This week....

Here are some of the happenings of this week here at the homestead.  August has learned to climb up on chairs.  YIKES!!  This isn't such a bad thing, but he hasn't figured out how to get down yet, so there is a lot of climbing up and then yelling so that someone can come and get him down.  It also means that he has discovered a whole other world of things that he can get into.  Double Yikes!  He has already been reaching up and swiping things off the countertop and table, but when the other kids leave a chair by the cupboards  August is right there ready to climb up and then things just got a lot more interesting in HIS mind!  So nothing is safe now.  At least he hasn't figured out how to drag the chair over to the kitchen-- YET.  Yesterday when I was making banana bread (which was delicious by the way) he happily played the whole time on his chair getting into all the dishes in the sink, so I guess it does have it's plus side.   

Yesterday Oliver's 1st grade class got to go on a field trip!  Always a highlight as a kid.  He had been talking about it all week and was super excited.  They went to see the play Miss Neilson is Missing in Oklahoma City.  (It's a children's book if you haven't ever heard of it.)  I asked Oliver how it was when I picked him up from school and he said it was funny and good, but that he fell asleep on the bus ride home.  I asked him if his teacher had to wake him up and he said yes.  But he wasn't alone in his afternoon siesta, the 2 boys sitting by him had also fallen asleep.  I would have loved to see that, 3 little boys snoozing on the bus together.  Anyway, Oliver thought that was quite funny that they all fell asleep, I think he was probably so tired since he had been so excited the night before and stayed up too late.  Anticipation is a powerful thing! 

 He has also been reading his homework stories to me in different voices lately which has been pretty entertaining.  Apparently he has a flare for the dramatic!  ha, ha. 

This week I made some strawberry freezer jam!  Ain't it perdy?!  The strawberry's were on sale, so I decided to replenish our year supply in the old deep freeze, so now we are "all set" as they say in MA.  I really didn't take long, but it felt like it did because August was NOT happy and wanted attention and would not be distracted.  But I plowed through, tears or no tears and finished it all up.  (Don't worry, he got ample love once I was finished.)

I have also been trying to work in our yard a little bit this week with the help of the kids.  Well kid.  Oliver actually was some help, the other two?  not so much.  But I decided that I wanted to dig up and make a few flower beds next to the porch since our front yard is just weeds basically.  I thought maybe it would help our house look a little less rental house and a little more homey.  So we pulled weeds, and we pulled weeds, and we pulled some more.  It just wasn't working, it was covered, so in the end I just decided to dig down a few layers.  Then I will put some good soil on top and plant some flowers.  Fingers crossed that it works!  Oliver asked me if he was going to get paid for helping him.  Ha, ha, ha.....I said, "yeah- you get paid in satisfaction for helping your mom!"  

 

As for little Miss Ruby, she has been mastering the art of girliness!  Every time I go in to her room lately after her "quiet time" is over (naptime minus the nap) she has been either stark naked or wearing about 20 layers of clothing!  What?!  She's been especially partial to her swimsuit this week!  Not that it's been too warm, but something about it she just loves.  Anyway, she is definitely perfecting the wardrobe change.  Well, that's all that's been going on around our house this week.  Well that and apparently a lot of ice cream eating!  

We're still here!

Alright, this post will have no pictures, therefore the cute factor is going to be lowered significantly, but it's been so long since I have posted anything that I figured I needed to do it anyway.  The reason for no pictures is that I got a new computer, not really by choice, but since the kids slowly killed my old one.  Boo.  First the screen sort of broke after taking a tumble off the countertop thanks to August.  Then a week or so later Ruby slammed it on something ans so the whole screen was disconnected at that point, but I could still use it but I had to prop it up against something so the screen wouldn't lay flat.  Then it just sort of fizzled out.  The wires popped and sparks flew and then it was dead.  So it won't come on at this point and of course I had just downloaded like 300 pictures onto it and then deleted them from the camera.  SIGH.  UGH.  (Banging head on wall....)  But I'm hoping that we can get some of the things off the hard drive somehow because besides the pictures I had some patterns that want.  Anyway, there is my story.  So my internet use has been sketchy at best lately.  But now I have a new computer, so I should be back in business!!  Yay!
Now I just have to figure out all my new computer jive.

Otherwise, I'm sure like everyone else we are enjoying crazy weather.  It's hot, it's cold, it's hot, it's cold.  I'm getting whiplash.  And we did survive our first Oklahoma tornado watch.  It's was a little scary, but in the end nothing came close to us.  So I'm now in the process of digging a storm shelter in our back yard so we can be safe!!!  ha, ha, ha.  I wish!

Well more soon but I just wanted to post and make myself get back in the blogging game......

He WALKS!!!

He has been up and about for the last couple of months, but in the last 3 weeks he's really been taking off the training wheels.

It's so fun to see him cruising around like a little Frankenstein with his stiff legs and arms waving.  And he gets such a kick out of the fact that he can get around himself that he just giggles and giggles.  I love this stage of babies, they are so fun.

He has also in the last week started saying "Ball" which is super cute.  He loves balls and goes around throwing them and staying, "ball, ball, ball."  Really fun.  He even manages to get in on the sibling fun while they are being crazy, he gets right in the mix of it all and screams and tackles with the best of them.

So here is August walking at an Art Museum that we went to on Saturday.  (I know, aren't we cultured?) It's not the best video, but every time I get out the camera to catch him, he doesn't want to walk anymore.  UGH...So I finally caught him at the museum a little.

Like I say in this video, I'm pretty sure the security guards were having a heart attack with us there at the museum.  Three little kids walking around giggling and such plus one of them not so stable on his feet!  Let's just say we were definitely being followed (like hawks.)

And this last video is of Oliver after He and Zack went to a Thunder basketball game in OKC this week.  Oliver thought that was a real big treat to go out with dad on a special night.  He had so much fun.  The only way Zack was able to peel him away so they wouldn't get home too late for bedtime was an ice cream bribe!  And apparently he was holding the program book the whole night.  What a cutie.

A Few More Recipe Reviews

I've sort of been on a new recipe trying kick the past 2 weeks.  Well maybe the last month.  I am always collecting new recipes to try from magazines and online of course, I love trying new things.  I may not have "binders full of women," but I do have binders full of recipes!  ha, ha.  And I think I have been on a kick lately because well, life is a little slow around our house lately.  I mean it's cold outside, it's the post holiday blahs and well nothing except the regular chaos is really happening.  In a nutshell, I'm bored.  So what more to cure my boredom than to try something new right?
And since I always like to find new recipes or hear how something really turned out, I thought I would share a few of the ones we have done lately.  So, here goes.......

(picture and recipe from HERE)
I actually tried this one tonight.  It was a lighter version of take out Sesame Chicken.  I'm not going to lie, the pictures that I saw of this looked delicious, but mine did not look nearly as appetizing.  Not that it looked gross mind you, but it just did look as crunchy and tasty.  All in all I would give this recipe an OK on it's rating.  I didn't really love it, but Zack said he thought it tasted good.  Maybe I was hung up on the pictures I had seen and thought it was really going to taste like take out Sesame Chicken, I don't know, but it didn't have too much flavor in my opinion.  Just kind of so-so.  So  I don't think this one will be making it's way to the "Keep" binder.

Next up I made THIS tasty number a few nights ago:

Braided Spaghetti Bread (picture also from link above).
I mean seriously?  Need I really say more than the name of this dish?  It was tasty, and I'm sure in no way healthy for you, but oh so tasty.  It's basically like eating spaghetti rolled inside garlic bread.  Mmmmm.....
Zack and I enjoyed it's tastiness for a few days after.  (Ha, ha, I got the last piece for my lunch!!!)  Now, next time I do this recipe I will however change a few things.  It calls for pre-made bottled spaghetti sauce.  I don't ever buy this stuff because when I make spaghetti I just make it from scratch because I don't like bottled stuff and that's how my mom always made it growing up.  Bottled stuff always has sugar in it and tastes too sweet to me.  Anyway, I just followed the recipe, but next time I will just make my own sauce.  And I added ground turkey and used 1/2 the cheese because it was A LOT of cheese inside.  Other than that, we thought it was great!  2 enthusiastic thumbs up!

Okay, so to make up for the last calorie heavy one, I tried a healthy one:

Picture from and recipe HERE
Healthy Mexican Sweet Potato Skins.  Well, they were healthy tasting.  And we all know what that means.  No, I'm kidding, they were ok, I mean they weren't bad, but they did dirty a lot of dishes for what seemed to be a little result.  This may be one for the future when the kids will actually eat it and I don't have to make them AND something for the kids.  So I'd say, if you like healthy, then you will probably really like this recipe.
Okay, one last one.....to end on a good note.....


Pork Ramen Soup from HERE
This was YUMMY!  Super tasty.  EVERYONE loved it!  And that is saying something with 2 picky kids!  So thumbs up to this one.  I will definitely be making this again!  Try it, you'll like it!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

                    

There's a little Valentine eye candy for you!  Mmmmm.....that's what we were enjoying here at casa crazy this evening!  Oh yeah, that's Chocolate Oreo Cake!  You can find the recipe here  or on my pinterest page. This isn't my picture, it's the one from the recipe site mostly because I'm not that awesome of a food photographer.  But trust you me, it was equally pretty and tasty.  I did little personal size heart cakes minus the frosting because I didn't think we really needed it after tasting the filling.  They were delicious!  I think when I make it again someday I will just use the filling as frosting on a regular cake.
Anywho....give it a go, it's delicious and easy, it's a win, win.

I have always loved Valentine's day thanks to my mother.  We didn't have many traditions growing up, but one of them was Valentine's day fancy family dinner.  My mom would make a nice dinner and put out her china and the crystal goblets and candles and we would have a fancy dinner.  It was always fun and special.  And I always thought it was cool as a kid that there were little bowls on the table with CANDY in them.  That we could eat during dinner!!!  What?  As a kid that equals AWESOME.
And my friends were often jealous that we always got a little gift of some kind from my mom as well.  So you can see why I was never bummed like other girls when they didn't have a boyfriend giving them flowers or something.  I could never understand why people found Valentine's day depressing, I always thought it was fun.
So in some ways we are trying to keep that tradition alive, we aren't going with the china and crystal yet since we have small children and that would spell disaster, but we did make our before mentioned special treat and had a nice dinner and presents were presented.  Children cheered and all went to bed happy.  I think combined with Oliver's school party it was mentioned a dozen times by him that it was "the BEST day!"  Oh, plus they got MAIL!  Valentine cards in the mail for Oliver and Ruby from Grammie and Grandpa!

All in all a pretty great day!
Hope you all had an amazing Valentine's day full of LOVE!

One year older

He did it!  This little guy turned 1!  Well last month he did.  

He was a little hesitant about his birthday cupcake at first.  But a few squishes in he started to have some fun!

He's almost walking alone.  He will walk back and forth to us, but he hasn't really broken out on his own yet.  I hope it happens soon because he's driving us crazy wanting someone to walk around everywhere holding one of his hands.  

But he's cute and lovable.

And like any baby, has a talent for making a mess!

Zack also had a birthday!  I think it was probably one of the warmer birthdays he has probably had, it was like 60 degrees!  In February!  And even though he had to work on his birthday, hopefully when he came home he found lots of love and birthday cheer!

He isn't working on any new skills as cool as walking, like August, but he's another year older and handsomer too!  And we love him.  And thank you for not making a giant mess with your birthday cake like August did!  ha, ha

Christmas Break Recap

We had a fun Christmas Break in Utah this year!  It was fun to see some snow again, the kids had a blast playing out in all the fluffy goodness!

They also enjoyed wrestling with Grammie. My poor Mom really took a beating!  Ha, ha.  But there was a lot of giggling, squealing, screaming, and smack talking which all equaled a good time had by all!

Awww...brotherly love

And then there was this! ha,ha

We made some gingerbread houses, a yearly tradition.  I think Ruby only managed to get about 3 pieces of candy on hers, the rest went straight to her tummy.

And of course Santa found us all the way in Utah, whew!  

We all got spoiled with lots of new goodies.

Oliver and cousin Gage got matching sweatshirts, don't they look cute!

We took a trip to an indoor bouncy playground which was totally fun.  I was kind of jealous that I couldn't go on the huge slides myself.  

Ruby, Gage, and Oliver (clinging on the back) all came down the really big slide together.  It was  a riot.

We had a lot of fun spending time with grandparents.

All in all it was a great trip.  A much needed break.  Zack and I even managed to sneak in a few dates here and there!  Woohoo.  Oh, and did I mention that we DROVE there and back?  Yep, we did.  19 hour trip.    Whew!  Talk about brave.  But worth it!

Hope you all had as great a Holiday Season as we did!