what we've learned...

since moving from our lovely home in Utah -
1. rain can consistently fall for days on end and your house will (hopefully) not flood.
2. the price on organic food is really based on supply and demand, and is not an outrageous price when it is in high demand.
3. bath towels can stay wet forever, even when put through the dryer multiple times.
4. humans can live without seeing the sun for weeks at a time.
5. you must have lamps and windows when living in Washington.
6. I believe vampires do live here based on the fact that our daylight has decreased to a few hours a day.
7. netflix is a good investment.
8. thrift stores and garage sales are not only for the needy and poor.
9. driving is difficult for the absent-minded driver when there are two main freeways both going north-south.
10. it is worth all the time-money-effort needed to achieve your dreams. Even though it is a lot of hard work, at least you are able to enjoy yourself during the journey.

(These pics are from earlier this week when little miss schmutz decided to make a new snack-time-area with my kitchen stool. She figured out how to sit in it all by herself and is now regularly sitting there while I make dinner. This is very useful since she is always grumpy and complaining for dinner while I am cooking, so she now usually gets a before-dinner-snack)

WARNING: this post will probably get boring...

This post is mostly about pictures of a little bumblebee...and is for the grandparents we left behind in Utah. But, that being said, if you are still reading... we hope you had a wonderfully happy halloween!

These pictures were taken right before we headed out to our church halloween party. Little miss schmutz was so excited that she was able to wear her bumblebee outfit outside! I was so surprised how excited she was to even put the suit on - I hadn't even shown it to her other than the day that we bought it. But when Jake pulled it out of her closet, she instantly knew it was for her and immediately sat down (her way of saying "please-put-this-on-me") So, obviously, the fact that she could wear it outside was a super plus.

like I said, the post is made up of pictures of our little bumblebee.

after our little photo op at our house we headed over to our church for a chilli dinner, costume parade, and trick or treating. It was a lot of fun and a lot of people! We made some new friends and had a great time! (Jake, btw, is in the middle of his midterm week, so we were lucky that he pulled away from the books to spend some time with us for halloween! and, for all of those wondering - he is loving school - there is just a lot to learn.)

We then headed up to monroe to go trick or treating with Amber and her family! Even when it started raining, our bumblebee was trugging on - she never quite got the idea that every house she stopped at would give her candy, but she did like the idea of going on a very long walk while getting to eat candy. And we were lucky that it didn't rain long so mom and dad could enjoy the trick or treatin' too.

and last, and least, I just wanted to post up the little banner I made for our trick.or.treat door at the church. I had a lot of fun making it.. hehe.

And, for everyone in utah - we're excited to see you all in dec! we've got our flights all booked and are just waiting for school to be over! We'll see you soon!

let the festivities begin!

Halloween is on at our house... well... not really, but we did carve a Mr. Jack O. last night. It is actually the first time that Jake and I have carved together - but I am sure glad we decided to do it this year, it was a lot of fun!

I, as her mother, am still convinced that miss schmutz has a very medical minded brain.. I have always felt this way. But I think our little pumpkin surgery proved that at least part of my theory is correct - she is not disgusted by slimy-gross-pumpkin-fillings. So I am guessing that she will also find anatomy lap delightful {but not until she is older!}

And she would not stop playing with the goop. We finally had to take a break from carving and clean off the table because Ashlyn was throwing goop everywhere.

Ashlyn had to stick her finger in every hole once Jake removed the carved section. She watched him so intently - it was so cute!

Jake is such a pro at carving... he gets a lot of practice at school... lovely.

And, for my moment of glory, it probably took me a few minutes and at least a dozen trys to get the candle lit. Don't ask me why I have such a hard time lighting a cigarette lighter - i.just.can.not.get.them.to.light! It is just a very good thing that I don't smoke... for more than one reason...

our happy mr. jack O... {we were so happy when he wasn't smashed last night while we were sleeping! hopefully he will last the whole week!}


and a quicky little picture of us all together... what a happy family we are :D

more fall fashion from the babe...

This is where formal and casual wear meet. The little fashion expert in our home has dubbed it a "trend" to mix casual pajama wear with nice pretty peep-toe shoes.

socks are a good compliment to the trend, and are a must have if going out into the fridged winter air. And having your shoes a touch too big isn't much to worry about, obviously.

-Ash

To go along with the little miss' fashion advice, I have to share a story...

It was a normal evening in our little house hold. Jake had just gotten home from school and, like usually, was in/around the kitchen waiting for dinner to be done. The normal in our house is for Jake and Ashlyn to wander, constantly, in and out of the kitchen waiting for food to be done - while, conviently, getting in my way.

As I have said, this was a normal evening; and on this normal evening Jake was singing a silly made-up song to Ashlyn. Well usually when Jake decides to sing a "made-up" song the lyrics rhyme, but they don't change a lot from verse to verse. It so happened to be one of those nights where Ashlyn was not in the mood to hear the same words sung to her again, and again. I cannot remember how many verses Jake had rehearsed, but he had been singing for a while when Ashlyn, as sweet as could be, raised her little finger up to her lips and said "Shhhh". She would not stop "shh"ing until Jake stopped singing. It was so very funny! We have been teaching her about being quiet and would "shh" her at church...So, its good to see that she really does understand us.

Well we hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween! I know we're excited... The little miss definately knows what candy is - So she should understand whats going on this time around.

Happy Halloween!

ah, autumn...

Is here! Which I love! Autumn is one of my favorite seasons... it is full of beautiful colors, chilly and cocoa filled mornings, late warm evening strolls, new and fun scarfs hats & sweaters, and lots of thoughtful moments about the upcoming holiday season... it is all around delightful!

And this past week at our local vegi/fruit market while we were doing our produce shopping, Ashlyn was fascinated with corn on the cob. We ended up picking up a couple for a few different dinners we were having that week.

Needless to say, she loved the whole process that the cob entailed - husking, inspecting and taste testing the corn before cooking (we must make sure we picked the very best ones) It was only the cooking process that brought our little curly headed princess to tears.. she couldn't believe she had to part with her delicious dinner for minutes on end. But it was a happy and exciting reunion when the corn was at last finished and devoured within minutes.

But, other than having delicious vegetables, the other things in our lives are going wonderful! We are pretty well settled (I don't know if I've said that before) Jake is enjoying his classes very much and feels that BYU prepared him well for the intensity of medical school. Ashlyn and I have found (with Amber's help) all the shopping that we could want and are doing countless little crafty projects.


Ashlyn is also starting to say quiet a bit - Kitty, That, Thank you, Daddy (which is by far the most common), No, Movie, Ear (no surprise) and Momma on occasion. It is still all a bit jumbled, but she is getting the hang of talking. She also loves to sing with me in the morning and at church- our ward is very understanding. I just can't believe how big she is getting! We hope you all are doing well! and we miss you!

Luvs, the Schmutzs

learning our colors!

coloring is one of little miss schmutz's favorite pass times! {yes, I know... a girl after my own heart}

She is quiet an inspiration - her color combinations {with only eleven colors to choose from} are amazingly gorgeous! haha.

I love being mother to such a crazy little girl. She has suddenly found her funny bone and seems to strive every minute to either make herself laugh or make me laugh... she usually ends up doing both.

little miss baker...

These pictures remind me of the very first time I knew that my first little baby {ashlyn} was going to be a girl. I was only a few months pregnant and baking cookies when I had a strong impression that my little bundle of joy was going to be a girl... and help me make cookies someday...

... well let me tell you, she is such a great help in the kitchen! can't you tell?


I am sure someday she will realize that flour goes in the bowl, and not on her pants and that chocolate chips also go in the bowl... not in her mouth. But until that day comes, I will enjoy watching her bake in her own special recipes.