Hearts of the Youth

This message hit home as I watched it. It's so easy to get caught up in daily tasks and to-do lists. They are only young once. Stop and listen....

Randomness....

We are now in full school mode. Ben is LOVING first grade and has made several new friends. He was happy to see some familiar faces in his class this year. He is staying busy with school, church, friends and karate.

Speaking of karate, Ben is a natural and is learning a lot about respect and self-control and is having a blast! His group is called the Little Dragons. Their belt system is a little different in that they achieve a series of 10 belts before advancing to Juniors. He was awarded Most Dedicated Student and Outstanding Forms and Focus at his last belt test and will achieve white/orange belt this month. We are really proud of our Little Dragon!

Ben earned a trip to the Lego Store before school started as he was such a good boy over the summer and kept his room sooooo clean! He was able to customize a few minifigures and we also let him choose a new set. We left with some great new Legos and much lighter wallets!

Grandma and Grandpa Judd will be here this weekend to help celebrate Sean's birthday. I will not disclose his age out of respect. :)

We then get to have Grandma and Grandpa Burris from Texas here for a whole week! Ben is so excited to show Grandpa Burris some karate moves!

Sean and I are busy as usual with work and church. We are both teaching in primary. Sean teaches CTR6 and I am teaching CTR7. I love singing the primary songs from my youth and learning a few new ones as well. Ben will be in my class next year and I am really looking forward to that!

We are also looking forward to our Snowflake trip over Labor Day. This heat is kicking us in the you-know-what! We will get to see Aunt Ronda and cousin Nick from Colorado as as well as most of the AZ bunch. We wish the NC Judds could make it but we will see them next summer for sure.

That's it for now. Ben has early release today so I'm off to pick him up and rehydrate the little dude! :) Have a great day!

The Dad Life - Yup Yup.

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Procrastinate much?

Wow! Have I neglected the old blog or what?! I remember many, many months ago making a promise to myself that I would post regularly and post the requisite amount of photos/videos. How's that working out for me? I was inspired by my friend Tracy to get back into posting again. It's definitely time for an update so here goes:

Sean is working harder than ever and usually works from home when Ben is in bed. He has been called to teach in the Elders' Quorum and will do a fantastic job. He has subbed several times and really enjoyed it. I've been stopped at church many times to be told that "Sean's lesson was really great". He is still enjoying playing guitar and jams with Ben (on drums) quite often. He recently bought some camping gear for a ward campout and has decided that he may be a camper at heart.

Ben is about to finish Kindergarten and has loved every minute of it. He had his "cap and gown" graduation pictures today and was very handsome of course. Cap and gown for kinders? What the heck? He is very bright and has learned so much in school! He has some really cool friends and plays with them often. He loves primary and recently got to go on a Father and Son campout with the ward. He will start 1st grade in August and will make his mom cry again because she still remembers his first day of K5. He takes very good care of Bodhi who is almost one now! We still laugh about the night Sean brought him home and he was just a little ball of tan and brown fur. Cute!

As for me, I am still doing medical transcription from home. It is wonderful to be able to contribute financially but I will probably be cutting back on the amount of hours so that I can be more available for Ben this summer. I am still addicted to crafts and have started a regular craft night for my fellow crafters here in the QC. I love teaching CTR 7 in primary, especially singing the primary songs. I can't believe I can remember so many of them! I will be heading to the Oregon Coast in a few weeks with my sister and niece. We are going to try to plan a "girls' trip" every year and would have more sisters and my mom going with us this year but Janelle and I sort of sprung it on everyone on short notice.

I'm sure there is quite a bit I am missing but I'll hopefully be posting more soon. Oh, don't hold your breath though! :)

Makes me smile.

The end all, be all pasta dish.

The name says it all. I would imagine this dish could end war, save marriages, make me taller....ooops, there I go dreaming again. Seriously folks, it's good. Here is a picture to get you drooling.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

*Makes a heaping full 9X13 pan*

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pound rigatoni

10 ounces frozen baby spinach, thawed and drained well (can substitute 1 9-oz. bag fresh spinach)

12 ounces precooked smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick.

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 4 ounces shredded

1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.
Stir in tomatoes, oregano and basil; simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. (If using fresh spinach, add it to the pot of boiling pasta right at the end and cook until wilted.) Drain, and return contents to pot.
Add tomato sauce, sausage, spinach and cubed mozzarella to the pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop pasta into lightly greased 9X13-inch pan (or divide evenly between two 8X8-inch pans). Top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.
*Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

Halloween 2009

I am still in shock at the cost of the candy this year! What the heck? Sean took Ben out to trick or treat while I stayed home and handed out candy. Our first trick or treater showed up at 6:53 and the candy was gone by 8:00. Cleaned out in just over an hour. Holy cavities Batman!
Ben went with his traditional Superhero custume in the form of the "Black Goo Spiderman". You know, the suit Peter Parker wears after the goo gets on his foot and.... well... maybe you can watch the movie ok?


















He had a Halloween party at school the day before and brought home these gems. These bother me a bit but I tolerate them because I love him.

Camping and Puppies and Stuff.

Yes, I am a terrible blogger. Now that that's out of the way.... We went camping over Labor Day weekend and I need to post pictures or my mom will snatch me bald-headed. We love the fact that we can drive for a few hours and see pine trees, lakes and elk! In fact, the last morning we were there, I woke up in the wee hours of the A.M. to.... ummm...use the facilities and I startled a herd of elk just across the meadow. It was really great! Benjamin was the head gate-opener and even scored a buck from a couple on and ATV, enterprising young man that he is.

Here he is taking a walk with Grandma Judd.

There are more pictures but Sean didn't download them and I don't want to go look for his camera right now.

In other news, we have a new addition to our family. His name is Bodhi ( BO-DEE), short for Bodhisattva. Google it. Or watch the movie Point Break. He is a little sweetheart and has us wrapped around his paw. He is very smart and is doing well with potty training. I was a little skeptical at first but he is now my little buddy. He loves it when Ben gets home from school and there is much kissing and frolicking.

Kidergarten, here we come!

This will be a photo-heavy post so beware! Sean was able to go in late today so that he and I could drop Ben off together. I appreciated that because I got a little choked up when we left the classroom. He is, afterall, my one and only baby boy. He found his seat and got right to work as Miss Lin had a worksheet ready for him to do. Once he settled into his seat, I could tell that he wanted his parents to skidaddle so we did after a hug and a kiss. *sniff*. We are very proud of him and we know that he will be the best Kindergartener ever! We love you Ben!

Cheerios - breakfast of Champions. (actually I think that's Wheaties)

All slicked up and ready to go. We are not sure why he has adopted the peace sign lately.

Rear view (the backpack with legs)

One last hurrah before school!

It's official!

This is where Ben will sit while he expands his cranium.

Getting right to work!

Ghetto Booty

This is what Ben came in to show me the other morning.....
Not sure what all is in there. He doesn't really eat enough to justify this sudden booty-ness!

Squigglies

This may not be for the squeamish but we had a ball making them. I saw this on a blog and can't remember which one. You take turkey kielbasa (or any other type of link or hot dog) and cut it into thick slices. Break some spaghetti in half and start poking them into the slices. Boil a big pot of water and toss 'em in. When the spaghetti is tender, your Squigglies are done. Ben prefers them "naked" but I suspect they would be great with sauce. They are just as much fun to make as they are to eat. Give them a try!

Melting.......

We have been experiencing some phenominal heat here in the last couple of weeks. We purchased a pool for Ben a few months ago in anticipation of said heat. The problem is that the temperature of the pool by afternoon is not conducive to cooling off per se. However, he enjoys splashing around despite the fact that his bathwater is more refreshing. Sean and I have been known to take a dip occsionally. We have decided our next home will have an in-ground pool.

We are hoping to get some of the monsoon moisture everyone "down south" is bragging about. You know who you are. In the six months we have lived here, it has rained approximately three times and only when we are asleep. So not fair!

A little conversation...

I wonder if this is what my husband hears when I am talking to him sometimes?

Random

We are getting requests for photos and quotes from grandparents, aunts and uncles so here goes:

ME: Ben, how did I get so lucky to have a sweet boy like you?

BEN: 'Cause you and Jesus worked as a team to build my bones. (then looks at me like, DUH.)

I'm not sure why he left Sean and Heavenly Father out of the equation but I'm sure they both understand.

After overhearing a heated conversation between Ben and, well, Ben, about one of his toys not working properly:

ME: Ben, did you try _____________________? (Insert helpful MOM advice here)

BEN: (Insert 5-yr old dirty look here) I TRIED THAT, YES, AND THANK YOU.

Here are a few photos from our recent San Diego/Seaworld trip. If you run your mouse over the photos, you will be able to view the captions. Your choice.

Hammer Time?

Canyon Lake

On Saturday, we decided to pack a lunch and frisbee and head to the lake for some fun. Canyon Lake is a quick 20 minute drive from our house and the water was cool and refreshing. Even though the day was warm, it was pleasant in the shade from the picnic ramadas.

We had a great time and have decided that we should have a boat. At the very least, a jet ski.

Conversation......

Me: Ben, will you still let me kiss you when you are a big boy?

Ben: Yes, and I will still love you when I am big because you are the right mom for me.

I'm so glad I'm the right mom for him....

Wow! Has it been a month already? We are just plugging away here. Sean and I are both pretty busy with work and Ben is busy getting ready to start kindergarten in the fall. I feel really blessed to be able to do medical transcription from home so that I can be home with him. He spends most afternoons playing with the neighborhood kids and riding his scooter. We took the training wheels off of his bike and he now refuses to touch it saying, "maybe I'll ride it when I'm bigger". He spent two days at Grandma and Grandpa Judd's over spring break and had such a good time! However, he was a little disappointed in my cooking after being in the land of homemade bread and chocolate cherry cake. Sheesh.
We are hoping to get away on vacation this summer. Not sure where though. I know we will be going to the lake fairly often as it is less than 20 minutes from our house!
That's about it for now. Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely Spring weather!

Everything is amazing......

A nice serving of perspective...

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm not a mushy-mushy gal so here is my valentine to everyone. :)