Homecoming pictures

We survived our first homecoming!  YEA!  It was a very nice night really.  Jake's friends came to take pictures around 5.  We barely caught the light.  I think they turned out pretty good! 

Then we went to her house to eat supper.  Poor Jake.  I thought he was just gonna die right there!  He's a lot like his mom and doesn't like crowds.  R's brother is a senior and he had a bunch of people there that we didn't know.  So I'm hiding in the kitchen and Jake was about to crawl under the recliner!!  We kept trying to find a way out!! 

We headed to the dance around 8ish.  The gym was so pretty!  It was a very typical dance where nobody danced!!  funny! 

Around 10, Jake called and said they were ready to come home.  So they came back here.  Ate and watched a movie.  We ran them off around midnight. 

Of course there was some drama that went along with the night but maybe we can forget about that part!! 

Here's some pictures. 

 

Lots of catching up!

Time is just going so fast!  I can't believe October is almost over and my Jake is about to be 15.  Where did it go?  Seems like just yesterday I was praying to have a baby, then we were decorating the nursery.  Now he's almost 15 and trying to take driver's ed.  I'm going to stop now because the tears are coming!

Let's see, in the past couple of weeks, we've had a soccer tournament (placed 2nd!), a couple of football games and just life!

This weekend is Jake's first homecoming!  The game was last night and they won!  Tonight is the dance.  We've gotten the clothes and he is going to be so handsome!  My sweet mother-in-law is going to make the corsage and boutonniere.  Jake's girlfriend's dress is black and silver, so we got red roses for the flowers.  The GF will come over here around 5 to take pictures.  I sweet talked them into doing to pictures here in front of the pond.  Then we'll go to her house for dinner.  I get to help serve!!  After they eat, we'll take them to the dance.  When they get tired of dancing, they'll come back here to hang out. 

Thursday was Josh's Cub Bowl.  At his school, there are two 7th grade teams, red and white.  At the Cub Bowl, they mix up the 2 teams and they play each other.  It's a lot of fun!  We were late for the game because the almost 15 y/o had to add a few songs to his iPod before we left!!  I wasn't really worried about because nothing exciting happens at the first of the game.  Well, I was wrong!  We get there and walk up to *our* spot and Jonah's best friend was saying something about captain.  Then his mom said something else about captain and don't worry that she got pictures.  I'm a little slow!  Josh was one of the team captains that night!!!  And I missed it! 

Josh has a girlfriend!!  She's a cheerleader at his school.  So for the Cub Bowl, she painted his number, 81, on her cheek.  Well, since they did a big switcheroo, Josh's number got changed to 82.  Poor K!!  I think she took a little ribbing about it.  Her mom and I tried desperately to get a picture of them together that night in their uniforms but it didn't happen.

Now let's talk about soccer!  Jake had a tournament two weekends ago.  I never thought he would get as much playing time as he does!  He does a really good job as a defender.  They placed second in the tournament!!  I've never seen so many smiles on teenage boys' faces as I did when they put the medal over the heads!  Jake is just beaming!! 

I have pictures of all this but my card reader is acting up.  I'll get my nerdman to work on it and post some pictures.  

There's more to catch you up on, but I have to go clean the house to get ready for tonight! 

 

Snickerdoodle Cake

One of my stitching friends shared this recipe with our group recently.  It is delicious!!  My mother-in-law makes the best snickerdoodle cookies and I couldn't wait to try this cake.  Let me know if you try it!!

Snickerdoodle Cake

Ingredients:

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix

1 cup  milk

8 tbsp(1 stick) butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350, with rack in the center of the oven.  Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans, or a 13x9 cake pan.  Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer low speed for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and increase mixer speed to medium for 2 minutes.  Divide the batter between the two pans, or put it all in the bigger pan.  Bake until golden brown, I used the times on the box for the 13x9 pan, they recommend 27-29 minutes for the two pans.  Allow to cool completely and frost.  Place cake uncovered in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes.  Cover the cake with waxed paper and store in the frig for up to 1 week.

Cinnamon Butter cream frosting:

    8 tbsp butter, room temperature

    3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

    3-4 tbsp milk

    1 tsp vanilla extract

    1 tsp ground cinnamon

        Blend butter with a mixer until fluffy, 30 seconds.  Add powdered sugar, 3 tbsp milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, and blend on low speed for 1 minute.

        Increase to medium speed for 1 minute until light and fluffy.  Blend in up to 1 tbsp milk of frosting is too stiff.  For cans of frosting, just add cinnamon and I will add a little vanilla extract and blend.

Think PINK!

 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month!  And since I do mammograms for a living, I thought I should go PINK for the month!  And if you need to, go get a mammogram this month!! 

I know I am way past due for a post.  We have just been busy!  Our oldest son is playing football and soccer (we will never do that again!!) and the middle one is playing football.  And the youngest just gets drug wherever!!  Poor Jonah!!

Here are pictures!!  First is Jake playing soccer (his uniform has yet to come in).  Then Josh playing football - he is number 81.  Then Jonah with his cousin Gabbie at Brad's work picnic and Jonah climbing the rock wall.

                                   

 

                       

 

          

 

This next picture is for Laura and her followers!!  I took this at our church in the cafe one Wednesday night to prove to Laura how natural it looks for her to have TWO children!!  She's been teasing us that she is thinking about it......

More beach

We are home!  What a great trip we had.  It was very relaxing and I miss the sound of the ocean already.  I couldn't get over the difference in how the temperatures feel so differently.  Here, 94 is roasting!  Down there, it was just hot but not kill you hot.  I'm ready to go back!!

The jellyfish were really bad just about the whole time we were down there.  And the waves were very rough because of Dolly.  The last day, Friday, the boys were finally able to get in the water.  I don't have good pictures of that because I thought the big camera was in the room.  Little did I know it was in the beach bag.  UGH!  So all I had with me was my little one and the pictures just aren't that great. 

 

Ok, those that know Brad, notice anything missing??  (besides his shirt!!  lol)  and what do you think??  I'm still not sure......

Jonah was all worn out!  He looks so sweet while he's sleeping!!  lol

Jonah being *eaten* by the alligator at Fudpuckers!! 

We ate out twice while we were there.  Once at Fudpuckers and the other at the Old Bay Steamer.  My favorite was definitely Old Bay!

Here's the platter before we started:

See the steam rising up off of it??  This was the best food ever!!  Those shrimp were wonderful and the crab legs!  Oh my!!  I think I have a new favorite!!  This huge platter fed the 5 of us and we had leftovers!

And here's the platter afterwards....

There are more pictures on the big camera.  If I find some  that won't bore you to death, I'll post them!!  lol

 

Beach pictures

 

                                                  

 

 

 

These are pictures from the yesterday (Tuesday).  Think the boys are having fun??!!  When did Jake and Josh grow up?  They look so grownie!

The trip yesterday was very uneventful, just long!  We left at 7:30 and got here about 4.  The condo is very nice and the complex is small.  The beaches here are not crowded at all. 

For some reason, everybody got up early and we were on the beach at 8!!  Which turned out, was very good.  The rain set in around 1 and lasted until 4, so we got a little down time. 

We had a sand day today, as Jonah called it.  The water was FULL of jelly fish.    Nobody got in the water today.  I so hope it will be better tomorrow.  Otherwise, we might have to find some other entertainment!

Well, I think we're about to watch a movie.  The condo has some freebies that come with it, beach chairs and umbrellas, and free movie rentals!!

Beach bound!!

Hopefully at 7am tomorrow, we will be in our fully loaded, too stuffed, very expensive to drive SUV heading to Florida.  There is a condo with our name on it, right on the beach,  just waiting for the 5 of us to arrive.  I am so ready to be there. 

Things around here have been a little stressful with my grandfather-in-law being very sick and some other family drama going on.  So there are a couple of us that are ready for that beach chair, umbrella and Vanilla Coke Zero!!  And you should see the stack of books I'm bring to read!! 

We were thinking back and this will be the first beach trip that we've made since our oldest was 2 or 3.  Our middle son was just a baby.  We did stop in Destin to play for a morning when we went to Disney a couple of years ago.  So the boys are very excited!! 

Our condo does have wifi so I should be able to post some pictures from there.  If Brad will let me turn my laptop on....lol 

Hopefully I'll be tan and smiling soon!!  Oh, and this does mean I will miss my class reunion.  Will somebody please tell my best friend from high school that I won't be there?  She's not going to be happy with me at all.....