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Friday, Septemeber 3rd...

Catching up on some recent photos..

Piggytails...

Caught the girls snuggling like this;

And minutes later..

Some reading/snuggling time w/ both girls..

As if more proof of her silliness was needed...

And oh so kindly going through my dresser drawer...

Having fun w/ daddy after bathtime...  

Ashlyn loooooooves brushing her teeth.. Any opportunity to get her little hands on that toothbrush, she jumps for joy w/ excitement.. Did I mention that she loves it? =)

And she likes to play dress up... Even if it's just random clothes pulled from the basket while folding laundry.. 

Friday, Septemeber 3rd...

Motherhood...  There's definitely nothing quite like it.. It's hard work, sometimes emotionally & physically draining, and one of the biggest challenges life gives a woman.  But by far.  The. Most. Rewarding.  These are a few of my reasons why; 

1.  there's nothing like your 19 month old cupping your face w/ both of her little hands, and turning your face to hers so that she can give you a kiss.. "Mmmmmm Wah!"

2.  hearing my girls playing in the other room together while giggles escape down the hallway to my ears.. 

3.  seeing your child playing their heart out in a sport that they love, and beaming w/ pride 

4.  hugs & kisses at random, for no reason at all

5.  homemade cards & letters telling you how much your loved, and "you rock"

I'm so blessed to be a mommy, mother, mama, MOOOOO-oooooooommmm.. lol   I wouldn't change it for the world ♥

Monday, August 23rd..

Hard to believe a new school year has begun!  Actually, it might be even harder for me to really believe that we have a 9 year old 4th grader..  Kaylor had said which teacher she hoped to have this year, and after discovering that she "got her pick" she was thrilled to meet her.. The teacher sent a sweet letter that Kaylor received a few days ago, telling her how excited she was to have her in her class, and she was looking forward to it.  I love when teachers like to personally connect w/ their students and learn about them each individually.  I have to admit, when she first started kindergarten I was nervous about her being in a school that is much larger than what I grew up in, but from day one, we have loved the teachers & staff at our school.  Even w/ more students it still has a great, personable feel.  Here's to a great year in 4th grade, miss Kaylor!  We love you!

 

Tuesday, August 17th...

Our menu for this week is below.. 

Monday:   Hamburger Casserole & fresh corn on the cob
-this is another family favorite from childhood.. Super quick and easy
1lb cooked ground beef (I use 96/4 lean)
1 cup cooked rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use low sodium)
1 can chicken noodle soup (low sodium again)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium sized casserole dish, combine cooked ground beef, cooked rice, both cans of soup & stir well.  Bake, uncovered for 15-20 mins until dish is bubbly.  Serve & enjoy!

Tuesday:  Zuppa Toscana soup

-based on the Olive Garden version soup.. fingers crossed it turns out well!

Wednesday: Quick & Easy Ranch Chicken


Thursday: leftover buffet


Friday:  take out or dinner out

Saturday:  leftover buffet

Sunday:  breakfast dinner, Eggs, french toast, turkey bacon

Thursday, August 12th..

Our menu & recipe shares for the week;  Because our pantry & freezer were pretty well stocked, the only items that I had to buy this week for all of the meals below were the following; taco shells, fresh tomatoes, and lettuce.  Not bad for a week's worth of dinners!

Sunday: breakfast night

-egg omelets w/ diced turkey bacon, shredded cheese & toast

Monday: taco night
-just standard ground beef, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, hard shells

Tuesday: Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup 

-whoops, had 2 Mexican type meals in a row.. our family didn't mind! lol

-I did not use avocado

Wednesday: Pizza Casserole

-a family favorite passed on from childhood

-I often leave the green bell pepper out

• 2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup sliced pepperoni sausage
• 16 ounces pizza sauce
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Cook noodles according to package directions.  In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic and green bell pepper. Drain excess fat. Stir in the noodles, pepperoni, pizza sauce and milk, and mix well. Pour this mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, top with the cheese, then bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Thursday: leftovers buffet (from Tuesday & Wednesday evenings)

Friday:  Dinner out

Saturday:  any additional leftovers, cold deli sandwiches

Sunday:  brats on the grill

Friday, August 6th..

A little late on blogging this, but back in June we took a trip up to IKEA w/ Meaghan & her girls... So much fun!  We had lunch, then browsed, and oooh'd & ahhh'd over all the displays & pretty sights.. This girl could spend plenty of time there! 

Friday, August 6th..

Fair time!  This week the girls & I headed out to our local county fair, and met my friend Amy & her two girls there.. Aside from it being ridiculously hot & humid, we all had a great time.  The girls loved all the animals, and we saw lots!  I think the favorites were the bunnies they could pet, and all the ducks & roosters.. Ashlyn was making THE loudest bird noises she could while walking through.  Kaylor fell in love w/ a llama that she got to stand by & pet.. Pretty sure she would have brought him home.. We also enjoyed a fair food lunch before heading home.. Corndogs, lemonade shakeups.. oh my!  In a couple weeks daddy will join as and head to the state fair.. Looking forward to that one too!

Thursday, August 5th...

I now have a 9 year old.. Wha?!   I know my oldest child is 9, I know I gave birth to her 9 years ago... but saying "I have a 9 year old".. Just doesn't seem like it can be quite true..   Alright, alright guess I have to go w/ it =) 

Kaylor had a great 9th birthday.  So many family & friends made it to celebrate w/ her, and she was so excited.  We had her party on Sunday, and she received so many loving gifts.. Thank you to everyone who was able to be there, we truly appreciate it!

Kaylor, at 9, you are silly, witty, thoughtful, funny, and full of energy!  Sometimes you seem much older than you are!  Quite a jokster, like saying what a great mom I am, then whispering, "I just said that because she's my ride" then giggling hysterically... Sometimes you are determined.. For example, being grounded from sweets for a steady 3 months because "your body just MUST have candy!"... You're a great big sister, creative, and talented.. In your infamous words.. Daddy & I love you "more than the trees"!

Pretty sure her smile could not have been any bigger... Can you guess why?  Moooohlah!  lol

Thank you for grabbing my camera for a couple shots, Courtney!

Tuesday, July 27th...

Happy Tuesday!  

Thought I would share some images from our WI Dells weekend trip a couple of weeks ago.. We had such a great time, and kept telling ourselves that we really must force ourselves to take more weekends off for road trips w/ the fam.   

Ashlyn had a blast at the hotels we stayed at... Jumping on beds (shhhh... ) playing, snacks, a slumber party.. Who could ask for more?

This shot reminds me a lot of the one below it from October 2009;

We enjoyed a nice boat trip up the river..

Then we spent a little time walking around the downtown area... Fresh cheese curds was one of THE highlights of the trip for me! hehe

Hotel Rome was another hotel that we stayed at.. It was full of fun equipped w/ both indoor/outdoor waterparks and amusement park.  The girls had a blast doing both; 

And if your kids get a little out of hand... no worries.. The hotel diner has a built in jail!

And before we packed up to head up, stopping to have breakfast at Paul Bunyans was a must do..

Thanks for a great family weekend, WI Dells... See ya in a couple of years!  (although I will be ordering fresh cheese curds online MUCH sooner than in a couple years.. lol)