Fall Festival

We had a tough morning. I don't even really care to get into the specifics about it, but there were lots of tears and running around the house. Mainly by me and it wasn't pretty.

What I still can't figure out is how it all went so wrong. I was going to get some rest last night and wake up extra early this morning and bake the cupcakes I wanted to bring for Emma's class today. By 6:30 am I already had the cupcakes in the oven, rising perfectly. I was going to let Emma help me add in the food coloring until our icing was the perfect shade of orange and then I would let her put two spooky, googly-eyed sprinkles on each one all while listening to the Children's Halloween station on Pandora. Oh yeah, and I had big hopes for getting to school on time, too.

Needless to say, it did not go well. Everything was a mess and I blamed myself. I internalized the situation to a (now) laughable degree and wondered why I was "the worst parent on the planet!!!" After scrambling into the car, 15 minutes past the absolute latest we can leave to be on time, and pulling out of the driveway, I realized that Emma didn't have shoes on. SHOES!

It was a ridiculous scene.

But somehow we made it on time, I got to eat a quick breakfast with my two boys and then we made it early to Emma's Fall Festival. We had the best time laughing with our #1 girl as she danced, sang and even shaved a pumpkin or two.

So now that I'm not the monster that I was this morning, I can't wait to pick up my girl from a day of fun, bring her home to our messy house and let her eat all the leftover icing that I didn't let her eat this morning. Yeah, I feel bad and icing makes her love me 1,000 times more.

And last but not least there is Austin. My sweetheart sidekick. Thank you, God, for making him so easy-going and always ready to hit me with a big, gummy smile when I need it the most. I really owe you one.

Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Now let me forewarn you...this is freaking outrageous. Even though I substantially underestimated the amount of chocolate that I needed and ended up only being able to make 12 (12!) mini cups, it was so worth it. I melted two large bars of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate (your favorite chocolate bar would be fine, too) but I would recommend using 6 large bars just to make the whole endeavor worth your time. That would yeild about 36 mini cups and make it perfect for sharing!

I used this recipe for the peanut butter filling:

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used the Natural Creamy Jiff)
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup light brown sugar
1¼ cups powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar. Heat over medium heat until completely melted and starting to bubble a bit. Remove from heat and with a mixer add in powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time until thoroughly combined.  It will be a little crumbly and won't resemble icing.  Go ahead and give it a taste (like I could stop you) and add a pinch of salt if you find the mixture too sweet. Cool completely.

* You will more than likely have lots of leftover filling so I might suggest crumbling it into brownies or blending with some bananas and yogurt for a tasty smoothie!

To assemble the cups I just used regular mini muffin liners and layered chocolate, peanut butter filling and then more chocolate over the top, waiting for the chocolate to harden before adding each layer.

You can thank me later.

Tinkerbell

Our beloved Miss Scarlet allowed for the girls to come to ballet this morning in their Halloween costumes and it was simply adorable. My girl and her BFF helped each other reattach crowns and wings and all the girls had an extra spring in their step. With this girly group of princesses I expected nothing less.

4 things

(clockwise from the top)

1. This boy has never taken a bad picture. Ever.

2. What we are currently listening to.

3. Like mother, like daughter.

4. Evidence that I'm a terrible housewife.

Old Man Guilbeau

Just kidding ;)

Brandon turned 28 on Friday and naturally, Emma wanted him to have a Toy Story Party! My Mom whipped up quite the little party and I made him his requested Mandarin Orange Cake. He had just gotten back in town from a week-long business trip so we were extra happy to celebrate his special day.

The cake was pretty incredible and everything you hope for in a chilled cake. My parents made him breaded pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans, so a mandarin orange cake seemed perfectly fitting for the end of a southern fried meal!

I used this recipe:

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 (11 ounce) can mandarin orange segments

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9" round pans.          

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil and mandarin oranges with juice. Beat until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pans.               

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes (keep an eye on it!), or until golden brown.

Allow to cool.               

To make the topping: 

In a large bowl, beat together whipped topping, pineapple with juice and dry pudding mix until blended.

Spread on cake and refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy this refreshing cake as a farewell to summer!

Sitting Up!

This big boy can sit up all by himself now! He is so proud of himself and loves being able to control the world around him a little bit better. He bursts out laughing when Emma talks to him through the mesh of his play pack and almost topples over from all the excitement. So sweet.

Look at that boy! We are so proud of our little man!

if you ask me...

Steak and Shake has the best cheeseburger in the world.

Thin patty, perfectly melty cheese, shoestring fries, and not to mention the BEST milkshakes. We went for lunch on Saturday so I can't justify another trip so soon, but if we happen to be in the neighborhood we might just swing in for a quick shake :)

And I swear it's not just to see these two cuties in those little hats!

My Baby

Where does the time go?

Check out our very first couple of trips to the patch here, here and here.

Spooky Spider

Emma made this darling hat at school on Thursday and loved scaring us all day long. She even wore it throughout the grocery store and ate up all of the attention she received. Go figure. She would shake her head to make all of the legs wiggle and then tell us, "don't worry! It's just me, Emma!"

She kills me. I picked her up a little bit early from school and when I saw her come out of her classroom with that hat on I think my heart jumped right into my throat. She ran to me and couldn't wait to give me a hug and show me her newest creation. I quickly realized that she isn't always going to be so eager and enthusiastic about seeing me after a long school day and I need to cherish this wonderful stage for as long as I can. This girl is something else, I tell ya.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

We had another successful trip to our favorite little pumpkin patch this year and I think these smiles say it all. This is our third year going to this patch and it is by far my favorite one. It's small, reasonably priced and my girl is already so familiar with it that she walks around like a total pro. It was Austin's first trip to the patch and he spent the entire time cracking up as he watched Emma race up and down the isles. She actually spiked a small pumpkin into the ground splitting it wide open! I want to say that it was already rotting...but one never knows. I think my favorite part was that we actually got a little family portrait! I love it. 

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that next year we will be able to sip caramel apple ciders in our sweaters and boots. It was close to 85 degrees today! Gah!

Until next year!

Smiley

Seriously, this kid is adorable. I can hardly even stand it.

Crazy Kids

(My dad sent me this picture from the UT vs. OSU game on Saturday. Yeah, yeah, we lost. This is just not our year but I still wish I was sitting in those stands wearing my cowboy boots and burnt orange gear! )

My parents have been living it up lately and I couldn't be happier about it. They are making the most of this newfound quasi-retirement and I'm so happy that they took some time to enjoy life with a little vacation.

I know! I can't believe it, either!

After an extended weekend of college football, hill country eats, staying up late and sleeping in, all I can say is that I hope they picked me up some gear at the Co-op!

New Toys

In an effort to make wise purchases, we got Emma a trampoline for her third birthday. It is just the right size and most importantly it is a unisex toy that both of the kids will be able to enjoy for years to come. We watched Daddy through the window as he put it together because little fingers and non-stop questions don't bode well when lots of assembly is involved.

Once she caught a glimpse of the finished product she ran and jumped into it like it was Christmas morning. She was all smiles as she exclaimed, "this is the best trampoline that I ever sawd." She covered us in kisses and thank-yous and we could not be more thrilled with this new addition to the backyard.

  

Even boy got in on some of the fun! Emma really wanted to jump with him (yikes) so his turn was short-lived, but once he can walk I'm sure his little legs will be racing to join his big sis.

Not to worry, we already corrected Austin's feathered hair situation!

Picture Day

While I was a little late to the Missoni party at Target I did luck out and snag a pair of flats for Emmy. She was slightly hesitant to wear them at first, but once I told her that Sleeping Beauty bought them for her I had a really hard time prying them off of her feet at the end of the day.

Picture days are a big deal around here and lots of preparation goes into the special day. After I got her dressed I actually squealed because she was the most adorable thing I had ever seen! I would kill for that outfit!

I almost forgot to take her picture (gasp!) but luckily I was able to snap a few before we rushed into the car. I feel like we are constantly 10 minutes behind schedule but somehow, miraculously,  everything is working itself out. We practiced soft smiles the whole way to school and I can't wait to see how they turned out!

School Girl

We are already several weeks into the school year and Emma is loving it. She has gotten a little attached to me lately (who knew?) and we have to kind of psych her up during the car ride, but once she sees all her friends and beloved teachers, she can't jump out of the car fast enough. This is her on her first day of school and I think it is so cute how she needed to wear her Cinderelly necklace. That's my princess!

Movie Night on the Green

Unsure of how to spend a slow Saturday, we saw that Discovery Green was hosting a screening of Rio on the lawn and we knew that it would be a perfect way to spend a cool evening. I was so surprised by how many people showed up and we got so many ideas on how to improve our picnic skills. If you live in Houston I definitely recommend spending a night under the stars people-watching and enjoying a show that the whole family will love.

Houston Zoo

A couple of weeks ago we were thrilled to have my Dad join us for a day at the Zoo. The weather was just perfect and there were virtually no crowds since we went early on a weekday. We saw tons of animals but I was amazed with how much we had to save for another trip. It is a HUGE zoo! My favorite part by far was when Emma and Austin fed the giraffes. How special is that? I can't wait until our next visit!

music to my ears

Does it get any better? A finger in the nose and a soft serenade...she is going to be selling out arenas any day now. Mark my words.

(you'll have to excuse my creepy voice as I was choking back an explosion of laughter)

Austin's First Hair Cut!

If there was ever a hair cut that was more overdue, it belonged to my boy. Yesterday before we ventured out for the day we decided to bite the bullet and see if he would actually sit through a real hair cut. Well, he was awesome! Not a single tear was shed and he even sat still enough for Karen to use the clippers! I can honestly say that I never want to relive the horror of witnessing that buzzing so near my precious baby boy. Before I knew it, the clippers were out and we were completely dumbfounded as to what to do next. Talk about a clean cut!