Food for May

We are getting the whole family in on our resolution this year!

In April Ryan tried guacamole for the first time and decided it was not terrible, so this month we had hamburgers with guacamole for dinner one night.  It's not really a new food for me but it was for Ryan, so I thought I should log that. 

While Grandma & Grandpa were here, Grandma told us about a strawberry banana pie she had tried recently.  It was basically banana cream pie with strawberry pie (glaze and strawberries) on top, so we decided to make that ourselves.

It was good!  I used store bought glaze, which I think is always a little too sweet, so next time I would use Danish Dessert to make the glaze, but otherwise we will probably try this again.

While my dad was here I decided it was time to introduce the family to parsnips.  They have always been one of my dad's favorites.

We had already decided to make chicken fried steak for dinner that day, and Ryan needed the oven set on low to keep the steaks warm after they were cooked, which meant we couldn't roast the parsnips.  I decided to try them mashed with lots of butter and some garlic and onions. Ryan and I both liked them, Rachael decided she wasn't a big fan.  I will try them roasted next time and see if she likes them that way.

Another yummy month!

Grandpa J

My dad has occasional business trips to Manchester, TN and this weekend he was able to swing by and spend a couple of days with us after the work was done.

On Friday Rachael and I took him to see the Battle of Richmond site and we walked around the loop there, then we went to the museum on Hwy 25 and Hwy 421.  It was in a small house there but I was impressed with the artifacts they had on hand.  Even Rachael thought some of it was interesting.  She was very well behaved and let Grandpa and I take all the time we wanted.

After the museum tour, we went out to lunch and went shopping at TJ Maxx.  We got Grandpa his Father's Day shirt while we were there!

That night we went to the Reds game because they were playing the Rockies.  It was kind of fun to see a Rockies game on the road, well, for the Rockies fans anyway.  (Dad has been a Rockies fan since the franchise started.  We used to go see the Denver Bears play when I was a kid, before the Rockies were even there.)  Rachael decided she was a Reds fan and was disappointed when they lost, but eased the pain with fireworks after the game.  I can't believe how late we stayed out but fortunately Rach slept in the car the whole way home. 

On Saturday we mostly hung around the house and caught up on sleep from the day before.  Rachael played games and read lots of books with him. Sunday he came to sacrament meeting with us, then I drove him back to the airport so he could catch a flight home.

Thanks for visiting Grandpa!

Take me out to the ball game...

Take me out to the ball game
  Take me out with the crowd
(Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds in Cincy)

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack
  I don't care if I ever come back
(He opened his box upside down. We did have peanuts too!)

So it's root, root root for the home team (or Rockies, as we sing)
  If they don't win it's a shame
(It was a shame for Rachael, who decided she was a Reds fan.  She's got her rally cap on but the Rockies won 7-5.  Better luck next time princess.)

'Cause it's 1, 2, 3 strikes you're out at the old... ball... game!
(Thank goodness for fireworks, it doesn't matter who won because fireworks are cool!)

We didn't get home until after 1 am but we had so much fun! Thanks Grandpa for going with us!

Coach Congleton's Fun Day

Fun Day is like field day from when we were kids, except it's in the gym and it only lasts 45 minutes. I guess it's better than nothing. The kids sure had fun.

The Egg Race.  I think Rachael took third.

The Sack Race - like a three-legged race.  The girls were solidly in 2nd but the boys coming back were slow to get their legs in the sack, so they took third.

Jump rope.  4th place.  Still fun.

Getting ready to do Tug of War. Rachael's class took third place.

With a fistful of awards.  Thrilled beyond reason that they are all third and fourth place.  This would be a good time to mention we have been learning the meaning of sarcasm. I love this picture... seriously so much better than her smiling.

We smiled!

Horse Farm Field Trip

Rachael's class had a field trip to the Ball Farm in Paint Lick.  I went along for the fun of keeping up with a dozen overstimulated first graders.

 

Rachael is shocked about something.  But no one else seems to notice.

Kids on a tractor.  Never gets old.

(Rachael is on the seat - you can see her head peeking through the middle)

 The kids got to run through some different rodeo events.

Dropping the "flag" (a stick) back in the bucket

Getting ready for a demonstration

Rachael on Flash.  Which is the same pony she got to sit on in kindergarten. 

Wandering through the meadow looking for alfalfa, rye, fescue and dandelion.

We had a great time! Thanks Ball Farm!

Churchill Downs

 Grandpa, on arriving at Churchill.  He was so tickled to be there it made me wish we had done this years ago.

 After we got parked, we asked a parking lot attendant where to get in. He asked if we had tickets, and when we said we didn't, he gave us box seats.  They were a-mazing.

 Call to post

Rachael and one of the spires.  Behind her is the winner's circle area.

 Grandma and Grandpa at Churchill Downs

 Obligatory family pic (thanks Grandma!)

 We watched one race trackside.  Before the race, one of the officials let Rachael pet his horse.  

Estrickator, winner of the first race

Rachael used her sophisticated system to choose On Sterling Bridge to win.  (Her system? Pink and/or hearts rule the day.)  It didn't work very well... about three quarters of the way through the race, the jockey fell off.  He was OK but the horse came in last.

A close race between Won for Randy and Sympathy Act!

Sympathy Act for the win!

Grandma & Grandpa

We had a great visit with Ryan's parents last week.  We went out for dinner, did a little shopping, took in some Kentucky sights, and enjoyed visiting with each other.  Rachael impressed everyone with her reading skills and she was delighted to have a captive audience of four all the time.

Merrilee and I went to Tater Knob pottery and watched David throw a mug.  (He said the next day they would be adding handles.)  We enjoyed our stop and Merrilee got a lovely piece that was fired in a wood-fired kiln.

Rachael did all her reading homework with Grandpa over the weekend.  She read a chapter book that was five chapters long.  Grandpa patiently sat with her for all of it. (I love how they still fit together in the recliner.  I'm sure that can't last for much longer!)

We took Rachael out of school Friday and we all went to Churchill Downs; I'll blog that in another post.

On Saturday we took a picnic to the lake and Rachael did some fishing.  She caught one keeper when she hooked her dad in the arm.  Grandma and I took Rachael shopping and Grandma got her some new summer clothes; I didn't think to take any pictures.  She got a dress with butterflies in all shades of the rainbow and a skirt with a giraffe print on it.

For Mother's day, Grandpa had Rachael help him make a card.  He told Rachael what he wanted to say in a card and she did all the artwork.  It was adorable.

Thanks for coming to visit, Grandma and Grandpa! We had a great time!

Kentucky Derby

The annual review of hats...

This year we found a hat that we really liked, but when I flipped it over the price was $50.  Fortunately we found a large fushia hat in the the back of the store that we thought we could turn into the had she wanted. and voila, here it is:

Our Derby picks for this year:
Ryan - Dullahan
Kristin - Gemologist
Rachael - Liaison