Lions, Tigers and Dinosaurs..Oh My!

Lions, Tigers and Dinosaurs are out at the Fort Worth Zoo...Oh My! 

Because I always have to post a picture of the back of Ryder's Head.  The Sea Turtles.

Mr. Ryder...He LOVED the Sea Turtles

One tired little boy on the Train!  He sat all by himself with the big kids.  A gentle reminder that he is growing up way too fast.

This is James.  His Mom is Danielle from Salty Brownies.  He is Ryder's Pre-school Bestie!

 

R&R

Somehow we planned this on a day that every other school in the area was there.  Tip:  Go to the Zoo after lunch...all of the field-trip groups leave when lunch is finished.  We got there when it opened and left when everyone else did so it was kind of crazy.  I had two of my best friends there with me so we survived the day with 6 kids.  No one was lost or ever melted down...well except for Ryder when I wouldn't let him hang out in the photo booth...but that's understandable...a pretty unreasonable request of me :-)  . All in all it was a success!  Now Heather, Mary and Carley we need to get our play-date on....miss you girls!

Wordless Wednesday-Rustin 18 Months

Tasty Tuesday- Barbecue Meatballs

I got my Kitchen back!  Hooray!  What better way to celebrate than with an amazing dinner.  Barbecue Meatballs.  If you haven't tried them you must.  I love them, Matt loves them and most importantly Ryder loved them.  I'm telling you this...if Ryder will eat them, anyone will eat them.  He is the absolute pickiest eater ever.  Dinner is a struggle every night.  We're persistent though...we'll win.  Ha!  O.k.  onto the meatballs...Preheat your Oven to 350 Degrees.  Here is the ingredient list:
Meatballs:
1 Egg
1 Can Evaporated Milk (I use the Fat Free)
1 Cup of Oats
1/2 Cup of Chopped Onion
1 t. Salt
1 t. Chili Powder
1/4 t. Garlic Powder
1/4 t. pepper
1-1/2 lb. Ground Beef
Sauce (Yes...you make your own Barbecue sauce...but its simple..Promise!)
1 Cup of Ketchup
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Chopped Onion
1/4 t. Garlic Powder

Instructions:
Combine the first Eight Ingredients.  Crumble Beef over the mixture and shape into 1-inch balls with your hands.  Bake at 350 Degrees for 20 minutes.  Pour Sauce over the top and bake an additional 10-12 minutes.

I took a real fancy picture for ya...my dirty little secret is parchment paper.  I use it everytime I bake something on a cookie sheet.  Parchment Paper = No Clean up!

I Heart Faces- Pets

This week's challenge over at I Heart Faces is pets!  This is our little Charlie aka Chuck-D out in the snow earlier this year.  He's a crazy little dog and sometimes I wonder what we were (or were not) thinking when we got a puppy with two small kids who keep my hands more than full....but we love him!

 

Head Over to I Heart Faces to see all of this week's fabulous entries!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter From the Smith's!

Easter Party

I ♥ Easter!  The week of festivities is in full swing. Ryder had his Class Party and Easter Egg Hunt at School today.

Because of all the Kitchen remodeling I couldn't bake anything fun for his class brunch...so we hit the doughnut shop!  What says Easter better than a Chocolate doughnut?  Ha!  Oh and because of the Kitchen remodel that has lingered out into the garage, I couldn't get in the attic to grab his basket...so we hit Wal-Mart and scored this awesome baseball basket for $5!

I was going to pull some pics from my post about last year's Easter Party and show how Ryder has grown...but guess what!?  No pics from last year...I read my post and it sounds like it was a TERRIBLE day!  I hardly remember it now, but geez...I felt a little sorry for myself!  So here is to a much better day a year later, lol!! 

 

I had to post this picture of his class because he is the only one not looking.  So him.

This stinker helped us hide the eggs for his Brother's class.  I asked him to pose and of course he did.  I told you he's a stinker!

That's all!

Progress

We're making progress in the kitchen...wait...I'm only kidding.  Yes...I think we'll be living the rest of our lives taped off from our kitchen and all of its belongings will continue to be piled high in another room. 

OK...not really, but two weeks after this little cabinet refinishing project began, I'm beginning to get tired of the mess.  The excuse that I can't cook in the kitchen isn't even fun anymore...I really want to use my oven!!!  One of these days (hopefully sooner than later) I'll be able to show you some After pictures!

This little stinker is playing with Blocks while he waits for his PT appointment which has done wonders for him!  He walks everywhere now!  Such a Blessing for this Mama who was beginning to have some aches and pains from lugging his 22 lb. self around everywhere. 

That's all...nothing else...sigh...

Grandma Smith

Grandma Smith was the star of the show today.  She received an award from the local Veteran's Chapter for her service as a Nurse in the Army during World War II.  It was a beautiful honor, for a beautiful lady, who has been with us for 90-years and counting!  I cherish the moments that our family is able to come together like we did today.

 

 Her Medals

 

In Uniform

Receiving her Award

The Whole Family Minus Grandma...She was being Interviewed by a Local News Station.

My Two Sister-In-Laws aka Mindy & Kristie

The Smith's- Uncle Steve, Aunt Tara, Jake & Joseph

Us

Hmmm...

Hmmm... Not sure what to think of these two.   A lot of backyard to roam, a gallon of bubbles, 3 riding toys, endless amounts of sidewalk chalk, a swing-set...and they choose to sit in a parked car with the engine turned off and watch a movie.  Oh and yes...we had electricity inside the house today.  Maybe the 36-hours without power really did get to them :) !

Embracing the Clutter

We were blessed to have found this house late last spring.  We've been here almost a year and knew from the day we moved in that we needed to do some form of cabinet refinishing in the kitchen.  The  were pretty roughed-up by the previous owner.  So it begins today.  We unloaded all of the cabinets last night and are expecting to go the next 2-weeks with no kitchen.  I can't wait to see the end result, but I have trouble embracing the clutter and the fact that I will have limited access to the space I use the most.  Taking a deep breath in this morning....I can do this!

Wall Reveal

We finished Ryder's Wall and I am posting pictures as promised.  I snapped pictures of his entire room while I had the camera out...so here is a little peek of his entire room! 

We're on the hunt for new bedding.  This quilt is 2-years old...hard to believe he's been in a big bed for 2 years...some of the threading is starting to come out.

The new bookshelf.  The old bookshelf was what started this mini-revamp project.

I love this little hand-print.  He made it when he was 7-months old at his Cousin's Birthday Party. 

This is our Blue.  He loves her.  She is old and lets him lay on her, pull her ears, pat her back.  Now she is always in his room.

Some of the knobs on his dresser broke when we moved.  I found this Airplane Hardware at Pottery Barn Kids.  Expensive, but oh so cute!

This was Matt's Airplane when he was little.  His Grandpa Smith made it for him, so it is very special that Ryder has this for his room.

I love Old Door Knobs.  They're perfect for hanging things up and out of the way!

Mr. Ryder demonstrating how Buzz Light Year goes to Infinity and Beyond...

...just like this!  

Flashback Friday

In a land far, far away long before R&R were even a blip on the Radar

An Amazing Night last fall

Rustin last Spring...He Still does this when he is really tired.

The Aquarium with Ryder in 2009

Look at our Babies!!

Ryder last Spring...Baby Cheeks and a Popsicle!