Treats... and snow

Here are some of my Christmas treat cravings- and the recipes!



Caramel Chocolate dipped Pretzel Rods:
These are a classic sweet and salty combo!

Melt 1 bag of carmels with 2 tsp of water in saucepan.
Dip Rods in caramel and set on foil or parchment paper to set.
Melt White or milk chocolate and dip cooled rods into it. Put in fridge to harden. So easy, sooo good!



White Chocolate popcorn:
Butter flavored popcorn (2 microwave bags)
6 squares of Almond Bark
Toasted almonds

Melt almond bark, pour over popped corn and nuts and spread on cookie sheet to cool.
Drizzle with milk Chocolate!





Gracie playing in the snow! We got dumped on, and it keeps comin!

Scary.... but happy ending!

We had quite a scare a few days ago with Gracie. She was feeling hot after dinner and getting cranky. So I took her upstairs to give her a bath and see if she would go to bed early. While taking a bath she was doing great, splashing, playing, like normal. All of a sudden, her neck locked and her head sort of froze in a tilted position. Her eyes rolled back and she wasn't moving, no expression, nothing! I thought maybe she was joking or playing, then quickly realized something was terribly wrong. I picked her up out of the bath and could tell she was not breathing. She was cold, pail, and stiff, and had no movement or response. My heart sunk, and I pleaded out loud for help.

I yelled for James to call 911. All I could think of is that somehow she got water in her lungs and was drowned or had aspirated. I scrambled to remember any kind of CPR. I tilted her head back, and tryed waking her up with my voice. But, 1 minute, 2 minutes, and nothing. James and I were scared to death, and thought, "No this cant be happening!" We were confused as to what was going on, but it was clear she was not responding.

Finally the paramedic arrived. Immediately, her chest made a little movement, and she threw up. She still wasn't really breathing, but once we ceared her throat there were little gasps. She finally started breathing and she was crying real hard. It was the best sound I could have heard!

We went to the hospital and had every kind of test you can imagine. (including a catheter, and IV.. both horrible for a little one! ) Come to find out it was a febrile seizure. Apparently common in children under 6. In fact, they said one out of 7 children experience 1 or more of these seizures due to a sudden high fever. There little bodies cant regulate temperature changes as well, and that is how their body reacts. I think when I put her in the bath it made her temp go up and she reacted.
I had never even heard of this before. And the last thing I thought about was a seizure, especially because she didnt shake at all, and I assumed that every seizure had shaking.

So, its been a few days now, and we are so grateful that she is ok. Back to normal, and no effects. Our neighbors and Friends have been so helpful and kind. Several of our neighbors and ward members have experienced this with their own children as well. I learned that any time I feel a fever coming on, grab the Motrin, and give a cool bath.

After getting home from the hospital, there has been such a feeling of peace, and gratitude lingering with James and I. I assume that many of you can relate to this feeling. You just slow down a little, appreciate what you have, and what is most important in a way you havent in a while. Its a special feeling and I am grateful for it, and hope to keep it with me. Gracie is doing well, its amazing how resilient these little spirits are!
So, I can honestly say, the true meaning of this time of year, as I reflect, is having those you love safe and near you. Our families and loved ones are truly what matter most! Anyway, I am curious if any of you have evey been through this with your children, especially if it supposed to be that common.

Ginger bread Houses!

While my family was in town, we decided to have a contest on the most creative Gingerbread Mansion! It was boys againts girls. We had a blast doing it, and its pretty obvious who's is who's.... can you tell?
House Number one: This Mansion is equipt with a pool, and diving board,(to the left) a race car, and a garden.



House Number two: This Mansion has a mosiac floor entrance, and a colorful stained glass window!


Ya, number one was the boys, number two, us girls. I think the boys were pretty creative!

This is the recipe we used for the icing. It was quick, easy, and worked really well.. its fun, have your own family contest!

GINGERBREAD HOUSE FROSTING
3 egg whites, room temp.
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Beat all ing for 7 minutes.

A Happy Thanksgiving!

It was soooo wonderful to have my family with us for Thanksgiving! Almost all of my siblings were there,(we missed you Amie!) and we had so much fun together.
We started off the day by walking to the park, we played football, and basketball.
Actually, Lynsi and I were the pregnant cheerleaders on the sidelines!



James helped me with the Turkey! And Marci helped me with the Table centerpeice!



The next day we went to SCL for the Temple Square lighting. It was beautiful as always!

It's a boy!

After a few eventful trips to the doctor, we finally know that our newest addition is a boy! We are thrilled! One of each right off the bat, not bad huh?
We were actually supposed to find out on James' birthday, last week. We planned to wait for this, as a birthday present. So we all got ready at 7am, and ready to head out the door by 8. The phone rang, and it was the OB office telling us the tech was sick and we had to reschedule! As you can imagine we were pretty let down. After my little cry, I was fine and ready to wait another week. (I know we are so spoiled these days to even have the option to find out, but I just couldnt help it!)

The ultra sound went great. I could watch that all day. Its so amazing how you can see 4D now! When the tech refered to the boy parts as a "turtle" we werent sure weather or not to laugh, but we were thrilled at the news! Its nice to be able to say "he" instead of "It" or "the baby."

Fall Fun

We went to the Pumpkin Patch, and Gracie couldnt believe how many pumpkins there were all in one place. She had to touch or sit on any pumpkin she could reach.

She wasnt sure what to think about the Pumpkin Princess.



These are the cupcakes I made for our YW/YM halloween party. They were fun to do, the recipe is on familyfun.com

The colors are beautiful up the canyon. My sister took some family photos for us.




This is just a random picture of her sylin hair do in the morning!

Voting day is coming!

It's no secret how heated and close this election for Presdent has become. My Young Women Beehive class are even talking about Obama and McCain in class and they are 12! It's getting closer to voting day, and I wanted to share just a few reasons why I am voting for the McCain/Palin ticket, and why I would never vote for Obama. (these are direct quotes, not summaries)



Obama:
"I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It should be repealed and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor. I will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying."

Sarah Palin:
I don't support defining marriage as anything but between one man and one woman, and I think through nuances we can go round and round about what that actually means. I'm being as straight up with Americans as I can in my non- support for anything but a traditional definition of marriage.

Obama:
"I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

Sarah Palin:
"I'm pro-life. I'll do all I can to see every baby is created with a future and potential. The legislature should do all it can to protect human life."

Obama:
"This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. It is fair to share."

John McCain:
"I know and understand, and I did watch excerpts from Senator Obama's speech. Look, I've said for a long time, America is in trouble. As I've been talking all across America, including the heartland, these are tough, tough times, and we need changes. Now, what Senator Obama wants to do is raise people's taxes, wants to basically sort of redistribute the wealth. I want to keep everybody's taxes low, and I want everybody rich. He wants to raise taxes."

Sarah Palin:
"I am a conservative Republican, a firm believer in free market capitalism. A free market system allows all parties to compete, which ensures the best and most competitive project emerges, and ensures a fair, democratic process."