More family photos...

Here are a few more pictures that the lovely Asher took. I posted the first pictures we received from Asher on the Fall 2012 Family Photo blog post. 

At the house with the boys...

A picnic in the kitchen...

Making Pumpkin bread with my little helpers. I love this recipe (at bottom) b/c it makes 3 loaves. I bake one and freeze the other two batters for another day. So yummy!

 Peanut butter pie (recipe below) with an  (doubled stuffed) Oreo crust...

 A truck driving riding cowboy..

 Rocking the boat with Daddy...

 Building tall towers (high on the list of to-dos these days)...

 And playing with ladybugs...

I love experiencing these adventures with my little men. They are so full of excitement and joy for life. We are blessed!

Pumpkin Bread

2/3 c. shortening

2 2/3 c. sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 c. pumpkin (15 oz. can)

2/3 c. water

3 1/3 c. flour

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. ground cloves (or ¾ )

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or ¾ )

2/3 c. chopped pecans (optional, I don't use)

2/3 c. chopped dates (optional, I don't use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, pumpkin, and water; mix well. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ground cloves together. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Fold in pecans and dates. Pour into 3 greased 5 x 9 inch loaf pans. Bake 50-55 minutes (Med=45 min, large=50 min). Cool in pans for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

§  FOR CRUST

§  25 whole Oreos

§  4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

§  PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:

§  1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

§  1 package (8 Ounce) Softened Cream Cheese

§  1-1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

§  1 package (8 Ounce) Cool Whip, Thawed

Crust:
Crush the Oreos until they’re fine crumbs. Pour melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until set.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Filling:
Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the thawed Cool Whip and beat mixture until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

Pour filling into crust, evening out the top with a knife or spatula. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

OSU game with the Boys

John, the boys, and I had a lot of fun at the OSU home game the other day. They boys hadn't been to an OSU football game since we traveled in the RV to the bowl game in Glendale, Az.

Before heading to Stillwater, they boys and I made some OSU cookies (it was really Halloween cake mix and icing 75% off~love sales!). So good!

Before the game we played at the RV and ate hamburgers and hot dogs.

The boys played with their trains quite a bit.

 Where is Noah?

 They loved sitting on Pop and Grammy!

 Luke was so cute wearing his sunglasses and my hat. Cutie!

 Playing with stickers or eating them...

 Playing on the stairs (no one is traveling on the stairs b/c Pop and Grammy seats are in a box where 8 seats sit. It was nice for the boys to play on so they weren't forced to be on our laps in a cramped space. Very nice!)...

Noah loved sitting on Grammy and listening to the announcers. Sweet face!

It was another fun game for the boys! Before we left, we met Sarah and Braden and the boys ran and ran. Such good buddies! Thanks Pop and Grammy for such a good time! So fun!

Fall 2012 Family Photos

One of the college students in our church family took some great pictures of us the other day. Thank you, Asher! It was not easy getting Luke interested in the pictures but she did great working with us.