Elite 8

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KH7KFQ9

It's down to 8......make your vote count!!!

Sweet 16

Here we are .....down to 16 names!!

Vote here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y596XF8

Spring has sprung...

From Jan-March 2010

We have flowers in our front yard!! Yay!

 I am so excited and ready for warm weather!!

Round Two.....

Round Two begins!!
Now that we are in the second round it will be a little bit harder to choose between this list of names, and hopefully we won't vote down your favorite!!

Here are the results from this week:

Here are the links, start voting:

East side: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/T929CTM

West Side: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/T9SXQ2Z

Baby Bracket.....

We have put together the bracket....

Here is where you can vote:

(each section of the bracket has a different link, so remember to do all four!)

NW Region- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BY9DYHG

SW Region- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BYDCMWR

NE Region- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BYDHKVF

SE Region- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/35PNCBJ

If you missed my prior post and you are wondering what is going on click here.

32 weeks.......only 8 to go.....

Chili....Chocolate.....and Chuck E. Cheese

Apparently my nesting instincts are already beginning to show, because I have had the energy to clean a bassinet and the babies car seat (and many other things that you could care less about), and put up three posts this week.

Well we had a a ward activity a couple of weeks ago, the Annual Chili Chocolate Cook Off. We actually were not planning on being there, but then our plans fell through the day before and we were able to attend. So we made a Chili dish and a Chocolate dish. Apparently people liked it .......

And if you look closely Emeril Lagasse and Gordon Ramsay approved!! 

For play group we went to Chuck E. Cheese this week. Annalise had a blast. I let her take her coins and play whatever games she wanted to. She loved a popcorn game that spit out ping-pong balls and then gave her 4 or 5 tickets at the end. However, her favorite thing was the picture machine which (as you can see) we did several times.  

I guess she can't get enough of herself...............I wonder where she gets that from?


As requested by Heather.....(sorry it took me so long)

White Chicken Chili

1 medium white onion

5 cloves garlic

3 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs.)

Chicken rub (optional, instructions below)

4 tbsp. butter

6 tbsp. flour

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup milk

2- 15 oz. cans butter beans

2- 15 oz. cans navy beans

16 oz. salsa verde

4.5 oz. chopped green chiles

1 white chili flavoring packet (McCormick)

Monterrey Jack cheese

Cilantro

Sour Cream

1-      Sautee onion in butter and oil over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, then add crushed garlic cloves, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.  Transfer onions and garlic to soup pot, leaving behind as much oil/butter as possible.

2-      Cut chicken into ¼ inch cubes, and cover with chicken rub consisting of 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. of each of the following, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, and chili powder.  Cook chicken in remaining oil/butter.  Add to onions and garlic in soup pot.

3-      Melt 4 tbsp. butter and slowly add 6 tbsp. of flour.  Once it is even, slowly add in cream and milk until it reaches an even consistency.  Transfer into soup pot and turn stove to medium heat.

4-      Add in beans, salsa, chiles, and flavoring packet.  Mix together, and simmer for a few hours, or until you can’t resist.

5-      Serve with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro and sour cream.

Play School

When we moved to Columbus Annalise and I joined a play school group with some of our friends here. Annalise has loved it, and it has been heavenly for me. Once a month I have all 5 kids at my house, and we learn about a letter, have some snacks and then some free time.

Today we learned about the letter U, and all of the kids were being so cute I had to snap some pictures.

Here they are Under their fort~

Then they decided to start their own band~
(we had a Ukulele, but it was upstairs)

Seth on the Ocean drum, Annalise on the Bongo, and McKade leading the group while Halle was dancing. 

Halle and Annalise sharing the princess blanket~

It has been so nice having this play school group, especially since I get to go grocery shopping by myself every week .......time to myself.....what is that........(and it won't last much longer, so I better enjoy it!). 

Annalise and I are very lucky to have such good friends!

The sweet sound of silence

Annalise has been struggling with nap time lately, which means some days she doesn't even get a nap....... and neither does mommy, which can make for two very cranky people.

 However she sometimes requests to sleep in different places, which usually is my bed, and as long as she decides to sleep, I honestly don't care where it is.  Today she asked to sleep on her little couch in her room. I thought it was very precious.