Memorial Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day Weekend! I love extended weekends. We had Amy, Andrews sister here for the weekend. She wasn't really feeling well, so she stayed home and laid low for most of the time, but the kids were able to spend some time with their Aunt Amy so that's good.
Saturday we went to a BBQ/get together with friends.
I did not take one picture that day, so thanks Tracy for sending these to me!!

Hugs!

Their little friend Ciera.  They had so much fun getting to play with her. Ciera was born just a couple weeks before them in the same hospital, same nurses, etc... And actually, she came early, so we were expecting to be there having the babies at the same time! But, they had to move away. They were just here for the weekend.

So cute! Little hugs...

My baby boy crashed out -

Today was gorgeous! It actually was on the 'too hot' side, but I'm not going to complain, because I've been waiting for the Summer weather to kick in for a while.

This is where we hung out allllll day (My parents)

I love Summer days at the pool.

Even though it was really hot out, the pool water temperature still was a little chilly, so we filled up the little kiddie pool for Emma and Drew so they had water that was a little bit warmer to play in. Even when the pool water isn't too cold we still fill up their little pool for them sometimes because it allows them to play in it all day without having to have one of us with them at all times in the big pool.

This was funny - Drew completely blended in with the towel that was on the lounge chair. Except of course for his obscenely white little legs. He definitely got the Irish genes, for sure.

Just Chillin'....

They are totally wiped out from swimmin' their little hearts out and being in the sun all day. There's nothing like that feeling at the end of the day after being in the sun all day; usually I can be asleep at a very, very early hour after days like that. Although that isn't saying much, because I usually can't hang very long as it is on normal nights anymore. Once I get the kids to bed, depending on the night and how tired I am, sometimes I am asleep shortly after them! But I admit it, I have come to terms with it. I love my bed, and I don't care what time I go to bed.
I guess I was walking around outside a lot today, or standing... because my back is very burnt.Oops. Andrew did my first round of aloe, but then he went downstairs to watch a baseball game, so Drew helped me out with my next one, since my skin absorbed it so fast. He's such a good little boy.

Here's a fun recipe that I tried out this weekend to bring with us to the BBQ Saturday -

Lemon Cream Bars

They are creamier than your typical lemon bar.

For the crust part you use one box of vanilla cake mix, 1 stick of butter and 1  egg.  Blend all of that together with a mixer as well as you can. (Soften the butter first) It will be crumbly at first, so you really need to throw the rings off and get your hands in there. once you knead it a little bit you will get a better consistency.  You want it to be like a dough. But don't add anything else to it, because it needs to be pretty compact as it's just acting like a crust, and not a cake.

Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil really tightly. This part is optional, but it makes it much easier when you are done and they have cooled off to lift it right out of the pan to cut it into squares.

Spread the mixture to cover the bottom of the pan. Try to avoid taste testing it because you can't really spare very much. It has to stretch to cover the entire area of the pan. But, GUILTY! I did try it and it was reallllly good. That's why I'm warning you. (aside from the whole raw egg thing.) But, I was curious to see what the consistency of the cake mix would be with just those ingredients.

So, here's where we are:

Now for the creamy lemon top layer. Use 2 bricks of cream cheese (softened), 1 package of lemon jello powder mix, 1 cup of sugar and 2 eggs. Using a mixer, blend the ingredients together until it is completely combined and smooth. Pour the lemon cream mixture over your crust layer and pop it in the oven on 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Once it is done, LET IT SIT a little bit. I know we are all impatient (and I am not excluding myself from that) You don't have to wait forever, but before trying to pull it out or cut it into squares, let it solidify a little.

Cut it into squares, and.....

There you have it! I kept them in the fridge. I'm not sure if you have to, but I figured with the cream cheese part it maybe should be kept in the fridge. I'm not sure if after you bake it if it makes a difference, but just to be on the safe side.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Memorial Day Weekend, and were able to spend time with family and friends. And of course,  a shout out to those who serve our country, many of which I know personally, and would like to say THANK YOU for your dedication and courage,  you are all Hero's! xoxoxo