The Best Christmas Pagent Ever!!!

Ryans first Christmas!!! He was pretty happy!
Baby Jesus and Mary
Do angels get any cuter?
Jared even dressed up as Joseph--all those years in theater really paid off!
Isn't she angelic?!!!

Katelyn sewed all these wonderful costumes for mom as her Christmas present. It was really fun and will be a great family tradition for years to come.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub little baby in the tub

Bath time pictures are just so much fun!!!
Ryan was taking a bubble bath with the Jacuzzi on at Grandma Jo's house. Ryan really loved the jets.
He kept trying to eat all the bubbles
He LOVED this rubber ducky, it was the first time I've really heard him laugh a bunch, he was really giggling at the duck.
This chair was the best ever!!!
Ryan played in the bath tub for over 45 minutes and loved every minute of it.

Spending time with my Auntie

Delaney wanted to hold Ryan in her new house. He's not quite sure what to think...

Christmas Eve with the Kings

Accaila, Caisa, Aaron opening their Christmas gifts. The girls kept saying "This is just what I always wanted!!!" and then Caisa opened one gift and exclaimed,"I can't believe my eyes!!!"
Accaila opening the Webkinz that Jared and I bought her.
The Christmas tree at Grandma and Grandpa Kings with the girls.

The pic's from Christmas at Mimi's and Graps are soon coming....

Only the pure of heart can make good soup" Beethoven

So here is the recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Soup-as previously blogged about!! This is truly the easiest dinner to make-especially for a crowd, every time I make I get rave reviews and it is so simple!!!! Hopefully I get the directions right because I'm just a dumper--I guess, if I think it looks right, then I taste it. So play around with the spices until it taste right to you!!

1 roisteree chicken (I get mine from Costco-cheap and very big)
2 cartons of chicken broth
1 large onion sauteed
1-2 cloves of garlic through a garlic press. ( if you burn the garlic start over...)
2 stalks of celery also sauteed ( I don't like celery so I chop very fine)
okay here's where the measurements get questionable....
1-3 teaspoons of garlic power more of you don't have fresh garlic
1-2 teaspoons of salt
Couple dashes of liquid smoke ( you don't have to have but it makes it taste like it's been cooking all day, it's really cheap and in the with the condiments I think, it will last FOREVER)
1-2 teaspoon paprika
1-2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon of chili powered or red pepper( more if you like it really hot- I have a really weak mouth)
About 3/4 of a bunch of chopped cilantro
2 cans of corn with juices
1 large can of rotel or 2 small cans

With the spices add the smallest amount first and then add more if it doesn't taste right. Sorry I can't give more accurate measurements.
Cook until everything is hot!!! I put in a crock pot and let it cook all day but it truly makes no difference in the taste- It should take about a half hour from start to finish

Serve with avocado, sour cream, cilantro, cheese and of course tortilla chips. I break mine in the bottom of the bowl before I add the soup...but whatever. This will feed about 10 people good size bowls.

"Beautiful soup, so rich and green
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup!
Beautiful soup!
Who cares for fishGame,
or any other dish? Who would not give
all else for twoPennyworth
of beautiful soup?"
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

"C is for cookie, it's good enough for me; oh cookie cookie cookie starts with C."

I forgot to take pictures before we started the cookie exchange- so this is the aftermath!!!
Reindeer peanutbutter cookies-Too cute! These were my mom's cookies, it's so nice that mom is near by so we can have these kind of parties toghether.
I made a huge crockpot of chicken tortilla soup! It was great, and SO easy if I do say so myself!!
The hot coco was to die for too! Nothing beats homemade whipped cream, with rich mint hot chocolate.
This is my great friend Karina who was so kind to host the party!! She has such a beautiful house, and she says she really enjoys cleaning....CRAZY!!! Like someone else I know...So I made the food (her cookies) and she hosted. It was such a fun night! Thanks Karina

I LOVE SPIDER SOLITARE!!

This is my highest score! Okay I'm a nerd but Dad this is for you!!!! Can you beat it?

Bye,bye, bye

Ryan was born with a little skin tag on his right ear. Jared told his nieces that it was he antennae- that he got XM radio directly in his ear. Little kids were always concern about this little extra piece of skin.
We went to a plastic surgeon two weeks ago and had him look at it, he said he would remove it in office with just a shot of a local. We went back the next day. They normal strap babies on to a papoose board, but since I still swaddle Ryan I just brought his blankets and wrapped him all up. He cried for the shot in his ear, and then sucked on his binkie for the 5 minute procedure, where they removed the extra skin and cartilage behind it.
Ryan had his stitch's removed 7 day later. He fell asleep while waiting for the doctor and slept through the stitch's being removed. Now you wouldn't even know there was something there.

Ryan sitting up

He is getting so big so fast. He weighs 17.9 lbs!! What a chunky monkey! He is getting better and better at sitting up, it's so fun to watch him try new things!

Where's Waldo???

Can you find Waldo?????????????????????

So I bought these pj's for Christmas and when Katie was here the other day she said "he looks like Waldo" Remeber the Where's Waldo fad....Anyways for some reason I have tons of stuffed animal, maybe because all our friends had babies before us and I had to keep them busy at our house, so we piled them all around him and got a few good pic's. Needless to say the pile of animals is still in his room infront of his closet door, so actually they are now spread around the room because I have needed to get into the closet several times. Oh well they will get picked up at some point...

My hands taste GOOD!!

Caught ya!

First Trip to See Santa Claus

Checking out SantaThe decorations were wonderful
Family picture with Santa(dad even smiled for this picture) : )
Ryan sitting with Santa
We had a nice breakfast this morning and then went and sat with Santa. I think Ryan told him that he wanted a Johny jump up.

Finding My Feet

What goes up must come down

Okay so today Ryan had carrots for the first time which he seemed to enjoy until.... he has also learned that he can fling his arm around like crazy and really enjoys this new found movement. This is when the arm met the carrots and it was all down hill from there. This whole scene gave me a flash back though to when I was about 14 and on me second babysitting job for the Hassetts, Dylan was around Ryan's age at the time(that would make her I think about 14ish...man I'm old) anyways I was feeding Dylan carrots and she swatted her arm the exact same way but oh my goodness did she make a mess. These carrots curved around the hall about six feet, sprayed up the nine feet walls and all over the ceiling. You may think that I'm exaggerating or the story has grown over the years but I'm not this was a amazing that a tiny 2oz jar of baby food could cover that much area. Oh yeah and they had just moved into the house so everything was new!! I had to call my mom and have her come help me clean the house. I thout I would be fired on the spot. Needless to say I babysat for them the rest of the time we lived there. Anyways it was such a moment I couldn't pass up telling the story.

playing with my toys

Best Friends

This is my best friend from High School Alison she is the only one that I have really kept in contact with all these years.
I can't believe that al had kids before me, and she's 20 weeks prego with her second.
Cory, Alison and MaKayla