We love kale chips!  It’s not only a healthy snack but it actually tastes pretty darn good too!  I’ve experimented with several flavors and we haven’t met one we haven’t liked.  There are so many recipe sites out there so I don’t usually post mine, but I figured this one is so good and so easy, it was worth the share!

• 1 bunch of Kale
• 1 tablespoon of Olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of seasoning  (I’ve tried White cheddar powder (popcorn seasoning), salt and vinegar powder, garlic powder, caramel powder, curry) – OR – 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

You’ll want to preheat your oven to 400 degrees and then wash your kale.  Next you’ll remove the leaves from the stems and break the leaves apart into bite size pieces (chip size) and place them into a bowl.  Mix your kale, oil and seasoning together until the kale is completely covered.  (Note:  Don’t use too much oil because the kale won’t get as crispy.  It should make a light cover and since bunches vary in size it’s important to just eye ball it!) (Another note:  Don’t go too wild with any seasoning that has a salt base, the kale really soaks up the flavor.)

Next, place your kale mix in a single layer, flat on a non-greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (until Kale is completely crispy and has darker edges).

Let stand until cool and then devour!

Evan is definitely ready to be on the mend, but he still isn’t himself.  Thankfully, the rash in his throat isn’t as swollen as it once was so he is able to eat some solid foods.  He also slept through the night, which was heavenly!  He needed a good night of rest and frankly so did mommy and daddy!

We are still restricted to the house and he wants nothing more than to play outside.  The weather is gorgeous right now, so I’m doubly sad for him on that front.  However, I know it won’t be much longer and I’m still thankful that this is just a small bump in the road because it could be so much worse.  God is still good, ya’ll!

Thank you for your continued prayers – we need them!  Also please pray for Caden, that he can stay clear of getting this infection and that he can have some understanding of why mommy and Evan haven’t been able to spend as much time with him as we’d like.  We so appreciate everything so let me leave you with a small momentum…

Not even Coxsackie can kill his cuteness!

Sunday, Evan spiked a fever and he wasn’t up for eating anything.  We figured he was just teething again, just getting his two-year molars (which deep down I was already sure he had, but even I can be wrong!)  We rolled with it.

One restless night, several doses of Tylenol and a very noticeable (popped up overnight) rash around the mouth later… we figured it was probably time to call the pediatrician.

For a moment I thought we were over reacting.  It’s been a little cooler out and the rash was most noticeably around his mouth (I’m thinking it’s just a simple case of wind burn from all the slobbering and what not.)  But inevitably when a child is hurting and there seems to be little you can do, sometimes it helps to have some medical reassurance.   So off to the pediatricians we went.  I was optimistic that we’d be in and out with a confirmation that it’s all just normal.

But that’s not what happened.  By the time we met with the pediatrician the rash had spread to both hands and feet, as well as his diaper area.  The poor thing looked miserable!

An hour later we got confirmation that our poor Evan was suffering from a form of Coxsackie virus (hand, foot, and mouth virus) as well as a double ear infection!  In addition, the pediatrician showed me the rash that was also in his throat.  He wasn’t teething at all…he was in pain from the bumps/rash.  Not our proudest parenting moment but we live and learn, don’t we?  So anyhows, we were told it was mildly contagious but it’s most common in children under five and that it would go away on its own.

So Evan is being quarantined.  Mommy gets the honors of supervision until this virus runs its course and I’m so not complaining! I’m honestly thankful it wasn’t anything worse, even though it is still scary.  Other than the ear infection (which he’s getting antibiotics for) there really is nothing we can do to ease his discomfort except to just be here when he needs to be held and loved on and who can really complain about that?!?!

We had another eventful halloween!  The boys had a blast (for the most part) and it’s always nice to connect with people around the neighborhood.

Evan was a little fussy at first, but once we visited a few houses and he caught on that he was getting candy, he perked right up!  I think he made a cute Charlie Brown.  What do you think?

Caden loves Iron man and he was stoked to dress up as him this year!  I think he pulled it off quite well too!  As for daddy, well let’s just say Caden tugged on his heartstrings enough that he caved and bought a mask.

We hope you had a fantastic (really wanted to put “fangtastic” here) halloween!  We sure did!