Kansas

I have always wanted to go visit Kansas!! I finally had the time and the money to go. When I arrived at the airport Jane came up to me and gave me a hug, and at that point I knew it was going to be a good week. I got some good videos of the girls but I had difficulty trying to get them on this post. Sorry there are no videos so if you want to see them come see me. I am going to give a day by day account of my trip.

Thursday: We just played outside and the girls got all wet by the hose.

Friday: Jane showed me her preschool classroom and gave me a big hug. After preschool we went to the candy store. It was called the Nifty Nut House and it had every candy imaginable. Why did I choose M&Ms??? Later we watched Enchanted, which the girls loved.

Saturday: Jane had invited me to go to the Primary activity so I went along with Mandy. That afternoon we headed to the Kansas State air. It was the best car ride ever as we had fun singing and telling jokes.

We saw lots of farm animals and enjoyed some fun rides. They had everything from giant cows to baby pigs. Jane got to pet the pigs, which she enjoyed.

Jane and I went on a small sized ferris wheel. I had to admidt to Jane while we were up there that I was scared. And she told me, "Don't be scared Aunt Katelyn I will hold your hand." And she did the whole rest of the time on the ride. We enjoyed some yummy treats and Annie ate the entire frozen chocolate covered banana. She was so cute and got so messy but was a nice sister and shared with Jane.

On the way home Jane had to make a list of everything we did at the fair. She repeated the list lots of times and even one last time before she went to bed.

Sunday: We went to church which was good. Mandy made a delicious lasagna and homemade bread for dinner with a strawberry pie for dessert. Later we went on a walk to a nearby pond and had fun.

Monday: That morning, before preschool, us girls went to a little corn maze. Jane had fun being the leader while Mandy was the caboose.

Afterwards, Jane found a giant slide and decided she wanted to go down it. She got up there and was too scared to go down so Mandy went up there and came down with her.

That night Brad and Mandy went on a date while I watched the girls. I had brought some fun Halloween crafts to do with them and Jane loved them. We put the decorations up and Jane was pleased with her work. We watched a movie that night and Brad and Mandy came home a little later.

Tuesday: This was my last full day there and we decided to go to the zoo. We brought their friend Beth and had a nice time. They got to feed the fish and the sheep which they enjoyed more than the other animals. We got to see some really cool animals but had to leave when it got hot.

That afternoon Annie was down for her nap and Mandy fell asleep so I played with Jane. We had a dance party that night and quite enjoyed ourselves. I will never forget Annie shaking her little hips! We had family home evening with a short cute lesson.

Wednesday: In the morning before I left we ran a few errends and then went out to lunch. I cried when I had to leave because I became so attached to them. I just wanted to thank Brad and Mandy for such a fun week! Whenever you need a babysitter feel free to call me and I will fly right over.

for nicole & garrett....

I promised to get these recipes to you!

CROCK POT CHICKEN TACOS

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn (i use green giant shoepeg)
i pkg chicken taco seasoning mix (mccormick)
1/2 cup chicken broth (more or less depending on how thick or thin you want it, i usually always use 1/2 cup)
1 cup salsa (i use regular pace picante)

Place all ingredients in crock pot. cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 6-8. just before serving shred chicken and add:

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
(make sure when you add sour cream the crock pot is off. it will curdle if the mixture is too hot)

SPANISH RICE

1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 TB dried minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 can (2 cups) chicken broth
1 TB butter

Put all of ingredients in a pot. bring to a rolling boil, cover, turn heat to low. let cook 25-30 minutes. take off heat and let rest 5 minutes. fluff with a fork and serve.

AVOCADO PICO DE GALLO (my favorite!)

1 cup diced tomato (about 1 large tomato)
1/4 cup diced white onion
3 TB finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 TB diced, seeded jalapeno
1 TB fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium avocado, diced
1/4 tsp salt

mix together. chill or serve right away.

TORTILLAS (makes 12)

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening

combine with a pastry blender, or a fork until little pea sized balls form throughout.

Add 1 1/4 cup water.

Mix and knead until combined. I use my kitchenaid with the bread hook. Separate into 12 pieces and form into balls. On a floured surface roll each ball into a tortilla with a rolling pin. cook on hot griddle turned up to 400 degrees. cook on both sides, turning once you see bubbles appear on the surface. Keep warm by putting them between two paper towels folded over.

ENJOY! It was great to see you guys. Oh and I better give credit to those who deserve. The crock pot chicken recipe i got from my friend Sam, the rice i found somewhere..., the tortillas I grew up with so thanks mom!, and the avocado pico I got from a relief society dinner. Let me know if you have any questions! It was good to see you guys twice this summer!