Grandma's Meatballs!

          Early on in our marriage, Luke's mom gifted me her recipe for her fabulous spaghetti and meatballs. I am usually not a fan of meatballs but these are not regular old ordinary meatballs.  These are tiny, little balls of awesomeness that are so delicious its hard to stop eating them once you start. In fact, they are so yummy that half of them are already gone by the time I transfer them from the pan to the spaghetti pot. They are so delicious! I haven't made them in a really long time and suddenly had the urge to make them last night. I am so glad I did, because they were a big hit with the entire family! Plus, both kiddos helped me make them which made them even more special!

Isaac was in charge of reading the recipe

          Delainey was super excited to help me but she was adamant that she would not be touching the gooey, sticky mess that would become glorious balls of meat! She was also pretty confident that she did not even like meatballs! Ha, I told her she probably did hate them and that it was OK because after her daddy got home there probably wouldn't be enough for her to eat anyways! (The kid is a total sucker for reverse psychology!)

She would only touch the dry ingredients

 

          Isaac was more than happy to help roll the meatballs. He doesn't have much Italian blood flowing through him but he has enough to make him a natural at rolling meatballs. Plus, if you ask the child what he wants to eat, every single time he will respond with spaghetti. His head just about exploded when I told him we were making meatballs this time too.

 

 

          He had no issues whatsoever with getting his hands messy and helped me roll quite a few of them.

 

 

And just like magic, these turned into...

 

 

these beauties! Yum-O

Grandma's meatballs in the griddle she gave me as a wedding gift almost 12 years ago!

         We made quite a few so we ate a few right off the griddle, a couple handfuls went into the sauce and the rest went into the freezers so we can make meatball hoagies some time very soon!

 

Isaac showing off his and my handiwork!

          After seeing the finished product, Little Miss asked if she could just try one. I told her they were awful and she would hate them but she insisted that she wouldn't. She was sold after her first bite! I love when I make a meal that the whole family enjoys! Plus, the biggest compliment came from Luke when he said, these are pretty darn close to how my mom makes them. Its always hard making them as delicious as the originals but it was still nice to hear since my husband has been raving about his mom's meatballs for the past 12 years!

 

           Delainey was a fan! Her exact words, "I don't like Grandma's meat balls, I love them!" I would have gotten Isaac's opinion on them but he couldn't stop eating long enough to talk about them! 

 

What a Weekend!

We had such a fabulous weekend. On Saturday, Ise had his first official basketball game. His coach up and quit shortly after the third practice, so various people from Youth Services have been filling in to coach the team. We played a very skilled team from out in town that looked like professionals compared to our poor team. The kids did great and played till the bitter end but it was a little heart breaking to watch at times. It was so bad in fact, that the officials stopped giving the opposing teams points because they were that far ahead of us!

After the game, I took a short run and then came home to shower and get ready for a lunch date with some friends. I had the pleasure of finally meeting some fabulous ladies I met awhile ago on the Internet. We all belonged to a chat group centered around Aviation spouses and we actually had a blast getting to know each other over pizza. One of the ladies actually lost her husband in a helicopter crash two years ago and has become quite an inspiration to me. We laughed, we cried, we swapped spouse stories and generally had a fabulous time getting to know each other. The Aviation community is such a fun group to be a part of and I have had the pleasure of meeting some really awesome people through it!

Later that evening, our fabulous neighbors kept the kids so Luke and I could have a date night to celebrate his birthday. We went to Longhorn Steakhouse and had an awesome dinner, much, much better then the raw chicken I served him on his actual birthday (yuck!). Dinner dates are so much more appreciated these days since usually we spend the dinner hour correcting children, wiping up spills and talking over children. It was such a special treat just getting to spend sometime together, feasting on steak and drinking adult beverages! After dinner, we went to the movies and saw Tron. I had never even heard of the movie but Luke was pretty excited about seeing it. The movie actually wasn't too bad. Although, I will admit I didn't completely follow some of the video gaming lingo. The main character is rather easy on the eyes and the special effects and animation was pretty neat. Plus, I kind of owed Luke for having to sit through the Rockettes on our anniversary.

Today, we all slept in until 10am! It was a rather relaxed day but very much needed. Luke and Ise went and watched some races and rode around the race track, while Delainey and I stayed home and did some house work. Oddly enough, school was canceled here in Southern Alabama for tomorrow due to freezing rain and ice. So it looks like tomorrow will be a pajama fun day around these parts! Which I am totally okay with. It'll make the ending of this weekend that much easier to handle!

Two Months DOWN!

We had a blast this past 4th of July weekend! I do not think I cooked a single meal that weekend but instead spent everyday at a different girlfriend's house! The kids also had a blast, they got to swim, play with friends and Ise even got to try out a couple sparklers...did you know that they drop lava bombs? This weekend was also very special since it marked the second month completed of Suck Fest 2009-2010! Only six more months till R&R and 10 more months till mission complete! We are chugging along and keeping busy and marking them days off the calendar just as fast as they are done! We miss Luke/Blue Daddy to pieces and cannot wait till we can wrap our arms around his neck and have him home again!

Now for your viewing pleasure...
Ise with his sparklers,

Delainey and me, I swear I could eat this girl up!

Desperately trying to get a picture of the two kiddos before church...Delainey was charging the camera! (Her dress is courtesy of G-ma M)

Sweet little baby girl,

10 Months and Well on Her Way!

"Brother Cousins"

These two knuckleheads are either best friends or bickering like two old ladies. When that happens, I like to refer to them as "Shirley and Nancy." It's Aunt Jacqui code for "stop bickering and get along before I knock your heads together." It works wonders with these two.

Love is in the Air!

Happy Valentine's Day! Delainey celebrated in style, thanks to Jen who picked out the cutest little assemble for the sweet baby girl! The heart on the butt emphasized by the magnitude of the cloth diaper was just too much! I almost died of sweetness overload!


I swear, little girls are just the most fun!
I had big, read HUGE, plans for the special day but then decided like it sounded like a lot more work then fun, the driving, the money, the leaving the kids, when really the day is really just another day. And, as it is right now we are very limited in days shared as a family so instead we are gonna launch the old canoe into the launch and fish a bit with Ise. He has his mind set on catching a whopper, his words, not mine! Although, Luke and I will be excusing ourselves a little later to enjoy a quiet meal just the two of us and maybe perhaps a movie...can't wait. I wonder if I could get him to go see that new one about the shop-a-holic?

Really, this day is only so special because it just happens to be dear sweet Jen's birthday! If you knew her, you would know just why this day couldn't be any more perfect for her birthday...she really is a love! Happy Birthday Jen!

Happy B'Day to the Birthday Boys!

Last night I asked Ise if he could just stay three forever and not turn four and he looked me right in the face very serious like and said, "But mom, there are transformers out there that I can't transform until I turn four!"
Happy 4Th Birthday Ise Andrew
...you are my greatest joy and my best accomplishment to date! I love you and are very happy to be your momma! I love you sweet baby boy!

Sweet Dreams
Bathing Beauty


Beach Bum

Handsome Little Dude

New Sheriff in Town

Showing off his muscles in his new pj's from the Woodruff's

Birthday Boy!

The B'day boys...Happy Birthday Cheez and Isaac!

"Tis the Season!

My handsome boys awaiting instruction for the family Christmas picture,


The same handsome boys growing bored with my demands!


Handsome boys who have turned irritated and are now discussing the lameness of taking a Christmas picture every year!


After I suggested we take just one more picture,


The best shot we got...

(Does anyone else see the look on Luke's face that reads, I so hope I am in Iraq next year for this!)

Always Thinking of You!

Two Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

Some Recent Pics!

My handsome guys riding the carousel! Best buddies...does it get any cuter than these too!

Ise and me modeling the infamous Mickey Mouse ears!

Ikey Poo jumping on grandma Denny's trampoline and loving it!