be yourself...everyone else is taken

I let my kids dress themselves, this is a dangerous phrase. But I do. Somedays they look great, they can really suprise me! But some days they just look plain ridiculous. I'm sorry, once again no picture of the fashion faux paux's that I'm about to vividly describe, You'll just have to use your imaginations.

Fashion Victim #1 - Will

Today's wardrobes choices were as follows:

• underwear ( i think)
• pj pants with rockstar guitars on them
• blue basketball shorts over top of those pj bottoms
• one superman shirt
• one spiderman jersey
• one matching pj shirt to the before mentioned rockstar guitar jammies.
• fireman gumboots

Will and I even left the house today with that array...

Fashion Victim #2 - Aubrey

• underwear ( i know)
• a dress that was WAY too short
• one pj button-up shirt over top

So amazing. I wish that I had enough confidence to walk out of my house wearing tights with basketball shorts, a swimsuit top with my bra on the outside and a big fuzzy toque on my head with high heels on. Maybe I will one day.

I love my kids, they are awesome. They help me learn things everyday, like WHO CARES for instance and ACCEPT IT. THIS IS WHO I AM. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT. DEAL WITH IT because World, I'm coming outside with ALL this and you can love me or hate me.

And really who can't help but love kids with that much fashion sense? And whose to say, maybe in a few years shorts over pj's will be all the rage.

Oh, these two...

9 months

Don't mess with her, she's spent time on the inside...

Penny Ray turned 9 months today. How can this....

...turn into this, so FAST?!?!

I like when my kids turn 9 months, they have officially lived in the outside for as long as they lived in the inside. It's just neat to think about.

Penny is crawling, climbing onto short things like boxes and stools and the first step of the stairs. She's pulling herself up to stand by things, she's letting go and balancing. She chews and chews and chews. She has the eyes of a hawk and picks up the tinyest little things off the floor to pop right into her mouth. She's clapping and waving and drool-y. She's sprouting teeth and her hair is getting all luscious. AND in 3 months she will be one year old.

Stop it already!

policemen

We like this video in our house...

What is a Policeman?

Narrated by Paul Harvey

buds

It's safe to say , that these 3 are crazy about eachother and I'm enjoying it while the feeling lasts.

I love Penny's face in the bottom picture, It screams out..." excuse me......WHY THE "H" ARE WE SITTING IN FREEZING SNOW?!?!"

Remember Remember the 11th of November

Have you ever had a person in your life that is AWESOME?

My Grandpa, Burns Wood is one of those people. How could you not be awesome with a name that is a verb and a noun?

My Grandpa's house is full of cool stuff, he like to collect things like indian artifacts, neat owl figures and glass grapes.

He has the best stories, he tell the funniest jokes, he can juggle and I for a fact have seen him walk on his hands (he used to be a gymnast). I could hang out with him all day and never be bored. He's smart and interesting and I love that guy.

I remember once in Grade 1 or 2 we were learning about Indians and my dad took our class down to the coulees, we were all gathered in a group of trees and then from behind a tree, steps a REAL indian chief, in a head dress and everything. It was Grandpa , he told us legends and I thought that my Grandpa Wood was native until I was at least 10 years old.

Not only is my Grandpa Wood all of those awesome things above, he's also a Vetran of WWII. So yesterday he was asked to give a speech at a Remembrance Day ceremony. It was wonderful. I've never REALLY appreciated the meaning of Remembrance Day, because like so many people in my generation, we've never fought in a war or lived in the time when the world wars were happening. Wars don't affect me, to me they are being fought far from where I live. So therefore don't really have a large impact on me. Yesterday at the ceremony I was thinking in my head how many of these things I've been to and how many times I've taken for granted the men and women who fought to make the land where I live a safe and peaceful place. Then 3 names came to my head....

Burns Wood

Ray Evanson

Bruce Bullock

In my grandpa's talk he mentioned that the greatest things that came from the war were children, he talked about the Baby Boomers and how their children are your grandparents today. He had Inga's kids and my kids join him up at the front and talked about how sometimes from bad things, LOTS of good things can come.

He spoke about Standing on Guard and what that means, and he really spoke in a way that helped the kids of the Barnwell School to relate. His speech was fantastic.

Burns Wood is a fantastic person.

sheer intensity

Best Picture of Aubrey's Life Time so far.

the fly swatter

I can't believe I'm actually doing this, a pictureless post AGAIN, this goes against everything I stand for. I just wanted to share a funny thing that happened at our house today...

Our big bay window is some sort of a breeding ground/vacation spot for flies this time of year. So lucky Will gets the job of being in charge of the "fly patrol". This morning there seemed to be an abundance of flies on the window so I told Will to, " Go and get the fly swatter!" After saying this Aubrey jumps up and says "I'll get it!!!" Great, this is going to be bad I think. As I imagine both kids running to grab the swatter and inevitably getting in a HUGE fight over it. But suprisingly, Will took off towards the closet where we keep the swatter and Aubrey ran into the kitchen (which I thought was weird, but whatever) So Will runs back and says " I got it!" then Aubrey says " NO, I GOT it.", she walks into the living room carrying a bottle of water.

So Will heard, " Go and get the fly swatter!"

and Aubba heard, " Go and get the flies water!"

So cute. I haven't laughed as hard as I did in a long time!

spooks.

Happy Belated Halloween!

I've once again been having a hard time uploading pictures, so these are just a titch late, like you REALLY care anyways. Unless you all were just DYING to see our awesome halloween costumes, then I apologize. So here we are all decked out...

Penny the Hunky Bat.

Aubrey was "Sally" from the Nightmare Before Christmas movie. I can't even remember how many times I had to explain who she was to people, I guess I thought EVERYONE whose ANYONE had seen that show, I guessed wrong. I guess. But for anyone who has seen that movie, Aubrey's costume was AWESOME, a dead ringer. Plus I sewed it! Pat on the back to me :)

Sorry about Will's inappropriate Ghostbuster Pose, this was the only one where Penny is looking, and boy is she CUTE or what?!?!

and this year I even got into the Halloween spirit, dressed as my favorite thing of all, a cupcake!

We trunk or treated on Saturday at the church and then on Sunday we stayed home and handed out candies, lots and lots of candies! Halloween Love.

carving.

The kids and I carved a pumpkin today.

tasks went as follows...

Will and Aubrey - gut scoopers/whiners.

Penny - sit in highchair and cry.

Mom - carver extraordinaire.

steve's surprise party!

Andy's brother Steve turned 30 yesterday so we had a white trash party to celebrate! Everyone looked impeccable. Especially Andy... so so SO handsome. I went for the Native chic look, I think it turned out fabulous. FUN NIGHT!

please work please work please work....

IT WORKED!!!!
I think that the pictures were just TOO big? I am not very computer savy. I can't believe I kind of figured out my problem, DeVry here I come.

These are just some randoms from our life as of late. ENJOY them, I know I am.

why oh why?!?!

I've been trying for WEEKS to do a post. We all know the rules, doing a post without pictures is well, BORING. If you don't have a picture, I'm not reading the post. Well maybe I'll read the first couple of sentences, then I get bored. It's as simple as that people. The few that I've wanted to put up are not working , it's very frustrating.

So here goes my very first pictureless post, I'm so ashamed...

We had Aubrey's birthday on the 28th of September. It was good, low key and relaxing. Will picked out a cake for her and he wanted to write on it, " Dear Aubrey, We got a cake for you." So that was that.

October 9th was My Grandma D's 85 Birthday Party! It was so much fun. Got to see lots of cousins that I haven't seen in a long long time, I also got to see my sister Erin, and her 2 daughters Amy and Isabelle!! I am still in shock that they were here!!! They surprised us all by just showing up, IT WAS AWESOME!!!

Andy's birthday was on the 16th, we went on a date. Andy is 27. oldie goldie.

that's it.

boring.

just think of how awesome this post would have been with pictures...

made in china...obviously

Penny's infamous sleepers.

I heard Cartles are better then Castles anyways...

1st day o' pre-k

This week Will started Pre-K.

The day I signed him up, I regreted it immediately. He WANTED to go so bad, I made him SO EXCITED to go. But once I signed those papers and wrote that cheque, I felt as though I'd been punched right in the gut. I kept telling myself he's too little to go to school and one day before I know it he'll be graduating and moving out. I thought of maybe pulling him out after I signed him up, but then realized he'd be very disappointed if I did that. So I let him go. It was harder for me then him.

After it all , he came home and fell asleep on the couch, which NEVER happens. It was a long day for both of us. Oh, Pre-K I love/hate you.

what are you eating for lunch?

we're eating these....

are you drooling? Stuffed Peppers. so so sO SO SO delicious!

And also easy to make! Plus they make you look like you are an excellent chef, even if you aren't so... Want to know how? I bet you would...

You'll need :

1/2 lb ground beef, or about 2 sliced chicken breast whatever you feel like...

3-4 bell peppers

some Zatarain's Dirty Rice Mix

a bag of Tex Mex Cheese

Here's the knowhow...

first brown the ground beef or cook the chicken

second de-seed the peppers, just cut off the top and rip all of their guts out!

boil the peppers in a pot for about 10 minutes of until they're softened.

Make the Dirty Rice mix as directed on the package.

(you kind of have to time things so everything is done the same time, I start the rice first and then while that's cooking, do the peppers)

Once everything is all ready, stuff those peppers up! I always layer the rice then the cheese, etc. I'm salivating just writing this...

Place in your oven, I usually do 350 degrees for about 10 minutes so the cheese gets all melty.

Done! Easy Peasy and delicious!

not your kindergarteners' macaroni.

Yah, that's right. We're intense around these parts, we've got some mad gluing and sticking skills all up in this place.

the silent sentinel

I put Penny down for her nap this morning and decided to get some stuff done. Naturally, by getting stuff done I mean sitting in front of the computer stalking blogs and facebook profiles for hours. So after about 7 hours I decided to maybe like move or get dressed, I walked into our bedroom to find this...

The Pinchers, rolled right on to her belly, not making a peep. How long was she awake? Only she knows. What a good girl I have. I need to make this post quick, I have a whole bunch of stuff to do...

here comes another, kinda like the other.

I was just looking through some of our old pictures and noticed a random picture of some sort of casserole. Upon closer inspection I realized it was my 3 cheese manicotti, that I must have taken a picture of so that I could post the recipe on here. So this one has been a long time coming... It's easy, delicious and if you make it I guarantee your family will love you even more then they already do. If you've made those enchiladas from a couple posts back I'm sure you already know about that love-y family thing by now.

Anyways here it is...and here's the recipe...

3 CHEESE MANICOTTI

1 8oz package of manicotti shells
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ( I always buy the kraft pre-shredded super stretchy mozzarella), divided
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 egg
2 tbsp dried basil
2 (26 oz.) jars pasta sauce

* I always trick my kids and cut up a red and yellow pepper REALLY really really small and mix it into the cheese mixture.

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain.
2. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a bowl mix 3 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan, garlic, egg and basil. * remember to be tricky and put in those peppers* Stuff cooked manicotti with the mixture.
4. Spread about 2 cups pasta sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti in the dish, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cup of mozza cheese.
5. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and continue baking for about 10 minutes, until the mozzarella the melted and bubbly.

rice rice baby

Penny isn't a baby anymore. She's been acting fussy for a few days now and was ALWAYS hungry. I thought she might not be getting enough from me, so we tried some cereal tonight. It was a hit! I am excited to see how fat she's going to get from eating solids this early! Will and Aubrey both weren't interested in food at all until they were about 6 months. When we'd feed Pen a bite she'd close her eyes and smack her tiny little mouth like crazy. She's so cute, I can't hardly stand it!

I belong to the church of.... SHHHHHHHHHHH!

Yesterday we went to Walmart. (I know the greeter on a first name basis, I even know the name of her cat. So we go to Walmart a lot.) Anywho. As we were perusing the aisles, Will started to sing REALLY LOUD. He was singing, I BELONG TO THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAAAAAAAAAINTS!! I KNOW WHO I AM, I KNOW GOD'S PLAN.......ETC....... I told him to be quiet. He sang even louder. I kept telling him to SHUUUUSH and he just wouldn't stop. I was starting to get flustered, embarassed, a little red-faced even. Then I thought about it, why was I getting all in a huff? I thought, if Will was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star really loud would I be embarrassed then? Probably not, I would think it was cute. Just because it was a church song I was literally DYING! It brought to mind another time when we were at the library for the reading program and the librarian asked if the group wanted to sing a song, Will raised his hand up in a flash and announced that everyone should sing I am a Child of God. I was embarrassed then too!
I am not a missionary type, if you asked me to give a person a Book of Mormon, I'd probably barf. I am just shy about sharing the gospel. I decided that needs to change. I'm going to try to seek out opportunities to share the good news! I am going to try to pray for missionary experiences, which before I would purposefully leave that request out of my prayers. HA! none of that missionary stuff for me, no thanks!
Jesus said... except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I never really believed people when they said , I learn so much from my children. That was before I had kids. So sing away little Will boy, sing away and next time I'll join you. Even if it is in the middle of Walmart.

our new favorite.

This is what we're having for dinner tonight...
I've made it twice in the last week, Andy LOVES 'em, the kids LOVE them, heck I even LOVE them!
Here's the link to the recipe, do not delay. make them tomorrow.your family will love you.

Canada Day-ish

So I forgot my camera for Canada Day. We did alot of things but no documentation of any of them! oh well. This is on June 30, every year Andy and I have made a tradition to shoot off a couple mentos/diet coke rockets on Canada Day, we did it a little early this year and without Andy, but we did get to blast 'em off with our cousins the "Eddies"!!!(Olivia and Lauren) It was fun, although our blaster didn't work this year, we need to fabricate a new one. Instead of shooting straight up into the air the pop kind of went all ways, it was fun to watch the kids run through the pop rain!!!

Jumping on the trampoline with Grandma Ann, seriously what grandma's do you know of that can still get up there on the trampoline and jump around like they were 10 years old? I only know of one, and that's mom.

So for the the day after this day, which was Canada Day, I'll just have to describe it so vividly that you'll get pictures of it in your mind, okay close your eyes.... oh wait that won't work... just read this list of what was done on July 1...

• Raymond Parade
• Visited at Uncle Craig's for a couple minutes
• Went to Stirling to Auntie Moj's house for lunch (thanks by the way :))
  
• after lunch went swimming at the outdoor pool (which I am so jealous of, Taber why do you suck?) with THESE GUYS, thanks for borrowing your water wings to Will, AJ, he LOVED them , right Lacey?!?!
  
• Alex, Shayla and I drove into Lethbridge to see ECLIPSE (I will always be on Team Jacob, I don't care how the books end).

• Got home and took Will to the Taber Firework. yes that's not plural. Again Taber why do you suck?

...and that is that, it was a FUN day.

So now here are some other things that have happened since Canada Day...

Somebody is getting HUNKA!!!!!!!!!!!!

...and we think Will broke his toe. I wish my camera was better (HINT ANDREW) so that I could get some real close ups of the nastiness of the toe. Gee, I love how I want a better camera so that I can take close-ups of my children's wounds. Will was getting off a chair in the kitchen and that darn thing fell over and landed directly on the 3rd piggy, and it did not have roast beef, it just got smashed and made the little boy scream bloody murder for 10 minutes straight. Also the health unit just called and Will gets to get his needles tomorrow for Pre-K. What a great week he's about to have!

July 1st fashion preview.

I hate it.
Oh wait....

I LOVE IT!!!

I have this thing about buying "national holiday" clothes from stores. Most shirts are either horribly overpriced or horridly hideous. So this year I decided to make Aubrey her own Canada Day outfit. This skirt cost a whole 2 bucks to make, wait $2.50 since the "dollar" store is now the $1.25 Store. It was cheap, you get the point. The maple leaf fabric is actually 2 bandannas sewn together and the lining is a old junky white shirt that I found jammed in the back of my closet! The headband is another $1.25 Store find, and the tank is from Walmart, I think I got it for $1 a couple weeks ago. So in total a whopping $4.75, man, I love a good deal.
I followed this tutorial then kind of tweaked it a little to suit Aubba. All in all I think Aubrey will be the Cutest Canadian tomorrow :)

time for an update

There's nothing more comfortable then curling up with a box of soda crackers.

We've been sticking around the house alot lately. Playing in the outdoors, NOT watching t.v. It's been so nice. Soaking up the sunshine. Here's Penny doing what she does best, sucky fingers.

Talking with Pops.

The Dad and all of his kids on Father's Day. I love these guys :)

A sweet little oatmeal eater. The paper beside Will has a bunch of numbers written on it. His new thing that he likes to do is stand in front of our alarm clock and every time the numbers change, he writes out the new sequence. It's great, keeps him entertained for at least 20 minutes or more.