I Believe In...

My kids love this song.
Ever since Sister Hayward taught them this song at church, it has turned into their anthem.  (When I say kids, I mean Evan and Anna.  Tyler and Jared don't sing, so they say.  But Sister Hayward has some kind of magic power and they'll sing for her, but only at church).
They'd sing it from the roof tops if we'd let them.
Instead, Rob let them sing it to his iphone video camera.
Way better then a rooftop.

First, Miss Anna...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id1I4aJ8Rlc  <--you have to click on this link to view it.

Not too shabby.  She really gets into her singing--shaking those shoulders and all.

BUT Evan, he's a whole other story.  I can't stop laughing when I watch this.  Nope, not because of the silly voice or karate chopping moves.  Nope, you have to watch until the very last second.  Very last, I tell you.  (No child was injured in the making of this video.  A direct quote from Evan, "That didn't hurt!")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3BSmflW9Zo  <--you have to click on this link to view it.

It's all in good fun, right?!  But seriously, I'm so glad my children love this song!

11

I was due on February 4th, 2000.  Eleven days later, Tyler was born.

Was that really 11 years ago?  It seems like just yesterday, but also forever ago!

So to celebrate this February 15th, here are 11 things about Tyler...

1. He knows who he is.  This has been a hard year for Tyler, but he is aware of that.  He seeks guidance from his parents and knows that he is in control of his feelings and actions. For an 11 year old to be self-aware amazes me.

2. He doesn't care too much for Santa, or the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny--but he's not ready to give up the perks, so he plays along.


3. I am in awe of his maturity.  The poor child has to wear headgear at night and he hates it, but he chose it over a retainer.  One, he didn't want the burden of possibly loosing a retainer and two, his younger brother also has to wear headgear and he didn't want him to have to do it alone.  Sweet.

4. On another maturity note--Tyler recently had to decide which language to study in middle school next year.  Spanish or French?  With minimal coaxing from his parents (Rob voted Spanish.  I voted French), he came up with a decision on his own.  I know he didn't want to hurt one of his parents feelings, so he looked at the facts and made a decision that didn't involve us.  (He chose French!!!!!!!!)

5. When Tyler was much younger he used to be afraid of...EVERYTHING.  Not so much anymore.  He is still hesitant about things, but that doesn't stop him from trying.  Like being a pitcher for his baseball team or going off jumps while snowboarding or eating Japanese food.

6. Tyler does NOT like to be the center of attention.  He shies away from the camera, large noisy groups, even a kiss from Daisy Duck sends him into hysterics.  And if we were to ever even mention the name of a cute girl in his class--that would be the end of us!  See, I mentioned that I wrote this and now he is MAD.


7. He's an over achiever.  Over, over achiever.  His goal last year (and this year) was to receive a 600 on all of his school SOLs.  And he did it!  Along with straight A's as an added bonus.

8. He's not a fan of piano lessons.  Cello lessons at school are ok.  But the recorder--now that's cool because it's easy! And I'm quick to point out that the reason the recorder is so easy is because he has his piano and cello background to help him out.

9. Tyler is looked up to by his younger siblings.  If Tyler does it, then it must be ok.  If Tyler is playing video games then we all should do that.  If he is outside then we should all go outside.  If Tyler does a science fair project about pinewood derbies then so should I.  Etc., etc,. etc,. I know this bothers him, but he tries to be patient!

10. Legos, reading and baseball are still his favorite pastimes.  He's starting the Lord of the Rings series, collecting Lego Star Wars sets and gearing up for baseball season.

11.  He loves vacation just as much as his mom!  Myrtle Beach, camping, and Disney were some of his favorites this past year.  He has high hopes of going to Alaska to see Denali, cruising the seas, visiting Rome and seeing more of Utah's National Parks.  The last one seems to have the highest probability.

Why must they grow up?

Yesterday as I walked around Target I got a little teary eyed.

I no longer need to shop in the baby/toddler/preschooler section of the store.

We've grown out of diapers and sippy cups.  No more little socks and onesies.

It's all XS 4/5 and bigger.

Why can't these silly kiddos...

...stay so sweet and young?

what to do, what to do

I had resolved to not make any more cupcakes until I lost 5 pounds.
And then it snowed.
And I've been stuck in the house with kids for three days.
So I broke my resolution.
Happily.

Ingredients

• 24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (I only used 3 cups and it was plenty sweet)
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Oreo cookie crumbs (for garnish)
• 24 oreo cookies, halved (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.
2. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and 6 tablespoons of butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Beat in 3-4 cups of confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.

 

It was well worth it.

Snow Day

We've had our first official "SNOW day" of the season today (ice and dustings of snow don't count even though the kids had no school)!  The snow accumulations compare nothing to last years, but the heavy, wetness of it all made for a fun storm.

The kids had no school yesterday.  

I'm still not sure why.

So we enjoyed the day before the storm came.

We had lunch at Pizza Hut.

Made some cupcakes.

Around 3 it started to hail hard.

 

And then it snowed.  And snowed.  And snowed.  

Within minutes our grass was completely covered with snow for the first time this season!

The kids were thrilled (so was I).

We shoveled.

We made a snowman.

 

When Rob came home, we went sledding. Can you see us in there?  The snow was pouring from the sky.

 

Too much play, no time for dinner.  I heated up leftovers for the kids.

Then the power went off and then on and then off again (around 6:15pm).

So we made a fire and put the little ones to bed in the family room. 

And the older kids, roasted extra large marshmallows in the fireplace. 

The snow was so bright and pretty and heavy and messy, but we were safe and cozy in our home.

 

We couldn't have asked for a better night.

And now for our first "snow day", I've kicked the kids outside for the morning to ENJOY it!!

 (Evan building his own snow cave.)

 (Anna following the neighbors around.)

(Tyler and pals beginnings of a snow fort.)

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the power came back on sometime between 4:30 and 6:00 am.  Rob purchased an indoor propane heater last year that toasted our place right up.  In fact, I was sweating.  So, no worries--we did not freeze!

Happiness in Family Life

Something I've been thinking about ever since Christmas break when Michelle agreed to take a photo of all 38 of the Chiapelli/Mead family children and their children on one of the coldest days of the year...

"Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer,repentance,forgiveness,respect, love,compassion,work, and wholesome recreational activities.”

~ The Family: A Proclamation to the World ~

 

 

  I'm happy, blessed, and grateful to be a part of this.

 

 

New Year. New Cupcake.

So, I told my friend that I would make cupcakes for her sons wedding reception on New Year's Day.

And then I made plans to go away over Christmas break.

I forgot about the cupcakes.  Oops.

But once I was reminded, we rearranged our schedule to come home a day early.

I purchased all of the supplies so I would be ready and we left for our trip.

The day we were to come home to commence the cupcake factory, I came down with a migraine.  It hurt to move and the thought of driving home made me even more nauseous.

My mom, sister and sister-in-law saved the day and helped me make all of the cupcakes at my parents home.  Rob went out and repurchased all of the supplies (never fear, I'll be using them again sometime soon I'm sure--like this Thursday when I make treats for Evan's class).  Seriously, I don't think I would have been able to do it without them.  Merci bien!

On New Year's Eve evening, we boxed the unfrosted cupcakes and drove home.  We made it in at 9:15 that night and I was asleep in my bed by 9:30!  And well rested the next morning to make fillings and frostings.

The three cupcakes made were  Vanilla Raspberry filled Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting, Sea Salt Caramel Cupcakes and Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.  We had cupcakes coming out of our ears!

That's not such a bad thing, is it?!

Linking up to...

HoosierHomemade's Cupcake Tuesday

Let the crafting begin

So...I'm going to learn how to quilt in 2011!  I'm so excited and so nervous and so glad that I have people around me who know what they're doing and can hold my hand along the way.

This is the quilt I'm going to start with...

I love it!

Speaking of love.
I just finished my newest favorite craft project.  It sparkles.  It jingles.  And it just makes me happy.
And I'm calling it a "winter wreath" because I want to use it NOW!!

I was inspired by a wreath that I saw on a blog, sometime back in December.  I looked all over for it, but I can't find the source to credit them.  (If any one out there knows, let me know).

First I gathered together all of my sweet post-Christmas clearance items...

  And then I glued...

 And glued some more...

 And some more.  Glue strands everywhere.  EVERYWHERE!

 

I had the world's best helper, too.  She loves this kind of stuff.

 

 Seriously.  This wreath makes me giddy.

 Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas to You!

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is getting together our family Christmas card and letter.  This year I worked on it, sent it out to be printed and then smacked into a wall.  I just lost steam.  So when the pictures did not arrive, I did a secret cheer and dance.  I was hoping they were lost!

No such luck.  They arrived on Monday.  But, I'm not sending them.  Nope, I'm not.  If I see you, you may get one (if I remember).  I'm taking the $4.00 loss and handing them over to the kids for craft projects.

And it feels so good!

However, know that we love you.  We do hope that your Christmas is magical and all that you hope it to be.  Take time to reflect on the season (I know I'll have a little more time to do so now that I've let this whole Christmas card thing go) and all of the joy it should bring. There is really so much more that goes beyond ourselves.


Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Kunz Family

Christmas List

In a world where I could have any material thing for Christmas (and not feel bad about it's cost), this would be my Christmas wish list.  I don't think it's too extravagant of a list.  My husband wants a kayak and a mountain bike, so I feel like these things are reasonable.  But yet I would never buy them because I am too cheap!  So instead I wish for them to just show up under the tree.

A Japanese Nativity

Love this one on e-bay...

 

And isn't this one gorgeous!  That's some serious talent!

This one is not my favorite but the price tag is reasonable, however, I can't find anywhere that is selling it.

And I've been eying this one for years...

A Camera Purse/Bag

I'd take anything from Epiphanie (Lola and Clover are my favorites)

And the Rose tote from Jo Totes is kind of cute (I like marigold and turquoise).

And Kelly Moore's bags are gorgeous!  The B-hobo bag in red has my name on it!

And ever since my feet swelled up in Japan, I have been dreaming of...

Comfortable Boots

And you can't get more comfy then with Uggs!  I love a sweater boot with big buttons!

I wonder if these ones are comfortable because they are awesome!  They come in all kinds of patterns and colors, too.

Anything Cupcake

Did you know that my older boys both have almost 30 kids in their class (that's too many)!  I need some serious cupcake storage for class parties and birthdays...

 

A box of these shipped to my home would ROCK!

 

Crafting Goodness

What do YUDU???  Where would I store it?  Would I really use it?  My friend and I have been working on a project with her yudu (a tabletop screen printing system) and now I covet hers!!  So many ideas swirling in my head...

Or how about a Silhouette (a digital cutting tool)?  Oh, the possibilities are endless!  I think it's gone beyond want here, NEED one!  Check out this bag design...

Metal Stamping Supplies

Etsy is full of the best homemade metal stamped jewelry.  I'd love any of them, but I'd prefer to make them myself! 

Love this alpha set at Rings and Things...

 

 What's on your Christmas wish list?

Using my blog to educate

Back over the spring I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend (I think) about their friend, Natalie Norton who recently lost her baby to pertussis, aka whooping cough.
(You can read her story here.  Make sure you  bring your box of tissues.  And check out her photography, too.  I wish I lived in Hawaii.)
And I thought to myself at the time that I needed to get the adult vaccine to protect against pertussis. 

Did you know that as an adult, your vaccine "wears off"?  And that 80% of infants with pertussis contacted it from a family member. 

I would do it next time I go to the doctor.  I didn't go the doctor again until September.  And of course, I forgot.  Bummer.

So, my so called sinus infection got worse and worse.  I'll spare you the details, but the coughing fits weren't very fun.  On Monday, my chest and rib cage started hurting.  That afternoon the boys brought home a letter from the school saying that there was a confirmed case of pertussis at the school.  I called the doctor right away.  I knew.


It sucks.  I feel like crap.  I wish I had gotten that vaccine sooner.  I did get it, though, yesterday.  I feel like I cracked a rib.  My neck muscles feel strained.  I feel awful that I've exposed so many people to it.  Especially my own children.  And my friends children.  Blah.


For any of my local friends, several cases have been confirmed in our area.  

Get your vaccine!  The Health Department wants me to tell you that the vaccine is FREE.  No excuses.

Manassas Office9301 Lee Avenue Manassas, VA  20110 Phone: 703-792-6300

Immunization Clinic Hours      Monday:  8 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.      Friday:  8 - 10:30 a.m.

Moms, Dads, day-care workers, photographers, teachers, babysitters, teens, college kids, anyone who has contact with infants, any one who comes in contact with any one who has an infant, I'm talking to you!  Get vaccinated.

Super what?

Super Busy?  Super Awesome?  Super Sick?  Super Exhausted?  Super Travelers?

In 2008, I blogged 192 times.

For 2009, I managed in 112 posts.

What happened to 2010?

Seriously, only 51 (now 52) posts?

Kind of makes me sad because we had such a great year and I didn't even record over half of the memories, funny stories, amazing trips, etc...all of the the things that kept me so busy from blogging/journaling/documenting.



And now I wonder, do I dare resolve to do better next year?


Or be happy if I maybe get 25 in 2011?


What have we been up to...
Rob and I went to Japan in September.  I miss spending so much time with my husband.
I had EXTREME jet lag--like 5 weeks long.  Yikes.
We were Super Heroes for Halloween.
Instead of sticking around for that holiday, we went to Disney.
Before we left Evan had strep throat.  And then pneumonia.
Our van's radiator exploded on the way to Disney.
The cost to fix it and the rental car (so we could still go on our trip) cost almost the same as 10 day Disney tickets for a family of 6.  Gulp.  Bye-bye for now new counter tops.
Anna was a trooper while at Disney, happy as can be but had the worst sounding cough.
Guess who else got pneumonia?  I miss when Anna is sick.  She's better behaved.
I loved spending over one whole week with my family.  It really was a "magical" vacation.  When can we go again?!?!
I got Anna and Evan's cough.  Doctor says it was a sinus infection.  3 weeks later and it's still here.  She was wrong.
During those three weeks, Evan and Anna both got sick again.
Evan has missed 9 days of school already this year.
I need to disinfect our house.  I need to feel good enough to do it.  I have high hopes it will get done tomorrow...
We bought a new vehicle.  Something a little more reliable, something will a little more room.
Rob drove to PA and picked up my parents stove and dishwasher and installed them in our kitchen.  We love them!
We hosted Thanksgiving dinner.  It was a great day with the the Johns and Phillips families. 
Our house is a complete disaster as we decorate our home with holiday spirit.

Really, you haven't missed much.

"...we have great reason to rejoice. If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most.     UAdd a Note 

Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.

Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace."  Of Things That Matter Most, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Cake Pops

I know I'm not sharing anything new here, but in case you haven't heard...

You should get this book!

I won mine on Whipperberry!

 I've made cake pops and cupcake pops before, but once the book arrived the kids made a list of all the cake pops we should make.First up were Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts and mummies. I ran into a problem with my Wilton Food Writer marker.  It pretty much didn't work. So, we have a little pumpkin patch on our hands.

 

And since the writer didn't work, we skipped the ghosts and just made mummies...

 

Thanks Whipperberry for the fun book!!  Looking forward to making many more cake pops.