Baked Ziti ...By popular Demand!

I am always being asked for my recipe for Baked Ziti.  Well here it is Ladies!  I have to give credit to my sweet friend Toni Costintino, who was an awesome makeup artist for Lancome.  She was my go to for all things Italian.  What a great friend she was to me, I remember her well!

1 box penne pasta
2 cups mozzarella
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup Romano Cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 jar Classico basil and garlic spaghetti sauce
1 red bell pepper 
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 16oz. Can Del Monte diced tamatoes
1 package Hillshire Farms sausage kielbasa 


pre heat oven to 400
Boil patsta
Combine 1 cup mozz. And 1 cup Monterey jack,1/4 cup Romano, 1/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, salt,and basil...set aside.
Drain can of tamatoes, combine with spaghetti sauce, diced bell pepper, and cooked pasta. Combine cheese from above.
In a frying pan, brown your sliced sausage. Combine with above.
Place in a oven safe casserole dish
Top with remaining cup of mozzarella.
Cover with aluminum foil and back for 30 minutes
Remove foil and continue to bake for 10 more minutes

Oh Baby, the Places You Will Sleep...

Sleeping in my arms, something they stop doing too soon for my liking. September 18, 2010

Sleeping on top of our sister.2011

Reagan begged to go to the store with John, but before they even got to the produce, this is what he found.2010

4th of July 2011, sleeping Lily in baby Alyce's  car seat.

Lily sleeping while standing up on Grandma Lorna's couch summer 2011.

This is a normal night, both sisters sharing Lily's cozy toddler bed.  Might I add,  Reagan's  queen size bed is 2 feet away.  2012

Reagan, begging for a stiff neck. 2012

Far too tired to get fully into bed.  (don't worry, we always place them comfortably in bed after we take the picture)

Lily with two different slippers, asleep in the hall. 2012

This has a little story to go with it.  When we were Utah for the summer of 2010, Alyce was too young to climb the stairs.  However it didn't keep her from trying.  She would try and try, and get so tired from doing so, that she would simply fall right to sleep at the foot of the stairs.

Lily letting us subtly know that we've spent too much time at Target.

Lily would spend so much time on the toilet potty training, that this was bound to happen.

We've all had this happen to us.  We have a book we just can't put down, only to find out that we fell asleep in the middle of a juicy chapter!

This is truly one of my favorites.  They're the best of friends.  2012

John asleep at our Neighbor Skyler's house.


YOU might think that our children suffer from some sort of narcolepsy.  Well, that's just  not the case.  When they're sleepy, they'll sleep.  When they do fall asleep, we find it handy to have a camera close by.....

Reagan's First day of Preschool

Reagan started preschool in  September 15, 2011!  She couldn't have been more enthusiastic about it.  For weeks she talked about going, and when the day finally came, she could hardly contain her self.  John and I were a little sad, because today marks the day that she will really begin to grow up.  We are no longer with her every minute of the day, helping her to do  the little day to day things.  We were the goofy parents that followed the bus to her school, and took pictures as she got off.  This was a hard day for Lily too.  She was visibly upset about losing her sister Reagan in the middle of the days.  Reagan was so happy to be able to start school with her sweet little friend Ellie Becker.  Her mom, Emily, just so happens to be on e of the sweetest friends I have ever had in my life!  What a treat to be able to experience such  a fun day with our friends.  I'm often told what a wonderful girl my Reagan is.  She is vibrant , caring, and courageous.  She likes what she likes, and that's all there is to it.  I love and admire her spunk and tenacity.  Reagan, my dear, you will move mountains.

Lily's first day of Preschool

So, remember I mentioned that Lily started school? Well, here are the pictures to prove it!  I didn't want to start her at the same as Reagan, since she is a year younger that her.  I wanted Reagan to feel like school was something that was just hers.  So when an opening came up in her class in the mid February, I sat down with Reagan and asked her how she would feel about it.  She was so sweet, and so excited for her sister to start school!  Lily was very happy to pick out a backpack, (note, she picked out the same one that Reagan has) and most of all so happy to ride the bus!  She was beaming all morning.  Lily has done exceptionally well in preschool.  When I had my parent conference with her teacher Ms. Mary, she told me that Lily is doing things that many of the kids that are going into kindergarten aren't doing yet.  To be perfectly honest, I was a little surprised.  Not that I don't think Lily isn't smart, it's just that she is so quiet, and to herself.  It made me so happy to hear that someone else, especially her teacher knew that she was so smart too.  Lily is going to do special things, I just know it.  Mama loves you, Lily Bug.

Just the start of very sad goodbyes....

our first dose of goodbyes, Brandon Wood and Eric Helgesson 2011

Jamie Helgesson...i miss this girl.

a little cheerleading pose never hurt

James and Britani Frampton.

Melissa Oliver, Kayli Keough, Jessica Allee, Alisa Hutchison, Ashley Stevens, Kim  Bowles, Jody Evans, ME, Marianne Firth, Angela Johnson, Laurie Johnson, Jessica Andersen, Marisa Christenson, Erica Hampton, Sarah Stradley, Amy Nielson

Liam Keough(law school), Romney Stevens(PhD)Doug Andersen (med school), Steven Stradley(masters)Chad Christenson(med school),John Coupe(law school), Clayton Firth(law school)

our sweet Leah Bowles.  Alyce's first friend protecter and kindred spirit.

Amy, me, and Kayli

Chad, Clayton, Steven, John, Timmy, and Bennett

Me, Reagan, Angela, Bennett, and Marianne

We are very fortunate to live amongst the most wonderful of friends.  We all seem to be going through the exact same circumstances at this time in our lives.  We have moved to Michigan for higher education, whether it be for Law school, Medical school, Business school, or even PhD's.  We all have moved our families away from our families, and find ourselves relying on our friends and most of all our faith more than ever.  Every August brings a new set of lovely friends, and with that every May brings a flood of goodbyes.  This year we are losing some of the very best.  The Firth's, the Nielson's, the Bowles, the Steven's, the Clark's, the Abenroth's, the Framptons, and please don't tell me I forgot anyone!  (it will just be too sad)...so here are some pictures of last years goodbyes and this year as well.

GO GREEN!

So last year we went to the MSU spring game.  We want to make sure we do it with our girls every year, since it is the one game we can afford everyone to go to.  (eh hem, it's free.)  This year was bitterly cold, not to mention they cracked down on the no stroller policy, and no outside food.  The girls had a blast!  We even got to sit with our friends the Nielsons. Which, by the way we are trying to soak up as much of this family as we possibly can.  Ryan(the dad) will be graduating with his MBA this friday, and he has a fabulous job lined up with PandG.  (So I guess he's taking his whole family with him, rude.)  We adore Thomas and Carter.  Thomas will forever have a soft spot in my heart, because he was Reagan's first crush!  (his mommy, Amy tells me that the feeling was mutual.)
Well on our way to the stadium, Lily got very tired of walking.  So I told her I could hold her for just a little while since I was also pushing Alyce in the single stroller.  Well, we were going along fine for quite a while until Lily decided she wanted to hop out of my arms. Causing me to fall in such a way(trying to protect her and Alyce from getting hurt, of course) that my face slammed into the concrete.  There was no blood and no bruising, but a lot of pain.  After talking to several of our med school friends and one actual Doctor, they all convinced me that I ought to at least go in for an x-ray...to be continued.

While at the game, Reagan saw her Pediatrician Dr. Greenburg.  She wanted so bad to say hi to him, but could hardly muster up the courage to do so.  She was literally so close to him she could sneeze on him!  Finally he turned around and said hi to her, which made her day.  John even said that she could have a frozen lemonade because of her bravery...we're trying to bribe confidence out of these children of ours.  Lily ate her usual hot dog and bread.(she calls it that because that's exactly how she eats it, first the hot dog, then the bun.)   Alyce accidentally ate one of John's Jalepenos from his nachos, to which she also had her first sip of Mountain Dew.. Have I mentioned how much I love East Lansing?