Cleaning, a Tux and a Concert

The boys left for school today and I spent most of the day cleaning. Not fun- but definitely had to be done. I think I even came across some dust bunnies~


When Tyler got home from school, we went over to the mall to order his tux for prom. (I was so happy that he asked me to go with him!!!!) I had so much fun spending time with him and giving my opinion when he asked. He picked put a black classic tux with a silver vest and tie. Oh--he is going to look so cute handsome!! Unfortunately, he would not let me take any pictures :o( but this is what the vest and tie look like (both ties are in the pic- he chose the European tie not the bow tie)~


This evening, Drew had his 5th grade concert at school. He had a ton of individual lines that he had to memorize for tonight and he did amazing! (I know I would have never been able to remember all those lines!!) These picures didn't turn out very well~



And the program from the concert~


It is hard to believe this was our very last Elementary School concert... ever!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Come for a walk with me down Memory Lane!
And if you have a "Memory Lane" post, head on over to Scottsville to join in on the fun!


I found this picture in a bunch of pictures I scanned in of my Grandpa's a while ago. This is from probably around 1973 or so..This picture was taken at my Great Grandma's house(we called her Ma) most likely at a holiday. Someone had kindly numbered this photo: 1-Ma 2-my Great Uncle Tom 3- my Aunt Monnie 4-my Grandpa 5- my Uncle John (I love the long hair) 6- Me (it doesn't look like I could sit still :o) 7- my Mom 8- my sister Kim (my Dad must have been taking the picture).

My Great-Grandma "Ma" lived to the age of 92. I remember spending lots of holidays at her house when I was younger.I remember her having a wonderful garden and she always would tell my sister and I stories of the bunnies that lived in her garden. She would always have butterscotch hard candies in a candy dish and she always smelled like Rosemilk lotion. To this day, when I smell Rosemilk or butterscotch I think of her.

Just a Couple of Pictures

Just wanted to share a couple of pictures that I took yesterday that put a smile on my face. Jake finishing off his birthday cake (just a hunch but I think he really liked it)~


And the one armed basketball player~

Wordless Wednesday... Monday

Ok~ this is the first time I am playing Wordless Wednesday...and becaause I can't wait until Wednesday...this will be~ um...the Monday Edition;o)

Just because sometimes no words (or almost no words) are needed...


(And I have just one question~ why have I taken to chopping off the top of people's heads in lots and lots of photo's I have taken recently?!?!)

Just a Little Bragging ;o)

Back in January, Drew took a math test in school to see who would qualify to make a team to compete at a Math Masters competition. And Drew made the team! Their team (of 5 kids) met once a week for an hour before school since January and also had weekly homework. They worked so hard. The big competition was on Friday (during the school day) at one of the local high schools.
Drew~


Drew's team~


The competition~

Jake's Birthday- Part 2:)

Jake said he had a great birthday! He got his donuts for breakfast. It's early- he looks a little bit tired in this picture~


Then to the presents~


He got some golf clubs from his Grandma and Grandpa, some money from his Grandpa and we got him a summer golf pass to the local golf course. (Thanks Grandma & Grandpa and Grandpa!!) He looks pretty happy ;o)

I finished his cake while he was at school~


After school, I got a picture of him checking out my blog. He was reading the post I did yesterday with all the pictures of when he was younger. He was giggling and kept saying 'Ohhhh'.
(Melt my heart~ that is exactly why I am doing this blog!)


Jake spent his afternoon over at a friends house for a while and then went golfing with a couple of other friends to try out those new clubs. I got this picture after he played nine holes and walked home~ He had a great time and looks very happy!


When he got home he brought all his clubs downstairs and practiced a little putting. (Notice all of his clubs lined up on the air hockey table ;o)


Enjoying his pork chop dinner~


Make a wish~


And he finished his day by having a friend sleep over. It was a great day!

Birthday Boy

Another Birthday- another year older! How can it be possible that my little Jakey is now 14!?!?! I love seeing what a great young man he is becoming- but at the same time I want to freeze the clock or at least slow it way down- time is moving way too fast!!!!!

How did we go from this~

To this, so quickly?!?!


Let's look back and see....;o)

Jake with big brother Tyler~

Jake at about 5 months old loved this bouncy duck~

And also loved kleenex~


Loving his first trip to Disney World (looking a little scared of Tigger) at age 2~


At 3 years old enjoying a little game of golf~

Jake at age 4 with his beloved Pokemon cards (wearing his baseball hat backwards, the cool way :o)

Age 7 on vacation- loving the recliner (still loves recliners! :o)


Jake and new puppy Comet at age 9~


Winning a gold medal in a hockey tournament in Lake Placid- age 11~


Cutting the long hair off (Ya!) at age 11~


And a recent (goofy) picture with all of his electronic gadgets~

I love you Jake!!!

Birthday Cake

I have been busy today getting ready for Jake's birthday tomorrow. I always let the kids plan the menu for their birthday...Jake has requested donuts for breakfast (that will be easy ;o) and for dinner he has requested Caribbean Jerk pork chops and baked potatoes~and I am going to add some grilled pineapple and maybe a salad. Nummy! He asked me to make his favorite cake~ Jello Poke Cake. He LOVES this cake! And it is so incredibly easy to make!

Oh~ AND it got to 87 degrees out today (this MUST be a record for
April 23rd)!!! Which I absolutely loved!!! But not so much having the oven on as well!! Fresh out of the oven~


Jello Poke Cake

1 package white cake mix
2 packages jello (favorite flavor)~I am making strawberry
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
Topping:
1 - 3 oz vanilla instant pudding
1 - 8 oz cool whip

Prepare and bake cake according to package directions. Cool for 1 hour. In small bowl dissolve jello in boiling water. Stir in cold water and set aside. With a wooden skewer, poke holes about 2 inches apart in cooled cake. Slowly pour jello over cake and refrigerate until set. For the topping, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes, fold in cool whip. Spread over cake. Enjoy.

Not that Day

Yesterday, Jake was eating a snack at the kitchen table and was looking at our family calendar which happened to be laying on the table. He all of a sudden grabs a pen and starts crossing things out. He says; "Ok, we were not on the cruise that day, or that day, or that day, or that day and only part of that day." I just burst out laughing~ Not many people can say they have been on half of a cruise ;o)


And here is a picture of Drew this morning before school. Notice the new cast minus the sling~ Ya!

Straws and New Casts

Drew wanted cereal for breakfast this morning (this is the first time he has had cereal since he broke his arm.) He ate all the cereal and then got to his favorite part~ the milk... but he couldn't figure out how he was going to pick up that heavy bowl with just one hand. He sat and stared at his bowl for a minute...and then asked for a straw. What a good problem solver he is ;o)


And this afternoon Drew had an appointment at the orthopedic center to get x-rays and a new hard cast put on... (cast #5). He did great~ although he is just a little sore tonight.

Family Favorite

It was a cold, rainy day today. I think it seemed even colder after all the beautiful weather we had last week. It was a perfect day for a big pot of soup~ I made a family favorite~

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 T olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded, stemmed and minced
1 T chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (could substitute rotisserie chicken)
8 cups chicken broth
1 T lime juice
2 - 15oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 T parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, chili powder, and garlic and cook until softened (about 5 min). Stir in remaining ingredients except the cilantro and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Right before ready to serve stir in cilantro.

Serve over tostito chips- which will soften with the broth. Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado pieces. Enjoy.
___________

This is so good~ a meal our whole family enjoys!

Warm Cookies

There is nothing better than a pretty plate of warm chocolate chip cookies~


except maybe eating them~

Signs Winter is Over

Yesterday, the temp reached 76 degrees (above zero ;o)!!! It was a day where you just stop and take a deep breath in and realize that we survived winter!!! And that spring is here!

Besides the temperature~ I saw some signs yesterday that make me believe winter is finally over...
trees budding
bits of green grass
two little girls running through a sprinkler
a man mowing his lawn
birds building a nest under my deck
tulips popping

and our first bonfire of the year~ here Pete (looking very proud of his fire making skills) is building our fire~


and me enjoying the fire~

A Rare Sight

Snuggle time with my 13 year old~


(Truth be told, he is actually begging me to make him a banana shake ;o)

Not Again

Well- as they say, all good things must come to an end...

I was out for a walk this morning and my cell phone rings. I recognize the number immediately as a school phone number! It was the nurse at the high school...Tyler is not feeling well...again...only an upset stomach...but he just can't seem to get completely back on his feet after being so sick before with meningitis...


We made it 2 days this week that all three boys were ALL at school~ for a grand total of 5 since March 11th!!!! UGH!!!

African Bull Frog

My 7 year old nephew was telling my sister the other day that Drew is lucky that he is not an African Bull Frog. ;o)

And she asked him why.... He told her that in their classroom they have some of these frogs and that one of them had broken their arm and then ended up dieing because it couldn't get around and take care of itself. What a sweetheart my nephew is!!!

Yep- I totally agree, I too am glad that Drew is not an African Bull Frog!! ;o)

Happy Mama

This morning I took Drew to school and got him all situated in his classroom and talked with his teacher for a little bit. I think Drew was a little excited to be back at school- after all there is only so much TV you can watch :o)

After that I ran to Starbucks, the bank, the post office, and to Target. It felt so good to just do normal errands again! Then I took Bella for a long walk- which was awesome because it was another beautiful day here. It felt so good to get some fresh air, get some exercise and feel the sunshine!

But~ I think my favorite thing I did today was to get my kitchen totally cleaned!! Now~ don't get me wrong-I don't necessarily like cleaning--but I DO like my house clean and there is something kind of therapeutic when doing some good old fashioned spring cleaning! And my poor kitchen has been neglected for too long with everything that has been going on this past month!


All 3 boys back at school + 1 Drew feeling better + some exercise + 1 clean kitchen = 1 happy mama!!

(This is only the 4th day since March 11th that all 3 boys have been at school!!!!)

Quiet is Nice

The past two days have been quiet...and it has been nice! It was absolutely gorgeous out today! I think it got into the mid-60's and oh so sunny!! Perfect weather for sittng on the deck and reading a magazine!


I even got Drew outside for a little bit.


And I think he is heading back to school tomorrow!!! Ya!