Christmas Eve

Most days my boys are awake before me. I usually wake up to my 2 year old yelling at me from behind his baby gate. I usually groan a bit, then get up and let him out. My boys have always been early risers. By early I mean there was a time when I was lucky if they slept until 6. As they are getting older they are starting to sleep later but my internal alarm clock is still set for 6.

 

This morning I started tossing and turning around 5 a.m. I have always been more of a morning person. I like the quiet. I like watching the sky come to life as the sun rises. I love the warm feeling that travels thru my body with my first sip of coffee. Mornings make me happy.

 

Today is a special morning. It's Christmas Eve!! I am ready for the big day. The hubs and I will probably be up super late putting toys together. My mommy will be here late tonight with the last piece to Cooper's big present and to surprise the boys. The especially love their grandma.

 

I might be just as excited as the boys for Christmas. It is going to be magical. I can't wait to see their little faces light up when they see the indoor trampoline that Santa is bringing them!

 

Nixon just woke up so I will end my rambling by saying Merry Christmas! It really is the most magical day of the year!

 

Nicole

Thankful

Today I am thankful for microfiber couches, my steam cleaner's upholstery attachment, hot running, my washer and dryer, modern medicine and being a stay-at-home mom.

 

For any of you mom's who are reading this you have probably figured out that I have a child with a stomach bug. Its an ugly one too. The kind that has stuff coming out both ends. Poor kid.

 

I can't imagine having to leave my poor sick kid with anyone while I go to work. It would rip my heart out. I am so grateful that I can stay home with my babies. 

 

Also on the agenda today is finishing 100 cake pops and 100 sugar cookies for a friend. I also have a kitchen that needs to be put together for a certain 2 year old. It will be a busy day.

 

Well I am now sufficiently caffeinated (for now) I better get started.

 

Two days until Christmas! Yay!!!

 

Nicole 

 



My Baby

I was looking thru some pictures on my computer and came across some of my baby boy from the summer before last. We had given him an ice cream cone, set him on the patio and let him have at it. He was so squishy and cute. I forgot he was such a little chunk! I love these pictures. They almost make me want another baby... Almost.

 

 

 

That cute little Mohawk.

 

MMMMMMMM!

 

 

It takes a lot of concentration to eat an ice cream come.

 



 

Oh how I miss my squishy little baby!

 

This is my little stud muffin a couple days ago. He is a little less squishy now but loves life (and ice cream cones) just as much!

 

Nicole

This Time Of Year

I love Christmas time. I love the smells, I love how generous people are. I love it even more now that I have two little boys. I am so excited to see their happy little faces on Christmas morning! It has taken every ounce of self control I have not to give them their presents already! 

 

I had grand plans of doing Christmas crafts with my boys everyday of December. I am just not that mom.

 

As we are approaching another New Year I think about what I want to accomplish in the coming year. I have never been a crafty person but I love decorating. We bought a brand new house in December of 2012. In the last year I haven't had much of a chance to start decorating my new home. I look around every day and think about how I want to decorate each room. I have, of course, changed my mind over and over again.

 

In the coming year I am going to get my decorate on! I am so excited! In the next couple weeks I am going to begin posting pictures of each room along with my plans for that room. I'm sure that my ideas will change along the way but that is part of the fun!

 

I would love to eventually help other's decorate their own homes. My own home will be my practice!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

 

Nicole

The Monday After

Happy Monday!!

 

The day after a holiday always feels anticlimactic to me. It is the day we all get back to normal life. Chores, work, appointments, LAUNDRY.... It is just a lot of catching up.

 

Mother's Day for me was pretty quiet. The hubby had to work and I am far away from my family so it was pretty much a normal day. I did take some time to lay on the couch and do nothing. That was nice. My amazingly sweet neighbors brought me over a gift bag with body scrub and lotion (I always forget how much I love anything almond scented), some chocolates, my favorite chap stick and a new lather builder (did you know your supposed to replace those things every 30 days?). It was such a sweet thing to do and really made my day.

 

My 4 year old Cooper has rediscovered his love for his dirt bike. Over the past week he has ridden it at least twice a day. He has gotten a little more comfortable and brave with every ride. Last night right after hubby got home we were standing in the driveway watching him and a girl from across the street ride when Cooper clipped her quad with the training wheel of his bike. He and the bike both went flying. The bike landed on top of him. I don't think I have ever run that fast in my life!

 

When we reached him he was screaming of course. I pulled the bike off. We made him lay still and slowly went over his body making sure there weren't any major injuries. We took off his helmet after about 5 minutes (hubby has crashed his dirt bike I cant tell you how many times so this was not our first rodeo). He turned out to be fine and walked away from it. Thank you God!

 

I am so incredibly thankful for a few things in this situation;

 

1. Since Cooper started riding his dirt bike and even before that we have ALWAYS made him wear the correct gear. He has riding boots, a good helmet, riding pants and gloves. He wears all of this every time he rides. No exceptions. If he hadn't been wearing all of this gear things could have ended quite differently.

 

2. I am so glad Hubby was here when it happened. Cooper rides a lot when he isn't here. I am just so glad he was here when Cooper crashed. The first thing I wanted to do was pull Cooper's helmet off. Hubby knew not to move his neck just in case. Now I know.

 

3. Our neighbors were there almost as fast as we were. We recently moved onto a nice little cul-de-sac. We are learning a little more everyday that we have awesome neighbors. We really hit the Jack Pot!

 

Cooper woke up today feeling fine other than his right wrist being a little sore. This year my favorite Mother's Day present was not taking my 4 year old to the ER.

 

Hope you have a fantastic Monday After!!

 

Simply Sweet

Proud Moments

As I sit here enjoying a beautiful sunny morning watching my babies play I'm thinking about how proud of them I am. The big moments make me proud of course. The first steps, riding a bike, first words... But I'm learning as a mom that it's the small everyday moments that make me the most proud. My big guy getting himself dressed and helping his brother get a toy. My baby going down the slide himself and giving the doggies love. My favorite moments are when they are truly enjoying each other. Those moments are fleeting (as I write this my baby is chasing his brother screaming because he wants to ride in the power wheels too) but when they do happen I am so proud of the love they have for each other. I have to remind myself daily to slow down and enjoy them. Everything else can wait...

Simply Sweet

Boys In The Snow

My husband and I were both raised in the desert of Southern California just outside Death Valley. Needless to say it was HOT most of the year. The summers last forever. If you blink you would miss Spring and Fall. Winters are very mild, mostly just windy. We got snow about every three years. By got snow I mean it snowed overnight then was melted by 10 a.m. Winter is not something we are very familiar with.

 

When we moved to Northeastern Nevada at the beginning of January it was bitter cold. I'm talking 16 below at night. My poor little guys didn't know what to think of this super cold. They would stand at our sliding glass door and stare outside. Our dog Bailey was pretty confused too. She is a pit bull so she doesn't have much of a coat. She would go outside for long enough to do her business and come right back in. To say we experienced some culture shock is an understatement.

 

Now that we have entered Spring I am itching to get outside. I LOVE to Garden and recently planted my seed starters (inside of course). We had a couple beautiful days last week then we woke up to snow. Ugh. 

 

Instead of sitting around in the house letting our cabin fever intensify we headed out to explore our new surrounding. We went to Lamoille Canyon and played around for a bit. It was really cold and a little breezy so we didn't last long but I got some great pictures. Aren't my boys just precious? I am one lucky mama!

 

 

 

Here they are arriving. The snow had already melted at my house so we weren't dressed appropriately. Lesson learned.

 

 

 

Cooper taking in the scenery. He's not a big fan of the cold or the snow.

 

 

Daddy found a stick for Nixon. He's our rough and tumble kid. He's up for just about anything. 

 

 

"Come here brother let me poke you with my stick."

 

 

We also brought Bailey with us. She goes just about everywhere with us. She's an Angel.

 

 

She's quite the goof ball too.

 

 

I love these pictures.

 

 

 

I think this one needs to go in a frame.

 

 

Cold fingers are unacceptable but putting gloves on my baby is a fight every time.

 





 

Aw that's better. Warm fingers.

 

 

Definitely not the right shoes.

 

 

My whole world.

 

 

And we couldn't leave home without Cooper's bicycle. It might be his favorite thing. other than his sword and his Lego's of course.

 

While we had fun in the snow I am SO ready for warmer weather! I'm not even asking for summer just let the ground thaw a little.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

Nicole

Oatmeal Smothies

I have a little guy who is a bottomless pit. This kid eats all the time! About 20 minutes after a big meal he is hungry again. I am constantly looking for healthy snacks to keep him from eating his big brother.

 

One thing that he really enjoys is oatmeal smoothies. Coinsidentally I love them too so we have one almost everyday. I used to love hot oatmeal and ate a ton of it. Over time I guess I just got tired of it the traditional way but it adds a delicious texture and flavor to these smoothies.

 

In this version I used peanut butter, nutella and almond milk. I also make a fruity version of this recipe with whatever fruit I have on hand and orange juice instead of almond milk. The combinations are endless!

 

 

 

Here is the cast of characters. I like to keep some sliced up bananas in the freezer for things like this. That is what's in the tupperware.

 

 

Start by adding about a 1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons nutella, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal to the blender.

 

 

Oh ya plus a few bananas and a splash of almond milk.

 

 

Blend it until its smooth. You may need to add a little more almond milk if it isn't coming together just right.

 

 

Come on mom hurry up!!! (No pressure)

 

 

Then toss in about a 1/2 - 3/4 cup of ice and 1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk. I used crushed to be nice to my blender but cubed would work just fine.

 

 

Then blend it until its smooth. I usually blend it for a minute or two just to make sure all the oatmeal and ice is really chopped up.

 

 

I have a bit of an obsession with Starbucks cups and mugs (funny because I don't love their coffee). These work great for smoothies because the sraws have a little lip on the bottom so they can't be pulled out by little boys.

 

 

Quit taking pictures and give me one!

 
 

 

That is one happy kid. It took about 2 minutes for him to finish it, then he wanted mine lol.

 

Peanut Butter Nutella Oatmeal Smoothies

 

 1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons nutella

1/4 cup greek yogurt

1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 banana

3/4 cup almond milk divided

1/2 - 3/4 cup crushed ice

 

Add first 5 ingredients plus 1/4 cup almond milk to blender. Blend until combined. Add remaining 2 ingredients and blend until smooth.

 

Happy Saturday!!

 

Nicole

 

 



Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I have been doing a lot of label reading lately and I have been super grossed out by the preservatives and other fillers that our food is packed with. It really grossed me out and made me worry about what I have been feeding my kids!

 

Ever since I have been looking for recipes to make my kids's favorite snacks. I stumbled on this great website http://weelicious.com/ She has tons of really great recipes for everyday snacks as well as holiday treats and meals. I am a little obsessed with trying out her recipes right now.

 

Yesterday I made Whole Wheat Cheddar Crackers (http://weelicious.com/2012/01/10/whole-wheat-cheddar-crackers/) except that I didn't have any wheat flower so I used all purpose and I substituted the 1 tbs Spike seasoning for garlic powder because we love garlic!

 

Here is the step by step.

Begin by adding 1 cup flour to your food processor.

 

 

Then add 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese.

 

 

Then grab whatever powdered seasoning you would like. I chose 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Next time I will increase it to 1 teaspoon for a little more flavor.

 

Add that to the food processor as well

 

Pulse it a couple times to combine.

 

 

Grab a stick of butter. You actually only need 6 tablespoons so find something good to do with the other 2 tablespoons.

 

Cut it into pieces like this.

 

Add them to the food processor a couple at a time.

 

 

Then let the processor do its things. I turned it on low then had to go rescue a child. This is what I came back to and its just right.

 

My very impatient little taste tester. Isn't he cute? He hears the the food processors (or mixer or blender) and comes running.

 

 

Next you will lightly flour your counter and grab a rolling pin.

 

 

Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.

 

Now you want to cut it up. You can use what ever you want. I chose my handy dandy apple corer.

 

 

Cut out your shapes and put them on a cookie sheet. I would have lined the cookie sheet with parchment paper but I was out. They turned out just fine wothout it.

 

You will end up repeating the last couple steps a few times to use all the dough.

 

Pop them in a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. 

 

 

They will come out looking golden/orangie brown.

 

 

Allow them to cool then store them in an airtight container. I love to store things in mason jars.

 

These turned out really yummy. My boys are a huge fan. They are almost gone already!

 

Heres the recipe.

 

Cheddar Cracker

 

Ingredients

2 cups Cheddar Cheese, grated

1 cup All Purpose flour

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Place the first 3 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.

3. Add the butter and pulse and until a ball forms.

4. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick on a floured. Slice into crackers or cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes (longer if you use a bigger cutter than I did).

 

Enjoy!

 

Nicole