Yikes!

Guys, if we're going to get to go here:

Our passports have to get the heck here in the next two weeks!!!! I'm getting nervous! Somebody who is owed a favor from above please get praying on our behalf's.

M is for Martha

Earlier this month for my mother-in-law's birthday I made these Boston Creme Pie cupcakes:

From this book which my husband bought me a few weeks earlier.

They were pretty good. Probably even better second day, after custard had some time to really blend and sit in the sponge cake. For people who enjoy cupcakes, baking, and/or want fun cupcake decorating ideas, this one would be great. They are not necessarily 'simple' though, so don't go in with that idea! Just cute & fun if you're into it.

I haven't made a lot of the recipes, but looking through the book it has a whole section just on birthday and holiday decorating ideas that are SO dang cute. One day, when I have a reason, I WILL be trying the ladybug cupcakes - they're adorable. I also may have to try some of the monster cupcakes for the end of October.

Excuse the Poor Photographic Evidence.

I know I shouldn't post gross pics taken in a hurry with my bad little point and shoot, especially when then I turn around and take pictures for other peeps. But I promise, I never bring the fuji when I come to a job! :) Plus John usually takes these pictures from his sitting position on the couch, so they're all sorts of artistic and creative (sarcasm). Personally I love the double chins I end up with.

These particular pictures are to be aghast at just how pregnant I look this time around! Everyone tells you that this happens, but it's hard to picture. Granted I started the whole pregnancy a lot heavier this time... I know, bad right? But still, because of being sick, and already being big, I'd only gained like 6 lbs in the pic you will see of my current pregnancy. So it actually came as a shock to me when I realized just how convex I was getting so fast!!!

As proof, not just whining, I will show you - Exhibit A:

37 Weeks Pregnant
Up 30 lbs.
Went into labor a week later.

And as contrast, Exhibit B:

24 Weeks Pregnant
Up 6 lbs.
Approx. 14-16 weeks till labor.

Now, admittedly, my first baby was pretty little... But this is just crazy! If I continued a steady rate from here, I'll look like one of those women that defy gravity. Oh how a would shudder to hear the annoying, 'is it twins?' questions.... not good peeps, not good.

Peach Days

Maybe I don't totally understand Peach Days, having not been born and raised in Brigham City. But it's an odd sort of event if you ask me. And there don't seem to be a lot of peaches actually involved, which is odd also. I also wanted a churro, and I didn't get one. So maybe that increases my disapointment.

It was however a nice enough opportunity to get together with some of John's old high school friends and their wives, and see darth vadar and 'chewie' in the parade...which John thought was awesome.

A Love Story.

I love you dear peach. You make my life complete.

(The measuring cup is there to give you a little size
comparison, these peaches were monsters! That's
a full cup, and they dwarf it. Softballs.)

A Few Things.

I've been doing a lot of shoots and when I'm not shooting, photo editing lately, mostly for a lot of September weddings. Also we moved from Logan to Brigham where we will be house sitting for my in-laws as they get ready and leave for the Czech Republic! The move isn't totally traumatic as we've long since had most of our stuff in storage... which in many ways still made it completely insane how much stuff we still have! Fortunately there wasn't any furniture involved, which is good, since lifting is frowned upon in my current state. Still, as a consequence for all these things, I haven't updated my 'doings' on my blog.

So I'm going to do an update, starting with the MOST recent:

Last weekend I had 2 shoots that both happened to be in Bear Lake. One Friday and one Saturday. So I decided that it would be dumb to come and go and come and go. So with our friends the Hansen's we took off on Friday, they dropped me off at my first shoot and I met them up by Bloomington Lake for some camping. The next morning we got up and went to the lake, and I went to shoot my wedding for a couple hours, then met back up at the beach.

I think everyone else had fun... it was a bit hectic for me all in all!

(Lovely self portraits taken in Bear Lake - never very flattering to do
the one handed photo. Oh, and PS, i'm in my glasses because
evidently my eyes are inflamed and i've been ordered out
of my contacts for two weeks while I put in a myriad of drops.
Glasses and beaches are a stupid combo.)

My parents left on their mission! They left about two weeks ago on a Monday morning to officially fly to Budapest, Hungary... There's been a few updates so far, but you can find their blog from mine for a few details...

(This is their ACTUAL departure to the airport... They were generously
donating this car to a couple from my dad's old married
student ward who now live in Bountiful, so they were driving
off on their own.)

Because of my parents busy retiree schedule, they had to do some unconventional things during their departure for their mission... They left for the MTC on Monday, August 3rd, and were there through friday evening. They were not able to find a Sunday to speak before they left, so they got scheduled to speak on August 9th, after the MTC, and then would fly out on August 10th. My mom was saying that we'd have to figure something out for like food for the family and friends who came to see them talk, but let's face it, she had no time. So I told her to not worry and I'd handle it. HA! I have never planned food for 35-40 people... I told people who asked not to bother bringing things because I worried it would be too hard for the relatives coming from a distance the morning of, and also I worried that I wouldn't know WHAT to plan on as far as what people would make and how much food I'd end up with or not end up with. And I'm a worrier! I had my sister-in-law who lives in a town, and a friend bake cookies like mad women for me, and the night before I had all my siblings and my cousin in my mom's kitchen, chopping, washing, and bagging all sorts of things like my little minnions. All this leads me to believe... mormons be crazy.

(Those sugar cookies are stars decorated like the Hungarian flags!
Cute, huh? My sister Emily and I made them the day before.)

My mom turned 60! This also happend to happen the day before my parents spoke in church, so much of her birthday was spent in the kitchen baking muffins and overseeing my aforementioned minnions. However, my brother Andrew tried out his domestic side and he and his roomate/our cousin David made a strawberry rhubarb pie which we used as a birthday cake. We were all duly impressed with their pie making abilities! Go boys!


John had to take some pictures of a new product for Camp Chef, so with the Chef picking up the tab for some food suitable to go on the product, we headed up Green Canyon to take the pics and asked our friends the Hansen's if they didn't want to come along and help us eat the food once it came off the grill from the photos. We picked a spot based on the optimal level of cloud cover, however, didn't take into account how dusty it was! Their son is just 2, and was the funniest thing ever after a few hours up there!!!

(This seriously doesn't even do justice to how dirty this kid got!!! HA!!!)

AND, I think we're caught up now, haha. For all those that stayed tuned in to this massive post, congrats... I would give you a cookie, but I'm all baked out.

Ah Oh!

So Holly and Brent are moving in to my parents house during their absence, and while we were all gathered around this last weekend at the house, Caden learned a trick!!!

Holly, in the future eighteen months if you're looking for Caden and can't find him, I have a suggestion for where to look.