the great american "adoption"...

after our super fun stay at great wolf lodge, we made our way over to the next super fun adventure!

the girls were going to get to "adopt" some new price family members...and then eat lunch with them!!!

yes, we were going to spend the day at any little girls' dream store...americangirl!!!!

it's hard for adults to keep their cool here...so you can only imagine what ella &maddie were feeling!!! we were bouncing around that store like ping pong balls!

before we left for dallas, maddie had made the decision that she was going to get a doll that had a wheelchair and glasses. well, nothing changed her mind - and the first item purchased was the wheelchair! just might be the cutest thing you've ever seen! even cuter - is the story she tells about why "emily" is "pawalyzed"! i. love. this. little. girl!!! emily is a blond haired, blue eyed beauty!

ella chose a precious little brown haired, brown eyed doll - named "lilly"...along with a couple of new outfits!

we all had SO much fun "ooohing & aaahing" over all of the adorable, tiny merchandise and then made our way upstairs to the cafe!

such a precious experience! the dolls have their own seats and their own cups and saucers! the food was delicious - complete with a fruit skewer full of fun shapes - and super kid friendly!

it was such a fun time...making memories with some of my favorite gals...old & new!!!! i look forward to many more years of "girl trips"...and can't wait 'til my tiniest girly girl comes along too!

"thank you", honey...for such a memory filled experience! we love you!

ella with her "babies"!!!!!

maddie is such a good "mommy" to "emily"...*love*

ella with her pretzel appetizer

the best of friends

they had the cutest game on the table...these strips of paper that were conversation starters! ella was asked what her favorite summer memory was...i believe she was living it out right before our eyes!!!!! so sweet!

lilly & emily price!

a mommy's heart bursting with love...

emily in her wheelchair...with her glasses...she's truly a "doll"!!!!

great american adventure...

a couple of weeks ago, my mom treated the girls and me to a fun filled overnight visit to dallas! everything planned was pure f.U.n. for the girls...from the goodies in the car to the destinations! our first stop was the great wolf lodge.

all i have to say is WOW! this place was awesome!

we laughed and laughed and had the best time! the girls were so brave and tried all of the slides that they were allowed to ride...and HONEY even rode every. single. one of them! impressive! after almost 5 hours of non-stop "water parking" - and a few hundred stairs climbed - we looked like happy drowned rats!!!!

we all had pizza and ice cream for dinner...and then got the girls all cozied in their bunk beds...

because we had yet another "american" adventure awaiting us the next day...

truly a dream come true for any little girl!

awaiting departure...so excited!!!!

checking out the view from our room!

getting measured for the slides...

she's SO big...:(

having a blast on the "lazy river"...

watching 1,000 gallons of water...fixing to dump on the girls...going...

going...

GONE!!!!

our little water bugs...

waiting on story time in the lobby!

violet!!

the cute mural painted in the "bunk bed room"

to be continued..."new members" of the price family!!!

chiles rellenos casserole

this is such a yummy recipe...not for the faint of heart and may cause some hair on your chest...but de-lish!!!! i think you could tone down the "heat" a little bit by using mild rotel, less cayenne, and monterey jack cheese instead of pepper jack!

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 pounds 90% lean ground beef (i used laura's 92% lean and it worked perfectly!)

4 poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (i highly recommend using gloves to avoid the stinging digits...trust me on this!!!!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (10 oz) can rotel tomatoes

10 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese (2 1/2 cups) (monterey jack cheese can also be used)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup skim milk

2 large egg whites

1. adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. stir in beef, breaking up meat into small pieces, and cook until no longer pink. using slotted spoon, transfer beef mixture to paper towel-lined plate. pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.

2. add poblanos and cook over medium-high heat until browned, 8-10 minutes. stir in beef mixture, garlic, cumin, 3/4 tsp salt, oregano, 1/2 tsp pepper, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add tomatoes and cook until beef mixture is dry, about 1 minute. off heat, stir in 2 cups cheese. scrape mixture into 9x13 inch baking dish, pressing into even layer.

3. combine flour, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp pepper in bowl. slowly whisk into flour mixture until smooth; set aside. using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites on medium low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. increase speed to medium high and whip until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. whisk 1/3 whipped egg whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites, 1 scoop at a time, until combined.

4. pour batter over beef mixture. bake until topping is light golden and puffed, about 15 minutes. (mine took a bit longer!) sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. let cool for about 10 minutes.

this would go great with a lemon oil salad and some chips and salsa!!! we will definitely be making this again...but probably need to tone it down a notch if we are going to share!!!!

soaking up the last rays...

there is nothing ever great about only having "one more day" at the beach...but we did have a great last day!! i literally only left the beach for one small moment all. day. long. it was positively delightful! ava, madeline, & myself lived through an "almost drowning" of my tiny one...which caused this momma to have to sit down for a while (talk about true "sea legs")...but it didn't take her long to face her fears! she wanted to hit the waves again!

i tried to relish every sight, sound, and smell...knowing that the next day would bring paradise to a screeching halt! the kiddos bounced between the beach and the pool and enjoyed their last day as well!

we headed to baytown wharf in sandestin for dinner that evening and had a blast! the kiddos all remembered the fun things to do from the time we had been there before. our dare devil, ella, decided to try out the zip line (eeek!) and madeline and nate did the euro bungy! they all were so precious! it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy to see my children having such a great time.

i know i won't soon forget the memories made on this trip. each one just another page in the book of life. our life.

i am so very blessed.