More Pictures

More pictures from our photo shoot with my sister-in-law.. isn't she talented?

A boy who loves his mother

Photo by Jen Dickson

No More Diapers!

Well, at least we're down to only one kid in diapers. Joshua went all day today with no "accidents". This is huge for us. Couldn't be happier. This is Josh on his 1st day of preschool. How do they grow up so quickly!?

On another note, we went for a drive today to see what was left of the fall leaves. It was really beautiful, but when we got up high enough it turned to a winter wonderland. We have a very similar picture of Joshua behind the wheel when he was younger. Neil was ticked when we made him get back in his carseat.

Recipe of the Week

Spinach Lasagna
(From Everyday Food)

· 4 cups (32 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
· 2 large eggs
· Salt and fresh ground pepper
· 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
· 6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce
· 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 ounces)
· 1 pound fontina cheese (4 cups), shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.

2. Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

3. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

Christie notes: I used an Itallian Cheese blend(~2 cups) instead of fontina and then put fresh mozzerella on top. I also used part skim instead of whole ricotta. Also, I separated it into two 8x8 pans and put half in the freezer for a future meal(I love having future meals all set up and ready to go!) Delicious-- the boys loved it and Joshua had a great time helping me assemble it. Love the oven ready lasagna noodles. My only other thought--Even though Martha calls it Vegetable Lasagna, I just call it spinach lasagna, since that's the only vegetable I'm aware of.... And I actually got this idea from Small Time Cooks-- so thanks..

Hawaii

We had a grand vacation to Maui & Kauai. Much thanks to Aunt Cheryl for letting the boys vacation at her home while Russ and I were enjoying the island breeze. My amateur photos don't do justice. It was really beautiful & we loved the snorkelling, hiking, kayaking, reading on the beach, eating good seafood & roadside produce and just relaxing. If you haven't been, you should go! We can't wait to get back.

The Black Sand Beach on Maui

Hiking along the NaPali Coast & Swimming Hanakapi'ai Falls...

Fish tacos out of a van..mmm...

Hiking in Haleakala National Park (This was the best hike-- above the 7 Sacred Pools. Bamboo forest, waterfalls, views of the ocean, and ripe mangos all over the trail)

Our daily sunrise swim/snorkel

Helicoptor ride on Kauai-- amazing.

Me, with the Hana Hwy. in the background

Na Pali Coast, Kauai

Just another beautiful waterfall..

Boys...

So, last evening I went outside & fired up the BBQ so we could grill our burgers. I opened the lid to scrape off the grill and ARGHH!! The boys had stashed a pile of crayons and pencils in the bottom of the grill. The pencil was on fire. The crayons were a melted mess. I turned it off quickly and enlisted Russ to help fish out the remains. Then we cooked our burgers. They didn't even taste waxy.

The Islands

More to come of our Hawaii trip, but isn't this beautiful?