Why Play with Toys...

when the basket is so much more fun!!!!

Life surrounded by Boys

Well this Valentine's Day we decided to do something a little different and spend some family time away from home where the laundry, dishes and various other to-do list get in the way (Brandon and I did go to dinner alone together last weekend). So where did we go...to a cabin off the Natchez Trace. Brandon had gone there growing up and said how much fun he had there hiking and fishing so since I am destined to be a mother of boys I should just embrace it. So we packed up the car and left Saturday morning. Luckily it was nice the first day and a half so we got some hiking and fishing in before it turned really cold. The cabin, as Brandon put it, hasn't changed at all since he had been there as a child so you could imagine there was not much. We were told no TV which when we explained this to Parkes his response was with a big bottom lip stuck out, "But I love TV." We all survived though with no technology (it did turn out there was a tv in the cabin but it only got a few home shopping channels and we tv). So here's some pictures from the past few days (I left our camera at my class so we only had Parkes' camera and the pics are a little grainy, but it is fitting for the trip).

Learning to Cook Pistaches

Last night Brandon's dad, Happy, drove to Nashville to bring Patricia and Julie to the airport so they could fly home to Aruba. Brandon requested that they teach us how to cook Pistaches and Johnny Cakes a childhood favorite of his from when he lived in Aruba. A Pistache (which I could be spelling that completely wrong) is a dough that is rolled out and stuffed with gouda cheese alone or with anything else you want and enclosed then fried. Johnny Cakes are the same dough but flattened out and fried kinda like a fried pancake...both are really yummy. Brandon used to get them on the playground during school for a snack, and I got to enjoy them when we went down to aruba 3 years ago. It will be nice to get to share them with Parkes and Cash and share that part of Brandon's childhood. I think it is definitely time to have a theme dinner around the pistaches maybe with some plantain chips too...I'll have to fit it in between Mardi Gras and St. Paddy's Day. Here's some pictures from the evening (I really don't know why I can't get the font out of italic...it has a mind of it's own). We are enjoying this nice weather and our new front porch. Cash wants to play out on the porch all day.

One more good thing...

Flowers from my husband for no reason.

We are still here...

just haven't left the house in awhile or taken pictures or much of anything that I will mention here. It's been a rough time around here lately with Parkes pressing every button I have. So here are some good things that have happened around here lately... Parkes decided to try a hot dog and liked it so he now will eat three things...hot dog, peanut butter and jelly and cheese sandwiches. Parkes finds every reason to remind me how much he loves me, Brandon and Cash. Cash is self entertained with a ball for hours and thinks it is the funniest thing when he throws it across the room. The sound of a quiet house at 9 at night...Parkes has been going to bed so much better. The sound of delight out of both boys as they watched the firetruck and NES truck in front of our house tonight fix a transformer that blew. Parkes with his arm around Cash pointing out the man on the ladder and Cash yelling "ight, ight". I think we've made a break through today so hopefully next weekend we won't be cleaning 10 pairs of underwear and have 6 showers in two days.