E-I-E-I-O {A Trip to the Houston Fair and Rodeo}

We took a little trip last weekend to see Jeff's dad and take the boys to the Houston Fair and Rodeo.  We didn't actually go to the rodeo part but had fun looking at all of the animals and eating yummy fair food.  I love going to the fair and rodeo and last year we didn't make it...the boys were too young to mess with going.  The last time we went was two years ago {same weekend...March 21} the day after we found out we were pregnant...crazy how time flies!

The boys chillin' in the stroller on the way in...

Our first item on the agenda...lunch.  We found the Cowboy Burrito a few years ago and it is AWESOME...meat, potatoes, and cheese all wrapped up in a tortilla...it doesn't get much better!  The boys loved it too, but not as much as the sweet tea...

After lunch it was time to check out all of the animals, which I couldn't wait to do.  We have a book of animals that the boys love and I was so excited to see their reactions to seeing the real thing.

Checking out a cow through the barn window.

"MOOOO!!"

Ethan and Evan's favorite.

Mama's favorite...precious lamb.  Really I loved getting to see all of the cute baby animals.

Evan's face the entire day...you could tell he was just in complete amazement, taking it all in.

Checking out the little chicks...

...and the big chickens.

Getting to pet the bunnies.

Taking a little cat nap while we were walking around.

To finish off the day we went to one of our favorite Houston eateries for dinner...Amazon Grill.

The boys enjoyed playing with the plastic cups...stacking, chewing, throwing, etc.

And...since we missed out on funnel cake at the fair {my absolute favorite} we had it for dessert!  A great ending to great day...can't wait for next year!!

Cowboy Dinner

Here's another recipe I tried a couple of weeks ago from Mel's Kitchen Cafe {same place I got the Chicken Pot Pie Crumble}.  This is one is super easy and so very yummy.  If you like taco soup you will love this...it's kind of like a taco soup casserole.  A definite addition to our rotation of meals.

Here is a picture after I scooped some out so you can see the yummy meaty layer with the cornbread on top.  And FYI about the cornbread...I always, ALWAYS, just do jiffy whenever I make cornbread.  It's yummy and most of all easy, so why change a good thing right?  Well, for this recipe I went ahead and did the homemade cornbread for the top.  I had everything for it {except the cornmeal, which I had to buy} so I figured why not.  I am definitely glad I did.  It was really good...lighter and fluffier too, plus it didn't take hardly any extra time. So...that is my soap box for the homemade cornbread.  I definitely recommend making it.

Cowboy Dinner

Meat Mixture:

2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 {15 oz} can of beans {I used pinto} drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cornbread Mixture:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs beaten
1 1/4 cups milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown the meat with the onion, salt and pepper.  Remove from heat, drain the grease, and add the corn, salsa, and beans.  Pour the meat mixture into a greased 13x9 pan and set aside.

In a bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the mixture and add the oil, beaten eggs and milk.  Whisk together.

Top the meat mixture with the shredded cheese and pour the cornbread mixture on top.  Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes...eat and enjoy!

Yogurt + Spoon = A Whole Lot of Fun!

A few pictures of the boys practicing using a spoon to feed themselves some yogurt at lunch {and when I say a few pictures I really mean about 30...I did take nearly 90 pictures so narrowing it down to 30 is good for me}...

Ethan got right after it...no hesitation.  He just dove right in. 

Evan {Mr. "I have to look at it, examine what it's all about, and develop a plan"} spent much of the time staring at his bowl and stirring the spoon in the yogurt.  I tried to give him some help but he wanted none of it.

He also watched his crazy brother a good amount of the time.

Ethan, loving everything about feeding himself some yogurt...he never met a mess he didn't like!

And through it all, Evan {still clean} was still figuring it all out...he has fed himself with a spoon before so I'm not sure what his deal was today.

In go the hands...I knew it would eventually happen.

Really, who needs a stinkin' spoon anyway?

Evan's version of getting messy...touching one finger to the spoon.

"See mom...I can get messy too!"

How Ethan looked at the end of lunch.

Brother still doing a lot of looking on...Ethan was quite entertaining.

Evan finally let me help him and then he LOVED the yogurt.

I kept asking him if he was done and he just smiled every time and shook his head no.

The boys are LOVING that mama let them eat yogurt today all by themselves...such big boys!