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Saturday, August 31, 2013

Miss Mia

 On school days I pick out Mia's clothes and lay them out for her. On weekends Mia gets to select her own outfits.
Today she went with bohemian gypsy.
This girl loves accessorizing!
I have a lot of fun watching her create who she wants to be.

I love my little miss Mia.


Friday, August 30, 2013

Friday



1. Friday has arrived! The 3 day weekend in here :)
I am taking the kids out for fro-yo after school today and we are having movie night this evening.
No homework until Tuesday!

2. Every day....
It's better than the alternative!

3. I tried a new granola recipe this morning:
It is pretty fabulous!

4. I think these will be my new boots for fall.....when it finally gets here!


5. I took the younger kids out to visit my mom while Max and Mia were at school today. I love living so close to family! It is pretty awesome!

Have a great weekend!
Monday, August 26, 2013

It's time for Monday!


1. Ty was able to come home for his special dinner on Saturday night, but he stayed busy at work all weekend long! I was so tired on Sunday night. It is hard to start a new when you feel like you never had a break!

which brings me to this.....

2.
I read somewhere that a great way to get rid of tired puffy eyes was to get your blood pumping with some exercise, in particular, cardio involving leg muscles. 
This is one of the reasons I am a morning runner!

3. I am driving the carpool this week. It is much cooler today than last week. Unfortunately it is also raining, which makes picking 3 kids up from school with 2 other kids in tow a bit more difficult, but we will make it work! I will also bring cookies and there will be much rejoicing.

4. A cute idea for church/school handouts or reminders:
My mom is teaching seminary this year. I am sure her students would love some hugs and kisses! It would also give me an excuse to buy the little paper punch :)

5. A good thought for  busy Monday mornings:
Which should come first!!!???
shower?
breakfast?
exercise?
scripture?
prayer?
laundry?
television?

or

chocolate?

Life is so complicated.....

Here's a cute idea to help reduce life's craziness....

I think the blueberry and almond cream cup sounds awesome!!!

Here's to a good night's sleep sometime in the future!
Happy Monday!




Saturday, August 24, 2013

Weekend Things


1. Zackary's first week of preschool went really well. The older kids made it through their first full week of school. I think we all have our schedules down at this point. I love weekends!

2. I found both quinoa and coconut flour at our local Beaumont Wal-Mart this morning. I was pretty excited. I love when I can find things that I need and use in a store other than Whole Foods....

3. I had the radio on in the car today. THIS song came on and got me all confused at first. Wasn't I listening to country??? Yes I was.

4. Yes....

5.  I am making this Hot and Cheesy Jalapeno Artichoke Dip in a Bread Bowl for Ty tonight.
It's just like our relationship....
Hot and Cheesy :)

Ty is actually on call all weekend so I am hoping he makes it home for his dinner!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Cookie Dough

 These kids are cookie dough crazed.
Zackary asks daily to make (and eat) cookie dough. He really is only interested in the dough. Once the cookies are baked he doesn't care for them.
 I have been using THIS recipe for egg-free, just for eating fun cookie dough.
 I roll it into little dough balls and keep them in the fridge for those moments when everyone needs cookie dough right away.
 It works well unless they eat all the dough before it makes it to the fridge.


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

#3


It's Zackary's first day of preschool!
He pciked out his Lightning Mcqueen backpack when we were at Staples last week.
 It came with a lunchbox and was on sale, so I was happy to go along with his choice!
Zackary was ready to go this morning. I was nervous! I hate leaving my kids on the first day of preschool. It feels so wrong to drive away without them, but I know he is ready for school.
We left early enough to stop for a quick breakfast sandwich from Mcdonalds.
He found his desk at school. I thought he might be worried, but he seemed fine.
 I hope he has a wonderful first day!
I hope this year is full of growth, learning, and new friends for Zack!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Monday Things


1. Today is Max's 8th birthday!
We celebrated all weekend and then celebrated some more this morning before school. He got to have birthday cake and a big glass of milk for breakfast.

2. A friend and I have decided to carpool this school year. We are taking turns driving one week and then having one week off. This week is my week off.....it is going to be a fabulous year!
(Carpools are awesome.)

3. I love PB and J.
I made these today.....
For the kid's lunches.....and for myself.
4. School starts tomorrow for Zackary!!!!
I can't believe it.
I hope he loves it!

5.
I love this!
There is power in the little things. I think about it when I read stories to the kids, or play play-doh with them, or when I tuck them in at night.
Little things are a big deal!

6. I am grateful for another week full of wonderful people and new opportunities!
Time to get busy!



Happy Birthday Max!


Today Max is 8 years old!
He is a truly wonderful little man.
He is excited and ready to be baptized next month. I am really proud of him.

Max loves spicy food. When he asks if something is spicy, it's because if it is....he wants to eat it.
For example: hot wings, hot cheetos, hot sauce, and salsa.

Max loves legos. He is a builder and a creator.

Max enjoys Angry Birds,
and Minecraft,
and Plants Vs. Zombies.

Max loves chocolate chip cookies.

Max is an excellent student. He has a desire to be the best.

Max is amazing!
I love him so much. I am so happy to be his mom.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Birthday Weekend

 Max turns 8 on Monday, but we are celebrating all weekend long!
We went out first thing this morning to pick out his birthday gift. He has been asking for new Heelys.
He picked out this pair with bright red accents and he loves them!
 He has spent the day practicing his moves in our skate park aka...house with tile floors!
He was facetiming his friend, Ian, while skating. It was super cute.
More birthday fun to come tomorrow!!
It involves cake, pie, treats, and lots of family. (We are having a joint birthday party for Max and my brother, who had a birthday this past week.)
On a side note: Since school began, just last week, I now remember why we all love weekends so very much.
I was so excited to sleep in this morning!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Take 2


 We had a much better morning today.
Day #2 of the school year had a happier beginning. I made french toast with strawberries and powdered sugar. We had a prayer and the kids sat together.
 We don't do this every day because kids get up at different times, but it makes a big difference when we do. Well worth the little bit of extra effort!
 My cute boys.
and then there is Mia.....
My 5 year old teenage daughter....
I have to remind myself that she is only 5 and first grade is a lot to handle. 
I love her so much....even though she is fairly dramatic at times!

The school drop off went smoothly. Everyone was full and happy as they ran off. I took care of one final errand at Zackary's preschool and he is all set to start next week.

Happy mornings make for awesome days :)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The First Day


1. It's the first day of school for Max and Mia. The morning was a bit more chaotic than I would have liked. In fact....I have decided to save the first day of school picture taking for tomorrow when everyone and everything has calmed down just a bit. Zackary still wanted me to take a picture of him though. He starts school on Tuesday. We have a few days left to work on getting him up, dressed, and fed by 7:45.


2. It is suddenly very hot and very humid. I am so thankful for air conditioning and anti-frizz cream :)

3. In celebration of the first day of school (and the sudden heat wave) I am going to do a little baking! There needs to be some form of milk and cookies for the little students after their big day.


or

or both!

4. After our crazy morning Zackary told me how glad he was to be home! I turned on PBS kids and gave us all a little time to recover.

5. I hope Max and Mia have a wonderful day! I hope tomorrow is easier! I am excited to sleep in on Saturday :)


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Class Lists and Dirt Pies


We were very last minute this year. We waited until today (the day before!) to check the class lists at the school. Mia is going to have the same teacher Max had for first grade. We were a little bit concerned about Max this year because his best friend moved over the summer, so I was thrilled to see that a few of his other good friends are going to be in his same class. I think it is going to be a great school year!

After checking the lists we came home for one last summer sugar fest. Might as well get everyone all hopped up on goofballs before sending them back to the classroom.
We made mini mud pies!
 I threw together some chocolate pudding, crushed oreo cookies into crumbs, set out some gummi worms and let the kids go to work.
 They were pleased with the results.
I hope they have lots of good things to say when everyone asks what they did this summer!
 While we were at the store picking up our Oreo cookies I came across this yogurt:
It fits so nicely into my current coconut obsessed state :)

A thought for the day/new school year....
Love this!

Have a great day!


Monday, August 12, 2013

Things I've Learned Today


1. Yoga pants and headbands are my favorite. 
It makes life so much better to take off my jeans, put on my stretchy yoga pants, and put my hair up into a headband.

2. Having 4 kids comes in handy when you want to go out for frozen yogurt. It allows you to try a practically infinite number of sample flavors before finally deciding on nothing because you are already full of yogurt by then.

3. Trader Joe's honey roasted peanuts are the best honey roasted peanuts. They also make the best honey roasted peanut butter! 

4. I am ready for fall.
I want to make THIS.
and THESE.
and wear THIS.

5. Also this
I am really trying to be a little kinder and less judgmental.
We are all children of God with unlimited potential.

Happy Monday!
Have a great week!


The End


School starts in just 2 days. It is hard to believe that the end of summer vacation has arrived.

I really don't know where the summer months went. We tried to squeeze in as much pool time as we could last week. I think the kids were in the pool 5 days in a row! 
I have loved being lazy about bedtimes and baths. At least I have one more night to enjoy before bedtime routines come back tomorrow.
I know Max and Mia are ready to get back to school and a schedule. They are both excited to see all of their friends. Max will be starting 3rd grade and Mia will be starting 1st. They will both be in school for the full day.
Zackary is getting a little nervous about school, but I am hoping he loves it! He will be in preschool just 2 days a week.

Ty gave everyone blessings for the school year last night. Such a great tradition and start to the new school year.

I don't know what Zoey will think of everyone heading off to school and leaving her behind. I am looking forward to having a few hours of quiet time with the little miss. I hope she enjoys it too!


Friday, August 9, 2013

Friday


1. Ty took Max, Mia and Zackary to see the new Disney Planes movie.
Zackary adores Cars and we are curious to see if he loves Planes just as much!

2. Zoey stayed home. She was napping when everyone left for the show.

3. I had about an hour of quiet time. During that brief (and wonderful!) 60 minute period I watered the front yard, read through my next relief society lesson, and prepped a batch of THESE

4. I would like several of these 60 minute periods of uninterrupted time daily please!
(A girl can dream right?)

5. This morning we went to Costco. School starts on Wednesday and that means the school lunch prep and packing will begin. I think we are well stocked, at least for a few weeks of school!
I still need a few packaging tools; toothpicks, cupcake liners, and straws.
(I actually love packing little school lunches, for a while, and then I want summer to come so I never have to pack lunches again, and then I get all excited about it again....)

6. I love these prints!!!
(found: HERE)
 I need them for the boy's room!


Have a great weekend!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

This and That


1. There is another massive and fast moving wildfire nearby. Before I went to bed last night I watched the flames from my bedroom window. I am so tired of fires. They are seriously terrifying. (Note: The fire is in the hills/mountains and we are fine...Beaumont is actually being used as an evacuation center and a home base for all of the fire fighters.)

2. Ty worked late last night and I decided to take the kids with me to the relief society pool party. We ended up having a great time! Zoey could not get enough of the water. She only ended up getting out because I was freezing and insisted we be done.

3. I made THESE bars for the pool party.
I made them using coconut oil and coconut flour. 
I want to make them again using coconut oil, coconut flour, coconut sugar, and perhaps some added shredded coconut to complete the obsession.

4. I love this adorable hairstyle for little girls!
Mia needs to wear a braided princess crown to school.
(I also think it would be a great way to keep all of her hair in place all day long.)

5. Ty is home today and we are going to the temple tonight!



Wednesday, August 7, 2013

In Trees

 We went to the park today.
Lately the kids are like monkeys and immediately head for the trees.
 Max is a pretty good climber.
Mia tries hard!
She can pull herself into the little trees :)
(Zack and Zoey aren't tree climbers yet, but they both thoroughly enjoy Curious George and monkeys of all kinds!)

Love these monkeys!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

FHE and Tuesday things


1. FHE last night consisted of a late night cookie/blondie baking session and family games. It was nice to take a break from the usual lesson routine.

2. I spent the first part of the day scrubbing and cleaning our 10 year old microfiber couch. That couch has been through an awful lot. It is sitting in the upstairs tv room just waiting to be replaced, but for now it should at least be clean!

3. Zoey moved herself out of her highchair a few weeks ago. She has been sitting happily at the table with us during meals. Yesterday we got rid of the highchair. It is so strange to really be done with some of those baby things. (Next year maybe we can say goodbye to diapers!)

4. It seems like summer just began, but August arrives and all I have been hearing about is fall! I guess people are ready for boots, hot chocolate, pumpkin everything, and sweaters. It sounds pretty good to me too.

5. We are having lunch at my mom's house in Redlands today. We haven't had a chance to get together in a while and the kids are excited.


Happy Tuesday!
Monday, August 5, 2013

Monday Things


1. Ty was on call all weekend. He ended up being gone the entire day on Saturday. On Sunday he was called in during his early morning church meetings but he was able to make it back for the third hour and spent the afternoon with us!

2. I enjoyed my first official Sunday as relief society secretary. I handed out my first newsletter and I think I handled the roles correctly. I am working on a few projects that we are hoping will help to better inform all of our ladies about events and happenings in the ward. So far so good!

3. I made THESE Nutella Swirled Blondies from Averie Cooks.
They were amazing. We took some to our neighbors and then ate all of what was left.

4. and then I saw this:
I think we need this in our kitchen!

5. This is our final full week of summer vacation. I am torn because while I am excited for school to start I don't know that I am ready to start all of the driving again!

Have a great week!


Friday, August 2, 2013

Happy Friday!


It has been a very happy Friday indeed!

Zackary was able to have a fun play date with a friend.

Ty got home from work about 6 hours earlier than expected!

We went to Target and finished all of the back to school shopping! I couldn't have done it without Ty or without my list.

Max bought himself an early birthday present with birthday money from his grandma. It is a lego set involving Ninjago and the gold ninja. He should be busy for the rest of the day!

I bought some of these:

The weather has been amazing! Extremely unusual for southern California in August. This time of year we typically see upwards of 100 degrees. Instead we are enjoying highs in the 80s. I have the windows open. It is glorious.

And....my highlight for the day....Zackary wrote his name for the first time today! It was actually just ZAC, but it is a huge milestone for him. 

Have a great weekend!
Thursday, August 1, 2013

August Things


1. We drove home from our Utah trip yesterday. I arrived home to realize that July is over. It is now August and school starts in 2 weeks!
My to-do list just got crazy long.

2. I spent a lot of my time in Utah on pinterest. My to-bake/to-make list just got crazy long. A lot of what I bookmarked were fruit crisps and cobblers. We must fit a few into our last bit of summer!

3. I made it to the gym several times while we were away, but I still fell out of my routine. My workout this morning was HARD. It was obvious that I have been in vacay mode. It also might have something to do with the massive amount of frozen yogurt and Cafe Rio we enjoyed while on our trip.

4. It is so good to be home. I love my bed and my bathroom and my kitchen....

5. I am busy planning Max's baptism. I can't believe he is turning 8 this month! He is so awesome. We love him!

Have a wonderful Thursday and an amazing August!