And For Dinner...

Just so you know it is french onion soup and a big salad. Dinner was delicious.

Late This Afternoon...

Early This Morning...

Half Hour Ago...

Right Now...

For Lunch...

After our hike we headed to the park next door and had a picnic. The kids still had energy to burn on the play equipment. We would probably still be there today if it weren't for the rain.

The Boardwalk...

We put on our rain boots and loaded the kids up for a walk yesterday. Natalie and I have been wanting to take the kids on the boardwalk for awhile now. Yesterday was the perfect opportunity to wander through the swamp and check out nature.

Blooms...

The View...

And The Band Played...

A sure sign of spring in our neighborhood is the screaming monkey girls. They were out in full force this afternoon creating quite a racket. They performed a full concert with steel drums. I must admit that the calypso beat was rather good.

And Earlier Today...

A sassy breakfast was enjoyed. The picture below is dedicated to Emma.

Going Steady...

This park was so cool and so much fun.

Having play dates is a lot like dating. You test out the other Mom and kid to make sure they are compatible with you and your kids. I always get super nervous before play dates. I lay down the rules with the girls and hold my breath. We have however found some new friends this year. I would even go so far as to say that we are going steady with a couple of them. Its nice to get over the first date jitters and get onto the serious stuff. Like testing out parks and laughing over good PB & J.

That Was Fun!...

As the girls get bigger the play gets more intricate. I sincerely enjoyed myself outside today. Of course, a large part of the afternoon was spent with Natalie and I throwing balls at the neighborhood kids. We started off with the gang riding scooters, which progressed to remote control trucks, followed by a version of dodge ball and a soccer game finale. It was fun to play so hard! I really can not wait for summer time.

Snuggle Time...

We had dinner with Grandma and Poppa tonight. After dinner Grandma was kind enough to read them a few stories.

Cave Creatures...

This morning a cave was created in our living room. They played in it and out of my way for a solid fifteen minutes. Life was good!

Me Do...

While Sophie and I were at ballet Ceci helped Wes. She's a bit like a cat as you can tell.

Confession Time...

So I have to make a confession. The stew I made a couple of weeks ago and bragged about sucked. It sucked so bad that we tried to give it to Starbuck and she wouldn't eat it. Tonight dinner was super good and super easy. I thought I would share this recipe and try to regain some street cred.

Cheesy Shell Lasagna

1 1/2 pds hamburger (I used organic Marc's Best Brand.)

1 onion, chopped (I used a Walla Walla Sweet)

1 garlic clove (I used more like 5)

14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes (generic works best)

14 ounces spaghetti sauce (once again Hunt's rocked it)

4 ounces canned mushrooms (Wes wouldn't let me put these in. )

8 ounces small shell pasta (Let me know if you find whole wheat shells.)

16 ounces sour cream (I used low-fat to try and save calories somewhere.)

11 slices provolone cheese (The girls split the 12th.)

1 cup shredded mozzarella (I used more like 3 cups to make up for the low-fat sour cream.)

Cook the onions and garlic. Add the hamburger and cook until no longer pink, drain. Stir in the tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta; drain.

Place half of the pasta in an ungreased 13x9. Top pasta with half of the meat sauce, sour cream and provolone. Repeat layers, Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. (I actually cooked mine for well over an hour and then broiled it.) Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

From Taste of Home Magazine

Junior Firefighter...

Sophie had a field trip to the local fire station today. As you can tell she was pretty excited! I didn't take as many pictures as I should have. This is the one where we are waiting in the car for school to start. Have I mentioned how much I love preschool lately?

Relive The Ride...

I know that this is a lot of pictures for one event but look at their faces. Poppi took the girls on the tractor this morning. Sophie got to drive and she was proud. All afternoon I've been hearing, "Remember when Poppi let me drive." The bottom is my favorite picture if you need to skip down.

Opening Day...

Before we left for home the girls helped Grami and Poppi open the creek. They moved rocks and picked sticks out of the creek. They can't wait to go back and get into the creek. It should be a great season for the water park.