Hiding Veggies!!

I love it when I can get healthy food down my kids. They do okay when it comes to most things and if a side of ranch is included for the dipping they do great! What about the Veggies! All the veggies they seem to consume are the ones that have the least amount of nutrition for you. Well I went to our local Smiths for some shopping (which I love cause you can always find great markdowns) and found a killer deal on baby spinach (99 cents) for a good size bag. I decided to buy two and my pureeing began. I really like spinach cooked in different meals but for my kids I was going to have to be more creative.



So I tried a smoothie recipe which turned out pretty good, it did have a thicker texture but not bad and gage and violet didn't seem to care. Maicey on the other hand I knew she would notice so I added a little more juice and she drank it all, Yay!

1 c. carrots (pureed)

2 c. spinach

2 apples, peeled

1 c. orange juice

2 bananas

2 c. strawberries

I was on a roll so to our meatloaf at dinner I added 1/2 c puree each of spinach and squash (from our garden ) It turned out good as well. Gage insisted on helping me cook so I had to be a little sneaky adding the purees and when the meat turned kind of green I got out the food coloring to try and back up the reason why, it was kinda funny- kids aren't dumb. I went ahead and froze the extra puree for later. I try to feed my kids healthier choices for the most part -if it wasn't for my like of cooking desserts. But hey, any bit of greens is better than none, right?

Ahoy Maitey!

Today gage decided he wanted to be a pirate. He wore this outfit all day long until a huge rip appeared after playing a little too rough outside ( probably was because of my sewing job ). Anyway, it was fun while it lasted. The orange julius mustache wasn't intentional, but hey it fit right in.

Gage's Bike Journey!

One day while we were outside I mentioned to Gage we were going to take off his training wheels and try out his bike. He was okay with the idea but insisted it was only a temporary thing. I agreed, thinking once he got it he wouldn't want his training wheels back on (right?) Well we got his bike set to go and he wanted to try it out on the grass. Jordan kept a hold trying to help him learn to keep his balance, and from the looks of it we were thinking he may need more body control. Little did we know all he needed was a shove. Jordan decided just to let go and see what happens and sure enough he rode with great control, he even rode standing up (since riding in the grass was a little difficult). Can you believe the first time we let go he was pro. After riding a little bit more that morning he said he was tired (the grass and wind probably had something to do with it but he didn't want to venture to solid ground) so we agreed to put them back on and they have been on ever since. My cute boy! He definitely does better just put in situations where you don't talk about it too much before hand and he prepares himself.

Surprise Visitors!

Excited to see Grandma and Grandpa

Maicey a cowgirl for our ward party.

Gage loves watching Grandma play her game-it tuckered him out.

We are not afraid to be goofy, Grandma playing with the kids while I cooked breakfast.

The kids couldn't get enough of honking Grandpa's nose-what a sport!

Gager kept coming back for more.

This last week my parents surprised me and came up for a visit. I guess all the family knew but kept it on the download, I'm surprised my mom didn't break down and tell me! So that morning I had dropped Gage off at Preschool and me and Maicey were up stairs picking up her room. Violet had wandered downstairs and I decided to check on her since our garage door was open. As I was walking down the stairs I heard a man's voice in my living room, seems how Jordan was asleep I darted down and found Grandma and Grandpa Jones on the couch with Vivi. We were all excited to see them! It hadn't been that long since we had seen them so Vi didn't need any time to warm up to them. My Mom and I had a fun time checking out the parade of homes and doing crafts. They also made it for our ward cowboy party, Gage wanted to dress up but none of his atire worked so he was happy taking a sword.

Tag!

The Five:

Ten years ago I:

1. was in high school

2. just got my license and ran into pole at maverik (don't ask!)

3. played the clarinet in band

4. pole vaulted in track

5. insecure about myself

On today's to do list:

1. pay some bills online

2. put away some laundry

3. put some cowboy/girl outfits together for a ward party.

4. call Jordan, he is working a double shift so instead of coming home at 11:30pm he will be here at 7:30am.

5. Get some "ME" time in, the kids are all asleep and my house is quiet.

Snacks I enjoy:

1. Cereal, I could eat it for every meal.

2. strawberry yogurt w/ teddy grahams

3. rocky road ice cream

4. blueberry bagel and strawberry cream cheese

5. cantelope

What I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. travel

2. buy a fishing boat

3. invest

4. buy a slightly bigger home in the same neighborhood

5. Help out those in need/charity

Places I've lived:

1. Overton, NV

2. Las Vegas, NV (with Darin and Tami)

3. In our first home in North Las Vegas

4. North las vegas, up the street from our first home.

5. Idaho Falls, ID

Jobs I have had:

1. Inside Scoop

2. Nanny

3. Dairy Queen

4. Bank of America -quality monitor

5. Day care facility while I went to college.

I tag anyone who wants to do this.

-Bye Bye Binky-

Anyone who has been around Violet knows how beloved her binky is. She would take it everywhere she goes and sometimes one wasn't enough, she would be carrying around three. Violet wasn't attach to any certain kind(which was nice) she would take any that were offered. She didn't even care the position it was in her mouth, upside down worked just fine too. So one day I could not find a binky anywhere, I looked in the usual spots (under her bed, in the drawer, cars, ect) still no binky. So that night in bed when she asked for her bink I said it was lost, and she understood. After another day of being lost she seemed pretty fine without it, so I decided binky would stay lost forever-and it has. Violet did rather well actually and sometimes will ask for it, but I will reassure her that she is a big girl now and she doesn't need it anymore. Jordan made the comment the other day and said, "I kinda miss Vivi's binky" As I thought about it I did too. It is one step closer to being a big girl and it was sure nice keeping her our baby.

*Preschool Here We Come*

Today is Gager's first day of preschool and boy is he excited. After he got dressed he said, "Mom do I look bigger." Three other moms from church and I are putting together a preschool where we each take turns at each others houses. They get to go two times a week and each of us have them at our house only two times per month. I am excited because I have had good intentions of doing preschool at home with my kids but you know how easy it is to get sidetracked if it is not set in stone. Well now i can put some of my preschool degree to use and Gage will have fun with his friends.

Gage is my little singer and this morning I heard him singing a song he made up, it went:

"I going to preschool, I going to preschool--YOO HOO!"

Monkey Girl!

The other night I put Maicey and Violet in their beds and I took off the ladder from the top bunk (They share bunk beds and if the ladder is up then Violet climbs up and bothers Maicey). I went downstairs and a few minutes later Maicey came down saying that Vivi was up on her bed. How in the world did she do that? I asked Maicey how she got up and she said she climbed up on her rail. I asked Vivi to get on Maicey's rail and sure enough she climbed up the rails--What a little monkey---

Blackfoot Fair!

We decided to check out the Blackfoot Fair and although it didn't have many shows to watch we did have fun together. They had many farm animals to look at and the kids loved seeing them. Their was a pretty cool petting zoo with goats, pig, sheep, dogs, bunnies, ducks, chicken, llama, and even an ostrich that was freely walking around with you (which was cool ). The kids loved the hands on science area and had fun making spin pictures digging for seashells and of course the bike that blew bubbles. We left after Maicey's dance class so we were able to stay for about 4 hours, which was just perfect! They also had the biggest pumpkins we had ever seen.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Dinosaurs have been spotted at the Doty's House.

Come and Explore with Gage for his 4th Birthday!

Gage decided this year he wanted a Dinosaur Birthday party and I had a lot of fun planning for it. It was all worth it to see how excited Gager was. He asked me about every 10 minutes when his friends were going to come and when the doorbell FINALLY rang he went crazy screaming and jumping.

Four of his closest friends were able to come, and it was the perfect amount. They had a blast

decorating dino masks:

hatching dino eggs:

Erupt a Volcano:

EAT!! (while roaring like a dinosaur):

Pin the horn on the triceratops:

Make a wish, eat a cupcake:








Don't wake the dino:







Don't forget the Pinata:homemade (can't you tell) I actually liked it better than the store bought kind because the kids were actually able to break it themselve.










Presents: building dinos, nerf gun, cars, car track, spy kit=excited kid






the dino bunch:




Well the party was a success based on Gage's excitement. Gage you are getting so big, I can't believe it was four years ago on Labor day that you blessed our family. You add so much to our home and we are so glad you were sent to us. You are my little cuddle bug and such a great kid! We love you and hope you had a special day because you are a very special boy.