A great day

Today was Tim's day off for Memorial Day. He's normally off on Mondays anyways, so since yesterday was a paid holiday, he got today off!! YAY, I love extra days with my honey!

We wanted to do something fun with the kiddos, so we INSANELY decided the "funnest" and cheapest thing we could do inside out of the heat was go see a movie! In Tulsa, we have a "dollar theater" ... well, it used to only be a dollar per movie, but then they remodeled and upped the price. So, on Tuesday, it's only 75cents... every other day it's $1.25 for matinee!

ANYWAYS, we had never taken the babies to a movie before, so it proved to be quite the adventure! Big boys sat still and watched Mars Needs Moms like perfect little angels... babies, um... not so much! Even with my yummy, pre-packaged snack bags that I made, they were NOT interested in the movie experience at all! Oh well, it was fun ... and the movie was GREAT!

Xanderism: Tim took Asher to the bathroom during previews. When the movie started, Xander said rather loudly, "Can someone pause this please so Asher doesn't miss anything?" LOL... had to explain that the movie theater doesn't have a pause button! Hahahahahahahaha!

We also went out for lunch, and we went for a visit to Tim's parents' house. We had a nice day with Tim today.... Love when he gets these extra days off!

My Pretty Baby Girl

I know every mother should think her kid is the cutest ever....

but really....

isn't THIS little girl the most cutest little girl you've ever seen? EVEN cuter than your own little girl?? (haha....just kiddin)

I just love how her hair looked today- extra curly & wispy...

So pretty!!


Had to take a moment to brag!

Love this little sweetie!

Homemade Roasted Salsa

Not much to talk about family-wise today... cause, as you know, it's Sunday... that means that it's my SLEEP DAY!!!! Got some really good sleep; then when I woke up, Tim says, "I found a great recipe for roasted veggie salsa, so when you get out of bed, I'm running to the store to get what we need!"

LOL...Tim and his recipes!
(he found it in the Everyday Food magazine)

So, today's post is all about our salsa!!

Ingredients:
*1 1/2 lbs tomatoes (2 large)
*3 cloves garlic (UNpeeled)
*1 medium onion (cut in half)
*3 jalapenos (whole if you want spicier, we cut out the seeds)
*2 limes, juiced (we used concentrate lime juice, so 1 1/2 Tbsp)
*1/4 C cilantro (more or less to taste)
*salt & pepper to taste

What you do:
-Heat broiler. Put oven rack on top notch.
-Put all veggies on baking sheet (as pictured)
-Put under broiler for 7-10 minutes- turning and moving the veggies often
-When the veggies are all blistered and start to turn brown/black, remove from oven. (the garlic may turn sooner than the rest- if so, remove from pan)
-Peel garlic. Put all veggies in blender or processor. Puree until consistency you desire.
-Add lime juice, salt, and pepper; mix again.
-Pour into a bowl and add cilantro. Stir.-Chill in fridge. Refrigerate up to 3 days!


I wish I could blog smell for you all to enjoy ... it smells SOOOOOO good!

What did you do with your Sunday??

My oldest Baby

All about Xander. Yesterday was just a sneak peek of today's blog.
Here is Xander on his first day of Kindergarten!
Here is Xander on his last day of Kindergarten!
Here is his "Diploma"... so proud!
His last time walking out of the Kindergarten line after school (with Austin)
The "proud of you" sign at Austin's Nana's house
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After a fun filled day of celebrating his Kindergarten graduation, he went to Incredible Pizza to celebrate his friend, Jaron's, 7th birthday. They had a blast! After the party, Xander spent the night at this first slumber party! They played air hockey, watched movies, played outside, had donuts for breakfast, and all the boys slept in their sleeping bags on the living room floor. He stayed up til 1 a.m. then was wide awake by 7!! These are some pics from the slumber party!

A friend asked me yesterday if I was sad... she was sad because her "baby is a first grader!" I said I wasn't sad... and at that point, I wasn't...she said she'd cry enough for both of us! LOL...
But now, reality has set in a little more. I am A LITTLE sad that he's so growed up already! Kindergarten still sounds young... once there's a "grade" attached, it sounds so grown up!

So, yes (unnamed friend) I am a little sad now!
(I omitted her name for her protection so nobody here would know she cries!!)

HAHAHA

Fabulous First Grade

Today my biggest baby boy (Xander) became a Fabulous First Grader! I am so proud of my little man!
After school he got to go out to Taco Bueno (he loves that place) with his friend Austin, Austin's sister, and Austin's grandma! They had fun! Then, we all met together at Austin's Great-Grandma's house for play time and ice cream sundaes! This sign was on her lawn when we arrived! So cute! I did take a picture of Jonathan & his sundae, but it didn't come out clear... sad!

So proud of my big boy! Can't even believe he's in 1st grade!

Embrace the Camera

LOVE this {embrace} moment

Tim still TRYING to sleep...While Xander attacks him TRYING to wake him up!!

Love these special moments!!
Who are you embracing??

Being grateful

Today, Oklahomans watched in heart-wrenching pain as the news announced the search for the 3 year old boy is over
he has been found dead!

For those of you NOT in this area, here's a little background. On Tuesday evening, Piedmont, OK (about 2 hours from me) was hit with a tornado. A pregnant mother- Catherine Hamil- sat in the bathtub holding as tight as she could to her 5 year old, her 3 year old, and her 15 month old children. The tornado hit their home straight on- ripping her children from her arms. The 15 month old died, the 3 year old was missing (until this morning), the 5 year old is in the PICU at the hospital. The mom is also in the hospital- she's had 1 surgery & is scheduled for another (her baby inside is doing fine!). The father was out of town working at the time of the tornado. He came home to help search for Ryan (the 3 year old); and he was the one who made the announcement on live news at about 10:30 this morning!

So, as I sit here thinking- like us emotional women do- I put myself in her shoes and am completely heart broken ... what if that had been me? A friend told me, "It's OK, you're kids are safe." But I think to myself- Catherine Hamil's kids were safe Tuesday morning... but then the tornado hit and now she's lost 2 of her precious blessings. You never know when a horrendous tragedy will happen...when something or someone you hold dear will be torn from your arms.

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As the kids cry, scream, pull hair, take a toy, fight, argue, say "NO" to each other and me, and do whatever else irritates the FIRE out of me,

I know that Catherine would give ANYTHING to have her kids cry, scream, pull hair, take toys, fight, argue, and say no to each other and her!
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Thank you God for your protection through the storm. Thank you God for my children; my blessings; my precious little ones! As my kids "annoy" me, I thank you, GOD, for their annoyances. Because, honestly, I would much rather have them cry, scream, and fight than not have them at all!

I'll find it a little more difficult to be aggravated with them for a little while as I hold them a little closer.

To the Hamil family, I am so sorry for your loss- may the God of comfort wrap His arms around you with a peace that passes all understanding!

Wonderful Wednesday

Howdie friends! How was your Wednesday? Mine was wonderful!

Today was the "big day" for Xander ... it was his "date" day! He and Sydney were going to meet at the park to play, but with all the horrible weather we've had this week, we (the moms) figured it would be too muddy. SO... we moved our outing to McDonald's!! Sydney was dressed so cute...it is Talent Show day at her school today, so she was looking super pretty! Xander's school had field days, so he wasn't quite so snazzy looking... but they were cute sitting together!


After naps today, my mom and brother came over for our weekly dinner & Idol night! It's quite the tradition for about 5 months a year... we really should keep it going beyond Idol... I enjoy their company! Anyways, we had corn on the cob (YUM), baked potatoes and fried chicken! I make pretty good fried chicken...if I do say so myself! I dip it in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, no salt seasoning, onion powder), then in egg, then in flour mixed with bread crumbs and crushed Chex cereal with more seasonings. Then I put it in the deep fryer until cooked through! The Chex cereal makes a REALLY good fried breading! LOVE my chicken! LOL

Was your Wednesday Wonderful??

Two Things Tuesday

Two things about today:

1: My kids are super cute!! They were huggy today...I like that! Bella was so proud ... she tackled Asher. Asher was NOT happy about it at all, but it sure does make a cute picture!!
LOL



2: PANIC... some of the worst storms to hit Oklahoma are moving through tonight...everyone here is in a state of panic! I even packed a bag... and I normally don't get bothered by these storms.... I think Joplin's tornado 2 days ago has me a little on edge :(


Do you have 2 things to talk about today?

Sick days...

I have had about 2 weeks of UGH!

2 weeks ago, I had a HORRIBLE sore throat. Then I lost my voice. After a few days, my voice came back and all seemed fine...

Until last Thursday....

4 day ago, it hit me hard...AGAIN! My throat is killing me. I had strep a couple of months ago; the pain is all too familiar. I knew that's what this was, but put if off until today...when I couldn't take it anymore!

Tim was going out this afternoon while the kids were napping to do some shopping and get some lunch. I told him to try to be home early enough so I could go to the urgent care office down the road. When he got home, he gave me a super sweet "Get well" card and a personal-sized red velvet cake that also said, "Get Well Soon!"
He's too good to me! I left when he got home so I could get to the Dr.'s office in time. Found out that I have strep...again (I knew it!!) He wants to refer me to an ENT doctor. I have this "thing" on my tonsil.... best description of it: it looks like a puss pocket. HOWEVER, it's been there for several months, and even after antibiotics and gargling, etc... it is still there. So, he wants me to see if I need to have my tonsils removed... maybe then I would quit getting strep so often! Maybe whatever this "thing" is on my throat will go away too! We shall see...I'll keep you posted!

Anyways, I got home from doctor and pharmacy. All the kids (and dogs) welcomed me quite loudly.... it was WONDERFUL... because not only was I greeted by happy kids, I was greeted with a clean living room! Tim had the kids pick up the living room so when I got home, it was all neat and pretty! I LOVE THAT MAN!!

Going to bed now so I can get some sleep! Hope you had a good day!

In need/want

We would really like a van. When we bought our car, it was perfect for our family... even if we were going to have another child, 3 kids would fit perfectly in our backseat. HOWEVER, as you all know, we were blessed with twins on our 3rd pregnancy, instead of a single...thus posing a transportation problem! In order for us to all do something together as a family, we have to take 2 cars. Our primary car is great- we bought it new 4 years ago! Our secondary car is not so great! 3 out of 4 windows don't go down and the a/c doesn't work! The horn and radio aren't working either! So, while it gets us (mainly Tim) from points A-B, it is NOT a good car to have! So, since having the twinkies, we've talked about getting a van! BUT, it's not made any financial sense because we're upside down on our "new" car and the old car won't get us too much for a trade in! We don't want 2 car payments.

Today.... a friend at work has been fixing up a van. It was his mom's van that she bought new in 2000 (he is 55 years old, his mom is 80...so they didn't drive crazy in it). It is a 1 owner van, but she doesn't drive much anymore, so he's getting it cleaned up and wants to sell it. He said he'll take $1200 for it! It has 140k miles & is 11 years old...so not horrible on mileage since she lives 30 miles from Tulsa. He has recently replaced the battery, recharged the a/c, changed the oil... said all it might need is brakes because he hasn't checked them.

SO...my dilemma ... I need $1200 for a van. BUT before I need the money, I need to borrow it and have it checked by a mechanic. I am getting really excited by the possibility of getting a van, but don't wanna put all my hopes in this if it turns out to be a dud... trying to not get excited.. so I decided to blog my thoughts....

Anyways...thanks for listening!

Happy Day

Good Saturday to you!

The Bunch had a pretty lazy day today. We didn't go anywhere AT ALL! It was quite nice! My mom and mom-in-law came over to see me and the kiddos for a couple hours- nice visit!

Twinkies were VERY cranky all day long. If you looked at them cross-eyed, they'd cry for 10 minutes. Tell them no, they'd whine and wimper as if I had just beat them! It made it a very long and draining day!

Going to work now... was really hoping all the talk of the "rapture" had some merit... then I wouldn't have to work! LOL!

Good night all!

Mall and Josh Groban

My morning started and ended well...the in-between was a rainy, gloomy mess!

Took the three littles to the mall while X was in school. We had a group of 9 MOMs with 9 sets of twins + older siblings. We had a good time visiting with friends while kids played! This picture is just PART of the 8-stroller traffic jam in the mall play area! Cracks me up to see so many double strollers all together!

After the mall, kids ate lunch and napped while I relaxed. Then after dinner, I went to Tulsa to meet my wonderful friend, Annissa, for the Josh Groban concert at the BOK Center!! Had a FANTASTIC time! I would have to say it was THE BEST concert I've ever been to! I TOUCHED him two times- he ran up and down my aisle... and I had an aisle seat. So the first time down, I barely touched his sleeve... BUT the second time he ran by me, he High-5'd everyone along the way! OMG... I was awe-struck! Couldn't believe that I TOUCHED JOSH GROBAN!! Hmmm... just made my whole night! He was very entertaining- not just with music, but he is very comedic! Loved it... completely! Even the music... only a great singer can give his audience goose-bumps and bring them to tears when singing another language! Have no idea at all what he was singing, but it was so beautiful...

Boni Thursday

Today, being Thursday, is normally "Embrace the Camera" day, but I didn't get any pictures lately with me or Tim in front of the camera...sorry 'bout that! BUT, I did get a super cute picture of Jonathan and Bella at the park!

We went to the park this afternoon with friends. It was a short-lived trip because a few minutes after arriving at an empty park, a school group showed up and nearly trampled Jonathan. So, we quickly loaded back into the car and went home! Before the big kids showed up, Jonathan and Bella tried out (without my influence) the slide... AND LOVED IT! I couldn't get them off of it!

About a week ago, Xander started thinking about his little "girlfriend" Sydney. She was on his T-Ball team last year, and they were instantly the best of friends! He kept saying he wanted to play with her again, that he missed her, and that he wanted to send her a letter! So, he sat down and wrote a letter saying, "Dear Sydney, when can we have time to play?" then he signed his name, drew a heart and a rainbow and put the letter in an envelope! Imagine his excitement today, when we got the mail and, in it, was a letter from Sydney:
"Dear Xander, Can you meet me at the Coweta park 5/25. Love Sydney"

SO STINKIN CUTE! .... His first "date" ...hehe!

What she wore Wednesday

Several of my friends & blogger buddies do this as their Wednesday post (linked three of my friends so you can check them out- click the words "friends, blogger, & buddies" to check out my friends' cute girls!!)

Soooo, I thought I'd show you how cute "SHE" is this morning!
This is what she (Bella) wore today:
(Bottom to top) She's sporting some really cool shoes from Wal-Mart; her outfit is from Kmart. Her skirt is actually shorts underneath (my favorite kind of skirt), and the tank top has ruffles down the middle!

Ain't she cute??!!!??

Two Things Tuesday

Two Random thoughts for today:
1- I love being a mom & wife!
2- I love being a friend!

Geez they're cute!

Just a couple random pics of my ADORABLE children.The twins LOVE getting in each others crib before bedtime so they can snuggle and hug each other...
and they HAVE to do it with their dog-dogs (as they call them)! Every night and at naptime, they get close together and say "cheeeeeeese" until I will take their pictures! They're such hams! Love 'em!!

In spite of the fact that A is picking his nose, and this is how they woke me up...I still think they're cute!


Yes, I am a LITTLE bit biased here,
but I happen to think they're the cutest kids EVER!!


Silliness from Jonathan
(actually happened yesterday, but I forgot to blog it):

He was laying on the floor while I changed his diaper; my mom was leaving to go home.
Jonathan starts yelling as loud as he could,
(wait for it......)

"YAYA, YAYA, LOOK AT MY PEE-SIS!"

What IS it with this kid and his boy parts? Cracks me up!
Have to blog about it, because I'm sure when he's a teenager, and I want to embarrass him, I won't remember these silly stories! So, NOW it's in writing...and therefore, I have proof!!

Super Sunday

Today was a nice day! In spite of feeling a little on the puny side, we got up and went to church with Xander. He goes with his friend, Josh, every Sunday and Wednesday. But today, we went too because his little kid's choir was going to be singing in front of the church! It sure makes a mommy proud! He was standing right in front of the microphone, so he was the only one I could hear! I almost cried.... I love that kid soooo much!

My mom went with us to church, so after service was over, she came over and had burgers and fries with us for lunch. Tim's parents came over too when their church service was over, but didn't eat ( :( ) because they ate before coming. Anyways, after lunch we all sat around talking and enjoying family time & good company!

I actually laid on the couch and took a nap!! WAHOO! I love spontaneous naps!

Then, after dinner I got to go to bed again since I HAVE to go to work tonight! 2 naps in one day... LOVE IT!


HOW WAS YOUR SUNDAY??

My Saturday

Today was a lazy kind of day. I haven't been feeling all that fantastic this week. Sinuses... sore throat...no voice... etc. So, when it occurred to me that I had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do today except sit at home, I was ecstatic!

My mom came over for a little while... I was glad she came. She babysat last night so Tim and I could have a date night, so I didn't expect her to come again today...so it was nice to see her! PLUS, as always, the kids' attention is NOT on me while YaYa is here... an added benefit!

Took a few pics of the munchkins today... On the top left: Xander fell asleep ON TOP of his drawing board. He had a pillow and blanket...all the essentials... and fell asleep! I think he was tired! Then the pic on the right: Bella and Jonathan found their pockets at almost the exact same time... they looked so stinkin cute that I just HAD to grab the camera! Finally, on the bottom left: in case you are wondering, the things on Asher and Bella's faces are the little squeezer things at the end of medicine droppers. They discovered that if you squeeze it before putting it on your face, it will stick! LOL!

How was your Saturday?

Date night

Today was great!

Playdate at Lisa's house with her 3 great kiddos + my 4!

Date night with my hubby: King's Palace Restaurant... Mall... Thor!

Perfect day!

Embrace The Camera: Daddy Time

Tim got this great new app on his cell phone. It's a storybook reader. He walked into the living room and said, for all to hear,

"IT'S STORY TIME KIDS... AND I'M NOT GOING TO READ!!"

The kids all ran to him in total excitement.

They were actually silent for more than 30 seconds!

All 4 littles LOVED the story AND the time spent with daddy!

Mommy loved the photo-op!!

This is our {Embrace} for the week!

Did you get IN FRONT of the camera this week?
If so, link up with Emily!!

Wonderful Wednesday!

Today was, overall, a pretty wonderful day!

It started out a little UGH... I had an appointment this morning at 9... but got there at about 8:40. No biggie...right? I thought that maybe getting there a little early would work in my favor... like maybe they would get me in early...

NO SUCH LUCK!!

They got me back at 9:30... and we got done around 10! Oh well.... nice thought anyways!

After the appointment, I didn't want to go home, unload the three littles for 30 minutes then have to load up again to pick up Xander from school, so I had this FANTASTIC idea. I drove to Broken Arrow (15 minutes) to vacuum out my car and go through the car wash. This car wash is AWESOME...if you are in the Tulsa area and have never been to Hank's Auto Spa ... YOU NEED TO GO! (I would link up their website so you can check them out online, but their site is under construction... BOO!)

Anyways, I cleaned out the inside of the car...plus vacuumed. Then I drove around to the car wash section. I explained to the littles that we were gonna give the car a bath! That there would be a shower sprayer and spongies that were special for cars. I thought my preparation was good enough... until, as I put the car in neutral to let the machine take me through, the look of SHEER TERROR on all three little faces proved me wrong! They were in complete panic. I held Bella's hand to try to calm her down; she held on for dear life...with a 2 year old DEATH GRIP! Jonathan was shaking so hard he looked like he was having a seizure...of sorts! Then Asher tried as hard as he could to climb out of his carseat... of course, he failed!

Through all of this "torture" of my children, all I could think of was how ...ahem, forgive me... how hilarious it was... of how I wanted to go through again, but the next time with my phone set up to video tape them. I pictured showing them the video when they are older...and embarrassing them in front of friends! Aren't I terrible?? LOL.... I did NOT go back through, but golly...I sure wanted too!

Anyways, after all the terror, we picked up X from school and went home.

Tim got off work a little early today, so he let me leave to go see my Amanda. Like I said yesterday, today would be our last outing before she moves this weekend! So, we went to a couple different stores, then out to dinner at Taco Bueno (it's more bueno!). Then ... the storm moved in... at 530pm, the sky was as dark as midnight. It was a little scary. So, instead of running around anymore, we rented a movie and went to her house to hang out! I really enjoyed our time together!

Sure will miss her!

How was your Wednesday??

Saying Good-Bye

I met a girl while attending Rhema Bible School- back in the 1999-2000 school year. Her name is Amanda. We became great friends! We both got married to our loves in 2002. Then in 2004, we both got pregnant (only about 3 weeks apart)! Xander and her daughter, Abbey, were born in the summer of 2005. And they have been best friends ever since. When we'd go out with them together, people would always stop us and ask if they were twins (LOL...little did I know that 3 years later, I would, in fact, have twins...hahaha)! Amanda and I went out all the time- alone and with our kids. We had the best of times!

In 2007, "Baby Asher" came along, and it made it a LITTLE more difficult to hang out... but we still did! This pictures was taken when Asher was only a couple of months old... and Xander/Abbey were 2 1/2 years old! So cute, huh?
Anyways, when I had the twins, as you can probably imagine, we didn't get to hang out much at all! It was just too hard to coordinate schedules and/or meet with all the kids... it seemed too hard anyways! So, sadly, our times together were limited.... BUT we still managed to talk and/or hang out every 2-3 months (nothing at all like every 1-2 weeks like in the past)!!

Then, something BIG happened. Her husband got a job offer in Iowa. YES, Iowa. "What's in Iowa?" you might ask? John Deere is there... and they were hiring welders. SO... he moved to Iowa to start his job and find a place for them to live, so that when school is complete (Abbey finishes this week) then they can move up there with him!

So, in the last 3 months, we've made it a point to get together every week. We wanted the kiddos to have time together...and for us to be able to get together as much as possible before she moves. Here's some pictures of the three big kids over the last few weeks! It's funny how in some of the pictures Xander looks much shorter than Abbey, but in "real" life, they have been about the same size... since they were about a year old. They're both tall for their age... and have always been almost identical in stature...it's no wonder people though they were twins! I like the picture below...compared to the picture above... it's cool to see how much these three have grown up!!

Finally, here's our last picture together-- me and my Amanda!
I'm going out with her tomorrow as our "last hoorah" before she moves- they will be leaving Tulsa this Sunday :( Xander gave Abbey his stuffed puppy dog "so she'll always remember" him! Too sweet! I'll miss my friend...Xander will miss his friend!

"Here is where the road divides.
Here is where we realize
The sculpting of our Father's great design.
Through time you've been a friend to me
But time is now the enemy.
I wish we didn't have to say good-bye.
But I know, the road He chose for me is not the road He chose for you.
So as we chase the dreams we're after:

Pray for me, and I'll pray for you.
Pray that we will keep the common ground.
Won't you pray for me, and I'll pray for you.
And one day love will bring us back around....again!"
(Michael W. Smith)

Mother's Day Part 2

Today was the day we chose to celebrate Mother's Day since I sleep all day on Sundays! Plus, every restaurant in town is SOOOOO crowded on special holidays; so the day after is so much more convenient when your dinner party includes 10 people!

So, we went to dinner at Beijing Gourmet with The Boni Bunch, Tim's parents, my mom, and my brother. I love when we all get to go out together... The kids LOVE seeing their grandparents too! They crack me up... They'll see my mom and YELL, with huge smiles : HI YAYA!!! Yesterday, when the in-laws came over, my MIL said "the best mother's day gift ever was seeing them all greeting me by standing in the window!" ... The window in the front of the house is low enough that the kids stand in the window sill... From outside of the house, it looks soooo cute!

So... I enjoyed my 2-day Mother's Day! Now it's time for bed!

How was your Mom's Day??

Happy Mother's Day

I have the bestest husband! Love this card:

It plays cool super-hero type music!! Inside the card was a $25 Starbucks card... He knows what I love!!! LOVE HIM!

Then while I was napping, he worked with the kids to make me Mother's day cards... with their hand prints and stuff! SO CUTE! In their card, there was a Lady Antebellum CD (YAY)... Plus, Xander got me a pink carnation! So pretty!

I truly am blessed to have such a great family taking care of me on MY day! Thanks GOD for your awesome gifts!!

Good days...

Sometimes I'm torn... on days like yesterday when I am completely exhausted. I feel like I need to blog... like if I don't, then I neglect my commitment to myself to blog every day. But if I don't feel like blogging, and I do a post like yesterday's, is it really worth the effort? But if I do skip a day because I don't feel like it, then that one day ends up as two...then three... then a couple months pass before I remember that I should be blogging about all the fun and important stuff. That's the whole reason I made this commitment to myself. I looked back one day and realized that so much had happened in the previous months that I never blogged about... and it seemed lost! So, here I am, writing about yesterday and today in one post!

Forgive me for rambling....

About yesterday... it was a nice day. It was gorgeous outside; the kids were well behaved; Tim washed dishes for me! (WAHOO!); I made a special lunch & dinner for the family based on the TV show: ICarly- we had spaghetti tacos!
It's made just like it sounds...with a slight addition to the seasoning. I used 1 lb ground beef- cooked with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning; 1 26oz can spaghetti sauce; 1 lb spaghetti... after I made it all, I tossed the sauce into the pasta and stuffed taco shells with it! Then I topped it with shredded colby-jack cheese! It was surprisingly yummy!

Then, after the babies went to bed, we put in Despicable Me for Tim, Xander, Asher, and I to watch! LOVE THAT MOVIE!! I made REAL (not microwaved) popcorn; the boys had popcorn with crushed Heath bar mixed in while Tim and I just had super buttery popcorn. Then we all had pop. It was fun family time!

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Today was good too! It was yet another beautiful day in Oklahoma! Nice breeze, blue skies, 75-ish degrees! GORGEOUS! Went to Xander's final soccer game this morning! On the way, I told him that since it's his last game of the season, we were going to go get happy meals at McDonalds.

He got this HUGE toothy grin on his face and said, "I know why we're going there today. Last night I prayed that Jesus would help my mommy and daddy think of something fun to do today! And He answered my prayers!"

Love the faith of a child!!

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For dinner tonight, I am making cabbage rolls! YUMMY dinner!

2lbs ground beef (uncooked)
2 heads cabbage
seasonings
2 eggs
2 C cooked (and cooled) rice
1 onion (diced & sauteed- then cooled)
2-15oz cans tomato sauce
2-15oz cans diced tomatoes
3 C water

*cool the rice and onion because if not, the heat from them will start cooking the beef!

-Par boil the head of cabbage until you can easily pull off the leaves. Let leaves cool so you can work with them.
-Mix the meat, eggs, rice, onion, and seasonings (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings) in a bowl
-Place small amount- about the size of a large meatball- in a cabbage leaf then roll it up.
-Place cabbage roll in 9X13 pan
-Mix in bowl, then pour over top: tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water

*Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (check liquid levels to make sure not drying out OR boiling over!)

Family Friday

Today was about family! We had a fun day... BUT I am so exhausted from NOT sleeping well all week that I am going to bed now... LOL... so you'll have to wait to hear about my Friday... TOMORROW!! Goodnight all!

Embrace the Camera

Today is Thursday...Embrace the Camera day!
Check out Emily's Blog for more info....

We took the kids for an outing at the zoo a week ago. I LOVED this picture that I snapped without anyone noticing...it's perfect!

Tim with all 4 kiddos looking for more animals!!

Wonderful Wednesday

Today has been a wonderful day (in spite of being EXHAUSTED from lack of sleep last night)!!!

I met up with my friend Lisa- a fellow TMOM- for lunch at the new coney shop in our little town. It's called Good Dog Coneys! They gave the big kids t-shirts the last time we were there, but Xander's was dirty, so the other two wore their shirts today. Lisa, with her 3 kids- Kaleb, Benjamin, and Ella... plus me with my bunch... we had a good time! Love this picture- her 1 year old son, Ben, did NOT want to be in the stroller!After a yummy lunch we went to the park and let the kiddos play for a little bit. They had fun chasing after each other! This is the first year that Jonathan and Bella actually climbed up on the playground equipment... last year they just stood at the bottom watching what was going on! They went down the slides too.... and LOVED it!
Xander's friend, Pyper, came to the park while we were there! They both adore each other... they're BEST boy/girl friends! A couple of months into pre-K (Sept 2009) , when I picked him up from school, he got in the car and said- completely smitten- "Mommy, I loooove Pyper!" I asked him why he loves her and he said, "she's pretty and she has pretty clothes and she's white!" LOL... not sure, AT ALL, why he'd even specify that last one, but I was cracking up! Anyways, since the beginning of pre-K they have been buddies! He's always saying how much he loves her... and evidently she says the same thing at home (her grandma told me so today!)
Today was a beautiful day ... bright, clear, blue sky without a cloud as far as the eye could see. There's a gentle breeze blowing; it's about 75 degrees...

In my book, it's a perfect weather day!


Was your Wednesday wonderful??