Yummy Summer Treat

Everyone who knows me knows

that I am not the girl who is in the kitchen much

it isn't that I can't cook or bake

it's just that I don't like to

not really at all

{i wish i did}

We'll, for Father's Day/Dalton's Birthday

I decided to bring a recipie

that I saw on food website
it looks so good and seemed simple enough

I didn't tell anyone just incase it didn't work out

but guess what

it was deee-lish

everyone loved it



Sam loved it so much

he begged me to make it later that week

I decided to make it for his birthday party

and again it was a big hit

I am sharing the recipie

for family and friends that have asked

Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 (16 oz) carton of strawberries, diced
1 tablespoons white sugar (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (more or less to taste)
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor (I used strawberry)

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
melted butter

2 cups cinnamon sugar

1.In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.Coat one side of each flour tortilla with melted butter. Sprinkle tortillas with desired amount of cinnamon sugar.

Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a

large baking sheet.

4.Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes.

 Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes.

Serve with fruit salsa.

Yummy Summer Treat!

Gardening with Grandma

My mom had this great idea,

she wanted to help the boys start

their very own garden

She set up a little area in her yard

and asked the boys what they would like to grow

maybe some things that they would really like to eat

They decided on strawberries,

cauliflower, jalapeno peppers

squash and bell peppers

They all were surprisingly excited

talking about how they can't wait to watch it all grow

and to be able to pick and eat their own food.

I love this for so many reasons:

such sweet time spent learning with Grandma

so good for them to weed, water & take care of their own plants

it's super cool for them to learn to be resourceful

It's what memories are made of
Thanks for being so awesome, Mom!

Grandpa even got in on a little of the action!



Lazy Lakers

That's what we are calling ourselves

The Lazy Lakers

It's our summer book club

First book, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

I thought, this just isn't my kind of read

but when it's assigned, what's a girl to do

Somehow, I got through that first chapter and then ...

I was hooked

I couldn't put it down

I can't believe how good that book was

I am so glad that I "had" to read it

Then we all get to meet at Kourtney's house

on the lake

float around on her boat

eating snacks, having a few cold drinks

and soaking up the sun with some really great gals

This is my kind of book club

Next up, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, by Beth Hoffman

I hope this book is as good as the last

but I definately know ...

The book club meeting

will be!



Movie Time

Brad, Sam and I went to see

Green Lantern

at the awesome AMC Theater downtown

Wow, what a theater, we don't want to go to

a movie anywhere else again!
.

The movie was just okay

The story was predictable and the action was lacking

but still an enjoyable experience in the

huge theater with seats that shake during action scenes
.

Sam really liked it

Brad fell asleep through part of it

and I LOVED Ryan Reynolds

Parkour

Also called: free running  (the art of moving)

 is the physical discipline of training and running through urban areas while performing various gymnastic maneuvres over or on man-made obstacles such as walls and buildings.

He is taking a parkour class all summer

with Dawson and Billy

They all LOVE it

and can't wait for Wednesdays

It's the perfect gymnastic activitiy for this boy

Everywhere we go, he says,

"that looks like an awesome place to parkour!"

Wall Spins

This is his new obsession

he loves making parkour obstacles around the yard for practice

and I love anything that gets him outside and moving!

Family Party Day

The party started at 6:00

All of our families,

except sadly we were missing a few important boys

Logan, Dalton, Mason & Peyton were at their dads

and Max was working

Sam was sad

but he still had a good time

{I know this because after everyone was gone,

he came up to me and said,

"Thank you for a really great party, Mom, I missed

the boys, but it was still really fun."}

Have I mentioned how much I love this kid?

We ate Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

with lots of yummy sides

thanks to my family

and the cake ...

Brad made the cake

Sam loved his lemon ZOMBIE cake

... and check out his shirt

cute, huh?!

that was a birthday present from

Kevin

It was a nice evening of birthday fun

for my birthday boy!

Mister Twelve

My baby boy is Twelve today

{and not so much a baby anymore}

He is actually quite grown up

and amazes me everyday with

his ideas, thoughts and actions.

He makes us so proud

He is into video games, zombies, nerf guns, legos,

riding his rip stick, playing the drums & piano,

parkour, exploring in the creeks, camaros and drawing.

His favorite restaurant is Japanese Steak House

and his best friend is still Dawson Reith

{since Kindergarten}

Happy Birthday my baby boy!

Happy Birthday!

Hospital Hill ...

was amazing

and a beautiful success

We did it

again, for the second year

my dear friend, Tracey Burns and I walked the 5k

now, I know that doesn't sound like much

but for us girls

that are just a bit out of shape and

 don't really work out much ...

we feel wonderful today

We do it for Dad

{raising a little dough for the cause, trying to find a cure for Pancreatic Cancer}

and

we do it for us

{it's such an accomplishment}

and I am so glad that she is there with me

right by my side

Shannon did it too

with Scott by her side

They ran the half marathon

that's right, 13 point something miles!

Poor Parkville

It is getting ready to happen

again

the Missouri river is full and swollen
and it's moving so fast

 it will flood ... but when and how bad

is the question in everyone's mind

I'm overwhelmed to see how many volunteers

are here helping to
.

save the city

I was there for the Flood of '93

and can remember the devastation 

so extremely sad

Hopefully this time the water will hold

and not go beyond the sand bags

Making a Splash!

This is what we did today ...

95 degrees today

the sun beating down

it's so hot

Sam swam and played with Logan & Dalton

while I soaked up some sun

 {Peyton & Mason were in summer school}

It was a fun day