SuperWhy!

Justin had leadership training at our church this morning, so I asked my mom to join us and we took the kidlets to a movie. Lauren has gone twice before (to a Halloween/pumpkin toddler movie and to see Princess and the Frog) but this was Jacob's first time ever. So, you know, I had to take some pictures being that it was his first time and all ;)


We got some popcorn and drinks first. Jacob didn't get the memo that little boys of his age don't get candy yet, and luckily he had forgotten about the candy once the popcorn came out. He sat there for almost the whole movie, shouting "red!", "bicycle!" and "princess" every time he saw one :)


Lauren sat there content and happy the whole time too, although I think the Icee that my mom got her had something to do with it...


Thank goodness the movie was short because I don't know if I could have handled another "vocabulary" jingle. Whew!


Fun time!

Handprints

The Brownies and I made this yesterday after I saw it in a book I'm reading:



It's a great reminder to me that even though they are some of the messiest creatures God ever created, they won't be like this for long and I will long for these days when they're older. Really, what a blessing they are in my life.

Anyways, it was a fun project as the kids got to have their hands painted. So mom's out there, steal away :)

Inspiration

My friend Mandy has an "inspiration wall" in her home that I have always admired. So I decided to create my own by transforming my mirror into a fabric covered cork board.


After I attached the cork board and fabric, I got to work scrapping some of my favorite quotes. And here is the final product:


Now if only I apply some of these sayings to my life...

;)

The good and the bad...

The good: Deceptively Delicious' Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip (with carrots)

Directions: Mix the following ingredients together and dip!
1/2 c. creamy natural peanut butter
1/2 c. fat free cream cheese
6 T. chocolate syrup (I used Nutella instead and reduced the peanut butter)
1/4 c. carrot puree
1/2 t. salt
fruit slices/crackers for dipping

The bad:


Seriously! Boys are overrated, especially when girls eat the same thing and look like this:


::sigh::

Here comes bath number 207th today...

Copycat boy

We've entered that stage... the stage where Jacob wants to do everything like his sister. If she's playing with her doll house, he's playing with it too. If she's brushing her hair, he's brushing his hair(s) too! If she's going potty, he wants to go potty too!


And that's whats been happening this weekend. It started on Saturday when Jacob said "want panties" as I was putting Lauren's on. So Lauren and I found the most manly panties we could, and he wore them proudly. I sat him on the potty a short time thereafter, and he peed!


Then this morning he brought me Lauren's panties and said "panties on". So I put them on and he said "potty! I sat him on the potty and as soon as he started going, he grinned ear to ear and said "I go potty!". He was pretty dang proud of himself :)


So today he's been playing in his undies with no accidents so far and he's gone potty on the toilet 3 times! I'm still going to carry on with life as usual, going places with his diaper on because obviously at 20 months of age, he's most likely not reading to train. But, I'm excited that he's already showing interest!


It seems peer pressure is a good thing... at least when it comes to potty training ;)

A hunderd years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child(ren). -Anonymous

Any guesses what she is?

So Lauren came running to me this morning, exclaiming "mommy, I using my imaginashum!

So I turn to see what she was imagining, and found her like this:


Sure, she looks cute and all, but what is she doing? Other than pretending to wear hanger sleeves, maybe juggle the hangers? I don't know, I was lost. So I gave in and asked.

And she replies in an 'I-can't-believe-my-mom-is-so-pathetic-that-she-doesn't-know-a-winged-creature-when-she-see's-one' tone,

"a butterfly!"



::smacks self on forehead:: Duh Shelly.

And not be outdone, younknowwho wanted to be a "budderfwy" too:


Cheesy face and all ;)

We love going to our BF's home...

because where else can you go dressed in clothes which describe your personality to a "t"...


Princess!


:) :) :)

On hold

Apparently I reached my limit for the amount of pictures Blogspot lets you post. I reached 100% capacity today. Crap.

Luckily the Hubster is pretty dang smart when it comes to all things technology, so I'm planning on wearing a mini skirt and casually mentioning how I find men super sexy when they fix their wives computer problems ;)

It shouldn't take long. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow!

Happy Valentines Day!

My mom was nice enough to come over Friday and spend the night so that Justin and I could go away for the night to celebrate Valentines Day. So, we left Friday at noon and went to Disneyland (we have passes, so it didn't cost us anything). We went on a few rides at both Disneyland and California Adventure, we ate at the Blue Bayou in the Pirates of the Caribbean (YUM!), and we walked around Downtown Disney and enjoyed the sights. But as much as we enjoyed going solo, we were both BEAT, so we called it a night and went to our hotel nearby.

So after a nice, relaxing day away from our Brownies, we decided to "dedicate" Valentines Day to them yesterday. We woke up and I made a special breakfast (homemade apple pancakes and quiche), and then the kiddos opened their gifts (the picture quality was really lame, and only two turned out):


and then we all packed up our backpacks and took a hike:


It was the second time the kids and I have done this hike, but Lauren really enjoyed holding her daddy's hand and "showing him where to go":


Oh, and she liked showing him her "treasures" too:


When we got home, we played in the backyard for a bit because the weather was AWESOME and then I made some dinner. I made Justin Stroganoff (yes, the Hamburger Helper kind because that's what he wanted ::sigh::) and I made cheese fondue and dippers for the kids and I. And when the kids gobbled it up, we ate the Funfetti cake we made today.

I had a great day with my three most favorite people. Happy Valentines Day!

Baking

My favorite little baker frosting taster and I made some treats a couple days ago. All three were such a hit that I decided to post the recipes on here for you to enjoy.

First we made a Valentines cake. Nothing special really because it was the boxed kind, but once I added a packet of Jello pudding and a couple drops of Vanilla, it was fantastic. And I made the frosting pretty, which always helps :)


The next treat I made were Oreo Truffles. I didn't get a picture because they didn't look pretty, but OH MY GOSH, they are delish. Here's the recipe:

SIMPLE OREO TRUFFLES

16 oz package of Oreos
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
16 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

Directions: Completely crush Oreos and place in a bowl. Add cream cheese. Mix until blended. Roll cookie mixture into 1-inch balls. Dip in chocolate and place on wax paper to cool. Decorate truffles as desired. Refrigerate until firm, about one hour. Eat them all. Or cover and refrigerate

And lastly, my Oatmeal Fudge Nutbars. I've made them a few times before, but here's the recipe. It's definitely my all time favorite dessert :)



OATMEAL FUDGE NUT BARS

Crumb Mixture:
1 cup marg/butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
3 cups quick oats

Cream together butter & sugar. Add eggs & vanilla. Mix together flour, soda, salt, oatmeal and add. Mix till crumbly and set aside.

Fudge Nut Filling:
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 14oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup walnuts partially chopped

Directions: Heat first 3 ingredients in microwave until smooth, add vanilla & nuts. In bottom of greased 9x13 pan spread 2/3 of the crumb mixture.Spread filling over crust, then drop spoonfuls of remaining mixture on top of the chocolate. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

ENJOY!

"Valemtimes" Party

Our friend Rachel was crazy! nice enough to host a Valentines Party for 15+kids yesterday. Lauren and Jake loved playing with their friends, making bead necklaces and eating... but you all know that's a favorite for them anyways.

Anyways, here are a few pictures of the Brownies in action:


And eating. Because really, it's not a party until your kids eat so much sugar that they're bouncing off the walls when you get home...


Lauren's first Valentine candy from a boy(!):


And crafting:


We had a really fun time, thanks again Rach!