Pillow Fight

Aaron, Zachary, and Rudy being boys :)

Memorial Day

We went to a friend's party on Saturday, and Bethany was fascinated with this balloon.  We'll definitely have to get balloons for their second birthday!

We took the kids out on the boat...even though it was WINDY.  This is on Lake Granbury, where my dad's parents live.  Bethany got to "drive" the boat while Grandma held Zachary.  He didn't move the whole time!

Relaxing outside.

Great grandparents (this is the best picture I could get).

Preschool Graduation

I can't believe Katie graduated from pre-k last night!  I still remember my niece as a 2 year old in Ms. Stormey's class.  She's going to do GREAT in Kindergarten!

I picked out a special book for her.

Grandma gave her flowers.

My brother's family with the graduate!

Winners

I've been watching Dancing with the Stars since I first started my blog, so I have to report that Hines and Kym won last night.  I almost didn't get to see it with all the storms that came through.  We only ended up getting rain, but Aaron took a video on his phone of the swirling clouds.  Yes, all of us got in Bethany's closet for a while...even Rudy.  The twins are also 19 months old today!  We start swimming lessons again on Friday, which will hopefully be fun.  Can you believe it's almost June?

Ready for Summer

Happy Birthday, Grandma Hodges!  Today is her 88th birthday.  It's hard to believe this picture was taken two years ago, the summer before she went into the nursing home.  She never really got to know Bethany and Zachary, but she would have loved them so much!

Sunday afternoon we let the kids play in my parents' backyard.  Here comes summer!

Sharing with her Brother

I always take videos and then forget to post them.  Here's one I got on Saturday.  Don't pay attention to Aaron talking; just notice how Bethany shares her snack with Zachary.  She's so sweet!

I've got a couple more random pictures.  I love this picture of my boys watching the Ranger game, and then here's my cowgirl on her horse!

Deviled Eggs

Hard-cooked eggs

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

1/4 tsp. salt

Speck of pepper

1/4 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. minced onion

Paprika

Cut shelled eggs into lengthwise halves.  Carefully remove yolks to small bowl; set whites aside.  Mash yolks until very fine and crumbly; blend in rest of ingredients.  Generously refill hollows in whites with yolk mixture, slightly rounding each.  Garnish by sprinkling with paprika.

Aaron made these last night for our fellowship dinner at church.  Here's a tip for boiling eggs: place them in single layer in saucepan.  Add enough water to come at least 1 inch above the eggs.  Cover; bring quickly to boil over high heat.  Watch carefully; as soon as the water comes to a rolling boil, turn off heat and remove pan from burner.  Replace cover and let eggs stand, covered for 15 minutes.  Immediately pour off hot water and run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled.  To remove shell, crack it by gently tapping it all over on a hard surface, roll egg between hands to loosen shell, and start peeling at large end.  Hold under cold running water to help ease off shell.  Although they have a stinky smell, I LOVE deviled eggs!

"The Land"

We had another fun-filled day at John and Jacki Dennis' land in Hunt County.  It was quite different this time because of the MUD!  Zachary loved to step in the puddles and go for rides on the 4 wheeler.  Bethany was a little concerned about getting dirty.  We took her in the go-cart, and she held on pretty tight while Daddy was driving.  The kids also played upstairs in their loft.  Here's Bethany happily swinging :)

Jacob Dennis (their cute grandson)!

Zachary before going on the trail...

And after!

Playing in the loft.

Hanging out with Jacki.  What fun!

Sleepy Heads

Smoked Sausage

Smoked Sausage:

1 lb. Eckrich Smoked Sausage

1 cup Hickory-Flavored Barbecue Sauce

1/4 cup Honey

2 tbs.  Brown Sugar

Cut sausage in 1/2 inch pieces.  Brown in skillet.  Place in crock pot.  Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over sausage and cover.  Cook on Low for 2 hours and serve over rice.  Or, I always liked this meal with Mac & Cheese as a kid!  Any other yummy crock pot recipes?

Twin Love

Here's some pictures from today.  Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

He was loving the hammock!

She likes "playing" baseball.

Great day for Baseball

Even though the Rangers lost today, we couldn't have asked for better weather.  Chris and Mindy Geddie went with us, and we even got to go to dinner afterward!  I can't remember the last time we did that :)

Oh, don't you think Ian Kinsler and Zachary resemble each other?  Maybe we have a future baseball star!

Royal Wedding

I think this picture is SO funny!  A friend of mine put it on facebook, and it compares the Royal Wedding to Cinderella.  I think the picture of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's daughters is the craziest!  What were they thinking with those hats?

Quints by Surprise

If you haven't watched Quints by Surprise on TLC, then you're missing out!  It's about the Jones Family who live in Austin and have 6 kids (including quintuplets).  It definitely makes me feel like I can do anything with my two kids if they can survive with all of their kids!

Bethany has turned into quite the climber.  I got a video of her climbing into her high chair yesterday...I wonder how long until she starts climbing out of her crib!?

Bittersweet

On May 10, 2011 my mom's parents (Bob and Ola Mae Hodges) celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary.  And two weeks later on May 24th, Grandma Hodges will have her 88th birthday!  It's bittersweet because Grandma lives at a nursing home and has Alzheimer's Disease.  This is one of the last pictures I have of my Grandad with his bride, which was taken about two years ago.

Easy Salads

If you're looking for some easy recipes, here's a couple for you:

Chicken Pasta Salad

1 1/2 cups Elbow Macaroni

1 large can of chicken

1 small bottle of Ranch Dressing

Pour pasta into saucepan of boiling water.  Cook for 10 to 12 minutes.  Drain and rinse in cold water until cool.  After pasta has cooled, pour into bowl.  Add chicken.  Pour the whole bottle of Ranch Dressing over it.  Stir to coat.  Cover and chill until ready to eat.

Easy Fruit Salad

1 can of Tropical Fruit

Fresh Fruit (strawberries, kiwi, bananas, etc.)

1 small box of instant vanilla pudding

Slice fresh fruit and mix with can of Tropical Fruit.  Sprinkle with about half of the vanilla pudding.  Stir until the fruit is coated and all the powder is dissolved.  Chill until serving time.

Mother's Day

We spent the weekend at Aaron's parents' house while they were out of town.  Bethany mastered the slide while we were there.  We played outside a lot, but the kids really weren't interested in getting in the pool.

My parents brought Katie over, and we had fun swimming with her!

I love this picture of Zachary looking at himself in the mirror before church!

This is one of her favorite spots in my mom and dad's backyard.

Randal says CHEESE :)

And last but not least, happy mother's day to the best mom ever.  I'm SO lucky!

Spaghetti Face

Tonight I made spaghetti, and Bethany LOVED it!  Here's a picture of me when I was little...

And here's Bethany's messy face :)

Chicken Burritos

Here's another chicken recipe.  My roommate and I used to make these in college, and I'm getting hungry just thinking about them!

1 big can of chicken breast, drained

1 cup uncooked instant rice

1 cup salsa

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

1 4oz can chopped green chiles

10" flour tortillas

Make rice according to directions.  Mix cooked rice, chicken, salsa, chiles, and cheese.  Portion mixture into tortillas.  Tuck ends in and roll.  Grill in large skillet until cheese is melted.  I know we would use whatever ingredients were on hand.  Got any good recipes to share?

Headin' East

We took the kids to their 18 month appointment on Friday, and they each got four shots.  Yuck!  Bethany weighed 23.3 pounds, she's 31 3/4 inches tall, and her head circumference is 19 inches.  Zachary weighed in at 24.6 pounds, he's 31 1/2 inches tall, and his head circumference is 18 1/2 inches.

Saturday we went to East Texasish to John and Jacki Dennis' land.  They're the adopted grandparents to all the young married's children at our church!  They've built a cabin and have some trails to ride on (the go-cart is especially fun to drive).  Bethany wasn't as interested in riding around as Zachary...but we all had fun.

Today we celebrated my brother's 34th birthday.  Because his birthday was on Friday, the day of the Royal wedding, my dad thought it would be funny to get him all kinds of British stuff :)