Kickin It Country- Snowball Dance 2010

Last night was the annual Snowball Dance. We've been going almost every year since we moved here.
For the past couple of years, the kids have been old enough to go with us and that makes it all the more fun.
The theme was Kickin It Country so there was lots of line dancing and good ol' country swing. Matt's not big on dancing but I did get Cody to dance with me on a couple of them.
The girls had friends there and had fun running around and playing. We won a door prize~ a t-shirt form JJ's sports, and we ate yummy cookies from the refreshment table.
We didn't stay very late this year but the time we did spend was a lot of fun.

Be Strong and of a Good Courage

Last night was Jaycee's first New Beginnings. The Young Women leaders in our ward did a great job in tying it into playing a football game with personal progress questions.
At halftime we had yummy refreshments and learned all about the new program. The girls received a plaque with this years theme, and because Jaycee was new this year, she got to be one of the MVP's for the night.
I'm so glad that I got to share last night with Jaycee, it brings back a lot of memories of my days in Young Women.

Loved

Normally I don't make Valentine's Day a big holiday and this year I was pretty much going to skip right through it as Matthew was working the weekend. But I have to brag on my children a little because they really outdid themselves. On Wednesday night Jaycee brought me a rose home from school. She laid it on my pillow with a note that said Happy Valentine's Day, love your kids.
Cody brought me home this little decoration from art class.
Britnee got out all of her crafty stuff and made me a book mark for all the books I read. She made an envelope to put it in and left it under the bathroom door while I was in the shower.
Matthew got to come home late on Friday night and spend the weekend at home. It was a pretty lazy weekend but we had a good time together. And bonus, we received Valentine's cookies from three of our thoughtful neighbors.
What a surprisingly delightful weekend this turned out to be. I am truly loved.

Happy Birthday to my little man

Cody turns seven years old today. I can't believe that my baby is growing up so fast.
Right now the coolest thing in Cody's life is shooting guns with his dad, trading Yu Gi Oh! cards with his friends on the bus, and playing his gameboy.
Cody has the funnest little personality. He takes good care of his mom and tries his hardest to be a good kid.
Happy birthday my little man! I love you Cody!

Super Bowl Sunday

Our 2nd annual Super Bowl Sunday was pretty laid back. This year we picked our teams by careful thought and sheer strategy. Matt and I cheered for the Colts because they are horses and Matt likes horses. Candice cheered for the Saints because their uniform colors are cool. And
Rich and Amy were the neutral party. If that isn't football pride, I don't know what is.
We had yummy food to eat and the house stayed pretty quiet considering we had eight kids running around.
Britnee and some of the kids spent their time in her room watching a movie on her 8 inch DVD player. What entertainers we are.

The Call of Duty

As of the first of December our ward has taken over the duty of cleaning the church. Each Saturday morning 4 or 5 families meet and work together to make sure everything sparkles on Sunday morning.
This morning was our turn. Jaycee and Britnee both had slumber parties the night before so instead of taking Britnee, we had Mariah and Katlyn Farmer.
Our assigned job was the cultural hall and hallways. Matt and Cody ran the vacuum while the girls and I dusted and straightened. It was a good feeling to know that we are taking an active part in helping with the building. And you sure appreciate a clean building more when you are the ones to clean it.

Memory Moment-Jackie's Bread Sticks

Tonight I was going through some dinner idea's when I thought of spaghetti and bread sticks. Once the thought was there, I got pretty excited because I haven't made bread stick's from scratch in forever and as I made them, I wondered why. I love bread sticks. (Is it one word or two? I don't know.) Anyway, they're simple and fast and go with everything: salad, soup, spaghetti, Alfredo, the possibilities are endless.
They were yummy. Everyone in the family liked them and they were gone even before I thought to take a picture. So here is my recipe:

Breadsticks
3 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. malted milk
(by the chocolate milk mix @ the store)
2 Tbsp. onion salt
2 Tbsp. honey
8 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add other ingredients.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll into sticks.
Spread melted butter and salad supreme on top.
Cook until golden brown on the bottom.

If you have a breadstick recipe that's yummy, let me know. I'd love to have more. Happy dinner!

Readers Theater

Today I went to Britnee's class for their Readers Theater production of "Atalanta and the Big Race." The play was based on Greek Mythology.
We went down and borrowed grandpa's white sheets so Brit could have a toga.
The event was very informal and quite short but the kids did great and had a lot of fun.