Christmas stockings

We have a tradition that every year we make our own Christmas stockings. We get the felt stockings and some puffy paint and create a lasting memory! Here is the finished product...

Christmas Morning breakfast

I must say that our Christmas morning breakfast was nothing short of a gourmet meal. Okay that's a little bit of a stretch, but I found this recipe for Blueberry Sizzle French Toast that is FANTASTIC! Thought I would share it with you...

BlueBerry sizzle French Toast

1 loaf French bread, cut into 2" cubes

8 Large Eggs
(3 c milk, 4 t sugar, 3/4 t salt 1 T vanilla)

(4 T melted butter, cinnamon/sugar)

Blueberry sizzle topping:

1 1/2 c blueberries

1 T Butter, 3/4 c maple syrup, dash nutmeg

Place bread cubes tightly in sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour over bread. Cover/refrigerate overnight, 6-36 hours. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove; baste with melted butter. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon/sugar. Bake 5-10 minutes more.

In a nonstick skillet, cook clueberries in melted butter 3 minutes. Add syrup and nutmeg. Bring to boil. Serve warm over French toast servings.

**We found that it tastes great with or without the blueberry drizzle. We also tried topping it with powdered sugar instead of the blueberry drizzle and that was yummy too!

Finally Festive

It's taken us a while this year to get the Christmas decorating, Christmas baking, and Christmas shopping done. But we are finally festive!

This kid loves to be scared!

Wyatt is so funny, he absolutely loves to be scared, he loves the anticipation of being scared. In this video he is watching the scene in CARS where Lightning McQueen and Mater are tractor tipping. Lightning McQueen makes a loud sound when he revs up his engine, then the tractor wakes up and tips over. Wyatt wanted to watch it over and over and over again and had the same reaction every time. So funny!

Thanksgiving Point

Had a fun evening at the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. I think the erosion table was the biggest hit! This was right up Wyatt's alley....sand, water, splashing, making a mess...he was in heaven.

More Thanksgiving Picts

The kids had a great time playing in Grandma's backyard, there were several days that were warm enough to be out without coats on which gave everyone time to burn off energy. One of their favorite things was to play in the leaves, they even helped grandma bag up a few.

We spent some time exploring Provo Canyon and other scenic areas.

We also saw the lights at Temple Square. It looks so pretty this time of year. We attempted to take a nice picture for our christmas card while there, but it is nearly impossible to get all 4 kids looking at the camera at the same time in 15 degree weather, amidst a crowd of thousands of people, and all have a smile on their face. Didn't happen. Gave up. I'm not sure I'll get Christmas cards out anyway. :)

Thanksgiving at Daniel Summit Lodge

We were in Utah for Thanksgiving and spend Thanksgiving day at the Daniel Summit Lodge near Strawberry Reservoir. They had a fantastic holiday lunch and beautiful scenery! The kids had fun playing in the snow and swimming in a pool all in the same day!

Wyatt loved playing on the deck, we saw lots of deer tracks in the snow, but never saw any deer. It was beautiful to be up in the mountain and so close to nature.

Dear Blog: I have ignored you long enough...here goes nothing....

Wyatt is adjusting well to his new schedule in school. He is going between two schools now, which means still lots of driving for me, but he has such great teachers! We are truly blessed to have wonderful teachers and therapists helping him gain new skills all the time. However, this is what he looks like at the end of the day....

Totally exhausted! He has about 6 hours of therapy/classroom time every day monday through friday, so he has been falling asleep on the bus ride home with some regularity these days.

Let's get it done this year!

http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=54038142001#/Health/State+lawmakers+considering+bill+requiring+autism+coverage/48541678001/48340612001/54038142001

Autism bills have been "pre-filed" in both the Missouri House and Senate this year. Let's get it passed this year! Of the 12 most common neurologic disorders, Autism is the ONLY one that insurance is allowed to deny coverage for both the diagnosis and treatment. This is a real problem, affecting real families. One in 100 children born today will be diagnosed with Autism. ABA therapy makes a huge difference in the development of these children, but it costs between $60,000 and $100,000 per year. These bills will go a long way to helping these kids lead meaningful lives. ABA therapy in the preschool years can make the difference between having a self sufficient adult, or having one who will rely on government assistance for their entire life. Doesn't it make sense to spend a little money now, to save a lot later? Not to mention that these kids deserve to receive the therapy they need!