Who Say's Mom's Can't Make Pinewood Derby Cars?

Last Tuesday was Dillon's Pinewood Derby for scouts and let me tell you, it was quite the event! Dustin had planned on helping Dillon make the car, but we couldn't find anyone who had the right kind of saw to borrow. So, at pretty much the last minute, on Monday afternoon, Brother Norr from our ward helped Dillon cut it out at his house. Dustin and Dillon had already drawn it on the wood block. My friend Lisa needed to finish her son Clays' car also, so she came over on Tuesday morning and we worked on them all day. I even had to make some minor adjustments with a steak knife. :0) Dillon wanted his car to be named the "American Eagle", so I got online, found a picture of an eagle, shrunk it down, printed it out, and Modge Podged it to the car. I also printed out the words "American Eagle" and Modge Podged them to the hood of the car. Yes, I used Modge Podge again. Some of you may remember that I did the same thing for the Raingutter Regata boat that we made for scouts. That stuff works on everything! After getting the cars looking all fancy, we had to put the wheels on, and then make sure they weighed the right amount. Most of you probably know that the cars can only weigh 5 oz. When I weighed our car in, it only weighed 4 oz., so, me being the crafty person I am, ha-ha, hot glued some weights to the bottom of the car, to bring it up to the 5 oz. Pretty funny. Anyways, I was pretty nervous for Dillon, and was just hoping that the car would at least make it down the track. To mine and Dillon's surprise, the car did pretty dang good! Dillon ended up taking second place in his pack. Lisa and Clay also did awesome! Clay took 3rd place over all! So, like I said, Who say's Mom's can't make Pinewood Derby Cars? Definitely not me!!!!

Dillon

Clay

Ashlynn, Kyndal (Clay's sister and the girl's best buddy), and Samantha

There we are, winning! Yay!

The awards....

I forgot to mention that Dillon's car got the "Presidential" Award,

and Clay's got the "Fiercest" award, along with the speed awards.

My Little Ballerina's

Last Monday was Parent's Day at dance. Ashlynn and Samantha have both improved a ton since the last one. Stephanie Baker is their teacher, and she is wonderful. She does such a good job of teaching them basic steps, and working on their coordination, and flexibility. She is also very good at teaching the kids to be respectful and polite. Stephanie Baker's dance lessons are just one of the many opportunities we have been presented with since we have lived here. Stephanie is so awesome, she allows me to make her little girl hairbows in exchange for the girl's dance lessons.... not to mention she just lives down the street from us. It works out so perfect.

The Drive-IN

The Friday before last we were invited to go to the Drive-In by our friends, the Marchants. It was their daughter Morgan's birthday. We got to see "Monsters vs. Aliens" . We all loved it! What a cute movie... There were also some other good friends there, the Fabrizio's, the Berges's, and the Sargents. The kids and I love going to the Drive-In... great fun.... and cheap too, you can't get better than that!

A Fun Day With Grandma Carole and Grandpa Neal

Last Thursday my Grandma and her sweet husband, Grandpa Neal, as my kids call him, were in town. They were staying at Circus Circus, one of my kid's favorite places to go. So, we drove down to the strip and met them there. We had such a fun time with them. This is the second time we have been able to do this, they came last year also. Like I said, my kids just love the place, and I, well... tolerate it for their sake. I have to say, I do like watching the Circus acts, some of them are really incredible. I swear I am allergic to smoke though, cause everytime I go in a casino I get the worst headache and start feeling sick. Then, as soon as I am outside, I start feeling fine. So, of course the kid's insisted on going to the Adventure Dome to ride some rides. They each got to pick two, and Dillon had to pick the Canyon Blaster roller coaster. I didn't want him to go on it alone, so I went with him. Let's just say that it didn't help my nausea or headache one bit! In fact, I was pretty much sick to my stomach and dizzy for the rest of the day. The whole time I was on that thing, I not only was screaming my brains out, but thinking to myself, "I am too old for this, I am too old for this!" Dillon was laughing at me, because he said I screamed way more than him. :) Aside from the not feeling so hot, it really was a fun, fun day. I always look forward to family visiting. It makes it easier to be away, when you get to see people every once in a while. Thanks so much for the fun, Grandma and Neal! We love you!

Dillon is 9 Year's Old!!!!

I'm a little slow posting about Dillon's birthday, it was actually on March 9th. I wanted to wait until I had all the pictures from his party first, which he didn't have until Friday. I can't believe my little, well, my not so little boy is 9 years old! It truly does not seem possible! I remember every detail of when he was born. He was the cutest little baby I had ever seen. He had the BIGGEST, most beautiful eyes.... Dillon has grown into such a handsome and smart boy. He amazes us with his intelligence, and especially with his ability to memorize pretty much everything. For years, he has been fixated on Dinosaurs, and knows everything about them, and now he has moved on to sports, mainly Football. He fills us in on scores and stats daily. Lol ;) Dillon is such a sweet and sensitive boy. His teachers in school have always praised him for being so kind to everyone. Dillon is an excellent student and is always on the Honor Roll and was just recently nominated for Student of the Month by his peers. He is involved in Baseball right now, and is improving with every practice. He also enjoys being in Cub Scouts, and is currently working on his Pinewood Derby car with his Dad! We are so proud of Dillon and all of his accomplishments, he is a great son, and we are proud to be his parents. Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Dillon asked to have a Football Party this year. He specifically wanted a Utah Utes helmet cake. So, me being the crazy person I am, stayed up until 3:30 in the morning on Friday creating his cake. Even though it was a big pain in the you know what, I think it was worth it, cause it turned out pretty cute. The party was a success, I think all of the boys had a lot of fun. They played touch football, and a couple of games- hot potato with the football, and toss the football in the bucket. After the games, we ate "football nachos" (tortilla chips, nacho cheese, chili, and halepenos), cupcakes, and drank our "football water bottles". Then we sang Happy Birthday, and Dillon blew out his #9 candle. Presents came next, and boy, did he get some great stuff. I think he has every kind of football imaginable now.... I decorated the tables to look like football fields by covering them with green table cloths and then using white duct tape for the yard lines. I had a lot of fun planning the party, and I hope Dillon enjoyed it... he is definitely worth all of the work. :)

Fun and Healthy Lunch Ideas Class

Last night I taught a "Fun and Healthy Lunch Ideas" class at my house. It was really fun to find ideas and try them out. Anyways, I thought some of you might be interested in some of this stuff.....

Fun and Healthy Lunch Ideas

* Quesadilla Pizza’s-
Kids love anything that tastes like pizza. Take a tortilla, cover with pizza or spaghetti sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and any other topping that your kids would enjoy. Cover with another tortilla and cook it like a grilled cheese sandwich. Cut into wedges, and pack it in your kid’s lunch.

* Bagel Face Sandwiches-
Take a bagel and spread with cream cheese. Arrange any toppings that you like into a face shape on the bagel. Use toppings such as green peppers, olives, tomatoes, sprouts, and lunch meat. Wrap in plastic, and pack in kid’s lunch.

* Frito Pie-
Pack canned or homemade chili in a thermos. Send a bag of baked tortilla chips (store bought or homemade), and some shredded cheese. Have your child layer the chips and cheese in the bottom of the thermos cup, and top with the chili. Enjoy!

* Homemade Tortilla Chips-
I use the Tortilla Land uncooked flour tortillas, you can also use regular flour tortillas. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Arrange on cookie sheet and toast in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Try brushing a very small amount of olive oil or cooking spray on chips and then sprinkling cinnamon sugar or parmesan cheese on top. If you try the cinnamon sugar, send the chips along with a container of applesauce for dipping in your child’s lunch.


* Deli Rolls-
My kids love these! Take a slice of deli meat and wrap a slice of cheese and a pickle spear inside.

* Cookie Dippers-
Kids love to dip! Send vanilla wafer cookies along with a container of their favorite yogurt to dip them in.

* Fruity Marshmallow Kabobs-
You can use drinking straws for the skewers, by pinching the end of the straw together so that it will poke through the fruit. Alternate putting chunked fruit and large marshmallows on the skewer. I like to use the flavored marshmallows to add a little variety; they have chocolate, strawberry, and coconut coated ones. Wrap in plastic and send in your child’s lunch for a fruity treat.

* Protein Balls-
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
½ cup nonfat dry milk powder (you may also use vanilla protein powder)
½ cup raisins, chocolate chips, carob chips, yogurt chips or whatever you think would be good.
¼ cup honey
Graham cracker crumbs

In large bowl, mix all ingredients except the graham cracker crumbs. Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll in graham cracker crumbs and refrigerate. Makes 24. YUMMY!

* Cookie Cutter Sandwiches-
Any sandwich cut with a large cookie cutter; star, heart, dinosaur, animals, etc. will become an irresistible treat!

* Pin Wheel Sandwiches-
Spread your child’s favorite sandwich filling onto a tortilla. Roll it up and slice it into small pieces. Our favorite fillings are peanut butter with jelly or banana slices, or lunch meat with cream cheese, or scrambled eggs (made with salsa) with cheese and sour cream.

* Cheesy Stars-
Use a small cookie cutter to cut cheddar cheese pieces. In a separate bag provide crackers or apple slices. You can also use the cookie cutter to cut bologna, ham or turkey.

* Bugs on a Log-
An old favorite with kids- Fill celery with cream cheese or peanut butter and top with raisins or craisins. Stick two of them together to form a log.

* Bean and Cheese Roll-ups-
Fill tortilla with refried beans and shredded cheese and roll.

* Ocean Yogurt-
Buy a large container of yogurt and spoon it into smaller containers that fit into the lunchbox. To make it fun, add some blue food coloring and tell the kids that it is ocean yogurt. Pack with some fish-shaped crackers. (Also, try green food coloring to make the yogurt alien slime)

* PB & J Spiders-
To make regular PB & J’s more exciting; turn the sandwich into a spider! Use a large glass to cut a circle shape from the already-made sandwich. Add eight pretzel-sticks for the legs and 2 chocolate chips for the eyes.


* Drinks-
Fill small plastic water bottle about 1/3 full with water, and freeze overnight. Add fruit-juice concentrate to the bottle in the morning. It will mix with the water as it thaws. It will also keep the food that is in the lunch box cold, and it will be ready to drink by lunch time.

* Strawberry Cream Dip-
1 Pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ cup vanilla yogurt
½ cup strawberry jam

In a medium bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the yogurt and jam, continue beating until smooth. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving. Hint: Use reduced fat cream cheese and low-fat yogurt, and serve with fresh-cut chunks of cantaloupe, honeydew, or pineapple, and apple slices and whole strawberries. It all works!

* Pizza chips-
These are similar to the homemade tortilla chips only with a different spin.
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 package (1 ¼ ounces) dry spaghetti sauce mix
10 (8 inch) tortillas
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the butter and spaghetti sauce; mix well. Spread evenly over on side of the tortillas then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges and place on baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chips are golden and crispy. These are terrific as is or served with marinara sauce for dunking.

* Fruit Roll Sushi-
1 tablespoon butter
12 marshmallows
2 cups crispy rice cereal
4 (4 ½ inch0 square fruit roll-ups
6 assorted licorice or fruit twist sticks, cut in half crosswise

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cereal until completely coated. On a flat surface, unroll the fruit roll-ups. Spread equal amounts of the cereal mixture over each roll-up, covering the entire surface and packing the mixture flat. Place 3 different –colored licorice or fruit twists in the center of each and roll tightly into a log, sealing where the edges meet. Squeeze the rolls gently to secure. Trim the ends and slice with a serrated knife into ½ inch pieces. Serve, or store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Preparation Tip: To give your snack the most variety and color, use different-colored and flavored fruit roll-ups and licorice or fruit twist snacks. And if you can’t find different- colored licorice, you can even use gummy worms or fruit snacks.

CrAzY Hair Day!!!

Last week was Reading Week for Dillon and Ashlynn. One of the fun things they get to do during the week is have Crazy Hair Day. Samantha has reading week this week and her Crazy Hair Day was yesterday. Here are some pics of the CrAzInEsS!