All things Pumpkin!

YUUUUUUMMMMMMMMM!

We started with a pie pumpkin:

We baked it for almost 2 hours @ 350 (this one was big, normally, it only takes 1 hour)

We rolled out our crust, poured in our pumpkin pie mix, and baked it.

 Here's how it turned out:

I took it to my neighbor's house and we ate it together. Everyone loved it. I know the crust looks incredibly ugly... I am TERRIBLE at doing my crust! I've tried several times and multiple tricks, but I haven't mastered it yet. Well, practice does make perfect, so I will keep trying! :0)

Where is the pecan pie, you ask? Well, the pecan pie met it's demise when I dropped it after pulling it out of the oven. Yes, I cried. Yes, it was a terrible mess. Yes, I got a new pie dish out of the whole incident. I will have to do another one, but I need to work up my nerve first.

My Front Porch Fall Decor: 

I made a pumpkin cheesecake today. I will let you know how it turned out after we eat it... I used the rest of the pumpkin we had left after making the pumpkin pie. Only this time, I pureed the pumpkin because it was too pulpy (is that a word? idk, but that's all I think of to describe the consistancy of the pumpkin in the pumpkin pie). I have issues with the consistancy of things. I needed my pumpkin pie to be smooth and it had lumps in it. So, hopefully, the cheesecake will be nice and smooth and taste yummy.

Almost at the End of the Roller Coaster Ride

This is a picture of Luke right after his halo was taken off. He's a bit groggy and confused, but in his moments of clarity, he was happy that the halo was off! He's doing great right now. He has no pain, his pinsites are healing quickly, and the relief we all feel is almost tangible. He has a hard plastic collar that he is wearing now, and the dr said he'll wear it for about 3 months. This is to keep his neck as stable as possible as the bones continue to fuse. We will take Luke back to the dr in 2 months to see how his neck is doing.

Today, we plan to make some pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin. If there is enough pumpkin left over, we will make a pumpkin cheesecake. Daddy will be very excited about this. He LOVES sweets!! Also,  Luke and I want to go buy some small hay bales, small pumkins, and some mums to decorate our front porch for fall. Around 2 this afternoon, our tiny town is having a homecoming parade which we plan to go to. All the kids should love that!
Til Next Time ~ Amy

Summer 2010

What a summer!!! It has been full of fun and new things for the Gonzalez Family. Luke had his fusion surgery on July 13. His halo has been a constant source of stress for me, but he has done remarkably well with it. He has never once complained about it or felt self-conscience. He's such a strong, brave, and courageous young man. It has almost been 3 months since the halo went on, and Luke will be getting it off on Oct.6. All of us are very excited and hope to have a party to celebrate!!!

 Drew turned 3 on Aug. 24th. He had a Toy Story birthday party with the neighbor kids at our neighbor's swimming pool. It was very fun and Drew had a wonderful celebration.

Gary turned 34 the next day and we partied with a cake and gifts.

We started homeschooling Luke the first week of August. He's doing great. We are using the Veritas Press curriculum, a classical Christian approach to learning. We really like it. Luke is already memorizing his doubles addition facts (1+1, 2+2, etc) and has started reading sentences. I am so very proud of him. Drew enjoys looking at the ABC poster on the wall and telling me what the letters are. "Momma, T is for Tiger." He gets such a kick out of telling Luke what the animals are, and of course, Luke gets slightly annoyed and responds with, "I KNOOOOW, Drew." Ava is learning her animal sounds and currently loves quacking like a duck. It's just about the cutest thing EVER!

Gary has been working hard. He isn't in love with his current job, but likes it well enough. He is good at it and has excelled. It's a very good thing he's good at it, too, because we found out that we will be here for another year (give or take a few months). He lost his spot in the class he was supposed to start in February 2011, so we hope to be in the August 2011 class. We won't find out for several months if he made that class or not, but until then, we will remain content where we are.

Right now, the weather could not be nicer and we are actually experiencing a "Fall" season. It is so delightful and I love this cooler weather. All of my windows are open (my fans are still on in each room, though) and every day we've spent a couple hours enjoying being outside. I'm ready for pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, spices, and Thanksgiving!

Happy Fall to you! Until next time ~Amy