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11.21.2011

Birthday Celebration!

Saturday we had a party for Avery's first birthday which is tomorrow! We squeezed way too many people into our apartment, had some yummy food, and enjoyed good company.
Kamila helped me out sooo much in getting everything ready. Making the cupcakes, decorating, setting everything up. This isn't going to be a wordy post, just a picture-y post.
The dessert table. Kamila helped me make the Happy Birthday banner.

Avery's very own cupcake! Kamila decorated all of the cupcakes for me, such a relief not to have to do it.


The party begins! We had over 20 people in this small space.

Avery just sat there in front of her cupcake for a long time waiting for me to feed it to her! I had to eventually put her finger in the frosting before she started doing it for herself.


After she was all done, it was everywhere, in her hair, in her neck rolls, everywhere!




Opening up some of her presents! She loves them and Mom she goes for her piano first things every time she wakes up!

and this is Avery after her bath at the end of the night, ready for bed!

Apparently you can't upload videos to blogger anymore, at least I can't see how I can, so click here to see us singing Happy Birthday to Avery.

Thank you to everyone that came that night, it's so nice knowing that so many people love Avery.
Happy Birthday also to Mom, John, Katie, Kassie, and baby Elizabeth!

11.17.2011

Christmas Rocks

We have had our Christmas decorations up for over a week and I love it! I smile when I walk in the door.
Our Avery ornament from my sister Charissa. Can you see her name on it? It lights up different colors. Avery likes it. She even liked it last year see. . .
We don't have a fireplace so I made one out of paper to hang our stockings haha! We put my wreath over it.
And if you're wondering why there's no fire in the fireplace. . .I was going to make paper fire, but Louis said I couldn't because we don't want to burn Santa's bum!
Avery even wore her Christmas jammies last night to bed. She also needed her Tigger last night, she cried until I put him in there with her. Then finally fell asleep. People are so crazy about not putting things up before Thanksgiving, geez what's your problem! Why can't I start celebrating the celebration of Christ's birth early? I love Christmas, the decorations, the store displays, the music, the kindness it brings out in people, it just makes me so happy inside! So say whatever you will about me decorating early, I don't care and I'll be decorating early again next year!

11.15.2011

Family Photos: Take Two

We went out a few weeks back to take some more family pictures, they turned out so good! Enjoy!
































There are a lot! And blogger is being weird and I can't see my pictures, just the code thing?? So I can't edit how they look on here. . .but I hope you enjoyed them anyway!

11.10.2011

Crock Pot Recipes

I've had a few people in the last little while ask about recipes, some just to everyone on Facebook and some to me personally. I love my crock pot. Throw some stuff in there and walk away for a few hours, come back to tasty deliciousness? Mmmhmm. So I figured I'd just share some of my favorite crock pot recipes on here!

Spanish Rice
2 lb. ground beef
2 C. long-grain rice
16 oz. jar salsa
2 C. water
1 tsp. chili powder
1 16 oz. can corn, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 C. cheddar cheese, grated

Brown ground beef with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Drain fat. Mix ground beef with remaining ingredients, except cheese, in slow-cooker. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours or low 6-8 hours or until rice is tender. Stir in cheese during last hour of cooking time. This is great eaten plain, in a tortilla, or with chips.

Orange Chicken*
4 Boneless chicken breast, chopped into small chunks
1/3 C. flour
Olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. ketchup
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (thaw or throw in the microwave for 45 seconds)
4 Tbsp. brown sugar

In a bowl, mix the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Pour the flour in a small bowl. Cover the chicken breast chunks in flour and shake off excess. Pour a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and brown the flour-covered. After the chicken is done cooking, pour the pieces into the crock pot. Then cover the chicken with your sauce mixture and stir. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Serve over rice.
*found on sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com

Sloppy Joes
3 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 C. chopped onion
2 sections minced garlic
1/2 C. green bell pepper
1/2 C. red bell pepper
1 C. ketchup or BBQ sauce
2 Tbsp. vinegar
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Brown and drain ground beef. Mix ground beef with the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot. Cook for 6-8 hours of low or 2-4 hours on high.

Italian Chicken
1 package Italian dressing mix (dry)
1/2 C. water
2-3 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz/ packet cream cheese
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Put water, Italian dressing and chicken breast in crock pot and cook for 1 hour on high. mix soup and cream cheese together and add to crock pot with the basil, salt, and pepper. You can add more water and another can of soup to make it go further and have more sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 more hours or low for 6 hours. Serve over rice or shred chicken and add to some pasta.

Crock Pot Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese
4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2oz.) can black beans
1 (15 oz.) can corn
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

take frozen chicken and put into crock pot. Add black beans (drained), salsa, and corn (drained). Cook on crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top) and let sit for about 1/2 hour. We usually eat this as a dip, just shred chicken before you add the cream cheese.

Hope you enjoy!

11.04.2011

Halloween

I really don't have too much to say about Halloween!  With a not even one year old it's not too exciting.  Still fun, but once Avery is older and can get into it I'm sure it's going to be so much fun!  Even though she didn't know what was going she still made a cuuute cow!
I put a bow on her head so people would know she's a girl
I love this view!
On Halloween afternoon I went with two friends from our ward to the tick or treat at the mall.  It was nice, not too crowded and we got to see a lot of cute kids in cute costumes.  And got a 99 cent pretzel!
Sierra and Avery
Sher and Sierra
Sher, Sierra, me, Avery, Chrissy, and LynnDee
That night I didn't do much, sat at home and went to visit family so they could see Avery's cute costume.  Then Kamila came over, I made my own moby baby wrap, and we watched a movie that wasn't very good.  It was a fun day and I'm sure Phillip and John will enjoy Avery's candy that I'm going to send them :)

We are the farmer's and Avery is our cow
I love her smile here, she loves her dad!