Moments like these...

It's the moments like these when I am so happy to have 3 boys! (Notice how seriously they're all taking this game) Sometimes the ruckus they cause makes me insane but then there are the times when I can just laugh. They are all growing up so quickly. The other night we were reading scriptures and each person read a verse alone! That's pretty much a first. Today on the way to swim practice we were playing "Name That Tune" and I suddenly realized that we were all having fun playing the same game! (usually one person is annoyed we're playing a "baby" game or one person cannot possibly compete) And not only was Daniel able to keep up but he was actually really good at it! And because you wanted to know, here are some of the tunes we guessed:

"Eye of the Tiger"

"Spongebob"

"Star Wars"

"Super Smash Brawl Theme"

"Jeramiah was a Bullfrog"

"Pokerface"

"Popcorn Popping"

you get the idea...

Back to my roots

Growing up we ate a lot of beans and rice. My mom loves to tell a story about me when I was around 3 years old. I came into the kitchen and said, "Mom? You cookin' da beans?"


I haven't cooked pinto beans in years. We really don't need more gas in this house. But my kids were begging for Taco Bell bean burritos the other day and I figured I should make my own. (Especially considering that I can get the yummiest, fresh flour tortillas at any grocery store here!) I have a ton of pintos in my food storage and they're so easy to make. During college my roommates and I made these all the time. No wonder the girls upstairs hated us. Refried beans and LLCoolJ wafting up the stairs...


The other day I made the Pioneer Woman's Restaurant style salsa. I love it. And she's hilarious- it you haven't checked out her site, you should. And yes, I read the whole love story.


Then, just because I've been thinking about my g-mates this week I took some corn and flour tortillas and fried them in canola, salted them... and yum!

Easy Pinto Beans

4 cups of dry pinto beans
¼ to ½ cup taco seasoning mix
2 tsp salt

Soak beans overnight in a big pot with enough water to cover beans by 2-3 inches. Rinse beans well the next day and discard any floating beans. Fill pot again with enough water to go 2-3 inches above beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 hours, periodically stirring. Add seasoning & salt. When beans become quite soft, use a bean masher or blender to mash them. Adjust seasonings to your taste and enjoy!

Alligators and the fam

I can't decide who's cuter...

Check out mama gator in the background!


We finally saw the alligators at Brazos Bend Park. We've been several times but seem to always miss "gator season." Okay and for the first year or two here we were afraid to go. I mean, alligators, just sitting there, a few feet away? But we figured if the boy scouts could hang out there we could too. It was cool. There was even a mama with a bunch of babies around her. I was taking pics of flowers and go too close to one alligator. It totally hissed at me... very creepy. And with that you might want to know that alligators make more different sounds than any other reptile. (I know that from reading our Know-it-alls Crocodilian book about 8000 times).

The kids are on the lowest branch of a HUGE tree. I love this picture

Mother's Day Sneak Peaks

Since getting married I've heard lots of mother-in-law horror stories. I guess I just got lucky because my mom, mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law are all awesome! No offensive unsolicited advice, no snippy comments about my lack of cooking or housekeeping skills... pretty much all three of these great women just love and support me and my family.

A couple of months ago I thought it would be fun to make each of them something small. As always, the projects took longer than expected and I don't think any will arrive by Mother's Day! Arghh! Hopefully it will just prolong the celebration...? Anyway, here's a sneak peek- I love making things for people I love. Thanks to all 3 of you!