My Favorites

My sister-in-law, Jess, made these picture ornaments for us probably 4 years ago and I have to say they are my favorite! She captured them perfectly. Rachel "loving" Kaden. They are like best friends still today.

My sweet Rachel...

Project After Project...

Just about everywhere you look, there's some sort of project that someone has made... but Kaden definitely takes the cake in this area! He used to be obsessed with staples, but since I grounded him from them the next best thing is TAPE, of course. I find tape everywhere. I may not have any left to wrap Christmas presents!! So if you receive a gift from us that's stapled together, you'll know why! Here are some examples and as you can see, reindeer have been on his mind!--

This reindeer was made from a kit, but only because he wanted to make one out of wood like Grandma Swensen's, but that just wasn't happening... at least not that day so I picked this one up at the craft store. And that Santa is plastered up there with yards of scotch tape!


These projects below are the result of Kaden begging Nate to take them to Grandpa Bishop's workshop yesterday. Everyone thought up what they wanted and helped design, cut and sand their own project. Kaden- gun (painted different colors on each side), Rachel- heart, Tye- road (not so sure where that idea came from!) ... Aren't they creative?!

911 Dispatch

How many 911 calls would be too many in one week???

I would normally say one, but this week the correct answer is two. Yep, Tye and Kaden each made an emergency call from Nate's cell phone. I always hate answering the callback after we've hung up, BUT the callback is better than the policeman at your doorstep making sure everything is ok!! (That happened 4 years ago courtesy Kaden!) Come to think of it Kaden's always the one involved. . . . #1-- day after Thankgiving (4 years ago), #2-- a few months after that, #3-- after learning about 911 in preschool, #4-- now with Nate's phone. Sheesh! Ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?!!

Lunch with the Bishop Brothers

Kaden and Tye made their own sandwiches today...

Give Me a Freakin' Break

Ok-- So Tye took scissors to our leather couch and did this! The flash on my camera makes all the scratches show up way more than they regularly do, but there are still scratches on every cushion and the arm rests. So we find out today that the warranty we bought (which was a first) doesn't cover scratches... if he would've punctured it, yes. I am so mad right now.... grrrrr! Oh and it was intentional so therefore not covered-- uh, hello! A three year old with scissors, like he knew he was ruining my couch. So I guess if he would have made a big fat hole in it, it still wouldn't have been covered because my devil child is accountable for all his actions according to the stupid warranty company! Anyone know a "licensed leather professional" (yes, in their words) to help us camouflage this mess? That was the company's only suggestion for us. You won't catch me forking over my $90 next time I buy a new couch!

Thanks for letting me vent. I feel much better now.

Music to My Ears

This is just one of the daily things Haley loves to do. She just learned how to climb up on the piano bench. It's a little higher than some so it wasn't the easiest task, but she has it all figured out now. Her tunes are lovely... and the nice duet with Tye was music to my ears!

On the subject of pianos. Rachel is so excited to be starting piano lessons next week and even luckier to have her Nana Bishop as her teacher! She's been begging and begging to do it. I think she's at the point now that she can get started and really like it and do well. Good luck, Rach!

First And Definitely Not Last

There's a first for everything! Nate has never painted Rachel's nails (or anyone's, for that matter). I was busy and couldn't do it so I recruited him. I asked her later if dad did a good job and she said, "Um, well, he did ok." Hey, "ok" is good enough for me! Don't worry, Honey, you'll get the opportunity to do it again!!

Festival of Trees

This year at the Festival of Trees there is a display in honor of my nephew Samuel who passed away in March of this year. Nate is out-of-town (surprise, surprise!!) so my parents were kind enough to take me and the kids with them. We met up with some more family members when we got there. Rachel said Sammy's display was her favorite and she loved the gingerbread castle. Kaden just whined for treats the whole time and Tye had lots of fun with his cousins, Ben and Peyton and his uncle PJ. Thanks for a fun evening everyone! We miss Sammy and loved seeing his short life honored!

(Thanks for the pic, Laura... sorry I stole it!)

Ice Cream Cupcake Recipe

I am by no means a great or even good cook, chef or baker... you can even ask Nate. He'll vouch for me! Some people have asked for this recipe so here it is.

ICE CREAM CUPCAKES

Make cake as directed (I used a cake mix). Place about 1 tablespoon batter in baking cups. Bake for approx. 8 minutes (keep an eye on it, you don't want to over cook.) You'll end up with about a 1/2 inch of cake. Let cool on counter for about 15 minutes then place in freezer for 3-4 hours- keep them in the muffin tins and cover with saran wrap. After the cakes are frozen, let ice cream sit out on counter for about 10 minutes or so... until it's soft. Scoop ice cream into cupcakes level with top of baking cup. Cover and place back in freezer for about 4 hours or overnight (I did overnight). Top with whipped cream, chocolate, caramel or whatever you want when ready to serve! Don't forget-- YOU choose your flavor of cake and ice cream. The possibilities are endless!

I put our frozen leftovers in a freezer bag. Questions? Just ask.

Simple, tasty and convenient!