin to stand on to be just a little taller to play with it. Chloe is such a delightful, easy going little girl (when she isn't being a stubborn, little stinker) and I'm glad to say we didn't have any problems with her going after the Christmas tree or ornaments. There were a few times when she got to the presents before we could stop her, but nothing irreparable. Our Christmas season went a lot smoother than expected with our almost toddler :)

Chloe+ Leaves=Hysteria

Meghan I were out cleaning leaves in preparation for putting up Christmas lights and I thought, hey, I bet Chloe would LOVE playing in the leaves! WRONGO! She absolutely hated playing in the leaves! We put her in the pile and she immediately started screaming and reaching for me. I tried throwing the leaves around, letting them fall through the air-nope. We finally decided to see if she'd like it if I got in the pile with her and ta-da! Instant smile! We now know three things for sure about Chloe: She doesn't like touching pumpkin guts or frosting, and she hates playing in the leaves. Silly baby. Thanks for the laughs :)

Our Thanksgiving

We had a very full and fun Thanksgiving weekend and were able to celebrate with all sides of our family! First we celebrated with the Mangums (my Mom's parents) on Thursday: we had a seriously delicious smoked turkey made by my Uncle Cody and tons of yummy food and desserts. This year I made triple berry and apple pies, which turned out scrumptiously, if I do say so myself! It was extra fun to have my brother and his family down from up north and Chloe loved playing with their daughter Mailey, who is 5 months younger than her.

On Friday we had a very eventful day with the LeBaron clan; first we drove up to East Zion to chop down Christmas trees and eat our traditional yummy chili made by my Mother in law-Chloe especially loved the chili and gobbled down two helpings (you can see some of it on her face in the picture with Grandma). We didn't cut down a tree this year because we're living with my parents, but we had a great time visiting with family and Ronnie found joy in pelting his nephews with snowballs :) Then back down the mountain we went (while Chloe fell asleep while holding her bottle up), rushed home to make a pie and shower, then back to Hurricane for dinner! For the LeBaron dinner I made another triple berry pie and some tasty pecan pie bites (they're my favorite holiday treat).

It was a wonderful holiday and we're so grateful that we could do it over two days and see all of our family, especially since we won't be here next year. We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

Dear Chloe.

To my sweet, vivacious, bubbly, crazy 1 year old:

Your Dad and I could not imagine life without you! You have stolen our hearts completely and we absolutely adore the little person you have become. You have the sweetest little toothy grin and we can see all 8 teeth when you throw your head back and smile when you're proud of yourself. You love eating like a big girl and when we don't get food in your mouth fast enough, you open it wide and pant like a dog. You have a huge sweet tooth, just like me, and your favorite candy is sour punch straws. You're the perfect little copy cat and as a result, you have quite a large vocabulary for a one year old; saying things like doggie, pretty, no, Nana, Papa, Mommy, Dada, hi, hello, MiMi (for Aunt Meg), binky, stinky, cookie and in sign language, more and please. You've also learned how to tickle people and when we tell you to tickle someone you start to laugh and wiggle your fingers. You've started giving Daddy eskimo and butterfly kisses and you can also give high fives and bumps. We are always astounded at the new things you pick up! The craziest thing of all is watching our little baby girl stand up and walk! You are so big and strong and we are so proud of you!

Chloe thank you for giving us a year of laughs and loves. We love your sweet snuggles and open mouth kisses (m-ah!). You make us laugh every single day, sometimes to the point of tears. We hope so much for you and for your future, but more than anything we want you to always know how much we love you! It's not always easy, but you're worth it! You're the coolest baby ever!!!! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Chloe Bug!!!

Well it's a bit late, but Chloe turned 1 on November 21st! I baked her lady bug cake and we had 3 sets of grandparents over, plus my sisters and cousin Kara. It was a small gathering, but full of love for this sweet, funny little girl (I feel like I have to say little girl instead of baby, because she's so big now!)!

We let her open her gifts with Dad's help and then it was on to the cake!!! I think I was WAY more excited for this than she was and was a little let down when she wouldn't even touch it!!! Ronnie put her hand in it and she about dry gagged (which she is very good at and very dramatic when she doesn't like food) and pulled her hand away. She would hesitantly touch it and then snatch her hand back and try to shake the frosting off! The whole time all she wanted was her toy musical instruments. Finally we decided we should give the Birthday Girl what she really wanted and let her down to play with her xylophone. She was in heaven! I think we have a little music prodigy on our hands here!

We LOVE our beautiful little Chloe! She is such a joy and a bright spot in our lives! She has blessed us with lots of love, laughs, and patience this year! We love you Chloster! Happy Birthday!!!!

Gingerbread House Build Off 2010

We had a BLAST with our Gingerbread House Build Off! The teams were Mom and Steph, Dad and Meg, and Ronnie, Chloe, and me. Steph and Mom went for more of a mod look, while Dad and Meg modeled theirs after a British tv series, Dr. Who (any Dr.Who fans in the house???). Ronnie and I decided to build the dream gingerbread house and were quite satisfied with the results :) We had a great time making them and snacking on the yummy decor, plus we got to have fun with our new camera!!! Yay!!!! It's so nice to have an SLR again! Anyhow, we hope everyone is having a fun and happy Christmas season!!!!

Gingerbread House Frosting:

3 egg whites
1 lb powdered suger
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp vanilla

Beat 7-10 minutes (this is the most important part) and enjoy

Never Fails Pie Crust

I realize these aren't the most picturesque photos, but I'm sharing my pie crust recipe by special request, and don't feel right about a pictureless post. When I was younger and working on my Personal Progress, I decided to learn how to make pies for my ten hour project. There was a lady in my ward who was a pro, so I spent hours with her, perfecting my pie skills (I'm still in the process). She is an incredible woman and I am so grateful, not only for the skill she gave me, but for the precious time I spent getting to know her. She is a great example to me of love and compassion. So, without further ado, here is Janet's Never Fails Pie Crust!

3 cups flour

1 cup shortening (lard makes a flakier, tastier crust)

1 egg

1 TBS vinegar

6-7 TBS cold water

Combine flour and shortening by using pie cutter, cut until flaky

In separate bowl, beat egg using a fork. Add cold water and vinegar. Poor into flour/shortening mixture, touching it with hands as little as possible. Cover counter top with flour. Cut dough in half and make a flat ball with dough. Roll out with well floured rolling pin, then place in pie tin.

I don't know if all of that made sense...I just know how to do it...the recipe doesn't actually say all of that. I've never had a pie crust not work using this recipe and it's super tasty! Bake it at whatever temperature your pie recipe calls for!

PS Only the first pie in the second picture is mine. The other two were made by my awesome sil Brooke :)

PPS When the pie is done (when baking a top crust), brush milk on the top and sprinkle with sugar. This gives it that flaky, yummy look!