Silly Smile Day

Almost Vegas

My friend Ev had an extra ticket to the Celine Dion concert yesterday, so I got to join her for the show. We enjoyed sneaking a girl's night out and watching an amazing performer. I always love a show with back-up dancers (an occupation that is still on my "to-do" list).

Lots & Lots of Curlers

Before

After

My Penguin

Stefanie found this video on her computer and I couldn't get it to run on mine. Because it was a format that works with Blogger, I uploaded it to see if it would work here...and it does! This makes me laugh, and cry. I miss chasing after my baby Eli. He has already grown so much. Enjoy!

Sara Approved Finger Paint

In Joy School this week I get to talk about Interest & Curiosity. I was the lucky mom to get the "magic tricks & experiments" lesson. After fumbling through a couple of "abra-cadabras" I moved right on to the experiment part. Their favorite was making bubble paint (talking about what happens when soap and water mix with air...science totally at my level).

I just used equal parts concentrated dish soap and water, then used an old hand beater to make a thick foam. After dumping a big pile in front of each child, they went crazy and had a blast "finger painting." I don't think my table has ever been more clean.

Heart Attacks

Eli, Maggie and I had many more Valentines and "admirers" than we ever imagined. Thank you to all those who stopped by or left treats! Eli & Maggie loved running to the door each time the bell rang. They had a difficult time going to bed because they were sure the bell would ring again. Fortunately they did eventually crash after their sustained sugar highs. I'll admit I enjoyed one too. I love heart shaped, pink frosted sugar cookies - especially if I didn't have to make them.

This is the Valentine card Eli gave me...a picture of me (wish I really did have long, skinny legs), him, and a very big heart. That says it all!

This is the Valentine card Maggie gave me...a candy cane, green thing with eyes (her words), and some letters (if you look close, you can see MOM on the left). My favorite part is the fringe she spent a lot of time carefully cutting around all four edges.

Treating my Valentines

Eli and Maggie waited all week for an exciting round of mini-golf at Toad's Fun Zone. They picked this activity for their Valentine treat. Eli loved all the waterfalls and glowing obstacles, while Maggie was really scared by it all and took some coaxing to join us. Of course we had to play a couple of games while there as well. Do you like Eli's plastic green fangs? They took $5, 8 games and 15 tickets to earn.

Monster Treats

Eli was right - he needed a big box for Valentines. Kora (our cousin) came home with us today. Her and Eli had a great time opening their boxes and sharing all the fun treats they got at school.

Salon Day

We all had a chance to become beautiful at the hands of Maggie today. This was her custom design for Hannah. Mine included more barrettes than any one household should have. I can only blame myself. (Sorry, no picture - I could barely lift my head once the masterpiece was complete.)

She did it!

Maggie is officially potty trained! Today we hit one week in big girl pants (only two wet accidents), completed her sticker chart (thanks to Zoe), and awarded Maggie her "Princess Box" (the one that has been sitting in the bathroom for a couple of months now). Sparkly hat, shoes, gloves and undies all in pink!

Whew.
Finally.

Scary

Eli was so excited to get his box ready for the school Valentine party and asked if we could get it decorated this weekend. He wanted one that was "big, red, and has a giant hole" for the Valentine treats he is anticipating. Apparently there are high expectations for this holiday. (The box he picked is about 19x15x6".)

About 30 minutes after putting him to bed, Eli came to me with a very sad look and asked if the Valentine Monster could sleep in my room. It was scaring him.

Tumbling Class Skills Demo

Eli had his "2nd Term" Parent Day today and got to demonstrate some new skills he's been working on.

And yes, I know he needs a haircut. We'll be seeing Samantha tomorrow.

Sweet Pork Recipe

(Really similar to Cafe Rio's!)

Monica sent me this recipe and we finally tried it. It was delicious! Eli and Maggie ate it right up. We ate it over chips (loaded nacho style), over salad (my favorite) and in tortillas (the usual), with plenty left to freeze for later. Just remember when you look at the ingredients that it is called "sweet" pork.

Sweet Pork

• 4 lb pork shoulder roast
• 1 Cup of Pace Picante sauce - medium.
• 2 Cups brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups coke
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup white sugar at the end!

1. Remove pork roast from packaging, and wash.
(Avoid cutting the roast to expedite cooking time)

2. In a separate bowl, mix picante sauce and brown sugar and whisk until sugar is mostly dissolved.

3. In a crock pot or slow cooker, place the roast in the cooker and cover the roast with the mixture of picante sauce and brown sugar and also add the coke.

4. Place on medium heat, cover and simmer. Check it every hour or so to rotate roast in the juices. The roast will eventually produce enough juices to make the right consistency, so do not add water.

5. Once roast is fully cooked, it will begin to fall apart. Use a fork to separate it into smaller segments. Add the 1/2 cup white sugar then mix, cover and continue cooking.

6. After 8 hours, continue shredding until no chunks remain.

7. If it appears too juicy, turn slow cooker down to lowest setting, remove cover and let it reduce as needed.
*You can freeze the meat.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

• 1 package of Hidden Valley® ranch dressing. (Prepared according to directions)
• 3 Tbsp of prepared salsa verde)
• cilantro (1/4 bunch)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/8 tsp Tabasco

Clean and rinse cilantro and remove large stems. Pour prepared ranch dressing in a blender, and add cilantro leaves, salsa verde, garlic, lime juice and Tabasco. Blend until cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until dressing has thickened.

Eli Characters

Eli loves to laugh at his latest portraits, thanks to Stef and Shay's "creativity." His favorite is the big robot.

Of course there is at least one of us, too.

Parent Day at ballet class

Golf Cart Sledding

We couldn't resist the perfect conditions today to enjoy our annual run of Golf Cart Sledding. Eli tried a couple new riding positions this year - on his belly and with his hands in the air. Maggie still won't venture off the front seat; she loves sitting with Grandpa. We also tested the golf cart traction and made it to the top of the big double hill above the field. Coming down, Eli went so fast that he almost passed up the golf cart. Of course he had a blast. I think, however, next year we've progressed to the "need a helmet" stage.

Primary Talks

Eli gave a talk today in Primary and did a great job stating the Gospel Standard he was assigned without any help: "I will honor my parents and do my part to strengthen our family."

While preparing this week, I ran across this site which was a great resource. We just borrowed a couple of pictures from the church library and were set!