Saturday, September 29, 2012

Nana's visit and Gabryle's Birthday Party

We all had a great visit with my Mom yesterday and today. The kids were so excited and had a great time getting to visit with Nana. We grilled burgers last night and played UNO till bedtime. We then spent today kind of being lazy around the house before the party since it has rained all day. Mackenzie, Kylie, Nana and I all went and got some nail polish and colored our nails earlier while we ate lunch and then later had the party.

Gabryle also had his birthday party today and I think he had a great time. It was also a good thing we decided to just have his party indoors since it has ended up raining almost all day so far! Still hard to believe he will be 3 on Monday! 
He got a lot of clothes and toys today and he seems to like them all. He's actually already wearing his new pajama bottoms he got and his Lightning McQueen house shoes. We found him a neat hot wheels cake and he LOVED it! I have some pictures posted below! 

Till Next Time!!! 





















Friday, September 28, 2012

Zoo Trip!!!

Today was Kylie's first field trip and it was pretty fun! We went to the zoo in Gainesville and with all 120 kindergarten kids, it was a sea of orange. (The school shirts this year are orange for the elementary school.) IT was almost as if I was in the Willy Wonka movie, surrounded by Oompa Loompas.
We saw a wolf, some bears, miniature ponies, which I was told are NOT horses because they are not big like her Papa's horses, zebras, kangaroo's and of course the giraffes. The giraffes I believe were her favorite. She had been looking forward to them all week so she could feed one, and boy she was proud of herself for feeding one. She may have been as far back as she could be but she fed one. She also thought it was cool that we got to see 2 kangaroos fighting. A lot of us parents that were there to help seemed to be more entertained by the fighting kangaroo's but a few of the kids seemed to have fun watching them.
The kids got to sit through a little twenty minute "lesson" and got to learn about some animals, then they got to go eat lunch. After that they played on a playground for an hour then loaded the buses and headed home. Some pictures that I got throughout the day are posted below, and I hope you enjoy!!

Till Next Time!!!!!














Saturday, September 22, 2012

Bows for Shirts

We finally got our school shirts in that we ordered at the beginning of the year. This year they are a bright orange and actually pretty neat looking. It's my favorite so far since Mackenzie has been in school. The girls seem to like them and for once Kylie seems a little more excited to be able to wear her shirt. It might be because they will actually get to take field trips this year in kindergarten, with their first one being next week.

Her biggest concern though is they don't have enough hair bows that match the orange shirts. I have made one orange one for the girls but as she pointed out if they both wear their shirt on the same day, and both want to wear a hair bow, one will be without a matching one. She asked for some more orange hair bows. If I had known when I was making hair bows that the shirts were orange, i would have made more orange ones instead of Red and white, which are the school colors. So last night I got to work and made a few more hair bows that will match the shirts.
 Both of the girls really like the puffy orange one to go with their shirts. If i had known that would be their favorite one I would have made two of those instead of the two others. I guess a trip to Hobby Lobby might be in the works in the next week or so.
I also made the yellow and blue one just because. Mackenzie wears a lot of blue and a lot of yellow so it will be a good one for her to wear with her outfits.

Till next time!!!!


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Mackenzie's Song

Mackenzie working on her spelling
Mackenzie has gotten to love being able to write things down since she can actually read and spell now. Yes her spelling is not perfect but what second grader does have perfect spelling. She's only 7, three months shy of being 8. (She is growing up way to fast!!!!)

Lately she has really gotten into music. She LOVES to sing, she loves to listen to music and she already thinks when she can wants to be in band, like Mom and Dad and lots of her other family members. I think she will also do vocal as much as she loves to sing. She can memorize a song  like no other kid I know. She of course loves Justin Beiber, but she also loves Reba, Rascal Flatts, Glee, and the Beatles.

Lately she has decided to write her own songs. The latest one she has made up she actually wrote the lyrics out and then sang it to Jerrod and I. It's the cutest song I have heard her come up with and am glad she wrote it down so we can always have it. I also got a recording of it, which the link is posted at the bottom of the post for you to listen to her sing the
 song. I was a little surprised she actually sang it for me to record. I didn't think she would do that. I am glad she did though.  I know I did a photo of her lyrics, but here it is in case you can't decipher her writing and spelling:

Oh yeah, with all my heart, I love my mom and dad and my sister and brother. I love my parents for raising me and they love me to. I will never ever run away. I love you to. I love my cat Molly too. I love you Mom and Dad

It is the sweetest lyrics I think anyone could listen too. hope you enjoy!!!!

Till Next Time!!

Here is a link to listen to Mackenzie singing her song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuExMHshlgk&list=HL1348011778&feature=mh_lolz



Monday, September 17, 2012

Waiting for sisters

Since Kylie this year is able to ride the bus it seems Gabryle's favorite time of the day is in the afternoon. He and I walk up to the neighborhoods bus stop and wait for the girls to get home.
Every afternoon he make sure to tell molly to stay in the house and we then leave. The bus stops by the landlords office and we wait either sitting on the steps or sitting by a large planter under the tree. No matter which place we sit he finds a big stick and pals in the diet and telling dogs to stop barking across the road.
Once Gabryle hears the bus he starts jumping and gets even more excited. He waits with me as the kids get off and once he sees Mackenzie and she is close he runs and gives her the biggest hug ever. We then walk home, Mackenzie and Gabryle walk in front of me and Kylie and he makes sure that he beats all the girls home. In a few more years when Gabryle is in kindergarten he will be on the bus with the girls. I still have two more years before he can be in pre-k. They grow up so fast!!!

Till next time!!!!!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies

Fresh out of the Oven!!
Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies
 So this evening after dinner I had the urge to bake something. I knew we had cocoa powder and peanut butter so I decided I would find a recipe for Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies, but could not find a recipe. Maybe I wasn't looking on the right website or typing in the correct wording for it, so I used my brownie recipe and decided to tweak it. I wasn't sure how they would turn out, but I believe that they turned out quite well! They are chocolaty, but not to chocolaty, and they also have a touch of peanut butter flavor. They are, in my opinion the best! It is for sure a recipe to keep! I've included the recipe below, so I hope you try them and enjoy them!! They are very good fresh out of the oven when they are still warm. Jerrod likes his with some butter melted over the top of them, so there's another suggestion for trying them. I bet they also would be awesome with some vanilla ice cream!

Till Next Time!!!


Melissa's Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies


Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (depending on how peanut buttery you would like it to be)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 AND GREASE A 9x13 PAN 

1. Mix together the vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla till well mixed in a large bowl. 
2. Add the eggs and mix till well incorporated.
3. In medium bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt till well combined. 
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg and oil mixture until all is well combined together. Add walnuts if using.
5. Reserve 1/4 cup of the batter and pour the rest into the greased pan. Add the peanut butter and mix till well combined. This will be thicker than the brownie batter. 
6. Spoon the peanut batter into the brownie mix and swirl to your desire. 
7. Put in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until tooth pick  comes out clean. 

Let cool before taking out of pan.

Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies