Happy Birthday Mom

This is a Happy Birthday wish to my Mom! I looked and looked but I couldn't find a graphic big enough to fit all the candles you would need on your cake, so I thought you could just multiply these candles by about 22 give or take a year or two! LOL! I love you Mom! Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made to raise NINE kids. My eyes are opened to that every single day as I take care of my own kids. Hugs and Kisses!
Rachel

Shake that Bootie

Ava was being a character again tonight. She loves when I record her and she can watch it. Usually before bed I will sing for the girls and they dance. For some reason it is usually "Give said the little stream" or "Hit the road Jack" Don't ask me why! Notice Ava's Dora underwear OVER her diaper. That is her way of pretending she is a "big" girl! I'm hoping she will be potty trained soon!

Glued to Full House

My kids love to watch Full House. This is the scene I came upon after putting clothes up in the bedroom. I know I am picture and video CRAZY, and always have been. But now I get to torture you people with my mania! Anyway, there they all were watching Full House together. Of course Breck is only half heartedly watching given his age :-) I was supposedly doing house work, but I am still in love with Jessie (don't worry Ryan knows :-) so I kept stopping to watch too!

Naturally Sweet

I found this shirt at Walmart that says "Naturally Sweet No Sugar Added" I thought it was so cute! I took a video of Breck in it. Of course I was holding the camera the wrong way and I can't stand hearing my voice! I tried taking a picture instead, but he kept moving all over and our camera is so crappy they all turned out blurry. UPDATE: When I went to change him a couple hours later he had poop all over the shirt :-(

Slow Cooked Taco Meat Loaf

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa
2 eggs, whipped
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
2 lbs ground beef (may use 1 lb and half ingredients)
1/4 cup sliced olives, optional
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tb hot sauce

Directions:
In large bowl, combine first six ingredients thoroughly. Shape into round loaf. Place aluminum foil on bottom of crock pot with enough sticking up to grasp and retrieve meat loaf when done. Place loaf in crock pot and cook on low 3-4 hours until meat is no longer pink and/or thermometer reads 160 degrees. Combine the last three ingredients, pour over meat during last hour of cooking. Use foil to lift loaf out of crock pot.

Tamale Fever

The reason I say "fever" is because while Ryan and Jackie were making tamales I was burning up! I had the AC on and the window open! All that tamale steaming was too much for me! We had a good time chit chatting over the loooooooong drawn out process of making tamales. I think Gracie's face says it all! lol! Ryan finally got done steaming the last of the tamales about 36 hours after we got started....no kidding! But oh how yummy they are! I will NEVER admit how many I have already had at this point. Ryan knows my weakness and took the majority out to the deep freeze! :-) I think Jackie and I should go in half on a big steamer like they have in restaurants. It would cut the process time in half or more. Kelsey came out too and we had a good time teasing her. I pulled Kelsey and the girls around the block in our red wagon. For those of you who don't know Kelsey she is 15 so they looked hilarious crammed into that wagon! I could hardly breathe by the time I was done! We had conference on the whole time BUT we may have to get the full message from the Ensign; we were talking so much! Anyway we really had a good time and I think it is a fun tradition!

Our Groundbreaking

WOOHOO! Our yard has finally had some attention paid to it! We have been in here 17 months and we have managed to put up a rock wall and plant grass in the front BUT the back yard really hasn't had any attention until the other day. We actually took all the huge nasty rocks, or should I say boulders, from our front yard and put them in the back so it looked even worse. On Monday night Ryan's bro-in-law Mark came out with his track hoe and dump truck. He scraped off FIVE loads full of nasty rocks and dirt! He is going to bring in topsoil soon and then we will buy sod. We will actually be able to swim out there this year and plant a garden....YEAH! Mark brought his son Cameron along. He is four and Gracie loves to play with her cousins. Ava was in bed, but Gracie had a good old time with Cameron. He is SO cute, and I took some pics but I don't feel like I should put them up without permission. Anyway we are really grateful to Mark (and Jodie) for all their help!

A birthday thanks.....

Just wanted to thank everyone again for the cards, presents, and well wishes on my birthday. We ended up taking the girls to the Mayan on the 4th. They have a new menu and a new show. It was good! Ryan didn't think his burrito was that great though. I got the chicken tortilla soup. It had spicy sausage in it. It was really yummy. We got right up to the divers when they did the show, and Ava and Gracie thought it was great. They have a part now where all this water gushes over the side of the cliff, and this diver is hanging on pretending he doesn't want to fall. It is pretty cool. Of course by the time we made it back to LeeAnn's Breck was a wreck! lol! He is a mama's boy for sure. There are only two things he really loves in life....milk and nap time.

25 Years Later!

This is the birthday card that my parents gave me for my 1st birthday! Cute huh? On the inside it says "Little Duck's all set and his friends are too. To sing this special song for you... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAVE FUN!" "We love you so much baby Rachel, Daddy & Mom" I'm surprised, being the youngest of nine, that my Mom actually saved this. Good for you Mom!

Garden Crab Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 pack Pollock imitation crab
2/3 cup chopped sweet yellow pepper
2/3 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 green onions, chopped
2 Tb minced fresh parsley
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp pepper

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the crab, vegetables and parsley. Drain macaroni and rinse in cold water; add crab mixture. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, ranch, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to coat.
Refrigerate for best taste.

This was originally made with tuna, not crab, but I changed it.