Window To Our World

One morning as I was waiting for a load of laundry to finish I noticed a huge puddle of water on the floor and saw it was coming from the washing machine. I thought, just what I need! Right around the holidays, and wasn't planning on spending extra money on a new washing machine or on a plumber. So Derek told me he would take a look at it once he got home from work.

Let's just say I'm soooo grateful for my Handy Man! He got straight to work and learned all about how a washing machine works. I thought it was cute because then he would demonstrate how the washing machine works inside and out to me. He's definitely my engineer! He solved the mystery! It was all because of one of my socks getting stuck in the water hose, which didn't allow the machine to drain. So that explains the water flowing over the top and making a mess all over the floor. I definitely count my blessings for my dearest. And he has been, and will be MY HERO always! Thanks honey you saved the day!

This Thanksgiving was pretty quiet and was just the three of us, well four if you count Oakley. :) We let Daddy sleep in, because Derek did the newspaper route without me and insisted that I stayed home to sleep in. HE'S THE BEST!! Early that morning that was already something to be grateful for.

The girls got busy in the kitchen preparing our Thanksgiving Feast, while Daddy was snoozing away. Cassidy sat on the counter to watch me get the turkey ready. It was pretty funny because the first time I showed her the turkey she said it looked like an elephant. I couldn't help but laugh. It was so cute. But once I spread the wings she says, "Oh it's a bird!"

While the Turkey was roasting Cassidy and I snuggled and watched The Diamond Castle-Barbie movie. It was a special movie on TV, it was perfect because just the night before she was asking to watch that particular movie (We don't own it we just rented it a couple of weeks ago). Then we read some Thanksgiving books that we checked out from the library. She had me read The Littlest Pilgrim over and over. For breakfast we ate some yummy Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.

Around noon it was time to tackle Daddy in bed and wish him a Happy Thanksgiving. Once he got out of bed Derek decided to take Cassidy for a little walk while I continued to cook some more. They bundled up real good and when they returned Cassidy came running to me with an excited voice that it had just started to snow a little bit. They found that I was taking my time with cooking and decided to pinch in and help me out. It was fun to all be in the kitchen cooking together. I tried some new recipes this year. I asked Carol (my mother-in-law) for her Merry Cranberry Freeze recipe, that Derek loves. It was delicious! Of course Carol and I both agree the yummy stuff tastes much better unfrozen. Derek disagrees, prefers it frozen. But I saved a little for me. :) I also made a sweet potato casserole with a german cake like topping, instead of marshmallows. It turned out delicious, thanks to my friend Nickell for the recipe. Then we had the rest of the original dishes, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole (still a favorite), stuffing, glazed carrots, croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream.

As we were getting ready to take out the turkey from the oven my brother Dave called with some news. He and Brianna are cooking something of their own in the oven, and expecting their first baby. We were all excited to hear the news! Congrats Dave & Brianna!

After finishing our delicious meal with no room for dessert we decided to read some more books and then we all took naps. That evening we had some leftovers and finally some dessert. Like I said it was a very relaxing, quiet, Thanksgiving. Even though we would have loved to spend the day with family and friends, it was also kind of nice for it just to be US and to start some of our own traditions. We truly are BLESSED and there's so much to be GRATEFUL for!


So since we have been eating Thanksgiving leftovers since Thursday, (and still enjoying it) everytime Cassidy eats turkey she says, "Gobble! Gobble!" The first time she said it Derek and I were surprised and it made us laugh. And actually each time since it has been pretty funny.

The BYU Theater Ballet-Fairytales and Fantasy came to Colorado Springs! I thought how fun it would be to have a Mommy/Daughter date for a magical evening of ballet. So we got tickets and invited our friends Eve and Ava to go with us. The show wasn't until that evening so we had a fun filled day of busyness. We went to Pump it Up (indoor playground of inflatable slides and more) in the morning with some of our friends Camille, Aly, Brookie, and Jocelyn.

Then we went to a frozen meal exchange at noon at a friend's house. A bunch of us ladies from church each made 9 meals to feed a family of four with a recipe we chose. I got a yummy Chicken Casserole recipe from my friend Natalei. (Thanks Natalei for all your help and wisdom in the art of cooking.) When we got together to exchange our meals, we also brought samples to try of our recipes and it was a delicious lunch!

There was a variety of foods- Meatloaf, Curry Chicken, Empanadas, Stir Fry, Chili, and more. So I came home with 9 different meals that I could put in my freezer for another day. It was a lot of work up front, since I'm not use to cooking for 36 people. But well worth it at the end with a variety of delicious meals at a good cost. Derek definitely SAVED ME and helped me out BIG TIME with making my Chicken Casserole!! Thanks honey, it was so much easier and more fun with you chopping chicken and mushrooms by my side. I would definitely do the exchange again! Here's the recipe:


Chicken Casserole
-Natalei Bullock
2 cups cooked Chicken cubed
3 cups cooked rice
¾ cup mayo
1 cup chicken Broth
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup celery chopped
½ tsp salt
1 cup mushroom chopped
1can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups cornflakes
1 stick of butter/margarine

Mix soup, broth, mayo, salt, and lemon juice in large bowl. Add rice, veggies, and chicken. Stir and pour into a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour melted butter on top and then sprinkle cornflakes. Bake 350 for 35-40 minutes.

When we got home after the food exchange Cassidy and I got ready for our afternoon movie, "Barbie-Swan Lake" it was the perfect choice to get ready for the Ballet show that evening. Cassidy wore her leotard and danced around the room as we watched one of her favorite movies. It was so cute! You can watch the video and get a little glimpse of a future Ballerina. :) I forgot to mention how all day she told everyone she was going to a ballet show that night and how excited she was.

The day before when we were at Eve and Ava's house I asked my friend Eve if she was going to be able to come with us quietly because I hadn't told Cassidy yet. Well Eve asked her daughter right then and there and Cassidy was carefully listening and once she heard what we were going to do she screamed and clapped her hands. I couldn't tell she was excited! I was just as excited as she was to see my little girl's face and couldn't wait to experience our Girls night out.



I was amazed already with her talent and her focus on listening to the instructions and then carrying out the dance steps. :)

To all of those who in some way have been or will be touched by adoption..I dedicate the songs on my playlist to you.

Our lives have been touched forever through the Miracle of Adoption. Adopting our daughter has brought families together that didn't know each other before. We love you K! Adoption IS all about LOVE!

(I really liked how my friend Valeri journals her daughter's sayings)

At the end of each month I'm going to post some funny, memorable "sayings" directly out of Cassidy's mouth. I started writing them down. And found a cute way of storing those sayings on this link:
http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/blogs/nesting/2008/09/kids-say-the-da.html



*Mommy:How old am I Cassidy?
Cassidy: THREE!
I don't know what's worse being called immature or old?

*Cassidy wanted to call her daddy at work. As she's talking to him on speaker phone, Cassidy is spinning the phone on the table.
Cassidy: "I'm spinning you Daddy!"
Daddy: "I'm getting dizzy."
Cassidy then giggles.

*Had her friend Tyler over to play. Tyler starts picking his nose. Cassidy walks up to him with a motherly voice and says, "Tyler that's gross! Here's a tissue." As she grabs his hand away from his nose.

*Went on an afternoon walk. I insisted to make her wear her sweatshirt because I said it was chilly and windy outside. Soon after we started walking Cassidy stops to take off her sweatshirt. And says, "Mom, it's not windy or chilly it's perfect!" I guess mom's are sometimes WRONG!

*Cassidy's friend starts to cry and she says with a sweet, caring, voice "Don't worry your mom is coming back."

*Every Sunday we'll ask Cassidy what she learned at church. She Always replies, "Jesus." But this last time she says, "To be quiet." Maybe we need to have a parent/teacher conference. :)

*(After bonking her head on the table) Cassidy tells Oakley (our dog) to CHEER her up. Then points to her boo boo for kisses from Oakley.

*Can Dolly (her best friend) please have a sticker Mom? She's being soooo good!

*Out of the blue says, "I'm Dangerous!" Uh Oh what is she up to now?

*Mommy: Would you like some applesauce?
Cassidy: Not today mom

*After she gets into trouble Cassie says, "I'm having a terrible, hard day." Glad she knows how to soften her parents hearts.

(mainly for journaling purposes)

Derek and I were so glad we were able to participate more in the elections this year. We were able to attend a McCain/Palin Rally here in the Springs. We invited some friends and Auntie Marge to come with us. Since the rally took place at the Sky Sox Stadium (right behind our house) we were able to walk there and not have to worry about parking. We couldn't believe the lines to get in, it was like we were at Disneyland. It was very cold that morning and we wished we had brought some blankets and hot chocolate. My friend Eve brought us some suckers and as you can see Auntie Marge and I enjoyed our suckers as we waited in the looooong line for the rally.

We finally got in the stadium and had some great seats only 50 feet away from the stage. It was so exciting to see Sarah Palin (our Vice President nominee) in person and to hear her words. Her husband and two of her daughters were also there. Sarah Palin is such a great person with great values and stands up for what's right. I still feel like she could be an asset to our country for good, and not just as a governor of Alaska. Wouldn't it be super if Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin could be our Pres and V.P. in 4 years? Well overall it was great to see the amount of support from our city.

Then later in the evening, as a family (A perfect FHE activity) we went to the Republican office here in town and volunteered to make phone calls to the citizens of our county for the Republican Party. To talk with our neighbors and ask for their support for McCain/Palin and to answer any questions people may have.

Cassidy made friends with the other volunteers and staff that night. She even enjoyed getting on the phones too. Derek even won an Elephant figurine from one of the drawings. It was a great experience to help out and we hope to be able to help out again. We look forward to teaching our children the opportunities we have to get involved and the privledge we have to vote for our leaders. It's our duty to stand up for what's right. We also want our children to appreciate being an American and how blessed we are to live in this blessed country. We will continue to pray for our leaders.

(you can click on the pictures to see them bigger)

Cassidy and I made Ghost Cookies for Cassidy's playgroup party. I was impressed with Cassidy's steady hand frosting those cookies. For the last couple of weeks she has been practicing with her painting skills and using anything she eats as her paint (Examples for a later post). I'm so excited about Cassidy being the age where we can do more and more together. Anyday is a good day for making cookies!

Then we took on pumpkin carving as a family activity. This was Cassidy's first time experiencing the gooey guts of the insides of a pumpkin. She wasn't quite sure what to think about it, as you see in the picture. But once I jumped in with squishing the pumpkin guts she jumped right in. We were having fun until we both realized our hands were getting itchy and red from the stuff. So daddy happily jumped in and took over with carving our pumpkin. Daddy to the rescue! Who says the girls should have all the fun???

Playgroup Halloween Party

The next morning Cassidy was eager to get to the playgroup party. They had several stations set up for the kids. Pinning the mouth on the jackolantern, Bookmark craft with foam stickers, Halloween Bingo, Decorating caramel apples, and of course eating up all the goodies. I love Cassidy's face as she dove into her plate of goodies.

I thought the best idea from my friend Laurisa was the caramel apples. They were the perfect size for the kids. Here's the link to get the recipe:

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50565


Walmart Trick or Treating

On Halloween morning we joined our friends Camille, Aly, and Brookie at Walmart for the trick or treat activity. It was cute to watch the girls excitement and to continually push them along for each candy station to say, "Trick or Treat!" Sometimes Cassidy would even say "Happy Halloween!" it was so cute. It definitely was good practice for Cassidy since Trunk or Treat was going to be later that night. Camille and I were busy keeping track of our girls and soon realized they were having fun Christmas shopping early. We decided we were in no hurry and let them look at the toys and dream. By the end of the search for candy, the girls were ready to hop into the shopping cart. It was funny because they wanted nothing to do with that thing almost the entire time.

After Walmart we took the girls to the park and let them play since we had to take advantage of the beautiful day and be outside. It's crazy because usually it never fails that we have snow or frigid temperatures by this time of year and for some reason this year we had some good fortune on our side.

Trunk or Treat

Friends Jocelyn & Rachel (A.K.A. Cinderella & Abby Cadabby)

Daddy Clown was teaching his Lil' Clown how to juggle. I think we may have a family business. ;) I was especially proud of Cass for keeping her wig on the entire night. I didn't even have to bribe her.

We had a busy Halloween week and loved every minute of it! We hope you had a wonderful spooky time too.

We've been having so much fun with Halloween so far! Natalei and Jason hosted a great party. Everyone looked amazing. We even had John McCain and Sarah Palin stop by.

We had the chance to play Taboo and it was the ladies against the men. Guess who won???? Of course the Ladies! :) Natalei made the best homemade root beer I ever tasted. And of course all the other food was yummy. I'm so glad I had my Prince Charming as my date!

(Thanks Carri for the pictures since I didn't have my camera)

We are so blessed to hear the uplifting messages and counsel from our Prophet and from other remarkable leaders in the church (twice a year). Cassidy of course didn't sit still the entire time (what toddler would?) but she would hop onto the couch and watch general conference with mom and dad for couple of minutes at a time.

Cassidy knows our Prophet. Whenever we say a prayer for our Prophet she always includes his name, President Monson. It's very cute and brings a smile to our face that she knows and recognizes a man of God by face and name.

(Don't mind our messy computer desk!)