you scream, i scream, we all scream for...

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM!! I got my family fun e-mail for cool summer treats, and they had a way easy recipe for ice cream. So last night we made some. Here's the recipe:
1 c half and half
2 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla
ice
1 c rock salt
So you put sugar, half and half and vanilla in a sandwich size ziplocking bag. Then put in into another bag. Then put those into a gallon size bag half filled with ice and large salt. Toss, shake, roll, play catch for about 5 minutes and SNAP! :) Homemade soft serve ice cream. We tossed ours back and forth across the table and then I added some red food coloring that Ab smooshed around for pink ice cream :) HA! What a girl. JB put some chocolate sauce on his. It makes the perfect single serving. It was delicious. We ate it right out of the bag(placing it inside another bag helps to keep the salt taste from tainting the ice cream bag. We skipped this step-I just wiped them off, but didn't do a great job so I got a little salt flavor every so often) We also put 2 ice creams in the one gallon bag so it took a couple more minutes. I think i'll try it with some mint extract next time, and some carmel, and some sprinkles, and some strawberries-ENDLESS POSSIBILIES!!!! Tom came downstairs and asked what the recipe was, and so I told him. Then Ab says, "Then you put it in a bag with lots and lots of ice and play catch, then open the bag, make it pink, and eat it!" :) Reminds me of my Kindergarden hot dog recipe...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

So with work and trying to sleep and enjoy my kids growing up, my blogging has been put on the back burner. I got hired for the graveyard(midnight-8am) part time shift at Winco on the 11th after turning in my application on the 2nd. It was way fast. So once we get into the swing of things around here, I hope to actually get caught up with last months posts, and get current on this months. But if that doesn't happen, it will be known as the missing summer, and we'll leave it at that.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

My Abby's got some imagination. She just came out of her room (again) and told me that there is a fairy on the ceiling fan that won't get out of her room. Last week it was a witch, and before that a monster. So in the closet hangs a "No Monsters Allowed" sign. I walk her back in her room and help her "poof" away the fairy so that it has disappeared. She was content and climbed in bed. Hopefully she's there for the night, because I've got some tired eyes.

Wordless Wednesday - Piano Lessons

Just a note... I've realized that I haven't posted a lot of my pictures, and so I will be going back to those days and making posts, so that it stays in chronological order-ish. Nothing past the 1st of June, but a lot of posts in June. Like the whole Reno trip!!! Anyways, just a note for you readers out there. If there are any. I'm going to be working on it this week. Filling in the gaps of last month :)

let the music roll

So I moved Dax back into his own room last week. I didn't like how I was handling naptime and if they don't have to share a room, I think it's best they don't right now. Maybe when the way we put them down to sleep is more similar... Anyways, so I was rearranging the toys again and Abby grabs a red chair sits down at the chalk board table. "Mom. This is the Pandoe(piano)" I'm then expecting some finger play along the edge. She pretends to roll something in the air... tells me again it's a piano... and then starts stomping her feet. Silly me. It's a pretend player piano. "Just like at Grandma's"

evenings

It gets to be bedtime, but it's really nice outside. We've been going for walks and playing on the tramp. Ab loves to jump around and sing songs and Dax laughs and runs after her. I love this time of night.

Happy 4th of July!

Abby got all jazzed up for the 4th a few days early when we went to the library and she got her own flag and got to walk in a parade around the library. Ab and Dax were waving their flags and marching to the music. It was a pretty cute sight. So when I told her we were going to Grandma and Papa's for a 4th of July party she was all over it. "Are my friends going to be there?" Well some :) I laid the kids down for nap, and had to wake them up at 4:30 to go. We got there and helped get dinner set up. Ab was way to excited to eat, and when the older girls (Molly and her Pyrah cousins) went to play in the back yard, Ab came over "Mom, Dad, can I go play with the girls?!" It was totally cute watching her run around with those girls. JB said he almost didn't recognize her, she just blended right in. We went downtown for the parade and the kids were all excited. Steve's mom Linda told the kids to stay on the crosswalk line. It was hard being on the outside corner. The kids wanted to scoot in all the time. Ab was pretty good about staying put. When people would go by and throw some candy, it was a bit hectic for lil Ab, but Molls was way nice and shared her candy. And Dax just waving his flag. We left a couple minuted early and got in a swing at Grandma's before we changed for swimming. Dax loved the swing. I held him on my lap, and JB had sat on the grass. Something about Daddy getting closer and then farther made him laugh everytime. After swimming it was dessert time, and then they all headed down to Ann Morrison, but we just drove to Meridian(it was already 10), pulled in a parking lot close to the speedway. Ab sat on my lap, and a conked out Dax barley flinched when the BOOM of the fireworks started. Ab covered her ears for a couple seconds, and then loved picking out her favorite colored ones. "No, that one is my favorite!" We took off before it was over, and JB and her went upstairs, snuggled in a blanket and watched fireworks aross the valley. It was pretty great.

*Dax slept through the night! I woke up in the morning, and rose my fists above my head in triumph... JB says, "So that's all we gotta do??" HA!