"They Say It's Your Birthday... We're Gonna Have a Good Time!"

Monday marked my dear daddy's 32nd birthday, so we all gathered at Cam's house and had a birthday celebration! It commenced with Beatles Rock Band on the Wii, which was Cam & Kevin's Christmas gift to each other, and which is why the title above is so appropriate! We all hung out while we were cooking Daddy's birthday dinner-- he's an all-American kind of guy... For his dinner, he wanted hamburgers, corn-on-the-cob, potatoes au gratin, and Caesar salad. For his birthday cake, he requested an apple pie. Cam had a delicious recipe, it can be found at the end of this post!

Unfortunately, we had to use matches as candles because we all overlooked the birthday candles! It's an exciting memory, that's for sure!

"Make a wish!!"

Grandma and Audrey with their SpongeBob birthday hats. Audrey can be seen here with her new Santa Christmas toy!

Group shot-- We love you Daddy!

After the party, Grandma and Audrey were pooped! They snuggled up after Audrey's bedtime bath, story, and bottle and fell asleep:

Aren't they precious?!

I'm so grateful for my daddy. He's such a good man, and I am eternally thankful for the hard work and the sacrifices he has made in his life on my behalf. He has set such a great example of what a husband and father should be for me, Cam, and Trevor. He provides so well for us, and he never complains about all the things that are required of him. He faced so many hardships growing up, overcame them all, and has become a man his parents are so proud of. Here's a list of five reasons why I love my daddy:

1. He has a love of history, and he has passed that love down to me.
2. His love for my mother is undeniable, and watching that type of love exist between my parents has undeniably shaped my future more than anything else.
3. He has always worked so hard on behalf of his family. He is an excellent provider, and he has always put us first.
4. He has the uncanny ability to stay calm in sticky situations.
5. He's awesome, and he is so proud of us kids and our accomplishments.

Apple Crumb Pie

Filling:

• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 6-8 Tart sliced and peeled apples (Granny Smith or Macintosh are great!)

Crumb Topping:

• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1/4 Cup Sugar or light brown Sugar firmly packed
• 1/2 Cup flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 9-inch unbaked pie shell as directed on package. For filling, combine dry ingredients. Add apples and mix thoroughly. Place in pie shell.

Prepare crumb topping: Mix softened butter with dry ingredients. Sprinkle on top of filling. Bake for 45-55 minutes.

-Recipe: Compliments of R. Heilner

With Christmas Comes...

Our light-up Christmas village

Our beautifully decorated Christmas Tree

The annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional

Family togetherness and Homemade Muddy Buddies.

So, is this what heaven is like?

A Little Bit of Christmas Goodness

I found this idea in one of my mom's many cooking magazines, and I fell in love with it.


So, while I was out doing a little bit of Christmas shopping, I found these darling Wilton cookie cutters on sale...

So, I bought ten!

I gathered all the stuff to make the fudge (my first fudge-making endeavor, I might add!) and it was delicious! Much thanks goes out to my mama for supervising the process-- It is due to her we got the timing all right, and ended up with edible Christmas goodness!

Once the fudge was made, I packed it in the cookie cutters, let it harden a little bit, and then came the fun part:

I used icing that would harden and gave the little guys faces, buttons, sleeves, and pant legs. After the icing dried, I put them in cellophane bags tied with a festive ribbon around it. They made great visiting teaching gifts, cheerful 'thank you' gifts, and wonderful neighbor gifts-- This is such a fun, and darling, way to spread some holiday cheer!