InstaFriday - She was here!

Another week gone by and no posting in between.  Boring.  I swear, summer is coming soon and I will have lots for you, but until then, follow us on Instagram to see what we are up to!

Without further adieu, our week!

 I skipped school on Friday and walked the kids to school with grandma.  Was a peek into what our mornings are going to be like in the future!  Really we all walked to school, but only Lola stayed, Kyan had a ditch day, but it wasn't all fun and games.  First things first, a trip to the dentist for a tooth extraction.  Yep, once step closer to braces.  On our way home we took a detour and ended up with a jump rope from the dollar store.  Grandma had just as much fun with it as Kyan did.  We headed to my mom's place for a little bit to swim before we had to go get sister at school.  My principal is retiring this year, so I headed to his party and met up with my girls!  Man I am going to miss them next year.  Grandma stayed home with Lola so that Chad could take Kyan to see The Avengers with his friends.  It was a later movie and not all the boys made it through without nodding off (including Kyan for a few minutes) but they all had so much fun!

 Saturday was the day I had been waiting for all week, in fact, I had been counting down for several weeks for this very special day of junking!  The Junk in the Trunk Market was finally back and better than ever!  My mama flew into town just for the shopping!  We picked up Meghan and my mother-in-law on our way and met my cousin Hannah bright and early!  We didn't want to miss a deal!  I spent lots of money and walked away from an industrial desk that I wanted soooooooo bad (but Kyan's teeth are going to be expensive and my conscience got in the way - UGH!).  Can't wait until September!

After our morning/afternoon of shopping, we jumped in the pool with daddy and he is really rad to swim with!  Grandma and the kids snuggled up together while Chad and I enjoyed a nice quiet dinner, just the two of us!

 We swam some more on Sunday afternoon before we had to take grandma to the airport (which is always the saddest part of our day, I hate it when she leaves us).  Everyone fully submerged at one point.  It felt so good. Both the kids were LIGHTS OUT and fell asleep early. 

 So excited for Monday and Teacher Appreciation Week.  I found a really cute idea a few weeks ago from the girls over at eighteen25, as soon as I saw it, I knew that it was going to be this years gift!  The kids were just as excited to give each of their teacher's their gifts!  After school, Kyan went over to his buddy's house to practice his routine.  Cutest thing ever.  They had a notebook full of directions and moves and made an entire dance up!  The little guy in the front ended up getting sick and couldn't try out, but Kyan and Jax did it without him and wouldn't you know, the two of them made the talent show at the end of the year!   Proud of them.

 Met with my new team Tuesday and am soooooo excited how enthusiastic and on it they are!  I won't lie and say that I wasn't nervous, it was the first time I was meeting with some of them and I wondered what they were going to think of me and how I was going to fit in with them.  I left the meeting with a to-do list a mile long.  Ideas began to run through my head and I just couldn't turn the switch off.

 

 Wednesday morning I whipped up a little dessert I like to call Pineapple Delight for the Teacher Luncheon at the kids' school.  So easy to make and so delicious in your mouth.  Bottom layer is Sarah Lee Pound Cake (the family size), Cream Cheese frosting, Crushed Pineapple, and topped off with Whip Cream!  Refrigerate until served and it is the best nice and cold!  I randomly got a letter in the school mail from a former student who happened to be from my first year of teaching, ever.  It was the sweetest thing ever and made my day.  After school I played in the Teacher vs. Student basketball game.  No, I did not fall (haha Candis), rather dove for the loose ball!  We were serious and were going to do anything for bragging rights the following day at school.  I am out of shape and needed an oxygen tank by 4th quarter.

 

 My friend, who happens to be on the PTO at the new school and my future room mom, gave me the sweetest gift that all the teachers at the kids' school got for Teacher Appreciation this week!  She didn't want me to feel left out next year, so she made me one too!  Thank you.  And my boy, the catcher.  Love his smile, even through the mask!  

Had a great week and hope you did too!

Looking very forward to the weekend and celebrating mothers day!

Linking up with Jeannett!

 

InstaFriday - She's Here!!!

Oh this past week has been a crazy one!  But I picked up my pretty mama last night at the airport and somehow she makes everything better, you know?

Our week in rewind:

Fridays are school spirit days at the kids' school and Kyan and Lola were sporting their #1's for their school in the morning!  I am so thankful that they put up with me taking pictures of them all the time!  Friday night the hubs and I went to an early movie (we finally saw The Hunger Games) and I was reminded of why I hate going to theaters, I always have to pee!  I swear it was extra last Friday night, but the movie was great and I am glad I was finally able to see it, although the cinematography could have been a little less bouncy, thanks. 

Saturday is business as usual, baseball.  The boys played about 20 minutes away, so Kyan was jammin' out on his way to the game, getting in the zone.  I LOVE this shot of him.

After the game, I went for a much needed mani/pedi with another baseball mama!  I am so happy that Kyan plays with kids that live in the neighborhood and go to his school!  I have become close with a few of the mamas and it is nice to know that I can count on them to pick up Kyan or they can count on me to grab their kid from school if they are running late/stuck in a meeting!  I got gel nails once again and I love that the salon I go to have about 60 different colors to choose from.  It was the toughest decision I had to make!  Later that afternoon, we loaded up the car as a family and went to watch Xavier play some football across town.  We had plans to go out for pizza afterwards, but I was able to talk everyone in to going to Fajita's (it wasn't hard, they loved it too), since we were close (and I have been begging for months to make the drive - Chad and I used to frequent there quite a bit back in the day)!  It is always nice to catch up with the Swishers, lots of laughs are always had when we are with them!

Sunday I spent my morning with that sweet little one there on the right, Miss Delany Rose Keilman.  One of the prettiest babies I have ever seen!  Truth.  I don't love newborn shoots. They are so hard for me to do, I don't feel like I am good at positioning babies, etc.  She made my job kinda easy and might have changed my mind just a little bit about not loving them as much.  I mean look at her, she is sweetness.  When I got home, I took the kids swimming (we can't wait for summer) and then Lola grocery shopping!  I can't believe they were able to fit it all back in my cart, I had it overflowing and usually when that happens, I end up with two carts!  But my little helper was able to help me push our one very overflowing cart to the car!  My babysitters will be happy to know that our pantry is fully stocked and ready for them (they never thought it was empty btw, but I thought it was and felt horrible when Alyssa was over watching the kids on Friday night)!  They always comment on the food!  Makes me giggle!  After the grocery store, I spent the rest of the evening editing mommy and daddy Keilman's favorite pictures of their new addition!

 Monday I came home from work and typical after school meetings and prepped dinner/lunch for later that night and the next few days at work.  I don't know what came over me, but it was ready for the oven right before I headed to practice!  And what makes practice more enjoyable than your own set of wings?!  Every girl should have a pair...right?  Lola would say so!  She enjoyed watching her brother and playing with her friends with her wings on!  Kyan had some issues sliding during practice (they slide on cardboard and it was like he was hopping to get over the cardboard and then making this goofy jump thing to slide) and got very frustrated.  He hates it when he can't do something or does it wrong.  As soon as we got home from practice he made a beeline for the backyard, where he proceeded to slide until her did it perfect (it didn't take long, the cardboard I swear is what was throwing him off)!  He is dedicated.

 Tuesday I headed to the dentist before school with the kids.  Where do I begin?  We knew Lola had an extra baby tooth, but we weren't sure if that extra tooth had a permanent extra tooth as well, all fingers and toes were crossed that there wasn't one.  She finally let them take x-rays this time around and of course there is an extra permanent tooth, why would it be anything but easy?!  Ugh.  What that extra tooth in her mouth means that in about a year to a year and a half, she will have to have oral surgery to remove that extra permanent tooth (and the baby one obviously if she hasn't lost it yet).  Great.  One kid down with bad news, one to go....wait, on a positive note, I only had to hold Lola down at the very start of her teeth polishing.  As soon as she realized it was not at all bad, she did just fine and I was able to let go.  I still had to sit by her, but no spitting or biting this time around.  Whew.  Now, onto Kyan.  He has already been through the ringer at the dentist in the past year and a half.  We are finally at the point where just check-ups are needed.  When the dentist was looking at his x-rays I heard a lot of oooooh's and aaaaaahhh's.  Sounds I did not want to hear.  She told me that he may have an extra tooth as well, they will check for it again in 6 months, because it was two hard to tell.  Having an extra tooth is hereditary, so if one child has it, it is not uncommon for the other to have it as well (only we have never noticed in x-rays before and he had no extra baby teeth, so I am hoping the x-ray was just funky and the bone was denser there or something).  She then ooooh'd and aaaaaahhhhh'd some more said it looked like he had a k9 tooth instead of a molar growing where a molar should definitely be growing.  She looked at his bit and noticed that his top teeth in the back are going on the outside of teeth, where they should go under (hope that makes sense) and then she ordered another x-ray to see what was up.  She showed me his teeth again and we saw that his permanent molar was growing in sideways, making it look like a k9, and that it is very painful.  Kyan said that he doesn't chew food on that particular side because it hurts so much.  She then showed me where two permanent teeth are trying to come down into half a spot of room.  He is extremely overcrowded in that little mouth of his and we have already talked braces in his future, I know he needs them, I just wasn't prepared for what she said next.  She recommended that we go to see an Orthodontist sooner than later.  She thinks he most likely needs an expander to give some of his teeth room to drop and that they will have to pull his last two baby teeth on the top!  Braces before age 8 (which is when the braces talk typically happens and starts) are most likely going to happen.  I just have $$$$$$$ running through my brain, Kyan's little mouth sounds like it is going to be quite the process.

We swam with our friends after school!  Our week is jammed packed with practice twice a week again and one game during the week (one on the weekend too), we don't always have time to play, but Tuesday it worked out and everyone was happy campers!  

I was a happy mommy when Kyan and Lola decided to bunk up together and watch a movie/fall asleep!  Last week they were in Lola's room and this week it seems like Kyan's room is where it's at!  Their closeness makes my heart full.

 Wednesday I asked for help choosing a cell phone case!  Yeah, that only confused me more!  I love all three of them and I don't think I could go wrong with any of the bird cases (they remind me of my tattoo on my wrist), but I was really hoping that my IG peeps would have given me a clearer answer!  Notsomuch.  Ha!  I did like all of the reasons as to why I should pick 1, 2, or 3 if they left one.  Funny how people know me so well!  My kids rocked Pink Mouse Inc. to school!  All morning Kyan was asking me about the process our friend Michael goes through in creating his designs.  He is one curious kid!  On Friday night date night, Chad and I went to PF Chang's (think I forgot to mention that...ooops) and I tried their lettuce wraps for the first time ever.  Now they are all that I want to eat, I ordered enough for dinner and lunch on Thursday!

Thursday is the day we had been waiting for all week!  The BIGGEST reason is right there on the bottom - - GRANDMA's here!!!  Lola dressed in one of her prettiest dresses and loaded up on the accessories in anticipation of her arrival!  But lots had to happen before her airplane came in.  Both kids had their yearly checkups (you know just four and five months late, whoopsie).  All went well and both kids are healthy as can be!  Lola is in the 50% on both height and weight, while Kyan is in the 75% for both height and weight.  After the pediatrician, Kyan had an orthodontist appointment to see what the plan of attack was for his little crowded mouth.  Found out it is going to be pretty intense and a good thing summer is coming up so he will get used to the expander that will be in very soon, that is after an infection clears up one of his molars (which they are pulling today).  It had to come out to make room anyway, but geez, I thought I would have some time to think about it.  Not.So.Much.  Kyan is a trooper though and I know one day when he has perfect teeth, he'll thank us!  Kyan played his ballgame at Goodyear Ballpark.  It was cool to see all the little guys on the pro field and awesome that the city makes this happen for the teams twice a season!  Lola and I only caught one inning of the game though, because we had to pick up my pretty mama at the airport!  Finally, she is here and it couldn't have come at a better time.  So excited to spend a three day weekend with her (I ditched school today, but not really, Kyan does have a dentist appointment)!  

Can't wait for Saturday and Junk in the Trunk...are you going?

Happy Weekend!

Linkin' up with Jeannett, you should too!

 

InstaFriday Once Again!!!

WhatAWeek!  Whew!  Wanna see what we did?

 Last week started out with a bit of a blast from the past!  Once a year we invite former students, current high school students to come and speak to our 8th graders, giving them advice/letting them ask questions, etc.  It is always a fun day to catch up with old, familiar faces.  I get to see Taylor quite a bit (on the right, you'll see her later in a pic to, can't get rid of her actually...just kidding, we love you at the Roseland house Tay) but was pleasantly surprised to get to see Kylie and have her come in and talk with the students too!  She was a former homeroom homie and one of the best TA's ever!

  Friday school day was awesome, but I was even more excited for after school, where I had planned to meet up with my girlfriend Candis for dinner and a movie (The Lucky One).  She sent me a calendar invite literally months ago, we don't always get to spend just girlfriend time with our busy schedules, so it made it that much more special!  My tire had other plans.  After I filled up at QT I started to drive away and something just felt wrong.  I got out and checked, things looked fine.  Started slowly driving away again and same thing.  Pulled next to the curb and got out one more time.  Sure enough flat tire.  To make a long story short, after two hours of dealing with the insurance, get a tow truck or not?, two wonderful gentleman changed my tire (so thankful for them and good to know there are strangers out there willing to help, just because) and I headed to Discount Tire before it closed.  The culprit of my flat tire was an Alan Wrench!  Uggggggh.  Needless to say, I did not make it to dinner or the movies with Candis and I was sad (and out waaaaaaaaay more money).

 Saturday was busy, like usual.  We spent our morning at the ballpark.  It was beautiful (and hot).  Kyan had some big hits and played great.  Lola is typically off with her friends playing around the ball field close by. There is the cutest hound dog that comes to all of the games and the kids usually have her surrounded.  She is so calm and sweet to them and Lola just loves her, so when she is there, Lola always takes a break from playing and gives her lots of attention!  After the game, Kyan went with me to get my tires changed and then we headed to the salon to get him a haircut!  He wanted Bieber's short hair do and Zonia nailed it!

In the afternoon, Chad and I prepped for supper club - Jewish style!  If you missed the menu, click here, it was delicious, as usual!  We learned how to play dreidel, who knew it was so much fun??!!

 Sunday was HOTTTTTTTT!  Like hot enough that even I was in the pool with those two cuties!  It is so nice that they can swim (Lola with her floaties and Kyan like a fish) and play so well together, I got a lot of reading done while chillaxin' in the water!  What am I reading you ask?  Jodi Picoult's Lone Wolf.  It is so good, just taking me longer than usual to get through, but I am short on time lately and only get to squeeze in reading for a couple minutes here and there.  Can't wait for summer!

 Working on Kyan's teacher's birthday present with another mama and gave her my contribution.  Thanks to the girls at eighteen25 for coming up with this idea and sharing the printable for it!  Mrs. B drinks Starbucks like I drink ice tea, so her gift should get her a couple days worth of drinks!  

Before Lola went to sleep, she found some silly glasses and we took some silly pictures!

 Only on Monday's do both of my kids have PE and have to wear tennis shoes.  Lola was so excited to sport her new shoes to school, along with her fancy dress!  Kyan, on the other hand, was pumped to wear his skeletoes (his daddy has the exact same pair)!  He said all the kids were asking about them!  He hasn't worn them since though, because they got too much sand in them (both the kids come home with their shoes full each day)!  He said he wants to save wearing them for the weekends!

 Wednesday we went on a field trip to ASU with the 8th graders.  I forgot to eat breakfast, so I snuck a few fish crackers on the drive over, even though I told my students they couldn't eat.  Bad example.  It was a "do as I say, not as I do" kinda day!

After school, Meagan came over for some sewing lessons.  Wouldn't you know she cranked out two blankets without having to use the seam ripper once.  She is either just that good or a liar (I totally joke) that she hasn't sewn before!  We had a lot of fun.  It is cool to watch someone just "get it" and realize that it really isn't that hard to sew!

 Thursday was yet another baseball game and the first time I felt like a "soccer" baseball mom!  One of my girlfriends at school had a few appointments and her husband had to finish up at work, so I took her son home with me.  Gianni is on Kyan's team, so off we went to pick up Kyan, Lola, and Lucas at extended day!  Lucas, another player on the baseball team, is going to start coming home with us on Thursdays from now on, as his parents get off work right on time for the start of the game, so since he and Kyan are at the same school and are buddies, it works out perfect!  For the first time in my life I can honestly say that I wanted a minivan, but it was just for that split second when my trunk was packed full of all our bags/baseball gear just so we could fit uncomfortably in my little Fit.

I was telling Taylor and Alyssa about my minivan visions and they told me, "just wait, this is only the beginning.  It get's worse!"  I couldn't help but smile on the inside just a little bit.  I know it is true, at least until they can drive themselves!  When you ask me in a couple of years how I am liking all that driving everywhere, I probably won't be able to answer this the same way, but for now, I am loving every second of it!

 And last, but not least, and my favorite picture of the week:  Sleeping kids in Lola's bed.  Kyan asked to sleep with Lola Thursday night and watch the same movie she was.  Usually when this happens, they watch the show and he finds his way back to his room, but tonight, he brought his stuff over to fall asleep with and he sure did!  Both of them!  Kinda thought Kyan outgrew this stage, but happy to see that when I went upstairs to check on them, they were curled up and snoozing away together.  Melted this mama's heart for sure.  I love how close they are and it brought back a lot of memories that I have with my little brother.  If you are reading Joel, love ya!

I hope everyone had a great week and has plans for a fantastic weekend!  

Linking up with Jeannett over at Life Rearranged!

Supper Club - Spring {2}

 This supper club was like no other we have done before.  Instead of going with food surrounding the season, Holly & Adam decided to go with a Jewish theme and expose us to food we most likely haven't eaten a whole lot of before!  Being that Adam is Jewish, there was even a family recipe that was shared with us!

I know I say this a lot, but I really love these girls.  I have been lucky enough to work with them for the past five years on the same team.  Without getting too sentimental, this was our last supper club where that bond will be shared.  As I sat with them Saturday night, it popped up in my head quite a few times and as I type about them now, I could cry.  They are not just my friends, but my family and I can't help but wonder what supper club is going to sound like, not so much this summer, but next fall, when we are at different points in our teaching careers?  I know that we will remain friends for life, but I can't help but wonder what our conversations might sound like {and no we don't just talk about school stuff, in fact, we try to refrain from it to save our husbands ears}.  For now, I won't think about it, just how much these girls mean to me!

How The Supper Club works:

1. No kids.
2. The host comes up with the menu and then divides out the recipes to each of the supper club members to prepare for the party (we have four parties per year, each couple takes a season).
3. The host always provides the main dish/side dish with a variety of beverage selections.
4. Remember that it is sometimes best to semi-prepare your dishes and do last minute baking, chilling, slicing, or arranging at the home of the host.
5. Menu items should be new and adventurous.
6. Portion sizes must be small so that you have room to taste every course of the evening, so feel free to reduce recipes in half where ever you see fit.

The Menu

Click on the name of the food/drink and it will take you right to the recipe!

Cocktail:

Manischewitz Sangria Martini

*we didn't have martini glasses, so wine glasses had to do!

Appetizer Hour:

 Noodle Kugel

 Falafel

*no picture of this because we couldn't get it to work!  When it went to be fried, it disintegrated.  This was our first time ever where we didn't have something work!  No worries, Kristen and Abel headed to the store to get Pita Bread to enjoy with the various dipping sauces they made, including:

Piquillo Pepper Yogurt Sauce

White Bean Hummus

Tomato Relish

Tahini Sauce 

During appetizer hour we had a Jewish word hiding under our plate.  It was funny to hear the words added into our conversations at dinner!  While this was not my word, I think it was the funniest word of the night!

Salad:

Israeli Tomato Salad

 Main Course:

Potato Latkes w/ Sour Cream and Applesauce

Family Briskett (no link, see below for recipe)

3-4 lbs. brisket

Mix the following:

2 T of liquid smoke

1 T of garlic salt

1 T of onion salt

2 T of celery seed

1 T Worcestershire salt

one packet of Adelfo meat merinate

add 2/3 cup of water

Cover meat with mix in shallow baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake 4 hours at 325 degrees.

 Uncover and add one cup of BBQ sauce and leave uncovered for one more hour.

The Briskett was my favorite part of the meal, sooooooooooo good!

After dinner, we decorated our very own dreidel, so that we could have one to take home and play on our own!  This was our entertainment for the evening, something that the host couple comes up with to do either after dinner or in between courses!  Holly and Adam stuck with the Jewish theme and taught us a Jewish game to play!

While the paint was drying on our own dreidel's, Adam taught us how to play, using his {or rather Sydney's - their daughter}!  It was really fun and got very competitive for those M&M's!

Dessert:

Matzo Apple Tea Cakes

 Thank you Holly and Adam for a wonderfully planned meal and a fun night together! 

Looking forward to this summer and our turn to host...I better start planning the menu!

If you missed out on the first year, or want to see what we eat last year, head to this post, where it will take you to our winter supper club {2} together and at the bottom of that post, will share a link to the other menus!  I NEED to work on a Supper Club tab for the blog, but until I have some extra time, I will just keep directing you to past posts if you are curious to see what we ate or are wanting to plan your own!

 Linking up with some of my favorite party peeps this week!

It's that Time Again...

I love Fridays for multiple reasons...and Instafriday is the icing on the cake!  I love looking back and seeing what we were up to for the week!  Plus, it seems like it is all I have time to blog about lately, we are so busy, but it is holding me accountable!

My sweet angel girl.  I love her.

 My kids love the craft room as much as I do and when I am in there they are always finding projects to work on too!  Last Friday night Lola was Kyan's assistant to his coloring.  Any color he wanted, she found it and handed it over!  

When it comes time for bed, Lola begs me to snuggle her for just 5 minutes.  Most nights her wish is granted!!!  She has trouble sleeping on her own, she is scared of EVERYTHING!  Ugh, thought she was over this stage, but I guess it is back!  I know it won't stay like this forever and she won't want anything to do with me sooner than later, but a bedtime with her falling asleep on her own or staying in her room the whole night for just one night would be quite nice.

 Saturday I woke up bright and early and headed to the east valley to go garage saling with my mother-in-law and my friend Meghan!  We hit up the fabric store too, which is my little slice of heaven lately!  Always a project or 12 I have in mind to work on!

After a full day of thrifting, we had movie night at home!  Kids upstairs in mommy and daddy's room, mommy and daddy downstairs!  I was so tired that I ended up crashing about half way through, not surprising though, I fall asleep during almost every movie watched at home.

I took a bunch of pictures on Sunday for one of my dad of one of his rental houses bright and early and as soon as I got home, I sat my butt on the couch and didn't get up until almost 3pm!  It was just too comfy!  Lola and I headed out for an afternoon of shopping at our favorite spots - Target and Old Navy!  We are happiest when we shop.

Because I was a slacker, I didn't look through backpacks until I was packing lunches Sunday night, whoopsie!  Kyan was the star student this week and needed to decorate a poster and fill in facts - All About Him!  Let's just say we missed bedtime!

  

 On Monday, Lauren over at Whimsy Lane, emailed me and told me about the signage at local store that was closing.  I knew about the store closing {so sad, it is where I bought my sewing machine and found my love for sewing again, sigh} but not about the letters for sale.  You can bet I high tailed it down to the store after work to get me an R!  I have a collection and this one is the biggest one yet!  

Kyan's team learned to slide at practice this week!  Was so much fun to watch them and the boys loved it!

Tuesday I went to meet my girlfriend's new baby, Delany Rose.  She was born 5 weeks early and gave her mommy a run for her money, but she is healthy and beautiful!  I snapped some pictures of her for Camille and Brandon.  I was so proud to see that Camille brought the swaddling blanket I made her to the hospital.  Delany looked so cute all bundled up tight in it!

Congratulations Keilman's on becoming a family of four!

 Wednesday after work I had a much needed hair appointment.  Zonia {my hair lady} explained to one of her other clients whose hair she was cutting while mine processed under the dryer that I was the devil and every 4 weeks she helps me get my angel on {when her client asked what the heck was over my head}!  It was hilarious!  

When I came home, I granted Lola her wish to have her nails/toes painted hot pink.  As soon as I was done everything on her body began to itch.  Soooooooooo annoying.  But her nails/toes look good!

 Thursdays are game days and today Kyan got his helmet back from one of his friend's dad!  He spent the week painting it red/black and it looks awesome!  Kyan was so excited to wear it when he came up to bat!  

But before they played, Kyan said the Little League Pledge before the game.  Seriously melted my heart! 

Hope you had a great week!  Looking forward to the weekend and another season of Supper Club...stay tuned for a post with real pictures soon!