Pumpkin Patch

Last week we went to the pumpkin patch with some friends, Ana and Caleb. This part of Idaho is definitely lacking in their pumpkin patches but I heard about this small family owned patch out in Rigby. It was definitely small but had some really great pumpkins. Zoey was obsessed with their cats and couldn't stop following them around. We took home three cute little pumpkins (or gourds) that are now the centerpiece for our kitchen table. I was glad we went when we did because the weather was beautiful. Sunny and warm. I think that's the last of that we'll have for awhile so we soaked it up. Since then it's been windy, rainy, cold with threats of snow :( I guess I can't complain. It's rare to go through all of September and most of October with nice weather in ID.

They are so cute :) even if I did stage this photo haha

Zoey was pretty proud of her "find"

lovin the cats

This is the best smile I could get.

Two little cuties

Love that squishy face :)

Take one...no one looking but still cute

Take two...Jane: "hey that's an awesome stem Zoey, let me check it out" (Andrew and I like to narrate what Jane thinks, it's pretty entertaining to us)

Take three...Jane looking somewhat pensive

Take four...pretty cute

Fall Time = Craft Time

I've always enjoyed being crafty and making things. Andrew bought me a pretty nice sewing machine when we were first married and I have LOVED it. It is by far the best and most well used present I have ever received. As fall approached this year I definitely got the craft bug. I hadn't really done any crafts/sewing all summer so it was about time.

Here are a few things I've been up to...

This little dress used to be an ugly women's sweater I bought at DI. I got the idea to turn it into a girls sweater dress from here

I think it turned out pretty cute. The neck was a little hard to figure since I had to size it down quite a bit, but I'm not too picky when it means a new outfit for Zoey. It's perfect with the cold weather coming. Zoey's wardrobe isn't quite winter worthy. I also added those cute little rosettes that were SUPER easy with some scraps of the material.

One man's trash is another man's treasure :)

This idea also came from the same blog. As I was going through this blog I realized I had a trash sack full of unwanted knit shirts ready to go to the DI. I quickly changed my mind and made this skirt from a long sleeved pink shirt I hadn't worn in years. I love it. Zoey wears it with a white tee and white ruffle leggings or "leggins" as she calls them. In case you were wondering, that beautiful, rich spread the skirt is laying on just happens to be my new pottery barn duvet cover. LOVE it :)

I found this little project on the family fun website. Can you tell what they are :) (acorns...ahem) It's just donut holes with either frosting or peanut butter and then toffee bits on top. Easy shmeesy and cute. They had pretzel bits for their stems but all I could find was cinnamon toast crunch.

Last but not least is my beautiful fall wreath. I love seeing it every time I come home! I made it with almost entirely dollar store items. It cost about $8 but I had lots of left over materials. I got the idea for it here.

Anyways, sorry about the craft overload. There is much more to come :)

I just love the Holidays!

Some Yellowstone pictures from last month

Late, late, late...I know. I was doing so good with blogging and then everything just fell apart. I like when people actually come to my blog and for that to happen I need to be a regular blogger....I will keep trying. Anyways, here's the blog about our last trip to Yellowstone. It was so much fun. We stayed the whole day in the Geyser area around Old Faithful. It's amazing how much time you can spend on just one portion of the park. It was Andrew's birthday and I think he enjoyed it. He was the photographer for the day and he did an awesome job. I didn't really post many nature shots because I always end up skipping over them on other people's blogs...(it's true sorry.) The kids were pretty good except for the end of the day when we needed Jane's bottle and formula. In our rush to leave we forgot it and she did fine on baby food most of the day but really wanted her milk towards the end. She was getting pretty cranky on the way home when all the sudden I realized we had our 72 hour kit in the car fully equipped with the needed bottle and formula. I was grateful we had recently put that together but wished I would have remembered it 8 hours earlier :)

You don't even have to tell me, I already know Jane is the cutest little girl :)

Daddy and the girls

Zoey's cute little thoughtful face.

My goofy girl

So tired, but LOVE those cheeks

Watching Old Faithful

Taking a nice break from carseats to enjoy the crystal clear pots of water

Zoey really did enjoy herself

The water there is beautiful even if it does stink :)

September has flown by...here are a few recaps

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Things have gotten pretty busy around here with school and church callings. The beginning of September was really fun because my mom, dad, and sister Karlie came up here to ID. Karlie is a freshmen here at BYU-I and my parents were getting her all settled in. While they were here we celebrated mine and Andrews birthday. We went to a local steak house close by and had some yummy steak and homemade cheesecake. Below are just some out of order pictures from then until now. On Andrew's actual birthday we went to Yellowstone again, but that post will have to come later.

It was super fun though and perfect weather.

Jane is loving all her new treats that she can eat now.

Sometimes Zoey tries to help give her some....

Just some more yummy treats

I got my first ticket a couple weeks ago...I was on my way to Karlie's apartment and came to a red light. I decided to go right to avoid the long wait and I turned onto a fairly wide residential street (wide enough to have turning lanes.) I assumed the speed limit was 25 and got pulled over for going 33. I then found out it was a school zone (with no school in sight) so I got a ticket. Oh well, first for everything right? I had been thinking recently about when my first ticket would be. Not that I am a crazy driver. I don't purposely speed ever but I figured at some point I would probably have some bad luck. Well, it came sooner than I was expecting but for some reason I wasn't nervous at all when I saw the sirens...not quite sure what that means but I was glad I naturally remained calm through it all. Just a side note...if you noticed on the ticket that I was fined for expired insurance, our insurance wasn't really expired, we just didn't have the updated card in the car. It was easily fixed by taking a copy into the courthouse. So, I figured out you don't really need any proof of anything really because 1)they can look up your license with your name and birthday 2) they can look up your registration with your plate number and 3) you can just take your insurance in to prove you have it and they take the fee right off. I didn't have any of the things they asked for and he told me I was "supposed" to carry them but they really can't punish me for not having them (unless your insurance is really expired.) Good to know :)

She obviously doesn't appreciate the phrase "beauty is pain" :) I started doing Zoey's hair in sponge rollers occasionally to try and avoid having to do it in the morning. I got a new calling in church that makes it hard for me to get my girls ready in the morning. Zoey's hair can be cute but only if I take the time to do it, otherwise it's just really bad bed head. Since I've done it in curlers, I've figured out that I can't have her sleep in them or they don't last (she pulls them out) so I put them in when the hairs almost dry and leave them in during the day. It's pretty cute; I'll have to get a picture.

Eating Daddy's yummy cheesecake.

Eating at the yummy steakhouse in Rigby.

The birthday boy and girl.

Zoey singing Happy Birthday to her Daddy (ignore my annoying voice that appears so much louder in the video than I ever remember singing)

I'm not Crazy...yet

Sometimes I feel like I am literally going crazy! Luckily there are a few resources/remedies/resorts that have kept me from going completely wacky.

Over the years some of these things have changed, while others have continued to provide me with a good dose of sanity.

Back in high school I thought things were tough. This is what I "thought" kept me from going crazy...

AIM was huge when I was in high school. I don't know how many hours I completely wasted chatting with friends on AIM. Back then I thought I couldn't live without it.

SCHOOLS OUT! The high school I went to had a minimum day every Wednesday. We got out at like 12:30 or something great like that. It was SO nice to get a break like that in the middle of the week. I am a huge fan of reduced Wednesdays. They kept me going when the week just kept dragging on. For a while I had piano lessons on Wed. right after school. I was friends with my piano teacher's daughter and their whole family. I would ride home with them and we would always have a feast because by then we were STARVING. Those were good days :) I also enjoyed every minute of summer when school was OUT!

El Pollo Loco. Although at the time I lived at home, I didn't realize this place kept me going I definitely realize it now! This place is so yummy. They do have one in UT which I've been to, but since we are in ID now I really do miss it.

Friends. Just like any typical teenager, I loved having and hanging out with friends. While most of these friends don't really have a part in my life anymore, there are a few that I will always miss no matter what. I am blessed to have met some wonderful people in high school. As an adult/mom/wife it's super hard for me to find friends and then find time to hang out. Because of this, I have realized how important friends are. I am grateful for the friends I do have even if it's only like one... jk I have a couple more than that :)

Church. This has been a steady source of relief for the turmoil that life brings. Back in high school, I loved going to mutual, girls camp, church on Sunday, and seminary even if it did start at...6 in the morning! How in the world did I ever do that?!?!? Now as a mom, I love being able to go to church not only to have some adult time but to be spiritually fed. I also like that Zoey gets to be around other kids in nursery and I get to dress my girls up.

CHOCOLATE! This has always been a stress reliever for me. I used to love candy bars with all the nuts and caramel, and still do but now I'm all about just plain chocolate with maybe some almonds and toffee (symphony bars YUM)

Bajio, Cafe Rio, and Costa Vida are all SUPER yummy. My love for these places started in college. They are all very popular around Provo and it quickly became a well-loved tradition for me and my roommates. Oh man, I am starving right now! My favorite is the sweet pork burrito. While Cafe Rio used to be my favorite of the three, I really think Costa Vida is the best now. They are all pretty identical as far as food selection and restaurant style.

Of course, this cute guy is always there for me. He sure knows how to get me laughing and we all know that laughter is the best medicine of all.

Andrew's mom bought this once and we both fell in LOVE. It is definitely a special treat around our house. Walmart sells them for around $2.50 and I can tell you it is well worth it! It's got strawberry cheesecake ice cream with real strawberries and graham cracker pie crust. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone that likes cheesecake.

What girl doesn't love to shop? Well, I do know a few, but anyways. Shopping is so much fun for me. I know it can be bad because it make me spend more than I want, but for special occasions I won't turn a trip down! My sister Karlie just came up here for college and I'm excited to have a shopping buddy :)

Tubby Time! I WISH this were my bathtub...maybe someday :) I love baths both for myself and for my kids. It's a great way to unwind when I've had a long day. I especially love giving the kids baths. Jane loves them and I can just fill the tub up with a few inches of warm water and she just crawls around and splashes. Zoey is old enough where I can fill the bath up, leave the door open and sit out on the couch and relax for sometimes more than 30 minutes! Don't worry, our apartment is teeny so it's basically like I'm in the same room.

I am a big fan of naptime! It's hard to actually get both girls down for naps at the same time, but even just one of the girls napping makes things much more calm. My girls aren't too crazy, but somehow I still get worn out. It's also great when they go to bed at night. As much as I love my girls when they're awake, it's just so nice to have alone time with Andrew once they've gone to bed.

Zoey really hasn't watched too much TV in her day. We didn't even have a TV for her to watch from until just a few months ago. We aren't a big TV family but we do love our movies. I have a hard time letting Zoey watch just anything, but Veggie Tales has made the cut for both me and Andrew. We only had one that Zoey would watch over and over, but my mom just bought Zoey "Sweat Pea Beauty; A Girl after God's own Heart....A Tale of True Beauty." She loves it and so do I. Especially when she's young, I want to try and keep her away from all the dumb cartoons teaching your kids false realities of what happiness is (isn't!) But, my real point is that Veggie Tales has really saved me many times. When I'm just too worn out to deal with Zoey's crankiness, I can usually pop a Veggie Tales in and she'll sit quiet for quite some time. It's been great.

This morning Jane woke up first. and I nursed her. She fell back asleep between me and Andrew for another couple hours. Then she woke again and Zoey followed shortly after. They both played for a few minutes on our bed (which has been much nicer with a king vs a queen.) Then Jane got fussy and Zoey started whining for milk. After 5-10 minutes of trying to ignore their fussiness, I got up and got Zoey a sippy cup of milk and Jane a 5oz bottle. I came back and gave it to both crying girls...immediately there was dead silence (except for the snorts and grunts from them chugging their milk as fast as they could.) That silence brings SUCH relief. Milk will do it every time which is why we LOVE OUR MILK! I have a great respect for those cows :)

Sorry this post was so long. Also a little random. I always think it's fun to find out different sides of people from their blogs so hopefully someone finds enjoyment in this.

If not, it was fun for me :)

My Little Pioneer Nancy Jane Olsen

Pioneer day was over a month ago, but I have been meaning to post these pictures. We didn't really do anything that day but I did dress Jane up in some old baby clothes that came from my grandparents house. Don't worry, they were washed and cleaned. Jane sure was cute in them. I think they were my grandpa's clothes that were made by his mom, my great grandma Isabelle. It's fun to have these clothes around.