The Charons

SNACKS! A good camping experience can only be achieved if you are stuffing your face 24/7 with snacks that are less than healthy at best! I was busy making the kids favorites today, which include Muddy Buddies, Rice Crispy Treats, Peanut Butter Corn flake clusters, and Kettle Corn. Just so you can drool I also took pictures. Thank me later! Here are the recipes for these delectable treats!


Rice Crispy Treats
I bag of duh..
I box of the obvious
And of course some butter!

Peanut Butter Corn Flake Clusters
(this recipe comes from the kitchen of Celeste)
1 cup Karo
1 cup sugar
(bring to boil for 1 minute)
Then add
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
Pour this mixture over 6 cups of corn flakes.
Spread of wax paper until cooled!

Kettle Corn
½ cup unpopped kernels
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
Place oil in deep spaghetti pan, wait for oil to get hot then add kernels, sugar, salt. When the first kernel pops shake the pan constantly until all popping is complete. (if you stop shaking the pan the sugar will burn on the bottom and the popcorn then tastes more like cardboard. Immediately after popping stops dump into bowl to cool.

Muddy Buddy’s
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
9 cups chex mix
1 ½ cups powder sugar

Melt in microwave safe bowl the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter for 1 minute. Check and stir then if needed microwave for 30 second intervals until melted. Once smooth add vanilla and 9 cups of chex. Once coated put into large zip loc bag and add powdered sugar. Shake what your momma gave you until they are covered in nice white powder.
Dump out and spread on wax paper until cooled.

So.... Jeanette, Tana and Cambrea, this one is for you! A few years back my friend Jeanette and I were talking about things we CAN NOT stand. And for both of us we agreed that the "red hat" ladies were one of our mutual 'can't stands' So as a joke on her birthday I bought her one. Not thinking anything of it I opened my present this year to find a certain red hat..... I really can't believe she kept it this whole time. Funny lady!

So my friends in Kingman said that I had to post a picture with this hat, so here it is girls! Consider it 'blogged' (David was wearing it around the house earlier but there was NO WAY he was going to let me get a picture of that!) Miss you guys!

Yesterday we took some much needed R & R at the local lake. David, Myself and the kids went fishing! We'll more like David and the kids, I was the cheerleader from the sidelines. We had a great time and it was nice to just relax and not have the everyday stress lingering around.

Here are David and the kids getting the fishing lines together.

The two rugrats finding whatever they can to throw it into the lake. David was a very patient fisherman. I think the rock throwing scared the fish, once the kids stopped David caught three in a row!

The second David got one into Riley's sight he would ABSOLUETLY freak out, we thought it was hilarious and the Boy Scout troop next to us also found it super funny.

He's Keagan giving us her best fish face!

Riley and Mom, Remember, we are in the woods, hence the no makeup and my hair not being done. (and I am 6 months pregnant!)

Today I had my eyes opened to the world of Elementary school. I was terrified. How do you let your innocent child be exposed to a world where kids are not raised the same? I just wanted to unenroll my little Keke and keep her locked away where she will be safe.

So any advice? I need to know that my little girl won't be effected by "rougher" kids. So how do I do that.... really.... any advice would be great.

Some of our "best-est" friends came to visit us today from Kingman, we had a blast. The girls shopped (what we do best) and the boys went fishing with the younger kiddies. "Rice" and Karson had a blast with the daddies at the river. Thank you Celeste and Clay for coming! It meant the world to us! Oh and Clay.... please Take your nasty foot itching cream home with you, we don't want what you have! :-) luv ya guys!

"rice" (Riley) and Karson giving "loves"

Riley LOVED holding baby Craig, this is a GOOD sign!

Grandpa Charon (David's Dad) flew up this morning for a short visit. It was nice to visit with him and Riley loved spending time with his Grandpa. Thanks for coming!

This year I did some reflecting on my birthday. I thought about all the things I have learned this past year, and maybe yes I have become a little wiser. Not a lot wiser, but enough to know that I have been blessed. I thought it would be fun to do a comparison of things when I was 19, and ten years later (today).

Age 19
Gas................1.07
Car payment........0
Del Taco Burrito...69 cents
Gallon of milk.....1.50
Headlines..........Never knew
Days ditching......too many
Where I lived......Cedar City, UT (college)
Daily stress.......What to wear
Love...............Not sure who was it that week! Yikes!
Friends............Jill and Melissa
Hair color.........Platinum Blondie (so not natural)
My favorite thing..Snowboarding
Nickname...........Barbi (hence the blonde hair)

Now Age 29 (don't tell anyone!)
Gas................3.89 (if you are lucky)
Car Payment........125.00 (Cheap!)
Del Taco Burrito...1.29
gallon of milk.....2.50
Headlines..........Can't help but know(Michael Phelps gold medal record)
Days Ditching......I actually have responsibility now, can't.
Where I live.......Flagstaff, AZ
Daily Stress.......What fits?
Love...............The one and only David Charon!
Friends............Jill and Kingman gang
Hair color.........Brown (natural)
my favorite thing..My kids and family!
Nicknames..........Mom, Mommy, barb, yo girl, whatever Riley comes up with

Thanks for all of those who have been there these last ten year, and I am sure there will be many more to go! I feel exremely blessed this year, not just with the pregnancy, but to have a husband who I am in love with more everyday and two kids who I adore.

We have a duck pond about a mile away from our house and the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE to go and feed the ducks (even though the sign suggests not to). We go after dinner and take any left over bread and we always have two ducks to start with, then it's like they send out a beacon to alert the troops. Within minutes we are surrounded. Some of the ducks get pretty aggressive, which is why, I am sure they say NOT to feed them. The white one in the pictures is the worst, but he has such a cute hair do, we can't help but give into his aggressiveness!

Today was Keagan's first day of Kindergarten, and to be quite honest Keagan was fine and I bawled like a baby! It was weird having my little girl gone all day.

Keagan and her Teacher, Mrs. Hayes

Keagan at her little desk

Hey everyone. I am selling Hooter hidders/breastfeeding covers. They are $20.00 with two matching burp cloths. You can choose from the ones already made, or I can customize the colors for you.

For those of you who have already purchased them, please leave your comments.



For more pictures. let me know.

Thanks

So.... While David was heading to Texas, the kiddies and I had to go to Kingman to pick David up on Saturday, and so we headed there a day early to have my ultrasound and just relax (If that is even possible with a two year old). Here are some pictures we took while "hanging" out.






Cute little Kiddies.

This week David got a call asking if he would help move his sisters family to Texas. His sister, Staci had to be re-admitted to MAYO clinic after some dangerous infections were found after her surgeries to remove her cancer. So David packed up and Headed out with his Dad and a HUGE U-haul.

This is the start of the trip, they picked David up in Flagstaff.




This is the end of the trip. They flew into Vegas, then got a ride to Kingman, and this is shortly after their arrival!





Bless there hearts!

Other project we were to do while in California (with help of the Master, my mother) were sewing, baking, playing and just enjoying time with the granparents. A HUGE thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for playing with us, spoiling us and just loving us!

The swing projects:
We made Breast feeding covers and baby snuggly wraps to hold the baby in. Here are a few pics.

Keagan had fun holding her dolls around the house


These are the breast feeding covers.


Baking:
The kids had a blast helping Grandma bake cookies and helping Grandpa squeeze orange juice every morning.

Grandpa, Riley and Keagan

Keagan and Riley helping bake Snickerdoodle cookies. YUM!

Playing:
While at my parent's house the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE to play.

Playing in Grandma's bathroom

Playing with puzzles

Playing with Grandpa

Playing with Mom's lip gloss

Playing with Grandma's old dolls

Playing at the park

The kids and I headed to Cali for the week to give David time to study for his upcoming MCAT's, and while we were there we enjoyed a trip to the beach, amongst other very fun activities. Here are some pics.


Keagan was a little chicken so she had to talk the whole gang into going down to the water with her. Bless her heart.


The kids and my mom building a sand castle


Keagan


Riley