Kids are so Cute. Big Kids and Babies.

I have had this drawing made by Mally in Primary on our refrigerator since she brought it home in September, before I was pregnant. I thought it was so sweet. As a family we had been praying for another baby and I was so touched to see that it really was important to her too. From the picture you can see she is thanking Heavenly Father for her bike and on the other side she is asking Heavenly Father for a baby. Apparently a baby sister. Or baby brother who has to use hand-me-down baby girl blankets. Which may be the case. I just thought the picture was too cute not to share.

An update on my pregnancy if you care: All is well. I am 15 weeks along. Today at the doctor’s I got to hear the heart beat (always a happy sound). As much as I feel it is my right to complain about being pregnant, I have to say this pregnancy has been better than my other two. I have not been nauseated 24/7. I still throw-up pretty regularly, but just in the morning, not all day long. So, maybe we are having a boy, since I have heard people say you don’t get as sick with a boy. Boy or girl, I just want a healthy baby. At 11 weeks I was able to have an ultrasound because we couldn’t hear the heart beat. The baby was soooooo cute. It was wiggling none stop. It was so fun to see such a tiny yet perfectly formed baby inside me.

See, sooooo cute.

Merry, Merry!

This year I designed our Christmas card as an “I Spy” game. Can you spy what we’ve been up to this year? Merry Christmas! Love, the Wards

The Wonders of Christmas

So Yummy It’s Scary!

Photo by John Kernick

Because peanut butter-cup cookies are so delicious and I can eat them all myself in one sitting, I limit myself to baking these once a year around Halloween. The original recipe is from Real Simple, but I have tweaked it for my liking by adding crunchy peanut butter, whole wheat flour and kosher salt. Here’s the recipe:

Peanut Butter-cup Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce package small peanut butter-cups, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the peanut butter-cups.
3. Drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with more kosher salt. Bake until light brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack to cool. Makes 48 cookies

Cornbelly's

I'm a cheapo and don't like paying for activities for my kids, especially when I think they would have more fun at a free city park. But I think Cornbelly's is TOTALLY worth the price. We went last year for the first time and I was so impressed I dubbed it a new family fall tradition. The place is PACKED with creative active entertainment we can all enjoy. We spent over 4 hours (we could have gone longer if it wasn't a school night) playing on the haystacks, slipping down the slides, riding the tractor train, watching the pig races.... If you live in the area, and you have kids, you must go. You won't be disappointed. This place is definitely made for family fun!!!

She's a Beauty

What can I say? She's gorgeous!

Great Free Resource

I just came across LDSFamilyFun.com and I am really impressed with all the free resources they provide for teaching. After you register on their website (which is free) you can download bunches of coloring pages, games, and lessons on religious and historical figures. I am thinking I will use it for FHE and the supplemental learning time I do at home. Please note the downloadable packets are long, like 40+ pages, so download them as you'll use them and just print off the pages you want. I just thought I would pass a good thing along. Check it out.