Learning to Jump

She's got the general idea (I think), but we're not quite there yet. Practice makes perfect!

Getting Ready for Easter

Our Easter decorations so far... Charlotte was with me when I bought the bunny and she immediately latched onto it and would not let it go. I was afraid that it would be a constant battle with her to keep it on display rather than have her carrying it around everywhere, but so far she hasn't asked for me to get it down for her to play with. Hopefully that trend will continue through the first week of April! Then it will be time to decorate for Spring.

Calling All Party Animals!

Madeleine has chosen an animal theme for her birthday party this year.  If you know Madeleine at all, you would not be surprised by this!  She LOVES animals and has amassed a rather large collection of stuffed animals in her room.  What is scary is that this is not even all of them and that is after I gave away a large black trash bag full of stuffed animals when we moved.

Please, do not give her a stuffed animal for her birthday.  :-)

Teacher for a Day

One of the items that we bid on at the Christ the King Gala was for Madeleine to be teacher of her kindergarten class for a day.  Well, today was that day!  She awakened this morning eager to start her day - we had picked out her "teacher clothes" the night before and she knew she had Starbucks (hot chocolate) and a muffin waiting for her "at work".  Mrs. Clark had a desk all set up for her with her own stapler, tape dispenser, clipboard, and markers. Madeleine also got to wear a special name badge and help decide who would be student of the week.  She visited the school office this morning to talk to the principal and pick up the megaphone for the day (I will have to ask Mrs. Clark how THAT went...).  She said her favorite part of the day was grading papers.  Apparently she also did the calendar work in front of the class all by herself and got to eat lunch at the teacher's table.  I am sure more details will be revealed in the next few days... I think she got kind of tired of me asking about her day.  I asked if she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, and she said "Yes, after I am a veterinarian and a horseback rider."  I wonder who she gets that from?  :-)

 

 

Good Fun!

As I was cleaning up today I came across this drawing that Madeleine did on her own:

I have no idea how Brannon thinks he is going to keep this girl from getting into riding horses!  I guess I'd better start saving for a horse - if history repeats itself, she will start asking for one for her birthday, Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday soon.  Or maybe Aunt JeanMarie can buy her one.  She did a great job on purchasing and training Davy.  Aunt JeanMarie is going to need to buy a barn first though I think.  We'll keep you posted on that one.

Sweet Boy

This big brother loves his baby sister! They really do play well together... Here they were playing "touch my hands" through the glass wall at Chick-fil-a. Of course he hasn't realized yet that she is finishing off his nuggets and fries while he is playing on the playground. He may not feel so sweet towards her when he figures that out. :-)

Possibly the Simplest Cookie Recipe Ever

If you've never had nutella, you most definitely should give it a try. How could you not love a chocolate and hazelnut spread? It's a great dip for animal crackers or why not use it to make cookies?

Nutella Cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup nutella
1 egg

Mix all ingredients well. Roll dough into ping-pong ball sized balls and flatten each on a cookie sheet with the bottom of a glass. These cookies do not spread much while baking, so you can space them fairly close together (but at least an inch apart). Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes.

Yum... Chocolatety-goodness!!

Ranch Dressing

If you have kids, you understand the magical powers of ranch dressing. If you put it on a vegetable, it immediately makes it palatable. It is even more magical if you let the kid dip his food into it by himself. So, in my quest to limit the amount of processed foods in our diet, I have been in search of a good homemade ranch dressing recipe. I've been playing around with one for the past month (it is a combination of various recipes on Pinterest and in The Joy of Cooking) and I think I've finally come to a version I really like. So here it is:

1/4 cup organic low fat sour cream or nonfat Greek yogurt
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) homemade mayonnaise
1/8 cup low fat buttermilk or milk
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dill
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix well. Let sit for a while before using so that the flavors have a chance to blend. This makes a thicker dressing since really all we use it for is dipping. If you'd like to dress a salad with it, I'd add a bit more buttermilk/milk to thin it out. Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of the patron saint of Ireland, we wore green, ate Lucky Charms with green milk for breakfast, and made green velvet cupcakes! The kids really got into the whole "you can pinch a person if they aren't wearing green today" thing, perhaps a little too much. I had to explain that if they pinched someone who was wearing green, a leprechaun would get them. Then James decided that he WAS a leprechaun and proceeded to chase his sisters around the house (screaming at the top of his lungs, of course). Of you'd like a cupcake, PLEASE stop by. I can't eat all these things by myself!!

Spring Break at the Lake

The kids and I are down at the lake for a few days this week. It rained most of the afternoon on Saturday and all day yesterday, so we were very exited when the sun came out this morning. It still seems a bit chilly to me to be playing in the water, but it doesn't seem to matter to them!

Business Casual

Charlotte is ready for a day at the office. Yes, she chose those accessories and put them on all by herself.

"Mom, I'm pretty sure this client qualifies for the child tax credit... Perhaps you should look at this return again. They could use the extra cash to buy me some pink shoes to go with my outfit."

March Decorations

Happy St. Patrick's Day! At least that is what the hutch in our breakfast room is saying this month. We've had this piece of furniture basically since we moved in over a year ago, but I've never been able to decide what to decorate it with. Then I had the idea to change it up each month by displaying items that coordinate with the holiday or theme for the month. I did a small Valentines display for February, but March is the first month I've actually purchased things (I love Dollar Tree!!). Madeleine added the unicorns of course. And as I see things through out the year or stumble upon a sale or two, I'm sure I'll be adding to the decorations. :-)

The Great Gatsby

Last night was Christ the King School's fundraising gala and auction - the theme was "The Great Gatsby" and so most of us (at least the fun-loving, cool parents anyway) dressed in 1920's garb.  The event was held at the Belo Mansion on Ross Ave in downtown Dallas and included a silent auction, a live auction, drinks, dinner and dancing.  Before the actual gala got started though, a group of friends hosted a pre-gala party at Hotel ZaZa for the kindergarten parents.  We had a great turnout and snapped a few pictures:

 Ready to Party!

 the obligatory posed couple's picture

chatting it up with the girls

Our Gracious Hosts

The actual gala itself was fun too - Brannon got in on the live auction action (maybe a little too much)... after losing a bid for a trip to Cabo San Lucas with a group of friends, he successfully bid on a trip for 2 to Rome!  So, I hope we've got some family or friends out there willing to take the kids for 5 days while we embark on a special tour of the Eternal City and get an insider's view of the Vatican, all organized by Msgr. Zimmerman!  And not to be left out, I successfully won an auction for "Teacher for a Day."  Madeleine literally jumped for joy when I told her she was going to get to be her class's teacher for a whole day.  I hope that Mrs. Clark is able to rein her in a bit and not let the whole experience go to her head.  :-)  Overall, it was a fun evening with friends all in support of a great school.

Soccer Update

James had his second soccer game today. At Brannon's request, tags coach put James on the field right off the bat. The other team quickly scored a few goals, but once our little ones got warmed up we evened up the score. James ended up scoring three goals! He did a great job keeping up with the ball and running up and down the field. Such a turnaround from the last game!! He was very proud of himself, as were we.
Next step: getting him excited about swimming lessons. They start this week!

DIY Cleaner

In a continued effort to limit the amount of chemicals we are using in our home, I've started making some of the household cleaning products we use. Here is my first attempt at an all-purpose cleaner. It's made from castille soap, borax, baking soda, white vinegar, and some essential oils (I used tea tree for its antibacterial properties). Don't use this on granite though - the vinegar will eat through the stone. Instead, I made a granite cleaner from rubbing alcohol, water, dish soap and essential oil.