Heavy Heart....

There is a family, whom I have never met, but have many friends who know this dear couple.  They lost their precious little 18 month old boy named Walker yesterday to a rare type of cancer.  They fought hard for a year.  By reading their story on their Caring Bridge page http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/walkerrainey you can see they have they fought with grace and faith, that one could only hope to have during a trail of this kind.  I know a majority of you reading this are mothers whose hearts go out them as well. So I just ask for prayers to uplift this family during this tragic time and their road ahead.

A little of what we have been up to...

Seems like this summer has just flown by, but then it always feels that way. We have been pretty busy...I keep waiting for things to slow down, but I think I have come to except that "slowing down" isn't going to happen. We have two weeks from today before Maylee starts kindergarten, so we are trying to take advantage of our remaining summer days. Here are some of the things we have been up to:

I took Ella to see the Pinkalicious musical while Maylee was at cheer camp.

Maylee and her sweet cheer camp coach.  Maylee had so much fun...the girl really has some spirit!!

This is Hadley making Maylee rub her feet while they watch tv!

We had a super fun trip with all our cousins and aunts to the aquarium.  Check out the shark behind them!

All the cousins and friends (Dylan sat this pic out).

This past weekend we had our annual Aggie Reunion in College Station.  Look at all the kids!  That is even missing 5 from the whole group.  I love how Maylee and Ella ended up with the 10 week old!

Sweet sisters.

A worn out toddler.

Hadley getting into my make-up and thinking mascara was lip gloss!  Me cleaning up the mess of course!

Bet if you try it, you'll never go back...

that is to the store bought granola! I found this recipe in an article about what is better homemade vs. store bought, and this is a winner, if I do say!

Granola

3 cup rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup + 2 TBS dark brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 TBS maple syrup
1/4 cup oil
3/4 tsp salt

Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix sugar, syrup, oil, and salt. Pour over dry mixture, and mix. Bake at 250 for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. (Can wait to a raisins until after cook time, they will just be softer, I personally liked them baked)
Leigh Anne

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Back in the Saddle again....

Yes! This is my baby up on a horse all by herself! Made me really nervous when I first saw this, but Maylee has started riding lessons this week. Today was her second lesson and she is loving it. She tells me what you have to say to make the horse go and stop. They rode for the first hour, and then they learn how to care for the horses. Think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Oh and I had to include a picture of the duck. Tuesday, both Ella and Hadley were chasing it. It was really funny to see Hadley directly behind it chasing it, because they were both running with the same waddle, and Hadley's arms were even kind of flapping around like the duck's (unintentionally of course). If I can get a picture of that, I'll be sure to post it!

Leigh Anne

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It's a................BOY!!!

We just found out our little peanut is a boy! His heart and everything else looked great, which we couldn't be more thrilled. Maylee and Ella are at my parent's right now, so we called and told them over speaker phone....Maylee started giggling hysterically and Ella started crying saying she wants another sister!!!!! Now it's really hard for me to start wrapping my head around blue! So different from pink!
Leigh Anne

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Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes...aka plain good

I fixed these pancakes this morning for the girls, and I always forget how much they love them and how well they eat them. My mom gave me this awesome recipe and they not only taste great, they also are good for you! Thought I would share!

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

1 c buttermilk (or milk with 1T lemon juice or white vinegar)
3/4 c quick oats
1 T brown sugar
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg

I just mix together in a bowl, but if you want a smoother batter you can mix in the blender. I usually double the recipe and triple if Matt is eating with us!

Spaghetti O's

Lately I've been making our own spaghetti O's, just b/c I found the right pasta and I can make it without the high fructose corn syrup and all the other junk they can pack in a can. Thought I would share. Here is what you need...

Spaghetti O's

1 box O pasta (I found this kind at Tom Thumb and haven't seen it anywhere else)

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

Velveeta

Garlic salt/powder

Prepare pasta as directed. Everything else is pretty much to taste...put as little or as much as you like. Heat tomato sauce and I melt about 1/2 of the velveeta. Add garlic salt/powder to taste and then add pasta. There you go! You just might get a face like this!