Update

I know its been a while since I blogged last... sorry. But as usual, its been really busy around here. I thought I would make a quick update to let you guys know what is going on.

Kylee- Kylee is no longer in preschool. I thought it was best to pull her out early. She seems to be just fine without going the last couple of months. In fact, I think we all enjoy not having to get ready for school. We can play in the morning now too, which they really enjoy. I registered her for Kindergarten a few months back. She'll be going to Dakota Elem next year. She's excited but I do not know if she realizes that Kindergarten is going to be much different than Preschool. Kylee's birthday is coming up. I cannot believe my little girl is going to be 5! We are having her party May 22nd since we will be in VA all of June. She's having her party at the play place on base. We gave up trying to do her party at the house, its always so nasty outside and we don't have the room for all of those people. This year she gets to invite school friends too, so she is really excited.

Wyatt- What can I saw about Wyatt except that he is getting so big. I do not think he has actually grown any, but he acts older. Poor kid is still on the shorter side, all of his friends tower over him. He constantly talks in sentences, doesn't want to be quiet, and likes to talk back. He is still a dare devil, but we have been lucky and havent had any more ER trips since the Galveston incident. Wyatt will be 3 in July, and no, he is not potty trained yet. He has no interest in it. He only likes to pee in the shower or his diaper. I have even tried letting him have fun and 'water the grass' but still no interest. I guess I shouldn't worry about it until after our vacation. One less kid having to pee every 20 minutes would be nice for our long drive to VA. He starts preschool this Fall at the base Head Start. Now, the head start on base is just like any other preschool. Its nice, clean, and fun. I had my reservations about him going before, but its not like this is an inner city. The HS is super nice and its free. We only qualify because James was deployed last year. I'm not sure if he will be ready to go. He seems so much younger than Kylee was when she started preschool. BRB, wyatt just said he had to pee. maybe this is the day he wants to start!!

Recipes

James and I have been trying a lot of new recipes lately. I thought it would be fun to post the recipes, along with a picture, and give my feedback on the recipe. :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

1 Tbs cornstarch

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

Ground pepper to taste

1 lb trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized cubes)

1 Tbs toasted sesame oil

1 c 1/2" wide strips onion

1 c 1/2" wide strips green bell pepper

2 Tbs freshly minced garlic

1/4 c bottled sweet and sour stir-fry sauce

In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well. Add chicken and toss until chicken pieces are coated thoroughly.

Place a large nonstick skillet or Wok over high heat. When hot, add 1 tsp sesame oil, onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring until the garlic softens and the veggies are crisp-tender. Transfer veggies to a large bowl and keep warm.

Return pan to high heat and add another teaspoon sesame oil and chicken in a single layer. Cook until done. Add the cooked veggies to the chicken and mix in the sweet and sour stir-fry sauce and cook while stirring until hot.

Serve over rice.

Serves 4

Per serving (excluding rice) : 223 cals, 27 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber,
283 mg sodium

This dinner was very good. I added some pineapple as well. James and I both enjoyed the meal. We used whole grain rice instead of white rice. I found this recipe in my Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.

Its been busy around here

I'm sorry for not updating in a while. It has been really busy around here. My school has a few weeks left till Christmas break. This time of year for the PTA is really busy. We planned the book fair, Fall party, and Thanksgiving dinner! Some of the girls wanted us to do the Christmas program, but I am staying far away from that.

Kylee had her first dance performance a few weeks ago during the Minot State University Basketball game Half time show. She did really well and knew exactly what she was doing. She loves dance class. I was asking her the other day if she wanted to play soccer next year. She said soccer was for boys and she wants to do ballet and cheerleading! It about broke my heart. lol. I never thought I would be a cheerleading mom, but I guess I'm gonna be.

Kylee is doing really well in school. She seems to be pretty bored though while there. She can write her first, middle, and last names without a problem at all. Some kids there still have troubles with learning how to write. Elizabeth, her teacher, has started doing some simple addition in the class which Kylee really loves. I'm glad she has such an awesome teacher, one who will try to challenge Kylee during school.

Kylee has been asking for a lot for Christmas this year. Every commercial she sees on TV she thinks she must have that toy. But I am trying to get her to understand that we need to give to others as well. I am pretty sure the few bums on the street corners really do have homes, but they rotate corners trying to get some money. This is the rumor I have heard. I will still give them a dollar just to teach Kylee about giving. We have also done some grocery shopping for some of the families on base who cannot afford a Thanksgiving Dinner this year. At AWANAS they did a toy drive for an orphanage in a different country. Kylee enjoyed picking out the toys for the little girls. At school we are having a book drive. The kids can either buy new books or bring in some of their old books that are in good condition. Then we will ship it out to a deployed location. That way the airman have more books to choose from when wanting to read a story, record it, and then send it home. (James does this and the kids love it)

Wyatt is such a boy! He is really into action figures like Transformers and Super Heroes. He goes around the house acting like Optimus Prime or Spider Man. He also enjoys jumping off of things. I asked him the other day what his name was. He told me Wyatt. Then I usually ask him 'Wyatt What?' He will tell me Wyatt Groves, but this time he said 'Wyatt Bumble Bee Transformer'. There is a car down the road that looks like Bumble bee. We have to drive past it several times a week for Wyatt.

Wyatt is also getting pretty smart. He talks well and knows all of his colors. He can count to 10 on his own (sometimes skipping number 6 though). He enjoys coloring as well. I think he'll be a good at coloring like Kylee is. He is also just as picky with food as Kylee is. The only good thing about his diet is that he does love fruits and veggies.

I am doing good. Busy with school. I haven't subbed much which has been nice. I really enjoy it, but it would just add to my busy schedule. I finish medical secretary classes this semester and start classes for my Associates in Early Childhood Education. I know I want to get my bachelors in that, but I would much rather attend classes at a college for that, rather than online. So the bachelors might just have to wait till we move somewhere where there is a college that offers that.

I am ready for James to be home! I think everyone is really. Its been a long 5 months for us and him. We are not sure when he will be home. Right now he is thinking that he will be home the first few days of January. So we plan to have our Christmas after he gets home. Everything can change though, so its all up in the air still. I decided not to tell Kylee when we are picking him up from the airport. This way, she won't be disappointed if his flight changes. I will just tell her we are picking up my friend. She will know he is coming home soon, but not the exact day or time.

No snow yet

But the weather man is calling for it this weekend! Its been pretty chilly here lately. The highs have been in the low 40's and very windy. Earlier this week they said it was going to snow but it never did. The kids are excited for some snow and so am I. They have all of their winter gear ready so they can play in it once it comes down. I hope Winter is here to stay, but I heard a rumor that the following weekend will be warm again. Seems like the weather is always wrong though.

Fall Festival

I took the kids to the Fall Festival on base yesterday. We do this every year and each year I am stuck stuffing the scare crow. We made a scare crow, played a few games, bought the kids some cookies, and painted a pumpkin. Kylee named the scare crow Daddy even though he is dressed in a pink shirt with girl jeans. She even had a conversation last night with it. I will take some pictures of 'Daddy' in our front yard after I have the rest of the decorations for Halloween set up. Its too windy to do it today.