End of the Yr

This year was like every other when school came to a close.  The kids each had a performance before they were dismissed for the summer.

And as usual, we came to watch.

Here's Brielle with her modest smile.

Big brother with littlest sister awaiting the show.

There's my girl with Ms. Deb and Ms. Denise.

The next day was Treyton's kindergarten graduation.

They wanted the kids to come with a hat on representing what they wanted to be when they grew up. 

Since Treyton wants to be a scientist, Bryce got to work.  He created a graduation style hat with a DNA tassel, test tubes, and beakers. 

Here's Treyton with his teacher, Mrs. Johnson.

Treyton and Cole became friends over the year.  I love that kid!  He's so much like Treyton, that's probably why.  Cut from the same mold, I tell ya!

 Here are Lilah and Galina.  She was in Galina's class while her sister Courtney was in Treyton's class.  Needless to say, we saw a lot of that family this year.

Dean Brown is the principal of the school.  She's amazing!  I would've loved to work under someone so passionate, forward thinking, and on top of things as her.  She is an incredible asset to the school.  I got to work with her on a committee that I was on.  She has a son in kindergarten as well, though not in Treyton's class this past year.

Me and my babies.

Daddy with his rugrats.

Welcome to summer break!

Kids with S'mores

The official beginning of summer has begun!  We went to a very kid-friendly campground for a couple of nights with some friends this Memorial Day weekend.  I was tickled by this adorable picture.  They were silent as they awaited their treats.  More pics to come but just wanted to say, "WELCOME SUMMER!"

Book Review: Don't Panic Quick, Easy, & Delicious Meals for Your Family

"Great meals for your busy family" describes this cookbook well. The quick and easy meals in this book are healthy and include ingredients that you usually have around.  Each recipe includes the prep time, total time, and nutritional information.  The book is divided into sections including: appetizers; breakfast, breads, brunch; soups, salads, and sides; pasta; crockpot collection; baked oven dishes; grilling and marinades; skillets and sautes; and a dessert section.

My favorite section was the crockpot collection.  I made the Succulent Teriyaki Chicken.  Oh my heavens, was it good!  The kids liked it too which is always a plus.  And talk about easy!  Here's the recipe:









Succulent Teriyaki Chicken
 3.5 lbs chicken breasts
1/4 C brown sugar, packed
1/4 C soy sauce
3T lemon juice
3T water
1 clove garlic (I left out since I hate garlic)
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 C flour
1/4 C water

Place chicken breasts in crockpot. Mix together sugar, soy sauce, lemon, water, garlic, and ginger.  Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high 4 hours, until chicken is tender.  Pour juices from chicken into saucepan.  In separate small bowl, mix together flour and cold water until smooth, then whisk into juices in saucepan.  Cook on medium heat until sauce is thickened and smooth.  Pour over chicken in crockpot and heat on low until warmed through.  Serve with rice.

I highly recommend this cookbook.  It's so easy to use, well organized, and includes a great variety of family friendly choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Snacks too!  You couldn't go wrong investing in this book. 

This book was given to me to review from the Baker Publishing Group.  I was not paid for this review.  All opinions are my own. 

Sibling Love

Baby Dedication

We got Ainsley dedicated on Superbowl Sunday (Feb 4).  The church we are currently attending does not do infant baptism so until we get that arranged, we decided to have her dedicated.

All started well.

But quickly changed. 

Little Miss Ainsley decided to test out her lung power right after we got on stage.

The pastor practically had to yell to be heard over her.  And he had a microphone!

Bryce just smiled while I was dying of embarrassment, trying to flip Ainsley this way and that in attempts to calm her.  So much for being an "experienced mom of 4".

But two good things happened that morning....they got us cake!

And we were able to get a family photo.

Oh happy day.

"Smilers"

Each kid has a nickname.

Meet "Mister Mister"....doing what he loves best...LEGOS!

 And "Missy Magoo"....or "Magoo" for short.

 Here's "Pickles" or "Pickle Juice" for....long?  And once in a while "Sweet Pickle" which is where her name derived from.

 And the newest addition....

"Smilers".  The girl has a smile that brightens up her whole face.  A fitting name, I'd say!

Snowmen at Night Craft

We had a snowstorm recently.

So to deal with the cabin fever, I broke out the crafts.  There's a book out there called Snowmen At Night which was an inspiration to create this craft.

 We were out of black paper so we used dark blue.  Black would've been better but oh well.

 Then we just drew circles and filled them with glue.  Next we wadded up toilet paper and stuck them on the glue to create fluffy snowmen.

 I cut out hats and boots to add to the snowmen.

 We used Q-tips for the arms.

 Raisins were great for the nose and smile.  But don't let them dry where a dog can lick them off.  This could be why I do not have a completed picture of their masterpieces.

 Happy winter!