Family Pics

We recently took family pics and I want to share!  The plan is to get Christmas cards out early this year so that everyone can have our new address.  And what better way to send out a holiday greeting/address change than with pics in front of our new house?

As always, my lovely Shari-friend took amazing pictures!  I know I will never be disappointed when she does our session.  Here are a few, I mean, a lot of my favorites...

It's obvious who is the star of the show...

She's such a bunny-head...

We couldn't get her to let us put shoes on her, but I'm glad she went barefoot. I think she's more adorable that way.

I love seeing these big smiles on her face!

I love this house.  Every time I pull into the driveway I think of how long we could be here- how many kids' cars we may have someday belonging in the driveway, how many family pictures in the front yard on our walls...

Avery started walking right after we moved in.  This will be a precious reminder of that time and place.

Holiday card pic?  You can't tell at all that I'm trying to keep her hands from flapping and slapping...

The windows are my favorite part of the house.  The light on the inside brings me joy everyday! I love opening all the blinds first thing in the morning!

Me and my honey...

 I treasure pictures like these...

 CHEESE!

Welcome to our house...

Xoxo...

Pinning and Pining

One of the many things I love about fall is the food: chili and soups, comfort food, anything with pumpkin...  I've got so many recipes I want to try! Here are some of my most recent pins from Pinterest that I'm keeping in mind for menu planning, starting with what I'm making tonight.

We aren't vegan, but this looks delicious and healthy...

{Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili}

I've never made spaghetti squash, so it's on my mental list of things I must try this fall. And it's from Martha Stewart...

{Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Herbs}

French onion soup from Delicious Shots:)  Praying for a really cold, cold front so I can make this one...

{Onion Soup}

I've already made four batches of these muffins from Mary Beth in the last few weeks, and I plan on making at least five more. She brought them over when we moved into the neighborhood and I just can't get enough!!!

{Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins}

I will say (and so will Taylor) that Pinterest has enriched our lives when it comes to what we're eating.  I've had very few recipe fails, and it's really helped me keep track of my favorite online recipes.

Follow by food board Eat, and please feel free to share any of your favorite fall-ish recipes with me! I love a good recipe swap:)

Snapshots: September 2012

{1} Our new home. We closed in August and started living here in September.  The entire month has consisted of unpacking, repairs, deep cleaning, and getting settled, but we love it! The neighbors are wonderful and we've loved taking walks to explore the neighborhood.

{2} Football season! We go to all of the home games at Oklahoma State in Stillwater- one of the biggest reasons fall is my favorite time of year.  Family, friends, and football.  Go Pokes!

{3} Ikea.  Four hours and many Swedish meatballs later, we had a lot to show for Taylor's first trip to Ikea:) We went from a 2 bed/1 bath house to something much larger.  Needless to say, there were a few things we needed...  

{4} Chicago girl's trip.  I am so happy I got to go to Chicago with a few girlfriends.  There was great food, great conversation, and great shopping.  Among the things we did were Michigan Avenue, Navy Pier, Chicago Botanic Garden, Wicker Park, and the Hancock Tower.  See pics from that trip here.

{5} Family picture at OKC Capitol.  Taylor finished the MS 150 at the State Capitol Building and we drove from Tulsa to pick him up.  We were so proud of him for participating in the two day, 150 mile bike ride to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis!

{6}  One tiny hydrangea bloom in our backyard.  We have lots of well established plants and flowers in our back yard, but I'm most excited about the hydrangeas!  I've only tried bringing them in once.  Several spiders and one roly-poly colony later, I trashed the blooms I brought in and decided that bringing fresh flowers in from the garden might seem a little more romantic than it really is.

{7} Avery starting walking on September 1st.  She is so much fun! Exploring has reached an all time high and she started wearing shoes:)

{8} Birthday carrot cake.  My family came to Tulsa to spend the weekend with us to see the new house and celebrate with me.  I will have memories of that weekend forever!  They brought me carrot cake from Queenie's (my favorite) and we had a special, fun-filled family weekend.

{9} Living room.  We have put a lot of work into the main living areas of the house this month: painting, assembling furniture, and arranging.  Everything is coming along so well.  We love being in our new home!  I've had to make a conscious effort to sit back and relax now that the paint fumes have cleared and anything major has been repaired.  Even though I'm not done unpacking and have tons of organizing to do, life must be enjoyed!