A Thompson Fall: Bake an Apple Pie

 We kicked off our fall bucket list with an awesome family homemade pie. One of the more quiet Saturdays in August allowed us to take our time to bake. Each kiddo had a role in baking the scrumptious pie{s} and I was so happy to see the smiles it brought to their faces. Salem was the dough roller. Aspen was the apple slicer. Adelaide the kneed her and sauce mixer. Brighton the dough brusher and pre-bake sampler. With a side of vanilla ice cream, the kids thoroughly enjoyed each yummy bite. Bonus: we baked an extra pie to drop off to my mom & dad!

A Thompson Christmas: Decorate Christmas Cookies

 A fun little afternoon was spent baking ice cream cookie sandwiches! Complete with Christmas flavors and Santa's Sugar Cookie ice cream courtesy of our Elves. We baked two layers of cookies on a cookie sheet. While they baked we softened the ice cream and whipped it to make it oh so creamy. Once the cookies were warm, we layered them in a small pan then spread the ice cream across and layered the other cookie layer on top. Topped with sprinkles and it was the perfect afternoon treat!

A Thompson Fall: Bake Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Nothing like a little after school baking to kick off the weekend! My little helper Adelaide Jane whipped up some chocolate chip pumpkin bread for us to enjoy...she was so excited to be in the kitchen. She measured out each ingredient, mixed it all up, and even helped pour it into the mini loaf pans. Her labor love made for a yummy breakfast treat the next day ;)

 

40 Before 40: Eat at a Hibachi Grill Restaurant with Our Family

Hibachi is such a fun experience! A truly memorable dining treat for the kids. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to dinner at Hibachi~ really since Aspen was 2 years old.  So I felt it would be fun to have a different type of dining style as I approach 40.

The kids {minus Salem} loved the fire! They loved the chef tricks especially when trying to catch food in their mouths.

We aren’t always so diverse in our diets and eating ethnic food so it was great to have the kids try some new things. They attempted eating sushi as well as the fried rice & shrimp. A few of them even tried the filet mignon!

It was a fun Sunday evening to cap off our weekend!

                                                     

 

The Thompson Christmas Bucket List: See a Christmas Play

We have been enjoying a Christmas play at Derby Dinner for the past four holiday seasons. Our season tickets were cut short in the spring and the fall didn't look promising for reopening. So we were elated to be able to attend "A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail" this year.

 

 

 The boys & Salem absolutely loved the characters & the story line. They giggled through the humor and danced & sung along to some tunes. Clapping after each act, the smiles on their faces were pure joy. The arts is such a wonderful aspect of the holidays so I was thrilled to be able to share this experience with them!

The Thompson Christmas Bucket List: Bake & Decorate Christmas Cookies

One afternoon we decided to combine baking & cookie decorating to keep us in the holiday spirit! We baked our family poppyseed bread recipe for neighbors & teachers. My little assistant Adelaide enjoyed wearing matching Mrs. Claus aprons while measuring & pouring all of the ingredients. The boys & Salem enjoyed the aroma gracing the kitchen. I love sharing my childhood traditions with my kids.

 

 

To satisfy our sweet teeth, we decorated ornament cookies. I saw the cutest pre-made cookie box with all the fixins for decorating~ icings, candies, & sprinkles. Each of the kids got to decorate two cookies for themselves and perfected their technique as they went along. We enjoyed the cookies with some hot cocoa and a festive movie after dinner.

 

 

 And because you can never have too many sweets during the holidays, we had a girl cousin cookie decorating party at my sister Taylor's house. So precious to see the littles get excited and to watch the bigs help them with their cookies. The bond these cousins share is one of the greatest joys & gifts of our lives.