School Field Trip

A couple days before Sky got out of school I got to go with him to the zoo for a field trip. He was in a group with 4 other kids and we were all by ourselves roaming the zoo! We met up with everyone right before we went home. Our group was simply awesome! We got to see EVERYTHING at the zoo in the short amount of time we had. Sky got to sit by Nick on the way there. We arrived at the zoo totally frozen due to some kids in the front refusing to roll up their windows....turkeys.
You have to get a picture by the bronze gorilla, don't you? What's a zoo trip without one?
Okay, so the only thing between the hungry pacing tiger and you is a thin rope net....literally. Have you ever heard a tiger or lion roar or growl when they are 4 feet above your head? Scary. We ran away screaming...okay, not really, but I wanted to.

We even had enough time to play in the playground for a little while! I think they had that same egg when I was 7....

Easter

The day after we got back from Cali we had the Easter Egg Hunt at Grammie & Grandpa Wilson's house. We had so much fun running around searching for those bright eggs (that no matter how fluorescent they are all seem to blend perfecting into the background). I remember having so much fun when I was little and my grandma would come down to our house and we'd stuff ourselves with grandma's potato salad and hunt for "hours" trying to find those last few eggs that grandpa astin hid and didn't remember where.....

Disneyland

At the beginning of April 2009 we were able to go to Disneyland with the boys. We had so much fun and the boys loved seeing Dad try and pull the sword from the stone!
Dad had a hard time in the rocket line but it was well worth it!

Here's a shot from the "Indiana Jones" ride :) Laker was too short to ride the actual ride, so the Jungle Cruise did just fine! His favorite part was the elephants and going under the waterfall and seeing the "backside of water!"

What strong boys we have!


The Bugs Life section of California Adventure had a giant hose nozzle that was spraying water and water shot up from the ground! The boys were soaked in exactly 2.5 seconds.



What's a vacation without Wall-e and Lightning Mcqueen? Lightning's eyes moved back and forth and Laker fit right in with his shirt!
He was giddy for quite awhile after!

It's gotten to be something we do every time we make our travels to Disney territory. The character breakfast is SO GOOD. And you don't have to waste time waiting in lines to see the characters! Maybe next time we can get the boys to eat a little more.....:)


Picture is kind of dark, but this was in Star Tours. The boys LOVED this ride! Laker squealed when he saw R2D2 while Sky was trying to figure out how all the robots worked...and if they were real....I guess we'll never know.
What a perfect day on the beach. Sky was a good sport!


What can I say....perfect kids.




The day we left...Howard Johnson Hotel had an awesome pool and water park. The boys spent all morning getting wet in sunny California before we headed home.
Over 50 gallons of water came crashing down on Sky right after we took this shot. What a daredevil!

Laker was sure tuckered out. I couldn't help but snap this photo about 5 minutes after we got into the car for the drive home. Bye Disneyland, thanks for the memories!

Cheesecake.....

Ok, so this isn't the healthiest thing I've made lately...but it was sure good. Cheesecake, with brownie, fudge frosting, and coconut pecan frosting. It probably clogged a few of our arteries but it tasted oh so good.  The boys loved the cheesecake, brownie, and fudge but hated the coconut :(  My next one will be more kid friendly!

Meatballs

I've attempted meatballs before, and gave one to my neighbor to taste.  She told me to throw them away so I haven't tried again until tonight.  Surprise, surprise....they actually turned out great! Even the boys were shocked. Mom made edible meatballs! Yah for me! 

Coni's Hearty Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies

How's that for a name....Well, I finally found a "healthier" version of the chocolate chip cookie. We altered it to the recipe below and they are FANTASTIC. One batch we even altered it further to include part honey instead of all the sugar, and even took out the egg yolk(and added another egg white.) They turned out great!  So they are pretty versatile.  The whole family loves these more than the regular chocolate chip I used to make so I've had to start doubling the batch because I've had a hard time having them last to the next day. Hope you guys like them as much as we do! 

CONI'S HEARTY CHUNKY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

(makes 2 dozen cookies)

3/4 c rolled oats, ground into flour

1 1/2 c whole-wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c butter, softened

1/4 c canola or olive oil

1/3 c granulated sugar

1/3 c brown sugar

1 large egg or 2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla 

1 c chocolate chips, 60% cocoa preferred

1/2 c whole rolled oats

1/2 c pecans, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl beat butter till fluffy with electric mixer. Add oil, sugars, egg and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy.  Add dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, 1/2 c rolled oats and pecans.

3. Roll into 1 inch balls at least 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies, until firm around edges and slightly browned, 8-15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!!

Food?

Tried my hand at felt food...got addicted.  It is seriously one of the funnest crafts I've ever done! The boys LOVED it, but unfortunately didn't get to keep it because we made it for a friends birthday present. So we will be making some more in the near future!