Where we been at.

Going backwards with the photo documentation because it is the order they were downloaded and I don't feel like changing it. Starting with October!Finishing up walking through the corn field. It was supposed to be a maze but it wasn't even close.
FINALLY, they picked their pumpkins. I love the pumpking patch.

Went to the canyon to take pictures of los kiddos and every time leaves were thrown up in the air, Peapod made some version of this face.
Tibble Fork Reservoir on an insanely gorgeous October day.
I love this photo of Rebs.
Pedro making, "leaf face".
It's raining leaves!
I know, right?!

First day of school!

Oh my goodness.

While Jared and I were at trek, my sister, my mom and niece and nephew came to babysit our kids. After the ladies all went home to Arizona, my nephew stayed to play for a couple more weeks. I hope we get to do it again with him! Rayz, we love you! Here is us after the hike up to the caves, inside the caves. Rebs peed her pants so she made the journey in a diaper. Memories.

MJ's strawberries and cream birthday cake

Photo day when my mom and sister were in town.

All the grandkids- La'Ray and Brooklyn, we love you so much and can't wait to see you again soon! Like, in a week!!

Here are the ten (since I have missed months of ten, I will attempt to make up for it)
1. The Hunger Games, Book 3
2. I haven't ever really thought about Pumpkin Bread one way or the other. Well, I think about it now, thanks to this recipe.
3. The Dixie Chicks (the older stuff- classic)
4. Actual classical music
5. When husband picks up takeout!
6. Watching 24
7. When my kids dance together in the family room and I get to join in but don't have to feel like an idiot (like I do when I dance by myself).
8. Making Halloween costume for MJ because I can sew! (it was my first time without help)
9. My Nephew, La'Ray

10. Road trippin' to the 480 in a week!

*We are saving the Halloween costumes for next post- my 60 minutes is up.

Overwhelmingly behind, but I don't feel guilty.

I have been meaning to do this for a while now but just can't find the time. I am not sure I can right now but I will get started anyway. Jared and I were asked to go on Trek. Trek is something that our stake (our local congregations for church combine to make a stake) puts on every 4 years for the youth (12-18 year olds). We were asked to be a Ma and Pa for the event. It is a 3 day, 2 night experience where we were organized into families, we pushed a handcart, slept in tents, hiked a bunch and had an extremely enriching experience. Here are some of our photos...

Here is the Allgood family. Looking glam for 5am.
Here with our handcart, just starting out.
Glad I only have one boy in real life- these guys were precious but I am still grateful.
Here we are in our pioneer glory. I'll have you know I made that bonnet!

The fireside- the first evening. Freezing cold and bug infested!
Our kiddos provided some entertainment at the fireside.

Good morning, day 3 with no shower!

I couldn't pass this super photo-op up.
Here is our Utah extended family. We love you Poyfairs!
No Pioneer Trek would be complete without Ma and daughter doing sky jump showing off our killer pioneer clothes.
up a hill.
This is the Sweetwater Crossing memorial. When the Pioneers were crossing the plains, a storm came through at this point. Young men saved the lives of hundreds of elderly, women, and children while giving up their own.
The Women's Pull- this is where (in actual Pioneer times) the men were called away to war and the women had to pull the handcarts on their own. Reenacting this was a very powerful experience.
The men of the family.
Here is the whole group (well all that would fit in my lens)
Ma and Pa singing Ipod karaoke on the bus. Everyone should have this experience.
Well that is it for now. I am going to try and catch up over the next couple of weeks.

Here are my ten-
1. Apple Pear Blueberry Crisp (recipe on post below)
2. The Pioneer Trek
3. Pedro, who is STILL not walking and I love it!
4. MJ who is growing up in a really good way.
5. Dee who is shy but incredibly confident so I don't feel bad saying she is shy.
6. Rebs who has learned her letters and sounds!
7. When chaos somehow gets made peaceful with classical music.
8. A clean bedroom.
9. Neighbors who are really great to me.
10. People you can really get into with over politics and everyone comes away feeling edified and happy.

Winter Dessert

Well, I got sick and lost a couple of pounds and I thought how great it was to be able to start the holiday season off to a decent start. However, I made this Apple Pear Blackberry crisp and well it is perfect for a cold snowy day. I want to make one again right now. You will not be disappointed! fyi: the top crisp layer may not seem like a traditional crisp but it is um, amazing. And it has fruit, so it's healthy. ;-)

• 2 pounds pears (4 pears)
• 2 pounds apples (5 apples)
• 1-1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blackberries
  
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 
  

For the topping:

nocoupons

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch oval baking dish

For the topping:

Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.

Hooray for the 33 miners in Chile!

Stories like this make me realize how great it is to be alive today. Had I been born 200 years ago, those men under ground would be dead. The 29th miner has just been rescued as I write this. What an amazing thing. This is a miracle. For those of you who don't believe in them, well this is one. My moderate political heart is pounding with with excitement for these men and their families. Yes there have been tears as I have checked in on Chile throughout the day. It is a miracle people were given the ability to figure this rescue out. This is a miracle because the miners are alive. If you are with God or without Him, whether you believe in the divine and miraculous or believe it is all chance- this is freaking amazing. Bless you Chileans- I hope to visit you someday traveling through Chile on a bicycle.

Richard Villarroel was greeted by his sister and mother.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/13/chile-second-half-rescues/?hpt=T1

Absence makes the heart want a new computer.

Hey folks, this is my 16 1/2 month old. Man, he is cute.

For some reason I can't move my photos so they are going to stay here, out of order but when you get to the part that talks about the most amazing cake ever, scroll back up here. see that little bear hiding back there?

So my computer is having some memory issues. It doesn't have enough memory to run the cleanse it apparently needs. So, sorry there haven't been photos for a while. When I have a million dollars, I will get a new computer but til then, we will have to go photo-minimalist on the blog. Good thing I am so clever and I write such important things! Here goes:

I have an 8 year old. WHAT? I have an 8 year old?! I am so old. I don't feel it but I know that I am. All of a sudden the newlyweds in the ward don't look at us the same way. 2 years ago, they were practically our peers. We had blissful and wonderful marriages in common with them. Now, we are the married couple that has an 8 year old. Dee is the best 8 year old on the planet so I won't complain about my age or hers because every year spent with her is a year I learn something new about myself, about the world, about family and about compassion.

Speaking of compassion, can't we all just get a long? Jon Stewart has an event coming up on October 30, 201o. It will be in Washington D.C. on the National Mall. I can't afford flights out there but if someone wants to caravan with me, let me know ;-). The event is titled, "The Rally to Restore Sanity". It is right up my alley. On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart held up signs that people would be carrying at the rally. One was along these lines, "I may not agree with you Obama, I don't think you are a Muslim terrorist". Somewhere along the way, everyone has seemed to lose their common sense. If I could, I would attend the Rally to Restore Sanity. If you agree with me that it isn't okay to put illegal immigrants trying to make a better home and future for their families in tent cities, can I get an AMEN! If you think tent cities are a good idea, it would be better that you stay anonymous. I love you but you should not make yourself known to me.

Life is good. We are happy. Kids are back in school and while I miss them fiercely we are getting into the groove of school life and I am somehow managing without them. I have made some pretty delicious recipes the last couple months. I watched a documentary called, "Food Matters" and I have decided an all organic raw food diet is best. And while I have no intention of actually doing that, I will be implementing some more raw foods into our family meals. Stay tuned for some raw foodie recipes.

Hmmm...what else? Dee gets baptized October 9th @ 2:30 and anyone who wants to come is welcome. Just let me know. We will be having sandwiches and treats back at our place after.

The one picture I am posting today I had to email to myself and then download it onto Jared's computer to post it- It is of Dee's camping themed birthday cake. 9 hours of dedicated motherhood. 9 hours of ignoring the needs of my children. 9 hours of indulgence on my part. Cake Boss, what's up?

Dee I love you.

I love all you common sense individuals out there.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

Niner years today.

Our getaway to Victoria. Thanks Stephanie for the babysitting!

Ah, marital bliss. I can't imagine it getting any better but I said that last year and it has. Thanks for my big surprise- it was perfect in EVERY way. I love you. I mean I really freaking love you.

Love,

Kimbo

Kinda crazy round here.

I was just going to post a few pictures for now but then the idea of posting led from one idea to another to another. Pretty soon the idea of posting the last month became a burden I was not ready to bear. So here I am, pushing a good hearty post off for another week or so. Hoping that your appetite for Allgoodisms will be temporarily satiated.
Here I was making a cake for MJ's birthday party. I had set the bowl of frosting precariously on the edge of the sink and OF COURSE I bumped it and it spilled ALL OVER me and the rest of the kitchen. Not even my hair was spared. I blame myself entirely- why can't I learn? Why Me? Oh right, I am my father's daughter. (My dad was cooking something on the BBQ yesterday- something wasn't right- the propane tank starts to light on fire- he throws the BBQ in the pool. If you are wondering who I belong to...there's your sign.)
Next we have our trip to the canyon. My mom, sister, sister's 2 kids- punky and nancy, and our family went to have a bbq in the canyon. The river was running too high for playing in it so it was a pretty quick 'up and back' (for fear we might lose children in the current). It was a beautiful day though and I realized how much kids love to be in the forest. There is no place like the canyons when you live in Utah. So much creativity happens there. Thank you canyons!

Auntie Heidi and Peapod

MJ and Rebs hoarding their smoresFudge stripe cookie smores (not traditional but WAY tastier!)My entourage

Have no fear, there is more to come...