Summer Fun.

So, the pb sandwiches & summer fun have kept me away from here. In doing so, there have been a lot of "moments" this summer that couldn't go without mentioning. With my being home, I have been able to enjoy more little moments, and some not so little.
One of the first this summer was Ryan's first Lemonade Stand. Aunt Deb & Aunt Barb hosted a yard sale at mop mop's (Ry's ggrandma) house and allowed Ryan to have his very own lemonade stand. On the way over, after some discussing, Ryan decided he wanted his lemonade money to go to the giving project of the month at church. Aunt Barb helped him draw up a nice sign, Ry & I both MADE the lemonade, and he did all the hard work... sitting in the sun and waiting for customers. He did well over all... maybe the best of us all. Most importantly, he had fun and we made memories.
One of the BIG moments of this summer so far... is potty training. Logan is now quite proud of himself, and no longer prefers a diaper. (WIN for us!) After a few (or many) messy incidents, he is getting the hang of it with a few (every 15 min:)) reminders. He now calls himself "underwear man like Robin" ( from Batman & Robin).

Along with the many sunny days of summer, we've had MANY rainy days as well. I must mention the cutest conversation I overheard the other day. That would be Ryan's conversation with God.
Ryan: You can make a flood so I can be a fishie. I like to swim.
Me: Ryan were you talking to me?
Ryan: No, Just God. I want to be a fishy, so I want it to flood. That's what I told God.

Ryan is growing spiritually, mentally, & physically. Recently Ryan told Joe and I that he would like to be the voices in movies when he "grows up". He likes to make "frog" voices, as well as many others. OFTEN he will say from the back seat of the van "Dad, can you make this voice?"... and you just never know what that will entail.

Our greatest family time these days is spent at the YMCA. Ryan is becoming quite a good swimmer, and is now working on his technique. He has made it clear that he would like to be on the swim team someday. Logan also really enjoys going "Y". He still wears a bubble, but has NO fear with it on. He will jump right in, all the while holding his arms straight out and yelling "TO INFINITY & BEYOND!"

We are still midsummer, so I'm sure we will have lots more moments this summer. I wanted to post these before I forgot! The boys are sure looking forward to our vacation at the beach with Granny, Nana, Aunt Erica, Uncle Nick, Aunt Ellie & Charissa. Those are the peeps they've been most excited to go to the beach with. Although, I must admit Uncle Nick is Logan's fav these days. He has been referring to the character Chucky on Rugrats as "Uncle Nick"... I assume bc of the red hair?

Well.... until the next list of moments... stay tuned!

Fun with Eggs!

Today we colored eggs since Ryan and Logan will be with granny next weekend.... a fun time for sure. Here are a few pics from our day...

Our Growing Boys...

Some mommy's really anticipate that monthly visit when their baby is first born to see how much they have grown. How much do they weigh, will they be in the 10th, 50th, or 80th percentile? As they grow, some parents mark the childs height with a pencil on the back of a door or in a special place that doesnt get removed.... as we do. Well, I hadn't marked any growth in quite awhile. Ryan recently turned 5, ( I know I havent even blogged about that yet! Bad mommy!) and Logan will be 3 in May. It seems over the last few weeks that Ryan has become AWARE of EVERYTHING, including his growth.
The newest way that growth has been measured in our home:


Ryan: "MOM, I grew - I dont need the stool to pee in the potty anymore!"
ME: WOW. I could've just measured you.


Ryan: "Mom, Logan can turn the lights off now, we dont need you."

That hit me in the gut. "We dont need you".... WHAT??!!!


Im thinking, I'd much rather mark the height on the wall than hear "we dont need you" anymore... but I suppose, they could just mark it themselves, right?!

I love my growing boys, but I wouldn't mind if they stayed right here in this moment.

Artwork of a Preschooler

To interpret - The happy face at the top of the picture is "Ryan" and the sad face below it is "Daddy".... Dad has spikey hair, and the lines below his eyes are tears. Not only that but the little circlish patch below the sadface is "daddy's beard". When asked why dad was sad... Ryan replies "because I beat you in Lego Star Wars with my light sabre." Oh my.

Mealtime Menu

Well, it's been quite awhile since I have posted my weekly menu. For one, we have been dieting and I didn't have any exciting new meals.... but I realized (once I found a few new meals) that even if I didn't think they were exciting, they may be something to change up your menu with!

So here goes... and we do have several new ones this week from this months TASTE OF HOME magazine. MMMMMM......



* Indicates a new recipe we've never had.



1. Broccoli/Ham Macaroni * - If you'd like this recipe go to http://tasteofhome.com/ and type in

broccoli/ham macaroni in the search box. Joe and I loved the flavor with the red pepper but

dearest child Ryan did not. So next time I will probably leave those out for the picky eaters,

but Joe and I loved it. Not only did we love it, it is far less fattening than the regular mac n

cheese I normally make with heavy cream etc.
2. Taco Salad - its an easy Monday night recipe... I love Mondays to be easy because I'm usually most tired on Mondays:P


3. Steak & New Potato Toss * - This is also a toh recipe - http://tasteofhome.com/ you can get the recipe yourself. Joe and I recently purchased a large quantity of beef. This is a different way to have steak and veggies with a little added flavor and veggies!


4. Ravioli Primavera - another quick & easy recipe, which is quite healthy.


5. Mom's fried rice * - A new recipe I found while trying to find something with chicken, since we are eating a lot more beef lately. You can also get this recipe from the taste of home link. This has bacon pieces in it, which was a different spin for me:)


6. Hamburgers/Hotdogs & sweet potato fries.... burgers & dogs are self explanatory... hoping to cook those on the grill, weather permitting. The sweet potato fries I recently made for the first time. I cut the sweet potatoes length wise into strips, sprinkle with cinammon, and drizzle with olive oil. Then I bake on a cookie sheet for a good 15 min (or longer if you want them crispier).
A healthier/tasty fry to go with the grill foods. Love it.


*** We will be traveling one evening and therefore I did not add a 7th meal*** :) I am hoping there is someone out there who can benefit from my crazy meal planning practices, and maybe, just maybe pass a new recipe along to me! Happy Eating :)

Where did winter go?

So, I just recently realized I didnt make a single post all of winter 09! As I was looking through pics, I realized how I enjoyed lots of special "moments" with my boys that I didnt record. One of those "moments" included going to Canandaigua and participating in various Christmas activities. We saw "elves, Santa, and 100 decorated Christmas trees"... and here are a few pics to show for our day. Let me not forget to mention that we went with Aunt Debbie Krieger, Chelsea, Dominic and Natalie... being with ones you love always makes a good time, a GREAT time!

My crazies

"Families are like fudge -- mostly sweet with a few nuts."