A Name and a Blessing

Our beautiful girl was blessed in church yesterday:

Ms. Jamie Addison Claire Hinckley

He was joined by our bishop, our home teacher, a few friends, and McKay's dad and brother. We are so lucky to be in the church, to have our little babies blessed by the priesthood so early in their lives. It's also a wonderful reminder to us as parents that we are not her only parents, that Heavenly Father loves her as well and is watching over her with us, and helping us to know the best way to raise her.

McKay gave her a beautiful blessing, and she didn't cry (unlike Tyler who yelled all through his). According to her grandpa, McKay's dad, she grabbed the pinky finger of the man holding the microphone for McKay and held his hand all through her blessing, and that is so like her. We are so happy she is in our family. We already can't imagine our life without her sweet little smile.

PS: Our couches look really gross in that picture, but remember, we just had them cleaned last week in the great poison ivy purge of 2010.

More Cakes!

We have dinner every Sunday at McKay's parents house with the rest of the Texas Hinckleys. Every Saturday night, Marie and I plan out dinner over the phone, and I'm always assigned dessert. Not that I'm complaining. I definitely get the fun part of the family feasts. Sometimes I bring banana rolls, sometimes giant chocolate chip cookies, but most Sundays I bring a cake.

Here's a few from the last month or so:

Last night's Strawberry Cake:

Edison's Birthday Duck Cake, a BIG hit with Edison, Evelyn and Tyler, who had a very hard time not touching "Duckie":

Young Women's Mini-Wedding Cake:

This wasn't a Hinckley Sunday Dinner cake. Cindy asked me to make this last week for a YW activity about temple marriages, just to tie in the refreshments to the theme, and it was really a fun project. It was about 18 inches tall, and the layers were 8 inch, 6 inch and 4 inch. It was great practice for whenever I feel up to starting my cake business again (scary!)

A Nothing Week

We did nothing last week (except discovering Sufjan Stevens! I love his music for Sunday mornings). We spent it recovering and hiding from the rest of the world.

Here is a photo tour of our messy house, courtesy of Tyler on a rainy day at some point last week:

The rain comes down in buckets here, and we watch the rooftop waterfalls from our little window cove.

Tyler's half-clothed self.

Bam-Bam (Lightening McQueen)

Jamie, who has recently discovered that her hands are delicious.

Mommy taking the camera and ending the shenanigans.

Don't Mess with Texas...Seriously!!

There is a cute little creek that runs by our apartment, and last week, Tyler and I went exploring and collecting autumn-y leaves, acorns, and rocks. Unfortunately for us, these are three things you do not want to pick up, bring home and put all over your house for decorations:

We are learning the hard way that Texas wants to kill us. McKay had a small breakout on his leg, Tyler has a few patches on his arms and legs. I have some on my arms and legs, and at some point I must have touched my face, because I look like the elephant man. Thank goodness Jamie doesn't have any on her! (And you'll see the lengths we are going to to prevent that.)

Apparantly, the oil from these plants is what causes the rash. You can't spread it by scratching an already existing rash, where the oil has already sunk into your pores. You can only spread it by spreading the oil. The oil is potent up to FIVE YEARS after it has rubbed off the plant, on ANY SURFACE (especially cloth surfaces like clothing and carpet) unless it is broken down by something like dish soap. Because I brought the plants in our house, it's EVERYWHERE. We could keep getting infected every few weeks for five years!

Operation Destroy Oil:

• 
  
  Don't wear anything more than once without washing it


• 
  
  Change and wash bed sheets everyday


• 
  
  Shampoo carpets


• 
  
  Wash with bleach any surface that has been touched by plants


• 
  
  Wash hands frequently with dish soap, and always before touching Jamie or her clothes

I had to go grocery shopping last night, and I was hoping I could dash through quick enough without anyone seeing my swollen, rashy face. No such luck. Everyone was sneaking stares. The cashier started listing home remedies like garlic and banana peels.

I was so mortified. I just wanted to yell to everyone in the store:

Is it fall at your house yet?

Sundays are for:

1. Beautiful children in their Sunday Best

2. Apple Basket Cakes and Birthday Wishes

3. Grandma Griffin hugs (and bribing her with ice cream so she'll let us in)

Did you know...

...On September 7th:

• 
  
  Buddy Holly was born
  


• 
  
  The German Blitz began
  


• 
  
  Evan Rachel Wood was born
  


• 
  
  Atlanta, Georgia fell to Sherman in the Civil War
  


• 
  
  Gloria Gaynor was born
  


• 
  
  Queen Elizabeth I was born
  


• 
  
  Tom Everett Scott was born
  


• 
  
  Guillaume Apollinaire stole the Mona Lisa
  


• 
  
  Julie Kavner was born
  


• 
  
  Tupac was shot

Tyler, Jamie and I sent McKay on a TREASURE HUNT with all these fun birthday facts:

And he won the best prize ever, to be redeemed if it ever stops raining here!

27

Happy Birthday, you crazy man.

A few of our favorite things today

This face, that can't hold still enough for pictures today:

This face, that is starting to smile and laugh:

and these chunky thighs. Who doesn't love baby rolls?

Happy Fall!

Texas doesn't really give up its death grip on summer until mid-October-ish, but it did celebrate Spetember 1st with a wonderfully cooling storm, which by itself was amazing, but when we peeked outside, we got this too:

Happy Fall, everyone!