FIELD TRIP!!

They are in side a bubble!!! 

It was a busy day for Mackenzie and I today. Today all of the first grade classes at school, plus one kindergarten class got to go to the Jasmine Moran Children's Museum. It was a lot of fun! I could have done with out the rain and wind while we were driving up there but besides that it was a really good day for us. All together there were 120 students from our school that attended. All but 20 were first graders.

It was the first time I had been to this museum and I have to say that it was worth it! Mackenzie and I  went around to the different areas of the museum with 2 of the little girls from her class. they were very well behaved and we had a fun. I think their favorite areas were the bubble area and the water station. They also spent a lot of time in the Emergency Room area that was set up there.

Kenzie making some bubbles.

The people who designed this museum I think did a great job. I hope we soon take all the kids to go play there. They have stuff Gabryle can do and I'm sure he would be thrilled playing on some of the things they have. I bet Kylie would love doing all of the doctor stuff and using the art center.

WATCH OUT!! Kenzie is behind the wheel!!

Dr. Mackenzie

Till Next Time!!

It's hard to say goodbye...

I Will Miss You William!

Kylie mentioned to me yesterday that one of her friends will be moving. She told me that and I assumed they would move over spring break or at the end of the year. Boy was I wrong! 

She came home today with a note from her teacher telling parents, that William, one of Kylie's friends, will be moving back to China with his family at the end of the week and Thursday would be his last day. Kylie decided that she wanted to make William a card to take with him, so I helped her this evening to do that. We got a piece of paper and some markers, and a cute picture of Kylie and started working. She wanted to write on the front so I spelled everything out for her. She messed up in one spot but I was able to show her that if you draw a heart there he would never know you messed up so that is what we did.
We then opened it and she drew a picture for him. That is William on the left and Kylie on the right. Butterflies are flying above them while they jump through a flower patch, that is on top of the grass, that is on top of the lava as she explained it to me. (She's fascinated with lava for some reason). We glued the picture of her on the other side and she signed her name.

She seems a little bummed about him moving at the moment. As Kylie told me, "he's not my best friend, but he is a friend that is fun to play with at school. He is nice for a boy too." Of course everyone gets along with Kylie though. She's not hard to get along with. This is the first time she has had a friend move away that she won't see anymore. She'll remember him forever though I'm sure!!

Till Next Time!!!

Family Fun Night!

Tonight was the school's annual Family Fun Night to raise money for the school. It was a lot of fun. The girls got to put tickets in to win different items available in a drawing, dance and play with their friends, and eat some pizza. Jerrod participated in the silent auction that was being done and Gabryle had a blast while dancing in his seat and other places, playing with a little ball game and watching all the other kids.

The girls even played a few of the games the different grades did. There was a cake walk (which the girls both won), lots of bean bag tosses, a Dino dig, face painting, limbo, tattoos, and a few other games to play. It was cute watching the girls do the limbo. I never realized how low Kenzie can go under a bar! Kylie was lucky enough that she is so tiny she could walk under it most of the time. I think Gabryle had more fun eating the suckers the girls won in the games and playing with the little toys that they won as prizes in the games.

Jerrod bid in the silent auction on a few items and ended up winning a Mommy and Me gardening set that included lots of gardening tools, a nice wheelbarrow, pansies, a salsa growing kit, and a few other things in it. It's a really nice set too. All of the baskets are baskets put together from the different grades in the school. Some grades sometimes do 2 baskets, but most do just 1.  Worked out great getting it especially since we got some rose bushes a few weeks ago. The girls didn't get their name drawn for anything that they put the tickets into, but they still had a good time tonight. It was fun getting to watch them dance with their friends. When we first got there, Kylie was so excited because she ran into Adam, one of her really good friends. (Adam and Kylie eat breakfast together every morning.)
 
It's a fun fundraiser for the school that they do and we'll most likely go again next year. We know they raised at least 500 dollars just from the silent auction. I always find it interesting to hear how much the school. earned from tonight.

Till Next Time!!

Barbecued Meatloaf

One of our favorite meals lately has gotten to be meatloaf. I have never really been a big fan of meatloaf, but a little over a year ago I found a recipe that was by Paula Deen, called Barbecued Meatloaf. No it doesn't actually have barbecue in it, but it is really good! This has also gotten to be one of Kenzie's favorite meals we do. I've included the recipe below for you.

Enjoy and Till Next Time!!!

Barbecue Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup water, to thin sauce if necessary

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and the water (if too thick). Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices.

Mommy's old!!!!

Some things the kids say just crack me up. Yesterday as I was driving the kids to school for some reason Kylie asked if we would have any more babies. I have a feeling she asked due to one of her friends in another pre-k class just had a new baby born in their family. I quickly assured her that we won't have anymore babies because I can't have any more kids. She asked why, and instead of getting into the details of it replied "I just can't." Yet of course this answer did not suffice and she asked why again. I replied the same thing I said earlier and then Kenzie pops off "Cause Mom is too Old to have any more babies!" I just looked at her and quickly assured Kenzie that I am not to old to have any more children, but just can't. The rest of the way to school we went back and forth on whether or not I am old. Kenzie knew how old I was and quickly assured me that I would be turning 29 this year and 30 next year. I had no idea she remembered how old I was!  Jerrod thought it was pretty funny when I told him about it later. 

They also were excited yesterday since Jerrod finally found him a truck he likes. It will be nice having a second vehicle again. It's been way over a year since we had two vehicles. Having just one over the past year has worked out fairly well for us. Jerrod and I had it worked out when we would switch the car so I could pick the girls up and then picking him up from work. Now we won't have to do that anymore so It'll be nice. Plus it will be a lot easier once t-ball starts up again this summer for Kenzie and if Kylie if she decides to play. Now don't get me wrong, have just 1 car was not bad at all or an inconvenient. It will just be that much easier getting some things done now that we have the truck! 

Till Next Time!!

New Page!!

I have added a new page to my blog. The link to the page (Kylie's Jokes) is towards the top of the page. As of recently Kylie has started to come up with her own jokes. Yes as a four year old most of the jokes are not great, but hey, she is trying. As we are driving out to see one of my brother and sister-in-laws who are in town, Kylie started telling us jokes the whole way. Her first one was the best that she did. I will update the page as often as possible with the jokes she tells me. These are all made up by her, with no help from me or Jerrod. Some she does come up with her friends, but the majority of them she does here at home. Hope you enjoy!!!

Till Next Time!!

School Parties

Kylie's gift for Jerrod and me.

Well Valentines Day has come and gone and the kids seemed to have a good day yesterday. The girls had their class parties and we fixed special homemade pizza last night for dinner. Each of the girls showed me all of their Valentines they received from friends and were thrilled with the package we ordered from the school for each of them.
I helped with Kylie's class party and it was pretty fun. Kylie was thrilled I was able to come and made sure to let her friends know that Gabryle was her little brother. The kids ate their kids meals from Sonic and all the while they were eating Gabryle went around the classroom with a hand broom and dustpan cleaning up messes that he found. (I honestly think the classroom floor was cleaner by the time we left than when we first got there.) After the kids ate their food they got to decorate a cupcake. Kylie seemed very detailed in decorating hers. When I left she was still strategically placing the sprinkles on the top of the cupcake. I asked Kylie after school if she enjoyed her cupcake after school and her response was "I didn't eat it because I was making it for you and you left before I could finish it." Made me feel a little bad about leaving when I did, but told her we would make some cupcakes this weekend and she can make me one all by herself and she was happy with that idea.

Intently decorating her cupcake.

Mackenzie said her class party was really fun. A lot of parents went to the party and she was thrilled to get a package with some of the Valentines treats. We got her a set of spirit beads, a smencil, a jelly flashing ring, a bracelet and a gorilla sucker. (Kylie had the same things in her bag). As we were leaving the school when school was out Mackenzie informed me that she and Matt switched her smencil for his whistle bracelet because the scent of the pencil is his favorite, and he didn't want his whistle. She also informed me that none of the boys in class liked her Justin Bieber valentine cards. I assured her that it is okay that they didn't like it as long as they were what she wanted to give everyone, which she agreed they were what she wanted to pass out.
 The kids had a good day and now await the next holiday or birthday, which ultimately will be Kylie's birthday in April which she has decided to be a red solo cup party.

Till Next Time!!