8th Grade Graduation and Dance

Nearly 2 weeks ago (sorry Linds for not posting this sooner!), Lindsay had her 8th grade graduation and dance. Time to recognize all of Lindsay's hard work and celebrate the end of middle school!

 Lindsay looked so beautiful in her new graduation dress.

 Adorable sandals to coordinate with her new duds.

 Lindsay and her classmates as they entered the gym.

 The entire 8th grade class. No other worthy shots taken to share here. My camera was having a tough time focusing and I ended up with a bunch of blurry shots. Many were recognized for their excellent grades along with Lindsay. JT handled the 1 1/2 hour ceremony well. He provided comic relief for the surrounding parents with some of his comments. The most often was after a round of applause- JT would exclaim, "Yay!!" and when it stopped he would ask, "Is it done now, Momma?"

 After the graduation, we took the family, and Finn who is hiding behind Lindsay, to Taco Bell! One of Lindsay's favorite fast food places to eat.

 Later that evening, it was time for a wardrobe change to get ready for the 8th grade dance.

 Sarah and JT offered some tips on how to pose for the photographer.

 Picture perfect!

 Adorable flower detail on her left shoulder!

My now beautiful freshman! Congrats Lindsay, we are so proud of your hard work and accomplishments in middle school!

Baby Food Challenge

     Final installment of the challenges Courtney and Veronica did last week. This was a fun challenge for me as I was the one who went shopping and bought the jars of food for the girls to eat. Not until after they ate them, did they discover what exactly they ate. Element of surprise was fun for me to watch.

 Baby Food Challenge- 4 jars, 2 girls

 First step was always to smell the food to get a clue as to what they might be eating next.

 All smiles before eating their food.

 Lots of laughs all around!

Clearly enjoying the baby food-LOL! They did this after every baby food, even the innocent applesauce/blueberry combo. It was hilarious to watch.

Ham, Pineapple, and Rice 

Macaroni and Beef with Vegetables

Mango

Applesauce and Blueberry Blend

Salt & Ice Challenge

     This was by far my least favorite challenge. I'll explain later, but I got quite a scare at the end of the challenge. Everyone is okay though. Courtney had heard about this challenge from some of her girlfriends that had already done it. She had been asking to do it for several weeks and with Veronica here, I finally let her do it.

 Lindsay, our salt assistant, ready to help.

 The first step is to pour a little pile of salt where you will be placing the ice cube. Courtney chose upper inside forearm and Veronica right on her bicep.

 Part 1- press the ice cube into the pile of salt for 60 seconds.

All Smiles as they start out.

 About 30 seconds in, clearly getting uncomfortable. Love Courtney's face!

 Notice how the girls kept sinking lower and lower into the counter as they went along.

 Part 2- just let the ice cube sit in the same place without any pressure for another 60 seconds.

 Courtney wasn't too comfortable here. She kept going though. Veronica's ice cube kept sliding off her arm. I think Courtney's spot was more flat than Veronica's bicep.

This is the part when I freaked out. You might be able to tell at the end of the video when I cut it off. After the 2 minutes were up, the girls removed their ice. I about DIED when I saw what appeared to be a huge pot hole type of deformity in Courtney's arm! Her skin color was very pale where the ice was, which I expected but it looked like a crater- skin missing or something- is how I can best describe. I didn't bother to take a photo or shoot the video. I was horrified I just allowed Courtney to harm herself while I taped it. I saw a flash of "Breaking News- Mother Records Prank Gone Wrong".  So I grabbed Courtney and placed her arm under the faucet to gently raise the temperature to her arm. Thank Goodness the "crater" I saw was just the salt! Duh!!! It blended into her arm so much that is fooled all of us.

 While Courtney thankfully didn't have a crater of missing skin, there was a burn of sorts of each of their arms.

Last night it looked like a ice sized welt. Still made me hurt :(

Today it looked more like a bruise or burn. Thinking this might the only time this challenge is performed for my girls.

Cinnamon Challenge

     Yesterday marked the end of the school year and Courtney had her friend Veronica to kick off the summer with some fun! They had found several "Challenges" they wanted to do and record. The last of their challenges was the Cinnamon Challenge.

     I'm sure many of you have heard , seen, or even tried this challenge. The person takes a tablespoon of cinnamon and tries to eat/swallow it. It is impossible and usually people make great fools of themselves trying. So of course my now 8th grade Courtney thought it would be great to try.

 Courtney and Veronica were well prepared- spoon of cinnamon, bowls to spit/hurl into, and tall glasses of water.

 To make the challenge even easier, we cut the cinnamon WAY down to 1/2 a teaspoon. Can't you tell how confident Courtney looks as she is about to start?

 Start of the Cinnamon Challenge!

 and about 2 seconds later. Disgust all over their faces.

 Trying to wash their mouths out.

 Courtney ditched the glass of water and headed to the sink!

Veronica's face here about summed up their feelings on the challenge.

Of course we recorded this event! Watch for even more laughs!

More challenge blog posts coming soon!

Tube Painting

     I found a creative use for toiler paper rolls last week- painting with them! Not just plain circles, though that could be fun, but cutting some different designs. Thanks to Pinterest for this little gem.

 Here are the 4 designs Sarah and I created for the boys.

 It took a bit of assistance to get all of the parts covered in paint.

 Look at the great print it made!

 Finn was going for the double color effect.

 Cheesy smile is part of art time now.

 Finn is also getting into the cheesy smile bit.

 The boys made several pages of prints.

 Some of the designs, like this one needed some patting down of the "leaves" to make sure they left a nice print, FYI. The boys didn't care either way though.

Another successful art project!

Summer Cut

     With the warm weather starting to build, John and I decided to give JT a summer cut. JT is one of those kids that just gets sweaty super easy. Probably because he is going a million miles a second most of the hours of the day and the fact that he's a boy.

     I thought it would be a good idea to use John's clippers to give a long buzz cut. I thought it might help to keep JT cool as well as easy maintenance for the summer. I was a bit nervous that JT wouldn't look cute or I'd shave all of his hair off. We used the longest guard for the clippers #6.

     A funny story before I get to the photos. Right as we were getting everything ready, John was telling JT he was going to get a haircut. JT was excited- he always does when we tell him it's time for a haircut. Then John got out the clippers and JT freaked out. "No Daddy, no haircut!!!" Waving his hand in protest. Poor guy thought he was going to get a haircut like John's! It took some reassuring that he wasn't going to shave all of his hair off-LOL!

 Here is our mop headed kid.Quite the perfect before shot. JT wasn't in the mood for cute smiles or faces. He was long overdo for a haircut.

 New summer 'do! JT had a TON of hair on the floor and on his face and body. Ready to head to the shower to clean up.

 After his shower and celebrating with a popsicle. Still channeling the cheesy face.

 JT's sisters gave the seal of approval of the new haircut. Said he reminds them of Zack Effron's new 'do- that must be a good thing, right?

Looking forward to this easy hairstyle for the next several months. 

Birthday Meal

     In Apedaile6 tradition, the birthday girl(or boy), gets to select a special birthday meal or choose a restaurant to dine at in celebration of  their special day. This year, I decided I wanted one of my favorite meals, though attempting to make it from scratch for the first time. Homemade gnocchi (Itallian dumplings), marinara sauce as well as a yummy appetizer of baked zucchini with sweet onion dip. I'm telling you, Pinterest has made a new woman of me!

 Here is what my birthday dinner started out from- Yukon Gold potatoes. They had already been baked in the oven and ready to prep.

 Scooping out the insides of the potatoes.

 All that's needed besides the potatoes is a egg yolk, a bit of salt, and flour. Simple.

 After folding the ingredients together, pat the dough out..

 Then divide the dough and form snakes. After that, all you do is cut off about 1 inch bits of gnocchi.

 Then place them on a lightly floured pan.

 I used my fork to make a little impression, though I think you could use your thumb/finger as well. After that, all you do is cook them in boiling water for about 3-5 minutes- until the gnocchi float to the top.

 I didn't do a step by step for this, but it was yummy! The breading on the zucchini was to die for! Panko, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.

 The sweet onion dip- also made from scratch. VERY tasty! All of the kids liked the dip though they didn't dip the zucchini. More like french bread and pretzel sticks. This dip could easily be used on sandwiches or most anything. Here is the link to this if interested-

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/07/28/baked-zucchini-sticks-and-sweet-onion-dip-that-bloomin-zucchini/

My birthday dinner plate! The sauce was good, though not quite what I was looking for. I'm still on the hunt for a tasty marinara sauce to add to my collection. It was a fantastic birthday dinner and it was enjoyed by all.