Never a Dull Moment - EVER!

I love how kids can come up with the funniest ways to pass the time! Garrett I believe is a master at this...I mean, honestly...the kid has been the greatest! He has forever found ways to entertain himself while sitting in countless doctor's offices with me since he was tiny...hopefully he can pass this trait on to his little brother in case the need arises!!!

Here's the latest and greatest game in the world of Garrett...

It's a version of bowling (from what I can tell!) When were unpacking, I started lining up the empty suitcases upstairs below our attic entrance. Garrett, made signs for each suitcase, designating a specific point value for each one, and commenced rolling his new BYU basketball we bought him towards the suitcases to see how many points he could get! It just got better and better though as the game evolved...he started racing the ball down towards the suitcases too (probably so he had a better view of all the points he was racking up), but it was always pretty funny to hear the 'aaaahhhhh', and then hear a suitcase topple over! I guess maybe he got bonus points for actually hitting the case with his body!?!?! :) Too bad, the suitcases were put away before too long, but never fear...the game continues...only now against the wall! Luckily, if the bonus point theory is true...he hasn't scored any since the cases were tucked away safely in the attic!

My Friday Favorite

Before I divulge my latest and greatest favorite...let me just say that I know I am a big-fat copy-cat! I've seen so many of your blog's devoted to a Friday favorite here and there and now I am jumping on the band-wagon! Sorry for my lack of originality, but oh well... at least I can fully admit to being a copy-cat!

So, this week's fave comes from great necessity this week!!! Drum roll please...this has got to be the all-time greatest stain remover and world's best kept secret. It's this simple little bar of soap called "Fels-Naptha".

Honestly, it can get out almost any kind of stain...and for those things that it can't...pair it with a dose of Oxi-Clean (another great product) or just give it another dose of fels...and VOILA...your stain is most likely history! Just google it, and you'll find a bunch of other people raving about it! (Which by doing, I've learned some other uses...poison ivy??? Even bug bites? You can bet, I'll be testing that one out!)

You can buy this wonder bar for under $2.00 and it will last you forever, though it's a bit tricky to find...try looking in the laundry section at the grocery store or the random little soap section they have in the grocery section of most super-stores. It's worth a little detective work, I promise! Seriously, I've used it for about 4 years and have rarely been disappointed. It has been around for generations...our grandmother's probably used it, but without blogs to tout their favorites...it has remained under wraps!

I do have to admit and give the proper credit...I only came across this because of Alita (I think at your baby shower) - thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You have saved countless numbers of otherwise ruined t-shirts and onesies and everything else that we have managed to spill on throughout the years!

Tasty Tuesday

Here's my latest fave...Sour Cream Waffles (courtesy once again of Allrecipes.com and holly jg). And as always, since I am apparently unable to follow any recipe as written...I've added my notes in red!

These really are some of the best waffles I've had in a while...I love how moist they are...not the dry eggo-type waffle! Yum!

Sour Cream Waffles

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/2 cup sour cream (I've often omitted the sour cream and just added more yogurt)

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I've used vanilla or even strawberry yogurt and like it even better than plain!)

1/4 tsp white vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour (I'll often use whole wheat flour - they turn a bit more dense...but they had a yummy nutty, wheaty flavor instead)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

(I also add a few tablespoons of sugar - just cause I like mine sweeter!)

Directions -

1. In a bowl, mix together water, sour cream, yogurt and vinegar.

2. Sift flour in a separate large bowl. Stir in baking powder, baking soda and salt. (I never sift the flour.)

3. Add sour cream mixture and eggs to flour mixture, blend until smooth. (Don't over mix!)

4. Cook on a lightly greased waffle iron until golden brown, lift off with a fork.

We're Back!!!

Ahhhh, there is nothing like being home again! We had a great trip, but I have never been more ready to be home! It is tough being gone for so long...living out of a suitcase for more than a week is not something I'd recommend!

The trip was great though...don't get me wrong! We had a wonderful time with both of our families! We spent the first week with my family getting ready for the wedding! It was so great to introduce Ethan to my Dad and all my brothers and sisters - finally...and they hadn't seen Garrett in a VERY long time, so it was definitely time for a little reunion! And what better time for a little family get-together, than at a wedding! Too much time had passed since we had all been together - the only one missing was Derek on his mission! The wedding was so beautiful! Dana was the perfect, gorgeous bride and the day was wonderful! We are so happy for her and Brian! They are a perfect match! We had such a good time getting to know our new bro-in-law!!! Garrett especially loved him due to the never-ending teasing...which as we all know is right up Garrett's alley! :)

The next week was dedicated to seeing every member of Steve's family! It was so great to catch up again with everyone and hang out like the old days! We really miss living so close to family! But all I had to do was bundle my kids in and out of their coats 25 times a day and try to scrape the snow off the cars, and I quickly remembered my love for the warmer climates of the earth! :) (I know, I'm a total pansy!) We did enjoy the weather though...Garrett was overjoyed to have the snow which he played in as much as he could! We even took him skiing for the first time...I think he had fun...though he pretty much just spaghetti-legged it down the mountain with Steve holding him up every time! It was pretty cute...at least to me, the one holding the video camera and not trying to ski holding a 5 year old in an upright position!!! Steve may have a different description of the day!

And now we're back and ready for life again! It will be so nice to have the kids on a more normal schedule...one where they are somehow in bed and sleeping before midnight, and where we eat actual meals, sitting at our kitchen table, instead of grabbing a quick bite at the closest drive-through window! Just kidding...we were well taken care of and very well fed (thanks Grandma!)...but it is just so nice to not be on the go so much!

Here Comes The Bride!!!

Hey! We're off for my sister's wedding!!! I'm so excited to go see family and finally introduce Ethan to everyone! Crazy!!! Garrett is so excited he can hardly stand it...he spent all morning marching around the house and chanting "Today's the day!!! Today's the day!!!" So cute!

Have a great week everyone!!!

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Today is Garrett's 5th birthday! I can't believe he is 5! Here is a list of things that I love about this kid...

1. He is the most creative kid I've ever seen...his imagination keeps us all hoppin'! I love the stories he makes up, the jokes he tells, and just the crazy things that he comes up with constantly to entertain himself! Seriously, whose fingers turn into make-believe airplanes and keep him interested whenever we go shopping!?!

2. He is learning new things every day! Lately it is things like defying gravity and jumping further than I ever thought possible for such a little guy! I even found myself trying to teach him to climb the walls in a hallway - remember doing that as a kid??? Though why, as a mother I think that's a good thing to teach him, I'll never know! Though it is MUCH harder to do now as an adult...so I don't think he caught on to how cool it really can be! :)

3. He loves his family...especially his little brother and his Dad! His entire world revolves around them! I love it!!!

4. He is always laughing - well, usually! He wakes up happy and spends the rest of the day trying to think up new jokes or ways to trick people just to make them laugh!

5. He finds joy in everything! Life is his...and he does his best each day to live it to its fullest...especially if that means trying to push back bedtime by any amount of time, just to keep the action going!!!

I could go on, but now that his b-day is almost over...I should probably post this!

Happy Birthday Little Man! We Love you!!!

Lock it up!

So, I completely realize that all my posts are about my children...but let's face it, that's just my life! What else would I write about??? So, strap in for yet another story that had us laughing hysterically!!!

The last few nights, both Steve and I have gone to fill up our cups with water from our water dispenser on our refrigerator. For some reason, we have both mysteriously found this option "locked" and had to push a few buttons before we could fill up our cups and quench our thirst! Hmmm....why was it always locked?

Yesterday, Garrett starts to question Steve about unlocking the refrigerator. Their conversation goes something like this...

G - Dad, do you sometimes unlock the fridge?

S - Yes I do.

G - Well, I lock it every night.

S - Why do you lock it?

G - I lock it in case some one comes into our house, they won't be able to steal our water!

So cute and SOOOO innocent! I've never heard him express any concerns over break-ins or theft of any sort...but I love that in his mind, if anyone does break in, they are most likely to go straight for our water supply! Why else would there be a lock on a refrigerator water dispenser??? I guess it is one of our most precious resources, but any real burglar might have other/more monetary things on his mind during a break-in. But sad to say, Garrett has it right! In our house...there's not much to steal...he'd probably find a glass of chilled and filtered water a great reward for his pilfering! Maybe we could bribe him with that refreshing beverage to PLEASE take away some of our old worn down furniture or electronics! Maybe then we could get the new flat screen we've been dreaming of!