400

It's my 400th blog post...that sure sounds like a lot!  There's not much going on around here, although I'm busy planning the twins' 1st birthday party.  I think I'll actually be less stressed at the end of October because then I can enjoy the upcoming holidays and maybe relax a little.  I've already started Christmas shopping (thanks to Amazon)!  Bethany and Zachary are still crawling everywhere, she's pulling up but not walking yet, and he's one step behind her.

They love to stack the toys and knock them down!

Twins in Action

I took the first video a week ago, which shows a typical day at home.  B and Z crawl around getting into whatever they can!  Aaron took the other video while I made a quick trip to Babies R Us last night.  If anybody needs the Carters footed pajamas, they've got them on clearance for $6!

Grandma's Pinwheels

My Grandma Billie makes the best cream cheese pinwheels.  Mine have never turned out as good as hers, but you can try!  You'll need:

1-2 8oz packages cream cheese (depending on how many you want to make)

1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

2 minced green onions

1 4oz jar diced pimientos

1 4oz can diced green chilies

1 2.25oz can sliced black olives

4 12in flour tortillas

Mix first three ingredients and spread on tortillas.  Drain vegetables and blot dry on a paper towel.  Sprinkle equal amounts of remaining ingredients on top of cream cheese.  Roll tortillas tightly and chill for at least two hours.  Cut rolls into 1 inch pieces and discard the ends...or eat them :)

TV Talk

When I first started this blog, I shared my love of reality television.  I enjoy watching shows like, 19 Kids and Counting and my new favorite, Quints by Surprise!  Dancing with the Stars is still at the top of my list, and I finally had time to watch the season premiere today.  My favorites include Jennifer Grey (because I loved the movie Dirty Dancing), Brandy, and the sports guys.

We also watched the Texas Rangers clinch the Americn League West, which around here is a big deal.  Aaron doesn't even seem to care about football right now, and I have a feeling Zachary will grow up to love baseball as much as his daddy!  Bethany might grow up to be a cheerleader or gymnist since she's so flexible.  I don't know about dancing though...if she got her mommy's lack of grace then I don't think we'll be enrolling in dance classes!

11 Months

Only ONE more month until their first birthday.  I'm thinking Bethany might be walking by then, but I'm not so sure about Zachary.  He loves to crawl though!  I measured them tonight, but I don't trust myself because I think they've gained more than 4 ounces in a month.  They're both around 28.5 to 29 inches long.  I love watching them learn new things, and these pictures really show off their personalites.  She likes to be the center of attention, and he's more laid back.  God has truly blessed us as parents!

We LOVE our Grandpa :)

My dad turns the BIG 60 tomorrow!  I just wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday because he deserves it.  He's such a good grandpa to his 4 grandchildren!  Hope you and Mom have fun in the hill country.

More Swinging

Last night we took the kids down to the park for a little swinging.  It's SO hard to believe they'll be 11 months old this weekend!  It's even harder to believe we'll be celebrating their first birthday at the end of next month.  Then the holidays will be here, and that means 2010 is almost over!  Where does the time go??

Fun Date

I don't have any pictures from this past weekend (sorry) but I've got to brag on my husband!  He surprised me with a date on Saturday night while his parents watched the kids.  First we ate dinner at Ruth's Chris steak house in Fort Worth, which was extremely good...but the whole time he was giving me hints to figure out what we were doing next.  Even when we pulled up  to the Casa Manana, I still didn't know what we were seeing.  Well, it was The Sound of Music!  Can you believe my husband gave up watching the Texas Tech football game to take me on a date to see a musical?  He must really love me :)

Finger Sandwiches

My mom made these hot filled finger sandwiches just the other day!

1 lb. ground beef (browned & cooled)

1 lb. grated cheddar cheese

1 small can chopped ripe olives (optional)

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

15 oz. tomato sauce

salt & pepper

sourdough rolls

Mix together all ingredients.  Cut top off roll and remove most of the inside bread; fill until level with top.  Stand up in baking pan and cover with foil.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Smart Kids

Bethany has been working on some "tricks" lately.  Here she is waving bye-bye!

She's also mastered the stacking toy from Aunt Stephanie.

Zach and Bethany are so smart...they're already reading :)

We tried out the swings today.  Zachary was close to falling asleep!

Texas Rangers

I can't sleep, so I'm posting pictures from the Rangers game we went to tonight.  We took Bethany and Zach for the first time...as you can see on the poster I made!

Bethany and Zachary with Papa and Gigi.

We fed them their bottles and then made it to the 7th inning.

I got a picture with Jim Knox!

Taco Soup

This is my favorite soup recipe, especially when the weather gets cooler.  I think I make it differently every time, but the original ingredients I got from my mom are:

2 pounds ground beef

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans w/ jalapenos

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

3 cans stewed tomatoes

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1 package taco seasoning

The short version calls for:

1 pound ground beef

1 can pinto beans

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 package HVRD Mix

1/2 package taco seasoning

For both, you want to brown the ground beef (you can saute with chopped onions), drain off grease, and mix with all other ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for 1 hour.  You can top it with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream.  It's also good to serve with corn bread.  Sometimes I use sweet corn, Ranch Style beans, or even tomato sauce depending on what I have on hand.  What are some of your favorite soups?

Rainy Days

What do you do with 10 1/2 month old twins when it's raining outside?

They've been crawling, exploring, and playing a lot.  Both of them will take toys from each other, and I think Zach has started to "fight back" a little.  He's also trying to figure out how to pull up.  Aaron says Bethany knows he can't do it yet, so she'll pull up in front of him just to show off!

First Day of Preschool...

for my niece and nephew!  I can't believe Katie's in the pre-k class.  Just two years ago she was in the 2 year old class looking like this, and now she looks like this:

My mom and I took the kids to get haircuts on Sunday.  Here's Randal looking like a big boy!

Good luck to all the teachers at GCS, and have a great year :)

Mexican Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion (or onion seasoning)

8 oz. package Corn Doritos

1 can Ranch Style Beans

8 oz. Taco Sauce

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

2 cups Grated Cheese

Brown the beef and onion.  Spread 8 oz. package of Doritos in bottom of dish.  Cover with browned meat and then the Ranch Style Beans.  Combine the Taco Sauce, Soup, and Rotel.  Pour over meat.  Top with the grated cheese.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Easy and yummy recipe to make.  Do y'all have any ground beef recipes?

Strolling Weather

I took Bethany, Zachary, and Rudy on a walk Friday, since the weather has been SO nice.  I'm looking forward to many more walks this fall!

Zach's now crawling everywhere.

Bethany got to hang out in our bed this morning.

Aaron's Papaw got to spend some time with the twins.

Daddy and his girl!

Poor Zach

Aaron took this video while I was at the store the other night.  Sweet Bethany likes to take Zachary's pacifier out of his mouth, or she'll take away whatever toy he's playing with (I didn't think this kind of behavior would start so young).

Our son is going to have to toughen up!  We've also had to start putting Bethany to bed in the pack 'n play, which we set up in our guest room/office.  She likes to stand up in her crib, turn on the music to her mobile, and "talk" until Zachary wakes up.  Hopefully we can move in the next few years, so each of them can have their own room...and maybe we can have a playroom too!

Hello September