Moving Into June!

A few days after Jim & Denise left, my Mom flew in! Five of the six parents/grandparents visited in May! Mike was unable to come on this trip due to some prior commitments.
Bryce and Drew are always excited to go to the airport, especially when it involves picking up a grandparent. This day was no exception!
They waited patiently for Grandma behind the security check point
and immediately started YELLING her name as soon as they saw her!
They were so happy to have someone else to love on them and to play with!We had beautiful weather while Mom was here. We spent a couple of days at the river...


We played with some other children that had little fishing nets...the boys had so much fun catching little minnows!


Grandma bought the boys inflatable turtles and buckets for the next trip...they were a hit!




The boys being silly with my sun hat!

Mom was very happy that she got to see the boys' last 2 swim lessons and of course, they were thrilled to show Grandma all of their moves!


Mom was here for 2 weeks so Jimmy and I got to get away a few times (we just don't do that enough!) and leave the munchkins with Grandma! They had lots of silly fun together!




WE love you Mom & Grandma and had so much fun with you. Thank you for all of your love and help. WE look forward to spending time with you and Mike later this summer creating lots of fun memories!

Family Food Faves

I came across this oatmeal-raisin type cookie on one of my favorite shows on The Food Network..."Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger"

Even though they have more of a muffin-like texture than an actual cookie texture my boys love them and I feel better about offering this as a snack than a sugar/fat-filled cookie. And, they love to make them with me! The only thing they don't add is the pureed carrots - I just don't want them to know that there is a vegetable in there!

Breakfast Cookies




3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I used regular whole-wheat flour)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran cereal flakes (I use Kashi 7 Whole Grain Cereal)
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped
Directions
Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

More From May

Soon after Dad and Shari left, Jim and Denise came for their visit. Jimmy and the boys picked them up from the airport and enjoyed one of their favorite places...Red Robin!


We had a very relaxing time while they were here. We rented a condo in Branson for 5 days and had beautiful weather. We spent a lot of time just hanging out by the pool.


We went to a fun show at our condo - 10+ entertainers came to preview their shows. It was lots of fun!

We had fun miniature golfing...



And had lots of sweet lovin' for Nana and Papa!

My silly boys thought it was funny to play with Papa's CPAP machine!


Nana and Papa bought the boys a new bike with training wheels and all of the protective gear. Bryce and Drew love their bikes and do very well on them. Thankfully, they take after their Daddy when it comes to athletics and not me!



Thanks Nana and Papa!

The Springfield Zoo

While Nana and Papa were here, they took the boys to the zoo. I had to do a separate post because there are so many cute pictures!

This was especially fun for Drew because they have an area where you can feed crackers to giraffes. They just stretch down and gobble up crackers right out of your hands! Drew's favorite "babies" are his giraffes - one is named "Baby D Booger" and one is named "Baby D!"



Drew with his baby - 17 months old

At this age, he would suck on his ear and carry it around with him everywhere he went!

So imagine how cool it was to see one up close and personal!



Nana and Papa,

Thank you for all of the sweet times and memories. We love you so much and can't wait to see you again in a few weeks!

Love,

Bryce and Drew

Family Food Faves

Perfect for summertime grillin'!

Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

4 1/2 Tbls. honey

1 Tbls. fresh rosemary

6 cloves minced garlic

1 1/2 Tbls. pepper

1 1/2 Tbls. salt

2# flank steak

Mix all ingredients together, pour over steak and marinate for at least 8 hours. Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side for medium rare. Let meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. ENJOY!

Still Catching Up...

Dad and Shari came to visit in May. They drove their Corvette all the way here from Seattle! They drove through some horrible storms and tornadoes close to our home delaying their arrival. So, after the boys asked at least 100 times where Papa and Gammie were we finally dressed them in their rain coats and rubber boots so they could wait outside for them!Papa and Gammie got here just in time to see the boys in their first 2 swim lessons.
Bryce and Drew were good students and really liked Miss Lannie especially when she gave them lollipops! Jimmy and I took advantage of free babysitting and enjoyed a day together. Papa & Gammie and the boys had fun together, too. They are still talking about the bunny cake they made together!


The weather wasn't very nice while they were here, so there was a lot of time indoors and lots of special snuggle time!

Bryce and Papa were inseparable!

On the 2 nice days we had fun going miniature golfing...

The boys helped Papa wash his Corvette...

And we enjoyed a sunny day at Table Rock Lake - the fish hatchery, a picnic and playing in the water!

Papa and Gammie,

We look forward to more SWEET times with you this summer.

We'll be looking for you in August! :0)
Love,

Your Grandsons

Family Food Faves

Another yummy pasta dish!

South-Of-The-Border Chicken and Pasta Skillet
kraft.com

Ingredients
2 cups medium-size pasta, uncooked
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb.), thawed, cut into bite-size pieces
16 oz. salsa (about 2 cups)
10 oz. frozen corn, unthawed (about 2 cups)
4 oz. (½ of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
¼ tsp. ground cumin
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese, divided

***I also added sliced black olives***
Directions
COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, cook and stir chicken in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 6 min. or until done. Add salsa, corn, cream cheese and cumin; simmer on medium-low 6 min. or until corn is heated through and cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta; add to skillet with half the shredded cheese. Simmer 3 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining shredded cheese; cover. Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.