Month: February 2014

The boys’ snowboard arrived today and they loved trying it out inside. Here’s hoping we get some weather made for sledding soon!

Thanks to Iris being almost a year older, our new addition has some of her first dresses.

Alex got a ton of Legos for his birthday and they have been fun for everyone. I just wish he could put back together the sets when they come apart (which they inevitably do) but that will come in time!

Teague got a new carseat “just like Alex” for his birthday. I had it in the living room to adjust and the boys thought it was the best new toy.

Swim lessons this session have been so much fun! Alex is over his dislike of them (see here). Teague is so excited to be swimming “just like Alex.” I love seeing Teague’s stubbornness come to play in a positive light. Due to our crazy schedule today, Wade got in the pool with the boys while Granny, Pop, and I watched. (This also provided the perfect opportunity for me to take pictures.)

This was the last lesson for the session and due to our uncertain future we are putting further swim lessons on hold. Hopefully to resume in Kansas City.

How is it possible that my little boy is 3? He knew exactly what today meant and couldn’t wait for his “car cakes” (translated to cupcakes with cars on the liners) and candles. We started the day with donuts and candles. Then we had a little guy play date with Glenna and Grant. The celebrating continued all day with Granny, Pop, and Daddy’s arrival.

And my two favorite pictures of the night. The first shows how Alex deals with it being Teague’s birthday. The second shows what gifts my boys spent the most time enjoying. I love my bookworms!

After days of wanting Skittles, I finally broke down and bought a big bag. (I promptly ate them in two days.)

The weather has been amazing the past few days – high 30s! (My biggest complaint about this winter has been the brutal temperatures that have kept me enjoying the snow from inside.) I loaded up the boys after nap and we headed for the sledding hill. There was one other family there and they had a snowboard. Their kids wanted to use our sleds and my boys loved trying out the snowboard. Teague was a natural and after falling once he continued to make run after run, staying on his feet the entire time! I was impressed at what my 2 year old (for a few more days) could do!!

Baby Burch got her first piece of clothing. How perfect that it says “tadpole”

Thanks Amber!!

It’s snowing outside and I am in the mood for one of my favorite eats – Angel Biscuits with Ham. Yummy dinner for the boys and I!

The boys could barely contain their excitement for the big gymnastics birthday party this afternoon. Rachel (of Baked Custom Desserts) made an awesome cake and the boys helped me to prepare goody bags. We loaded up the car and headed to Swiss Turners Gymnastics.

We ended up with a huge group (25 kids) but everyone had a great time and there was plenty of staff to help!

Then we headed to the party room for cake!

Wade had to leave straight from the party for Kansas City but he did help us get cleaned up and loaded first. The boys were so patient and waited till we were home and I had everything out of the car before they opened their presents!

Everyone was a little grumpy and out of sorts after nap time (or maybe that was just me). We decided on a family outing and then an early dinner at our favorite Mexican Restaurant. We surprised the boys with a trip to the Domes. Their winter train show is definitely one of their favorite activities and the parents enjoy it too. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot Alex figured it out. The first three pictures capture his excitement pretty well.

In other news, Wade ended up winning a raffle for some rare bourbon (the Pappy 15 year) and the Tosa Bourbon club had another meeting tonight.

Wade’s friends from Milwaukee Electric Tool created a fun image for him before he starts his new job on Monday. I thought it was pretty awesome.

It has finally happened. My oldest has given up naps. I know I shouldn’t complain. My 5 year old was taking a 3 hour nap every day till last week. Our new routine is he reads books on his own for an hour (thank you nap feature on his clock) and then he can have about 45 minutes on the iPad (only reading books or playing letter games). So far the arrangement seems to be working. Teague is still napping and I have my time to do things (and pretty often take a nap).

I wash shocked to discover a few weeks ago that my cheese dip recipe is not posted on my blog. One of Wade’s co-workers had asked for it and Wade (smart man that he is) had gone looking for the recipe on my blog. I found the recipe in Southern Living in 2006 and have been making this cheese dip ever since. I have tweaked the recipe just a bit, but it’s super easy and very yummy – definitely my most requested food dish and recipe. (My tweaks are included below. Use the link above for the original recipe.)
Ingredients
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles (I use Red Gold)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds American cheese slices
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a 6-quart oval slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 2-3 hours, stirring gently every hour. Stir before serving. Serve with assorted tortilla and corn chips.

Thankfully Alex told me yesterday that he wanted the house really decorated for his birthday (like mine last April) and I had just enough time to get decorations and make it happen. Alex woke up to powdered donuts (a favorite treat) and candles. We spent the rest of the day catering to Alex – lunch at his favorite hot dog place, presents, a scavenger hunt for a big present, pizza for dinner, and a lego cake with the neighbors.

Teague has finally agreed to get off the kitchen stool by himself. Mr. Stubborn has been adamant that he couldn’t do it for much too long. Now if only we could teach him to climb onto the stool – something Alex was doing long before age 3.

We’ve all been rather consumed with watching the Olympics lately!