Spring Break

We had a wonderful time in St. Louis for spring break. We went for just two days but it was enough to get away. The first day we went to the Zoo. It was really nice and it was FREE. You can't beat that. The sun was out and there was a slight breeze, the kids were in shorts. We saw a lot of cool animals and the kids got to ride on the carosel(?). Then we went to a park just a little ways off from the zoo and it is called Turtle park. It has giant cement turtles that the kids climbed on and had a wonderful time. We had lunch there and then went to the science center which again was FREE. It was a great day. The next day we went to the Arch, which was really cool. The day was grey and overcast - perfect for being indoors or in this case underground. We went underground to see the museum and to get on the tram that took us up 630 feet to the top of the Arch. It was quite the experience. At the top you could feel it sway ever so slightly, kind of like turbulance in a small airplane. The view was amazing though. Really a sight to see if ever in St. Louis. Ayden was sad to have to come back home. He asked why other people got to live in St. Louis and not us. Meysa wanted to go out of town again. So it was a lot of fun. (Side note: Lauryn is in the picture of us in the arch, she is just in the pack on Ryan's back. You can see her foot, barely!!)

Caught the Kids just before Church. Ayden wanted to wear his new suit. He is starting to look so old (makes his daddy feel old). Meysa is her typical cute self. Lauryn didn't want to stand next to the others, she was too busy playing on the stairs.

Recipe

This one of my favorite crock-pot recipes, simple yet very yummy!!!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs over Rice

1 lbs. ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 tbs. cornstarch, divided
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbs. dried chopped onion
1 tbs. oil
3 tbs. vinegar
1 can (15oz)pineapple chunks
1/2 C. sugar
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 Lg. green pepper, sliced
Hot cooked rice

In a bowl, combine ground beef, egg, 1tbs. of cornstarch, salt, pepper, and onion. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. In a large skillet, lightly brown meatballs in oil. Drain fat from skillet, and then transfer meatballs to any size crock-pot.
Stir together in a small bowl, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and remaining 3 tbs. cornstarch. Put sliced green pepper over meatballs and pour sauce over that. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours or on High 2-4 hours. In the last 30 minutes of cooking stir in the can of drained pineapple chunks. Serve over hot cooked rice. Serves 4-5