Sept 2012

 September in PICTURES!

Ran this AWESOME race for the first time in September.  The Peak to Peak 10 mile race which runs from near the Bellevue Peak Performance up the Keystone Trail and finishes near the Omaha Peak Performance store. Two of my favorite running sidekicks did this with me. That power house next to me in yellow is Megan and super sweet Jen is behind me in black. Love those gals.

*At the finish with Megs and Jens and the ever so fashionable Rachel-she's one of my running buds, too.

^My oldest also turned 12 in September. 12!! Here she is helping to make a cake with Skylar.

^Licking the bowl!

^She choose to have a banana split for her birthday instead of cake-my kinda gal =)

^One of the things Savavnnah wanted to do for her birthday was go to Mahoney State Park and go on a horse back ride with her Daddy....upon arriving, The Boy checks the map to make sure we're going the right way. Only 4 and he already knows that Mommys is directionally challenged

^ We walked up a TAAAALLLL observation tower to survey the land. Well, SOME people walked to the top, SOME people stayed near the bottom because.... well, just because....=)

 

^Here it is from the ground....(!!!!!)

^View from 1/2 way up the tower. I dont think my camera would have functioned at the outrageous altitude at the TOP of the tower so for it's sake, I stopped mid-way. I'm so nice.

^While Savannah and Daddy went on their horse ride, I took the rest of my clan and we went exploring...

...and met some kiddos who had some other-worldly ability to catch these microscopic frogs. They were professionals, people.  Clearly been doing this a long time.

We were slightly low on pictures for this month as I dont think I uploaded all of Ariel's pictures onto my computer (she, as I've said before, is our family photographer so she's the one capturing the reality of our life-I'm responsible for the big moments. We're a good team)  =)

No Bake allergy free chocolate chip granola bars!

I just might have heard the Hallelujah chorus drifting down from the Heavens when I bit into these AMAZING granola bars. And that's not even the best part....
They are allergy free! Meaning my youngest 2 bear cubs can eat them!!

Empty of all the yucky preservatives, and FULL of yummy goodness! Win-win.

These ingredients are for a double batch (9x13 pan).  Feel free to scale it down for a smaller batch (8x8 pan) though I cant for the LIFE of me figure out why ANYone would want to do that.

1/2 c butter (we use Spectrum shortening-its 100% palm oil)
1/2 c honey
2/3c brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
4c quick cooking oats, uncooked
2 c rice Krispie type cereal
1/4 c + 3/4 c chocolate chips (we use Enjoy Life brand)
Well greased 9x13 pan

In a large bowl, mix together your oats, rice krispies and 1/4 c chocolate chips.

Then, put your butter, honey and brown sugar in a pot and bring to a boil over slightly higher than medium heat while stirring (you dont need to keep a super close eye on it)

It should look like this...

Once it reaches that point, turn the heat to about medium low and simmer for about a minute and a half. When your timer beeps at ya, take it off the heat and mix in your vanilla extract (SLOWLY, as it will explode everywhere if you just try to pour it all in. Dont ask.)

Then pour your mixture into the oats/cereal bowl and mix well to moisten.  Spoon this mixture into your prepared pan and smoosh it all down nice and flat. To do this, I put my hand in a baggie and then press down over the surface of the bars which will be quite smooshy still, til they are nice and compact. Then you will take your remaining chocolate chips and sprinkle over the top (add more if you like.  I wont be mad atcha!)  Then again, using the baggie, press the chocolate chips down into the bars.  When you have done this, place the pan into the fridge for 15-20 min, or until the bars harden a bit. Then take it out and slice them up into rectangles. Or bars. Or tiny little army men. Up to you.

Here is the pan sittin' in my fridge making buddies with that 1/2 empty jar of Prego and that sweet juicy orange. He's a friendly one, that pan of granola bars...
Anyway, I took this picture in my fridge as I had a feeling they would hypnotize me when they came out of the fridge...no joke....when I am cutting them up everything starts to get foggy, and when I come to, 1 or 4 of the bars is mysteriously missing....spooky....

I figured, I think, that when I cut them into 18 granola bars, that it was around 200 calories per bar. A little high I think, but you can swap something else out of your diet to fit these bad boys in. They are WORTH it.

This recipe is adapted from here
http://thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/no-bake-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/

We've also done these plain, with cocoa powder added to the dry mix, and with craisins. It is so adaptable. Let me konw what creations YOU come up with!

August 2012

August was slightly less busy than July...we started school back up full force (we go light in the summer), but we still made sure to make time for fun!


We were out on a hot day and momma decided we should wash the van, a.k.a. hose it off and wipe it down =)  Wish I would have gotten pictures of that-it was quite sweet watching them reach up as HIGH as they could to wipe the water off =)
After we did that, they decided to wash their bikes as well.  The Boy spent about 3.8 seconds washing his Thomas trike and decided he had enough of this 'work' and returned to his normally scheduled programming of being crazysauce.

My sister in law came to visit in August as well and we enjoyed a walk on the trails behind our house with her, my neice and my parents.  I must note that 75% of the pictures on the past few blog posts are courtesy of my 10 yr old daughter who has kindly stepped into the position of family photographer. She actually does a really good job and I love looking at her pictures and seeing the world as she does =)

 

 

We also got to watch our neighbors give their chinchilla an ash bath. The girls just LOVED it. This chinchilla was the softest thing I have ever touched. We loved him.

 

We went skating with some friends of ours who only come in town a couple times a year from KS. There dad and my hubs have been buddies since grade school. They have 3 kiddos who are all almost the same age as 3 of my kiddos. We love them

 

*I realized 2 are missing here...the Boy was with daddy at work, and my friends boy, who is 8 didnt really care to be in the picture with a bunch 'o chicadees.  =)

 

 

This is the hubs buddy, Josh, and my little Josh

 

Oh yeah, and sometimes we did school.....  =)

 

Ariel made Josh a 'train house'. He loved it and would have them 'knock' and then he would invite them in. They even played tag and hide and seek in this house. Yeah. Picture that.

 

 

Being smothered with love....

Went to Pepperwood Park again in August. Boy was it hot. Thankfully this park has a lot of shade all morning....
Here I am, with 1/2 of 3/5 of my children....?
=)

Trying to locate her inner monkey...

SUCCESS!

I'm thinking there might be a monkey gene in our bloodline somewhere...

The 'tree with a knee'!

Well, that was August in pictures!

 

 

 

July 2012

July was a month of parks, field trips and fun!

^ In July (again, ignore the date stamp, silly camera), we went on a field trip to the Omaha Mounted Police station. My horse lover daughter was THRILLED TO BITS.

^Josh enoyed petting the horse too with his little buddy.


Josh also discovered the joy of writing on the white board this month. Ok, maybe its that I finally LET him write on the white board.  Unassisted Josh + markers does NOT a party make.

He even learned to write his name!!!

Another new park this summer: Pepperwood. Enjoyed it with some homeschool buddies

In July we had a Public Safety Field trip at a local park. The kiddos got to see and learn about what firemen, police officers and EMTs do. It was BLAZIN' hot this day and there was practically NO shade so everyone was trying to crowd around this side of the fire engine to hopefully get a PIECE of their body in the 3 inches of shade that was over there.

 

^inside of the ambulance. We had to leave shortly after this (and miss the police cruiser tour) as my little guy was just getting too hot.

My older 2 wanted to dress like twins for this field trip =)

I also ran in a 10K race in July. This same race I ran in 55 min and change last year (at 55 degrees). This year, it was over 80 at start time and my time was JUST under an hour!  Bleh!!  However, most women my age must have thought it was too hot for a race this morning as I DID win an age group award. =)

We went to a pond close to our house to feed the water fowl. Had a great time. Later that same week we went and bought some cheap bread at a bread factory store and took it over and feed them again. I think we bought a little much...when we got to the bottom of our bread sacks there were NO birds to feed-they had all left!  Looking VERY much full...

Ralston park with some homeschool buddies

Daddy caught a baby bird in our day lilies. He was quite friendly and LOUD. We put him up in the yard and a few hours later, saw momma coming to feed him. She watched him thru the night. The next day we left in the morning to go to the park and when we came back, the bird was gone, so we are thinking momma took him somewhere else. The girls named it 'Lucky' since it was 'lucky' that daddy found it...get it?   =)

Went over to Walnut Grove park to play some frisbee...

and some velcro ball (I dont know what you call those little ball sets, but thats what we call it!)

We had, I think 20 record breaking days this summer with heat! Youch!  So glad that fall is around the corner!