Crazy Monkeys

A little monkeying around before bed.  Not really sure what they were doing, but we got a good chuckle out of their antics!  Natalie wasn't quite ready for her jammies yet, so she was chillin' out in her skivvies with her shades on.

Yeah, not really sure what they are doing.  Exercising? Charades? Who knows!

Here it appears that Talon is trying to twist Nolan's neck off.  Nolan doesn't seem to mind.

The older kids love to pick up the younger ones.

See what we do for fun around here?  Exciting, eh?!

I saw this picture, and it totally reminded me of my kids.

I sure do love my crazy little monkeys!

Pizza night

Usually we go out for pizza, or pick it up from a reputable pizza place (our favorite is Sparky's, but we will compromise, when needed, to stay close to home).  I'm pretty particular about my pizza.  I figure, if I'm gonna spend the calories and fat, I'm gonna really like it.  We try to limit our pizza intake to a couple of times a month.  That being said, last night was pizza night.  The kids love to help in the kitchen, so I decided we would make pizza.  Well, it wasn't the best crust ever, but not bad for starters.  The kids had fun, it was healthier than a pizza joint, and was super cheap because I had all of the ingredients on hand.

This was the final result.

 'Cheese' faces

 Not sure what Talon's crooked finger is up for, but he was super excited to dig in!

 So now, having tried my hand at homemade crust, I am on a mission to find that perfect pizza crust to make at home.  I have scoured the internet and recipe sites for the best crust. Let me just say, it drives me absolutely nuts when all of these people say "this is the best I've ever had" and "we never order pizza out anymore since trying this recipe".  Then you try it, and feel sorry for them that they have never actually tried good pizza.  Am I the only one that feels this way?  And it's not just pizza recipes, but recipes in general.  Any more, I spend quite a bit of time reading the reviews before I just dive in and make a recipe.  Okay, I'm done ranting now, and when I do finally find a good homemade pizza crust, I will definitely be sharing it.  By the way, if you have that one perfect recipe, please feel free to leave me a comment or the link to a site.  I would love to try it!

Random 5 on Friday

I haven't done a Random 5 on Friday for a while, so...

1. I think the weather got a little confused.  It's been chilly and rainy the past few days.  I almost justified turning the heat on a couple of times, then realized the AC was still on. Oops!  Problem fixed, and hopefully some electricity will be saved.

2. I had an extremely boring night at work last night. (You know... 1 patient, no admits, only doing vital signs every 4 hours....yeah, B-O-R-I-N-G!) So, I got a little crazy on Pinterest.   I think some might be afraid I have taken over the sight.  Not to worry, I was just catching up.  It's back to the busy life and reality, and I wont be pinning again for a couple of months probably.  I have all these great plans for meals and fancy desserts now, though!

3. I went to Trader Joes on my way home from work yesterday morning, and at the check stand, happened upon a package that had 3 small milk chocolate bars.  Good thing they are small, and I don't frequent Trader Joes often.  I could see my chocolate consumption getting waaaay out of hand in a hurry. I was thoughtful, don't worry, I didn't eat all of them myself.  I had one on my way home (you know, to stay awake after my 12 hour night shift), I left one for my husband, and brought the other to work last night (you know, to stay awake during my 12 hour night shift).  I did share that one with my co-workers.  Reluctantly. But I did share.

4. My laundry is getting out of hand.  I think everyone still has a pair of clean underwear or two, but it's definitely time to get caught up, then set a trap, and catch all of the little gremlins that slip in while we are sleeping and wear all of these clothes!  And, speaking of laundry.... does anyone have issues with spiders hanging out in the laundry basket.  I've noticed lately, that especially when I pick up the towels, there are some eight-legged critters that like to hide under the pile. It's not a friendly interaction that takes place. One of us ends up dead. I hate spiders. No, I HATE SPIDERS! There.

5. What happened to buying corn on the cob in the summer for "5 for $1.00", or even "4 for $1.00"? I went grocery shopping recently, and it was 58 cents each!!! I know, I'm cheap. (You can agree. It's okay. My husband tells me I am.) But SERIOUSLY???  Is there that much of a shortage of this tasty starch, with no nutritional value, that our bodies can't even break down and assimilate? I will happily settle for the Santiam sweet yellow corn in the can, but others in my household look forward to it fresh off of the cob in the summer, so I have bought it... a couple of times. But only when my husband specifically asks, and ONLY if it is in excellent condition.  I wish I could get him to like asparagus or zucchini as much as he likes corn.  I could justify that a little more, and people GIVE zucchini away to even their enemies when it they finally start pulling the 2 foot monsters from their garden.

Happy Friday, All!  I get to go home and go to bed now!

Happy Birthday, Grandma and Sonya!

 We had a lovely little family gathering to celebrate my mom and Sonya's birthdays.  We had banana splits, and enjoyed a beautiful evening visiting outside.

The two little ones... always competing for Grandma's attention.

Natalie spilled milk all over the front of her, so I took off her shirt and left her in her jumper. She wasn't super excited about it at all.  She kept begging me to put her soaking wet shirt back on.

This girl. I started taking pictures of her, so she laid down on her belly in the grass and posed for me. Hey, at least I don't have to fight her for a good picture!

Goofy kid #1

....and #3

Happy Birthday, Grandma and Sonya!

We love you!!!

Just being Natalie

I made cookies, and the kids were eating them outside.  Natalie decided hers would taste better if she dipped it in the pool a few times.

 Classic Natalie right here

Next, she decided she was going to empty the pool out in the yard... one cup at a time.  Since she couldn't find her own shoes, she decided to borrow Talon's.  She walks like a duck in them, trying to keep them on her feet.  This girl is hilarious!

Sprinklers and ice cream= fun!

 Talon got a fun sprinkler from Aunt Melanie for his birthday, so we picked up some ice cream, and headed over to Grandma's house to have some fun in the water. The kids think it's great because they get to run through the sprinkler and eat their ice cream cone.  I think it's great because there's less mess to clean up, and the water washes off the sticky mess!

Ice cream sure does melt fast in the hot summer sun!

I just have to post this adorable picture of Talon.  I love how the sun turns his hair almost red, and he gets tons of freckles in the Summer!

Pool time

We got a pool!  Okay, so it's only about 12-14 inches deep, but the kids love it, and it's a refreshing way to cool off on these hot days.  I love that I can empty and refill it easily.  I am not a fan of nasty pool water!

Natalie wasn't sure about the cold water at first, but she quickly changed her mind.

I love her face in this picture!

Evening at Grandpa and Grandma's

We spent the evening at my parent's house a couple of nights ago.  The kids each took their new bat and ball set (Dollar Tree find).

My little seester.

Stylin'!

Photo bomb

Aunt Melanie playing pitcher

When it was starting to get dark, we lit the fire pit, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  It was nice to spend a fun, relaxing evening with my family.