Uncle Brice's Birthday Party

For Uncle Brice's birthday party, we headed to Haslet, to his friend Kathy's house. She lives on some acreage with I believe 33 horses (mostly miniature). They usually have a bonfire but since there was a fire ban and super windy, the bonfire part was canceled.

But Sophia did get to see the horses.

There's Kathy, feeding the horses.

And Sophia helping.

There's the baby horse. She's only 9 days old.

I was so proud of Sophia. She wasn't afraid at all to pet them or feed them. Maybe having the fence between them helped.

And she was even unafraid around the dogs. Granted, they were MUCH smaller than Dude, her only frame of reference.

She even enjoyed chasing this poor dog around. Poor Ruby, the dog.

Gig 'Em! Her Uncle Brice was trying to get her to say gig 'em and hold her thumbs up. But it was not going to happen.

Then Uncle Brice broke out the silly putty.

And it DOES bounce!

What a fun night! And Sophia was on her best behavior. Must have been because she napped until 5:30. We didn't get home until almost 10.

Sadly, she still woke up at 7 a.m. And of course it was my turn to wake up with her. Figures!

Craft Night!!

Friday night, I had the privilege of joining my crafty friends for a night of laughter. Thanks for the laughs ladies! I'm not sure how much "crafting" really went on but it sure was fun. Thanks for hosting, Donna. I hope we weren't too loud for Glenn.

Sophia's Latest Trick

Sophia has been performing a few magic tricks lately, or pretending to anyways. Here's her latest trick.

Tasty!

Speaking of food (sorry no pics), Sophia has begun referring to things as tasty. As in, this chocolate milk from Starbucks is too tasty. These crackers and cheese are too tasty. This applesauce is too tasty. And then she proceeds to not eat or drink them. In other words, "too tasty" means it's overloaded her flavor pallet and she's done. It's actually very funny to hear her refer to foods as tasty. Now my question is, where did she get the concept of tasty? Do I say it? Russell? Ms. Melanie?

Baked Ziti

Here's the Baked Ziti recipe I'm using next week. It's from Baby and Toddler Meals for Dummies.

Baked Ziti

8 ounces uncooked ziti
1 pound ground beef
26- 28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the past according to the package directions. Set the noodles aside.
2. In a large stock pot, cook the ground beef thoroughly, drain the excess grease.
3. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.
4. While the meat is simmering, combine the egg, the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses and 1 cup of mozzarella in a large bowl. Mix well. Toss in the pasta and mix well.
5. Grease a 13 x 9 pan. Spoon a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom. Follow with a layer of past, then another layer of meat sauce. Layer until the pan is full and make sure to end with a layer of meat sauce.
6. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Top the casserole with the remaining mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Menu For Next Week

My Menu Plan for Next Week

Sat.- Eating at Uncle Brice's

Sun.- Chicken Scallopine (a new dish for us)

Mon.- Baked Ziti (from my Baby and Toddler Meals for Dummies book)

Tues.- Nachos

Wed.- leftovers

Thurs.- Chicken Pesto Manifesto (sandwiches)

Fri.- Frozen Pizza

A Full Week!

So what did we do this week?

Well,it was full of chocolate. 

 Sophia got a shipment of chocolate (a chocolate bunny rabbit) from her Grandpa and Grandma K, which she thoroughly enjoyed (and I did too, she actually shared his ears).

It was full of drawing, writing and coloring.

I was pretty impressed with Sophia's scribbles. To stay in a somewhat straight line like that takes skill.

It was full of band aids (not actually shown in the pic). Sophia's big toe lost part of a toe nail and nasty fall in a Chick-Fil-A parking lot meant she got multiple Princess band aids.

It was full of cute outfits and hair styles chosen by her.

It's so weird! By the time it hits 8 am on weekends, she demands to change clothes. She no longer wants to lounge in pj's. :( Is she really my kid?? Oh yes, she loves chocolate and art.

It was full of shopping.

 We got a few things that needed replacing around the house like our Rubbermaid containers and bed pillows. Sophia wanted her own pillow. So we indulged. She's been using her pillow pet for a while now in bed, so we figured, what the heck. Why not?

It was full of chocolate goldfish, Sophia's latest discovery.

And yes, they are yummy!

It was filled with lots and lots of clips.

Yep, tons of clips.

It was filled with decorating for Spring, which Sophia helped with (mostly holding things while I put stuff up).

And it was full of Sophia eating vegetables, uncoerced, bribed, or bullied. And she asked for more.

It was full of nature, although it was all indoors at the Mall.

Remember, it was also full of shopping.

And it was full of pictures. Here's a few that Sophia took.

She somehow managed to figure out the timer to take a self portrait.

Like I said, it was a full weekend! And this was just the portion that was photographed. There was still running, cleaning and cooking. :)