Danko Family Scoop

August Recap

2010-09-01T04:18:00.000-07:00

August went by just as quickly as July did.

Aunt Bridget and Uncle Jason stopped by for a quick visit before heading to Topsail Beach. I managed to sneak away for a short 24 hour trip to the beach with the boys...and wish we could have stayed longer! The boys had a blast!!!

THANKS to Aunt Bridget and Uncle Jason for letting us crash your vacay!

This is typical Connor....soccer cone on his head, Mr Tater Head glasses on his face, and New Orleans beads around his neck. The other day he said to me while swinging at the park.."Mommy, if I fall off this swing, I will hurt my belly button, and will put a band aid on it because THAT'S HOW I ROLL" I cracked up! Yes...this picture above is "how we roll"

The boys start preschool on Tuesday!!!! I found these plain backpacks at Target for $6 a piece. I took the boys to Hobby Lobby to pick out some iron on letters. Actually, I picked the letters and they picked their own sports ball! I wanted them to be able to recognize their own bag, but didn't want their name on the bag for security reasons! Super cute and a great bargain...all for under $20!!! Notice Connor's hand..he was SO excited about his backpack!

July is Almost GONE!

2010-07-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Life has been so unbelievably busy, that this blog has fallen by the wayside. Finding the time to upload pictures and updates is very difficult.

That being said, the summer has flown by! The boys have been in swim lessons regularly and are getting very brave in the water! Connor will jump in all by himself, go under the water and come back up with a look of surprise on his face. I take them to the pool as much as I can since it's the only way to get through the ridiculous heat we've been having. My glasses fog up when I walk out of the front door...that's how bad the humidity and heat have been!

Eric successfully finished his first year of residency...ONE MORE TO GO! Needless to say, I'm looking forward to him completing this and us moving on to the next step in his career. There are so many different paths we could go down, that I get anxious thinking about where we may end up next. I'm starting to get asked where we're moving next, when, for how long, etc. Please don't ask us! We will share the information as soon as we have confirmation. We know nothing as of right now, and won't know anything until after the first of next year.

August is going to be another quick month! The boys have swim camp the first week and vacation bible school. I'm very busy planning the annual membership drive for the Fort Bragg Area Officers' Spouses' Club. Being a part of the board has been a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well. I have bi monthly meetings, and A LOT of paperwork, phone calls, and emails to do. I love it!

Eric and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on July 19th. We went to a very nice restaurant in Southern Pines and took our annual anniversary picture. I have them all hanging on the wall!

It has been raining all day and is supposed to rain off and on all week. The boys asked if they could go play in the rain, and I figured...WHY NOT? Here they are all "soakin' wet" and ready to go inside to dry off!

They keep us laughing a lot, and also wanting to plug our ears. They NEVER stop talking!!!! Connor is constantly telling us things...we call it "Connor's Commentary" He will make a great reporter someday. He repeats his facts, some are important...most are not...and gives a play by play on EVERYTHING! Brandon is just down right hilarious most of the time. Some of his latest realizations... "Mommy, when I poop I wipe my bottom and pull up my pants and if there's still poop on my bottom, I tell myself "don't worry about it" He told me that the other day at dinner! This morning, at breakfast he told me, "When I was a baby, I farted like a ladybug" I don't know where he gets this stuff from, but it's funny and very hard not to laugh at him.

Eric and I tried to bribe them with cookies the other day to be QUIET in the car. If they could be quiet from the restaurant to the house, they would get a cookie. Connor lasted about a minute and a half. He saw the moon and said, "The earth turns, the sun goes down, and we see the moon because of the sun's reflection" While that's very smart of him to say, and very true...HE LOST! Brandon lost a few minutes after him.

Preschool is right around the corner and they are READY! They both know how to spell their own names, the entire alphabet, can recognize numbers 1-5 and most of the days of the week. Connor can write the letters, O, T, A, L, H, and C. He attempts many others, but they are pretty much just scribble! Smart little cookies in the making!

Hope everyone is having a great summer...and STAY COOL!

Sprinkler Fun!

2010-05-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

Eric's Promotion

2010-05-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 24th was an awesome day in the Danko Household....Eric was promoted to Major in the United States Army!!!! This is a wonderful accomplishment and very much deserved.

This is his cake...chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and raspberry filling.
It was gone as soon as I cut it!!!
The whole spread
Us and his cake...YUMMY!!!
The promotion took place in front of the clinic...thankfully the rain held off.

Colonel Barber pinning him on the right side and I'm pinning the left.
Reaffirming his oath.

Danea's husband, Paul, is in the residency with Eric. She came out to the big shindig to prepare for Paul's big day in January. Thanks for coming Danea...it meant a lot!
My parents were a huge help! I'm so glad they were able to come out and share the excitement with us. Thanks again mom and dad...love you!!!!

Looking Forward

2010-05-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

About one year from now, we will be gearing up to move. I can say that, but we all know that nothing is definite with the military until we have orders in hand. That doesn't mean I can't "look forward"

We've had a very exciting and fun filled 6 years here and we'll hit 7 years before we leave. We bought our first house, 2 deployments, 2 kids, a great job (for me), adding onto our house, and great friends. These are some things I'm looking forward to in the next year or year and a half.

BIGGER house with a pantry, indoor laundry room, 2 car garage, and hopefully a bonus room.
Hopefully closer to family whether that be in the midwest or the west.
Hopefully a location that has a good school system.
Hopefully somewhere with milder summers and more exciting winters

I'm busily planning Eric's promotion party that is on the 24th. He has worked very hard and has earned every benefit that comes with this promotion. My parents are coming in town to celebrate with us. Their help will be greatly appreciated!!! I'm also getting involved in some volunteer work with the Officer's Spouse's Club!!! This fall will be very busy with the membership drive I have to organize as well as the boys starting preschool and Eric beginning the last year of his residency. One year down, one more to go. We have survived the first year and Eric has done very well. I can only hope the second year goes just as well!!!!

I'm looking forward to all the things we have coming up! As stressful as it is to move (PCS) I'm very MUCH looking to moving to our next duty station...next summer can't come soon enough.

Beautiful May Day!

2010-05-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

WARNING...NAKED BABY BOTTOMS BELOW!!!!

The boys call this "pee like both" meaning they go potty together.

Playdoh on the back deck on a beautiful day!

Jade and Rena have been digging the HECK out of my back yard....thanks to these little moles. This is the third one she's brought me in the last few weeks. The other 2 were deceased, but this one was still alive. I scooped it up gently with a shovel and let it gently fly over the back of the fence into the woods. Notice how many times I said gently. After he took flight, I rewarded Jade with a few treats. She treated it like her own little puppy...it was kinda cute, but also creepy!

Smart Kids

2010-05-09T17:35:00.001-07:00

All is well in the Danko house! Not much new to share or tell...other than the fact that Connor figured out how to unlock my ipod touch, turn the pages of apps, find a game, start it and play it. SO funny...Eric managed to get him to do it on video. Enjoy! Be sure to listen very carefully to what Connor says. He's so funny! These kids are seriously too smart for their own good...and mine!

Strawberry Pickin'

2010-05-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

The boys and I went to pick fresh strawberries with some friends...

Connor, Brea, Reese, and Brandon
LOOK...let's start THERE!
Brandon picking some berries....
...and eating them...
...Connor eating them...
...and picking them...
Brandon was looking for the ones that weren't SQUISHY
Connor pulling off the top to pop it in his mouth!
It's a good one, MOM!
Itty bitty berry
They are SO good right off the vine...a little dirt and all!!!

Brandon wanted to carry a bucket...so he carried Tara's while Connor carried ours...

Come on guys! Time to go!
Connor carrying our bucket...
and Brandon dragging Tara's...carrying berries is HARD work!
The whole clan...Reese, Connor, Brandon, Brea and Gage!
Thank you Pilson's Strawberry Farm...we'll be back in a few weeks!!!!

Swim Lesson Pictures

2010-04-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here are the swim lesson pictures I tried to post the other day. I also tried to post some older photos, but the blogger is NOT cooperating with me. I'm not sure why, but I'm working on it.

April is almost GONE!

2010-04-20T04:53:00.000-07:00

I know I have been super slack in posting, but life it super crazy!

I still cannot upload pictures on here. If any fellow google bloggers have some advice on how to get them loaded, I would appreciate it. I wonder if I need to update any part of this blogger site...hmmmmm...

The boys are keeping me extremely busy...all three of them! We are still taking swim lessons twice a week and trying to see Eric those nights either at clinic, or he tries to come watch them swim if his schedule permits. We got a different swim teacher for the month of April and Brandon is making BIG strides with her. He obviously did not trust last month's teacher because of his incident. Aliza is great with them and the class is only 4 kids instead of 5.

I registered the boys for preschool for the fall. I wasn't going to, but with Eric's schedule being SOOO busy I really need a little break. So, they are going to preschool at a local Presbyterian church 2 days a week. It is a 100% nut free facility (YAY), it comes highly recommended from one of the boys' NICU nurses, and feels very "homey" with sweet teachers and a nice balance of structure and education. I can still take them to Mother's Day Out on Fridays if I need an extra day to get things done. This summer, I plan on taking them to a few summer camps as well! They are a week long from 9-12. They have a theme each week. The last week is dinosaurs, so they will definitely be going to that one!

I recently accepted a position on the Officers' Spouses' Club in Membership. I will be in charge of a big membership drive in August and then maintaining new members through out the year. I'm very excited to be a part of this organization with the hopes to get more wives from the dental corp involved! The meetings and luncheons will coincide with the boys preschool times so I won't have to worry about childcare for them. It's a win-win situation!

I'm still making cakes for all kinds of people! I make about 2-3 a month. It's a nice balance for me to be able to make a few cakes, have a little spending money in my pocket, and still stay home with the boys. Can't beat that! I have a few pictures I need to put up on my Goodies Blog...but once again, time isn't always on my side.

Eric is still very busy with his work...there's not much more to say about that!

Kentucky Trip

2010-04-01T05:46:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to upload photos all morning and blogger is NOT cooperating with me. So, I'll just put a few words up here and will put up photos later.

We made it to KY safe and sound last Thursday. Once again the boys are FABULOUS car riders. Two potty stops, two stops for some food and that's it! I made the trip in 11 and a half hours while 9 and a half of that were actual driving hours.

Friday, we hung out for the morning until I received a call from the alarm company that our house alarm was sounding. I requested the police go out to the house since I knew Eric JUST left the house to head back to work after lunch. Sure enough, two idiots busted through our front door and robbed our home. That's right...they violated our HOME! Thankfully, they only got my jewelry box full of safety pins, old buttons, and non-valuable jewelry, a broken digital camera, and possibly a few of my Vera Bradley bags. I need to double check my Vera Inventory when I get home. Eric thinks they took one from the front hall, but I can't remember if the purse was even there. They did more valuable damage to our home than the value of what they stole. Eric is taking care of getting the whole front door, door jam, etc replaced. It's now just a big pain in the butt! I'm trying not to let this ruin my trip, but it's disturbing to think that 2 strange men where in my bedroom and in my home. It just makes me want to leave Fayetteville even more. 1 1/2 more years!

I worked the Turfway Races on Saturday to earn money for my high school band. They got 100 bucks towards the band and I earned $165 in tips! I've never waited a table in my life, but these patrons were just as demanding as my 3 year olds...although Connor and Brandon aren't usually drunk! Seriously, I had a great time, had a great group of 40 people whom I kept the alcohol coming to.

Sunday we hung out, did a little shopping, and had dinner Bridget and Jason's new house.

Monday, Dad the boys and I packed up the car and made our way to Illinois to see my grandparents, 2 sets of aunts and uncles, and my cousins....oh yeah...and Simba...the dog! We had a great time visiting with Great Grandpa Trame and I know he enjoyed watching the boys run around the house! Uncle Danny took the boys to his volunteer fire station, and they got to sit in 5 FIRE TRUCKS! They didn't enjoy the air horn too much, but loved everything else.

We heading back to KY on Wednesday and stopped by Ann's house in Indianapolis for the afternoon. We all ate lunch together and spent a few hours in the back yard enjoying the beautiful weather.

I'll be in KY for a few more days...heading back to NC either Monday or Tuesday. Mom and Dad are both off Friday so we're going to Panera for breakfast, since I don't have one in Fayetteville, we're meeting Bridget at her office for lunch, and doing an Easter Egg hunt at some point.

Like I said...when the blogger wants to cooperate, I'll upload some pictures!

Parkin' It

2010-03-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is starting to get nicer, we are spending A LOT of time outside before it gets TOO hot! We went to a new grocery store in town to check it out, picked up some bananas and chips and hit the park. We walked 2 miles on the trail, spent some time on the swings, ate bananas, walked some more, ate our chips, and then played some soccer. They took a FABULOUS nap today, and then we went to swim class. Brandon is finally starting to trust his teacher! He jumped into the pool into her arms, and did most of the exercises. I'm very proud of my little man.

Enjoy some pictures from our day!

Brandon is LICKING his Dorito and Connor is saying, "Sup mamma?"

CHEESE FACE!

Brandon ran around, dribbled the ball with his sunglasses on
his head and his Doritos in his hand..so cute!

Great kick B! I have a feeling my bottom will be s
pending a lot of time on bleachers with these two!

This is a picture of Connor the other night. He fell asleep with his arm on the wall and knee up. I think he was finally starting to feel better after his double ear infections and just CRASHED that night.

Enjoying the Weather

2010-03-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

We are starting to have pretty nice weather here in NC. SO, we took advantage of it!

Connor kicking the ball right into the net!
Mommy...will you kick it up high into the sky?

We even got out the football...Connor was doing really good!
Cool dudes ridin' up the street
Poor Connor is almost too tall for his little power wheel!
Come on brother!

Before we went outside..Connor crashed on the couch!
Poor little guys have little head colds right now.

Swimming Twins

2010-03-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

I enrolled the boys in swim lesson on Ft Bragg. Most activities are cheaper on Ft Bragg than in the civilian sector, but after their first session, I'm pretty sure I will look for lessons elsewhere. They put 5 preschoolers with 1 instructor which made me very anxious to begin with. The teacher didn't really engage Brandon and Connor in what she wanted them to do. Within the first 5 minutes of class, she was trying to get them to put their heads under the water. Now, in my opinion, they shouldn't be asked to put their head underwater in their first class. I was the only mom sitting right behind the kids in the pool...Eric was there too. The other moms were on the other side of the aquatic center..chit chatting and paying no attention to their own kids...and they were all misbehaving. I will never understand some parents, but "to each their own."

The next thing we knew, Brandon was totally under the water and unable to get out. I had to rush over and pull him out myself. The teacher had her back turned to the kids who were standing up against the wall and the lifeguard was definitely off in la la land. As a former lifeguard myself, YOU CANNOT TAKE YOUR EYES OF THE LITTLE ONES! Brandon was a little hysterical when I pulled him out which was understandable. My concern was that Brandon would be scared of the water now. I held him for a while to get him calmed back down. I slowly inched closer to the pool and he did end up finishing the class by sitting on the edge of the pool with his feet in.

I tried to talk to the aquatics director about switching to "mommy and me" class with the boys. They aren't quiet ready for formal lessons...if that's how the lesson are going to be. He wasn't super cooperative, but he and the instructor did agree to let me in the pool with them next week. I don't want to be one of THOSE moms who is over protective, but after the incident of Brandon getting stuck under water...I'm a little nervous. Yes, I can teach them some basics myself, but for once I just wanted them to be in a class where someone else taught them! Sometimes I feel like I have very unrealistic expectations of other people when it comes to the boys. No wonder so many people home school their kids!

We have to finish out the month since they won't refund my money, but I'm on a mission to find somewhere else for them to take lessons. I also hate to be THAT mom that pulls their kids out of every activity if I don't like it, but this is about my boys' safety! It may seem that I'm mad about this whole thing, but I'm really just more disappointed in the staff at the pool. Never the less, we got a few cute pictures of them!

The boys in their little swim trunks that were given to us from the Ashley family...
my friend who has the triplets!

CHEESE mom
This picture doesn't surprise me!
This pool is really nice! It has the beach entry where they walk right in.
Connor smiling and kicking with the teacher

Me calming Brandon down after I had to pull him out.

It's MARCH already?

2010-03-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already March! AND...I turn 30 tomorrow...proudly!

This is a very busy week for me! I have a few big cake, cupcake, and cookie orders looming over my head! I've been getting everything together, but there's not much I can really do until Wednesday. I hope I make it through the weekend and that all 3 of my clients will be happy with the end result!

My friend told me about a place called the Resource Lending Library. It's funded by the Partnership for Children and has TONS of items that anyone can check out. It would be a great source of educational activities and tools for homeschooling parents!!! I checked out a few things for the boys. It was hard to choose just a few things!

I got them this "ring" thing that I think is meant for little kids to learn to crawl through. However, it makes a great ball pit and the boys are having a blast playing with it. I would never spend the money on an item like this, but that's what this library is for!

I also picked up a few puppets....Brandon had the caterpillar...which turned into...

Connor's butterfly!

The boys start swim lessons tomorrow! I'm hoping for little fish who love to be in the water. I hope to get some good pictures...but I'm not sure if I have to get in the water with them or not!

3 Year old Pictures and a Museum

2010-02-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

Ok DAD, here are your pictures!!!! Silly Grandpa...he started asking me for pictures while I was in the car driving right after we had them taken!

I took the boys to Durham today to get their pictures taken, meet up with my good friend Jessica, eat lunch at a really neat place called Parker and Otis, then hit the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science for the dinosaur exhibit. We had a great day with the exception of Connor and another little boy running into each other HEAD ON! They are both ok, but hit foreheads really hard. I love these North Carolina days when it's sunny and 65 in the middle of February...beautiful day!

Snow Time

2010-02-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Friday night, the snow started falling just before the boys went to bed! Throughout the night, 4 whole inches of snow fell! It was the perfect snow man making snow. We took them outside when it started falling, and then again in the morning to actually play in it. We had to improvise since there's no reason to have snow suits and other snow gear in NC! Lunch baggies, socks, and triple layering worked out well! I don't even have gloves for these guys...I need to order some for next winter...just in case. They had fun playing in it, but were ready to come back in after about an hour. The snow was all gone by mid afternoon, however there were MANY closings around town. These crazy NC people do not know how to handle snow. They just freak out! Crazy southerners.

Are you FORTUNE-ate enough to have a Valentine?

2010-02-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

I saw a really cute idea on www.highlowaha.com to make Fortune Cookie Valentines! Check out their posting from February 8th for the detailed "HOW TO"

The only modification I made was to only glitter one side of the circle. These are going home to a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds. I don't think their mommies will be very happy if I send home a glitter covered valentine!

Keepin' Up with 3 year olds....shew!

2010-02-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Things have been status quo around here for the most part. I'm getting over a pretty nasty cold or virus or whatever it was. Brandon had 2 "nurse maid elbow" incidents this week. One sent us to the ER due to about 12 hours of continuous crying and pain. We aren't sure what's causing his tendons to pop out of place in his wrists and elbows, but hope to get some answers at their 3 year old check up next week.

We are moving right along on Operation Alphabet. I've been putting a big letter out of masking tape on the playroom floor, and I leave it there until they KNOW IT! We have been at it for a week and the both know A, B, C, D, O, T and Connor knows those plus M, W, and sometimes S. They are starting to point out letters on signs, trucks, and in their books.

The boys need constant stimulation! I've been racking my brain to come up with activities for them to do or to help me with. Here are a few!

Tonight was PIZZA MAKING PARTY. I've always wanted to try to make pizza dough from scratch. Fortunately, it's an easy thing to have the boys help me with. I measured out the water, yeast, olive oil, flour, and salt and they poured it all in. Then we let it rise for an hour while we played a game of Cariboo. They LOVED poking at the dough and then punching it down!

Next, I gave them each a little bit of flour on their place mats and threw down a clump of dough. I told them to press it out into whatever shape they wanted. Next, I threw them in the oven for 10 minutes.

I decided to put their pizzas on a piece of parchment paper so they could load up their toppings without burning themselves on the pizza stone...smart idea if I do say so myself!

First up...sauce...

Next up..CHEESE AND CHEESE AND MORE CHEESE

...itty bitty pepperonis...or as Brandon called them...PACKERONIS. I think he got the pepperonis confused with macaronis!

Brandon added some mushrooms to his...Connor is not "one" with the fungus!

Here's the final product...Connor looks a little stoned!!!!!

Then we popped them in the oven for 10 more minutes and VOILA

The pizza I made for Eric and me!

We studied the letter "M" a little bit the other day and made "M"ardi Gras "M"asks!

Can you tell who is who?

SUPER BOWL of the Super Bowl Snack Throw Down

2010-02-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

FANTASY FRITO CANDY

It's been many weeks, many recipes, many late night postings, many attempts at finding good lighting in my itty bitty house for pictures, and many trips to drop off my culinary creations to my most devoted supporters. Now, at the final game of this contest, I'm up against Frito-RAY.
Be sure to head on over to HIGHLOWAHA to see what Frito-RAY comes up with and to get in on the smack talk action! I do have to say that he laid down some serious smack talk when he announced our ingredient.

The ingredient was Fritos of course. When I saw it was Fritos, I immediately thought of chili with Fritos. I decided to take the idea of "chili" and go in a different direction. There are a lot of different recipes for chocolate and Fritos. I decided to pick and choose from a few different recipes to come up with my final recipe for today.

INGREDIENTS

1 11.5 ounce bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp peanut putter (Omit if allergic!)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups Fritos, lightly crushed plus more for garnish
2 cups rice cereal, lightly crushed (Iused 1 cup rice chex and 1 cup corn chex)
1/2 cup chopped peanuts (Omit if allergic)

DIRECTIONS

Cover a cookie sheet or bar pan with parchment or wax paper.
Put the first 6 ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for about an hour or until it is all melted and combine. I used a 1.5 qt crock pot. The larger the crock pot, the shorter the amount of time it will take to melt.
Dump the Fritos, cereal and peanuts into the melted chocolate mixture and stir until combined
Using your oven mitts, pour the candy mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and smooth to about 1/2 inch thickness. I sprinkled the top with some more Fritos
Put in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Cut into 2 or 3 inch squares and ENJOY!

This candy has the pepper and corn taste of the Fritos, richness of the chocolate, and the kick of the cinnamon and cayenne. You can omit the cayenne if you want, but trust me...it's delicious! You can use pretzels instead of cereal, or try rice krispies, or add marshmallows if you want to. This is a very versatile recipe that can adapt easily to your favorite chips and sweets.

Operation Alphabet

2010-02-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

I am bound and determined to teach the boys their alphabet by this summer. Since they aren't going to preschool this fall, it's my responsibility to teach them the basics. They know their colors, shapes, numbers 1-4 and a few letters. I have tried a bunch of different methods, but my sister gave me an even better idea! Make 1 letter per box about 3 at a time. I scraped up all of my leap frog letters, some flash cards, felt letter stickers, and other craft things that all have letters A B and C on them. I dumped them out on the floor and had each boy pick a letter and then grab everything that has that letter on it. Connor sailed through it, but Brandon is still struggling. It will all come in time! I just need to go to the nearest store and purchase a BIG lot of PATIENCE!!!!

Happy Birthday Brandon and Connor

2010-01-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today was a GREAT birthday for the boys! The day started with breakfast in the shape of the number 3....pancakes, apples, and sausage. This is a tradition for us!!!

Here they are in their 3 year old birthday shirts...

It started off with 2 inches of snow and an addition 3/4 in of ice throughout the day. Unfortunately, some of our friends weren't able to make it to their party, but the ones that did all had a really good time. We enjoyed some hot bbq sandwiches, cheese (at Connor's request) fruit and chips...and cupcakes OF COURSE!

Eric and Paul went outside and cleaned off the boys' birthday present...a 14 foot trampoline. I have a feeling this spring and summer will be spent on that thing. Connor, Brandon, and their little friend Brea, had a BLAST on it even though it was wet and still raining freezing rain! After about 20 minutes, all kiddos came inside and got warm. Our friends left and the boys went down for a nap.

We went out to dinner thinking that it wouldn't be busy because of the weather, but we were wrong. A lot of stores, including our mall, were closed as were many restaurants, so O'Charleys was PACKED. The boys celebrated with a big scoop of ice cream for dessert. We came home, finished watching the movie UP and put the boys to bed.

They had a BLAST with Brea and Gage, and loved every single present they received. Thanks so much to our very generous family and friends. We are extending the party to tomorrow afternoon in the hopes that the rest of our friends can come over.

I forgot that I bought the boys the wooden workbench! I bought it when they were about a year and a half old thinking I would give it to them for Christmas when they turned 2. I've been cleaning out the baby stuff from the shed and found it! I threw it together during their nap yesterday and they loved it. I love buying things like that on clearance, I just hate that I forget about them!!!!

Here are a few videos of the boys playing on their trampoline!!!

3 years ago tonight

2010-01-29T20:06:00.000-08:00

3 years ago tonight, I went into labor and didn't even know! Man, how time flies!!!

Necklaces, Little People, and BIRTHDAY PREPARATIONS!!!

2010-01-27T19:22:00.000-08:00

I've been on my feet all day and interacting with the boys non-stop, and now it's time to sit and relax. I thought I would put up a few really funny pictures!

I don't wear jewelry much anymore since I have workout clothes on most of the time. However, I managed to look decent the other day including a necklace. Both boys HAD to wear it and then asked me to take a picture of us. SO CUTE! The necklace was subsequently broken, but I guess I should have expected that. Oh well...small price to pay for a priceless moment.

WARNING....YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE BABY BUTT CRACK...IF THAT OFFENDS YOU, PLEASE DO NOT READ ON!!!!

I was cleaning the bathroom the other day and told the boys to stay in their room while I had the cleaning supplies out. (They have become entirely too curious to trust them NOT to touch something forbidden!) They both go in their room and pull out the puzzles...and...the Little People. Next thing I hear is, "Mommy watch me" I look out in the family room and Connor comes running towards me with Little People tumbling out of his underwear. I said, "Buddy, what in the world are you doing." He says to me, "Putting Little People in my underwear and taking them for a ride on my bottom." I told him to stand still so I could take a picture. I love that they are so realistic and honest at this age. He told me exactly what he was doing and why he was doing it. How DARE we not give those Little People "bottom rides" more often!

Today, we had our preschool session. We learned about snakes, the letter "S", turtles, the letter "T", the color blue, and how to spell it. I wrote "S" and "T" out on card stock, traced it with glue, and gave them beads, buttons, pom poms, and googly eyes to outline it. They LOVE LOVE LOVE to mess around with glue! I don't mind it because they are being creative and learning at the same time. I had a cake client stop by, and while I was talking with her, Connor got ahold of the glue bottle and had a little fun on the kitchen table. No harm to fowl though...I knew they were up to something because they were so quiet!

Speaking of that cake client, I made her some "Pupcakes"! She wants to order about 2 dozen of these for an animal shelter fundraiser, but I wanted to attempt them before I fully committed to her. Here is a picture of the finished pups, but you can see them individually on my goodies blog.

I also made some rice krispie treats for the boys to take to Mother's Day Out on Friday to celebrate their birthday. But, being me, I can't make plain old treats...here's what I came up with! Treats on a stick...OH YEAH!

They were so easy to make! It only took 2 hours from start to finish to make them and get them in the fridge to set. I wrapped them individually today and put them in a basket for the kiddos to grab on their way out of church. I'm in shock that the boys will be 3 on Saturday...man oh man where did the time go?

I guess I should go get their birthday shirts made!!! I LOVE birthdays! It was the one day a year that I felt super special growing up. I got to pick dinner, which consisted of dessert, and then dessert consisted of dinner...spaghetti. Birthdays are a way to make your kids feel special and extra loved!

Long Time No Post

2010-01-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a really long time...actually 1 month...since I have posted anything about the boys on here. Let me tell ya, life with 2 almost 3 year olds and a husband in a very demanding program leaves very little time for anything other than necessities! That being said, here's what we've been up to!

Christmas was a whirlwind. My parents were in town for a week and Eric's parents rounded up the weekend with a short visit. The boys were more than ready to get back to their normal routine and so was I! They started going back to Mother's Day Out 2 days a week, I got back into my gym and grocery shopping routine. Exciting I tell ya!

I'm planning their small birthday party for next weekend. Thanks to the Heros At Home program through Sears, we purchased the boys a 14 foot trampoline for their birthday!!!! We desperately needed something in the back yard for them to play on. We don't always have the time to load up and head to the park, but there's always time to play in the back yard. We figured a trampoline would be easier to move than a swing set. (Since we are up for a possible move summer of 2011) We've invited a few little friends to come over for some barbecue and a jump on the trampoline! Hopefully we can get it put together this week without the boys seeing it...should be interesting!

I have a few cake orders in the works! One for this coming week, 2 big ones the first week of March and another at the end of March. It looks like I'll be spending my 30th birthday IN THE KITCHEN! Yes, I will be turning the big 3-0 on March 3rd, and I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping to get a girls only overnight trip to Raleigh sometime in April as my 30th birthday present. There are about 3 or 4 girls that are definitely up for a night away from the kiddos, dinner at The Melting Pot, and a morning of shopping without multiple potty trips, goldfish crackers, and endless 3 year old chatter!!!!

I've been debating for a while about preschool for the boys this fall. Registration usually starts in February or March and can be somewhat cut throat...the good ones anyway. After a lot of discussions with Eric, we've decided not to put them in school this year. They will continue to go to Mother's Day Out 2 mornings a week for socialization, but I'm going to do a preschool curriculum with them here at home. If I put them in 3 year old Pre-K, I'll have to pull them out when we move, put them in a different 4 year old Pre-K, and then a different Kindergarten. Educational continuity is one of the hardest aspects of the military life. I feel that my decision to keep them home is the best for us right now, and will look for 4 year old Pre-K programs when we find out our next duty station in January of NEXT year. I bought a few 3 year old preschool books and am going to go through them with the boys 1 page at a time! I need to pick up a couple binders to put the pages in so I can mark their progress and see how much their little minds expand.

We had our first little preschool session this morning. We talked about the color red, how to spell it, object that are red, and colored those object red. The boys really liked it! Then, Brandon asked me to draw him a Bee, and Connor wanted a Lion. I think my artistic skills, however elementary they may be, are going to be put to the test with these two!

We color naked...yep...that's how we roll around here!

I've teamed up with a good friend who also has a 3 year old boy. We are aiming to do 1 education session/outing per week together. Christopher is a little more advanced than the boys, but that can be a very good thing! Encouragement is never a bad thing!!! She arranged to go to a reptile exhibit on Monday, but I already had plans...BOO!

Other than the things I already listed, we are just hanging out, enjoying life, and laughing along the way. The boys continue to eat an unbelievable amount of food. They are the most UN-picky kids I've ever seen. Connor is about 34 pounds right now and Brandon is still hanging out around 28 pounds. They have their 3 year old check up on Feb 15th and luckily, Eric will be able to come since that is President's Day! He has yet to go to an appointment since before he deployed!

Here are a few pictures on HOW TO HAVE FUN AFTER DINNER at the Danko House! You can get very creative with Marshmallows when you pull them apart! It's amazing what they will stick to!

SUPER BOWL SNACK THROW DOWN WEEK 17

2010-01-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

INSIDE POCKET SAUSAGES

This is the last week of playoff cooking for the Super Bowl Snack Throw Down. I think there might be one more recipe to go for the actual Super Bowl Game! Head on over to HIGHLOWAHA to get the latest information on the Throw Down Challenge and to see my competitor's entry! Once again, there will not be a reader vote. However, the regular judges will be critiquing us and a third judge will be preparing and taste-testing...yum!

Our ingredient this week is kielbasa sausage. The main recipes I use kielbasa for are my Jambalaya, which isn't football party friendly, and the Black Bean Kielbasa soup that I already shared during this contest. I wanted to make something different, yet easy, and bite sized. I found the following recipe from the Food Network website. While the sausage itself looks simple and maybe a little plain, a "mustard bar" will allow your guests to customize their favorite bite!

INGREDIENTS

2 large egg yolks
1 tsp water, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 rings kielbasa sausage
flour for rolling out pastry
2 sheets prepared puff pastry, thawed per directions on package
assorted mustards for your "mustard bar"

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat the egg and water and set aside
Cut the kielbasa into 8 (3-inch) pieces
On a lightly floured surface, toll out the pastry sheets into 12 by 12 inch squares. Cut each sheet into 4 equal sized squares. (You'll have 8 total)
Brush 1 square with water around the edges. Place the sausage along one edge and roll up to the other edge. Fold the ends of the pastry over the sausage like a present. Place on parchment paper, seam side down. Press all edges firmly to seal. Continue with remaining pastry and sausage.
Brush the tops and sides of the sausage packages with the egg wash and bake until browned and shinny, about 25 minutes
Transfer to a rack and cool for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
These can be served warm or at room temperature

Here's the 3 inch section, ready to be wrapped up in its own little blanket of pastry!
I just rolled it up, firmly pressed the seam together
and then folded the ends in just like a present.

They are basking in their egg wash and ready for a 25 minute party in my oven.
Golden goodness!

I plated the Inside Pocket Sausages with three different kinds of mustards including Grey Poupon, Regular Yellow Mustard and a Boars Head Cajun Style Roumalade. My personal favorite was the Grey Poupon.

I hope the taste tester enjoys making this recipe this week!

Jealous Little Elf

2009-12-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

Coozie the Elf wasn't hard to see,
he was trying to steal
the boys' Elf DVD

I guess Coozie didn't like the competition that Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) was giving him!!!

Hangin' Onto the Holidays

2009-12-21T06:20:00.001-08:00

Coozie the Elf is a STRONG 'lil man,

all night last night, he held onto the fan.

I love this second picture...I caught Connor picking his undie wedgie! HAHAHA

Stray from Danger, Away in a Manger

2009-12-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Coozie surprised the boys by sitting on their potty yesterday! I was lucky enough to get to sleep in, so I didn't get a picture. I'm sure you can imagine a little stuffed Elf sitting on a baby potty.

Lately, Coozie has been getting into trouble, so he decided to mellow out a little. The boys' clue this morning was...

Lately, Coozie has been getting into too much danger, look for him today..."Away in a Manger."

The search for Coozie, subsequently beheaded a wiseman, but Daddy fixed it with a little super glue!

There's only a few days left of Coozie's time here in the Danko house. He'll be heading back to the North Pole with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. We'll miss him, but I bet he'll show up throughout the year!

Here in my car...

2009-12-18T10:02:00.000-08:00

Coozie the Elf didn't go far,
but I heard him, last night, playing in a car!

The boys LOVE Coozie...and so does Rena!

SUPER BOWL SNACK THROW DOWN WEEK 14

2009-12-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

TURNOVER TURKEY RING

You're looking at recipe number 14 of this season's Super Bowl Snack Throw Down. We are given an ingredient each week and have to come up with a recipe worthy of a football gathering! Head on over to HIGHLOWAHA to cast your vote...click on the red oval to enter the blog and look for the voting polls on the right hand side of the screen. The voting starts on Friday Dec 18th and continues through Sunday Dec 20th at 8 CST.

Turkey was our ingredient this week! All I could think of were recipes I whip up with left over turkey from either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I immediately thought of one of the Pampered Chef "rings." These rings are very simple to create. All you need is 2 packages of crescent rolls and a filling. Some of the filling flavors include Reuben, Beef Taco, Spinach Artichoke, Chicken Club, Chicken Broccoli, Garden Vegetable Omlet, and finally Turkey & Cranberry.

INGREDIENTS

Two 8 oz pkg crescent rolls
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1 1/4 cups shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
3 tbsp snipped fresh parsley
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp honey dijon mustard
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 egg white, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING THE RING

Unroll 2 pkgs of crescent rolls and separate into 16 triangles.
Arrange those triangles, slighly overlapping, in a circle around the stoneware (or pizza pan) with the wide end 4 inches from the edge of the stone. The points will be hanging off the edge.
Roll the edges into the center to create a 5 inch opening. I decided to scan the picture of how to make the ring from the cookbook. It's a little hard to visualize through words only, but a picture brings it all together.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING THE FILLING

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a large bowl, combine turkey, 1 cup of the cheese, celery, cranberries, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard and black pepper; mix well.
Scoop the filling on the crescent roll ring. Take the pointed end of each crescent roll and pull it up and over the filling. Tuck the end under the center of the ring. Some of the filling will show!!!!
Brush with egg white.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese
Bake 25 -30 minutes or until golden brown

I made the basic ring, but there's a wreath and a braid! The fillings are all very delicious and can be found in the Pampered Chef All The Best Cookbook. If you ever go to a Pampered Chef party, and aren't sure which recipe book to buy...get that one!

Coozie Got Thirsty

2009-12-17T05:36:00.000-08:00

Coozie got thirsty last night! Brandon found him before I could give them their clue...

Coozie is in the kitchen, but not in the sink. I think he got thirsty and needed a drink!

Brandon looks kinda mad in this picture, but he's saying
"Coozie is thirsty" in a very serious voice!

At least he didn't get into trouble this morning...naughty little Elf

Ceremonial GOOD BYE

2009-12-16T19:39:00.001-08:00

Today was a HUGE day in the Danko household...we said good bye to diapers! They are dry 100% of the time...including through the night. I told the boys to put them in a baby shower bag to give to another baby, but I really I put them up in their closet....just in case! The changing pad is under their bed, and their changing table is a basic dresser!!! This was the best Christmas present ever!

Coozie's Wednesday Antics

2009-12-16T05:41:00.000-08:00

Coozie was a naughty little elf again last night. The boys thought he was hilarious again today...they were jumping up and down laughing at him. This was their clue

One day Coozie the Elf was in our tree, but today he in the room where we brush our teeth.

I had a hard time coming up with a cute clue...without using the word "pee" HAHAHAHA

Coozie the Elf

2009-12-15T04:24:00.000-08:00

I recently learned about the whole "Elf on the Shelf" concept from a friend. This little elf sits on your shelf, or anywhere in your house, and reports back to Santa as to who is naughty and who is nice. The boys named their Elf COOZIE!!!! Coozie moves around every night, and normally he's a good boy, but last night he got in some trouble!!! I give the boys clues each morning to help them find him.

Saturday morning was....

Little Elf is watching you...look up by your Choo Choo.

Sunday morning...

Little Elf just sneezed...he needs to wipe his nose with one of these. (On the tissue box)

Monday morning...

Coozie the Elf, oh where can he be...why don't you look on top of the tree?

Finally, Tuesday morning...

Last night, Coozie the Elf was out and about...I think he's in the kitchen...go check it out!

THIS IS WHAT THAT SILLY COOZIE DID....

BAD COOZIE....
YOU GOT INTO THE CORN FLAKES...
After the boys put him in time out, they ate the evidence!

One of the rules of the Elf on the Shelf is that you can't touch him or he will lose his magical powers. The boys can't resist touching him, so I told them that they can touch him each morning and he'll get his powers back when he leaves with Santa on Christmas Eve night. Stay tuned for more antics that Coozie the Elf gets into.

SUPER BOWL SNACK THROW DOWN WEEK 13

2009-12-11T04:19:00.000-08:00

UPSHOT BROWNIES
(Two Ways)

Shot glass version for a bite sized dessert, and wine glass version for a more sophisticated look.

I knew I wanted to do another dessert when pineapple was chosen as our ingredient. Once again, I went to the cabinet for inspiration. A box of chocolate cake mix made me think of a brownie, a box of cheesecake pudding sounded like a good topping, and a can of crushed pineapple mixed into the pudding made me lick my lips! All I needed to get were some fresh strawberries for some color and a slice of banana for good measure. These ended up tasting a lot like a banana split, but the pineapple flavor was definitely stronger than the banana. After being taste-tested by my husband, neighbor, and good friend they were referred to as a "party in the mouth!"

Once I figured out WHAT I wanted to make, I needed to decide HOW to make it. Then I remembered seeing some desserts in shot glasses at a restaurant recently. I think that restaurant was Applebees...if my memory serves me correctly. Thus, the UPSHOT BROWNIES came to life.

Head on over to HIGHLOWAHA to cast your vote in this weekly contest. Click the red oval to enter the site, look for the voting polls on the right, and click to vote. Be sure to vote on the ingredient for the following week too!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 envelope brownie mix, prepared according to directions
1 box sugar free fat free Cheesecake Pudding
1 small can of crush pineapple, lightly drained
1 cup milk
1 16 oz container of Cool Whip, separated
1 cup of sliced strawberries (TIP Use your egg slicer to slice perfect strawberries!!)
1 banana sliced in 1/4 inch thick pieces
mint leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS

After the brownies have been baked, set them aside to cool
Take the dry pudding mix and whisk in 1 cup milk. Let it set up for a few minutes and fold in 1 cup of the cool whip and lightly drained pineapple.
Turn your shot glass or wine glass upside down and press down into the brownie while turning at the same time. You need 1 brownie cut out per shot glass and two cut outs per wine glass.
Now it's time to layer your cups. For the shot glasses I layered one banana slice, a few slices of strawberry, a spoonful of the pineapple cheesecake pudding, cap off the shot glass with one of the cut outs, top with a dollop of cool whip and finally garnish with the mint leaf.
For the wine glasses I layered a large spoonful of the pineapple cheesecake pudding, one brownie cutout, 6 slices of banana, 6 slices of strawberries, another spoonful of pudding, a second brownie cutout, and top with cool whip and mint leaf.
Put in the freezer to set for 10 minutes or just place in the refrigerator. If you freeze it, be sure to pull it out about 15 minutes before serving it.

This is a cute way to give your guests a party gift. Eat the dessert and keep the glass! You can change this recipe up very easily too. You could use cake instead of brownie, a different flavor pudding and fruits. I enjoyed creating this dessert, hope you enjoyed reading about it, and hope you didn't lick your computer screen too much!

I would like to say THANK YOU to my friend Edie for allowing me to come to her house to take these pictures. I have ZERO natural light in my house, and she has a lot in her beautiful new home. I think it was worth the trip!

Playin' in the Rain

2009-12-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

The boys wanted to run in the rain after we got home from running errands. I figured...why not?

SUPER BOWL SNACK THROW DOWN WEEK 12

2009-12-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

KICKIN' BUFFALO
CHICKEN PIZZA

This week is the 12th week of the Super Bowl Snack Throw Down. Visit HIGHLOWAHA to read all about this weekly competition. Click the red oval to enter the blog and look for the voting polls on the right hand side of the screen. Voting starts every Friday morning and continues through Sunday at 8 CST.

Onion as an ingredient...wow...where to start? I had this same dilemma with cheese. I had family and friends email me recipes, I had a few family ones I was thinking about, but decided on this KICKIN' BUFFALO CHICKEN PIZZA. I watched Sandra Lee make this on an episode of Semi-Homemade and decided to try it. The hubby and I both loved it. I wrapped some up, took it to my neighbor's house, rang the doorbell and RAN! Her husband came home today from Iraq for a 2 week R & R. I didn't want to bother them, but everyone needs to eat!

INGREDIENTS

Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust
2 pkgs of Tyson pre-cooked grilled chicken strips
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce of your choice (I used Texas Pete)
1 cup ranch dressing or bleu cheese dressing (I used Ranch)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup thinly sliced celery, about 2 stalks
1/4 red onion sliced into really thin rings and then cut in half

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Roll out pizza dough on greased baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes
While that's cooking, mix the chicken with the buffalo sauce and heat in the microwave for 1 minute
After the dough cooks for 5 minutes, spread ranch/bleu cheese dressing on the dough
Next, sprinkle on the mozzarella
Top with the celery, onions, and chicken
Put it back in the oven for about 10 more minutes or longer depending on how crispy you like the crust

Here are all of the ingredients. I had to make Ranch dressing from sour cream due to food allergies...that's not plain sour cream!
Here's what it looks like before I put it back in the oven.

Look at that cheesy, chickeny, spicy, kickin' pizza!!!

Silly Boys

2009-11-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

We spend most of our family time together, laughing at the boys. They come up with the funniest things! We pulled in the neighborhood the other night and Brandon says,

"Whoa mommy...lots of houses!"
"Yeah buddy..we see these houses every single day."
" They all have front doors too Mommy"

They were waking up from their naps the other afternoon...and I was sneaking one myself. I heard Brandon yelling at me over the baby monitor..."I LOVE YOU MOMMY...I LOVE YOU MOMMY" he said it over and over! What a nice way to wake up!

Eric came into the boys' room with us after I finished reading their bedtime stories. He picked up Brandon to give him a hug and a kiss and Brandon said to him, "I smell cookies...did you eat one" Eric had just eaten an oreo...so funny! The funniest part is that Brandon got RIGHT UP to Eric's mouth and started sniffing. What a goof!

I asked "Guys what do you want for dinner" B said, "I already ate a star" Me, "You did...I thought they were too far away...what did it taste like." B said, "Squitos" As in mosquitos. Then he told me that lizards eat squitos!

Connor asked me one night, "Mommy, are you happy when you look at my poop?" He was DEAD serious too!

Eric gave them each a hat as a potty prize the other night. We have been DIAPER FREE for one whole week now. No more pull-ups or diapers with the exception of Brandon wearing a diaper at night still. He stays dry during his nap, but it still a little wet at night. Today, they put their hats on, starting singing itsy bitsy spider, in their underwear all while dancing around one of their toys. Don't believe me...

Remembering...

2009-11-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

The boys love to watch themselves on youtube. I'm SO glad I took the time to video all the funny things they did...especially while Eric was deployed. Here are a few of their favorites...brings back some awesome memories!

Some funny videos

2009-11-18T05:10:00.000-08:00

I'm a little upset with myself about the lack of picture taking lately. I haven't pulled pictures for the boys' scrapbooks for the months of September and October yet, and I'm afraid I won't have much to chose from. I'm hoping to get caught up on my scrapbooking while my mom is here over Christmas!

Even though I don't have a lot of pictures, I still have some pretty funny videos...enjoy!

Here's a video of Brandon having a little meltdown!

Here's Connor at his finest

How To Make the Flock of Turkeys

2009-11-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

I've had a lot of people ask me "how to" make the turkey cookies...so here ya go!

You need...

2 dozen sugar cookies (I purchased them from the bakery at the grocery store!)
1 package of Nabisco Pinwheels (I've never heard of these, but they are in the cookie aisle)
1 can chocolate frosting
1 can vanilla frosting
yellow and red food coloring

Color half of the vanilla frosting yellow and the other half red. Prepare an icing bag filled with red, one with yellow, and one with chocolate. If you don't have icing bags, no big deal! Use ziploc bags instead. Put #3 tip on the yellow and red and a #12 on the chocolate. If you're using ziploc bags, snip a small hole on the red and yellow and one about the size of a pencil eraser on the chocolate.

Cut the rounded edge off of 1/2 of the sugar cookies,and cut the Pinwheel cookies in half.

Spread a small amount of chocolate icing on the bottom of the Pinwheel and attach to the flat edged sugar cookie

Make "feathers" with the red icing around the edge of the Pinwheel

Spread more chocolate icing on the cut edge of the Pinwheel and attach to a whole sugar cookie

Pipe a neck and head out of chocolate icing

Use the yellow icing to draw in the legs, feet, eyes, and nose

Finally, use the red icing to make his snood!!!

You can make these on a smaller scale with Ritz crackers and oreos cut in half. I used brown sugar cinnamon Ritz...didn't know they made them, but they are DELICIOUS!!!

So I typed this all up only to find a link to it online...oh well! Their directions are probably a little better than mine!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/A-Flock-of-Turkeys

SUPER BOWL SNACK THROW DOWN WEEK 9

2009-11-12T11:57:00.001-08:00

TRIPLE "S" SNACK SACKS

Let me first say, thanks to all of my friends and family who took part in last week's challenges! My aunt dressed up her kangaroo and had him hold a spatula, my optician donned face paint, and my husband made his coworker pose with a plastic spoon. I have some pretty awesome friends and family!!! I was fortunate enough to be able to pick the ingredient for this week as the prize for winning. I went back and forth between cayenne and artichokes, but ended up settling on cayenne. Hopefully, artichokes will come up again because I already have a recipe in mind...HINT HINT everyone!

Head on over to HIGHLOWAHA to vote, starting Friday the 13th. Click on the red oval to enter the site and look for the voting boxes on the right hand side. You all get to vote for the ingredients for the next 2 weeks as well. The voting goes from Friday through Sunday at 9 CST.

I named this recipe Triple "S" Snack Sack because it has 3 different flavor profiles.

Sweet, Salty and Spicy!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb butter, melted (2 whole sticks)
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp tobasco
1/2 tsp cayenne
8 cups rice cereal (I used Crispix)
6 oz cheddar crackers (I used goldfish)
11 oz pretzels
6 oz mini ritz (I used the cheddar filled ones)
12 oz can cocktail peanuts
11oz Fritos

I know it looks like a lot of ingredients, but the directions are very easy.

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a sauce pan over low hear and stir until all combined.
Put the last 6 ingredients in a large pan. I used my turkey roaster
Pour the butter and spice mixture over the dry ingredients in 2 batches and toss to coat
Place on lipped cookie sheets in a nice thin layer. (I used my broiler pan bottom, my stoneware bar pan, and a 9 x 13 pan. Use whatever you have!)
Bake at 250 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Stir it every 15-20 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Look at that YUMMY plethora of crunchy goodness!

I wrapped them up in little homemade sacks. I made them out of large triangular shaped pieces of freezer paper. If you wrap them up with the waxed side on the INSIDE then you won't have grease spots on the outside! I used my boys' crayons and put footballs, helmets, field goals, and pom poms on the outside for a little festive kick. You can also use wax paper, parchment paper, or even scrapbook paper, but beware of grease spots! Pack these to a weekend soccer game, set out at a birthday party, and definitely take them to next weekend's football gathering!

Recent Happenings

2009-11-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

Wow...I don't even know where to start. We've been extremely busy, as usual, but it's not been anything crazy or super interesting.

I made a "shoe box cake" for Cakes for the Cure which was a breast cancer fundraiser put on by the Officers' Spouses' Club. I had a blast making the cake and LOVED the outcome. It brought in the most money of the 12 or so cakes there. Plus, I got to meet the author of army Wives, Tanya Biank. PLUS, I got a few cake orders! Great night.

Last week was a very busy week with the HIGHLOWAHA website I follow. We took a week off from making a recipe and had daily challenges. I have to say a BIG THANKS to my awesome friends and family who participated. The DANKO DEFENDERS won the week!!! Here are a few pics...

The boys are growing and changing so much. Brandon is making some AWESOME strides in the potty training area. I've revamped our schedule and stay home more often now. I try to cram all of my errands during Mother's Day Out so the boys and I can stay home more, stay healthy, and pee on the potty. Although, the boys love to pee in their potties in the back of the Yukon. So funny! Connor has been diaper free for about 2 months now even during nap and bed time. Brandon is staying dry 80% of the time, INCLUDING NAPS!! He has about a 50% rate of getting #2 in the potty. I can tell when his #2 moment is approaching and I'm on him like WHITE ON RICE! I follow him around, and if he's quiet, I have to jump up, follow him, and convince him to go on the potty. He'll sit down and say, "I making a caterpillar" He thinks that #2 looks like caterpillars...so cute! I see the end of the tunnel on diapers! I started training them both in about June, and it's now November. If I can get them totally potty trained by the time they are 3, I will feel accomplished and SO proud of them. I know I say they are smart little boogers all the time...and they definitely are. I'd rather take this moment to show a few funny pictures...

This was from today. They were being quiet and I immediately thought they were getting into trouble. Nope...they were sitting in their recliner, sharing their Cheerios! So sweet...how DARE I think they are getting into trouble? Sorry for the blurry picture...I'm a horrible photographer.
They LOVE LOVE LOVE Rena, and Rena is so patient with them. We ate lunch outside the other day and Rena joined them.
Connor...oh Connor. I don't know what to say about this picture, but it's a great depiction of his personality. That is one of my athletic headbands. They take them and play "rambo" with them, but putting it on the nose was new. He walked around snorting like a pig. Gotta love it.

Once again, they LOVE Rena!

I joined a group called Operation Baking GALS. We make home baked goods and send them to the troops overseas. I'll be sending out my first donation tomorrow. The boys helped me!!

Did I post any pictures of them from Halloween????? I can't remember! I made them their Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes. I took them to about 5 houses, but then had to pick through their candy since they can't have most of it due to allergies. No problem...we just handed that candy back out to the kids who came to our door.

HIGHLOWAHA Weekend Challenge

2009-11-06T04:06:00.000-08:00

OK, today is the LAST DAY of the Half Time Challenge at HIGHLOWAHA. This challenge is a little different. They are looking for the best RAYving fan. So, you need to deck yourself out in the DANKO DEFENDER blue color sporting your favorite kitchen utensil, with a sign that says you're for the DANKO DEFENDERS...then take a picture of yourself.

Email it to info@highlowaha.com. You have until Sunday at 5 pm CST to submit your picture. If anyone in Fayetteville needs BLUE things, please let me know! I have plenty of blue hair gel left over from the boys' halloween costumes.

Who ever has the most entries will win points and then whoever has the BEST entry will win points. I will try to post my pictures by Saturday on THIS blog so you all can see what I looked like to get some ideas! Dress up your kids, dogs, lizards, Roos (Aunt Jo), chickens, whatever other living beings you may have!

Please help me out with this! Wear a blue shirt and hold a whisk, wear a UK shirt and hold a fork...just don't forget a sign that says DANKO DEFENDERS.

I'm 2 points up so far this week...thanks to all of you for taking time out of your busy schedules to help me. I have some pretty awesome family and friends!

HIGHLOWAHA Today's Challenge

2009-11-05T05:07:00.001-08:00

Here is today's task from HIGHLOWAHA. You have to actually email your response in...not a comment. Read the little blurb below and send in your submission.

The Yellow Envelope Project is an initiative Highlowaha readers participate in each Saturday. I post the first name and address of someone in the country who, for reasons big or small, shines and then our readers send an anonymous note to that week's nominee. Notes are short and simply recognize recipients for going above and beyond. The only other rule is that notes must, must, must be mailed in a yellow envelope and must read, "Yellow Envelope Project" in the return address.

Today we turn to you for new recruits. If you hang around with the likes of Lauren and Kate, we know you know people that shine. Your task... send an email to info@highlowaha.com telling us of someone you know who shines. Share the first name and a mailing address (work addresses are ok too), along with a few lines about why you think his/her mailbox deserves to be flooded with yellow envelopes.

Thanks everyone

HIGHLOWAHA Today's Challenge

2009-11-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

Ok guys...We won 2 points yesterday and Lauren won 1 with the cookie cutter challenge. Therefor, Lauren and I are tied for the week thus far, YAY! You guys are SO awesome. Thanks so much for helping out and submitting TONS of ideas. You all are awesome.

Today, head on over to www.highlowaha.com and compete in "the wave" This is how it works.

They supplied the very first word.

Building off of that word, create the most compelling statement for why me, your captain reigns supreme. BUT... each team member may only post one word.
One word at a time and only one submission per person!

Example

Starting word: The

Person #1: reason

Person #2: Claudia

Person #3: must

Person #4: be

Person #5: crowned

Person #6: winner...

So, all you have to do is go the the comment section, read through the words describing KATE and add a word. I have to add the final word/punctuation no later than 9 CST. Be sure to put DANKO DEFENDERS or KATE in the comment as well, so we know who that word goes to.

Have fun and get your friends, family and co-workers to help out!

Kate

HIGHLOWAHA Today's Challenge

2009-11-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

Well, thanks to everyone who submitted names yesterday. We won the slogan, but lost the "quantity" vote. I didn't know whoever had the higher number of PEOPLE would get the win over the number of SLOGANS. We blew her out of the water on the number of slogans, but she had one more person participate than we did. Oh well.

Today, all you have to do is pick a cookie cutter for the Fancy Flours Cookie Cutter Challenge. Go HERE and pick out the cookie cutter you think would be the HARDEST for them to relate to NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH. It doesn't matter which one you choose, as long as if hasn't already been posted in the comment section on HIGHLOWAHA. Eric picked the tooth, go figure, and I picked the animal lizard.

Please submit your cookie cutter choice and have your friends do the same. The points today go on SHEER volume of participants. There are hundreds of cookie cutters to chose from.

Other ones off limits since they've been used before

Ear of Corn
Porcupine
Big Mouth Bass
Mermaid
3D airplane
Owl

Please pass this on! It's a super easy task today! DANKO DEFENDERS WILL PREVAIL!

HIGHLOWAHA This week

2009-11-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

Friends and family

Head on over to HIGHLOWAHA to help the DANKO DEFENDERS. This week, we aren't making a recipe, but there will be a daily challenge of your creative mind.

This week, we need to come up with a name for "Ray" based on the picture at the top of the post. Ray is the name of the light bulb, and his goal in life is to tell everyone that they SHINE in everything they do. So, head on over and cast your creative name in the comment section. Here are some ideas that have already been posted from the DANKO DEFENDERS

Standing OvRAYtion
For RAYS a Jolly Good Fellow
Ray Wins the SHINEsman Trophy
Game Winning Play, Hail MaRAY

I NEED HELP WITH THIS EVERYONE! If you have the beginning of an idea and need a little help, let me know! My brain is pretty fried from all the thinking already!

This is for TODAY only! There will be another task tomorrow.

SUPER BOWL SNACK THROW DOWN WEEK 8

2009-10-28T18:44:00.001-07:00

TACKLING
TEX MEX
BRUSCHETTA

When the ingredient came up as "hamburger" and not just "ground beef" I though I should stick to a recipe in actual hamburger form. I remember catching part of an episode of Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade where she made a Tex Mex burger. This was my chance to make the burger, but with my little twist to it...turn it into a bruschetta type appetizer. Thus, the creation of the Tackling Tex Mex Bruschetta.

Head on over to HIGHLOWAHA to cast your vote for this week's edition of the Super Bowl Snack Throw Down! Once you click the red oval to enter the blog, you'll see our names on the right hand side. All you have to do is click to vote!

On a side note, next week will not have a typical voting day on Friday. Instead, there will be a daily task. I'm not sure what all will be involved, but I'll be sure to email the details every day to my readers. If you are not on my weekly Friday voting reminder email, and want to be, please let me know. Enough yapping...here's the recipe!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beed
1 packet of McCormick's Tex Mex chili mix
1/4 cup beer
2 cups guacamole *
3 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 lb pepper jack cheese, thinly sliced
1 cup bacon crumbles**
1 loaf of sour dough cocktail bread

* I tried to purchase prepared guacamole from the store, but realized it all contains egg. Due to Brandon's food allergies, I had to make it from scratch. Since when does guacamole have egg in it???? I used Ortega's Guacamole mix and added some sour cream for a better texture. To keep the recipe simple and quick, purchase it prepared!

** You can purchase bacon grumbles in the salad dressing section of the store, but I just cooked up a pound of bacon and threw it in the processor. Once again, purchase the bacon crumbles prepared for a quick and simple recipe!

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix ground beef with 1/2 contents of Tex Mex chili mix and 1/4 cup beer, until combined
Fill each cup of a mini muffin pan with the ground beef mixture
Bake for 8-10 minutes
Allow mini burgers to rest for a few minutes, and then slice in half, lengthwise.
Reduce oven temperature to 350
Place sour dough bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 2-3 minutes to lightly toast them
Now, layer the ingredients. Guacamole, 2 mini burger halves, slice of tomato, cheese, and top with bacon
Place back into the oven for about 6 minutes or until cheese is melted

Burgers are done! Take the pan and put it up to your nose.
You can almost TASTE the beer in them by just smelling them.
It's such a delicious flavor profile.

Here's the "assembly line" I set up on my stove top to get these prepared.
The progression of preparing them

I prepared everything, including the burgers, while the boys took their nap. Then, I just put it all in the fridge. I nuked the burgers for 30 seconds before putting the bruschetta together. This is a very "travel worthy" appetizer to take to someone's house and prepare on site. I wanted to try that method out, and it passed with flying colors! You would only need to take the 5 containers and loaf of cocktail bread since most everyone has at least an oven, cookie sheet, and a butter knife.

ENJOY! This was the first time I've ever made this recipe, and it's delicious! The boys ate it with me and my husband for dinner and enjoyed it as well. Brandon, however, LOVED it! He ate 2 whole ones!!!

Not So Tricky Treats

2009-10-21T12:44:00.001-07:00

I follow HIGHLOWAHA on a regular basis. They are always coming up with simple and fun creative things to do. I needed a craft, and their October 19th idea got me interested. Here's my outcome! Notice the little hand in the bottom of the picture. Connor just couldn't keep his hands off them...little stinker!

Smart Fellers

2009-10-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed at how smart these little fellas are. They are now saying their alphabet, can count to 20 (which I didn't know and Brandon just spouted off the other day) and are saying such elaborate sentences that it leaves Eric and I with our mouths open! Brandon is making strides every day in regards to potty training, and Connor has been diaper free for almost 2 months now. Although, I had to put one on him last night for a pooping in his pants on purpose while he was in time out. Sigh!

I'm very busy with cakes and keeping up with these 2 boys as well as Eric. He's so unbelievably busy that I'm pretty much running the show around here. We're home a lot now to try and keep the boys as healthy as possible. Friday is flu shot day! This is the last year Brandon will be able to get the shot since the regular flu shot has egg in it. The infant shot doesn't have the live virus in it, but they can only get that shot until they are 2.

I'm looking forward to the holidays and have already started my Christmas shopping for the boys. Honestly, I'm pretty much done! Halloween will be interesting this year. I think I'm going to "plant" candy at my immediate neighbor's houses for the boys. I really want them to be able to take part in the spirit of the holiday, but it could be a life or death issue for Brandon. Smarties and Skittles are good though, so we'll see! I'm making their costumes, so STAY TUNED! At the very least, they are going to be dressed up all day!!!

Enjoy the cute little video that Eric took the other day. Hope everyone is staying healthy and enjoying the nice fall weather.

SUPER BOWL SNACK THROW DOWN WEEK 6

2009-10-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

ASPARAGUS WRAP UP

Usually, at the end of the game, the commentators deliver a Post Game Wrap Up. However, these Asparagus Wrap Ups are worthy to be your pre-game appetizer. I saw an episode of Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade a few months ago and saw these being made. They were so simple and looked so delicious that I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try them out. I love 5 ingredient recipes that are easy and delicious.

Don't forget...you vote at www.highlowaha.com. Click on the red oval to enter the blog, and you'll see our names on the right hand side. All you have to do is click to vote!

Ingredients

Sirloin Steak cut into thin 4 in x 4 in squares (HINT - Have the meat department slice them for you!)
Fresh asparagus - washed
Fresh green onions - washed, separated, and white ends cut off
Spreadable Bleu Cheese (I used Aged Agur)
Teriyaki Sauce
Sesame Seed for garnish (optional)

Directions

Pound the squares into your desired thickness. You want it on the thin side.
Spread a very thin layer of blue cheese on each piece of meat. (This wasn't part of Sandra Lee's recipe, but I wanted to add a cheese to give it more flavor. Use whatever cheese you like or none at all!)
Lay one asparagus and one green onion in the middle of the meat, roll up the sides and secure with a toothpick
Generously brush each one with Teriyaki sauce
Place on your grill outside or grill pan inside. (I made them both ways and preferred the grill pan inside)
Grill for about 3 minutes on each side
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.

These were SO delicious. I made them with my good friend, Jessica, while the boys and I visited her and her hubby this past weekend. Andy, her hubby, LOVED these!!! Jessica is a serious foodie so go check out her blog. I get inspiration from her blog all the time!!!

SUPER BOWL SNACK THROW DOWN Week 5

2009-10-10T18:57:00.001-07:00

Punting Pumpkin Pies

For those of you who are first time visitors, I'm taking part in a Super Bowl Snack Throw Down Challenge through the HIGHLOWAHA website. Your duty is to vote each week for your favorite recipe between me and my competitor Lauren. The links to both food blogs are on the HIGHLOWAHA website. Click on the red oval and vote away! It's been neck and neck every single week. More visitors mean more votes which leads to an awesome competition!

I knew I wanted to make a sweet treat this week since the ingredient was sour cream. After a lot of thinking, debating, recipe trying, and brain storming, I decided on these Punting Pumpkin Pies. Enough words, let's get to the food.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
8 Tbsp ( 1 stick ) soft unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs *
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

* I did not use eggs in this recipe. I used the Ener G Egg replacer so the boys could enjoy these! Brandon has severe allergies to nuts and eggs. I've used this in gingerbread cookies, banana bread, and even some mini quiches. People who don't have children with food allergies will never understand how hard it is to keep kids, like Brandon, away from deadly ingredients. I've learned how to cook for him, where we can and can't eat out, and how to make sure they get a chance to eat really yummy dishes.

Preparing the cookies

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Mix the butter and sugar with mixer on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. Decrease the speed and blend in the sour cream and pumpkin, only until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix just until blended.

Drop tablespoon sized mounds of batter on parchment paper** and mold into a football shape with the back of a spoon. Bake for 12 minutes. While they are cooling, prepare the icing

**Parchment paper is a wonderful little trick to making cookies. I just started using it a few months ago and make sure my kitchen is always stocked with it. What's better than making cookies, throwing away the parchment paper and being done...NO CLEANUP!

Icing

6 Tbsp soft unsalted butter
4 ounces cream cheese softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Mix powdered sugar in on low until combined.

Spread icing on the bottom of half of the cookies. Put the rest of the icing in a ziploc bag, seal it, snip the corner and pipe the football stitching on the top of the other half of the cookies. Sandwich them together and enjoy. This recipe made 30 sandwiches and they are freezable for up to 1 month.

Cream the butter and sugar, next add the eggs and vanilla...

and blend in the sour cream and pumpkin.
Next, enlist the help of your mini chefs to help add the dry ingredients..while playing with the toaster at the same time!!!

Once they are scooped out, flatten them into the shape of footballs.
Golden and delicious!
I used my piping bag to ice the cookies, but a ziploc bag works just as well.
YUMMY PUNTING PUMPKIN GOODNESS...IT'S GOOD

Day at Home

2009-09-30T12:12:00.001-07:00

We were stuck in the house all day today, and while I was putting clothes away, the boys found some old Halloween costume hand me downs!!! So...we played dress up. Here are some pics...

We can't do traditional trick or treating because of B's allergies. BOO :( Halloween is a HUGE holiday in our house since its Bridget's birthday. Never fear, we will still do something with them in a "nut free" environment....most likely at a friend's house.

A little update on what we're up to....

Eric is extremely busy and gets home right before bed time most nights. The boys and I are keeping busy with learning letters, numbers, colors and shapes. They are such smart little fellas, I tell ya! I'm looking forward to the fall months to be able to be OUTSIDE! The weather has finally cooled down enough that we don't melt when we walk out the front door. Hope all is well with everyone...and thanks for checking in on us!

Super Bowl Snack Throw Down Week 4

2009-09-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

PIGSKIN POTATO QUESADILLAS

When I think "potato" and "football snack" I think of potato skins of some kind. Traditional potato skins have already been done so I had to switch things up a little bit. I took the taste of potato skins and thought to myself, how can I incorporate that taste into something else, and went searching my my kitchen cabinets. Tortilla shells! OF COURSE! Thus, the PIGSKIN POTATO QUESADILLAS were born.

INGREDIENTS

8 flour tortillas
1 lb red potatoes, washed, peeled, but with some skin left on
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sour cream, plus more for garnish
3 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled** (see bottom note about cooking bacon)
1 green onion, chopped plus more for garnish
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
cooking spray
salsa for garnish

The first step is to make mashed potatoes. You can use instant if you want to just be sure to add the onion powder and garlic powder for the taste, but then omit the butter, sour cream, and milk I listed!

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain and place in a bowl.
Add butter, sour cream, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix with hand mixer until smooth. (1 pound will make roughly 2 cups of potatoes.)
Mix in the bacon and green onion by hand
Spray the bottom of one tortilla with cooking spray and place in warmed skillet
Layer 1/4 cup cheese, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup cheese, second tortilla shell, and more cooking spray.
Cook each side for 2-3 minutes or until nice and golden.
Continue with remaining tortillas
Allow to set for a few minutes before slicing with a pizza cutter
Garnish with some more green onion, sour cream, and salsa

Cheese....
add potato mixture, and then more cheese
add second tortilla and spray with cooking spray
brown on both sides.

These were so easy to make even by making the mashed potatoes from scratch. Think of how MUCH easier it would be to use instant!!!! I loved the taste of these, the boys loved them, my neighbor came over for a taste and loved them, and Eric loved them. Eric just got braces on his top teeth and isn't able to chew much, but he put up with the pain in order to eat them. Thanks babe! I hope you all enjoy these as much as we all did!!!!

**Side note about bacon. For those of you who own a piece Pampered Chef stoneware, I like to cook my bacon on my bar pan. I cooked it at 425 degrees for about 17 minutes. It makes nice, flat, crispy bacon and there's no grease splatter! If you don't have the bar pan, any other piece of stoneware that has an edge of some kind will work! I have to give a SHOUT OUT to my old coworker Audra. She told me about making bacon on her Stoneware and it is an awesome idea!

Super Bowl Snack Throw Down Week 3

2009-09-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

4th Down Poppers with Sweet Apple Mustard Dip

Once again, go to www.highlowaha.com to vote for me! Once you go to the site, click the red dot to enter the blog. You can vote by clicking on my name! I think it was really close last week so PLEASE vote and tell all of your friends.

I took a lot of time to think about cheddar cheese as an ingredient. There are so many options for cheesy football snacks that it was challenging to come up with the "perfect" snack. The one thing I did know was that I wanted to use White Cheddar cheese. Why did I call them "4th Down Poppers?" The kicker comes on to the field on the 4th down to do his job...KICK! Let me tell ya, these poppers have a lot of KICK!

Here's what you need...

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dill
2 tablespoon sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
20 large jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
10 slices prosciutto, cut in half

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees
Stir together the cream cheese, white cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill, sour cream, garlic powder, and onion powder in a mixing bowl until evenly blended. Spoon some of the cheese mixture into each jalapeno half, and wrap with slice of prosciutto, Arrange the wrapped jalapeno halves onto a broiler pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until the prosciutto is beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

The Sweet Apple Mustard Dip is something to add to the poppers, but you don't have to have.

1/4 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

Mix it all up and enjoy! You can also dip soft pretzels, french toast sticks, and even toasted pumpernickel bread!

WARNING WHEN SEEDING JALAPENOS

The juice and seeds of a jalapeno are pretty fiesty. I did not touch my face or eyes until I scrubbed my hands after I finished seeding them. However, I learned I should wear gloves next time. The juice actually burned the skin under my wedding rings! I had to take them off the next 2 days. The day after I made these, I rubbed my eyes and burned them!

Brandon asked to try one, so I gave him a very small bite, but his face immediately showed what he thought. He said "hot hot hot...milk please." Connor was very interested in what I was making, but didn't want a bite in the end. What 2 year old would really eat jalapenos to begin with??? I'm proud of him for trying it though! I have 2 "Mikeys"...they really like everything!

Just an Update

2009-09-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Life has been so busy lately that squeezing in computer time is hard. I've been really busy making cakes and other goodies people have ordered from me, taking the boys to story time, and going to the park A LOT! They are so full of energy that I go crazy if I can't get them to the park on a daily basis to run off some energy. Eric is really busy with his residency and not home much. He was actually able to help me with bedtime last night. I forget what it's like to have help! We got them bathed, teeth brushed, books read and down for the night a lot quicker than when I have to do it all by myself.

That's about it. I thought I would post a pic of each of them

Here's Connor after he tried to "stamp" his mouth with the stamp markers. He looked like a little Hitler until I was able to scrub it all off. It took me scrubbing him throughout the day to get it off.
Brandon found one of my sports head bands and put it on his head by himself...then posed for a picture. What a silly goof.

Super Bowl Snack Throw Down Week 2

2009-09-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Before you read the recipe for this week, I wanted to thank you all for your support and votes! Lauren and I tied last week!!!! Go to www.highlowaha.com, click the red dot to enter the blog and click "kate" to vote! Also, vote for the following week's secret ingredient of either potato or avacado. Voting started today, Friday, and goes until 8 pm CST on Sunday.

Thanks again everyone!

Longest Yard Mushroom Dip with Baguettes

AND

Instant Replay Mushroom Pockets

I pulled out all of my cookbooks, handwritten family recipes, and my old fashioned thinking cap to try and find the recipe that would take you all to the end zone. For those of you don't always reach for the mushrooms first on the snack tray, this may be the 2 point conversion you need! This is the very first time I've ever made this and I will definitely make it again. I rate this as a solid TOUCHDOWN. Although, the next time, I won't mix up "tsp" and "Tbsp" when it comes to adding the Worcestershire sauce! Oops!

INGREDIENTS

3 slices bacon
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS

Place bacon slices in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until crisp. Remove bacon, crumble and set aside. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
Add mushrooms, onion and garlic to the bacon drippings, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Sprinkle the flour, salt, and pepper over the top, and stir to blend. Mix in cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Reduce heat to low, and stir until cream cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the sour cream and bacon. Serve warm.
Slice a fresh baguette and toast in the oven for 5 minutes at 400 degrees.

Instant Replay Mushroom Pockets

Since I like to try new and different things, I also turned the dip into the filling in my Instant Replay Mushroom Pockets. If you thought the dip and baguettes were good, these are even better! I would rate these as an EXTRA POINT...IT'S GOOD!

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water
Longest Yard Mushroom Dip

DIRECTIONS

Thaw one sheet of frozen puff pastry.
Roll out and cut into equal 12 equal squares
Place 1 Tbsp Hot Mushroom Dip in the center of each square.
Pinch the sides closed and brush with an egg wash.
Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees

Super Bowl Snack Throw Down Week 1 PIZZA PIE POPPERS

2009-09-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

The football season and Throw Down competition are upon us. You can vote directly on the website at www.highlowaha.com. VOTING IS EVERY FRIDAY!!!!! There will actually be "push button voting" on the blog to make voting simple. However you can also cast your vote by sending an email to info@highlowaha.com. Enough words...LET'S EAT!

Below are my "Pizza Pie Poppers" The actual ingredients are from a recipe I've been making for a few years, but I adapted it to be more "football friendly" If you are interested in the recipe and step by step instructions, including pictures, please scroll on down. I made this whole recipe for under $10!

INGREDIENTS - Yields 30 poppers

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
1 15 oz package refrigerated pie crust
1 pound bulk sausage
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 4 oz cans mushroom stems and pieces
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 8oz can tomato sauce - basil, garlic, and oregano flavor ( I use Hunts)
2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese

Here is everything you will need!

The above ingredients
Skillet
Mini muffin pan
Rolling pin
Tumbler glass
Tart shaper or the bottom of a shot glass

Brown the sausage and then add the spinach, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese.

Stir thoroughly. This amount of meat actually makes enough for 2 recipes. Go ahead and divide it into 2 even amounts and freeze half! This is my favorite part of this recipe. I love having things frozen that can make a delicious meal in minutes.

Next, roll out the pie crust on a clean surface. I used my pie crust mat, but you can use a cutting board or clean counter if you don't have one. Turn the tumbler glass over and cut out as many circles as possible. Gather scraps, roll them out again and continue the process until the dough is gone. I can get 15 circles per pie crust.

Use the tart shaper, or bottom of a shot glass, to press the pie crust circles into the mini muffin pan. I alternated them to make plenty of room!

Spoon 1 tbsp of the meat mixture into the bottom of each cup, next add 1 tsp tomato sauce, and top with about 1 tsp mozzarella cheese. You can see the progression in the picture below.

Finally, pop them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Let them sit for about 10 minutes and then enjoy with the beverage of your choice.

Twin tested...and APPROVED! Brandon ate 3 and Connor ate 2. When I make this in the original pie form, they each will eat an entire piece of pie.

Here are the instructions and ingredients all together to make it easier to copy and paste.

INGREDIENTS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
1 15 oz package refrigerated pie crust
1 pound bulk sausage
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 4 oz cans mushroom stems and pieces
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 8oz can tomato sauce - basil, garlic, and oregano flavor ( I use Hunts)
2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Brown the sausage and then add the spinach, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese.
2. Stir thoroughly. This amount of meat actually makes enough for 2 recipes. Go ahead and divide it into 2 even amounts and freeze half!
3. Next, roll out the pie crust on a clean surface. I used my pie crust mat, but you can use a cutting board or clean counter if you don't have one. Turn the tumbler glass over and cut out as many circles as possible. Gather scraps, roll them out again and continue the process until the dough is gone. I can get 15 circles per pie crust.
4. Spoon 1 tbsp of the meat mixture into the bottom of each cup, next add 1 tsp tomato sauce, and top with about 1 tsp mozzarella cheese.
5. Finally, pop them in the oven for 10 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Back Home

2009-09-07T04:29:00.000-07:00

Wow. I ended up driving 3,167 miles with the boys. We had a blast everywhere we went and I'm very glad that I got to see almost ALL of my extended family.

We started off in Moline, IL at my cousin's wedding. I was so rushed at the actual ceremony and reception that I didn't snap any pictures. Here are a few pics from the park the day after the wedding.

My nephew Benjamin!
After Moline, I drove to southern Illinois to see my grandparents and aunts and uncles. I got to see everyone and even meet my cousin's kids for the first time.

Me, Connor, Grandpa, Brandon, and Grandma

Connor and Grandma
Grandma took the boys on a "ride" on the seat of Grandpa's walker.
After that, I drove to Alton, which about 30 minutes east of St. Louis to see my good friend Trish and her son Lucas who is the same age as the boys. We went to the zoo!

Connor kept calling this monkey "mommy monkey"
I sure hope he didn't think I looked like that!
All 3 boys sitting by the fountain.
Riding the train...
Standing on frogs

After Alton, Trish and I drove back to KY via Indianapolis to see my sister.

Here are all 4 boys...minus Benjamin...he was in his booster seat
Noah and Connor playing piano

After we spent the weekend in Florence, Trish and I took the boys to see The Wiggles in Louisville.

Here are the boys sitting patiently in their seats.
A self-taken picture of all of us. I'm not usually good at taking pictures of myself, but this one turned out pretty good.
There are all of the Wiggles in the Big Red Car!

Brandon watching intently
Connor and Lucas waiting for another song
I'm glad to be back home. The boys were AWESOME in the car and were very well behaved for the most part. Connor is almost 100% potty trained. We have about 1 poopie accident per week, but he's dry at nap and over night. Brandon, on the other hand isn't interested in the potty, but hey...one in underwear still saves me A LOT in diaper costs! We are already plowing into the month of September with play dates, I'm slowly having cake orders coming in, and Eric is still very busy with work. All in all, life is grand!

We Made It!

2009-08-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have never been more excited to come home than I have been this trip! The only thing that would make it better would be if Eric could have joined us. The boys were angels in the car!!!! We only had to stop twice...once to eat breakfast and one more time to gas up and go potty. Connor made it the whole trip...DRY! He's so close to being 100% potty trained.

The boys' little travel beds didn't really work. They kept rolling out of them. So, being the selfless mom that I am, I gave up the most comfortable bed in the house and let them have it. I'm now crashing with Bridget!

Bridget and I took the kiddos to Totter Otterville. It's an indoor/outdoor play place in Johnny's Toys. The last time I went to Johnny's Toys was when I won the "perfect attendance bike" at Yealey Elementary back in 1989! They had a blast!
Me taking B out of the ball pit to go for a potty break
Playing with the water table...
shopping in the grocery store...
setting the table for a meal
playing on the train table...including a conductor vest...
me helping them stack up blocks...
to make them a house of their own to play in...

We are heading to Lexington tomorrow to see some old friends who all have kids now, maybe stop by the horse farm where I used to work, and do dinner with another friend. Should be a great time!

Old Video

2009-08-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Here's an older video that Eric has been bugging me to put up. Once I watched it again, I realize why he's been bugging me about it. It's hilarious! We have a zero tolerance policy for back talking. I have 2 2 1/2 year olds and I'm not going to be talked back to. Connor talked back to Eric and here's what happened...

My favorite part is when he hits the door and complains about hurting his hand RIGHT as he hit the door. They really don't spend too much time in time out anymore, and rarely throw temper tantrums, but it's awesome to catch it on video when they do. We have a few videos of them running around the house, naked, with their towels on their heads, waving their hands in the air, screaming "NAKED BOOTY" over and over. No, I will not upload those to youtube. If you want to see those, and they are HILARIOUS, then you have to come visit.

I WON

2009-08-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who voted for me for the foodie football challenge! I won one of the two spots and will be going head to head every Sunday with a snack challenge. Be sure to check back in a few weeks when it kicks off. I will need all the votes I can get each week! Anyone can vote, and all my readers SHOULD! I will let you know where and how to vote.

Thanks again everyone!

GO VOTE TODAY!!!

2009-08-05T03:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I made it as one of the "Super Bowl Snack Throw Down: Take Two." foodie challenge contenders. There are 5 ladies in the running, and only 2 will get chosen. PLEASE GO VOTE FOR ME!

Go to www.highlowaha.com click on the red dot that says BLOG to enter the blog, and read all about the contest. Then please send an email to highlowaha218@gmail.com saying you would like to place a vote for KATE DANKO. Be sure to type my first and last name since there is also a "KATIE" in the running. Vote, get your friends to vote, your family, your coworkers.

For my Florence readers, this is a blog put on by Heather McDaniel Snow...so show some support for a fellow BCHS graduate and Rebel Brigade Alum.

You have to vote by midnight tonight, central time. PLEASE VOTE!

NEED YOUR HELP

2009-08-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm trying to compete in a super bowl snack foodie "blog-off" through a website run by a high school friend of mine. I need everyone to go to

www.highlowaha.com tomorrow (Wednesday) and vote for ME! When you go to the site, click on the red spot to enter the actual blog. I'm not sure how their blog will have you vote, but look for my name...DANKO FAMILY. I would love to be one of the competitors, and I think they are only choosing two!

New Blog

2009-07-29T20:32:00.001-07:00

Hello dedicated readers. I decided to set up a second blog to showcase my goodies. Visit it, and tell all of your friends about it!

www.goodiesbykate.blogspot.com

Elmo and Friends

2009-07-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me to make an Elmo cake for her daughter's first birthday along with cupcakes that look like other Sesame Street characters. Here's the end result. This was just a practice cake, so I've put it up for sale on Craigslit. I'm not sure if it will sell, but I'd rather try to sell it than either eat it ourself or throw it away! If you want it...let me know...I need to sell it by the weekend...$30!

Busy Weekend

2009-07-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

The boys and I drove to Charlotte to see my old neighbor, Bettina. She lives in a beautiful community with ducks, a pool, and beautiful grass!!!! The boys loved playing with Beine, her dog! I was planning on driving home around 2 on Sunday, but was woken up by Brandon getting sick in his bed. He got sick 2 more times so I just packed up and left. He's fine now, so maybe it was a freak thing.

I realized that this was the last trip Connor will be able to sleep in the pack n play. HE'S TOO LONG! So, I went ahead and set up their toddler beds. I really wanted to wait until they were 3, but I need to get them used to sleeping in beds for when I travel to KY in August. Here's the end result of the swap!

They did great during their nap and we'll see how tonight goes. All I know is that I'm super tired and exhausted from lack of sleep. They haven't been sleeping through the night for the last month and it's starting to get to me. Keep your fingers crossed that tonight goes well.

On the potty front, they are doing AMAZING! Connor will be sporting Elmo big boy underwear tomorrow while we're at the house. They are staying dry through the night and at naps. I only used 1 diaper on Connor all day today because every time he went to the potty, his diaper was still dry. On top of that, he's pooping in the potty...and not in his diaper. He likes to flush the potty after I dump from "contents" from the baby potty and say "bye bye poopie, see ya later"

Grandpa Yibby

2009-07-24T03:32:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Yibby passed away last night around 840pm. I was driving back from Greensboro last night and thought I would try to call him...I just looked at my phone and I tried to call him 6 minutes after he passed away. I knew there was a reason I picked up the phone to call him, but it went straight to voice mail. He was surrounded by Uncle Jim, Aunt Sue and his lady friend Betty. His breathing started to change while he was sitting in his favorite chair, and then took his last breath. He's been fighting a very hard fight with cancer since January and he won the fight. I say won because he's back with his wife and out of pain. I will miss him very much...his laugh, his humor, and him singing the "sow song" at the family weddings in his red linen blazer. Here are a few pictures of Grandpa and the boys including a video of them saying "Bibby" which is what they called him. No arrangements have been made just yet, but will be within the next few days. We love you Grandpa and are glad you are out of pain and back with Grandma Jeanne....tell her we love her and miss her too!!!

Grandpa with Connor in the NICU
Grandpa with itty bitty Brandon
Grandpa and Brandon in August 07
Grandpa and Connor in August 07
The boys with Yibby in January 09

7 Years

2009-07-20T03:45:00.000-07:00

Eric and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary on Sunday. We went to a really nice restaurant up in the Pinehurst area called Elliotts on Linden. It was probably the nicest restaurant I've ever been to. The waitress addressed us by Mr and Mrs Danko before we even knew her name! The food was delicious and the restaurant itself was calming and beautiful inside.

We started out with some fried calamari with lemon and ginger sauce and napa cabbage slaw, but didn't take a picture!

Eric had the cedar plank salmon over wilted spinach salad. I snagged a taste and it was very good.

I had the ranch pork chop with grilled peaches topped with sweet corn relish and adobo chili sauce. I saw truffel macaroni and cheese on the menu and had to have a side of that too. They were both amazing!

The restaurant offered us a complimentary dessert for our anniversary. It was a chocolate torte! Neither of us had room for dessert, but we don't get to go out like this very often, so we said, what the heck!

After the nice meal, we came home to a house of sleeping babies. What a wonderful night!

This is our "annual anniversary shot" We have taken a picture together on every anniversary and have them displayed in the family room. We hope that one day, when the boys are older, they will look back at those pictures the way Eric and I like to look at family photos of our parents and grandparents.

Children's Museum

2009-07-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

I bought a family pass to the Fayetteville Children's Museum. It's a very small museum, but it's very close and perfect for the boys' age. They had "make ice cream in a bag" day today...so we went!

After we finished up making the ice cream, we ran into a snake! Brandon loved it, but Connor was a little unsure.

All in all, it was a fun trip with many more to come.

The Daddy

2009-07-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

Eric studies most of the time. He walks in the door, changes, and is in the office reading, comes out for dinner, goes back in to read, the boys go tell him "time for bed," he comes out, gives hugs and kisses and helps me lay them down, and then back to reading. He tries to take a study break after bath time to spend some time with the boys. They LOVE Daddy time!!!! Here's a cute little video of them attacking him, jumping on it, and circling him like he is their prey! Enjoy!

Mom, Look What WE Did!!!

2009-07-15T13:01:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of what the boys are doing in camp. Connor LOVES it and doesn't mind when I leave. Brandon, on the other hand, is struggling with separation. He's become a big 'ol momma's boy lately. He will tell Eric, "no, mommy do it" on a lot of things...putting him in his bed, changing his diaper, putting on his shoes, helping him down from his booster seat, getting him out of the car, etc. He was really upset when I left him at camp today, and was still upset when I picked him up. He perked up when they went outside though! I know I put my mom through total hell when she tried to drop me off at Mother's Day Out when I was his age, so I guess I had it coming to me. Nonetheless, I think they enjoy the teachers and their friends. The teachers said they play really well with others, follow directions, and drink out of big boy cups! (They don't allow sippy cups!) Those are all good things to hear since I stay home with them and they don't have a lot of interaction with other kiddos.

I've noticed that they don't have pants on in most of their pictures!!! Sorry about that...it's easier to leave them off when we're at home and trying to use the potty!

I made these struessel cupcakes today...oh my gosh were they good. Don't they look heavenly??

Summer Camp and Potty Charts

2009-07-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

I enrolled the boys in a 2 week long summer camp at Peace Presbyterian Church. It meets every morning from 9 -12. Of course, I had to take a picture of the boys with their backpacks since this is technically a "first day of school." My mom always took pictures of us, and the tradition continues.

This is the first picture...

This is the second one...them telling each other to say CHEESE...

Brandon cried when I left them, but he teacher said he calmed down quickly. When I asked them what they did at camp, here's what they said... "ate crackers" "had water" of course snack time comes up first. They also "read 2 books" "played with katie and jelica" (their twin girl friends" and finally Brandon said he "went for row" I couldn't figure out what he meant until he showed me...he was saying ROLL not ROW. I guess they did some somersaults and such. All in all, they had a good time and I had a nice morning off. They are ready to go back tomorrow.

Here are pictures of the boys and their pottying success...

They get a sticker every time they go on the potty, and once they get 10 stickers they get to pick a prize out of the Potty Prize Box. It's filled with stuff from the dollar aisle at Target! Connor picked a little stuffed bear for his first prize. I think that helped increase Brandon's interest in the whole pottying thing. He actually sat on the potty this afternoon and had success!!!!

Pottying is moving along at a nice slow pace...I'm so proud of them!!!

Busy Busy Busy

2009-07-09T20:13:00.001-07:00

That's the only word to describe us lately. Eric started his 2 year residency program on July 1. Our life will be similar to the first years of our marriage while he was still in dental school. Lots of studying, tests, boards, clinic time, etc. Which also means, the boys and I will be back to our "deployment trio" for the most part. At least he'll be home and not in a war zone...even if I have to do most of the the parenting and won't get to spend much adult time with him.

On the military front, but we got the official word today that Eric is promotable! The promotion board met and Eric will "pin on" Major next May. WAY TO GO BABE! He works so hard to be the best soldier and dentist he can be. We're super proud of him.

The boys and I are working on getting into a routine including as many fun activities as possible. We went to Monkey Joes yesterday with our friends, the Hartmans. Monkey Joes is an indoor play place filled with blow up houses. As I predicted, Brandon loved it and Connor hated it. When Brandon is around 4 and 5 year olds, he thinks he IS one! I didn't get any good pictures of the boys because my camera is on the fritz. Tara got a really cute video of Brandon though...

THANK YOU TARA!

After Monkey Joes, we all ate a picnic lunch at a park. Today, we went to the children's museum here in Fayetteville and then hit story time and the downtown library. It was a nice day here...only in the low 80's so we played outside for about an hour and a half after nap. After dinner, I took the boys to Dairy Queen and we shared a small cone. I was complemented on their good behavior...that made me feel good. Needless to say, I'm a little busy and definitely behind on blogging. Hope to have some more pictures soon since Eric fixed the camera for me!

Here's a cute quote from the other day

Brandon - I see fire in the sky
Me - You see fire?
Brandon - No, smoke
Me - You mean clouds?
Brandon - YES!

Here's a cute Brandon quote from today.

Brandon - I hear the clouds
Me - What sound do clouds make?
Brandon - music (said in a very "duh mommy" tone of voice)

He's a little obsessed with clouds for some reason. Gotta love the way a 2 year old brain works.

"YES" Toddlers

2009-07-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that the boys are "YES" toddlers. If you ask them if they want to help you with something...YES...do you want to try to sit on the potty...YES...do you want to eat lunch...YES...do you want to go to the park...YES...do you want to brush your teeth...YES...do you want to help mommy take cans and papers to the recycle bin...YES...do you want to pick up your toys...YES. It's not just yes...it's YEESSS. They love to help us with any little task, and we like it too since it means we are able to get something accomplished and know where they are and what they're doing.

Eric wanted to cut a tree down in our front yard yesterday. I wasn't surprised when the boys both said YES when he asked if they wanted to help. Connor didn't last long since he has a little summer head cold. He came inside and helped me finish up jambalaya for dinner. Brandon was SO cute helping Eric, and was very proud of himself.

Eric and Brandon are each carrying their branch to the woods.
Brandon had a huge smile on his face the whole time. He marched back to the woods like he was on a mission.
After Daddy took his big branch back into the woods, Brandon tossed his little branch in.
What a big helper!

On a different note, potty training is becoming an interest to the boys now. They sit on the potty throughout the day, and have "number 1" almost every time. I think I'm going to continue like this for a month or so until they get used to it. Next, I'll focus more on trying to get them to "go" only on the potty. One day at a time!

Forgotten Videos

2009-07-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple videos I loaded up on youtube and then forgot to put on here...enjoy

Trip To Pennsylvania

2009-06-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

We took one last trip to PA before Eric starts his residency program...TOMORROW! We had a great time...as you can see by the pictures.

Brandon loved smelling Grandma Dories flowers!
Happy Father's Day Daddy!!!
Grandpa Dan giving Connor his FIRST taste of ice cream...ever!
Me giving B his first taste of ice cream...ever!

He likes it...
A LOT!
Connor liked it too, but had more fun stealing licks from Daddy's cone.
Grandma helping the boys watch Putt Putt

Kick it Connor!
Go B Go
Snuggled up in Grandma's hammock swing
Picking raspberries right off the bush and eating them...doesn't get any more organic than that!
Connor tasting the berries in Grandma's back yard

"monkey swinging"
Thank you Grandma Dorie and Grandpa Dan SO MUCH for taking care of the boys and hosting us. We had a great time!!!!

Brandon Graduated!!!

2009-06-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Brandon officially graduated from Speech Therapy on Friday. He did extremely well on his assessment, so Mary Frances, his therapist, and I decided we should terminate his sessions. Without getting into too much technical information, here's what his test scores showed.

Auditory Comprehension - 3 years 3 months age range
Expressive Communication - 2 years 11 months
TOTAL LANGUAGE SCORE - 2 years 11 months

Stregnths - Understands use of objects, understands part/whole relationships, follows 2 step related commands without cues. uses plurals, answers simple "what" and "where" questions, uses "ing" verbage

Needs - understanding negatives in sentences and uses of variety of nouns, verb modifiers, and pronouns.

These are also classified as "needs", but only because he was assessing at almost a 5 year old level on a few things, so these were in the 3 year old to 3 years 11 months old level. Thus, making them look like a "need." Making inferences, identifies categories of objects in pictures, uses possessives, and completes analogies.

He averaged out at a 2 year 6 month old level on his receptive and expressive vocabulary skills.

Finally, here is what Mary Frances said about him, " Brandon is a very friendly and active boy who continues to make increasing gains with his speech and language skills. Brandon's scores place him within the average to above average for his age and gender. Based on Brandon's scores, he no longer qualifies for speech-language services. However, due to his medical history the option to terminate services should be left up to the parents. Brandon would continue to benefit from language stimulation and interaction with peers."

All in all, I'm very happy with the results of this assessment. When he was assessed the first time, he was below average in every category. We have the option to go back until he's 3 if we feel he is struggling. I don't see that happening considering he told me this the other day..."Mommy, no eat poop." I said, "That's right Brandon, we don't eat poop!"

Here's a cute video of him being his silly self! We had stir fry the other night, and Brandon proceeded to do THIS...with is "noodle" which was really some cabbage!

Here are a few cute pictures from us goofing off today with the Mr. Potato Head pieces

Human Fly Swatter

2009-06-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute video of Brandon trying to stomp on a fly. You can hear Connor crying in the background while in time out. He was getting over a meltdown so don't worry about him...he was ok! Enjoy

Daddy Videos

2009-06-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple cute videos that Eric took while I was on my Mommy Vacation to my sister's house.

This second video shows Connor's counting skills...he's so smart! :)

Water Fun

2009-06-10T04:12:00.000-07:00

I must apologize for the lack of posting. I know I have a lot of family and friends who rely on this blog to keep up with the Danko Family Craziness. We have just been so busy that when the clock strikes 9, I'm totally done for the night. I might read or watch a little TV, but then I'm toast until 530 the next morning when it starts all over again. Here are some really cute pictures of the boys playing in their pool. Eric does a really good job taking pictures and capturing the true beauty of being a 2 year old!

Make A Makers Mark Cake

2009-06-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm in Maryland this weekend visiting my sister while Eric holds down the fort with the kiddos. We hung out on Friday, ate some yummy pizza in Baltimore, ate dinner at the Greene Turtle, and finished off the night with a showing of Ratatouille. This morning, we got up super early, ran the Race For the Cure in D.C., came home and showered, ran to Panera for lunch, had to tow Bri's car due to metal on metal scraping sounds from her breaks, make the Maker's Mark cake for Jason, go get pedicures, hit the mall for a little shopping, and now we're making quesadillas for dinner. I've had a wonderful weekend, but miss all 3 of my boys. We have another full day tomorrow, and I'll be heading home late tomorrow night.

Here are pictures of the cake Bri helped me make for Jason's 30th birthday. If you know Jason, you know how much he LOVES Maker's Mark...Eric too for that matter.

Here's me icing the cake...

putting on the whisky colored fondant
here it is with the label on as well as adding the signature red wax with drippings...

the cake before adding the lettering...

me concentrating very hard on the lettering...

here's the finished cake with the bottle I used to copy the lettering from

me and the masterpiece...

me and the birthday boy with his cake...he loved it!

Weekend Happenings

2009-06-01T03:25:00.000-07:00

The boys LOVE to listen to music, but not your typical kiddie music. They still love music from the Wiggles, but Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Britney Spears are also high on their list! They bob their little heads back and forth in their car seats and then tell me their "straps too tight" Here's a little video of them getting their boogie on!

We had a really nice weekend. Eric golfed all weekend with a friend of his who is getting out of the military and heading back to Pennsylvania. The boys and I hit the Cape Fear River Trail for a 6 mile adventure. We talked about the river, all the trees, bugs, we counted the bikers, runners, and doggies, and worked on the alphabet. It took us 2 hours to complete the trail and they were really enjoying it until the last mile. After the hike, we went across the street to my friend's house who has twin girls the same age as the boys. We ate lunch, played in their pool, and wore her 3 girls out. When we left, the boys fell asleep in the car and thankfully slept in their bed when we got home for another 2 hours...ahhhh!!

Sunday, Eric left early to go golfing. The boys and I went to church and hit Target on the way home. I splurged and bought them a pool. They LOVED IT. We spent about 3 hours in it..before and after nap time. One of my friends came over with her 2 girls for some pool time and dinner. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. I have a feeling the boys will be spending A LOT of time in the pool this summer. Connor hated pools last year, but is definitely loving it this year.

My shins aren't too happy with me from the 6 mile hike, but I'll deal with it.