Hello Again!

Well, we're back. It's been awhile since we've been in the blogging world. I think we've been a little selfish- we haven't been sharing our Tyler with any of you! So here are some pictures.

Tyler loves to sweep the back patio. I'm glad because it's one of my least favorite things to do!

Jake and I hiked the wind caves with my "little" brother and my dad. It was such a beautiful day and the desert looked so green from all the rain we've gotten the past little while. I believe this picture was shortly before I tripped and fell hiking down. I should have gotten a picture of my knee and my hands- it was pretty gruesome. What a klutz I am sometimes! I haven't had the feeling of scraped hands and knees since elementary school. Pardon the lovely face- gotta love the timer! And we decided Jake looks like Dr. Pendanski from Holes in this picture.

I love this face! Tyler is such a happy boy and we love him so much. He is such a smarty pants (at least we think so, but then again we're his parents- we have to think that!) He loves learning. He already knows 14 letter sounds and talks all the time. Here are some words he knows: ball (bah), up, binkie (beebee), baby, bob (and he also sings part of the "Bob the Builder" song), Nana (Savannah), Bake (Blake), Papa (Grandpa), Momma, Dadda, Erin (Eweh), drink (dink), cheese (cheeeee), please (peas), hi, bye-bye, help (hep), almost (awmote- after almost making a basket in the hoop). He is learning more everyday and will try to repeat almost everything we say.

We got to go to the zoo while Jake was on Spring Break. Tyler fell asleep after awhile, but enjoyed seeing all the animals- especially the random squirrels running around, waiting for snacks to fall from the stroller.

Me & my man


Ty still loves his bath time every night with Daddy. He loves his puppy towel from Grandma Richardson. Look at that smile!

For some reason Tyler has started loving hats- particularly this candy corn hat Aunt Cindy got him back in October. It's a little snug on his huge noggin, but he loves it!

Ty's favorite thing to do is wrestling with his daddy. Tyler will charge after Jake and throw himself on him until Jake starts tickling/wrestling with him. It's one of my favorite things to watch. I love my boys!

Tyler turned 1 (back in December- I know! I'm awful!) Here he is with his "circus tent" cake that Jake made. Not what I had in mind, but Jake was so excited about doing the cake, and Tyler was obviously excited about it too.

Yodipity

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Starfall

Tyler has been obsessed with Starfall lately. Starfall is a website that teaches letters, sounds, and reading. We used to use Starfall when I taught at Guerrero Elementary, and the little girl I nanny likes to play it, so I thought I'd try it out with Ty. I think he likes it just a little too much. He gets so enthralled in the interactive books and letters- he honestly would sit on my lap for an hour and do starfall if I would let him. I think it's great because he'll repeat the sounds he hears on the computer- his favorites are "a", "m", and "s". It also has fun little games, and songs (Tyler always claps after the songs and signs/says "moe, moe" (more, more).) If you have kids 2nd grade and younger, you should check it out. Enjoy!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

I found the yummiest recipe for Southwestern Egg Rolls on my friend Kelli and her sisters' blog called Hold The Onions. You can see a picture on their website. I made them for dinner last night and they were so delish. Try them! They are just a tad bit spicy, but oh so good. They remind me a lot of the Southwestern Egg Rolls from Chili's. We had them as our main dish, but they would be great as little appetizers or side dishes if you were hosting a southwestern/Mexican dinner. Next time I think I'll serve them with dipping sauces like guacamole ranch or just salsa and sour cream. Mmmm. I can't wait until I make them again!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

Ingredients

* 2 Tbs vegetable oil
* 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half
* 2 Tbs minced green onion
* 2 Tbs minced red bell pepper
* 1/3 c frozen corn kernels (I probably used more like 1/2-3/4 cup. We like corn!)
* 1/4 c black beans, rinsed and drained (Again, I used more like 1/2-3/4 cup)
* 2 Tbs frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I also tossed in a little extra spinach)
* 2 Tbs diced jalapeno peppers
* 1/2 Tbs minced fresh parsley
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp chili powder
* 1/3 tsp salt
* 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
* 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I didn't have Monterey Jack so I used mozzarella)
* 5 (6 inch) flour tortillas
* 1 quart oil for deep frying (I didn't deep fry- I did the baking option)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook chicken approximately 5 minutes per side in 1 Tbs vegetable oil, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender.
3. Dice chicken and mix into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.
4. Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute or until hot and pliable.
5. Spoon even amounts of the mixture into each tortilla. Fold ends of tortillas, then roll tightly around mixture. Secure with wet toothpicks. Arrange in medium dish, cover with plastic, and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours. *I didn't freeze mine because we were eating them right then. I put them on a cookie sheet and baked them.
6. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry frozen, stuffed tortillas for 10 minutes each, or until dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving. (Instead of deep frying, you can bake them in the oven at 425 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.)

Everything Vinyl

Hey ya'll. My best of best friends Raylene has a new website called Everything Vinyl. She can do pretty much anything vinyl you want. Check out her website and take a look! Also, she is doing a free $25 vinyl give away. Post about her website on your blog or facebook and let her know by commenting on her website and you're in- it's that easy! P.S.- she also has an adorable website called BowzieBaby. She makes the cutest things. Check that one out too.

More pictures

I haven't been able to get all of the pictures yet, but here are just a few more. I'll post more when I get them. This one's a little blurry, but I thought it was so funny.

Our Big Boy!

I can't believe this ball of sugar is turning 1 on Saturday! My baby is growing up so fast- he's almost past the baby stage and verging on toddler! I may be a bit biased, but isn't that the cutest boy you've ever seen? My brother-in-laws sister was in town and was kind enough to share her talents with us. Thanks Amie for the awesome pictures- we love them!