No More Mess!

I'm tempted to write something here that sounds like an infomercial but I'll try to share my excitement in a more normal way instead. I finally found something for the kids to use when we eat tortillas! I know what you're thinking. Just be happy I'm easy to please. Anyway, they are silicone ties. The kids love tacos but would want me to refold them every time they put them down. No more! Now we just use our handy dandy silicone ties to hold them together. Ok, I was trying to sound like an infomercial there. It was impossible not to go there. Missed opportunity-definitely should have taken lots of messy before pictures of the kids spilling tacos and me shaking my head with my hands on my hips to show you how difficult tacos used to be so the smiley/easy/after pictures would be even more impressive! Next time I'll remember to make my own infomercial. Next time.   



Owen showing how they work




Paige testing out the durability




See! More uses!



Great Wolf Lodge!

We've been trying to take a trip to Great Wolf Lodge for a long time now and finally fit it in for Owen's birthday! We hit a couple of snags during our trip but overall it was a great time and we'll definitely be going back at some point. The waterpark was really fun and Owen couldn't get enough of the big slides (my favorite part too!), Paige has no fear and was willing to try everything we would let her get near. She was devastated when we had to leave the water so when we got back to our room I put her in the bathtub and that seemed to appease her :) We left the hotel to get dinner and ended up going to Cracker Barrel (Pat's first time) and had what I will remember as an amazing dinner. 

First look at the waterpark

Fueling up with a snack before heading to the waterpark!

Paige's favorite part of the arcade

Owen playing air hockey in the arcade

Paige and I spent a significant part of our time roaming the hotel while she pulled her puppy, so glad we brought it!

One photo stop on our walks around the hotel

Owen in his pajamas and slippers, all ready for storytime

Owen and Wiley!

Party Details!

Here are some of the decorations and food we had for the party! Owen requested pizza (yay!) so we didn't do much with lunch food but we did have some fun desserts!

I took the kids hunting for pinecones on a nice dry day with the intention of using them as decorations for the party but when I actually took them out I wasn't sure what to do with them! I ended up stringing them from ribbons and hanging them over the desserts (don't worry, they were extensively cleaned!)

S'more pops - Marshmallows dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs

More desserts: S'more cookies, S'more mix (golden grahams, mini marshmallows and chocolate chips) and...

...Campfire birthday cake! We put this together by combining a couple of ideas we found on the internet. The flames were made by crushing hard candies, melting them in the oven and breaking them after they had cooled

"Camp Owen" banner, more pinecones and some "wood" candles

Owen's Birthday Party!

Owen turned 5 yesterday but we've been celebrating since Saturday! We had a camping-themed birthday party for him and even though he ended up not feeling quite himself that day it all turned out great. 



Blowing out the candles!



We had storytime in the dark in a tent we set up downstairs and it was one of my favorite parts of the party. The kids were clamoring over each other and it was hilarious to watch. Pat did a great job reading the story too :)

Foods

Apparently we've tried quite a few new recipes recently so I thought I would post them all at once.



Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili - Pat and I thought this was really good but next time I would make it with less chicken or maybe even try without! The kids were not impressed...





Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto - I thought this was mediocre but Owen gobbled it up. It tasted a bit bland to me.



Applesauce Muffins - This was a Deceptively Delicous recipe and I thought it was pretty good. I had half of a butternut squash to use up that I had bought for another recipe so I used that as the puree.



Texas Caviar - This was a recipe we made for New Year's day because it had black eyed peas in it. We ate it as a salsa but I think it would hold its own as a side dish too.    




Breakfast Cookies - This was voted yummy by everybody! I actually ripped this recipe out of a magazine a loooong time ago and finally got around to making it because I was looking for something to do with some dried figs I had.



Turkey and Potato Meatloaf - I substituted ground turkey for the pork the recipe called for and since a picture of meatloaf is never going to look appetizing I'm putting up this picture of the kids eating it instead



Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies - I made these for Pat to take to work and they were fantastic and super easy!



Snooooow!

Pat and Owen played in the snow last week and built this igloo. I was resting comfortably (and warmly) inside but apparently it was perfect snow for building!

Confetti Party! (or Happy New Year!)

I spent some time on New Year's Eve making these confetti poppers. Let me save you some time and say that all you really need is some confetti and a cup and you can have a super fun confetti party. The pictures below really do a good job of conveying how much fun we had!

Grandma

Christmas day we celebrated and visited with my wonderful grandmother, who very sadly passed away yesterday morning. There's a lot I'd like to say about her but none of it really does her justice so it's hard to know what to write. I loved her very much. 

Christmas Morning!



Scones for Christmas morning breakfast



Paige and Owen did a great job opening presents







Santa brought Paige a house!



Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve was a little more hectic this year than it was last year but we decided to surprise the kids by going to see the model trains again. Paige and Owen were very excited to see everything and I felt a little bad about having to leave. They actually didn't mind though because we needed to get back to get ready for church and dinner with my family, two things they get very excited about. Paige still doesn't quite behave for church so she provided entertainment for a lot of people. At one point she was spinning around and fell into a pew...

There were tunnels to crawl through under the model train setups

This was a track where kids could hold down a button and move Thomas themselves

Owen has a look of pure concentration...



All dressed up for church!



Everybody!



Pat was checking to see where Santa was on his journey...Owen had no trouble going to sleep that night once we explained that Santa doesn't come until kids are asleep



Mom's Birthday!

My mom had a big birthday this year so we went all out with the celebrating and it was phenomenal. A lot of time and planning went into it and everyone that attended contributed in some way so it was amazing to see how great the day turned out. Here are a few of my favorite pictures!