This last week

Last week was quite busy for us. Monday, we went to the pumpkin patch and picked up our pumpkins for this fall season. It was blustery and cold, and even rained on us a bit, so we made our selections and were on our merry way within about fifteen minutes.

On our way home we stopped by the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We had never seen it before and it is so beautiful.

Thursday night was Josh's grandma's birthday party. It was her 80th birthday so the family threw her a surprise party. It was awesome, everyone gave little tributes to her, we had yummy food and enjoyed each others company. Happy Birthday Grandma Alvord, we love you!

These pictures were on display at the birthday party. I LOVE old pictures and thought these were especially cool. This is a picture of the Alvord Family (Josh's dad is top right) many years ago.

Grandma and Grandpa Alvord in their dating years.

Josh spent Saturday morning doing what he loves most, playing football. He was a happy camper!

My dad came in town again this weekend and we were able to spend Friday and Saturday night with he and Mark Rober, as well as most of Sunday. I always love when we get to see him and hate when it's time for him to go home.

Sunday was a busy day. We had several people over for each meal and the action in the kitchen was non stop. We love seeing so much of our family and friends.

This was the view out my front door this morning:

This is what we woke up to this morning:

YEP, it's snowing! This is when, each year, I'm about ready to pack my bags and head on over to CA until June.

Again, our leaf pile 24 hours ago:

and here it is now:

It may not look bad now, but it's supposed to continue throughout the day. Yikes!

Our street this morning:

Last night we enjoyed another Fall canyon drive.

This time we went with two of our best friends, Matt and Brooke.

We had a dance party:

and the boys looked cute.

Josh showed us all which way to go.

We live in a beautiful place.

Last week Patrick and his Valencia friends came over for dinner after Priesthood session. They are all so cute and we loved having them over. These boys can eat. They went through 6 lbs of ground turkey, 3 lbs of homemade macaroni and cheese, a ton of salad, two batches of cookies, and a tub of ice cream. I had 6 very happy boys in my house by the end of the night. I loved having them over, they are all cute, polite, smart and funny.

I have had a few requests for this recipe. It is always a huge hit. EVERYONE likes it (even me and I don't like turkey, or meatloaf). It is also a great Fall comfort food. This is Josh's favorite meat dish I have ever made.

Behold, every boy's favorite meatloaf recipe:

Ingredients:

* 1 T BBQ seasoning (1 1/2 C paprika, 3/4 C sugar, 3 3/4 T onion powder)

* 3 T soy sauce

* 1 large egg, lightly beaten

* 1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce (recipe below), reserving 1/2 cup for the top

* 1 T Worcestershire sauce

* 1 T olive oil

* 1 C chopped red onion

* 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

* 2 cloves garlic, chopped

* 2 pounds lean ground turkey

* 1 1/2 C bread crumbs

To Make:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix BBQ seasoning, soy sauce, beaten egg, 1 cup of the BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper and garlic. Saute until tender. Remove from heat and add to wet mix.

Pour mixture into bowl with the ground turkey. Add bread crumbs and mix all together with your hands.

Transfer the meat mixture to a cookie sheet or baking pan. Using your hands, shape the meat into an oblong or rectangular shape. *Cook's Note: Alternately, you can pat the meat into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and pour 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce on the top of the loaf.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove and add the reserved 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce to the top and continue to bake for 20 more minutes.

The best BBQ Sauce in the world:

Ingredients:

* 2 cups ketchup

* 1 cup water

* 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

* 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

* 2 tablespoons sugar

* 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

* 1/2 tablespoon onion powder

* 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

* 1 tablespoon lemon juice

* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

To Make:

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

***NOTES: get the leanest turkey you can find. Also, use store bought bread crumbs. I made my own at home and they didn't absorb enough moisture. The meat had a hard time sticking together once cooked, which made for messy serving. It tasted the same, just had a slightly different texture. Be sure to make the BBQ sauce, store bought just isn't the same.

We were little

Joshua Ray:

Dan and Josh

Josh (on the left) with siblings and friends

Dan, Josh, Rachel, and Rebecca

Courtney Nicole:

Linds and me

Me, Lindsay, and Daddy

Me and Patrick

Soooooo funny

You have to watch this all the way to the end. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.