Good Start to the Day

Monday, June 11, 2012

I've read scriptures, a conference talk, prepared a VT message, looked over the packing list for Ragnar this weekend, and gone over the schedule for today, all while riding the bike.

A little yoga to top it off, and I'm ready to go!

Sunday Dinner

Chicken Nuggets

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Yummy Sunday dinner of homemade chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, and green salad.

I baked extra chicken nuggets and froze them for an easy dinner in the future.

Chicken Nuggets

2 Tbsp margarine, melted

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix above ingredients together in large bowl and set aside.

2-3 cups cornflakes, crush in ziploc bag

add 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, and shake bag to mix together well.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces

Pour chicken pieces into bowl with margarine and Worcestershire sauce and stir until sauce is on all the chicken pieces. Put coated pieces in bag of cornflakes and cheese and toss until chicken pieces are well coated.

Place chicken pieces in a single layer on pan.

Bake at 450 degrees for 9 minutes.

Parade!

June 9, 2012

We decided to support our elementary school and be in the city parade instead of watching it this year. The girls were so excited! They decorated their scooters and helped Jacob decorate his little bike for the event. Tyler brought his ripstick - he and Jacob chased each other along the whole route. Our only mistake was that we underdressed. The wind was strong and cold. Emma was the only one who wore a jacket, and she let Kaylee wear it half the time.

When it was our school's turn to go, Emma said, "I can't believe we're in a real parade!"

Besides the fact that we were all frozen by the end, we had a great time walking/riding, waving, and seeing a few friends and family along the way.

After we finished, Brian went ahead to get the car. When he picked us up, he had the heat cranked up. It felt so good to feel the warmth!

We came home and had banana splits for a treat, because it tastes good even when you're cold. I think ice cream always tastes good! We all changed into warm pjs on this June night so that we could eat our treat comfortably. The kids went to bed and asleep right after we were done. 

I'm ready to call it a day too!



A Contagious Laugh

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Last night, Shaggy DA was on T.V., and one by one the kids appeared and sat down to watch it. I was back on the computer working on a project for Brian for Fathers Day, when Jacob burst out laughing again and again. It was a part where the dog is driving. He made us all laugh.

On Thursday, we went to Hop (one of the Childrens Summer Movies). It's not one of my favorite movies, but there was a part where the bunny plays the drums, the chick starts dancing, and all the other chicks hooked to the "sled" go crazy. Jacob caught the intended or unintended humor in that moment, and he was roaring with laughter through the whole scene. The rest of the audience was silent, but Jacob could have cared less. He laughed for everyone else who wasn't. I don't think I would have laughed either, if it weren't for Jacob. I was chuckling to myself, and really enjoyed that part of the movie, thanks to him.

Speaking of Jacob, this morning when I got home from running, he was laying out on the couch alone. He said he was waiting for someone else to wake up. I asked him "When did you wake up? Have you been up a long time?" He answered, "I woke up...(thinking)...about a while ago."

Well that answered my question.

Brian came out a little later and asked Jacob if he was feeling better today. He's been feeling a little sick off and on the past couple of days.

Jacob said, "I feel better, and I feel fantastic!"

That's the spirit!

Fun at Twin Falls, Idaho!

June 2-6, 2012

My sister, Julie, just had her baby a month ago, and they blessed her last Sunday. We all drove up there on Saturday. Brian and Tyler came home with Mom on Sunday so that Brian could go to work, and Tyler to his all day, every day summer band.

The rest of us got to stay and play for a few days. I got to hold baby Mckinley pretty much to my heart's content, but not quite...

We love our new little niece and cousin!

The girls kept wanting to hold her, and it was usually me they had to take her from.
Julie is an amazing mom. She is so good with her five children. She's always finding creative activities for them to do, getting outdoors with them, reading with them, giving them loves, and creating a great welcome and warm feeling for all who come to visit, and even stay!

Of course, we think the world of Mckay too! I don't know how he manages family, work, being bishop, and all the other things that he does. Yeh, those Barlows are pretty cool!

Legos were a great source of entertainment for cousins this time around. The kids wanted to set a record and make a tower that was higher than the tallest person in the house, Brian. They were so proud of themselves when they did it! They even wrote and delivered a newspaper about it to give to every adult in the house.

Andrea came up with Grammy and was going to stay until we came home on Wednesday, but she wasn't feeling well, and ended up going home with Grammy, Brian, and Tyler (it turns out she had hand, foot and mouth disease). While she was resting, the kids decided to take care of her and made her a quilt with fabric scraps. The fabric was leftover from fabric we got from Mom's house to make her a quilt for Christmas one year. It has been a great source of entertainment each time we visit Julie's house. It makes great dress ups.  The kids came up with some pretty creative alfits.

Brigham handed me this square piece of fabric and some tape. When I took it, he turn his back toward me so that I would tape on his cape. Then he took off!

On Monday, while Julie's older boys were at school, we spent the morning and most of the day getting ready and going for a run. With Mckinley bundled up in the back, the boys bikes and helmets adjusted to fit the girls (it will take the Barlows some time to readjust everything before their next bike ride), we were off for a seven mile run. The girls thought they were going a mile. I'm not sure how they thought that, but I didn't tell them we were going seven, or they would have quit before we got started. Everyone did good, even in the heat of the day. About half way through the run, we stopped in the canyon for a picnic lunch and for Julie to feed the baby. Toward the end of the run, about 1/2 mile left, Kaylee told me the mile felt way longer than usual. I broke it to her that we had actually gone seven

miles. She and Emma were so impressed with themselves. That was the first thing they told Brian when they got home.  

Tuesday, we stayed indoors, due to much cooler weather. Julie and I never even got dressed for the day. Oh well, it was nice to stay inside and watch the rain coming down outside.The kids enjoyed making crafts with popsicle sticks. Later, we made hair bows for baby Mckinley, Kaylee, and Emma. Kaylee and Packer made cookies all by themselves. They used Brian's mom's recipe - it's the best! Packer was making them for his school teacher, and wanted to color them purple. They looked pretty cool, and tasted even better!

  

All in all, it was a fun vacation for us! Thanks Julie and Mckay for letting us invade your home! We had a wonderful time!

Delicious Berry Salad

From Julie Barlow - she served it after the baby blessing last Sunday

3 8 oz. containers cool whip

3 small containers vanilla yogurt

2 small pkgs. vanilla pudding

Whip above three ingredients together

Add:

frozen mixed berries

This was so yummy! It was a hit with everyone! Julie's always either making up or  finding great recipes... I'm glad we could try this one, and I can't wait to make it again!

School's Out!

Jacob and I were so excited to pick the kids up from school at 9:30am yesterday morning!

August, 2011

May, 2012



A few years ago, the girls started to wear the same alfit that they wore on the first day of school on the last day of school as well.

It's fun to see how much they've grown, or how much their alfits have shrunk in the wash. Next time I should take the picture in the same place so that it's easier to compare.

No matter how much they've grown in size, they've grown a lot from what they've learned, the friends they've met, and the experiences they've had. Emma was in tears when I picked her up because she didn't want school to end. She said she would miss her teacher, her friends, and she didn't want to forget anything that she had learned.

Tyler had a really good year in school. He has loved his junior high experience. The opportunities that he's had to get involved and to develop different talents have been great! For this upcoming year, he is going to do percussion on top of Jazz Band and Symphonic Band. He's taking summer band in all three areas right now, and he's really enjoying it - summer band started in March, and now he has it pretty much every day, all day in June. He also just found out that he made the science demo team for next year. He learned about this team and put in an application all on his own. This is his thing, and we're excited to watch him go for it.

Jacob and I had a great year at home with our own little preschool. He's ready and excited to start kindergarten next year.

I had to decide before they went to school yesterday that I wasn't going to make them clean their rooms and do chores right when they got home. For a day we weren't going to worry about getting anything done. Instead, they played outside, we played games inside, we got Sonic slushees at happy hour, went to the library to stock up our initial summer reading supplies, went to dinner at Chilis (the kids all had free kids meal coupons), and went to "The Secret Garden" at the Hale Center Theatre. That was an amazing show!

We wanted to award our children for all their hard work and for doing so well in school. It was a fun day!

Today is a different ball game. Bedrooms are now clean, and so are the walls, appliances, and cabinet fronts in the kitchen. Kaylee wanted to listen to some music with a beat, so I put on the Carpenters. (:
We were dancing and cleaning and laughing. Emma said that she wanted to clean the whole day long. Wouldn't that be great if our cleaning days were always like that?!

Tonight, after the kids were all ready for bed, we watched "The Long Long Trailor". All our kids loved it and were laughing through it. I love nights we can all relax together!

The kids have a performance at the Gateway tomorrow with their choir. Tyler and Kaylee both have solos, and this is Emma's first official time to perform with them.
We are excited to be at the Barlow's baby blessing on Sunday. We're looking forward to a great weekend!