November iMoments

With all my Thanksgiving practice-baking, Joey has been my biggest (and cutest!) helper.

Joey's new obsession is coloring. He likes to spread it all over the house, and does not feel it necessary to restrict this genius to paper and has started to explore other mediums...such as the walls and doors, couches and clothing. 

What I find on my phone when I ask Sophie to watch Joey in the tub for a minute. :)

This kid...he is by far the most destructive toddler we've ever had! And then I find him quietly reading his puppy book. It's moments like this that soften my heart enough to allow him to continue living in our almost-destroyed house.

Clair has been on the student council this year, and has loved every minute of it! This month she got to attend a leadership conference at BYU as a representative of her school. I freaked me out a little to let her go so far away from me, but she loved every minute of it! She's just growing up so fast, and I'm constantly at awe of her confidence...and beauty!

He never falls asleep in my arms anymore! I love it so much...

The front porch looks a little different every fall, and I love it every year!

My very first attempt at a pumpkin roll...and it was perfect! Danny loves pumpkin rolls, and is pretty pumped that I can turn out such a yummy one. Me? Well, I can take or leave eating this particular dessert...but I do love how pretty it is with those Great British Baking Show-inspired chocolate flowers! (Thank you, Chetna!)

This picture was taken approximate 4 minutes after he woke up in the morning. The kid is obsessed! All he says anymore is "Football! Football!" and "Ra-Ra...Cougars!" This apple didn't fall far from the paternal tree, did it?

My sous chef-in-training!

This was about one minute after getting up from his nap, and you can tell because his eyes still look half asleep! I love him so much...he's the stinkin' cutest!

The baking bug has bitten me pretty bad this month. I'm determined to get my pumpkin rolls and pies perfected before Thanksgiving! And I found a bread recipe on Mel's blog that boasted a no-knead rustic bread, so I gave it a whirl. The apple pie was a let-down. The crust was fantastic (thank you, Mel!), but the filling wasn't what I've been looking for...so I must resume my search for the perfect apple pie filling. But the bread was a winner!

I'm not sure I ever had a child fall asleep in the cart...I guess this is what happens with the last baby. I have to get the shopping done before the kids get home from school, whether or not it's nap time! Sweet boy...

Joey hasn't been eating dinner lately, and it took me a while to realize why. He didn't want to eat in his high chair, he wanted to eat with the rest of the family! So guess who's sitting at the table like a big boy now? Good thing we have a dog that like to clean up the floor after him. :)

Claire has been looking forward all year to her Colonial Days project. She decided to make corn read from scratch, and she had to do it all by herself. She did an awesome job, and it turned out perfectly!

And she looked adorable in her apron and mob cap!

Oh, my Poseph wants to be big like the other kids so badly! And I want him to stay little as long as I can...and wear capes every single day.

I love how the house looks all decorated for Christmas...

...and our Poseph-safe tree turned out really nice!! I made sure it could survive a total tree collapse. :)

Sophie got her first love note from a boy in her class. Boy, are we in so much trouble!!

Ah, the 3rd grade economics fair!! Sophie decided on these glitzy Rudolph ornaments and they turned out really cute!

So, that no-knead bread was such a hit that we decided to make a loaf for all 24 Christmas deliveries on Danny's list. I got pretty darn good at this bread, and it was a huge hit with the ward members!