R Family Circus

Workout Anyone?

2012-02-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

Check out what Justin built!

He broke his other exercise set so instead of buying a new one he researched online, found these plans and built it on a Saturday--start to finish. It has a pull-up bar and pegs for his Olympic Free Bar (Not Pictured). The punching bag can be removed so you can do squats or bench press. It's pretty awesome! Great Job Justin!

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

2012-02-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for an easy, but elegant dessert for Valentine's Day? One of Justin's favorite desserts to make (and eat) is Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes. He can usually whip these up while I'm fixing dinner and we enjoy them after dinner is finished--they're that easy!

This recipe is found on food.com and is courtesy of Cupcake Princess.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
whipped cream, for serving

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease 4 (6 ounce) ramekins, place on baking sheet. In a large
microwavable bowl microwave butter and chocolate for 1 minute or until butter is melted, stir until
chocolate is completely melted.
2. Stir in powdered sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks, then stir in flour. Divide
batter between prepared ramekins. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are
soft. Let stand for 1 minute.
3. Run a small knife around the cakes to loosen, invert cakes onto plates. Top with whipped cream
and serve immediatley.

Enjoy!! (Oh and Happy Valentine's Day!)

I love my Little Helper

2012-02-03T09:13:00.001-08:00

Ready to Play

2012-01-31T18:34:00.000-08:00

"Mom! I'm ready to play in the bagrage!"

Kenzie was trying to convince me that she could play out front by herself by saying that she was only going to play in the garage. Sadly, no. But it made me happy to see her so proud of dressing herself. :)

Cookies for Breakfast? Hallelujah!

2012-01-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

I made these cookies this morning and can I just say...YUM. I came across this recipe in the January 2012 issue of Bon Appetit. Let me just thank my dentist again for carrying that magazine. :) Not only are these tasty, full of whole grains, but super filling too! Seriously, I ate breakfast hours ago and I am still stuffed, which almost never happens.

Anyway, without further ado:

Almond Cranberry Quinoa Cookies (Yes, Quinoa. Trust me they're good, keep reading).

Makes about 2 dozen

1 1/2 cup of White Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (if you use table/sea salt you won't need as much, more like 1/2 tsp.)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, At room temperature
(I used 1/4 cup unsalted butter and 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil--super yum!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (Seriously, I have never been a fan of almond extract and was honestly hesitant to buy it, but thankfully it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors in this cookie--whew!)
1 cup COOKED quinoa, cooled
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries (or cherries)
1/2 cup slivered, unsalted almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients; set aside. In a large bowl or mixer mix together the butter, sugars, and honey until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and extracts and mix until combined. Turn mixer to slow and add the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the quinoa, oats, cranberries and almonds.

Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. (I ended up baking mine for about 10 minutes).

These cookies are soft and almost like a muffin but so much easier. I mean seriously, do you like washing muffin tins? Because I don't!

Enjoy!

**A note about quinoa. If you haven't heard about it before it's an ancient grain similar to rice but packed with protein. I love it! Just make sure to rinse it before cooking. It's a 1 to 2 ratio, quinoa to liquid, simmer until liquid is gone. As a side dish I cook it with chicken broth, but obviously for these cookies I just used water.

Seriously, if you haven't tried it yet--do it today!

Decades Day (With a little help from Kenzie)

2012-01-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

Kenzie would not stand still and we had about 30 seconds to take pictures before they had to go to school.

I made Kate's leg warmers out of an old sweater. Believe it or not she didn't want to wear them all scrunched up. She thought they looked better stretched long over her entire leg. We tried and tried to convince her that wouldn't have worked for the costume and that most of the time they were worn scrunched up. Man--another stubborn girl. Anyway, she finally agreed and scrunched them up--whew!

I know this is blurry but I can't get over Kenzie and her pj choice and sleepy hair. It was a fun morning.

This Girl

2012-01-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

One busy Saturday we were wondering where Kenzie was--you'd think with as small as our place is we'd always know where everyone was--but anyways....Kenzie had decided that she was tired and put herself down for a nap.

When I started taking pictures of her she woke up. I guess I caught her before she was totally asleep. This ended up being a good thing because she's in that phase of if she naps then she never goes to sleep at night.

This girl is sooooo stubborn! She insists on things her way, no highway option. Which means we seem to be "fighting" battles throughout the day--every day! One day she wanted a particular dress that was in the wash. I mean literally it was in the washer. She refused to do anything else until it was ready to wear. She wouldn't play games, watch TV, read books with me. She just laid on the floor and sucked her thumb until it was ready. That's just how determined she can be. It makes for some good lessons to learn such as, "You can't always get what you want," etc.

Speaking of thumb sucking. She only does it when she has her "lovey," the light pink thing in her hand in the above picture. It was originally a beautiful silk pashmina that a friend had given to me, but once Kenzie got attached to it, that was that. I've been trying to get her to leave her lovey on her bed so that she will only have it at night and thus only suck her thumb at night. I tried bribing her that if she could leave it on her bed for so many days she'd be able to earn a prize at the store. She starts the day with every intention of leaving it on her bed, but before long it seems to make it's way downstairs and into her thumb sucking hand. Hmmmmmm. This is going to be more difficult than I had hoped.

How is it that I could have forgotten so quickly what life with a 3 year old was like? Maybe it's because every time I've had a 3 year old at home there has been a sibling at home as well to act as a buffer. I find myself dreaming of preschool--that is terrible. I should be enjoying every moment! I just try to remember how it was before when I was gone and someone else was teaching her things about life. Then I realize how much I love being with her--battles and all. I count my blessings. Take some deep breaths and press on.

Because this girl is worth it.

Been Studying

2012-01-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be thinking--she's home now right...where are her posts?!

Well, I have been furiously studying for the last couple of weeks for a personal trainer exam. The first part I will be taking in about 20 minutes and the second part I take on Tues. Please say a prayer for me and wish me luck--I am extremely nervous!

I know, I have done this before, but somehow the anxiety just builds and builds.

Anyway, when all of that is over I will share my frustrating experience of being locked out of the house and my thoughts on life with a very, very stubborn 3 year old!

Look Alike's

2012-01-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

(This is me when I was about 3 years old--a loooooong time ago).

Kenzie was talking about her cheeks being "fat" which I immediately said that they weren't fat; that they were perfect. So, yes I have posted these pictures already once before, but I wanted to show her how much we look alike.

Pictures from 2011 I meant to share

2012-01-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

These are bits and pieces that I meant to share and just ran out of time. Enjoy!

Kenzie playing with her Halloween candy like it was little toy figurines.

She did this for a good 10-15 minutes and hardly ate any of it. :)

Kelly and her friend Olivia dressed up to see "The Phantom of the Opera" at the high school.

During our week off for Thanksgiving I took the kids to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. This is in the area for kids 6 and under, (which happens to be everyone's favorite part--even Kelly).

One of the traveling exhibits. It was fun, but definitely geared for younger patrons.

We had a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. (They are the wonderful couple that had been babysitting Kenzie for us while I was working full time).

Kate and her green machine she got from Santa--she loves it! What's cool is that it has a weight limit of 200lbs so just about all of us can ride it (if she let's us). :)

Kelly and her camera she got from Santa. At this point I should also mention that if you're not shopping on Amazon I highly recommend it. You can find just about anything and get great deals along with free shipping. It made our Christmas shopping so much easier this year! They also have Amazon for mom's that I haven't tried yet but I understand that you get incredible deals on everyday items like toilet paper, peanut butter, and diapers. You can set up automatic payments and regular delivery dates so you never run out! That is one of the new things I'm going to try this year.

Moving On.

We were so lucky to have a few days of great weather while Grandma T was visiting. We spent one day at the Heard Museum which has a cool dinosaur exhibit right now until the end of January. All of the dinosaurs are animatronic and fun to find while you're walking on the hiking trails.

Kevin with his remote control truck from Santa. I should know all the details, but sadly I don't. I just know that it's not like any other RC vehicle we've ever had. He really loves it and enjoys working on it as well.

It is a beautiful day here so Kenzie and I are heading to the park. I hope you have a wonderful day!

On the Horizon

2012-01-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

With the beginning of a new year there are a few changes going on around our house. The biggest news of course is that I am no longer working full time--Hurray! I am going to be the newest Texas Fit Chicks Personal Trainer--double Hurray! I will officially take over one of the local Boot Camps in February. Until then I am furiously working on renewing my certification and learning about the business side of personal training. It is very exciting! My Boot Camp will be Mon/Wed/Fri mornings at 5:30am. Yes, it's very early, but then I have the rest of the day to be with my family. This is something that I have been wanting to do for two years and now that it's actually happening I can hardly believe it!

Once I get that squared away I have all kinds of things I want to do: sewing projects to create, parts of my house I want to deep clean and organize, activities and recipes I want to try. If I try to think about it all at once I get too overwhelmed.

Kate won the "Principal's Award" at school today. This award is for someone who works hard, is kind and is a leader by example. We are so proud of her! (It probably would have been nice if I had removed the restaurant gift certificate so you could have actually seen the award, but oh well). She was so surprised to 1) see me at school, and 2) to receive this award. She didn't know she was getting it.

As you can see, she still has her own sense of style. Her t-shirt is the school shirt for this year. They want the kids to wear them when they have these awards assemblies. She has gone from being my "girly-girl" to more of a tomboy, but I'm not worried. She just loves to roll up her pants these days and can't go anywhere without her Chuck Taylor high tops.

I literally had to wrestle Kenzie into these clothes this morning. It was one of those times where we had approximately 2 minutes to get ready and get out the door and she insisted on wearing what she calls "short pants" even though it was 40 degrees outside. She also kicked and screamed when I hurriedly put her hair in a pony tail. When I helped her take her coat off after we got there she whispered, "I hate my clothes." As soon as we got home she took out her pony tail, took off her clothes and got back into her pj's. We are still adjusting to being at home together. I need to be better at setting up a routine. It's weird to think that you would forget what it's like to be home, but you sort of do. Until we get our rhythm down, I'll be content to enjoy snuggling and giggling with her--which is what I am doing right now as she tries to touch all the buttons on the keyboard.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T19:30:00.001-08:00

Find inspiration here.

New Year, New Title

2011-12-29T15:58:00.000-08:00

cir' cus (ser'kes) n. 1, a traveling show, including acrobats, clowns, wild animal displays, etc.; the company of performers in such show. 2, any entertaining display likened to a circus; a good time.

I'd say that's just about right!

Things that I loved about today

2011-12-27T15:04:00.000-08:00

Kenzie wasn't afraid to talk to Snow White--She was thrilled and gave her a big hug.

That these sisters actually wanted to have their picture taken together, (or at least they were willing to humor me).

That Kevin loves this fedora Kelly gave him so much he's been wearing it ever since.

I always knew where Kenzie was. I just had to look for the shiny pink coat.

That I caught Justin laughing at something that Kevin did. Such a handsome guy!

Daffodils beginning to bloom!

That it took at least 5 takes to get this one great shot. And that Grandma T was here to enjoy this holiday time and beautiful day with us.

"Momma, my legs are tired of walking."

This golden hair.

That my teenager wasn't too cool to sit on a bench, enjoying the sun and talking with me all about her video ideas.

That Kevin can jump from the ground onto a waist-high picnic table.

Every so often Kate would just lay down somewhere and talk about how she was too tired to walk.

Merry, Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

We are grateful for the many blessings we've enjoyed this year. As we reflect on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, one of the greatest events to ever happen, we are humbled by the blessings of hope, immortality, salvation, and eternal life that it brings.

We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year!

What's For Dinner? (This is a little long, sorry)

2011-12-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

One of our new favorites found in the "Kid Friendly" section of The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook is Chicken Quesadillas (Seriously, if you don't have one of their cookbooks yet--Get One! It would also make a great gift.)

This does require a little preparation, but once prepped they go together fairly quickly. I wish that I had better pictures, but just the fact that I remembered to take them is pretty good! Unfortunately we didn't have any cilantro the night I made these--so you won't see it pictured here.

O.k. enough chit-chat--here's the info:

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 small red onion (when it comes to onion I always use about half of what the recipe calls for)
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped fine
3 ounces white mushrooms, brushed clean, trimmed and chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast (if needed you could used canned chicken here)
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
4 (8in) whole wheat flour tortillas (We use our favorite Tortilla Land uncooked tortillas from Costco--they're not whole wheat but I'm not too worried about it).
1 cup shredded 50 percent light cheddar cheese (about 4 oz)--(We just use our favorite Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, not light--but again I'm not too worried about it).
Lime wedges for serving
**Optional Substitute 1 cup canned black beans, mashed, for the cooked chicken--or just use both like we do!

Here's all the ingredients prepped and ready to go. If you want to save prep time--buy cheese pre-shredded and look for chopped onions and peppers in the grocery store. Or, if you have a food processor you could chop the veggies in a matter of seconds. If I know I need cooked chicken for a recipe, then I try to plan a dinner with baked chicken breasts earlier in the week and just bake extra chicken for meals like this.

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. (If you have one you could also add a jalapeno pepper here, seeded and chopped fine). Stir in the garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

While the peppers are cooking I start cooking our tortillas--Are you hungry yet?

2. Stir in the cooked chicken and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is when we add the black beans too. Stir to combine and heat through. Then if you don't have a separate grill for assembling the tortillas, transfer the filling to a separate bowl.

If you follow the recipe the next steps are:

3. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels, return to medium heat and heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Lay the tortillas in the skillet, one at a time, and cook until softened and lightly toasted on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm.

4. To assemble the quesadillas spread 2/3 cup of the filling over half of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over the filling, fold into a half-moon shape, and press lightly to flatten. (Obviously I stray from the recipe at this point--with 6 people in our family and a big griddle I make 2 full quesadillas at a time. I usually sprinkle a little cheese on the tortilla; Cover with the filling and then sprinkle a little more cheese on top of the filling. Then top with another tortilla).

Back to the Original Recipe

5. Working with two quesadillas at a time, brush one side of each with 1/2 teaspoon more oil, and arrange in the skillet, oiled-side down. Cook over medium heat until crisp and well browned on the first side, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Brush the top of each quesadilla with 1/2 teaspoon more oil, flip them over, and continue to cook until crisp and well browned on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the quesadillas to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining two quesadillas and 2 teaspoons oil. Serve with lime wedges.

YUM!

Nutrition Info (if you follow the original recipe) Per Quesadilla: Cal 360; Fat 16 g; Sat. Fat 3.5g; Chol 40 mg; Carb 29g; Protein 23g; Fiber 3g; Sodium 230mg

Enjoy!

Boys Are Fun!

2011-12-19T15:56:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong~ we love our girls. But would they.....

Put the guinea pig in the tree with a little Santa hat so they could take its picture?

Or get up early on a Saturday to set up a Lego zip line?

Thank you Kevin for adding some fun to our home!

"Peace, Tranquility, Joy.....Maybe Next Year."

2011-12-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, I borrowed that quote from the cover of "A Christmas Story," one of our favorite movies this time of year. It caught my eye last night as I was staying up too late to finish gifts for teachers and bake cookies for our annual staff cookie extravaganza, etc and I had to totally laugh out loud. I was having one of those conversations with myself about why was I staying up late to do all these things that are supposed to foster that warm, fuzzy Christmas spirit when all I was really thinking and feeling was, "This is so dumb!! Why am I doing this to myself!" **sigh**

It's all about balance and this year, like so many before, I can't seem to find it. I can't tell you about all the pictures I have waiting on the camera that I want to blog about, Justin's molten chococlate cakes, Kenzie playing with her Halloween candy like they were little toy people, Santa's personal visit to our house, to name a few. They'll get there eventually.

It's this quest for balance this year that has lead our family to a big decision. We decided that after Christmas I will not be going back to my full time job at the high school. It was a difficult decision to make, because I truly enjoy it. However, my family relationships and my sanity are much more important. I am looking into some part time options that will allow me more time with our family. Nothing is confirmed yet, but I will let you know once things are worked out. It is bittersweet for me, however I am really excited to be home. I'm looking forward to getting our house in a better order and exploring and hopefully strengthening some talents here and there.

So don't give up on me. Keep checking and there will be more posts coming soon!

Kate's Best

2011-11-17T19:14:00.001-08:00

Most nights while we eat dinner we take turns sharing our "best, worst, weirdest, & service," for each day. It makes for some great dinner time conversations. Anyway, tonight Kate's best went like this:

My best is I learned how to talk with a British accent!! That way if we go to Britain I will be able to talk in Britain to them!

It's not easy. You have to practice really hard. You can't talk regular to them because they won't understand what you are saying.

So funny! She was really animated when she was telling us about it and you could tell how excited and proud she was. So, if you ever travel to Britain and you want to take Kate along, just let us know. ;)

Christmas List

2011-11-13T13:58:00.001-08:00

I am one of those annoying people that just can't sit still and chillax while watching a movie. We were trying to do that last night but of course my mind was thinking and planning and before you knew it-I had my pen and paper in hand and the lists began to flow.

I quickly realized that aside from one or two things, I had no idea what else Kevin wanted for Christmas. After asking him what he wanted, he started making his list. He was taking a really long time and I was a little worried about what his list would look like after he'd been writing for 20+ min. straight.

Well, eventually he handed me this. His list, with a letter to Santa on the back. (I did not correct his punctuation).

Dear Santa,

Kenzie is always losing her luvvie. maybe you could give her a special box That she could put by her bed, and she could keep it in there! Kensie is really sweet and always nice so, please could she have a very special Christmas?

Kate, (even though I get mad at her some times) is nice and loves to talk to people. Kate is really nice to me and I always feel bad after I do anything to her. Some words to explain Kate are: funy, enthusiastic, gentle, kind, energetic, funny, and knows how to make someone feel better. Kate deserves a very good christmas.

Kelly is very nice and funny. whenever she does something bad to me she always apologizes and gives me a hug. she makes me laugh, and is one of the best sisters ever. Kelly fits in with other people and was born to be kind. I think that she should have a good christmas.
-Kevin.

He is such a good brother! I don't think his sisters really know how much he loves them. Anyway, after I read that my lists just didn't matter anymore.

I love this boy!

Catching Up #2 Halloween

2011-11-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Justin and I were invited to a Halloween party and we decided to dress up as our High School personalities! Just kidding. Justin really wanted to dress up as Paul Sr. from Orange County Choppers. I was going to dress up like a rocker chick and even considered spray painting my hair black, etc. But when I thought about it. I already had everything for nerd costume for free!

You would not believe the strange looks that people gave to Justin when they saw his "tattoos", which of course were just sleeves. Many people would look and then quickly look away like they were so uncomfortable. It was so funny! Once most people learned that they were sleeves they became much more friendly and then talked about how cool they were. Go figure!

Justin actually won his company's costume contest at work! $75 Visa Gift Cards, not bad!

Where's Kelly? She was actually at a dress rehearsal for her musical. Seriously what was her teacher thinking. Needless to say, I didn't get one picture of her. Sniff, sniff. She did dress up, sort of like a rocker. Maybe I will have her put her costume on sometime and get a picture of her then. O.k. really, that probably will never happen but for some reason posting it makes me feel better. :)

If you can't tell, Kate went as Pebbles Flinstone, which she loved and none of her friends even knew who that was. What has happened to our cartoon classics?!

I was really grateful that Kevin and Kenzie's costumes from last year still fit and they were happy to wear them again! I don't know if they will ever know how much I appreciate that and how much easier it made this holiday for me.

We were totally sporting our Trader Joe's bags for collecting candy. Yes! They are finally coming to the DFW area this winter. I can not wait!!

Our kids got sooooo much candy this year. After a week of eating more than anyone needed, we still probably have 10+ pounds left! It's almost disgusting! The kids ate their fill this weekend and the rest I am taking to school. I have to get it out of the house--for all our good!

I hope you had a wonderful and safe Halloween!

Catching Up #1 Company Fall Picnic

2011-11-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure of attending Justin's company fall picnic. The company he works for recently purchased a new building and to celebrate, they had the picnic at the new location. It just happened to be an old corporate YMCA building and has tennis courts, indoor pool, rock climbing wall etc. Sadly, the building had been vacant for a while. The pool was empty, etc. so it wasn't really ready for anyone to go inside, but the grounds were beautiful and even though it was in the 80's we had a great time.

Kelly took this picture and it is straight out of the camera. I just love it! Looking at it makes me feel happy, hopeful, and grateful. Good job Kelly!

Try as I might, I couldn't get Kate to smile normal!

Livin' it up! We usually don't drink a lot of soda and so these girls were loving this!

I had never heard of the game "Washers" until moving to Texas. It's sort of like horseshoes, I think. I've never played either one so I could be totally wrong. You have these large metal washers that you're trying to throw into a box about 15 feet away. You get so many points for where it lands, and or if you knock out an opponents washer, etc. When Justin told me he'd signed us up to play in a washers tournament I told him that Kevin would be a better partner. I turned out to be right and Justin and Kevin won the whole thing!! They got a Chipotle gift card and used it for a fun Dad and Kevin night. Great job guys! I am so proud of you!

Kelly took my camera for a little while and took some pictures of the area, and her feet. :) It was fun to see what she had come up with. As you can see it's a beautiful place. It was nice to do something fun on the weekend instead of the crazy running-around-to-get-things-done that we usually do.

Some of the other activities that they had (that unfortunately I didn't get pictures of), were a scanner scavenger hunt and pumpkin decorating. With the scanner scavenger hunt you had to use your cell phone to scan various digital codes (the ones that look like black and white tetris blocks), to get answers to different trivia questions. It was pretty cool. All of the kids really got into the pumpkin decorating too. They must have cleared out Micheal's for all the cool crafty stuff they had available. I'm telling you. I think that's my favorite way to do pumpkins. No mess and the kids can do the whole thing themselves. It's definitely a new favorite for me. Especially when it's way too hot for Halloween. Our pumpkins actually lasted a little while longer this year. Maybe I will get a picture of them and post it later.

All in all it was a great day!

I just made it and/or Thanks Mom!

2011-10-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

(Yes--she's wearing high heels. She loves being almost as tall as Dad).

I ended up making Kelly's costume for her play. I just couldn't bring myself to spend exorbitant amounts of money on a dress that was too grown up, hardly modest at all, with no guarantee that it would fit. So, I bought the material on Friday after work. I started cutting it out on Sat. afternoon and by Sunday evening here is the finished product. (She had to turn it in on Monday). I'm relieved it's just a costume because it's not as exact as I would have liked.

Evidence would suggest that I am a little tired and frazzled from a couple of late nights. 1). Unsecured hair blowing around. 2). Rumpled shirt and sweat pants. 3). What happened to my smile? It's like only half of my mouth really felt like doing it. 4). Don't even tell me about the bags under my eyes.

Kelly does not wear heels at all. These are the biggest pair that I have (size 10). Notice her heel hanging off the back. When did my little girl grow up so much?!!

(See what I mean about the hair and the half smile? I seriously needed to go to bed. Kelly was livin' it up being taller than mom.)

All in all, it really wasn't a bad project. It made me wish that I had more room and better tools. I also wouldn't mind taking a class on altering patterns. It took me over 3 hours just to trace and cut out this dress because I wanted to make sure it would fit. I still don't think I altered the pattern a well as I could have--but I couldn't figure out how else to do it! I should say that this is the pattern that I used. However in the interest of time and money I did not do a tulle overlay or line the dress either. I totally would have if it wasn't "just a costume," but since it was I just skipped it. I think the total cost on the dress was about $24, not including the pattern. Not too bad!! I got a smokin' deal on the fabric: 4 yards for $18. Hurray! That part made the whole thing a little easier. Kelly's happy. I'm totally relieved that it's done and it turned out well enough. I'm excited to see her perform in it. I am grateful to my mother for teaching me how to sew, as well as spending lots of hours and late nights making things for me so that I could be successful. I love you mom!

Tried to make it short

2011-10-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

(Sorry for the poor quality of this picture. I was hurrying to take it.) We finally got some much needed rain! It has been so hot and dry. Everyday our high is somewhere in the low to mid 80's and we are tired of having to use our air conditioning! One night Kevin opened the back door to find this little Rat Snake slithering across our patio. The kids were fascinated! Kenzie even stepped right up to it. Personally it gives me the creeps to know that something like that lives near my home. Thank goodness they are not poisonous! And double thank goodness it was slithering away from our house, not towards it. Do you remember when we found one in our attic? Serious heebie jeebies!

I think my parents are the only ones who check my blog regularly--thanks Mom and Dad! Sorry that I haven't posted in a while. Every day has been so jam packed lately. I usually crawl into bed between 11pm and midnight only to wake up at 5:15 am to do it all over again. I just haven't made time for blogging lately--once again, sorry.

So, for the few of you that actually read this blog, here is a quick update:

Kenzie: Busy loving life! Her vocabulary surprises me everyday. Many people comment that she talks well for her age and I can't help but think that it is because she has to keep up with all of her siblings who have the gift of gab. Lately the phrase that she's been saying a lot is, "I don't appreciate that!"

Kate: Loving, loving, loving school. To me it's such a magical moment when the light bulb comes on and your children really start reading. Last year she new how to read and could do it, but it seemed like I was trying to pull her teeth out when I would ask her to read something. This year, it's like she can't read enough. Hallelujah! She loves her school teacher and comes home everyday excited about something new that she learned that day. I feel grateful to have happy children.

Kevin: Ran for school treasurer and sadly did not get elected. We all knew it's just a big popularity contest and he kept saying that it would be a miracle if he won. Thankfully, he's mature enough to understand and he was o.k. with not winning. We were so proud of him for persevering and for giving a speech in front of the whole school!
He's also getting ready for a big 3 day, 2 night science and nature camp trip with his whole grade. Usually this trip happens in the spring, but for some reason this year they've decided to go in November. I feel caught off guard and wish I had more time to prepare myself. I know that he will be just fine away from home, but I still feel nervous about it. He's totally excited and I think overall it will be a great experience for him.

Kelly: A light bulb has gone off for her this year too. She has transformed into such a responsible young woman. We worried about her last year and wondered if she would ever figure it out. Don't get me wrong, she is still a teenager and has her moments, but she is definitely more mature than last year. Again--Hallelujah!
She is as tall I as am, which throws me off a little. I predict by the end of this school year she will be taller than me. She is confident and just loving life. She is busy preparing for the school musical and I am trying to decide if I should make her costume or just buy it. She has to wear a very formal dress--think prom or bridesmaid. Ugh. I don't want to spend the money to buy one, but I'm not sure if I'm up for making one either. I will post some pictures once we have her costume completed.

Justin: Has not been traveling as much which has been wonderful!! The company he works for has recently purchased a new building and will be moving in the near future. The place where they are moving to used to be a corporate YMCA building and was left with all kinds of free weights and rubber flooring, etc. So tapping into his J. Mark Randall thriftiness, he came home the other day with several hundred pounds of weights and a couple dozen rubber floor tiles. It inspired him to clean out the garage--Hurray!! That's what I call a win-win.

Janet: Busy trying to keep up with everyone else. I'm doing my best to make it through this school year. Actually, there has been a lot of changes where I work and it's made Justin and I re-evaluate a lot of things. We're trying to make a plan so that I can give my notice and be done working full time at the end of this semester. Hurray again! I'm looking into renewing some of my fitness certifications and seeing what I can do to get back into that field. No matter how desirable a teacher's schedule is, i.e. summer's off. I could not convince myself that that is what I really wanted to do. Thankfully Justin is so supportive and together I feel like we will make a plan that is much better for our family.

So much for my quick update! That's about all. Thanks for reading this post.

Forget Me Not

2011-09-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today I am thinking about this and this.

Meet the Oil Change Crew

2011-09-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago we had a great opportunity to purchase a truck for Justin. It has low miles and an even bigger bonus--Air Conditioning! He's been such a trooper drivin' around his "Man Van", a 1991 Toyota Previa, without air conditioning all through the intense Texas heat. Although he was a little sad to see his van drive away, we are all pretty excited to have this new truck.

Justin is great at including Kevin when there is work to be done on our vehicles. This time they were changing the oil. Kate and Kenzie got in on the action too.

When you're a kid there's just something exciting about driving around the neighborhood in the back of the truck. Good Times!

We have this funny tradition of naming all of our vehicles. This time around the kids and Justin decided on the name "Zeke." I have no idea where that came from. Over the years I've pretty much given up on suggesting these names. It's a great truck. It's really fun to drive and we think that in a few years it will be the perfect truck for Kelly. Yes--we are only a few years away from having a 16 year old! That thought is humbling. But the fact that we're starting to prepare now brings me a little peace.

Happy Birthday to My Best Friend

2011-09-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

I've always been a sucker for those dimples! You are amazing. I'm grateful to be your wife. Each year our life together just gets better and better. Here's to another wonderful year filled with amazing opportunities! I love you.

We celebrated with a quiet evening at home and one of our new favorite desserts--Dirt!

This is so easy to make and is so yummy. It's chocolate pudding made as directed, stirred together with 8oz. + of whipped cream and layered with crushed Oreo's. The worms are just for fun. The kids love them, but Justin and I prefer our dirt without them. Enjoy!

Indian Summer

2011-09-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some wonderful, wonderful friends we enjoyed a weekend at Holly Lake Resort.

Thankfully we did not see one alligator! Despite that, I felt a little nervous about it the whole time.

Canoeing with the kids. It was a beautiful morning. We were sad that Kelly and Dad weren't there yet. They came up later due to Kelly's drama rehearsal. This was a lot of fun.

When you can't get the ball in with your club....

Just use your hands. :)

It was a beautiful weekend. We had a great time getting away and hope to be able to do it again soon.

This Girl

2011-09-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

So I was having a somewhat stressful day at work today. Some of our students were having a really difficult time and it was challenging. In the midst of it all I received two phone calls from the school nurse.

She wanted to know some information about Kate's eyes. Apparently Kate's eyes had gotten blurry and were crossing throughout the day. This made it difficult for her to see, so she had plenty of help with people reading to her, writing things down for her, helping her walk down the hallway, etc.

Of course I was concerned. I called the ophthalmologist and they were able to see her this afternoon after school. Perfect!

After having her eyes dilated and a few tests--the prognosis: She is totally fine! In fact, her eyes are less far sighted than they were about a year and a half ago when we first had them checked.

Yes. She was totally faking it all day long because she loved the attention.

I've always thought that I should find a cute, sparkly and uber-girly t-shirt for her that says big and bold, "It's O.K. to tell Me no!"

She just knows how to work that cute girl charm to her advantage.

Why do I get the feeling that we are totally in for it with this girl?!

Congratulations Kelly!

2011-09-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to announce that Kelly has landed a role in her school's upcoming musical!! There is a new drama teacher this year and for this production auditions were opened up to the whole campus. Kelly will be playing the part of Mother Swan. This is one of the larger roles so we are all very excited for her. There was a total of 80 students who auditioned for a cast of around 44. We are so proud of you Kelly! If any of you reading this will be in the area Nov. 3-5 and would like tickets please let us know.

True Self

2011-09-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

source

I had made arrangements to meet with a group of women this morning to go running. It was a further distance than I had gone in a while and I only really knew one person in the group. I was feeling a little nervous, but more excited to try something new.

Well, after dreaming all night that I would mess up the alarm and miss the group...that's exactly what happened!! I went to bed later than I had wanted to, and somehow after setting the alarm I never turned it on. I was supposed to meet everyone at 6:00 am but I didn't wake up until 5:56! I rushed out the door, only to get there too late. *Sniff, Sniff*

So I drove home and just went running by myself. Which was fine. I'm perfectly comfortable "talking" to myself. There's just something extra nice to run with someone else. To create that social connection or bond and share in each other's experiences. It makes the whole thing much more rewarding.

I have started to really love waking up early--how demented is that?! I never thought I would ever feel this way, but there is something about getting up before the world does. It makes me happy. It feels me with a peaceful calm that helps me feel like I really can accomplish all that I need and want to do. Crazy, I know.

Since I was on my own, I thought I would expand my usual route. I wasn't sure how far I was going to end up running. I just wanted to try. It was a beautiful morning and since we can't seem to shake 100 degree weather these days I was grateful to be outside when the weather was actually very pleasant. There is one thing that I need to figure out though. It doesn't matter how often I use the bathroom before I go running. It never fails that a few minutes into my run I have to go again. Who would have ever thought that I would actually wish there was an outhouse nearby?!

Anyway, I digress. After I got home I used mapmyrun.com and figured out that I had run 4.7 miles. For some reason that makes me a feel a little disappointed. Who knows why? I just was hoping to have run a little further. That's definitely something to think about for next time. O.k. please do not misunderstand me. I am in no way, shape, or form, some running superwoman--I got passed by plenty of those this morning. It's just that as I've gotten older I have found that I really enjoy running. I feel better when I do it, especially after reading about it a little and changing my posture as I run. If you would have told me a couple of years ago that I would actually look forward to waking up early (on a Saturday) to go run a few miles, I would have told you that you were smoking crack. For years I felt like I could never do that or that I would never do that. But now, something has changed. I've stopped listening to that voice. Maybe I'm just more in tune with my true self. For me, there is something to facing a challenge head on, pushing through to the other side to look back and say, "Look what I just did." It's a great feeling.

Now, on to the rest of my busy Saturday.

Bubble Man

2011-09-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

It's 9:08pm and the house is silent. (Well, except for the guinea pigs, but even at their loudest it's not too bad. My kids are all tucked away for the night. Lunches are made, school clothes are picked out.

It's a good feeling.

Work has been more than a little crazy the last couple of weeks. We are adjusting to a lot of changes in our department and it has been a bumpy ride. Tomorrow is jeans day so that is a huge plus! I love when I don't have to iron any work clothes. I am spoiled because Justin loves to iron. However, if he's away on business, ironing is just one more thing that I have to do to get ready for the next day. I know, I know, I should just pick a time and iron everything for the week. I have been wanting to do that, but I haven't figured out how to carve out the time to just get it done.

Anyways, I digress. I'm confident that things will smooth out at work and we will all settle into a comfortable routine soon. I am very fortunate to work with some amazing people. Without them I truly couldn't do it every day.

I did something today that I'm not proud of. In fact I feel a little ashamed/embarrassed. Let me explain by first introducing you to what we at work call "Bubble Man". He's a stick figure with a red thought bubble on one side of his head, a green thought bubble on the other side of his head, and a green speaking bubble by his mouth. He's an illustration of the simple fact that not every thought we have should come out of our mouths. Hence, red thoughts need to stay in our head, and green thoughts are the one's that are ok, or socially acceptable to say. (If you didn't catch it before I work with high school students with Autism/Aspergers--some days are pretty interesting)!

I don't know what came over me, but before I knew it, a red thought slipped out of my mouth today at lunch. It wasn't a huge deal, and nothing like swearing or anything like that. It just wasn't very nice and when I think about the person that I'd like to be, I feel really bad that I said it. Again, I work with amazing people and they didn't take anything offensively--but I still feel bad!

You may be wondering what my red thought was....let's just say you had to be there.

Well. That's it. I'm not perfect. Thank goodness that tomorrow is another day and I will try harder to keep my red thoughts in my head--like Bubble Man.

One Long Post

2011-08-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a while....Here's a quick update.

First day of school. I've always tried to take a picture the morning of the first day of school. These were done with the help of a tripod and timer because Justin was out of town. It was a busy morning!

Mom: Smile Kelly. Kelly: I am smiling!

Mom: Smile Kate. Kate: I am smiling! (Seriously?!)

Finally! And yes--we got a new couch, hurray!

A highlight during these past two weeks was the celebration of Kelly's birthday! I think the last few birthdays we've always taken her picture and given her gifts in the morning. She's a good sport to put up with having her picture taken first thing after crawling out of bed.

Kelly decided that she wanted to have ice cream sundaes instead of birthday cake. (Hallelujah!!) All I had to do was whip the cream and make some homemade hot fudge--so delicious. One of these days I will post the recipe. I think we had enough ice cream and toppings for about 20 people. We didn't mind enjoying the left overs for the rest of the week. (And yes, we got a new table too--double hurray!)

Once again, she felt like she was smiling in this picture. *Sigh* Teenagers! I just had to post this picture because I love this dress! We found it the day before at a resale shop. When she saw it on the hanger she was not interested, but she humored me by trying it on and immediately loved it. Yeah! I still know a few things! We enjoyed a mother daughter shopping day to celebrate her special day. We had a great time and I loved spoiling her for her birthday. She really has taken on a lot of responsibility as the oldest in the family. We truly appreciate all that she does to help keep things running smoothly and are so grateful that she is part of our family. We love you Kelly!

The week before school started I was already at work and one day Justin had to go into the office. Kate and Kenzie went to a friend's house so Kelly and Kevin had the house to themselves for the day. To pass the time they decided to have a guinea pig photo shoot. Pretty imaginative if you ask me!

Once again it's time to work on the brakes. I know it seems like we just did this. Oh well. Justin and Kevin have found out that they really like working together on these projects. Here Kevin is changing the rotors and the brake pads. I'm so grateful to Justin for giving him this opportunity and being patient with him as they worked together.

That's about it. I hope the start of your school year goes well!

What Are You Having For Dinner?

2011-08-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have wanted to do this summer is try new recipes. If you don't have one of "The America's Test Kitchen" cookbooks, run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore--or Amazon.com and get one. I highly recommend them! I have the original one and the healthy one (of course). This recipe comes from the healthy one. It is so good. I have been looking forward to making and eating it for days! Even though we just finished dinner, my mouth is watering just thinking about it--it's that good.

Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Toasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa

*Do not substitute frozen corn for the fresh corn here. Be sure to use a nonstick skillet when toasting the corn. (O.k. we don't have one of these but it works just fine in the skillet that we use). To make the salsa spicier, add the chile seeds.

Salsa
4 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ear corn, kernels removed
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
1/2 jalapeno chile, stemmed seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 scallion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper

Steak
1 (1 1/2 pound) flank steak, trimmed of all visible fat
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil

1. For the Salsa: Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a 12 in. nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.

2. Transfer the corn to a large bowl, stir in the remaining tablespoon olive oil, beans, bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, scallion, and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let sit while cooking the steak.

3. For the Steak: Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Pat the steak dry with paper towels. Mix the cumin, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and pepper together, then sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the meat.

4. Heat the canola oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the steak well on the first side, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the steak over, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the meat registers 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (for medium-rare), 5 to 10 minutes longer, reducing the heat if the pan begins to scorch.

5. Transfer the steak to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the steak thin against the grain and serve with the corn salsa.

Per Serving: Cal 390; Fat 18g; Sat Fat 4.5g; Chol 55mg; Carb 15g; Protein 41g; Fiber 5g; Sodium 550mg

To Make Ahead: The corn salsa can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Season with additional fresh lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste before serving.

I promise that this dish isn't really that spicy. Our kids haven't worked up the courage to eat it with the salsa--oh well, more for me! I love to eat this with quinoa--steak, salsa and quinoa all mixed together--amazing!

Quinoa is faster than steaming rice. I just take one cup of quinoa, rinsed. Place it in a pot with 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat, cover the pan and let simmer until all the moisture has been absorbed. If you eat this just as it is you will enjoy it more with a little salt and pepper (and maybe butter). However, when combined with the salsa it does not need anything to add flavor.

Enjoy!

Tender Moments

2011-08-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of singing with my family in church today. We sang "Families Can be Together Forever." We had practiced several times and felt ready. The kids did a fantastic job. I however, became overwhelmed with love for my family and ended up crying more than I could sing. (Which of course was totally embarrassing).

I was thinking about my amazing children and how grateful I am to be their mother. It's definitely not easy, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I was also thinking about my parents and siblings. When I was 6 1/2 years old my mother was expecting twins. They were born premature and sadly one passed away due to complications--sweet Holly Ann. I hope to meet you someday.

Thankfully her twin, my sister Kimberly, is alive and well! Love you Kimberly. At the time all of this happened I was afraid. I didn't really understand what was going on. My parents were so sad and even though Kimberly was alive she was in the hospital for a long time and I barely saw her. Sometime after the initial trauma, but before Kimberly was home, we went as a family to the cemetary and knelt around Holly Ann's grave and sang the same song. I'm pretty sure I cried more than I sang then too.

With this memory fresh in my mind and the tender feelings for my own children I am filled with gratitude for a loving Father in Heaven's Plan of Salvation. It's also called the Great Plan of Happiness. I am thankful for eternal families. I know that I will see my sister one day. (I should say that they are fraternal twins and I've always wondered what she looks like). I am grateful for the opportunity to be sealed to my own children. We strive every day to be a forever family. Honestly, who could ask for more?

This and That

2011-08-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

What's up? I have been consumed with studying for a Special Education Certification exam that I completed today--whew! I'm so glad that's over! It only took me 3 hours. Yes, my mind is pretty much mush now. I really have no idea how it went. I came up with an answer for every question and can only hope that I passed so that I don't have to take it again.

Let's see....I also interviewed for a full teaching position at the same high school where I work. It's for a class called Active Learning with students who have the cognitive ability/range from birth to about 18 months old--completely wheel chair bound. I was really excited about the opportunity, however the position went to someone else with more experience in that particular program. Oh well. All in all I think it's good because I do need some time to get more experience and finish my certification. This way the pressure's off a little. I am completely confident that the right opportunity will come along when I am completely prepared. For now I will continue in my position as a teacher's aide in a program for students with high functioning Autism/Asperger's etc.

We are getting ready for school and even though it means I go back to work, I find myself still excited for my kids and the great opportunities that await them this year. Kelly will be finishing her last year of middle school and Kevin will be finishing his last year of elementary school. We are turning a page in the book of our family as our kids grow up. On a less nostalgic note I can not believe how much school supplies cost when you're buying for 3 kids!! It is crazy. Even if you watch the sales and ads, it's still a lot and it adds up quick! I feel like I need to start saving now for when Kenzie will be in school too!

Oh! I almost forgot! We finally got a small settlement and some closure with our car accident mess. We were rearended back in April. It's such a relief to be done with that business! With the money we received we were able to pay off our van! Hurray! It's amazing to make some financial progress. Now we will try our best to keep our van running for at least another year or two.

I think that's it. I hope this post finds you doing well and wish everyone good luck with school!

Sleeping Beauty Takes a Tumble

2011-08-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

We made our first urgent care visit for Kenzie today. This first picture was taken a couple of weeks ago when she fell asleep on the couch. Yes-she still sucks her thumb. I'm not too worried about it yet. With our family turning a corner and growing up we are so grateful to still have a little one to snuggle.

Well, she was playing in her room this morning and fell from standing on her play table and hit her mouth against her bunkbed. OUCH! She fell really hard and we thought for sure that she had bitten all the way through her lip.

Thankfully she did not bite through her lip. Whew! She just bit the inside of her lip a little and the force of the impact split her lip open on the outside.

You can just barely see the slit under her lip. They just superglued it together so her scar should be minimal. I just hope she doesn't take after Kate, who at this age had an injury glued together and within hours pulled the glue completely off! :)

A little while and a few popsicles later she was feeling much better. I think they're going to make a reserved parking space for our family at urgent care, (which by the way opens at 10am--doesn't that seem a little like an oxy-moron? Urgent Care only open at 10am?), we've been there so many times this year. Knocking on wood that we won't have to go again soon. :)

Day 21--Again

2011-08-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

I may get a little personal here, so please bear with me. Not that any of you were wondering about it, but I wanted to post what I have learned as I've been trying Jillian Michaels "Making the Cut" 30 day program.

Since I've had the time--(Yeah Summer!) I decided to go through the 30 day workout twice, hence the title of this post. So here are my results & other random things I feel like sharing:

1. I have lost about 10 pounds +/-. It's hard to know for sure because I've realized that my weight fluctuates throughout the day. One day it was as much as a 4 pound difference between the morning and the evening.

2. Which leads me to my second point--if you plan to participate in any kind of program like this make sure you use various modalities of measuring progress. What I mean is take your measurements: upper arm, waist, hips, upper thigh, calf. Also, if possible find out your resting heart rate, blood pressure, & body fat percentage. Did I do any of these? NO! Which is crazy because I know all of this and I have the tools to do it. Oh Well.

3. All of my clothes fit again!! Hurray! I thought about taking a picture, but I'm sure I'm the only one who really cares if I can pull my waistband out a little. I'm just excited because at the beginning of June I couldn't even get my pants over my hips.  It is exciting to see my progress in that way. This also means that any hint of chest that I had is completely gone. *BIG SIGH* Oh well, what else is new. (Is it wrong/vain/selfish/ungrateful to want implants sometimes?)

4.  Probably the biggest thing for me was not only literally training my body through exercise, but nutritional training. I always just assumed I was fine and didn't need to worry too much about what I ate, as long as it was pretty healthy. I NEVER counted calories or even cared about how much I consumed. However, when I was well underway the first time around on this 30 day program I, like everyone else, wanted to start seeing some changes. I felt discouraged. So after doing a little more research and calculating my Basal Metabolic Rate, I realized that I was eating close to 3000 calories a day! I don't know about you but that was shocking to me! So I knew that I needed to eat fewer calories. What I had to train myself to do was make food choices that would give me the "most bang for my buck." I didn't want to deprive myself, or constantly feel hungry. I made sure that I ate some form of protein (yogurt, peanut butter, lean meat, nuts, etc.) with every meal and snack. I also started to look at serving sizes. If possible I would check the nutrition information label and find out how much 1 serving actually was.

Can I just say, one serving is a lot smaller that what I was eating. At first it was discouraging--but then I just ate a little slower; chewed a little more and soon I noticed that one serving really was enough as long as it was combined with more veggies and a little protein.

It was hard overcoming my eating habits. You know, when the kids have gone to bed and it's time to pull out the "Parent's dessert", etc. I never (and still never) really worry about what time of day I eat a little something. I just traded some of my usual favorites with a better choice. I'm still human people! I still eat chocolate cookies smeared in peanut butter. I just don't eat as many or as often.

For example we usually bought the Nature Valley Sweet & Salty "granola" bars at Costco. I mean who can argue with a delicious snack that everyone likes and a huge box is pretty affordable?! I mean peanuts are a good source of protein, right? When I started to really look at the nutrition label however, I discovered that of the 24 INGREDIENTS (Ok, it's a granola bar, I bake enough to know that it doesn't take 24 ingredients to make one); At least 6 of those ingredients are to make it sweeter--including High Fructose Corn Syrup. Say what you want to about HFCS, but as for me and my house we try to avoid it. So once we had finished our last box I haven't and will not buy those again. Instead I stock up on pistachios, Lara Bars, beef jerky, string cheese, nonfat greek yogurt, etc.

If I sound totally weird right now--well I guess I am. All I know is that I feel better. I have more strength and stamina and I am full on less calories than before.

If you decide to look into Jillian Michaels' book and program please note that you will need some equipment. She obviously put it together with a gym membership in mind. I don't have a gym membership, but over the years we have accumulated enough equipment and knowledge that I can get creative and complete all of the exercises. I don't have a treadmill, so for the times she wants you to do a 1 min. run, I just run a loop around our townhome complex. I figure it's better than nothing. Do what you want with this information--heck if you've read this far into this post I thank you. I just felt like I should post some kind of conclusion since I put this out there at the beginning of the summer.

Some of you may be wondering what will happen to all of this once school starts. I've been thinking about that too since I will not be able to stick to such a regimen. I've purchased Jillian Michaels' "Ripped in 30" DVD. She has 4 different workouts that are approximately 20 min. long (not counting warm-up/cool down). All you need is a couple of hand weights. Each workout consists of 3?4? (I'm not sure, I've only done it once) circuits of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of Cardio, and 1 minute of Abs. She has two other people with her, one showing modifications and one showing you more advanced versions. It's pretty awesome and I definitely recommend it. Kelly has been doing this a few times a week. I'm really hopeful that it will allow me the opportunity to workout once my schedule gets crazy busy.

So, that's that. It's been a great summer. I'm grateful for a healthy, strong body and the opportunity I've had to do this program.

Having Fun with Grandma & Grandpa

2011-07-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we had the pleasure of having Justin's Dad and S'mom visit. We had such a great time and really enjoyed giving them a little taste of what it's like where we live. As you will soon see, I didn't make taking pictures a huge priority. These pictures are definitely true to life in that the kids didn't really want to sit still for them.

At the Heard Museum.

Kenzie's actually trying to pose, as far as the other kids, who knows?!

At the Dallas Museum of Nature & Science--yeah for air conditioning!

It's hard to tell from these pictures but we really had a lot of fun. We love you Grandma and Grandpa! Thanks for coming to see us!

Saving $$ in the Summertime

2011-07-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

Why didn't we do this sooner?

Summer Baseball

2011-07-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

No, they are not the red hat society team. :) Because it's summer league, all teams got red hats and then the same t-shirts, just different colors. It turns out our shirt is purple--so yes, red socks, belt, hat and purple shirt. Oh well. The boys don't seem to mind and Kevin has had a blast playing.

At first it was hard and he wasn't enjoying it too much. But every week he has improved and now is loving it! He's made more base hits and actually scored a run last week. (He's gotten a few RBI's but it's not the same as runnning across home plate yourself). We have our last game this week and I'm kind of sad that it will be over. We lucked out and got one of the most amazing and patient coaches ever!! I hope that Kevin can get on his team in the spring. It was iffy at the beginning, but now I feel like it was definitely worth it!

Thinking of Nana

2011-07-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

We Love you Nana! (Yes, Papa we love you too. Sorry we didn't get to see you!)

4th of July Part Two

2011-07-14T20:17:00.001-07:00

We tried to make it to the city parade the morning of the 4th. Unfortunately by the time we got there we saw the last 5 minutes. Oh well. We were lucky enough to have my mother in town and since she'd never been there we walked around and explored some of the fun shops. Here's Kenzie on the tractor in front of the Local Yocal enjoying a cool drinkable yogurt. It was soooo hot!

Having had enough of the Texas heat, we headed over to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. We enjoyed two very cool science shows--the first about Electricity and the second one called "Fire & Ice".

Kevin was thrilled when the presenter called him up to help demonstrate what happens to an aluminum ring when it's in contact with a strong electromagnet. The ring--in the center of the picture--flew off and into the air and Kevin caught it on the way back down.

Sorry for the poor picture quality. The kids were showing how electricity traveled over them from the plasma ball that Kelly is touching, to light up the flourescent light bulb that Kevin is holding. Very cool.

The bubbles are always a favorite with the kids.

The new water feature for the little kids was open this time. Kenzie loved, loved, loved playing here.

Kelly was chosen to help with a science experiment during the Fire and Ice show. First she had to dance with 5 other kids to demonstrate how molecules would move inside a solid/liquid/gas. It was awesome. I got a great video of it and if I can ever get blogger to work smoothly I will try and post it soon. Then she got to place two small magnesium strips into the torch and they lit up like sparklers. It was pretty cool.

Around the corner from the water feature is a little dress-up station complete with curtained stage. I caught this one of Kate just as she was saying "Don't take my picture Mom!" Gotta love it!

We had a great day and were so glad that my Mom was here to spend the holiday with us.

Finally 4th of July Weekend Part One

2011-07-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

The night before the 4th there was a fantastic firework show within walking distance from our house. Some good friends of ours decided to join us. I know it was Sunday, but lets think about this, great show we can walk to, or wait until the next day and fight with the rest of the city at the big show far away. For us it was a no brainer. I love that I caught Kate skipping along behind in this picture.

This is the Adriatica Bell Tower. We feel pretty lucky to live so close.

This was our best firework picture. I hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July. I am truly grateful for the freedoms that we enjoy, and especially grateful for those who have sacrificed to make those freedoms possible.

Birthday Girl

2011-07-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Kenzie's birthday this week. I love watching her grow up. She is so funny and such a blessing to our family. When we decided to have a fourth child it was definitely a big decision. We both just kind of felt like "now or never" and then did a big gulp and decided to go for it. Of course we are so glad that we did. We could not imagine our life without her. Our family just didn't seem complete without her.

She loved her summer dance class! We got to observe on the last day and I love this picture of her! She's a sweet girly-girl with a spunk that just draws you to her.

Kelly's gift to Kenzie was a new Barbie--and a Barbie cake! Kelly baked it, made the frosting, put most of it together, and decorated it. Obviously, you can tell from this picture that she learned a lot. Sadly, right after these pictures the whole thing started to fall apart. However, Kenzie loved it! She thought it was the most beautiful cake ever, and that's what matters. (That and it tasted fantastic!)

Here she is with her new Rapunzel barbie--cake free.

I love this picture because the camera angle makes the gift appear to be huge! It really wasn't that big.

Kevin was the official "remover of packaging" so that Kenzie could enjoy her baby doll.

I took this picture because I thought it was so fun that Kate and Kelly were playing dress-up. We are truly enjoying our summer, especially on Kenzie's special day.

I just realized that we didn't take any pictures of what we did that day! We invited some friends to go swimming with us and then went back to our house for cake and ice cream. It was the perfect way to enjoy the day! Thanks P family for coming with us and helping us celebrate Kenzie. We are so grateful for you!

Kenzie, we love you beautiful girl. We are so proud of you and the way that you are growing up. You are learning and growing so much and we are blessed to have you in our family.

Day at the Arboretum--Part Two

2011-06-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

A visit to the Arboretum, especially in the summer time would not be complete without a visit to our favorite corner--Toad Fountain. Here is the beautiful, Crape Myrtle lined walkway leading to the fountain.

Watch how Kenzie, in a matter of minutes, works her magic and ends up with this little boy's umbrella.

I love the expression on his face, "I'm not sure what just happened and I have no idea what I should do now!"

Notice what side of the chain fence Kenzie is sitting on. Yeah, they put that up to keep the kids out of the center. Obviously she could care less. Oh the things you can get away with when you're little!

On our way home. As we were preparing for this outing Kelly stated that she was too old to play in the fountain and didn't want to bring her swimsuit. It's hard to tell in the above picture, but she is soaking wet. Once she got there she realized that you're never to old to play in the fountain.

Even though is was extremely hot and humid we had a great time! We are grateful to have such a beautiful place, not too far away to visit and enjoy. Yeah for summer vacation!!

Summer List--Day at the Arboretum Part One

2011-06-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the summer I had everyone make a summer list of things they would like to do. One of Kate's was to go to the Arboretum--one of our favorite places here in The Big D. It turned out that today was "Family Fun Monday," complete with face painting and a petting zoo. It was incredibly hot--but it still was one of the best days we've had this summer.

I was surprised when Kate chose a panda. You can't really see it here, but there was a beautiful pearl shimmer to it and I thought it turned out really cool.

I love this picture! (Except for the guy in the back). It was by sheer luck that I caught this look as she was moving around and not always looking at me. If you can't tell, she is a "blue kitty".

After Kelly's last face painting experience she went with the more grown up "pretty eyes." I loved how it turned out. Kevin decided not to get his face painted this time. I guess none of the options tickled his fancy. It was so funny to see how the face make-up changed their behavior a little--well not Kenzie's. However, Kate felt the need to try and talk with a British accent and discuss eating bamboo. It's hard to describe how Kelly behaved, but you'll see it in some of the following pictures.

Every spring/summer the Arboretum has a themed display carried on throughout the gardens. This year had to do with fairy tale castles. The first one that we visited was Ariel's--The Little Mermaid. Here are my attempts at getting a group shot on the throne. Smile kids!

OK. Look at me! Smile!

Smi.....Never mind.

See what I mean about Kelly's makeup and behavior? How would you describe it?

Not to be outdone by Kelly's solo picture in the throne--Kate had to have a turn too.

This was Aladdin's castle. I thought how cool it would be to have a big yard with something like this as a frame for a fort/tree house. It's hard to tell, but it kind of spiralled into itself. I don't know. It seemed cool to me at the time.

Oops! I realized that I never got a picture of the outside of Ariel's castle.

This is for Beauty and the Beast.

Mom: "Kelly! Smile!"

Kelly: "I am smiling!"

This is from an African Fairy tale and try as hard as I might, I can't remember the name. It's about a king with two beautiful daughters, one mean and one nice. That's all the explanation that the kids gave me in between bickering over who would sit in the throne next and Kevin begging me to let him take home the bamboo stick in his hand. (Not a chance). I put this picture in because Kevin is the only one who would consistently give me a happy smile!

I love this girl! She is quirky and fun and growing up into a beautiful young woman!

Bedtime

2011-06-26T19:11:00.001-07:00

Tucking the little girls into bed tonight Kate says to me:

"Mom! I'm so excited for Christmas! I can't wait for it to get here. How many more days until Christmas?"

Mom: "Too many days to start talking about it now."

Just For Stacey

2011-06-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Stacey,

    I really enjoyed talking with you the other day. After our conversation I started thinking about all of my favorite places around where we lived in MO. I was thinking that I'd send you an e-mail with all of the links, however...I don't have your e-mail address! So this post, my friend is just for you. Like I said, we only lived in Missouri for about 6 months but I absolutely loved it there! We truly miss it and a small part of me dreams of moving back there someday. Some of the great things that I loved about Lee's Summit area are:

Wild Child--Seriously one of the nicest children's resale shops ever!! I remember we found a down winter coat for $7 and Sorrell boots for Kate for around the same price. Seriously, you have to check it out.

Speaking of resale shops I haven't left you out. Some of the best clothes I have and some of my very favorites I found at Mary Margaret's. They have everything and fantastic deals every day. Plus they have two locations--Lee's Summit and Blue Springs.

My favorite place to shop for specialty foods is hand's down, Natures Pantry. I actually worked there for a little while and loved it! The people there are so friendly and you can find anything you need--coconut milk ice cream, all natural cleaners, vitamins & supplements, coconut milk ice cream. Oh yeah, I already mentioned that! What can I say, it's my favorite!

The added bonus about where this store is located is that about 3 minutes down the road you have my other favorite place for groceries and family needs--Costco! Seriously, I don't know how families live without going to Costco.

When you're not shopping, a great place to visit is Fleming Park.  There are so many beautiful hiking/biking trails. Sometimes we would just take a drive through--it's so pretty. Another thing we like to do was go to the marina and feed the fish off the dock. This is also where the elk and buffalo preserve is located. One time during the summer they had a remote controlled airplane show--all FREE!

Another favorite park we would visit often to feed the ducks, or walk around was Waterfall Park. (You have to scroll down a little on that page to see that specific park). It's within walking distance of Bass Pro Shop and just a few minutes from Nature's Pantry and Costco. I loved it because of all the trees, so that even on a hot day you had a lot of shade.

When we didn't go to the park we went to the library. What I love about the public library system there is that one library card got you into all the libraries in the area, not just your specific city. At first we were kind of like--"Oh this library is so small;" but they have a great story time for younger children that was always so much fun.

When we decided to go downtown we made sure we always stopped by Kaleidoscope. There is something for everyone in the family to enjoy while you're there and the best part is that it's FREE!

Of course another important aspect of living there were the schools. We actually lived in Lee's Summit, but attended schools that were part of the Blue Springs School District. However, we've heard that both Lee's Summit and Blue Springs are great school districts. The elementary school where Kevin attended was Voy Spears Jr. Elementary. We loved the school and wish we could have stayed. Kelly attended Delta Woods Middle School. I was so nervous for her to start middle school, but the staff at Delta Woods were incredible! They made it such a positive expereince for her. Another thing that I loved about that school district is that they provided fantastic bus service--even a late bus for the middle schooler's who stayed after for sports or band, etc.

One other thing that we loved about that area was the close proximity to many church history sites.

Liberty Jail

Independance Visitor's Center

Adam-Ondi-Ahman

Far West

And you're truly not that far from Nauvoo or Winter Quarters

I think it's pretty exciting too that a new temple is under contruction. What a blessing!

Moving is never easy. But you are going to an amazing place! You have to remember that you and Dave are entitled to personal revelation for your family and as long as you listen to that, nothing else matters, things will fall into place, and you will be blessed. I'm excited for you and your new adventure. Your family is in our prayers.


Best Wishes,

Janet

Our Week

2011-06-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you that actually read this blog regularly, no we have not been on vacation, we've just had a spotty internet connection all week! One of the "benefits" of Texas thunderstorms. Anyway, here's a quick re-cap of our week:

This is one of the pictures that Kelly took for my birthday power point. Thankfully, Kate is not back in a cast! Yes, Kenzie is in underpants and dress shoes. What can I say? It's summer and she's potty training. Actually she has done very well this week. For the first time in almost 13 years we won't be buying diapers! It's almost like Christmas!

Kevin started summer baseball this week. Since they didn't have enough coaches there's about 15 boys on his team. His first game is next week and I'm curious to see how they work things out. There are about half a dozen boys who've played regularly for a while and the rest are more beginners (including Kevin). His coaches are truly patient and positive, which is a relief. Now if we can just try to get Kevin to ease up on himself he might actually have a lot of fun.

Kenzie is finishing up a summer dance class this next week. She has had so much fun! I'll try to get a picture of her in her little pink leotard and dance shoes. She is so cute!

Kelly had a great time at girls camp and is doing her best to enjoy every minute of her summer. Thankfully she has some great friends from school and she's usually hanging out with them several times a week. She also had her first official babysitting job this week and absolutely loved it! She did a great job and is definitely looking forward to bringing in the babysitting cash.

Kate has loved going to the pool as much as possible. She has also gotten pretty adept at playing the drums on Lego Rock Band. She gets into it so much. The other night she said, "Mom! I just realized that Lego Rock Band is teaching me how to play the drums!" :)

Justin met with a friend of ours, who also happens to be a lawyer, to get some help in the matter of our car. It has been so ridiculous! We were stopped at a traffic light and rear-ended in April! They took forever to fix our car and when we finally got it back it still wasn't right and the service place messed something up so that our doors would not lock and our cd player wouldn't work. Not only that the money that they spent to fix it was more than 75% of the worth of the car in the first place! The insurance company (not ours the people who hit us) admitted that they should have just totalled the car but they didn't. So here we are with a car that's not right that we wouldn't ever really be able to sell or get anything for on a trade-in, and no real compensation for it! Thank you Justin for taking care of all this. I don't know if I'd be able to handle it.

I made it through day 19 of my 30 day program this morning. I'm still enjoying it, but I'm not going to lie--every morning I lay in bed and try to think of why I can just stay there and not get up to workout. As silly as it sounds I can just picture Jillian Michaels yelling at me to get up. I can't let her down! On the days that I'm not working out I try to run for about 30 minutes around town. I think I am quite possibly the slowest person out there. I'm pretty sure there are dog walkers faster than me, but I have to try. Actually, it's kind of funny because the first half of my run I feel fantastic! Like I could just run and run and run. Then on my way back my mantra is "I'm not going to walk. I'm not going to walk;" because that's all I really want to do! When I think about how bad I feel and that I just want to give up and stay doing what's easy and comfortable I just think about something that I heard last week on "Extreme Makeover--personal trainer edition." I can't even remember the trainer's name, but he was saying that when you feel that way, that's your body throwing a tantrum and if you keep listening to it you'll just stay the same you've always been. That's good enough for me to ignore the tantrum and keep pushing on.

I hope you've had a great week and did at least one thing that makes you happy!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

"Daddy, I love you;"

"Daddy, I do."

"Father in Heaven has sent me to you."

"When I am near you, I love to hear you Singing so softly that you love me too."

Daddy, I love you; I love you, I do."

~ Lorin F. Wheelwright

We can't forget our Grandpas!!

We love you Grandpa Randall!

We love you Papa Reese!

Happy Father's Day!

Company Picnic

2011-06-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today was Justin's company picnic at Sandy Lake Amusement Park. It was the first time that I would be meeting the people that he works with and to say that I was a little nervous would be an understatement. I don't know why things like that make me so nervous. I have never been very good at small talk. Thankfully we have great kids that can make things like that much easier. The first activity we visited--face painting.

When Kate decided to be a tiger I knew that she was outgrowing being a girly-girl.

Kenzie wasn't quite sure about "Boopsie" the clown. Big sister Kelly came to the rescue.

There wasn't any hesitation once Kenzie knew that she could be painted like a princess. I was trying to get her to look at me--oh well.

Although Kelly is almost 13, when I see her like this I am reassured that she's still a fun-loving kid at heart.

This wasn't exactly what Kevin had in mind when he asked for the Superman insignia on his cheek.

He knew that he didn't want a full face paint because he'd already gotten this on his other cheek.

Dancin' the Cupid Shuffle.

Waiting for their song to start on the "Mocker Rocker". They got to make their own music video complete with a take-home dvd. They decided to do "The Gummi Bear" song. I'll try and upload the video another time. (Notice--no cast on Kate! Hurray!)

Part of the picnic was unlimited rides all afternoon. I forgot to mention how hot it was today! I kept hearing the wicked witch's voice in my head, "I'm melting! I'm melting!" It was so hot! We only lasted about an hour on the rides before we started to head for home.

Again, I was trying to get Kenzie to look at me. What can I say? She loved this ride. When we tried to get her out she insisted on riding another time.

All in all it was a great day and everyone had a lot of fun.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-06-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

42 Years ago today my parents were married. Congratulations Mom and Dad!

Unfortunately this was the closest picture to the time they were married that I have. (I think my mom posted a wedding picture on her old blog, but I can't find it!) This picture is from a military ball that they attended not too long after they were married.

It seems like my Dad and Justin both have a hard time finding the right kind of smile for pictures, (just scroll down a little here to see what I mean)--just teasing Dad!

Thank you Mom and Dad for your example! Thank you for your love and perseverance through the tough times. I'm grateful to be your daughter.

I love you Mom and Dad! Happy Anniversary!

Chocolate Cloud Cake

2011-06-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite wedding presents--well maybe it's just one of my favorites, was a cookbook. "Classic Home Desserts," by Richard Sax.

It is fabulous! Everything I've made from this book is tasty. Not only that, these recipes have been collected from all over the world and have great history and stories to go with them. It's one of those cookbooks you could sit down and read cover to cover.

Anyway, I've mentioned this recipe a few times on our blog so for your baking pleasure I give you: Chocolate Cloud Cake

As much as I'd like to take credit for this picture, I didn't take it. It's straight from the cookbook.

"This flourless cake is crammed with chocolate (use only the best) and rich with butter and will fall slightly as it cools. The center is filled with softly whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder--intensity, then relief in each bite." ~Richard Sax

~ Makes one 8-inch single-layer cake; serves 8 to 12

CAKE
        8 ounces best-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
         (Confession--many times I've just used chocolate chips)
        1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, softened
        6 large eggs; 2 whole, 4 separated
        1 cup sugar
        2 tablespoons cognac or Grand Marnier (optional)
           Grated zest of 1 orange (optional)

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
        1 1/2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
        3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
        1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for sprinkling

1. CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with a round of wax paper; do not butter the pan. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl set over hot water. (Or like I do--in the microwave. :)) Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted; set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs and the 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar just until blended. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture. Whisk in the optional cognac or Grand Marnier and the optional orange zest. (I've never used either one, but I think the next time I make this I will try the orange).

3. In another bowl, with an electric mixture, beat the 4 egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until the whites form soft mounds that hold their shape but are not quite stiff. Stir about 1/4 beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in the remaning whites. Pour the batter into the pan; smooth the top.

4. Bake until the top of the cake is puffed and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly, usually 35 to 40 minutes. Do not overbake.

5. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack; the cake will sink as it cools, forming a crater with high sides.

6. WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING: At serving time, whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until not quite stiff. With a spatula, carefully fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, pushing it gently to the edges. Dust the top lightly with cocoa powder. Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cake; carefully remove the sides of the pan and serve.

Making the Cut

2011-06-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ok since I didn't work out or do any type of exercise for about 98% of the school year I have gained a little weight **GASP**. I know, some of you are probably rolling your eyes, but I am being completely serious. Summer is here and none of my summer clothes from last year fit. *snif, snif*

So with summer vacation here I am determined to exercise every day except Sunday and see if I can get back to where I was. I'm hoping to establish a better routine that will stay with me through next year as well.

A few years ago I bought this book. I've read it cover to cover and re-read some parts of it, but I have never really used it until last week. If you're looking for some serious health and fitness information and a kick-butt, make you want to throw-up, and possibly rip your shirt off when you're finished because your proud of yourself that you just worked so hard, this is the book for you.

You can say what you want about Jillian Michaels but I love her! I would love to be her assistant or something. Heck-I'd just clean the ranch gym for free just to learn from her and the other Biggest Loser trainers. I would love to be a personal trainer like her--someone who kicks your butt and makes you want to cry and/or scream, but in the end you're her biggest fan and your planning to name your kids after her.

So today I completed day 9 of this 30 day program and tomorrow is an off day so I can officially say that I'm 1/3 of the way through. (On my off days I try to run a little and/or do some yoga). I have found muscles that I didn't know I had and every time I move I can feel something else that is a little sore and stiff. However, I can honestly say that I love it! I'm starting to feel like my old self again and I am determined to stick with it. Hopefully by the end of the summer I will have reached my goal. (Ok, I'll admit it--I don't really care how much I weigh--I just want my clothes to fit!)

Birthdays and Chocolate Cake

2011-06-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

So I celebrated my birthday this week. I'm not sure if how my day went would be considered as celebrating, but my birthday came and went regardless. The morning actually started out fantastic! I woke up early--not on purpose, I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. So I got out before the heat and went for a run. It was awesome. The day was so beautiful and it just made you feel good to be outside. Then I had time for one of my favorite pass-times--yoga. I haven't had a lot of time to do much of that lately so it made me really happy.

Here I am in all my 36 year old glory! Kelly took this picture at the end of a very long day. Looking at this picture confirms that I seriously need a haircut! (And maybe a few more naps).

Kelly worked together with the other kids to take some fun pictures and put together a great power point presentation for me. That was one of the highlights of my day. I'll have to see if it's possible to embed or attach it to a post. If not, let me know if you're interested and I'll e-mail it to you. She did a great job and I am so proud of her for putting it all together. Justin bought me a peppermint plant so that I can try and make my own mint water. If you like peppermint, or any other kind of mint I recommend trying it. They have it at most grocery stores, although it's on the pricey side. It tastes so good though! I love it! I'm excited to try and make my own. Another gift everyone gave me was the "Newsies" DVD and soundtrack. It's one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for great music and choreography. Not only that I get a kick out of seeing a teenage Christian Bale singing and dancing. Even now it makes me laugh.

Most of my day was spent running errands, trying to get Kelly ready for girls camp. That part of my day was not so fun. Kelly needed some new shoes for their 5 mile hike so I had all the kids with me at the shoe store. Kenzie loved walking around in the high heels on display. I'm sure everyone was glad when we finally left. But get this, I bought Kelly size 11 tennis shoes! She won't be 13 for a couple of months, so my 12 year old daughter wears size 11 tennis shoes! Wow! She is definitely going to be tall.

After surviving the craziness of Kenzie in the shoe store I decided not to take her with me on any other errands that day. Kate had a doctor's appointment to get her 2nd cast removed. Thankfully her x-rays looked fabulous! She still has to wear her sling this week if we're out and about, but I'm truly hoping and praying that when we go back for one more follow up in 3 weeks everything still looks great.

After her appointment I had to run to Wal Mart--I mean where else can you get camping equipment and groceries? It's definitely not my favorite store, but sometimes it's just the best option. Well, after a 2 hour long trip I felt like I needed a vacation! And I only had Kate with me--I know! However, if you've not had the experience of shopping with Kate you should try it at least once. Sometimes it makes me feel like I should start praying for her future spouse now! Whew! Don't get me wrong she is a fun, bright, and energetic little girl. She just likes everything she sees and it can be very tiring.

Thankfully we went out to dinner. That was my other favorite thing about the day. Dinner out with all of the kids is never easy, but really we all had a great time and I was so happy not to have to cook or clean up!

Justin, the wonderful guy that he is, made me our favorite flourless chocolate cake for dessert. This was a big deal because he had a lot to do that night to get ready for an upcoming business trip and he had never made this cake before. I really appreciate that sweetheart! Thank you!

Well, as you can see from Kenzie licking her plate after her second piece, the cake tasted amazing! He even made fresh whipped cream and made a special trip to the store for raspberries. It was so good! (And just between you and me I had a huge piece after lunch today and I didn't give any to the kids).

At first the thought of this birthday and my age made me feel so depressed. I still have a hard time looking at that picture of myself. However, when I stop to think about all of my blessings and the opportunities that are there for the taking. I am encouraged and feel better about where I am in my life right now. I am grateful for my Husband who loves me and tells my I look amazing every day. I am so blessed and grateful to be a mother.

I am loved and that's the best gift.

Little Girls (& One Boy)

2011-06-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

The above mess happened a couple of weeks ago when I sat down and tried to check e-mail for just a few minutes. I should be grateful that she at least knew to stay in the kitchen.

I had made some homemade hot fudge a day or so earlier and she's big enough to get into the fridge and get what she wants. Ugh. I couldn't help but snap a picture of her. It was such a huge mess I just put her in the shower, clothes and all! I mean, I had to rinse out her clothes anyway. I just wish I would have taken a minute to check her diaper before she got in the shower.......yeah. You can tell that there was something very interesting to see on the tv because I could not get her to look at me! Such a stinker!

*************************

Then this last Friday I had had one of those days where you feel like you just got the wind kicked out of you. I had an e-mail forwarded to me that Kevin had been displaying less than friendly behavior all week at cub scout camp. I know, boys, will be boys, but sadly enough his behavior had gone above and beyond simple name calling. Ahem. Anyway, after laying down the law and letting him know that part of his consequence would be missing the Webelos overnighter, (rock climbing wall, bb gun shooting, archery, and all). Oh. It was a difficult day. Part of his repentance process included addressing the whole scout pack, leaders, and parents to offer a sincere apology. I stood there, trying to be brave for him because we both knew how hard it would be. Although his hands shook a little, he was pretty good about it. I couldn't help but cry--thank goodness for sunglasses! It's horrible to know that your child has hurt someone else's feelings so bad that they are contemplating leaving your scout pack. It was a very low day for me to say the least.

So after I had dropped him off and made sure someone brought him back because he would not be staying the night, I walked in the door at home to this little revelation.

I know you are asking yourself "What is that?!" That would be a piece of crayon stuck in Kate's ear. Not an orange crayon either--it's scarlet. I mistakenly called it orange. I walked in and she said, "Mom, I can't hear out of my ear." Why is it when my kids say things like that my first reaction is that it is some kind of joke. "No really Mom, I can't hear. There's a crayon stuck in my ear."

Seriously?!

I asked her how long this crayon had been stuck in her ear. She just shrugged her shoulders. So I start thinking about how many baths she's had recently or anything else that would have made this situation worse. And I finally think to ask her when she put the crayon in her ear. Whew! It had been earlier in the day. She thought I was wanting to know how many minutes/hours, etc. and of course she had no idea. I tried our trick of super glue on a q-tip, (with 4 kids this ain't our first rodeo), but unfortunately it didn't work in this situation. Oh Man!

So I ended up taking her to urgent care. I knew it wouldn't take much to get it out, but I didn't have the right stuff and I definitely didn't want to make things worse. So ridiculous!

With all the craziness these little girls add to life, I wouldn't have it any other way. (O.k. yes, I could do without going to urgent care for a crayon in the ear). What I mean is that I love my kids. I love being a mom. And these are the days that we will look back and laugh about. (O.k. I'm wrong again. I will never laugh about Kevin and his bad choices). I will laugh at the crazy antics my kids come up with and I will miss them when they're grown.

Memorial Weekend

2011-06-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm totally behind. This has been my first week off for summer and I'm doing a lot of catching up! On Saturday and Monday we visited the beautiful Heard Museum. There is a small indoor exhibit hall, but my favorite part are the miles of outdoor hiking trails to explore.

Kiddos pre-hike

This is an amazing Passion Flower. They always fascinate me.

A random wild flower. They were so beautiful and it just made me happy walking by and seeing them all. It was one of those days where time just stood still and all you felt was happy.

We had such a good time that we went back on Monday and tried a different trail. On the map they had marked a lightning tree. When I saw this tree I thought for sure it was the one.

However, the plaque that Kate and Kenzie are sitting on says that this is the official lightning tree. Pretty amazing!

This is one of the oldest and biggest trees at the Heard. It was a sapling when the Declaration of Independence was signed. That to me is completely amazing! I can't help but think about how much the world has changed since then.

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-06-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Try to imagine a cafeteria with wall to wall proud parents and grandparents of graduating kindergartners. With that kind of room, it's hard to get a great picture. Anyway, I am grateful for the pictures that we have because I wasn't able to be there, *sniff, sniff* Thank you Justin for being there and supporting Kate on her special day.

And yes, Kate is back in a cast. *sigh* Her first cast she had for two weeks. Two weeks after that cast was taken off we went back for follow up x-rays and it showed that her fracture had actually gotten wider, not better. So yes, back in a cast for 3 more weeks. It has been hard to not take anyone to the pool or anything like that. However, that has been a great motivator to get her to drink her milk! We go back to the doctor next week and we are all keeping our fingers crossed that her arm is healing the way that it should.

Alpha Film Academy Awards

2011-06-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

Two days a week Kevin gets to participate in a program called Alpha. He absolutely loved it! Some of the projects they worked on this year invloved making movies. Some of the movies were silent films displaying a science theory and others were films of their own writing/planning/directing, etc. They worked on them in their Alpha classes, editing and all. Then at the end of the year they had an awards ceremony fashioned after the Academy Awards. It was a fun night where everyone dressed up and there was a red carpet and everything. Here are some pictures from that night.

Kevin posing on the red carpet. He's trying his best not to squint in the sunlight. Doesn't he look handsome?

I can't even remember what Kate was sad about during the pictures. But try as hard as we did she would not smile.

The evening went verrryyy long. This was taken during one of our drink/bathroom/diaper change breaks. It's a good thing she's so cute, because her behavior these days leaves something to be desired. :)

Sadly, none of Kevin's films that he worked on were nominated. Although he was pretty disappointed, we of course were very proud of him and the hard work that he put into his schoolwork this year.

The Tomato

2011-05-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

If you've watched any weather news lately you know about the thunderstorms and tornados tearing their way through the midwest and south. Two nights ago we were thick in the middle of said thunderstorms--just as we were trying to make lunches and get kids in bed no less. Anyway, after Kenzie had been tucked into bed, the tornado warning sirens started to go off. So we gathered up all the kids and huddled in our laundry room/pantry--(townhouse living, gotta get you some of that!).

As I'm snuggling with Kenzie while the sirens are blaring and Justin is still watching the news reports of where the tornados are touching down, Kenzie says to me, "Mommy, there's a tomato!!" Poor thing, she new something big was going on but didn't really know what it was.
A few minutes later she said, "Mommy! The big giant tomato is going to eat us!" Now I can see how you could mix up "tornado" with "tomato" but I'm not sure where that part comes in. :)

So we did our best to explain what a tornado was--you know like in "The Wizard of Oz," when Dorothy's house gets picked up in the wind. She stopped and processed the information and then with a very serious look on her face says, "Oh. I don't like that."

Thankfully, we have been blessed to not be in any tornado's path. I've got to tell you though, if you've never experienced a Texas thunderstorm--they're pretty amazing! It's something that I have come to love about Texas!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by these storms.

What's Up?

2011-05-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

This picture really has nothing to do with this post. It's just for fun. And yes, that is lipstick.

It's been a while, so here's a quick run down on life in our house these days.

8 days of school left for the kiddos!

9 days of school left with students for me, but actually I have 11 days left before my summer break!

I can't decide if I'm excited about how fast the school year is coming to a close or not. I can't help thinking about the fact that the summer will go by just as fast. I'm extremely grateful that I have the time off with my kids, don't get me wrong. I'm just hoping to squeeze every ounce out of our time together and I just don't want it to end. *sigh* Right now I'm formulating a summer bucket list (thanks Delia for the idea), to help us make the most of it.

Changing gears: We're supposed to get our van back from the body shop today. It has been over a month and I'm ready to have some closure on all this mess. I will say it's been very nice driving around in a brand new mini-van in the meantime. I think we will all miss the cool features that come with it--especially the satellite radio.

I've started an alternative teacher certification program in the hopes that maybe I will get hired as a full-fledged teacher. I figure since I'm already working teacher hours it would be nice to be able to make twice as much. So we'll see what happens. Either way I feel like I'm making progress towards gaining more education and setting up some security for my family just in case. And some day I plan to pursue a master's degree and do other things, but for now working as a teacher fits our families needs best.

On another note, Justin hasn't traveled as much this month which has been wonderful and huge blessing! There's something about the end of the school year, we're all trying to cram everything in-final drama performances, choir concerts, awards nights, etc., etc. I have no idea how we would have managed it all without him. Honey, you're my hero!!

I actually made something this year!

2011-05-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago Kelly needed a great top to wear for a play that she was in--you might remember the pictures that I took of her as Jillian-the sassy store owner. Well, the plan was that she would wear this amazing top that I made for her. However, the adage of "measure twice cut once" could apply to sewing as well as construction. Because I was rushing to get this put together on time and made it a tad too small. She still could have worn it but she refused! I know! I'm still irritated about it.

The front. These pictures don't really do the fabulous colors and patterns justice. I was sorely disappointed when she wouldn't wear it. I had spent a lot of time putting it together. Oh well.

The back vew.

One of the parts that I am proud of--the invisible zipper on the side. Now you see me.

Now you don't. BTW I put in all of those ruffles. I didn't have any ruffle attachment, although I really wished that I had one. The ruffles on this top probably took the most time because you had to sew two rows of basting stitches and then carefully--so carefully pull the bobbin threads to form the gathers/ruffles. A couple of times I'd be close to finishing and the threads would break and I'd have to take it all apart and redo it--ugh!

Another thing that I was proud of is that I trimmed and zig-zagged all of the seams to create a clean, finished look. Did I wish everytime that I just had a serger? Yes! But it still turned out pretty well.

I also topstitched everything-like you see here on the arm band. If I wasn't under such a time crunch I would have enjoyed this project a lot more. That and if Kelly had actually worn it. Oh well. I passed it onto a friend of mine who has daughters a little younger than Kelly. I'm hoping they can enjoy it for a little while.

With summer just a couple of weeks away I'm hoping to find time to sew a little. I have a list of projects forming in my mind. I have definitely learned my lesson about double checking measurements and math! And I think the next things I make will be for me--so no worries about them not being worn and enjoyed!

Just For Laughs

2011-05-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

The other night Kate says to me, "Mom, I really need new shoes (I just bought her some, but anyway); My converse are too tight and my light up shoes are too small. I mean look at my feet--they're huge!!" This from my smallest and most petite child. She wears a size 10 shoe. Most of the time when we buy shoes we are still shopping in the toddler section.

Kevin, telling me good night. Me, "Did you make your lunch?" Kevin, "Yeah, it took me a long time because I accidentally ate my whole carrot! I was just zoning out!" This just makes me laugh because who zones out and eats a "whole carrot!" I just love it!

The other night I was telling the kids that we would be leaving in a little while to run errands. I wanted to make sure they had their shoes on and were ready to go, etc. We still had a little while and I was helping Kevin work on something on the computer when Kenzie, my 2 year old says, "Mom, check it out." She was standing there, with her shoes on all ready to go. She was sort of posing with her hands on her waist and just smiling. I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to be noticing and I was really surprised to hear my baby saying "check it out". Sensing that I wasn't really getting it, she floors me again by saying, "How do I look? I put on a necklace." And then she just smiled as big as she could. I wish that I had taken a picture. Of course I told her how pretty she looked. She really is becoming less and less of a toddler and more a little girl. It was one of those moments where I was proud to be a mom and absolutely loved seeing her so happy and proud of herself.

Pinewood Derby--The Final Chapter

2011-05-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Last month we enjoyed Kevin's final pinewood derby, as next year he will be in boy scouts! With our busy schedules it was difficult this year and it was sort of down to the wire in getting Kevin's car ready. A huge Thank You to our friend Tom P. who so generously gave up his time to help Justin and Kevin get his car completed.

Lined up pre-race. You gotta love the neckerchief put on over the collar! BTW Grandma T, that is the same shirt that Justin (& probably Glen) wore!

The ever important track placement. Kevin named his car this year "The Golden Knight." Anyone else hear dialogue in their mind from "Wild Hogs"? :)

These are the results from a different race than the above picture. His car is on the rebound here, but you can see he finished first. Way to go Kevin!

Well, I'm proud to say that Kevin finished his pinewood derby career by finishing first for the Webelos and first over all! Congratulations Kevin!! We are so proud of you!

Born to Run

2011-04-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry, you won't be able to click on this picture to look inside, but you certainly can check it out more at Amazon.com. I was trying to put a link in, but I don't think it was working. I'll try and fix it later.

Anyway, I have been reading this book and I love it! It is a nonfiction work about the subjects on the title but even more than that. For me, it has made me think about life, and what motivates me, etc. So far, two of my favorite quotes actually come from other authors that are cited in this book.

1). "Let us live so that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry." Mark Twain

2). "Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction." William James

Wow! Such powerful and thoughtful words.

A little bit about the author, Christopher McDougall is a former war correspondent for the Associated Press and is now a contributing editor for Men's Health. His writing is very relaxed and real to life. It's very easy to read. That being said, he does use an occasional swear word now and then. It's not something I am fond of, but I just wanted you to know.

What's great is that you don't have to be a runner to enjoy this book. The stuff that I am reading about is very cool and it's hard to believe that the people, places and events are real! I had no idea things like that existed. If you decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it.

Broken

2011-04-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of our car. It doesn't look like much, and yes it could have been a lot worse. But believe me--it's made things really frustrating and complicated in our life these days. There is also a picture of something else that broke this last weekend.

Yes! Kate fell off the monkey bars at the park and broke her arm. Thankfully it's a minor break and she will only wear this cast for two weeks. Then she will probably need to have her arm in a splint for a couple of weeks after that. Some of you may be wondering, yes, Kate is right handed. After her first day at school this week she said, "I tried writing with my left hand, but it was really crappy so my teacher said that I could go look at books." Oh the things kids say. Of course I tried not to laugh and discussed other ways she could say that without saying "crappy". Good times.

Something Fun

2011-04-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm feeling completely guilty and ashamed after reading my last post which was dripping with PLOM disease, (Poor Little Old Me). So here goes something fun. While I was taking some pictures of Kate on her birthday. I wanted to try getting some of her jumping. It was so much fun that everyone wanted a turn. They are not the best, but they make me smile when I see them, and I'm motivated to figure out the best camera settings to use so that the background is more blurry than the subject.

Enjoy!

Not My Best Week

2011-04-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Well, actually things started on Saturday when we were rear-ended. Yeah. I have pictures, but will post them later. We had worked things out to take the kids to the Arboretum, but then changed our minds that morning because we had so many errands to run. Later that day we couldn't help but think and say, "We should have just gone to the Arboretum!!" So my neck and back are killing me and I was finally able to get an appointment for the chiropractor tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait!

Because our car was messed up I was driving Justin's old, old, old, Toyota Previa Van, which he had neglected to get an updated inspection. The way it works in Texas is that your license plate tags are actually stickers inside your windshield. Anyway, after dropping off all of my kids, while I was on my way to work I got pulled over, for an expired inspection. :( To add insult to injury, we hadn't printed off a current insurance form and I still have my Arizona Drivers License. Double :(.

Then, last night I helped out at our women's group, called Relief Society, meeting. It was all about nutrition and unfortunately, I don't even know how to say what I'm thinking and feeling. Long story short, if I had known exactly what the plan was for the meeting, I would have put different information together. My part ended up, well I feel like I looked ridiculous! I wish I could call everyone who was there so I could explain why my stuff was the way it was! Ugh! Does that make sense? I know it's not such a big deal, but I have been replaying the whole thing in my mind all night and this morning and I am having a hard time letting it go. Ridiculous!!

One more thing--maybe the cherry on top. While I was rushing my little girls through a bath last night, after we got home from the meeting, Kate says to me, "Mom, you're like Lotso Bear [from Toy Story 3]." I asked her how I was like Lotso Bear and she says, "Well, you're mad a lot." Great. Even now that makes me feel horrible. I realize that most of our time spent together is filled with fast and furious directions and rushing out the door, or rushing to baths and rushing to bed. That is not the impression that I want to leave on my children--that I'm "mad a lot." Hmmmm.

Anyway, I hope your week is going better than mine and I hope that my week turns around right now! I have a new plan. I've decided to just believe that every day is Friday, no matter what and see if that will motivate me to find some happiness somewhere!

Arizona--Last Day

2011-04-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Since this was our last day in Arizona we started with a family breakfast.

Kelly, Erin, & Glen

Lou & Abby

Sorry for the blurry picture. We surprised Kevin with miniature cupcakes and a quick rendition of "Happy Birthday" as sort of a way to celebrate with the cousins.

A big Thank You to all of our Arizona Family!!! Thank you so much for your love and generosity, and all that you did to make our trip so wonderful! We can not wait to come back.

Ok. I admit it. After we said our good-byes to the family, the kids and I headed into Phoenix to check out this great store.

It has an inviting and enjoyable ambience. This was a definite splurge for us. But I was all about just enjoying our trip. They have a fun photo booth that we didn't try this time around, but will try to do it again sometime.

So many choices!! Surprisingly I was the only one who picked out candy--salt water taffy. They were at Kenzie's eye level and had these cute, red take-out boxes that you could fill with any and all flavors. I think our favorites were red licorice and peach. Kenzie also picked out a pink bubblegum lip smackers chapstick--which several hours later she decided to dig out with her fingers and smear all over her window. Yeah, I won't do that again.

Kelly chose a package of gag trinkets, you know, like a hand buzzer, whoopie cushion (that had a hole in it :( ), snapping pack of gum, and disappearing ink, etc. Kevin chose a yo-yo--which I think was the best purchase of all. Kate chose a small kit with sparkly nail polish and lip gloss. (Shocker!!) I also bought a chinese jump rope and three wooden tops that have cool designs painted on them that look even better when you spin them. It's a great store to visit--but with so many things these days, it was a little pricey, so we won't do it every time.

It was a wonderful trip and I still can't believe that I drove all the way there and back by myself! It may be silly, but I feel good knowing that I can physically do things like that. My grandmother was legally blind and was never able to drive at all, so to me it feels like a big accomplishment that I could make that drive. I also need to give some credit to my fantastic kids to put up with such a long, long drive. Other than the chapstick on the window, (which I really should have known better), they did a wonderful job.

A quick shout out to this great girl!

2011-04-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

I feel horrible as I realized that I posted all about Kate's birthday and did not mention once what a huge help Kelly was in making it a success. She baked not only one--but two cakes, because the first chocolate I had her use was too bitter. Yes, that beautiful chocolate bundt cake you saw--she baked it! Not only that, but she invited a good friend of hers and together they helped pass out materials and help the guests with their art projects. Thank you so much Kelly!! You are wonderful and I'm grateful to be your mom. I love you!

Spring Birthdays

2011-04-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

We are blessed with two spring birthdays in our family! Kevin turned 10 and Kate turned 6 this year. I can't believe how fast time goes. Kevin kept talking about how cool it was that he was a decade old. I couldn't help but think about how he was more than half way raised and that before too long he'd be all grown up.

Instead of a birthday party this year, we're going to get a family pass to the local science center and he gets to invite a friend to come with us. Every weekend we've had something going on, so we haven't done it yet. I don't know why, but that makes me feel like a horrible mother.

This was actually Kevin's second choice for a cake. He's originally asked for a cake that looked like a baseball diamond, which we could have done. I just knew that this would be easier. Something that I learned with this cake. I should have cut it in half horizontally and put a layer of frosting or a whipped filling or something. The pieces were really big and a little dry because I had to bake it so long to get it done in the middle, (I just baked it in a glass bowl). Anyway--now we know and I will definitely do that next time.

Kevin with his loot. I haven't forgot about your picture request mom--it's coming soon. Do you think that Kevin likes hats? :) He also got some scout things, ninja legos, wii sports resort, and baseball stuff!

Such a cute 6 year old. Since she didn't have a big party last year--well actually, she's never had a birthday party with her friends. We put one together, sort of last minute, for her this year. Of course, I did not get one picture from the event. Again--something that makes me feel like I'm slacking in my role as mother. Oh well.

This is her, "Hurray! I'm 6!" pose. For her party we went with an art theme. Activities included playing with homemade play dough, coloring with fabric markers on small canvas goodie bags, making shrinky dinks, sidewalk chalk on the back patio, and painting on a long role of paper stapled to the fence.

I love this birthday jump picture!!

I went with a simple chocolate bundt cake for Kate's party. It tastes good, it looks pretty, especially when served with whipped cream and strawberries, and it's easy! This is what was left over from her party the day before--again, I'm all about keeping it simple.

BTW, we do brush her hair--she had just come in from blowing bubbles and using sidewalk chalk out back. I didn't think about "prepping" her for these pictures. They are a true record of everyday life. :)

This was a special gift that Kelly made for her. She used an inexpensive photo album and wrote two stories back to back. She calls it a "flip-flop book" because once you're done reading one story, you flip it over and turn it upside-down to read the other story. She spent several hours writing it and coloring all of the pictures. I was so proud of her for wanting to give Kate a special present.

This was the one picture that I have as proof of Kate's party--one of the papers from the fence. Everyone had a great time and it was such an easy theme to put together. The guests took home the canvas bags that they colored, along with a ball of play dough and the recipe, their shrinky dink necklace that they made, and one other picture that we "painted" with water and colored tissue paper. We ended up with 9 guests--one of the reasons why I didn't take any pictures. We also served lunch. Unfortunately we sort of ran out of time. I had scheduled 2 hours, and we could have used about 20-30 more minutes. All in all I think it was a great success!

Arizona Day Four-St. Patrick's Day

2011-04-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Frozen Yogurt at MoJo's--Yum!! Thanks again Aunt Emily

This one's for you Nicole. Apparently, Flogging Molly plays a concert in Tempe every year. I'm hoping that next year, (if we're there) Kenzie will be old enough so that I can go!

Beautiful Kate, after watering the flowers. Check out that grass--it's the best ever, turf, always soft, always green and extreme low maintenance.

Erin and Kevin.

The gang with Grandpa at lunch. It was a great day!

What I Am

2011-04-07T12:02:00.001-07:00

A good friend shared this with me yesterday and it made me smile and feel grateful. Some of you may have already seen it, but if not, definitely check it out.

It's great!

Arizona Day Three

2011-04-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Little Girls playing "puppies" with Grandpa

Kevin going through Grandpa's obstacle course. He sets these up for the Grandkids regularly and they absolutely love it!

Grandpa and the kiddos after the obstacle course.

Kevin, Glen, Lou and Kenzie came with me to the Tempe Historical Museum. We were the only ones there and had such a great time. It's right next to the library and totally free--bonus!

Glen and Lou

Kenzie loved the pink hat!

That evening we had a wonderful family dinner at Emily's house with Grandma T, Greatgrandma & Greatgrandpa Gardner and Uncle Phil. This was a hard picture to take because it was completely dark and I had no idea where they were, or what they looked like.

It was great to see you Grandma T! We love you!

Arizona Day Two

2011-04-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Here's some more from our trip to Arizona.

Another family tradition is hiking "A" mountain, at ASU. The cousins love to discuss who will slide down the "A".

Randall, Glen, Kevin, Lou, Abby, Erin, Kate, Kelly, & Kenzie's back

Sorry, these pictures are out of order--oops! Grandpa and Roxie are so patient as Kate and Kenzie join them for a walk.

Pre-Walk and proof that I was there, Grandma, Aunt Emily, Kate, Lou (bending over), Me, Kenzie and Abby.

Aunt Amy with the kids. She's such a good sport and hiked all the way to the top with the kids while Grandma, Grandpa and I stayed at a lower lookout with Kenzie. (I think Kevin was sneezing in this picture).

The Whole Gang!

Later that afternoon Grandma and Grandpa took all of us to the Legacy Country Club to go swimming. Everyone had a great time! Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!

April Fools

2011-04-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

As I drove into the garage this afternoon, Kate came into the garage to show me what Kevin did to her. She said, "Kevin drew this on me! With a sharpie!" I kept waiting for the punch line, "April Fools!" I kept asking both of them, "Really?!" and "Seriously?!"

Kate just said, "Yes! He drew these things like in 'Tangled' (sideburns), a mustache, gotee, and glasses!"

I'm still waiting for both of them to just smile, laugh, and tell me it was all a big joke. Sadly it never came. You should've seen Kevin's face when I told him that sharpie's were permanent. Honestly I should have taken a picture of that too. Oh, the crazy things kids do!

After nearly scrubbing her skin off with a few diaper wipes it all lightened up; but it will take a few more times of scrubbing before it comes off. Maybe Kevin being "all boy" isn't such a good thing. As I type this I honestly can't believe that Kate fell for, "Stand here and close your eyes." That's what he told her and she did it! Sheesh!

And now for my own little April Fool's day fun. I conspired with Justin to at some point in our casual text message conversation this afternoon to say that his company needed him to be in Minnesota permanently, instead of traveling back & forth. Then, he happened to call me when we had all gotten home from school and while he was telling me about his day I asked him, "So when do they need you out there permanently?" just loud enough for the kids to overhear. (And then he was like, "What do you mean?" "That was for the April Fools joke?" and I was like "play along please!")

So a few minutes after our phone call I sat the kids down and broke the news to them. Kevin just started bawling and Kelly was sad that she would miss out on Advanced Drama at her school next year. I just went on with things like, "Yeah, he needs to be out there in 2 weeks and you guys will finish out the school year before we go." Insert more heartbroken sobs from Kevin.

And then I exclaimed, "April Fools!!" Kevin said, "What?! Oh thanks a lot! You made me cry!" To my surprise Kelly was a little disappointed that we weren't moving, go figure!

Well, that's been my day. I hope this April Fools day has found you happy and well.