Tan baby

Joel has not been using sunless tanning lotion.

It's just tomato sauce.

A compliment

"Watch, Mom." Trevor says as he beats a punch balloon around as fast as he can in a car seat.

I glance a couple of times and tell him, "Wow. That's crazy!"

"Thank you," he replies.

Snakey Snake

We found him hanging out in the warm sun by the library. I think he's a western wandering garter snake.

Big Boy Bed

A few weeks ago we put Joel down for a nap and he did not cry or struggle. In fact, he giggled the way he does when he is really tired... as if to be hysterically happy that we finally guessed his next need.
Several minutes later he was crying-- a slightly abnormal cry and Scott checked on the little monkey. He was laying sideways on the side rail with tight grip--- sort of not knowing what to do next.
And so he expedited the his graduation from crib to toddler bed.
Should I be surprised? Looking over some of these videos and pictures-- I think not.






As Scott removed the long side rail of the crib and began to screw in the short toddler bed railings, Joel was obviously giddy. I saw plans and a false sense of freedom bubble up in him. Ten minutes later when the bed was put together and he was told to stay in bed, those squeals of joy became wails and he wet his blankets with tears. It didn't take many nights, though, for the rules to be accepted. We now have two big boys!

Settler's Park

Grandpa and Granny K visited us recently. We always have fun. I am so thankful that they take such interest in the boys and desire to spend these times with them.

I love this picture with my mom!


Joel asks for lots of hugs from Grandpa.


I like this one of Wendi and Nathan. You can really see the resemblence in their smile and head tilt alone : )



There was a group of highschool boys there jammin' on the play instruments. Once they started Joel was mesmerized and made a bee-line for them. One of them kindly let shared a set of drumsticks with him and we let Joel play for awhile with them.

Isn't that cute? I'm afraid we'll need to invest in a well-padded music room and drum set someday. It's pretty obvious Joel likes a good beat.

Hashbrown Quiche

I really like cooking eggs. They are easy, inexpensive, fun to cook with and they taste great with so many other veggies and meats and condiments and cheeses! They can be baked, fried, scrambled, poached, nuked, and all of these as hard or soft as you like.
Here's my favorite quiche recipe from Among Friends.

CRUST
• 3 cups loose-pack hashbrowns, thawed ( I use a whole bag Simply Potatoes)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Press hashbrowns into bottom and sides of a pie plate to form a crust. Use paper towels to extract the moisture as you do this.
Drizzle melted butter over crust. Bake in 425 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

FILLING
6-8 oz diced ham
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green onions
8 oz. mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup milk or half & half
3 eggs
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. tarragon

In a bowl, toss together ham, cheese, tomatoes, and onion.
Place ham mixture in crust.
Beat together milk, eggs, and seasonings.
Pour milk mixture over ham mixture.
Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

My notes: For me, it's easier to just fill the quiche with whatever's in the fridge. You can use sausage, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, feta, broccoli, olives, basil, red peppers, etc. Also, I use about 5 or 6 eggs instead of 3 and it takes a little longer to cook that way, but the dish is pretty forgiving (even if you forget to change the oven temperature between the crust and the filling.)

bon appetit!

Chicks

This is a Daddy Quail that was telling his teeny tiny chicks and his wife "Hide! Hide!" These birds look so very regal.... and so very silly at the same time.


Cute, huh? One of the chicks somehow got lost in our garage and scurried under my feet later that day.


Cool Facts I found on allaboutbirds.org

• Pairs of California Quail call antiphonally, meaning that the male and female alternate calls, fit them into a tightly orchestrated pattern.
• California Quail nests can contain as many as 28 eggs. These large clutches may be the result of females laying eggs in nests other than their own, a behavior known as "egg-dumping."

Three's company

Extra long longboards are extra fun.

Scott bought this sweet board from Adam who MADE it! It's a one of a kind and it's huge. I have only used it to ride it down the driveway sitting. In this picture Trevor is demonstrating the backwards sidewalk luge at the same time Scott is building trust between us all : )