Oven Baked Meatballs & the dog trainer

First, I want to share my Oven Baked Meatballs recipe.  There is nothing fancy about this but I CRAVE these.  I found the recipe a few years back in my MOMS Club group's cookbook.  I love to have them over mashed potatoes.

Oven Baked Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/4 c. ketchup

1 T. mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Dash Garlic Powder

Sauce:

10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup (I use reduced fat)

1/2 c. shredded cheddar

1/3 c. milk

Dash Tabasco Sauce (I add several dashes;)

Combine meatball ingredients.  Shape into walnut-sized meatballs.  Place in casserole and bake, uncovered, at 350* for 30 minutes.  Drain meatballs.  

Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over meatballs.  Bake an additional 10-15 minutes more.  

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Also, here are a few pictures of Quinn, 'training' the dog.

Halloween 2009 in Photos

Some shots of the kids right before Trick-or-Treating.

Here are the kids acting the part:

It's a bird!  It's a plane!  It's Supergirl!

Quinn: Megatron looking very ready to attack

I'm open!

The kid's pumpkins.  Quinn's is the face, Kade's is the Grim Reaper, & Gracie's is the spider.

The kids watching a Halloween flick on TV & having their annual Halloween candy binge.

Pumpkin Carving, Part 1

When Kade & I returned from hockey last night we were greeted with these signs.

Quinn had games placed strategically throughout the house "for Halloween" and these were the informational posters that he made:0)  Looks like he is preparing quite the party for us!

The cheif pumpkin carver, Tony, decided it was time we got our pumpkins carved.  Unfortunately we just didn't have time for all 3 kids to do theirs last night, we only ended up getting Gracie's done.  The boys will do theirs tonight.  Here are some pictures of her with her pumpkin!

BBQ Beef Cups

It doesn't get much easier than these BBQ Beef Cups.  I got home from Kade's hockey practice last night at 7 o'clock and I had these on the table at 7:30.  I even did some laundry during that time;0)  I have made these many times and I always know that it is one of the few things everyone will eat HAPPILY.  Give them a try!

BBQ Beef Cups

1 pound Ground Beef
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 cans Refridgerated Biscuits (Grands- I always use Reduced-Fat)
8 ounces Shredded Cheddar Cheese 

Preheat the oven according to the biscuit instructions. 

Brown beef in a skillet. Add barbecue sauce to the beef- you want the beef to be well-coated but not soupy. Add the brown sugar and stir until smooth. 

Grease muffin tins. Stretch the biscuits until they are big enough to make a “cup” in the muffin tin. Press into the tins. 

Fill each cup with about a 1/4 cup of the beef mixture. Top with cheese Bake according to the instructions on the biscuit can.  

Enjoy!

Featured Recipe!

My friend, Pam, recently started writing for examiner.com.  This week she asked me if it was okay if she featured my Zuppa Toscana recipe on her site.  I, of course, said YES!  I was honored Pam!  Thank you!  

Here is her article: http://www.examiner.com/x-25527-Bismarck-Budget-Meals-Examiner~y2009m10d28-Zuppa-Toscana-makes-a-warm-comforting-autumn-meal

My Amazing Daughter

This past Sunday my baby turned 4.  I can hardly believe it still.  Time is just flying by way too quickly.  My Grace is certainly turning into a girl that warms my heart & makes me so proud.  She is one of the kindest, most thoughtful, confident people that I know.  She amazes me daily.

Before her party, we went outside to snap a few photos of her in her new birthday outfit.

I purchased some face paints that I had intended for Kade to paint the little kids' faces with.  He ended up having a friend at the party that he disappeared with and he never did do it.  Grace wasn't going to miss out though.  I found her in the bathroom with a friend about 15 minutes into her party with the face paints.

I will let this picture speak for itself.  Really- the above pictures were taken not more that 30 minutes before the below picture.  That's my girl;-)  She is such an exuberant little person.

Today Grace was lucky enough to get to wear her costume to preschool.  The boys are very jealous.  At their school, they are just allowed to wear "fall colors".   Anyway, I just love her Supergirl costume.  I love it so much more than the princess girly costume I thought she was going to pick.  And I swear, she picked it totally on her own.

Pumpkin-Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

I made the most fabulous pumpkin muffins tonight that I have ever encountered. I also think I have found my most favorite frosting EVER. My 10 year old even said, "these are so good they should win an award, or something." Now that is high praise coming from a 10 year old boy. He also said that he would like them instead of cake for his next birthday. The thing is, they ARE healthier than cake. I told him, "Heck! These aren't so bad! You can take them to school for snack tomorrow too!" With all that pumpkin, they should fill the schools fruit/veggies for snack recommendation...right?

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman. She has awesome recipes & is a downright cool person. Check out her blog if you never have!

Moist Pumpkin Spice Muffins (With Cream Cheese Frosting)


Muffins:


1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 heaping cup pumpkin puree (I actually just used an entire 15 oz. can)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional!)- I left these out
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tins.


Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until all incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined. Pour into greased muffin pan—batter hardly ever fills all twelve unless you keep it down to 1/2 full. Sprinkle generous amounts of cinnamon-sugar over the top of each unbaked muffin.
Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. Ice with cream cheese frosting.


Cream Cheese Frosting


1/4 cup softened butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 pound powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Mix all ingredients on high until soft and whipped. Spread onto completely cooled muffins, or place into a large pastry bag with a large star tip and go crazy!


Store in fridge, as icing will soften at room temperature.

Zuppa Toscana

Well, it is about time I posted on this blog. It has certainly been long enough! I admire the dedication that some of you must have to blog daily. To make up for my badness at blogging, I will offer up one of my best recipes of all time. At least according to my family. I'm not sure how you can go wrong with flavors like this together. Keep in mind, this makes a full, HUGE pot of soup. I don't recommend halfing it though, you will want the leftovers--plus it just gets better as it sits in the fridge and the flavors have a chance to meld.

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

1 lb spicy sausage (My Favs: If you REALLY want to steam things up, go with Hormel Hot & Spicy Breakfast Sausage links, for a slightly milder soup go with Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Sausage)
6 medium russet potatoes, thinly slices (scrub & leave skins on)
2 cups onions, diced
1lb. bacon
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
4-6 cups kale leaves, cut in half, then sliced (stem removed)
6 tablespoons chicken base
3 quart water
11/3 cup heavy whipping cream




Directions:
Brown, Drain, & Dice Sausage.

Place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Remove bacon and crumble. (At this point I usually drain off most all the bacon grease so I don't have a heart attack at 30). Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional 1-minute. Add chicken base, water, and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.

I HIGHLY recommend that you serve this soup with Crusty French Bread, warm from the oven. It is so good to sop up this soup with.

Please, no laughing

Oh yes, I am. I am really posting a recipe that consists of 2 ingredients. One of which is...um...hotdogs. It is official. I have no shame. I can't help it. My lunch ladies used to serve me something like this as a child. I blame them.

Now, this isn't your typical dinner party fare. No, as you can see by the Tigger plate (courtesy of my friend Emily who left it at my house with brownies adorning it) this is more appealing to the little people. Really. My 3 year old ate 3 of these babies for lunch today.

Okay. Here is the recipe. Stop laughing at me.

8 hot dogs (I never buy the cheap hot dogs. I just don't trust what is in them)

1 tube of Crescent Rolls, refrigerated section (I use reduced-fat. No one can tell the difference around here)

Preheat oven to 375*. Split roll sections apart. Roll each section around a hot dog- larger end to smaller end. Place on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until crescent rolls are golden brown.

My kids like to eat these with ketchup. So do I.

Herbed Sandwich Buns

These sandwich buns were so delicious. The dough was made in the bread machine, so they were also very easy. Make sure you don't skip sauteing the onions in butter. It gave these so much flavor. I used these to make Pork 'n' Slaw Sandwiches last night which was wonderful. I also think they would be fantastic with a burger, or just a plain sandwich. I am hooked:-)

Herbed Sandwich Buns

1/4 c. water (70-80*)

1/4 c. warm milk (70-80*)

1 egg

2/3 c. small-curd cottage cheese

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. bread flour

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. dried minced garlic

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 c. finely chopped onion

4 1/2 tsp. butter

In bread machine pan, place the first 12 ingredients in order suggested by the manufacturer. In a small skillet, saute onions in butter until tender; add to bread machine pan. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 Tbsp. water or flour if needed).

When cycle is complete, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 10 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375* for10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yields: 10 buns

Tip: Since I cannot usually find a warm enough place for my dough to rise, I usually preheat my oven to about 170*. Once it reaches that temp., I turn it off and place my dough in the oven to rise. It works great!

Source: I got this recipe out of my 2004 Quick Cooking Annual

My baby

Yesterday Grace had her preschool open house. I cannot believe my baby girl is going to preschool. Ugh. I can already feel the tears coming. I am going to be such a mess on her first day.

One of the things she needed to bring to the open house was a photo of herself. This photo will go on all of her art projects, cubby, etc. throughout the year. As I was looking through the photos I have taken of her over the summer, I realized that my little wild woman was...well...wild looking in all of them. Dirt smeared on her face, no shirt- you get the picture. So I cleaned her up and took a few. I can hardly believe how grown up and beautiful she is already.

The teacher that both the boys had was suddenly moved up to Kindergarten this year. I am so devastated about it. She is such a wonderful preschool teacher. So, Grace will have a new teacher. My first reaction was to withdraw her from preschool entirely (she is only 3, after all) but I am going to just send her. I really think Grace will do wonderfully in preschool and she will love it. She is such a smart & social little girl. Maybe they would let me just stay with her? I am a licensed teacher after all... Just kidding. Kind of.

Grace had a good time at the open house meeting everyone. She had no problem at all being left to play with the other kids and getting to know the teacher while I filled out paperwork and got some info from the director and the principal. Now she just can't wait for school to get started.

Buttermilk Pancakes

First of all, I apologize for my picture. It really is terrible. You see, I was just to darn hungry to eat these babies to mess around too much with it or check the picture quality:)

Anyway, my family LOVES to eat pancakes. I made this recipe one Saturday morning when I realized I ran out of pancake mix and I was VERY happy with the result. So happy, in fact, that I have decided to no longer buy pancake mix at all. Give 'em a try!

Also, these freeze very well. I like to make a HUGE batch of these when I do them (x4 usually). Then I flash freeze them and store them in a ziploc bag for the kid to reheat during the week for breakfast.

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 c. nonfat buttermilk (I almost never have this on hand. I just put 1 Tbsp. vinegar in 1 c. measuring cup, then fill to the top with milk & let set for 5 minutes. This is a great sub for buttermilk.)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Chocolate Chips (optional)

Cooking Spray

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine egg, buttermilk, and oil, and add to dry ingredients; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in desired amount of chocolate chips, if you wish. I make some with and some without, myself.

Coat a nonstick griddle with cooking spray, and preheat to 350*. For each pancake, pour 1/4 c. batter onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked; turn pancakes and cook other side.

Yield: 9 (4 inch) pancakes (I usually make mine bigger and don't get as many.)

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Brownies over at one of my favorite recipe blogs, Real Mom Kitchen. Well, I have been craving them since. You just can't beat the pairing of two things that are so delicious. The recipe just doesn't get any easier either. You should really look at the photo of the recipe on her site, they look much more delectable there. Upon further revisiting her recipe for the blog entry, I realize that I forgot to press the 2nd half of the Reese's into the top. Oh well, these still tasted fabulous! I will definitely be trying that next time though!

Reese's Brownies

1 brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker, you need the 9 x 13 size)
ingredients needed to make the brownie mix
1 (12 oz bag) Reese's miniature peanut butter cups

Open up half of the peanut butter cups, there's about 40 in a bag. Cut each peanut butter cup into fourths. Mix the brownie mix together according to package directions for cake like brownies. Mix in your cut up peanut butter cups and pour into pan prepared according to package directions. (The Betty Crocker one says to spray the bottom of the pan.) Then if you see some pieces of peanut butter cups clumped together in the batter, use a fork to help make sure all the chunks are evenly dispersed. Cook according to package directions, except remove 5 minutes early from oven. While the brownies cook, open and cut up the other half bag of Reese's the same way. Then when you remove the brownies 5 minutes early, evenly sprinkle the remaining cut up Reese's over the brownies. Return brownies to oven for the remaining 5 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Cool and cut into squares.

As you can see, I had a very eager helper while making brownies. All of my kids just LOVE to help cook. I wonder why? Isn't it good he took his shower right before helping?

Iced Monkey Bread

Last night I made this totally fantastic version of Monkey Bread. Most recipes call for canned biscuits. I didn't have any around, but I did have some frozen bread dough. I thought I remembered my MIL making hers with frozen bread dough, but I couldn't find any recipes calling for it. So, I made up my own!

Because I used 2 loaves of frozen bread dough instead of the 3 cans of biscuits most recipes call for, it just didn't have quite as much caramel gooiness going on as I remembered that it should. So...I decided to ice them! You know, like a cinnamon roll? Oh my, they were perfect. This baby came out of the oven around 10 pm last night and was gone shortly after breakfast. Next time I think I will just drizzle the icing over the loaf. I wasn't sure how everyone would like the icing with the Monkey Bread so I decided to serve it on the side. Everyone ate theirs with though!

2 (1 lb.) loaves frozen white bread dough

1/2 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

Icing:

2 Tbsp. butter

2 c. powdered sugar

3 Tbsp. milk

Thaw bread dough in refrigerator for 12 hours.

Cut each loaf of dough into 24 equal portions. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Roll each portion of dough in sugar mixture, and layer dough in sugar mixture, and layer dough in a 12 c. Bundt pan coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter and combine with brown sugar. Pour mixture evenly over dough balls in Bundt pan. Cover and let rise in warm place, free from drafts, 35 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Place a serving plate, upside down, on top of pan, and invert bread onto plate. Remove pan and drizzle any remaining syrup over bread.

Melt butter for icing. Combine with milk and 2 c. powdered sugar. Drizzle over Monkey Bread.

Anyone There?

Yes, we are still here, alive, & kicking. Who even knows where to start with what has been going on around here. I am going to give a short recap, mostly in photos.

These pictures are in the order most recent, to oldest. (This fact really annoys me, apparently I will never figure out how to properly upload photos to blogger.)

This is Grace, today doing some yoga. She is so funny.

This is Quinn today, getting his XBOX fix. It has been broken for the past few months, so it is the hot item right now around here. Tony and I are really loving it too. Especially since we figured out how to stream movies from Netflix to our big screen via the XBOX. Very cool!
Can you believe it? I am the mother of a handsome 10 year old. I couldn't be prouder of him. He is such a sweet kid. Not to mention an awesome hockey player! This is just a little family party we had for him. We are still planning on letting him have a friend party, either at home or at Raging Rivers.
Hmmm....what should I wish for?
He is always SO embarrassed when he is in the spotlight.
Gracie all hot, sweaty, and high on sugar at the parade over the 4th.
Quinn at the parade.

Shrinking Days of Summer, Week 1

Today is the first day of the biggest loser challenge with the Sisterhood! I am really looking forward to it. This time of year tends to be at least as hard for me (weight-wise) as Christmas. Between my birthday, the 4th, and all of the margaritas/beer I like to sip on those warm summer nights, the scale usually tends to go up.

I am hoping having a team is going to keep me accountable. I should have some good motivation anyway, considering I am on the verge of weighing the least I have weighed since my pre-baby days (10 years ago).

I have never shared my weight on this blog, but (gasp!) I am going to do that now.  

Current Weight: 165.6

Goal for challenge: lose 10 pounds

Ultimate Goal: 145

Good luck everyone!

Tagged!

My cuz, Melissa, at Whoo's That Girl tagged me & I thought I would give it a whirl!  

8 things I am looking forward to:

1. Finally having the lower level of my house completed!  Doors!  Trim!  Wet bar!  Can't wait (especially to finally have doors).
2. Running my first 10K over the weekend of the 4th.
3. Success in the biggest loser challenge over at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.
4. Our mini-vacation with the kids this weekend (to Watertown, SD)- actually for a wedding but I got a room at a hotel with a slide for 2 nights & I am calling it a vacation;).
5. Summer evenings spent with friends & family.
6. Garden veggies.
7. My favorite group fitness instructors return from vacation.  How dare she leave me.
8. My kids not fighting ALL SUMMER.

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Cycling Class.
2. Muscle Work Class.
3. Took kids to the summer reading kick-off at the Heritage Center.
4. Took Quinn to his first day of swim lessons.
5. Had a contractor out to get an estimate for our basement trim work.
6. Made hotel reservations.
7.Talked to grandpa on the phone.
8. Updated my facebook status.

8 things I wish I could do:

1. Definitely have more patience.  Who couldn't use that?
2. Explore the world with my husband.
3. Strike it rich so I can do #2.
4. Run a 1/2 marathon.  I am getting there.
5. Find the determination to lose my last 20#.
6. See certain loved ones find some type of fulfillment. 
7. Take my kids to fantastic places.
8. Have more faith in myself.

8 shows I watch:

1. House

2. The Office
3. Lost
4.Today
5. News
6. Iron Chef
7. House Hunters
8. Kitchen Nightmares

*I actually only really watch the first 3.  The others are just an occasional hit or miss deal.  I don't watch much TV.

8 people tagged:

1. Pam at It's Time for More Coffee....
2. Jen at Life in the Left-Turn-Only Lane.
3. Kristin at The Krumwiede Six.
4. Emily at A Day in the Life.
5. Kate at You Do the Math.
6. Sarah at Blog, Blog, Blog.
7. Nancy at The Dutch Scandies.
8. My new facebook friend & fellow Team Yellow member, Jolynn at Life Lessons Learned.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I made this last week & it was so dang good.  Tony & I both really loved it.  The kids loved the tenderloin but scraped the glaze off.  Whatever, they don't have any taste buds anyway.  I got this out of a cookbook I checked out from the library and I have been trying to remember to blog it before returning the book.  Tonight is the first time I have really gotten a chance. 

 Lord, help me to survive the summer!  I love hanging out with the kids, doing the activities, etc.  But the fighting.  Good God.  Anyway, they are in bed & I'm not going to think about that right now.  I am going to think about this mouth-watering pork instead.  You know, the other white meat???  

This recipe calls for 1 lb. of pork. For our family, I have to make closer to 2 lbs. of pork.  I have some real carnivores around these parts.  

Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4

5 POINTS per serving

Ingredients

	1/4 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper
	1 pound(s) Pork, tenderloin, raw
	2 item(s) rosemary sprig, (I skipped this)
	1/2 cup(s) Smucker's Pineapple Preserves
	1 tbsp Kraft Prepared Horseradish

Instructions

Combine salt and pepper; rub over pork. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Place one sprig of rosemary under the pork and one on top. 
Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat preserves and horseradish until preserves are melted; stir until blended. Remove top rosemary sprig. 
Brush pork with 1/4 cup pineapple sauce. Bake 10-20 minutes longer or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. 
Serve with the remaining sauce.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

I made this for dinner tonight.  Kade & Tony both really liked it.  I think the rest of us did too, we just weren't very hungry because we had Space Aliens for lunch.  

It was very quick & easy to make although it wasn't the lowest fat dish.  We all really like bacon though & this combined lots of things the kids love: ranch, chicken, bacon, & noodles.  I just lightened the recipe up in a couple of other areas to accommodate for the bacon grease.  Life is all about compromise, right?

Creamy Ranch Chicken

POINTS® Value: 8 Servings:  5

Ingredients

	5 oz bacon, uncooked (6 thin slices)
	1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
	2 tbsp all-purpose flour
	1 serving(s) Ranch Salad dressing and Seasoning mix, 1 oz. package, (2 Tbsp. ranch mix)
	1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk

Instructions

1. Cut bacon into narrow strips. In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings.

2. In the same skillet cook chicken in reserved drippings until tender and no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over the chicken in the skillet; stir well. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon. 

Serve chicken mixture with noodles.  I like the Smart Taste Rotini.  Healthy but no one knows it;-)

Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Fun & Safety Day

Today, Grace & I chaperoned yet another field trip. This time, it was Fun & Safety Day with Kade's 3rd grade class. I only found out I was chaperoning it yesterday. Kade mentioned me coming yesterday morning. I told him that I hadn't volunteered, but he said his teacher said I had. When I picked him up from school I asked her, and sure enough! I had somehow volunteered myself! I do enjoy doing these things, but I know I wouldn't have volunteered to do 2 long ones like that one day after the next. Grace was exhausted after today's trip! I think what happened is that the teacher gave a reminder for those that hadn't returned permission slips for the field trip. I couldn't remember if I had (I had though) grabbed the first signature required paper I saw (in our mad dash trying to get out the door) and volunteered myself. I really need to be more careful about what I am signing! At least it was a fun field trip for Grace!

Here are some pics from our day!

Here are some pics by Kade of his friends being goof balls on the bus.

The Karate Lady taking Kade down.

Waiting

Ready to run.

Kade booking it through the timed obstacle course.

The boys having some fun hulaing.

Gracie & the her doting new friend. I think she would just like to move in with his family. During hockey season she follows the same boys older sister around EVERYWHERE. Very nice people.

Dontcha just want to pinch his cheeks!? I do. I can't believe he is going to be entering the Double Digits in 2 short months. I'm not going to think about it, or I might cry.

My group of boys that I was fortunate enough to explore with today. Same as yesterday, very good kids! This would have been such a cute picture! Dang it Kade, OPEN YOUR EYES!

Does this grin look devilish, or is it just me?

Grace loves a boy that will do what she says. Carry me. Push me. And he listens. If only she could get her own brothers to do the same.

I think the poor kids arms were about to fall off. That rug rat is heavy for me.
Until next time!

Love,

Megan