It tastes even better when it comes from the Ice Cream Truck!

Kambria and Madeleine chose Sponge Bob Cream Cycles and Eli had an Orange Cream Cycle....Yummy!

He learns from Daddy

Eli must love my stroganoff since he decided to lick the plate clean! Yes......I think he did learn this from Daddy! Jon doesn't do this all the time, just when something is extra tasty that leaves sauce or whatever behind on the plate. LOL!

Faith In God Girls Father/Daughter activity

The activity turned out awesome thanks to the dad's willingness to get wet and bring out their "inner kid"! :) We played water baseball with a soft bat and balls that soak up water. There were two baby pools, one on first base and the other on third. I layed a big sheet of plastic down going into home base and dumped a bunch of water on it to be like a slip n' slide. They all had so much fun! It was Fathers against Daughters and the Daughters won!!!!! Way to go girls! :) (Thanks for letting them win Dad's! You are all so Great!)

Another Day at the Park

Once Audriana figured out how to climb down this twisty thing she didn't want to play on anything else

Eli's turn! He was trying to climb up........he didn't get very far :) But he loved it anyway! :)

Cool shades!....Or cute flies!

We'll miss you Theresa and Joshua!

Jon's niece and her cute baby boy stayed with us for a couple weeks before heading back up to Alaska to live closer to her sister Nicole, Aunt Kim and Uncle James (who Joshua will know as Grandma and Grandpa). We enjoyed getting to spend more time with them and especially getting to bond with little Josh more! Here are some pics of our last night with them:

They loved teasing each other! :)

I had to throw in this pic of Kambria and Madeleline because they are so cute! :) George and Rhiannon joined us that night too.


Here we are at the airport saying goodbye.

We will miss you guys! We are proud of you Theresa and how much you have grown! Love you!

A little pool time at Grandma and Grandpa's

The kids love this little whale pool! This is the first year that Eli has been able to enjoy it. He didn't know what to think at first because the water was a little cold, but after putting him in a couple times and helping him splash around he liked it! :)

Kambria's hand prints

and her foot print :)

Grandma's bran muffin recipe

I had a request! Here it is:

....it makes a lot but it keeps in the refrigerator for about 4 weeks

You need a box of All Bran cereal

Step 1: 2 cups All Bran
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups boiling water
(poor over other 3 ingredients and set aside)

Step 2: In a big bowl:
4 large beaten eggs
add 1 quart of buttermilk
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups white flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Mix well

Add step 1 to step 2
Add the rest of the All Bran cereal from box

Bake 400 degrees for about 18 minutes per dozen

(when I baked them for 18 minutes they burned a little......so I changed it to 16)

You can also add nuts or most fruits!

Enjoy! They are yummy and they make your house smell so good!
It has always been one of my most fond memories of my Grandparent's house.....smelling baked bran muffins in the morning!!!!!!!!! Yum! :)

Grandma Great's muffins

I finally made a batch of my Grandma's bran muffin recipe a little while ago. We all love them, but I think Eli could eat a whole dozen if I let him!!! :) He gets one at a time.....sometimes two.....and always wants more!



mmmmmmm...........yummy!

WAY TO GO ADRIANNA!!!!!

Adrianna is like a little sister to Jon, he has known her since she was born. It's amazing how fast time goes! I remember how young she seemed when Jon and I first got together 9 years ago.........and now she is a GRADUATE! We are so proud of you Adie! We love you!!!!!

Mead High School's graduation

Adrianna walking to the steps after receiving her diploma (not a very good pic....I don't have good zoom)

She'll probably hate me for posting it, but I thought it was cute! Paula crying after her daughter walked across the stage and back to her seat.

A mother's embrace! She is so proud of her!

Paula and Adrianna

Adrianna with her Mom and Dad

The well deserved diploma!

This is how Jon gives big hugs! Especially for his kid sister! :)

Kambria with Auntie Adie

.........okay....I guess it is my turn to be in a pic! :)

The girls! Me, Adrianna, and Rhiannon

I told her to strike a pose! :)

Buckle up Missy

Missy likes to sit in Kambria's booster seat. So finally one day I decided to buckle her in! :)

The official MS Ride letter

Dear Friends and Family,

The National MS Society is kicking off our annual Bike MS event. I am planning to be a part of that event and I am asking you to join me in the fight against MS by making a contribution to support my effort.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS. They simultaneously fund research for a cure while also helping people who currently live with MS lead more fulfilling lives. I believe in the work they do, and I invite you to see for yourself all the good they've done for the MS community. More than 400,000 Americans live with MS, and your support can and will make changes in their lives.

Please help by making a donation - large or small - to fight MS. Or, why not join me on the day of the event? Become a participant and side by side, as teammates, we can work together to raise the funds to make a difference.

Whatever you can give will help! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Sincerely,
Maryanne Watson

Click here to get to my personal page and make a secure, online donation.

Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/or 1-800-FIGHT-MS (344-4867). Our postal address is: National Multiple Sclerosis Society 733 Third Avenue New York, New York 10017 Email Preferences Privacy Policy

Please read! Bike MS ~ In memory of Lorretta

We are joining our best friends George and Rhiannon, and creating a team to participate in "Bike MS". It is a 150 mile bike ride through northern Idaho and it is for an an awesome charity! We have started to train for this journey and are very excited to have this opportunity. As a team we have to raise at least $250. We will be doing a few fundraisers, but would greatly appreciate if any of you can help us in this cause by giving a donation. Anything helps, no matter how little!

Jon and I are going to participate in the name of Lorretta White. She is the mother of some good friends of mine who just lost her battle with MS after 15 years. I attended her funeral a little over a week ago and it was one of the most amazing funerals I have been to; the spirit was so strong! Although 3 of her daughters are friends of mine, I never really got to know Lorretta very well. While at her funeral, I was able to learn a lot about her and the amazing life she led! She was one of the most positive people, and through hearing many of the stories told by her children she has set a great example of the way I should be. Unfortunately I often let things bug me, Lorretta would always brush it off and have such a positive attitude and outlook on things. Through her extremely hard fight against MS she never gave up and touched the lives of so many. It is our honor to be doing this bike ride in her name and to raise money to hopefully find a cure someday for this awful disease.

For more information you can go to: http://bikewai.nationalmssociety.org

If anyone would like to join our team or would like to donate please leave a comment or email me at topramen03@hotmail.com .

No Comment......

Sometimes I wonder who really looks at this?????
I was noticing that there haven't been any comments on most of my posts. I love getting comments! I know there are some of you that look at this who don't have a blog or a gmail address, but for those of you who do please leave a comment if you have time! I try and leave them with most of the blogs I look at; although sometimes I don't if I don't have a lot of time. So I do understand that sometimes there isn't a lot of time........anyway.....enough with my rambling and begging....

ps
thank you to Rhiannon and Crystyne who do leave them sometimes! :)

Eaten alive!

The Dishman Hills Park and trails are beautiful! But.........I would recommend if you go there in the evening make sure you are loaded with bug spray or just avoid it all together! Go during the day! We decided to go there with our best friends George and Rhiannon for a little Sunday evening bbq and a little walk. It was beautiful and very quiet! It was a perfect place for a Sunday evening! The little pests didn't start bugging us until right before we started to eat; then they just got worse during dinner and even worse as we attempted to hike the trails. We didn't get very far before we decided to turn around and head back since we are literally being "eaten alive"! Poor Eli was behind me in the backpack so I kept having to stop and have someone check him to make sure he didn't have the little buggers all over him. So on top of itching everywhere from his eczema, he now has a few mosquito bites that are driving him crazy too. We all got our share of bites! We will definitely be going back, but this time we will be loaded with bug spray!

Does anyone know Heavenly Father's purpose for putting them on the earth other than to just be pests???????