Best ever Banana Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

These really are the best banana cupcakes ever! We eat them for breakfast, bedtime snack and everywhere in between. We lay in bed and think about eating them. Now, I know that the "Jens" are still waiting for a sample! Yesterday I doubled the batch so I would have enough for stitch club, YW's, and friends. Well, I ran out of time to bake them yesterday before I had to run to an appointment. My incredibly sweet friend Jill offered to bake them up, while she babysat my kids. Unfortunately!, her oven was colder than mine and they baked up to a big mess! So, I tried, I promise!! (Please don't blame Jill, she feels bad enough even though it is not her fault! She even baked cookies quickly so I would have something for stitch club!- Jill Brown is one of the nicest friends I have ever met!) Okay, the moment you all have been waiting for-

3/4 cup butter

2 1/8 cups sugar

3 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I use milk with 1 1/2 T. lemon juice, let sit for 5 min.)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• chopped walnut (opt.)

This frosting is one I made up myself. Joshua doesn't like traditional thick sweet cream cheese frosting, so I made this and he said it is the best cream cheese frosting he has ever had. I think it tastes like cheesecake spread on top!

1. Preheat oven to 275°. (electric oven) If your oven runs cold, you may want to do 300.
   
2. Grease two muffin pans
   
3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
7. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
8. Stir in banana mixture.
9. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in preheated oven for 30 min (or more) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes.
11. This will make the cupcakes very moist.
12. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
13. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla.
14. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
15. Spread on cooled cupcakes.
16. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

Unusual talents or gifts that kids have

Today, I am going to share am unusual talent (kind of) that one of my kids has. I want any of you that have kids with unusual or weird talents or gifts, to comment and share with me! This could be fun to see what everyone comes up with.

Adalyn started walking at 8 1/2 months. Like most children, she immediately took a liking to trying on other people's shoes, in all sizes. Now, here is the unusual talent: She never once has put shoes on the wrong feet. We even tried to trick her many times, by placing the shoes next to each other and switching them, so they are on the wrong side. She immediately switched them back with her little hands and put them on. She did this as a baby, before she could even talk!

Now, please leave a comment sharing your kids' unusual talents!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday! Oh the joys of trying to get good pictures. I do love the story that the pictures tell!

First Soccer practice

Adalyn had her first soccer practice on Saturday. She was so excited. She has been wearing her jersey for weeks in anticipation! Her first game is on Wednesday-stay tuned for video. She actually did pretty well at her first practice. We haven't really been working with her much because there has been snow on the ground for the last 5 months, but we got soccer goals for Christmas and they have been set up in the game room a few times. We are excited to see our first child play in her first sport. Finally- evenings at the ball park!

Fun Family Dinner

My parents were in town for Easter weekend, so we gathered up some family and a few friends and had a great dinner.

This is so me! - A very funny forward about Moms

got this forward from a friend the other day... it's so like me it's almost scary...

*Recently, I was diagnosed with C. A. A. D. D. --
"Child Activated Attention Deficit Disorder"

This is how it manifests: I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the laundry room, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor and my car keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the laundry. I lay my car keys down on the counter, put the cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash can is full.

So, I decide to take out the trash. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the office/playroom, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of juice.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put the sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the sippy cup, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye --they need to be watered.

I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I discover baby wipes that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back in the bathroom, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the wipes back down, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote, one of the kids left it on the kitchen table. I realize that after school when they go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote as they fight over who lost it, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm cup of juice sitt ing on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find the wipes, and I don' t remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail. Do me a favor, will you?

Forward this message, because I don't remember to whom it has been sent.

Egg Drop

Today, Adalyn had an egg drop at school.
Last night we built a box to house a raw egg as it was dropped from the roof of the school. First we wrapped the egg in bubble wrap . Then we put it in a noodle box, filled with packing peanuts and taped up the baby. The drop was very exciting. We heard lots of cracks. Ours didn't make a loud crack when it hit, so we were hopeful! Unfortunately, our little egg didn't make it! But, Adalyn wasn't too upset, because the easter bunny visited her class while they were outside and left treats! What a fun day!

Not the best day!

Yesterday, was not the best day. Ethan threw up all night and then laid in my floor, looking as pale as a ghost, for half the day. Luckily, by the afternoon, he was hungry and pink in the cheeks. Well, we almost made it through the winter with no vomiting! So close!

Later that afternoon, Caleb and I were outside with all the neighbors and he rode his scooter into a very deep window well at my neighbors house. He disappeared and I went looking for him and I heard a faint cry. Well, I found him at the bottom with his scooter. I rushed him home and checked him out. He said he landed on his head and has an "ouchie" on the top of his head. I was really worried about him because he cried for a long time and then fell asleep. But by the end of the night he was playing and laughing and running around. I am so glad that he is okay, but Caleb could have been seriously injured. I am now very worried about the window wells and all the children in the neighborhood. Next time we might not be so lucky.

Adalyn's kindergarten picture

Adalyn's kindergarten picture!

Little Ethan

Here is a cute collage of Ethan that Paige gave me for Mother's Day last year. She took Ethan and Hyrum to get their pictures done and then surprised me with this. Thanks Paige!

I love school pictures

The boys had their preschool pictures
taken in the fall. I think they turned out
so good!

7 kids under the age of eight for 2 days

We had the privilege of keeping our neighbors four kids (3 yr old twins, 5 year old and 7 year old) while their mother had surgery. Let me tell you, we had a blast! I wish I would have taken some pictures. It was a circus half the time. After the first day, Joshua called me and asked how things were going. My response was, "I want a big family!". He said, "that is not what I was expecting or wanting to hear"! Some highlights of their visit:

Seven kids around the dinner table, all of them trying to talk to me at the same time.
Homemade playdough that we cooked on the stove...fun for hours and no one fought over the cookie cutters and fun factory!
Activities with the "little kids" while the "big kids" were at school.
The "big kids" getting home from school and all telling me about their day in one breathe and all at the same time!
Three little ones begging to be held at the same time...and me trying to hold them all at once.
One of the twins climbing into bed with us in the middle of the night and didn't mind that we weren't Mom and Dad.
Bathtime for all seven!
Getting up at 7:30 to get Caden (the seven year old) up for school, only to find him fully dressed with coat shoes and backpack on, so he could play Nickjr.com like I promised before school.

I had a great time and want more now than ever to have a big family! (one kid at a time though)

Check out my Slide Show!

Birthdays Birthdays!

My Birthday was the 26th. I had one of the best birthdays ever! Joshua took me and the kids out to breakfast, then we went shopping, then took Ethan to a birthday party, then we watched Joshua play in his elders quorum basketball game. We then drove to Salt Lake and I attended a baby shower for a long time friend, Noelle Lambert (It was so great to see her and her mom!) Then we drove through the canyon to Park City and went shopping for our dream home! We got to check out some of the houses that Joshua is working on. And then walked through some model homes for other builders. Unfortunately, they were just a little out of our price range (they start at 1.6 million and up). It was still fun and gave us tons of ideas and motivation to start building our own. After Park City, we drove to North Salt Lake to have dinner with Joshua's aunt and uncle, Larry and Yvonne. They were so sweet and made me a huge birthday dinner. You can see the cake has a 25 and then another 2 = 27! All throughout the day, I received great presents and phone calls from all the family that I miss so much- especially my Mom and Dad! Thank you everyone for making me feel so special!