Aliza's 4th Birthday

We had fun celebrating Aliza's 4th birthday on Tuesday, December 9th. Happy Birthday, Aliza!

She came home from preschool with her crown with the glittered #4 on it. Poor Aliza skinned her nose and upper lip on our driveway the night before her birthday.

We always let the kids pick their favorite restaurant to go out to eat at. Aliza's choice...Olive Garden. All of the kids (mom & dad included) love their fettucini alfredo.

One of her favorite presents..a baby alive doll. The doll came with a little carrier that converts into a backpack, purse, car seat, you name it. She's been wearing the doll as a backpack all week. Aliza named her "Sophie."

Ava enjoyed helping Aliza open the presents.

Fabulous Fried Ice Cream Dessert

We made this last week as a FHE treat. The kids LOVED it! Every once in a while when we hit a good Mexican restaurant, we'll splurge and order "fried ice cream." You can't go wrong with this one (another great recipe with my two favorite ingredients-sugar & butter!) ENJOY!

1 half gallon ice cream
3 cups corn flakes (or rice krispies)
1/2 cube butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Take ice cream out of the freezer and let soften.

In a pan, melt the butter and brown sugar. Add corn flakes (or rice krispies).

Scoop softened ice cream into individual balls. Roll the ice cream into mixture until well covered. Refreeze for a few minutes. Serve with hot fudge or carmel sauce.

Aliza, winner of Nick Jr's Super Fan of the Month Contest!

In October, we entered Aliza in the Nick Jr Super Fan of the Month Contest. Nickjr.com called for super fans of Dora the Explorer. We took several pictures of Aliza and explained in less than 50 words why she is Dora's biggest fan (which those of you who know Aliza know how much she LOVES Dora!)

On Monday, I received an email, which said, "Congratulations! You were selected as a Monthly Prize winner in the “Nick Jr. Super Fan Monthly Contest.” So, Aliza won $80 worth of Dora merchandise: Dora Snow Princess Dress, Prance & Fly Pegasus toy, Dora Snow Princess PC Games & Dora Mermaid Stickers. Oh, how I love winning contests (even though these prizes are for her, not me!) I kept saying to her, "Aliza, you won! you won!" We were both jumping up & down. She was so excited she swallowed her gum. She had a true perma grin on her face all day. It was such great timing since her birthday was yesterday, Tues, 12/9.

So from July to December, nickjr.com is selecting monthly winners (5 kids/month). All 30 monthly winners will be entered in the Super Fan of the Year Contest in January. The Super Fan of the Year will be selected by popular vote and will receive a $4,000 grand prize of a room makeover and party for their friends. So come January when I'm begging all of you to go online and vote for Aliza, you'll know why!

What an Amazing Race Finale!

I'll admit it, I have an addiction to reality TV shows. Amazing Race, Biggest Loser, Bachelor, Survivor. You name it....I've probably watched it! In fact, I even just watched Paris Hilton's my new BFF (and I really am not a Paris Hilton fan!)

Amazing Race, however, is truly one of my favorites. I love watching the contestants travel to foreign countries and after watching the show have realized there are some countries, that I have no desire to ever see.

The Season finale was tonight. I recorded it on the DVR and just finished watching it. My heart was racing dying to know who would cross the finish line first and win the million dollar prize. I was literally screaming at the TV and thrilled to see it was Nick & Starr. In fact, I woke up Ashley, who sadly enough said, "So who won?" So here's my question, where was Toni & Dallas (the mother & son team that was eliminated last episode). Dallas & Starr have had a budding romance on the show, so you'd think he would've been at the finale. Any ideas?

It's one reality show that I'd love to be on! Kristy, still game for trying out?

A couple of photos for any of you that missed the finale:

Phil (host of the show), with other contestants, waiting at the finish line.

Nick & Starr, winners of the million dollar prize.

Can't Call in Sick Day

Abbey & I were both hit hard on Thursday night with the stomach flu. I can't even remember the last time I've had the flu and I'm sure we could have caught it from anywhere (working in the nursery, going to the pediatrician's for Ava's 1-yr check up, kids at school, neighbor kids, stores, the list goes on & on).

The hardest thing about being self-employed and running a business is not being able to take a "sick day." I had quite a few payrolls to prepare for Friday, so I just had to work through the pain. And I was so sad that we had to miss our annual friend's Christmas party on Friday night.

The only good thing about being sick: I caught up on a few TV shows I've taped and read the entire book "New Moon." (yes, I'm the last girl in the blogosphere to read the Twilight series. I just read "Twilight" in November and haven't seen the movie yet, hopefully sometime soon!) Another thing: there's nothing like being sick to make you really appreciate how great it is to be healthy!

Superfantastic Blog Giveaway!

Mindi, is having "another shameless, self-promoting giveaway!" Click here to enter & don't delay these tidings of comfort and joy will end Dec. 17th at midnight. She's giving away 2 Christmas books Can you see what I see? and Snowmen at Christmas, as well as a Leg lamp nightlight (remember this featured on Christmas Story) and a $25 olive garden/red lobster gift card. The real reason I'm pimping her out on my blog? It earns me an extra entry.

Ava's 1st Birthday!

Hard to believe that our little baby, Ava Grace is now officially 1 year old as of today, November 30th! Aliza will turn 4 on December 9th, but we decided to combine their birthdays and celebrate both of their birthdays with both mine & Jason's family. We had everyone over for dinner (Cafe Rio style, see recipes on the next post) and then had cake & ice cream. A HUGE thanks to both of our families for coming & celebrating with us. THANKS for all of the presents, which Ava & Aliza both loved! We truly do appreciate your generosity & thoughtfulness! I was a little camera happy tonight, but it's not everyday that my 5th & final child turns 1!

It's been a fun year having a new baby in our family! Her smile truly brightens every day. The kids LOVE her so much and it's been so rewarding to watch them interact with her. I always say it's a miracle she's lived to her 1st birthday after the mauling she takes on a daily basis. Happy Birthday, Ava! We're so glad you're part of our family!

Ava loved the cake, especially the frosting!

Ava & Aliza's birthday cake/cupcakes. Aliza picked this one out from Sam's Club.

Ava & me. I'm loving my early Christmas present to myself (my new domestic diva apron) that I purchased from my friend, Amy! LOVE it!

Ava's been taking more & more steps each day. She'll take about 8-10 steps without falling.

Jason & Ava in front of the Christmas tree that we put up yesterday. Ahhh, one of the perks of throwing a party....having a clean house and all of the Christmas decorations are now officially up!

Thanks Kate for the cute shirt & Care Bear that you mailed to Ava. She loved it and wished you could have been here for the par-tay! Miss you all tons!

Some pictures of Ava's loot that she scored.....

Strawberry Shortcake ride on toy from Grandma & Duane. They also gave her a Barbie suitcase filled with lots of cute clothes. She also got more super cute clothes from Jeff & Missy, Jared & Marize, Grandma & Grandpa. Darling hair clips & Elmo toy from Steve & Margo & boys. Cute slippers & toy from Ellen & Angie. THANKS again for all of the great presents!

Musical Table from Jason & I. Ava & Ben had fun playing together with the light up toys.

Here's Aliza with the presents she scored. Tons of super cute clothes from Grandma & Duane.

Lots of Dora & Little Mermaid toys (both her favorites).

Love the cute dress that she got from Grandma & Grandpa H.

Cafe Rio Recipes

For Ava & Aliza's birthday party, I decided to make dinner & serve Cafe Rio chicken & pork salads. Here's the recipes I promised! ENJOY!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

6 lbs pork - I bought it at Sam's Club (pork loin, boneless)
2 16 oz jars of salsa
2 cans of coke
3 cups brown sugar

Place pork in crock pot and fill it with water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Drain liquid & cut off fat. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together sauce and pour over pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave on low until ready to serve.

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 Tbsp minced garlic
6 chicken breasts

Cook all together in crock pot on high for 4 hours. Shred meat and cook 1 more hour on high.

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe with milk & mayonnaise)
2 tomatillos (peel off dry skins/leaves)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (I removed the seeds, so it wouldn't be too hot)

Blend all ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Rice

3 cups water
4 tsp chicken bouillon
4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
4 cups rice

Chop cilantro into fine pieces. Bring water to boil and add all ingredients. Simmer covered 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

* I cooked my rice in the rice cooker and then added all of the boiled ingredients to the rice cooker. Our family loves rice in the rice cooker (so much better than Minute rice).

Thanksgiving Pictures

We had a relaxing Thanksgiving. Good food. Good family. Good times. Here's just a few random pictures I took. We ate at my mom's this year. We alternate between my family & Jason's, but usually still see both families since they only live about a mile apart from each other. It's nice to show up with a small food assignment and enjoy a complete Thanksgiving meal. I'm sure it won't be for many years (since my mom's a mere 59 years of age) that I'll have to start hosting Thanksgiving, so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can.

Here's my nephew Ben (10 months old), always smiling & so happy.

Cute picture of Ben & Marize (my sister in law)

Aliza playing with cousin, Aaron

Jeff (my brother) & Missy (sister in law), a match truly made in heaven. Honestly, they are so perfect for each other. They even look alike!

Thanks for the great meal, Mom! We appreciate you having us over! Wow, I better get to bed, it's 3:40 am. Luckily, our church doesn't start until 2:00 pm!

Peaches 'N Cream Cheesecake

This is truly one of my favorite desserts. I just made it for Thanksgiving. It's supposedly one of my neighbor's family secret recipes and I lost the recipe. So, instead of calling her, I googled it and sure enough there were so many websites with the exact same recipe. Oh, how I love the internet. So much information at my fingertips! ENJOY! Hope you LOVE it!

Peaches 'N Cream Cheesecake

3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg (3 1/4 oz) dry vanilla pudding mix (NOT instant)
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 (15-20 oz.) can sliced peaches, well drained, reserve juice
1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp reserved juice
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine in large mixer bowl first 7 ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into greased 9" deep dish or 10" pie pan. Place drained fruit over batter. Combine in small mixer bowl cream cheese, sugar, and reserved juice (3 Tbsp). Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Spoon to within 1" of edge of batter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over cream cheese filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until crust is golden brown. Filling will appear soft. Store in fridge.

Ava's first taste of chocolate

Jason bought some Pretzel Flipz (chocolate covered pretzels) and gave some to Ava. This was her first real taste of chocolate and she of course, LOVED it! Jason was so amazed that she could bite through the pretzel with her teeth and asked me if I knew she could bite so well. Ya think? Believe me, I know and have painfully felt every tooth that she has cut. Oh, the joys of nursing! Actually, it really is easier for me than making a bottle in the middle of the night and everytime she's fussy, I just hook her up...just call me the human pacifier.

Daddy's 4th little girl. See the resemblance? Everyone always says how much Ava looks like Jason. Maybe she'll be lucky and get his naturally curly hair (like Ashley & Aliza have).

Abbey's Thanksgiving Feast

Abbey's 2nd grade class had a Thanksgiving Feast on Tuesday. She was so excited about it and wanted me to come volunteer. Of course, I had to jump at the chance, since I'm sure it won't be long until she is too embarrassed to have me volunteer (like Alex & Ashley!) Abbey is our middle child and is our peacemaker. She's always the first to help when someone is hurt or crying. She's been a great big sister to both Aliza & Ava. Thanks for inviting me, Abbey! I love spending time with you!

The kids really seemed to enjoy their feast.

I'm so thankful for the great friends & teacher that Abbey has this year!

Aliza is thankful for...

Aliza came home from preschool on Thursday so excited to show me all of these art projects she made. She's been wearing her indian headband all weekend.

Picture taken from her book, "I am thankful for." She keeps saying all weekend, "Mom, Did you know the pilgrims and the indians became friends?"

Chicken & Broccoli Braid

I found this recipe in a Pampered Chef cookbook and used to make it all the time, but forgot about it. ENJOY!

Chicken & Broccoli Braid

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp dill seasoning mix
1/4 tsp salt
2 pkg (8 oz) each refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp slivered almonds

Mix chicken, broccoli, cheese, mayonnaise, dill seasoning, and salt. Unroll pkgs of refrigerated crescent roll dough and lay side to side on cookie sheet/baking stone. Spread filling evenly over middle of dough. Cut stripes 1 1/2 inches apart, 3 inches deep. To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to form a braid. Tuck ends under to seal at end of braid. Brush egg white over dough. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Thankful THANKSGIVING Thursday

So true about Thanksgiving. As soon as Halloween is over, it's all about Christmas with every store filled with Christmas decorations and playing Christmas tunes. But in honor of Thanksgiving today, I want to pause & reflect on what we're thankful for. Here's what our family is thankful for:

Michelle - The important things: great husband, great kids, great friends, my testimony & faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The little things: caller ID on telephones, DVR to record my favorite shows, the internet, being able to work from home, our accounting & tax business & clients, a warm house & bed and heated leather seats.

Alex - family, Wii, friends, bacon, beef jerky, and guitar

Ashley - friends, soft blankets, electricity, yummy smelling lotion

Abbey - french fries, Santa Claus, Webkinz, American Girl Dolls, my pink, fuzzy blanket from my friend, Alexis

Aliza- Dora, my house, my sisters, my family

Ava - warm milk (luckily my mom has enough to feed me 24/7)

Rascal the Raccoon

Meet Rascal the Raccoon, the closest thing to a furry pet that we'll ever own. Jason is SO allergic to dogs and cats, which works out great for me! When the kids ask for a dog or cat, it's an easy excuse. "Sorry, but Dad's allergic!" I can't stand dog or cat hair. In fact, I was at the store the other day and saw a lady in the check out stand in a black sweatshirt covered in white cat hair and I wanted to dry heave! (Yes, you can guess where I was shopping at....Walmart. I'll have to save that for another post....my love & hate relationship with Walmart. Love the prices, hate the store.) And I can't stand how cats pounce around, cough up hair balls and constantly rub up to everyone. In fact, one of my things I'm thankful for this Thansgiving season, is that my mom no longer has pets at her house! It will be a great Thanksgiving with no dogs or cats running under the tables begging for scraps. Enough of my pet soapbox!

Aliza just brought home Rascal. Each one of the kid's in her preschool class has a turn bringing home Rascal for a couple of days and then they share pictures of them & Rascal and what they did with Rascal. She had so much fun taking Rascal everywhere she went. She was so sad when she had to give Rascal back!

Rascal came with Aliza to dance. She loves her ballet & tap class with Miss Lynell. She has five little friends in our neighborhood that go to dance with her, which works out great for carpooling reasons.

Aliza dressed Rascal in her doll clothes and had a sleepover. Love this picture of her sleeping with Rascal.

So for my few blog readers out there, how about you, are you an animal lover or h8r?

Be Still My McDreamy Heart

So, here's how my Friday night went down. The kids talked me into having a few friends over for a "late night." We don't do sleepovers. Jason went to Sportsman's Warehouse for a sale. He deserved a break after doing his share of "Mr. Mom" duties this week. So, I've been in my office working (& hiding from having too many kids here) and catching up on previously taped episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Not a bad way to spend a Friday night with "Dr. McDreamy." I know....I need to get a life!

I must say, he's living proof that some people just get better with age. Just like cheese, right? It's hard to believe he's the same guy that played the goofball in the 80's movie Can't Buy Me Love. Any other fans of Patrick Dempsey out there?

Which Gray's Anatomy Character Are You Most Like?

I just took the Grey's Anatomy personality quiz and am most like Cristina. I was surprised since she's not my favorite. Here's the profile of Cristina. "Very few people have, or can understand, the sheer determination and drive that propels you, but you're just as fiercely protective of your friends as you are of your own hopes and dreams. If they're smart, your friends already know that. They also know that you're more vulnerable than you seem and are only glad to offer a shoulder to cry on."

Wanna play along? Click on this button to play.

Thankful Thursday

The weeks are flying by. Hard to believe it's Thursday again. A few random things I am thankful for:

1. Enjoying a completely quiet house while I type this (Alex, Ashley & Abbey are at school, Aliza's at preschool & Ava's taking a nap). No one's yelling "Maaaawwwwmm" right now!

2. My new flavor of choice: Diet Pomegranate 7up. It's been a hard change switching to diet drinks, but this one really is quite tasty. Thanks for the picture, Shaunte!

3. Girl's Night Out: So excited to play BUNKO with my friends tonight. And I'm so thankful it's not at my house. After hosting last month, I'm thankful to not worry about cleaning the house & cooking the dinner, but just showing up to play!

4. Ok, everything on my list is pretty trivial, except for this one. I am SO thankful for the FREEDOMS we enjoy here in the United States. I am thankful to be sitting here in my safe, warm house while others are fighting for us & our great country! I received an email from my friend, Janene, that helped me remember our armed forces that are fighting for us.

Here's a few thoughts & pictures from this email:

You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.

You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.

You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You go to the mall and get your hair done.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

I've been finding the best new recipes on recipe blogs. I added a few links to some of my favorites (see bottom of sidebar). Another quirk of mine: I have a hard time trying a new recipe unless there's a picture. So here's a picture to entice you to try this new recipe...I promise you won't be disappointed! Jason & the kids LOVED this dinner.

Here's the recipe for sour cream chicken enchiladas. Super easy. In fact, I made it with canned chicken & it turned out delicious! Enjoy!

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (or 1-2 cans of canned chicken, depending on how much you like)

12 flour tortillas (I use the uncooked ones from Sam's/Costco)

2 cups shredded cheese (I use the Mexican blend)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies (I didn't add these-our family doesn't like)

In a large bowl, combine cheese, 1 can chilies, and chicken. Set aside. Cook tortillas on stove top until golden brown. Spoon a good size portion of chicken mixture onto all tortillas, rolling them and placing them seam side down in 9 x 13 baking dish.

In sauce pan, melt butter then blend flour into butter to make a roux. Add chicken broth and cook until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in sour cream and 1 can green chilies. Be careful not to boil. Pour sauce over enchiladas and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Immediately, set oven to BROIL and cook for another 5 minutes (be careful not to burn).

Enchiladas are done when sauce in the center is bubbling. Serve with side of rice or beans.