A Snow Day

Finally... after Much anticipation, we were able to carry out our first Snow Day with the boys! I think the last time we spent a day in the snow, Clayton was only about 3 or 4 months old, so I guess that wouldn't really count! Clayton loved watching Mommy sled down the hill backwards! Not exactly how I intended! 

Cole had a great time hauling snow balls around in his "Brrm-Brrm"!

And once Daddy gave Clayton a hand up the last little bit of the hill, he was all set to sled by himself! 

Even Cole loved the sled ride with Daddy! 

Mommy - backwards... again! A split second after this, I managed to wipe-out Clayton (see his hand on the left) big time! Guess all the "get out of the road" warnings didn't quite catch him in time! 

Building a snow man... 

I found this squeezed lemon while the boys were building their snow man. Hhmmm... I wonder if we just missed Grandpa... :) 

This... is our snow man!  

The boys played for a while with a group of kids about their age while we were there. They were crawling through a little tunnel, so Daddy dug a couple of more short tunnels while we were there. 

"Mom... Guck. Mom... Guck." In English - "Mom... Stuck. Mom... Stuck."

And as is tradition... on the way home, Daddy filled up the truck bed with a load of snow to take home with us. Grandma and Papa were surprised to have snow balls hit their kitchen window when we got back to Modesto! 

Such a cool snow plow... the boys wanted a ride in it! 

The next afternoon, the boys played in the snow that we hauled home. It lasted through a second night before it finally all melted. So much fun, we can't wait to go again! Maybe next time... we can spend the night and hopefully see some snow flakes fall! 

Clayton's Cheesy Potato Soup

For Christmas this year, Clayton asked to have, "his own cooking stuff." He likes to help me in the kitchen and figured that if he had his own stuff, that he'd be able to cook All By Himself.

He was thrilled when Grammy came through for him! With a huge box of his very own kitchen stuff, from bowls, measuring cups & spoons, a whisk, spatulas, baking pans and tons more, he is now well equipped! Along with the tools, he even got his very own Kids Cook cookbook, complete with plenty of kid simple recipes for every meal of the day. Much to his dismay, he's not allowed to cook alone, but I do try and let him do as much as possible.

For our first cooking expedition, he chose Cheesy Potato Soup, a perfect gloomy day dinner for the boys when Chris and I were headed out for some Mom and Dad time!

Many of the ingredients in the recipes can be purchased pre-prepped from the freezer section at your local grocery store. While this may make it easier for the kiddos to cook on their own, I wasn't about to buy frozen chopped onion or celery! So, we used what we had in the fridge, and Mom did the chopping.

Stirring and Stirring... waiting for the soup to thicken up before adding the cheese.

Ta-Da! There was enough soup in one recipe for two nights worth of dinner. Before heading off for his nap, Clayton had to have a taste test, complete with the bacon and green onion topping. Yum! It was delicious!



Both of the boys loved the soup and we even made a second batch to share with Grandma and Papa! Mmmm! I wonder what our next recipe choice will be...

The Big 4!

Once Halloween hits, it seems like the craziness begins and spins us right into the new year... and before you know it, it's the middle of January and you're already thinking about Christmas shopping again! Whew!

Now that I've got some time without Little Helpers trying to get at the computer, let's share the craziness of the Durrer Family over the past few weeks!

The biggest news... Clayton turned 4! Wow, where did the time go? He started off his birthday "week" (it seemed like!) by taking cupcakes to school to share with his friends!

And then we celebrated with Clayton's Custom Buffet dinner... 

Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches, Squid Dogs and Mac & Cheese with Hot Chocolate and Apple Juice. Yum! (Not Really!) But, hey... If I can fulfill his every birthday wish for the bargain price of about $15, you know I'd do it all over again!

The Squid Dogs have raised quite a bit of discussion, and let me tell you, they're a kid's delight! We've been doing more and more "Kid Cooking" lately, so kid friendly recipes are on high demand. This creation we found in our Family Fun magazine and it's been requested a few times already.

Squid Dogs

Ingredients: hot dogs, dry spaghetti, butter or ketchup (optional)

Instructions: Cut the hot dogs into sections and stick 4 spaghetti noodles through the center of the dog (long ways). Boil until the spaghetti is tender. Servew with butter or ketchup, if desired.

Stephanie - Clayton's godmother 

We were excited to celebrate with cousin Emily and Rena, Morrisa & Madelyn... Spider Man style! 

Jenn, Skylar and Auntie Annie 

Auntie Katie & Chris 

Grandpa, Abby & Papa 

Grammy & Grandma 

Daddy, Mike - Clayton's godfather & Uncle 

This is one conversation that I would have loved to have interpreted! :) 

You may have noticed Clayton's choice of apparel... his Spider Man costume, intended for Halloween, that's been worn daily since two weeks Before Halloween (mind you, it is now nearly mid-January)! The "use" that's been gotten out of this $20 purchase amazed me enough to inspire his birthday gift...

another $20 spent on 6 costumes in the post-Halloween Clearance at Target! Please allow me to introduce... Knight Emily, Luigi Rena and Shrek Clayton, shown with his brand new cap gun! Also in the collection are Skeleton Man, Iron Man and Phat Rapper... What a riot! By far the best entertainment I could have ever found! And still, Spider Man is a daily wardrobe choice, but now we are frequented with other visitors from the costume box!

Surprise!  

And a Spider Man birthday would not be complete without a Spider Man Birthday Cake! Complete with every mini-spider man guy we own!  

Happy Birthday, little man (please note the Iron Man costume... may I point out, the 3rd wardrobe change of the evening)!

Sometimes... it's better not to ask. I'm just glad that there were cupcakes for the rest of us!