Happy Birthday Tovo!

Today is Tovi's Birthday! But we celebrated yesterday since I have to work tonight. A coworker gave me a good idea to help him celebrate. So, we took him to Petco so he could pick out some new toys. And he took his job very seriously. Tovi loves toys, I mean really loves toys. He is forever surrounding himself w/every last one of his toys. I assumed he would take any toy offered to him. But the boys were delighted that he wouldn't and he actually choose some toys and ignored others. And then it was back home to a birthday feast of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, steam veggies (can you tell who picked that out :) ) and birthday cake for Tovi. I also got a video of the boys eating dog treats which I will be saving to embarrass the boys w/later.
Tovi always loves going in the car w/us.

Not the yellow or the blue one. Tovi wanted the green one!

Yeah another squeaky toy!

Chef Lucas quickly finished his homework and then helped w/ Tovi's cake. Tovi doesn't usually get regular food. Well, except the occasional taste of peanut butter. But that doesn't count. The boys were really set on making him a cake and we found a good recipe.

Noah turned his nose up at the carrots. I guess he didn't fully read the recipe!

Tovi was loving his new toys while we were baking.

The boys wanted to give Tovi the WHOLE cake, but I thought a slice would be just enough.

I don't think Tovi was as excited about us singing Happy Birthday as he was about the food in his bowl.

Yummy!

Noah was the only one who tried the cake. Well, I took a taste. Noah was not impressed w/the icing. I guess he expected my famous frosting. The cake was pretty good. But I had to agree w/Noah about the icing. Tovi however licked his bowl clean. Have a good weekend!

Busy, busy, busy....

The boys and I have been very busy this last week. With the beautiful weather, we have been outside as much as possible. Last week, we hung out w/the new baby and cousins too! Next week is busy w/school activities. I can't believe it is nearly summer! Time flies!
Tovi gets a little worn out and likes to chill in his bed!

The boys had a half day tues, so we took Tovi to the park. We picked up a couple extra kids during our nature walk.

Tovi hates to sit on the sidelines.

Let our nature walk begin. Tovi was ecstatic to be on the move!

A little play time before our walk!

The boys like playing cops and robbers at the town.

The younger boys outweigh the older boys.

Lucas needed a break from all his running.

Crazy boys!

Eli was swinging super high and wanted his pic taken.Can you guess where base is for the game of tag?

Eli and Scott were surprised that they are perfectly balanced!

Lucas is waiting to help Trevor at the top of the slide.

Trevor daring to climb up the ladder.

The boys enjoyed going down the slide w/Ty. But it didn't take long before Ty went down the slide by himself.

The girls got together and made invitations for the baby shower. It was a process, but they turned out great!

Had to cuddle our cute little girl!

Lucas enjoyed riding Jordan's bike even though it was a little big.

The boys enjoyed playing at the school park by Andrew's house.

The boys liked the teeter toters since they don't have them at their school park.

Hope your having a good week and staying dry. The rain has fallen upon us. I know the plants need it, but I hate mowing-so I could have done w/o it!

The boys meet their newest cousin . . . .

The boys and I went to Andrew and Jen's house for dinner and babytime! The boys were great holding their cousin and playing w/their older cousin's toys. But we won't tell Jordan and Scott that! The boys were not to happy to hear that they weren't going back to visit Victoria w/me tomorrow. They will be in school and I will be a baby hog!

Victoria appears to like to be held the same way I would hold Noah. She fell fast asleep.

Victoria begged for an outfit change into her new fav shirt from her favorite Aunt. And she LOVED laying on her new blanket made by that fav Aunt. [sorry Jules ;)] I look forward to going and hanging out w/Jen and the baby tomorrow while the boys are at school!

Come-Back-for-more-Barbecued Chicken and Chicken Tetrazzini

So this week's crock pot recipes are here:

Come-Back-for-Barbecued Chicken
makes 6-8 servings
cooking time:6-8hrs

6-8 chicken breast halves
1c ketchup
1/3c Worcestershire sauce
1/2c brown sugar
1tsp chili powder
1/2c water

1.Place chicken in slow cooker.
2.Whisk remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour sauce mixture over Chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low 6-8hrs, or until chicken is tender but not overcooked.

If the sauce begins to dry out, stir in another 1/2c water.

The boys loved this one! This will definately be a repeat dish at our house. 3 thumbs up!

I was at my Grandparents and put this in their crock pot for dinner. I am putting it on here for my fungus loving Bffs!

Chicken Tetrazzini

makes 4 servings
cooking time 6-8 hours

2-3c diced cooked chicken
2c chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1/4c sauterne, white wine, or milk
1/2c slivered almonds
2-4oz sliced mushrooms, drained
10 3/4 can cream of mushroom soup
1lb spaghetti, cooked
grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine all ingredients except spaghetti and cheese in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on low 6-8hrs.
3. Serve over buttered spaghetti. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Variations:
1.Place spaghetti in large baking dish. Pour sauce in center. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Broil until lightly browned.
2. Add 10-oz pkg frozen peas to step 1.

I hope you have a good week!

She is a girl! I checked . . . . twice!

Well, Victoria Faith is finally here. And the first girl doesn't know what she has gotten into! But we love her! Love that wild hair!

The flashscrewed up her coloring but I couldn't resist taking a pic of her sucking on her finger. Which is what Eli did when he was a baby! Congrats Andrew, Jen, Jordan and Scott. She is a keeper!

Happy Birthday to you, Fred!

Fred, I want to wish you a Happy Birthday! You are an awesome brother, great dad, and a good husband! I love you. I hope you have a good day. I am glad that I have you that I can count one. You are always good for a laugh. It is impossible to get under you skin, but rest assured I will continue to try:)! As horrible as you and Andrew were to me growing up, I wouldn't change a minute of it. I am glad that you live so close and I can see you and your family so often. I am thankful our boys will grow up together! And just this once, I am proud of you Dr Fred!

An Easter weekend . . . .

So, we had the family Easter yesterday and our Easter today! It is nice to spend time w/the whole family and hopefully soon, we will be adding a new member into the mix. She has no idea what she is getting into! LOL! Here are some pics of this weekend.
All the boys were excited to find some eggs this morning! Even Tovi, although he wasn't as interested in finding them as just running around.

The boys' Easter baskets.

Getting 7 boys to focus and together is quite a difficult task. Trevor wasn't very patient, he kept telling everyone that he was ready to find easter eggs. Noah was teamed up w/Trevor and Jordan w/Ty. Eli was finding frogs, Scott sport balls, Lucas carrots, Trevor elmo, and Ty chicks.

Trevor quickly finished his red vine to go on his hunt!

Lucas's first carrot!

Where oh, where did elmo go?

Where are my frogs?

Ty is getting the hang of it!

Oh, what a cute pic!

Trevor found all his elmo eggs, twice!

Scott needs to find 2 more!

Eli's last frog!

3 more carrots to go!

I was glad that the weather was nice for the weekend. Perfect for egg hunts. The boys spent most of yesterday playing outside. I am thankful for so much, my family and friends. But mostly for Christ dying for us, so that we may all go to heaven. Enjoy your holiday weekend and those that are most important! God Bless!