Let's play ball!

Nick is on a city softball league with some guys from church. Tonight was their last game. It was a single elimination tournament and they lost unfortunately, but they all had a good time and we had fun watching. Way to go team Monsoon! Here are some pictures.

I think I caught him off guard in this one.

Here he is with our good friend Todd Stradling. He really was having fun, I just think he forgot to smile! Hmm, not sure why they're a little blurry?

This was taken at last week's game. He is with our good friend Darren Roos. Yay, we have a smile! Darren looks excited. :)

Sunday Recipe # 4

Okay, so far I have made Cole and Nick's favorite crockpot chicken, Jacob's favorite, goulash, so now I'm posting my favorite recipe that I make in the crockpot. It takes a little more time to make, but it is so worth it. Every time my family gets together for a potluck dinner, I'm expected to bring these. I double it when I take them to potlucks so that it will make two 9x13 pans and they always get completely eaten. They are soooo good! I hate to give away my secret recipe, but how can I not share the worlds best chicken enchiladas with everyone? ;) I got the recipe from my former roommates mom, so I really can't take all the credit, although I've made some adjustments to make them better. This is Jacob's favorite chicken dish that I make, he ate two of them for dinner. Cole, who is super picky and hates anything spicy and doesn't even like mexican food, loves them too. He eats an entire one himself. I really don't make them too spicy. They are so yummy!

Chicken Enchiladas

8-9 frozen Chicken tenderloins
Grated Cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 C. Sour Cream (I use more cause it tastes better)
1 can Red enchilada sauce
Chili Powder and Garlic Salt to taste
6-12 Corn tortillas

Cook the chicken in the crockpot and add some chili Powder and garlic salt with it. I let it cook on low for about 5 hours. I use 8-9 Chicken Breast Tenderloins, or 4-5 Chicken Breasts. When the Chicken is done cooking, shred it with a fork and leave in the crock pot while you make your sauce. Add the soup and the sour cream and heat it up on the stove. I also add the Chili Powder and Garlic Salt in this too for flavor. Then, start adding the Red enchilada sauce. I never use the entire can. I just add it to give it some "kick". It's really up to you how much you want to use. When it's spicy enough to you, then that will be enough. When the sauce is all mixed together and hot, then you're done with that. The next thing is to put them together. I take a tortilla and put some chicken in it, then some sauce and then some cheese. Use a greased 9x13 pan. When the pan is full, pour some sauce over the top of the enchiladas and add cheese. I add enough until they are completely covered in both sauce and cheese. This makes a lot, so you may have left over chicken and sauce. I usually make more until I run out of something, or you could use the rest of the sauce for chip dip too. Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 min. They are still so good the next day as leftovers too. Here are some pictures:

This is before they cook in the oven.

This is when they are all done cooking.

Shake your groove thing!

Jacob came home from school today in a silly mood. There was a song on TV so he started dancing to it. I grabbed the camera to catch the last bit of it. Once the music stopped, he stopped. Not sure why you can't hear the music on the video. I got a good laugh at him. Notice Cole doing his homework in the background. Not sure how he was able to concentrate during this show.

Measurements

Kids say the darndest things. Since getting home from school today the boys have been playing with this small measuring tape basically using it to measure everything. We left for scouts and football practice and when we came home they went right back to measuring things. Well Cole says, let's measure mom. Jacob says I bet she weighs more than 100. What? Weigh? Hold on I thought you were measuring how tall things are? He says we are but I'm going to guess that you weigh 101 mom, am I right? Er, sure, whatever you say! Then Cole says I'll bet you a dollar that you will measure between 50 and 60 inches mom. I just laughed. Kind of made me feel good though. Jacob has me weighing about the same as a teenager and Cole has me measuring as tall as a teenager. HAHA! I got a laugh out of that! I hate to burst their bubble, so I think I'll keep my little "secret" to myself. ;)

Random photos

I've been looking through some old photos of the kids, and I realized that I haven't been posting a lot of just them lately, so I decided to post some random shots of them. Some of these are kind of older, but I think they are all so cute!

Here Cole was acting like a rock star in the back seat of the car while driving home one night. He was rocking out to the radio. Jacob just sat there and stared at him like he was nuts. :)

This is from last Christmas. They saw Santa and Mrs. Claus right here in Maricopa. Their little dog was even in a Santa outfit. So cute!

This one was taken last Christmas day. My handsome nephew was leaving on his mission the very next day. Jacob just got that pirate gear for Christmas, and he wouldn't take it off. Cole and Parker got their picture taken with a pirate! :)

Okay, I'm not sure what is up with the hat, Jacob thought it was funny. This was last year at my parents Mesa home just before my nephew left on his mission.

Here are my 3 nephews and my two boys showing off how "tough" they are.

These are of Cole on his baptism day almost 2 years ago! We were so proud of him that day for making the decision to be baptized!

Here are some funny ones of Jacob. Watch out Captain Jack, we have a new pirate in town! This other one is him being Indiana Jones and using the bannister as his horse! This kid cracks me up. He's always pretending to be someone else. Today he told me to change his name to Luke so he could be Luke Skywalker! :)

Seriously? Now what?

Okay, our loft upstairs is a constant thorn in my side. First of all, my kids are at a good age now where they are able to clean up after themselves and keep their rooms pretty clean. Cole is great at this, always has been. His room is always free of toys on the floor. Jacob needs to work at this. He's getting better but he likes to shove things in his closet which makes it very messy. Our loft is an extension of our family room upstairs. I love how big and open it makes everything seem. Lately though the kids have been using it as their personal toy space. They bring toys out from their rooms and play with them in the loft. It's gotten worse. I don't know what to do with it anymore. I have a toy box in there, but it doesn't get used. They build their legos in there and then they like to keep them up for awhile. It's not flowing well with the family room. What should I do about it? I'm thinking of maybe getting a room divider, but I would probably need more than one. Maybe some type of shelving? I'm wanting to get it organized as well as the den, but I'm trying to decide where to start. Here are some pictures of the loft. See how open it is, but it's such a mess. They even have legos on the air hockey table now. Oh boy. I'm not going to take pictures of the den cause it's worse. I love that I can close the door to the den to keep people out, but I can't do that with the loft cause it's just open.

See the air hockey table being used as a lego table now? Good grief!

It's just not meshing with the family room side at all.

Sunday Recipe # 3

This recipe makes a lot, so I usually half it unless I'm taking it to a family for dinner or if I'm taking it to a potluck. This is Jacob's favorite meal that I make. He eats leftovers for lunch all week. It's so easy too and really yummy!

Goulash
1 lb lean ground beef
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans creamy tomato soup
oregano, pepper, basil, and Lawry's Seasoned Salt to taste
1 16 oz. box Barilla large shell pasta (you can use any kind of pasta shapes.)

Throw all your spices, soups, and ground beef in the crock pot and cook on high for 5 hours. I put my meat in there frozen that's why it needs to cook at least 5 hours on high so the meat will be completely cooked. After cooking for 5 hours, turn down to low. Cook pasta over stove as per directions on the box. Drain pasta, and add to the crock pot for 30 more minutes on low. This gets the spices and meat to blend good with the pasta. Serve with parmesan or shredded mozzarella cheese as topping. Here are some pictures of it. They don't make it look great, but it really is good and super easy to make.

This is it in the crockpot just before serving.

This is what it looks like when it's done. I have it served with corn and a roll. No, I'm not fancy enough to use something other than a paper plate. :)

Likes and Dislikes

I saw this on another blog and I thought it would be fun to do. So here are my top ten likes/favorite things and my top ten dislikes/non-favorite things.

LIKES
10. Maricopa. I love this city that we live in. It's small, yet growing and I'm enjoying watching that growth happen. We have a McDonald's now and soon, Walmart! Yes!
9. Chocolate! I love any kind, except dark. With or without nuts, peanut butter, you name it. I LOVE chocolate!
8. My house. I really love my house. It's not done inside. There are still some things that I want to do and add to the inside, but I'm just not there yet. It's really a good size for our family. Plus the fact that we have a pool makes it that much nicer, especially in the hot summers!
7. Southern California! I would love to live there in a heartbeat, but it's just so darn expensive. My parents have a summer home there, so we get to visit a lot and it's become my favorite vacation spot. With that also comes Disneyland! It is the happiest place on earth!
6. Reality TV. I know, this one isn't one that I'm proud of, but Reality shows keep me entertained. I love Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, and various others.
5. The Twilight Series books. Seriously! This should be a given to anyone who's read them. I mean who doesn't love Edward? I still believe that he's out there and real! Now I'm super psyched for the movie!
4. My friends. We really have made some great, long lasting friendships since moving here and I'm grateful for all of them. My kids have some awesome friends out here too!
3. The Church and The Gospel. I love being LDS and I love our Prophet. I have a strong testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and I know that this is the true church. I love that my family will be together for Eternity because of this church.
2. My parents and my siblings. They truly have been examples in my life and I'm thankful for them and their families. My neices and nephews all have wonderful spirits because they have great examples for parents. My parents are wonderful, warm people and I wouldn't be the mother and wife I am today if it wasn't for their example. They have done so much for our family that I truly am grateful for them. Love you guys!
1. My husband and my children. I couldn't ask for better kids. They crack me up everyday and they truly make our house a home. They have sweet spirits and I'm lucky to be their mother. My husband is a great man and he also cracks me up. He works hard for our family so that I'm able to stay home and I'm so grateful everyday for that. I couldn't ask for a better husband. He is my best friend. Love you hon!

DISLIKES
10. Exercise. Yes I know it's good for you and I know it keeps you healthy, blah, blah, blah. I still don't like it.
9. Cleaning house. Again, I know it's something everyone does and it needs to be done, but I still don't have to like it. Never have. I clean cause I have to, not cause I like it!
8. Spinach. Okay this is supposed to be good for you, I know, but it makes me gag. I've never been able to stomach this.
7. Rap Music. This is the only type of music I can't tolerate. 'Nuff said!
6. Arizona summers. Yes, I'm from here, and I still don't like the summers. Too dang hot. It helps that we have a pool, but even still, HOT! Once the summer is pass though, the rest of the seasons are great.
5. My fair skin. People say I have beautiful skin, but I hate that I always burn. I have to put tons of sunscreen on, yet I will still burn. It's kind of a bummer since I live in Arizona where it's HOT and being out in a pool during the summer is a necessity.
4. My love of sugar. I eat too much of it and I know it's bad. I went completely off it 2 years ago, but that didn't last, obviously. I'm trying to break myself of it again.
3. Our dog. I never wanted the mutt. It wasn't my idea and he's been nothing but trouble since we got him. He's a puppy so he likes to chew everything up outside. He stays out there cause he's not about to chew our house up. The latest thing that he's chewed is the hose. Real nice. CURSES!
2. Telemarketers! They always call at dinnertime or bedtime. Seriously people, knock it off! I didn't want to buy a time share last night so why would I want to buy one tonight? I don't even answer the phone anymore if it's a number I don't know on caller ID.
1. Mean people. There are many weirdos in this world and that's the problem. I have a fear that my children will be exposed to one and will be scarred for life. Keep them away!

Okay, that wasn't too bad so if anyone wants to try it, go for it! :)

New Cub Scout

Jacob is not an "official" Cub Scout yet. He will be 8 in April, and so that is when he will officially be a Wolf. However, since we don't have many Scouts in this ward since being split, the leaders invited some of the Tiger cubs to help sell Scoutarama tickets outside of Frys. Jacob was all over that because they can earn prizes depending on how many they sell. I have a shirt for him already and Cole's old neckerchief that he can now use. He looks so cute. Here is a picture of our newest Scout.

I'm not sure why he always likes to smile funny.

Here is one of him with Cole, who will be a Webelo in December.

Flag Football

Well the boys are in the middle of their Flag football season. So far their teams are doing really well. Both of their teams won on Saturday. Cole's team is the Broncos and Jacob's is the Buccaneers. Cole scored a touchdown Sat, and he ran fast and far too. I was going to record it, but he was so fast that he had already scored before I had time to get the camera going. Nick is the coach of Jacob's team and he's enjoying it. I love watching them play cause they really are fun to watch. Jacob doesn't do as many sports as Cole so when he does play something, I have to take advantage and watch him as often as I can. He's funny when he plays. Here are some pictures.

Cole - Love the smile with the mouthguards in!

Jacob - Another cheesy mouthguard smile.

Here is Cole with some of his team.

Sunday Recipe #2

For Sunday dinner yesterday, I made Garlic Chicken Farfalle that Natalie posted on her blog. It was so YUMMY and really easy too! Jacob says that it is his new favorite. Here is where you can find the recipe. http://www.beckyhiggins.com/recipes/2007/12/garlic-chicken-farfalle.html

It really makes a lot. We have some leftovers for today now. I think next time I'll half it when it's just the 4 of us. This is a good dish to serve when people come over or when you have to take something to a potluck. I went and took some to my next door neighbors and they loved it as well. Thanks Natalie! This was a hit at our house. Give it a try!

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

I've Been Tagged...

Gailine tagged me so here it goes.
The rules are you have to take ten pictures of the following things. And you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose.

1. The Fridge.

2. The Closet. I couldn't get a good angle so I took two.

3. Self Portrait. It's 10:30 at night people, keep that in mind.

4. My favorite room. My bedroom, I come in here to sleep and escape the kids. Remember Nick works nights so the bed never gets completely made except on his days off.

5. The kitchen sink. Good thing I just did some dishes before seeing this.

6. The laundry room. The kids throw their wet towels and swimsuits in here after swimming.

7. The toilet.

8. What are your kids doing right now. They didn't even wake up. Not sure why Cole's came out a little bit more blurry though.

9. Your dream vacation. We want to go to Hawaii soon. I used to go there a lot when my parents lived out there before Nick and I met and then the two of us went there before we had kids. We've been wanting to go back with the kids and hopefully we can soon. Can't take credit for this picture. There were no digital cameras when we were there many moons ago. :)

10. My favorite shoes. I love my pink Life is Good flip flops!

This was actually a fun tag so now I tag Tatum, Julie H., Rebecca, and Molly. You're it! If anyone else wants to do it for fun, then go for it! :)

Sunday Recipes

Ok, I love to cook and I'm all about trying new things, so I thought I'd start sharing some of my favorite recipes. I'm hoping this will be a weekly Sunday thing for me. It seems that Sunday is the day that I make the biggest meals cause I have the most time. I also do a lot of crock pot cooking on Sundays too cause it can be cooking while we're gone to church and then it's almost done when we get home. So this will be the first post of the Recipe Series. I love to try new recipes and I even have a friends blog posted here that is all about cooking, Clouse Cousins Cookin'. There are some pretty good recipes on there. You should all take a look at it and try something out!

Crock Pot Chicken
8-10 frozen chicken breast tenderloins
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet dry italian salad dressing (add just dry seasoning)
1 stick of butter or margarine

Cook on low for 4/5hrs or high for 2 hrs.
Stir and shred meat into sauce to absorb the yummy sauce and serve with rice.

This is actually both Cole and Nick's most favorite chicken that I make and it is SO easy! Here are some pictures. They don't make it look real great, but it is really YUMMY!

This is it in the crockpot just before serving. It tastes best when it's shredded in all the sauce.

This is what it looks like when it's all done. I have it served over rice with a side of Broccoli.

Mud Football!

On Saturday we went to a fun church event. Every year here in Maricopa all of the wards get together to play mud football at the U of A farms. Those that don't actually play football just roll around in the mud and throw it at people. It was great fun. Of course I stayed completely out of the mud and made Nick and the boys ride home in the back of the truck. :) There was a BBQ after on a grassy area where yep, you guessed it, more football was played. At least it wasn't muddy near where we ate. Here are some pictures.

Cole and his buddy Alexander.

Jacob thought that the big pipe that had water coming out of it was more fun than the mud. He sat there filling his shirt up for quite awhile.

Cole thought that playing in the nearby canal was just as fun too!

EWW! They even had dirt in their ears!

Nick got in on the fun too.

Looks like they needed to sit down and take a break for awhile and then they got up again to throw mud at each other!

This was after in the area where the BBQ was being held. At least the mud is off so he thought he'd try tree climbing next! :)