A Few Happenings...

My camera isn't working so well.  Outdoor pictures just don't work anymore and indoor pictures often have these funny lines through them.  Anyone know why that is happening?  Also... my cell phone had a cup of water spilled on it and I can no long view anything on the screen.  Oh and our video camera... well it got broken last week too.  So I've been having a tough week with our technological devices.  I haven't posted because the pictures are just no good, but we've been having some fun and I just needed to do a post anyway.  I'm trying to pick photos without the line problem, but they still aren't very good.  Sorry.

See this is how all outdoor pictures look, or just plain white.  But I wanted to write about how we went camping on the beach a few weeks ago and had a great time.  Galveston doesn't have the most amazing beaches, but there was some pretty amazing wildlife.  We found crabs, big and small, saw lots of cool birds, fish, and best of all we saw sharks.  Or maybe they were dolphins.  We don't know but a school swam by very close to the beach.  Like close enough that we could have swam out to touch them.  Aaron started to do so, which made me a little nervous because other families on the beach were getting their kids out of the water while yelling about sharks.  Either way it was amazing.  We then saw the same thing again the next day.  So awesome.

I love sneaking in to see how Sam looks at night.  Sleeping kids are so awesome.

These two entertained themselves one afternoon by dressing up in each others clothing.  They had a blast.

 I've been trying to find ways to use apples since they are so cheap right now.  I made this yummy apple pie, but the kids weren't into it and Aaron wasn't around much that week.  So... I ate the whole thing myself.  Every bite.  Couldn't let it go to waste.  Loved every bite.

 This is Sam's favorite place to be while I'm cooking.  After I remove the sharp knives, he is free to sort through my utensil drawer and it often occupies him for a long time while I'm getting dinner on the table. 

Also check out his diaper.  Isn't it cute?  That's right... I've gone green with cloth diapers.  Ha.  Actually I'm kind of doing a half n' half thing, using disposable diapers as well.  It's not as bad as I thought and I do expect it to save a lot of $$$ in the long run.

Lizzy is now missing her two front teeth.  She is thrilled about it and I must say I think she's pretty cute.

Well that's all the excitement from my end...

coming soon....

halloween. :)

Have you Ever??

.....picked up some food that your kid dropped on the floor and decided to pop it into your mouth because it was easier than taking it to the garbage can?

....looked forward to going to the bathroom just so that you can be alone for a minute?

.... taped your child to his chair at dinnertime?

.... Absolutely insisted that your child go watch cartoons for awhile instead of "helping" fix dinner.


Oh .... yeah... totally... me neither.  Just wonderin'....

Happinesses for Today

1.  I walked outside this morning and it was amazingly, beautifully splendidly... COOL.  If that isn't thrilling to you then you probably don't live in Houston, TX.  But I do and 78 degrees almost made me cry. 

2.  Lizzy left these cute notes on everyone's pillows.

Can you tell that we have already received a Christmas card catalog in the mail?

3.  I found out that my in-laws are coming to visit over Thanksgiving.  Yippee.  We love visitors.

4.  At dinner tonight Lizzy sat down and said... "So Mom... did you hear about the big game last night?  You didn't?  The Cowboys won."

5. I pretty much, totally like my kids.  At least most of the time.  Doesn't Sam look big?

Recipes that have come in handy lately

Yogurt pops.  Are you ready for a great recipe that your kids will love?  And they'll think they're getting a dessert when it's really just yogurt and even your baby loves them, who happens to be teething and so this cold stuff helps soothe the pain?  Are you ready?  Are you?

1.  Buy some yogurt. 
2.  Dump it into ice molds.
3.  Put in a stick of some sort.
4.  Freeze. 

Wallaa.  Good stuff.

 Okay and my next big reveal is called Easy Pizza Rolls.  Here we go.

1 loaf frozen bread dough (or just make your own dough)
4 oz cream cheese
one 6 ounce can tomato paste
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. chopped pepperoni

1.  Preheat oven to 375degrees.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2.  Roll out dough into a rectangle and make it as thin as you can.  Spread with cream cheese and them tomato paste over the cream cheese.  Sprinkle evenly with spices.  Top with cheese and pepperoni.
3.  Roll up jelly-roll style, starting at the long end.  Cut log into 1 inch think rounds just like making cinnamon rolls.  Place on pan and bake for about 20 minutes. 

We ate a few for dinner one night and I froze the rest.  I have two bags of these in my freezer right now.  These are great to grab when you are in a hurry.  Lizzy also likes them in her school lunches, just cold. 

Enjoy.

Missing the Mountains

I'm missing the mountains today.  And also remembering how awesome this hike through Bryce Canyon was.  I can't tell you how many people looked at us like we were crazy when they saw us trudging up the steep inclines with 4 babies, a toddler and 4 kids.  Hard work, but so worth it. 

Treasures

Please tell me that I am not the only one who has to sneak around at night, finding my kids "treasures" and tossing them out while they sleep.  I feel kind of guilty writing that, but really there has to be a line somewhere.  We have found however, that taking a picture makes it easier for the kids to be able to let go.  So here are a few of our most treasured possessions from the last week.

A very old and nasty toothbrush.

A napkin scrap with a small note.   Since I write a napkin note almost everday, I did determine that she could not keep them ALL.

A cockroach that we trapped in a mason jar.   Honestly Andrew cried and cried when I tried to flush it down the toilet.  I don't know how one can possibly get attached to a cockroach, but I guess it is possible. 

And now for a picture of my real treasures.  I'm posting this for my Mom who wanted to know what I put on the wall in my kitchen/dining area. 

Mom, since I did this for you, it does necessitate that you leave me a comment. :) ha ha.

Wordsearch

Andrew asked me to make him a wordsearch yesterday and so I made the one on top.  He made the adorable one underneath.  I think he did a pretty good job.