Todd

Todd got to come for a quick trip with school to check out some possible intern programs. It was so fun to go kidnap him and take him to the Cheesecake Factory!

I have a special place in my heart for this brother. He is one of a kind. Seriously, there is no one like him.

Colorado

These boys are just skimming the surface of things to see in a Colorado summer. Tame and tired, they settle in to take a little nap. They seem so sweet.

My kids think these are Santa's real reindeer.

*My mom was turning the corner to enter into a residential neighborhood in the valley and bam...two big guys. They were so close that she did not need to use the zoom feature on her camera. Crazy.

New Form of Entertainment

My dad started his own blog....and I LOVE IT!

A Fun Game

One of our favorite books in the world is "The Treasure Hunt Book" by Klutz. This book has provided endless hours of fun. It has 110 ready to hide clues. The boys LOVE it. We use it for FHE, company, or just a good boredom buster.

If you have older kids, they can hide the clues for younger ones. I usually have prizes from the dollar store on hand for the "treasure" but my kids are fine just doing the hunt over and over too.

There are pockets in the front and back of the book to hold your clues when you are done using them. I plan to laminate all the pieces so that this game sticks around for awhile.

Go here to get one.

Little Boys.

In a blink this stage is going to be over...and I'm not going to miss it. I'm going to suck in each day and go to bed with no regrets.

First Thing

I LOVE how kids look and act when they wake up very first thing in the morning! Bed head, groggy voice and sleepy eyes. It is an irresistible recipe for snuggling. Nathan had gotten in bed with us during the night and I just happened to have my camera next to me when he woke up.

We started to giggle and laugh and it ended up being one of those mornings we could not stop!

I love this kids' personality...so fun!

Letters

The other day we all were writing letters to different people. Nathan brought me his. He must be missing our elf, Frizz who left us after Christmas to be with Santa.

"Dear Santa,
Have a nice time with your elves.
Love,
Nathan"

Perfect Pancakes!

I have been on a search for the best pancake recipe for...a long time! These, my friends, are your lucky discs of joy. We love them so much, here at our house, that most of the time these are what we serve when we have "upside down dinner."

Serve with a little butter, real maple syrup, scrambled eggs, a side of turkey bacon, and a glass of orange juice. Or just by themselves- they won't disappoint.

I left out one little secret... they are whole wheat!

2 cups ground white wheat
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk- I use low fat = still good

Mix all together and pour 1/4 cup of batter on hot buttered griddle.

I got this from my mom, who got this years ago from Caroline Shaw. I'm passing it down and hope it ends up with my great, great, granddaughters.

*I have to add that my mom thinly slices bananas on them when they are on the griddle and boy howdy...good!

Kendallisms

Look! I gave my corn a haircut!

The Past Meets the Future...

When I was little and lived in New Mexico, we would come to Colorado for summer visits to see Aunt Pam and Uncle Wes, Tiger and Allison. A highlight of our trip always included a visit to "Airplane Park." As we reminisce about those days, who ever would have thought that we would continue on the tradition with the next generation?

So here we are with all these cousins doing the same fun things we used to do. Wave and ride the train, catch crawdads and minnows, eat cherry picnics, and spend HOURS in the stream-running in the water and squishing the sand between our toes, laughing and not wanting the day to end.


Later that night, Papa lit up the sky as he put on a firework show for the kids. I love how in this picture, my mom and I have the same expression...awwwwww.