Catching Up

A creative way to get my kids to eat vegetables. I ask if the want one scoop or two then tell them they're not for eatting but for making letters or pictures. I made this design.



My birthday was last month and this was my cake. Yes it's Transformers!! Little t didn't get a theme cake this year and . . . well. . . I didn't mind sharing. It was fun to make.


The second generation. Little J goes to infinity and beyond.

E as the Superstar. Little a brought this home from summer school.

Happy 4th of July

So many little blessings today. E is 6 months old now. Dad called yesterday and when she heard his voice she said "Da-Da". Okay, she says "da, da, da. . ." all the time, but this was clear and concise. She has always been a Daddy's girl and is the first of our kids to say "da" before "ma." I think it means a lot to "T" that she seems to remember him.

I took the kids to the parade today. We got there late and forgot to bring the stroller or hats (at least I remembered sunscreen and the baby sling). I love parades and the kids love candy so we were glad to be there. Soon after we picked a spot that wasn't too crowded my neighbor saw us and let us sit by them. They gave me a chair to sit in which was nice since "E" slept through the entire show.

After the parade we walked down to the park and saw some friends from church who invited us to join their picnic. It was very refreshing. They had a big blanket laid out in the shade. The kids played at the playground and we enjoyed music from a polka band with surprisingly young performers. You've gotta love it!

So far a great day. People are so nice. Now the kids are napping and we hope to catch some fireworks tonight. Note to self: load stroller in car. And, don't forget the bug spray. After all that flooding the mosquitoes are flourishing!!

Bike Trailers and Joggers

I'm supposed to be researching A bike/jogging stroller. Instead I'm blogging. But maybe I can kill two birds with one stone here.

Goal: Get my kids to school at 8 AM and get exercise at the same time.

I thought with today's gas prices I could justify a bike and trailer, but I have four little ones none of which are strong enough riders to bike the 1 mile (uphill) to school. Any ideas? What do you like or dislike about bike trailers? Is it good to get one that can also be a stroller?

One friend told me she used to put a baby seat on the back of her bike and two kids in the bike trailer. So that's three. Maybe I could get at least one of them to ride their own bike.

A few new pictures

We got our family photo taken today. It was a little ironic because the town was flooded. Businesses all around us were pumping out basements and emergency crews were driving by. But the park was pleasant and the plants didn't mind all the rain. We might have postpone but T will be starting his new job soon, so we decided to go on with the show.

And since I'm posting anyway, here are some other great shots. Cold winters and rainy springs lead to creative play. Yes, we put the car out in the cold/rain and let the kids play in the garage.

Preschool is still going. . . sort of. One day we learned about tigers and made masks. Only "Little t" made a robot mask instead of a tiger mask. "Little a" will start summer school on Monday. To give her a chance at half day. Kindergarten will be a full day when it starts in the fall.

April showers bring May flowers. In our case May flowers are dandelions. After so much cold and snow it was amazing to see the fields covered in yellow blossoms.

Miracles Grow

I finally broke down and signed up for the community garden in the town next to ours. It's a 20 minute drive, but I just can't resist the miracle of growing things. I know we probably wont save any money growing vegetables 20 minutes away. I finally justified it as a teaching tool for my kids. Plus, I roped in our family that lives there. It gives us all something to do together.

We planted 5 rows of corn, two sunflowers, a row of beans, a row of carrots and radishes, four tomatoes, 12 peppers (for salsa), and a hill of cucumbers. It's a big space, so we still have a lot of room to plant melons and pumpkins. I should mention we didn't actually use Miracle Grow, but a standard 10-10-10 fertilizer.

Our garden is full of blessings already. Our neighbor gardener offered to rototill our plot, saving us hours of digging in the clay-like soil to loosen it up. Also, on Saturday and were surprised that corn and sunflowers were already starting to poke up through the soil.

Speaking of miracles. I want to say something out of deep humility and gratitude. I have reason to believe that people with a lot of faith have been praying for our family. Something amazing happened last week. I wont mention here beyond it was a miracle and beyond what my own faith could produce. I have a feeling that it was due to the faith and prays of others on our behalf. If it was you, I wanted to let you know that your prayer has been answered in an amazing way. Thank you for your service to our family. My own faith in prayer and the Lord's tender mercies has been strengthened. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Tagged 3's

Tagged by Lajuana. I’m way behind on posting and here are a few little bits that help catch me up. I think the ChicagoSapps have written more about us than I have this month. So thanks and here we go. . .

3 Joys:
1. Cooking. I have come to realize I love to cook. Even when it makes absolutely no sense I want to cook all my meals from scratch if possible. It’s satisfying and fascinating for me.
2. My faith in God. I probably should have thought of this first. I don’t think I could keep going if I didn’t trust that God is over all and loves everyone of us. There is a way to overcome every trail and cheerfully too. We just have to look and trust and we will find it.
3. My family. I’m sort of borrowing this from Lajuana, but it’s true. Spending time with them is a joy. I love seeing my little children discover new things like today when the discovered the robin eggs they’ve been watching are now pink fuzzy robin chicks.

3 Fears:
1. The changing world. I probably shouldn’t read the newspaper. I’ll stop there.
2. My husband going to training. Three months I think I can handle, six months scares me.
3. Sending my first child to public school. I know everyone is a little scared with their first. I just really want my children to have a positive experience and I wish I knew all the things I will learn from this *right now* so I can make the best choices.
(Side note: about two weeks ago it would have been stinking. I started having an allergic reaction to deodorant after E was born. I tried *lots* of things but found that baking soda mixed with lemon juice works better than any deodorant I’ve ever used. We’ll see where summer takes us, but right now I’m not looking back.)

3 Goals:
1. Write down six most important things to do each day and then do them. Slow and steady wins the prize. Right?
2. Get up and dressed before the kids get up. Always a struggle for me.
3. Host a family dinner once a month.

3 Current Obsessions:
1. Gardening. This year I’m hoping to ease up and share it more with my family and kids. I just love watching things grow.
2. Blogging. I read way too many. No wonder I never post.
3. Reading. I’m a terribly obsessive reader. If I start a good book I want to finish rather than put it down. It has lead to more than one late, late, late night.

3 Random/Surprising Facts about Myself:
1. I have a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science. This even surprises me some days. You’d never know it by my current lifestyle.
2. I worked at a small Boy Scout camp for two summers.
3. I’ve never read a Jane Austin book. Maybe I will sometime when my kids are older. Like when I’m waiting for teenagers to come home. Then I can stay up way too late and not feel so guilty.

I tag Laura. If you have time. :) And anyone else who thinks they want to take the challenge. I’d tag Regina too, but I don’t know if I can tag her kind of blog.

Mother's Day

Even though I have four kids it's still hard for me to think mother's day is for me. Yesterday at church, a youth speaker in our branch read four definitions of a mother. Two of the definitions followed along the lines of elderly respected women. Perhaps that is why I don't feel the pull. It's hard to celebrate the battle's won while you're still in the trenches. It's not that I don't feel like a mother. I am probably called mom more than any other name at this point. I have chosen to stay at home and raise my little ones, so I do a lot of mothering. But I see mother's day as being a celebration for my mothers not myself. So here's to my own mother and other wonderful women that have influenced my life. I would not be who I am today without the strength I gained from you. Thanks!