Grilled Pizza

I've been on this kick of trying out new recipes, which really isn't anything new for me, but the past 2 weeks, every night we have eaten something new.  I saw grilled pizza on a recipe blog and thought it would be fun to try, so on the hottest day in August, Troy and I are standing outside over a raging hot grill experimenting and laughing at our poor pizza trying to keep it from falling through the grill.  I wish I would've had pictures of it, but believe me it was so very very tasty!! We devoured it, and decided to hurry and make another one since it wasn't very big.  This time we let the kids make it, and put it on tinfoil to contain it a bit better.  It turned out just as yummy.  I think it was a hit!!  We topped it off by sharing a new key lime dessert with the Marshall's and went home stuffed!!  Thanks to my very brave family for trying out my recipes, not all were keepers but some we will try again.

Help me Betty Crocker!!

Back in high school and college, I worked at the Quality Inn hotel in Beaver.  We did a small complimentary breakfast and one of the items that I loved (obviously I sampled a few when I was hungry and putting breakfast away!!!) was these homemade bran muffins that my boss made.  Over the years I have craved these muffins and wished I had the recipe.  I found what I figured was the recipe since it made a ton and would keep in the fridge. I was so excited to try it out, but the end result was not what I expected, I even found the same recipe in my gma Fern's recipe book and I did everything right.  Needless to say, for some reason the muffins didn't rise and the recipe makes almost 5 dozen!!! I hated to throw it all out, so I baked most of the batter and we took them to feed the ducks.  I put about 13 in a bread bag and I swear they weighed at least 10 lbs. The ducks seemed to like them, and Troy had a great time skipping them in water (now you know just how hard they were!)   I had my mom call Colleen Dotson to get the original recipe ( why I didn't I just do that 10 years ago??) and with a few substitutions because one cereal is out of production, they turned out perfect.  Who would've known that liquid buttermilk in the carton VS. powdered buttermilk that you mix would make a difference, but it does.  So if you happened to drive past Bloomington golf course a few weeks ago,  and the ducks were moving slow and partially under water.....now you know why!!! 

Happy Birthday Tanner!!!

Tanner chose Pizza Factory for his birthday dinner

Birthday cinnamon roll for breakfast

The birthday boy!

a few of Tanner's Dragonfly friends

 

I thought for sure I had posted about Tanner's 4th Birthday, but apparently I posted it on our family blog.  So even tho I'm a week and 1/2 late........Happy Birthday Tanner, we love you and hope that you have a great year, 4 is awesome!!!
These are a few pictures from Tanner's little party in his Dragonfly class at the daycare.  He chose to take Oreo cookies and Capri Suns.  He loved his crown and wore it the rest of the day.  I will post pictures from his family party later.
Fun things to remember about Tanner on his 4th Birthday:
~He LOVES Thomas the Train, and all his friends.  He can't go anywhere without at least 2 trains.  Could play with Thomas and his tracks all day EVERYDAY!
~Loves to sing! Many times I hear Tanner playing with this trains, and quietly singing I Am A Child Of God. 
~Loves to play Name That Tune with w/ Mom in the car with her IPod
~Cheese sandwhiches, Goldfish, and any kind of meat are fav. foods
~Loves to eat 'Mom's cereal' for breakfast (Special K, or Bran Flakes)
~Has the funniest laugh
~Hasn't completely grown out of his baby 'Kankles'
~ Loves his new preschool class and being a Butterfly
~Thomas movies, Little Einsteins, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, Alvin & the Chipmunks are favorite shows/movies
~Loves Baseball!! sleeps with his mitt, takes it in the car, tries to sleep in baseball hat, can hit and catch well for a 4 year old.  Loves his bike too.
~Either loves Camrie and plays well with her, or terrorizes her! Typical big brother!
~Has gotten over an extreme fear of cockroaches this summer
~Knows all the alphabet and their sounds
~Is really good at ignoring mom and dad!! :)
~Is a very good helper with Kason, & also vaccums the floor after dinner
~Nicknames are:  Tanner Man, Tanner T, Tanneruesky
~Loves mom to lay down at night with him and discuss our day (Mom's fav. too)

Just hanging out with the kids

Bedtime is by far my most favorite time with the kids...not just because it's the end of the day and I'm clearly ready for some quiet time, but that's when I get to lay down with them and we just talk, giggle, get a bit silly, and then I get them all riled back up.  I didn't realize how important this was to Tanner and Braxton until my 2 night stay at the hospital when I had Kason.  They missed me and I missed them....  Last night  Tanner decided that it was time to introduce Kason to playing with monster trucks, he just thought they were good chew toys to help his 1st tooth break through the gum. 

Welcome to Preschool Tanner!

Tanner and Miss Becky

Today was Tanner's first day of Preschool at the Child Development Center at DRMC.  He has been so very excited to go since we attended Back to School Night a few weeks ago, and asked just about everyday last week if he could go to his new class yet.  His very fun teachers are Miss Becky, who he had in the Firefly class, that we are so excited to have again, and Miss Victoria, who was with Tanner in the Roly and Caterpillar classes for just a short time when the Center first opened.  This class is very intense and fast paced and even tho it is part of the daycare, it is a full-fledged Preschool.  We also found out last week, that next year after Kindergarten lets out, he can come back to the Butterfly class after school which makes me happy, we just have to get him there, so we will work all that out later. I got just a teeny bit teary eyed as I left him, he's just grown up so fast the last few months.  Love you Tanner-ruesky!

LOOK WHO's 4!!!

Happy Birthday Tanner we love you so much!

Braxton's first day of school

Braxton & Mrs. King

Braxton's first day of school was yesterday, and he has been pretty excited for it to start.  He is in 2nd grade, and  has Mrs. King for his teacher. 

He does miss having his group of friends from 1st grade, and our ward in his class, but he does have 2 boys from his baseball team to hang out with so that makes him happy!  Mrs. King told them that if it ever startes to snow during class, she will let them run out and play in it before it melts, Braxton was pretty excited about that, but he will be lucky if that actually happens!! I can't believe he is in 2nd grade, the time has flown right by!!

Smith Family Campout 2011

We always look forward to the 2nd weekend of August for our family campout at Tushar in the Beaver Mnts.  This year we basically 'circled the trailers' and had a great time.  Here's the summary:
We ate a lot....we do that well!  We celebrated Tanner's 4th birthday party, we played some mini golf, relay races, and built and painted wooden model kits.  He wanted a Lightening McQueen birthday cake, so we had that and ice cream later on after dinner.  For as many Thomas the Trains and tracks that are a permanant fixture on our living room floor, and for as many times as we trip over them, and cuss them, we keep buying him more! But he loves them so much and was totally content to play with his new trains and tracks on the rug in front of our trailer the rest of the time we were there. Valerie had a fun crafty project for the kids, they painted their own pillowcases (Braxton painted his shirt, and some painted their hair) and she also brought yummy cookies fot them to decorate.  They also had fun playing in the canoes, and paddle boat, rides on the 4 wheeler, and ran and screamed at the top of their lungs playing 'Ghost in the Graveyard' each night, and no campout it complete without roasting marshmellows, peeps, and starbursts. (the last two items = ICK!)  We played some water balloon volleyball and the kids loved having wheelborrow races, Camrie was the funniest to watch walk on her hands, she was bound and determined to make it as far as she could, and she out did all the others for sure!
The bees were out in full force and Camrie got her first sting on the back of her leg, but after meds, lots of loves, and a rest, she was good as new.  Grandma and Autumn also got stung. 
It has been so nice to have our trailer up there this summer, we've been up and stayed quite a few weekends, and it makes all the difference in the world when camping with a baby!!  Kason does pretty well, but was not a happy camper one of the nights for a few hours, I'm sure teeth were the culprit!   He was good to hang out in his Bumbo or the playpen, and loved being held and loved by everyone.
It was so great to get out of the heat and just relax, we always have fun no matter what we do and I love that our family is so close.  Thanks Mom and Dad for all the time you put into the campground so that we can all come up and enjoy it!!!