Things that I love..

This little boy who has always wore the silly hats his mom puts him in including this one...Rudolph the red nose reindeer. (Note the blue lips from the sucker he ate right before he passed out)

This little boys imagination. I love the way he plays, talks, remembers things and tells stories. Here he is with his "baby" giving him a ride on his lawn mower just like grandpa Mike (our neighbor Mike Boyle) does!

These two boys wrestle every singe day when dad gets home from work.

This little boy in his footie pajamas! So cuddly.

These two boys helping their lady (me) put up Christmas decore on this beautiful Sunday morning.

Lucky Lucky.

Friday funday

On friday the kids didn't have school so I they joined Breck and I for the day.
To keep them busy we made homemade moon sand (of course found on pinterest)!
Truely recommend making this....
Cheap
Easy
Messy but easy clean up
And loads of fun!
8 cups flour with 1 cup baby oil (I cut ours in half)
Give them spoons, cookie cutters, medicine cups and let them play while you get some launry done....
Or sit on the couch and find more pinterest projects :)

Happy moon sanding!!

Beautiful fall weather

We are spoiled with this weather
And enjoying every second of it while it lasts!
Days at the park....
Biking with "pup pup"....
Throwing rocks in the lake....
Love. Love. Love. Days like this!

Here's to another week of beautiful fall weather.

Future hockey pro

This last Sunday we decided to bring Breck to open skate.
We found skates from a friend, geared up, and off we went.
Breck was so excited!! He giggled as his dad tightened his skates, then impatiently waited for his dad to tighten his own.
His cousins were there to "help" out their little buddy on the ice by taking a hand or giving him a push on the chair.
All in all our first time on the ice went pretty good. He fell, got back up, fell, and fell. But the best part was he just smiled the whole time and didn't want to give up. We had to drag him off the ice as his dads back was sore! Old man :)

Here's to another Sunday night of skating...this time with his mom. Who will fall more? Me or Mr. B?!?

Crock pot fav

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients 1 lb. ground beef
29 oz can tomato sauce
8 oz pkg. lasagna noodles, uncooked
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

Directions 1.) Spray the inside of the crock-pot with cooking spray 2.) Brown the ground beef 3.) Stir the tomato sauce in with the ground beef 4.) Spread 1/4 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the crock-pot 5.) Arrange 1/3 of the uncooked noodles over the sauce (I usually break them up so they fit better) 6.) Combine the cheeses in a bowl. Spoon 1/3 of the cheeses over the noodles. 7.) Repeat these layers twice 8.) Top with remaining sauce 9.) Cover and cook on low for 4hrs (I've started the crock-pot on high in the morning while I get ready for work and then put it on warm before I leave and it's perfect when I get home) 10.) Let the lasagna stand in the crock-pot with the lid off for at least 10

Morning play

This morning we spent on a walk to the park! It's gorgeous out and barely feels like November!
While tricycling I say 'on your next birthday when you turn three we will get you a big boy bike. " He says "yeah, then I go to school and make you money"!

Smart boy!

Recipe I must share. Delicious!

Chocolate Mint Oreo Cookies

Chocolate cookies with chocolate chips, mint green chips, and chopped up Cool Mint Oreos. These cookies are rich and decadent with a refreshing mint twist.

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup light brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups mint green chips (I used Guitard) 1 cup chopped Cool Mint Oreo cookies

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.

3. With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Next, add in vanilla extract. Mix until blended.

4. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until flour disappears. Stir in chocolate chips, mint green chips, and chopped Cool Mint Oreos. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

5. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set around the edges, but still soft in the center. Don't over bake. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Boy loves his mama

When did this little baby turn into such a big boy?!
I feel like time is flying by. And I know I post about this a lot, but man, its true!

He loves books! I love that he loves books!
Every Thursday we attend the Litchfield library evening story time with Mrs. Pease. She is amazing! Dancing, guitar and singing, stories, and free :) then we always check out new books for the week to read at bedtime. It's a great program and we are lucky to have it.

Today we had to run to willmar for a recheck on his ears since his adnoid surgery and 2nd set of tubes put back in earlier last month. Everything looked great and he's a totally different, happy kid! Anyways, he read books the whole way there. I love listening to him "read" out loud with an upside down book!

Lately he is totally "in" to his mom just as much as he has always been with his dad. I like it.
We play all day and snuggle for naps!

That's my mamas boy!!;)

Just enjoying the fall

I love love love fall!
First off, who doesn't love fall clothes: jeans, sweaters, leggings and sweater dresses. Plus kids clothes: jeans, boots, sweaters, cute jackets, and stocking hats.  The shoes Breck is wearing are pretty special and cool.  I found them in my mom and dads attics and they were my little brothers 27 years ago! Score....Christmas shoes. I love them! Luckly he has no use for them yet as him and his wife are expecting a baby girl now any day!

And who doesn't love being out doors!
Breck and I have been enjoying it by spending the afternoons outside finding gigantic leaves, pine cones (for two pintrest projects to come), and of course tossing a mini pumpkin around :)

Jerods been out deer hunting and Breck constantly wants to go with. Jerod tells him when he gets bigger he can. Now every morning he wakes up and says "daddy I'm burger aka bigger". so cute!

Someday my friend, but not to soon.

Monster mash Halloween bash 2012

This year a couple friends and I planned a family Halloween party for other moms, dads, and kids to attend before trick or treating!
It was fabulous! So much fun to see over sixty people attend.
We had a dance floor with Halloween tunes and a spider web on the floor to groove on, balloons everywhere, crafts, Jimmy's pizza, spooky juice, and a photo booth!
Lots of families joined in in the celebration and dressed up including yours truly as Minnie mouse! Jerod told me his costume was a tired parent ;)
I've realized just how much fun I love creating and hosting events! Mostly to see the end result and everyone getting together in our fast pace lives even if its only for a couple hours  and having fun.

I'm not sure if the kids had more fun or the moms and dads, but let's just say it was a success!

Trick or treating

Halloween day was busy!
A friend and I planned a Halloween party (my next post) earlier in the evening then off for some trick or treating!
We jump in the car and hit some of our favorites and when the boy is done some of those favorites get missed...sorry to those we missed this year!
We always make a special stop out to meemaw and grandpa toms. I think grandpa has more fun then the kids has he has the front porch all decked up with bats and witches along with himself dressed all goofy!
Breck kept telling him to take it off (the ears and garland around his neck).
Then off to grandma nina's house to show off his bat costume and load up with candy and kisses. All this takes over an hour...then home to hit up the neighbors who always have a special treat waiting for Breck!
After a couple sweet treats, time for sleep.

Not sure if he crashed off coming down from a sugar high or the excitement of a long day! But sleep was good.

Haunted house

Breck experienced his first haunted house this year as we took him out to my dads co-workers annual Halloween haunted Hauser fundraiser for her sons special Olympics bowling team.
Breck decided to go through the barn of course because his cousins did.  So in jerods arms he held in tight to his glow stick.  As they made the corner a witch popped out with a boo and Breck lost it! He dropped his glow stick and snuggled in jerods arms half nervously giggling and crying!
Poor little man...what awful parents you have :)
That night as we tucked him in, he told us there was a monster in his bed! Oh great....what did we do!
Luckly he slept all night and hasn't mentioned it since.

First and last haunted house....for a long time!

Fun goo!

I'm not sure what this called, but I do know the kids loved it and it didn't make a mess!
It's equal parts of liquid starch and glue with a touch of food coloring.
It will be really wet at first but keep working with it and it will get smooth.

The kids also discovered that you can put a straw in it and blow to make a giant bubble.

Keeps kids busy! And also a lot of fun....for moms tooo.