Weekend Wrap up Part 1 Dallas Zoo

Friday night was date night for us, so our kiddos went to my parent's house for the night. We went to PF Chang's and to Sprinkles in Dallas. We had a fun night and it was the first night we had out in a while. During our drive to dinner and Sprinkles, it was raining cats and dogs. Once we came out of Sprinkles, there was a beautiful rainbow! 

We were both tired and decided to stop by and rent a movie. We went with Taken 3, I really liked it. We had a fun, much needed date night! 

On Saturday, we picked up the kiddos from my parent's house. We decided to take the kids to the Dallas Zoo. We stopped and had lunch on the way. We got to the zoo, but there was a huge line just to get into the parking lot. I guess everyone had the same idea. Kinsley gets SO excited to see this giraffe when we are close to the zoo. 

They loved watching the penguins. 

Witten rode on Daddy's shoulders to see the giraffes!

Waiting patiently to feed the giraffes. 

Farrell

One of their favorite parts!

They loved watching the elephants eat snack.

They have a dinosaur exhibit going on right now. Witten liked from a distance until they made noises. Kinsley was whatever... 

My girl! <3

Flamingos

We loved the anteater. 

Witten standing on one foot, like the flamingos do. :)

Kinsley was thrilled to finally make it to the water! It's a really neat section of the zoo that is designated for kids. It has a cool stream that flows through with rocks, etc. There's a huge spider web made out of rope that the kids love to climb on. There is also a playground, a petting zoo, pony rides, and so much more. We all really enjoy the children's section.

They both really enjoy this part of the zoo. 

We got to the car and changed the kiddos out of their wet clothes and I looked back 5 minutes later.. she's out! She must have had a fun day at the zoo. 

The kids had so much fun. We didn't get to see everything because we ran out of time. We are members at this zoo and I don't think we have ever made it completely through the zoo. They also have camel rides, a monorail (which is currently closed for renovations) and so much more. I highly recommend this zoo if you are local or even if you're coming to Dallas/Fort Worth for vacation. 

We got home, took baths, ate dinner, watched Cinderella (Witten preferred to play his iPad instead of watching the movie, but it was Kinsley's turn to pick) and went to bed! 

We had so much fun on Sunday! Check back tomorrow for Weekend Wrap-up Part 2--Strawberry Pickin' Edition. 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Friends! Today I am linking up with Andrea, Erika and Narci to share my Friday favorites. 

ONE

Lilly is at Target and I LOVE these plates. They are super colorful and just cheerful. They would be perfect to serve appetizers or dessert on or just to hang them on the wall. LOVE! (This picture does not justice for these plates. Click on the link to see how cute they are). 

TWO

I am not a coffee drinker, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these cups and holder. Super cute! I might get some just to have. :) 

THREE

Okay, are you noticing a trend here? I am obsessed with Lilly Pulitzer. :) I love this basket. I am not sure what I would use it for just yet, but I am sure I could find something. LOVE. 

Not much on the Friday Favorites this week! Enjoy your weekend. 

Books, Books, Books!

Today is all about books! I love to read magazines and get a few subscriptions in the mail each month, but I rarely find the time to read books. I will normally read on an airplane, on a trip and sometimes during the day when I have some down time. I have decided that I want to make more time to read. I am going to start book reviews for all of you and give you my thoughts on them. I am also going to do a collection of books my kiddos love. I have an OBSESSION with children's books. I don't know if it's the teacher in me or if I am just crazy, but you can never have too many kid's books. I have shelves and shelves full of books. I get great pleasure going to Barnes & Noble looking at books. It's a crazy obsession. :)

I have found several good books from suggestions from other people. I always loved reading the fun, light hearted books before I had kids. Now that I am a mom, I find that I enjoy reading books about parenting, kids, etc.  First I am going to start with a couple of books I've recently finished. Then, I will close with some books I am about to start. 

First up, I read this book when I was on the cruise in January. Courtney DeFeo's, In This House We Will Giggle. Oh my gosh, I loved it! Staying home with two little ones, I needed it. I want to make the days at home with my kids fun and memorable moments. Before I know it, I will be losing them to the demanding hours of school (sigh). I also want to keep an orderly house and have well-behaved kids. This book is a great book for both. It has several ideas for instilling particular virtues in your children and lots of fun ideas. If you are a mom, dad, or a caregiver to small kiddos, I think this book is for you. 

I also read John Croyle's, Raising A Princess 8 Essential Virtues to Teach Your Daughter a couple weeks ago. I loved this one as well. In this book, each chapter John covers focuses on a virtue to teach your daughter. Throughout the book, he weaves his own stories from raising his daughter to help illustrate it. It is a great read if you want to inspire purpose, value, and strength in your daughter. A MUST READ!

Here are a few books I have lined up to read next... 

I have had these two for a while and have read them, but not all the way through. 

I can't wait to read the ones below, I have heard some GREAT things about them. 

So, do you have any books that are must reads? If so, please share by leaving me a comment. I have a list of books I want to read and love adding more to it. :) 

Happy Reading!

Chicken Pillows

I was on a search for something different to make for dinner tonight. I found this recipe on Chef in Training today and decided this was going to be dinner tonight. I made them with the help of both of my kiddos. Let me tell you something, these were AMAZING! I did make a few minor changes to mine. My husband told me they remind him of a chicken pot pie and they did (a little). Anyway, they were easy & delicious, two things I like when I am cooking with two little ones. This recipe will definitely make it into our rotation. I served ours with mashed potatoes and green beans, however it would pair well with a salad or something lighter also. 

Chicken Pillows or as Kinsley would say, Chicken Puffs. :)

Shopping List

1 (8 oz) can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or you could use Grands Homestyle Biscuits

8 oz cream cheese (softened) (I used 1/3 less fat version)

1/4 cup of butter (softened)

2-3 cups of cooked chicken (shredded)

1 egg

1 sleeve of saltine crackers (crushed) (I actually only used about 1/2-3/4 of a sleeve)

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1-2 tbs of sour cream (I used light sour cream)

1/3 cup of milk 

1/2 cup of cheese (I used an Italian blend because that's what I had on hand)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Soften 1/4 cup of butter and 8 oz cream cheese, stir until creamy. Add cooked, shredded chicken and stir.

Layout the 5 biscuits or 8 crescents (whichever you chose to use). Spread them out on the cookie sheet and drop a few spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in the center of the dough. Fold the dough around the chicken to form a pillow. 

In a separate, smaller bowl beat the egg and 2 tbs of water. 

Dip the pillow into the blended egg and then roll in the crushed crackers. Place on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet (I use Pam on mine). Repeat the process for the other pillows. 

Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes. Keep an eye out because each oven varies. 

The Sauce

Pour 1 can of cream of chicken soup into a saucepan. Heat on low-med until heated completely. Add in your sour cream and cheese and stir for 2 minutes. If your sauce is too thick, add more milk. The consistency of the sauce is your own preference. 

Once the pillows (puffs) are ready, remove from the oven. Pour sauce on each pillow (puff). 

For my chicken: I cooked my chicken on the stovetop, on med temp for about 30 minutes and then another 30 on low. I cooked 4 chicken breasts in chicken broth. I also added salt, pepper and thyme to the broth. 

My kiddos got caught eating crackers and the chicken mixture. haha.

She's very into dipping the pillows. 

Dinner was a hit! My husband had 3 whole pillows and my kiddos ate all of their dinner (this never happens). Well, Witten refused the green beans and potatoes, but loved the pillows! :) Green Beans are one of the few vegetables he will NOT eat. 

Enjoy! 

Leave me a comment, if you try it and how your family liked it!! :) Also, if you try a different variation, I would LOVE to hear about it.