The Assistant Chefs

There once was a boy who decided he wanted to help his Mommy cook dinner one night a week as part of his new weekly allowance chore list.

The Mommy was very excited to have some additional help in the kitchen for several reasons.

1) The Daddy was usually on his way home from work at this time so it would be nice to have an extra set of hands in the kitchen.
2) It would entertain his younger sister.
3) If the boy helped with dinner then maybe he would be more open to try new foods if he was the one who helped prepare them.

So the Mommy printed out the recipe for the boy's first dinner request: Meatloaf. All the ingredients were gathered and placed on the counter. The boy and his sister climbed up on the counter with big smiles, eager to start cooking.

Taking turns so nicely the boy and his sister began mixing the ingredients into a large bowl.

First the boy cracked the egg.



Then his sister poured in the grated cheese.



The boy then taught his sister how to hit the bottom of the measuring cup to make sure all the cheese came out.



After the other ingredients were added, the Mommy told the boy and his sisister it was time for the fun part. Mixing all the ingredients together with their hands.

The boy and his sister did not think that part was very fun because they did not like getting their hands dirty. They both immediately asked to be taken to the sink so they could wash their hands. It seemed the help in the kitchen were bailing on the Mommy.

The Mommy laughed at the children's funny expressions and finished preparing the meatloaf all by herself. After it was ready the Mommy put the meatloaf in the oven and then the boy closed the oven door and set the timer.



Since the cooking was done the boy decided it was time for a rock out session on the Paper Jamz guitar. The boy, his sister and the Mommy danced and sang in the kitchen until dinner was finally done.



The End.

Take to the Sky

Jonah started a new adventure this week - Kindergarten! I cannot believe my first born, my sweet little boy, is officially in Kindergarten. He is super excited about being in the "big" school and is ready to make new friends and learn new things.

Here is a video recap of the special moments from the first few days and some events leading up to the big day!

Bath time

I love their little wrinkled feet at bath time!

Back to School Pool Party

We had fun at our back to school pool party today at Kris’s house. Jonah hung out with two of his best friends, Rylee Bleu and Bryant.

Best Day of My Life…from a 5 year olds perspective

 

                                                         

Jonah decided to announce “Today is the best day of my life” from the backseat as we drove down I45 heading to Houston for a wedding. Why you ask? I asked the same question.

Because he was able to get out of his car seat while I was driving.

Yep, that was it.

Minutes earlier, I was approaching heavy traffic and had to slow down. At the same time Meredith accidently dropped a Sippy cup of milk in the floor board of our SUV. She started crying and since I was trying to keep my eyes on the road, I asked Jonah to unbuckle the seatbelt on his car seat and jump down to grab Meredith’s Sippy cup and hand it back to her.

He quickly did so and hopped right back into his car seat and buckled up.

The entire event lasted less than a minute but to my 5 year old it signified the best day of his life!

I so love this age!

Presto Cookie Factory

The Presto Cookie Factory arrived today. Thank you infomercials for warping my child’s mind into thinking we can make bakery quality decorative cookies with plastic cookie presses.

Girls Weekend Recap

Our annual Chi Omega Pledge Class reunion involved a lot of this:

And this:

And this:

And just for fun the group shot and one of me and Vicky who decided to take a picture with one of the art deco cows in downtown Austin.

Girls Weekend

I am SO ready for my Chi Omega pledge class reunion this weekend! We get together every year for a weekend of fun and relaxation!

This year we are heading to our old stomping ground, Austin, Tx!

We will be sleeping here:

Barton Creek Spa and Resort

Spending Saturday morning doing this:

Afterwards relaxing Here:

Having Pre-Dinner drinks Here:

Mulberry Wine Bar

Eating Yummy Mexican Food Here:

La Condesa

and having Post Dinner drinks Here:

Malverde

Friday needs to hurry and get here!

This Sums It Up

My friend Nikki posted this on Facebook tonight and it pretty much sums up my life these days with a 5 year old and a 2 year old. I let Jonah and Meredith watch it and after playing it 10 times in a row Jonah said, "You should re-post this on your Facebook wall Mama for all your friends to see" Did my 5 year old really just say that??

Jersey Day

This week is Precious Pets Spirit week at J and M's school. We are donating pet food, supplies and other items to help support the Collin County Humane Society. The entire week is themed. Today is Jersey Day. So, they both sported their Texas Rangers Josh Hamiliton World Series shirts that Josh picked up for them last week when he attended a game.

I took this picture right before I was rushing everyone out the door because they were late! Of course that doesn't compare to how late we were yesterday. Jonah had a field trip to the Dallas World Aquarium and I just assumed they were leaving around 9:15 but something told me I better call just to make sure and wouldn't you know they were lining up to get on the bus when I called at 8:52. Thankfully we live just right down the street from their school. So, I jumped in the car still wearing my pj's, flip flops, teeth unbrushed, hair unbrushed and had Jonah putting on his shoes and socks as we backed out of the garage. I'm so glad they were standing outside so that I could just drop him off. (Normally they require the parents to escort the children to their class.) How embarrassing would that have been?? Yikes!!! But we made it and that's the important thing!

The other upside was that Meredith was very excited that she got to ride in Jonah's carseat on the way to school with Daddy! It's like the highlight of her day when that happens!

Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers

One of my favorite daily reads on Blogger is Natalie's Blog - Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers. She is super sweet and even helped me find the perfect appetizer recipe for a recent dinner party. I love her weekly obsessions post. She enjoys all the things I love: family, food, wine, shopping, traveling and home design. And her little boy Sterling is adorable.

If you know me, you know I love to share great finds. I was reading Natalie's blog one day and she mentioned looking for the perfect pair of turquoise earrings for summer. I had just received a pair of the Kendra Scott Danielle earrings in turquoise and thought for sure she would love them too since we seem to have similar tastes. So, I sent her the link and today she featured the earrings and a mention of my blog on her obessions post. Thanks Natalie!

So, go check her out because I'm sure she will become one of your favorite daily reads as well! Have a great week!

Frozen Ropes Camp–Last Day

Jonah finally decided to let me take a picture of him at camp on the last day of camp as long as he could take it with his best buddy Bryant. They were exhausted by the end of camp!

What a great week though! Jonah’s camp ended at 11:30 everyday so we were able to go out to lunch and then he was able to spend the afternoon with me at home while I worked.

After one of my conference calls, he walked into my office with three chocolate chip cookies, a grape juice box and said “Mommy, you work so hard! I think you deserve a little treat!”

Love that boy! 

Frozen Ropes Camp

Today is Jonah’s first day at Baseball Camp. He is very excited to learn more about baseball but even more excited that several of his friends are also in the camp!

As we were walking out the door this morning, before I could even grab my camera, Jonah said in his sweetest voice “Mom, will you go ahead and take my picture now so you don’t have to when we get to camp!”

Whaaaaa!!!!!! Okay, fine.

He knows me really well.

M and M

Minnie Mouse and Meredith. Watch out Disney World!

Happy 4th of July

This is an old photo of Jonah but one of my favorites. Today our family will be celebrating America’s birthday by relaxing, eating barbeque, watching the fireworks and spending quality time together!

Hope you and your family enjoy the holiday!

Saturday morning Donuts

Saturday morning donuts is a little tradition we started when Jonah was younger. Every Saturday (unless we are out of town) we visit our local Donut Shop. Sometimes we pick the donuts up and bring them home to enjoy on the couch while watching cartoons or we dine in and chat with friends and neighbors. Jonah always gets plain donut holes and Meredith always gets donuts holes covered in chocolate and sprinkles. I also let both kids choose what to wear for our little trip. Jonah always picks a superhero shirt and athletic shorts. Meredith always finds a suitable tutu to wear, her most outrageous hair accessory and a colorful pair of shoes. These little trips are just a tiny glimpse into their individual budding personalities and I really cherish this time with them!

 

4th of July Parade

Jonah and Meredith had their 4th of July parade at school on Friday. Red, White and Blue filled the driveway as the kids paraded around in their costumes. Afterwards, we cooled off with a red, white and blue popsicle. I am so thankful that I am able to attend these events now that I work from home again!

What a view

As my plane took off from Chicago today, I decided to sneak a picture of the amazing skyline of the city and a view of the Great Lakes. In all my travels, I have had many lay overs in Chicago but have never actually visited what I have heard is an amazing city.

One day soon (sigh).

Father’s Day

Happy Father's Day to the best tick tocker, Lego builder, story teller and boo boo kisser! Our children are so lucky to have you in their lives and so am I :) We ♥ you!

Josh started out his day with:

 

He relaxed, watched movies, and we ended the day by going out for dinner.

Hope you enjoyed your day Josh!

Jonah’s Field Day at School

Jonah’s class celebrated a field day at school today to kick off summer camp. The kids played games, raced on the waterslide, ate snow cones and had a lunch that included veggies that they grew in the school garden. It was a lot of fun and since I was the only parent in Jonah’s class, I was able to sit with all the kids during lunch. I got an earful about everything from forest fires to Indiana Jones Lego games!

I’m so glad that I work from home again so that I am able to attend these types of events with Jonah and Meredith!