Tonight we went to a trunk or treat! Yeah I'd never heard of it either. Basically everybody decorates their car boots (or trunks, hence trunk or treat) and the kids walk around from car to car getting candy. It was nice because we didn't have to walk up to random people's doors and Oli LOVED the displays people had made. Every 5 seconds he kept saying "Pumpkin" "pider" (spider) and "cary" (scary). Oli dressed up as a cowboy which I got for $4 from a used clothes sale in Dallas, people kept asking me if I'd made it, I wish! It was tough getting him to keep the hat on but he was very cute.

JJ was a monkey and wore Oli's outfit from two years ago. Here's a pic of both of them wearing the monkey suit, so similar looking!

Can you tell which one is Oli and which one is JJ? They could be twins (I'm glad they're not)! We had a fun night, Oli got a LOT of candy, of which we let him eat probably too much, hence he's still awake at 10:40pm.

Happy Halloween!

Cooking fun...

Ladybird Cupcakes

Just use a regular cupcake recipe. Here's how to turn them into ladybirds:
I iced the head and body by hand. I used chocolate frosting for the head and vanilla for the body (with lots of red food dye-couldn't find red frosting!)
For the eyes use small white marshmallows with a dot of chocolate frosting in the middle.
The spots are just chocolate drops. And that's it! They were far from perfect but looked really cute.

100 Calories Cupcakes

Chef Curtis Stone made these on The Biggest Loser and I wanted to try them! They definitely do NOT taste like traditional cupcakes but they weren't bad, they were...different. Just a lot of substitutions, whole wheat instead of regular flour, honey instead of sugar and just use egg whites. Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.examiner.com/weight-loss-in-national/curtis-stone-biggest-loser-raspberry-cupcake-recipe

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa----Amazing!

One of the hardest things about leaving Utah was leaving Cafe Rio behind, my absolute favourite place to eat ever. My friend told me about a recipe for the pork on somebody's blog so we made it and it's pretty close! Here's everything we used to make the pork and dressing:

Seems like a LOT but it's really not hard to make. The hardest part was finding all the ingredients at the store. All you have to do is put everything in the crock pot and cook for 18 hours! Seriously try this it's soooo good. Here's a link to the blog with the recipe and full instructions: http://heidikins.com/2008/08/29/whippin-it-up-cafe-rio-pork-barbacoa-salad-with-tomatillo-dressing/

More to come soon!

Fall update...

Sorry it has been a while since I have made a proper post. Turns out life at home with my two boys is a lot more time consuming that I thought! We feel like we've settled in to life here in Lubbock now and Oli has finally stopped saying "I wanna go home" referring to Provo. Here's a couple of pics of how our apt looks now:

Living room

Oli jumping on our bed

Oli's room, yes he's asleep on the floor

Tim is doing really well in his program and is enjoying school. Things are getting a lot busier for him now with his coursework. He is also having one of his undergraduate papers published in the Stance For The Family Journal and is working with the editor on that. He is serving in the young men's and is also an assistant scout master!

Oliver is speaking and understanding amazingly well these days. He is learning his ABCs. He loves playing with JJ and making him laugh. He's learning to use the potty but still needs some more time. He loves to take baths, play at the park, and ride his bike. He is also an aspiring photographer! (Visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=242803&id=718372056#!/album.php?aid=242803&id=718372056). There is a Krispy Kreme around the corner from our house and he doesn't forget it! Every few minutes I hear "donut, I want donut mummy." He has a very sweet personality and can be very sensitive. He can also be very naughty and sometimes defiant, but then he's always making up for it by doing something funny and making us laugh, hence the picture below!

Needs no explanation!

JJ is getting very big and is comprehending more and more. I can tell his little mind is slowly processing everything that goes on around him. It is interesting to watch. He's LOVES Oliver. I can already tell he is going to look up to adore him and look up to him as he grows up.

JJ is usually very good natured and smiles all the time. He does not like car rides, and cries when I put him in his car seat. He loves to lay on his belly and kick around. He has a high pitched scream that he does when he's frustrated which drives me crazy. He grabs everything within his reach. He is doing very well at sleeping through the night and is learning to sit up!

Until he falls sideways...

What we've been up to:

We went to Colorado Springs in September to see the BYU football game and to see our friends, the Carters. About a 9-10 hour drive from Lubbock, felt a long way with two kids!

Us at the game

Falcon Stadium

Poor JJ had to wear one of Maelie's (our friend's little girl) sunhats because I forgot his.

It was a brief but really fun trip. Oli was really excited to see his friend Griffin who he played with everyday over the summer in Provo.

Oli and Griffin: Best buds

We have also been to see Tyson and Sara (Tim's older brother and his wife) twice in Dallas. They're only about 5 hours away. It was really nice to be with family and really fun. All the cousins played together really well, especially Oli and Makayla. We ate a lot of really good food and watched football/conference. Sara and I went to a used kids clothing sale and got a lot of really good stuff. I got Oli's halloween costume (pics to come later). I also got Oli and JJ ugly Christmas sweaters (family pics to come later!)

Lawson, Oli, Porter, JJ and Makayla

Porter and JJ (JJ is 3 weeks older than Porter)

Makayla and the babies

So that is pretty much everything we've been up to. I am spending my days playing, feeding, cleaning and going to the gym. I am also the new ward choir director which I am really excited about. We are going to England for Christmas in less than 2 months. Even though the plane ride will probably be a nightmare with the two boys I cannot wait!

Here's one last picture to make you smile:

Officially Texans

Our License Plates dropped the Arch and took up the Lone Star. Sorry...Y'all

Next Up: Texas state driver's licenses

Oblad Boys

Oliver twisted his ankle and is limping around the house. JJ is learning to use a bottle and is starting to learn to sit up. There's a weekly snapshot!

Settling in to Lubbock

Sorry I only just got around to doing this post. Things have been a little rough with the kids since we moved. I didn't realize moving would turn their world upside down! JJ hasn't slept through the night since we moved, and even went through a phase of crying a couple of hours every night for no reason. Oli wouldn't sleep in his bed the first week we were here and kept crying and saying "go home" it was so sad!! We've been here just over a month now and they are both finally starting to settle in!

Our new apt

Tim is settling into graduate school really well. He's taking Statistics and Family Theory classes. He's really enjoying them so far. He's also helping a professor teach an Infant Development class which he is really excited about.

Life in Lubbock is pretty slow, it has a nice small town feel but there's still enough here that it doesn't feel too small. Everyone is really nice too. There's not a lot else outside of Lubbock, just fields for a long time! Since we moved here we've been to Dallas (about 6 hours away) to see Tyson & Sara and to Colorado Springs (about 9 hours) to see our friends from Provo and the Air Force game (which we lost quite badly-sad). This weekend was the Texas Tech, Texas football game so there was madness here in Lubbock, and now since they lost the whole town is in mourning, it's a pretty big deal here. It's been consistently very hot and humid, and we've had a few storms in which the roads were flooded in about 5 mintues, it was crazy!

Oli playing in the rain puddles

Unfortunately I've been eaten alive by bugbites (Tim and the boys haven't had any just me!) We've also had at least half a dozen cockroaches in the kitchen. Nice. I'm really liking our new apartment though, it's bigger than our last one and the best thing is:

Big walk in closet!

I'm enjoying life being a mum, it's nice taking things slow and not having to worry about homework and babysitters. Oliver is as demanding as ever, and we're starting to try potty training again, he was doing pretty well before we left but we took a huge step back because he was so stressed on moving. The hardest thing about not living in Provo is being away from family and friends, we really miss everyone, especially Tim's family having them so close before.

So, all in all, it's been a month of ups and downs but we're finally starting to settle in.

32 Reasons......

Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad! 32 years, pretty impressive. As a tribute to those 32 years here's 32 reasons why I love you both and some of my favourite memories growing up.

Mum
1. You make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world
2. I would always know when you were coming upstairs to kiss me goodnight because I would hear the bells on your flowy skirt
3. You would always buy me a bakers oven iced bun when we went into town
4. You would always know which notes we had missed on the piano without looking at the music
5. Estee Lauder and Liz Claiborne!
6. When my teachers said I was too talkative, you said at least I didn't sit in the corner and say nothing
7. You came to every single rubbish violin/flute/voice recital/play I ever had
8. I've never heard you say a single angry word to dad
9. You were never ever late picking us up from school
10. I knew I could graduate school with a baby because you did it
11. You raised 5 children, how did you handle that many toddlers!!!

Dad
12. Because of you I know words like "Ferengi" and "Klingon"
13. You used to pay us to jump into the freezing sea on holiday
14. Some of my favourite childhood memories are fights on the bed and fireman's lifts
15. Hide the ring!
16. You would call at least twice before lunchtime from work to talk to mum, sometimes more
17. You used to say you didn't like Domino but then you cried when she died.
18. The only time I've ever heard you swear was on the football pitch
19. You are the best at telling stories, three little pigs fast version!
20. I would always look forward to my "Saturday" with dad, I love it how we always had to buy flowers for mum
21. You are the hardest working person I know.

Mum and Dad
22. Holidays in Center Parcs, going down Jungle River getting loads of bruises
23. Ilfracombe crazy golf, donkey derby and fish n chips with loads of seagulls attacking
24. You still hold hands
25. Dad still calls mum "darling"
26. Mum still wears her necklace you got when you were engaged because you couldn't afford a ring
27. You lived in a one bedroom flat in london with two children....amazing
28. You never argued in front of us
29. The best example of a marriage to all of us
30. Always came up and said sorry after you told us off because you did it because you love us
31. Should win a best dressed parents award, I'm talking about dad's pointy shoes among other things
32. Have been married for 32 years!!!

Thought of SO many more as I was doing this, but had to choose my favourite ones. Happy Wedding Anniversary Mum and Dad, hopefully this isn't too personal!

Love Al x