Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tag I am it!

My friend Alli tagged me in this
10 questions quiz...so fun.

1. What is my current obsession?

Blogging...reading others and posting on my own :)

2. Which item of clothing do I wear most?

Black comfy dress. I can pair it with all my cute sandals, flip-flops and jewlery. PLUS I still have a few baby pounds to lose.
3. What's for dinner?
Pork chops in the crock pot with 99% fat free cream of mushroom soup, fresh mushrooms and an onion.....yum! I couldn't think of anything, so this is what went into the crock pot :)
4. What am I listening to?
nothing! so nice :) quiet...it never happens
5. Say something about the person who tagged me...
I met Alli years ago, and it is crazy how we are back in touch! She is married to Jason. He was one of my Big Brothers when I was a Little Sis to the fraternity Sigma Delta Nu, back when I went to Tyler Junior College. Anyway, I kept up with them for years though our friend Laura...she was my roommate at TJC. Anyway, then FaceBook got us back in touch, and then I realized she blogs too! So fun...love ya Alli :)
6. Favorite vacation spot?
I love the mountains and the beach, so it is somewhat of a toss-up for me. Gary and I got married on the beach and I really love Port Aransas. If you have never gone to Port Aransas and stayed at Port Royal...GO...it is amazing. So...hummmmm...gonna say it is a tie. Love me some Breckenridge too.
7. What am I reading right now?
Cookbooks, magazines....Family Circle, Parents, Food Network and Better Homes and Gardens....yep I sound old and smelly...oh and blogs.
8. Guilty pleasure?
What else but my all time favorite dessert....Cheesecake.
9. First Spring thing to do?
Clean the windows so I can open them. I love the cool spring air coming into the house. I put sheer curtains in my bedroom just for spring and fall. I love watching them flutter in the breeze.
10. What do I look forward to?
I look forward to growing old with Gary and watching our kids grow! I don't want it to go by to fast or too slow. I look forward to each and every happening...the good and the bad.
Now I am tagging:

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

rub a dub dub...



...silly kids in the tub!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Watch him grow and grow and grow....

newborn

1 month

2 months

3 months


4 months


5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months




Hayden is a busy little man these days. He loves to crawl around the house! He pulls up on anything and everything he can. He gets into everything...especially Layla's things. That drives her crazy..heehee :) He is a great eater...he loves cheese sandwiches and chicken nuggets. Gosh...he eats so much. I'm sure pretty soon he will eat us out of house and home!

Monday, April 27, 2009

A rabbit, a snake, rocks and the hammock

We went to the country this past weekend, and it was great!


Except for this part...eeiiikkkk! But as Layla said, "It is one of God's creatures."

Daddy & LK looking for rocks

Taking a break in the hammock :)

Layla sneaking up on the bunny rabbit.

The three explorers


The Sipes family had an amazing weekend:) We love going to the country where we can just kick back and relax. We really enjoy watching LK explore. She picked at least 25 flowers in the first 5 minutes after we arrived. She ran and played for hours. She is the one that found the snake. I almost had a freak attack...she was so calm and naive. We looked at it for a few minutes before it crawled back into it's den (a hole in the ground next to a tree). Thank goodness that was on Sunday as we were leaving. We caught tons of ladybugs, chased a million butterflies, and saw a bunny! We didn't get to take pictures in the bluebonnets...dang it...we ran out of time. I guess we spent too much time in the hammock! That thing rocks!! It is so relaxing. We met up with some of our buddies, and that was a wonderful treat! I'm so glad we got to see everybody. It was a great mini-vaca..can't wait to get back to the country again soon!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Chicken Bock Bock!

When Layla was smaller she called chicken bock bock. Well, I have issues with chicken. I get so tired of it. I need new ways to cook it. I was even so weird about chicken I wouldn't eat it in a restaurant. I know...not normal.

Here is a super simple recipe I have shared with several of you. Since you liked it I thought I'd put it on the blog. If you have any send me some more yummy ideas.

Maybe Friday could be Fabulous Food Friday :) We could share recipes to cook for the next week, and give reviews?!?! Well anyway.

Crock pot Bock Bock

*3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
*1 packet of taco seasoning
*1 can of rotel...do not drain!

It doesn't get any easier that this:

Rub the chicken with taco seasoning, place coated chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle remaining seasoning packet in the pot. Pour the rotel on top! Put the lid on and wait for 4-5 hours....I check it...I'm just that way. You shouldn't open the lid...but anyway.

The chicken is so tender and usually falls apart. Since Gary's favorite food group is tortillas....we put it in a tortilla. Tostada shells are good too. I'm sure you could even use it for chicken spaghetti also. If you think of anymore ideas...do share.

I want some square plates like that picture above....I saw some at Ross the other day. LOVE me some Ross!! Although if you are in a hurry it is probably not the best place to go. Sometimes you really have to take the time to look. That is why I am really liking Walmart right now. I am all about a one stop shopping experience. With the two munchkins in tow it is hard to get them in and out of the car at a million places. I recently bought myself a dress and purse at Walmart. I found a fun scarf & jewelry to go with the dress. Layla has a cute visor, and several dresses from Walmart also. OK, so this blog entry just took a random turn...sorry:) Have a great weekend...try the bock bock recipe...you'll love it.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Double Vision

Hayden thought he was seeing double when he woke up from his nap this morning. One of LK's friends came over to play. The girls are great friends and have so much fun together. I love this age because they played all morning and a total shocker....they both share very well. I love listening to them. They have the silliest conversations. Anyway, Hayden was hysterical. The girls heard him fussing in his crib and insisted on going in when I got him up. I had to grab my camera. His face was priceless. He just looked back and forth between the two girls. It was GREAT!!! He was probably thinking...Oh No...I'm in serious trouble...now there are two!
He followed the girls all around the house. He was crawling as fast as his legs would go.


He was so curious...what is in this box?? Dress-up clothes....pictures we can totally use in the future...HA!


Poor guy. They put a tiara on him and he grabbed a necklace.


I wish you could see his face...he is gazing at Emma Kate....so cute! I'm sure he will take to many of Layla's friends :)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Peek A Boo

Where is Hayden?
There he is!

Silly man!
Hayden loves to play peek a boo in the car. Layla and I crack up laughing at him...he giggles like mad :)

Monday, April 20, 2009

Animals all around.

Audrey turned 2! She had a petting zoo... all the kids said woohoo!

HC riding the pony...he LOVED it!

LK is so good with animals. She LOVES them.

Cutest girl and bunny :)

Friday, April 17, 2009

Rainy PJ Day


Playing in the Dora tent.


The kids had a ball in the playroom today. They played while I took down fairy wall-paper border. The playroom at one time was Layla's room and it is bigger. It makes more sense to have all the toys and kid stuff in there. Now we need to re-paint. Pink isn't a good playroom color with a salmon color couch. I'm thinking moss green paint ...and maybe we will get a sleeper sofa....so our guests will have a place to sleep. Layla would enjoy cuddling up on the sleeper sofa bed to watch movies. I love having a playroom :) Playroom makeover coming up soon! My rainy day chore~almost done. Whew!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Fun Stuff

A few days ago I was reading a blog. Go figure! I can't remember for the life of me whose it was....ooops yes I know I guess I read too many :) Anyway the best advise EVER!!! It is called Productive Parenting. I signed up and they send me a daily email suggesting activities for each of my kids! Whoop! I always run out of things to do. Today was a fun one for Hayden. We played with toy phones....I talked on one, and he drooled on the other. It was cute though because we was grinning as I was talking to him. Or maybe I'm just really funny! teehee :) Check it out.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Hello Springtime :)


Layla loves to play golf.




Harley and dad playing soccer.

Swingin'
We love playing outside! I am so glad the weather has been nice....I hope it stays nice. We had a contractor come to the house yesterday to give us a quote on a patio cover. I hope that we are able to get one this summer. A patio cover would be like a second living area for our family. It would be an awesome addition to our home, and a goal fulfilled that Gary and I have been striving for since we bought this house 3 years ago. I can't believe we have lived here for 3 years! We are so blessed...I love our house. My hope is that as our children get older they will love our house also. I hope they always feel at home and safe here :)
Home Sweet Home.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter

We had a super fun weekend! Yesterday the weather was great. Gary smoked a brisket. He did a few things different trying out ways to make it more tender, and wow it was GREAT!!
We had so much fun playing outside. Susan, Kristin and Yvonne came by for a brief afternoon visit. It was great see them, and I know they enjoyed their time with the kids.
After the kids went to bed we enjoyed a visit with DeeDee and Paul from across the street. We are so lucky to have such wonderful neighbors. A very fun part of my weekend was seeing my friend Ena. I can't remember the last time I saw her. I miss her so much. She is engaged to a great guy named John, and we got to meet him. He and Gary talked motorcycles all night, and we had a ball with them.
This morning was great. We went to church and I really enjoyed the Easter message. We sang the most amazing hymn "Ten Thousand Angels" I have never sang this hymn, but I will remember it forever.

After church my parents came to have lunch with us. We had fun hanging out with them though I wish we could have hung out outside. It rained here all day. If we had been outside, Layla would have forgotten about all the candy she has to eat. CANDY...AGHHH!!!
I posted this picture of us four taken this morning after church.
Happy Easter Everyone!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Sweet little bunny




I'm not a cake maker...I always get mad, but I'm okay with this one. It is picture worthy. Usually, I bake a cake and get mad at the icing. Thank goodness for coconut..it hides the messy icing :) Oh, and wanted to give a big xoxo (kiss) to my honey for the lovely flowers. Thanks!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Good Friday

I am very thankful for these wonderful kids!


All the pictures of the kids together were chaos...this one is OK. They were to busy fighting over the bunny and basket to look at the camera! As you can see he wants what she has...never ending!!!