Donuts for Breakfast!

Zoe was in her cooking groove again.

I'm a little jealous for her love of cooking, baking and now frying.

She started the weekend baking about 10 dozen cookies. Just because she felt like it.

Then she ended the weekend doing something that she's wanted to try since Christmas.

Fry donuts!!!

Part of her Christmas presents this year included: a donut cutter, a donut cookbook and a deep fryer.

I try to encourage the kids passions to the best of my ability. All things food is clearly a passion of hers.

She made everything from scratch. (Which is something I never do . . . box of mix, add oil and egg baker). This girl had a shopping list for me and I bought it all because she asked nicely, and I was excited to taste homemade donuts.

Zoe at work  : )

I have to admit that it made me a lot nervous with her at the deep fryer. The whole boiling oil thing . . . 

So I let her do the first batch, then I became her fry cook.

She was just as happy making all that dough into donut shapes and taking the hot donuts from me and dipping them into her homemade, made from scratch, glaze . . . . yum!

We only tried the first one, to make sure it was cooked all the way through. Zoe, I and Audrey nibbled on one donut hole . . . the rest got sealed in a container to share at breakfast tomorrow morning with daddy.

The girl was a big old mess. Forgot to wear her apron. But she cleaned up after herself pretty well, with a lot of help from mommy  : ) I couldn't believe the amount of flour that covered the kitchen!

As we were picking up there was a commercial for one of the cupcake shows on TLC, the ladies said, "Now we bake 10,000 cupcakes a day." I said, "What a nightmare" at the same time Zoe said, "That's my dream".

Keep on dreaming Zoe, I can't wait until morning  : )

Four Day Weekend With the Kids

It actually felt like a six day weekend.

KC left for his annual ice fishing weekend with the guys on Thursday. It makes the days longer for me, but the kids were great and we kept really busy.

Glad the boys had fun, but I'm also glad it's only once a year.

It's great for KC to spend time with his dad, which I know he enjoys. I enjoy the fact that in about 10 years (maybe less) all four of the boys will make the trip, leaving me and the girls for a quiet weekend!

Is it bad that I'm looking down the road 10 years already?

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The twins were evaluated for a headstart program at the elementary school. They were both accepted based on being premature and under 5 pounds at birth. Having them tested gave me some relief that they are doing great.

It's hard for me to judge them, because comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. They do everything a little differently . . . one better than the other, one faster than the other, one clearer than the other . . . but to know that they are both on the right track is comforting.

And both the boys are sooooo excited about going to "school". I love it! To have their own school to go to is very exciting to them, especially when they see their big sisters and brother going.

Their first class with other children is tomorrow. Fingers crossed all goes well.

Side note: Castiel suddenly is favoring his left hand. I am left-handed, so is my father and father-in-law, and none of my children seemed to be carrying on that trait. Then out of nowhere, Castiel is throwing a ball left-handed, and well . . . I may just have one afterall. We shall see.

We kinda laid low over the four day weekend. A couple of playdates, library, field hockey, and a shopping trip to Menard's which I'm sure looked like a mini field trip to others.

The twins are now at a point where they are wanting to walk.

Now this task is difficult with one, I know because I've been through that 3 times. And I knew it was coming, I just shoved them into the cart as long as I possibly could.

Emmitt started walking next to the cart about a month ago on a regular basis. He does well, but if he sees something "shiny" or whatever, his ears turn off and he no longer hears me saying, "hand on the cart". Luckily, Castiel had no interest and I gladly put him in the cart.

This weekend was the first time they both insisted on being free. Slight panic, but they have to practice to learn.

My rules are simple. Keep a hand on the cart or you're going back in. The first few minutes were sketchy. It was a lot of me putting their hands back on the cart and explaining the rules.

I was proud of how well they did, and proud of me for leaving with all four of my children. (Zoe was at field hockey practice :)  )

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Kids pulled out Disney Bingo to play with the boys. I thought they were crazy, but the boys shocked me and played a few games and even made it through a black out board.

I'm guessing we got this game from Aunt Bobbie. It's a DVD that plays short movie clips and all the squares have Disney characters on them, I think that's what kept the boys interested. Castiel actually cried a couple of times, when he didn't have some of his favorite characters on his card.

I love when they start playing games. Let the games begin!

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(blog will be continued shortly . . . Zoe baking again .........)

Happy Valentine's Day

I love these kids with all my heart!

Zoe . . . I love that you aren't afraid of being yourself. Remember to stay strong and be yourself always, because you are perfect just the way you are.

Audrey . . . I love your spunk. You are silly and happy, and you make people smile. It's a special gift to put a smile on someone's face.

Cameron . . . You have always had my heart from the moment you were born. You are loving and full of imagination. Everything a four year old should be.

Emmitt . . . I can always count on you for a hug to warm my heart. Stay sweet my only cuddle bug.

Castiel . . . You are quick with a smile and your love of laughter can get us all going. Keep laughing my giggle monster.

I am lucky to be your mother and I look forward to our years ahead. Watching you grow up is my greatest gift.

I know that their love will grow into friendships that will last their entire lives.

And they'll always have each other to love and be loved.

I am lucky enough to have a husband that is more than a father . . . he's a daddy. The throw balls in the house, tackle you to the floor, read a book, cook dinner, sing a song at the top of his lungs, thinks he's a wise guy, Just Dance champion, watch cartoons every morning, gives mommy bunny ears behind her back, huggable, lovable kind of daddy.

I am lucky to have a man like him to share my life with and to raise these precious children together. (Feb 13th, 13 years ago he propose to me . . . 13 has been a lucky number in our life together . . . here's to a start of a special year)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! I love all of you soooo much  <3   <3   <3   <3   <3   <3   <3   <3   <3   <3


If you are wondering, if I want a photo shoot, I bribe them and somehow Emmitt ended up with 2  : )

Boys Playing in the Snow

Huge fluffy snowflakes fell most of the day. It looked like we were in a snow globe. It was a beautiful day . . . cold, but that's what winter is supposed to be.

Castiel didn't like the big flakes falling in his face, but KC got Emmitt to face the sky and open his mouth : )

Emmitt is a snow eater. I think he thinks it falls from the sky for him to gobble up. It may be gross, but freshly fallen snow, what's the real harm. I know he's eaten worse things off the ground . . .

Cameron did the same thing. At that same age, he would go out into a snowbank and sit down to just eat snow.

KC and Cameron spent the afternoon playing Disney Universe on the Wii. The twins woke up just as they decided to go out to shovel the snow.

Emmitt wasn't letting them go outside without him.

This was his first time in snow pants and boots, and he didn't mind a bit if it meant going outside.

Castiel wasn't interested and stayed by me, until he saw them walking across the back yard. He freaked and tried opening the patio door.

So I suited him up. I realized just recently that I only had one pair of boots that would fit them. So Castiel, being the second out, got plastic bags on his feet and a pair of shoes. It kept his feet dry  : )

They played until they were all red in the face.

When we forced them in, especially Emmitt, I had hot chocolate waiting . . . actually more of a warm chocolate  :)  The twins first hot chocolate, and they loved it!

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My project planned for the day was Zoe's side of the closet. There is just too much in there, and I know that she doesn't wear it all.

We easily went through her hanging clothes, so we moved onto the dresser. That went smoothly so we went through the drawer under her bed, treasure boxes, jewelry and headbands.

We were finished and it was only dinnertime. I couldn't believe how fast we were able to go through everything.

So after dinner, I looked at Audrey and she immediately threw a fit.

I asked her if she could just go through her hanging clothes with me and she unhappily started picking out her favorites.

And then she shockingly was helping me with more then I had planned.

By bedtime, their room was done.

I wish I would have taken a picture of this side of the room, because it was worse than the closet.

Yay! One room done, a couple of happy girls and a VERY happy mommy  : )

I removed 5 trash bags of clothes and shoes, so now they have room to move and places to put everything away.

I didn't plan on getting so much done today, but when kids are being cooperative, you just have to take advantage!

Too Busy to Blog

I know that I've been slacking on my blogs.

Just been too busy . . . here's a little recap.

I spent 10 hours on one of KC's days off going through the mountain of boxes in our bedroom. It's still a mess. I am trying to figure out what stays and what goes. It's obvious that we have too much, and it's slow going. But I am trying to make some progress daily.

I did manage to reduce my shoes from 48 pairs to 26  : ) I was afraid of reducing by too much and then feel the need to go shopping . . . 

KC was a huge help and watched the boys for me the entire day. At dinnertime I introduced him to Pinterest. He made dinner from one of the recipes  :)  He wasn't as interested in appearing in my blog because of it. I did ask him to smile : )

PINTEREST #5: Chicken bundles

We agreed that it didn't really feel like a meal to us . . . good, but more of an appetizer recipe. I suggest jalapenos added!

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Since joining Pinterest, I have felt like I should be buying Ball glass jars. There are so many pins using them. I had stopped myself a couple of times and promised myself that I won't buy them unless I found a project that I was going to use them for.

So I found 3  :)

PINTEREST #6:  Miracle lotion

I have the worst dry skin in the winter. It only improves slightly over the summer. I had all the ingredients expect Vitamin E lotion.

I love it! Noticeable difference already.

PINTEREST #7:  Room Fresheners

I am always paranoid that my house smells like stinky diapers. I am a sucker for the Glade Air Fresheners that can be hidden in every corner.

I thought, why not try and make them.

I already have a bunch of essential oils (from my days when I was going to make soap . . . fail), so all I needed was Gelatin.

Not very impressed by this one. It can only be smelt when shoved under your nose. I may try it one more time and add more oil, I haven't decide yet.

PINTEREST #8:  Body Sugar

I have waxed to go on extended vacations in the past. So this didn't scare me. The hair on my legs grows back so fast, I'm a every day shaver . . . it sucks.

The recipe is so easy to follow and so cheap! I actually had everything needed in my house already.

I have taken care of my lower legs and haven't had to shave them all week! I'm in love with this one.

True, ankles and the back of the leg . . . OUCH! But I think this one might be worth it.

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And here are a couple more Pinterest projects . . .

PINTEREST #9:   French Toast Casserole

Won't do this one again either. It took A LOT longer to bake then the recipe said, and frankly . . . I like regular old French Toast better.

Zoe loved making it, but we'll find something else better.

PINTEREST #10:  Zoe's birthday cake - inspired by the tie dye cakes seen on Pinterest  : )

The Peace sign cake pan is a birthday present. She's excited to make use of it  : )

I almost forgot. PINTEREST #11:  Potato Soup

We love potato soup, so I spent an afternoon making this and then threw it in the slow cooker to simmer for a while. We definitely liked it, but I'll add more to it next time. My mother passed on a different recipe for potato soup, I might give that one a try next, because her and my dad raved over it.

And last, but not least . . . PINTEREST #12: Lip Balm

Just have to say, it's impossible (tried it twice) to completely dissolve the Hawaiian Punch in a sprinkle of water . . . and then you add more water to get it dissolved and it doesn't mix in completely with the Vaseline . . . I may be doing this one wrong, if anyone has some pointers.

We tweaked it and made it work. It is a great balm. Made one for each of us, girls : )

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Add in Cameron's speech classes (which is going great and he is loving)

Cameron's regular preschool started up again today 

Zoe has officially been moved up to 5th grade band  : )

Zoe also started taking a field hockey clinic. (It's the first time she's showed any interest in trying out a sport and KC & I both quickly said "yes!")

Audrey spent 4 out of 5 days of the school week home with a low grade fever. One of the days was beautiful, over 50 degrees! So we had to spend some of it outside for some much needed fresh air.

Zoe's birthday sleepover  : )

A cousin sleepover  : )

And a surprise visit from all 4 grandparents  : )  Didn't get any pics...

A family birthday party  : )

A 3rd grade Music concert  : )  Audrey!

And the biggest change . . . 

To this . . .

And instantly we could see the pride Castiel had for his new bed  : )

Just as easily as we could see Emmitt telling us that we could no longer keep him in.

Night one and two went perfectly . . . too perfectly.

Then night 3, we returned Emmitt to his bed 5 times. And the next morning, when he came into our room with a cookbook in his hand from the kitchen . . .

A baby gate was installed right outside their bedroom door.

For his own good. And our peace of mind  : )

Never a dull moment with a family of 7 and
I wouldn't change it for the world!

Zoe is 11

Eleven years ago . . . I became a mother.

Wow, the time sure flies!!! It's amazing how much she has grown and changed year after year . . . and how much my love for her grows and grows daily.

We are starting to struggle a little with our relationship. Don't get me wrong, we are very close and have a very strong mother/daughter bond that will last forever.

It's just the normal tensions that every mother and daughter go through.

It's hard with all the bouncing back and forth between child and young adult. She wants to be treated like a teen, but she's not one yet. She is mature past her years, but still innocent, and I don't want that changing yet.

And at the same time, I don't want to hold on too tight. I've been questioning myself daily with the little things. The little things that seem little to the eleven year old . . . but HUGE to the mother of the eleven year old.

There are the times that I treat her like an adult and she acts like a child . . . my first instinct is to get angry, but then I have to remind myself . . . Zoe's only a child.

A child that I still like to surprise with her birthday cake  : )

I still like to see her excitement that shows me the kid I know  : )

Zoe has truly been a gift. I don't think that I was completely ready to be a mother when she came into my world. She has made it easy to want to be a mother.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY ZOE!!!

You will always be my baby, and I may treat you like one for years to come. You may not like it, but I do it out of my love for you and my mother's instincts that you do not yet understand.

Just so at the end of every day,

you know that

I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART <3