Need a new blog header!

Mine is so huge, but I've been too lazy to resize. ;) Oh well. I'll fix it up soon!

So, this weekend we have a few things planned. Tonight we have a surprise 30th bday party for a friend. My awesome ma is coming up today to watch the kids for us. We are going to supper with some friends first, I'm crossing my fingers for Chevy's b/c I'd kill for some good chips and salsa and a big fat margarita on the rocks with extra salt! We are also stopping at Melissa's house so I can 'shop' in her closet. She has great stuff, and we wear pretty much the same size shirt. I'm hoping I can squeeze into a pair of her jeans as well. We shall see. My 3-baby tummy isn't too friendly. ;)

Anyway, tomorrow night my mom, sis and some friends are going to a drag show in Sioux Falls, I'm really excited. Never been to one, it will be so fun to have a girl's night with my fam!

Yeeesh!

Vacation and life totally took me away from blogging!

Our vacation was wonderful. We had a great time and so did the kids. Lots of swimming, some boating. I got a ton of good pics, I will share just a few here, a few that I doctored up first. :)
































Ella started preschool on Monday! She is loving it. Here is a first day pic:

Leaving for vacation today

We are leaving for vacation today, early. We weren't supposed to go until tomorrow but a friend of Eric's has a house at the lake and invited us to stay tonight with them. So, after the kids are done with naps we are heading out!

2 days to go!

Well, we are down to 2 days left until vacation. I'm starting to get stuff really packed up, the kids' clothes are all packed so far. We gave some stuff to Eric's sister Monica to take up because we don't have enough room in our vehicle: Toys, golf clubs, stroller, camping chairs, Ella's "big girl" bike.

Tonight I will start on my clothes. Eric's stuff is all up to him. :)

I think we are leaving after the boys' nap on Sunday, that way we are guaranteed on decent nap that day!

Slacker

I have really been slacking on posting here lately! But, with Boden being sick, then a busy weekend, then a few more busy days, the time just flies by.

B is finally feeling better, back to his crazy little self. The boys (and Eric) got haircuts on Monday. They look like such little men now! So adorable. Their curls are gone but I'm sure in a week they will be back. :)
















I got my hair done Tuesday, YAY! My roots were bad. Got a nice trim, new layers, highlights and lowlights. AND ... (Too much Info ALERT!) I'm getting a bikini wax on Friday for vacation!!!!! Whooooooo boy. I'm pretty excited about it, I know it will hurt but I've been through much worse pain.

We leave Sunday for vacation, Okoboji, until Thursday. I hope it goes ok. Hopefully the kids sleep well. That is my main concern. The weather looks to be nice, about 80 degrees, the whole time. I'm crossing my fingers.

Ella got a fun weekend last weekend, she went to stay with my mom and stepdad, Friday through Sunday. They spoiled her rotten! She loved every minute of it. They took her to a fair/carnival, she went on rides and played a ton of games and brought home some fun stuff. She went to the river swimming, went to a movie, and made stepping stones. My kids are so lucky to have such kickass grandparents. We really missed her, especially Eric (she is such a daddy's girl) but I know how good it was for her to go. She needs that special time.

Speaking of which, she starts preschool on the 25th of August! Good grief. Where did my little baby go?

She drew this pic of my this morning - I am jumping rope. :) My little artist.

My little BoBo is sick

He got a fever Wednesday, and we haven't gotten rid of it yet. I've been giving him Motrin once in awhile. Last night he was pretty lethargic, just laid in my lap while I watched Big Brother (SOOOO happy Jessie got his ass sent home!). Anyway, this morning when he woke up his temp was 102.7 and he was dry heaving. He puked after breakfast. So, I"m taking him in at 3 pm.

A few great recipes!

I LOVE to cook. Love, love, love it. I love picking new recipes and just going for it. And, I'm lucky enough that Eric is a very willing guinea pig. We have been so lucky so far, and only found 1 or 2 recipes that we wouldn't try again. The following are 2 recent hits (for Kat!) :)

Chicken Milanese (got this recipe from the Cook's Country magazine - this is a GREAT magazine!! Not the first good recipe I've gotten from them)
5 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon grated zest and 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
6 thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Pulse bread and 1/4 cup cheese in food processor until coarsely ground; transfer to shallow dish. Combine remaining cheese and flour in second shallow dish. Beat eggs with garlic and lemon zest in third shallow dish.

2. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. One at a time, coat cutlets lightly in cheese-flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, and then dredge in bread crumbs, pressing to adhere.

3. Heat 1/4 cup oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Fry half of cutlets until deep golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper-towel lined plate and transfer to oven to keep warm. Discard oil, wipe out skillet, and repeat with remaining oil and chicken. Sprinkle cutlets with lemon juice and serve.

Italian Beef Sandwiches (got this from Quick & Easy Recipes magazine)
1 4-pound beef sirloin or rump roast, cut into 2-3 inch pieces (I used a whole frozen beef roast, didn't have time to thaw and cut up first, worked perfectly!)
1/2 cup water
1 0.7-ounce package dry Italian salad dressing mix
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I also added a teaspoon of minced garlic, b/c we love garlic)
12 kaiser rolls or other sandwich rolls

1. Place beef in slow cooker. In a bowl, combine water, salad dressing mix, Italian seasoning, red pepper and garlic powder, pour over beef.

2. Cover; cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 5-6 hours.

3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer beef to a cutting board and shred the beef. Place on buns and drizzle with juice from slow cooker.

***I also placed a slice of Provolone cheese on top of the meat on each bun and stuck them (open-faced) into the oven on broil for about 3 minutes, it made the buns toasted and the cheese melted, yum!***

Where did my little girl go?

Last night Ella and I were playing and I was holding her in my arms and I looked at her and realized that she has gotten so big, so grown up right before my eyes. Her legs are so long, her face has lost almost all of those precious baby cheeks. Today we got her preschool information in the mail, talk about an eye-opener. She'll be doing 2 years of preschool. I'm really excited for her, but it made me realize that kindergarten is right around the corner. Yikes.

Here is a photo of Jacob's hair, with all his unruly curls:















Here is another:

New stuff

So ... where do I start? Haven't updated in awhile.

Kat - my toe is doing much better. Almost completely healed. It still hurts when I wear sandals so I'm not trucking around completely normally yet, but soon I think.

Also Miss Kat - the Chicken Milanese tonight was SO good!!! Even Ella ate a whole chicken breast herself, which is amazing considering how shitty she has been eating lately - Saturday night I think she ate one bite of hotdog and 2 green beans. So, I was pumped about the chicken. If you want the recipe let me know! It was fairly simple.

So. I am really excited, Eric's sister Monica asked me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding in April!! It will be my first time being a bridesmaid. She is getting married in Vegas. Never been to Vegas either! She made me the cutest card to ask me.

Hmmm, what else. Tomorrow night I am trying a new recipe for Italian Beef Sandwiches - you use a beef roast in the crockpot and some other stuff. Bought some yummy rolls to go with 'em. Hopefully it turns out!

The boys are nutso. Completely! Love them so stinkin' much. They are such a blast right now, crawling everywhere, almost always happy, laughing, smiling. Such a riot.

Monday they are getting haircuts again! It has only been 5 weeks, my gosh. Their hair is so out of control curly! I have some pics on the camera I need to post - Jacob's hair is so wild.

Also, on an exciting note - I'm getting my hair done next Tuesday! YIPPEEE!! My ends are shitty from occasional straightening, it needs a trim pretty badly. I hate to trim my hair, I love having long hair. But, I need it done and kinda want a fun cut, more layers or something. So ... good luck to me. ;) I'm also in need of another color, my roots are scary!

We leave for vacation August 17-21!!