Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

It's that time again! Even though we have had triple digit temperatures the stores are gearing up for fall. Yesterday when I was doing my grocery shopping I saw this...

My precious two year old looked at me like I was crazy as I let out a squeal in the middle of aisle 5 of Albertsons. You see, my husband's favorite dessert is cookies. And a dear friend gave me a cookie recipe that has become one of our family favorites! I probably made Pumpkin Butterscotch cookies every other week last fall (I'm sure it had nothing to do with me being pregnant). These cookies are so scrumptious you'll let out a squeal when you see canned pumpkin in your grocery store. You have got to try these!!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute.

On low speed, mix in the oil, pumpkin and vanilla until blended. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.

Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it.

Then take a break to feed this little one... Oh wait that was just me :)

Mix in the butterscotch chips.

Scoop out about 1/4 c. of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, on the middle rack of the oven, until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes.

This is the hardest part! Cool them on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Or just burn your tongue trying one because you can't wait for them to cool!

Dust the cookies lightly with powdered sugar.

I may have eaten 3 cookies right after they came out of the oven....Welcome Fall!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Makes 22-24 cookies

Ingredients

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. canola oil

1 c. canned pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. butterscotch chips

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper. 

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. 

On low speed, mix in the oil, pumpkin and vanilla until blended. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. 

Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. 

Mix in the butterscotch chips.

Scoop out about 1/4 c. of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2 inches apart. 

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, on the middle rack of the oven, until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. 

Cool them on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Dust the cookies lightly with powdered sugar. 

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days (but I doubt they will last that long!).

Update on the Mitchells

I can hardly believe Parker will be 6 months on the 11th! He is rolling over a lot now and loves to play in his activity chair. He is getting a lot better at eating cereal and we should be starting other solid foods soon. He absolutely loves his big brother and will watch his every move.

Luke is getting so tall (we just had to buy him size 9 shoes!!). He loves wrestling with his daddy and playing (any type of) sports. He has also started taking an interest in entertaining his baby brother. He likes it when Parker grabs his finger and likes to make him laugh.

I am staying busy balancing my precious boys and my business. I really enjoy getting regular opportunities to be creative. Check out Mitchell Made Creations blog for pictures of my latest orders.

I have also loved my ladies summer Bible Studies

Jonathan taught during the first Summer Session and is now preparing for his Fall courses. He loves to run and play basketball at Hardin-Simmons. He also loves playing with his boys and I love having a front row seat!

I am reminded daily how blessed I am to be a wife to an amazing man who leads our family the way Christ desires and to be a mom to sweet, growing and quite entertaining boys.

Parker at 5 months

At 5 months, Parker

is in size 3 diapers

is in size 9-12 month clothes

weighs 17 pounds

has lost his hair on the top of his head

likes sitting in his activity chair

pulls out his passi and puts it in his mouth backwards

loves playing with toys

puts everything in his mouth

might be working on some teeth

has rolled over once

still hates tummy time

eats every 3-4 hours during the day and wakes up once at night

loves playing peek-a-boo with his big brother

Parker at 4 months

Parker turned 4 months old on June 11th.

At 4 months, he...

• is in size 2 diapers
• is in size 6-9 month clothes
• weighs 14 pounds
• is starting to lose his hair
• does not like being restricted (in the car seat, bouncy chair) but wants to be free to squirm around
• is grabbing his feet whenever he can
• can grab toys that are in front of him
• laughing more and more
• still sleeping great but now prefers to have his blankie to go to sleep
• eats every 3-4 hours during the day and has started to wake up more often during the night (growing spurt maybe?)
• adores his big brother

It is amazing to see his little personality develop and hear him try to express himself with his “words”. He is such a happy baby and we are reminded everyday what a blessed life we have.

Parker is 3 months old!

Parker turned 3 months old on the 11th and I can’t believe how fast the time is flying. I think all parents say that but I think the second child grows up faster than the first!

At 3 months, Parker

• is in size 1-2 diapers
• is in size 6-9 month clothes
• weighed 12 lbs at his 2 month appointment but I’m sure he’s added a couple of pounds :)
• loves his bouncy chair, but hates tummy time
• is getting closer to rolling over
• smiles and laughs all the time
• is a great sleeper (Mommy loves it!)
• eats every 3-4 hours during the day and only eats once at night (early morning)
• loves watching his big brother
• can sit up in the Bumbo

He is such a joy to our family and my heart melts every time he smiles at me. We are so grateful the Lord chose us to raise him to honor Him.

Easter 2011

This Easter was Parker's first and a little different because we got to stay at home. We decided a day trip with two little ones on a Sunday didn't really sound like a lot of fun! So we got to go to our home church and we made it to the early service, 8:00 AM!! The service was amazing... from what I could tell from the Mother's room. :) They preformed a drama and had worship songs and preaching throughout. It was so powerful to see the sacrifice Jesus made for us then hear why He did it then worship Him through the song "He Loves Us." It was all very moving.

When we got home, Jonathan read the Easter story from Luke's Bible. And when we asked Luke, "What happened three days after Jesus died?" He responded excitedly, "He rose again!!" Even though he doesn't understand the weight of that statement just yet... it still melts my heart. :)

Then Luke and Parker got to open their Easter baskets. I don't think Luke remembers doing that last year, but he was excited about getting new goodies none the less!

Then we headed outside and took some family pictures.

That afternoon we were getting ready to host our Life Group's Easter get together (which had to be rescheduled) but ended up hanging out in the closet waiting for the tornadoes, hail and thunderstorms to pass over us. We did get to watch the hail fall before we had to take cover.

All in all it was an Easter full of memories!

PlayDoh and Cookies

Lately I've been trying to do things with Luke that only "big boys" can do. He is doing much better with Parker but every now and then he gets clingy (usually when Parker is fussy and I'm holding him).

While we were at Target the other day, I saw little Playdoh kits with a few different colors and some numbers to imprint into it. I was probably a little too OCD about covering everything before we started but Luke loved it. I was too chicken to pull it all out when I was by myself with both boys during the day... just in case Parker got fussy. So I played with Luke for a little bit while Jonathan took pictures until it was time for Parker to eat. The next day I covered Luke's highchair and let him play there by himself. He did great and it kept him entertained for quite a while!

A few days later I pulled out my cookie cutters and asked Luke if he would like to help me make cookies for dessert. He said yes but I'm sure he didn't know what he was getting in to! He got to pick three colors for the cookie dough and a few different cookie cutters. He helped me spread the flour, then roll out the dough and then cut the cookies out. He did not like the flour getting on his sleeve! Haha! But I do think he enjoyed the experience and of course eating his creations! :)

I finally feel like I have my head above water with both boys. There are still times that Luke has a two year old moment when I'm feeding Parker and can't do anything about it. I think he's figured that out! :) More than anything we are loving being a family of four and taking it all in!

Family Pictures

This week we got Parker's newborn pictures taken along with some family shots. A friend from high school has a photography business (Bella Photography) and did a great job! It was quite the ordeal getting Parker to stop crying and Luke to smile. Parker is probably going to be hooked on mylecon and Luke probably has 12 cavities from all the cookies we bribed him with! :)

Here are a few that Courtney got!

An Update on the Mitchell 4

This past week has been a whirlwind! Parker was born on the 11th and we were home the next afternoon.

Then Wednesday I was hit with a horrible migraine. It got so bad Jonathan had to take me to the ER. They gave me meds through an IV and we were home by 8:30 pm.

Thursday morning my migraine was back but not quite as intense. Later that afternoon I got sick and my head was still killing me. I took the medicine the ER sent me home with and after an hour of no relief, we called the on-call doctor and he told me to take two Hydros on top of the other two pills I had already taken! I was hesitant to take that much medication but was hopeful some relief would be coming. It didn't come and Jonathan took me back to the ER. They submitted me and I stayed in the hospital until Saturday evening.

They finally diagnosed me with postpartum preeclampsia after they figured out my high blood pressure wasn't affected by my migraine. Postpartum preeclampsia is the combination of high blood pressure, migraine and vision problems. When I asked how long to expect it to last they said I hadn't been normal up to this point so they couldn't say for sure. They're estimate was anywhere from 3-6 weeks. Yippee!

I had a bit of a breakdown Sunday morning when I found out my mom planned on returning back to Palestine. :) She graciously stayed to help us out! By Monday afternoon/evening my head started to get really bad. In the midst of all my craziness, Jonathan became sick with a stomach bug! It was quite pathetic with both of us laid up in bed!

Jonathan called my doctor Tuesday to see if they could work me in any sooner than my appointment on Thursday and we got in that afternoon! I was very comforted by my doctor who took time to take my blood pressure repeatedly, ask the right questions and answer any additional questions we had. He ended up doubling my blood pressure medicine because I was on the lowest dose possible.

That seems to be working for my migraines and mostly for my blood pressure too. Every now and then I'll get a high reading but most times I'm manageable! Jonathan is now feeling better and is back to work. His coworkers have also been gracious covering for him while I was in the hospital and when he got sick. We are so blessed for all the help we've received!

I am now getting to adjust to our family of 4 and being home alone with the boys during the day. Today was actually my first full day with the boys and the only casualty was my iphone that Luke dropped in a glass of water. :/ It's actually still working but showing lots of errors. :)

Stay tuned for pictures!

Parker Landon is here!

Our baby boy is finally here! We got to the hospital Friday morning around 5:30 AM and got checked in to our labor and delivery room. They started the pitocin around 7 AM and my doctor was in shortly after that to check me. I was dilated to 4 cm and he broke my water.

The contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes and were moderate. I decided to see how long I could go without an epidural and when they started to get intense I asked the nurse to check me and see how much longer it would be. When she told me I was a 6 and it would probably be another hour at least, I decided it was time! That was probably a mistake to wait that long now that I look back... It was hard to stay still for the epidural and bend over through my contractions. Once I had that baby I was good! I did have the shakes pretty bad, which made my mom and Jonathan nervous, but I wasn't in any pain.

Since I got my epidural later, I couldn't feel the contractions or really any pressure. My nurse checked me and I was at a 10 and had no idea! I pushed on a few contractions and my nurse decided to call my doctor. Parker was here about 20 minutes later.

Friday, February 11th at 1:29 PM, 9 lbs even and 20 1/4 inches long!

We were able to go home the next afternoon! It was so nice being able to take a hot shower in my own shower! Recovery has gone a lot better this time than I remember with Luke.

Luke doesn't know what to think of his baby brother just yet. We have had to bribe him to take pictures and show any affection toward his brother! :)

Both the boys happened to be in red pajamas this morning so we decided to take "Valentine's Day" pictures. The first two pictures were without a bribe and last one he was promised a toy!

The Waiting Game...

Last Tuesday, I went to the doctor for my 37 week checkup. We found out that I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I was very surprised to hear that and started eating spicy food, pineapple, walking, etc. I had a few contractions after the appointment but nothing long enough or consistent enough to send me in.

Then the ER visit happened Thursday night so I wasn't focused on trying to get Parker to come. Then by Friday afternoon, Luke had developed a pretty bad cough. We thought it was just allergies at first because of the congestion, runny nose and sneezing. As the coughing got worse we called the on-call doctor and he called in a steroid for what possibly could be croup. If getting stitches wasn't scary enough for this pregnant mommy, the helplessness of not being able to take my baby's cough away was! Poor Luke had a rough weekend (along with Mommy and Daddy)!

Jonathan and I slept in Luke's room so when he woke up coughing in a panic, we would be right there. He stopped having the bad coughing attacks Sunday night but is still coughing a little from the congestion this morning.

When it looked like Luke was turning the corner yesterday, I began walking like crazy and bouncing on my pilates ball. So much so that I strained my round ligament muscle....darn it! That was not pleasant. I have given up on bringing Parker here with the old wives tales. I go back to the doctor tomorrow afternoon to see if I've progressed anymore.

I'm a little anxious about when Parker will come because Luke's birthday party is in 5 days!! I really don't want to be in the hospital for Luke's party or his birthday on Sunday. I can say that I know it's all going to work out and be fine, but it's hard for me to really believe it! :) Stay tuned for the update!

Our first trip to the ER

Warning: Pictures show blood! Bekah this is for you! :)

Last night Luke was running around and tripped and hit the corner of our bookshelf. He sliced right above his right eye. We got out the ice and tried to stop the bleeding. After a while it kept swelling and opening up more and more. I texted our pediatrician friend a picture to ask if he needed stitches. He decided to come over and get a better look at it. When he got there and looked at it he decided it would be better to put in a few stitches to close it up. Luke did great while Justin looked at him! What a blessing to have a great friend like that! Here's the before shot:

Once we got into the room, Luke had to put on a gown. I thought that might be a possible meltdown since he had to take off his pjs but we called it his "special shirt" and he instantly fell in love with it! :)

Then we had the special stickers on his belly (heart monitor) and special sticker with the light on his thumb (pulse maybe?). He did GREAT!!! Until it was time for the anesthesia shot... He cried like any kid would getting a shot that big and said, "Hold you Mommy!!!!" It was horrible since I couldn't pick him up with all the wires on him!

After a few minutes he was out and Justin started putting in the 2 stitches. Jonathan watched... I knew better! :) It went really smoothly and Luke was probably only out for about 45 minutes.

Right about the time Luke was coming to I started to get really light headed. I tried to tell Jonathan but couldn't get the words out. I ended up blacking out and the nurse gave me some oxygen. Poor Jonathan was trying to keep my head from falling over and make sure Luke knew we were there as he was waking up. We were again grateful Justin was there to be another familiar face for Luke. I was fine after a few minutes and think it was just the adrenaline wearing off.

He wanted to go see Dr. Justin:

Luke was pretty entertaining in his grogginess! And did great handling the coming out of the medicine. We were home by 11 and put him to bed. We checked on him a few more times before we went to bed and he was doing fine.

He woke up this morning being his normal self which was such a relief! This is what it looked like this morning.

We were so thankful that he hit where he did and not on his eye. He just might have a black eye just in time for his birthday party! :)