Team Kyte

I am moving......

2010-08-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

You can now find me at Blooming Mom of Many
I hope to see you there!

An Ode to my Blog....

2010-08-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

Oh precious blog, how I have loved you so!
You have been there for me through thick and thin.
And, when you needed me most, we went on summer vacation.
I will return to you soon, and refresh you with vivid color and relative content.
Soon, my precious blog, we will meet again soon.

End of the year over load!

2010-05-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

It is the end of a busy time of year for us... There is so much going on it is hard to keep it all straight. The boys are finishing up baseball, Olyvia is almost done with Daisy Girl Scouts and will be bridging soon, school projects and tests are coming to an end, birthdays are upon us and of course there are a myriad of graduation parties to attend. Sadly, in the midst of life with 5 active children, my blogging tends to get over looked! I will be back and reporting on life in the land of Kyte's in about a week - don't forget to come back and see me then!

Little Cowgirl

2010-05-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Lyvie's birthday last weekend at a sweet little farm. She is in love with horses! She has horse books, horse figurines, an American Girl horse for her dolls, and oodles of horse dresses and T-shirts! This year she decided to have a horse party. It was an absolute blast! Here is a little slide show of our galloping good time!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

There are several versions of this story floating around but they are all GREAT!!!!
Happy Mother's Day!

POSITION: Mom, Mama, Mother, Mommy

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: For the rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.

Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.

Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for

life if you play your cards right.

What Really Matters

2010-05-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hello All! I am so sorry I have been gone so long! Things have been busy (life with 5 kids can be crazy - shocking, I know!) but I really wouldn't have it any other way! We have been busy with baseball, Baseball and BASEBALL!!!! I will try to share some pictures soon!

Yesterday we had a yard sale. I am really trying to downsize and rid my mind and my household of cutter! We cleaned out every cupboard, cabinet and shelf in the house and were able to come up with a driveway full of odds and ends- I couldn't believe it! We had so much STUFF! I had stuff that I had never used. I had stuff I couldn't identify (strawberry huller? tomato seeder? orange peeler?). I had stuff that we hadn't used in years. I had stuff to hold other stuff. I had stuff that was practical but just too much of it - like 4 13 X 9" pans and 10,000,000,000,000 cookie cutters, seriously, I am only exaggerating a little bit! It felt good to purge. It felt great to donate the rest. It feels FABULOUS to focus on what is really important.....

Like this! That is my nephew's foot. I LOVE that foot! There is no amount of "stuff" that could ever make me happier or my heart more content!

Mr. GQ

2010-04-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

My middle son is quite a unique little guy. He has always had a flair for hair and I don't see it changing anytime soon. He has been sportin' a shaggy do for a while now and he finally decided to get it cut last week....

What do you think?

Who does he look like?

before

after

Oh my goodness - what heartache that boy will bring!

Our Trip to San Francisco

2010-04-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

We had a FABULOUS time in San Francisco last week!

1st - we went to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building. It was AMAZING!!!!! We all tried new foods. We bought some fabulous carrots and leeks. We fed the birds and even caught a glimpse of an otter! If you live anywhere near San Francisco I HIGHLY recommend this farmers market!

2nd - we went to the Golden Gate bridge. I have been to San Francisco more times than I can count and had never been over the bridge before. It was really cool and the kids thought it was "freakin' awesome". There was no place to park at the vista point so we just drove back across the bridge back to the city but it was a great experience none the less!

3rd - we went to Golden Gate park. We played by the CA Academy of Science for a long time. We tried to fly a kite but the wind won and the kite broke :( Wesley kept up a great attitude and decided to roll down the hill instead - a good time was had by all! There was also some bubble blowing and a ton of running and laughing!

4th - we walked on over to the children's park area and rode the carousel and played on the playground for hours! The kids had a blast riding down the slide. Tyler and Wesley made some new friends and Olyvia did a great job being the big sister and leading the twins all over the play equipment. I think we spent about 3 hours there before we decided it was time to head back to the car and get dinner.

5th - I am going to be brief here.....we got to the van exhausted from our long outing....Bryan says "Do you have the keys?" and I reply "Huh?"... then a certain "OH &$@!" look washes across Bryan's face...He leaves to find the keys....we wait...and wait...and wait....we get tired of waiting and decide to go look for him...he comes back empty handed...we start looking....a cute little foreign boy comes to the rescue with this statement "Are you looking for key of car?" ... we exclaim YES! and he hands over our keys...crisis averted...prayers answered....hallelujah!

So, missing keys aside it was a fabulous trip to the city and I can't wait to go back again soon!

Joseph Thomas

2010-04-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

I am an Auntie again!!!!
Joseph Thomas was born Friday morning April 9th.
He is a big healthy boy weighing in at 8lbs 11oz and 20" long!
I have not been able to hold him yet but we have pictures and I have seen him on skype and he is precious!!!

Have you ever seen a more precious baby?????

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

"Twin"tertainment

2010-03-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

I have a little video to share of a lovely morning I spent with the twins recently.
Yes, we are at Starbucks.
Yes, the girls are in pajamas.

That's how we roll......

Yes, I know she said cookies and not "car keys" like I originally thought she had said :) Hey, I can't translate everything they say right away!

Thursdays....

2010-03-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday. I work in the kids classrooms on Thursdays. I come home and make lunch for the duo and then we play until it is time to go get the big kids from school. We will briefly play at the park and then come home and get homework done before Ty's baseball practice. Dinner will follow and then it will be time to get everyone bathed, jammied up, brush teeth, read and pop kids in to bed. Thursdays are really starting to bum me out! I am not sure how but I need to find some way to jazz up Thursdays. Maybe we can have a special dinner...maybe "brinner"? Maybe a different bedtime routine? Leave it alone??? Any suggestions????

Our Tip Toe through the Tulips

2010-03-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday our family visited the Dutch Hollow Tulip Farm. It is simply breath taking! Seriously, if you live nearby you MUST get over there soon! We loved every moment we were there but watching our children enjoy the simple beauty of nature was a memory we will treasure forever! Here is a little slide show of our day...

Dinner a la CSA

2010-03-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Last night's dinner was FANTASTIC!!!!

I started with these ingredients from my CSA box

- Spring lettuce
- Arugula
- farm fresh eggs (aren't they pretty?)
- Ruby Red Grapefruit
- Pink Lady apple
- Granny Smith apple
- Meyer lemon
- Kanaka sweet potatoes

And this is what I made...

The Menu
~ apple salad with grapefruit vinaigrette
~ baked sweet potato fries
~ hard boiled farm fresh eggs

The Salad

I used a great recipe for the dressing from Country Living
It was quick and easy and it made a TON of dressing!
*I washed the lettuce and arugula
*I sliced the apples
*I tossed on a few sunflower seeds
*I drizzled on the dressing and voila! Delicious salad!

The Fries

These were so easy it is embarrassing to even post...but I will do it anyway!
*I peeled the potatoes
*I sliced the potatoes
*I tossed them in some olive oil and some garlic seasonings
*I put them on a cookie sheet
*I baked them at 400* for 20 minutes. That's it. Ta Da!

The Eggs

Ok, I know that no one needs me to explain how I boiled eggs BUT I did want to share a pic of my pretty eggs! I can't get enough of these eggs...I think I might need some professional help at some point. I wish I had a better camera to fully capture the beauty of these eggs. The colors are gorgeous inside and out! I am also pretty impressed with my particular presentation of the eggs - half peeled, peppered, and in a cute little ring!

My Plate ...

Every Other Thursday

2010-03-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Every other Thursday is a pretty exciting day around our house. No, the circus is not in town (although you might wonder if it is when you pass by my house), it is MUCH more exciting than that! You see, every other Thursday is our CSA day. I think we might have to rename it CSA day instead of Thursday, it is that awesome! We belong to a wonderful little farm called Z and D Frago FAMILY Farm. Debra (the "D" of Frago farm) brings our bountiful box and her sweet little kids by and delivers the goods for my family and several others. (If you are interested in joining please let me know - it is FAB!) While we wait for everyone to come by and get their food the kids play out in the front yard and basically go a little crazy! Today was a beautiful day - 75* and a nice light breeze. The kids got out 2 buckets of sidewalk chalk and created wonderful masterpieces all over the driveway. Please enjoy the all of the works of art from our CSA day.....

A life sized portrait of Ysabelle

Layla's portrait... I am a little concerned about the severed head by her feet :/

The longest hopscotch ever...as far as we know.

Some of the bounty delivered today... wait until you see our dinner!

Catch Up!

2010-03-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go??? It is hard to keep up, especially when they just up and take an hour away from ya! I have been a slacker with this blog but I am trying to rededicate myself! Here is a brief recap of life in our crazy house!

Lyvie and I went to see the play Annie in February. It was her Christmas present from Bryan and I. We had a GREAT time! We went out for tea and dessert before the play.....

Then we went to our seats

And after we purchased a magnet...it's just what we do

We also joined a CSA and are quite taken with our lovely eggs

aren't they beautiful????

And speaking of beautiful, check out the twins!

Raffi

2010-02-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

We live in a Raffi house. We have been listening to him since Tyler was born. There is something calming and reassuring about Raffi. He makes me feel safe and happy and loved. The other day I was driving to the grocery store all by myself and I realized I was listening to Raffi with no kids in the car! I left the CD on anyway. There is just something calming and reassuring about Raffi......

For your Raffi 411 click here

To buy your own CD click here

My favorite Raffi Song on youtube

Lent

2010-02-22T03:17:00.000-08:00

The Lenten season is upon us again.
(How did that happen, it feels like it was just Christmas!)

Lent is a season of reflection and preparing your heart for the death and resurrection of Christ. Some people sacrifice something to help remember the sacrifice that Christ suffered for us. This year we have decided to add something to help us carry out the cause of Christ, to love. We are accepting every opportunity to show God's love and mercy that arises in our day. It may be small, like opening a door for someone or letting someone go ahead of you in line. It may be something more difficult like forgiving someone that has hurt you. Whatever situation presents itself we will seize, and hopefully be a beacon of the life abundant that Jesus Christ suffered and died to save.

So far I have only been presented with small gestures of kindness but already my heart swells with how great His love is for me.....

Kids in the Kitchen

2010-02-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

I have always had my kids help out in the kitchen. I have pictures of all my kids at some point helping me stir, blend and mix. I recently decided to take it to another level with the big kids, thanks to my friend Natalie! We decided that once a week they were going to be in charge of one meal. They can choose breakfast, lunch or dinner. They get to decide what we will have, write a list of ingredients we need from the store, go with me to purchase the ingredients, and follow the recipe. Tyler was the 1st one to accept the challenge. He did a GREAT job!!! He selected a full menu from his Star Wars cookbook .

The Menu

Han Burgers

Dark Side Salsa

Hoth Chocolate

R2D2 dessert

*He learned how to add fractions when we doubled (and tripled) a recipe.

*He learned how important it is to write your shopping list clearly so that when you get to the store you can get what you need.

*He learned how to use a knife.

*He learned how to chop an onion

*He learned the value of planning and preparation by reading through the whole recipe before diving in to uncharted waters.

It was such a great experience and he was so proud of himself!!!! It was good for the whole family as well. We all tried something new and had a great time with the fun recipes! I strongly encourage you to let your kids help in the kitchen and let them get messy!!! Tyler made a few mistakes but we were able to fix everything and he has more confidence because of it!

Here is Bry and Ty making the Han Burgers

Here is Ty with the complete dinner.

Han Burgers & Dark Side Salsa with blue corn chips. YUM!

My world class chef with a plate of his masterpiece!

By the way - the salsa was AWESOME!!!

* upon reviewing the pictures I have noticed my son is wearing the apron of a 3 year old....I guess I better make everyone a new apron before I take anymore pictures :-)

What Does It Take To Bloom?

2010-02-07T22:32:00.000-08:00

I am still living life with my "Blooming" mantra. It really is helping but I confess there are days I struggle. Recently a very good friend of mine (love ya Janie!) brought to my attention that there are certain things that must happen in order to bloom. Flowers need to be watered, get sunlight, and be weeded.

Watering - The water keeps the entire flower refreshed and replenished. From the roots to the blossom the water touches every part of the plant. We also need to be refreshed and replenished from root to tip; body, mind and soul. What refreshes you? What replenishes you? I need a little down time to refresh my mind. A little game on Facebook, some mindless tv or some simple chit chat with my hubs is all it takes. To be replenished I need to go to church. I have to physically be there in order to get the desired effects. I need to sing, heard the Word and be fully surrounded by the tangible arms of God. It is a requirement. Without a weekly soaking of God's love I am convinced I would wither away.

Sunlight - The sunlight makes the plant stretch up and stand tall. What gives you a boost? What makes you reach higher? I have been thinking about this quite a bit. Your sunlight needs to be the bright spot of your day. What makes you smile? I love to cook! It makes me joyous and elated! I love to cook for my family and when they like what I have made it makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. Who wouldn't want to feel all warm and cozy inside??? I can tell when we get busy and I don't have time to cook that I start to feel a little droopy. I need to cook, to feel the sunlight, in order to bloom.

Weeds - The flower can not blossom if it is choked out by weeds. What are weeds? I think weeds can be anything that distracts you and keeps you from blooming. I have many weeds and I need to take the time to tend to my little garden. I need to learn how to say "No." Not necessarily to helping or volunteering, I actually think most of those things are good ideas (in moderation), but to say "No." to people and things that drain the life out of me. Sometimes there are things, events or people that not only do they offer no support or joy but actually drain the life right out of you. I need to get better and shutting these things out of my life so that I am able to fully reach my blossoming potential.

So, I am off to enjoy this beautiful day and bloom where I am planted!

My Thoughts On Going "Green"

2010-01-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of GREEN talk these days. I, for one, am tired of the phrase and I hope the term is a passing phase but that the philosophy stays with us forever. We all need to share this one planet and we all need to take care of what belongs to everyone. I do not pretend to do everything I can to protect our planet, I drive a mini van instead of a hybrid and I do use disposable diapers (gasp!), but I will tell you that I do the very best that I can and try to improve whenever possible! When I learn of something new I do my best to implement it in to my daily life.

I have a large family and I have heard the criticism of how my family's carbon footprint can have a negative impact the Earth. I am not willing to get rid of any of my precious children but I can do my best to teach them how to care for our planet. We recycle, unplug appliances not in use, have energy efficient light bulbs, set our thermostat low in the winter and high in the summer, we have a backyard compost and try to walk whenever possible. I recently found this website. I was pretty pleased to see that my family was below the US national average!!! It also gives great ideas on how to cut down on your impact to our planet. It is very cool and a great place to start.

I am also a supporter of our local farms. I love going to the farmer's market and I frequently buy produce from local fruit and vegetable stands. I am pretty blessed to live in the Central Valley where agriculture is rich and abundant. Last summer I learned about community supported agriculture or CSA's. I have to admit it sounded great but I just didn't get the info I needed and I lost interest. A friend and fellow blogger, Elle Bee, recently posted about her experience with a local CSA. You can read about it here. It was a fantastic story and rekindled my interest in joining a CSA in my area. I contacted the farm listed in her blog and I am working on finding 6 others to come with me and join this CSA. If you live in Modesto and are interested in joining me please leave a comment below and we will get you signed up! It is so important to buy local and to know where your food comes from. So shop local and maybe even grow some of your own!

So, rather than jump on the current "green" bandwagon I encourage you to learn about the planet that we live on and take an active step towards making it a better place. Get to know the soil, become friends with the energy all around you, and fall in love with our home!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2010-01-24T20:33:00.001-08:00

I am not sure how it happened but my baby is 10 years old today... it is such a strange feeling to have a child that is 10... double digits... a tween. I am not sure where time goes but it seems to go by faster and faster each year......

This year Tyler requested to have a "cool" birthday party. No party games, no goodie bags, and no baby stuff. I have no idea why my little googey baby waby thinks I would throw a "baby party" but I decided to follow his lead and let him have a "cool hang out party". We had his party at Custom TV , if you are local and in the market for a television system you must check them out!!! Anyway, we took the wii and hooked it up to an 82" television set and let the boys have at it!!! They had so much fun!!! They played Guitar Hero, Mario Bros Slugger (or something like that) and something with alien creatures in it - needless to say they had a great time! I bought 4 pizzas, a veggie trey and strawberries and everything was gone by the end of the night! We had cookies instead of cake (another request by Ty) and instead of singing happy birthday Tyler we did a "Happy Birthday Tyler" cheer on 3, like they do in a football huddle - that was also a big hit! I did not make goodie bags but I did give out large movie theater sized boxes of candy, Ty didn't seem to mind at all!!! Overall, it was a great party and I think that he enjoyed his day!!! I have to say that I did too...even though my baby is 10!!!

Happy 10th Birthday Tyler! I love you so much!

A Rainy Day Craft

2010-01-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

While I am not the craftiest gal on Earth, I like to do various crafts.
I do not knit at all, although I wish I could!
I sew a little bit, we are talking pillow cases and aprons, not evening gowns and fine linens.
I scrapbook, kind of, I should do it more, I will someday...maybe.
But what I do like to make are mini projects. You know, the kind you do on holidays or special occasions. The other day I had a special occasion. It was raining and all of my older children were out of the house! It was a perfect day to do something crafty! I rummaged around the house until I found suitable supplies for a perfect afternoon craft and I think it turned out quite nice!

My supplies... a 10x10 canvas, 3 pieces of scrapbook paper, a stencil, and mod podge or glue...

Trace the stencil on to the back of the paper you are using and cut it out

put it all together

slather it with mod podge or other sealant and wait for it to dry

Then hang it up on your daughter's wall - she will love it!

(I just want to add that it is hung straight but the picture is taken crooked!)

Potty Training - UGH!

2010-01-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

The twins are 2 now. It's true. I would not make this up!
There are a lot of fun things that come along with the age of 2....real conversations, exciting activities like coloring and painting, watching them grow in leaps and bounds, longer attention spans (kind of), temper tantrums (ok, maybe not fun but certainly funny), and many, many more. I actually love the 2 year old stage/age. I think they are hilarious and so cute you could just cry. But there is one HUGE drawback in my book.....potty training!

I DESPISE potty training, I loathe it really. It is simply awful. I have potty trained 3 children so far so I know it can be done. And truth be told, Wesley and Olyvia pretty much potty trained themselves. But, still I complain. I complain because, when a small child is potty trained it means that they go potty in the toilet...every hour or so. No matter what you are doing or where you are, they still have to go potty, especially if you are out running errands, in public! There is something about taking my sweet, innocent, angelic baby and placing them on a public toilet that just makes my skin crawl!!! It is a horrendous endeavor and I would just prefer to keep them in diapers until they can hold it for several hours...and use the bathroom at home.

The twins are showing signs of being ready to potty train such as
-saying "Mama, I need to go potty."
- taking off all of their clothes and sitting on the toilet
- being unhappy about having a stinky diaper.
- taking their diapers off and going on the floor - not pee pee either :-(
- and asking me if they can sit on the toilet, where they sit happily for 30 minutes or so.

I have decided that it is no longer acceptable for me to tell them "It's ok Baby, just go in your diaper." So, with a heavy heart we have started to potty train the girls. So far it is going well. I am only practicing for about 4 hours a day. It might be a longer process with these two than it has been in years past but that is ok, I am in no hurry!

Roots....

2010-01-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have spent the last week blooming where I am planted. I think it is going well!

I have my tulips in a pot by the window in the kitchen so I pass by them several times a day. They are starting to get bigger and a new sprout popped up just the other day. I am so excited! But, I started thinking about how crowded they were in the pot. I wondered how the roots would do in such a shallow pot.
I am sure it would be ideal to plant them firmly in the ground where the roots could grow deep in to the soil. Where they could spread wide and thrive.
But even if I did this, would the flowers be any less beautiful?
Would they be more vibrant?
Would the blooms be any bigger?
My little bulbs are blooming where they are planted, and thriving, despite their provisional dwelling.
In my effort to better bloom where I am planted I am going to take a lesson from my little floral inspirations and allow my roots to grow despite my current surroundings. I have found a verse that is not only proof that I can bloom where I am planted but also encourages me that I will thrive!

Ephesians 3:17 (NLT)

¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

I am not a horticulturist or even an experienced gardener but I can see that with water and sunlight my little bulbs are continuing to flourish despite their seemingly cramped quarters. With a little trust and faith I can will not only grow but grow strong and thrive! If my little bulbs can flourish than certainly I can as well!

Blessings to all that are blooming with me this week!

Blooming.....

2010-01-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

It is a nice, bright, and shiny new year!
I am not going to go in to a long laundry list of resolutions that will never become realities...that is just too depressing. What I am going to do is start this year with a clean slate and let last year just disappear into the past! As I mentioned before my resolution is to not let worry rob me of any of my precious time with my family. Not one minute! It isn't going to be easy as we have several challenges facing us this year. I know we are not the only people to have mountains to climb. In fact, I know several of my friends and family members have long journeys that they are facing this year. Isn't that what life is all about after all? So, in order to adhere to my new resolution I have come up with a new mantra, or motto, or battle cry...whatever you want to call it......

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Isn't that beautiful? I have heard this saying many times before but it really seems to speak to me now. It is not directly from the bible but the bible has dozens of examples of this basic principal. Can you think of any? Almost every character from the bible has been placed in some sort of situation that is less than desirable ... Joseph, Daniel, Gideon, David, Esther and many more...and they were all able to do amazing things! They were faced with a situation and rather than lie down and give up they were faithful and were not only able to get by, but to prosper. No worry needed.
So, in every situation I intend to "bloom where I am planted".
To be calm.
To be receptive.
To pray.
And to blossom.
To help me with my journey I have purchased a little pot of tulip bulbs.
They are from the tulip farm...if you are local you should check them out!

And guess what???? They are blooming.......

Back in the Saddle Again!

2010-01-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

We interrupt this blog to bring you our irregularly scheduled life!

For the last 2 weeks the kids were out of school for winter break. We slept in, had pajama days, ate our meals at ridiculous times, and just got out of our routine like crazy! It was wonderful!

On Monday the kids went back to school. They were almost late. I am not sure if they had a lunch or not. We did some homework...I think. Basically I am drowning. We need to get back in the saddle again and in to our daily routine! My goal is to survive the rest of this week and to be back on track and posting again on Monday the 11th.....

Signed,
Crazy Mom in California

Looking Back at 2009

2009-12-31T15:38:00.000-08:00

January 09 Every once in a while everyone needs to enjoy some Starbuck's!

February 09

Happy Valentines Day!

March 29th 2009

Happy Anniversary!

April 09

Happy Easter!

May 2009

Me and my precious angel niece Abigail Marie...

I love and miss her every day

June 09

Popsicle Time!

July 09

Happy 4th of July!

I made the twins dresses...and I made cake balls!

August 09

1st day of school...4th grade, 2nd grade and 1st grade - OH MY!

September 09

Birthday Palooza!

Happy birthday to Wesley, Layla and Ysabelle!!!

October 09

Happy Halloween!

My Jedi Knight, Wolf boy, Black Cat, Ladybug Baby and Baby Bee

November 09

Everybody Chillin' at the park

December 09

Fun old fashioned family Christmas!

I can't believe how much the kids have grown this past year!!!

I feel like time is just flying by and if I blink I will miss everything!

This year my New Year's resolution (if I must have one) is

to not let worry rob me of even one minute of the brief amount of time we have together and to treasure every single moment!

Happy New Year!

Teach Your Children Well

2009-12-30T14:21:00.000-08:00

I am not a perfect parent by any means but I do feel that in the last 10 years I have been a mother I have learned a thing or two.
One thing I know to be true with out a doubt ...
You must teach your children EVERYTHING!
There is no such thing as common sense...
Everything is learned.
Please give me a moment to share 3 points of wisdom I have acquired in the last few days...

1. You must teach children to flush after using the potty. You must also provide a refresher course from time to time. It is helpful to show the child how to do this and then in turn have them show you that they have learned the technique.

2. You must teach children not to put goldfish crackers in to the large, heavy, fake plant vase. This is not just inherently known or understood. You must actually say out loud "Please do not ever put goldfish crackers in the large, heavy, fake plant vase."

3. You must teach your older child how to shower. Especially if your older child is a boy. You must tell them to use soap each time they shower. You must say it a few times, slowly and clearly. You will have to repeat this daily for what appears to be years.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2009-12-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
Here is my family celebrating the birth of our Lord.

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful day filled with friends and family.
I pray you all felt the love of our Savior who was born and died so that we may feel that love for eternity!

(note to self : DO NOT SING when you are holding the camera!)

Breath Of Heaven

2009-12-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

I know everyone is busy today but I just wanted to share this song with you.
Take a minute to relax and listen.....

BREATH OF HEAVEN

Merry Christmas Eve!

Advent Week 4

2009-12-21T11:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry I am a day late posting this one! It has been a wild week or two!

Week four is the week of love.

Light all 4 candles - 3 purple and one pink.

Read Malachi 3:1-5 and Revelation 21:1-4

Say a prayer and blow out the candle.

Today's good deed is to love everyone you come across as Christ loves you.

Some other ideas are
- invite a friend over for coffee and a nice conversation
- play a game that your children want to play
- make a pot of stew - trust me on this one
- get a caramel brulee chai latte from Starbuck's - it is so nice!
- pray for all of those who suffer, pray for their healing and restoration
- make a donation to those in need of time, money or donated items. Give to the homeless, foster children, or the elderly.

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

Here is our adventure in some good old fashioned family fun! We made gingerbread houses and it was a lot of messy fun! I highly recommend making them as a family activity today!

A few helpful tips
* mix up a can of frosting with about a cup of powdered sugar - it turns it in to a nice edible cement!
* use tongue depressors or craft sticks to spread the frosting as needed.
* put the frosting in a sandwich bag and snip a tiny corner off to pipe on the frosting.
* make sure you are having fun! Don't try to "help" too much and let everyone use their creativity!

Advent Week 3

2009-12-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

Can it be the third week of Advent already? Amazing!

The third week of advent is the week of Joy!

We light the 2 purple candles and the pink candle today.

Read Isaiah 9:6-7 and Philippians 2:1-11

Say a prayer and blow out the candles.

The good deed for the day is to think of a joyous moment in your life and share it with someone!

Some other ideas for this week
- Visit an elderly person this week. Yes, again. Listen to their stories. You will be happy you did!
- Bake some cookies - here is a good recipe to try
- Sing Joy To The World. Sing it loud! Sing with someone. Seriously, do it!
- Make a manger scene. Here are a few to look at but don't forget to throw in some creativity of your own!
- Donate your time to a local charity.
- Get your family together and go caroling...it is a lost art but trust me, people still LOVE it!

Ysabelle Dirt

2009-12-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

My sweet, sweet Ysabelle has some very unfortunate hair right now.
I may have mentioned it before.
She has very fine, thin, wispy hair.
I have been patiently waiting for it to "fill in" or to "thicken up".
I have run out of patience.
It has been 2 years now people!
It is very similar to the rockin' mullet of Joe Dirt.
A little too similar.
Much too similar.
It was time to take matters in to my own hands...
Or in to the hands of a skilled professional.
Today I took her to see my dear friend Tara to have her hair "fixed".
I think the results are FABULOUS!
What do you think????

Tortillas

2009-12-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

My Nanita used to make the BEST tortillas! From the time I was old enough to sit up she would let me "help" her make them. There are pictures of me sitting on her counter in my underwear covered in flour! She would make a huge batch of dough and then cook them on a hot plate on the stove. She used to tell me she had no feeling in her finger tips and that was how she was able to flip them without burning herself. Since I still had feeling in my finger tips I just had to watch that part!

There is nothing better than a homemade tortilla fresh off the hot plate!!!

I have been longing to have a fresh tortilla lately. Actually, I have had an aching in soul to make any type of bread lately but mostly the tortillas. I decided to try my hand at homemade tortillas the other day.

My camera is out of commission so I had to snap a picture with my phone.
I apologize for the quality of the picture but I am actually hoping it makes my tortilla look a little better.

I don't remember my Nanita's tortillas looking like a map of the United States...

I remember them being round, circular, orb like, sphereical...

My tortillas were not round at all but they sure did taste pretty good! I will have to practice a bit - I hope one day I make so many of them that I no longer have feeling in my finger tips either, just like my Nanita!

Advent Week 2

2009-12-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

This is the second week of Advent and it is the week of PEACE

We light the first and second purple candles today.

Read Micah 5 : 2 and Matthew 2 : 1-11

Say a prayer and extinguish the candles.

The good deed for today is to hug someone. I do not think we hug people enough these days. I hug my children and my husband all the time but can you really hug them too much? Personal contact can mean so much to someone. Can you think of someone outside of your home that might need a hug today?

Some other ideas for this week
- drink some eggnog - it is festive and yummy!
- watch It's A Wonderful Life - it is my favorite Christmas movie!
- make an ornament - any kind. Have fun and be creative.
- visit an elderly person. I know it was on the list last week. It should be on the list every week!
- sing a Christmas carol as a family by candle light
- call a family member or old friend that you havent spoken with in a while. Email does NOT count. It must be voice to voice, a real live conversation!

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Each year we go out on our family quest for the perfect Christmas tree. Last year I was in search of a picture perfect, memory making, Norman Rockwell Christmas. I have to say it really was perfect! But, could it possibly happen again? I was almost afraid to think about it let alone have the audacity to wish for it out loud! This year I decided to aim a little lower and simply ask for a nice tree at a good price with no tears. I was skeptical, this is less than a perfect tree outing wish, but still a tall order.

We started out needing white lights for the tree so we headed to the hardware store. The kids were not thrilled to have to make a pit stop before the tree lot but there were no tears and minimal eye rolling. Bonus! We went in and found the perfect lights and they were on sale!!!!

We then headed over to Starbucks. Remember when tree lots had free hot cocoa? What happened to that? Those were good days. Anyway, it just seems more festive to go to a tree lot with hot cocoa so we all went in to Starbucks. That's right. All 7 of us trekked in to Starbucks. I should make a poll for this post titled
the "How Many People asked Us If They Are 'All Yours?'" poll.
Ah, I never get sick of that question < insert sarcasm >
I have to say it went very well - we ordered one venti Christmas blend black coffee, one grande no water chai with one pump of the decadent caramel brulee, 2 ciders, 2 vanilla steamers and one hot cocoa with a shot of caramel - bonus points if you know who ordered what!

Then we went to the tree lot.
This is where the real trouble can begin to brew.
Who will find the perfect tree?
Who will get to it first?
How many will agree that it is perfect?
How many will cry that it isn't perfect?
The following is a true account of what happened that day.....
We walked on the lot. We told the kids to pick a tree with a yellow tag - about 6 feet tall. They all ran around together looking at trees. Bryan said "Hey kids, what about this one?". Then the most amazing thing happened.
There were cheers!
Smiles!
Laughter!
And then it happened...They all agreed it was the perfect tree!!!
And then and there we all witnessed the great Christmas miracle of '09!!!
2 years in a row!
No tears!
No fighting!
No yelling!
May God Bless Us Everyone!

Advent

2009-11-29T13:13:00.000-08:00

The word Advent is Latin for "the coming". It is a time of spiritual reflection and joyful anticipation. Our family celebrates Advent by reading the scriptures, lighting a candle, and doing good deeds for those around us. Some people have an Advent calender and some have an Advent wreath. I like the wreath, it feels more symbolic to me and I am sort of a traditional gal that way. If you go the wreath route you will need 5 candles, 3 purple, one rose and one white. This year I am going to decorate my candle holder using some clippings from the magnolia tree in my yard and maybe some fresh herbs to make it look a little wreathyer (yes, I'm pretty sure that is a word!).
Check in every Sunday if you'd like to join us!

The first Sunday of Advent gives us the message of HOPE.

We light one purple candle and read Isaiah 7:13-14 and Luke 1:26-38

Say a prayer and extinguish the candle.

Today's good deed is to clean up something for someone else. You can do a chore that someone else normally does, rake the neighbors leaves or hep clean up a mess that you didn't make. Remember to do it in love and with a smile on your face!

Here are some other ideas for this week
-bake a plate of cookies for a neighbor
-visit an elderly person
-play a game as a family
-make a wreath - paper, fresh greens, candy, tissue paper - any type, just have fun !
-put a Christmas CD in the car and play it all week
-write a Christmas card to someone special and stick it in the mail

I love the Advent season and I pray that you celebrate in a way that brings you a renewed spirit and joyful heart!

Traditions

2009-11-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

We have so many special Christmas traditions. Some are from my childhood that I have passed on to my children, some are from my husband, and some are new traditions that we have started for our family.
One of the newer traditions is Christmas pajamas. I used to give them to the kids on Christmas Eve so that when I took pictures on Christmas morning everyone looked nice and clean. However, the tradition has had to evolve a bit over the last few years for a few reasons...
1. When you give pajamas to a baby or toddler on Christmas Eve it is good because all they really care about it the wrapping. When you give a 9 year old pajamas on Christmas Eve, well, it is less than exciting to say the least.
B. When you give Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve they can really only wear them once for the appropriate season. When they are wearing Christmas pajamas in March they seem a little less festive
III. It is very cozy to kick the Christmas season off with a nice pair of pajamas, it helps set the tone for a relaxed holiday season.

So, because of these reasons we have started giving the kids their Chritmas pajamas on Thanksgiving night. It really works out quite nicely. The kids get more use out of them, I don't have to send kids to bed with long faces on Christmas Eve, and we have a fun way to get in to the holiday spirit. Our new tradition is finally feeling complete! The kids open up their pajamas and run to put them on. Then we settle in with some hot popcorn and cocoa and watch a Christmas movie by the fire. It is a wonderful tradition and I look forward to this part of Thanksgiving more than the turkey and football!

So Thankful

2009-11-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

I am so very thankful for my crew! They are all such amazing kids and I feel truly honored to be their mom!

And the Oscar goes to.....

2009-11-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Alissa has given me a blog award!

For those of you that are new to the blogging world Welcome!!! It is a wonderful place to get inspiration, find kindred spirits, handy tips, great crafting ideas and so much more! It can be very addicting but I always find something GREAT to read! If you are not new then I humbly thank you for stopping by!

I started my blog to let my family that lives far away know what was going on in our daily lives. I let it go a while back and didn't post for about a month or so (hey, I have 5 kids, I was busy!) and I had several inquiries from people as to why I had stopped blogging! I couldn't believe it! I had no idea people were even reading the darn thing! It was exciting to know people not only read my blog but actually missed it!

I am trying to be a much better blogger and keep my posts up to at least 3 a week with something you find slightly interesting! I apologize if what you read makes no sense....I have 5 kids! I am not sure how many times I can use the "I have 5 kids card" but I will play it every chance I get!

So, what on Earth am I trying to say??? My friend Alissa has given me a blog award and sharing my blog with all of her friends in the bloggosphere. I am truly honored and flattered that anyone takes time out of their day to read my drivel and I will try my best to live up to this prestigious award! (hey, I don't get a lot of awards, so YES, this award is prestigious) Thank you for supporting me!

I am supposed to share this award with 10 other bloggers but I am not sure that some of my faves want to be shared! I have a list of kindred spirits to the right and I encourage you to give them a read if you ever need a smile! But I will give some shout outs to the ladyblogs I know want more readers!

AJ - who is a super person with a super blog! She also happened to nominate me and is trying to suck me in ever further to this blogging world - which I willing and eagerly follow!

Kingdom Twindom - she makes me feel normal. She has 5 kids and more than one set of twins!

Miss Elle Bee - has more wisdom and insight to the cooking world than I ever could! her blog is always a joy to read and she also has twins!

Trey and Lucy - I am not even sure how I came upon this one but I LOVE it! She has the greatest ideas and always makes me feel like I too can make cool things!

Our Best Bites - is amazing!!! Best food ideas ever! They are considering a cookbook - I am beyond thrilled! Check 'em out and try a recipe - I have not been disappointed yet!

Here is a great blog I just started following and I LOVE it! My house is almost whipped in to shape - just the kick I needed!!! Her button is also to the right!

And my personal favorite is my dear sweet niece's blog found here but also on the Angel button at the top right of my blog. My sweet little niece was only with us on Earth for a brief time but she continues to give me strength and happiness every day!

So, again, thank you to all who read my little blog and if you are new please leave me a comment so I can add you to my daily reading!!!!

Who You Surround Yourself With......

2009-11-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

It says a lot about who you are.

I am not really sure who I am ....

Especially now......

Here is a picture of my son....it is Halloween but still......

My brother and my sister in law....She is pregnant, he is not....

I took the girls out to run errands yesterday wearing these pajamas and brown Mary Janes....have you ever had that kind of a day????

My husband requested that the next time I take the twins out in their blue Elmo pajamas and brown shoes and their hair all a mess that I might at least put some earrings in their ears...
it will most likely NOT happen...
the earrings, not the going out in pajamas....
the pajama thing will probably happen often....

I surround myself with the ones I love. I love my motley crew... every single weird, messy, wild thing about them!

Monday Morning Message

2009-11-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

It is the Monday before Thanksgiving. I am sure everyone will have a busy week preparing to have family over or getting ready to travel to out for Turkey day!
We will be spending it at my cousin's house and I am super excited! I am bringing appetizers and a craft for the kids. More on that tomorrow!
I know this can be a time for anxiety and stress...trying to get all of the shopping done, cleaning the house, getting clothes ready and trying in general to make everything perfect. But this is Thanksgiving, a special time to appreciate all of the many blessings we have been given. I know it is going to be hurried and fussed over but I challenge you to keep this bible verse in the front of your mind and even pinned to your shirt if need be.......

Philippians 4:5-7 (NIV)

⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Twindamonium

2009-11-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you let 2 toddlers play in a bedroom alone?

Well, wonder no more! Here is exactly happens........

Monday Morning Message...on Tuesday night

2009-11-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy week but before I get carried away I wanted to do the Monday morning message! I wanted to focus on thanks and I just couldn't let one single week slip away!

It is no secret that our country has fallen on hard times. Our house is no exception! We have had financial struggles for the last year and everything seems to be magnified when the holidays roll around. It is easy to get caught up in what we don't have and focus on what we feel we "need". Sometimes I think about all of the things I am going without these days and it is easy to get bogged down in self pity.

I was looking around my bible and I found this passage and it speaks volumes to me!!!

Jeremiah 33:10-12 (nlt)

¹⁰ “This is what the Lord says: You have said, ‘This is a desolate land where people and animals have all disappeared.’ Yet in the empty streets of Jerusalem and Judah’s other towns, there will be heard once more ¹¹ the sounds of joy and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing,

‘Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
for the Lord is good.
His faithful love endures forever!’

For I will restore the prosperity of this land to what it was in the past, says the Lord.

¹² “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: This land—though it is now desolate and has no people and animals—will once more have pastures where shepherds can lead their flocks.

It says that the land was "desolate".

I haven't had a pedicure in months or been able to purchase a few luxury items, but I am FAR from desolate.

They had no food, no source of income, and no natural resources.

Sadly there are still some people living like this today. I am fortunate enough not to be one of those people.

It made me want to pull my head out of my self pity. It made me see that I do have a lot more than I realize and MUCH more than I need.

When you read on it says that not only will the land be restored but that there will be "joy and laughter" and that prosperity will be restored. The people will give thanks because God is good, He is faithful and His love will endure forever!

I need to be thankful for what I have but MORE than that I need to give what I can to those who need it more. I need to do it in the name of the Lord because He is good and I need to let others know of His love that will endure forever!
Forever....that is a really long time!
It is a lot of joy and laughter and prosperity.

I know that one day our financial woes will be far behind me and a land of prosperity will be all I know. But today is not that bad either! Thank you Lord for all that I DO have -
especially your faithful love!

And because it is stuck in your heads now, here is a nice song for you to enjoy!

A TWINterview

2009-11-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

I am not sure why it is off center, it does not appear that way on my camera or on my preview...

Monday Morning Message

2009-11-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day!

It is cloudy and there is a noticeable chill in the air!

I LOVE Autumn and today is a perfect Autumnal day!

Psalm 95:2 (N I V)

² Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

This is how I feel when I see the vibrant colors of Fall.

This is how I feel when I slip in to a cozy cable knit sweater.

This is how I feel when I sip a cup of hot spiced tea.

This is how I feel when I lay by the crackling fire.

This is how I feel when I spread the flannel sheets on my bed.

Thank you Lord for this beautiful day!

I will spare you my singing ... I will let Chris Tomlin do it for me -

The Holidays are Coming! The Holidays are Coming!

2009-11-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

There is no denying the fact that the holidays are coming. Every year I try to be prepared. Some years I come close and others, well, not so much. My goal is to be finished shopping by Thanksgiving so that from Thanksgiving on I can relax (ha ha) and enjoy the precious moments that the season has to offer.

This year I am not as far along as I'd like to be but I am having a "get it together party" right here on this blog! I am going to get my house in order, my shopping and wrapping done, my menu planned, and my decorations sorted. If anyone would like to join me please do!

By the end of this weekend this is what I plan to do these .....

I am following this blog to get the house cleaned up and organized.

I am going to get some wrapping paper, make gift tags and make a gift giving list.

I am going to ask Bryan to get the decor down from the attic ... then see if I can delegate that chore out and have everything sorted and make a new list of desired decorating items.

Dia de los Muertos

2009-11-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

I am half Hispanic. I am not a fluent Spanish speaker and I do not claim to be a dedicated follower of my culture. I cannot trace my family tree back for centuries but I can be sure to take the ancestry that I know and pass it on to my children.

We have started to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. You can learn more about it here.

Last year we made our version of sugar skulls on paper plates and we spent the evening talking about our loved ones that had passed on. It was a great night! This year we decided to make an ornament with a photo of an ancestor that has passed on and decorate it in their honor. It was a lot of fun but the best part was when we started to talk about our loved ones the kids remembered some of the stories from last year! I am so happy we are celebrating this holiday! I STRONGLY encourage you look in to your own heritage and see if there is an aspect of your culture that you can use to create a new family tradition!

These are the ornaments we made with felt and glitter glue.

This is a picture of my great grandparents. My Great Grandma made fantastic jam and my Great Grandpa Floyd used to go on very long walks and find "treasures".

This is my Grandpa Bill. He always told me I was beautiful and that I was "growing like a weed"

This is my Uncle Bill. He passed away at a very young age from MS. He was always the "fun uncle" - he gave airplane rides and always got us all wound up!

This is my Nanita and whom Olyvia got her middle name from. She was tough but loving and a huge influence in my life. She made handmade tortillas and the best tamales in the whole world!

This is my Grandpa Ro. He owned a Tavern and when we went to clean it with him he always pretended to find a bunch of quarters so we could play the video games. He had false teeth and loved to show us how he could take them out. He loved the song De Colores.

Monday Morning Message

2009-11-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

November is here!!!

November is one of my favorite months

November means it is Fall which is my favorite season
(it will be nearly 80* here today but I hold hope that it will cool off soon)

November is a time to remember and acknowledge all we have been blessed with. It is a special time to give thanks to the Lord for all of His blessings. Doesn't that sound beautiful? Doesn't that sound so easy? It should be, but sometimes it is so hard to see what you have when things seem to be going so wrong. For the past week and a half we have had one or more sick children. It seems to be spreading like wildfire and I am starting to lose my mind a little bit. We have had coughing, fevers, vomit, hospital visits, force fed medicine, and countless other ailments that when stacked on top of each other can seem to swallow me whole! Yet in all of this I am to be thankful for all of my blessings.

The bible says
"Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Thessalonians 5:16-18

How do I give thanks when my baby coughs until she throws up in her car seat? How do I give thanks when I am sitting in a waiting room filled with sickness and a baby that can barely open her eyes? How do I give thanks when I have had no sleep and a house full of people that do not care how much sleep I have had and rely on me to feed, clothe and care for them?

This is how -

Thank you Lord for giving me the twins. I had no idea how much I needed them in my life! I thank you for knowing what I need before I do and providing it for me. They give me more joy than I could ever express and for that Lord, I thank you!

Thank you for the luxuries in my life. Sometimes I take for granted the little things like a running car, money to put gas in it, and the car seat that keeps my babies safe. Thank you Lord, for blessing me with every day convenience.

Thank you Lord for my healthy baby. I know there are people with grave illnesses that need your healing hand. I thank you for the health of my children and that they are able to overcome minor illnesses. Thank you for doctors and nurses and medicine.

Thank you for making me a mother. I know it is what I was born to do in this life. Thank you for blessing me with 5 children and for entrusting me to care for them. Thank you for giving me strength each day to get up and not only get through the day but to make the best of it. Thank you for all of the smiles, hugs and kisses, for the laughs and for the tears - they are the blessings of Motherhood. For all of these things I give you THANKS.

Find joy today and be sure to give thanks to The Provider of everything you have.

Halloween Fun

2009-10-31T23:13:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T20:09:00.001-07:00

Here is a little literary treat for your Hallows Eve

The Raven
by Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as `Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never-nevermore."'

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!

Beauty Is....

2009-10-29T16:31:00.001-07:00

Tyler had an assignment entitled Beauty Is.... They are to decide what beauty is to them and then put it in to an art form. Tyler chose to do photography. He decided that beauty is nature. He took my camera outside and started snapping pictures. At first they weren't turning out. They were blurry, too far away or just uninteresting. I showed him how to focus the camera, change the settings and how to make the picture more interesting. Look at what he did next!

I love how he got so close up and didn't worry about chopping off the tips!

This one is just cool and weird. I love cool and weird!

I love how you can see the detail in the leaves - awesome!

H1N1???

2009-10-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last night we spent several hours in the ER. Here is a tired recount of last nights events...

Layla woke up around 4:30 p.m. from an uncharacteristically long nap. She was CRANKY and she felt warm. Bryan took her temperature and it was 103.9* We both looked at each other and tried not to freak out. I gave her some Tylenol and we decided to taker her to the ER.

My parents were able to come over and watch the other kids for us - God bless 'em! We arrived at the ER waiting room and it was packed! UGH! We checked in and the receptionist told us it would be about 2-3 hours. A while later we could feel her burning up again. I asked to have her evaluated by the triage nurse. They said they would get to us. A few minutes later she vomited all over the waiting room. We were finally seen by a nurse about 30 minutes later. Her fever was still at 102.5*. We went back to the waiting room and waited a bit longer and then we were reassessed and they gave her some Ibuprofen at 7:15 pm. A kind triage nurse took pity on us and brought Layla a paper cup with ice chips and a spoon in it. It was like Christmas morning! Layla was very happy to have her "icy baby" with a "poon". (so adorable!)

By 9 pm we were taken back in to the ER and given a bed in the hallway. She started to perk up a bit and her temp was down to 100.1*. The nurse was so kind and brought by 4 Strawberry Shortcake stickers. I was not very prepared but sticking the stickers on the back of the registration papers worked for a bit. Then I gave her a ball point pen to color the stickers. Then another nurse brought by a stuffed bear made by volunteers. That was exciting for about 5 minutes. Just as we were at the end of our rope the doctor came by. He looked her over and checked her out and said "Looks like H1N1." UGH!

So, there was no test performed to see if she really had it but he said it was the only virus going around and that she did not have an infection. We were given a prescription for Tamiflu and sent on our way. I could go in to detail about the "wailing woman" or the older gentelman having "issues" with his "parts". I could tell you all about the hacking, moaning, and howling but I will spare you the gory details. I will just say for now that my blessed baby girl has been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus and lived to tell the story. We had so many people praying for her and we were blessed by the love and care of so many.

Monday Morning Message 10-26-09

2009-10-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a very eventful 2 days. We have had missing/lost/found purses, broken windows, sick kids, and a few other mishaps. While not everything is awful, having several "incidents" happen at one time can feel like a burden. One can easily become overwhelmed at times like this. I could flip out (like I really would like to do) but in the end that is not helpful. Things happen and there is something to be learned from each occasion.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (New Living Translation)
¹ For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

There is a time for chaos and a time for peace. There is a time for sickness and a time for health. There is a time to flip out and a time to stay in control. Today I am going to make a choice to stay in control. I am going to pay attention and see if I can hear a whisper of meaning to the chaos that can consume a person. I am hoping to learn this lesson quickly and well so the good Lord will not have to find a reason to "teach" me again soon. Man, I hope it isn't supposed to be a lesson in patience!

The Sick Sisters

2009-10-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

Olyvia and Ysa are the sick sisters this weekend.

Nothing major.

Nothing of the "swine" nature.

Just your run of the mill, low grade fever, I feel icky thing.

So tonight they had baths early. I let them take a bath together to contain the germs. (please do not tell me this method is ineffective - I am sublimely ignorant at this point)

They played in the tub. They sang in the tub. They splashed in the tub.
It must have been a very therapeutic sisterly bonding bath time because they were inseparable every moment after! Bryan got them all dried off and asked Ysa if she wanted jammies like Lyvie. Her response was an emphatic "YES!!!" accompanied by a few squeals of joy!

Then I said to do something calm. They decided to color a box. Never underestimate the wonderful powers of an empty box. They were so sweet. Ysa followed every instruction Olyvia gave her. They colored the box and were as happy as two sisters could be. I love moments like this, where all of the fighting is a distant memory and no matter the age difference they are friends.

Sisters and best friends.......

Layla and Ysa go to the Pumpkin Patch!

2009-10-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

This morning we accompanied my friends preschool to a local pumpkin patch and tried to pretend that "we" go to preschool. "We" so do NOT go to preschool! The girls did not want to follow along with the other children and were petrified when they looked at them or tried to be friendly in any way. The girls did have a great time but I think they might have a ways to go before they can go on another field trip.

The girls were given a pumpkin necklace. Layla likes her necklace but not enough to say "Thank you" or make any eye contact. She did look at me whcih was more than Ysa was willing to do...

Ysa just pointed out the various features of her pumpkin... eyes, nose, smile, eyes, smile ...hmmm how long can I stare at this pumpkin face and not look up......

Now they are supposed to listen to a story and make hand motions. Layla refuses to look at the book and Ysa only wants me to hold her.

Time to get in the wagon and get this show on the road! I think I see a smile in there...maybe.

Now it is getting exciting! Oh my goodness!!!! This adorable little baby was born last night! The girls are finally ready to get out of the wagon and enjoy themselves!

Chickens!

They had a big jumping pad.....there is nothing better than a bunch of mattresses under a tarp!

The corn box was a blast! They weren't too sure about it at first.....

Layla was messy......

and Ysa dug in!

My little pumpkins!

"It's too heavy Mama."

These look like they are a better size. "How do I get them out?"

"I do it myself Mama!"

"I DID it!"

Layla says "I can do it self too!"

and she did

This team work is both impressive and frightening! They figured out how to get as many pumpkins as they could in the wagon as quickly as possible!

And then it was snack time. They finally decided to be a part of the group. Well, if you consider sitting at another table and becoming suddenly mute "part of the group". They did say "Thank you." this time... baby steps....

Uncle Bob's Birthday!

2009-10-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

First, let me clarify for my family members that follow my blog (there are some family members still following me right???) ..... This party was for Bryan's Uncle Bob. I also have an Uncle Bob on my side of the family but then again, who doesn't?

This was Uncle Bob's 60th birthday celebration and let me tell you, it was a first class event for a first class guy! I was not the best photographer but I did manage to get in a few great pictures. We had a great time!!! We had great conversations with cousins, second cousins, Aunts and Uncles. We fully celebrated and barely humiliated the birthday boy. There was a catered lunch at a great park, a fabulous dinner topped off with an even better cake, a fabulous brunch, (wow, sounds like a lot of eating!) and to top it all off there was a group photo that went exceptionally well! We had a great time and we owe it all to the party planner extraordinaire Jean! thank you for giving the family such a wonderful gift!

Some swingin' fun! I love this age, easy to please and easy to keep an eye on at the park!

My son the "tween"....he plays the part well!

Here are the twins dumping out the juice boxes I squeezed in to the stroller - excellent!

The birthday boy! Yes, he is wearing a sash and a top hat - I said barely humiliated...

Cheers!

This is how the twins do hotel stays....take a close look at Ysa's legs...see the marker? Yes, that is how we roll, I think the Holiday Inn was glad to see us go!

Daily Bread....Week 3

2009-10-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

YIKES! We were away this weekend and it is taking me a while to catch up!
Here is this weeks menu :

Apple Pork Loin
I am putting the pork tenderloin in the crock pot with some apple juice and a yellow onion

Beef Stroganoff
I just found this website and I have to say I am very excited!

Coq Au Vin
I am going back to the 365 blog - this one looks divine!

Jambalaya
I am not sure about this website yet but this recipe looks good. I am making this on Friday, I hope it is cold and rainy so I can eat this and the curl up under a blanket! However, I hope it is NOT raining on Saturday, we have soccer games all day!

Cranberry Turkey
This is a practice run for next month. We celebrate Thanksgiving with Bryan's family but we also have a smaller dinner at home so we can have leftovers! I am hoping this recipe tastes as good as it sounds because it is SO easy!

Stew
I am just making good old fashioned beef stew. I would LOVE to see your tried and true recipes for Stew to see how much of a variable there might be.

Happy Crock Potting! (yes, that is a real term!)

The Whirlwind

2009-10-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life with 5 kids can be a bit of a whirlwind. Some days I feel like I am whirling from one place to another. Sometimes I feel like I am never fully in one place, that my mind is split in two. I feel like instead of doing one job well I am doing several jobs halfway. I am trying hard to rectify this occurrence but let's face it, I do have 5 active kids!

Tomorrow is going to be one of those whirlwind days. I will get the kids up at 7 am and make breakfast. I will chase them all over the house and tell them to stay on task 1.2 million times. I will get the twins dressed and help Tyler - he has a fancy field trip tomorrow.

At 8 am I will have a few extra kids come over to hang out before school. At exactly 8:30 we will head out the door and walk to school. We will be on time because I plan on herding them the whole way there....

Then I will come home and clean the house like a mad woman. Monday morning at 9:30 am I will be hosting a birthday brunch for my friend. There will be a nice group of women coming to my house on Monday morning. What is the big deal??? Well, we are going to away this weekend. We will not get home until Sunday afternoon and I am pretty sure I will be wiped out at that point! SO, I MUST clean the whole house by lunch time tomorrow.

I will pack all 7 of us up for a weekend getaway. I don't even need to expound on that one - YIKES!

Then I will make lunch, eat lunch, clean up lunch and get ready for the Daisy meeting. I am a daisy troop leader, have I ever mentioned that??? I am Olyvia's leader, we have a huge troop of super great girls. It is Olyvia's only activity outside of soccer and church.
I digress, what was my point? Oh yes, it is yet another activity that, although it is fun, does take up our time. So, tomorrow I will be prepared and at the meeting by 2:30pm. I will. I will. I will.

I will come home by 4:30 and make dinner, eat dinner, clean up dinner.

Then we will put all of the kids in the car and we will drive off in to the sunset....
I think by the time we actually get in to the car and go, we will be literally driving off in to the sunset - it will be that late! I think that once we get on the freeway I will remember what we have forgotten and it will be too late. If anyone knows what I have forgotten please leave it in the comment section below - thank you!

Then in a "Dorothy goes to Oz" fashion I will end my Friday. My whirling swirling day will be over and I will relax. Oh yes, yes, I will.

I hope I will complete each task with the care and attention it deserves. I hope to enjoy everything while I am there, actually doing it. (all but the house work). I hope I can focus on where I am and who I am with. I hope I can do my job well. I will pray a thousand times during the day. I will pray for strength, patience, and more minutes in the day. I know it sounds hectic but I do love my job and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Look at my crew! They are SO worth all of the whirling!

Apple Prints !

2009-10-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our apple printing fun! The girls had a good time and I think they turned out great! I tried to take a video but it was too hard to be the videographer and the craft helper at the same time!

Here is what you need - plus an apple!

- 1 pie plate for each color.
*TIP* if you put a damp paper towel in the pie plate the pate will go on more evenly and you will use MUCH LESS paint.
- red and green paint
1 apple cut in half

I am going to have to search the bloggosphere for a good tutorial on children's craft aprons. For now we are just doing it topless ...

Here is Ysa getting started. She does everything big, she colors the whole paper with big broad strokes, she uses LOTS of paint, and she will color/paint/create until the cows come home.

Layla does not like to be messy or dirty. She colors very small circles on her paper. She creates until the project is complete in her mind or until she is uncomfortably dirty.

Here is the finished product. I think they look fantastic! They are hung up in our kitchen gallery and the girls are so proud!

Now, what is the next theme???? SPIDERS! If you have a spider craft, snack, book, or song please pass it along - I'd love to here your ideas!

Daily Bread Week 3

2009-10-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

YIKES! I am getting this out a little late! For those of you playing along I do apologize!

I have to give elle bee her props for an excellent tasting and super easy crock pot recipe!!! The lasagna was a huge hit! My only regret was not grating the cheese in the morning when I had the time. I thought to myself -I will just grate it fresh at dinner time and it will be delicious and wonderful and my family will say "Wow Mom, this cheese has just been grated, thank you for putting such love and care in to everything you do!" Then the afternoon came and it was getting crazy and a whirlwind of homework, finding soccer clothes and crying babies hit and I ended up grating cheese with a toddler in one hand and the other one hanging from my leg....I think it ended up taking me 20 minutes to grate the cheese!!! BUT it was all worth it......

just imagine a nice green salad and a slice of garlic bread beside it!

Ok, here is this weeks menu...it is a little light, we have other engagements this week....

French Dip Sandwiches
Your basic put the roast in the crock pot with a package of onion soup mix and beef broth. Cook all day and put it on toasted sourdough rolls. I will be adding some Swiss cheese and mushrooms to mine but my kids will have theirs plain. I will serve it with fries and apple slices.

Chicken Piccata
There are a lot of recipes out there...I am going to put the chicken in the crock pot, dump a cup of white wine on top, a can of chicken broth, some lemon juice (maybe a 1/4 C) and some capers. Turn it on and walk away.

Wedding soup
I like this one... I will make the meat balls in the morning, cook them up and then put it all in the crock pot.

Ok, happy cooking!

Apple Fun!

2009-10-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today the twins had their well baby check. They had a great appointment and I am happy to say that they are well babies! Well, they were until the shots rolled around! After the shots (one in each leg!) they were not in the best of moods. I decided to wait to do apple prints until they were in better moods. So, as an alternate project we decided to stick apple stickers on paper and practice saying the words "apple", "red", and "Please help me ". They had fun and I think it will be an activity we repeat with each theme. Here is a few pictures and a video of our fun. The battery in my camera died at the end of my video but I think you will get the gist!

Here is Ysa working on a sticker

Here is Layla getting started

I think they have the hang of it now

Did you notice their outfits??? I know, it is a little overboard but we already owned the outfits so what they hay!

Theme Week Revived!

2009-10-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Over the summer we have "theme weeks" where I pick a theme and we read books, make crafts, bake snacks, sing songs, write stories, do science projects or take a trip if applicable and generally absorb the subject. This is something our whole family does until school starts. Once school starts we drop it because school is all consuming and we have SEVERAL themes to focus on....all but the twins. I have decided to start up "theme week" for the girls. They will not be writing stories but they can sing songs and do art projects. I am starting this week a day late but that is ok, trust me, it IS ok.

So, this weeks theme is going to be APPLES!!! I LOVE apples and apple art and apple books. I will post what what we are going to do and I look forward to hearing what you are doing too!

Here are my apple book selections....

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
Apple Apples Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo. LeSieg
Autumn Walk by Ann Burg
When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey

The Apple Pie Tree is one of my favorites, the pictures are so sweet!

Autumn Walk is one of the best books I have ever read to my kids. The pages swirl with the most amazing descriptions of Fall like "air that is corduroy cold." I could read that all afternoon with a cup of tea and a snickerdoodle in hand. I have had this book since Tyler was a baby. We read it every Fall, I don't care how old they are! And when they grow up and move out I will call them on the phone and read it to them again.

I think we will make apple prints and an apple pie. I have seen several cute apple tree art ideas and I will come up with something. We are going to have applesauce for snack and learn an apple song. I can only think of Johnny Appleseed but I am sure through my Google searching I will find something! Happy Appleing!

Matty Has a Pumpkin Shirt

2009-10-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

It is true.....Matty has a pumpkin shirt. I think she looks adorable! See for yourself -

Tyler said that it makes her feel humiliated. I don't think she looks humiliated in the slightest. I think she feels cute and and it gives her holiday spirit. It makes her want to light scented candles, curl up by the fire and eat fun sized candies. That may just be my opinion but I am rarely wrong, especially when it comes to Matty's thoughts and feelings.

She likes it. I just know it! She has to love it....how can she not love it???

Here is a conversation that went on for a little over an hour. I will spare you the whole conversation, as cute as it was, because I realize that I might think my kids are a little cuter than you do. Here is Layla giving the scoop on Matty and in case you didn't know it, Matty is wearing a pumpkin shirt.

Daily Bread Week 2

2009-10-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

It is week 2 of my crock pot month and I have to say last week was AWESOME! The evenings were much less chaotic and I had a better handle on my emotions. I have missed cooking big meals a bit but all in all I'd have to say this experiment seems to be a success!

Last weeks meal review:
The Artichoke Chicken was delish! What is it about capers that make everything better?
BBQ Ribs -I am not sure how ribs could be anything less than FABULOUS, and they were...
Meatloaf - In our house it is called "Meat Casserole" - YUM-O!
Today is taco soup day and I am "souper" excited (I am a dork and I know it, I have accepted it, you should too!)

For those of you playing along here is next week's recipes

Lasagna from http://bunchabenhams.blogspot.com/

8 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef or turkey, cooked (with onion and Mrs. Dash) and drained
1 (28 oz.) jar of spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/3 C. water
16 oz. cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 c. Mozzarella cheese
Combine cooked meat with spaghetti sauce, Italian Seasoning and water. In greased crock pot layer (1/3) uncooked noodles, (1/3) meat mixture, (1/3) cottage cheese. Repeat those layers two more times. Don't worry about the layers being neat or pretty--the noodles aren't going to fit perfectly in a rounded crock pot--but it doesn't matter--once it's cooked it's great. Cook on low 4 hours. The last 20 mins. add the moz. cheese.

Enchilada Casserole
ok, this is one where I am going to wing it a bit. Most of the recipes I found had a cream of soup in them and that is not my idea of an enchilada casserole so....

-I will boil 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts and shred them
-Then I will mix the chicken with one jar of Herdez salsa verde
*they sell it at Target for under $2.00
-I will tear up 6-8 flour tortillas
-I am toying with the idea of using black and refried beans - I KNOW! I am a wild woman but sometimes you have to take risks
-I am going to use grated jack and cheddar cheese
-I will also dice up a nice white onion

In the crock pot I am going to layer
approx 2 torn up tortillas
some of the shredded chicken
some of the beans (whatever the combination may be)
diced white onion
grated cheese
Repeat until all ingredients are used
Cover and cook for about 4-5 hours.
I will be topping mine with sour cream and cilantro. I would also like to add that many of the recipes I looked through had olives - my husband is an olive hater so I won't use them but it sounds like a nice addition. If I were making a crock pot of Enchilada Casserole all for myself I would add the olives. But I am not, I will be sharing, so I will refrain from sprinkling tasty black olives all through the delicious layers.

Apple Chicken
Again - I saw several recipes that I liked part of so here is my version
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 C apple cider
I packet of onion soup mix
Combine all ingredients and walk away until dinner time - beautiful! I think I will serve it with tater tots and a green salad....not very classy but it just sounds yummy - tater tots make the world a better place!

Beef Burgundy
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1612,155185-233203,00.html
I may use stew meat but I have to say the whole roast has me intrigued...

Mustard Pork Loin
I am using this combination
* 2 pork tenderloins
* Mc Cormick's grill seasoning blend
* 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
* 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Pop it all in and walk away - fabulous!

And on Sunday I will be making Rachael Rays Apple Chicken Chili
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/soup-recipes/Creamy-Chicken-Apple-Chili
I will be doing my best to adapt it to the crockpot - it is perfect just the way the recipe reads - YUM!!!

If you are playing along please leave a comment and tell me how it is going!

More of the Twins

2009-10-01T20:04:00.001-07:00

Because it is just some darn cute video I have decided to show you some clips from the girls birthday party. The first one is a little long but I haven't figured out how to edit it quite yet, feel free to stop it after the singing is over!

Thank you for indulging me!

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Daily Bread October 1st - 4th

2009-09-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Artichoke Chicken
basically I am making my own recipe on this one....
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium yellow onion
1/4 C capers
2 cans of artichoke hearts
1 can of chicken broth or white wine
2 C of baby bella mushrooms
a palm full of dried thyme
salt and pepper

Dump it all in and cook on low for about 6 hours

BBQ Ribs

I am thinking maybe some of Stubbs famous BBQ sauce...
http://www.stubbsbbq.com/?r=google&gclid=CJev49_BmJ0CFRBbagods2oN_A

Meat Loaf from my friend Elle Bee...
check out her awesome blog http://bunchabenhams.blogspot.com/
CROCK POT MEAT LOAF--this one's a whole meal with the veggies and potatoes included!
1 EGG
1/4 C. MILK
2 SLICES DAY-OLD BREAD, CUBED
1/4 C. ONIONS, CHOPPED
2 TBSP. GREEN PEPPERS, CHOPPED ( I am also using yellow bells and zucchini)
1 TSP. SALT
1/4 TSP. PEPPER
1 1/2 LBS. GROUND BEEF (I will use ground turkey)
1/4 C. KETCHUP ( I am adding some balsamic vinegar also )
8 SMALL RED POTATOES, HALVED
4-6 MED. CARROTS, CUT IN 1" CHUNKS ( I am lazy and will use baby carrots)

1. BEAT TOGETHER EGGS AND MILK.
2. STIR IN BREAD CUBES, ONIONS, GREEN PEPPERS, SALT AND PEPPER. ADD BEEF AND MIX
WELL.
3. SHAPE INTO LOAF THAT IS ABOUT AN INCH SMALLER IN CIRCUMFERENCE THAN THE INSIDE
OF THE SLOW COOKER. PLACE LOAF INTO SLOW COOKER.
4. SPREAD TOP WITH KETCHUP.
5. PLACE HALVED POTATOES AND CARROTS AROUND THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF MEAT LOAF.
6. COVER. COOK ON HIGH 1 HUOR. REDUCE HEAT ATO LOW. COOK 7-8 HOURS LONGER. OR
4 1/2 HOURS ON "HIGH"

Taco Soup
I am going to go by the most famous of all crock pot masters and use this recipe
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/original-taco-soup-crockpot-recipe.html

Twins.....

2009-09-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Layla fell asleep at the dinner table tonight. It is one of the cutest things I have ever seen! I snapped some pictures and then I decided to check out some of my camera's features. I snapped a few more pictures of my adorable subject!

oh so adorable!

portrait mode - what an angel!

retro - I think I may print this one!

So, I am clicking away at my sweet little Sleeping Beauty and I hear a tiny voice behind me say "Mama CHEESE!" and I turn around to see Ysa smiling the biggest smile I have ever seen. My heart melted and I took some pictures of her too. My camera does not take pictures very quickly and since Ysa was awake and a more "mobile subject" it was harder to get as many pictures in. Then she put on Olyvia's boots and I was able to get the cutest picture ever! I wish I had my video mode on because the sight of her dancing and singing in cowgirl boots was precious! I guess I will just have to hope I remember it forever!

the one shot the took - retro

my prancing cowgirl - so adorable!!!!

I dream of having a real camera someday...a big fancy, shiny, digital, SLR, Cannon or Nikon beauty...but until then I will be happy with my point and shoot! Plus how much can a camera matter when the subjects are as cute as these beauties????

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Daily Bread Continued

2009-09-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am super excited for this monthly challenge! I hope some of you will join me and try a few of the recipes - they all looks soooo good! I am going to post the list of meals for the month here and then on Sundays I will post the recipes for the following week. I am going to add a Daily Bread label to the right so you will be able to find the recipes after they archive. There are not 31 meals listed because we eat at church on Wednesdays and we plans one weekend so we will be eating elsewhere. So, without further ado.....

Artichoke Chicken
BBQ Ribs
Meat Loaf
Lasagna - from Elle Bee
Enchilada Casserole
Apple Chicken
Beef Burgundy
Mustard Pork Loin
Apple Chicken Chili
French Dip Sammies
Chicken Picatta
Wedding Soup
Apple Spiced Pork Loin
Beef Stroganoff
Coq Au Vin
Jambalaya
Cranberry Turkey
Good Old Fashioned Beef Stew
Tortellini Soup - from Nat
Grandma's Roast and potatoes
Asian Beef
Robust Beef and Mushroom Soup

I will do one pictorial review a week of one recipe....if anyone has any requests before this all starts leave me a comment and I will do my best to oblige!

Daily Bread....

2009-09-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

Our daily bread. Just what you need, daily. Sounds easy enough, right?

My daily needs seem to be spinning out of control and the things that need my attention are starting to fall by the wayside. Lately, I have felt the need to simplify, organize, and refocus myself. I want to turn the daily grind in to daily bread. What does all of this rambling mean? Well, it means I am going to start small but I am going to start! My first step will be a baby step but a step in the right direction - forward!

One of the things that takes up my time is dinner. This is hard for me because I LOVE to cook! It is an art form to me, a way of relaxing. Usually. Lately it has been a time of 2 toddlers screaming, kids fighting, rushing through homework, and running around looking for socks, uniforms and water bottles before we inhale dinner and run out the door! This is not what I had in mind when I envisioned finally having my husband home for family dinners.
So, my relaxing dinner making time is no more (until soccer is over)so now what?

Cry?

NO! I will press on!

I have decided that for the month of October I will make a crock pot dinner every night. I am not sure my quest will be easy but I am willing to give it a try! I have had some BAD crock pot meals in my time (that is for another post - a pretty funny one) but I know that the recipes have come a long way. So, if you have a great crock pot recipe please leave it in the comment section below. If you want to join me I will be posting the list of meals on the September 30th. I am hoping and praying to bring some serenity to my daily life and in turn get a better taste of my daily bread.

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A Little Family Fun

2009-09-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here is just a little glimpse in to some of our family fun! I have no idea how we spent our time before we had kids but I am sure it could not have been as much fun as this!

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Monday Morning Message (in the afternoon)

2009-09-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

I have started a bible study on Monday mornings with some friends of mine. It is a little chaotic because we have little ones running around but it is fun! We started a study called Mocha On The Mount by Sandra Glahn....it is pretty good so far. If anyone would like to follow along I will be posting every Monday with our thoughts, feelings, insights and musings on that weeks lesson.

The study is based on the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5-7. This week we did half of the first weeks lesson. There were some deep questions and some very thought provoking questions. There are some great scriptures in there! ( I know, it is all good but you know what I mean) The verse that stuck with me the most was -

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

One of the corresponding questions was

"On what do you spend most of your time and energy. How do your priorities line up with those Jesus sets forth?"

So, we know that the root of all evil is the LOVE of money (not money itself) and we all think that as long as we are not Ebeneezer Scrooge we are doing fine. But as I took a deeper look this week I felt that there might be a little more to this... Where do my priorities lie? Where do I spend most of my time? Do I spend as much quality time with my family as I spend on myself? Do I spend enough quality time with Jesus? Do I try to serve 2 masters? WOW! That is a lot of questions! My challenge this week is to answer a few of them and to find where my priorities truly lie. I hope you will do the same and if you are brave enough please share them with me in the comment section!

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Wesley's Birthday Party

2009-09-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

YO JOE!!!!
Today was Wesley's birthday party and it was a total blast! It wasn't a typical "Kyte" birthday party but it was exactly what he wanted! It was very relaxed and filled with a lot of unstructured play - just Wesley's style!

It was a G.I. Joe party. I am not sure why, we have not seen the movie or watched the cartoon but that is what he wanted so that is what we did.

As the kids arrived we ate dinner...submarine sandwiches, Dorritos, and blue Gatorade - all Wesley's choice. When they were finished we applied temporary tattoos, camouflage paint, and made up code names for their dog tags.

Then we played grenade toss. The kids partnered up and stood 2 feet apart and tossed the grenade (water balloons). Did anyone play this as a kid??? The kids only made it to 3 tosses before the balloons popped! I expected the game to last about 15 minutes. So, we played again to see if we could last a little longer...no such luck!

They had fun and that is all that matters! Wesley and his friend Conner were the winners. I know the "birthday boy" is not supposed to win but what are you going to do????

I say, Let 'em win!
Then we handed each kid a grenade and let them run wild. They had so much fun!

After they were done running around it was time for basic training. They all lined up and did a short run, 10 jumping jacks, ran to the slide, climbed the ladder and raced back to me for the big finish! They were all giggling and screaming, it was so great to see the pure joy on their faces!

After the training was over it was time for war games. Each child was handed a loaded squirt gun and basically it was every man (or girl) for himself. The ran, and squirted, and reloaded several times over. I was squirted several times - why is it so funny to squirt the mom??? I am not sure but apparently it is a riot!

With the games all but over we decided to open presents. We were at the park so we used the picnic tables. I had Wesley sit on top of the table and the kids sat on the bench and it worked very well, he was barely mobbed and I think he liked having the kids all around him. He received some very cool gifts and was very appreciative of everything he was given - it's always nice to see that! The other added bonus of having the party at the park other than the picnic table is that we were able to throw away all of the garbage at the park and fill up that trash can instead of ours!

We cleared all the trash and then Wesley came up to me with a request. He did not want the kids to sing Happy Birthday to him. Yes, you read that right - he did NOT want the kids to sing Happy Birthday. I asked him "Why?" and he didn't have an answer but he was adamant that the kids were NOT to sing. So, instead we all yelled "Happy birthday Wesley" like drill sergeants and handed out ice cream cone drumsticks. Wesley does not like cake. He did not want cookies either. He actually wanted mini drumsticks but I could not find them so we "had to have full size" drumsticks. He cracks me up! Then the kids took their ice cream up to the playground equipment and hung out while they ate their cone.

It was really funny. They all just stood there like they were so cool. They just stood there and talked about who knows what. Like they were teenagers. GULP! A glimpse in to the future, a weird Twilight Zone glimpse.

After the ice cream was devoured they were back to savage 2nd graders again and ran a muck all over the park again. Parents came. Favors were handed out. Thank yous shared. Good-byes said. And we took our exhausted but extremely happy birthday boy home.

"the crew"

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Happy Birthday Layla and Ysabelle!

2009-09-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

2 years ago today.....

and now.....

sniff sniff
tear tear

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Behind the Scenes

2009-09-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have had a few people ask about the cupcakes. I did take a few pix along the way and I can share. Wesley helped me make them and it was a lot of fun!!!

I decided to make "rainbow cake" for the actual cake part of the cupcakes! It was super easy and the kids loved it! All you have to do is whip up a box of yellow cake mix. Divide the batter into one bowl per color you are using. I used 4 bowls and made red, yellow, green and blue. It is best if you have icing coloring like Wilton Icing Colors because it is a more vibrant color.I tired to post a link but the computer is not cooperating today....
Here is a picture of my batter

I brought out my muse - aren't the cute???

Then you just spoon it in to your cupcake liners....it really only takes about a tablespoon or so of each color.

Then you bake according to the package directions

MMMMMMMMMMM....we have to wait to eat them...waiting is hard...

Frosting/Decorating
This is the part that Wesley helped with - we had so much fun!

First of all here are the supplies we used....you will see the frosting pen in the picture, it actually did not work as well as the icing for us...anyone with any tips on this please leave them for me!!!

1st we frosted the cupcakes - red for Elmo and blue for Cookie

2nd Wesley sprinkled red edible glitter on Elmo and blue sugar crystals for Cookie

3rd - we added the eyes. For Elmo we put a large black dot of icing in the center of the melting chip. For Cookie we put it at the bottom so we could alternate the dot at the top and bottom to make him look more kooky.

Oh my word! Could he be any cuter????

4th - We did the Elmo's first. We put the eyes on, then the nose and then I frosted on the mouth using a round tip from Wilton. Super easy!

I think it's cute...I hope I don't end up seeing this on Cake Wrecks!

5th - we did the Cookie's next. We put one eye on with the pupil up and the other with the pupil down and then gave him a squirmy mouth with the same round tip we used with Elmo. Super easy and super fun!

We put all of the rainbow cupcakes on the cupcake stand, half Elmo's and half Cookie's. I also made some plain cupcakes that I just put on a platter for extras. Both serving options looked great but I think I prefer the cupcake stand!

I hope this helps a bit! I am blogging while doing laundry and tending to twins this morning....I really hope this is some what coherent!

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The Twins 2nd Birthday Party!

2009-09-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

Where to begin...? Today was Layla and Ysabelle's 2nd birthday party and it was fantastic and exhausting! It was a "small" party but when you have friends with at least 3 children come it can get large very quickly! The girls were a little overwhelmed at first but after dinner they seemed to settle in to a better groove.

Let me hit some highlights for you.....

The theme - Sesame Street of course!

Dinner - Elmo's favorite PIZZA (and a pasta and green salad for the grown ups)

Entertainment - Sesame Street games and coloring sheets - FUN!

Dessert - Elmo and Cookie cupcakes...with a rainbow surprise inside!

Favors - Crayola coloring crayons, markers and colored pencils with a balloon bouquet

The girls LOVED the pizza and pasta salad. They were feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the people in the house but they still managed to eat a slice! I bought Sesame Street cups with lids and straws by Solo and it was the best idea ever - NO SPILLS! Awesome!

After they were done with dinner they hopped out of their high chairs and scampered off to play some games. They played Oscar's Trash Can Toss, Feed Cookie and Ernie's Rubber Duckie game. I am pretty sure that Ernie's game was the biggest hit! They played it almost the whole time!

After games we moved on to everyone's favorite, well my favorite anyway, CAKE! I absolutely love watching a baby eat cake on their first birthday but watching any baby eat cake just melts my heart! We sang Happy Birthday to the twins individually this year. It was perfect! They have been singing the Happy Birthday song for weeks now (thank you Elmo!) and it was great to see the look on their faces when we were singing to them! I think they were a little bewildered but excited at the same time. They each got to blow out a candle and eat their own cupcake. It was priceless!!!!

Next came gift opening. This was no easy task! I think I worked off about 1000 calories in the process. I stood behind the girls and leaned over the top of them. I was assisting them with ribbon, tissue paper, wrapping paper and bags. It felt like it was about 100* in the house, I was drenched in sweat!(gross I know but I had to be honest!) Then I started to get a cramp in my back from leaning over them! It was all worth it however when we got to see the girls reaction to their gifts! They weregiven so many wonderful things! Abby slippers, puzzles, clothes (so many adorable clothes!), dolly strollers, purses, baby cradles, baby high chairs, and Sesame Street toys of course! They were so excited! Their reaction was awesome and so worth the work (plus all the exertion earned me an extra cupcake!).

After all of the gifts were opened the kids all played until it was time to go home. It was a great birthday party and a great time was had by all! I can't believe they are almost 2....almost....it's not official until Wednesday!

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Soccerpalooza

2009-09-12T22:54:00.001-07:00

Soccer season has begun! This year we have 3 kids playing soccer on 3 different teams. Why you ask? Well, the answer is simple - my husband cannot say "NO". Especially to his children. Especially if the question is "Can I play a sport?" The answer will always be "YES!" So, here we are on the opening day of soccer and it was about as crazy as you can imagine!

Let me start off by saying that I had a great day! My children grinned from ear to ear and that will always be a day I'd repeat a thousand times over... BUT today was not an ordinary day.
Today it RAINED!!!!
In CALIFORNIA!
That NEVER happens in summer...EVER!
It wasn't just a sprinkle either, it was a full blown thunder and lightening, skies opening up and exploding, wait am I in Texas kind of rain!!!!
So, did you know they do not cancel soccer games when it rains??? I sat out in a total down pour with no umbrella holding the twins in the rain....
Layla crying because she was and I quote
"Wat. Momma my WAT again!" which she repeated with every rain drop...

But, as I said before it was a great day.
Wesley dominated the ball every time he was on the field. He was fearless and ran his little heart out! I might also add that he looked very cool while he was doing it too!

Olyvia played next and had a great time. She had her first injury. Let me just say there was crying, swelling, redness, and dirt but after a few minutes she was back in the game and playing soccer like a rock star!

Tyler had the last game of the day. He was a powerhouse! He had a fantastic assist and displayed some excellent ball handling skills. He dribbled, he passed and he had the biggest smile I have ever seen.....perhaps we should work on a game face...nah!

All in all it was a wonderful day - even the rain was amazing! I am always humbled when God shows His splendor. I wish I had some pictures but every time it clouded up and the rain came down I had 2 babies in my arms! Next time!

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Eating Local

2009-09-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Shop local. Eat local. Buy local. LOCAL is everywhere you go these days. What is all of the fuss about? Doesn't the grocery store have the same quality foods? The simple answer is "No." I could get in to all of the boring details about why shopping local and sustaining local farmers is good for the goose and the gander but if you are so inclined you can Google it later...after you finish reading my blog of course! The bottom line is that it is good and here is a great example of WHY....

If you follow my blog then you know we went to farmer's market last weekend and although I forgot to take pictures of what we purchased we did indeed purchase some items. I also frequent Loratelli's fruit stand out on Claratina. Excellent produce and fabulous customer service!

So, after shopping local and buying local this is what I made...

Delicious Local Pizza!

1st - I used the HUGE piece of focaccia bread from the Afghan guy at farmer's market. I topped it with some fabulous goat cheese also from farmer's market.

2nd - I smothered the fresh goat cheese with this amazing sun dried tomato pesto also from the super cool Afghan guy. It smells amazing and it tastes even better!

3rd - I thinly sliced up some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes from Loratelli. They are almost too pretty to eat...almost

4th - I also thinly sliced up some red onion from Loratelli. I once read that if you stick your tongue out while you slice an onion your eyes will not tear up. I will not say how I know this, but it is true..try it!

5th - I bought some wonderful zuccs from Loratelli and planned on using them in some pasta but they were begging me to put them on the pizza. Who am I to argue about where a zucc truly belongs? So, I washed them and grated them up and put them on the pizza too

6th - This is what you should have so far....

7th - I cheated a bit and topped it with some grated cheese. It just seemed to complete the pizza some. It was not local but we all have to start somewhere right?

Then you put it on the pizza stone or the cookie sheet, however you prefer to cook your pizza.

I have to make a small confession....I took some close up pictures. It is a bit of trick photography. I feel like a big fat liar, making it look like everything is sliced all Martha Stewart style. I took a picture a wee bit further back so you could see the chaos of my island. That is how I cook - big, messy, haphazard, and always joyously!

After putting it in the oven at 350* for 15 minutes it will be ready to devour...which we did ! I hope you have enjoyed my pizza recipe and that I encouraged you to go out and buy one local food item! Support your local farmers! Enjoy the bounty that grows in your own backyard!

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Labor Day Weekend fun

2009-09-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned on Monday this was our first Labor Day weekend that we were able to enjoy as a family. We had a lot of fun and spent a lot of time relaxing, it was a perfect blend and everything we strive for in a weekend.

Friday night we went down the street to our neighborhood block party...well, most of us! Bryan was finally home for a block party night but he was hosting the draft for his fantasy football league. So he stayed home while the kids and I had a good time relaxing and chatting with friends and neighbors! We came home and I put the kids to bed. While Bryan and the guys drafted I watched the movie 17 Again - great movie! I sat on the couch in my pajamas, ate ice cream and popcorn, and completely vegged - it was bliss!

Saturday morning we went to farmer's market. This is one of our favorite family activities! I wish I had taken pictures of the vendors and everything we bought but I forgot I had my camera until we were almost done! However, I did get one of the best parts on film or whatever you call it now....
We always get a little snack - french toast, muffins, caprese pockets, breakfast burritos, tri-tip sandwiches, fruit tarts, granola bars, mini buns... OH MY! This could go on for days, and now I am hungry....I digress. Sorry. Where was I? Oh, eating. That is where my mind usually is! ANYWAY! We take our wonderful snack and eat it on the steps of the adjacent church and then the kids jump off of the steps. Then Bryan tells them to go higher and jump further. Then he tells them to do it again. Did I mention these are concrete steps? No? I think I just try to block that part out.
Here is my little Layla on the steps in her finery...she does not leave the house most days unless she is dressed in some version of this outfit - fabulous!

Here is Ysabelle considering "The Jump" and also the part I must intervene

And here is a picture where I have forced my children to be still for one moment (pure torture) so I can take a picture before they all knock their teeth out on the concrete steps they have been encouraged to jump from...

It was a good morning, one of many, and I hope my kids will look back on it fondly!

Sunday we went to church and then Wesley left for the day to the State Fair with my parents and his friend. I did not go so I have no pictures. All I do know is that he rode everything, ate everything and came home with a fish named Bob. Good times! The rest of us lazed around a bit and then we went to L.A. Cultures for some awesome frozen yogurt!

Monday we did something very "Griswald". We went bowling as a family. It was Labor Day weekend and we went bowling...our family and about a zillion others! It was very crowded but we eventually got a lane. Bryan and I used to go to Rock N' Bowl when we were dating. We were good bowlers. That was then, this is now. We are no longer good bowlers. And as far as I can remember it never hurt before...it does now... a lot! Again, I digress. The kids had fun. We ate nachos and pizza (that also hurts to do now!) and we bowled our hearts out! Here is a montage of our bowling fun!

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

It is Labor day weekend and for the first time ... well, ever, we were able to spend it as a family! What a blessing! The kids are growing up so fast and time seems to be flying by. We have 5 kids and that equals one busy life. Between soccer, homework, Girl Scouts, family and church we are constantly on the move and find little time to rest. That is why I have chosen this weeks verse.....

Matthew 11:28-30 (King James Version)

28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Doesn't that sound wonderful? My favorite part is the "rest unto your souls" - beautiful!

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Monday Morning Message 8-31

2009-08-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday!!!!
Usually Monday gets a bum rap...
back to the grind...
the work week starts again.....
But every day is to be viewed as a gift...
It's a fresh start!
A new day!
For this is the day the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Psalm 118:24

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Some Friday Fun... Almost

2009-08-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to Toys R' Us this morning with my Mom and The Duo. We were looking for toys for their approaching birthdays (Wesley's, Layla & Ysabelle's). The girls ran all over the store and had a blast! After what seemed like hours of button pushing, pointing at every dolly and listening to delighted little girl squeals I was done!

It was time to leave and as you can imagine the twins were not ok with this decision.

I decided, like many a desperate mom has done before me, to bribe them.

They are Sesame obsessed so I herded them to the exit where a shiny Bert & Ernie ride sits. They were both squealing with joy at the sight of it at first. THEN came the time to actually get on it...

Layla was a fan...

Ysa, not so much......

Monday Morning Message 8-24-09

2009-08-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday but it is also a special Monday! Today was the first day of school! It was Tyler's first day with a new to the school teacher, Wesley's first day of school with glasses and Olyvia's first full day of school ever! A lot of firsts today! So, this weeks message is one suited for back to school....
Proverbs 2:6 (New Living Translation)

6 For the Lord grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Hmmmmm...tough words to swallow sometimes since I always think I know best! However, far be it from me to think I know what is best for me anymore. Last time I told God I knew what was best for my life He handed me twins! So, go forth this week and gain some of His knowledge...then come back here and share it with the class!

First Hair Cuts and a New Do

2009-08-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

We have had another milestone! The twins had their first hair cuts! It was BEYOND time to get it done!

Layla had a 1985, rockin' at a Poison concert, Joan Jett wanna be, bi-level mullet going on - it was hanus!

Ysabelle also had a mullet but hers was more of a 1980, Joe Dirt, frying up a squirrel with Cousin Eddie type - also hauns!

They looked dirty unless I put ponytails in and that is no easy task and has now been reserved for special occasions. So, without further ado here are the new duo do's

Ysa

and Layla

Ta Da!

Wesley also had a makeover. He did not want a hair cut but also did not want to have any more tangles. He went in and asked for a surfer do that looks cool and doesn't get in his eyes. I think he got just what he asked for - Tara is AMAZING! He thinks he looks like Zack & Cody now....what do you think?

sorry it is a little blurry - I had camera issues!

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2009-08-18T22:09:00.001-07:00

All Things Sesame Street - invitations

2009-08-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

The twins are obsessed with all things Sesame Street. You may think I am joking but I am really not over shooting this one. They have Elmo shoes, Sesame Street clothing, all of the little stuffed characters, Elmo phones and of course they watch the show! So, we have decided to have a Sesame Street party for their birthday. I will be taking loads of pictures but I thought I would give you a sneak peek! I am making their invitations and I think they turned out pretty cute! Here is the low down on how I made them if you are interested....

First you will need a few supplies..
- 5 x 7 sheets of construction paper, 1 per invite
- a black permanent marker
- double stick tape
- big googly eyes
- decorative stickers
- a 4x6 index card with the party info printed on one side

Next you will need to lay the eyes on the paper in the place that you want them BUT do not glue them on yet. Then draw the face of whichever character you are doing first. I started with Big Bird, he seemed easy enough.

Then you need to remove the googly eyes for the time being.... it looks kinda funky!

Now you can apply the double stick tape to the back of the information card.I used my scrapbooking tapey thing (yes, I am pretty sure that is what it is actually called!)but any old double stick tape will do.

and apply it to the non decorated side of the construction paper

Next you can decorate around the index card. I used some Sesame Street stickers that I found at a party store and a dollar store.

Next flip it over and apply the googly eyes back in to place. And then you can move on to the next one! Get creative and have some fun! Here are a few of my finished products....

I had a lot of fun making these! I will be making games for the party as well....that will be coming soon!

Monday Morning Message

2009-08-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Welcome to the 1st day of my new blogging approach! I am trying to be a more consistent blogger so I am going to try and have a theme for certain days! We will see if this works better - I hope it does!

I decided that Mondays need to set the tone for the week so I am going to be posting my bible verse and thoughts about it first thing! I hope you will feel inspired and energized to put your best foot forward and get the week off right! Please leave me a comment if have enjoyed the verse and let me know how it helped you! OK, enough explaining - here we go!

1 Peter 1:6 (New Living Translation)

6 So be truly glad.[a] There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

I think this verse is going to be my new mantra! The last few months have been a little difficult. We have had to make some big decisions, had some sick kids, and general chaos that is our life. Having a way to see passed it will help me focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and remember that whatever we are dealing with is not permanent.

This is particularly helpful today. Wesley has been sick for a week now with the stomach flu....my least favorite sickness other than pink eye! He is not able to keep food down and he is tired of not feeling well.

I AM going to call the doctor and make sure it is nothing more.

I COULD worry about this for hours and let my mind go crazy with "what if's"...

I COULD dare to Google it and really go nuts... but I WON"T!

I WILL just sit here and pray for his health to return to normal and remember that this is only temporary and I will endure this trial for a little while.

I WILL focus on the positive and remember that I have so much joy waiting ahead for me!

The Garden and the Dog

2009-08-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a more unusual post. I need to show you the pictures of the garden and my newly groomed dog. I am going to be reorganizing my posts starting Monday - a better flow and some regular musings if you feel like following along..... But I will talk about that on Monday, for now, on to the loose ends

We have a garden in our backyard, a huge walk in garden. It was off to a slow start this year but the kids found some amazing zucchini - it is HUGE!!!

I also want to share a few pictures of my Matty dog. We have had her longer than we have had children. She is our first baby. She is a great dog - *note* I did not say fancy dog! She is getting a bit older and a bit more grey. I took her in to be groomed last week and I must say she still cleans up nice!

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A Whole New Life For The Kytes

2009-08-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

After a lot of soul searching, praying and debating we decided it was best for our family for Bryan to get a 9-5 job. The long hours were starting to take it's toll on all of us and we decided that in order to have a happier home life we needed Bryan to be a bigger part of our day. He started to apply for a few jobs but with the economy being what it is, it was hard to even get a call back let alone an interview. We prayed constantly, kept our hopes high, and he kept looking! I am happy to announce that he now has a new job! It is a 9-5 Monday - Friday job. He started last week and seems to really enjoy it! He is already coaching Tyler's soccer team and has big plans for football Sundays (perhaps I did not think this all the way through). We are loving our new life and look forward to all of the time we will now have together!

The Stanislaus County Fair

2009-08-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Growing up in small town Turlock was not all that exciting EXCEPT for 2 weeks in the summer when the fair was in town! I used to go every night of the week and spend the entire evening there. This year Bryan was off on the weekend and we were able to take the kids and our friends from LA!!!! It was not exactly what I remembered but the kids sure had fun! We saw fair animals - cows, pigs, sheep, goats and tons of farm fowl, all of which Layla called "chickens". We ate fair food - pizza, gyros, and a baked potato - all on a stick! Just kidding! We rode fair rides - the boys and Bryan rode the Scrambler and Olyvia did this amazing bungee trampoline thing - watch the video, AMAZING! We played fair games - popping balloons and hurling baseballs at a metal "batter". Olyvia won a green stuffed dog and the boys won inflatable bats - excellent! It was hotter than Hades so we decided to leave after only 2 hours but I do believe we had all of the fair fun we could handle!

Twin Family Meetup

2009-08-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

What a great day we had when we returned from camp! For my family members reading this do not be *alarmed* I have a support group online that I started when I found out I was pregnant with the twins. It is a safe group! We have supported each other through nausea, bed rest, giving birth to twins, breast feeding them or not, spit up, sickness, crawling, walking, talking and of course all things twin that others just cannot understand! We have been together through thick and thin but since we are an internet group we are spread all over the country. I first reached out to my dear friend Jennifer when she dropped off the radar for a while and then reported that she was in the hospital on bed rest. I called the hospital and was connected to her room. Sounds a little "stalkerish" I know but we had a great conversation. As time has gone on we have shared more of our lives and finally we met IRL - in real life! Jennifer is a California girl like me!!! My other dear friend Janie lives in CA too! She also has a "large family" with 4 kids. She and her wonderful family spent last Easter with us! We decided to have a California girl meet up at our house last weekend and it was GREAT!!!!! We had 3 sets of twins in one house and it was fabulous fun! It was great to chat face to face and as comfortable as sitting with an old friend. We have shared so much of our lives together and all though I am grateful for our friendship I wish we had met at school or the library so we could see each other more often! I think there are about 25-30 women in our group and I wish we could all have a week together! We are dreaming of a huge lotto win and building a "twin compound" in the hills of Santa Barbara where we will all move and raise our "twinados" together. I love this dream, it is so calming! But until that day comes I will have to retreat to thoughts of our Twin Family Meet up last Saturday.....

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RCP camp 2009

2009-08-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been a little busy lately but that is no excuse for my lack of posting! I have a LOT of things to tell you about! Let's start with family camp. We go every year to Redwood Christian Park. It is the BEST vacation we have ever had. I HIGHLY recommend it no matter the stage of life you are in but IF you have kids it is a must! I would LOVE to show you some pictures of all of the activities the kids had but sadly this year I have few pictures. This year Bryan and I were ... well, ditched! The older kids were off and running and barely stopped to say "Hello Mom, thanks for giving me life". I did not like being tossed aside and next year we are going to force them to eat dinner with us because that is the kind of parents we are!

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BAD Blogger!

2009-07-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

I have been a terrible Blogger lately! I am very sorry! My camera card was full and I can't delete the pictures until I get them developed (I know I am lame but hey, to know me is to love me, not necessarily to understand me!). I finally got the pictures in to Costco and the machine broke so it took another day to get them in hand. Finally I have pictures in my possession and I am ready to blog baby!!!!! Hmmmmm....not much going on right now. I'll have to post something tomorrow!

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Another Day at the Park

2009-07-12T20:05:00.001-07:00

We had a great night at the park the other day! It is so nice to walk to the park on a quiet evening and let the kids get their sillies out. Layla is very in to her hobby horse and for some reason MUST wear a hat when she rides. Ysa loves to pull the wagon, she goes off track and runs over toes but she has a huge smile the whole time! The big kids ride scooters and big wheels, swing, run and slide the entire time we are there...I wish I had a fraction of their energy.

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A look back

2009-07-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

OK, July 4th Pt 5 But This Is It!

2009-07-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

After all of the fireworks were over and the desserts were gone we went for a walk around the block to crash a few other parties. Yes, it was after 10:30 pm and yes, we took the twins! They had some fun looking at more fireworks but more than that it was a beautiful summer night and I think even a toddler can feel that. We walked in the moonlight and chatted about nothing with the kids. It was very Norman Rockwell, I love those moments! Then when we came inside Ysa got a bit of toilet paper and wrapped her baby up - adorable! I had to snap a picture of it, she is such a night owl. Layla was a little less adventurous, she just wanted to be held by her Daddy. It was a fabulous day! The kids said it was the best 4th of July ever - I love that!

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July 4th Pt 4 The Fireworks!

2009-07-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

I love to watch the fireworks, I love to watch the kids watching the fireworks, but I really love watching my husband set off the fireworks! His face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning! Last night we had about an hour of fireworks. We had so many fireworks the older kids got bored and started playing basketball! The men however set off every single fountain they had, audience or not! It was a brilliant show I must say. Very sparkly and poppy. The twins actually did ok, they were not happy about it but I didn't have to take them in the house either so it was a good experience in my book. The boys loved the sparklers and tried to catch every object within their vicinity on fire. Lyvie wasn't sure about them at first, but after swallowing a few tears and gathering up her courage she was actually able to enjoy her sparkler too! I read some tips on how to take great pictures of fireworks but in the end I decided I would have to have a much nicer camera to fully produce award winning photos. So, here are my point and shoot pictures of our firework fun!

July 4th Pt3 The fun!

2009-07-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Oh the fun we had!!! After eating a scrumptious dinner we went out to the front yard and joined friends and family for some good old fashioned 4th of July fun. Ok, maybe it wasn't very old fashioned, lightsabers were involved, but it certainly was fun. The kids played Star Wars, gave wagon rides, rode tricycles, chatted (those that we too cool to play), ate desserts, and threw the ball to Matty Dog. Matty Dog could have died a very happy dog last night, so much attention and so many people throwing the ball - doggie bliss!!! Anyway, everyone had a great time waiting for it to get dark enough to set things on fire!

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Team Kyte

I am moving......

An Ode to my Blog....

End of the year over load!

Little Cowgirl

Happy Mother's Day!

What Really Matters

Mr. GQ

Our Trip to San Francisco

Joseph Thomas

Happy Easter

"Twin"tertainment

Thursdays....

Our Tip Toe through the Tulips

Dinner a la CSA

Every Other Thursday

Catch Up!

Raffi

Lent

Kids in the Kitchen

What Does It Take To Bloom?

My Thoughts On Going "Green"

Happy Birthday Baby!

A Rainy Day Craft

Potty Training - UGH!

Roots....

Ephesians 3:17 (NLT)

Blooming.....

Back in the Saddle Again!

Looking Back at 2009

Teach Your Children Well

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Breath Of Heaven

Advent Week 4

Gingerbread Houses

Advent Week 3

Ysabelle Dirt

Tortillas

Advent Week 2

O Christmas Tree

Advent

Traditions

So Thankful

And the Oscar goes to.....

Who You Surround Yourself With......

Monday Morning Message

Philippians 4:5-7 (NIV)

5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Twindamonium

Monday Morning Message...on Tuesday night

Jeremiah 33:10-12 (nlt)

A TWINterview

Monday Morning Message

The Holidays are Coming! The Holidays are Coming!

Dia de los Muertos

Monday Morning Message

Halloween Fun

Happy Halloween

Beauty Is....

H1N1???

Monday Morning Message 10-26-09

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (New Living Translation) 1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

The Sick Sisters

Layla and Ysa go to the Pumpkin Patch!

Uncle Bob's Birthday!

Daily Bread....Week 3

The Whirlwind

Apple Prints !

Daily Bread Week 3

Apple Fun!

Theme Week Revived!

Matty Has a Pumpkin Shirt

Daily Bread Week 2

More of the Twins

Daily Bread October 1st - 4th

Twins.....

Daily Bread Continued

Daily Bread....

A Little Family Fun

Monday Morning Message (in the afternoon)

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (New Living Translation)
¹ For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.