Ellas "First day of school"

I love that I can spend some one on one time with my Ella teaching her. I miss going back to school as a teacher. It was So much fun to prepare for 3rd grade back in the day:) But now, I have the cutest little student ever and its still fun to create an hour of learning for her. We were going to do preschool this year but it doesnt quite fit in the budget, so maybe in December, she can start going a few days a week

So,

until then.....

Her teacher is Mommy.

Today we worked on numbers (1,2,3) , writing, painting, bible story, and a craft.

The craft was making flower crayons.

She peeled the paper.

We broke the crayons.

We baked them in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes

in a silicone mold(garage sale- 50 cents)

.

and ta-da!

New flower crayons...

 Pretty cool morning!

and I even got tomorrow all figured out for her too- very productive indeed!

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

These biscotti were absolutely amazing and VERY easy to make. 

I have never tried biscotti because the recipes I've gotten are SO long and complicated.

But thanks to Lunch In Paris (that french book I read) 

I found an easy recipe that is So yummy!

So here it is....

1/2 cup pecans ,chopped

2/3 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

cinnamon and sugar mixture to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat oil and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Add chips and pecans. Line a baking sheet with foil and form two loaves with the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes. Slice into 1 inch thick slices. Lay slices on their side and put back into oven for 10 minutes. Flip onto other side and toast for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Makes about 12-14 biscotti.

One Month Later

I am just a tad bit late in posting pics from my twins 6th birthday- but here they are 1 month later:)

Special thanks to our own personal photographer, Megan, for awesome pics!

We decided to do a luau party this year- complete with leis and limbo!

The girls invited about 15 friends so it was quite a big party:)

We played several games

And ate cake and ice cream...

Happy Birthday sweet girls!

Let us eat CAKE!

Love in Paris

Zucchini Blossoms

So, I found a new book that I loved- its about this American who goes to Paris and falls in love, marries the guy and moves to {Paris} and it chronicles her journey and tells of her falling in love with French cooking and food and everything Parisian. It was GREAT! 

as an added bonus, it included MANY French recipes so of course,  I copied a ton!!

My dear friend, Melody, has a garden that was teaming with 

zuchinni blossoms, so when I saw the  recipe- I had to give it a try-

It was super simple- gaot cheese, sea salt, pepper, 1 egg- 

thats it

- stuff the flower and drizzle with olive oil. 

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes till fragrant.

It was super yummy, although very small.

I dont think I will ever make them again- 

Mark would never eat them, but it was a fun thing to try! 

I Cried Today...

Look at my First Graders! 

Hard to believe they start WHOLE days of school this year! 

My days are not going to be the same without these two.

At least I have two more little munchkins to keep me busy!

As we walked to school (yes, we walk 10 minutes to get there- thats 40 minutes of walking ever day for me- whoo hoo- exercise- I need it!) 

I thought about how fast our summer went and how big my girls have gotten.

They started their first day of a NEW school today.

I think that is what made it so hard for me.

I dropped them off with complete strangers and they knew no one in that big building.

I know they will be fine- I can trust my heavenly Father to watch after them, but it still was hard.

Their teacher was very nice. Her name is Miss Stephansen.

They have 29 kids in their class- CRAZY big! 

We walked them to their classroom and Sophia went right in and Arianna clung to my hand a bit. But, she went in without crying. Not me- As soon as I turned away and walked out that door, the tears were flooding my face. It was such a big step for us to step outside our comfort zone and put them in public school. I am terrified but excited for how God is going to use my girls and me in this school. 

I plan to volunteer in the classroom and for many events at the school. 

I want more and more opportunities to share Christ!

But I still am scared and would appreciate prayer for my girls and our family.

Today was just a half day and at 11:45, I met them at the door.

They excitedly told me all about their classroom and the things they did.

Sophia said, "Mom, you know what my favorite thing about the first day of school was?" 

"When Elijah and Ella rolled away in the wagon!"

Yes, While I was busy taking pictures,  the little ones were in the wagon that rolled quickly down the hill while I was snapping away- good thing another parent was watching my kids and saved them!

Parties Galore!

So many birthdays in July!! It starts with Elijahs, moves to our good friend Clara's, then its the twins turn, then its Aunt Tinas, then its Grandpa's, then its our other good friend Maddies.... its SO busy!! 

But aren't parties fun!

I have thrown a party for every one of my 4 children every new year of their lives. I told the girls when they hit 7, we will play it a bit more low- key and they can have a friend or 2 over for a sleepover and a fun trip somewhere special. 4 big parties a year gets a bit crazy!! 

These pics are from our friend Clara and Maddies party this summer. 

We love these two kiddos! 

I have made countless cakes this summer- I will be posting pics of them soon! I think I will dedicate a whole post to cakes:) And I still need to put up pics of the twins party- it was a blast!

So happy that "Party Month" is over!!!!

Fresh Veggies with Pesto

Just made this delicious fresh, light summer dish for dinner the other day and thought I'd share the recipe...

Special thanks to my neighbor (Nick) who have me loads of fresh garden zucchini

Special thanks to Jeniece who gave me some fresh basil from her garden

2 Tomatoes

Fresh ear of cooked corn with kernerls cut off

2 zucchini sliced

large bunch of basil

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

bag of spaghetti noodles

sea salt to taste

Cook veggies in some olive oil on medium heat. 

cook spaghetti

make pesto (in a food processor blend basil, garlic and olive oil)

put together and viola- a delicious, healthy and fresh summer dinner....

and Mark even ate it all and liked it:)

SCORE!

Need a laugh?

Sign #1- No People Allowed

Sign #2- If you touch the Puppies, you are in jail

Sign #3- If you get on the toy mat, you are in trouble

My twins love to pretend that they are puppies.

They set up a puppy play area and post numerous signs to warn their little brother and sister.

They attach leashes to their clothes and have Ella "walk" them.

They want to eat like puppies out of a dish on the floor- I rarely let them:)

They crack me up!

Do you think they are trying to tell me something?

Where Did July Go?

Its hard to believe it is August 1st. 

July has been a flurry of activity with 

many birthdays to celebrate, 

pools to swim at, 

friends to play with!

I celebrated the last day of July with friends swimming. It was bliss. 

Mark took the kids for 4 hours (they saw a movie) 

and I swam, relaxed, ate juicy hamburgers fresh off the grill and

basked in the warm summer sun.

Summer- its almost over. 

Mark goes back to school on Tuesday for a staff retreat. The days of waking up late, hanging around the house, going on day trips, watching the kids jump in the sprinklers and blow bubbles in the back yard are coming to an end. Its sorta sad really.

It was such a lazy summer. Every day seemed to last forever but now that I look back- 

where did the summer go?

I am excited to get back into the school routine, 

feel the days get shorter 

and smell the scent of Autumn in the air as fall approaches. 

Dress in chunky sweaters and jean jackets.

Those are fun days too.

I am often overwhelmed by how much God has blessed me.

I tear up at the thought of how much I have to be grateful for.

God is good.