May by the numbers

Holy cow! I know I say this every month...but really, where did the month go?
We have enjoyed lots of activities as a family and as individuals. Here it goes, our month by the numbers.

Zero books read. I am still working on Shanghai Girls and liking it...just having a hard time finding the time to read.

One minute shaved off of my 1.5 mile run for my Fitness MD assessment.

One.five miles were run(by me)without stopping...this was HUGE for me. Still not a fan of running :-).

Two baby birds born in the tree in our front yard...so sweet.

Three merit badges earned/received by Tanner at this months Court of Honor. Two of them count towards his Eagle. YAY!

Four the # of candles on Brody's birthday cake.

Four b. the # of days John spent in Arizona on business.

Six layouts created.

Seven pounds lost.

Eight blog posts for the month of May.

Eleven baseball games played by the boys.

Twelve friends get together for a fun night of good eats and Bunco.

Twenty Two days/hours spent working out.

Seventy Five miles logged on my treadmill.

Another great month! I am looking forward to June and maybe some warmer weather.

project life

This little calendar is what will represent May 31, 2011 in my Project Life album.














I am still going strong with my daily workouts. I did not miss a single workout this month(I go M-F). I am attending Fit Club at Fitness MD each morning. I love that it has become a habit, part of my daily routine. I may not love how I feel during some of my workouts but I definitely love how I feel after I have completed my workout. My clothes are baggy and I am discovering new muscles that I never knew existed on my body. There are some days on this calendar that I thought I should have given myself two gold stars...just for simply showing up and completing the workout. Some days are harder than others but I am sticking with it and getting it done.

Memorial Day

As if my 1.5 hour workout at Fitness MD this morning wasn't enough(lots of running/weights), we decided to go on a family hike. It was a nice little jaunt to the Hidden Falls waterfall. It was the perfect day for a hike. We had promised ourselves (last year) that we would not be staying home for one more Memorial Day.

We enjoyed all of the wildflowers along the trail.














Some of us(ugh-ummmmm...Brody) definitely enjoyed the creepy crawly things a little more than others. We had to stop and look at each bug that he found along the way.














The waterfall was beautiful and peaceful. We wish we had packed a picnic lunch to enjoy at this spot. We will be prepared next time!





















Brody did an amazing job on the hike. We were a little worried and wondered if his little legs could keep up. Happy to report that he did keep up with everyone and was excited about everything.





















We were able to snap our 6 people, 12 times photo(May) in the nick of time. Nothing like one day to go. We always take this monthly photo with the timer. Today's backdrop was the beautiful stream on our hike. The boys loved skipping rocks and wading in the water.














We are now home. We have a Tri-Tip on the BBQ, corn(sweet)on the cob boiling on the stove, watermelon sliced and the makings for a green salad all ready to assemble. We haven't let this day pass without pausing to remember and thank all of the men and women who have served and who are currently serving our country. We appreciate all of their hard work so that we can enjoy our freedom on a daily basis. We are very humbled when we stop and really think about what it means to be an American and to live in this great country.

p.s. I am trying to decide if I will get on my treadmill or not tonight. I think I am a glutton for punishment today!

signs of a great time

I hosted this months Bunco night. It is always a fun night out when you get to spend it with favorite friends. We enjoyed yummy food, dice rolling, Morty tossing...okay, it is more like throwing :-), yummy desserts, the summer themed Morty basket, great conversation, creative prizes(thank you,Amy), and lots of Buncos!!!

Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Did you know that there was such a holiday? I am pretty sure my boys totally thought I was joking when I exclaimed "Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day". Any excuse to bake cookies is a happy day at our house!

We couldn't let this day slip by without paying tribute to this national holiday. Now, if you really know me, you know that I LOVE chocolate chip cookies. They are my all time favorite cookie/treat. Now, they just can't be any chocolate chip cookie...they have to be homemade. They also need to be warm, right out of the oven(with a glass of ice cold milk). I also like them the day after, after they have been wrapped in saran wrap. Weird , I know!!!

I am always on the hunt for the best recipes for the things our family loves. I have been searching for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe for years. That problem was solved when my darling friend, Patti showed up to a girls weekend with these.

Patti's Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c. shortening
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2tsp. hot water
1tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 c. of flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1tsp. baking soda
1 pkg. chocolate chips
1 c. nuts (optional)

Add all sugar, cream together with shortening. Add eggs and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add hot water and vanilla, then add flour, and soda mixture. Add chips and nuts.

Drop on cookie sheet
Bake at 350* for 8 - 10 minutes.
*Don't triple batch

Raimi's Notes
- I don't ever add nuts...my kids wouldn't eat them :-).
- I always use semi sweet chocolate chips.
- I usually bake mine for 10 minutes. Do a test batch in your oven to gauge baking time.

ENJOY!!!!

Right before my eyes

My Baby, my caboose is another year older. Right before my eyes, we have hit 4 years of age. I spent alot of my day (yesterday), soaking in his 3 year old goodness. I received lots of hugs and "I love You's" from him. He would ask "Do you need another hug"? Of course I did! As long as he was willing, I took each and every one of them.

Here are a few things that we love about Brody.
- Each and every morning, he wakes up with the biggest head of Bed Head. He asks us every morning if he looks like Brian Wilson. We thought Brian Wilson was known for his beard...not sure where the bed head came from -LOL!

- There is not a day goes by that he does not pull out his baseball glove that Grandpa Randy bought for him. He asks us what the glove says. It is made by Wilson and hence he thinks it is Brian Wilson's actual glove.

- He has the catchers stance down. He puts his glove on, squats, and puts his hand behind his back and is always ready to give the pitcher his signs.

- Do I even need to say it? This boy loves baseball.

- We are amazed at his ability to memorize. He walks around singing his favorites songs. A few of his current faves are I am a Child of God, Misery, Soul Sister, Why Georgia, and The House that Built Me.

- If you ask him how old he is, he will hold up 4 fingers, smirk and then tell you that he is 7. He wants to be just like Garrett.

- He says the sweetest little prayers each night.

Happy 4th Birthday, sweet boy. We are so lucky to have you as our son, our caboose. You make our family complete. We can't wait to see what your 4th year of life brings you!

Sneaks

I feel like I have been playing catch up...ever since the boys enjoyed their 2 week Spring Break.

The sneak peeks for the May Green Tangerines Kit Club have been up over on the GTKC site. You can check them out and see what the other designers did here.

This is my version of this months sketch.
These are the beautiful girls that I get to work with at church. Being a Mama to all boys, I consider myself over the top lucky to rub shoulders with these girls.I think they are absolutely amazing. I am so proud of the Young Women that the are. They are smart, talented, kind, athletic, thoughtful, service oriented, beautiful and FUN!





The Green Tangerines May kit is full of yummy goodness. Lots of fun pattern papers, cardstock, Alpha stickers, and embellishments(and custom embellies). If you are interested in this kit, you can call Green Tangerines at 916-771-8010 to get your hands on yours.

box dinners

The young men and young women in our ward had a super fun activity last week. The boys had to provide some sort of table for the girls, out of cardboard. The girls brought dinner. The boys set up their tables without the girls knowing which table was theirs. While the boys waited in one room, the girls went to check out the tables and then picked where they wanted to sit for the evening. Tanner and his friend Dallin were paired up for this event. After talking to them, we decided that I would help them create an all pink table because girls love pink, right??? Tanner and Dallin met at our house and we worked on cutting out the flowers, wrapping water bottles, wrapping the utensils and even wrapping See's chocolate bars for the girls. Other tables were decked out as Hawaiian, Under the Sea, camping and even a fun Monopoly table. They were all very creative.






















Tanner and Dallin got to eat with these cute girls(S&A). These girls went all out for dinner. While the other boys were eating LC pizza, KFC and McDonald's, these girls brought tri-tip, potatoes, fruit salad and rolls. YUM!!!





















Everyone agreed that it was such a fun evening. It was fun to see what the boys came up with and created. It was fun to watch them interact with different friends. They ended the evening with some hilarious games and ice cream Sunday's.