Squeezing in Some Fun!

The countdown is on...less than a week until I go back to work. Two weeks until the girls start full-time preschool. I can't even believe it. I didn't even get a chance to do a "Day in the Life" post like I usually do in the summer. I guess I'll have to wait until Winter Break!

We always try to squeeze in a couple of day trips before summer ends for some last minute family time. This weekend, we took a trip to the zoo.  Our zoo has made some major improvements over the years and we always have so much fun.

The weather here lately has been on the cooler side and we had perfect weather for our trip. We packed a lunch and made a day out of it. It was a great day spent with my little family!

A Visit From Big Papa

Last week, Andy's grandfather, whom the girls call "Big Papa," came to visit from Minnesota.  It had been three years since we had last seen him.  Emma was 15 months old and I had just found out that I was pregnant with Sophia. Needless to say, we were very excited about the visit!

The girls made posters to welcome Big Papa to Tennessee and were thrilled to meet him at the airport.

It was such a blessing to see the girls with their great-grandfather! The girls still ask about him every day and wonder if Big Papa is on every airplane they see. They miss him so much already!

Growing Up

I thought it was time to change out the girls' photos on the sidebar of the blog and I was amazed at how different they look!

These pictures were taken just a little over a year apart. Emma's face has lost so much of it's baby look and Sophia looks like a completely different kid!

Where did my little babies go???

Mmm, Mmm Monday-Buffalo Chicken Burgers

I really thought I had already posted this recipe because it's one of our favorites! If you like the Chicken Zucchini Burgers, it might become a favorite of yours too.

I actually like this recipe a little more that the zucchini burgers. These have a ton of flavor and the sauce gives them a little something extra.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers
adapted from Weight Watchers

1/4 cup bbq sauce
1 1/2 tsp. hot sauce, or to taste
1 pound uncooked extra lean ground chicken breast
1/2 cup scallion, sliced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tsp. minced gralic
1/2 tsp. salt

Here's your ingredient list. Pretty simple, but the result is tasty! Combine the barbeque sauce and hot sauce together in a small bowl. I added about a teaspoon of hot sauce and it wasn't too spicy for our family.

Combine your other ingredients into a small bowl. The kids like the veggies on the softer side so I saute them a little before adding them to the mixture, but you can leave them uncooked if you like some crunch. Add one tablespoon of the sauce to the chicken mixture.

Combine well and form into four patties.  The mixture will be sticky, so I usually cut out four pieces of wax paper and form the patties on the paper. Then I can flip them directly onto the grill and peel the paper off.  Brush the tops of the patties with half of the sauce.  Place them sauce side down onto the grill and baste the tops with the rest of the sauce.

 Grill on medium-high for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Turn once if you're using a regular grill.

If you want the true Buffalo chicken taste, you can add some blue cheese crumbles. 

Reviews from The Peanut Gallery

Me: 5 out of 5 stars. I really love these. We always have one extra patty and I enjoy it the next day cut up with a salad. 

Andy: 5 out of 5 stars. These have great flavor. He likes them better when the veggies are sauteed.  

Emma: 

She doesn't like any type of meat, especially when she can see "green stuff." She says she loves these but it took a lot of coaxing to get her to eat it.

Sophia:

 She loved them! No complaints out of her and she asked for seconds.

Playing Catchup

Yeah, so it's July 12th and I'm finally posting photos from the Fourth of July. Yikes! We had a rainy Fourth, but it was still lots of fun. We were able to shoot fireworks, which Emma loved and Sophia did not.  They sure looked cute in their holiday outfits, despite the crummy weather.

 I've been trying to have a little school time each day with the girls. Emma has been practicing her writing and Sophia has been working on colors and numbers. They love learning and are so proud when they accomplish a new task. They've been great little students!

Sophia has been doing a great job with counting. Here's a little video of what she can do.

Our Weekend

We had such a fun weekend! It was action packed from start to finish. Weekends like this are always fun, but SO tiring! I feel like we need another weekend to recover from our weekend.

On Saturday, Emma's sweet friend, Mia, had a birthday party. There were tons of water games for the kids and it was the perfect day for it. Emma had so much fun and I loved watching her play with her school friends.

When we got home, we got Emma cleaned up and ready for a date with her daddy. He was taking her to see Monsters University.  They were both really excited about their special time.

Andy's parents invited us over for pizza, so we headed out to their house for dinner.  They have a garden for the girls there and they love to visit and see how much it has grown. They were thrilled to see how big the corn and pumpkins have gotten!

On Sunday, we met my sister and Aunt Kimi at Circle G ranch. We had so much fun the last time we went and this time was no different. The animals get SO close and personal!

The girls also loved the petting zoo and pony rides. Funny story: When we asked Emma if she'd like to ride a pony, she asked us if it went up and down and if she could ride a green one. Ha! Our poor little city girls!