Our Family of Five

My Menu

2012-03-05T18:08:00.003-08:00

Here is my menu for this week. My favorite thing I made last week were these Ham and Cheese Sliders...they were delicious. I left out the poppy seeds, just because I didn't have any and I highly recommend you try them...they were YUMMY!

Sunday: Cheeseburgers and Fries (we spent the afternoon at the zoo, and I forgot to take something out for dinner, so that is what we had!)

Monday: Salisbury Steak (new recipe), egg noodles and green beans

Tuesday: Taco Soup and Quesadilla's

Wednesday: Fried Chicken, Cous Cous, and Corn

Thursday: Spaghetti, Salad and Garlic Bread

Friday: Crock Pot BBQ Chicken and baked potatoes

Saturday: ???? Maybe Steak or appetizers, I haven't decided yet.

So, only 2 new recipes this week, and we had one of them tonight and it was good, a real comfort meal! Have a great week!!

My Menu

2012-02-26T09:55:00.003-08:00

I stuck to my menu last week with the exception of Friday and Saturday. My neighbor needed me to watch her kids for a few hours Friday night until her sister got of work (they were going to a concert) so I decided to try these pizza roll ups. They were okay, the kids ate them but I prefer regular pizza instead. Saturday, we just weren't feeling like fish so we made Carne Asada instead. It was delicious as always. Last week the BEST dish I made was The Pioneer Woman's Homemade Chicken and Noodles....I had enough to freeze some for a later date, but this is something, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend for everyone to make. It takes a bit of time, but totally worth it! Here is my menu for this week.

Sunday: Pot Roast, potatoes, carrots, salad and rolls

Monday: French Dips (with the left over pot roast), fries and macaroni salad

Tuesday: Pork Chops, cheesy potato casserole and green beans

Wednesday: Chicken and Rice Casserole (new recipe), corn and rolls

Thursday: Tortellini, Garlic Bread and salad

Friday: Chili Cheese Dogs, pasta salad and tator tots

Saturday: Appetizers, Ham and Cheese sliders, potato skins, and PW"s Meatballs

So not too many new recipes this week. I am excited to try the Ham and Cheese sliders, they LOOK delicious!! Have a great week!!

My Menu

2012-02-20T12:11:00.001-08:00

We got to the grocery store this weekend and now our freezer, fridge and pantry are packed full of food. With that being said you would think that I would have my menu planned out for the whole month, but your wrong. For some reason I struggle to come up with the menu EVERY TIME after I go grocery shopping. It is because there are SO MANY choices, I don't know what to put where!! Plus I still have a TON of new recipes I want to try but I don't like to try to many out in one week in case if they are flops. I was able to get this weeks menu done last night and today and tomorrow I am going to forge thru and get the rest of the month completed!

Sunday: Homemade pizza, Teriyaki Chicken Legs, and Franks Hot Sauce Chicken Legs (kinda a random dinner, but it was what we had.)

Monday: Spaghetti Batch in my crock pot (we are out of our frozen ones, so time to stock up), Olive Garden Bread sticks (didn't get to this last week) and salad

Tuesday: PW's Homemade Chicken and Noodles, rolls, and salad

Wednesday: Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes and green beans

Thursday: Swiss Chicken, rice and corn

Friday: Taco Soup

Saturday: Tilapia and roasted potatoes

So, I am trying 3 new recipes this week. I am pretty excited about The Pioneer Woman's Chicken and noodle recipe, I had been wanting to make this for some time now but had a hard time finding the noodles, but I finally found them at Albertson's and they were a reasonable price so I bought them!! Have a great week, I am off to plan the rest of my menu for the month!

Flashback Friday

2012-02-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I have done one of these. Looking back to a year ago, I can't believe how much the girls have grown! And the amount of hair they have now vs. then!

My Menu

2012-02-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

I swear I have a ton of other posts I want to blog about beside just a menu once a week, I just haven't gotten around to it, but I will try this week. I have a few updates on the girls that I want to let everyone know about, so please come visit back in a day or two and there will be some more posts!!

Sunday: Lasagna and garlic bread

Monday: Pork Chops, rice, asparagus and corn (babies haven't tried asparagus yet, so I have to have a backup)

Tuesday: Macaroni and Beef with cheese (new recipe, you can find it here), green beans and homemade bread sticks

Wednesday: Crock pot ranch Chicken (this recipe uses pork, but I want to try it with chicken), mashed potatoes and leftover veggies

Thursday: Taco Soup (we didn't have this last week)

Friday: Either order Chinese or eat out.

Saturday: Grocery Shopping Day....so whatever sounds good after I get done shopping

yet again I forgot to take the turkey out for Saturday, so we are going to be having a turkey dinner soon! maybe this coming Sunday, that is if I can remember to take it out :). Have a great week everyone!

My Menu

2012-02-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

Well last week seemed to fly by, this weekend went even faster. It is Monday and time for another menu. We stuck to our menu last week with the exception on Saturday for a couple of reasons. 1. I forgot to take the turkey out to defrost it. 2. Some of Tyson's family came to visit and so we met up with them to eat out, so it worked out perfect that I forgot to take the turkey out! Here is my menu for the week.

Sunday: SUPERBOWL FOOD- Crab stuffed mushrooms, potato skins, Hot Wings, Teriyaki wings and shrimp quesadillas (from PW)

Monday: Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Cous Cous, and green beans

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes (from PW), Salad and Tator tots

Wednesday: Spaghetti and Olive Garden Breadsticks

Thursday: Crock pot Chicken Cheddar Beer Taco's (pinterest inspired this recipe), Spanish Rice and roasted potatoes

Friday: Taco Soup and quesadilla's

Saturday: Turkey Dinner night

Here is to another great week! Hope you all have a great one!!!

My Menu

2012-01-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

It is Monday. I really dislike Mondays. I like having my husband home for the weekend, I am not so outnumbered and I get to have adult conversations, and watch t.v with him. Mondays just plain suck because you know that there are 5 upcoming working days until I get to have him home all day to help. But it must be done, and I must plan my menu. This last week we had Morgan's birthday party (I will post on that later) and we also lost a really good friend and Tyson's fellow employee Carol unexpectedly on Friday night (as I type this, I know that she read my blog and it breaks my heart knowing she will not be updating Tyson on what is for dinner--she always informed him what I had put down for my menu!) But I still have to plan and I still have to feed the kids, and well I need to eat to. So, here is my menu

Sunday: Crock pot Chicken, peas and Prosciutto with bow tie pasta, and salad (I got this recipe from a crock pot cookbook I have)

Monday: Beef and Gravy with potatoes (I made this recipe up in my head, it is going to be like meatloaf, but I am going to brown the hamburger, pour gravy on it and mix with fried potatoes), corn and rolls

Tuesday: Sweet sausage, Penne with a vodka sauce (I have never made this, but found the recipe here), salad and garlic bread

Wednesday: White Chicken Enchiladas (I have made this once before, recipe is here, however I am going to add mushrooms and peppers to it--it needs more "crunch") Mexican potatoes and refried beans (the girls LOVE beans!)

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner, otherwise known as Brinner! Either Biscuits and gravy or omelets..haven't decided yet.

Friday: Italian Chicken Sandwich's (previously tried and burnt the bread, so must try again!), macaroni salad and fries

Saturday: Turkey Dinner (we weren't home for thanksgiving but I got a turkey anyways, and I really wanted the leftovers, so we are doing Turkey dinner night!)

We got a really good deal on Chicken thru Zayconfoods.com, we got 40 lbs of chicken for only $60! If you haven't heard about them they sell "bulk" amounts of meat and it changes every month, from bacon, beef, fish, chicken, seafood, etc. You pre order and on the day that they are in your city you go and pick it up. This was the first time we ordered from them, but I have to say we got a TON of chicken. Next up is beef, but we are not going to order because it is the same price we pay for it at Costco. However we are going to see about trying other things as they come to Boise. Have a great week!

Morgan's 4th birthday interview

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

Morgan is 4 today! It just seems like yesterday that she was born. It is so neat to look back at pictures and see how much she has grown up! My baby is slowly not a baby anymore!!! Now we are just trying to plan for her birthday party this Saturday, it should be a fun time and all week she has been talking about her cake and that she is going to eat the WHOLE thing! Here is her yearly birthday interview:

What is your favorite color? Orange
What is your favorite food? Pizza and Macaroni and Cheese
Who is your best friend? Her neighbors, Keaton and Makenna
What is your favorite cartoon? Dragon Tales
What is your favorite book? Animal Babies (a counting book)
What does Mommy do best? Take care of the babies (Cameryn and Jaidyn)
What does Daddy do best? Goes to work
What is your favorite animal? Dragons
What do you like to do with Mommy and Daddy? Help cook breakfast
Where is your favorite place to go? Chuckie Cheese
How old are you? Four

It is funny to see how much her interview has changed, here is her last years interview if you want to compare. I just really wish we had my parents here this year, last year at this time my mom was suppose to come out but had to have emergency surgery....they have since made it out but it was for the twins birthday...I am hoping for next year they can get here for Morgan's birthday! I will post another blog soon, after her party to show pictures and everything!

Food Review

2012-01-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

I have been trying A LOT of new recipes lately with the intentions of giving reviews but I just ran out of time in my day. So I thought I would give an update on all the new recipes I tried last week!

Italian Chicken Soup from The Pioneer Woman: I was so excited to try this recipe, I altered it a bit and cooked it in my crock pot because Cameryn had a 4 pm eye appointment that day and just wanted to make it easier for me to cook this with out it taking too much time! I just waited to do the cream and noodles once we got home from the doctor. It was tasting yummy before I left so I was really excited. We got a ton of leftovers, which I froze. I will alter a few more things. I thought there was too much cream, so I will probably only use 1 cup instead of two, and the 2nd change that both Tyson and I agreed upon was to add some spicy sausage to it. It was just missing "something" and I think that would be a great flavor to add!

The Marlboro Man Sandwich from The Pioneer Woman: I was a bit apprehensive on this sandwich as it calls for a lot of Worcestershire sauce, but it looked so good that I wanted to try it! I did add some mushrooms to it as well and I melted cheese on Tyson's, I wanted to try it without the cheese. Tyson liked it, he said that it was really good and he would eat it again. I thought it was okay, about halfway thru the sandwich the heat started to pick up from the hot sauce so I thought it was getting better. The next day we had enough for both of us to have leftovers and this time I melted cheese on mine and it was SO GOOD! So the changes I would make....add more hot sauce, maybe some green peppers with it as well and definatley melt cheese on top!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork: I love pulled pork, I would eat it every week if I wouldn't get sick of it eventually. I wanted to find a new recipe rather than doing our normal BBQ Sauce. I stumbled across this recipe and now I have never eaten at Cafe Rio, I thought it was worth a try. It was nice to be able to put it in the crock pot and not have to worry about it the rest of the day! The verdict: it was good, but too sweet for me, I wanted more of a "kick" to it. It was bad, but it wasn't a wow, so I probably won't make it again. We had a ton of leftovers (I used a small pork roast) so the next day I made Taco's with it, which again, were just okay.

BBQ Whiskey Sliders from The Pioneer Woman: I was so, so, so excited to try this. I had never made sliders before and this just looked delicious! I was also going to make Shrimp Quesadillas, but since we had so much leftover pork from the night before I decided to do some fried taco's instead so we didn't waste the meat. The verdict: They were just as yummy as they looked, Tyson really liked them and said that they were so far the best that I have made from PW. I will make these again, they were so easy to cook as well! I am excited at some point to try the Shrimp Quesadilla's as well! Next month some time I will.

This week I am only trying a few new recipes. Next month I am going to go back and re visit a few recipes that we liked, one of them being the Italian Chicken Sandwich, also adding the spicy sausage to the Italian Chicken Soup, I really want to make some homemade pizza's on the grill as well as try a few more recipes that I have stored on my Pinterest! Now, I must go and find some crock pot recipes so we are not stuck eating Chicken Wings this week again (don't get me wrong, I like chicken wings, but as an appetizer, not a dinner)

My Menu

2012-01-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

Here is my menu for the week. I am currently trying to find some new crock pot recipes as I like to use the crock pot on Sundays and Fridays, since those are the days I struggle with not wanting to cook. Yesterday, nothing sounded good for dinner so we ended up not using the crock pot but made wings instead. I am determined for the next month of meals to have some "new" crock pot recipes as well as making a few of the ones we like.

Sunday: Wings and potatoes

Monday: Country Club Chicken, Olive garden bread sticks and green beans

Tuesday: Pork Chops, au gratin potatoes (from Pioneer woman), and corn

Wednesday: Taco's (I am doing this recipe from PW, but instead of chicken I am going to do a layer of beans and than taco seasoned hamburger), re fried beans and tator tots

Thursday: HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY MORGAN! Homemade Mac and Cheese (from pioneer woman), chili and baked potatoes (now this is subject to change by our birthday girl if she requests something different)

Friday: Need to find a new crock pot recipe--I want to maybe try Vegetable beef soup, with a side of grilled cheese

Saturday: Morgan's birthday party, we are having pizza, chips and dips, etc.

We did try a bunch of new recipes last week, stayed tuned for another post, as I am going to give my reviews and let you know what we liked and didn't like! Have a great week everyone!!

My Menu

2012-01-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

It is that time again for another menu. I am happy to say that I actually have the next two weeks of my menu planned, so that makes it a little more less stressful for me to not have to come up with another menu next week. Last week we tried some of The Pioneer Woman's recipes and we were happy with them, so this week I am going to be trying a few more! Tyson said the Au gratin potatoes I made were the best potatoes I had ever made! My favorite last week were the Taco's, I will definitely be making them again, but instead of chicken I am going to do a layer of re fried beans and stuff them with hamburger that was seasoned with taco seasoning! They were so good, I ate till I was stuffed!

Sunday: BBQ Baby back ribs, twice baked potatoes, and corn

Monday: Fried Chicken, rice and salad

Tuesday: Italian Chicken Soup (from PW), and rolls

Wednesday: Spaghetti and garlic bread (I know we eat this a lot, but 1. it is one of Morgan's favorites, 2. the babies LOVE spaghetti, 3. it gives Tyson a TON of leftovers for lunch the next day)

Thursday: The M and M sandwich (from PW), tator tots and macaroni salad (homemade)

Friday: Cafe Rio Sweet Pork (I have never ate there but want to try this), roasted potatoes and green beans

Saturday: Appetizers, BBQ Whiskey Sliders, Shrimp Quesadillas, and wings

I am trying a ton of new recipes this week and I have to say that I am most excited about the BBQ Whiskey Sliders, they look sooooo yummy! I will update you on how everything turns out! Have a great week.

My Menu

2012-01-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the week again to do my menu. I just discovered The Pioneer Woman and I have to say that I am so excited to be trying some of her recipes, she makes the food sound so yummy! So this week I am going to be trying a few of her recipes and if it goes well, I will be adding more to this months menu from her blog!

Sunday: Rigatoni w/ spaghetti sauce and garlic bread (I was suppose to crock pot it but I didn't have all the ingredients for what I wanted to make and didn't have time in the morning to run out and get those ingredients)

Monday: Pork Chops (from the pioneer woman), au gratin potatoes (homemade, from the pioneer woman) and green beans

Tuesday: Taco's (from the pioneer woman), Mexican Rice (I swear I am not stalking the pioneer woman, just really want to try her recipes!) and refried beans

Wednesday: Cream Cheese Chicken Chili (NOT from the pioneer woman, but I am excited to try this!), cornbread

Thursday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches (I have some leftover pulled pork that I froze) and roasted potatoes

Friday: We might go out to dinner, I have to go grocery shopping and it has to wait till the weekend as I am NOT going to go on a big trip by myself with three girls, so I intend on shopping Saturday morning

Saturday: Either Cheeseburgers and fries or homemade pizza--I am currently craving both so I am not sure which one we will go with.

I am so excited to try some of these recipes. Last week I tried three new recipes and they were okay, the Italian chicken sandwich was the best, but I kinda ruined it as I got the bread too crunchy so it was really hard to eat! I had a nice flavor but next time I will NOT toast the bread! Have a great week!

My Menu

2012-01-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here is my menu for the week. Last week I only tried a few new things, and I have to say that the crack potatoes were AWESOME! It is something I will make again. The husband thought they were okay, but he didn't care for the taste of the Bacon Bits, so I will make it with real bacon next time. I kinda agreed, but I grew up eating bacon bits so I was used to the taste, it just seemed a little off and would be alot better with real bacon (who doesn't love bacon right?). The Crab Rangoon dip I made really did taste like crab Rangoon, next time I make it I am going to put the stuffing in wonton wrappers and bake them in the oven.

Sunday: We at a big breakfast, had leftovers for lunch so I was NOT hungry and NOT in the mood to cook so I made a Totino's pizza and Tyson had some hot wings, taquito's, a corn dog and some of the pizza--gourmet meal right? I thought so!

Monday: Crock Pot Tortellini (except I am going to cook mine in the dutch oven for only an hour or two), salad and Garlic Bread

Tuesday: Kielbasa, noodles, and mixed veggies

Wednesday: BBQ Honey Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and rolls

Thursday: Taco's, refried beans, and Spanish rice

Friday: Italian Chicken Sandwiches, pasta salad, and homemade fries

Saturday: I haven't decided yet....I will update the post when I do decide

So I am trying 3 new recipes for this week, Friday I try to normally do a crock pot meal, but I was having a hard time finding one that sounded good enough to try. Off to pinterest I go to research and find some more crock pot recipes. Have a great week!!

2012 Goals

2012-01-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe 2012 is already here! I remember last year and Cameryn and Jaidyn were 5 months old and now they are walking, running, and trying to talk! And Morgan has changed so much as well, not only is she getting more grown up looking and turning 4 this month, but she has also turned a corner of really trying to push our buttons on a daily basis. I am hoping this year, we can come back around to were there is not so much challenging on her part and less time outs!

I don't make resolutions, I never have, but this year I decided to make some goals for myself, my house and my family. It will help us get some more structure in our some what chaotic house!

Cleaning:
1. Deep Clean one room a week (that includes closets, bathrooms, etc.)
2. Hand scrub the floors and baseboards twice a month
3. Dust once a week (not sure why but I STRUGGLE with remembering to dust)
4. Organize our office, including the filing cabinets

Cooking:
1. Create a printed cookbook of all my favorite recipes
2. Try at least 2 new recipes a week
3. Make homemade bread once a week
4. Make some meals ahead of time and freeze them

Playing:
1. Get the girls out of the house to the park or a walk at least 2 times during the week (we usually get out of the house at least 4 times a week, but sometimes it is to run to the store or dr. appts)
2. Spend 1-2 hours a day w/ Morgan while the babies are napping to do craft projects at least 3 times a week (I usually clean my kitchen when I get the girls down, than we have lunch or she has a bath, so I need to get this shifted to an earlier time so I get more one on one time with her)
3. Get Morgan signed up for Soccer (I am so excited to try this, I just hope she plays)
4. Sign Morgan up for swim lessons (another one I am excited for, she loves swimming!)

Academics:
1. Continue to work with Cameryn and Jaidyn and their speech therapy...they have come a long way since we started this almost 2 months ago
2. Work with Morgan 5 times a week on her letters and numbers to eventually learn how to write her name
3. Pursue and research some preschool's to see about Morgan going next fall.

I am going to print my list and hang it up on the fridge with a tracker so that will remind me on a daily basis of my new 2012 goals! I had a great 2011, we had happy times (a ton of them) and some sad times with the loss of Tyson's Uncle Tony but all in all it was a great 2011 and I am looking forward to 2012

My Menu

2011-12-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

Here is my menu for the week. I am only trying a few new recipes this week, compared to last week. I have to say so far we haven't been disappointed in the new recipes, but this week I thought I would go back to a few of our favorites that we are used to.

Sunday: Christmas Day, we had a Ham dinner feast at Uncle Bobby's and Aunt Donna's house--it was nice to not have to slave in the kitchen for the day!

Monday: Spaghetti Batch in the crock pot (I didn't do this last week as I had a cold and didn't feel like cooking) but now we have some sauce in the freezer for our regular spaghetti nights!

Tuesday: Chicken Legs (I will do Teriyaki and Hot and probably one or two plain for the twins), noodles and green beans

Wednesday: Taco Soup (it has been a while since I have made a fresh batch, the last couple times we ate this it was from our frozen stash) and quesadilla's

Thursday: W. T. Night--Baked Potatoes, Chili and Mac and Cheese

Friday: Garlic Skirt Steak (recipe found here), Crack Potatoes (I didn't name them, recipe found here) and pea pods

Saturday: New Years Eve--I always make appetizers on New Years Eve. I am making Crab Ragoon dip--new recipe, Stuffed Mushrooms--mine ARE the best, and Spicy and Teriyaki Chicken Bites--this will be a kid free meal, we try to do that once in a while on Saturday nights, get the kids down and enjoy some food, with peace and quiet!!

So, only 3 new recipes to try, I am pretty excited about the ones I chose for this week. I am busy thinking about my menu for next week already and have to do some more searching on Pinterest to see if I can find anymore that I want to try!! Have a great week!

My Menu

2011-12-19T09:22:00.000-08:00

Here is my menu for this week. For some reason I struggled to come up with a menu this week, I went grocery shopping on Saturday and have a fridge and freezer full of food. I think it is because there are so many new recipes I want to try and I just don't know where to put all of them!

Sunday: Pulled Pork Taco's, tator tots and beans (I took the chipotle chicken recipe from here. I cooked the pulled pork all day in the crock pot with chicken stock, shredded it and saved half for regular pulled pork and put the other half in the chipotle sauce--it is kinda spicy so I didn't give it to the kids) it was AMAZING!

Monday: Chicken and Cheese Crescent rolls, rice, and green beans

Tuesday: Pizza Casserole, parmesean garlic knots, and Salad

Wednesday: Pork Chops, Cous Cous and Corn

Thursday: Spaghetti batch in the crockpot, garlic bread and salad

Friday: Angel Chicken (crockpot friday), balsamic carrots (I have been wanting to make these for weeks and haven't gotten around to it) homemade rolls

Saturday: Christmas Eve--we are going to our neighbors house to have appetizers, so YAY no cooking for me :)

As you can see I have a lot of new recipes that I am trying.....everything that is linked is new to me EXCEPT for the garlic bread for Thursday. I still have a ton more ideas, so stayed tuned for next weeks recipes! Have a great week!!

My Menu

2011-12-12T08:56:00.001-08:00

I am sticking to the basics this week with my menu, trying very minimal new dishes. However I do have some plans for the upcoming month thanks to Pinterest. I am also struggling with what to cook when since Christmas is just around the corner, but once I get to the grocery store and have my groceries, I figured I would be inspired again and be able to get creative with my menu.

Sunday: Beer Can Chicken, twice baked potatoes and green beans

Monday: Rigatoni w/ spaghetti sauce, salad and homemade garlic bread (from Pinterest)

Tuesday: Fried Chicken, rice and balsamic carrots (again from Pinterest)

Wednesday: I am struggling with what to decide for this day, I was thinking Pork Chops or Meatloaf.

Thursday: Oven Baked Chili Dogs (thanks Pinterest) and fries

Friday: We are considering going out to eat, there is a new Chinese buffet that we have been dying to try and it is a reasonable price and they offer sushi, so we thought why not, we don't eat out that often.

Saturday: ?? depends on what I feel like after grocery shopping, I was thinking homemade pizza's on the BBQ? Maybe appetizers?

I have so many ideas running thru my head on recipes I want to try, I also have to get a big batch of spaghetti sauce frozen as we are running low. I really want to try Pulled Pork Tacos with the chicken chipotle recipe I made last week, there is a pizza casserole I want to try, along with many other recipes, so stay tuned for my upcoming menu's to see what I decide!! Have a great week everyone!!

Flashback Friday

2011-12-09T13:20:00.001-08:00

Here we were a year ago.....look how little they all look!

Cameryn:

Jaidyn:

Morgan--and we had SNOW!

Pinterest Recipes

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

I know I am just repeating myself but I am TOTALLY IN LOVE with Pinterest. Mostly for the variety of recipes that are on there. I LOVE trying new things and my cookbooks just weren't cutting it lately. So far I have tried 4 recipes from pinterest and I thought I would give my review. I unfortunately didn't take pictures as I just thought of doing this but from here on out I will and will post a review every week

This is what I have tried so far:

1. White Chicken Enchilada's
2. Crock Pot Honey Chicken
3. Cheeseburger Soup
4. 7-up biscuits
5. Chipotle Chicken Taco's
6.. Baked Cheesy Chicken
7. Crock Pot French Dips

1. White Chicken Enchilada's
This was the first thing I ever pinned on Pinterest, so I figured, it should be my first recipe from there to try. I was by far the EASIEST enchilada recipe I had made! It was very flavorful and yummy. There was a few changes I would make, rather than just have chicken and cheese as the filling, I would add maybe a few more things for more texture, like onion, or mushrooms. But I will be making this again!

2. Crock Pot Honey Chicken
I was soooo excited to try this recipe, especially after seeing the picture, it looked so good! And who doesn't love to throw their dinner in the crockpot, walk away and to come back and have it done? This recipe was good, however, mine didn't look like the picture, it was a lot more runny sauce wise. Would I make this again? I am not sure, if I could find a way to make it crunchier than yes, otherwise probably not.

3. Cheeseburger soup
I have made this once before but a totally different version, in which the different version was A LOT more time consuming, so I liked how easy this was to make! This recipe calls for only 1/2 of beef, I used a full pound. It really did taste like cheeseburgers and I kept wondering how it would taste with pickles in it! The changes I would make, I would actually add another 1/2 pound of beef and more carrots and celery. It just wasn't chunky enough for us, but it did taste amazing and we got a ton of leftovers for me to freeze and for lunches!

4. 7-up biscuits
Who knew you could add 7-up to biscuits? I stumbled across this recipe and thought, I have to try this. Mine unfortunately didn't turn out like the picture, but I was in a hurry to get them done, I think if I make them a few more times I will get them to look that fluffy. However, they were sooooo good, moist and light. I will never make frozen or canned biscuits again!!!

5. Chipotle Chicken Taco's
When I saw this recipe, I knew that I had to try it. When I make taco's I always use beef, but I was really wanting to try chicken taco's but I was looking for a different flavor than the standard taco flavor. I have to say that this dish was AMAZING! I unfortunately over cooked the chicken, so it would of been a lot better had the chicken been not so chewy. I am thinking this marinade would be good over pulled pork and you can make Carnita's tacos! I will definitely make this again!!

6. Baked Cheesy Chicken
I was so excited for this recipe, I mean who doesn't love creamy chicken, lots of cheese and noodles? I omitted the sun dried tomatoes because I was afraid that Tyson wouldn't like it if they were in there. (we don't eat sun dried tomatoes that often) but he did tell me he would be open to trying it with them next time. I also cut the recipe in half, because we didn't need 2 big dishes of this and I didn't want to freeze it in case if we didn't like it. I think I could of used just a little bit more liquid (or I over cooked it) it was good and creamy but could of been a little bit more creamier.

7. Crock Pot French Dips
Ever since I saw this recipe I had been craving french dips. When I usually make them, I buy deli roast beef, heat it up in some Aus Ju and call it good and I am usually please by this. So I figured why not try it, I like to use my crock pot on Fridays because for some reason on that day I don't really feel like cooking. I thought it turned out okay, it was nice and tender, I barely had to cut it, it was a lot like pot roast to me so that is why I said it was just okay. The husband on the other hand LOVED it and said it was really good. So I think I will for sure use the same ingredients, but maybe change up the cut of meat and use Carne Asada instead so it is less like pot roast.

I am so exicted to try even more of these recipes as well as perfect the ones we liked. I will be trying the chipotle sauce over pork and make shredded pork taco's for sure!

My Menu

2011-12-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

I already have this week and next weeks menu's planned! What can I say I was super efficient this week. I am trying ALOT of new recipes thanks again to Pinterest!

Sunday: Honey Crock Pot Chicken (you can find the recipe here.), rice, green beans

Monday: Cheeseburger Soup (recipe here.) and Rhodes rolls

Tuesday: Tacos, (thinking about doing this recipe), re fried beans (for Morgan) and Salad

Wednesday: Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne (another recipe from Pinterest, you can find it here), garlic bread and salad

Thursday: Taco Soup and Quesadillas

Friday: Crock Pot French Dips (we didn't have this last week, recipe again from Pinterest, you can find it here)

Saturday: Steak, shrimp, onions and mushrooms

I know I said this last week, but I am totally in love with Pinterest. The choices of food, is absolutely amazing that I am having a hard time picking what I want to make first! I am hoping that all these recipes turn out so than our menu becomes even more diverse!! Have a great week!

Flashback Friday (even though it is Saturday)

2011-12-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I did my flashback Friday and I was thinking about it today so I figured, why not, even though it is Saturday.

Here was where we were a year ago...

Miss Jaidyn

Cameryn hanging with Camas

Miss Morgan, oh how much you have changed!

My Menu

2011-11-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

I know that I am late posting my menu, I have been struggling to find stuff I want to make this week. We have a fridge and freezer full of food, but nothing sounds "good" maybe because I was spoiled last week with only having to cook 2 meals?? Who knows, but here it is

Sunday: I didn't make dinner, we got in from Seattle at 8:15 pm and we had snacked the whole way home.

Monday: White Chicken Enchilada's and tator tots (you can find the recipe here. (Thanks Pinterest--by the way, best thing ever!! and they turned out Delicious!)

Tuesday: Pork Chops, Cous Cous, and corn

Wednesday: Spaghetti, salad and homemade garlic bread, you can find that recipe here--thanks again to Pinterest!

Thursday: not sure yet, I have been struggling to decide, I have a few choices and I was going to wait till I go to the store tomorrow to decide

Friday: Crock Pot French Dips and homemade french fries

Saturday: Appetizer day, Wings, potato skins and another appetizer that I am trying to find that we want to try. I am hoping again that Pinterest will help us out!

Have a great week everyone!!

Everett, Here we come!

2011-11-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

We are about to take our longest vacation yet since the twins were born. We are going to Everett, WA for Thanksgiving. My Sister in law and Brother in law moved there with our niece Maggie this summer so that my BIL Dan could run his very own P.F. Changs!

We are very excited to reunite with them, but also scared about the car trip and how things will play out. We bought a DVD player for Morgan to watch movies to keep her distracted....Oh did I mention we have the 2 dogs with us as well...so it should be interesting!

Keep posted for another update, along with pictures....I am determined to have a fun time!!

My Menu

2011-11-14T06:22:00.001-08:00

Yea so I have no menu this week. I have to desperately make it to the grocery store and since my friend Lee wasn't able to make in to Boise last week she is coming this week. So I thought we would talk together and see what we want for dinner. So this is what I know so far.

Sunday: Rigatoni with spaghetti sauce, garlic bread

Monday: Pork Chops, cous cous and corn

Tuesday: ??

Wednesday: ??

Thursday: ??

Friday: ??

Saturday:??

I do know that finger steaks with be either Friday or Saturday, just not sure what day yet. Now if only I could get motivated to get to the grocery store. It is not going to happen today as I have a doctor appointment for Cameryn so I guess it will have to wait till tomorrow, but I will be picking Lee up from the airport so maybe not till Wednesday....we will see, that might work out better anyways cause I will have Lee to help push the cart so I don't have to push the stroller and pull the cart at the same time. Have a great week!

15 months and 22 days

2011-11-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

Cameryn and Jaidyn are fast approaching 16 months! Where did the time go? Just wanted to give out some updates on them as they have been reaching a TON of milestones!!

Cameryn Paige:

Walking everywhere--we do have to go and get an orthopedic consult as she has a wide gait and her toes turn inwards, that is scheduled for Monday so I am getting pretty anxious about that.

Says "dada" but she says it when I ask her to say "mama"

LOVES milk and a bottle (I have been trying to get them off the bottle and she wants nothing to do with it)

LOVES cheese, she will eat cheese all day if I let her

LOVES strawberries and apple juice

LOVES to drink out of my water glass

Very messy eater and inhales her food as if she hasn't ate in weeks

She is our "aggressor" she is not afraid to go and steal a toy away from her sisters, however when they do it back to her she has a HUGE meltdown

She is also our sensitive one, and not afraid to stick her bottom lip out when crying.

She loves to chase Jaidyn around and giggle the whole time.

she is a giggler, loves to giggle

Can give kisses, with her mouth wide open of course

Weighs 27 lbs and is wearing 18 month size clothes

Jaidyn Elliott

Walking and Running, some of the times she walks like a mummy, arms straight out in front of her

Used to say "mama" but now I can't get her to do so

she is content with a sippy cup, however if she sees Cameryn with a bottle, then she wants one

LOVES cheese as well, she gets really excited when she sees it

LOVES cheese puffs, I swear she would eat half a bag if I let her

LOVES to drink out of my water glass

She actually is a really good eater, usually finishes all her food, she just takes FOREVER to eat. She is also a very clean eater, usually not too much of a mess

She is our "tattler" when someone takes something from her she comes running right to one of us crying

She is also is very intuitive. If I say were going bye bye's she will head to the garage door. Yesterday I told her to pick up the shoes and put them back in the closet and she did, she even closed the closet door.

Loves to have "jobs" I just taught her how to throw away her diapers and shut the door and she smiles so big everytime she does this and when you praise her.

She is our little jokester as well. If I need to change her diaper she will come to me 3/4 of the way get a devilish grin on her face and turn around and run away. She does this a lot right AFTER you get her diaper off.

Loves to eat the soap in her baths, yup, she loves to ingest bubble bath.

can give kisses when you ask for one

she weighs 22 lbs and wears 9-12 month clothes

They seem to really adore each other and I hope it stays this way! Of course there are days where all they do is pick on each other, but usually they are laughing and playing all day together.

Tackle Time, Cameryn let her sit on her like this for a few minutes!

They were hugging

October Recap

2011-11-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since I updated, I guess I just find myself wanting to do other things rather than sit down at the computer. I thought I would give a recap of the month of October for our family.

Every beginning of the month of October we take a drive up to Jackson Peak Lookout in memory of Tyson's dad who passed away October 7th. Jackson Peak was his favorite lookout when he was working for the forest service, we started this tradition the year after we spread his ashes there.

Usually we hike up to the lookout have a few beers in memory, hike down and eat some lunch. This year we went the first weekend (we usually go the 2nd, but Tyson was on call so we couldn't) When we got there the lookout was closed, there were people there so we weren't able to hike up, but we did have a picnic lunch and we able to get out of the house to get some fresh air.

Cameryn was having fun!

Miss Jaidyn, not so sure about the dirt

Here is our attempt at a family photo, kind of hard to get the kids to sit still. The Next big even this month of course was Halloween. In September, I asked Morgan what she wanted to be for Halloween and she promptly replied a Bee. Wow that was easy, we went and got her costume in September and she was very anxious to wear it. I decided to not buy the babies new costumes as I already had a few choices and really, they are going to care what I dress them in. Jaidyn was a Sunflower (Morgan's 1st costume, yes it is a 9 month size and she fit) and Cameryn was a Hot Dog, which was my nieces 2nd costume.

This has to be the cutest Bee I have ever seen!

Not so sure about these costumes (they hate things on their heads)

We went with our neighbors which is traditional, it was so neat to have Morgan just go up by herself with out any help. We decided to let Cameryn and Jaidyn walk up to a few houses to try and get some candy. Cameryn was all about it, Jaidyn was too shy. Needless to say they only did 2 houses and then we put them in their stroller and they watched big sissy do the rest of the trick or treating.

The Whole gang. Hard to get all the kids to look at the camera!

Morgan was getting so much candy we had to dump her bag in the stroller and even after that it was getting heavy. She was tuckered out by the end of the night that she went to bed right away and didn't even come out of her room once!

I can't wait till next year, the twins should be really into the trick or treating part!

My Menu

2011-11-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't post a menu last week mostly because I was just being lazy and we had spent a few hours in the ER on Sunday after Jaidyn took a nasty fall and hit her head really hard. But I am back to it and here is my menu for the week! I have my friend Lee coming in on Tuesday, with her husband joining us on Friday so I am pretty excited about that.

Sunday: Poor Man Hamburger Soup (I made this up, haven't had it before, so hopefully it tastes good) and rolls

Monday: Tuna Casserole, biscuits and green beans

Tuesday: Taco's, refried beans and tator tots

Wednesday: Beer can chicken, cheesy potatoes, corn and rolls

Thursday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread and Salad

Friday: Finger steaks and fries (as requested by Jeremy)

Saturday: ??? Not sure yet, thought I would see what we all felt like

This week I am okay if things change, I was going to chat with Lee when she get here and if she wanted something else than I will be open to making any changes. The only thing I know that won't be changing is Finger Steaks. Jeremy really, really wants them and since they can't get the out in MN I thought I would indulge!

My Menu

2011-10-24T12:43:00.001-07:00

I hit a slump this week with my menu. Just not feeling like planning anything, there are all kinds of new things I want to try but I am just lacking the motivation this week for some reason.

Sunday: Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas (from left over buffalo chicken chili I made a feel weeks ago) and Spanish rice

Monday: Chicken and dumplings and salad

Tuesday: Chili and cornbread

Wednesday: Baked Ziti, garlic bread and salad

Thursday: Not sure yet, I want to try a new recipe and will be searching till I find something.

Friday: Crock pot Friday (I have yet to pick something, but I will come up with something at some point)

Saturday: Appetizers, wings, dip, potato skins

My Menu

2011-10-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week! I made it to the grocery store this weekend so our freezer and fridge are fully stocked and now I can try out some new recipes!

Sunday: Pot Roast, red potatoes, onions and carrots

Monday: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, salad and garlic toast

Tuesday: Taco's, tator tots and refried beans

Wednesday: Pork Chops, rice and corn

Thursday: ??? I am going to try to find a new recipe so I am not sure yet

Friday: Chili and corn bread (Friday and Sunday are my crock pot days)

Saturday: Chicken drummies (we do teriyaki and franks hot sauce) and potato rounds

Have a great week!

My Menu

2011-10-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week, no new recipes this week, but the following week I plan on trying some new things. I stuck to the menu last week with the exception of Thursday, for some reason I thought I had planned on Pork Chops, not Chorizo's, and Saturday, we made appetizers rather than Carne Asada.

Sunday: Carne Asada, grilled veggies and potatoes

Monday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn

Tuesday: Fried Chicken, Cous Cous and green beans

Wednesday: Rigatoni with spaghetti sauce and garlic bread

Thursday: Chorizo's, caramelized onions, baked beans and pasta salad

Friday: Pizza night

Saturday: ??? Not sure yet, I am going to be volunteering at a huge garage sale, so this is still up in the air, plus I have to get to the grocery store at some point.

Have a great week!

Flashback Friday

2011-10-07T09:15:00.001-07:00

Here is my flashback, this was last October, I can't believe how much all three kids have changed!

Miss Jaidyn

Miss Cameryn

ONE of my favorites of Morgan

My Menu

2011-10-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

It is that time of the week again, time for another menu! I stuck to my menu for the most part last week with the exception of Friday, I just couldn't seem to get that day in order so I picked up fried chicken for dinner, plus it gives us leftovers for lunch so it was a win win. Here is my menu this week, it is going to start getting cold this week so it is will be soon to retire the BBQ for the most part.

Sunday: Crock pot Buffalo Chicken Chili, got the recipe from here , and cornbread.

Monday: Spaghetti and garlic toast

Tuesday: Chicken, noodles and green beans

Wednesday: Taco Soup and rolls

Thursday: Chorizo's, caramelized onions, macaroni salad and baked beans

Friday: Pulled Pork, twice baked potatoes and corn

Saturday: Carne Asada, grilled veggies and roasted potatoes

I have a lot of ideas and new recipes I want to try this coming winter. I really want to try to make a homemade clam chowder, I am even thinking about some kind of sausage and lentil soup. I also want to really try to start baking goodies, I have always loved to bake, but this past year I just didn't have the time, and I need some new equipment, like cookie sheets and cookie cutters. Anyways it is still a bit to warm to start that now but I am going to be keeping a list of all the things I want to make! If you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know! Have a great week!!

Foo Who?

2011-09-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

I don't know about all of you, but I LOVE music. It makes me feel good, happy and I have some pretty good memories associated with certain songs.

Of course my taste really does range from country, to oldies, to old rock, to alternative, to classical and even some hip hop songs.

Driving home from the bank today a Foo Fighters song came on the radio and I was just rushed with memories that has now inspired me to write this blog. Of course I had the kids in the car, one was napping, so It wasn't like I could crank the volume and belt out the words, even though I wanted to.

I started thinking back to when Tyson and I first met. Music was such a huge part of our relationship. He introduced me to music that I didn't listen too, like Foo Fighters, Offspring, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Blink 182, Elvis Costello, etc. We also have been to a ton of concerts together, he of course has been to many more than I have. We have been to Pearl Jam, Offspring (I even won us backstage passes), The Rolling Stones, The Warped Tour (a bunch of bands playing) and I know there are more, I just can't remember.

My point...now in the reality of our situation, having three kids, cleaning, laundry, home improvements, we just don't have time to sit down and listen to the music we love. It is not like I can blare the radio while the babies nap and clean the house. It is not like we can just drop and go to a concert with out having planned in the future for a babysitter.

My Vow: To pick a CD and play that CD until I have finished it and start the process over again. I of course won't be able to play it as loud as I would like, but maybe I will have some happy endorphins running through my blood to make the day that much better!

My Menu

2011-09-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

It is that time again...I am so excited for fall (minus the allergies) because I am going to be doing ALOT of homemade soups, stews, etc....bring on the cold front, I LOVE winter time! Nothing is better than a warm home filled with the aroma of food cooking!!! Well, not this coming week, but soon!!

Sunday: Spaghetti batch (we were down to 2 or 3 in our freezer), sadly that is all I served (we had a late lunch)

Monday: Chicken, rice and corn

Tuesday: Taco's, tator tots, and refried beans

Wednesday: Kielbasa (in my dutch oven), noodles and green beans

Thursday: Pork Chops, rice (again, but we are trying our own rice instead of buying the flavored packages...so we need to practice!) and mixed veggies

Friday: Pulled Pork, twice baked potatoes, and corn on the cob

Saturday: Appetizer day! Wings, potato skins and whatever else I can create to be an appetizer!

Nothing new this week as far as my menu goes...but stay tuned as I will be having some "NEW" recipes in the future! Have a great week!!!

Flashback Friday

2011-09-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have done this....here is my flashback Friday, I am going 3 years back to a year ago!

Here is Morgan 8 months old

Here is Morgan 18 months old

Here is Morgan at 2 1/2

Here is Cameryn and Jaidyn at 8 weeks old!

Morgan's first haircut

2011-09-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Morgan was long over due for a hair cut, I had not cut any of her hair since she was born and it was turning into a ratty, nasty mess that was very hard to brush even after a bath! Her Grandma Debbie cuts hair and since we were going to McCall for the weekend, I took the opportunity to have it cut. I just wanted the rats nest to be gone and for the hair to be out of her face all the time. I have to say that I am very, very happy with the results and it looks so cute on her! Today after a bath it was so easy to brush and it is nice to see her eyes all the time! Here are some pictures of before, during and after!!!

My Menu

2011-09-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's that time again for my weekly menu! I am happy to report that I stuck to my menu last week!! Wednesday was up in the air and I decided to make homemade tuna casserole, it turned out very good! We went to McCall this weekend and it was nice to not have to worry about cooking. Tyson's mom cooked us both dinners, pork chops one night and ham the second night! We made it to the pancake house and it was delicious as always!!! Here is my menu:

Sunday: Braut burgers, tator tots and beans

Monday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and salad

Tuesday: Chicken Fajitas, Spanish rice, and refried beans (mostly for Morgan)

Wednesday: Pork Chops, Couscous, and corn

Thursday: Upside down pizza (new recipe), hot wings and salad

Friday: Crock pot Friday, Beef with mushrooms over egg noodles, rolls and green beans
Saturday: Roasted Chicken (in our smoker), twice baked potatoes and corn on the cob

Last night I decided that I am going to devote Friday's and Sunday's to the crock pot, for some reason I struggle to find motivation to cook on those days so I think this will be the easiest solution. Plus it is going to be getting colder out and there is nothing better than having your house filled with smells of food cooking in the crock pot!! Have a great week everyone!!!

Kids Update

2011-09-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would update you all on the changes that have been occurring with my three girls. Cameryn and Jaidyn are only 8 days away from being 14 months. I have been finding myself over this past week remembering what it was like a year ago. It was my first week alone with all three girls and it was very tiring! I have to say that I miss them being tiny little babies, but it is so much more fun now that they are getting around!!

Favorite food(s):

Morgan: Jam sandwiches (what she calls Peanut butter and Jelly), Gogurts (frozen of course), popsicles and M & M's

Cameryn: she eats everything and anything you put in front of her. Her particular favorites are watermelon, peaches, pears, banana's, and cheese

Jaidyn: she pretty much eats everything as well, however she is fond of watermelon, cheese, goldfish crackers and ritz crackers.

Favorite toy:

Morgan: she has really been into her stuffed animals, particularly her big "ahah" which is a huge monkey she got from her grandma debbie.

Cameryn: anything that her big sister Morgan has or anything her little sister Jaidyn has. She is our toy "stealer"

Jaidyn: anything that she can push and walk with. Also things that make loud noises, like the dog bowls

Favorite activity:

Morgan: Painting, painting, and painting. She loves to play with paint! She really enjoys riding her bike as well!

Cameryn: Bath time, she loves splashing the water!! In fact when I start to fill the tub up, she comes cruising to the bathroom all excited.

Jaidyn: Bath time as well, just like Cameryn, sometimes she gets mad when I take her out of the tub!

Eating habits:

Morgan: she loves to "snack" through out the day, We had to put a child proof handle on our pantry door otherwise she would get in there and help herself. We really have to watch how much we let her eat otherwise she won't eat her dinner. She does pretty well with this...I am lucky to say that she loves fruit so I know that she is at least getting some healthy snacks!

Cameryn: she is a shoveler, she shovels the food in so fast that when I give it to her, she is usually done within a few minutes! She is also the messiest eater I have ever encounter, from her hair to her legs she usually has some type of food on her!

Jaidyn: she is a picker, she usually eats one entree at a time and literally eats one piece at a time, she takes FOREVER to eat, as well as drink her milk!

Sleeping Habits:

Morgan: when she sleeps, she will sleep a long time, usually up to 12 hours. She is a mover, and usually wakes up once a night and makes her way to our room. I think her toddler bed is too small for her and that is why she is waking up. Depending on the time of night I will either move her back or let her sleep with us, especially if it is close to the babies waking up. For some reason she sleeps longer in our bed (I think because of the size)

Cameryn: she is the first one to go to bed, Jaidyn can be a light sleeper and Cameryn likes to "talk" herself to sleep. This has gotten better since I just transitioned them to one nap a day, but she is always the first to go down so she won't wake up Jaidyn. She will sleep up to 12 hours a night and sometimes a 3 hour nap.

Jaidyn: when Jaidyn is tired, she is tired and needs to get to bed ASAP and she is not afraid to let you know. She will just meltdown over the littlest things. She is my constant 530 am wake up, but usually she goes back after I give her paci back to her. She will sleep up to 12 hours a night as well, and usually 2-2 1/2 hour naps.

Favorite T.V. show

Morgan: Morgan LOVES T.V. This is the first year that she has really been into it, sometimes we have to restrict the amount she gets because she would sit in front of it all day and all night. Her favorites right now are Caillou, Cat in the Hat (as of this week), Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go and Elmo's World

Cameryn: thankfully she doesn't really pay attention to the T.V. when it is on.

Jaidyn: mostly she doesn't pay attention either, UNLESS Elmo's World is on....she really likes Elmo!!

Mode of Transportation:

Morgan: walking, running, biking (she LOVES her bike)

Cameryn: Crawling and kinda walking, she is getting better every day, but she has a hard time bending her knees, so it is really funny to watch! But she sure is proud of herself when she is walking!

Jaidyn: Walking, walking, almost running and sometimes crawling!!

Choice of Words:

Morgan: here are a few of her favorites, "Can we do that later?", "Sooooo, whats the plan today", "Swiper no swiping, swiper no swiping, swiper nooooo swiping" (after Dora, and mostly when the babies get close to her stuff), "Mommy, I'm hungry, can I have a snack?", "Maybe tomorrow...(fill in the blank), "when I grow up I want to be (fill in the blank, usually a fireman or something she saw on t.v.)

Cameryn: Mama, nanana (i think for banana) and dada

Jaidyn: Mama and dada

Dislikes

Morgan: Typical 3 1/2 year old stuff, she dislikes time outs, having to stop watching TV especially to go to bed. But she is going thru a phase right now of being afraid of the dark!

Cameryn: Hates it when Jaidyn takes her toy that she is playing with away from her. She also gets really mad if I take something she shouldn't have away from her!

Jaidyn: She is very, very afraid of the cat and the vacuum. One day the cat had walked by her, the cat didn't even give her a second thought but you would of thought that she had just fallen and gotten really hurt by the way she was crying! Same with the vacuum, I either vacuum when she is napping or when someone is here to be able to hold her, she watches your every move as well when you are using it!

My Menu

2011-09-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week. For the most part I stuck to my menu last week with the exception of Thursday. I had planned on Chicken but I had pulled some really ripe tomatoes from our garden and decided I wanted BLT's instead. Oh and Friday, I didn't feel like cooking so we ordered pizza :). Saturday we ended up doing appetizers, I made my very good Franks Spicy Chicken bites and Teriyaki Bites (basically Chicken, cut in pieces, dredged in egg and flour, fried, than dipped in the dipping sauces and baked for about 20 minutes, very yummy!)

Sunday: Cheeseburgers (from Friday's menu), tator tots and baked beans

Monday: Tilapia, salad and green beans

Tuesday: Fried Chicken (from Thursdays menu), noodles and corn

Wednesday: ?? Maybe breakfast for dinner...otherwise I have some beef I need to use.

Thursday: W.T. Baked Potatoes, chili and Mac and Cheese (I have a meeting for my Boise Mom of Multiples to go to so this is an easy meal for Tyson to make)

Friday: We are headed to McCall for the weekend!!

Saturday: Pancake house here I come!! McCall again!!

We are very excited to be going to McCall this coming weekend. My Mother in Law Debbie is living up there with her boyfriend Joe (more like a husband--they are not officially married but have been together forever!) We haven't been out of town in months so it will be nice to have a change of scenery!!! Have a great week!

Love

2011-09-07T14:34:00.001-07:00

I have to say that everyday I feel truly blessed to be able to stay at home with my girls. I only wish I had done this with Morgan and for some reason we thought we wouldn't be able to afford that option, but so far we have made it work! Of course I do have some frustrating days, I do get tired and wish I could take a nap, and I do sometimes just want a few hours to my self. But I figured that will come with time. Here is a list of some of the things I love about being home.

1. I love being in control of our everyday happenings, what they eat, where we go, what we play with, etc.

2. I LOVE Cameryn's smile, she has the biggest smile it lights up the room.

3. I LOVE Jaidyn's giggle, it is the cutest thing I have ever heard.

4. I LOVE having conversations with Morgan, the things she comes up with is unthinkable!

5. I LOVE that if I want to wear pajama bottoms all day, I can.

6. I LOVE that I have time to cook and be creative with our meals.

7. I LOVE that I have time during the week to do laundry instead of trying to get it finished on the weekends.

8. I LOVE that I get to take a ton of pictures a day, more than we ever did with just Morgan.

9. I LOVE watching my girls grow and develop a true friendship for each other.

10. I LOVE that I have time to organize things (now unfortunately this doesn't happen too often, but it is still a nice feeling)

11. I LOVE that I don't feel rushed to be able to get quality time in with my girls, unlike how I felt after an 8 hour day at my old job.

12. I LOVE hearing the twins wake up, they don't cry, they giggle at each other!!

13. I LOVE to see the girl's excitement when daddy comes home for the day.

14. I LOVE being able to walk out the door and take a walk to the park w/o anything holding us back.

15. I LOVE the time between 9-1030 pm as that is my down time and I finally can unwind and watch TV, it feels so much better than when I was working at a "job"

Of course there is a TON more that I love about being a stay at home mom, just thought I would share a few things about how I feel!!! I know that one day, I am going to have to go back to work and part of that sounds really really appealing to me right now (mostly for adult interaction) but I remind myself that I wanted to always stay at home, at least for a few years when I had kids and that puts me back into reality!!

My Menu

2011-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't post a menu last week, not because I didn't have one, just because I was being lazy and didn't feel like posting. Here is my menu this week

Sunday: Appetizers, spicy and teriyaki wings, shrimp cocktail, and potato skins

Monday: Carne Asada, grilled veggies and potatoes

Tuesday: Pork Chops, rice and corn on the cob

Wednesday: Spaghetti, garlic bread and Salad

Thursday: Homemade fried chicken strips, noodles and green beans

Friday: Cheeseburgers, baked beans and fries

Saturday: ??? Either we will do Tilapia, or if I don't feel like that we will do appetizers again, that is always one of our favorites

Have a great week everyone!!

Sister Love--lots of photos!!

2011-08-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have to say that I am enjoying watching Cameryn and Jaidyn's relationship really blossom. It is so neat and cute to see how the interact, play and talk to each other. I hope this is a good sign that they will always be close and will always love each other. I try to get some captured on video but of course as soon as I get the camera out, they stop. Here are some photo's I was able to get.

A Nice Visit

2011-08-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

My long time high school friend Lee came out for a visit this last Wednesday with her adorable son Ethan and stayed till Sunday. This was Lee's third time coming to Boise. The first time it was her and her husband Jeremy and Ethan. It had been a couple years since I had seen her so I was super excited that they came out. She also came out a few months ago to be with me and help me with the kids over the weekend while Tyson was in Texas, an it is always nice to have the extra help!

It was perfect timing too because our state fair started that weekend, so I was excited to be able to get out of the house and have some fun! Next year if they come Ethan will be able to partake on some rides, he was still just a little to short to be able to do that.

We just hung out during the week, catching up and watching the kids play! Ethan took a liking to Cameryn and was giving her kisses all the time! It was too cute!!

Saturday was our fair day!! I was so excited, we always go right away in the morning since it is still kind of cool out, however this year the fair changed their hours and didn't open till noon. There was no way the kids were going to be able to last that long w/o a nap so we put them down for a nap and after they woke up we fed them lunch and took off. We got there at about 1 pm and it was HOT already! We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible but it was hard in some spots. We of course were super excited about the fair food and I wish I could of ate more but I was stuffed at the end. I of course had a pronto pup (tradition), I ended up getting a Gryo (it was okay), shared some fries with Lee and than we went to the rides so Morgan could have some fun!

How can you not love this adorable face???

It was nice this year because she was tall enough to go on most of the kids rides, where last year there were only a few she could go on. My favorite part was when she went on a kids roller coaster, as soon as they went over the first mini bump, she grabbed the sides of the coaster and her face was priceless! I wish I could of gotten a picture of it! This was the HOTTEST part of the day. Lee and Tyson, and the little kids hung out in the shade but I had to stand by the rides for when she got done. I was glad we only got her 25 tickets, which was 6 rides. I even went on two of the rides with her!

He was talking.

The visit went by way to fast and I didn't want them to leave! I was very sad when I had to drop them off at the airport. At least there will be some more future visits ahead!!

Tyson taught Ethan "Knuckles"

My Menu

2011-08-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for this week. Last week we stuck to our menu and ended up ordering pizza on Friday. Saturday we just snacked as we had ate a TON at the fair so I wasn't even hungry for dinner. The Chicken Oriental Salad turned out AWESOME and tasted just like the one you get at Applebee's!!! It is something I will make again for sure.

Sunday: Smoked Chicken Legs (in our smoker), roasted potatoes and a veggie (haven't decided yet)

Monday: Pork Chops, rice and corn

Tuesday: Chorizo's, macaroni salad and tator tots

Wednesday: Rigatoni w/ spaghetti sauce, salad and garlic bread

Thursday: Juicy Lucy Cheeseburgers, baked beans and fries

Friday: Chicken Kabobs, Cous Cous and salad

Saturday: Smoked Baby Back Ribs (in our smoker again), twice baked potatoes, and corn on the cob

We have only used our smoker once and we made pulled pork. It turned out really good, so we are excited to try some more things. We decided that we are going to try some "cheaper" things before we splurged on a turkey or a brisket, we don't want to spend $20 or more to ruin it, so we thought we would "practice" a bit more! Have a great week everyone!

My Menu

2011-08-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week. I went grocery shopping yesterday and our fridge is packed full of fresh veggies and fruit again! I have a TON of vacuum sealing to do as I bought a lot of Meat for our freezer as well. We have to make one trip to Costco to get the rest of our stuff (I get hamburger there, coffee, whole milk, corn and green beans). Yesterday we bought a smoker from Home Depot so we are going to be using that alot to see what kind of good food we can smoke! Yesterday we BBQ'd homemade pizzas and they turned out delish, so we will probably do that more often!

Sunday: Pulled Pork (on the smoker), Corn on the cob (on the smoker), twice baked potato's and home made bread sticks (I have left over pizza dough)

Monday: Chicken Fajitas, homemade guacamole, mini tator tots, and refried beans (Morgan LOVES refried beans)

Tuesday: Oriental Chicken Salad--from Applebee's, except I am making it, you can find the recipe Here. Maybe some spicy chicken wings as well.

Wednesday: Taco Soup and Cheese Quesadilla's (I have to use the rest of our tortilla's)

Thursday: Lasagna (cooked on the BBQ), Garlic Toast and Salad

Friday: ?? My friend Lee from MN is coming with her son on Wednesday, so maybe we will order out or something

Saturday: ?? I want to smoke a Turkey, but we are probably going to the fair in the morning....and it takes forever and I don't want to leave the house after we start it. Brisket is an option as well!

I am super excited for the fair, nothing is better than fair food. I know my "must haves" will be a pronto pup for sure, I want to definitely get a Gyro, corn on the cob is always good. I haven't had tortatoe's forever so maybe those as well, otherwise I want to try something new, either Gumbo or something different that is deep fried? Gotta love fair food!

34 Things

2011-08-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it would be fun. I decided on 34 things because that is my age, and who am I kidding, I could of kept going but decided to stop and in a few months I will do some more. So, here is 34 things you may or may not know about me

1. I was a baton girl in elementary school. I would march in our 4Th of July parade and I have to say I was pretty good at it!

2. I always wanted to be a cheerleader in high school but didn't try out again after not making it freshman year.

3. I joined Gymnastics in high school and always wanted to be better at it than I was, but I didn't have the "discipline" to get better.

4. I wish I could carry a tune...I can't, I am an AWFUL singer.

5. I want to take a photography class and buy a really, really nice camera

6. I have always wanted to go back to school to become an R.N.

7. I have always wanted to know how to style my hair nice and to be able to put make up on so that it looks nice.

8. I am OBSESSED with purses and I dream of one day owning a Coach Purse!

9. I despise putting away whites...not sure why maybe because of all the socks?

10. I have always wanted to backpack through Europe

11. I want Lasik to my eyes but I don't qualify.

12. If I crave a food most often it is Chinese...I love Egg Rolls, Crab Rangoon, Kung Pao Chicken...I love it all!!

13. Some of my favorite memories from childhood are going up to the cabin...I miss going there!

14. I LOVE seafood...I am more apt to order Crab Cakes, Calamari, or Crab Legs when I get the chance to eat it!

15. I think of my Grandma Fitz everyday and wish I could call her on the phone.

16. I wish I could live in Minnesota to be by all of my family.

17. I love to listen to the Oldies...it reminds me of my parents and growing up

18. I miss sometimes being able to just get up and go w/o having to get all the kids ready!

19. I want to own a cabin one day.

20. I want to renew my wedding vows in Vegas when we reach 10 years of marriage!

21. My favorite type of pizza is TONS of pepperoni, green olives and thin crust.

22. I love buffet's but only for the salad

23. I love cookbooks and would collect them if I could. I love to try new recipes.

24. I have always wanted to skydive.

25. Daisy's are my favorite flower.

26. I think working at a wedding dress shop would be fun.

27. I love water slides and roller coasters.

28. My favorite fair food is Pronto Pups, tortato's, gyros, well who am I kidding, I love ALL fair food.

29. I love kitchen stuff....bowls, plates, glasses etc.

30. I am deathly afraid of spiders

31. If I am bored during a book, I skip some of the lines.

32. I prefer water over soda.

33. I love winter because it gets dark early

34. My favorite movie of all time is A Chorus Line.

1 year checkup

2011-08-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Cameryn and Jaidyn had their 1 year check up last week! Everything went well, all except for one detail, which I will get into in just a little bit. Here are their stat's from the appointment

Cameryn:

Weight 24.56 lbs---95 percentile

Length 29 inches---38 percentile

Weight to Length---99 percentile

We were told to go down to 24 ozs of milk a day (I had been giving 32 ozs) and to especially watch Cameryn...she LOVES her milk but she is so chunky already she doesn't really need the "extra" calories. She is built just like Morgan was so I am not concerned, I know once she starts walking a lot of the chub will go away!

Jaidyn:

Weight 19.94 lbs----50 percentile

Length 28.5 inches---21 percentile

Weight to Length---69 percentile

We had mentioned to the nurse that when Jaidyn is upset she will throw her fore head to the ground, over and over until we are able to comfort her (she does it a lot when I cant get her bottle made fast enough or if one of her sister's takes something away from her, even when "strangers" look at her she will do it. When my nephew was here one Sunday she kept crawling on the carpet, on her forehead, crying. It was so bad she gave her self a carpet burn. The Dr. said that it is common to have a kid who will bang their head in frustration and that the best thing to do is scoop them up and put them somewhere safe where they cant hurt their head, like a porta crib and then they will learn that they are not going to get comfort from throwing a "tantrum" Once she started reviewing the girls stat's that was when the one concern came about! Jaidyn's head size jumped from 17.91 from her 9 month appointment to 18.8 (Cameryn had gone from 18.11 to 18.5). So the Dr. was a bit concerned about the rapid growth along with the head banging. She said that if the head banging gets worse we need to call in and she is going to order a head scan. If it doesn't get worse on her next appointment if her head size jumps than she will order a head scan then. So, that is some scary news and I am hoping that everything is okay.

Her head banging has continued, I wouldn't say worse, but is still happening. I am going to give it a week or two before seeing if I should call in for the head scan. On the other news, Jaidyn is consistently standing up, in the most random spots, I would say, she just doesn't want to take that first step (little stinker). Days after she started this Cameryn started as well. It is amazing what they learn from each other! Pretty soon, we are going to have walkers on our hands (help me now please).

I still can't believe a year has gone by! I am getting excited for this winter to see how they are at Christmas time with presents and snow (what little snow we get), and I am so excited for the new adventures and memories we will have as a family!! I will keep you all updated on the result of Jaidyn!

My Menu

2011-08-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week. We didn't make it to the grocery store this weekend, but there will have to be a trip this coming weekend as we are getting down the the nitty gritty in our freezer/fridge and pantry. Which I am totally fine with because then we get "fresh" stuff to stock up on.

Sunday: Chicken Wings and roasted potatoes (we didn't have this on Saturday because we ate a late lunch and weren't hungry)

Monday: BBQ Chicken tenderloins, Cous Cous and green beans

Tuesday: Meatloaf (cooked on the BBQ), mashed potatoes, gravy and corn

Wednesday: Carne Asada, grilled veggies and Spanish rice

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner--I have heard people call this Brinner. I am going to cook Almond dipped French Toast and bacon.

Friday: Cheeseburgers, baked beans and pasta salad

Saturday: ???? depends on grocery shopping.

Now that Cameryn and Jaidyn are eating people food, I am going to start to have to alter how I am cooking. Right now us 3 can get away one can of corn, or one box of rice, etc. But that doesn't leave too many leftovers for the babies...(they eat the leftovers the next day for their meals) So I guess now I am going to have to start cooking 2 of everything! It will probably take a week or so for me to get it figured out on exactly how much of the main entree to cook, but at least they are off of formula and baby food!! Have a great week!

My Menu

2011-07-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

Well, here is a week to me cooking all the meals....sure do miss my parents, not only for them cooking but just for them being around. Since it is going to be another hot week, most of these meals will be cooked on the BBQ.

Sunday: Beer Can Chicken, Corn on the cob, and salad

Monday: Rigatoni w/ spaghetti sauce, garlic bread and leftover salad

Tuesday: Kielbasa, noodles and green beans

Wednesday: Pork Chops, rice and mixed veggies

Thursday: W.T. Baked potato's, chili and mac n cheese. I am going out to dinner with my friend Heather, so this is an easy one for Tyson to make.

Friday: BBQ Beef in the crock pot (didn't do this last week), and twice baked potatoes

Saturday: Chicken Wings (again didn't do this last week) and whatever other appetizer stuff I can make.

Have a great week!!

Flashback Friday

2011-07-29T13:13:00.001-07:00

Oh my, they were so tiny that they fit in one bouncy seat together!
Cameryn on the left and Jaidyn on the right
Even Morgan has changed so much, she has lost of ton of the baby fat that I see on her cheeks in this picture.

1 Year Old

2011-07-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Oh my, time has sure flown by in this house. Cameryn and Jaidyn turned ONE on July 20Th! It is crazy to think where we were last year at this time, tired, tired, tired. We are still tired but in a different way. At least the girls are sleeping thru the night and that helps! I can't even believe they are one already.We had a small birthday party for them on their actual birthday since my sister in law Jamie was in town from Washington. We made some cupcakes for them, but for some reason they really didn't want to eat them! Then they got to open a TON of presents that she had bought them. It was a really nice day for them.

We also had a big birthday party on the 23rd, we had a BBQ with Hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, chips, etc. They also got a TON of presents from family and friends. Of course they weren't really sure how to open them, but big sister Morgan had no problem showing them. I haven't had their 1 year checkup yet as their doctor was really booked out, we have that scheduled for August 1st, so I will have their stats then.

Cameryn: Still happy, happy, happy, unless if she is hungry or tired. She loves to mimic you, when you ask her to say "mama" she says "nanananananana" over and over again. She is walking along furniture, and will walk with a walking toy. She loves to eat and will eat anything that you put in front of her. She loves to "chase" Jaidyn around the house and they giggle the whole time! She is wearing 18 month size clothes (she is still a chunk) and she knows how to take her diaper off.

Jaidyn: She is our little clown. Loves to do silly things to make you laugh. She can say "mama" and loves to "talk" to you, constantly, and she is LOUD at it. She just started to try to stand up on her own, without furniture around. Pretty soon she will be walking! She is a very "polite" eater as I put it. She will eat all her food, but it takes her forever and she rarely makes a mess. She also tries to steal her sisters food off of her tray. She wears between 6-12 months for clothes, she is still just a tiny little thing! Her newest thing is if she gets upset that she will put her forehead on the ground, cry and crawl at the same time. She did it so much she gave herself a rug burn on her forehead!

I am looking forward to the next year and what it will bring. It will be interesting when they both start walking, that will definitely bring more challenges to me, but it will be fun for Morgan as she will be able to interact with them more!

My Menu

2011-07-26T07:11:00.001-07:00

Here is another weekly menu. It has been nice to not have to do a lot of the cooking this past week. We have been BBQing a lot lately since it has been so hot outside, we don't want to heat the house up with the oven.

Sunday: Spaghetti, Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread (I made a huge crock pot batch since we were running low from our frozen stash)

Monday: Brauts, Baked Beans and leftover pasta and tuna salad

Tuesday: Steak and big bakers

Wednesday: Pork Chops, Cous Cous, and green beans

Thursday: Hawaiian Chicken, noodles, and salad

Friday: BBQ Beef in the crock pot and corn on the cob

Saturday: Chicken Wings, potato skins, and some other kind of appetizer.

My parents and nephew leave on Wednesday :( so I am back to cooking after today. Have a great week everyone!

My Menu

2011-07-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

I am a little late posting my menu this week. We have been busy with my parents and nephew here so I haven't spent much time on the computer. Here is my menu for the week.

Sunday: Taco's and refried beans

Monday: BBQ Chicken (Thanks Dad!--it was yummy), corn on the cob and salad

Tuesday: We are going out to my Brother in laws parents ranch to have a family dinner

Wednesday: Baby Back Ribs, potato salad and corn on the cob

Thursday: Tyson and I get a DATE NIGHT!!! (Thanks Mom and Dad, it is much needed)

Friday: Appetizers, Spicy Chicken Bites (thanks again dad), and I am not sure what else

Saturday: Cameryn and Jaidyn's birthday party! Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Coleslaw, Tuna Salad, Pasta Salad, chips...etc...etc...etc...

It has been really nice to not have to do all the cooking! Plus it has been soooo hot that it is nice to BBQ rather than heat up the house with the oven! Have a great week.

Flashback Friday

2011-07-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

This was me 1 year ago. I still had 4 weeks to go with the pregnancy and had been on bed rest for 4 weeks. I remember being sooooo uncomfortable and just wanting to be done. However I was trying to last as long as I could so the babies would come out healthy. Little did I know that 4 days after taking this picture I had a C-Section due to my complications with high blood pressure and preeclampsia. I can't believe I was this HUGE!

Transitions

2011-07-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

As Cameryn and Jaidyn are approaching one, I again am having to change up their schedule! It makes it for a few hectic weeks, but it has to happen.

The first thing we started was giving them "people" food. They just are not that interested in me feeding them baby food anymore so I figured, time to make the change! So far they have tried Mac and Cheese (a HUGE hit), baked potato (just so so with them), buttered noodles, spaghetti (another HUGE hit), baked beans, frozen peas, green beans, vanilla yogurt (a favorite of theirs), pears, bananas, club cracker, Ritz crackers, goldfish, shredded and sliced cheese.

Cameryn does great with the food of course, she likes her food. Jaidyn on the other hand has a hard time I think with touching the soft food. I don't know if it is just the texture she doesn't like or if she wants me to feed it to her. She will eat it if I feed it to her so I am thinking it is the texture of the food. She is getting better at it everyday.

We also finished our last can of formula and instead of me going out to buy some more we started transitioning into whole milk. This is going to be nice because formula is expensive (although we buy Costco brand and it is $17 a can) but they go thru 2 cans a week. So this is going to be saving us about $120 a month!!

I can't believe a year has gone by already, my little babies are growing up so fast!

The next few transitions we are going to be going thru are, no more bottle and going from 2 naps to 1 nap a day. Right now they nap from 9-11, then 2-4--sometimes the times vary depending if they wake up early or not. Then I start bedtime at 730 but for the last few nights they have been fighting going to bed even though they have been up for over 4 hours, so I am thinking we have to start increasing the amount of time they are up before we put them down. I am hoping for a goal of napping from 11-2, but since they get up at 6 am EVERY morning this is going to be a difficult task to do! I am just not sure if they will be able to be up for 5 hours at a time, but this is something that has to happen so I am going to just stay positive and see how it goes!

My Menu

2011-07-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

I stuck to my menu for the most part last week, I did have to make a minor change because of changes we made with 4Th of July plans. I basically moved everything by one day and took out Thursday's BBQ Chicken, so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience. I am struggling this week to come up with a menu, not sure why just not in the mood I guess. Also my parents and nephew are coming next Saturday so I am looking forward to them doing alot of the cooking for us! (Aren't parent's great?!?)

Sunday: Kielbasa on the grill, with onions and mushrooms, salad and green beans

Monday: Spaghetti, garlic toast and salad

Tuesday: Hawaiian Chicken (chicken marinated in teriyaki, topped with grilled pineapple and Swiss cheese), noodles and corn

Wednesday: BLT's, potato salad, and baked beans

Thursday: W.T. Baked potatoes, chili and mac n cheese

Friday: Pizza night. We don't order pizza often so I thought we would treat ourselves.

Saturday: Not sure yet. My parents and nephew fly in so probably something on the BBQ, maybe steak.

As I said, I am very excited for my parents and nephew to get here. It is going to be nice to have the extra help, plus with my Mom and Dad's cooking you cant go wrong. We will even get a date night out of it!! Have a great week.

My Menu

2011-07-04T07:54:00.001-07:00

I did a really good job sticking to my menu last week, the only change we made was Saturday. I had been really craving finger steaks, but it was so nice out we decided to grill up steak instead and it was yummy! Here is my menu for this week

Sunday: Leftover Pulled Pork sandwiches, potato salad, macaroni salad and chips

Monday: Chicken Wings, potato's, meatballs and deviled eggs

Tuesday: Pork Chops, noodles and corn

Wednesday: Taco's, re fried beans and tator tots

Thursday: BBQ Chicken, salad, sauteed pea pods from our garden

Friday: Juicy Lucy's (Hamburgers with cheese in the middle), pasta salad and chips

Saturday: Carne Asada, grilled veggies and potatoes

Nothing new this week that I haven't made before. I want to be able to grill as much as possible so we don't heat the house up with the oven. Wednesday it is suppose to be almost 100 degrees and that is a bit too hot for me to be grilling so we are going to do an inside meal that day. Have a great week!

My Menu

2011-06-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last week started out really well with my menu...then at the end of the week I didn't do a very good job following it. But that was okay we just didn't feel like having what I had on the menu and I didn't have some ingredients that were needed for the particular dishes. Here is my menu for this week

Sunday: Ribs, baked potatoes and corn (the ribs were given to us and they were really gamey so we didn't eat them, we had hot dogs instead :) )

Monday: BBQ Chicken, salad and fresh green beans

Tuesday: Penne Spaghetti Bake, Sweet Sausages and Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Tilapia, rice and corn on the cob

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner, pancakes, hash browns and bacon

Friday: Pulled Pork in the crock pot, twice baked potatoes and salad

Saturday: Finger steaks and fries

Have a great week!

Flashback Friday

2011-06-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

Here I was a year ago....so uncomfortable and HUGE!

Looking back I am not sure how I got through June with this belly, it was so hot outside. Not to mention soooo uncomfortable to "sleep". I do have to say I miss the movement and the kicking (for the most part) and it makes me a little sad to know that I am not ever going to feel that again.

11 Months

2011-06-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, 11 months have already gone by since Cameryn and Jaidyn were born. It is hard to imagine that next month they will be ONE!!! They are growing up so fast! Parts of this last year were a bit of a blur well because with one newborn you don't get sleep, but with 2 newborns you really don't get sleep and then throw an active 3 year old in the mix and it is constant go! Here is what the girls have been up to.

Cameryn Paige:

Still by far the HAPPIEST baby I have ever been around. The only time she cries is when she is hungry or if you take something away from her that she shouldn't have. She is loves to be tickled and loves to play Patty Cake and she even claps her hands on her own to mimick. She is standing up on everything, even my back when I am changing Jaidyn's diaper. She has taken a few steps while hold on the furniture as well. She has also already climbed up 3 steps!! Cameryn currently has 7 teeth and is getting her 8th, which leaves us with a very drooley baby. She is also still a chunk, she can fit is 18 month size clothes as well. She is pretty much over baby food and prefers finger foods. Her favorites are club crackers and the little cheesy puffs that you can get from gerber. She loves to be in her car seat and usually falls asleep in minutes when she is in there. She also LOVES Morgan. Whenever Morgan is around she usually follows her where ever she goes and if she is on the couch, Cameryn is right there standing up and giggling at her.

Jaidyn Elliott:

Jaidyn has changed into such a clown. She started as our "fussiest" baby and has now turned into a sweet, funny, little snuggler. She loves to talk to you, she will let out a "ahhh" and if you say it back to her it will go and go and go like that for a few minutes. She just started to pull her self up on certain things. She won't pull up on the coffee table or the couch, but she will pull up on my back, the toy box and chairs. She LOVES to stand on her head as well, she does it all day long and it cracks me up every time! Jaidyn only has 4 teeth so far, and what is really weird is the one upper tooth she has is a side tooth, not a front tooth. I think that she is as well just about to get a few more as her gums are really swollen and her nose has been running a lot! She is still the lightest, tiniest baby that I have had. She can still fit in 6 months sizes!!! She LOVES her fruit with the baby food, she would eat fruit all day if I let her. She also loves Puffs, they are by far her favorite, she gets really excited when she sees me bring them out! She also started waving, not at us, but at herself! I definitely think she is going to have Tyson's curly hair, she has so much of it and always after a bath it is SUPER curly, which I am excited about, I always wanted curly hair.

It is great to see them interacting as well, if one is doing something the other one has to be right there, they have even started to "wrestle" with each other, it is so cute. Every once in a while they will "talk" with each other and giggle at each other. In fact if one is up before the other from sleeping they just aren't the same until the other one wakes up! I hope this is a good sign that they are going to get along for their whole lives!
I am now starting to plan their 1st birthday party. I got the invites all made up, my parents and nephew Tyler are coming out for the party so I am excited about that! We are going to have a big BBQ with some water toys for the older kids. I love summer birthdays! It is always hard to be creative with Morgan's since it is right in the middle of winter. I just can't believe they are turning ONE!

My Menu

2011-06-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

Here is to another week of meal planning. I again stuck to my menu last week with the exception of last night. We had gone camping but had to return on Saturday for numerous reasons. It was raining and we weren't able to get in the camper to get our taco stuff out so I ordered Chinese instead (which I was craving anyways and we get leftovers for lunch)

Sunday: Taco's (we found some taco marinated beef at the grocery store so we are going to try it)

Monday: Pork Chops, rice and asparagus

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes and fries

Wednesday: Chicken, cous cous, and corn

Thursday: Tilapia, noodles and green beans

Friday: Ribs in the crockpot (new recipe for me) and twice baked potatoes

Saturday: Carne Asada, grilled veggies and roasted potatoes

Last week I tried homemade chicken lo mien from my new cookbook and I think it turned out pretty good for my first time. There was some ingredient that was "missing" that we couldn't quite figure out but it was still tasty! Have a great week everyone!!!

Headed to the Hills

2011-06-17T06:28:00.001-07:00

It is the middle of June and we are just now able to get out of town and do some camping. Now this is not due to schedules but because of Weather. It just hasn't been warm enough for us to go w/ the kids. Now that it is the middle of June our next problem is schedule. Tyson is on call every other week and going through our summer schedule we realized that if we didn't go this weekend we are not going to be able to go till the end of July. We are not big campers on holidays so the 4Th of July was out, then he is on call, then my parents are visiting for two weekends. So camping we will go. I have to say that I am pretty nervous how it is going to be w/ Cameryn and Jaidyn this time around. They are crawling and I really don't want to have to deal w/ the whole dirt in their mouth etc. We never had to go thru that with Morgan, she was tiny the first camping year and walking the second camping year. They have been camping once before, we got one trip in after they were born, but they were content in their bouncy seats. I have to say that first trip with them was the funnest as they were not sleeping thru the night so it made it for long days especially since Morgan wanted to be able to do things so it wasn't like we could nap when the babies napped.

But, I am just going to go with the flow and see how it goes. I have to say I am excited to get out of town, away from the computer, TV, all the distractions and to just sit, relax and clear my head.

My Menu

2011-06-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for this week. For some reason I struggled with picking out what to eat even though I went grocery shopping. I guess I am not in the "cooking" mood right now. We are going camping this weekend as well so that helped as we always have a few go to items for what we cook. It is our first trip this summer and Cameryn and Jaidyn's 2ND trip ever. It should be interesting since they are crawling.

Sunday: Steak, mushrooms and onions, baked potatoes and corn on the cob

Monday: Spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread

Tuesday: Were going to Idaho Pizza Company since Jamie is going to be in town

Wednesday: Chicken Lo Mein (new recipe) and egg rolls

Thursday: BLT's, salad and fries

Friday: CAMPING!! Chili cheese hot dogs and chips

Saturday: CAMPING!! Taco's

Ted's Tasty Chicken

2011-06-08T19:40:00.001-07:00

Here is another recipe for me to share. I make this a lot during the summer and it is really easy and tasty! The inspiration for this recipe started from when my husband talked about a chicken recipe that his dad used to make, so this is what I have created.

Chicken (you can use any kind, legs, tenderloins, breast, it doesn't matter)

1 Can of Beer

1 packet of Italian seasoning

1/2 cup of teriyaki

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Kickin Chicken

Place chicken in a Ziploc bag, add seasonings to your liking (Kicken Chicken is a Weber product and you can find it in your spice isle at the store), and the whole packet of the Italian seasoning.

Pour 3/4 of the beer in the bag along with the teriyaki and Worcestershire sauce. Place in fridge and let marinade for 6-8 hours.

Place on grill and once you flip the chicken pour more of the marinade over the chicken. I repeat this process 2-3 times. This is great for leftovers as well, you can add it to a salad or make a club sandwich out of it as well. You really can't go wrong with this recipe and it is so easy to do!!! Hope you all enjoy this recipe!!

Taco Soup

2011-06-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

If you know me you know how much I LOVE to talk about food, how I LOVE to eat food and how I LOVE to try new recipes. I decided to start posting some of my cooking adventures along with the recipes so I can share with everyone if they decided they wanted to try something new. I have to say one of my FAVORITE recipes that I have created is my Taco Soup recipe. I had never made it before last year and I have to say that it is probably one of my best creations I have done so far.

1lb of ground beef

1 onion chopped

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can of corn

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of black beans

1 can of black olives

1 can of mild green chilies

1 QT of chicken stock

Taco Seasoning

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Cumin

Brown hamburger and onion together. Drain fat off beef and add taco seasoning. I use bulk taco seasoning to my taste but it is usually 2-3 packets. Add chicken stock. Add tomatoes, corn and green chilies with the juice. Drain and rinse kidney and black beans and add. Chop olives and add.

As far as the seasonings go, I just add to my liking of taste. I love Cumin but you don't want to over do it on this soup as it can get really spicy so add the seasonings to your liking.

Let simmer 2-3 hours prior to eating. It is best served with shredded cheese and sour cream mixed in. We also eat with tortilla chips. I recommend Juanita's chips as they are the best. This does make a TON of soup so you can even freeze some for later. It is also better the next day as it sits over night!

I hope you all enjoy this!!

My Menu

2011-06-05T11:34:00.001-07:00

I actually stuck to my whole menu last week and I have to say it was refreshing to not have to worry about what we were making. Plus it was so much easier to get the meals cooked rather than change our minds and have it take longer to get it prepped, etc. Here is my menu for this week.

Sunday: Beer Can Chicken, corn on the cob and salad

Monday: Taco Soup and leftover salad

Tuesday: Pork Chops, rice and green beans

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, noodles and mixed veggies

Thursday: Ravioli w/ homemade Alfredo sauce garlic bread

Friday: BBQ Day (I am thinking steak, not sure yet)

Saturday: Appetizer night, Chicken wings, potato skins, and marinated shrimp on skewers

Have a great week everyone!

Flashback Friday

2011-06-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot about this picture. This was taken at our first house. Notice the trash that Abbie had ripped up in the front yard. She looks like she knows the cops were there....they weren't at our house, they had parked there and walked down the road to arrest our nasty neighbor for a warrant.

My Menu

2011-05-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for this week. We actually stuck to our menu everyday last week except for Saturday since we again had an impromptu get together with friends who brought over pizza for us.

Sunday: BLT's, macaroni salad and potato salad

Monday: Chicken Alfredo (new recipe), salad and garlic bread

Tuesday: Smoked Mozzarella w/ artichoke and garlic sausages (new to us, Jamie bought them), roasted potatoes and baked beans.

Wednesday: Rigatoni w/ spaghetti sauce, garlic bread and salad

Thursday: Fried Chicken strips, noodles and corn

Friday: Carne Asada, veggies and potatoes

Saturday: BBQ Hamburgers, fries and BBQ Beans

I am hoping our weather starts to get warmer so we can do all this barbecuing. The cold has to go away sometime right?? Have a great week everyone!

My Menu

2011-05-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week, it was nice not having to sit down and plan it out today since I did the whole month last week. We did really well sticking to our menu everyday last week but Saturday we had a spur of the moment BBQ so we cooked Chicken rather than Fish so that is on this weeks menu.

Sunday: Tilapia w/ lime and salsa marinade, homemade scalloped potatoes and corn

Monday: Chili Chicken Enchilada's (new recipe), Spanish rice and salad

Tuesday: Pork Chops, noodles and green beans

Wednesday: Hamburger Beef Tamale casserole (another new recipe), salad and rolls

Thursday: W.T--Chili, Mac n Cheese and Baked Potatoes

Friday: BBQ Beef in the crock pot, homemade potato salad, baked beans

Saturday: BBQ Day--maybe hot dogs, sausages, chorizo, something like that.

Have a great week everyone!

My Menu

2011-05-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I wasn't very inspired to cook, but since I went grocery shopping this weekend I have found my inspiration back. Prior to the shopping trip I made my menu for the month up, usually I do it after I shop but I wanted to be able to get all the stuff I needed for the month in that one trip so I didn't have to run out and pick stuff up during the week. I didn't do so well with sticking to the menu last week, and we didn't try any of the new dishes, so I have added them to my menu for the month.

Sunday: Spaghetti and garlic toast (we needed a big batch for our freezer since we were getting low)

Monday: Chicken Kabobs Corn on the cob and Salad

Tuesday: Carne Asada, veggies, and potato rounds

Wednesday: Kielbasa w/ caramelized onions and mushrooms, cous cous, green beans and salad

Thursday: Beef Fajitas, refried beans, and spanish rice

Friday: BBQ (not sure what yet)

Saturday: Tilapia, roasted potatoes and corn

I put alot of BBQ stuff on here so depending on the weather the menu might change, but I really hope is starts to get nicer out!! Have a great week everyone!

New Schedule

2011-05-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

Just when I get one schedule down with the girls, it changes again! I am starting to transition them into having a "lunch". I am hoping this schedule sticks a little bit so that we can just make gradual changes as we go along. Lately the girls have been waking up at the same time over the past few weeks and it is earlier than before. But with this consistency I am able to keep up with a schedule.

615-630: Cameryn and Jaidyn wake up (Morgan has been joining us the past few days but I am hoping she returns to her 730 wake up time)

630-7: Feed babies and change diapers

7-8: Enjoy some coffee, maybe watch the news, play with the girls, if Morgan is up then I am getting her breakfast and she usually watches Curious George

8-815 Feed babies Oatmeal and fruit

830-I take a quick shower

845-9: Bath babies (every other day)

9-915 Put babies down for nap

915-945 Clean kitchen, living room, start laundry, etc...

945-1030/11ish: Every other day Morgan takes a bath or Play with Morgan, puzzles, coloring, play outside, etc. I also squeeze an early lunch in for us during this time.

11-1115: Change diapers for babies

1130-12 Lunch time for babies, either a fruit or veggie, followed by puffs or baby mum mum crackers

12-1 Play time with all three girls

1-130 Feed the babies a small bottle and change diapers again

130- Put babies down for nap

130-330/4ish: Play one on one again with Morgan. Since it has been warm we do about an hour and a half out side and then come back in to watch cartoons or more puzzles.

4-430 Prep dinner if needed, babies are usually up so I will change their diapers, then go back outside to play if the weather is nice

445: Daddy is home! My favorite part of the day because then I am not alone!

445-530: Hang out with Tyson and catch up

530-545: Feed Babies dinner, Cereal and a veggie

545-630: Finish cooking dinner and eat

630-715: Feed babies small bottle, get them in the pajamas

715-730: Put babies to bed for the night (unless it is done earlier depending on how long they have napped for), during this time we also are getting Morgan in her pajamas and letting her pick out a show to watch, or color time

745: Morgan goes to bed

8-815: Make Tysons lunch and coffee for the next morning

815: AHHHH Relaxation time!

Again, I don't get a lot of time during the day to go and do stuff otherwise it just messes with their schedule way too much, however if I do I prefer the morning time because usually the babies will nap during the car ride and the shopping trip and that way I am guaranteed for them to take a good long nap in the afternoon, which then allows Tyson more time with them rather than putting them to be an hour after he gets home. I am hoping to transition them to staying up more than 3 hours and get to like a 12-3 nap time, then I can start getting Morgan back on naps only when she needs them. After looking at this schedule now I know why I get so exhausted when I finally get to sit down and watch TV!

Mom of Three

2011-05-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

This was my first mothers day with 3 kids. I really wanted to try to find a place to go to a nice mothers day lunch but realistically, taking Morgan out to a restaurant can be stressful at times and I really didn't want to have to deal with that on Mothers Day. So my request was to be able to sleep in, which I did till 815! We had planned a brunch with our neighbors but that ended up not happening so instead we went out and got cheeseburger's. I had been wanting to try a new fast food place here called Iceberg so that was where we went, and for the price I have to say the burgers were pretty good, but I am still a Five Guys fan.

It is weird to still think I have 3 kids....2 years ago I would of said two but really I am just tripled blessed. I couldn't ask for any easier babies. Morgan was always easy as a baby, but now that she is 3 we are going thru a lot of challenges with her, but when she is sweet, she is super sweet and how can you deny this smile!

I love that I have had the opportunity to stay home with the girls this time around and I really wish I was able to do that with Morgan. I feel so proud when they finally reach a milestone and I guess that is what being a Mom is all about.

Next year I think I am going to plan a little time away for myself, maybe a movie or a pedicure. I just really wanted to stay at home this year with my family and have some good family time.

I LOVE it when Cameryn smiles like this

I even got a present that I had been wanting for a long time! I got a new dutch oven, I know it seems silly but I am obsessed with kitchen items so they did good on picking it out. Morgan even picked the color! I even used it that night to make pulled pork for dinner! I have a ton of new ideas for cooking with my new toy and I am super excited about it!

Now to planning a wonderful Fathers Day for Tyson!

My Menu

2011-05-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am struggling this week making a menu only because I am sick of the same old stuff but having a hard time decided what new stuff to make. I have picked out 2 new recipes from my cookbook so I am hoping my inspiration finds me at some point this week!

Sunday: Pulled Pork (in my new dutch oven), twice baked potatoes and corn on the cob

Monday: Rigatoni w/ spaghetti sauce, meatballs, garlic toast and salad

Tuesday: Hamburger Tamale's (new recipe and in my new dutch oven), crescent rolls and salad

Wednesday: W.T---Mac n Cheese, Chili and Baked potatoes

Thursday: Chili Chicken Enchilada's (another new recipe), potato rounds and corn

Friday: Dan and Jamie's going away party, dinner at The Dutch Goose!

Saturday: BBQ (not sure what yet, maybe steak, hamburgers...it's up for debate

Morgan Jo, 3 years, 3 months and 9 days

2011-05-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

IT'S POTTY TIME... Over the last few months we have talked and talked to Morgan about going potty on the toilet..she wanted NOTHING to do with it...except at random times, she would just go on the potty and come out and tell us even though we weren't pushing it. I really wanted to get her potty trained because I want to get her into preschool as I think that is something she will love and begin to develop some of the skills she needs minus the distraction of her sisters. So, my new approach, tell her everyday all of her friends that go potty on the toilet. I told her Reagan, Brooks, Makenna, Keaton, and cousin Maggie all go potty on the toilet.

On my birthday, April 25Th...she told me she wanted to wear underwear...I tried to not act as excited as I was so she felt like it was her idea but I was so excited!!! To flash back a few days, she would poo on the toilet but if I asked her to pee she wouldn't, I was thinking this is totally backwards, usually they have a problem going poo after they are potty trained...but then again she has always been obsessed with poo...seriously....so I was excited for her to start going potty on the toilet!!

So we had told her a while back if she went potty so many times she could get a Jessie doll, from Toy Story, so she had gone enough last Thursday that would warrant me getting the doll, I just didn't have enough time.. I tried to have the Easter Bunny get it for her but couldn't find it in any of the stores we went too.

On Monday I made it my mission to find her Jessie doll, this is 1 week after going potty on the toilet. She went pee and poo that morning, and we set off to get Jessie.....as soon as we got home, she thru a HUGE fit because she wanted a diaper...I didn't know what to do, my first reaction was "are you kidding me" and I think I actually said that to her then I told her that she could have a diaper but I get to take Jessie away....she finally understood...

Now...she is holding her poo and when she doesn't hold it she goes in her underwear. At least she is not having accidents and going pee all the time, but really poo? She was all about poo at the beginning and not so much now. Also she REFUSES to go in public bathrooms, she says she has to go, I take her and she won't go...that is probably the MOST frustrating of the situation..

I just have to remember that this only happened a week and a half ago and that I just need to be patient and remember I am only using 1 diaper a day for her....thank goodness for going potty on the toilet! Wait 2 years from now when I am trying to potty train 2 kids!

Tuesday Talk

2011-05-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Here was a conversation I had with Morgan this morning. I started off because we have Jamie's jeep while she is house searching in Seattle and Tyson decided to take it to work today.

Morgan: "Mom, why is daddy taking Jamie's jeep to work"

Me: "Because he wants to"

Morgan: "Is he going to leave it at work or drive it back home?"

Me: "He is going to drive it home"

Morgan: "Why" (a new all time favorite question)

Me: "Well, how else would he get home if he didn't drive the jeep, he would be stuck at work"

Morgan: "He could walk home"

Ha ha, too funny, I don't know where this girl comes up with half the stuff she says! She is one smart cookie and that makes me proud :)

My Menu

2011-05-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week. Yesterday I got a new cookbook that I have been wanting forever, it was my birthday present (yes I know, I get excited about cookbooks) I got the new Taste of Home Cookbook and it even comes with a free subscription for the magazine for a year. I haven't gotten a new cookbook in a long time and I am really excited about it because it has a TON of new recipes, so I will be trying some of them out soon!!

Sunday: Carne Asada, potatoes and veggies (we have this alot because it is ONE of my favorites)

Monday: Chorizo, baked beans, salad

Tuesday: Chicken, rice, green beans and salad

Wednesday: Tacos, refried beans and tator tots

Thursday: BBQ grilled Pork Chops, noodles and corn

Friday: BBQ Beef in the crockpot, twice baked potatoes and mixed veggies (I have been wanting to make this for the past few weeks and it just hasn't happened)

Saturday: Appetizers, chicken wings and few new apps from my new cookbook!

Flashback Friday

2011-04-29T08:23:00.001-07:00

Here I am a year ago, 25 weeks pregnant with the twins. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to have that belly again, and this was just the start, I got 2 times larger than this picture. It is also amazing to see how "little" Morgan seems in these pictures as she has grown up so much!!

Jaidyn Elliott-9 Months

2011-04-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

We had the twins 9 month checkup last week! I still can't believe they are 9 months already!!! Jaidyn is finally starting to catch up to Cameryn as far as "milestones" go, but she is still our little peanut. She is just so tiny and light compared to Cameryn it is crazy to think they can be so different!!! Here are her stats from the appt.

Weight: 17 lbs (30 percentile)

Height: 26.5 inches (12 percentile)

Head: 17.91 inches (90 percentile)

This is her attempt at crawling, so cute!
The doctor wasn't concerned that she is so much littler than her sister, she said that is just how some babies are. She gained 3 lbs in 3 months so that is a good sign. Jaidyn is not "crawling" yet, but can army crawl, she just started sitting up on her own but is not quite as steady as Cameryn. She LOVES her food, she is just okay with a bottle, she would rather eat food. She would bounce in the johnny jump up all day if I let her. She is quite funny with it, if Cameryn is in the exersaucer right next to her or if your at the table or couch she will bounce and get going just to try to touch you. Her personality is finally emerging as well, she sometimes get a mischievous grin on her face when she is up to something she shouldn't be doing. She is also our thinker still, has to check everything out with the most serious look on her face. She has finally started to giggle as well, I love to hear her giggle since it took her so long to start! She has a TON of hair and in a few months I will be able to pull it up in hair ties. She also loves to grab Cameryn's paci out of her mouth. She is still my early riser, up by 6 am usually everyday and usually only takes a small morning and afternoon nap.

I can't wait for the next few months to see how they develop, I can go a little while longer before the walking starts, as that is going to make my time even more busy!

Cameryn Paige-9 months

2011-04-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

We had our 9 month check up last week with Cameryn and Jaidyn! I can't believe 9 months has already gone by!!! All checked out well for Cameryn, she is about to get some of her upper teeth so her gums have been swollen and she has been a bit cranky at times. It is weird for me because Morgan had like 6 teeth by now and she only has 2, but she is also doing a lot more than Morgan didn't do. Here are her stats from the appt

Weight: 20.44 lbs (80 percentile)
Length: 28 inches (66 percentile)
Head: 18.11 inches (95 percentile)

She is fully crawling and sitting up on her own now. She is quite cute and will follow me around the house if I am cleaning or if I have to go to the bathroom. She still LOVES her food and is a very good eater! She is attempting to pull her self up but just on small objects like the kitchen chairs, the stairs, etc, but she isn't trying to stand yet. She loves her sleep still and goes down and stays down pretty easy. She also "picks" on Jaidyn, she will go up and take her toy and crawl away because she knows she can't get her yet. She is still by far the happiest baby I have ever seen!

I can't wait to see what is to come over the next few months, I am NOT ready for her to start walking yet as that is going to make it a lot more difficult for me! However it would be nice for camping season so we didn't have to deal with her crawling in the dirt!

My Menu

2011-04-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week. I am getting excited that it is getting warmer out and that means we are going to be using our BBQ even more, which means that Tyson will be doing some of the cooking to give me a break!

Sunday: Take and bake pizza (we had a HUGE Easter brunch and I didn't feel like cooking a big dinner)

Monday: Taco Soup

Tuesday: Spaghetti, sweet sausages and garlic bread

Wednesday: Chicken, rice and green beans

Thursday: Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes, corn and rolls (I haven't made this before so this is a new recipe for me)

Friday: Chicken Kabobs (not sure what sides to make yet)

Saturday: Homemade Finger steaks and fries

Flashback Friday

2011-04-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

Flashback to Morgan's 2ND Easter, she was 15 months old and started walking that weekend!

My Menu

2011-04-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week. I was lucky enough to not really "have" to cook all that much this last weekend with Tyson out of state. My friend from MN, Lee, came with her 1 year old son Ethan to help out and she isn't really picky so we just kinda snacked for a few of the days. Now it is back to cooking regular meals. I did make a nice meal on Sunday for Lee for coming to stay.

Sunday: Chicken Parmesan, Ravioli's with homemade Alfredo sauce, Cesar salad and garlic bread

Monday: Chorizo's, baked beans, potatoes and left over salad

Tuesday: Pork Chops, rice and corn

Wednesday: Swiss Steak, mashed potatoes and green beans

Thursday: Tilapia, noodles, and salad

Friday: BBQ Beef in the crock pot, twice baked potatoes and some kind of veggie

Saturday: Appetizer day!

My Menu

2011-04-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Here is my weekly menu! I was blessed to have 2 hours to my self on Saturday to go grocery shopping while Tyson stayed home with all the girls, It is just really nice to be able to look and price everything without being distracted! Here is my menu

Sunday: BBQ Baby back ribs, potatoes and salad

Monday: Taco's, refried beans and tator tots

Tuesday: Chicken, noodles and corn

Wednesday: Carne Asada, veggies and potatoes

Thursday: Philly cheese steak sandwiches (in the crockpot), salad and onion rings

Friday: Pizza (Tyson will be out of town so I am on my own with Morgan)

Saturday: ??? Whatever Morgan and I feel like since Tyson will be gone

My Menu

2011-04-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

I am a day late but I didn't feel like posting anything last night so here is my menu for the week! I finally found a new chicken recipe and we are having it tonight so I am excited to try that. Grocery shopping is next weekend and I have quite a few new ideas planned so I am excited about that.

Sunday: Kielbasa, rice, and green beans

Monday: Pretzel and Peanut crusted chicken (from Rachel Ray), noodles and corn

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner (one of my favorites)

Wednesday: Rigatoni with spaghetti sauce and garlic toast

Thursday; BLT's and fries

Friday: ??? Not sure yet

Saturday: Finger steaks and fries Have a great week everyone, I will let you know how the chicken turns out!!

Flashback Friday

2011-04-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here is 6 years ago on 04/02/05, I can't believe that 6 years has gone by and we now have 3 kids! Happy Anniversary Tyson, I love you!! I look forward to many more years to come!

Cameryn VS. Jaidyn

2011-03-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here is another update of the twins. I have their 9 month check up coming on the 20Th of April so I will update then again, but just wanted to shared some similarities and differences between them with everyone!

Cameryn:

Smiles 99% of the time

LOVES her food, no matter what it is she will eat it

Almost crawling and getting into everything she shouldn't be getting into

Loves to "pick" on her sisters! They could just be sitting there and she will "crawl" over to them to take over what they are doing

Giggles, giggles and giggles

Loves her sleep, sometimes will sleep 1-2 hours more than Jaidyn

Never fusses when she has a dirty diaper

Gets fussy when she is hungry

Never cries when she wakes up, just plays and makes noises

Jaidyn:

HATES the vacuum! Screams whenever we vacuum

Is still our "thinker", has to examine EVERYTHING before she decides if the item has passed her inspection.

Has an internal alarm clock and is up at 630-7 am everyday regardless what time she goes to bed

Loves her fruit over her veggies

SCREAMS the second she has a dirty diaper

Loves to touch and feel toys or whatever is in her reach

Immediately smiles when the camera is brought out

Loves to grab hair, beards, glasses etc.

Is a talker, makes so many noises and is VERY loud at it

Never cries when she wakes up, just plays and makes noises

I have to say that I feel very blessed that I have such great babies that really like to sleep and do well on their own playing wise. They really do not fuss all that much and are just really happy all the time, I thought for sure when we found out we were having twins that we were going to get a difficult baby but that wasn't the case. Maybe because I stay home with them? Or it might just be their nature, I am not going to question it but I will brag and enjoy it!!!

Grandma Time!

2011-03-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

My mom was finally able to visit us! I had originally booked her ticket for Morgan's 3rd birthday so she could be here for that since she hasn't been able to be around for any of her birthdays but we got some unfortunate news a week before she was suppose to fly out. She was hospitalized, what started out as right sided pain and throwing up, turned into her having a CAT scan and finding that she needed her gallbladder out but she also had a very large tumor on her ovaries. Everything is fine for now as far as the results go! But there was no way she was going to be able to travel so I called Delta and they told me I could change the dates for up to $180.00....after some crying to the agent, begging and pleading, they agreed to waive the fee! So when she was up and feeling better (mind you she had to have a total hysterectomy, gallbladder and appendix removed) I re booked the ticket and this time I booked it for longer than before (she was working at the time and I didn't want her to take too much time off of work) So we had grandma here March 15th-25th! I have to say it was so nice to not only have my mom around but just the extra set of hands. In fact at times I felt bored because so much was being taken care of by her that I didn't have to do it, like emptying the dishwasher, folding clothes, feeding babies...etc. I was even able to start and finish a book in 2 days!!! I knew though that it was going to be short lived and really hated to see her go! We didn't get to do much as the weather was not cooperating with us but we still did a few fun things. We got to take Morgan to Pojos to play games and then got ice cream afterwards. Tyson and I got a night out with some friends (which we haven't had a night out for over 3 months!) and the best part was me just being able to have a conversation everyday with an adult!

We are hoping that she and my dad will be able to fly out for the twins 1st birthday and it will be summer so we will get to do a lot more stuff with the kids! I am working on trying to get them to move out here, but it doesn't seem that is going to happen anytime soon as my mom still has my grandpa to take care of and he is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's.

All in all it was a fun time and went by way to fast! For those of you who have family close by don't take it for granted, as we have limited family here and are pretty much on our own all the time!!

My Menu

2011-03-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for this week, we didn't make everything last week as planned but that is okay, I have just decided to add it to this week's menu, I have to say I am hitting a funk with trying new recipes this week. I think I am just bummed knowing my mom is gone back to MN and I am again on my own for the week :(, I will be posting another blog about Grandma's visit later! Sunday: P.F. Changs, thanks to our wonderful brother in law, we watched Maggie for the day and got a free dinner!!

Monday: Spaghetti and garlic toast

Tuesday: Chicken fajitas, tator tots and Spanish rice

Wednesday: Pork chops, noodles and corn

Thursday: Cheeseburgers and fries

Friday: Chicken (my new recipe I want to try, will give details later)

Saturday: Appetizer night!

My Menu

2011-03-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for this week. I have to say that I really struggled with this week's menu only because I am getting "burned" out on our regular meals and really want to try something new, but I just didn't have the inspiration today to create any new recipes.
Sunday: Tilapia, roasted potatoes and sugar snap peas

Monday: Cheeseburgers and homemade french fries

Tuesday: Appetizers

Wednesday: Ham, cheesy potatoes, corn and rolls

Thursday: Steak, shrimp, mushroom, onions and garlic toast

Friday: Chicken (trying to find a new recipe, I have one in mind but I will post about that later)

Saturday: Carne Asada, veggies and potatoes

My Menu

2011-03-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

Here is my menu for the week. I am very excited that my mom is coming tomorrow so things may or may not change, especially if I can talk her into cooking a dinner or two :)

Sunday: Spaghetti, baked sweet sausages and garlic toast

Monday: Pork chops, noodles and corn

Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls and green beans

Wednesday: Taco Soup

Thursday: Chicken, augratin potatoes and mixed veggies

Friday: ???? not sure, maybe we will get a pizza

Saturday: Tyson and I are going OUT! Yay for my mom and Donna babysitting!!!

Flashback Friday

2011-03-11T09:12:00.001-08:00

Here is Maggie on her 1st birthday! She is turning 3 tomorrow, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGS!

Thursday Talk

2011-03-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

Morgan: Mommy, I want to go camping

Me: We have to wait till it gets warmer out, it is too cold right now.

Morgan: I want you to come and the dogs to come, babies too.

Me: So you want me, the dogs and the babies, what about Daddy?

Morgan: No, Daddy is busy at work.

Ha Ha, too cute, the reason why she said this is because Tyson's employee Ricardo had his baby this week and he is off for the next 2 weeks and I was explaining to Morgan that we can't go see Daddy at work because he is really busy! She is such a sponge right now that I really have to watch what I say around her!

My Menu

2011-03-06T07:18:00.001-08:00

I actually stuck to my menu last week so I was pretty happy about that! Here is my menu for this week!

Sunday: Tilapia, Rice and a veggie

Monday: Lasagna, salad and garlic toast

Tuesday: Fried chicken strips, noodles and corn

Wednesday: Taco's, tator tots and refried beans

Thursday: Baked potato, mac and cheese and chili

Friday: Steak, shrimp, mushrooms and onions

Saturday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE--we will be at Maggie's 3rd birthday party so no cooking for us!

Our Schedule

2011-03-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

I know I posted earlier about my new schedule with the girls and the changes that are being made, just thought I would post a schedule so you can get a feel of what a day in my life is like.

7-730 Either all 3 wake up or at least one does
730-8 Either bottle feedings or getting apple juice and diaper changes
8-830 Morgan if she is up will watch Curious George
9-930 Breakfast for Cameryn and Jaidyn, Oatmeal and a fruit
930-10 Bath time for twins every other day (they have my dry skin) and a small bottle if they want one
10-??? Nap time for Cameryn and Jaidyn
10-1030 Bath time for Morgan, every other day (she has my dry skin as well)
1030-1045 I get to finally shower!
11-12 Depends on the day, if the twins are still napping I start getting lunch ready for Morgan and I, if they wake up then they get to play on the floor, this hasn't been consistent yet
12-2 Play time, babies will play on the floor with Morgan and I and we play with them
2-230 Bottle time again (again, depends if when the babies wake up)
230-330ish--nap time for the twins again, then one on one time with Morgan
330-4ish--another bottle time and then we count down the minutes till Dad comes home :)
4-5--Get dinner started
530-545--Feed babies dinner, Rice Cereal and a veggie
545-615- Eat dinner with Tyson and Morgan
615-645 Feed babies last bottle and get into pajamas
645-7-Get babies down (right now in their bouncy seats, in 2 weeks, right in their crib!)
7-715-move babies to their crib (while Tyson read's Morgan books)
715-730-Get Morgan to bed
730-8-Make Tyson's lunch and coffee for the morning (Mon-Thur only)
8---I am FREE I can do whatever I want!!!

After typing this up I realized that I WORK more as a stay at home mom than if I actually went to work!!! Yes it a long, exhausting day...but I get to stay at home with my girls...nothing can replace that!!!

Flashback Friday

2011-03-04T14:31:00.001-08:00

I found some really old pictures to post for today, this is BK (Before Kids) and we look like kids ourselves!!

Jamie and Dan (so old that Dan HAD hair!)

Dan, Me and Tyson

Me and Jamie (yes we had been drinking!)

New Schedule and Changes

2011-03-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

This last week with Cameryn getting sick we found ourselves in a "new" schedule regarding bedtime! Because I had to take her to the Dr. three times last week their nap schedule got all messed up and ended up ready for bed at 645 rather than 745 every night. I can say that we are pleased with this because then Tyson and I get more time together and to just relax with all the kids down. I had been wanting to start this routine for a while but just couldn't get the timing right. I think also they are wanting to eat food more than milk so I started feeding them their dinner before we eat ours, rather than after and that helps a ton because they can roll on the floor, sit in the bumbo or the exersaucer and wind down. I was worried that they would start waking up an hour earlier but that hasn't happened yet!

The changes I am making is in regards to their naps, usually they napped in the living room either in the bouncy seats or the swing. I have noticed over the last few weeks, that they wouldn't nap long enough, sometimes not at all, mostly because we have a very active 3 year old that would either wake them up or keep them up. I decided this was a good time to transition them to their cribs for nap, not only that but to put them their awake so they learn to just go to sleep on their own. We did not do this with Morgan and have been paying for it ever since. She is by far the most difficult to get to bed so I didn't want to make the same mistake with Cameryn and Jaidyn. I also wanted some quality "one on one" time with Morgan and with them upstairs away from the noise this allows us to do that as well as play outside!

The first day went okay, Jaidyn fell right asleep and slept for almost 2 1/2 hours! The 2ND day Cameryn was the one who napped (in the morning) for almost 3 hours! Today, I was determined for them BOTH to go in for BOTH their morning and afternoon naps. They both fell asleep right away, Jaidyn only lasted 25 minutes where Cameryn took a 2 hour nap. This afternoon they both went down and it took a few minutes for them to fall asleep but they lasted for an hour!

I am so happy that this is the step in the right direction I want to take. It was nice because Morgan and I got about 45 minutes to play outside, since it was really warm out. This does limit me and what I can do during the day as far as going out and running errands. But I am a stickler for "schedule" and I am going to tackle this! My next step is to tackle night time where we can just lay them down at night too, I think if I can get 2 weeks of naps in the bed time will be no problem! Tonight Jaidyn woke up just as I was about to move her so I decided to go ahead and try and it took her about 10 minutes but she went down! So now I am confident that they are ready...I am just not, they are growing up so fast :(, but it is a good thing especially when we have babysitters, for them to be able to just lay them down will make their time much easier!!

Here are some pictures of our One on One time!

Ring Project

2011-03-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was a kid and would make a string of rings out of green and red construction paper to countdown Christmas, I thought this would be a great project for Morgan as well. I am not very "crafty" but this I can do, she gets to countdown what ever event every morning by pulling a ring off and then we count the days to the "event". I have done this for Christmas, her 3rd birthday and now for when Grandma comes to visit. It is very exciting for her and she really enjoys it so I am going to continue to do this for certain events!!!

I am wanting to get to the craft store and maybe buy a book or two on kids crafts so we can start doing more projects together, that is my goal, I should be able to get there w/ her when my mom is here, it is just too overwhelming with all three in tow and me alone!

My Menu

2011-02-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

Here is my menu for the week, even with all the craziness we had with Cameryn being sick I did a great job sticking to the menu, on Friday I picked up a pizza rather than cooking beer can chicken, I was worn out from the week and really didn't feel like cooking!

Sunday: Beer Can Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy and rolls

Monday: Goulash, salad, and biscuits

Tuesday: Pork Chops, noodles and green beans

Wednesday: Rigatoni w/ spaghetti sauce, garlic toast

Thursday: Brauts, pasta salad and baked beans

Friday: Short Ribs in the crock pot (I am going to try to make Fridays my crock pot day that way I can get it done in the morning and then I don't loose motivation to cook)

Saturday: Carne Asada, veggies and potatoes

Flashback Friday

2011-02-25T09:20:00.001-08:00

Pictures of February 2008

A Scary Day

2011-02-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was by far my hardest day as a mom with all 3 kids not feeling well, today was by far my scariest day as a mom!

As you know from my previous blog Cameryn has been fighting a fever the last few days...I took her in on Tuesday and by the time I got the Dr. appointment her ibuprofen had kicked in and she didn't have a fever anymore, they still checked her ears, nose and throat along with her lungs and they checked for the H1N1 virus which came back negative. I was told to watch over the next two days and if it wasn't better to call in and make an appointment

Last night sometime in the middle of the night I had to get up to give Jaidyn her pacifier back, on the way out of the room I felt Cameryn's head and she was hot. I decided that she would wake me if she needed medicine. She had gone to bed at 7 pm that night and didn't wake up till 830 today!

As soon as I took her out of the crib I could tell she still had a fever, I fed her and she inhaled her bottle (she hasn't been eating at all), I took her temp and it was 102.9, so I gave her some more ibuprofen and let her play on the floor, she normally LOVES this time but today she only lasted 20 minutes. I put her back in the bouncy and she was fast asleep, not even 1 hour after waking up!

At 10 am both Jaidyn and Cameryn woke up since that is their normal breakfast time for oatmeal and fruit, so I fed them, Cameryn again inhaled her food, I was thinking this was a good thing, she is getting her appetite back. She immediately fell asleep again in the swing while I took a quick shower. We then ran some medicine down to Tyson, he had forgotten his mucinex pills to help with his cold so we brought it down to him. She slept the whole way down but woke up on the way back, I could hear her giggling, so I thought great, she is coming back to her normal self!

We got home, I made Morgan lunch and decided to feed Cameryn a bottle, this was at 12 noon, again, she inhaled it. After the feeding and burping I was holding her and I noticed her hands were blue and cold to the touch! I changed her diaper and her feet were blue and cold to the touch, her temp was 101, I gave her some more Ibuprofen and I called the Dr. office to just check on her hands and feet. They said that we had to come in and they could get us in at 150, so I made the appointment. In the meantime I was trying to get Jaidyn fed and changed and put down for a nap. At 1 pm I checked on Cameryn again (as I had JUST gotten Jaidyn somewhat content in the swing) and she was HOT!!! I took her temp and she was 105.1! I was so scared and such a mess, I even broke down crying not knowing what to do!!!

I called Tyson right away and told him that she was that high and that the Dr. appt was at 150, I then called the Dr. office to see if I should take her to the ER, even though by the time I got the kids loaded up and drove to the hospital, which is right next to the Dr office, it would be my appt time, the nurse said to just come in to the appt. By the time we got there Cameryn was all RED, from head to toe and she was on fire!!!

Her temp was 104.5, the Dr came in and checked her ears, she had a hard time with her left one she said because she was so warm the wax was melting everywhere, she did see an ear infection in her right ear. She said because her fever was so high she wanted to give her a shot of an strong antibiotic right there rather than waiting for the oral medication to start working. She said that we would have to come back tomorrow to check her other ear and then they will decide if she gets another shot or starts on the oral medication.

I think both Tyson and I were a bit relieved because she was so warm I was thinking they were going to hospitalize her, but thankfully that wasn't the case! About 2 hours after getting the shot her fever was GONE! She is still fussy, but at least we don't have to worry about the fever for now!

I knew something was wrong from the get go, however sometimes ear infections just show up even if your seen 2 days prior! I just feel bad for my happy baby as she has not been happy the last few days!!!