Time to break out the coco-motion

Okay, I guess we have been spoiled with warm summer weather long enough. This morning we lit the pilot light and cranked up the fire. Nothing like a little Curious George, hot cocoa and a nice warm fire to start off the morning.

I'm a big girl now...............

I just cannot get over how big my little girl is. When they learn to walk it seems like their personality comes flying out of nowhere. She is such a little ham and has us laughing all of the time. She is also the tantrum queen right now, but I try not to focus on that. Because look at that face and those adorable piggies, I can't stay upset with her for long. I had to post this poc because she looked so grown up. (grown-up, what am I saying, she is 14 months old but you know what I mean :)

Every Kiss Begins with Kindergarten......

Yes, it's true. Will kissed a girl, and apparently liked it. It was classic. Under the monkey bars at recess. I asked why he kissed her and this is what he said "She wanted to, and I wanted to so we did." I know you all are wondering if this is the girl that he said he was going to marry. It is NOT, nor is it the girl that he asked if I had her phone # the other day. apparently there are plenty of fish in the sea :) So there you have it. And to think that I was freaked out letting him ride the bus.

I am not ready for this! He is getting too big and he cracks me up with his "tales" from school.
He has had a blast at kindergarten and is finally getting some friends in the neighborhood. (most of them girls of course! :)

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
We made these for FHE this past week and the boys loved it. (super yummy too)
I took the basic rolo cookie recipe (1pkg Devil's food cake, 1/3 c oil and 2 eggs) rolled them into a bar. I recently learned the "thread trick" from my mother-in-law to cut the cookies into exact same size and keep them perfectly round. (This trick works great on cinamon rolls)Baked them for 7 min (next time I will do 5 because I think they need to be undercooked so the cookie is softer) Once the cookies were cool we put on a scoop of softened ice cream, mashed it together and rolled the edges in sprinkles.


And last but not least is the following photographic evidence to support the claim that Morgan can actually walk if she wants too :) She actually has taken off this week and seems so proud of herself now.

Labor Day Shrimp Broil

Yesterday was a blast. My parents decided the corn was ready to harvest, so if you want some you gotta go pick it and freeze it. First we picked the corn (and by "we" I mean Mom and Dad and some of the little kids. Brian is allergic to the husk & silk and gets hives, so lucky him, he was on cooking duty) Meanwhile me and my sibs commenced husking. It was so much fun just sitting around and chatting with the fam. After the work was done, my parents took us all canoeing in Benson (I didn't even realize you could do that in Benson) The key highlight involved Greyson performing an involuntary back flip out of the canoe. Brian quickly snagged him out of the water and truthfully he was a pretty good sport about it. I was in the front of the canoe, so I missed the whole thing.
And finally..............the SHRIMP BOIL
I have never heard of it either, but it is something mys sister Keri had tried and wanted us to have the "experience" as well. It basically involves a ginormous pot of onions, lemons, carrots, corn, potatoes, shrimp, and seasoning all cooked over a giant burner. Once it is all done, you pull the pot out, drain the water and toss the food onto the table and dig in
We were worried that we didn't have enough food :)

My Ma & Pa chowing down.
Katie & Jer

It was so much fun, that I cannot wait to do it again. I am pretty positive that I ate my weight in shrimp and corn. Let me know if any of you want the recipe. It was a blast and the perfect thing for a fall get together.

And last but not least........Mo

Mojo is such a sweetheart, but man is she moody lately. I dunno, maybe she is teething or something. It has to be something. What? If you know, please clue me in because I can't please the girl. She is so cranky!
These pics were taken 2 seconds apart. Here is Mo, so happy to have her corn and binky and I click the button to take a pic of this sweet moment and I get this.....
That is all it takes and she is in tears flopping on the floor in a ridiculous tantrum. Help me... Please.
However, she did find some joy in dangling from the b-ball hoop. She would not let go, and Bri just had to stand there and wait for her to get tired.
All in all, it was an awesome day. Oh, and we got a new table!!!! I will post pics once we get it assembled.

My little Momo Jo

Morgan has done this little trick for awhile, but I have never been able to catch her on camera. Well today is your lucky day. She is just so silly, and will stand on her head forever (unless you pull out a camera mind you :) she even puts her hands up in the air, it really is hilarious.


Although it really does a number on her hair :)

Let's take a moment and reflect

Do you guys remember this fella? As I was frantically searching my computer for missing files, I ran across this picture and it took me back. This was taken in 2002 during the 1st year of medical school. On another note
My wonderful friend Juliana (the queen of cooking, baking, crafting, mommying ) Gave me this yummy recipe and we tried it last night, so I thought I would post it for all to enjoy.

Pork Chops with Basil Cream Sauce

4 boneless pork chops, ¾ inch thick

olive oil

1 TBS butter

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup white grape juice, or chicken broth with a little sugar added

1 cup half n half

1 TBS flour

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 TBS parsley

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat…brush chops lightly with olive oil and cook for 5-10 minutes…turning occasionally, until evenly browned on both sides…make sure they are done! Remove chops to a serving platter and tent with foil.

Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat…add onion and garlic…cook until tender…stir in grape juice…bring to a boil, reduce heat and boil gently for 3 minutes uncovered.

Whisk together cream, flour, salt, and pepper…add to skillet…cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens…stir in basil and parsley…cook one minute. Serve sauce over chops and mashed potatoes. REALLY good the next day!