Banks is really into sucking his thumb these days!

 Celebrating Jeff's birthday at Carabas with  friends.  Thanks for babysitting Uncle Dan!

 Jeff's birthday cake.  A kit kat ice cream brownie cake.  MMM!

 

This is what Banks is going to be for Halloween!

 

"Hi guys!  Mom says its getting cold outside so I have to wear a coat now."

Here is Banks doing tummy time.  He is getting really vocal these days which is so cute.  

 Out for a Sunday walk with some friends.  Note the shoes and jacket... :(  makes me kinda sad because its fall and the warm days of running outside in just a onesie are about over. "Thanks Aunt Emily for the Bjorn.  I love it!  Its way better than getting stuck in the carseat.  I can see everything that is going on!"

 Banks and Daddy at Kelseys softball games.  "Thanks Aunt Jana for my warm coat.  I love it ..everyone says I look really cute in it and it keeps me warm.  Oh, I love to try and fit my whole fist in my mouth as well!" --Banks

My team "Thrown Together" clenched the 2012 Pleasant Grove Division 1 Championship for the 3rd year in a row.  We were undefeated in the season.  We played Monday night "Team-Team" to advance to the Championship.  "Team-Team" went on to defeat "Francoms" so we played "Team-Team" again in the championship.  "Team-Team" actually beat us for our first lose of the season.  Since it was a double elemination tournament, they had to beat us again since that was our first lose.  We played great in that last game (mind you this is at 11:00 PM now) and ended up 20-running them to win the championship.  This is a super fun team.

  Sorry this isnt the best picture.  Saturday evening of conference when Jeff went to Priesthood, Banks and I went out with some girls from the Ward to Kneaders.  Banks was one of four babies.  All of them being girls.  Banks thought it was necessary to show off and make it known he was of course the one and only male among them.  So he was EXTREMELY vocal the whole time.  Not vocal as in crying, but "chirping" and "coo-ing" just as loud as his lil lungs could go!  Ha ha, it was pretty funny.

New Recipe that I tried that is a SUPER yummy Mexican dish.  I forgot to take a picture before we ate it, ha ha.  Needless to say we ate half the pan on the first sitting!

 Chicken Chilaquiles

Combine in a large bowl:
2 Cups shredded skinless chicken breasts cooked (I like to sprinkle with salt and pepper and chili powder)
1/2 C chopped green onions
1 t chili powder1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

Combine the following in a blender:
3/4 C milk
1 bunch fresh cilantro
3-4 tomatillos
1 (4.5 oz) can green chilies

12 corn tortillas - cut in 1/8th triangles like a chip
1/2 C Montereay Jack Cheese with jalapeno peppers
2 T grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 9x13 pan.  Pour half of our blended green sauce on the bottom of the pan.   Layer half of the corn tortilla triangles on top of the green sauce.  Next, layer all the chicken.  Repeat with the rest of the green mixture...followed by the remaining tortillas.  Top with the Cheeses.  Bake 20 mins or until cheese is melted and heated through.

  During conference I made Emily and Mom's granola recipe.  I made a quad batch!!  I wanted to have a little extra to share with some special people.  One being this sweet lady who babysits Banks sometimes and wont take money for it.  She's so sweet.  Yummy, yummy granola!!

 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!