Two more school pics

We just got Henry and Caroline's school picture retakes back, and they turned out much better. Henry still doesn't like to show his teeth for his picture, but he's done that ever since he was in preschool.

Caroline's is a keeper too. :)
Now, to get Evan's three year old picture done...wish me luck on that one!

Leftovers and Christmas Artwork by Caroline

There's nothing that beats a turkey sandwich after Thanksgiving, although this recipe for Turkey Tetrazinni comes in a close second in my book. My whole family loves it. Even Evan, our pickiest eater, declared it yummy. You might want to give it a try!

Turkey Tetrazinni

3 cups cooked turkey meat cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound of Linguini
1 very large can :) of Chicken Broth
1 onion
2 celery stalks (diced)
10 fresh mushrooms (sliced
3 sticks of butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 cups of milk
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 roll of Ritz crackers
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1. Break linguini in half and add to broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer.
2. Add turkey, onion, celery, and mushrooms.
3. Cook until the pasta is aldente. There should be very little broth left in the pot. Put lid on pot and turn off stove.
4. In a seperate saucepan, melt two sticks of butter.
   
5. Slowly add the flour and keep stirring.
6. Add milk, mushroom soup and one cup of cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted.
7. Add this mixture to the linguini pot and stir.
8. Spray 9 X 13" pan with PAM and add the linguini mixture.
9. Sprinkle 2 cups of cheddar cheese on the top.
10. In a separate saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter. Take a roll of Ritz crackers and empty them into a large storage bag. Squeeze crackers in your hands until they are in small pieces. Add to melted butter and mix well.
11. Sprinkle crackers on top of the casserole.
12. Bake uncovered at 350 for about 45-6o minutes.
13. Enjoy!

Caroline has really been enjoying our easel, and has supplied us with many beautiful Christmas pictures in the past few days!
This one says, "Stop here, Santa!" You might notice that there are 26 hearts on this picture...that means that there are 26 days until Christmas. :)

Super Dave

On Thanksgiving Day, Dave played in our neighborhood's Turkey Bowl (football game). His team won, he played well, and there was a picture of them in the newspaper! Dave was pretty happy...Click here to see the picture.

And because it pains me to have a post without a picture within it, here's the boys tonight with their good friends, Alex and Matthew. They wanted to squeeze in a sleepover before Thanksgiving break was over. I can't believe how this week has flown by!

I'll wash the dishes. You two polish the floor.

My kids are so helpful...dontcha think?!

An Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade

We joined my parents for a Christmas Parade through my hometown tonight. It was great...quiet firetrucks, fun characters (ie, Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear and Woody, even Darth Vader joined in on the Christmas fun!), and bagpipers. As my Mom said, "It was like we were living the Christmas Story!" (I loved that scene with the Christmas parade!) Such fun family memories made...

This picture was taken right after they lit the town's Christmas tree.

Waiting and waiting for Santa to come...
And here he is! I apologize for the quality of the video, but it does have a couple of cute moments to it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Evan!

Our baby is THREE! Now, wait, I take that back. Evan would be so offended if he knew that I just called him my baby. Our big boy is THREE!!!!

I decorated a little last night while watching Dancing with the Stars (I love who won!). Evan was soooo cute when he came down this morning to see it. He said, "OH, it's my BIRTHDAY!! Mommy, it's beautiful!"

Here he is opening up a present that he (obviously) really wanted: an Imaginext Dragon Castle (a gift from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Jim)!

He also got the Imaginext Batcave, and he and his siblings had a great time playing together.


He wanted Cinnamon Rolls and Bacon for breakfast...yum!

I took the kids out to Chuck E. Cheese. Maybe next year we'll have a party with some little friends, but having his brothers and sisters doting on him today made him quite happy.


Evan got quite a kick out of the mechanical Chuck E. Cheese. He pulled up a chair and watched him for quite a while. He kept telling me, "Mommy, he's looking at me!"
Happy birthday, sweet Evan! We love you so much!

How does our oldest keep his focus here?

It must be a really good book.