Homemade Poptarts

I have really been trying to have the kids eat better and healthier food. Since they eat virtually nothing, it has been hard! One of Henry's favorite food is brown sugar poptarts. The ones from the store have so much sugar and so many things that I have no idea what they are in them! So I found a recipe on a great blog for homemade ones and decided to try it out. They were fantastic!! I was very surprised how much they tasted like the ones from the store! As usual, when Henry makes something, he wants to take them to Yaya and Papaw! They even said they were great!! I have definately found a replacement for the yucky store ones!! Now if I could just find a homemade ketchup that they would eat, we would be great!!!


http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/homemade-brown-sugar-cinnamon-oatmeal-pop-tarts

a new bedtime

One of the things that I wanted to accomplish was to get the boys out of our bed and into theirs; both at bedtime and all night!! So I decided that today was the day, I was ready for the fight tonight at bedtime! I took the boys to Target and they each picked out a new bed spread and a new stuffed animal to sleep with. All day I talked about how they are big boys now and they were going to sleep in their own beds tonight. Bedtime came and I was ready! They whined a bit, but climbed in bed. I sat with them for a few minutes, Henry fell asleep within 5 minutes! Tyler took a little longer, but he fell asleep too!! I am so proud of them! Now I just hope that tomorrow is not a lot harder!

Chopsticks

Keith had sushi for lunch today. He always uses chopsticks with sushi. Today the boys were fascinated with them. They both wanted to know how they worked and they wanted to use them to eat their pizza! So Keith tried to show them how to hold them and how to pick up their food with them. It was a very fun lunch!

Time to move again!

We got our official orders to move! Now it's time to clean out and decide what to keep and what to get rid of! I decided to sell all of my scrapbook supplies. I have a TON! I have not used them since we have been here, so they needed to go! I sold a bunch of stuff to a couple of friends in Japan. Now I just have to get the rest organized and take pictures to list on craigslist. I had no idea I had so much stuff!!

But that is the easy part! The kids toys, that is a bug mess! Not only is the playroom a disaster, but I think I am more attached to some, ok, a lot, more than the boys are! They are just growing so fast and I want to keep them small!! So the playroom is the next to tackle! Besides, we wont have a playroom in the next house, it will be a small 3 bedroom, so I need to only keep stuff that I know they play with!

I have lots of baby stuff that I should get rid of. But I just can't! We got rid of everything when we moved to CA, and then when we got pregnant with E, we had nothing! I really don't want to start all over again if we deiced to have the fourth child! I have 4 bins of clothes of hers that are too small, but then again, I held onto the boys clothes for a long time. And bins don;t take up that much space!!

Then there is all of the kitchen stuff I have! I went hog wild with pampered chef a few years ago, and as a result, I have 2 shelves full of stuff!! I should get rid of some of it, but someday I may use it!! I love kitchen gadgets and this is one of my weaknesses! So I am sure that I will keep the 10 chip and dip trays I have and all of the PC stuff and just put it into storage. Someday I will have a house that I can have it all out to use in....someday!

So the pre-move clean out continues, a little everyday and by May we will be ready to start our next adventure!

Oh, the places we find Evelyn!

Evelyn has become a little climber and is into EVERYTHING!!! Here are just a few places she has been lately!

Stuck in her carseat!

Hanging onto the TV try! (no, she cannot see over it!)

On the Fireplace step!

Checking out the fridge!

Taking stuff out of the bottom drawer

Helping with the dishes

Henry Made Bread!

I am trying to have all of us eat healthier and better food. I found a great blog (the simple dollar) that had a recipe for making homemade bead. Henry, Keith and I decided to give it a try. The bread was awesome! No more store bought bread for the Paquin's!! Henry was so excited about it that he took the entire loaf to Yaya and Papaw!

Mixing the dough
kneading the dough


Flouring his hands

more kneading

dough before rising

dough after rising

folding the dough to put into pan

putting dough into pan

Finished Bread!!

Back to a regular schedule!

I never thought I would hear myself say that I am glad the kids are back a school!! While I loved having them home and being able to be lazy and do whatever we wanted, I realized this morning that I like a schedule! I also realized that I really miss my morning times alone with a cup of coffee and the news. In Monterey I would always get up before the kids and make coffee and sit in a quiet house watching the news. I have not done that in over a year. Over the Christmas break, I found that when I got up before everyone I was much more relaxed and happy. So this morning I got up, made a cup of coffee and just sat on the couch! I have to say, my morning was much smoother than when I get up at the same time as the kids and we are rushing! So I will be doing this every morning! Now if I can get my weekly household chore schedule worked out I would be even better!! I just put Evelyn down for her morning nap and my goal is to get a double batch of taco meat and a double batch of spaghetti meat made up and in the freezer!

My 2011 plans!

So I have heard that when you write down your goals and plans you have a better chance of keep them! So here are my 2011 goals and plans!

First I want to be a more involved mother! I feel like all my kids do is play the computer, watch TV and argue!! So I have lots of ideas to keep us busy and have some fun!

I am going to get the kids to be more involved with the house work. They already unload the silverware from the dishwasher. I made a responsibility board for the boys. They each have 10 responsibilities. I choose the 5 I want them to do for the day. This way I can rotate what they do based on what I need to get done. Here is a picture of the finished board.




I started freezer cooking a few months ago. I love having everything already done, all I do it pop it in the oven. So this year I am going to continue to with the freezer meals. My plan is to fill out a calendar at the beginning of the month with the meals for each day. Next I am hoping to feed us all for under $300 a month! I have designated what days are our eat out nights and we will only eat where we have a coupon!

How to ride a scooter-per Henry

day 3

We are half way through the drive to Michigan and I am so ready to be there!!! This morning was a lot of fun for me. We drive by the house that we lived in when we lived in Utah. It has a fresh coat of paint, but looks the same. I cannot believe that Tom and I used to hike to the V...it is a long way up there!! Then we went by my elementary school, St. Olaf's! It has not changed at all. Most of the teachers that were there when I went just retired! It was so neat to see what has changed and what is still the same after all these years! The drive out of Utah through the mountains was beautiful. Wyoming was pretty boring! There is not much in that state! Tonight we pushed a little and made it to Nebraska. The room we got is amazing! It has a whirlpool tub!! Of course I had to have a bubble bath, put too much in and now we have bubbles all over the place!! But the bath was amazing!!! Next to the tub, the best part of this room is...2 TV's! Keith can stay up all night watching the History channel...I am off to bed!! Gotta get enough sleep for another long day!

Day 1 and 2

The movers came bright and early Monday morning! After some issues with Allied, all of our worldly possessions are on a truck and on their way to VA! Keith and I left last night and made it to Reno, NV. We stayed at Circus Circus and Keith said I was sucking the fun out of the casino because I made us stick to the budget at the casino!!! We did have a good time! This morning we set off for Utah. Most of the day was Nevada, and I will never live in Nevada!! It was such a boring day! We made it to Utah and are staying at Hill AFB. It is strange to be back here after being gone for 15 years! Tomorrow we are going to go by my old house, and my old school. I am very excited to see the changes!

The last night in Monterey

Well, I am sitting here in a somewhat empty house and lots of thoughts are running through my mind! The boys are in San Jose with Keith's parents. They left happy and waving, so it made it easier for me to see them go! California has been both good and bad for us. Living at the ocean has been amazing! One of my favorite things has been coming over the hill in the neighborhood and seeing the ocean. What a view! My other favorite thing here has been watching the fog roll in. I could sit here all day and just watch it roll!! The weather here has been great! We have all been spoiled to year round 60 degree weather!! I know that we will miss the friends that we have made here, and I know that we will be life long friends, even if it is just through face book!! Tyler has found a love for gymnastics, and I have found a love for canning, cooking, and scrapbooking. Henry has found that he too loves gymnastics and art. Keith picked up flying. We have realized that we love family hikes and picnics. We would not have had the time to find out that we love any of these things had we not had the opportunity to live here.

As I look toward the next chapter in our lives, I am both happy and nervous! Living away from family has allowed us to become closer as a family. Being close again will be such an adjustment. I have not yet seen the house that we will be living in, so I cannot wait to get there and see what it is like and where we will put everything!! Being there without Keith will also take some getting used to for all of us. The boys have really enjoyed having Keith home in the mornings and the evenings. I have also loved having him here, especially doing the dishes at night!! We will have to find a new way to do things in a new town and that is both scary and exciting!!!

So as I go to sleep on this last night in California, I am happy to have the friends that I have made here and happy to move on to what is to come. I have learned so much about myself and life over the last year and I cannot wait to see what is to come!

Tyler singing

Here is a video of Tyler singing onomatopoeia, his favorite song!!

Gymnastics recital

Tyler had his gymnastics recital yesterday. He was so cute! The first video is of him doing an obstacle course and the second one is of his class doing their little dance!

For the Birds!

Tonight after dinner we took the boys to lovers point to let them run and climb on the rocks and get their energy out before bed. Before we left, we went over to the bathrooms. Keith played with the kids, and I went to the building. On my way there, I felt something hit my head. I looked up and saw nothing. Again when I walked back, I felt something hit my head, only this time I saw what it was...birds! And lots of them! Keith thought I was nuts, so I walked back over, and sure enough, the birds attacked my head! Here is the video Keith shot!

The Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz

We went to the mystery spot today. The Mystery Spot is a gravitational anomaly located in the redwood forest. Basically, when you are in the circle, you are not straight!! The pictures will show what I mean! At first I thought that it was an optical illusion, but now, not so sure! The tour guide had a board that was straight, she put a level on it. She then tossed a ball on it and the ball stopped a little ways down, and started rolling back to us! And if that was not freaky enough, the took water and poured it on the board. Normally, the water would fall all over the place. Not here!! When she poured it, the water ran in a straight line back towards us and drained off! Pop, you definitely need to go!!!!

Alcatraz

We took the boys to Alcatraz before we left San Francisco last weekend. We thought that it was going to be really neat to see, however, we were pretty disappointed. A lot of it was closed for renovations. The best part was the boat ride over!

San Francisco Zoo

This afternoon we went to the SF Zoo one more time! Although we have been several times, this was one of the best times. Poor Henry was a little upset, the Little Puffer was not running today. The highlight of his zoo trip is riding the train and he could not do that! But we did get to tour the observatory and touch many animals that we never see at the zoo. First, there was a huge tortoise! Henry was fascinated by his face! Next, we touched a hedge hog, a snake, a ferret and finally an iguana! They boys were in heaven. They both love animals so much and this was such a treat for them! We are really going to miss the zoo when we move.

Moffit Field and NASA AMES

This morning we decided to go to the Moffitt Field Museum before we headed to San Francisco. Boy are we glad we stopped! The museum was full of naval flight history and the air ship history. The boys got to see how they worked, they got to ring a Naval bell, and they got to sit in the front of a P3 Orion! And all of this was before 11!!!! This evening we walked down from the hotel to the NASA AMES buildings and the boys got to see shuttle. Tyler took the picture of Keith and I with the shuttle behind us! He is quite the photographer!!!

Baseball Game

Last night we took the boys to see their first Major League baseball game. The Oakland A's played the Toronto Blue Jays. The A's won 5 to 3!! The boys loved every minute of it! Henry will be a life long baseball fan...guys walk by you and bring you food!!! Between the popcorn, red vines and nachos, he was in heaven!!! He intently took it all in, but was a little confused by the fact that what was on the field was also what was on the big TVs!! Tyler's favorite part was the big foam fingers! We finally got him one and he has been obsessed about it ever since!! They were both so tired when we got to the hotel room, the actually stayed in the bed together and slept the entire night!!!

Wild Animal Park

Today we took the boys to the wild animal park in Salinas. It is an animal sanctuary and most of the animals that are there are retired from movies and TV. The animals that were used to create The Lion King and Madagascar are there. It is also the home for EARS, and elephant rescue group. We went on the hour tour, and got to see bears, tigers, lions, porcupines, cheetahs, and of course, elephants. After, the boys got to stay and feed the elephants carrots. The boys were so excited at first, but when we got up there and they saw just how big Butch, the elephant we were feeding, was, they were a little intimidated! Henry gave him 1 carrot, but was not happy after Butch took it, as he put Henry's entire hand in his trunk!! Tyler threw his carrots to the other elephant and watched as she picked them up off of the ground. Mom and dad loved it!! It was one of the best experiences we have ever had!!!

April 25th

Saturday, April 25th we went to the festival for the military child at the stillwell center here on base. We had no idea what it was, but a friend ours was going and invited us, so we went! Boy are we glad we did! We spent all day there and the boys had a blast! There was a magic show that the boys sat quietly and watched, the sheriff's office was there with the k-9 dogs. We got identity kits for the boys, complete with their DNA, fingerprints and pictures!! They both got sword balloons from the balloon artist! Outside the fire dept was there and they got to sit in the firetruck. The fire department had the smoke house, and the boys learned about fire and how to get out of the house safely if we have a fire. At the end of the lesson, they went upstairs and the smoke alarm went off and there was smoke. Henry promptly freaked out, started crying and ran out of the house! Tyler stayed and followed the directions and got out with the other kids. There was also a petting zoo with baby chicks and goats. Henry wanted to keep a chick! To our surprise, they both rode the horses and wanted to ride again! Of course, with all of the fun and all of the things that the boys did, mommy did not have her camera!!!!

April 26th

Sunday April 26th was the Dream Machines car and air show in Half Moon Bay. The boys had a blast! I think that Henry has his daddy's love of airplanes! We had so much fun over on the air side that we never made it to the car side! Most of the planes were refurbished WWII planes. There was a plane from the Monterey Flying Club where Keith flies, and Tyler got to sit in it. I think that was the highlight of his day! Henry got garlic fries, his favorite, and he did not share with anyone, he made daddy go get another basket for the rest of us!!! Daddy bough the boys model airplanes that they put together when we got home home! After, as we were driving home, we decided to stop at the lighthouse that is off of CA 1. Tyler of course loved it! As we were walking towards it, Henry looked up at the lighthouse, started screaming and took off running back to the car!! We definitely had a great weekend!

Boys Night Out

Keith took the boys to the Watsonville off road car races while I went scrapbooking one night. Boy did they have fun! I was totally shocked that they both wore the ear plugs the entire time!! Henry still asks when we are going back!

Teddy Bear Preschool Carnival

The boys school had a carnival to celebrate the week of the child and the boys had a blast! They played lots of games, won lots of prizes and had fun with their friends! Mommy even made the sign for the fishing game! Thank goodness we have a circuit! Henry's favorite game was the ring toss and Tyler's favorite was the fishing game. I could not get them away from the games!