Frosty Friends

6 Months Old

Today Kendry turns 6 months old. Where has the time gone? How has half a year passed already since we first laid eyes on one another? We celebrate your first six months Kendry with joyful hearts. We celebrate our first half year with grateful prayers. We thank our Heavenly Father daily for our new found courage, fierceness, dedication, and our ability to love all we've been given more than we ever imagined.
With the Christmas season upon us we have so much to be thankful for, but nothing tops the joy and love we have for our little man. We could not be happier, it is truly a dream come true.

Festival of Trees

We enjoyed the Festival of Trees in Salt Lake City this year. Festival of Tress was started 40 years ago as a fundraiser for Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City. People donate large decorated trees with matching paraphernalia, small decorated trees, wreaths, centerpieces, quilts, gingerbread houses, and sweets. Most items are auctioned off at a fancy gala the night before the Festival opens. Anything not bought at the auction is available for the public to purchase. We didn't buy a tree, but we sure had a lot of fun strolling through the isles and seeing all the amazing work that goes into the decorations

A Winter Hat

Great Grandma Buffo loves to make hats for all the kids....look how beautiful our little man is in his winter hat. Thank you Grandma. Kendry loves wearing the hat, never gives us even a minutes trouble getting it on and keeping it there!

A Conversation with Grandpa

Kendry is such a good conversationalist this seemed like a perfect way to start the season. Here he is having a good old boy's chat with Grandpa. Grandpa has been under the weather for several days....so sitting next to Kendry is just about as relaxing as it can get for him.

The Day of Giving Thanks

View Full Album

Thanksgiving - a celebration of pleasant memories, organized by Jason and Julie, with Halie and Brevin being ever so helpful. It is our holiday for family and friends, remembering what is important in our lives. If your family is anything like ours, what is most important on Thanksgiving Day is food.....Food Glorious Food.

Brunch was served around 10:00....being that Kendry is really into eating these days...he knew exactly what to do with the warm biscuit

Pick it up and ..................

Yes, into the mouth it goes!

Before dinner.....grandpa was a little under the weather and was caught sound asleep on the sofa.

Preparations for the dinner are underway, but Kendry couldn't wait for the mashed potatoes....what a good eater he is! Halie and Brevin are standing close by hoping that dinner is ready soon.

Today was truly a fulfilling day and I am so thankful .........for my parents who have always given me reason to celebrate.

for Grandma Leola and Grandma Geri who are so good at those sewing projects we need
for the blessings that we have as a family to be able to enjoy all the good things

for our beautiful granddaughter Halie who is so in love with her cousin Kendry.

for Grandpa, as our family patriarch, always offers a beautiful pray of thanks for all that we are blessed with and enjoy.

Our definition of Thanksgiving is simply one word ~ Family!

I am ever so grateful for each one of you, for without all of you I surely would be lost. You have ALL given me so much love, support & hope. I am blessed to have all of you in my life. I cannot imagine what my journey would be like without you.

Old Man Winter

We knew it had to come sooner or later..I mean, after all this is Utah. No getting away from it...and arrive it did..but I hear the vengeance is yet to come in....TOMORROW NIGHT! Old man winter came a knocking in the middle of the night, howling, scowling, and making his presence felt...UGH!

I'm so happy that most of the cleanup in the yard had been completed this week...I wanted to stay in the denial mode and have everything sunny and bright through "Giving Thanks" day..not to be! But I'm pretty giddy with happiness because I have some great people in my life who are Johnny on the spot (Don't know who they are for sure, not even sure if her/his name is Johnny...but...) my garbage cans full of fall leaves..etc are always on the curb Monday morning.

and another blessing lookie here...my rosemary plant is still surviving! There will be rosemary bread for dinners still to come!

and one more sweet treat....a dear friend who knows my love for Starbuck's Chai Tea brought me a warm cup to start my week off with style!

I think I am now ready to except that winter has come and so has another day! Let old man winter make all the stink he wants. Kendry and I will have a nice warm fireplace to cuddle by ALL DAY LONG...and Night if we want! Life is Sweet!

My New Blankie ~ Thank You Aunt Julie, Halie & Brevin

 

Oh my goodness, I am so excited to tell you all about this beautiful new blanket. Soft, cozy, warm and pure luxury for Little Man. We gave it to him and he quickly buried his little face in it, I can imagine him saying, "Wow, never felt anything so cozy!" Here he is sleeping with it. It keeps him so warm and it will be great to bring along in the car during the cold winter months.

 

Aunt Julie, Halie and Brevin made this beautiful quilt for Kendry.....some very talented relatives he has!

My Elephant

Little Man and His Remote

Little Boy and His Toy!

Ever find that one item that you didn't know you needed until you had it? We already have one Evenflo ExerSaucer, but we decided that another was necessary at the home next door....so we went looking on KSL Classified and look what we found......and what a deal it was!
Here is Kendry in his saucer.....as you can tell he absolutely ((((LOVES))))it. There are so many options in it that he never gets bored. Plus by the time he makes it completely around it, it is like he is rediscovering the toys it holds all over again.

Wordless Wednesday "Clouds"

My Baby He Wrote Me A Letter

Lk-ki-ki-k-k[vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv/// cj80n\

\.;,v,,mgb bols mnb .l

Vhb/clo0lkohy78gtfv9yopj jionpojn jionpojn9uyg

J9uhg99vbp m;./ kjp ugfc jk./

Kjkbvn0999u0xd

Our Little Smurf

Living Among the Trees

Trees are much like human beings and enjoy each other's company. Only a few love to be alone!

When I was in my early years....don't even go there with how long ago that was....I don't ever remember anyone ever telling me that I was anything but a happy well adjusted individual! Maybe I was so caught up in the game of loving life..I probably didn't realize that the way I viewed myself could have been at odds with the way others viewed me.....probably didn't matter to me what other's thought! Ouch! Now what other's think breaks my heart sometimes!

So today's Life Lesson is: No matter what other's think I will keep my face to the sunshine, because I am an individual and I have my own special purpose. I control who is in my life and who is not. It is time to take charge of my life and get rid of those who not on the same team with me. I know that I will be much better off in the end and I will be successful if I surround myself with supportive friends and family who say "You Can Do It!"

Rainy Days and Mondays will not get me down! I love the smell of rain and the freshness of new life that it brings....so bring it!

Today I can take action to improve my situation and when tomorrow arrives, I can do the same. Radically acceptance...focus on the reality of today, focus on solutions instead of the problems, and seize the power of the present moment!

Stand for Something

photo by Sweet J

"If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans"....I have no idea who said these words, but it certainly rings true with what is happening in my life today! I had plans, I anticipated, and then bam...I had to learn to be flexible and readjust!

Currently, I am really trying to turn myself around, pick myself up, and start all over again!

There is so much good. So much Change. So much possibility standing in front of me right now and I feel like all I can do is grab hold and go along for the ride.

I am doing my very best to fight off the what ifs and the worries.

Instead of trying to be the control freak that I am and plan everything out just how I want it to be...I am learning to make the best of what I have in this very moment and enjoy the walk down the path my life is taking.

I don't have a clue where all of this will lead me, but I just feel in my heart and soul that I'm headed somewhere beautiful, wonderful, and best of all good for me!

In life, there are two paths available to each of us. The path I travel is determined entirely by my own actions, my decisions, and my priorities. I am now faced with decisions each day, some that are easy, and some that are very very difficult.

My life has cycled through prosperity and challenges, and I honestly have fully experienced both...today I am opening my life to the road less traveled....to find what this little inhabited path might bring to me! And as the great Yankee Yogi Berra said:

"When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it!".....I'm ready!

Little Man is 5 months Old

Every month that passes, we are amazed at how quickly Kendry is growing and developing. Every day we notice more things he's doing and learning. Here are some things we are noticing about him as he starts moving towards that big half year birthday:

• He is very alert and curious. He follows our every movement in the room, even when someone else is holding him.
• He responds to his name and is very attentive when anyone talks to him.
• He is mimicking sounds and has mastered blowing bubbles which he is constantly doing..which in turn, gets his shirts all wet and slobbery!
• He must be teething (we thought this the whole month), because everything he gets his hands on, goes right into his mouth.
• He loves to hold a blanket and keep it against his face.
• He reaches for things...anything and has very good control of his hands. He can even pull one of the toys off of his saucer walker! He has a very strong GRIP!
• He just isn't sleeping through the night like many other babies his age, we still play the game "chase the pacifier and put it in the mouth" although the night.
• He continues to be very verbal, making such high pitch squealing sounds, we are sure the neighbors can hear it!
• He loves to hold on to his bottle and he definitely knows what a bottle means when he sees it!
• He can roll over from his tummy to his back, and just today he rolled from his back to his tummy.
• He loves to stand up, sit up and bounce! When he's excited, he bounces all over the place.
• He still loves getting his diaper changed and is his most verbal self during that time.
• He always wakes up in the happiest mood and reaches for our face.
• He is fascinated by his hands, and has managed to grab his feet. He can even grab his pacifier and put it in all by himself.
• He never complains when we dress him....ever! He even loves wearing a hat!
• We LOVE every second with him and are SO thankful that we have been blessed with such a beautiful, happy, healthy, sweet little man!

Hugs and Kisses forever!

Halloween Warning…….

The Little Prince

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them!

Heartful Giving

4 Months Today

Here I am early Monday morning....4 months and look how I've grown. Grandma will be back with all the stat later this afternoon...we are on our way to see Dr. Nye for the 4 month check up. Look how happy I am right now.........we'll see what the day brings!

Stats
Weight: 15 lbs ( 53%ile)
Height: 24 3/4" (47%ile)
Head Circumference: 16 1/2" (41%ile)

The appointment went great, aside from the fact that we cannot go to 'well visit' and be at the office for less than two hours. Yes, this is very frustrating for us, and has had us contemplating is this really the place we want to be???

Kendry was in GREAT spirits for the first HOUR of our wait...in the waiting room... Then, with a minute shy of the doctor walking in, he started to get hungry, tired and fussy. So, of course, we spent the remainder of the appointment all talking over Kendry's cries while trying to calm him down. I don't know what questions the doc picked up from us, or how much information we retained from him. However, little man finally fell asleep, only to be woken back up about 15 minutes later with shots! Argh, so frustrating! But, overall...the appointment went well.

A few words from Kendry now:
I'm even more fun now than I was a month ago. I smile and coo regularly, and I'm starting to have whole "conversations" now. I love it when you say, "Ah-Ah-Ah-CHOO" and "SHOO... Stinky Feet." That makes me laugh out loud. I still love to lie out flat on Grandma's kitchen counter to get my diaper changed. Mommy thinks I'm just the cutest thing in the world, and I'm pretty sure everyone else agrees, because everywhere we go people say "Oh he is the cutest little baby!"

I'm also starting to like tummy time, and I really like looking at myself in a mirror. I don't know that it's me that I'm looking at, but I sure do like to talk to that other baby. He's one good looking little fellow - that's all I know. My favorite books are My Peek-a-Boo book and On The Night You Were Born....my grandma's cousin Judy sent it to us! Thank you cousin Judy!

If I can get my burp cloth on my arm just right, I'll play Peek-A-Boo with whoever is holding me. I'll bring the cloth up to my face while you say, "Where's Kendry?" and then bring it down, so you'll say, "There he is." Then I smile so big. I like it when Mommy sings "Where is Kendry" I also like "You are My Sunshine" when I'm trying to go to sleep.

Mommy says she's starting to think more about my future, and she's able to look ahead instead of living in so much fear. Mommy and Grandma both tend to worry a lot, but today the doctor said I was amazing...and doing perfect in every way. I tried to tell them to chill out, but they don't seem to really listen. Grandma is definitely a little bit of a control freak, but it's her only vice, so I try to cut her some slack. After all she has had a difficult month.....Grandpa made her really sad! He comes by often and plays with me for a little while! He said that he misses us.

Anyway, life just gets better and better, and everyone in our family feels so blessed to have me - living, thriving, enjoying my life. I feel pretty blessed too. I know God made this family just for me. And not only do I have a great family (that includes so many grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that love me so much), but I also have so many family friends out there loving me too. And I'm so thankful.

Love and Hugs to all of you,
Kendry

Cookie, Cookie, Cookie, starts with C

 

Tonight we cookied up a batch of fluffy pumpkin cookie with chocolate chips and walnuts. Since the recipe contains both baking powder and baking soda, the cookie dough dough puffs up to make a soft, cakey cookie. The combination of pumpkin pie flavors and the chocolate chips is so fallish and yummy….here’s hoping I don’t eat the whole batch by myself!   (Yes, I know cookied and fallish are not in the dictionary!)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F  for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

October Brings ~ Pumpkins

October brings shorter days and a chill to the air along with the final harvest in our backyard.  Out of that final harvest comes an item I look forward to every year with great anticipation: pumpkins! Yes, pumpkins and winter squashes have arrived and Halloween is not far behind. 

Every year our family gears up for the one day we get to practice our hand at a fleeting but wonderful art form – Halloween pumpkin carving!  This year will be much different……half of us will be missing…..but the fun will go forward! 

This morning I started the Pumpkin Season with pumpkin pancakes for breakfast….they were so yummooo!   Lucky girl that I am, last year I purchased 3 large cans of pumpkin…because remember there was this big threat…………….NO PUMPKIN in any grocery store.   I hear the same threat is with us again this year….so if I find a few stray cans, I’ll be swooping them into my shopping cart…………just in case there are no more PUMPKINS!!!!!

 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Pancake Mix

3 Tbs. brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

1 3/4 cup half and half

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 Tbs. vinegar

1 cup pumpkin puree

Mix the dry ingredients together.   In a blender mix all the wet ingredients…this helps keep the pancakes light and gives the flavor of pumpkin a burst! 

They were fantastic if I do say so myself!