Oh Hey, Remember Me?

Before I posted about the Butternut Squash Soup, I didn't realize how long it had been since I last posted... Sorry! So, here is a total picture dump. Oh, and Thanksgiving Vacation? Didn't pull out my camera once. Yup. Epic fail. Sorry folks. Anyway, here we go!

These pictures are from Claire's birthdays. Yes, birthdays. Jeff and Valerie came for her actual birthday weekend and then my parents and Tara and David came down the next weekend for the BYU v OSU game and to celebrate Claire's birthday. The pictures are in no particular order :)

Claire's first birthday cake. A White Pumpkin :)

These next are just random pictures of Claire

Girlfriend LOVES lemons! She will eat and eat and eat as many as you give. One night, Dallin left his cup with some lemons on the ground and Claire discovered it the next morning. :)

These are family pictures that Ashley Henry took for us back in October. We LOVE how they turned out! Thanks Ash!

Anytime I get out the camera or camcorder lately, she crawls toward me to try to get the camera. :)

The Beautiful fall trees outside our window.

My Birthday! For some reason, Blogger won't let me upload certain photos, so this is the only one from my birthday that you get to see! :)

Spinach, anyone? As soon as the fridge door opens, she bolts toward it and plays inside. I turned around for like 2 minutes to start making bread and when I suddenly realized it was too quiet and turned around, this is what I saw. :)

So, that is life for us right now! Claire is getting into everything, has taken a few steps, but refuses to actually walk, and Dallin is wrapping up his first semester of school. Life is fabulous and we're grateful for this wonderful season where we are able to reflect on all our blessings and the beautiful gift of our Savior's atonement.

Butternut Squash Soup

This is one of Dallin and my new favorites! We eat it like every two weeks :) Andrea Calaway was the first person to introduce us to this soup, but I didn't have her recipe, so I found a similar one online and then tweaked where I saw fit! Here's my recipe for all interested parties.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 1/2 Butternut Squashes, peeled and diced
1/2 Onion, diced
3 Cups Water
2 Cubes Chicken Bouillon
1 Can Chicken Broth
Franks Hot Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce) to taste
2 tsp Basil
2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Marjoram
1 1/4 8-ounce Packages Cream Cheese
Bacon

In a soup pot, mix together all ingredients, minus the cream cheese. Let boil for 25 minutes or until squash is tender. In food processor or blender, puree the squash mixture with the cream cheese until smooth. Pour back into soup pot on low heat and heat through, but don't boil. Serve with crumbled bacon on top and enjoy!

This soup really is delicious, pretty fast and very easy! The longest/hardest part is just peeling and dicing the squash, but it is totally worth it! Hope you all enjoy it on those cold winter nights. :)

(This is a very filling soup, too.)