Danny, Katie, and the Kids: September iMoments

As of Labor Day weekend, we've been in our house for five years. Five whole years!! That's about the longest Danny or I have ever lived in one house. And in that whole five years, I have never cleaned or organized the cupboard above the computer. I know, it's terrible! So as a gift to our house for letting us live here, and so unorganized to boot...I organized the cupboard above the computer!

It took me about a half hour. I have NO idea why I never did it...but I'm happy with the result! :)

The harvest from the garden is still in full swing. The green chiles produced better than they have in years! My house smelled like New Mexico while I roasted, skinned, seeded, and diced these bad boys.

So Joey has really started to come into himself. And as it turns out, he's quite the whirling dervish! This kid had been out of his crib for no more than 10 minutes before he found a weapon and started assaulting Johnny while the poor kid was innocently trying to get some milk for his cereal. I think we're in for a whole new toddler experience with this one!

Zucchini is definitely one of my favorite harvests from the garden. And while I love it sautéed as a side for dinner, or spiraled into zoodles...my double chocolate zucchini muffins are kind of to die for. And they are Danny's most absolute favorite thing I bake! I've really tried this year to figure out what I need to do to get consistently perfect and gorgeous muffins every time. And I finally figured it out! I love these perfect little chocolatey zucchini soldiers! Hopefully we can pack the freezer full so we can enjoy them all winter long!

Rose and Tali are both starting at BYU-I this year, and so Jami brought the girls to Rexburg to get them settled. But they flew into Salt Lake, which means they had to come see me! :) We visited at my house the day they came in, and then I met them for lunch the next day before they left for Idaho. We even stopped by Kneaders so they could get their blue elephant paraphernalia in honor of our Lukey. Love these girls!

Johnny's birthday lunch was a little delayed, but we checked this boy out of school and went to his favorite birthday lunch spot. Red Robin! It's all about the bottomless root beer float for this growing boy. :) We loved the time together with just our John Boy.

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. And one of our favorite restaurants, Kneaders, always does a promotion during September. They sell blue elephant cookies and other elephant paraphernalia during the month, and 100% of the proceeds go to the research being done at Hunstman Cancer Institute. The reason behind the elephants is that elephants don't get cancer, so the hope is that there will be clue in the elephant DNA that will lead to a cure. We're obviously happy to support this cause!

I've started what I like to call "Cookie Sundays". On Sunday afternoons, while Danny is at church, I bake cookies. And then when he gets home, he takes a few plates and does some visits around the ward. Sometimes he even takes the kids. Danny says that it's easier for him to get into homes when he has a plate of cookies. :) And I always want to try new recipes, but my waistline couldn't survive all those cookies around! It's the perfect way for me to not only bake like I want, but I get to feel like I'm helping Danny with his calling. It's awesome!

Danny and Johnny, both at 7 years old. I'm a lucky girl!

I can't believe it, but mid-way through September and we're still harvesting!!

These two...they are the best of buddies.

Sophie has been working so hard to sleep through the night in her own bed, and to go to sleep on time. After stringing together an impressive number of good nights, I surprised her by checking her out of school and taking her for a fancy soda at Fiiz. She was so happy! We are so proud of Sophie for all her hard work and perseverance!

Seriously. We can't get over Joey and these SnapChat filters!

BYU vs Wisconsin was Sophie's game. They had a blast and it was a beautiful day for football! We won't comment on the score. :(

Danny and I supporting Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with our elephant tie and necklace, respectively.

Oh Joey. This toddler-phase is unlike anything we've experienced in the past. The kid is constantly making a mess and destroying our house! And I think he knows it, too. And I suspect he does it because he thinks our reactions are funny. We're in so much trouble with this one...

Claire decided to apply for the student council this year. She had to apply and then be nominated by a teacher. Her teachers were more than happy to nominate her, and Claire made it on the council! She's so excited, and we're so proud of her!

Back during a TDY to Seattle, Danny bought me a higher jet cookie cutter. I instantly knew I needed to make Danny cookies to take to work on his birthday. They worked out awesome!!

We have discovered that my chocolate zucchini muffins freeze and thaw like a dream. I love being able to to take them out of the freezer the night before, and the kids love them for breakfast. Especially Joey!

Danny was given some tickets to the Conference Center for the Women's Session of General Conference. I was so excited when my Mom, Jenny, and Isabelle wanted to join the girls and I! We met early for dinner at the Blue Lemon in Farmington, and then left for Salt Lake in what I thought was plenty of time. Well, I didn't account for Comic Con and a symphony performance at Abravenel Hall that same evening! Traffic was unlike anything I have ever seen, and every single parking lot in downtown Salt Lake City was full! I was so mad when we finally made the decision to bail on the Conference Center and find the closest Stake Center we could. In Bountiful. It wasn't the night I had planned on, but the session was wonderful and everyone had a good time together. :)

Cookie Sunday! This time it was Mel's (my new food blogger BFF) "Magic on the Inside" cookies. These chocolate beauties are hiding a soft, creamy peanut butter center! They were delish.

Joey is obsessed with coloring right now. He will sit for quite a long time (for him) and work quietly on his pictures. I love it.

Joey loves Claire so much. He often just wants to be where she is, doing what she's doing. When he saw that Claire was doing some art for a school assignment, he crawled right up there with his own crayon and paper and worked alongside her.

Joey is growing up faster than I can anticipate. I was getting the kids ready for school one morning, and realized I hadn't seen or heard Joey in quite a few minutes. That's unusual for him in the morning, so I was instantly worried. I found him in my room, on my bed, watching Netflix on the kids' phone. He managed to get the phone open, Netflix opened, and Moana playing all on his own!