Day 242

Elizabeth is packed and ready for a long weekend at the beach with Nana and Grandpa.  She is soooo excited and I love how special she feels getting to go all alone!  I am so thankful for such wonderful, giving parents and grandparents to my babies. They will treasure so many fun memories with them.

Day 239

Here are a few pictures from Sunday when we went to one of my favorite spots in Helena.

Day 238

Here is how my kids spent the entire afternoon/evening Saturday, Sunday and probably tonight....Jerry had to bring home a 2nd DreamLite from Target Saturday for Jack because it was SUCH a huge deal!  Jeez!  I have to admit...they are pretty neat. And, anything that promotes independent sleeping?  it gets a thumbs up from me! Mrs. Brakefield even offered to let E bring hers to school ....and Elizabeth can't stop talking about it.
www.dreamlites.com

Day 237

I made a yummy recipe I found on Pinterest tonight....Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad
Lots of ingredients, but really easy to make

2 cups shredded chicken- I threw a couple frozen breasts in the crock this morning with a tsp of taco seasoning and a couple spoonfulls of salsa
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can white shoepeg corn (or mexicorn, but I love white shoepeg)
2 roma tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 head ice berg lettuce, washed and chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped ( I added more b/c I LOVE cilantro)
2 ripe avocados, diced (I omitted these b/c Jerry is not a fan)
1 cup crushed tortilla chips


dressing: 
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup Greek yogurt ( I just used one tub) 
1 tbsp ranch seasoning (I used a whole packet)
1 tbsp taco seasoning (I just added back a tsp of the juice from the crockpot)

In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients together, excluding the tortilla chips.  

In a small bowl stir all dressing ingredients together.  Pour dressing over salad, starting with about half of the dressing.   Toss to combine, then gradually add more dressing until it is coated well.  Top with tortilla chips.  

my chicken from the crockpot

YUM! 

Day 236

Happy 6th Birthday to the one that made me a mommy. I love you Elizabeth Anne! 

3 days old

1st birthday

2nd birthday

4th birthday

5th birthday

6th birthday

E and daddy

Day 235

My fortune cookie tonight... How appropriate!

Day 234

The kids got some cards and treats from Aunt Barb today in the mail....although you can't tell in the pic (she is quite cranky after this long first week at school) one of Elizabeth's most favorite things in the world is to get mail.  (and one of Jack's is wearing band-aids)  Thank you Aunt Barb!

Day 233

I think I continue with the "It's a boy thing" trend and post a pic of what I find lined up all over my house....From Alvin to Green Lantern, we've got it covered. 

Day 232

Having a little boy was something I was never able to envision. When I thought about kids/babies before I had them, it was always girls. I suppose probably it is because I am a girl but whatever the reason, little boys were never something I saw myself having.  I've posted before about being amazed at the difference between my kids- boy/girl or just different kids...whatever. Jack leaves me questioning my parenting skills on a daily basis. He is such a funny kid--and I don't know where or why he thinks to do the things he does. Jerry says it just part of the male gene....
Jack's latest interest is being upside down. He loves to hang upside down on our lap, off the couch, his bed, etc. I've even caught him watching TV upside down hanging off the couch. The special education teacher in me is trying really hard not to make any judgement here and just let it be a 'weird boy thing'   that will soon phase into something else.
Tonight outside I was taking some pics of the kids playing, and caught this one after the ball rolled between his legs.

Awe...cute picture,  I thought to myself. Then he realized he was upside down, and just stood there...taking it all in.  Notice the relaxed, made-myself-at-home, hand placement. Elizabeth and I just looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders...We don't get it. ;)

Day 231

The first day of school for E and I went really well!  The entire family got very little sleep the night before...Jack was up probably 5 times, and E at least 3.  I finally just gave in at 4 and got up for the day, so I was prepared for a long exhausting day. I am glad it went so smoothly,and am grateful for such awesome teachers to work so closely with. Elizabeth refused to let me take the camera down to take a picture with her teacher (already?!) so I only have one of the two of us at school this morning. She was all smiles at lunch and after school and said "today was the best day I've ever had! I knew I'd like first grade!"

Day 230

The "Back to School" grocery trip.....not too shabby! It's a great week for coupons at Publix! 

Day 229

We had a fun visit from our friends Rachel, Clark and Reid today...we miss them so much!

Day 228

Many many thanks to my mom, aka Nana...for helping out this week while I went back to work. Who wouldnt want to stay home with Nana and bake cookies??

Day 227

Jack is obsessed with all things 'monster' I have no idea why he loves such things...maybe it's a boy thing (or his Scooby obsession). But he loves to look at Halloween books, pictures etc and talk about how things look 'creepy' or 'spooky'  I am NOT a fan of being scared, and DO NOT watch scary movies. You couldn't pay me a million dollars to go through a haunted house, hay ride or anything close. This afternoon, he disappeared for longer than a few seconds (never good) and was very quiet (even worse). I found him in my bathroom looking at himself in the mirror saying                                       "I....AM..... FRANKENSTEIN!"   um wow......seriously?!  He may need to enroll in a drama club.

Day 226

Leaving for work early this morning I noticed how beautiful and blue the sky looked and got a quick picture.

Day 225

Maybe I'm the last to know this....but when I saw an idea on Pinterest on re-growing your green onions and using the same stalk(s) over and over, I totally didn't believe it and had to try it out for myself. I am totally amazed by the results!  I cut this onion on Saturday, and put it in a cup of water in a sunny window.  You can clearly see in the picture where I cut down to, and where it re-grew. AWESOME! 

Day 224

It's my LAST official day of summer vacation. SOB.  It was a beautiful day today, and we spent a LOT of it outside. It's amazing what a difference a couple degrees and less humidity can do.  I caught a picture of  a cute little sparrow on our bird feeder tonight.

Day 223

I've been up extra early this morning...for once NOT because of Jack, but because the 'back to school dreams' have started. I get them every year---I know I'm not the only one, right?!  They usually involve things like: not being on time the first day, forgetting important things, angry parents, etc.  So....my friend this morning is this yummy cup of coffee. And probably many more. 

Day 222

I had made up my mind that I was done with this blog.  After 2 days of no ideas, no pictures to take, noting interesting to say, I decided to call it quits. No one wants to see ANOTHER random picture of my kids doing things that probably everyone else was doing that night too.  booooorrrriiiinnng.  But I felt guilty all day, (to myself) and decided to suck it up and keep trying. This was a blog meant for me to document my 365- boring or not, and it was supposed to help motivate me to use my camera more. My mom thinks it's because I am possibly 'in a funk' over summer being over. This could POSSIBLY be somewhat true.  Regardless of what my problem is...I'll keep going.

Today at the Thrift Store aka 'giveaway store' as E calls it, I was walking UP and DOWN the toy/stuffed animal isle with E....who cannot make a decision to save her life. She probably picked up the same stuffed animals 30 times. As I looked up to the heavens to pray for a little more patience...something on the top shelf caught my eye----I can spot this red and yellow color combination from a mile away. Is this what I think it is?  YES!  A Wiggles Board Game!
JACK-POT!

things started out well.  Jack was receptive to E's bossiness on how to play....

As you can see, things did not fare so well for the bossiness. She  resorted to the bunny as her opponent. 

Day 219

E loves to make lists... Her favorite animals, her friends, things she wants, people in her family, etc. so when I came across this on her bed tonight I was stumped on what this list might be...so I asked. She closed her door and whispered "this is what I'm going to have in my house when I'm a grownup... But don't tell dada". Could that be any more precious? Look out Pearsons, the Smith's are claiming in-law status!Also, notice the order of importance....LOL!

Day 217

Taking the kids to my favorite store.... Dont judge

day 216

We had a fun day visiting and celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday today. I am extremely blessed to have such a wonderful 2nd family. I couldn't ask for a more loving, thoughtful and giving family to be part of, and I wish we all lived closer to spend more time together.

Nan and all her grandbabies: Elizabeth, Jack, Terence, Addison and Abby

Day 215

Thank you, Katie....for showing my kids how to build this fort under the kitchen table. They've entertained themselves all evening under there!

Day 214

These might be the crappiest pics ever from my phone.....but the show last night was one of the best yet. I've seen JJ Grey and Mofro around 7 times...and each one gets better. Katie and I got brave and made our way up to the stage this time instead of staying at a table--SO AWESOME. She got a wink and a smile from her main man Dennis, the trumpet player (possibly from her "I <3 Dennis" shirt....and we had an awesome night. I've said it before, but if you like music at.all.  you need to check them out. And if you ever get a chance to see them live...you won't regret it. It will probably change your life---or at least for the night.  

This was Nashville 2008.  Love. 

here are a couple clips if you want to check them out

http://www.jjgrey.com/player/radio.php

Day 213

Who can guess where I was yesterday ? (since this is yesterday's post)

These are a favorite memory of mine from car trips up to see my grandparents, down to see cousins, etc. We almost always stopped here to eat and I almost always got to pick some to take with us when we left. What's your favorite flavor?   Mine was root beer...