boy meets dog

This boy is going to have to do some pretty
persuasive talking to get himself one of these.
I must admit...this makes it pretty tempting to give in.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

cooking with kayla, part two

This weekend I'm heading out of a town with a group of women that are a part of our local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) leadership team. Each of us will be bringing a snack (in addition to buddying up and bringing a meal) and I thought that the Chex recipe "Muddy Buddies" would be a yummy late night treat!

I was actually in a relaxed mood today despite my always growing "to do list", so I thought I might as well let Mikayla help out in the kitchen. She's a whizz at baking and it's a fun way to spend a little one on one time together, but still get some stuff done in the process.

Together, we read the ingredient list and I had Mikayla search for all of the ingredients with a few helpful hints from her momma, of course. (Ladies, going to the retreat...stop right here if you don't want to know everything that goes into this delightful treat. And, I will say that it is addicting, so don't say I didn't warn you.)

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MUDDY BUDDIES
COOKING WITH KAYLA

your choice of Chex cereal, chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, & powdered sugar

Measure 9 cups of cereal. I let Mikayla tell me when to stop once I reached the line I had pointed out to her. We ended up doing 5 cups Corn Chex and 4 cups Chocolate Chex.

Measure out 1 cup chocolate chips. I filled a small bowl of chocolate chips and let her scoop them into the 1-cup measuring cup.

Add 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter to the chocolate chips. Even letting kids do simple tasks like peeling the paper from the butter teaches them the art of cooking. We talked about how slimy it felt (and then she proceeded to wipe it off on herself...good thing she was wearing an apron!)

Microwave for 1 minute and then stir until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Pour Chex cereal into a large bowl.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and stir until covered.

Place chocolate covered cereal into gallon-sized Ziploc bag, add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and shake, shake, shake. She loved this part!

During this cooking adventure, don't forget to give your (almost) 2-year old a little snack...

...and some measuring spoons and cups to keep him distracted, I mean entertained.

Place finished yummy goodness on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet to cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (the freezer is even better!)

As it was cooling on the counter, Mikayla kept asking me, "Just one more, Mommy. One more." And how many times do you think I heard that?

*FYI: You might notice Mikayla has a black eye in these pictures. She had a little run in with someone else's head last Sunday, so it's her first official black eye. She looks kind of tough, don't you think?



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

a splishin' and a splashin'

Our 4th of July ended up being very low-key and we spent time with just the four of us. At first, we were a bit sad not having any "fun" plans, but in the long run we were so thankful for that time with just us doing whatever we wanted since it will be one of the only Saturdays during the summer where I have nothing happening. So, in hindsight it really was a blessing and we really did have a FUN time!

In the afternoon, we decided to pull out the swimming pool we got 2 summers ago at Target on clearance, and had yet to pull out! Looking at the discount tag, it said it was on clearance at $3.74...score!!

Boy, was this the hit of the day...


Notice how Austin isn't in any of the above pictures? Well, if you remember the last time we tried to play in the water, he was, as usual a bit cautious in the beginning. But, once Daddy rigged up his famous makeshift water slide, he was all in, and they both were in water world heaven!

Gotta love cheap entertainment!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Later in the evening, we played with fire, er I mean lit sparklers and then called it a night...I'll share a few highlights from that a little later. For now, I'm off to finish up baking some chocolate chip cookies for the MOPS Rummage & Bake Sale Fundraiser happening all day Saturday! I'll try not to lick the bowl. ;)

a little water doesn't hurt

First off, thank you for the encouragement many of you gave with me feeling a little down and out. I think I was just having a "moment". It truly does give me the courage to keep sharing a little more personally on this blog. I know I'm surrounded by friends.

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Now onto some cute photos of our fun time at the water park on Wednesday. It was a gorgeous day to celebrate one of my best friend's little girl turning 3 years old. It really made me wish one of my kids had a summer birthday. This was the PERFECT location for pure entertainment for 15 or so little kiddos. Mikayla was soaking it all in, but Austin? He still needs to get the concept that a little water doesn't hurt.

Austin, the cautious one...

Mikayla, the daring one...

Austin - "maybe just a little touch"

Mikayla - "I'm going all in!"

Austin - "I'm good right here"

Mikayla having all the fun!


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

what were you doing...

...2 years ago!

That's what my friend Tammy asked when she decided to start a tag on her blog - What were you doing 2 years ago to this very day? (or at least as close as you can get)

Well, I don't know about me personally, but I know my sweet little Mikayla was taking her first steps at just about 13 months. After looking at these pictures taken on June 3, 2007, the memory of that day came flooding back. She had just taken her first few steps the day before, so she was very new to this walking thing. I remember we had just come home from church and decided that we would let her try out her new trick outside. It was a gorgeous day, so I grabbed the camera and just started snapping. It was so fun to capture this new feat on camera and watch her try to master this new skill.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Now, it's my turn to tag FIVE of my blog readers asking them this same question - What were you doing 2 years ago to this very day? (or at least as close as you can get) Share some photos and your memories of that day 2 years ago. Add it to your blog so all of us can see your answer and then tag FIVE more people to keep the ball rolling.

Mimi @ He & Me + 3
Kelli @ Random Thoughts of a Super Mom
Jen @ Tator Tots & Jello
Xazmin @ This is the Year
Emily @ Powell Power

Can't wait to see what you all were up to!
And, of course whoever else wants to play along, please do! Let me know and I'll come visit to see what you have to share. It's actually kind of fun to look back a little and reminisce. Thanks, Tammy, for stirring up the fun memory!

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My friend Kim and I went to the Zoo yesterday...I can't wait to share some of the pictures of our morning out, but here's one to whet your appetite!

Oh, if only they were always this sweet. *wink*