Funny Moment

Claire LOVES to read books lately. And today, we came across a new one in Grandpa and Grandma Holt's collection.

She loved it. But it's such a hilarious book for adults. The brother bear has grown out of his baby bed (just in time for a new baby to come). So he and Papa bear go out to the woods to build him a new one. While they're gone (for one day), Mama bear apparently has the baby sister, comes home, and recovers.   I was laughing while trying to finish reading the book. If only that was how the real thing went! But it was too bad Papa bear missed it all! This post is more for my memory than anything else. Hope it's not too boring!

Pizza Sauce Fondue

This recipe is delicious! I got it from my sister. We had a fondue night on Christmas Eve and everything was SO good. I'm collecting all the recipes and hopefully we will have our own fondue night sometime in the next few weeks.

Here it is!


Tomato Swiss Fondue

2 cups tomato juice
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 lb. coarsely grated swiss cheese (you don't have to use that much)
1 T flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp oregano or basil
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of nutmeg
2 T cornstarch
2 T water

Heat tomato juice and garlic in fondue pot until almost boiling. Mix flour with cheese, then add to tomato juice slowly. Make sure it is melted. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Enjoy!

Halloween

Last Halloween, Claire was only like 2 weeks old. So we didn't do much. Actually, I am amazed that I did as much as I did so soon after having a baby. I told Devin that won't be the case next time. :) This year was so fun. I'm not usually a big fan of Halloween which is pretty clear to anyone who knows me.  But as mom, it's like a completely different holiday. Claire was a pumpkin, and a very cute one at that! We loved to watch her crawl around in her costume. She was a little confused by the concept of trick or treating, but it was still fun to have her participate in the holiday and document her first real Halloween. Here are some pics. I apologize that they are the same ones from FB.

Claire's 1st Birthday

 What a day this was! So exciting! Our little Claire bug turned 1! We can hardly believe it. Time has flown. I made a party hat for her...it didn't turn out the way I had hoped. I couldn't make one small enough! I think next time, I'll just buy one. A for effort and it's the thought that counts!

 We had a pizza party (funny since Claire is allergic to milk) with Devin's family. We had a Sunday dinner with my family the following night and we all enjoyed some Hawaiian Haystacks.

 We had dairy free chocolate cake, and Texas Sheet Cake for dessert. Yum! Claire and I indulged in the dairy free. It was so good!! Thanks to my sister Tiffany for giving me the recipe!

 Claire got a little grumpy as the night went on. She normally goes to bed at 6 so she was up way past her bedtime. Poor baby. When we put her in bed, she was so tired. She usually plays and babbles to herself but that night, she laid down, put her binki in her mouth, and fell asleep in about 5 minutes. Sweet girl.

 She was hesitant with the cake at first. I normally don't really give her anything really sweet so I think she may have been a little overwhelmed. After a few minutes, Devin put a little piece in her mouth and she dove in shortly after that.

 She was NOT happy when we cleaned her off and got her ready for bed. She was so tired.

 After a weekend of partying, Claire had a tough time falling asleep on Sunday night. So we bundled her up and took her for a walk around the Temple. She looked so cute and snuggly. To say she loves to go on walks would be a massive understatement. She is always silent.

 Claire's loot. Blocks, legos, books, a toy car, My Little Pony, beanie baby, a purse, and a toy box to keep some of her toys.

 We decided to put her legos and blocks inside her new toy box. Devin and I painted it together. It made me want to go buy a bunch of things to paint. My mom and I used to do projects like that when I was growing up.

My decoration in all its glory. Well almost. I gave all of the 'Backyardigans' a balloon to hold. This was the theme of Claire's party. She LOVES this show to say the least. I'm a little embarrassed to say that she even has a favorite show at her age. She loves the music and the characters. We kept these gems and put them up on the wall in our family room. She loves it.

It was such a great day. As parents to this sweet girl, we couldn't be more proud. She's the best!

Carrie Underwood Concert!

Last night we went to the Carrie Underwood concert!  It was so much fun.  Carrie Underwood is Christine's favorite singer, so there wasn't an option in passing this one up.  I really like her too, so it was a win win!  The concert was awesome, she came out on a floating stage with most of her band for 3 of the songs and floated all the way to the back of the auditorium.  

She opened with Hunter Hayes, he is pretty dang good.

Floating Stage

Floating stage

The tornado blowing right behind her during "blown away" 

 definitely the highlight of the night!

It was an awesome night at the Maverik Center!  

Christine was on cloud nine the whole time...

Gardner Village!

We just went to Gardner Village and had a wonderful time walking around and enjoyed the many Halloween decorations they had.  We love it there, and will be going again soon!  We stopped at the bakery and each got a piece of homemade bread, and it was so good!  We finished the night off with dinner at the olive garden.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

First Fall Family Walk

Yesterday it was a little chilly and Devin had the day off of school and work. So we decided to go on a walk around the Bountiful Temple. To say that Claire loves walks would be a huge understatement. She can be screaming her guts out, but once she gets in her stroller and starts rolling along, she just goes quiet and looks around. Such a sweetie.

Here are some pictures of us outside in the driveway with her. She sat in her stroller and watched Dev and I toss the football around.

 She loves the camera and it loves her!

 This one is my favorite! Look at that face!

 Devin is so good about taking Claire on walks. They go pretty much every day when he comes home so I can get a break for a little while.

 We have one expressive little girl!

She put her hand on mine just before Devin took the picture. :)

We don't have much of an update...things are pretty much the same around here! Devin is doing well in school and I am hanging out with Claire at home. She turns 1 year old in less than 3 weeks! Time flies! It's been the best year!