I hope no one is offended that I took a picture of Banks only in his diaper and posted it...BUT!...I'm just so proud that our lil guy is putting on some meat.  I mean LOOK AT that BELLY!  Ha ha.  Jeff and I are so proud that he is thickenin' up a bit!  :)  And the next picture yes...it is a zoomed in photo of his thigh!  If you look closely I believe you can count 3 distinct rolls ha ha ha.

This next picture needs a little explaining.  Banks is quite into looking at himself these days.  The rocking chair that I nurse him in is next to a large mirror.  Whenever I burp him (regardless of how I have him positioned) he always strains to turn and see himself in the mirror.  Ha ha I get a kick out of it.

Jeff and I were driving to our friends house when we stumbled upon this awesome car.  Someone should send this pic into the Romney headquarters.  Too bad I didnt have my Romney shirt on right now...thats the only thing that could have made this picture better.  GO ROMNEY!!

Jeff and I had a babysitter Friday night and we went to the Riverwoods where this month they have all this fun street festival/farmers market going on. Our friends said this Waffle Truck was amazing.  Jeff and I have spent countless evenings watching on the Food Channel many episodes of Food Trucks.  We sit there and drool and are convinced some of the best and most authentic food comes from food trucks.  Living in Utah County...there really isnt much of food trucks......until now!!  Well, ok this is the first one but we were excited!  We patiently got in line and waited for our over-priced (but certainly promised-to-be-delicious) waffle.  When to our dismay, they announced, 'Sorry Folks, we're all sold out!'  Oh how I was broken-hearted.  Thats when you know a food truck is legit...when they sell out.  Oh well, we'll have to track down the waffle truck another time.   

Sorry not the greatest picture..doesn't really capture the beauty of the evening.  But we had a lovely time.  Great 70 degree weather, live music, delicious smelling food, cool over-hanging lights.  You kinda felt like you werent in Utah! 

Tis the season for PUMPKIN!!  Yay!  Jeff always teases me because you can buy pumpkin year round in the store..but lets me honest,.. it just isnt right to cook/bake with it if it isnt the month of September, October, or November.  So!  Here it is...my first (of many!) recipes including pumpkin.  Pumpkin pancakes.  MMMM-mmmm!  See recipe to follow*

The fluffiest yummiest Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

2 Cups Flour
3 T Brown Sugar
2 t Baking powder
1 t Baking soda
1 t Allspice
1.5 t Cinnamon
1/2 t Ginger
1/2 t Salt
Sprinkle of Nutmeg

Combine all the above dry ingredients in a bowl.  Then combine the following wet ingredients in a second bowl.  Combine together just til moistened.  Pour 1/4 C onto a med-high griddle.  (Add mini-chocolate chips if you want).  Serve hot!

1 3/4 C milk  (if pancakes are thicker than your liking increase milk by additional 1/4-1/2 C)
1 C pumpkin
1 egg
2 T oil
2 T vinegar

Celebrating Banks 3 month old Mark

 We thought it would be very fitting, if we celebrated Banks's three month old mark by taking him right back to where he was (in the womb) three months ago.  On June 15th (just 2.5 days before he was born) we decided to go camping.  I really wanted to get in a camping trip before he was born.. so at 39 weeks we packed up and went up to the back side of Squaw Peak.  Which is exactly where we went here again...exactly 3 months later.  Banks didnt sleep too great, but we still had a great time.  I made some yummy  tin foil dinners...and we had delicious s'mores for dessert.  Luckily it didnt get as cold as I thought..but it still was a little chilly being the middle of September.  Good times!

 The fall colors of all the trees and leaves was BEAUTIFUL!  My camera doesn't do it justice.

 So after coming home Saturday morning from camping, Kelsey and Banks took a  nice long nap.  Then, doing what Hamiltons do best..we decided to head off to the Utah State Fair....pack it in!  We like to go go go...and do as many fun things in a weekend as we can.  We're proud to say Banks has not slowed us down much, and has managed to keep up :)  So we went with our friends Spencer and Maree and their two boys to the State Fair.  The following pictures are from there.

 This needs some explaining.  We heard from several people we had to stop by Jon's lemonade stand for the famous deep fried treats.  We said it sounded very strange but we love to try new things.  So, $5.00 later we had ourselves 5, deep-fried-artery- clogging-oreos.  I don't know if people talked it up too much or what...but we were very very disappointed.  Everyone said it was so awesome...from the deep fried twinkies...to the deep fried cheesecake/oreos/snickers.  Big thumbs down.  It tasted like the oreos were dipped in a corn-dog batter.  uuuck.  Oh well, we tried em.  Our friend tried the deep fried twinkie and didnt love it either. 

Now, here's something to get excited about.  Jeff got me for mothers day this awesome waffle maker.  Well, forgetting to spray the waffle maker, I was frustrated when I had to 'peel' my waffle from it.  But then!...a light bulb went on!  And I must say I'm quite proud of myself.  I took the two sides of the waffle (that I had to pry off the waffle maker) and decided to make a 'stuffed' waffle.  Now thats what I'm talking about!!  Jeff and I should have set up shop at the state fair!  And, on top of this looking delicious..I made the fresh cream into COCONUT fresh cream.  MMM-mmmm!  It was sooo good!

I can't wait for Banks to be old enough to ride a pony.  Do you think I could strap him into the baby Bjorn and take him for a ride now!?  "Look at all the cute ponies" I told Banks.  I said next year Mommy would let him ride!! 

My Birthday Weekend

This is what Jeff got me for my birthday.. super cool.  Love it!  Don't know exactly what you call it.  But you basically put fresh cream in it and it has a CO2 cartridge so you just shake it  a couple times and wah-LA!  You have fresh cream in 3 shakes.  And, the cream stays up to 10 days in it.  Oo ya!  Coolest kitchen gaget ever!

 This is how we started out my birthday... a big delicious Belgian waffle with fresh cream and peaches!  MMMMM MMMMM!

 My birthday celebration with all my friends at PF Changs.  (You'll see in a future picture President Uchtdorf.  Who invited him to my party!!?  ha ha)

 Shea and I (one of my good friends)

 Shea and I again...who's that goofy looking guy in the background?

 Family pic right before my birthday dinner.

On Sunday we had this new couple over from our ward.  We have all these crazy parallels.  For example, they have been married 3 years (like us and they even got married in August ..like us!)  this is their first baby born 5 days before Banks, Lyndsey ran her first half marathon last year right after she found out she was pregnant (like me!), Cory is a soccer player (like Jeff) , we delivered our babies at the same hospital... we have the same stroller.. I mean I could go on and on but its so funny how we're l exactly the same!  Anyways, their baby 'Rowin' is super cute.  Sorry this isnt a very good picture, but you should have seen Banks charmin' Rowin... he was just a' smilin' and trying to woo her.  Ha ha :)

I I know the pic is a little blurry but this is President Uchtdorf!  I met him at PF Changs on my birthday!  Jeff really had to pull some serious strings to get him there :)  Best birthday ever!  He, by the way, touched Banks!  Ahhhh! 

Banks in the Bjorn in Salt Lake City

 I'm so happy to be out of my carseat! 

 Family Pic!

 Friday we were up in Salt Lake and had a few minutes to waste so we walked around City Creek Mall.  It was the most beautiful evening !  Perfect temperature..probably 75 degrees.  

Daddy and Banks at City Creek.

Can you believe how grown up Banks looks!!?  I think he looks like a little boy not a baby here!  This is the first time we turned him around in the Bjorn.  When babies are little you face them towards you with the neck support up.   So thats kinda the latest with Banks, the last couple weeks he can support his own neck which is really cool.  He love faces out on the Bjorn,,seeing everything thats going on.  This picture was taken when we were walking into an Orem Owls baseball game just a few days ago.  We have the 'Pass of all Passes' which allows us to get into all the baseball games free.  We had a great time!

 This is Banks just being happy !  Taken last week.  

Banks and Mommy at the Orem Owls game