A Look Into Max's Mind

This week at church they had the kids to an art project called "It's all bout___" (insert your kids name) All the kids got to paint and write information about themselves, what their favorite bible story is or what they know about God. I just had to post Max's because it was so funny! The teachers couldn't wait to show me what he wrote when I picked him up. If you can't read his answers you can click on the image to make it bigger. Some of the highlights are:

Gods wonders are?: "making trees and food"

The bible says?: "Chrust in the Lord"

And the best...What's your favorite bible story?: "The curse of fickshun" (for the crucifixion) : )

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Titus' Latest Test

It's actually been almost two weeks since Titus had his CT Angiogram done but I forgot to blog about it....so here goes! Since his aneurysm, the doctors have decided to test him every 3-5 years to make sure that no more are forming in his head or neck....as a preventative deal. Of course any procedure done at this point is traumatic for Titus and honestly, I don't blame him. He's been poked and prodded at for too long now. Here he is getting ready to go into the test...and with his Gammy....

Thankfully, they were able to use the gas mask to put him to sleep prior to putting in the IV. He still had a major freak out session about the mask. He was screaming and writhing around on the table....and it was just breathing! Ugh....I HATE with a passion, seeing my kids in pain. I want so much for him to never have to be tested again! 

We go to the doctors tomorrow for them to tell us the results of the test. I'm assuming if something was up they would have called us by now so I'm not thinking they found anything. But I'll let you know what they say.....

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Key Lime Cupcakes

 OK.....so I'm kinda passionate about food. When I find something that I really like I then have to learn how to make it. A while ago, I had a Key Lime Cupcake in Cherry Creek at Big Fat Cupcake, and I fell in love with it and I've been trying to make a decent one ever since. This is not their recipe but a pretty close version of it. I have to warn you, I'm one of those "semi-homemade" gals, so "sorry" to you purists out there that have to do everything from scratch. This does involve a box for the cake part...but it does add other ingredients to it so it really doesn't taste like it's from a box. They're slightly labor intensive, with the cake, filling, frosting and crumbs on top, but SO worth it. Let me know if you make them and how they turn out!

Ultimate Key Lime Cupcakes

Cupcakes

1          box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® lemon cake mix

1          box (4-serving size) lime-flavored gelatin

3/4          cup water

1/3          cup key lime juice

1/3          cup vegetable oil

3      eggs

Key Lime Pudding Filling

1     tablespoon grated lime zest

1     cup key lime juice

1     (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1     (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

Frosting

2          package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1         stick butter , softened

2          teaspoon vanilla

2      cups powdered sugar

2      tablespoons key lime juice

Crust Topping

8      Honey Graham Crackers

2      tablespoons brown sugar

1/4   cup melted butter

1^st Make The Cupcakes:

Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups (or paper liners in 12 Large muffin cups. If you make in large muffin cups I would double the cupcake part but not everything else) In large bowl, beat cake mix and gelatin with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Add remaining cupcake ingredients. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each just over 1/2 full. If you fill them too much they will collapse when baking.

Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. While the cupcakes bake…

2^nd Make The Pudding Filling:

In a large bowl, mix together lime zest, lime juice, and condensed milk. Whisk in pudding mix and allow to set up 5 minutes in the fridge. Then…

3^rd Make The Frosting:

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in vanilla and 2 cups powdered sugar until mixed; beat on medium speed until fluffy and set aside. Then…

4^th Make The Crust Topping:

In a medium sized bowl, combine graham crackers, brown sugar, and melted butter in a food processor until well combined. If you don’t have a food processor, just crush the graham crackers and mix the melted butter and sugar together with a fork and set aside. (note: this makes a lot more than you need) Then…

5^th Fill The Cupcakes With Filling:

Cut a small cone shaped piece of cake out of each cupcake. Fill the cavity with the key lime pudding filling mixture. Cut the body of the cone off leaving just the cap of the cupcake. Replace it back on top of the cupcake. Then…

6^th Frost The Cupcakes:

Scoop the frosting into a large ziplock bag and cut the tip off one corner of the bag. Frost the cupcakes by swirling the frosting back and forth over the entire top of the cupcake. (There should be a lot of frosting) Place them in the fridge for at least 10 minutes to let the frosting harden slightly. Then…

7^th Top It With Crust

Take each cupcake and roll the frosted edges around in the bowl of crust mixture. Just the edges should be coated.

Store the cupcakes covered in the refrigerator.

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My Little Cub Scouts

The kids started up Cub Scouts this past week! Max did it last year and is officially a "Wolf" this year, but this is Titus' first year. Of course, for Titus, it's all about the uniform! : ) To say they were excited would be a huge understatement! 

Scott is quite the proud daddy! I'm sure there will be many more posts to come about all their scouting adventures!

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Boba Fett Ship

WOW....it's been a crazy busy last week...or two. I think I've lost count! LOL! Anyhoo....lot's to blog about. First up, is the Boba Fett ship that Titus scored for breaking his arm. Here it is completed:

 I think Max is just as excited about it as Titus is....or maybe more ; )

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Broken Arm *UPDATE*

So...here's the x-ray from this mornings visit to the doctor. From a "layman's" perspective it's not lookin' so hot, but apparently, the doctor is pleased with how it's doing. The big break is straight and they aren't concerned that it's not perfectly straight. Titus was all excited to get a hard green colored cast on today....but no such luck. They decided to wait one more week to put him in the hard cast. They said the percentage that he could re-break it while re-casting it was greater than him doing it on his own in the splint he's in now. So, one more week, we wait!

He is quite the little trooper. Secretly, I think he loves all the attention it's getting him! : )

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Another Trip To The ER!

Last night we had the fine pleasure of spending the evening at the Good Samaritan Hospital's ER! Titus broke his arm skateboarding at the park. He wasn't doing any freaky tricks or anything, just normal skating when he fell and landed on his arm. When he went down he actually heard his bone crack! He started crying (of course) and holding his arm as he started walking towards Scott, who was sitting a short distance from him. As soon as Scott saw him he knew Titus had broken his arm. It was straight to a point and then it leaned off to the side. 

Luckily, a nurse was at the park and he sat with Titus so Scott could run and get Max, who was on the other side of the park. The nurse was awesome! He asked Scott to get some magazines and duct tape and he got all "MacGyver" and pulled off a make-shift splint for the ride to the hospital.

I actually wasn't home at the time. But I checked my phone later and saw that I had some missed calls from Scott, which totally freaked me out because I knew he would only be calling me if something was wrong. I was all the way out in Aurora so I had to speed like the wind to high-tail it up to Good Sam in Broomfield. When I got there they had Titus sedated and were resetting his bones. He managed to break both bones in his left forearm! We also confirmed his allergy to morphine...good times my friends! He only came down with a mild rash that went away over time, but that's good to know for future reference. 

Titus was quite the trooper! When we managed to wake him up so we could go home I asked (in my most sympathetic "Oh Honey" kinda mom voice) "Are you OK baby?" and like a tough little man he said all authoritatively "I'm OK Mom!" (like, calm down already....I'm fine!)

He is one tough little dude! Here's some pics of the event:

Waiting for sedation...

After they set it. He's in a soft cast. They'll recheck it next Friday and then put a hard cast on.

Ready to go home.

This is our second actual trip to Good Sam's ER for Titus. I really hope we never have to make one again! Oh...and as we sat him up to leave we noticed a big glob of duct tape still stuck to his back! The doctor looked at us like "What the?" When we told him why it was there his response was, "It really does work for everything doesn't it?" LOL!

Last night Titus began schmoozing his way into a toy for all the pain he was in. Of course we agreed! So today we made a trip to Target to get this coveted Boba Fett Slave ship....what can I say, the kid deserved it!

Max was quite the awesome and caring big brother during the whole thing so he got rewarded too. They are both happy little campers today!

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Back-To-School!!!!

OK....I'll admit it....I am SOOOOO ready for the kids to go back to school! Don't get me wrong, I love them. I love spending time with them and we've had an amazing summer together, BUT I am so ready for a little "me" time without kids 24/7!  Plus, this will be the first time in 7 years that I will have both kids in school full-time! A whole 7 hours a day to myself!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

One of my favorite things about going back to school is the shopping! (I know that's such a girly thing to say but it's true!) I took the boys to the mall the other day and found some really cool stuff. Max about flipped his lid when we saw LEGO shoes! It is, by far, his favorite purchase to date!

They both also went bonkers over the discovery of JAWS t-shirts! They have a total fascination with sharks in general and with the movie Jaws. Of course, we have not let them watch the movie, but they just stare at the cover to the DVD and ask us all sorts of questions about what happens in the film. We've tried to explain to them that the movie would scare the daylights out of them but they still insist that they "can handle it."  ....yeah right!

All in all, we found a lot of great stuff, those are just some of their favorites. We also got to do some shopping with Nana (a.k.a Ann) and, thanks to her, I think they're pretty loaded up for a long time. The boys will be stylin' for sure!

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Bored Experiment

Max was bored the other day and thought it would be fun do a little experiment outside with balloons. I kept hearing weird sounds outside but had no idea what it was. I finally went out and found him with the hose hooked to large balloons and he was calculating how long it would take for them to explode. It was actually really cute....he had a little note pad with with for documentation. The balloons got surprisingly huge! And if you look close at what he wrote, it's hilarious!...

This is "ASOM!" (a.k.a. "Awesome") Love it!

As a side note....do you think my kid needs a haircut???? I think so! : )

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Max Can Swim!!!

At the beginning of the summer I signed the kids up for swim lessons. Titus did really well and is basically a little fishy! Every time we get to the pool he spends the entire time under the water and hardly gets out....he LOVES the water! Max, on the other hand, is a different story.

Max has always been afraid of the water, but I knew he needed to know how to swim. Lessons didn't go so well for him. He would basically spend most of the time clung to the edge of the pool and then if his instructor tried to get him to put his head under the water he would go ballistic and start crying and freaking out. Eventually, he would just get out of the pool and beg me to never make him go back. I decided to cancel the swim lessons and teach them myself!

We got a small above ground pool at our house which really helped Max get comfortable with being in water everyday. Then, my aunt Kathleen, was gracious enough to let us come out to her pool at her house as much as we wanted this summer. Just when we were thinking "Maybe next summer he'll get his head under the water..." it happened! He just decided to give it a try and he was OK! No water got in his ears....he was fine! And now, he's swimming! Well, not like in the deep-end on his own kind of swimming, but swimming! 

Here's his first time:

I don't want it to sound like I'm not proud of Titus, because I am. Swimming just came so naturally to him and the kid has no fear. I'm just so proud of Max for overcoming one of his biggest fears! ....Now to get him over his fear of dogs and we'll be good to go! ; )

Here's some other pics of Titus and the cousins that were all with us that day......(sorry, I didn't get pics of everybody)

Thumbs up Max!

Titus...my little fish!

Kar Kar

Shug-a-woog

Corrin (Butter girl)

Mr. just chillin'

and Ray Ray asleep : )

Our time at the pool is almost over : ( School is about to begin next week, but it's been an awesome summer and I already can't wait 'til next year!

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Family Portraits

A couple weekends ago we headed up to Boulder with a bunch of family (not all of my family, just my sisters and their immediate families) and took some portraits for a 25th wedding anniversary present for our mom & dad (a.k.a. Snork & Connie) It was about a BILLION degrees that day and besides our faces nearly melting off...it all went well. AND...we managed to keep it a secret until the big day! 

Here's the whole gang....

The Burroughs (us)....

My sister Mel with Taco & Butter Girl.... (lol)

My sister Katie and her clan....

My sister Kerrie with her cutie's....

And last but not least...the sisers! (and yes, I spelled it without a "T" on purpose)....

I am truly blessed to have these beautiful women in my life! I love my sisers!

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Rainbow Cloud

We just spent the most amazing weekend up in Steamboat Springs celebrating my parents 25th wedding anniversary. (I will post some pics of that soon) But on the way home I saw one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in my life! We had just passed through the Eisenhower tunnel and as we were coming through Loveland we looked up in the sky to see this oddly swirled cloud. It was like it had been dry brushed in the sky and it was filled with rainbow colors. No actual arch of a rainbow anywhere in sight...just this one swirling cloud filled with radiant rainbow colors. We all just stared at in in awe. I finally thought, "Holy cow, I need a picture of this!" The only thing close to me was my iPhone so I tried getting a pic as quick as I could. Unfortunately, we passed most of it by the time my camera was ready to click but you can still see the tips of it over the mountain as we passed. It was truly remarkable and probably one of THE coolest things I have ever seen in the sky in my entire life!

God, your creation is amazing!

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Kiddy pool

OK....so we finally broke down and got a pool...a suped-up kiddy pool...maybe slightly ghetto...but a pool none-the-less! It all came about last week when Scott was mowing the lawn in 103 degree weather and he got so hot that he thought he was going to combust! As soon as he finished he said, "That's it...I'm gonna get us a pool!"

This was also combined with the fact that our kids need to learn how to swim! Titus is like a little fish in the water. He has absolutely no fear. But Max on the other hand is slllooowwwlllyyy getting used to it. We actually attempted swim lessons and Max just spent the entire time on the side of the pool screaming and crying...major FAIL! So I decided to teach them myself. Having a place for him to get comfortable in the water at home has totally helped him. And having access to an awesome pool at my aunt Kathleen's house has been a huge help also...thanks Kathleen!

As you can see, the summer rumpus is in full swing!

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Dream Car

I GOT MY DREAM CAR!!!!! I can't even believe it! Last year I surprised Scott with his dream car, a 1967 Volkswagen Bus, and now...we just got mine: a 1984 Porsche 911 Targa Carrera! I have wanted one of these since I was 6 years old. Growing up, my dads best friend had a 1970 Targa 911E and from the first time I rode in it, I wanted one of my own. What can I say, I just love cars!

I'm always randomly scoping out various websites for my dream Porsche and a few weeks ago I ran across this one. It was everything I wanted and in fantastic condition. It was actually at a dealer so we went down to check it out and take it for a test drive. Once we drove it, both Scott and I were sold!

Some people may say it looks like we're going through a "mid-life crisis" but I would call it more like just "fulfilling a life-long dream!"  Our garage is now the quintessential picture of "Scott & Chrysti."

It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up!

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Last Day Of School!

I cannot believe this school year is over and that Max will be in second grade and Titus will be a first grader next year!!! Where does the time go??? Wednesday was their last day and I got to go to the school for Titus Kindergarten graduation ceremony. They make a really big deal out of it for the Kinders. It's so cute. On my way to the school Max's class was outside playing with a giant parachute. I was glad I got to see him too (especially after the debacle of missing his ceremony the day before) and took a few pics of the fun....

When I got there the kids were playing outside on the playground so I took a couple shots of Titus. He's my cute little Birdie!

He was VERY excited to graduate....and to have his mama there! : ) They began by singing through three songs. They did my favorite song. It's called "Tony Chestnut." It's absolutely hilarious! I call it the "soap opera song" for Kindergarten. If you ever feel the need to listen to a funny kids song, be sure to look it up! I'll have to see if they even sell it on iTunes or something?? Anyhoo...back to Titus! Here he is in his little paper hat.

And then receiving his "Certificate" from his teacher Mrs. Geise.

She is the greatest teacher! I tried to convince her to teach first grade next year so Titus could stay with her, but no such luck! She took such a personal interest in Titus and worked so hard with him....we just love her!

And now....Summer begins! Today was day one...and the kids were complaining that they were bored by 9 a.m.! Don't get me wrong, I have some stuff planned. All I'm sayin' is....It's gonna be a long summer!

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Big FAT Cupcake!

This is my newest favorite place in Denver! In Cherry Creek is the most fabulous cupcake shop called Big FAT Cupcake and let me tell you....their cupcakes are AHH-MAY-ZING!!! (I actually "sang" that when I wrote it. These cupcakes are so good that they're literal music to my ears!) Next time you're in the Cherry Creek area check em' out!

 I had to take my mom to get cataract surgery on her other eye today and we drove by this place. I immediately thought, "Oh, no way! Fat cupcakes? I'm so going in there!" Some of you reading this may have already tasted the sweet deliciousness of this place but today was my first time. But I can honestly guarantee that it won't be the last! They have so many amazing flavors to choose from like, Creamsicle, Boston Cream Pie, Heath Bar, Lemonade, Twinkie, Red Velvet, Strawberry, M&M, Salty Caramel....the list goes on!

I ended up getting a Twinkie and a Strawberry for myself and a Red Velvet and a Strawberry for my mom. I already can't wait to go back and try more flavors! 

I also have a funny story...On my way back to the doctors office Scott called me. I was holding the cupcakes and a water bottle. I had my purse, which was all heavy, and I was holding the phone to my ear. As soon as I crossed the street, I tripped on an uneven spot in the side walk and I screamed in Scott's ear as the cupcakes went-a-flyin'! Thank the Lord for the hard plastic case they put them in or those things would have been road kill. The frosting schmeared all over the inside of the case but they were in tact and they still tasted amazing. Only some frosting exploded out the side...and, I'll admit, some grass was stuck to it....but I didn't care! Don't judge people! Did you see those cupcakes!?!?

p.s. Katie...I know you're drooling! This place had your name all over it! : )

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