Just Another Day

Friday May 29, a typical day spent at home with the kids. Since the weather is getting warmer it's been easier to do more activities. We started off the morning eating breakfast, watching cartoons, & feeding the puppies (Emmitts my helper). We then went out on the deck so the kids could play with the play-dough set. I make them play play-dough outside since it tends to track. While the kids were playing I decided to soak up the sun while I was out there. I didn't have any normal tanning lotion (mine are all indoor ones meant for the tanning salon), so I decided to revert back to old school. Who needs tanning lotion when you've got a thing of Pam cooking spray in the house? (Holly- you remember this??) My good friend Holls is where I learned this lil trick from, back when we were just kids. We'd lay out at her house and she taught me the secret of "cooking" your body....lol!! I got a bit burned...oops. :)

Once the kids were finished playing play-dough we got suited up for the pool. They had a grand ol time swimming while I sat on the pool stairs keepin watch and soaking up the rays, this is why I got burned....too much time in the sun. Anyway it started getting a bit breezy out and the sun seemed to disappear every once in a while. I pulled the kids out and we went in and ate lunch. Once the kids were finished eating they took their naps. That's when I discovered the weather had suddenly changed. I heard a rumbling of thunder, and saw this scene out my slider:

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the dramatic change in the weather, I do live in Frazier Park! Frazier is known for dramatic weather changes. By nightfall it was hot again.

In the Cool of the Pool

May 27th- The kids and I decided to go swimming since it was pretty warm outside. It was the first swim experience with just Mommy home. At first I was just going to keep an eye on them but Alaina was freaking me out a little bit so I decided to swim with them. They were cracking me up because they kept jumping off the stairs into the pool, and introducing themselves as they did it as if they were a main attraction at a show or something. Here's some pics and video from our fun in the pool:

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Canteloupe Corner

I found this cute etsy shop through my friend Mel's blog. Her sister just started this shop not too long ago and they have super cute kids clothes! I ordered a shirt for Emmitt from her, and she was awesome through the whole process. The original color this design comes in, I didn't really want so I chatted with her about it and she was really sweet in working with me to find what would work. So we got this cute blue shirt that Emmitt is modeling.

If you can't read the print in the pic, the shirt says, "Lock Up Your Daughters". I thought it was so cute! I LOVE this shop and recommend you take the time and check it out! They had super cute girls tops too, one of which I hope to get soon.

Want to go see Mickey?

Tuesday morning we decided we would take an unplanned trip to Disneyland for the day. Kurt had just one appointment scheduled so he moved it around to a different day so we could spend the day together. When Emmitt woke up we asked him if he wanted to go see Mickey, of course he replied YES! Then we said where does mickey live, at this question his eyes lit up as he shouted DISNEYLAND!! We had to run a few errands on the way, we stopped off and dropped Kurts honda at a auto shop for some repairs. I also had to stop at Walmart to return some dvds to redbox, and Home Depot to return some chicken wire Kurt had bought. The kids were restless in our stops wondering when we were going to finally get to Disneyland. They were so excited when we got there, as you can see in this video. They were going nuts while we were walking from the parking garage to the tram.

We had to stop at the ticket booth to get a courtesy pass for me, I misplaced my season pass. And we HAD to buy Emmitt a ticket this time. We've been sliding by, the cut off is 2, but everytime we've gone we've just brought our dbl stroller and stuck him in the back. Sounds horrible I know but it's so expensive!! Once inside the park we rented one of their strollers for Alaina since she likes to walk at her own pace, which is WAY too slow and distracted. We saw Goofy right off the bat so we stopped for a family photo.

(She was so PSYCHED!)

Then we found some shade and ate our home packed lunch of pb & j, apricots, and granola bars. Our first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, then Haunted mansion, etc. Emmitt rode Star Tours for the very first time, yep he's tall enough now! That was exciting to go on a new bigger kid ride with him. Kurt took Alaina on Buzz Lightyear while Emmitt & I rode Star Tours. He loved it, the look on his face was sooooo CUTE! He was very animated in his explanation to Kurt about the ride! We rode a couple more before we were tuckered out, and headed home.

(In the pic above: The kids waiting in line for the Haunted Mansion)

Date Night

Saturday May 23, Kurt and I went on a late date night. Later than we're used to anyway. Kurt really wanted to go see Terminator Salvation, and I was sort of excited to see it too so we bought tickets for the 10 pm showing. Kurt didn't get off work till late so we had to go to a later show. Kailie came and babysat the kids for us, so nice having family near to help out. I haven't seen any of the Terminator movies to be honest, my Dad is a Terminator movie buff and we always had them in the house growing up but they never peaked my interest. I saw a preview for this new one and it looked really entertaining plus it had Christian Bale who I think is a great actor. Batman Begins was impressive so we'll see how this one goes.

We had about 30 min before the movie started when we got down to Valencia, so we went to Johnny Rockets for some late dinner. We LOVE this place, it's close to the theater and the service is the best! They are so friendly and quick. It's a 50's themed diner, we love their chicken club salad and their milkshakes. Kurt always orders a peanut butter milkshake and I always go for the chocolate malt! MMMMM!! The movie was packed but Kurt always manages to find us some seats. He usually will find one seat here and another there and then just politely asks people to scoot down. The movie was really good, lots of non stop action! I was a little bit lost as to some of the plot since the timeline of the Terminator movies is a bit confusing but all in all it was awesome! The other main character, Sam Worthington, was a really good actor! I have never seen this guy in any other movies before but he did an amazing job. It was a great date night with my sweetie. We were beat when we got home and all the next day we were dragging...I guess we're getting old. LOL! It's hard to be out so late when your not used to it anymore.

Chaotic Kids

Yesterday May 22, my sis in law Joanne and I decided to head down to Bakersfield to do some errands. We braved having all 4 kids together w/o our husbands for the day, and it was crazy! (somewhat hilarious at the same time) Our first stop was to Target where we proceeded to load the girls into the carts. (She has 2 girls) So Ava (her oldest) doesn't want her Mom to push her she wants me to, so I have to push Avas cart. Alaina doesn't want in the cart at all, she wants to walk like her big brother. Well with trying to watch all these kids and trying to locate what we need, plus the crowds.... that just wasn't happening. So we put her in the back of Joannes cart. She proceeds to scream and cry all the way back to the baby section. Once we get back there the helpful big brother Emmitt lovingly tries to distract her by grabbing her a baby book to look at. Thank goodness it worked!

As we continue to walk through the store Emmitt wants to play commando and hide out in all the clothes racks when I'm not looking. Very frustrating when trying to find my items and console the girls. He scared me a couple of times there. After Target we went over to Rubios to get some lunch since we were all so starving. We were the "main attraction" of onlookers. People just sat there and watched the chaos unfold. As they make comments like, "Oh their so cute!" (ya.....right....you wanna take over from here? LOL) As soon as we get through the doors the kids discover a fish tank, then the volume starts to increase from their excitement, along with the banging on the glass. The whole restaurant turns to see if a pack of wild animals escaped from the zoo. :) While ordering our food Emmitt starts to demand how badly he has to pee! So Joanne takes him into the bathroom to relieve himself. Once I am done ordering I go find a table with the 3 girls, then Alaina informs me she needs to pee. Once Alaina says she needs to pee, you take her otherwise she pees her pants. The bathrooms look like they are the one person at a time kind so I tell Alaina to hold it till Joanne comes out. Joanne comes out a minute later and I start to head for the bathroom w/ Alaina and Ava (who says she needs to go too), at this point I already know Alaina has peed her pants a little. Good thing I went to Target befre hand and had bought her some new panties! As I am walking to the bathroom a woman goes walking into the bathroom ahead of me. Then I think, GREAT now what?? I've got these 2 lil ones that HAVE to pee now, so I do the only "logical" thing. I go in the mens stall...no men around and these girls gotta go....sooooo oh well. As soon as we get in I lock the main door behind me. The mens room has a urinal and a stall so the girls head into the stall and I put Alaina on the toilet, Ava goes wandering out towards the sink so I call her to come back in the stall. I lock the stall door behind us...and it's a good thing I did because little did I know Ava just unlocked the main door when she was wandering about!! So whats my luck?? A man comes into the bathroom!! Now I'm just trying to be quiet as a mouse and hide in the back of the stall so he won't see my pretty lil lady feet. LOL!! Of course the quiet part isn't at all possible because Alaina starts saying Mommy Look, and Avas saying Auntie Amy over and over. We were stuck waiting for this man to finish his business for what seemed like forever!! Once he finished I told the girls quick let's go, even though I really had to pee, I just wanted the heck out of there and I'd wait for the ladies bathroom. As we walk out the mens bathroom door, I just start laughing hysterically to myself at the situation. We go sit down at the table and the woman that was in the ladies bathroom comes out, so I get up to go. When I enter the ladies room what do I see------2 stalls!! It's not a single person bathroom!! After that I could not stop laughing at how I assumed that it was a one person bathroom. I ran out and told Joanne the story while we finished up our food.

Moral of this story: Don't ASSUME anything, check it out first for yourself.
(Oh my goodness.)

As if this were not enough, we then brave going to WinCo for some groceries. Load the kids in the carts the same way as before and yes Alaina starts throwing a fit again!! Best thing about a grocery store though, is that they have snacks! Right when all hope is lost for my sanity, a box of gummy bear fruit snacks appears to save the day. Open them up, dole them out, and it's magic!! Mouths are now occupied by the sweet and chewy goodness of fruit snacks. We finished up our shopping and headed home, not w/o being the life of the party at the grocery store too, what with Emmitt harrassing Alaina and the kids crying to get out of the cart after the fruit snacks were fully consumed. After such an exhausting day I can't say I see myself having 4 kids in the future that would be all my own. That's part of what made me laugh at the situation....they weren't ALL mine! ;) Here's hoping your days aren't as chaotic as this one was.

Perfect Pancakes...literally!

MMMM....fluffy goodness! This pancake recipe makes by far the BEST pancakes I have ever had. Be still my beating heart- :)

Perfect Pancake Recipe:

3 cups + 2 Tb cake flour
1/2 t salt
3 Tb baking powder
2 Tb sugar
2 cups milk
2 lg eggs
3 t vanilla
4 Tb butter

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl. In seperate bowl mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring very gently to combine.

Melt butter in the microwave and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.

Cook on greased skillet over med-low heat until golden brown. Serve w/ warm syrup and butter. (so flavoful and fluffy!!)+

21 week photo

I've tried adding this photo to the post below about half a dozen times, and for one reason or another it's not working. So here ya go!

What's Kickin? Baby Maddox....that's who!

I have officially really started to feel our little guy moving about. I think it's harder to feel them the more you've got, mainly because of the distraction of the kids. It's hard to have downtime to actually focus and feel the baby move. I am now 21 weeks along, and having a easy breezy pregnancy! For a while there I was having trouble working out while pregers, I would start having contractions as soon as I was finished. But that has since subsided, so I am back to the grind. I feel surprisingly good for being pregnant, besides the hormonal mood swings...lol!!
Since we have a ton of boy stuff leftover from Emmitt the shopping craze hasn't been quite as strong as it normally is once I find out the sex of the baby. But I did find a bedding set that I LOVE for our little rocker. With Emmitt I just had a neutral classic pooh bedding that I have since got rid of, so we needed some new crib bedding for Maddox. I don't think it would be very nice to use pink flowered bedding. :) Here's the bedding we chose:

I can't wait till September!

Now for a quick little update on the family. Kurt has joined a co-ed volleyball league here in Frazier and the kids and I enjoy watching him play on Thursday nights. Kurts business has picked up thanks to the heat! The weather has been so enjoyable, I'm all for summer! We've enjoyed swimming in the pool and spending more time outdoors. The kids are enjoying the puppies! All eleven of the pups now have their eyes open and are walking instead of crawling about. Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend some time with my bestie Christine in Valencia. It was great!! I love having some alone Mommy time. We saw Ghosts of Girlfriends Past at the Edwards theater.

I LOVE these 2 actors!! It was pretty funny, a little overboard on the sexual innuendo but a good movie all the same. I mean how could it not be with Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey?? After the movie we went to Chilis for some food, I was so hungry. (It was a bit late for lunch- 2pm) Then we went to the Coffee Bean and used a gift card that I've had for quite a while. Afterwards we walked the mall and treated ourselves to some cute things. I got a nice white purse, a new wallet, and some super cute white sandals. The best part of the day was being able to relax and have girl adult conversation! I love you Christine!! We always have a good time.

That's pretty much all that's been going on here in our little town. We hope all is well with all of you and your families!

Makeup Mayhem

There's bound to be trouble when your daughter walks out of her room, after her "nap" looking like this......

She's obviously trying to draw more attention to her eyes....lol! Then you start to wonder how in the world she got that way, when the makeup is in her bathroom behind a locked door. The answer: This is what happens when your 2 yr old is too smart for her own good. My daughter has watched me open her bathroom door dozens of times. We keep it locked 24/7 because it's in her room (which is technically supposed to be the master bedroom.) I've opened her door using some of her tinkerbell tea party spoons before, and if you're wondering..........yes she did the same. She figured out how to unlock her bathroom door using a toy spoon. Sounding a bit like prison break huh?!

;0)

On my hunt to find out just how exactly she got this way I find this in her bathroom----

And this beautiful scene on her bed-----------

Her look is a little drag queen-esque.....I see lessons will be required further down the road. She sure gave me a good laugh though!

Lilac Festival

On May 16th PMC held it's annual Lilac Festival. PMC is just above Frazier, technically Frazier Park but in this small town there's lots of small communities with different names. I have always liked PMC, it's beautiful up there but wouldn't want to live there through the winter the windy road is very dangerous. Every year they hold a Lilac Festival, they have craft booths, food, and rides for the kids. Frazier does alot of little fairs but this one is my favorite. Since Kurt was home I thought it would be nice for all of us to spend the Saturday at the festival. It was such a beautiful day! The kids had a ton of fun playing in the bounce houses, taking pony rides, and riding the little train. I enjoyed looking at all the crafts. I found a beautiful lamp that I would have loved to bring home but the price wasn't in my range.

The kids got a yummy blue bubblegum shaved ice before we headed to the rides.

Emmitt having a ball in the bounce house.

The kids favorite thing was the pony rides. Alaina was beaming! She is such an animal lover.

One of the best things we did while there was sign Emmitt up for soccer!! I saw an AYSO booth and told Kurt we should see if Emmitts eligible. Well sure enough he is, and the season starts in august. I am sooooooo excited to watch my lil guy tear it up on the field! I've been waiting for this moment where their old enough to participate in fun activities. I can't wait for Alaina to be old enough to start dance classes too! Emmitt was very excited, they gave him a cute little soccer t-shirt and a water bottle. After we were good and tired from the days activities we headed to the local pizza place and had some lunch before heading home. It was a great Saturday!

On the way there

"I love you too Dad"

I love listening to Alaina talk to Kurt on the phone. Our favorite things she says are, "I love you too Dad, and I miss you too Dad."

Lil Mommy in Training

Yesterday the kids were playing with a puppy each in their room. Emmitt comes running out to me and tells me the puppy just tooted and now Alainas pillow is jacked up. I ask him, "So the puppy pooped?" "Ummmmm......No. It just tooted, and some stuff came out." Then in walks Alaina with her puppy in hand and a tissue in the other, she sits down and proceeds to wipe the puppys butt. "Alaina did your puppy poop?" "Ya, he pooped. So I clean him." I couldn't help but start laughing at this point, watching Alaina wiping the puppys butt was a pretty funny sight. "There!! ALL CLEAN MOMMY!" ☺

(this is her, "I'm forcing myslf to smile" face) P.S. Don't mind the leftover ravioli on her shirt :)

Enchilada Heaven

Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water!! By far the BEST enchiladas I have ever made! SOOOOOOO YUMMY! I got this enchilada recipe from pioneer woman, who may I just say is a genius! (not one of her recipes has failed me) Click on the link if you want to die and go to enchilada heaven!♥

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/simple-perfect-enchiladas/

Delish!

I made this for dinner tonight, and let me just say how absolutely YUMMY it was!! It's difficult to stop eating, it's so good. Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman’s Pasta Primavera

Butter
Olive Oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
½ to 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets and stem pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
2 zucchini, sliced on the bias
1 yellow squash, sliced on the bias
½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 package white or brown button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1 cup half and half, plus a little more for thinning sauce
1 small wineglass of white wine-----(I substituted w/ 1/2 c of cooking sherry)
Low-sodium chicken broth as needed
6-8 fresh basil leaves
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Penne pasta
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion and garlic and
cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Now begin sautéing the veggies in batches, cooking only
1 or 2 minutes (at most) each. To begin, add broccoli and carrots to onion & garlic. Cook only
for a minute, then remove to separate plate. Add another tablespoon of butter to pan and add
red pepper strips. Cook for one minute, then remove. Repeat with remaining veggies, being very
careful not to overcook; veggies at this point should still be somewhat raw/crunchy. When all
veggies have been removed and skillet is empty, pour ½ to 1 glass of dry white wine to pan.
With whisk, begin to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all the nice, flavorful bits from the
bottom. Cooking over medium heat, add ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tablespoon butter, 1
cup whipping cream, and 1 cup half and half. Add ½ cup grated Parmesan. Stir together and
cook to thick, adding salt & pepper to taste. Taste sauce as you go; don’t oversalt, but don’t
undersalt either! Chiffonade fresh basil leaves, and stir into sauce. Now add all the veggies,
including frozen peas, at once. Stir gently to combine; if sauce seems to thick, add equal parts
half & half and chicken broth to thin. Cook over low heat until warm, just a couple of minutes.
You don’t want soggy veggies! Taste & check seasoning; add more salt & pepper if needed.
Dump in al dente penne pasta, stir to combine thoroughly, and pour onto a large platter. Garnish
with more basil leaves, throw on some more Parmesan, and gobble it up!

Rock N' Roll

We recently bought our kids the movie, "The Great Chipmunk Adventure". It's from back in the day when the chipmunks were super popular, Kurt & I remember watching it when we were kids. The soundtrack came w/ the movie and it's really cute, and my kids LOVE to sing, especially Alaina. After we filmed them she insisted on rocking out to the soundtrack for the rest of the night, she didn't want to do anything else. This is them rocking out to the Boys & Girls of Rock N Roll song. The movie has the chipettes in it, I always thought they were animated so cutely. Enjoy a little rock n roll

How I love Greys

Oh how I love this show!! Greys Anatomy is by far my favorite show. I am not one to go for the medical drama shows, but I started watching this back in the day with my neighbor and was instantly hooked. I definitely recommend it! If you don't watch it, I suggest renting the first season.

Anyway the reason I am writing this is to say how much I loved thursdays episode. Izzie and Karevs wedding was oh so cute! I loved her dress and the whole decor. I will be very sad if the rumors are in fact true and they do kill of Iz. I love her character, she's so good natured. It was a awesome episode, and I can't wait for Derek & Meredith to follow through and have their wedding. May I also say how sweet it was for the wirter to portray the adoration of Karev to Izzie, even with her bald head he truly loves her. Honestly just my favorite show!! :)

Think Pink Cottage

I have some EXCITING news! I just finished creating my new blog, "Think Pink Cottage." After searching for ways to make my blog super fabulous and never seeming to find my answers easily, I decided why not help others? So I created my own blog to share the knowledge that I have found, hopefully making it easier for others. I include tons of tips, tricks, and sites that can help you get on your way to some Happy Blogging! I also will share some cool products and accept any ideas others may have to share as well. So hurry on over to:

http://thinkpinkcottage84.blogspot.com

And spread the word!! I look forward to sharing my chic ideas with you. :)

2 of hearts

Alaina looks so much like Kurt that she can't exactly be my Mini Me, but I try anyway. We both have got our pigtail buns going on in our hair. Hey, a Mom can dream right?

Special Delivery

Sunday April 26, a special delivery arrived. Our dog Daisy had her puppies! The kids were very excited to see them and immediately Alaina was dying to hold one. Daisy now has 12 healthy baby pups. We are planning on giving them away since there is just no way we can handle that many dogs. Pretty funny looking at Daisy and then her puppies, they look nothing like a golden retriever. The daddy was a rottweiler, you can see where the pups get their looks. I keep feeling like I'm living the movie 101 Dalmatians, let's just thank our lucky stars it's not that many puppies