Well, that didn't last long...

As you may have guessed, the recipe challenge is over (for now). I really didn't think things through. It's tax season, which means audits, which means I'm a single mom for the next 4 months. I just don't cook big meals when Justin isn't here. I can't find time with how hectic the evenings are, and I have a finicky eater, so food just gets wasted when I cook big meals. Trust me though, it's not for lack of desire. I was having a blast. I love to cook. I love trying new recipes. So, I will start over in April, when my family is complete again. I'll still post lots of yummy recipes, it just won't be new things (well, new to me things).

We've also have had a few major events in our household. First of all, I started and finished a huge project this past week. I'll blog more about that later.

AJ has continued to blossom and grow...this is how I found her after her nap a week or so ago:


She has since pulled up in her playpen, on my arm, on Kendra's table (which incidentally fell over since it's a little kiddie card table) and the TV stand. Needless to say, the crib mattress is as low as it will go, and things are being picked up off of the couch, end tables, bookcases, TV stand, etc. constantly. She can also scoot a little bit while standing, and the other day she walked her truck from one end of the family room to the other. Look out world, she's growing up.

We also celebrated a birthday. Froggy turned 4.

No, it wasn't really his birthday, Froggy actually came into existence in June, but I didn't have the heart to break it to Kendra...she was so excited. She made the cake in her new Easy Bake oven...and as you can tell, she sampled some frosting. Thanks Grandma for the wonderful present...she loves it! We've also had some science experiments, thanks to Aunt Kari, Uncle Jake, and Trent. Colored water is fun to play with...especially when it changes colors when you pour it together. It's also fun to make crystals...or jewels as Kendra calls them. She is definitely all girl...obsessed with anything pretty.

Editor's note: Please ignore Kendra's attire in the above picture. I don't let her go out in public like this, but when she's home, she gets to pick out whatever she wants to wear. The girl can throw together some CRAZY outfits...and no matter what she's wearing, she's usually also adorning a crown and several (meaning 12) necklaces.