Busted!

Xander has been caught!

Red Handed,

Hand in the Cookie Jar,

BUSTED!

We have started cleaning the kid's rooms before bedtime each night instead of in the mornings.  We all sing the "clean up" song and happily pick up all the toys that accumulate in there throughout the day.  For two kids that seem to be under my feet ALL day long they sure get their rooms messy.  They probably hold the world record for speed-messes... maybe.

The last couple of morning when Xander has woke up we've discovered this little scene:

What you are seeing here is evidence that Xander does NOT go to bed as well as we thought he did.

GRRRR

He is apparently pulling back the curtain to light his room with the overly bright street light and playing with his cars and construction equipment when he should be sleeping.  I can just picture him laying there playing with them.  It really makes me wonder if he's sleeping in his bed or on the floor!

I guess it's time to start checking in on him to be sure he's ASLEEP and in his BED!

sigh

Dinner Time Fun

We absolutely LOVE this place:

They have some of the yummiest pork I've ever had.  Mix that in a thick, handmade tortilla with rice, beans, cheese & sauce and I am in heaven!

Unfortunately, due to a lack of this

We haven't been able to enjoy the yummy goodness much lately.

What's a family to do without their favorite "fast" food???

FIND A RECIPE!

We've been using the recipe I found here for over 6 months now and it is wonderful.  Not quite exactly like Cafe Rio, but close enough to satisfy our cravings. 

The best part about eating our Cafe Rio at home is listening to James ask if we want "black or pinto beans?" as he puts together the burritos.  It's a good thing everyone likes pinto because we don't ever heat up any black beans.  :)  He also is sure to yell out "Extra Meat" when he makes his and even occasionally "Free Meal."  For those of you that haven't been blessed with a Cafe Rio meal ALL of the employees yell out both "free meal" and "extra meat" - it's a little crazy.

That little window makes it nearly impossible to get a good picture of someone in the kitchen after 4 pm!  It might be time to invest in some curtains :)

James continues to crack us up by placing a little bit of meat on the outside of the burrito, just like the restraunt.  He thinks he's so funny - and usually he is.

Xander loves the meal and often has most of his food gone before everyone can get sat down. 

He's a monster.

Elsha also enjoys the porky-goodness and devours hers as well.

I like it for so many reasons; the smiles my husband produces while assembling the burritos, the taste (of course) and the leftovers.  There's usually enough left over for 2 meals that we put in the freezer for a quick easy meal later on (we double the recipe).

Pictures from 5/16 - I'm trying to get caught up on my blogging/family journalling so you'll start seeing some old dates soon.

Elsha Turned Two!

Elsha turned 2 years old this week and we had a blast for her birthday.

Daddy started out his little girl's birthday right making muffins for breakfast.  According to Elsha and Xander they were cupcakes and they couldn't get enough! 

We painted fingernails - such a fun thing for a little girl.  I never would've guessed that she would instinctively know to hold out her fingers until they were dry but she did and my furniture will be eternally grateful to not have red smudges.

We enjoyed lunch with Grandma & Grandpa D at Red Robin.  It was the first time in months that we took the kids to anything more extravagant than drive through.  They did exceptionally well.  There's nothing like well behaved kids to make a mom proud :)

Elsha went down for a late nap and we got her presents ready.  After waiting to wake her for a little while Xander couldn't resist any longer.  She HATES getting woken up and was prepped and ready to be super ornery until.... she came out to this site:

She got a Tea Set and wasn't sure what to think of it at first...

But she figured it out and was SUPER excited.  Yes, that is a happy face.  I think she was saying "Yay" or something similar... but a happy face none-the-less.

I refinished a cabinet my grandfather made for me when I was a kid.

I'll post before & after pictures on my other blog when I finish up a few details I'm considering adding.  We'll see...

She also loved her boa & tiara (that Xander promptly sat on and broke within minutes after this picture, sigh)

Later, we had yummy cake (the real stuff this time, not muffins) and icecream with Grandma Laurie & Grandpa Tom. 

Elsha loved being the center of attention all day.

YAY FOR BIRTHDAYS!

Elsha's Big Day

Our sweet little girl is turning 2 today!

She is a true blessing in our lives in so many ways.