Happy Halloween

Again with the 2 weeks between posts...

Things are pretty status quo around here. We went to a neighborhood Halloween party this weekend, and we all had a good time. Everyone dressed up. I was a cowgirl, Jason was Johnny Cash, and the children were Mickey and Minnie Mouse. They looked very cute! Jenna allowed me to put a nose and whiskers on her face, but Jackson said it made his eyes water. He had to go sans whiskers, but was still cute. My neighbors are pretty crafty, and they built the BLACK PEARL on a trailer for a hay ride. Needless to say, all of the children loved it!

Tonight we went to a spaghetti supper at Jackson's school. It was the fall fundraiser/open house event. All of the classes "sang" for the parents. It was pretty cute. Jackson "sang" about 2 words total. He is so silly sometimes. He was very proud to show off all of his classwork to Nana, and especially liked showing us the centers that they do everyday. I will post some of the pictures from tonight soon. I am currently too lazy to go find my camera. : )

J's Update

Wow!! I have to be one of the slackest bloggers out there. Things are going well around here. The children and I are still enjoying being outside most every afternoon. The Lexington school districe decided that Columbus Day was worth celebrating yesterday so Jackson did not have school. We spent a good portion of the day at our favorite park with one of our favorite friends, Will. My children were so filthy when we got home that they needed a bath. Needless to say, a good time was had by all!

Our Daddy is working very hard these days. I know he does not get mentioned much in the blog (because this is afterall a blog about the children), but he is hard at work building things. Jackson is fascinated with the fact that his Daddy gets to go to work with diggers and dump trucks everyday. I think that it is so funny how fascinated boys are with these things! The local McDonald's was recently torn down for a "rebuild", and everytime we go to the bank (beside the jobsite) Jackson becomes entranced with the big machines. Jenna too for that matter.

We are getting ready for Halloween. The children are going to dress as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I am pretty excited about this. I think that this is probably the last year that I will get to dress them alike or even pick out the costume. Don't you hate it when they get their own opion? This is the first year that Jackson has any sort of interest in it whatsoever so I decided to buy some decorations. Not to much, but we now have a huge light up spider web on the front porch and a fake light up Jackolantern. Both children love the spider web which seems a little ironic to me since they have my phobia of being deathly afraid of spiders. : )

Not much else going on around here. Here are some photos from our last trip to the park.

Don't you just love Jenna's hair. This is the first time it has been long enough for pig tails.

Jenna, Just one of the boys

The weather in Lexington has finally become nice enough for the children to play outside for more than 5 minutes at a time. We were outside for about 4 hours this afternoon. Jenna is really enjoying being outside with the big kids. She is, in fact, just one of the boys. Her two closest friends are Jackson, and our 5 year old neighbor Braden. In the last couple of weeks she has learned to speed down our driveway on her bike (full steam ahead), play hopscotch, do flips in the front yard, and wrestle on the trampoline. She never ceases to amaze me!

Coupon Queen...in the making!

I have decided that the grocery bill has gotten out of control in my house lately so I am going to make a concerted effort to become a coupon clipper. I spent the majority of Jenna's nap time yesterday on the computer reading www.couponmom.com. This is a very informative money saving website if you have never visited it. There is an ebook, that I am going to read this afternoon, on the website that teaches you how to cut your grocery bill in half. There is even a coupon blog with updated sales, etc. I am pretty excited!

I have already planned my meals for the week, and will only by the ingredients that I need. I am searching for coupons for the ingredients, but haven't found any yet. Here is my menu if you are interested.

Sunday: Stuffed Shells
20 Jumbo Shells
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 container (15 ounce) Ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce, divided
Additional Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook beef & garlic in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Remove from heat; if necessary, pour off excess drippings. Combine Ricotta, Mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan & egg in a medium bowl. Stir in beef & garlic mixture. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce in 13x9-inch baking dish; spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture into each shell. Arrange shells in a single layer baking dish. Sprinkle any remaining meat mixture over shells. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through.

I don't generally use the hamburger meat, but I may try it this time.
Brocolli
Crescent Rolls
Monday: Not cooking. We have a birthday party during supper time. Odd, huh?!?
Tuesday: Family night with Jason's family. Jackson has gymnastics, and then we all get together for dinner. Not sure what my assignment is yet.
Wednesday: Spicy Chicken Skillet
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) Green Giant® Mexicorn® whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
1/3 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
2 cups hot cooked rice

1. In small bowl, mix chili powder, salt and pepper; sprinkle evenly over both sides of chicken breasts.
2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).
3. Stir in beans, corn and salsa. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are hot. Serve with rice.
Thursday: Ham and Potato Casserole
1 (26 oz) package frozen shredded potatoes
1 (1-lb) ham slice, cut into bite-size pieces (2 1/2 cups)
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of potato soup
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Paprika
Combine: first 4 ingredients; sppon mixture into a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, aat 400 degrees for 25 minutes; sprinkle with cheeses and paprika. Bake for 5 more minutes or until thoroughly heated.

I think that I am going to sneak some frozen peas into the casserole as well.
Friday: Hamburger Helper (yes, I am admitting to the Hamburger Helper. I know that the children will eat it)
Green Beans

It may not be the most exciting menu, but I am hopeful that Jackson and Jenna will like most of it. If not, I always have the frozen chicken nuggets on hand. Wish me luck! I am really hopeful that this will aleviate some of the grocery bill. It is amazing to me how much things have gone up recently, and prices just seem to be getting higher each week.
That is all for now. I promise blog about the children soon! : )

More train photos

Here comes the train!

All Aboard!

TOO LOUD!!

Daddy and Jackson check out the trains.

Jenna's best train impression

Is there life outside of motherhood? or A Saturday Train Ride

While I sit here at my computer to contemplate what I should share this time I have to ask, "Is there life outside of motherhood?" I started this blog a couple of weeks (and only a couple of posts ago) to share the J's life with everyone who cares to tune in. What I have realized, however, is that the only thing that I have to write about these days is the Adventures of One Jackson F. Durstine. I don't think that I realized before having children that their lives became so busy at a mere 4 years old. Alas, it is what it is!

So, with all of that being said... we went on a train ride this past weekend for Jackson's 4th birthday. Yes, I realize that his birthday was in August, but if you have been to Lexington, SC recently you realize that it is too hot for an unairconditioned train ride in August.

When Jackson woke up Saturday morning he was like a child on Christmas morning. He could barely contain his excitement enough to eat his breakfast! We left around 9:15am to travel to the SC Railroad Museum in Winnsboro, SC. This is about an hour drive from our house, but not a bad trip. When we got to the museum we met up with Gommer Suze (Grandma Suze, Shoes, or as Jenna calls her HaHo), Juddy, and Jackson's Great Grandmother and Grandfather. Juddy immediately purchased our tickets so that we could be first in line. Jason took Jackson to see all of the trains that were parked on the grounds of the museum while we waited.

The train finally arrived from the first outing of the morning, and we were ready to board. Excitement building....until Jackson (and Jenna might I add because she does EVERYTHING her brother does) realized that he did not like the sound of the train. He has a thing about loud noises. I was not sure at this point that he was even going to get on the train because I began to see crocodile sized tears streaming down his face.

Then, it was our turn to board. Juddy took Jackson on the train, and he realized that he could not hear all of the noise inside the train. Again, a kid at Christmas. Since this was Jackson's birthday present from Suze and Juddy we went first class. This means that the train is enclosed and airconditioned. We were also served with drinks and a snack (nice touch). We got to see lots of fun things on the ride, and a good time was had by all.

You might ask..."Where was Jenna during all of this?" Since the world DOES seem to revolve around the 4 year old in the house I will have to add a separate paragraph to incorporate the OTHER child. Jenna had a grand time on the train. She was allowed to eat a chocolate brownie which she got all over herself from head to toe, drink juice from a juice box, and sit with Juddy who gave her COKE of all things. Needless to say, she was PigPen when we exited the train. O yeah, and her diaper leaked on Suze's pants. Score ONE for the mom who did not have a change of clothes for said PigPen. She had a glorious time. I think that she really enjoys the grunge look.

AdVenture ad EdVenture

Jackson and Eddie



Excited boys!

My girlfriend Alison and I took our boys Jackson and Will to the EdVenture Children's Museum in Columbia yesterday. The boys had a wonderful time! I am not sure where else you could see a 3 story tall boy, go to Africa, and milk a cow all in one trip. We did it all, though. When you walk into the museum you are greated by Eddie. He is a 3 story boy whom the museum is built around. You can crawl into Eddie to explore everything from his heart to his intestines. Jackson was not too keen on this so we did not explore Eddie's inner workings. Maybe next time.

We did visit almost every other exhibit in the museum. The boys were able to drive a John Deere tractor, dress up like firemen and drive a fire engine, and control a mini excavator on a construction site. The funny thing about the day was that Jackson particularly enjoyed shopping in the child sized grocery store. You can definitely tell that he has been to the store with me more than once. He shopped like a pro. He even remembered the sour cream...which I almost alway forget!

The climax of the day came when we visited BubbleLoosa. This is an outside exhibit full of every bubble making device ever made. The biggest thrill came from the station in which the child can stand and blow a bubble around himself.

Needless to say fun was had by all. We will most likely make many more trips to EdVenture in the coming years. Next time Jenna may actually get to come. She did not get to make the trip this time.

Beckham in action!

Jackson "cheesing" on his first day of 4 year old preschool.

My future Nascar drivers practicing for Daytona in their newly aqcuired 4 wheeler.

Okay! I have done it! I have started my own blog. I have been fighting the blogger world for some time, but have now been completely sucked in.



Life in the J house has been pretty busy as of late. Jackson just turned 4, preschool has started, and soccer has started. Jackson recently began his last year of preschool. We ended the summer with Jackson's birthday part at the neighborhood swimming pool. He was a pretty excited little boy when he finally got a 4 wheeler from Mommy and Daddy. It has definitely been a hit with both children.

I think that we are all glad to see the beginning of a new school year, but it was also a little bitter sweet. My little man is growing up. Next year he will be in KINDERGARTEN!!! I am sure that this year will bring lots of changes for this sweet boy. Jenna is also adjusting to "Bubba" being in "cool". She misses him when he is gone, but is also enjoying the extra Mommy time.

The latest installment in our busy schedule is soccer. This is Jackson's 2nd season. He had a scrimmage on Sunday and actually played in the game. That is a big change from last season when he enjoyed being the cheering section for the other children on his team. He told me this morning that he really likes Coach Ted, and wants to play soccer everyday. I will keep you updated on our the future David Beckham as the season progresses!

Although, Jenna has not started any new activities she is just as busy as her older brother. She talks constantly, and is into everything. She is a beautiful little girl with a wonderful sense of humor. It is amazing to watch her grow and change everyday.