Cruz Is 4 Years Old!

Well, I am playing catch-up on the blog now. Cruz had his birthday party the last Saturday in May and here are a couple of pictures of him and his best friend Antonia. The theme he chose was birds and butterflies.

Big Weekend

Last weekend, we took a mini-vacation to Albuquerque. Ann's sisters and their children and grandchildren came with us and we went to Cliffs Amusement Park. Those kids rode rides from noon until 7pm. I was already exhausted when we went back to the hotel. But the kids oviously were not. Ann and I swam with the kids in the pool until 9 pm then we all went back to our rooms for pizza and beers. Andres and Cruz jumped on the beds and watched cartoons (cable is a miraculous thing for them). When we finally passed out around midnight, we all slept like logs.

Speaking of logs, check out the great facial expressions here after the first (of 3) time the boys went on the log ride! It was a great time, perfect weather, good company. Now we are getting ready for Cruzer's 4th birthday on the 22nd. We are having a backyard party on the 25th.

Chicks in the House = Spring

It must be spring at our house when there are sounds of peeping coming from the kitchen. We ordered 3 French Cuckoo Maran chicks. These chickens lay "chocolate" eggs and will bring our flock to 13! Who knew I would take after my mom and love chickens?




Well since this is not a chicken blog, I would like everyone to know that I am finishing up my final exam for a Statistics (the other "s" word) class. This class was hard and generally sucked but I did learn how to use practically every function Excel has!

Chile plants and tomatoes go in the ground this weekend. I jumped the gun and planted too early and some of my plants froze. Should've consulted the Farmer's Almanac. My tulips are almost spent and the jonquils are coming into bloom now. Andres and I planted a cherry tree, a purple plum tree and two more blueberry bushes. Can you tell by now that I LOVE spring?

Buddy, our cocker spaniel, is getting surgery tomorrow for kidney stones. This is his 3rd and hopefully final surgery. I'll let you know how it goes. The boys are a little worried.

Love Marcie

At The Pool

Last night Ann took the boys to the pool while I worked on some statistics homework with a fellow teacher. This was quite brave (not doing stats--taking 2 boys to the pool!). While I tried to explain how this outing could wind up a disaster, Ann was insistent. So, on went the new trunks, the towels were packed and with a kiss and a wave they were off. . . . .
I WAS WRONG. The boys had a GREAT time and did not try to drown each other (or Ann) after all! Andres even swam with the boogie board across the pool by himself, while Cruz the daredevil jumped in several times. That's all they talked about last night and today. I am so proud of all three of them. Ann has guts or is atoning for something since she is planning another pool trip on Thursday for Andres and Cruz AND their cousins Mario and Matthew. . . . .

Here's a pic of the boys washing up after their pool outing:

They're Not Babies Anymore

Cruz age 3 1/2

Andres age 5

I can't believe how much they look like kids instead of toddlers!

Andres Soup

Andres has always been a great connoisseur of foods. Here is a quick, fresh soup I made with all his favorite things. He LOVED it! It took 30 minutes start to bowl.

Andres Soup

1 pkg tortellini (he likes the dried kind)
3 cans chicken or veggie broth
4+ cups FRESH spinach
1 jar roasted red bell peppers (chopped)
1/2 red onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
Parmesan cheese

Cook tortellini. Drain. Add everything to pot. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Enjoy.

Love Marcie

A New Toy for Ann

What a weekend. We were busy and productive. Saturday we got out the grill and campfire grill ring. We had to fix the campfire ring, so after 3 trips to Lowe's, we finally had all the parts we needed to fix it. On Ann's 3rd trip to Lowe's she came back with a power washer. Now normally I don't get too excited about a new tool, and the thought of spending $250.00 on a tool to wash cars had me feeling slightly perturbed. However, in the next 2 hours Ann proceeded to strip peeling paint, clean the grill inside and out (no noxious oven spray needed), and yes, wash the cars, including her mom's. Not a bad 2 hours work. Sunday that power washer was humming all day. What sold me on it was when Ann began "peeling" vigas (log ceiling beams) with it. With 50+ vigas to peel, previously by hand, this machine was worth its weight in Ibuprofen! Ann's sister Geri picked up the boys for a play date at her house and Ann and I managed to clean out the chicken coop, plant lettuce, beets, onions and potatoes, drink a few beers, wash the pop-up trainer--including the upholstery and Ann even washed the flagstone patio! Overall an enjoyable weekend in which we got a lot accomplished. Good since I will not be doing much when Ann is out of town next weekend.

Love Marcie

PS Ann says it is a Briggs and Straton 3000 psi pressure washer not just a power washer!