Cinderella, prepare your castle...

Here we come!

Mickey pedicures-check

House sitter-check

Kitty cuddler- check

1012 ziploc bags-check

We're outie. We'll be back in 11 days, but I think I'll post a couple of times while we are there. See ya then!

My heart is welling with joy

I'm packing for vacation. I'm not done yet, but I wanted to share this sight that is so beautiful that tears are beginning to sting my eyes.

If you know me well, you know what peace and contentment these individually packaged outfits complete with underwear and socks are bringing me. Look at them!

There will be no tornados of clothes tossed about the hotel as my kids try to decide what to wear for the day. There will be no lost underwear, no stolen socks, no t-shirts hanging from light fixtures.

Grab a bag for the day. End of story.

Oh peace.

My kids are not strange

No, this is not some kind of odd form of punishment.

Riley had a friend over for several hours the other day and after she left, Riley and Cole masking taped themselves together for an unusual amount of time.

I guess he was making sure he had her full attention again.

Or maybe she was claiming him back.

Either way, this my friends, is why we call them RiCo.

Some things I learned one year ago

I have a picture of Riley smiling on a cute inflatable whale in a pond. That picture sends chills up my spine every time I see it. At the time that I shot the photo, things in my world were happy and carefree. Moments later, they were a world from that.

September 9, 2007 will forever be etched in my heart. Our family had gone with David’s parents to a friend’s amazing ranch. Thank God we were with David’s parents. The plan was to swim, have a cookout, ride 4-wheelers and just have a great time.

That all came to a screeching halt when Garrett, with David on the back, lost control of a large 4-wheeler and plowed through a barbed wire fence. Right at neck level. The memory of the scene still effects me physically. Not because of the blood, which there was plenty of, but because of the fear and the uncertainty and the confusion. For a person who is not easily rocked, the “this can’t be happening” feeling was unfamiliar and horrifying. It was a scene that I won’t describe in detail here, but it was very serious, and I definitely didn’t know how my day was going to end.

It ended with a couple of hundred stitches that screamed a testimony of God’s mercy and grace. It ended with a new perspective. It ended with a lot of learning.

Here is about 1% of my list of things I learned that night.

I learned that when I call my sister and tell her not to panic, she doesn‘t follow my instructions. ;)

I learned that the sight of people I love waiting at the emergency room entrance as we arrived after the scariest trip of my life was like a having a warm blanket wrapped around me.

I learned that my parents can appear out of thin air. How did they get there so fast? Wait, I don’t want to know.

I learned that security is an illusion. Only God knows the real plan.

I learned that I am surrounded by love. I never had to worry about my other kids the whole time. I left them in the entrance of the ER in swimsuits. I don't even think all of them were there yet. Somehow they ended up in clothes, with art supplies, games and snacks because I am the luckiest girl in the world and God has blessed me with family and friends that I couldn’t in a million years deserve.

I learned that relationships are all that matter. Period.

And most of all, I learned that there is no time to waste because it can all turn on a dime.

On. A. Dime.

We are so not in control.

A few pics from Cole's fancy-pants birthday evening

Can someone please prescribe some antidepressants for these melancholy children? The silence...it's deafening.


If your six year old is at a public park in an infant swing with no shirt on...you might be a redneck.

Shawn? Shawn Johnson? Is that you?

I discovered this when Cole asked "Does anyone have a napkin?" A napkin? Really?

Garrett has never been able to use playground equipment correctly and he is now 13. I believe it's time for me to give up. I've fought the good fight.

Hey Bud! Where's Sissy?

I will love this picture forever and always.

Six Years

Today is Cole’s 6th birthday. How can I even put into words what this kid means to me? Cole is like the mascot of this family. He’s kind of taken the role here of keeping the party going and the crowd engaged. He keeps us all smiling and everyone adores him. His love for life is contagious. And he does a lot of tricks. Rarely does he have two feet on the ground. That’s mascot-y, right?

In Cole’s world, everything is cool and awesome. He is easily impressed and totally low maintenance. You’ve seen his wallet, no?

.

On each kid’s birthday, they get to pick any place they want to go eat and celebrate their big day. Everyone loves this and always has big plans. When we asked Cole where he wanted to go this year he said he wanted to have fruit dip and strawberries, Pringles, and hot dogs that he wants me to make at home and bring to the park.

.

Come on, you gotta love that (well, after the initial disappointment over the cancelation of anticipated restaurant cuisine, I mean).

Coley, I love you so much. Happy 6th birthday, little guy. You bring joy to my life every single day. I could snuggle you forever and I could listen to you and your enthusiasm for hours on end.

.

Oh wait, I already do. How blessed am I?

Try this

I just made this one up last weekend. I am a big fan of the spicy/creamy combo. If you are too, I think you may just like this one. It is so easy. I think my favorite savory flavor right now is chipotle. It’s spicy and all smokey…love it. You are going to need a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I know that sounds scary and hard to find, but it is not. You can find it in the Mexican food section of most grocery stores.

You can even get it down to the Walmarts.

Creamy Chipotle Chicken
2 chicken breasts
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
8oz cream cheese
½ cup milk

Grill your chicken breasts with minimal spices. I just did a little olive oil and some garlic salt on mine.

While they are cooking, make the sauce.

Take 1 or 2 small peppers from the can, depending on how spicy you want it and trust me, start small. You can always add more as you taste it. Chop the peppers up pretty finely and set aside.
Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat.

Melt the cream cheese into the milk. I cannot be responsible if you choose to use lowfat or fat-free cream cheese. Do what you want, but don’t come cryin’ to me, okay? It‘s a cream sauce for crying out loud.

Stir in your chopped peppers and about a teaspoon of the adobo sauce that is in the can. Again, take it easy and add some if it’s not spicy enough.

You are now finished with your complicated sauce.

Now just chop your chicken and stir it into the sauce. We ate this over brown rice.

I’m already thinking about ways to serve it next time and I’m thinking it would be yummy in a casserole dish with rice on the bottom, chicken and sauce on top of rice, and cheddar cheese broiled over the top. Oh Oh OH, and crushed tortilla chips on top! Yes!

Here’s what I did with the leftover peppers because there are a bajillion of them. I dropped them one by one onto wax paper and topped each with a little sauce (making sure they didn’t touch each other) and put them in the freezer. When they froze I popped them off and put them in a freezer bag for later.

Cole's wallet

I thought everyone might like to see a picture of Cole’s wallet. I know it is silly to let a 6 year old carry such a nice one around, but he loves it and is proud of it.

And who am I to try to push my own more casual style on him?

Here it is.

Wait for it…

wait for it….

here ya go.

He always has had a natural bend toward the fancier things.