Yummy Goodness!

It all started with a Christmas gift.  My sister got me this awesome fruit basket for Christmas.  Naturally, I felt compelled to fill it.  My first step was with a bag of mandarin oranges, some apples and banana (not pictured).

I dubbed this the "no ask" snack basket.  The girls felt pretty empowered and were devouring the fruit faster than I could keep it stocked.  Then my sister inspired me even further by sharing about her experience with her local bountiful baskets co-op.  I had signed up for ours about a year ago, but had yet to place an order.  This week I gave it a try.

We went yesterday to pick up our loot basket.  I filled up a bag for my mother-in-law, and we still had a ton left over!  The girls and I prepared most of it as soon as we got home.  Kendall is a master at washing potatoes.  We baked them up and bought toppings to go with them today.

We chopped this yummy pineapple.  Nature's candy!  The strawberries are almost gone.  The girls have been enjoying ants on a log with the celery sticks.

I am not a tomato fan, but Sidney and Kendall seem to love them.  That is the beauty of the basket.  We received such a variety.  We were all trying new things.  From what I am told, it only gets better in the summer!

Here is the website if you want to check it out.  They also have a blog (see my list on the right) which feature recipes and tips. 
http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/

My sister received kale last week in her basket.  I did not receive any kale in this weeks basket.  Though part of me was relieved, because I have no clue how to prepare it, I was slightly disappointed.  I had spent the past week searching for good kale recipes...maybe next time.

Who's the Boss?

Last week's dinner conversation:

Sid:  "Mom, is Kendall the boss of me?"

Me:  (looking at Kendall who is smiling sheepishly) "Why do you think that Kendall is the boss of you?

Sid:  "She tells me that every day and I want to know if it is true."

Me:  "No Sid.  Kendall is not the boss of you."

Kendall:  (Smiling bigger and laughing) "I was just joking with her."

And then she was six...

Where does the time go?  Kendall turned six years old this month.  She celebrated with three parties.  First, cupcakes at Grandma Karen and Papa Mark's house.  She insisted on passing out the cupcakes to each person.

 

Sidney and Kendall received a karaoke machine for Christmas.  So after Kendall put on her new birthday outfit, they were ready to rock out.

Party number two was a family dinner night at home.  The morning of her birthday, I was in the bathroom helping her do her hair.  She made a suggestion and I said, "you are a very smart girl".  She contemplated things for a minute and replied, "Mom sometimes I think I am just a little bit smarter than you."  I said, "You think so do you?  Something tells me this is only the first of many occasions that you will think that."  She laughed, "Just kidding...not really."  It has begun!

Here is a special "cake" that Kendall refuses to eat and it is still sitting on our dining table.  Grandma Terrell made this out of rice krispie treats.  She is such a talented woman. 

In fact, that morning she totally bailed me out. I had emailed Kendall's teacher to see if it was alright for her to bring treats to school. Many schools are kind of particular about that. She did not email me until 9:30 that night and of course I did not see it until the next morning - after I had dropped the girls off. YIKES! What to do? So I called Terrell scrambling and asked if she would pick up some fruit snacks or cookies or something. She did much better and made some amazing cupcakes with Hershey's kisses on top. Kendall was in heaven. 

Kendall received the checkers game that she has been asking for.

She also got her first razor scooter.  Now she will not have to borrow Judy's anymore.  Judy is our neighbor.  She has a razor scooter at her house for her granddaughter.  Last summer, she would leave it on her porch so Kendall could "borrow" it any time. 

The third party was with her friends.  She chose the cake design and insisted that she decorate it herself.  With guidance from Grandma Terrell, she did a fabulous job.

She is a cake decorator in the making!

What did Sidney do while they were decorating?  She kept asking that I take pictures of her.  So we did a mini photo shoot.   

Let the party begin.  Kendall invited Hannah and Jordyn for the party.  The girls had a great time.  They decorated picture frames, played musical chairs, ate cake and ice cream and generally played very hard for several hours.  There were even a number of tears when it was time to go. 

Giggling with delight and having a great time with her friends.

As I was looking through pictures for this blog, I saw these ones that we took when we all visited my Grandma over Christmas.  She is such an amazing woman.  She is strong, feisty (that must be where I get it) and sharp as a tack!

We had such a nice time visiting with her.  I am so grateful that she has been a part of the girls lives.  She came out for a month after each one of the girls was born and helped me out!

 

Who is Kendall at six?

Beautiful, amazing, artistic, outgoing, talkative, funny and seriously boy crazy!

Family Pics.

It has been a fast three years since our last set of family pictures.  I could not delay it any longer.  We threw on some boots and sweaters and captured the moment.

The girls love getting their picture taken, but sometimes they just need to get their giggles out.

Now for the next three years....

Weekend in McCall.

Thanks to  Valerie, our friend and Kevin's coworker, we had a chance to enjoy a weekend getaway in McCall.  We stayed at an incredible resort.  Our "cabin" was larger than our first two apartments as a married couple.  That may not be saying much as we were starving students living in California at the time.  The resort had a very nice recreation center complete with DVD rentals, pool table, hot tub and swimming pool.  We made many mad dashes from the cabin to the swimming facility in the freezing cold.  The girls spent endless hours (literally) in the swimming pool.  I joined them a few times.  I must admit it is nice that they are old enough and proficient enough that I can peruse a magazine while they play in the water.  I am finally that mom!  The one that can be lazy and catch up on celebrity gossip while they have a great time.  I did not get too many pictures, but here is one of Kevin and Kendall in a fierce game of checkers.  She has become a force to be reckoned with.  I love to watch her develop a strategy.

We spent some time playing outside and posing for goofy pictures.

The girls tried their hand at photography.  A picture of Kevin and I courtesy of the girls.

We will miss you Coco!

Coco was our chocolate lab mix.  She was our second "child".  Cooper our golden retriever is our first.  We got Cooper from a breeder right after we moved to Idaho.  2 years later we got Coco from the humane society.  She was one year old at the time.

I remember the day that Kevin and I went to look at dogs.  We thought Cooper needed a playmate during the days while we were at work.  We picked out several dogs then asked the people working there if we could bring Cooper in to help us choose.  They were very excited about that idea.  We went home and grabbed Cooper.  Once we returned, we brought the first dog we were looking at out to meet Cooper.  It was awful!  Cooper has a  normally good nature.  She went ballistic and so did the other dog.  Barking, fighting, growling.  So much for that!  Next we brought out Coco.  It was love at first sight.  They started wrestling, playing and literally foaming at the mouth.  Coco was thin as a rail and malnourished, but beautiful! Our first order of business was to take her to get a doggie wash, then home we went.

A week ago Sunday she had a stroke.  We had never heard of such a thing.  It was a very sad day.  As much as I like to complain about how much the dogs drive me crazy, they are part of our family.  We will miss her very much!

Beautiful Girls!

 Coco and Kaden.

 Just taking a rest in the heat.

 Playing with Asher.  She put up with a lot of the kids antics.

 Wrestling as usual.  They also played a game of  "stalking" each other.  It was quite entertaining to watch.

 Hanging with her buds - Cooper and Griswold.