Snoozing Siblings

I have to capture memories like these when they happen because A) the only time these two are ever quiet is when they are asleep and B) a few short years from now I'm pretty sure it will be totally uncool for Buddy to be found sleeping in the same bed as his Little Sister.

We See A Turkey Baster...Adeline Sees A Microphone

And before long it was a duet when Careline joined in singing with the penguin ice cream scoop.

Adeline's ABC's

Thought you all might like to see and hear Adeline reciting her ABC's.  Depending on how silly she's acting, at times she does pretty well...but often she goes with a condensed version of the real thing.  My favorite part is when she gets to L M N O P.  It's all pretty cute though..have a looksie for yourself.

God Has A Sense Of Humor

I recently got this email which was just too good not to share (thanks Judy!)

Today's short reading from the Bible...A Reading from Genesis

And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the Earth.

Then He made the Earth round...and He laughed and laughed and laughed.

Careline's 9 Year Check-Up

Careline turned 9 back in November, but today we got her in for her well child care visit. She was quite excited to learn that she's 4 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 58 pounds because even though that's just the 20th percentile for height and the 26th for weight it means that she will be tall enough to ride most of the rides at Valleyfair next Summer. Oh the important milestones in life!

Adeline's Very 1st Dental Check-up

Adeline visited the Dentist this morning for the first time. She was so good and cooperative and definitely won the title of best first check-up out of our 3 kiddos.

Cold Enough For Ya?

BEWARE Of Polar Bears!

There's been a Polar Bear sighting here in South St Paul.  Don't be afraid of the Polar Bear though....I hear that it's pretty tame and really really cute!

Hockey Day In Minnesota

Today is the official annually recognized Hockey Day in Minnesota.  That means that there are all sorts of hockey related events happening throughout the state today.  For the first time ever, Buddy will be practicing outside, there are many exciting highschool match-ups across the state (some indoors / some outdoors), the Winter Carnival Pond hockey tournament is in full swing in the cities, and the Gophers will be taking on UND tonight.  But the most highly anticipated hockey event of the day surely belongs to the Minnesota Wild as they begin their delayed season tonight at the Xcel.

LET'S PLAY HOCKEY!

The Last Pack Of Pampers

Hear Ye Hear Ye...this Mama vows that this is the very last pack of Pampers that I will ever buy.  Adeline will  be 3 years old less than 3 months from now and it's fine time that she ditches the diapers for some big girl panties.  She's been warned to use these final 156 diapers wisely!

Hairstyles Courtesy Of Careline

Careline went through a phase a couple of years ago when she styled my hair nearly on a nightly basis....but it's been a while since she's done it.  That is until last night when she treated Adeline and I to new looks.

Barbie Has Seen Better Days

Still Having Foot Issues

Unfortunately the Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot is still really bothering me, so this morning I had plaster molds of my feet cast in order to have special orthopedic inserts made.  The DR also gave me a third and final shot of cortisone (damn that hurts like a son of a gun)!  Let's hope that these two measures work because if not the next step is surgery to remove the bone spurs and stretch the plantar fasciitis.  Ouch!

Mostaccioli Casserole

It's no big secret that Pat is the cook in our household.  He's home before I am, he's a rather picky eater, plus he's a great cook...so he won the job a long time ago.  Once in a while I'll venture in to the kitchen and whip something up.  That was the case tonight and I just have to share with you the recipe because you'll see just how much was left over...

That's right....not a single scoop was left!  It's not often that even master chef Pat can say that everyone is happy with the meal put on the table before them...but this recipe is a hit with all 5 of us.  And the coolest part is that it's easy to make and makes enough to feed a family of 5 twice.

If you want to try it (and I don't think you'll be disappointed), here's the recipe:

1 package (16 oz) Mostaccioli

1 lb ground beef

1 lb Jimmy Dean spicy hot pork sausage

1 c chopped onion

1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce

1 can condensed cheddar soup, undiluted

3/4 tsp pepper

2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook mostaccioli according to package directions.  Meanwhile, cook the beef, pork sausage, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.  Drain.  Stir in the spaghetti sauce, soup, and pepper.

Drain mostaccioli.  Add mostaccioli and 1 1/2 c cheese to meat mixture.  Transfer to two greased 11x7 baking dishes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover and freeze one.  Cover and bake the remaining casserole @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Uncover, bake an additional 5-10 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

To cook frozen casserole:  thaw in fridge overnight.  Remove 30 minutes before baking.  Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Brrr

Check out the rosy cheeks Buddy got this afternoon after playing outside in this bitter cold for just 10 or 15 minutes.  Can you remember back to a day when you wanted to be outside regardless of the temperature?  Yeah...me neither!

She Scored!

Careline scored her first basket this morning in an official game perhaps marking the beginning of a long and successful career for the Packers on the basketball court.  Bubba would have been proud!

Of course I wasn't in attendance as I was at home with one little girl who we can't take anywhere where she's required to sit still for more than 1 minute and 14 seconds.  Daddy and Grandma Ellen were in the stands though to witness the event and I heard all about it from one very excited girl when she got home.

Buddy Wears Many Hats (Literally)

Braden has a plethora of hats.  This is just a sample of some of the hats you may see him wearing this Winter, as he regularly cycles through his collection.

The Girl Who Refuses To Sleep In Her Own Bed

I don't know what Adeline has against sleeping in her bed...but she refuses to do it very often these days.  Instead, she opts for naps in the chair, on the floor, in her carseat, basically anywhere but in her room (as if any of these options are more comfortable than her own bed).  What's really starting to become old is the fact that she wants to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room every single night.  We have to break her of this bad habit, and soon, as our Queen sized bed most definitely was not made for three!
 

Careline The Covergirl

The Community Education Winter/Spring Catalog of classes arrived in the mail today and Careline was surprised and excited to see herself on the front cover.  She's reached celebrity status here in South St Paul!

It's Back To School For Them Today (AMEN!)