Bo's Mission Call

It's been an eventful week for Bo. First, Bo had his birthday. Next, his mission call arrived on Thursday and finally, the magazine edition featuring the look alike contest that Bo was a finalist in came in the mail on Friday.

So for the results we've all been waiting for, Bo's has been called to serve in the Frankfurt, Germany mission and will be leaving on November 12. Here are some highlights from his week.
Winston helping Bo open his presents.

Bo's favorite birthday cake - chocolote cake with chocolate fudge frosting. Yum!

Bo's friends Tyler and Mike waiting for Bo to open his mission call.
Mike, Bo and Naomi - just after opening his call.
Bo's picture in the Look-a-Like Contest showing that he does resemble Prince Harry.

Recipe of the Week - Pumpkin Bread

So, although I hate to admit it, summer is almost over. It's getting closer to fall and lately I've been wanting pumpkin - bread, cookies, etc. This is another recipe I found on Allrecipe.com.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Downeast-Maine-Pumpkin-Bread/Detail.aspx .

I've made this recipe twice in the last month and it is simply delicious! Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

DOWNEAST MAINE PUMPKIN BREAD
INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Bo's Mission Update

Bo finished his mission papers and met with our stake president on Sunday to turn his papers in. He should receive his call in about two weeks. For fun, Brad had each of us pick a stateside and foreign location guess for where he might go. Brad picked Massachusetts and Zimbabwe. I picked Kentucky and Austria. Zack picked Louisiana and France. I'm excited to see who will be closest.

Winston's First Parade

It was our annual city celebration this past weekend so of course we had to go to the parade. Winston's never been to a parade before. At first he just sat in his stroller, taking everything in. It didn't take long for him to notice that they were throwing candy and the other kids were running around picking it up so of course he had to join in. His favorite part (besides picking up all the candy) was the horses. He calls all animals by the sound they make so when he saw the horses, he excitedly hollered out "Neigh. Neigh.", while pointing at the horses. He had a blast and absolutely loved the whole event.
Taking a drink break.
Here Mom.
Sharing an M&M with Mom.
Watching the parade.

Showing off all of his loot from the parade. We came back with a lot of candy. It was almost like Halloween.

Recipe of the Week - Fresh Tomato Salsa

I'm so happy now that the tomatoes are coming on and you can buy them fresh at road side stands. I love fresh salsa! So here's a recipe I like to throw together. Enjoy!

FRESH TOMATO SALSA

INGREDIENTS:
8 large roma (plum) tomatoes, cut into sections and the seeds and juice scooped out
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded
1 jalapeno, seeded
1 bunch cilantro
1 small lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. pepper, or to taste
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)

DIRECTIONS:
Put all ingredients in a food processor and chop to desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tip of the Week - Snack Catchers

While looking for some food containers that I could pack food in for Winston to take on our recent trip to Lake Powell, I came across these handy little cups on Amazon.com. They really work great. Winston can reach in and grab some crackers or cereal or whatever and it doesn't spill. Not even when he drops it. Granted, he can make a mess when he really wants to, but these help prevent inadvertent spills. They're great for in the car or on the go. Also, they wash up great.

Swim Lessons

We've enrolled Winston in swim lessons. Although he's too young to really learn how to swim, he is learning how to float. Since we spend so much time around water, I felt it was important that he learn this skill and he's been a little trooper about the whole thing. He doesn't enjoy going underwater (and I don't enjoy watching it either!) but he's learned how to roll over, reach for the surface and float. Here are a few photos from some of his lessons.