Time Change Sunday

I am beat but I still have an hour until it is time for the kiddos to go to bed. Why can't we just remain on daylight savings time all year long?

I was sneaky (or accurate?) and changed the children's clocks back last night and it worked. They stayed in their bedrooms until 7am. (They are not allowed to get up until their clocks say "seven: zero zero") My plan for an extra hour of sleep was a success.

Dinner tonight was based on Rachael Ray's recipe for Buffalo Chicken Stromboli.

I made the pizza dough in the bread machine.

While the pizza dough rests, saute 1c. chopped carrots, 1c. chopped celery & 1/4c. sliced green onions in 1T. butter &! 1T. olive oil until tender.

Add 1 1/2c. chopped cooked chicken and a scant 1/2 c. Frank's Hot Sauce.

Roll out dough into a rectangle (sort of) and add cooled Franks chicken veggie mixture.

top with 1c. monterrey jack cheese and 1/4c. chopped scallions
(also add the 4oz. blue/bleu cheese or forget to add like I did)
((I'd recommend adding the blue cheese.))

Roll up the dough starting with the long sides and tuck ends under.
Brush with egg white and then sprinkle with black sesame seeds (or whatever you want because you won't be able to taste it.)

Pop it in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes and then go downstairs to the basement to check on the boys and kiddos.

Lauren and Tyler wrestle, fight and do their best to distract Daddy and Mr. Mike from watching Sunday Afternoon/Night Football. With three TVs to watch the kiddos don't stand a chance.

Finally dinner is served. Since I forgot to add the blue cheese I sprinkled it on top. (It was a little too strong I think...it would have been better added to the filling.) I also served a side of edamame in the pods.
After dinner we bathed, cleaned up and had our snack...

(yes I am aware Tyler's PJs no longer match nor fit him)

and read our bedtime stories.
Now we are just waiting for BEDTIME. This time change has really messed up my evening planning. I think I'll just go to bed early and enjoy the extra sleep until I get used to the change.

G'night Y'all.

Another Good Day to be a Duck

Matt has been rehabilitated!!
(let me know if you don't 'get it') =)

Tyler and Lauren weren't interested in the Oregon Duck game so they watched Kung Fu Panda instead.

Dinner tonight
(since you've been telling me I haven't been posting our dinners lately)
was Chicken Pasta Casserole.I did not use any of the white cheddar cheese because the recipe did not tell me where to put it. I probably saved one hundred calories or so and the taste could not have been any better.
Yumm!
(garlic sandwich thin as a side)

Don't forget to "fall back" for the time change tonight. I'm letting L and T stay up late so hopefully they'll let me enjoy my extra hour of sleep.
(fat chance but worth a shot)
More Kung Fu Panda watching below.

We're Still Here

We're still here. I have just been busy...with company...with family...with TV shows...with just being lazy and going to bed early. But since a number of you have called, e-mailed, knocked on my door to see what is up I thought it is time to post. I have a back-log of photos so I'll try to keep the commentary minimal. Today's a great day to post since Lauren has a good friend spending the night tonight (aka she's occupied and so is Tyler since he likes to "hang out.")

While the kiddos play golf in the front yard

and dance the Tooty-Ta song in the kitchen,

I will write the much anticipated (however, not very creative) over-due blog post.

Last week Grandpa Michael and Grandma Jan came to visit. You're just going to have to trust me when I say Grandma Jan visited as well because for some reason I have no pictures of her.

(well I have this one but she actually requested to be cut out of that picture)
(I think she looks great though.)

Soccer Saturday

(Lauren does this twisty thing with her bangs...I think it's the cutest thing.)

She also rough-houses with her brother...
(not the cutest thing.)

Tyler's U5 Soccer picturethe team
Coach Matt and Coach Dave
We took advantage of the lingering warm weather and walked around
Lake Peachtree.

Fall can be beautiful.We played in the rocks at the fishing dock.

The kiddos were brave and walked among the rocks.

We also passed a yard decorated as a cemetary.
Our favorite? tombstone.

Halloween!
Alice in Wonderland and Luigi

We left our spooky pumpkins on the front porch while we attended a neighbor's Halloween party.

When I say spooky...I mean moldy spooky.
It's been so warm here the pumpkins had no choice but to rot.The party down the street had a good turn-out.
the spooky kiddos
After dark we did our Trick-or-Treating
Tyler lasted about 10 minutes but Lauren went the distance.
you can tell by their "loot"
As a final Hoorah to Grandma Jan and Grandpa Michael we went out to eat at Kobe Steakhouse.
This was Lauren and Tylers first time at a (an?) Hibachi grill.

So Cool!

Tyler's excited!

I'm pretty sure Lauren is excited too!

We had a great time with G'ma and G'pa and are sad to see them go. However, next week we are expecting some more visitors. Stay tuned!!

P.ost S.cript:

I just got the proofs back from Lauren's "winter" pictures. They pretty much look the same as Lauren did when she left for school that morning. Totally Cute!!
If you're lucky I'll send you one.

Fun FastPaced Party of a Weekend

I'm still recovering from the Fun FastPaced Party of a Weekend we had. It was so much fun but since we were constantly on the go I wish I had a couple more days just to relax and do nothing.

Friday, as you all know, we saw Daniel Tosh at the Tabernacle and Emma spent the night.

Saturday, Matt and I had to divide and conquer. Tyler had a soccer game and Lauren had a birthday party to attend. Obviously, I took Lauren to the birthday party and Coach Matt took Tyler to the soccer game.

Since I'm the one with the camera all we have are pictures from the birthday party. But, I hear Tyler had fun at the soccer game...and he especially enjoyed getting a Frosty from Wendy's after the game.

Lauren

the birthday partiers
(birthday boy is in the white long sleeved shirt)

Saturday night Matt and I went to a Halloween Party. It was a costume party and the best costume got a prize. So Matt and I went all out.

Before the party, I dropped the kiddos off at Buddy and Dana's house in the care of a very responsible (and awesome) baby-sitter. She and a friend watched all four of our kids while the grown-ups went to the party.
(three of the four kids are pictured below)

Matt and I dressed up as hard-core NASCAR Fans.
(outfits inspired by actual hard-core fans we saw at Atlanta Motor Speedway and also this skit from Saturday Night Live (around minute 4:00 and from there on))

Who knew Matt could looks so scrumptiously awesome?!!
(back off ladies...He's MINE!)

Mad Hatter, Alice, the same nurse outfit as last year, Redneck #1 and Redneck #2

are you tired of seeing this yet?

us ladies
Kelli, Me and Dana

It was a fun party and everyone looked great in their costume. Somehow I ended up winning the Best Costume Award for the ladies. I think it was the box of wine with a straw. No?

Sunday was spent cleaning up, getting things done and all the other chores you have to do before the week starts again.

This week will be a good one since Grandma Jan and Grandpa Michael are coming all the way from Boise, Idaho to visit.

After Emma

This is what our house looks like the afternoon after Lauren's friend Emma spends the night.

Lauren

Tyler and Daddy

Last night Matt and I went to see Daniel Tosh at the Tabernacle. He was hilarious yet hard to hear at times and he successfully took some of his jokes "way-over-the-line" as only comedians can do. It was also exciting to go to the Tabernacle for the first time. Cool old church, steep seats, reminded me of the Bijou in Eugene but 4 times as big.)

While Matt and I were out and about Lauren and Tyler had a baby-sitter. Emma's brother had his sleep over birthday party that night too so Emma needed/wanted to get out of the house so she joined the baby-sitting party at our house. They had their hands full with these three.

Tyler made pizza for dinner.

looks tasty!

And the kiddos played the rest of the evening.

When Emma spends the night the children wake up very VERY early. This morning I caught them trying to sneak down stairs at 5:30am. (That's 2:30am for all you PST'ers.) I told them to go back to bed but that didn't exactly happen. They went back to the bedroom but started talking, singing, screaming, partying, running, using lots of water??what?why?, and definitely not sleeping. I laid in bed while this went on for an hour and a half. Finally at 7am they went downstairs and I finally went back to sleep.

As you can see the other members of my family made up their sleep in the afternoon.

Now we are up and at em again. We have a busy afternoon and evening ahead of us.

Happy Saturday!