4th of July "Wireferks" and Ice Cream

We had a great 4th of July weekend! On Friday, Jason had a work party so we had a few hours to relax (in the sweltering heat!) without the kids. Later that night, Jason took Hudson to the Ranger game with some of my family and he loved every minute of it......especially the firework show at the end. Saturday, we headed out to Granbury to hang out with some of my extended family.

They had blindfold golf cart races......which was hilarious. One person had to instruct the driver, who was blindfolded, how to go through the obstacle course.Mom giving Mike some directions.

Hudson and Cooper with GrammyOur family......hot and sweaty!!

We headed back home and later that night we set off some "wireferks" (as Cooper calls them) and sparklers on our driveway.When Jason first started lighting them, Hudson ran away because he was scared.

He finally came around and realized they were not so bad after all. (notice the facial expression- he wants to enjoy himself but is still a little nervous about the whole thing!)Not this monkey boy....he grabbed those sparklers like a champ and had himself a good ole time!

Jason shooting some Roman Candles in the street. The boys really liked those!

***********************************************************************************

On Sunday evening, we took a walk around the neighborhood. During our walk we heard the ice cream man driving through our neighborhood. Since we were already outside and since our kids have never had the "ice cream truck experience" we decided to let them order something.

I love his face. If I could only know what he's thinking.......probably something like "Dear God, thank you for letting my mommy say yes to ice cream!!"

Savoring every single bite!

We had 2 happy boys on our hands.This picture cracks me up! Hudson finished his ice cream bar before Cooper finished his cone. He watched Cooper like a puppy dog.......

........until sweet brother decided to share. Aww!!

Girls-Only Weekend

This weekend, I headed out for a girls-only trip with my sister and my mom. We went to Granbury, where my mom and step dad just purchased a lot for their RV. It's in a little quaint gated community with other RV'ers. We celebrated my sister's birthday and did some shopping, lots of eating, went to a show (Gr*nbury Live), a movie, and stayed up WAY.TOO.LATE. What an awesome time!

Having a yummy birthday dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.

This coming weekend, lots of our family members are heading out to the lake so mom put up her 4th of July banners.Relaxing on the covered patio. It was such a peaceful weekend.......no food to cut up, no sippy cups to refill, no diapers to change!. I'm reenergized and ready for a new week! I sure missed my boys but am so thankful for the small break.

With my mom.

With my sister, Julie.

I had such a fun weekend! I love you girls!

Friday's Favorites

1. Etsy. - I've purchased several things lately from Etsy. I love this site because everything is handmade and I love to support small, mostly home-based businesses.

2. My new wet bag. (this is actually not the design I ordered but I'm too lazy to take a picture of mine. I got the XL size) This bag is awesome because you can store wet towels, bathing suits, toys, etc...... I take it with me every time we go to the pool or water park.

3. My reusable coffee cozy. What an easy way to go green! I carry this with me all the time and any time I get a coffee (hot or iced) I use this instead of the cardboard ones.

Wouldn't these also make a great gift? Just pair it with a Starbucks gift card and you are done! I'm pretty sure I'll be buying more of these for teacher gifts in the fall.

4. Here is one of our new favorite recipes. Jason recently switched jobs and has a longer commute to and from work. He eats breakfast on the way to work in the mornings now and I wanted to find something that was simple to make and still somewhat healthy for him too. I came across this Breakfast Burrito recipe and it's been such a huge hit around here.

Breakfast Burritos

6 bacon slices, cut into small pieces (you can use turkey bacon or nitrate-free bacon to make it even healthier)

2 cups frozen hashbrowns (Orelda potatoes w/ peppers and onions is what I use- found in the freezer section)

12 large organic eggs

2 tablespoons hot sauce (I use quite a bit more.....probably about 1/2 a cup)

Flour tortillas (depending on how full you stuff them, it makes 12+)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Foil

In a large skillet, brown bacon and hash browns, about 10-15 minutes. In large mixing bowl, combine eggs and hot sauce, beat well until combined. Pour into skillet with bacon and potatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until eggs are set (scrambled) Cut enough sheets of foil for each burrito. Lay a piece of foil flat on the counter and place a tortilla on top. Spoon egg mixture into tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, and roll up. Place individual foil burritos into a large freezer bag. Label the bag and place into the freezer. Cooking times will vary depending on the type of microwave you have. We defrost ours for a bit and then cook for a few seconds to heat. Just make sure you don't overcook because the tortilla will become tough.

That's it.....super easy! Not only does this recipe save us time and money (each burrito costs about half what we would pay at a fast food place), it's so much healthier. Now you have a freezer stocked with a quick and easy breakfast.

Happy Friday!

River House Weekend

This past weekend we made the trip down to the river. Jason's dad and family were spending some time there so we decided to join them for a few days. We had such a good time and as always, the boys loved hanging out with Hannah and Maya.

Our first night there we saw this beautiful sunset.

On Saturday we went into Gruene and ate at the Gristmill. Here are Hannah, Hudson, Maya, and Cooper out in front of the restaurant.We spent a lot of time outside and we were blessed with wonderful weather. It was certainly hot but we had lots of shade and a good breeze.

Most of Sunday was spent outside, on the river. Luckily for us, the river was really low. This was bad for the tubers because it took forever to float down the river but it was good for us because there were lots of shallow areas for the boys to play. These rocks are usually under water and the kids were able to walk across them and splash around.

Hudson and Hannah. She was such a wonderful aunt!! She really helped us out a lot with the boys.

Our evenings were spent hanging out, letting the kids play, and working this crazy hard puzzle (it was a 1500 piece Coca Cola puzzle that ended up being a 1498 piece puzzle because 2 pieces were never found!)

Kayaking down the river

The kids played so hard during the day! At night, they rested with a little movie and then off to bed. They stayed up much later than normal but they slept later the next day- which was nice!On Sunday night, Carey and I were hanging out on the back porch and we saw 6 deer. We packed up and headed back on Monday afternoon. None of us were ready to leave. We can't wait until we get to do it again!

50 Pounds Lighter This Week

This week, Hudson has camp.....so I've had tons of time with just Cooper. It's been really neat to spend time with just him. We've stayed really busy so far this week. So far, we have gone here to play games, gone here to jump with friends, and rode the train and had a picnic lunch with some friends. Whew! I'm tired. (although it's been a busy week, I actually prefer this over just staying home. We tend to get bored easily!)

Hudson love, love, loves his camp. I knew he would the minute I got the information on it. I'm so glad he's been able to attend.

Monkey boy was not a happy camper the first day or so when he realized that brother got to go to camp and he didn't. That's another reason we've packed our days with fun activities.

Tuesday was "Crazy Hat" day.....this is about as crazy as it gets with Hudson. (remember, he's not an eyes-on-me kind of person) I don't think he kept it on long after he got there.

Wednesday was "Crazy Hair" day.

On the train

Sweet boy!Looking for turtles with Bryce and Brayden.

Today is rainy and we are hanging out around here.....waiting for the carpet guy to come and put Cooper's room back together. (last week we had a pipe burst and it drenched Cooper's room and carpet) Hopefully I can get my house cleaned and somewhat organized.

Friday's Favorites

1. This cute vinyl wallet ...perfect for days at the pool and water park. I love that I can have my keys and our season passes all in the same place. It's waterproof and will allow me to keep my regular wallet at home or in my car so that I don't worry about someone walking off with my credit cards or id. This has my spare key on it and will stay in my beach bag for the days we head to the water.

2. My recipe binder. A couple of months ago I mentioned a favorite recipe site called Relish. I have basically created a binder full of all of our favorite relish recipes, along with some of our other favorites. I have it organized by types of food, such as: poultry, seafood, beef, etc.....and it saves me so much time each week when I plan our weekly dinner menu. Each recipe is in a clear protective sleeve so that if it gets dirty while I'm cooking, I can just wipe it down and return it to the binder when I'm finished.

3. Rosemary is probably my new favorite fresh herb. I've made lots of things with it lately and I just really love the taste. Here is one of my favorite new dishes. It's super easy and so yummy!

Buttermilk and Rosemary Chicken Breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

coarse salt and pepper to taste

In a large ziplock bag, combine the buttermilk, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add chicken to the marinade, turning to coat. Marinate all day. Heat grill to medium. Lift chicken from marinade, shaking off excess; discard marinade. Grill for 5-8 minutes per side (depending on how thick the chicken is)

It is so, so good!!

4. The boys playing so hard that they both fall asleep on the way home and I get a nice and peaceful ride. Ahhhh......

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Hello Summer

Yesterday we went here with Laurie and her boys....kind of as a way to celebrate school being out. It was the first time any of us had been there and the boys all loved it. Laurie and I loved that we could sit in the middle area and still see them, instead of constantly having to run around and look for them. The bounce houses were unique and it just had a really comfortable feel.

Hudson and Brady. Hard to believe that they have been "friends" since before they could even walk or talk. Seems like just yesterday.Our little guys were so cute! They spent lots of time at this air hockey table and did quite well.

We played so hard that someone was tuckered out and fell asleep on the chair. Crazy that my son, who NEVER naps, took a decent nap yesterday and my monkey that still takes a 2-3 hour nap decided that he didn't need one yesterday. (sigh)

Speaking of monkey.....while I was on the phone with Laurie and making plans for our day, I went into the study for just a few minutes. I finished the phone call and came back to find someone with a really guilty look on his face. He pointed to the floor and there I found a heaping pile of baking soda from an almost full box. He helped himself in the fridge and felt the urge to pour it out on the carpet. I really thought by age 3 we would be outgrowing these situations. Oh, fun times for me!

The now empty box.

Strategically placed right between my two couches.

My neighbor and I decided to buy tickets for the movies this summer . Both of us realized that our younger kids won't sit through a movie so each week we plan to take turns- one week I'll take the older boys while she keeps Cooper and her daughter and then next week she will take the older boys while I watch the younger ones. She had something come up at the last minute today and couldn't participate. I decided to get brave and take both of mine to see what would happen. I must have been feeling pretty confident or something this morning.

Today's feature was Space Chimps- a show that none of us have seen so I was hopeful that this would be a success. Somewhere in the communication lines Cooper must have been confused because after about 5 minutes he started asking where the zebras and lions were at. I told him on the way over that we were watching a movie about monkeys.....and I assume that his little mind told him we were going to see a whole host of live animals???? Once the kid packs (small popcorn, fruit snack, and drink) were consumed it was my full time mission to entertain monkey boy. Hudson was having a grand ole' time and I didn't hear a peep out of him the entire 81 minutes. ( I mean, who's counting?) I didn't want to yank them and head back home (like I had threatened before we got there) because he was enjoying the movie. So, I did everything but juggle our popcorn buckets in order to keep Cooper happy. So....it was for sure an experience and one that I'd like to not visit again until at least next summer, when hopefully they will both sit through a movie. In the meantime, I'll swap weeks with my neighbor or try to get someone to watch Cooper for me. The movie theater is one place I'd rather not be outnumbered at.

After lunch we pulled out the sprinklers because the boys were dying to get them out.

Most of the time, my kids looked like this....with their hands over their faces and complaining that water was getting into their faces. I tried to explain to them that that is part of the sprinkler process but they didn't buy it. They had more fun spraying my car instead.

One summer day down and many more to go!!