Yummy Food!

Hearty Garlic and Herb Alfredo Bake
Recipe By Our Best Bites

1 box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Garlic and Herb Alfredo Variety
1 cup cooked, diced or shredded chicken breast
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, torn into small pieces
1 6 or 7 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and diced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter

Prepare Macaroni and Cheese according to package directions.  Add chicken, spinach, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Stir over low heat until everything is combined and heated through.  Spoon mixture into a serving dish, or 6 individual ramekins.  Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, and butter, and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle evenly on top of pasta and place under a broiler just until crumbs are golden and toasted.  Serves: 6.

Here is the finished product, nothing fancy to photograph but oh man this is some good food!! It is super easy and can be made in the morning then add the breadcrumbs before it goes into the oven. So good everyone eats it up here like crazy! 

End of January Happenings...

We took a trip to the Folsom zoo and brought AJ along! I figured I better get use to taking 3 kids everywhere right? Can you spot that big brown bear in the background? The kids ran around and had a great time, I was ready for a nap when it was over. :) 

 

My mom and I have been trying to walk a lot and sometimes we go down into Folsom and hit all the trails down there. Less hills! We stumbled upon this pound the other day and let the kids out at the end to feed the ducks with our snacks, we also lost the beloved snack box lid...Noah chucked it somewhere on the path and we didn't notice...he doesn't love stroller time as much as Max. 

My life with Max...he is starting to think that legos are pretty awesome...but we have Noah who is almost 2 and in the dumping phase of life. Every day all day he is dumping and legos are no exception. Also these suckers hurt to step on. 

These days Noah is just exhausting me. I don't know if it is the pregnancy or the stage and I don't remember Max being so busy or just putting himself in dangerous situations. It is a good thing he is cute. The other day I thought I lost him for good, in our own house! He has a tendency to just go out the front door (we have baby locks now) I looked everywhere for a good 10 minutes, yelling his name and almost had a heart attack and then I hear laughing coming from the teepee...he was in there the entire time watching the ipod. This kid might kill me! 

 

Swinging Noah

This boy, wild and crazy as his is loves to sit calmly in a swing for ever! He would swing and swing as long as my little arms would push him. He sits and laughs, looks around and talks to me about whatever is on his mind. Sometimes he demands to go higher, or get an under dog. I guess I should be happy about it and just think how strong my arms will get?! 

 

Dear 2013,

I am sitting here 3 weeks into January 2014 and feeling immensely guilty on my lack of documentation for almost the entire year of 2013. I dropped the ball. 2013 was a good year full of lots of firsts, that I being the horrible mom I am did not sit down and write about. I am repenting of that now. Not that anyone is reading this but when I am dead I can rest in piece that I documented this little families life, and I can sleep at night knowing that I am trying my best at journaling.

So 2013 sorry I will go finish the last 9 months and document highlights of the months. Sorry for the neglect and hate...

To 2014, I AM BACK! One of my many new years resolutions is to get back into blogging. It's for my future so when I look back 20 years from now I can know how CRAZY it is to raise kids, be a mom, be a wife, have an intense church calling, clean, cook, entertain, be a good friend....the list goes on and on but I can remember I did it and I survived and I love almost every minute of it.

So dear readers get excited because the Harris family is alive and well and growing! Get ready for real life moments and real mothering moments, because you guys know me I don't sugar coat the craziness of my life. I like to keep it real because there is no use reading a blog that makes you feel like your doing it all wrong, or that your life is not as glamours, adventures, or perfect as everyone else's. Heck I rarely spell check this baby ;)  That is one thing 2013 taught me. I'm okay with who I am, and I can handle a lot more then I thought.

2014 is going to be a great year, can't wait to document it, check back soon!

Bringing up BOYS!!

Okay I just want to say a quick thing about this amazing book I read. I have been reading lots of different discipline books, trying to get Noah better at listening and Max on a dedicated discipline plan. This book really isn't about that, it is tips on raising boys the unique nature that is the boy! Honestly this book spoke to me about raising little boys and making them amazing men. There were parts of the book I copied and made Larry read, parts that talk about how important fathers are in pivotal points in boys lives. It made me laugh and cry and nervous for the future. I think it is a must read for anyone! 

Parks In January

The weather has been so nice in January this year, we have been spending lots of time at the parks, I guess that is one thing good about the drought is the endless sunshine we keep having. The park is perfect, the boys run wild I get to play and watch them, my house stays clean, and we come home and naps happen easily! Win Win! 

Look at that chubby little Noah! Also Max is getting really good at climbing everywhere he is getting pretty brave! 

Another day, another park! Max gives me a heart attack lots of times but I love seeing him make believe and play with Noah and other kids he meets. He is getting better at introducing himself and asking if kids want to play. His soft heart sometimes can't take the rejection sometimes, we are working on that! 

 

Here is another day at the castle park. Noah and his red boots are just too good! Love watching him wonder around and figure out his surroundings. I have to keep an eye out at all times if I turn my back for even 2 seconds he will disappear...it is actually pretty scary how he has no boundaries, sometimes I don't want to go anywhere because watching him can be so much more stressful then staying at home but we need to get out and it is no fair to Max to be jailed because of his crazy toddler brother! 

 

First Swim Of 2014!

We decided to take a small trip to fresno and then to Sanfran with just Max to take him to the Eixplortorium which turned out to be a bust and I was not super happy...more on that later. Anyways we stayed at a hotel in fresno and went to the zoo. I didn't get too many picture but oh boy that Noah sure loves the petting zoo...animals are his favorite thing!

The pool was a big hit, and I was excited that Max did so well with his floaties after not swimming for awhile. It was fun to swim on the first day of the year! Just getting out of town was a nice change of pace, we need to go mini vacations more often! 

 

 

After are short stay my mom took Noah back home and we drove to the bay to spend some time with just Max. I had thought that this museum would be perfect for him but it was so busy and sadly not really in his age range. I was bugged because I had gotten lots of opinions but really it is better for 7-12 year olds. We stayed only and hour and then walked the boardwalk. Max fell asleep in the stroller and we ended up walking up to market street and shopped for the 3 hours he slept! We even had a quite dinner it was super nice actually and he must have needed the sleep poor guy. We did stop at the disney store before we left and he picked out a toy to end the weekend. I love getting to spend one on one time sometimes with him. He now calls San Fransico the big city! So cute, I just love that first born of mine!