COBBS Bakery

This is the field trip that we did for preschool. There are a few others coming up in the next month, and I am so excited! This went over GREAT the COBBS crew had 2 people who were there just to help us. We showed up with our crew of brightly decorated bakers, and they had us all wash our hands and led us to the back. The kids got to mix up scones - this was awesome, goo, and powder coming together to make play dough that they got to eat!
The next step was to pound it out on a cutting board (really this was shaping the scones) again what kid wouldn't love this. The cutter - too funny there were 6 kids hanging off the lever to pull the blade down. The cinnamon scones needed to be dipped in cinnamon, the white chocolate raspberry scones needed to have raspberry's pounded into them, and the chocolate ones were left as is. While the scones were baking the kids ate up some yummy cinnamon buns, and got to learn all about the machines in the bakery. The best part (for me as a mom anyways) was that they sent each child home with 6 scones, and the mom's who came got some yummy carb loaded bread. COBBS did this all for FREE, sent the food home for FREE, and I am soo appreciative. The kids loved it, and it was great for them to try something new.

Easter

I decided to do little Easter presents this year for the boys because there is always to much candy. Skyler was soo excited that the Easter bunny came. He got some tools for working with daddy. Ethan got a little ball popper that says it is for 9 month olds, but he LOVES it. He was quickly distracted by the 2 small pieces of candy that were in his basket, and lost all interest in anything else until they were out of the picture.Then we tried to get a picture of the boys all dressed up for church, not new outfits, but springy and matching which is soo important!I am so greatful for the atonement in my life and for the simple knowledge that it gives me. I can have peace in my life, stive each day to be better, and know that if I am trying to be the best that I can be that he will make up for my weaknesses.

Grandma and Grandpa came home...

and it was like Christmas in April. I can't complain because they spoiled us all, but the boys thought it was the best. One of the little things they brought home were porcelain bunny and chicks for the boys to paint which they both LOVED doing.

Painting seems to be their favorite thing right now, so for snack this afternoon the kids got to paint their bread before I toasted it up and put some peanut butter on it for them, and they thought they were in heaven painting their food.

Randomness, and a baby update

I just thought this was cute, and should have gotten a picture of Skyler as well. Smoothies make a regular appearance in our home, and following a smoothie is always a warm blanket and for the kids cartoons. Like Father like Son.
I also had more mission home cooking to do this week, and again not a lot of notice, but it worked out, it just made Friday a little crazy loading up 4 kids, and all of the food to get it to the mission home for zone leader training. ANyways this was dessert, a simple cheesecake with some yummy fresh strawberry's on top.I should have taken a picture of my kitchen at this point, it was less than pretty, but the food was done!

In baby news

I had a couple of tests (non-invasive) on thursday where they were hoping to do some genetic testing on the baby. Apparently the baby was no cooperating and they were not able to get complete scans - I guess my doctor will tell me at my next appointment if they were able to see anything at all, but then they wanted to move on to more invasive testing and suggested an amnio. I declined, I know enough about biology, and the strain that an amnio presents to both fetus and mommy to know that I don't need one. I am 25 years old, and otherwise healthy. The doctor thinks it is important because they are wanting my options open for abortion and adoption, but since it won't change my mind we will just take it as it comes. No more genetic testing, and we will see how Heavenly Father wants this baby to join our family, healthy and whole, or with some trials in this life.

Saint Patty's Day

So really I can't take credit for much today, Marie did all of this and more with her little's last year, but I just couldn't resist doing it with my boys. They both had soo much fun today, although I am convinced Skyler is terrified of leprechauns, he wouldn't even color a picture of one.

Yesterday the kids and I spent a while decorating a box and turning it into a leprechaun trap, trying to make it as enticing as possible with pots of gold, clovers, and lots and lots of green. This morning Daddy was up early and had the video camera waiting so when the boys woke up we started our day quickly checking to see if we managed to catch one of the sneaky little leprechauns. We have all of this on video, but I haven't figured out how to upload that, and make it work.

I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to find something green for the boys for St. Patricks day, and she came back from the stated with the whole green outfits for the boys.

We ate lots of green food, and all of my family much prefers food that is supposed to be green vs. things that we made green today. Broccoli was way better the green biscuits. We did do a pretty good job of sticking to green food though. Dinner was broccoli, spinach tortellini, green jello, green juice smoothies, and green cupcakes for dessert.

We colored pretty leprechauns, that is something Ethan is loving these days, he is my little artist.

a little of this, and a little of that

One of Skyler's favorite things to do (much to my demise) is make "houses" in the basement, this includes moving every toy that is in the basement into one location, and that is where he wil play all day long. Sometimes this is done with friends, but sometimes he does it on his own, and then I get to clean up the mess after - sound fun???Ethan ate meat for the first time ever. I had made these steak skewers, and Jordan was going at some leftovers. Skyler wanted to join in, and before you knew it, Ethan was sitting in my lap eating meat like a crazy little cave man, but I didn't care he was eating for the first time ever!On a totally unrealated note, don't these piess look devine?I had to make these for the mission home - I am working tonight. I am grateful that there is somewhere warm enough to have delicious strawberry's rip right now, and that they are able to transport food in a timely fashion so that I can enjoy a freash strawberyy pie when it is -25 outside.

and the Christmas crafts begin...

Life is way too busy for me to do something every day, especially cooking for the mission home for 2 weeks in December, but since we have the time this week we are making the most of it.
Yesterday we made gingerbread houses (out of graham crackers - because I had all of the babysitting kids to do it with as well)
Ethan had more fun eating the candy then putting it on his house, but Skyler LOVED it!Today we made Cinnamon Tree decorations that make the house smell oh so good, and it is super easy!
Skyler hung all of his on the tree - he has improved since decorating the tree a few days ago - they were all on the same level, but not all on the same branch :)

Little Eskimos

I love these cute little faces bundled up trying to make all of the snow in out backyard turn purple.
I soo want to be able to take good pictures of Skyler again, but he is too busy doing his picture pose smile to look happy.

keeping kids busy

We have had lots of fun this past week trying to keep the kids busy. The weather has been warm (relatively), but we don't have a lot of snow, and it is pretty wet to be at the parks, so I have been trying to find things inside to keep the kids busy.
We made homemade finger paints, and thank goodness I knew what was in them because Ethan loved to eat it.I think Skyler managed to make something like 20 pictures, and they got more and more brown as he went, but he, as usual loved it!
We made Stop and Goo Cars again - always a hit around here.

We made FOUR batches of play dough because the kids wanted all 4 colours in the food coloring box which is fine, but it soon became one kind of blah colourand my personal favorite so far this winter is the slime. So easy to make, soo gross to touch, and little boys just adore that goopy feeling on thier hands.
I must admit, I am a little nervous with Skyler getting older and wanting more to keep him busy am I going to have enough ideas to keep him busy until spring?Are we actually going to have some good, not too cold snowy weather so the kids can play outside?

Do any of you have good Winter time keep busy ideas?

Halloween Costumes

I didn't even realize that I had not posted my kids Halloween costumes until my Dad asked me to send them to him. Ethan was a puppy, Skyler a dinosaur and I wore the dollar store green devil horns, and Skyler thought I was the coolest mom around. Worth the buck I guess.