First High Jump

Our Weekend in Pictures

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A Sneak Peek at our weekend in Laughlin

And this is just a start....
Thank you Uncle Kenny for the great laughs all weekend! :)

Melting

This one gets me every time.

Birdie Waste

The birds are wasteful! Do they know how much food keeps falling out of the bird feeder?

I try to be a frugal mom, making things from scratch, hiding vegetables in everything, eating leftovers and staying within the food budget. So, I darn well am not going to go to the store for the birds more than for me!
So, here is my solution:

Some people might say "white trash". I even called myself that when I was on the phone with my mom complaining that there was more seed on the ground than in the feeder.
McGuyver would be so happy to know that his precious duct tape is helping me be a frugal mom and still feed the birds.
While I was tending to the feeder with the duct tape, I had this in the oven:

Homemade granola bars. Since we fight the peanut and tree nut allergies around here, granola bars from the store are 99% of the time, out of the question. So, today, I wanted to try my hand at making them. OH BOY! Are they good!
Thank you 50 bucks a week for the inspirational recipe. I did adjust it to things I had on hand and it turned out fabulously!

Preschool Finale

Zack has made it through his first year of preschool and we've seen him grow leaps and bounds! His first few weeks were filled with tons of separation anxiety. Now, he's eager for the door to open! One kiss, "bye Mom" and he's off! Here are some pictures of his final day of preschool.

The Last Day of First Grade

Today, Gabby made the giant leap from first grade to second grade. What an amazing year she's had. We are sad to say goodbye to first grade but thrilled to say hello to summer! Here are some moments of the last time she'll walk out of Room 51.

Turning into my Mother

I must be turning into my mother. Why on earth would I go out and buy a bird feeder? I've never had ANY interest in birds. They're loud and they poop everywhere. But I ended up at Home Depot anyway to buy a bird feeder and bird seed. What was I thinking?

I wouldn't want it any other way though. See, my mom is the coolest lady around (even though she loves birds!) I couldn't ask for a better mom, friend, or teacher. She can take string cheese and turn it into Bruschetta. She can take plain old hamburger and noodles and turn it into Cheeseburger Macaroni with a secret ingredient.
So, so what if she likes birds. So what if I went to home depot today and bought a bird feeder? If she can do it...so can I.
I love you Mom!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy, the father of the 3 monkeys. We love you so much! Thanks for playing Wii, riding bikes, swimming, going on dates, making every moment a teaching one. You make everyday activities much more fun! Even though you have to work today, remember that today is your special day. We love you!

Playin' Hookie

Don't tell anyone, but we played hookie today.




It was awesome!

Field Trip to the Tide Pools

Yesterday Gabby and I went to the tide pools in Laguna Beach with her class. What an amazing day!

We've taken her there before so she was familiar with the area. But never have we seen so much sea life in the tide pools!




We learned so much and had a great day!

Bridging

My Daisy has become a Brownie

Brownie Update

100 of these are in my fridge. Quite alot of baking and creating fun today!

100 Brownies

Tomorrow I have to start the brownie making. See, on Tuesday, my little Daisy is bridging to Brownies.

These little girls have planned their bridging ceremony down to the last little detail...the colors, the decorations, invitations and of course the treats to be served. Their request was brownies with little daisies on the top. I aim to please.
So, now I've got 100 brownies to make along with frosting and cute little piped daisies on the top. WOW that's alot of powdered sugar and melting chocolate.
There's nothing I wouldn't do for these sweet girls.

Pancake Muffins

These were this morning's breakfast. Of the 40 I made, there are only 6 left. I guess they were a hit! I decided to make them because Gabby's end of the year class party is all about breakfast and the room mom asked me if I could make muffins. Muffins can be good, but pancakes are better! So, I had my taste testers try them out and I think the pancakes or muffins (whatever you want to call them) passed the test! The first batch I followed the recipe which only called for 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup. I couldn't taste the maple in them at all. So, the second batch I added probably double that and that did the trick! Muffins that have the texture and taste of pancakes! YUMMY! Again, thank you Bakerellafor the inspiration. If you want to give them a try, you can find the recipe here.

Baking Palooza!

Thank you Bakerella for this fun idea. I still need some practice with the dipping. Who will eat all these treats? They certainly can't be kept here!

Open House

Last night was Open House at Gabby's school. She was beaming from ear to ear and couldn't wait to show me all around her classroom. Here are the highlights.







Thank you Mrs. Bartlett and classmates for a great year! Now, it's not too much longer till summer vacation and getting ready for second grade!

It's all Pretend

Tuesdays and Thursdays are fun days because I've got Josh all to myself for almost 3 hours. Too many times I spend my time at home trying to catch up on housework but today, I said, "Forget the housework! Let's go play pretend!" We headed to Pretend City

Future DJ

Future Plumber

Future Home Builder

Future Thief?

Future Beach Bum

Future Car Salesman

Future John Deere Tractor Driver

Future Picasso