Hmmmmm?

Corynn has been talking about her birthday party (which isn't until April 5th) since her last birthday party. And yesterday she told me what kind of party she is going to have 'when she gets six.'

She is having a princess party- is it any wonder!? The problem lies in the fact that most of her friends- well all but one- are boys! Her bestest friend ever is TJ. He's the son of my oldest and closest friend, Kris. He was born five months exactly after Corynn. But you wouldn't think so from the picture.
Now you know why I'm always going on about how freakin tall she is! In this pic she is an astronaut and he's Superman. Usually she's superman and he's spiderman. any-hooo....

I think we will just have a princess cake and princess balloons. and the party favors will be generic birthday ones. Maybe I can find something cute online...

Favorite New Drink!!!

I'm always worrying our kids aren't getting enough vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients from their normal eating habits, partly because they are such picky eaters! We went through an 18 month period with the twins where the only thing they would eat was 'chicken and fries' and angel hair pasta. Corynn is currently in a soup period, especially hot and sour soup from the chinese place down the street (hey-at less than a dollar-its a cheap lunch!). Soup isn't that bad- but she only drinks the broth, not the veggies or noodles.

For the past few years, I have had the kids on a children's multivitamin. Ever since Kwynn fell and broke her arm. It was just a freak accident-but as a parent you always want to blame yourself. McKynna and Kwynn are finally outgrowing their pickiness and trying new foods and eating a few more veggies. I make stir fry once a week - its the twins' favorite and they eat every part of it. But I have found a new secret weapon!!
V8 Vfusion! I love this stuff! Its fruit/vegetable juice- and contains one serving of your daily fruits and one serving of your daily vegetables. But all you can taste is the fruit part. The girls LOVE it! They have a glass for breakfast everyday- and the peach/mango one makes awesome smoothies! My only regret is they don't make smaller versions that could be included in lunches. That would be nice!

Monday MUNCHIES!!

A great appetizer for the upcoming Super Bowl... Yum yum! I love these!

Spicey Shrimp Nachos

Prep: 30 minutes
Broil: 1 minute

Ingredients

• 1 cup mango, seeded, peeled, and chopped OPTIONAL
• 1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
• 1 fresh jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped*
• 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Jamaican jerk seasoning
• 1 lb. peeled, deveined uncooked shrimp
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 8 cups tortilla chips (8 oz.)
• 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. For salsa, in a bowl stir together mango, sweet pepper, onion, and chile pepper; set aside. In a large bowl stir together brown sugar and jerk seasoning. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Coat a grill pan or large skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add half the shrimp at a time to the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes each side or until shrimp are opaque. Remove and set aside. If desired, coarsely chop shrimp.

2. Spread tortilla chips on a broiler-safe platter or baking sheet. Top with shrimp and salsa. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil 4 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Makes 8 servings.

Friday FUNNIES

John sent a bunch of these to me yesterday via email with the subject line:
Having a bad day? Remember it could always be worse!

Two thumbs up!

I have to say, I am pretty happy with LPS. Actually Holmes Elementary to be more specific.

McKynna and Kwynn went on two field trips this month. One for art class- to the Sheldon Art Museum and then yesterday they went to Pershing to watch a concert by the Lincoln Symphony. And this was for music class. They have also gone to Morrill Hall, toured the capital, met the governor and his wife after going to the Governor's Mansion and a trip to the Nature Center.

On the way home from school, I asked the girls how their field trip went. They both said it was fine with not much enthusiasm. So I asked a few more probing questions:


me: You don't sound too thrilled about going.

McKynna: It was neat. We were able to see all the instruments and talk to the musicians.

Kwynn: But they played 'old' music.

me: 'OLD' music? (knowing exactly what they meant, but wanted them to explain)

McKynna: Ya, like old people music. Like 'The Marriage of Fergio". We all thought that was the lady off of Black Eyed Peas, but it didn't sound anything like her music.

Kwynn: Unless they made it sound like 'old' music! They can do that you know.

The conversation went on for awhile- but it was fun to hear their excitement eventhough the symphony wasn't what they expected.


I was a bit worried about moving to Lincoln. We moved the year before kindergarten. John and I come from a town of 40,000 and the schools there weren't that great. So we didn't know what to expect in a city the size of Lincoln. But the girls love Holmes and we are very pleased as well!

McKynna and Kwynn are growing into such awesome young people...and I know we can attribute some of that to the wonderful education they are receiving, Corynn is going to Zeman next year- I hope our experience there is just as wonderful!

Switcheroo!

The twins switched their bedroom this weekend. It has been a long process. But their old room (which is huge 21x15) is becoming a play room. And the old computer room is now their new room. We made this switch for two reasons.

1) We need a central location for toys- having everyone keep their own toys in their bedrooms is becoming pure craziness. This way we only have one room to pick up and worry about.

2) The most important reason- is we want to put in an egress window in- and the only room it will work in is the computer room- so they had to switch over. Our children's safety first!

Since the new room is about half the size of the old one we had to get bunk beds to optimize floor space. It was a real family effort! The girls- all three of them- helped carry boxes in from the garage down the stairs. Corynn helped cut off binding- the twins helped unpack the boxes.

Somewhere amidst the chaos - Corynn thought it would be a good idea to put her hard hat on. (a donation from my drywaller brother)

That in itself was cute- but the funniest thing was...

John and I were putting the two finished beds on top of eachother. The mattresses were laid up against the wall. Corynn was messing around with them when one started to fall over. John and I were busy and not really paying attention to the fact that this little person was trying to set the falling mattress back up. She was struggling and trying not to fall over with it. Finally she got it back against the wall. She walked past John and said "Thanks Dad! (very sarcastically)- It's a good thing I have my hard hat on!" And walked out of the room.

Wondering what that was all about we called her back in to explain- I had no idea the mattress was falling, I just thought she was goofing around. And even it was falling- its just a thin bunk bed mattress. But I'm sure it seemed huge and heavy to her.

The twins are completely moved into the new room. And they really like it! Now we just have to organize the play room. And sometime after that... I will get to set up my craft/project room! YEAHHHH!

Monday MUNCHIES!!!!!!

BAKED POTATO SOUP

this recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden website- it looked super yummy and I wanted to share! I am making it this week- I'll let you know if its as good as it looks!

Ingredients

• 2 large baking potatoes (8 ounces each)
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups milk
• 3/4 cup shredded American cheese (3 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
• 4 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled

Directions

1. Scrub potatoes thoroughly with a brush; pat dry. Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 40 to 60 minutes or until tender. Let cool. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; gently scoop out each potato. Discard potato skins.

2. In a large saucepan cook 3 tablespoons green onion in margarine until tender; stir in flour, dill, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Add the potato pulp and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; stir until cheese melts. Ladle into bowls. Garnish each serving with the remaining shredded cheese, 3 tablespoons green onion, and bacon. Makes 6 servings.

Make-Ahead Tip: Bake potatoes ahead. Remove pulp and place in storage container. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours ahead. To serve, add potato pulp to soup after mixture is thickened and bubbly; heat through. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted.

Happy Birthday Nancy!

Its John's mom's bday! Here's to a wonderful weekend!

Why the pic of Audrey Hepburn- you ask? Because I think Nancy resembles her in alot of ways- plus she's one of my most favorite actors!

Friday FUNNIES!!!!

Its actually more cute than funny.

Corynn and John and I were driving in his car yesterday. Corynn asked him why he bought a silver car.

John: I don't know- what color of car should have I bought?

Corynn: Well, I was thinking red. Because I like red and its the color of love.

Things seem so simple through the eyes of a 4 year old!

Officially 28...

So yesterday I turned the big 2-8! Just kidding! I still consider myself young. So do the girls. They told us they have the youngest parents in their school classes. We're hoping that will help us stay 'cool' parents longer!

This is a big anniversary year for me. My ten year reunion at GISH. Ten years ago I was pregnant with twins, finishing high school, scared and uncertain of the future. And ten years ago this September- John and I got married.

Its crazy to think all that's happened in ten years. How much we've grown, individually, as a family and as a couple. John and I were talking about the next ten years and all that will happen.

Here's what we have to look forward to:

• Corynn getting baptized
• The twins turning 16 and driving
• First school dances
  
• Dating...ughhhhhhh!
  
• Highschool drama
• BOYS (again!)
• teenage girl drama (all the emotional chaos that doesn't involve boys)

And when I turn 38, this is what will be:

• The twins will be in college (20 years old- which then brings about the possibility of marriage and kids...which would make us grandparents-SCARY!) Although we have told the twins that if they wait until they finish college to get married- then we'll pay for the wedding. So hopefully that helps hold off the whole grandkid scenario!
  
• Corynn will be 15 (almost driving, dating, boys, highschool drama etc.)
• And if we have another child, he/she will be 10.
  

Ten years...what craziness!

Parental Talks

Last night at the dinner table, John and I had a little talk with the girls about internet safety and what sites they are allowed to visit and so forth. This chat was brought on by the fact that the girls were searching You Tube. I knew they were searching it for Naruto music (a favorite show of theirs). John didn't know, saw them on the site and got a little worried. So we decided it was a good time for one of those parental talks.

It went pretty well and was fairly painless! Our kids are pretty bright. One down and many many more to go!

Monday MUNCHIES!!!!!!

RICE AND GREEN CHLIES


1 c. raw rice cooked
2 c. sour cream
1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies

Cook rice and combine with sour cream, chopped cheese and chilies, and spread mixture into a spray greased or butter greased baking dish. Grate some cheese and put on top of the casserole with dots of butter. Heat for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Makes 6 servings.


This is absolutely wonderful- yum yum! One of my favorites!

Field Trip

Corynn's preschool class went to Pershing on Friday to learn fire safety from the Lincoln Fire Dept. Sesame Street Live was performing that night so Elmo and Cookie Monster came to help with the teaching.











Here Elmo and firemen are teaching the kids to stop, drop and roll.










They learned how to climb through windows.













Here they learned how to check the door for heat and then crawl through.










Here's a picture of Corynn and her friends from school.





Corynn was shy most of the time-she doesn't really like costumed characters or puppets- they scare her. But she did speak up when the fireman asked if anyone had experienced a house fire.

fireman: How did your fire happen?

Corynn: My daddy was grilling and he started the house on fire.

(all the parents laughed...and I proceeded to explain)

In all it was a fun time and I think the kids learned alot. The kids I took were singing the songs they had learned, all the way back to the school. So I think it was pretty effective.

Friday FUNNIES

Its not really a funny story- but a cute little joke that Corynn heard and won't quit saying.

Why couldn't the 10 year old pirate go to the movies?



Because it was rated "arrrrrrrrrrh" (R)


Its not that funny - but watching a four year old try to get all those words out in the right order... is pretty cute. Its also pretty funny watching her tell her sisters over and over and over and over again in the car.

Beware- WATCH DOG!

If our alarm system ever fails...we have a back up that's sure to work!





OUR WATCH DOG:




haha! Like she could scare anyone away! Especially perched up on her royal throne! She's such a funny dog! She really missed her chair. The christmas tree was in that corner- but now her chair is back and she is watching over the neighborhood!

Chatter box

Corynn loves to dress up and changes her outfit/costume an average of 5 times a day. The cutest one lately was a harlequin clown outfit. She loves it! John told her it was mime costume and if she was going to wear the costume she should act the part. NO talking just actions. It was the funniest thing ever. She walked around for about 10 minutes trying to act things and not talk. Finally she said "Its just not worth it!" and changed into her Aurora princess dress. I don't think she's worn it since. :)

Monday MUNCHIES!!!!!!

Key Lime Pie:

4 egg yolks
1 can condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice

Combine ingredients and our into a graham cracker crust. Top with whipped cream or meringue.
Keep refrigerated and serve chilled. Garnish with lime peels or slices.


Meringue (optional):

3 egg whites; beaten stiff
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 Tbs. cornstarch

Beat very well. Spread on top of filling.

Ooops!

We had some friends from GI town come over for dinner and stay with us last night. We had a great evening and their son is absolutely adorable! But in all the craziness of this morning and trying to get everyone up, showered and them out of town- I completely forgot our ward church time switched to morning service as of Jan. 1st. So instead of going from 1-4 we now go from 9-12. I realized this at noon when I was getting ready to go to church and thought- It will be so nice when church switches to morning.... ughhhh! maaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn!

JOYO Theater

The girls and I went to the JOYO theater in Havelock lastnight to see The Bee Movie. It was the craziest experience! The theater is old- and I mean OLD! It is run down, seats falling apart, holes in the walls, water damage everywhere rinky dink of a place. I mean the bathroom was so run down that Corynn was afraid to go pee in it! I had to go with her and hold her above the toilet...seriously! The people who run it live above it- and the staircase leading to their living quarters in in plain view and littered with personal things like shoe boxes, magazines, coats and bookbags.

BUT- it has so much potential! It has all the original 1920's lighting, original theater seats (no cup holders- which the girls couldn't get over), original hardword auditorium floors and the old flicker reel set up for the movies. The one that starts out slow and the voices are low then when the projector warms up- it speeds up and the sound becomes normal again (about 10 minutes into the movie). Oh and did I mention it has the old time ticket booth on the outside of the building between the entrance doors- SO COOL!

I think I have found a pet project. I really want to see this theater restored and brought back to how it was in its glory days. I am seriously thinking about contacting the owners and seeing what I can do. I obviously don't have tons of money to give- but I would love to find historical preservation grants and donations to help the place. It really is a treasure that should be preserved!

Name Change!

I have changed the name of our family blog...

I've been obsessing about whether or not to do so- but since I use our real names, I didn't want too much information out there on WORLD WIDE WEB... you know! Names changed to protect the innocent and all that!

So anyway- we have a new blog name, but same great stuff! :) hahaha!

Goals for 2008

Here's the official 2008 list:

• Get healthy (as an individual and as a family)
• Expand the family (hopefully!)
• Develop and value the meaningful relationships in my life
• Cut out the slack that takes up my time and energy
• Blog at least one sentence each and every of the 366 days of 2008- its a leap year!

I keep it short and non-specific for a reason...its much easier to maintain! :)

PARTY PARTY PARTY

hahahahaha! Ya right!
This New Year's Eve was like many of the past.

The girls get all excited about staying up until midnight and talk about it all day long!

We get out some fireworks (saved over from the 4th of July)

We usually make noise-makers- but I found some old party blower left overs.

We watch bowl games most of the night. (the Auburn Clemson game turned out to be really good!) Complete with tailgating snacks.

Corynn starts to tire-out about 10:00pm.

The twins konk out around 10:30pm

And usually John and I are in bed by 11- BUT not this year!

The Auburn Clemson game ran late and we were talking - before we knew it was 11:50. So we waited 10 more minutes so we could say we officially welcomed in 2008. We never stay up- so this was a big deal for us! Our neighborhood let off a pretty spectacular fireworks display...probably a good thing we didn't light ours off- they didn't even compare! Would have been embarrassing! :)



the picture above is from Champions earlier in the day...my secret weapon for getting them to bed early (tire them out in the adventure play gym, hehehehehehe!)