Hi!!

I thought Mikenna looked especially pretty this morning and decided to take a picture of her. She has SO much to say these days. I love the way she says NO to her sisters too...it is unique in the way it sounds and makes me smile, even though they are fighting...

Tanya!!

My sister Tanya and her husband Andy came into town for the weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday. It was fun hanging out with them, watching movies, playing games, eating yummy food. We went and watched my nephew Dallin play soccer Saturday...it was such a beautiful day!! They brought my mom a Wii Fit...it was a BLAST playing on it...Andy also had a WAY COOL new camera that we all had fun experimenting with...I wish I had one...and then Julia could come and teach me how to use it!!

Snack time...

This has become a favorite after school snack that Kaylee came up with...I can't remember where or who she learned it from, but all of the girls enjoy gathering around to eat this...They took a picure and asked me to post it for Tim...I don't know why...

Red Cannas

My friend Janelle shared some red canna rhizomes/bulbs with me this past spring. (She'd gotten a bunch from an aunt and let me have some!!) ...I planted them...they were just small chunks about the size of my fist or so...they grew into beautiful plants over the summer...(the only thing I could grow)...I'll have to take pictures of them next year...

So, we had to dig them up before the first deep frost, and Janelle had warned me that her rhizomes/bulbs had more than doubled...so I went out, with my hand trowel...and began to dig mine up...I thought I could do it quick...but after about 15 minutes...I went and got the shovel and managed to dig one up...it had more than quadrupled in size!!

They funniest part is when I finally managed to dig a group out, Mikenna would come over and exclaim, "Wow!! Look at all of those eggies coming from the ground!! There's more too!!" I now have a huge, black garbage sack of these rhizomes /bulbs sitting in my garage, waiting until spring!!

KaHS Dance Camp...

Kaylee, Kiera, & Kassidy attended another dance camp over the weekend. Several of their friends were able to attend as well!! Then that night we went to the football game so they could perform during half time. This group was a lot smaller than the Southridge group...the band did a relatively good job...the color guard was entertaining to watch....unfortunately the game wasn't as interesting...well at least for those of us on the Kamiakin side...it was so sad to see them being slaughtered on the field. The girls would have liked to stay and watch, but I wasn't interested...

Anyhow...my friend was able to get several clips of the performances. The girls had a cheer as well as a dance segment that they did. So, if you're interested...go here...

http://andrewsactions.blogspot.com/2008/10/dance-dance-and-more-dance.html

Pumpkin Patch 2008

Here we are at the Pumpkin Patch! Mikenna and I joined Kassidy's kindergarten class at the Country Mercantile for their pumpkin field trip. It was such a beautiful day, not too cold either! We rode out to the patch to choose our pumpkins, then the kiddos ran through a hay bale maze, then up the tower (where I thought for sure s0meone would get toppled off...especailly my Mikenna) then to the animal barn and finally snacks! What a morning!

Dinner 101608

They hated it.

They asked for white rice. (Which they usually whine when it's rice...)

I had to force feed them. Literally.

Kiera chews WAY TOO LONG--126 chews for a teaspoon size bite.

It was too BBQ-y...saucy...

Hopefully a different recipe will be more successful.

Until next time....

CrockPotting....

So, my BBQ Chicken and Corn Bread Casserole is sitting in the crockpot, cooking...I'm wondering how it will turn out...and I'm totally into this crockpot cooking thing and have been searching the crockpot blog for more ideas and recipes...and here is what I've come up with so far....

CrockPot Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Creamy Corn and Spinach Enchiladas CrockPot Recipe
CrockPot Halibut in White Sauce with Broccolini
Foil Packet Tilapia CrockPot Recipe
CrockPot Hoisin Chicken Wings Recipe
CrockPot Brown Sugar Chicken Recipe
CrockPot Coq au Vin Recipe
CrockPot Pineapple Chicken Recipe
Apple, Cheddar, and Turkey Meatballs CrockPot Recipe
CrockPot Falafel Recipe

I think I need to wait for a sale and buy more chicken...

Oops....

I forgot to mention that Kaylee has also lost 2 teeth...molars...they may have been a bit premature due to the fact that a permanent molar that is coming in...is coming in at an angle...but there's nothing that can be done about it now...at least nothing that we are willing to do...

Anyhow, she lost one...then came home and had another one...

So, she let us know that she was putting them under her pillow...of course we forgot "our responsibility"...and the next morning, (in fact I believe it was her birthday morning) she let us know that, "The tooth fairy, or YOU, forgot to take my teeth last night!! See, I put them here in this little envelope...and here they still are!!"

Oops!!

So tonight, we are making sure to remember to tell the tooth fairy to visit our home!

Morning!!

I try to drill into my kids what their morning routine should be...we've had this routine for well over a year now, and there are still mornings they forget...{sigh} such is life right?

So, typically they're up at 7:30 a.m. At least that is what their alarms are set for. Ironically, it's am radio--news--that goes off...why??? because they fall asleep to am radio--classical music...

On mornings where they don't have to wake up early (no school days, saturdays, sundays) they are up at 7 a.m....Most school days I have to drag Kiera out of bed...sometimes Kassidy...usually not Kaylee...

Change your clothes, bathroom (brush your teeth & hair, wash face), make your bed, say your prayers.

I know if their prayers haven't been said if their beds aren't made.

Then they come downstairs and...practice your piano (Kaylee & Kiera) if they miss it in the morning, double the practice time after school...eat breakfast...maybe practice their violin...

Out the door by 8:24 a.m. (at the latest)...scoot off to school...

From there morning vary...

Mondays...Mikenna and I walk with them to school...we volunteer from 8:30 - 9:10: Kaylee's class; 9:10-10:00: Kiera's class; 10-11:22: Kassidy's class.

Tuesdays & Thursdays: Mikenna is off to preschool from 9-11 (she is beginning to go on her own!!)

Wednesdays...Fridays...:depends on what our errands are...people we visit, or visit us...or just by ourselves time...

Is this boring you yet Tim?

Cute cousins...

It's not very often that Mikenna gets to play with her cousin Kyle all on her own. Here is a picture of them from this morning. Kyle came in, they both went upstairs, and they played happily together. No incidents!!

The 4th tooth...

Kiera's loose tooth has been hanging on by...cells...literally...she finally consented to have it pulled out tonight...don't pass out Tim...

The CrockPot blog....

Have any of you heard of this blog? http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ In summary, she made a new year's resolution to use her crockpot everyday in 2008...whether for dessert, main dish, or etc...anyhow...this is her documentation of it all...the best part, aside from pictures and recipes, is that she has a "verdict" section...so you'll know if you want to try it...I've been wanting to use my crockpot more...especially on nights where it's hard, i.e. gymnastics...just takes some planning ahead...and then dinner is ready when we rush home from whatever activities we've been too...

So, I've decided to try this one out...I'll let you know how it goes...

8-22-08

CrockPot Barbecued Chicken and Cornbread Casserole

Day 235.

131 days left. I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Our family really liked the tamale pie I made earlier in the year, and I was impressed at how easy it was to throw together and cook in the crockpot. This is a twist on that dish---with a pairing almost as perfect as peanut butter and jelly: barbecued chicken and cornbread.

The Ingredients:

--1 pound of cooked, or practically cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (I browned my chicken for a while on the stove, then lost interest. It was almost cooked, but not yet edible.)
--1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks (optional.)
--1 red onion, diced (optional. I didn't use this, although I intended to, and am kind of kicking myself for the accidental omission.)
--1 cup frozen or fresh corn
--1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (18 oz)
--1/4 cup hot water

cornbread topping:

use a mix and follow the directions on the box (minus the oil or butter), or mix together the following:

--3/4 cup corn meal
--1 1/4 cups of flour (I used a Bob Red's Mill GF mix--we were out of Pamela's)
--1 cup milk
--1/4 cup sugar
--1 egg
--1 tsp baking powder (only if using regular all-purpose flour)

The Directions.

I used a 4 qt round crockpot for this---it was the perfect size.

Spray the inside of your stoneware with cooking spray. Cut up the chicken and sweet potato, and add to the crock. Add the corn. Empty the contents of the barbecue sauce bottle, and then add 1/4 cup of hot water to the bottle, shake, and pour that out, too. Mix well with a spoon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. You don't need to mix well, I just used a fork. Spread the topping on to the chicken mixture.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Ours cooked on low for exactly 6. If you are planning on being out of the house, cook for the shorter amount of time. You can always switch to high to brown the top when you get home.

The Verdict.

We all really liked this a lot. I can't wait to make it again, or a different variation.

Blonde....

...anyone???

I guess the girls weren't the only ones to have fun with the wigs...

Apple picking...

Saturday, we had friends call letting us know that there was a golden delicious orchard that we could glean from...so we loaded up the kids, headed out and got...oh, I'm going to guess about 150-200 lbs. of apples...FREE!! So, when we decide to applesauce, we are set!! Another friend just called today with info on a fuji orchard...free again, but Micheal's mom already picked 100 lbs for us...which was a good price...$25...but next year will be better!!

The girls had fun climbing in the trees...even Michael came up with a plan where he was in the tree, picking and tossing down to the girls below...you'll see all of the apples on the ground by them...which to say, there was a lot of wasted rotting apples all over the ground...o-well...

Wasps...

We were out on our lot on Saturday afternoon, trying to stake out our house...not an easy task...and I got stung on my head...it burned, then throbbed the rest of the day. I went to bed early.

I have more empathy for those who get stung.

Michael got stung on the side of his head the next day. He didn't even complain, but I knew it didn't feel good. He's head was a bit lopsided yesterday at work...but no one noticed.

What good are wasps anyways?

Dance performance...

Here is a video of the girls performing at the football game...you can barely see Kassi, and then Kaylee and Kiera are just to the back and left of her, and Emma is to the back and a bit to the right...good luck! They had a lot of fun...so much in fact that they'll attend the Kamiakin Dance Camp this coming Saturday...

Kaylee's 9th Party!!

Kaylee had a few of her friends over for her birthday party on Friday. We had a lot of fun...did their nails, hair and some make-up (BIG thanks to Allison for her Mary Kay samples.) Then got dressed up and sang & danced to Hannah Montana! We got a lot of pics and videos of all the fun they had!! Happy Birthday Kaylee!!


Here is Kiera as a blonde...what do you think? and of course my Mikenna singing away...she loved that mic! Every once in a while she was able to sing a few lines, but mostly just did a singing thing...I'll try and splice a video together for your viewing pleasure!




P.S...it is a bit long, but there are cute parts...

Jog-a-Thon 2008

The girls school had their annual Jog-a-Thon this past Thursday. They all had fun running...around and around on their small track. I went up and ran a few laps with them...and got some cute pics...if you can run and look cute at the same time :) Our friends son ran the most laps...21! (At least that's what the girls said...I hope it's true!!)

Kassidy 12 laps

Kaylee 15 laps

Kiera 14 laps

Here it is...the long awaited "stolen" snap of GRAYSON!!

Bling Bling!!

Mikenna came home from a birthday party yesterday and came home with this
lovely piece of costume jewelry...

Which I asked her to remove while she ate her spaghetti, but she didn't want to...
can you tell that it just kept dipping into her dinner?