blocks blocks blocks

I LOVE making blocks! they are a super cheap way at making cute house

decorations. Megan and I spend like an hour on the phone together browsing the internet for all these cute blocks we want to make....I think I have like 50 pictures saved on my computer of ones I want haha

We also made this Halloween (I didn't get a picture yet so this is the one we copied :)

I think these flags are adorable too the smaller one on top is the size they had it but then I put it together and wanted bigger...now I like them both and can't decide. oh well

Love these girls

My girls are just getting into the whole dress up princess thing and they love it! They play so well together, it makes my life so much easier (knock on wood!)

Fun with the kids

So I was watching a commercial at my sister-in-law Juli's house and they did this fun craft for kids, where you colored a paper like below then colored black all over the top then you could kind of scratch whatever design in it (we used a spoon) but then I was looking for craft ideas online and they did the same thing with the coloring part but used flat black spray paint (which being such a fan of spray paint of course I have like 3 cans of flat black haha) anyways I was thinking awesome! that's way faster then coloring the whole top again with paint and it totally worked, great!!! and payten loved it!

So lately we've had a lot of fun making home made ice cream. Did any of you make Ice cream in your science classes in jr high/HS???? Because John totally makes fun of me that we did this but I think it was the best class ever! So we did it and the girls had a blast and I don't think I've tried better vanilla ice cream (PS WAY good putting any goodies in it like cookie chunks, m and m's...etc.) OR take the ice cream, and make cookies....then make ice cream sandwiches!!!!! yum

It takes some shaking but we all just played catch or rolled it to each other.

Recipe and Directions:

1c whole milk

1c heavy cream (I didn't use heavy)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c granulated sugar

2 quart size zipper bags

2 gallon size zipper bags

2 pounds ice cubes

1/2 c coarse rock salt

stack of newspapers

clear packing tape

In a mixing bowl, combine milk, cream, vanilla and sugar. Whisk until sugar is dissolved

pour mixture into a quart size bag and squeeze out air. double bag into other quart bag squeezing out air

Put on of the gallon bags inside the other, and put the quart bags(with mixture in it) into the gallon bag. Fill the inside gallon bag with ice and rock salt, alternately.

Squeeze excess air out and seal. seal outside bag (double bagging is just so if one breaks it's not a HUGE mess)

Open sections of newspaper as if you were reading the center pages. stack the paper sections on top of one another until the stack is about a 1/2 inch high

place ice cream bag in a corner of the papers. Pick up a few sheets at a time lifting the corner and roll until you have covered the entire bag with newspaper. fold in both sides and continue rolling. repeat till stack is used or until it will be too heavy to toss if you added more. Tape as necessary, using lots of tape on the outside so it doesn't break from tossing

Toss at least 15-20 minutes, longer if you want to eat it the minute you open it (we did 30 and it was PERFECT.) it seems like long but if your playing a game with it it really goes fast. hot potato or bowling...etc.

Remove mixture, if it's too soft you can put it in the freezer to firm up.

ENJOY! it seems like a lot of stuff to do but it's really not bad and so worth it

Paytens first slumber party

Ok Here will be a few posts of catch up. Payten had her first slumber party with Wyatt. It was so much fun. She's had sleep overs with her cousins (which is equally as exciting to her) but this was the first time a friend came over to spend the night and they had so much fun. I dumped tons of blankets and pillows in the toy/guest room and they watched a movie back there and were so cute. Then I made the BEST cinnamon rolls ever (kelly's recipe) and they were soooo

wonderful!

My mind is so clear!

On the way to camp April and I HAD to stop at a few garage sales and I got these two rocking chairs, they were in terrible condition and it took a lot of sanding, priming and painting but I think they turned out so cute and the girls LOVE them!!! they sit in them all the time now, and they were only $5 each! which made me very happy! The blue is not turning out quite as blue in the pictures, it looks more white ish grey above but it really is a sky blue and they look great together.

Diaper Cake

So now that camp and the shower are over with my mind is so clear. I don't have 100+ lists going on in the back of my head every second of the day. I had so much fun with both, but the last few weeks been VERY busy getting ready for everything. But in the end everyone fit into my house, the food was great (thanks Stephanie) and it was so fun. Camp was such a blast too, I don't really have any good pictures from camp because I was banking on stealing getting them from everyone else :) anyways we do still exist!

Ready, Set, GO!

Before the race: life is good, tra la la la

After the race: People actually do this more then once?

We are women hear us roar!

Actually it really was so fun...ok maybe during the race all I heard in my head was I wanna die, this is dumb, why did I do this on purpose, I wanna die. But after there was a totally Runners high and sense of accomplishment and I would totally do it again! We have been training like crazy and all did awesome on the 5k run this weekend in Sacramento and had a blast...not to mention the pancake breakfast right after followed by the lunch at Panera Bakery maybe an hour after that! :)

It speaks!

Riley has started talking, she says probably 10 more words but she was starting to get irritated with me following her around getting her to say what I wanted her to say :) (ok and the one in the middle where she squeaks at the end, she's saying cheese)

Finally moved in!

Finally got the garage all unpacked and now we can park in the garage!!!!! :) this included LOTS of hooks to hang all the HUGE kid supplies that you can't trash because we'll be having more but

uuugggg they are sooo annoying to store!

Monkey caught in Action

I came out of the house to see my baby girl ontop of the patio table! I swear this kid has NO fear!!!

Then she was kind enough to show me how she got up there by finding her way down

Quick look at the past two weeks

We Learned Riley likes grapefruit....and is way to impatient to wait for us to get it for her with the spoon

Sprinklers will be used A LOT this summer! they spend hours sprinting though the back yard!

Note to self: learn how to dust a couch....the sun was coming in at the perfect angle so when John sat down the girls saw "snow" and kept trying to catch it all!

Payten's mothers day card to me, John said she picked it out and wouldn't go for any other one haha I love it

Painted hutch and Rocking chair black

ahhhh Still love roses

Girls break moms glasses....mom spends forever trying to get them taped together perfectly to use until new ones are purchased....then realizes this when going to try them on...

Girls Girls Girls :) too cute

Riley's new Mad pose, If she's on her feet she goes on tippy toes and arches the whole body

Payten's new hair cut

MY HUSBAND THE ROCKSTAR!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS! you have passed the March 20-21 2009 CFP Certification examination!!!! the national pass rate was 52.3%

this was a two day test that he has been taking classes for and studying for years to take. HUNDREDS of HOURS of studying at the library every day after work, weekends, every spare second, full time week long cram course. ALL finished! It is SO hard to pass and he did it!!! I can't express how happy and proud I am of him, I get to have him all to myself now and dont have to compete with text books....YEAH!

He's pretty much AWESOME!

WICKED!!!

Wicked was SOOOOOOO much fun! we all goofed of and had the best time, not to mention dinner was the best food I've ever had and I will be dreaming of it for the rest of my life!!! haha Ok so here's some pictures I have, I didn't put them all up because most are exactly the same as Stephanie's haha and this first one I didn't have a single one of those other two girls looking at MY camera! haha

CRAY LIMO DRIVER! ok I know you all know the road to Stephanie's house...well no one told this guy he was driving a limo! it was pretty funny/scary being thrown into each others laps.

Best moms ever get a little tipsy on Martinelli's haha

They have these awesome bad A charlies angels faces and mine all look like I'm happy, tra la la

Best part of the musical is right before the intermission! soooo exciting




(no these aren't my pictures....stole them from google :)