Who said we had to leave our house to go camping?

Last Friday night we set up the tent in our backyard and had a great camping trip! :) We roasted marshmallows over the stove(make sure if you do this that the parents are there at all times, it gets really hot!), read books, told stories (one of us would start and then the next person would add on), laughed, the boys and Wes watched a movie on our portable DVD player, and at the end of the night Lilly and I went inside to bed. I don't get any sleep in the tent. We all had such a great time. Wes said it was windy and a bit rainy through the night. I remember when I would sleep out when I was younger. It was so fun.

Our little boy's growing up

The other day Byron graduated from Kindergarten. It was hard not to get teary eyed. It was so cute how he knew the words to his program so well! His grandma was able to come with us and Lilly stayed home with Aunt Katie and her girls. Thanks Katie! Otherwise we would be out in the hall the whole time. It's crazy how time goes by so fast and if you don't stop and smell the roses once in a while, moments just pass by. I'm so proud of Byron for successfully passing kindergarten. :)

Memorial Day Weekend

On Friday we went up and spent the day with Wes's Dad on the farm and then on Saturday morning we went and met up with the rest of his family at this place way up in the mountains. We had fun swinging in the hammocks, Wes played paintball, we roasted marshmallows and ate yummy food. We went on walks and toward the end we went on this long four wheeler ride with everyone. We had about 15 quads all together. When we got to our destination (an old abandoned cabin) it started pouring. We waited under the big pine trees and chatted for a while, then headed back. It was a bit scary on some of the parts. The trail was narrow and on the one side it was a pretty steep slope. For a while me and my three kids were in this little wagon thing that was towed behind a four wheeler, it was tippy. So, I yelled to my mother in law and sister in law and protested that we wanted to get out, we were almost to the steep part. It was freaky. I find Wes's family isn't as cautious as I am and when it comes to my kids. I am very cautious. It felt great to get home and sleep in our own beds. On Saturday night Lilly didn't sleep well. We were in a toy hauler sleeping with my mother in law and sister in law and her kids. Lilly woke up crying a few times and needless to say I got like a total of 2-3 hours of sleep. I love being home in our own environment. Things just go a lot smoother.
This trip has taught Wes and I that we do want to go camping a lot more, even if it is just in the backyard in our tent. We want to buy a fire pit. I love the summer!
We just want to give our kids good experiences and memories that they will remember forever.

Teacher Gift

I wasn't quite sure about what to give Byron's teacher. She has been a really good teacher for Byron and I wanted to do something nice for her. I went to Wal-mart and got 2 (2yrd) pieces of fleece and when I got home I cut slits all around them both. Then Wes and sister in law helped me tie knots all around them, to keep them together. I put on a card I will "knot" forget what a great teacher you have been to me. or something cheesy like that. Then Byron drew her a picture of her teaching him how to write his name properly. It was cute. I can't believe Byron will be in 1st grade next year. My little baby isn't a baby any more. O.K. he hasn't been for quite sometime now. It will be hard to have him gone for so long during the day though.

Recipe worth posting

Today on Rachel Ray I saw this yummy recipe and thought I would try it. It is on from 10:00 to 11:00, so it inspires me on what to make for lunch. Here it is.

Rachel Ray's Fried chicken

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons chili powder
* 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
* 1 tablespoon garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 2 cups sour cream
* 3 limes, divided
* Salt and ground black pepper
* 1 3- to 4-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
* 3 cups vegetable oil or peanut oil
* 2 cups flour

I just used chicken breasts cut up in strips and instead of flour on some of them I used Italian bread crumbs. What you do is mix the spices together. If you want you could double or triple it and save some for later, because it is deliciouso. I put the sour cream, 1/2 of the seasoning mix, and a bit of water (I guess you could put lime juice instead) in a bowl. Then you dip the chicken in it and she put the coated chicken in a paper sack with the flour. I just dipped the chicken in the sour cream mixture and then into the bread crumbs. Then you fry it in oil for about 8-10 minutes. After you put it onto a paper towel you squeeze more lime or lemon juice over top and sprinkle more seasoning on top. I thought this would be great for a summer barbecue. Wes loved it and I did too. I loved the cinnamon taste in the spice mix.
I didn't have poultry seasoning, so I used seasoning salt. I also just used normal paprika. Just use what you have and make your own creation if you have to. :)

Enjoy. Becky