We got to have Jadeyn and Bennett stay with us for a week while their parents were in Hawaii. Hawaii,(sigh) someday, maybe for our 10 yr. we can go. It sounds beautiful and filled with lots of things I'd love. I don't know, Marc would rather go to Argentina, Mexico, or the Caribean instead. I guess any of those places would be fun. Anyway, we had lots of fun and I tried to take them somewhere fun everyday. We went to the movies, the science center, the city park with water fountains, the pool, and other fun places they loved. It was also fun because Brandon and Michelle were in town that week with their kids so we got to meet up with them, too.

White Chicken Chili

This is a yummy White Chicken chili I made.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion, frozen or fresh
2 teaspoons chopped garlic, jarred or fresh
1-3/4 pounds chicken tenders, cut into quarters
1 packet (1.5 ounces) taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
1 can (13.75 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and cut into quarters (photo 2)
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) white beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions
1. In 12-inch straight-sided skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, chicken and 1/2 teaspoon of the taco seasoning mix to the onion; cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir the remaining taco seasoning and water into the chicken mixture. Bring to boiling. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes and beans; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

New Pool

We got a new pool this summer for the back yard. It has a little built in slide. The kids love it. It was great to have especially when I've watched other kids and didn't want to go anywhere. We found a hole in it the other day. Hopefully we can patch it up and use it next year, too.

I've been trying to come up with fun things for the kids to do. This is called pudding painting. I told them to make a mess, get it all out of their system. They loved it as you can see. Then I gave them all baths. Not something I have the energy for everyday, but it was fun.

(Okay, not sure why this came out side ways, it wasn't like that before uploading.) Natalie's cousin Clair got a new bed so she gave her's to Natalie. This was perfect timing since Julia was crawling out of her crib and we were worried she was going to fall on the hard wood floors. So Julia got Natalie's bed. She did really well with it for a while. She's really good about going to sleep right away on her own. But the past few months she's been getting up in the middle of the night and we can't get her to go back to sleep. If she does "sleep through the night" she wakes up at 5 ready for the day. So the whole family has been on limited sleep the past few months. I was talking to my sister-in-law, Michelle, the other day and she mentioned to me what the Supernanny does. I happen to have the book and read up on it. The first 2 times she gets out of bed you put her back and say it's time to go to sleep. Then after that you don't say anything just put them in bed without making eye contact. So I tried it the past 2 nights. The first night I did it about 6 times before she got the hint and went back to sleep, which was amazing to me. Then last night she got up and I only had to put her back once and didn't hear from her again 'til 6:50, which is awsome. We'll see how the rest of the week goes, but I hope this means we get our sleep back, we all desperately need it.

Spaghetti dinner/ Desert Auction

This year for our ward spaghetti dinner/ desert auction I decided to make cupcakes that look like spaghetti. With Marc's help, I decorated them with colored vanilla frosting, raspberry jelly, white chocolate shavings(Parmesan cheese), and those hazelnut chocolates for the meatballs. They actually did look like spaghetti, and sold for a good price, too. And on top of that, they were delicious, if I do say so myself.

Cute Boy

So this is Denise Funk. He is one of the sweetest boys I've ever met. I watched him for about 6 weeks in April and May. He is the best baby. It seemed like he never cried. Natalie still talks about him. She wants him to marry baby Monroe. I've asked her if she would like to have a baby brother someday and she always responds, "No I already have a baby brother, Denise."

I'm back!

Sorry I haven't blogged the past couple of months. Our lives have gotten a little crazy. I know it's no excuse, I could have made time, but I guess other things have come first. First of all, I've been watching my friend's 2 kids 3 days a week, so on Wednesdays and Fridays I like to get the kids out as much as possible. I still try to go to the park or swim in the back yard with our little pool when I have all 4, but it's a lot of work. It's good that I love the kids I watch, and I have grown to love and adore them the more I watch them. Their names are Beckett who's 2 1/2 and Monroe who's 6 mo. It's definitely been an adjustment for the girls and me, but I feel like we are getting there. It was cute. After lunch Monroe was mad her baby food was gone. While the other 3 got blankets and cozied up on the couch like they could all fall asleep right there. Wouldn't that be easy if they just all took naps on their own with no coaxing from me?

Marc's Birthday

I know this is way late, but better late then never, right? And for those of you who don't have the same motto, well you don't have to read it if you don't want to. So for Marc's birthday I made him a yummy cake. But first I started with his favorite meal; lasagna, salad, rolls, and corn. Then the cake, which I got out of a cookbook called the cake doctor. I love this cookbook and having an excuse to make a cake and try different ones. Here's the sad thing. Marc was really sick that night and didn't get to enjoy it. He ate a couple of bites of lasagna, but that was about it. He had just gotten over strep throat and then got sick again. I don't know if the two had anything to do with each other, but it was sad.
The good news is there was plenty of cake left over. So we took it over to his parents house the next day, and he was able to have some that night.

Happy Anniversary Michelle

It was our 7th anniversary on Sunday. To celebrate(at the request of my beautiful bride), I worked hard all weekend long refinishing the hardwood floors in our home. I knew it would be a big project going into it, but it was harder than I thought. (Thanks Kevin, Dad, & Craig for all your help!) The hard work turned out to be worth it. I think they turned out pretty well. I hope you love them Michelle.

Marc