The Magic No. 9

For Bella-boo,

9-years old is pretty cool.

It's not the same as if were all crazy-silly over your birthday...
afterall, it's not like your turning five or something. 

But still, nine is pretty cool...

...

We started the day off with a few treats and

a really nutritious breakfast of...

D I N G - D O N G S !

{ Remember }

You're never too old or too cool for a Ding-dong!

Later came her favorite meal:

Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes (no gravy!)

And for dessert:

A Rich Chocolate Cream Pie!

On the weekend we invited some

friends and family over for a...

! Y T R A P  Y A D H T R I B  S D R A W K C A B

{ A Backards Birthday Party}

We sent out thank you notes for invites,

ate under the table,

and then they dragged themselves around the kitchen floor. 

Not that that had anything to do with the backwards birthday theme,

but it made them happy nonetheless.



We played a roaring game of reverse musical chairs,

and ended up with 10+ girls

on one poor chair!

Our sweet treat:

Upside-down Birthday Cake with an

Upside-down Cone!

Naturally,

they needed to burn off their sugar-high,

so we took to the green space near our home for some relay races

and the hands-down favorite game,

Reverse Tag!

There's nothing funnier than seeing one girl running like crazy

from the rest of the girls who are ALL it!

...

When all was said and done,

my baby girl,

my first girl,

is one year older.

She is far more talented, beautiful, and intelligent

than I could have possibly imagined.

She is heaven-sent.

Isabella,

We love you so!

Continue in good things, sweetheart...

for it is right.

Love always,

Mum & Dad



Veteran's Day Hike on Auburn's Western States Trail: Could You Hear Iris Crying?

Just as the girl's and I promised,

we brought the whole family back to the Western States Trail

to continue our exploratory mission

and actually make it down to the water!

Being fall,

everything was exploding in golden foliage!

A perfect photo opp,

this ledge overlooks the water below

and only makes you thirst for more!

We came across this stone bench,

and it made for a perfect rest stop.

Well, almost perfect.

The cliff dropped off steeply below,

which meant I couldn't take my eyes off

Owen, Gabriel or Ava!

I think there collective goal was to give me

a heart attack.

Samuel would have helped watch them too,
but he was busy throwing rocks off the ledge.
His goal:
To hit the water.
Result:
Not even close!

The waterfall!



At one point,

we came to a cross roads.

Normally we vote,

but this time we split our party into two

to see which would provide the better access to the water.

Samuel, won.

But his pick was super-close to these creepy guys

who were hanging deep in the bushes.

We were outta there!

Mom said!

So off we went on my trail,

and though the water access wasn't as great,

it had these super cool bramble tunnels to run through.

It felt like we were in the Vietnam jungle!

Lunch was peaceful for the most part,

though I was still on edge from our earlier encounter.

All I can say is,

I'm so glad I wasn't alone with the girls!

The kids really appreciated the down time,

and like always,

each found their own nook and cranny in the rocks
and set up a temporary "house",

or in Owen's case, "space ship".

Gabriel,

he thinks we're still at home and he can easily

throw his food on the floor before picking it up again to eat it.

Unfortunately, son,

you do that here and it's covered in sand and dirt!

My handsome husband.

I love you, Samuel.

On the way there and back,

Samuel and I always carry Gabriel,

and for 95% of the time,

Owen too.

Do the math,

and that means when Iris poops out,

there's no one left to give her a ride out.

This is extrememly upsetting to her,

because you see,

she doesn't do math.

At least,

she doesn't do math well.

Because according to her calculations,

there are plenty of arms to give her a ride.



All in all,

this is exactly what we were looking for.

Not to make her cry,

but to see if she would lose it like we thought she would.

Let me explain:

This was more or less a trial run for

a more intense overnight backpacking trip

planned for Thanksgiving break.

We were on the fence as to whether she

could handle a trip like that...

and now we had our answer!

We love you, Iris!

Simple Chocolate Truffles

Easy, delicious, and to die for.

Though you may get a little messy, there's nothing better than...

Simple Chocolate Truffles

30-35 truffles

Ingredients

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli's)

3 tbs unsalted butter

1/2 c heavy cream

1 tbs light corn syrup

30-35 candy cup liners (Bonbon cups)

Flavorings (optional)

1 tbs orange extract

1 tbs raspberry extract

1 tbs almond extract

1 tbs Balsamic Vinegar

Coatings (optional)

1/2 c Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder

1/2 c Almonds, minced

1/2 c Pistachios, minced

1/2 c Minced Walnuts, toasted and minced

Directions

Microwave the chocolate and butter in a medium-sized glass mixing bowl at 20 second intervals, stirring frequently, until melted.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup over medium heat until simmering. 

Pour over the chocolate mixture, cover, and let stand for 2 minutes.

Uncover and stir gently with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is well combined.

If using the optional flavorings, divide the chocolate mixture evenly into separate bowls and add while still warm.

Once combined, pour into flat tupperware containters, seal with a lid, and label (to tell which chocolate has what flavoring).
Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

{I use Glad sandwich containers and prefer to let the chocolate set overnight.}

When your ready to roll...

Line a rimmed baking sheet with your candy cup liners and set nearby.

Prepare your coatings as directed and place into shallow containers. 

{Note:  The more coatings you use, the less of each coating you'll need.  Adjust accordingly so you don't over-mince!}

Using a regular teaspoon or melon-baller, scrape the chocolate towards you.

{I find the melon-baller cumbersome, but others prefer it. You decide!}

Then, using your hands, quickly shape into balls and drop into the prepared coating. 

{Remember, your balls won't be perfect.  They're slightly mis-shapen thanks to the quickly melting chocolate and the speed with which you'll need to work.  I find the suble variation in shape part of the charm!}

When you have 5-7 truffles in each coating dish, gently roll the truffles in the dish until they are completely coated.  Transfer to a candy cup liner and set to work on the rest! 

Proceed until finished and then refrigerate to set.

Truffles are best at room temperature.  When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator 30-minutes prior.

Last step?

Remember to sample one of each!

 

My Golf Pro

For our date Samuel and I decided to hit the

golf range!

 

Not being golfers ourselves,

we borrowed his brother's clubs and filled up our bucket.

 

I took one,

maybe two swings,

and then sat back to watch the show.

 

Samuel on the other hand,

I think he'd be really great golfer.

But with everything going on

(family, school, life...),

it's just not possible to

hit the greens like he'd need to to get better.

 

So this was a really nice treat for him,

and let's face it,

I needed a good laugh!

 

Granted we were facing the sun,

but every single time he hit the ball it went center-left.

 

But he always looked far right!

 

You definitely had to be there,

but it made me laugh so hard.

 

And all that laughing works up

an appetite for dinner!

 

Now eating...

that's my game!

 

 

 

The Momma, Miss ?, Invicible Girl, & Lazy Love-Bug Hike

The girls and I (well, all the girls except Iris)

spent a few hours on a Saturday scouting

a section of Auburn's Western States Trail.

It's a beautiful area,

and the access point is really easy to get to,

unfortunately I can't locate it on any map!

Luckily I have a great memory,

and later,

after all the girl fun,

we brought the whole family out.

During our trip we enjoyed some great weather,

saw a pretty cool water fall,

passed several folks who were taking their horses out for a stroll,

and almost,

almost,

made it down to the water.

Being the novice hiker that I was,

I do know one hard and fast rule:

Stick to your turn-back time!

With the sun quickly setting

and the temperature dropping,

we made the right choice!

...

It's funny. 

I wasn't too nervous heading out alone.

We've gone hiking a number of times now,

and the girls are old enough to hold their own

in terms of not having to be carried, I mean.

But Bella,

she freaks when we do anything "out of the ordinary",

and she kicked into

high-speed "question-mode" quick!

Ava,

is the complete opposite.

Life is a grand adventue and of course,

we're invincible so we can do anything, right?

Iris,

my lazy, lazy love-bug.

She hates the very thought of

using her legs for any extended amount of time

(i.e. 10 minutes),
which is why she opted to stay at home and
hang with the boys instead!

My girls,

they are all so different.

I love that!

It was a blessing to have this time with them-

well, almost all of them,

and hopefully these outings

will become a tradition that will carry on

until I need them to carry me!

 .

So exciting...

Googly Eyes, Homemade Donuts, & Creatures of the Night!

When Samuel drags in a bin from the garage,

it usually means one of two things:

We're going camping,

or it's time to decorate for a holiday!

Either way,

the kids are thrilled!

But in this case,

Samuel pulled out the Halloween bin-

and we all dug in to spook-i-fy the house!

I always puts on Halloween music,

and "Thriller" always awakens the zombies!

This year we had some old and new traditions.

For instance,

 we always carve pumpkins

roast pumpkin seeds,

and read spooky stories.

This year though,

Samuel made me a monogrammed pumpkin (I love the "E"!),

the kids ate flourescent green

Hostess Snow Balls for breakfast,

and Iris brought home her class Duck

to share in the festivities!

The not-to-be-missed event-of-the-year

(according to my kids...):

T H E  W A R D  H A L L O W E E N  P A R T Y !

 I was a little bummed that we attending without Samuel

(this semester he had class on Friday nights),

but let's face it,

I am never without company!

Tonight I, a motorcycle momma,

was escorted by my tough-guy side-kick, Gabriel,

a talented artiste (Isabella),

a blood-thirsty vampire (Ava),

Mulan (Iris),

and a rather timid pirate (Owen)!

We had a super-fun Halloween Party with the

Ramos, Lopez, & King families!

We feasted on Super-Nachos,

fresh fruit, caramel corn, & the like!

Taylor dominated Spooky Musical Chairs,

and the kids had a blast tricky-treating down

Spook Alley (a.k.a. our hallway!).

The Elmer family hosts an annual Halloween Party as well,

and part of that menu always features donuts!

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year,

instead of purchasing donuts,

I made them!

It was super-fun,

but very fast-paced,

and of course,

crazy-delicious-un-healthy!

Aunt Leah hosted this year,

and per prego tradition,

she was our pumpkin!

...

All in all,

when the holiday was finally over,

we were definately treated out!

It's time for some real food,

so with open arms we welcome...

T H A N K S G I V I V I N G !

A Fabulously Fabulous Thanksgiving Feast

Iris is at that wonderful care-free age where

everything about school is wonderful and exciting,

especially the holiday parties!

That,

combined with the fact that it's just her personality to

naturally G U S H over everything,

and you have the perfect storm

for a super-smiley and

very happy little girl!

The Fall Activity was one such occasion,

the perfect excuse for smiling so hard your cheeks hurt!

She looked a-dorable in her pilgrim smock,

and though she refused to wear the hat,

she gladly sat down to the feast!

Thanksgiving Menu

Popcorn

Cornbread Muffins

Pumpkin Pie

Fresh Strawberries

Apple Juice

...

Iris,

On the list of things I'm most grateful for,

you will always

-and I mean always- 

top my list!

I love you, baby girl!

Love,

Mama

Slides, Pouts, & Wet Pants

We're super fortunate to have the Fountains to explore.

You'd think after several visits it would get old,

but we love the fountains themselves,

the shops,

and of course,

all the fun play equipment!

Gabriel absolutely loves slides.

He won't go down on his own though,

but once you give him the old heave-ho

he has the time of his life!

Ava & Iris

Slide Pros

Owen

Camera-shy!

How dare you son! 

I made you!

Give me a smile, sugar-bun!

I think we'll have pictures like this until the girls are

fully grown with families all their own!

Samuel loves to play with them,

and they love to play right back!

I'm so glad he enjoys

rough-housing,

tickleing,

wrestling,

reading stories,

helping with homework,

giving hugs & kisses...

It makes for a wonderful, dad.

...

A wonderful dad with wet pants, that is!

{smile}

2010 Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

It's pumpkin time!!!

Truly one of our favorite times of the year.

Actually, Samuel and I aren't huge fans of Halloween per se,

but if we're talking about the season of the year,

that's a whole different story.

Fall...Autumn...

whatever you call it,

it's magical!

Not only does the weather change,

but all those ovens start to click on,

warm, oozy-goozy smells waft through the house,

the wool socks come out of the drawers to toast little toesies,

and everyone can finally snuggle under down blankets with

warm cinnamon cocoa!

H E A V E N !

Yet another sign that Summer is out-of-here,

is our annual visit to the pumpkin farm.

This year, we were able to get everyone out,

including Aunt Patti's family!

We visited all the favorite hot spots,

including a ride on the rails,

a run on the tires,

and stint in the jailhouse.

After exhausting the kids,

and all the grown-ups,

we hit Round Table because as everyone knows:

Pizza and pumpkins-

they just go together!

...

We also has a special occasion to commorate:

Uncle Nathan's 35th Birthday!

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y !

...

It was a super-fun day and

we already can't wait for next year!