Preston's "What Game"

Preston is such a little comic.  He is very animated and comes up with funny little things to say all the time.  He is talking so much more now and is putting multiple words together to make some sentences.  He has come up with this thing that I call the "What Game".  This is how it goes...

Preston: "Mom"

Me: "What Preston?"

Preston: "What Mom?"

Me: Smile and laugh

Preston: "Mom"

Me: "What Preston?"

Preston: "What Mom?" followed by a little smile and either continues for another round or he runs off to play with something else.

What a little goof.  Some of his words he can't quite pronounce yet that I think are funny or things he does...

-School bus is goose bus

-stuck is guts

-He has a train with three little pieces and when it comes apart and he can't find a piece, he says "piece train?", which when my Dad heard this thought he said, "Peace Train" and just started laughing and said "Yeah, Cat Stevens!"

-When he hears a fire engine or can't find his fire engine at home, he makes the sound of a fire engine and will not say the actual words.  Now when you think of a fire engine passing you by, think of how loud it is and you want to cover your ears.  Well... think of a little two year old making the same noise just as loud, and then imagine you in a small car with that very loud fire engine two year old!

Kids... gotta love 'em!

Recipes

Here are some recipes that we have made lately that have been really yummy. Thanks for reminding me to put these on Amy. I have been meaning to do this.

Chicken and sweet potato stew - makes a lot

Chicken and dumplings - ditto; it calls for making biscuits by using a mix, but I make my biscuits by scratch - I think they are better that way, and the best thing about these, you can make the dough and freeze it in individual balls for quick biscuits for another meal!

Lettuce wraps - it calls for iceberg lettuce, but I used Romaine and it worked just fine

Moo Goo Gai Pan
Southwestern Pitas - this was kind of a made up thing. I thought about making Chipotle burritos for dinner, but only had pitas... I marinated chicken in mesquite marinade, and cooked it on the stove. For toppings, I made guacamole, picco de gallo (I took bits and pieces from different recipes online), olives, cheese, lettuce, and sour cream. YUMMO!
Teriyaki Meatballs
Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Just thought I would share those. I get in moods of trying new things and these were some that worked out! Always a plus!

Happy Birthday to you!

We celebrated Ryan's 30th birthday today.  We had some friends over and ate yummy chocolate cake and ice cream and had a good time just hanging out.  Preston, of course, loved the cake and ice cream and had fun playing with little Aiden.  Thanks for coming everyone!  Ryan is such a great father, husband and friend and soon to be great Chiropractor!  We are so glad you are in our lives!  Love you!

Come one, come all...

Come help us celebrate Ryan's 30th Birthday this Tuesday. We will have cake, ice cream, cookies, etc... Hope you will join us!

Race for the Cure

Yesterday we were able to participate in the Dallas Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. We have participated the past few years as a family. It is a nice time to be together and to also celebrate that Mom has overcome this disease. What is it now, 4 years? AND COUNTING! Hooray to Mom and all those who have beat this and our prayers and wishes to all those who are still fighting.

Playground fun

The kids and I take walks regularly. It is a great thing to keep them entertained when I am out of ideas and patience. We usually end up at the playground at our apartment complex. They always seem to do funny things and I never seem to have my camera at the right times. Well, this time I did. I had a little fun with taking pictures and took a lot, but I thought they turned out good. I got a couple of great shots of Mikayla trying a new recipe: dirt and weeds!! Why didn't I stop her? Well, you gotta live in the moment and enjoy it, right?! I actually got a couple good ones of Preston too. He is always on the move and so quick it is hard to get ones that aren't blurry all the time! He is so animated and some of the pictures show it. Gotta love those crazy kids!

Our little cowgirl

I think Mikayla will fit in well when we move to Idaho. This should make you proud Grandpa G... she rides bulls, ponies and even wears cow"girl" boots. Just thought I would share these pictures because I thought she looked so cute!

Texas State Fair!

One of the times I look forward to in Texas has come. Time to get that wonderful turkey leg and see the "cool cars" as Preston calls them. We went to the Fair with some friends last week and had a blast. The kids did really well and I hope had fun too. We saw pretty much everything fried (including fried snickers, which we tried), a giraffe, 4 horned goat, cool cars, bike stunts, etc.

Nash Farm Fall Festival

We went to an old farm last weekend for their fall festival. They had pony rides, petting zoo, pumpkin picking, etc. There were so many people there though that the lines were all so long. A certain two year old said he wanted to ride a horse and kept begging so we stood in line for 30 minutes only for him to refuse to get on the horse when his chance arrived. So, his 1 year old sister took his turn and tried leaning over to pet the horse in the middle of her ride and almost fell off! By this time, we were cutting it close to nap time so patience was at a minimum (for kids and parents). We enjoyed a couple of hot dogs and then stood in line to see the petting zoo. However, the lines, the sun, and nap time got the best of us all and we left with that certain two year old crying and refusing to sit in his carseat to go home. Good new though, Mikayla decided she can and likes drinking out of a big cup by herself. She does it surprisingly well. Sometimes better than her brother! All in all, it was an adventure.

Our little monkey #2

Well, Mikayla has proven herself to be a little monkey just like her brother. They are both climbers and into everything! This is what I found Mikayla doing the other day.






















And here are some pictures for you Aunt Jenna... Ryan says the flower is huge, which it is big, but sooo cute! Thanks! Look at those chubby cheeks and blue eyes!

A great find

Preston would like to show you his new favorite activity. It is quite messy, but kept him entertained and he has been talking about it ever since!




It is Crayola's washable craft and poster paint. We collected leaves on a walk and made leaf prints, but the hand and feet prints were more fun. There are three reasons why I really like this... 1. It dries quickly, so if they try to escape to run inside, no worries!, 2. It is cheap
3. It is WASHABLE!!

Just some random pictures...

My Rock

As the time gets closer for us to be ready to move, I am realizing I am less ready than I thought. I have always known (since I married Ryan) that this time would come and I would have to leave Texas and my family. I have pushed that to the back of my brain and now it is resurfacing. It keeps coming up in my mind and now especially since my sisters are expecting, two of which are still here in Texas, I am getting more sad that I will be gone when they have their babies. I have never been one that deals well with change. My family moved the day after I graduated High School to Keller, TX and I had a hard time leaving the place I had lived since I was 2 1/2. I am a creature of habit. I love things the same. Now, I am not obsessive about it, but I like sameness; it is comfortable and secure. I know, you can't let things always be comfortable or else you wouldn't step out of your box and learn, grown and change. After a long day with the kids and that annoying reminder that we are moving sometime soon coming up in my brain, I had a meltdown last night to Ryan. He of course, being a male and seeing a problem and ready to offer a solution, asked me how I was going to fix my problem of "not liking change". He then reminded me that I need to take my problem to the Lord and said that He can make my weaknesses strengths (Ether 12:27). I am so glad that he did offer advice and not just sit back and listen. Ryan is such a strength to me and is my rock. He is such an example to me and I try to be better by following his example of staying close to the Lord. Thank you! I LOVE YOU!

Tribute to Sisters

I saw this on someone's blog and decided to copy it. Growing up with three older sisters, this fits my family very well. My sisters and I have had rough spots in our relationships, but will love eachother to the end of time. CONGRATS to all three of my sisters who just announced that they are all expecting this summer!! If any of you remember, all four of us girls were expecting at the same time last summer. What are the chances that three of you would be expecting at the same time again?! What fun!!


"Even if you take my clothes and get into my makeup without asking, still, nobody better mess with you, or they will have to mess with me. Even if I think I know best and tell you as much, it's only because I love you and you'll forgive me for being a know-it-all. There will always be ice cream involved in any late night talks, and it's understood that any lame things we say after 1 am are completely hilarious. I will never judge you but I will be the only person to tell you if those jeans really do make your butt look big. Even if there are times I'd like to throttle you, I will also defend you to the nines and love you no matter what."