Mason has decided that he wants a baby girl and I'm just the Mom to provide this baby.  He even climbed into my lap and hugged my belly.  He has this idea that the babies stay in the Mommy's tummy for years and years until it is time to come out.  I told him if we had another baby that he would either have to give up his room or share it with a new baby.  He tells me that the baby will sleep in the living room.  I told him the baby couldn't sleep in the living room, and he says that's where she has to sleep because that's where the rocking chair is.  I then explain to him that we might not have any more babies and he insists that we are going to and when am I going to get her out of my tummy.  I tried to remind him that he didn't want any more babies just a month ago, and that he was my baby, but he just rolled his eyes at me and told me that he is big now and we need a new baby.  Kids and their logic.
I told Jamie this story when he got home from work last night and he just gave me the evil eye.  I think that he thinks that I planted this story about us trying to get pregnant and having a new baby in our 4-year-old.  I have to say a big resounding NO to that.  You just have to take it for the innocent story that it really is and to realize that sometimes our babies don't grow only in our bellies but in our hearts.

Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Bread

I'm just about to throw in two pans of this bread and realized I haven't added this recipe here yet.  This bread is delicious and it doesn't get much easier than this!  The recipe doesn't call for the brown sugar, but because I love brown sugar and butterscotch I add it.  If you don't want to use brown sugar just add an extra 1/4C of white sugar.  Mason is currently licking his reward for helping me mix it all up.

2/3 C oil
2 eggs
1 C pumpkin
1C flour
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
1 (3.5 oz) box of pudding (I suggest coconut, butterscotch, vanilla, or cheese cake)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix oil, eggs, and pumpkin together and then add the rest of the ingredients.
Bake in 9x5x3 greased loaf pan in 325* oven for 1 hour.

Mason and Jamison building bridges with pillows












Trae playing his DS












Vampire Mas and Mojo.  This was right before he was
caught biting Mojo, trying to turn him vampire too. 












I have realized that I really suck at getting up that little bit early and working out, so new plan this week to work out during the day.  One day down, a million and one to go.  In shape here we come! Of course, with all the wii the kids and I have been playing my arms might fall off before I get a chance to work out.  We have had so much fun though and I'll almost miss them when they go back to school tomorrow.  Mason is starting to become real competition to all of us now.
Found out last week that one of my cousins is pregnant.  I'm so excited for her and really hope she gets a girl.  What is it with all of us getting boys?  Our family is building their own army or something.  I decided that I'm going to go move in with her or my brother, or maybe I'll jump back and forth between their houses so I can get my baby fix in.  Brett and Cynthia find out what they are having 1 week from today.  I'm so very excited for them all.
I was just sitting here thinking of Mason the other night.  He came in my room around 2AM and whispered in my face "Mom, did I wake you up?"   I asked him "When?" and he said "When I was going potty. Okay, I love you and your my bestest friend." and he goes back to bed.  I got up and tucked him in again, but wanted to remind you all that he is just adorable!
My quote for the week is "Were it not for hope the heart would break."

Lazy Sunday night watching t.v. with our boys












Mason doing a handstand

Brother is now involved and it's time to play: Hands up! Stands up!

So, I could probably bore you all day with pictures of my boys.  I have a few of them with huge orange slices in their mouths.  They were so lazy this weekend.  They hung around the house bouncing from one activity to the next.  They blew up the fire truck tent and played nerf war for most of the day Sunday... after Mas and Jamison were done with their handstands that is.  Those two are my little gymnasts.  Poor Trae got the short end of the stick in that area.  He was able to ride a two wheel bike when he was 3 (Jamison was 5 and Mas still refuses to ride without training wheels), but couldn't contort his body to do a cartwheel to save his life.  I remember him tearing down the driveway in Midvale on his tricycle at age 2 and taking the sharp turn onto the sidewalk on two wheels.  Scare the living daylights out of all of us watching him, but he always excelled at that kind of thing.
I started my exercising routine yesterday.  I'm to get up when Jamie leaves to work and start moving on the treadmill.  The only problem is that I already killed the routing by not getting up this morning.  I really, really dislike migraines.  Luckily, I caught it before it was too bad, but I always end up with a lingering vibrating pain in my head.  Maybe later I'll be able to walk a bit. 
I'm also thinking maybe I need a new project.  I saw some really cute coffee themed material at the fabric store a few weeks ago and maybe I'll treat myself with it.  I could also sew some curtains for my room, but I'm not sure the basic curtain will do in here.  Trae and Jamison's curtains turned out so stinking cute though.  Or I could wait until Brett and Cynthia find out if they are having a boy or a girl (two whole weeks away!  UGH)  Will have to think about this....
I'm starting to feel like no news is not good news.  Maybe they just don't realize how much our hearts are already invested, but I guess we'll just have to hold onto those heart strings and hope beyond hope that things will start happening.

New Year's Eve

Kara and I on New Year's Eve

















I forgot to take pictures, but here is one off of my phone of Mason.  I got the kids confetti poppers and Mason absolutely loved them.  Even after they were all popped, he would pick up the confetti pieces and throw them into the air again. 

I can't believe that 2009 is over.  It seems time goes so fast, except right now, right now it is going so dang slow.  I'm so ready for this month to be over already.  I just need a little glimpse into the year to come to get me through this next month and I'll be good.  Still thinking positive and hoping against hope that things will go as I have dreamed.
We had such a great time on New Year's Eve.  All the kids were on their best behavior and had such a great time.  Jamie and I laughed when Trae described to us how cute, innocent Kelsey would tug on his hair when he didn't buy or do what she wanted on the computer game they were all playing.  It was either that or Jaeda and Kelsey would chant until his ears would ring and he would give in to them.  They are teaching him early!  Haha!
The kids popped confetti poppers at midnight and us adults kissed ;)  It was truly one of the best New Year's Eves we have ever had.  I hope all of you feel the same way about yours.  I hope that this is a sign of how the new year is going to play out.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I have been on the search for the peanut butter cookie recipe that I used for the Judy Family Party last month and I'm not sure that I found it, but maybe someone could make them for me and let me know?  ;)  My Aunt Susan begged me to get her the recipe and she is one person that I would do anything for.  So if she wants a recipe, she gets a recipe.  Now, hopefully, this is the right one.  I'm 99.9% sure that it is.  Enjoy! 

2 C butter
1 C peanut butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream together the butter, sugars, and peanut butter.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Mix dry ingredients and add slowly (or if you are like me... stop the mixer, add dry ingredients and mix slowly so the flour doesn't coat your kitchen.) 
Roll into balls and then roll into sugar.
Place on cookie sheet (do not mash with fork) and bake in 350* oven for 11-13 minutes.

*Now to get the full effect of the cookies I made for the party, you should place an unwrapped Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie immediately after taking out of the oven.  YUM!