New Email Address

Hey Everyone,
I'm sure most of you think I have dropped off the face of the earth, and I promise that although I have been MIA in the blogging world, I am still alive and doing well! My computer is undergoing some serious changes which is creating a lot of anxiety for me....I don't do well with change! Anyways, I promise to update my blog soon with pictures and let you all know what we have been up to the last month or so. In the meantime, I have changed my email address for those of you who don't know. The new email address is: meridithtoram@me.com

I hope you are all having a Merry Christmas so far and I'll write soon!

Meridith

History has been Made...

I haven't been able to post anything as of late because my computer CRASHED!!  Hopefully, it will be up and running again soon, not sure!  But, I couldn't wait to post a few comments on my thoughts of Tuesday night so that I can remember this day and how I felt.  Although I am a Republican and subsequently support the republican party and it's leaders, I must say I found myself full of pride and excited as the results came in on Tuesday night.  I wasn't really disappointed or discouraged like many who voted for McCain.  Instead, I was grateful to be apart of history and see something happen that many thought they would never witness in their lifetime.  It was thrilling to see all the headlines the next day announcing that History had been made, and I was a part of it.  To think about how far our country has come and what just happened is inexplainable.  I cried that night thinking of Martin Luther King Jr. and how he must feel right now looking down on America.  I thought of our constitution and how wonderful it is to have a document in our country stating freedom, and equality as our premise and seeing now that it really is true.  I am so glad that I was here for this wonderful day in time to see it happen and unfold right in front  of me.  It is an exciting time.  I hope that President Elect Obama can bring about the change he promises and can steer our country into a better, more stable condition.  I also must add that I was very impressed with John McCain and his spirit of gratitude and how well he accepted his loss.  He is a very impressive man and really does love his Country.  

Here's hoping the next four years are as great as we all can hope!

Catching Up....

I'm trying to do a little catch up so this post might be a little long winded but here goes.....

Maddy is now EIGHTEEN months and had her check up today!  She is in the 85% for weight (gasp!) and 50% for height.  She is such a growing girl, and we love her!!!!

How could you not love this face?!!
Cody's work had a Halloween party over the weekend and so we got to get all dressed up and have a fun time.  Here's the three cutest kids on the block:
Bronson: the army man!
Hailey: the Karate girl!
Maddy: Supergirl with an army twist! :)

Bronson looks like he's having a blast!
This is Hailey picking up the "coolest kid costume" award
Here's Maddy with her treat bag she scored for best superhero costume!  I'm so bummed because Cody and I didn't get one picture of the two of us together as Spartan Cheerleaders!  Which by the way, we won Best Costume at the party!
On Sunday after church Cody and I took a drive up the canyon to take some pictures of the fall colors.  It was amazing up there.  
Not a great picture of us, but the Fall colors look amazing!
This is last weekend when we took the kids to Hee Haw Farms and it was freezing cold so this is about the only picture we got.  
The picture below is the latest flower bouquet Cody brought home for me.  He is the sweetest husband in the whole world.  Every paycheck Friday he brings me home a beautiful bouquet of flowers!  I really am the luckiest girl in the world to have a husband so romantic and kind!

We are loving life and enjoying our family each and every day and continually are grateful for such a wonderful life!  Happy Halloween! 

****We are having a Halloween party at our house the day after Halloween (Nov. 1st) for anyone who would like to come.  It is an adults only party and you can't come unless you are in costume!****

Make a Smilebox greeting

"Going Private"

I have finally decided to join the "I'm going Private" bandwagon.  Send me your email so I can add you to my list of people to invite to my blog!

A sweet treat for my sweetheart!

I got in a little "Martha Stewart" baking mood today and decided to bake something festive.  Then I decided to take the "Martha Stewartness" to the next level by baking the bread in a heart pan.  Yum!

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate-Chip Pumpkin Bread

5 Eggs, well beaten

3 C. Sugar

2 1/2 C. Canned Pumpkin

2 C. Oil

4 1/2 C. Flour

1 1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. Baking Soda

4 1/2 t. Cinnamon

1 1/2 t. Nutmeg

1 1/2 t. Cloves

1 t. Ginger

1 1/4 C. Milk Chocolate Chips (I added way more than that!)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.  Cream eggs and sugar.  Add pumpkin and oil.  Add dry ingredients slowly and combine thoroughly.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour into 4 greased and lightly-floured loaf pans.  Bake for 45 minutes.

*This recipe can be halved or bread loaves can be frozen. 

Maddy and her Milk!

Most of you know Maddy loves to eat...that girl can really pack it in!  Cody and I call her "The Scavenger" because she is always eating food off the floor, eating food off other people's plates, and grabbing food out of the pantry every chance she gets.  When I make breakfast in the morning she always runs over to her chair, starts screaming bloody murder until I put her in, and then just bounces and giggles until I hand over her food. (Unless I am taking too long to make the food and then she starts to get a little crabby!)  Anyways, she doesn't ever let a morsel of food go to waste, which is evident when she eats her cereal.  After she eats all the cereal, she then lifts the bowl up to her mouth and very loudly slurps the milk until it is gone and then she smiles and says proudly, "yummy", and then hands the bowl over to me and says "more!"  She is so funny!  It cracks me up every single time.  She is just the cutest chubby girl around!