Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy made it's way toward us on Sunday night. Schools and colleges and many places of work were closed on both Monday and Tuesday in anticipation of high winds and major power loss. We got lucky  and kept power the whole time. The storm actually wasn't too bad here. It rained nonstop for 2 days and was generally kind of icky. Some places in Richmond did flood, overall we were very, very lucky.

We had to be creative to keep the boys busy since we couldn't get out and about. 2 days stuck in a house is too long with 2 little ones! Kale loved emptying out his piggy bank and then putting the money back in the slot. Kept him busy for hours!

We had lots of fun snacks!  

We played puzzles, read books, colored, and played with play dough. 

Kale decorated himself (and the entire house) with stickers.

Kale's school had a trunk or treat on Sunday. We got the boys all dressed and headed out, only to find out they had cancelled the event due to the impending hurricane. Many Halloween events were cancelled or postponed due to Sandy. 

Happy Halloween!

Cookie Monster and Elmo were all smiles for trick or treating tonight!

I think Kale must already be checking Liam's mouth for candy.

Kale did a fabulous job trick or treating this year. He was so excited about getting all of the candy. He would very politely say trick or treat and thank you after each house. Liam sat in the wagon and babbled to himself. Some people noticed him and included candy for him, as well!

When we got home, Kale dumped all of the candy on the floor and started opening everything!

Liam thought he needed to get in on the action. 

Kale wasn't too excited to find out he had to share his candy with mom and Liam. 

What's Crockin'?

Salisbury Steak! This is one of Kris' favorite crock pot recipes and we are having it tonight.

2 lbs of ground sirloin
1/2 cup of crushed saltines
1/4 cup of milk
1 egg
1 packet of dry mushroom onion soup mix
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 packet of brown gravy mix

Mix the meat, crackers, milk, egg, and mushroom onion soup mix together. Form the meat into hamburger patties. Dredge the meat in a little flour and brown in oil. (Literally, just brown the outside. The inside does not need to be done.)

Place the meat in the crock pot. The patties can overlap. Pour the undiluted cream of mushroom soup on top. Combine the brown gravy packet with 1/2 cup of cold water; whisk together and add to the crock. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Apple Pickin'

This weekend, we went to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville to go apple picking. They were having an apple festival, so there were tons of people there!

We couldn't get either one of the boys to focus on the camera because they were too busy people watching. We did get several compliments on their shirts though. 

This orchard is in the mountains in Charlottesville. I mean, it is up there! My ears were actually popping due to evaluation change. They have apple and peach trees, a vineyard, and a pumpkin patch. 

We took a hayride around the orchard. The trees are changing here and they are absolutely gorgeous!

I told him if he would smile at the camera, I'd give him candy...

Liam has 4 complete teeth now, with 2 more coming in on the top. He eats everything! And lots of it! 

After we got finished at the orchard, we went downtown to the pedestrian mall. We walked around and window-shopped. We stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe. At the end of the mall area, they were having a huge Halloween festival for kids, so there were tons of kids walking past us in their costumes. Watching all of the unique costumes kept Kale occupied!

Bike Riding

Kale is finally pedaling!

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Angel Chicken

Angel Chicken

Ingredients: 4 to 6 boneless chicken breasts ¼ cup butter 1 package dry Italian salad dressing mix 1 can cream of mushroom soup ½ cup dry white wine ½ can of water 4 ounces cream cheese with onions and chives 1 box penne pasta Chives, for garnish

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the slow cooker except pasta; cook on LOW for 7–8 hours. When the chicken mixture is done, prepare penne pasta according to package directions; drain. Mix pasta with chicken. Serve in a large bowl with chives sprinkled on top.

Brought to you by crockingirls.com

Fall Fest

Sunday was a beautiful day and the boys were in a great mood. We headed out to our subdivision's fall festival. 

There were several different activities for the kids to do and lots of good food...like my personal favorite, cotton candy and popcorn!

Kale loved trying to hula hoop. On one Barney episode, they hula hoop, so since Kale loves Barney, he knows all about it. 

They had a small pumpkin patch for kids. The boys enjoyed picking their own pumpkin. Kale had a hard time making up his mind. 

Liam has no socks or shoes on. He absolutely will not leave either on, which is so frustrating and will be a problem this winter (good thing it's still in the 80's here). We are also having a problem finding shoes that fit Liam's feet. He is in a size 4, but has to have a wide or the shoes won't go on his chubby feet.

They had stickers for decorating the pumpkins. They turned out pretty cute. 

Afterward, we made a trip to the park. 

My little man is quite the monkey. 

Finally, once we made it home, Kris took the boys on a long walk, so I could get dinner ready.

Liam loves the wagon these days. I think it's so cute the way he props his feet up on the wagon seat opposite him. 

I love this picture of my boys. I think you can really see the resemblance. 

...and this one.

Kale enjoys pulling Liam on the wagon. He is surprisingly strong and can pull Liam all the way to the end of the street and back. As you can see, going over man-hole covers is very exciting for Kale.

Potty Time

Kale continues to do very well on potty training. He is so proud of himself!

Recipes

I was talking to a friend today, telling her about some of my family's favorite recipes. She could not believe that I cooked most every night of the week. She said I should start posting some of my recipes on my blog. So, I am going to start trying to do that every so often. Most all of my favorite recipes these days are Crockpot Recipes. As my mom said this weekend, I am the "crockpot queen". I get many of my recipes from the Crockin' Girls' Website. Check it out: www.crockingirls.com

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

8-10 potatoes

6-8 slices of ham

1 sliced onion

1 c. grated or american cheese

1 can cream of celery or mushroom soup

Salt and pepper to taste

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Directions:        

1. Put half of potatoes, ham and onion in slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then cheese. Repeat.
3. Spoon undiluted soup over the top.

Cover and let cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4 hours. I highly recommend using crock pot liners with this recipes in particular. It will make clean up much, much easier. 

Daddy's Helper

Kris was fixing our bar stool and Liam had to get in on the action. I literally could not keep him away from Kris and the tools. As soon as I turned the camera on, he started posing though.  

In this picture, you can see his hand is in the chair and he is actually mimicing what Kris is doing. 

Someone is teething...

I came around the corner and found him gnawing on the drawer pull.