Fairs and First Days

We have a plethora of fairs starting in August until September. It was fun to go see the animals entered in 4-H. We also tried out the local rodeo (but decided we will not try to sit through that again! especially with three kids.) Our city celebrates "Peach Days" which is in September and they have many activities for kids. The kids are sporting their spongebob tattoos and face painting in the picture below:

Here are the kids in front of the ferris wheel that we coaxed them out of riding. It was WAY too expensive for us to try it and them chickening out at the last minute anyway:)

I thought these pictures were priceless of Tina's first day of school. This was right before I had to wake her up for her first day. I guess as a new school parent, this is something that I was ingrained NEVER to do...wake them up! Now that I HAVE to it is changing my life as I know it. I'm setting an alarm! And my room doesn't get as messy because the kids aren't bringing in all their stuff to play with while they wait for me to drag myself out of bed. It is so strange, but kind of nice??
Here's my precious doll. She LOVES school and is doing really well. She hasn't had to pull any cards for misbehavior yet, and I'm excited because they have a parent volunteer time that we can sign up to help. I now am signed up for Mondays! I don't know who is having a better time, me or her. I'm meeting parents while we walk to school everyday in the wagon. Her Teacher is so nice and I love being able to help already, and the CUTE kids are so eager for all this adventure too.

Homework has been interesting lately. They bring home a new book when they are finished with the old one, and it's been a process to remember to read everyday. After school all Tina wants to do is play, but it's a learning time for both of us. Braden is enjoying the reading time too (I think) and we are all adjusting quite nicely. It will be weird when she's in school ALL day. I'll miss her.

BTW: I sold all my bags!, but just wondering what in the world is etsy??

Project: Purse!

I love doing projects. Something That I can finish for once! Lately I have thought it would be fun to make purses to try and sell. A lady at an appointment noticed my cute purse Mindi (my sister in law) made for me and asked me if I could make some for her. So here are my attempts. I still need to call her back, but I am really proud of the results (especially since I found a lot of the fabric at Walmart for 1.00 a yard!)

This is the purse from MindiThen I wanted a music bag - for church...I'm the pianist. I LOVE it. My sweet mother-in law helped me learn how to make them.My sister-in-law Jen needed a scripture bag for her almost 9 year old! I told her if she picked out the fabric, I'd make it. It turned out SOOOO cute!I used the leftover fabric from the scripture bag and music bag to make these:My neighbor ordered one and she loves sunflowers! It was so fun. I also learned how to make custom pockets on the inside:) She has a "walking pharmacy" and now has a pocket for it!This one ended up going to my sister and I used dollar fabric for almost the entire thing! I love the bow in place of the flower too! She wanted longer handles and a shorter bag.

What do you think? Should I go into a business?? I do think it's fun except for lugging out my sewing machine and putting it away all the time. What I would give for a craft room!!

Summer Activities Picture catch-up

I finally got around to getting a fix for our picture dilemma! I bought a USB cable! Now the camera hooks up to the computer and can download all the pictures! I can't express how excited I am to finally have the pictures with my blog. So to update:
I caught the kids in the crib with Brooklyn and thought it made for a cute picture.

Our bear lake adventures: Dave's in the boat and Tina and Lorin her cousin are playing.

The Chambers cousins at Willow Park after looking at the animals. That was lots of fun!

Braden and Tina made collages for the library summer home activities. I thought they did a good job finding things to cut out. Tina did her own cutting too! She had a few layers of her favorites.

Brooklyn's first taste of chocolate pudding. What a cute mess!

Our glorious hikes! This was up Sherwood Hills and was shaded despite the heat. We loved it and could have hiked longer if we didn't have to have a potty break! :)

This was a fun cousin day. I found a book at the library where you tell a story and cut something out and they guess what it is. We had tons of fun with Klaire-bear, and Sydnee.

Chocolate Night!

So I am now in charge of an enrichment group! Once a month they meet at my house and exchange recipes and samples. Tonight was the first night and what a "Sweet" beginning. CHOCOLATE:) Everything was absolutely delicious! Here are some of the recipes:

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
~Shannon Dixon
½ c. butter
½ c. oil
1 ¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ c. cocoa
½ tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 ½ c. flour
2 c. pureed zucchini
Optional: Chopped walnuts may be added to the batter or sprinkled on top before baking, if desired
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together the butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add sour cream, vanilla, and salt, mix well. Stir together the remaining dry ingredients; baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon and flour. Add to creamed mixture, stir to moisten, and then add pureed zucchini. Mix lightly for about a minute and then stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake 45 minutes.

This was WONDERFUL!
Chocolate Wonder
~Holly Goodman
2 c. fudge cookies (or oreos) crushed
¼ c. margarine melted
-Combine and press into 9x13 pan for crust
1 c. powdered sugar
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened)
½ Large cool whip (16 oz.)
-whip together and spread on crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2 small pkg’s chocolate Instant pudding
3 c. milk
-Mix and pour onto cream cheese layer – refrigerate.
Top with remaining cool whip just before serving.


Chewy Brownie Cookies
~Marinda Bree
2/3 c. shortening
1 ½ c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
2 c. (12 oz. pkg.) chocolate chips
Heat oven to 375. In large bowl beat shortening, brown sugar, water and vanilla.
Add eggs and beat well. Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Gradually add to sugar mixture till blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 7-9 minutes until set- will appear soft and moist – Don’t overbake. Cool on pan 2 minutes, then put on cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen.

Don't worry: I'll share the love every month:) What a fun night to just chat with the girls and indulge ourselves! I'm pretty lucky to have a husband to let me do that (he took the kids to McDonald's for CHOCOLATE chip cookies). Thanks:)

Primary Children's Medical Center

Well, it was that time again. Every 6 months Braden goes to be checked. So for those of you interested, he is still growing despite my forgetfullness in giving him his medicine. I had a little down mommy time last appointment, but this time, I'm ready to start fresh so that next appointment (March!) I can confidently say that he is getting his medicine faithfully! I learned that if I forget it will cause his legs to break down the muscle and the extra "CK" will go into his kidneys and ruin them. I didn't realize that it was that serious, but hopefully now it will be good for me to be on top of it. I did make a checklist and everytime I give him the medicines, I can "X" them off. That seems to be helping.
His medications consist of Carnitine, which he gets one dose almost faithfully, but he needs two a day. MCT oil, which is like regular oil that needs to be mixed into things (that is hard!) and before bed he needs to have cornstarch. The oil and cornstarch will help prevent the sore muscles, and also help him to grow. He is currently 20% on weight, 10% height and around 50% head circumference, so it is better than below the charts like he started. I guess another hard thing is that he seems fine. There is nothing in his body language that suggests he is hurting. He is running, jumping and active all day. He wakes up happy, and is always helping around the house. I guess I should thank my lucky stars that he is like that.
The most amazing part of the visit was at the end, he had to get a blood draw. Keep in mind he is only 3 1/2, and he watches the needle go in and does not make a peep. He thought it was "cool" that his blood was red, and that the tube sucked it out! I am always amazed at what a brave little joy he is. Since he was first diagnosed, he has been wonderful with needles. Who knows, maybe he will grow up and be a phlebotamist (I can't spell!).
I just want to shout a thank you to my mother-in-law for going with me and supporting me in trying to come up with other solutions for mixing his medications. Also thanks for the wonderful neighbors for keeping Tina in school today! I sure appreciate all the help! If any of you have some suggestions for me, I'd appreciate it:)

10 things tag: Well 30 by the time I'm done with the kids

Christina Ann- Or as she prefers...Tina - almost 6 years old!
1. Her favorite animal is a pig (because it's pink-her favorite color)
2. She loves to play dress-up, and even includes her sunday dresses. I think she changes outfits about 3 times a day.
3. She is a wonderful big sister. If I ask her to get something for them, she does it without hesitating.
4. She is the unpickiest eater. She loves to eat everything I make. And she always remembers to put her plate in the sink when she is done.
5. She told me that Grandpa Max helped her learn how to ride her bike without training wheels...He is Dave's Grandpa that passed away three years ago. They shared a birthday and I think they always have had a special bond.
6. Tina saved Braden's life when he was a year old. She will always be my hero for doing that!
7. She has a tender heart for the kids younger than her. At preschool last year, she had a picture taken with this little girl who looked so sad, and she said, "I helped her not to be so sad everyday."
8. She has a lot of friends. People are drawn to her, and she loves playing right after school.
9. She enjoyed dance class last year and this year she is excited to try out a children's drama class after school. They are putting on the play "Enchanted!"
10. She LOVES to answer the phone, and now gets excited when her friends call her. Whenever I talk to Grandma's both she and Braden have to have a turn.

Braden Max - 3 years old
1. He loves choo-choo trains, cars, and trucks...basically anything with wheels.
2. He has dinosaur underwear which go "chomp" when he has an accident:)
3. He absolutely loves chocolate...but he gets very excited over many types of food (fruit, pizza, pasta, vegetables, etc. etc.)
4. He has been described as a "little ball of fun." I would have to agree. When he laughs, you can't help but laugh too. He is fun to tickle, and has always had a little squishy belly that's hard to resist.
5. He spends a lot of time in the kitchen with either Dave or I. He is our helper with stirring, mixing, and doing the dishes. It sure makes the work a lot more fun with his company.
6. I am learning more about his rare disorder. We learned about it when Tina saved his life. He has CPT-2 deficiency. Only 250 people have it in the WORLD. It is so rare because it has been related to SIDS. But he survived! And everyday is a gift for us that he continues to grow and lead a normal life!
7. He gets giraffes and zebras mixed up. He has a little stuffed giraffe that he calls, "Zweba." It's so cute:)
8. He is so affectionate. He will spontaneously say, "I love you" to us and even to friends that he has just met. He also kisses you wherever he can reach (which is usually our tummy or arm)
9. When he gets really passionate about something you can tell because he gets so excited. He is like that almost all the time.
10. It is so fun to watch him run. He has a little skip at the end of a stride.

Brooklyn Michelle - 15 months old
1. She learned how to say, "DAAAAAAD!" It is hilarious because it sounds so much like the kids when they are yelling for his attention.
2. She LOVES our dog Tag. She will say "da-du" when the dog runs in. It is tough love though, because she loves to "pat" it which is hit as hard as she can, pull ears and tail. Luckily our dog is so mellow and wonderful that she just puts up with the "love."
3. She never has learned how to crawl. She scoots on her bum to get wherever she needs to. She has permanently stained the backside of all her pants! When she gets going fast it is so fun to watch though.
4. She has turned into a daddy's girl and is usually the first one to greet Dave when he gets home from work.
5. She loves baby dolls, and won't let anyone else hold them. She gives them hugs. Tina has named her favorite Sarah for Brooklyn.
6. She is ALMOST walking...we can't wait! She will pull herself up to furniture and take fingers to walk across the room.
7. She is a voracious eater. She eats as much as the other kids and is very independent, refusing to have people feed her. She can use a spoon very well.
8. She has always been a very content little girl, but when she discovered her voice, she would scream spontaneously. It would startle my piano students and make us jump. It got really bad on the way home from Pocatello one night when we were enclosed in Dave's truck. She would not stop and our ears were ringing. We finally had to stop somewhere to let her get them out before continuing and getting migraines!
9. She has a courtesy laugh. She has never just belly laughed. She breathes heavy if she's entertained, and has squealed with delight, but still no belly laugh. We keep trying to get her to though. I'm sure it will come!
10. She enjoys pounding on the piano. And gets upset if we try to hold her on the bench! She loves to dance to music too. She will arch and slouch to the beat. It's fun to watch her:)

Now we tag our Chambers cousins: Lorin, Taigan, Taylor and Zach!