Have a great weekend!!

Little Reader

One of all of our kids favorite things is reading. Mia can sit with a stack of books forever turning the pages and talking to herself, making up the story. We spend alot of time reading everyday because the kids love it and because we have lots of books. Here is a video of Grant starting to "read." I love it when they are jabbering and pointing to the books as if they are reading. Too cute!!

Job Change

I am making another job change in a few weeks. I put in my two weeks notice at my current job on Monday and will be working for the VA in the outpatient pharmacy starting the end of July. I will still only work weekends (Sat-12 hr shift, Sun-8 hr shift) so that I can be home with the kids during the week. It is actually 2 less hours a week than I am currently working and will be day instead of overnight hours. I think it is going to be a good change for me and for the family. I'll let you all know how it goes!

Tacky Tuesday

Playing with mommy's clothes. I personally love Jackson's purse.

Overnight at Nana's

Making ice cream in the ice cream ball

Tired from all of that work!!

Jackson and Mia enjoying the homeade ice cream

Jackson and Mia stayed the night at Nana's this past Saturday night. Mom got an ice cream ball and they made homeade chocolate chip ice cream. One of my favorite memories of my Grandpa Warren was watching and helping him make homeade ice cream for holidays and family events. It looks like they had a good time making and eating the ice cream and of course, making memories!

Southwest Chicken Soup

Now that we have some veggies in our garden, I have been trying to make things for dinner that include these fresh treats. One of our favorites right now is this delicious Southwest Chicken Soup. I got the recipe from a Quick Cooking magazine, but I added a few ingredients to jazz it up a little. Here is the recipe:

1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips or chunks

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth

1 package (16 oz) frozen corn

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatos, undrained

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies

1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt (like Lawrys)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional) or a few dashes of hot sauce

1-2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Saute chicken in oil until lightly browned (I season my chicken while browning with either Emeril's essence or poultry seasoning). Transfer chicken to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

This makes a colorful, flavorful soup. Serves 10 at 1 cup per serving. (if on Weight Watchers--only 3 points per cup!) Enjoy!

Swimming

Liam
Grant
Liam trying to drink the water

We finally got the baby pools out yesterday. The babies didn't like getting in the water, but liked to stick their hands inside and splash around. Everyone had fun!