Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

I came across some fun Halloween pictures. This is my sister & I on Halloween 1996. This was right when Dad & Debbie purchased their first house. Dad took us around our new neighborhood (I remember LOTS of walking). I think this was the last time I went out trick-or-treating. I was a freshman in high school.

My Favorite lil Pumpkin!

Yesterday, we joined our friends, the Paices, Kimballs & Fonokalafis in the fun tradition of carving pumpkins! I couldn't resist the opportunity to put David in his cute Pumpkin outfit, since we weren't sure if we'd have the chance to see our friends on Halloween. Yes, I'm a dorky mom, but you know you can't resist a baby in a pumpkin outfit! Plus, my mom got it on sale last year when she found out she was going to be a grandma! hehe

Jamin did the majority of cleaning out the goopy pumpkin guts & I carved a simple pattern of bats. We have another pumpkin that we may carve into later this week, we haven't decided yet. Ashley's huge pumpkin is a big scary tree & Tammy took on the challenge of a great spider web! Lots of fun!

In other, equally exciting news, David turned four months on Friday! He had his well-baby check up today, including another round of immunizations. He now weighs 16 lbs., 1 oz. & is 26" long! Big boy! But he's proportionate & growing at a normal rate, so we're happy. The Dr. even commented on what an easy-going guy he is. He was just all smiles for her! -he usually is, for anyone checking him out in just his diaper! lol! It's funny, but any time I change his diaper (or anyone, for that matter), he just gets all chatty & smiley. Little flirt!

David hasn't quite gotten to rolling over yet (it's a lot of baby to move!), but he sure enjoys trying to sit up. He sits fine by himself for a short while, then his head gets heavy & he tips over. So Mom or Dad are always right there. He also has discovered his feet in the past month & loves trying to put them in his mouth & tug on his toes.

3 Jack-O-Lanterns

this just makes me smile :)

Ginger Coconut Fried Rice

I promised a few months ago to share this recipe. This yummy recipe is now in our menu favorites. I discovered it in our ward cookbook & served with BBQ teriyaki chicken for the first time in August for my in-laws. We made it again for a dinner with friends this past weekend. Enjoy!

1 c white basmati rice (we used Jasmine rice & it was good)
1 c water
3/4 c canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 t finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbutter
2 carrots, diced (we used 1/2 pkg of shredded carrots)
6 green onions
2 T sweetened shredded coconut
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T fresh cilantro


In med. pot over high heat, combine rice, water, coconut milk, ginger & salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover, simmer for 15 minutes. (We skipped this & just used our rice cooker) Let stand until rice is tender & liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over high heat. Add carrots, green onions, coconut & garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until carrots soften slightly, 3-4minutes.Add rice mixture. Cook, stirring frequently until rice is lightly browned & no longer sticky, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro & serve. (These pictures show a double batch)

Giggles!

It's been so much fun seeing all the new things David is learning to do! He started laughing at the end of September. David gets chatty & smiley while I'm changing his diaper (probably from relief that his bum gets cleaned! lol!)

When I blow raspberries on his cheek or belly, he giggles... nothing makes stress of the day melt away like a baby's giggle!

David rambing away

This post is especially for our family who is further away from us. We know you don't get to interact with David much or hear him other than on the phone (they're always noisy right when we want to make a phone call huh) Our camera has a video option & I only really played around with it when we first got it. Well today, I had a great opportunity to try it out! (& figure out how to post it here for you!) I was sitting at the computer while David was hanging out in his walker. He was cracking me up with all his chattering & thankfully the camera was right next to me. Here he is, giving his toy bear a stern talking-to. hehe

General Conference @ Grandma's

Most of you know that the first weekend in October is the fall semi-annual general conference for our church. We spent the Sunday afternoon session at Jamin's parents where David got lots of Grandma time with Jeri. Graham snapped a few shots of him smiling and laughing.

I realized that I have lots of sleeping baby pictures here on the blog... sorry! It's just that the rest of the time we're playing & living life & it's not always on the top of my head to grab my camera. :)

Perfect Weekend for the Pumpkin Patch!

We enjoyed a beautiful 3 day weekend full of fun & relaxation. On Saturday, Jamin, David & I went with our friends, Ashley, Kevin & Tyson to the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island. We hope to make this a Fall family tradition. It was a lot of fun taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to select some pumpkins for carving in a couple weeks. We also purchased some corn & other produce from the farm & visited some animals in the barn. Of course, we couldn't leave without munching on a delicious caramel apple too! It was a great day! We had another great day on Sunday when my McLam grandparents & Aunt Margaret came for a visit from Spanaway, WA (I'll share some photos soon!)

I told you... he'll sleep anywhere

Last week, I got together with a few girlfriends to make cards & craft. We're trying to do that regularly for time outside the house with other adults. There was too much excitement for David that he wasn't too interested in napping for more than 20 minutes (compared to his normal 2 hour naps). My friend Joy was holding David for a bit while I finished a project. Well he was so tired, he fell asleep hanging in her arms - it was pretty comical.

Naptime

A couple of weeks ago, we purchased David's crib. He seems to like his new sleep hangout. I sneaked a snapshot of him a few days after getting the crib. Just wanted to share since I've been such a blog slacker & a few people have asked for pics! :D