Pie Pig Out

Obviously from the title...this night was not for dieters!! Our good friends hosted this a couple years back and we are planning to carry on the tradition. Thankfully Amanda was the host this year since it was the day after my return from Utah!

A feast dedicated to pie and desserts....it doesn't get any better than that!

I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pie (soooo easy)....

and these Pecan Tassies that my sister in law makes....little pecan pies. I posted the recipes HERE and HERE.

Dig in!!

Emri was too busy playing with her "fens" (friends) to enjoy pie!

All the ladies that came (it was a family event, but you know how guys are about pictures)!

top: Molly, Megan, Sherri, Rachel, Lacey, Raquel (& Mason), Candice

bottom: Katie, Amanda, Jami, Stephanie

Utah Recap

This cutie couldn't have done better on our flights...the best to date! Not sure if it was her age, or the millions of prayers I said hoping that she wouldn't end up on my lap, screaming, with people around me looking at her, then my belly...wondering why on earth I'd want another one :)

We spent a short few days in Morgan seeing Brett's fam. We always love going next door to Great Grandpa and Grandma's house.

A few other activities Emri enjoyed were riding the 4-wheeler with grandpa (in her jammies) to see the horses...

sending mom subliminal messages about how fun a play kitchen would be in our house....

gathering together with all of her cousins and wondering what the heck they were doing in dress-up clothes acting strange.....with Aunt Tiffany as the ring leader?!?!?!

And then she decided it was perfectly fine to join in on all the commotion and get her groove on!! Seriously....just look at this picture! Cousins, dancing, wrestling, laughing, 1/2 naked kids....pure joy!!! That's pretty much how the Anderton get-togethers go! We love it!

And I think my favorite part was a night out with all these beautiful girls that were all about arranging schedules so we could be together (kid free) on less than a week's notice!! Love them! I'm pretty sure I married into the best family ever!

OKAY...here's the main reason for our trip! Aren't they a gorgeous couple?!?!?! Congrats Greg and Kels! Thanks for giving us a reason to fly home :)

Cousins....E & Jami, Will & Kerry, Pratt & Jill, Mindy & Austin

We had to hit Cabela's...TWICE! Emri was in love with the fishies and all the dead animal mounts throughout the store :) No cousins in my family...just uncles to spoil her with attention!

She's usually attached to grandma's hip, but this time she couldn't get enough of this ugly kid :) Just kidding Kolby.

Bunny Sandwich! Had to sleep with one of these in the pack 'n play.... a bit squishy, but she loved them!

E & Uncle Brody watchin' some TV

Getting into grandmas shoes! She walks better than her own mother in those things! I can barely wear flip-flops without tripping :)

Walking in the snow with Papa....

...and then, a face plant! Apparently when you put your arms out to catch yourself in snow, they sink :)

with Uncle Bridger.... she's already got an arm....check out that snowball coming right at me!

We had a fun (fast) trip and we're glad we got home just in time (to miss the Utah blizzard) for a PIE PIG OUT and THANKSGIVING with Daddy and our "Ohio Family." Stay tuned for pics!

What We Woke Up To.....

So Pretty!!

All she wants to do is eat "mo white!"

This is only the first of 4 storms....let's hope (and pray) we aren't stuck on the runway for hours tomorrow! :)

Spontaneous...

Today I am grateful for:

#1. A cousin who put ants in my pants about making a totally spontaneous trip (for a wedding) out west.

#2. My generous brother Bridger who let me buy a flight voucher off him for cheap.

#3. For the empty seat next to us on BOTH legs of the flight that allowed my "lap infant" to fly in style and my lap (that is already full of an "infant") to be free!

#4. For the idea a while ago from a friend (thanks BreAnna) to have a gift for Emri during flight to open! She's obsessed with "Wuu-dee" and Toy Story right now so this guy bought us hours of fun in flight and during our layover. She couldn't stop kissing his boots and nose!

#5. My hubby who is home... being a responsible student, taking mockboards (does that word make any other dental professional's stomach turn??), and doing projects around the house for me while I'm away playing! Love you babe!

ANYONE FLYING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH A TODDLER??

In my experience of flying with a kid I've learned a couple things that work well (for us anyway) to keep busy....just thought I'd pass them along in case anyone is interested:

• Sticker books are a great time passer during the time of safety instruction/take-off/flying time up to 10,000 feet when electronic devices can't be turned on (I found some in the $1 section at Target and JoAnn's)
• Coloring books! at her age we buy the Color Wonder markers, so that everything in the plane doesn't get colored on too (the markers only work on color-wonder specific books)!
• we haven't tried this yet, but mini wedding bubbles (under 3 oz) could be a fun thing to do in little airplane spaces. What kid doesn't love bubbles?!?!
• Books to read... i just grabbed a couple of her favorites that didn't take up too much space.
• Small Toys. (ie: matchbox cars, plastic dinosaurs, bugs....)
• iPod or portable DVD player and headphones....even if you don't love your child watching too much tv, I think the airplane is a definite exception. This way all travelers are happy!
• uploaded pictures onto a phone or iPod. Emri loves looking through family pics.
• SNACKS!!! goldfish, smarties, and fruit snacks were a hit this time...all small pieces that take time to eat.
• wrapped present(s) to give child when everything else is getting boring!
• Also, some airlines let families board early. Very thoughtful, but I prefer to board middle to end (especially if we have assigned seats)... the less time we are stuck in one place the better!

If anyone else has any great ideas let me know...I still have a return flight to make!

GNO

Last weekend I enjoyed a GNO with my friends I work (kind of) with! Since I'm not big on that term called "work" these days! haha! We had dinner and did some shopping at Easton to celebrate Jessica's bday. Sadly, we were too busy eating and shopping for me to remember to pull out my camera (until the last minute and not all of us were together).

The pregos (jami and alison) trying out "Yagoot" the new frozen yogurt place! YUMMY!!!

Michelle and Mindy...trying to get warm, thinking we're crazy for walking around with frozen yogurt! And Jessica....the birthday girl, was off somewhere else when I busted out the camera. We still love you Jess! Thanks for having a birthday and giving us a reason to get out!

Halloween Wrap-Up

The 2nd night of Halloween fun was spent at "Boo at the Zoo." The kids dress up and hit several trick-or-treat stations throughout the zoo. They also have characters dressed up and "merry not scary" attractions!

Brett and E taking a train ride.

This was probably the scariest thing I saw all night...my baby petting a snake! YUCK! Dad insisted :)

Saturday our ward did a trunk-or-treat....which was actually inside, so I don't think that really qualifies! Either way, Emri was happy to get even more treats. This time was a little harder now that she knew what she was doing. I practically peeled her away from each doorway and directed her towards the next as she tried to open/eat every piece of candy handed to her!

Matchy Matchy! I found this hat similar to Emri's for $1.50 so i couldn't pass it up (and the socks too), and Meg loaned me her tutu from last year!

Emri and her cute witch friend Reese!

As for Emri's costume here's what I did(since some of you asked)...although I don't think I'm the clearest in explaining things :)

The HAT was in the $1 section at Target!-- (Love that store) -- The tag said "one size fits most infants!" ha ha! Well E kinda has a big noggin :) and it was a bit small....so I just stitched some rik-rak to the sides for ties to make it work!

The CAPE was kind of an afterthought, but when I came across this cute mesh/spider-webby fabric for 60% off I couldn't pass it up! It might have cost $1 for the small amount I used. There were no 'real' measurements...other than holding it up to Emri's back to get an idea for length. The width side to side was about 28 inches.

All I did on top was make a little hem?? or pocket (excuse my lack of sewing vocabulary knowledge) by folding down about 1 inch and using a zig-zag stitch. HERE'S THE COOLEST PART----use "elastic thread" in your bobbin (this has probably been around for ages, but I'm just barely hearing about it)! It really helped gather the material....and I just pulled the ends to gather a the mesh to my liking. I threaded a piece of ribbon though the 'hem' for the tie. It worked ok, but came untied often. A clasp or hook in the front might work better.

The TUTU was inspired by her. And the tutorial is found here. The changes I made were I only bought 2 yards of tulle in each color. My strips were cut about 18-19 inches long (they end up being half as long once they're tied). And, I only used 2 strips of tulle for each tie ( I wanted it somewhat see through for her leggings).

There are a couple different ways to make BABY LEGGINGS. You make them out of adult size knee-high socks (this was the most pricey part of the costume..$4...they weren't on sale). I tried one similar to this her tutorial is kinda wordy (like most of my jibber-jabber), just follow the pictures! **I used elastic thread again on the cuff to give a little stretch...I think it really helped keep them from sliding down Emri's thighs)** Or you can try this tutorial too if you prefer handstitching.

Pretty easy stuff! In all, I probably spent just under $10 for the whole costume!