Fall Cakes

LOVE Gracen's intensity when she's doing something creative

I also love to watch her delicate hands.

Can you see the difference in personalities?

A little lick won't hurt

The tongue helps her get it JUST right.

He concentrates so hard when he's "working"

Watching his design unfold

I grew up decorating sugar cookies with royal icing for EVERY holiday...and totally loved it. My Mom was amazing at creating family traditions. I've tried to take a page from her book, and create those special moments for our family too. I've taken some of hers and added some of my own. I also like to do the roll out sugar cookies and royal icing with my kids...but man, is that a lot of work. Props to you Mom for being so consistent with it. I have not managed to do it for all the big holidays...so this is my 2nd choice...decorating cakes. I don't think the kids have an opinion either way. They like doing both. So in November we made "Fall cakes". I love doing creative stuff with my kids...it's really peaceful in those moments and I enjoy seeing what my little budding artists come up with...It's also a special time around the table as we create sweet memories, and stronger bonds.

Real Life Babydoll

She's got some skills.

Evan's messy face is what happens when your 2 year old "big" sister feeds you.

Evan thinks Grier is a blast...just as the rest of us do.

It's Grier's real life baby doll...now if only Grier learned to change diapers.

Breakfast for the Tribe

Oatmeal Banana Muffins fresh out of the oven

Sneaky little thing

Mission accomplished.

Mornings around here can be intense. There are 4 hungry kids that want food NOW. I'm sure we're not alone there. I'm a morning person...but not a -sit down and relax- kind of morning person. It's my productive time, where we accomplish chores, get dressed, and start school. So needless to say, I don't make a big breakfast for everyone. We eat breakfast quickly and move on...which means we eat simple things like frozen waffles, cereal, nutrigrain bars, etc. Well, those things add up...especially for 4 kids, 7 days a week. So about a year ago, I started thinking differently about how I run things around here. I wanted to be healthier, and more frugal. I decided that making things from scratch would not only be better for us, but would also stretch our dollar. I started making big batches of muffins to freeze and pull out in the mornings for the kids, along with a piece of fruit. I'll just take a day and make dozens and dozens and DOZENS of muffins...then put them in bags to freeze. It's super easy for our family, and the kids LOVE them. They are also great for eating on the go. On Sundays, our kids eat breakfast in the car on the way to church. So if you ever see us in the parking lot before church starts, you'll see me wiping down everyone, and dusting crumbs off of church clothes. Here's one of my favorite recipes:

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup of brown sugar (I use Sucanat)
7 TBS of Unsweetened Applesauce or Coconut Oil
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large)
1 cup regular oats
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 cups whole wheat pasty flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat well at medium speed. Combine banana, oats, and milk. Add that to the sugar mixture, beating well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon-stir with a whisk. Add it to the sugar mixture-beat until moist. Spray your muffin pans w/ cooking spray and fill them about 2/3 of the way up. Bake them at 350 degrees for around 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
*I always add some Flaxseed Meal to my mixture for an extra boost. Makes 24 regular size muffins.

Hanging out at the Soccer Field

Grier, cousin Brooklyn, and Gracen

The girls not surprisingly get a little bored during Aiden's games. I always enjoy watching how they entertain themselves out at the field. I love to hear their little squeals, and see them running around. They totally run like girls. They are so fun.

Let's Do This Thang

Game Face

Don't mess around with a soccer player. They mean business. Especially 5 year old soccer players.

Right of Passage

My title is kind of tongue and cheek. While it was a trip down memory lane, and was special to me personally...I get that getting a Barbie Doll isn't that significant in the grand scheme of things. In fact, I don't even know how I feel about Barbie in general for my daughters...yet. BUT I LOVED them as a child. I had about 17 Barbies, the Barbie Dream House, the car, the swimming pool, etc. I was a Barbie fanatic to say the least. I played with them WAY past when it was acceptable...like 7th grade-ish. Sooo, one day I came home from school and saw that my Mom had sold every lick of Barbie paraphernalia that I owned. I couldn't believe it. Let's just say that it was a sad day at the Stanley house. So fast forward 15 years...I'm pregnant with my first daughter, and dreaming in pink. I immediately thought of my old Barbies, and Cabbage Patch Dolls that I wanted to pass down to her. Only problem...I no longer had Barbies. So what else could I do...I hopped on Ebay to hunt a few down. I found 3 of my old Barbies and won them easily. Apparently early to mid 80's Barbies are NOT the latest rage. This Barbie up above "Jewel Secrets Barbie" was one of my favorites. I finally decided to give it to Gracen a few months ago. I was so excited to share this special doll with her. She was sweet and listened to my stories, but I could tell that she wasn't nearly as pumped as I was. It gave me some good perspective...it's just a doll Mom.

Play Date

I LOVE play dates with Kendall...for obvious reasons-like, she's my best friend and I enjoy her company, and our kids love each other...but there is another reason. It always turns into a spontaneous photo shoot. Her camera is always close by and she seems to always capture the sweetest moments with my kids. I end up with a fun filled day AND the most precious pictures of my babies. What more could you ask for from a play date?

Delegation

A Rainy Fall

It's really sad I know...but I was REALLY proud of the girl I made.

Apparently Play-Doh is serious business

Sneaking a few bites-gross. I wondered for a moment if she had Pica.


It was so rainy this Fall...so we had to break out the Play-Doh, among other things on a pretty regular basis around here.

Carving Mr. Pumpkin

We had fun carving our pumpkin. We roasted the seeds afterwards...and they weren't very good. I'll need to hunt down a better recipe before next Halloween. On a side note, Aiden was in his underwear...so most of the pictures I couldn't put on my blog. :)

Glitter Pumpkins

My friend Danielle gave me this idea for Glitter Pumpkins. She does this every Fall with her kids as their little Fall tradition. And a bonus...you get to decorate with these adorable things. The kids had a lot of fun with this...so I think we're going to keep it in the craft rotation.

Smiley Magee

Evan really gets into her baths. She hears the water running in the bathroom and makes a jet line to get into the tub...even if it's not for her.

Evan is ridiculously happy. She's so sweet natured and just a blessing to our family. I still can't believe it sometimes. Here's my point. Have that 4th kid. If you're thinking about having a 4th...DO IT! Seriously...it's awesome. I've talked to many moms and the running theme is 4th babies are laid back, joyful, and loving. So just go for it. You don't ever hear people regret having that last kid...but you do hear people say that they regret not having more kids...just sayin'.

I Love You. You Love Me...

I am not kidding when I say that my daughter loves the big purple dinosaur. As you can see we have bunny ears for our tv...so our selection is limited. But wow...it doesn't even matter, because Barney has Evan's heart. The minute she hears the theme song she crawls over, pulls herself up, and begins dancing...completely taken with the incredibly cheesy songs. I'm glad I had my camera close by to capture it.

New Addition

Okay, so I'm going back in time as I update my blog. So these pictures are old. But my cousin Nason and his wife Hayley had their baby at the end of October. His name is Gunnar...and he is precious!! Nason is much more like a brother to me than a cousin...so Gunnar is a special little guy...I'm calling him my nephew instead of 2nd cousin or whatever...that just seems so formal...and wrong. You can keep up with their blog and see much more up to date photos by clicking on "The Hengst Family" on the left of my blog. They are coming over tomorrow night and I can't wait to get my hands on that baby.