On the lake

We enjoyed a fun outing to Camp Far West today. It was our first visit to this lake. We loved it! When we left at 7:45 in the morning, it was cold and dreary looking. As we made our way towards the lake, the clouds began to part and the sun decided to peek around the clouds. It ended up being a perfect day on the lake. Warm sunshine, with a cool breeze = perfection. It was a wonderful day with friends.





This cute little munch was happy to be the passenger on the boat. He wanted nothing to do with the tube rides.


These boys just wanted to be pulled and flung around the lake. They kept giving the thumbs up sign because they wanted to go faster. They had so much fun!


Sienna wasn't too sure about riding with the wild boys who just wanted to go fast:-).


Holden found the perfect seat on the boat, he crashed and took his nap right up next to Sandi!


Again, he was just happy to be on the boat...the one that was moving slowly!


Garrett, Tanner and I went out for one last run! We had a blast. We laughed the whole time as Jason zipped us all over the lake. We caught air and got wet!

A big thanks to the Packer's for a super fun day! We had a blast!

Our very own All*Star

We have all been on a serious high since the Woodcreek 9-10 old Stars beat the El Dorado Team, to take the Section 54 title last weekend. I have sat on this post for a few days so I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed when sitting down to record the memories. Well, here I sit and I still have a ton of emotions(all happy) that accompany this post. The 9-10 year old El Dorado Hills team was the team to beat in this series. We played them a total of 3 times. We lost the 1st game to them, but not by much. We played them a 2nd time and beat them, 13-6. Our boys were on fire when it was their turn to bat. One of the Uncles of a teammate heard one of the EDH's Moms say(when it was evident that we were beating them...bad)"What are we going to do with the 20 pizzas that we have waiting for the boys at the coaches house?" They were so sure and smug thinking they were going to beat us and take that District 54 title. By the end of the 2nd game, each team had 1 win. That allowed us to play them one more time. We came out swinging during the 1st inning of that 3rd game. We were ahead 3-0 by the end of the 1st inning. By the 6th inning, the score was 6-4 and we were losing. It was a good thing that we had the home team advantage. We had one more chance at bat. Our first batter struck out. Our second batter walked, taking 1st base. Our third batter got a base hit, sending runners to 1st and 2nd. Our 4th batter singled. Bases are loaded. It is now Carter's turn to bat. He has an awesome line drive that brought two runners home, making the score 6-6. Our 4th batter takes his stance on home plate and hits a double all the way out the right field fence. That double brings Carter across the home plate to WIN the game. All of the fans were on their feet cheering and yelling so loud. It was AMAZING. I still get goosebumps when I think about it.

I love this shot. Coaches picking up their players. Coaches picking up each other. Players dog piling Carter and Daniel(winning run and hitter of that winning run) at home plate = magic on the ball field.



















Seriously, if this experience is even a tiny bit of a glimpse of what it is like to win the World Series, those SF Giants deserved all of the credit, cheers and hoopla that they got. This experience has been AMAZING and so much fun...I am not even a player, just the cheer leading Mom on the sidelines!

We have had a week off from games and will resume play next week. Sections, here we come! We will be back on our home field and are excited for what the week holds. GO WOODCREEK!

p.s. The boys even made the front page of the Roseville Press Tribune. There was a great photo of the boys at home plate, ready to high five their teammate who had just hit a home run. The reporter gives another boy credit for crossing home plate for the win but it really was Carter :-).

Cow Appreciation Day

We enjoyed a free lunch at Chick-Fil-A. It was cow appreciation day. If you dressed up to resemble a cow(in any way), you received a free meal. We made it simple and raided my scrap file and tore black spots to attach to our shirts. Carter had ears and Brody had a tail. Our whole family was able to score that free lunch. As were were sitting down to enjoy our lunch, Tanner reminded us that this was our 4th year attending and that we have sat at the same table each year :-). What can we say? We love traditions and creating silly memories.

colorful yumminess

I have had this image saved/waiting on my computer for over a year now.



















Just dreaming and waiting for the morning when we would have some extra time to make some of our own. My friend, Amy posted this recipe, with her version of these colorful pancakes. We decided to make them for dinner this week.The boys thought they were great and well, I love anything that is colorful.

















Next on our "to make/create" list...















YUM!

Fun on the Fourth

We had a fabulous 4th of July. Forget the apple pie, the boys enjoyed their favorite All American treat...the Slurpee. We played in the water, enjoyed a yummy BBQ dinner, and the fireworks are always a hit. Brody is still not a fan of the loud noises that those fabulous fireworks produce but at least he wasn't holed up in the car watching them this year. We can't let this holiday(or any other day) pass by without expressing how very grateful we are for the men and women who serve our country on a daily basis. Their service allows us to live in this great land and to enjoy the many freedoms that we do. So very grateful and thankful.

This is this weeks Kit of the Week at Green Tangerines. I am happy to report that those are photos from this years 4th of July, all scrapped. Am I allowed to say "go me?"










There are kits available for this layout at Green Tangerines. All you have to do is provide your own photos and purchse the kit and you can get your 4th of July photos scrapped in a heartbeat.

Life with Boys

One of the boys favorite activities is to pull the ramp out. Most people know that my boys have NO FEAR, none what so ever. Here is Garrett, showing his stuff. Notice how he just couldn't jump off the ramp? He had to add a few skateboards to jump over. I have learned to just shut my eyes and pray that I won't be spending the afternoon/evening in the ER.

Recipe Share

As promised, here is another recipe that I made for John, on Father's Day. These potatoes were a BIG hit with the whole family. We enjoyed them with yummy spicy-honey chicken(I'll share that recipe soon) and a green salad.
The Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes
Recipe found on allrecipes.com















4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour. You can just microwave the potatoes instead because it is way faster and they taste just as good. About three minutes per potato, just check for tenderness. Make sure to poke holes in the potatoes with a fork before microwaving so that they don't explode.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh so the potato maintains it's shape; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 the green onions, and milk (start adding 1/2 cup of milk but you may not need to add it all depending on the consistency you want. You don't want them too runny). Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.

Bake for another 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Enjoy!

Raimi's Notes:
* my family does not like green onions but I do. Loved that I could add them to my potato.
* I didn't use the microwave to bake the potatoes. I am kind of old fashion that way. Let me know if you try the microwave method.