Fall Fun Continues!

A couple weekends ago we went with our friends Nate, Katrina, Lilia and Malachi to a Fall Apple Farm. It was sooo much fun. You can see my terrified face in this picture. We (adults) had a hilarious time pushing each other in this "hamster ball." The funny thing is that every one of us, screamed like a little girl as it went around, men not excluded.
This was digging in corn. It was really cool and the boys loved the texture playing in it.


Yes, we did survive Monster Mountain. Don't you think we should use this picture as our Christmas photo?
There was also a zip line swing. I also screamed like a girl.
This is adorable Lilia. She is 4 weeks younger than Jack. They are the best little friends.
It was so pretty in the pumpkin patch.




Back to our trip to see Matt, Stacy, and the kids. This is the newest addition, Carson. He is such a doll and Drew was smitten by him and wanted to keep holding him (this is a good sign for when the next baby comes :)).
More from our vacation up North to see Matt and Stacy. They were literally flying right by us (explained in the next post)! It was so fun to watch, but so noisy!



Its been a very fun Fall!!

September Fun!

We started September right by taking a Labor Day Weekend Trip to see our good friends. We had a lot of fun in just two days. We took the kids to a great Science Center and outside on the water was a huge Air Show.
I think I could take Emma home with me. She was SO good to the boys and entertained them and was just so fun to be with! Matt, Stacy, Jeff and I got to go out alone and we had the best food and icecream. If you are ever in their area, you HAVE to go to Mr. G's Italian restaurant and Menchies frozen yogurt shop. They both were EXCELLENT! I've never had frozen yogurt that tasted soooo divine!
We also took another trip with our other friends to the state capital zoo. These bats were so amazing. They were so captivating (but only in a cage). I would have totally FREAKED out if out if one had been loose. They are the largest bats in the world and their wing span is about 8-10 feet!!
The kids were watching some other animals.
Drew love to watch the tv sitting on a pillow! So cute!

I am so glad I got this picture of Jack horse back riding. Tis is Miss Amy, Mr. Scott (her husband in the back) and Mr. Tyler. Jack loves to go!
Both boys have really been into dress-up lately. It is so fun to see them pretending.

Finishing Up Summer

Being a big boy in his big bed was quite the challenge for us all. Drew spent about 3 weeks sleeping on the floor with his door open. He knew he would be in trouble if he came out. But isn't it cute?!

This adorable boy loves drinking his smoothies! He is growing so much lately and eating so much but he is a bean pole! Tall and skinny!

This face says, "Mom, are you really taking another picture?"





A about 6 weeks ago, we had quite the family adventure. What started out as a little wading in the water, turned into a hike, a river rapid, and a few bugs. But we got some great pictures and a great memory of it.

This was the coolest tree that had fallen over and had all kinds of moss, mushrooms and fungus growing on it.

On this adventure Drew fell while walking on this path. I was behind taking pictures so I ran to him, scooped him up and said,"Oh, Drew, your poor knees!" He screamed, slapped me in the face and said, "Not me knees, my hands!!!" It was definitely one of his worst moments and let's just say that my sympathy for him faded quickly! He's such a sweet boy normally! Gotta love toddlers!

July in Review

This was one of my favorite pictures I took in July. Drew was playing with the bubble machine that Grandpa C. bought the boys while he was here. He was watching that bubble intently.
My pictures got all messed up in order. Some times blogger can be frustrating. But Jeff's mom, dad, sister Becca and Charise came for a visit during 4th of July. We had a great time! Did I mention we had NO idea that Jeff's cousin and her family live here...it was CRAZY! We have hung out with them quite a bit...I should have known that Jeff has family everywhere (I think he has about 250 first cousins).
Grandpa and Drew
Jack playing with the bubble machine.
I like this picture too. I turned the camera at a different angle and I like the way it turned out.


Back to the 4th... We thought we were getting a nice variety of fireworks but they were ALL smoke bombs :(
Jeff was the official firework liter.
Drew watched very carefully.
Jack loved the sparklesr!!!
We spent the morning in Columbus and met Jeff's family at COSI (we love that place). They were having some neat experiments outside and Jack got inside this big bubble.

Pictures of me are very rare, so even though you can't really see me, I have to show that I do participate and don't {always} stand behind the camera :) I climbed down into this submarine and helped Jack into it. It was really cool!
I also made my first pies this fourth of July and if you like Key Lime, you'll love this one!

This picture is proof that Jeff and I should NOT take those self portraits by holding the camera out as far as you can reach and snapping a picture ;) But we had fun time on this little path close to our house.
It was pretty hot and I was glad I packed some water for a drink when we found this bench.


Doesn't he look good pushing a stroller?

Family Favorite Recipes

Cheers! One of our favorite healthy foods is this Fruit (and veggie-shh!) smoothie. It started out as just a fruit smoothie but Alison was determined to get more veggies into the boys' diet. So, one day she added spinach and later carrots. They loved it! You can't even taste the spinach. When friends or cousins come by during lunch or snack time, everyone wants a GREEN smoothie!

Fruit & Veggie Smoothie

Fill the blender 1/3 to 1/2 with Fresh Spinach. Add one carton light Vanilla Yogurt. Add about 1/2 cup Orange Juice and 1/2 cup Milk. Add Carrots, if desired (it makes it a bit sweeter and a little different texture). Then one Banana. Lastly, add 1-2 cups Frozen Fruit. We like just strawberries, a berry medley, and tropical blends (substitute pineapple juice for OJ). Then blend until smooth. Add more liquid if its too thick. Enjoy!

Now for something not so healthy...

KEY LIME PIE

1 Can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 Cup Key Lime or Regular Lime Juice
1 (8 oz) cool whip (I use a little less than this)
1 package (6 oz) graham cracker pie crust
Grated Lime Peel
Green Food Coloring, until you like the color

1. Beat milk and lime juice in large bowl with electric mixer on med. speed until smooth and thickened. Fold in whipped topping.

2. Spoon lime mixture into pie crust. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until set. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour (I like to do it the night before). Garnish with grated lime juice. Refrigerate any remaining.

I wanted to share few family recipes that the boys love to eat and that I love to make. Here are a few of my creations. First, these were our Easter Baskets. The boys loved helping making and eating them.
Jack wanted a dinosaur birthday party so I decided to make a dinosaur cake. After doing lots of research, I found a recipe that I could "tweak" enough to make it Peanut and Tree Nut Free for Jack to be able to enjoy (he has food allergies). I had to use skittles instead of M&M's and candy orange slices for the scales.

Here are some of our other favorite recipes!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 Chicken Breasts (can be frozen)
2-15 oz cans black beans, drained
2-15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 Cup Salsa (your favorite, I like Pace Chunky Mild)
4 oz can chopped green chilies
14 oz can tomato sauce

Chips, cheese, sour cream

Combine all of the first set of ingredients in crock pot. Cover. Cook 6-8 hours on low. Just before serving, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (or shred). Stir into soup. To serve, put a handful of chips in each bowl, mash, and ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese and sour cream. **If you like thicker, use a paper towel under the lid while it cooks.

My sister-in-law took this chicken tortilla recipe to a chili party and won first place!

Corn Salad

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1-2 cups mayonnaise
1 med sized bell pepper (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup red onions, chopped
1-10.5 oz bag coarsely crushed chili-cheese corn chips

Mix first 5 ingredients and chill. Stir in corn chips just before serving. I like to make it the night before and then just add the chips. This is a crowd pleaser!

BBQ Meatloaf

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cook oats
1/2 cup chopped onion (most the time I use dehydrated)
1 t salt
1 lb ground beef

Sauce:
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 t dry mustard

In bowl breakup egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onions, and salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into five loaves. Put into 9x13 (sprayed with grease) pan. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Spoon sauce mixture over each loaf. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.