This is the Story of our Journey...

Stinkin' groundhog...

2012-02-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

Well, it's February 4th and the snow finally showed up here in Iowa. Up until now, we hadn't even had to start our snow blower (if you can believe that one). Today, it just won't stop coming down in buckets.

Stinkin' groundhog... just had to go and see your shadow, huh?

Recipes I can't live without...homemade bread

2012-01-31T11:51:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought about the bread you eat and what's in it? Oh sure, it might say it's whole wheat but read on down on the ingredients label and see if you can pronounce...much less know what it is...the rest of the ingredients listed (other than the whole wheat part). Personally, I looked up a couple of items and it's just scary.

Now, I know what your saying...but, it's ooey and gooey and sticks to the roof of your mouth when it's got peanut butter on it. Believe me, I've got four kids, I know. We could wipe out a loaf of bread in one sitting practically. But to me, it just didn't feel right giving them something that had stuff in it that wasn't really good for them...and is seriously so very easy to make. So, after testing quite a few bread recipes out in the land of the internet, here's the one that I found to be closest to what I call really good sandwich bread.

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions: (I have a big stand up mixer so I mix and knead all of the bread that way....much easier!)

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not over bake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely. At this moment your house will smell divine...

When I'm finished, I freeze the extra bread so that I always have one ready. Enjoy!

Recipes I can't live without...homemade granola

2012-01-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, in keeping with the "homemade" theme in our house...here's the recipe for our delicious homemade granola. Way cheaper than buying it in the stores and it makes a boatload of it.

Here's what you will need:

6 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts, or cashews
1/2 cup sesame seeds (I've used pistachio nuts...just because that's all I had)
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup wheat germ, (optional...but recommended, because it's good for you)
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (I have trouble finding these cheap so I usually omit this)
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup honey
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a large bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, sesame seeds, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds. In a small pan over medium heat, stir together the oil and honey. Cook and stir until blended. Pour over the oat mixture, and stir to coat evenly. Spread out in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown. (I usually stir about every 10 minutes so that the granola is evenly golden) Immediately after it comes out of the oven mix in the dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container when it cools.

Mix this with the homemade yogurt and fresh raspberries and you've got yourself one whopper of a humdinger of a breakfast. Enjoy!

Recipes I can't live without...homemade yogurt

2012-01-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

Since our little "experiment" to go all natural, less processed and organic began in our household a month or so ago...well, there are a few things that I have been cooking like crazy.

One is my homemade yogurt. The funny thing is that we didn't even eat that much yogurt before all of this. For one reason, is that it is very expensive to buy those tiny little sugary things. Then, you could never find a flavor that everyone liked and believe me, no one would touch the unflavored kind. Then I started making my own. Man, my family just gobbles this stuff up. So, I'm going to share my recipe with you...okay, technically it's not my recipe but it's the one I use and it's perfect. To keep things on the crazy side of life....I even make the stuff in a crock pot.

So here goes....You will need 1 half gallon of organic whole milk (I've used 1% as well, because that's all I had in the house and it worked just fine), 1 cup of plain yogurt and 1 packet of unflavored gelatin.

Step 1: In a crock pot, pour in 1/2 gallon of whole milk and 1 packet of unflavored gelatin. Whisk together, cover and set on low. After 2.5 hours, shut it off. With the lid on, let the warm milk set for 3 more hours.

Step 2: After 3 hours, whisk one container (or one cup) of plain yogurt into the heated milk.

Step 3: Cover the crock pot with a blanket or a couple of towels and allow to sit overnight or at least 8 - 10 hours. When you check the mixture at the end, it should be thickened.

Step 4: Stir the yogurt and refrigerate.

That's it! My family loves this stuff. Now, I should mention that this is obviously plain yogurt, so we add a small amount of sugar to our individual bowls when we add in the fruit and granola. The yogurt doesn't do well if you add the sugar or fruit at the beginning of the process. (also, make sure that you keep 1 cup of the yogurt from your previous batch so you can make it again...one less thing to buy)

Next, I'll give you my recipe for homemade granola...another recipe you're going to love!

Hours upon hours...

2012-01-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hours upon hours of training in the water....

Hours upon hours at a swim meet...

Hours upon hours of waiting your turn to swim...

Ask both of my kids....

Hours of hours of fun...

Our swim season is slowly coming to a close and I think the kids are feeling a bit sad. Just a few more weeks to go and then they get a break from the constant practice. Me, I get a break from washing towel after towel after towel. They have improved every time that have competed in the water and that to me is the biggest accomplishment of all. Here's a few photos from this swimming season.

Happy Birthday my 14 year old...

2012-01-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that my son is getting taller, and taller and TALLER every single birthday. I tell him all the time that he's like some sort of freak of nature because of his height...but know this... it's all out of love.

Today was his 14th birthday. He was easy to please on this one. All he wanted was books, books and more books. Between the books we gave to him and the ones my mother sent to him he practically will be set for a month...or at least a week...given how fast that boy reads. He is such a teenager right now. He loves to make people laugh and is always coming up with an "idea" on how to enter a room...your guess is as good as mine on that one. He's into basically whatever his Dad is into at the moment and loves to spend time with him. That to me is a good thing...a son always needs his Dad. He is also such an easy to please child. He didn't even complain when we "reused" the Cars birthday tablecloth for his birthday...of course, that confused our little boy something fierce (he thought his turn was up again). He is a blessing to this family and will help out whenever I ask him to. I love that boy...all 856 feet of his wingspan. Happy 14th Birthday...we love you!

Is that my Grandmommy?...

2012-01-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

We were at Costco one Sunday after church. As we got done with our shopping the two little ones and I waited for my husband and the older ones to bring the car around to pick us up. I was involved in a conversation with my little girl when my little son tugged and pulled at my coat sleeve.

"Mom....Mom....Mom", he said. "What is it?" "Is that my Grandmommy?" he said. The grin on his face was priceless and so full of hope. I looked back over my shoulder and saw a older woman with a haircut kind of like my Mom's and blonde hair. She was obviously with her grandchild and was singing and playing with them...and for a single moment my heart hurt. You see, my mother lives on the West coast...about a far as your can get from us without falling into the ocean. It is times like these that I miss her so very much. "Is that my Grandmommy?", he asked again, bringing my thoughts back to him. "No sweetie, that's someone else's Grandmommy. But she sure does look pretty special, huh?" "Yeah", he said with a smile.

Happy Birthday my 3 year old...

2012-01-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Today was our little one's 3 year old birthday. He chose to have a Cars 2 birthday party with a chocolate cake. Okay, granted the girls and I chose the chocolate cake part but he didn't seem to mind. That boy has as much love for chocolate as all of us girls do. He loved his presents. We got him some more Car 2 "shake n' go" cars" to add to his collection he got for Christmas. He adores them...it's all about Cars right now for him. He also got a couple of ride on toys...a scooter and a big wheel. They're great for the long winter days inside.

Happy Birthday my baby boy...3 years old. I can't believe it... We love you so very much!

I'm going to blame this one on the milk...

2012-01-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

I have fallen off the cliff...jumped overboard...become obsessive....BUT THIS TIME...I'm going to blame it on the milk.

You see, I have been contemplating for a while now about changing our milk to organic milk. The more I research organic milk (the pros and cons) the more I think it is the best thing for our family. Less pesticides and antibiotics. Well, this sounds simple, right? Wrong! We drink a little over a gallon of milk a day. Money plays a major issue in this factor. A gallon of organic milk here cost and upwards of 6 dollars or more. For us, you don't just add in that significant cost without making some sort of "adjustment"...and that's where the laundry comes in.

I made a list of all of the things we spend a lot of money on. Milk was first...laundry detergent was a close second (apparently we are very dirty people here...) or I like to think of it as we are very CLEAN people. So I decided to just shift the laundry money to the milk side of the table. Well, you can't just not "do" laundry so I had to find a way to make that cost drop dramatically. I began diving into research of how to make your own laundry detergent. I found a recipe from the Duggar family website and took on a little experiment of my own. I would give it several weeks and see what our laundry looks and smells like after that...basically see if I noticed any differences.

I am happy to report that after several weeks I will NEVER go back to paying for Tide ever again. I spent a whopping 7 dollars on the homemade laundry materials...made a good 640 loads worth of detergent and barely made a dent in the supplies I bought for it. Viola! I found my milk money....

I wish I could say that it stopped there...but alas, I have fallen off the cliff...jumped overboard...become obsessive. Next, came the homemade yogurt and granola. Then it was juicing all of our drinks (orange, apple, etc.) and making all of our breads. I have been reading everything an anything on going organic all the way. Once we are out of all of our cleaning supplies, I plan on making my own stuff there as well. Vinegar and baking soda are very cheap and work wonders.

It's like taking on one big "experiment" for me. Exactly how much can I make homemade in the house. I know some of you are thinking...yeah, what about your time involved. Well, you'd be surprised...it takes a lot less time than you think...just a bit more planning. Plus less processed foods and more natural for the kids. It just makes sense. And man oh, man has our budget ever looked so good!

Now, if I can just talk my husband into a few chickens in the backyard....Ahhhhh!!!! Someone help me, I've become a pioneer woman.

Perspective...

2012-01-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

Time is a funny thing. It keeps moving whether you want it to or not. Time also has a way of making you put things into "perspective"...but that doesn't come overnight.

My 2 year old lives in the moment. He only knows about the right now. When he wakes up (from a nap or whatever), he just assumes it's the next day. We have to teach him about time. About the changes that happen...sometimes slowly...and sometimes way faster than you would like. But it's all about time.

My 7 year old knows more about time. She understands the concept but still lives for each day. She has trouble looking too far ahead in the future. She's impatient. And that's what we teach her...patience...about time.

My 12 year old knows even more, but she's a bit stuck. She wants to be a part of the "right here, right now" moment but she can wait...better than her sister, I might add...but still she's learning about time.

My 13 year old....we'll time for him is rushing past. To me, he seems to be racing through his lifetime...growing up too fast. He sees the future so close, but yet cannot reach. At the same time he's longs to still be the kid. And that's what we teach him...that it's okay to wait and still enjoy the moment.

As you age and more and more time passes you by. Suddenly you realize that it's not time you are learning about...but perspective. You begin to look at things and see what really counts in life. What matters most to you...

For this new year, I pray that each and everyone of you find your perspective in life...

Traveling...

2011-12-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

We live about 10 to 11 hours away from any family members. Translation for us...we spend a BOATLOAD of time in the car during the holidays. Our kids have grown up this way, so to them it's just a natural way of traveling...10, 11, 12 hours to get to any place. (this is a bonus though when we travel overseas...since those trips are really long, our kids are use to it)

Because of the time that we have spent in the car, we have become quite the proficient travellers. We know what works for us. What to take. What not to take. We can SQUEEEEEEZZZZEEE into one duffel usually to go places...granted it's a really LARGE duffel bag but still I can count it as one. If there is one thing that I've learned, it's the more people you have to get somewhere the less "stuff" you really truly have to have.

We also love to play games in the car...card and board games. My husband and I have battled each other more than once in the "Totally 80's" trivia game (dorky, I know...but what can we say, we are a product of the 80's). On this account he had just won this game with his oh, so masculine "care bear". I was the "trapper keeper". If you are a product of the 80's then you know what I'm talking about...if not, then you are making me feel VERY old.

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-25T12:24:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours...may God bless you and your family this upcoming year.

Merry Christmas...

Gotcha Day 2011...

2011-12-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

Today is our Gotcha day. In the world of adoption, it's the day that we celebrate when we became "this" family. The day we walked through the door after over 40 hours of flying halfway across the world...the day our family was finally together.

This is our Gotcha day story...

My favorite Christmas things...

2011-12-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

Here are four of my absolute favorite Christmas things. I know they may not seem like much...but to me, they mean the world.

This Santa and Mrs. Claus was on my kitchen table for probably most of my childhood. (They are technically a salt and pepper shaker) My mother is an outstanding cook and this Santa brings wonderful memories of her baking for us during the holidays.

This is such a pathetic little thing...but again, it's the world to me. You flip this upside down and turn the knob on the bottom. Then when you turn it right side up, music plays, the tree turns and "snow" falls down. I cannot tell you how many times I have done this in my lifetime. It was at my Grandmother's house. When she passed away, it's the one thing that I begged to have. It's been taped up and re glued, but to me it's a little bit of my grandmother right here with me during Christmas.

This is the star that was on my tree growing up. I remember arguing with my brother as to whose turn it was to put it on the tree. In the end, my father seem to always put it up (probably because we couldn't reach it). When my father passed away, this star came to me...and it has my father written all over it. Even though I can reach the top now, I like to think he's right here with me during this holiday.

This makes me giggle and smile every time I cook. My aunt gave me these and if you push one of their buttons, they will all "tap dance" together. Take them apart and they do it separately. Way funny, and so great for my kids. It's not uncommon for a child to walk through the kitchen hit a button on the way to get something to drink. I love them...and to me, my aunt's standing right with me in my kitchen every time they go.

Since none of our family lives anywhere close to where we are, it's my special way of bringing those that I hold so dear to my heart home with me for the holidays.

Which one is which?

2011-12-16T12:29:00.001-08:00

I took this photo at Thanksgiving of my son standing next to the gutter (on the house).

In case you were wondering...my son is the one on the left...

...I think

Last Christmas...

2011-12-15T19:39:00.001-08:00

Have you seen this video? Grab you some tissues and have yourself a little seat. Live in the moment...THIS moment...and be oh, so thankful.

Houston, we have a problem...

2011-11-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

In our house an unusual thing is happening. Our garbage disposal is eating the spoons. Not forks, not knives, not even the serving utensils...but spoons, people. Of course, I know what you are saying...well, duh!...go out and buy some new spoons. Simple thought really. But did you know that you cannot buy spoons...just spoons. You have to buy the entire set of utensils...that's the only way they sell them. Heck, it would be worth it if I could buy an entire new set of utensils and just feed the garbage disposal the knives and forks...but it knows the difference. It only prefers spoons. It's an addiction, I'm fully certain of that one. Yesterday, another one bit the dust...a spoon that is. Not a fork or a knife. And I just cringed, because now we are down to 5 good spoons (there are 6 of us in this house...you can do the math). Therefore...

...Houston, we have a problem.

Snow be coming...huh, Mom?

2011-11-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

I wish I could bottle up every conversation that this little one says. It's so over the top cute. At this moment he had wrapped himself around my leg as I dragged him like a mop around my kitchen. All the while he was asking...

Snow be coming...huh, Mom, huh? (Thanks to the new sled we bought at Costco last week)

Soon...little one...all too very soon.

Rule of parenting #298...

2011-11-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

ALWAYS have a sense of humor...

Mom: (scrubbing vigorously the gas stove top with an old toothbrush)

Smallest little girl: Mom, is that your toothbrush you are using?

Mom: (smiling ever so discreetly) No sweetie, it's yours.

I will survive...

2011-11-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Liked this picture...it made me laugh. So me this week. Just saying nothing and trying hard to look like I knew what I was doing.

Good news...in case you were losing sleep over it...much better and on the upward swing now. I am sorry to report that it is slowly wiping out the children one by one. It's my oldest turns right now and I think the smallest one is next-ugh!

It's like the fog that creeps over the city in one of those old Alfred Hitchcock movies, wiping out everything in it's path. Oh yeah sweetie, you are so next. The fist bumping me instead of kissing me won't save you.

Unbreakable...

2011-11-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've been this sick. You know, the kind of sick that you wish a bus would run over you or the "rapture" would hurry up and come. It's so incredibly rare that my husband has taken to calling me the "unbreakable" one in our house. You know why that is, don't you? Because when I'm sick, here's how it goes...

Child (any child): Mom! (yelling) Mom! (more yelling) Has anybody seen mom?

Me: (trying very hard to lay on the couch for just one second)

Child: She's on the couch. Oh goody, let's read a book.

Another child: No, she wants to play Barbie's with me.

Another child: There you are Mom, I need help with my math.

Finally another child...I've got 4: Mom, what are you doing? Don't we have to be a swim practice soon? And what's for dinner, I'm hungry?

Unbreakable...seems to be the better choice. But for now, with me being this sick, I'm just praying with all my might for the rapture to come...you guys better get ready.

My favorite thing...

2011-10-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite thing. Not a day goes by that I don't use this...seriously. I waited 19 years before asking for one of these fancy things (and then I asked for the biggest one they sold...who knows when I'll get another one) so to me it's such a luxury. I tell you it can do just about everything, short of my dishes, laundry and the bathrooms...I'm working on it though.

Plus, look how skinny my legs look in the convex bowl (thought I'd throw in a fancy word...sheesh, homeschoolers...bunch of overachievers).

Actually, it's my cinnamon roll diet...obviously it works!

Costumes done...check

2011-10-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Every year I get the wonderful privilege of making my children their costumes for Halloween. I love it! I love the way the kids plan, describe and then scour the patterns for exactly the right costume for them. Weren't we all that way when we were little?

Our oldest girl decided that she wanted to be a pioneer girl. Way cute! She picked some fantastic fabric and all I could think about was "man, oh man, do I want a dress made with this fabric". She's got some great taste!

This little girl just HAD to be Rapunzel. Doesn't every 7 year old right now? That was a fierce dress to make with all of the fancy-shamazee fabric. Thankfully, all our little girl sees is exactly the dress she wanted...I see tons of mistakes made. Good thing she'll never notice.

This little one gets the costume that every one of our kids have worn when they were 2. And really, what 2 year old isn't a stinker at some time or another?

This year our oldest decided he was "too old" to trick or treat...and part of me was sad. I know it's the coming of age...I know that it would look weird for a 6 foot 13 year old to ask for candy...I knew that this was coming...but still, it made me sad.

However, he thought it was cooler to roll around with the dog on the floor...oh, yeah, that's sure acting really mature.

It all started with a mouse trap...

2011-10-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

We live in a house on a wooded lot. Every time the weather begins to turn colder we deal with the same issue...mice in our garage. We have by all accounts sealed holes, set mouse traps...and yet, still they come. They are not deterred. So the war begins...

My husband sets the traps (you know, the old fashioned ones that slam shut...no, I'm not going to be humane to something that leaves such a wake of mess that I have a clean up every spring...nope, not going to do it).

Last night our dog was very concerned about something and wouldn't calm down to go to sleep. Here's how the conversation went at this point...

Me: What's wrong with the dog?

Hubby: I think she hears the high-pitched squeals coming from the garage?

Me: Say wha'?

Hubby: I set two mouse traps and I could only find one of them tonight.

Me: Where's the other one? (stupidly asking)

Hubby: (smiling)

Hubby to dog: Don't worry ol' girl, the crying will stop soon after it's done scraping around on the garage floor.

Me: Argggghh! You are not funny...

Hubby: (loving every minute of it)

I will...

2011-10-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

...finally cross the finish line of that marathon BEFORE I die.

...find "me time" in my busy schedule and NOT feel guilty about it.

...cook 'till my hearts content...and NOT feel guilty about that one either.

...get all of my bathrooms cleaned in one day.

...get my entire house cleaned in one day (for that matter).

...have an entire afternoon where someone doesn't tell scream "Mom!" at the top of their lungs.

...wear what I want to wear (even if it's WAY out of style...heck, I'm over 40 and I've earned that one).

...listen to Christmas music any time of the year...just because it makes me happy (that one's for you kids).

...finally understand the game of soccer (so I don't have to "fake it" when my 7 year old tells me her positions she's playing).

...talk my husband into a pop-up camper (please, oh please sweetie...).

...run outside and not worry about all the "jiggling" taking place...everywhere.

...lose the EXTRA pounds that my love of cooking and my 3 biological kids gave to me (see note just above).

...sing in my car LOUDLY...(that's another one for ya kids).

...go to bed every night knowing that I woke up that day with a happy heart, live a blessed life and will walk one day on the streets of gold.

I will...two words...so much power behind them.

Keep breathing...

2011-10-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

Monday's are hard...

sometimes you just got to breathe...

...just breathe

Fall fun at a pumpkin patch...

2011-10-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today we visited a local pumpkin patch. Leave it to the people of the Midwest, to plow a maze through a field of corn, drop you off at the entrance and say "good luck" and call it fun. But oh yeah...it really was a lot of it...fun, that is.

The kids took off like a bullet through it. All I could think of is...seriously, how lost could they possibly get. Personally, I was just glad it was during the day...it would be way creepy at night (way too much imagination here...).

After the maze, we scoured their massive fields for the perfect pumpkins...(don't worry honey, we didn't come home with all these pumpkins).

Despite the cold temps and the strong winds, we had a great time at the farm...plus, it gave us an excuse to come home and have some hot chocolate.

Written all over her...

2011-10-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

This one...

...on the soccer field

...has her "Daddy" written all over her

Laughing so hard...

2011-10-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

I love to read. I read all the time. I could so do without TV but not my books. I love all sorts of books with one major exception...I don't do the go in the freezer scary kind of books. Nope. Not at all. Way too much imagination for those kind.

Okay, think about this for a moment. When was the last time you laughed out loud at a book...no, I'm not saying "giggling" while reading a book. I mean the hearty laugh all the way from your belly and your eyes water so much and you seriously have trouble catching your breath...that kind of laugh.

I usually never recommend a book (or a movie for that matter) to anyone, because the way I see it every one's tastes are so different...what's great for you may not be great for someone else. But this time, I seriously just cannot help it. I just finished the funniest book. I got so many funny looks as I laughed out loud at swimming practices and piano practices...trying very hard to wipe the smeared mascara from my face after laughing so hard...you know, the good kind of laugh.

I knew nothing of this lady before I read her "love story", but apparently she has a blog that's quite popular. Anyway, the book is "Pioneer Woman - Black Heels to Tractor Wheels". Get it, read it...you won't be disappointed.

Just make sure you have some tissue to wipe your face off from laughing so hard...

It will only confuse you...

2011-10-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here's what you get when you have this child doing this...

And this child doing this...

Two children left alone upstairs for a moment...

Don't try and understand it...

It will only confuse you...

Courageous...

2011-10-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to see this one!

The music video is for our "courageous hero"...we love you daddy!

There are not enough books on the planet....

2011-09-21T11:13:00.001-07:00

...to prepare you to cheer on your child, loudly I might add, (as he pees) in a public restroom FILLED with women (whom I might add are "giggling to themselves" because they have been there too)

...to prepare you to live by your 30 minute timer at home since you decided (at your wits end) that he should wear "big boy underwear" the entire day

...to prepare you on how to figure out and calculate the distance you are from a bathroom and how fast you can bolt there the minute you walk through the door at Walmart if needed

...to prepare you to sing and dance the "potty dance" NO MATTER WHAT public bathroom you are located in

...to prepare you to know and have visited EVERY public bathroom in Disneyland...but you drew the line in the sand...at "pit toilets" in Yosemite (no way, no how...a tree looked better)

...to prepare you for the incredible amount of time that you will spend on the bathroom floor..."entertaining your little one"

...to prepare you for the depths of patience that you will need to survive and I am certain it can only come from God above

...to prepare you for the road in which there is no turning back once you decide to go down it....the road of potty training

...there are just not enough books on the planet

Yosemite...

2011-09-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

After Disney we decided that we needed to see some of the "natural wonders" of California. So we packed up and went about 6 hours north to Yosemite National park. The children were so very excited for this part of the trip as well, because "grandmom" (my mom) was meeting us there. (She lives on the west coast)

We had rented a house inside the national park and were going to spend some much needed time together. The kids were not disappointed. My mother is a "play on the floor" kind of grandmother and she just adores her grandkids.

It was nice to slow down and see some of the beautiful things that Yosemite has to offer. They have beautiful Sequoia trees and waterfalls and overwhelming views. We hiked everyday, picnicked one afternoon and snuggled up close in the evenings and watched the Sound of Music (one of my personal favorites). We even got to see a mama bear and her cubs (from the comfort of our car...thank goodness) and a rather large coyote.

It was hard to say goodbye after four days of being together, but we are so very thankful for that time together.

Happiest place on earth...

2011-09-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

For the past two days we have been at (what I like to call) the "happiest place on earth"...otherwise known as Disneyland. Man, oh man, I had forgotten just how much fun you can have there.

On the first day we only went to California Disney (which is connected to Disneyland) and rode the rides there. We were able to get in early to the park and for the rest of the morning the crowds were incredibly light. There was really no waiting in lines...way too cool! We just couldn't believe it. By the afternoon, we caught an Aladdin show that would have put Broadway to shame (okay, maybe not seriously...but still VERY GOOD for a Disney production). That evening we slipped away to get dinner at the hotel restaurant (we stayed at Disneyland so our walk was very short) and returned later for the best show ever...a water and color show. It was amazing! I think I stood for 30 minutes just in awe. They use sprays of water and color and movies...oh so hard to do it justice in pictures. You just would not have believed it.

On the second day we only went to the Disneyland side. It truly is a happy place. Sure there were lots of people there...we expected that. Sure the cost of food is crazy high there...we expected that too. But the entire family had a fantastic time. I honestly think you can't be cranky there. You should have seen my husband spinning (as fast as he possible could) the tea cups in Fantasyland with the biggest grin on his face. I thought for sure that I would have 4 sick kids after that...but noooo...they wanted so much more. We rocked, rolled, spinned, plummeted and swayed our way all the way through until we shut the lights off for them at the end of the evening. It was the happiest place on earth...

Sea World...

2011-08-31T22:50:00.000-07:00

I have one word to describe our trip to Sea World...phenomenal. The shows are just phenomenal. I'll be honest and tell you that I really had no idea what to expect here. I kind of thought it would be like going and looking at a lot of different kinds of fish in aquariums and such. But, no way Hosea...these are highly elaborate shows with choreographed animal tricks, jokes and lots of water. It was just amazing. I kept telling the kids as the day went on...okay, that one was my favorite...no, that one was my favorite. Who would of thought it?

For example, they have a show with all different kinds of animals (dogs, cats, birds, pigs, kangaroos, etc.) that is seriously funny. The animals do incredible stunts, intertwined with wonderful humor. For example during one part of the program, they had a large group of black and white cats running from some other animal and then they ran into a large white milk canister. Two seconds later out popped a large group of just plain white cats...too clever.

San Diego zoo...

2011-08-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

The San Diego zoo is a place that every person on the planet should have to navigate their way through. It has an amazing amount of winding paths and fantastic animal displays, and an atmosphere that's so natural and jungle-like that in some parts you'd think for sure you were in the tropics. It was the best zoo we've ever been too by far...and believe me we've been to a lot of zoos.

My husband and I said that the zoo is an absolute genius for one thing...and one thing only. Two words, people...moving sidewalk. After you've walked down, down, down these extremely long hills...you get to "ride" these moving sidewalks up. Genius!!! Believe me, when we stumbled across these things it was like heaven on earth for really tired legs (remember we're old). The Omaha zoo near us has GOT to get it some of these...

Legoland...

2011-08-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

After a quick breakfast and a short stop to Walmart (what vacation is complete without a stop there), our crew headed off to see the great Legoland. It was such an interesting place. Everything that could be made out of Legos was made out of Legos there...and I do mean everything. Tables, mirrors, sculptures, building...you name it, it had been built and put on display there. We arrived just before the park opened and left when it closed. The crowds were quite small and we had to wait no more than 15 minutes (at the most) for a ride. So basically, we just went from ride to ride to ride all day long. Oh so much fun!!!

The beach...

2011-08-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to rearrange our plans a little and spend just a full day on the beach. I'm so very glad with did. The weather was just perfect, sunny, clear with a cool breeze. The water however was extremely cold. That did not deter my kids in the least little bit. They chased the waves, looked for what little shells they had and dug holes in the sand. We had more sand in more places than I can to admit, but we left there at the end of the day with 4 tired kids and a boatload of memories.

Tomorrow is Legoland...can't wait for that one!

Landed...

2011-08-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Our flight to California was extremely uneventful...just the way I like it. The kids traveled beautifully and since we needed a car seat for our van we rented we also used it on the plane...containment for our little one - it's like magic, people....he just sat in his car seat and just played for hours.

Our first day in California was really actually...a night. Our flight into LAX was late (by our standards) and we decided not to push the kids anymore than we had to, so we just stayed the evening at an airport hotel. Even by the time we were loading onto the hotel shuttle, my kids were begging to go to sleep. We love our sleep! However, on the flip side we are up and running early every morning. Which was good because the beach was calling our name the next morning...

Vacation time...

2011-08-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Every year we try to plan a family vacation...somewhere, anywhere. We just love it. We love to travel, see new places and experience new adventures. (of course, with 4 kids in tow all the time Walmart can sometimes be an adventure)

Our vacation planning never really starts...well, with a plan. We usually start researching someplace on the map, and then veer off and look at something else, then something else. Money has a lot to do with our vacation (who doesn't have that problem...), so we have to be pretty financially creative with a family our size. We don't seem to fit into the 2 adults, 2 children packages that are offered. But you would be surprised that a lot of the time it is cheaper for us to go overseas than it is for us to stay in the states. Crazy thought, I know...but it's true.

So last year when we started planning our vacation we thought about the West Coast...kind of like doing a "theme park vacation" up and down California. Of course, we totally veered off that one and ended up in Argentina....loved it!!! Anyway, this year we are back to vacation time and have decided to finish off with our first plan and go out West and do a "theme park vacation". I realize that some of you are probably going...ugh!!!...but our kids are going to love it. We are going to see Disneyland, Lego land, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, the beach and we're going to throw in Yosemite/Sequoia National Park, just for good measure.

So, come along with us on our vacation journey...to the West Coast. California, here we come!!!

Happy "fake" Birthday...

2011-08-26T11:40:00.002-07:00

Last night we had a sweet celebration at our house. Our big girl is turning 12. We had the cake, decorations and presents...the whole she-bang. But....technically, she turns 12 on August 31. You see, tomorrow we are leaving for our big family vacation. And since we won't be able to celebrate the way we normally would, we decided that we would throw a Happy "fake" birthday celebration. Goofy, I know...but it works for us. It was a wonderful night and she loved all her presents. So here's to you our big girl...happy "fake" birthday....we love you more than you will ever know.

Curious George...

2011-08-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

I found it in a box at the top of our storage area. I had been cleaning and throwing out many, many, MANY boxes for the past week when I came across this. My husband received it when he was 4 years old because he had gone into the hospital and has kept it for 37 years. It was old and filthy and smooshed terribly, but the minute (and I do mean the very second) I pulled it out of the box my little boy yelled at the top of his lungs...."crious deorge". (That's Curious George, for those of you who don't speak "two year old")

...and has not let go of it since

Just because...

2011-08-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

...my husband and I couldn't stop laughing

Did you hear????

2011-08-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

This afternoon the heavens opened up and all the angels sang a hallelujah chorus as our little girl was baptized. We will be walking in the streets of gold together as one family. Praise the lord, hallelujah and a big ol' fat woo-hooo!!!!

A few thousand of our closest friends...

2011-08-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was packed full of fun for us. On Saturday we decided that we would attend the Iowa Straw Poll up in Ames all day. It was our first year to ever go and realized very quickly that it was craziness at it's best. There were thousands of people there and tons of candidates. If you didn't like standing in lines then don't ever go to one of these. There was live music, food and all kinds of "giveaways". We were able to find a seat way up high in one stadium and listened to most of the candidates speak (quite interesting really...kind of like being at a debate). It was pretty cool. At the end of the day we grabbed some popcorn and took our tired crew home (one of us didn't quite make it to the car before he fell asleep)...

On Sunday...since we didn't spend enough time with "all the people in the state of Iowa" the day before...we decided that we would wear out our crew again...but this time it was at our state fair. Again, a few thousand of our closest friends were there....and again, we had a great time. The older kids were competing in a robotic competition in the morning which left the afternoon to riding rides, eating and doing all the "fair stuff" you could imagine. We were so worn out by the time we got home, I think everyone just sat and stared at each other the rest of the evening...not really, but something like that.

Park hopping...

2011-08-10T15:56:00.001-07:00

We had by all accounts a fantastic afternoon. We had no agenda and no place that we had to rush off to...nothing, zilch, nada....and it was wonderful. So we decided to just get on our bikes and ride. We ended up going "park hopping" around our area. And it was a great time!

Funny story...

2011-08-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Once a month my husband and I have nursery duty at our church in the "two year old" room. This past Sunday it was our turn to serve. About half way through the hour the main teacher had all of the children sit on a carpet and play a little game called "I Spy". (You know, I spy something green...what is it???)

Well, she begins the game with the color red. All the kids picked this and that and finally guess the correct item. Next, she picked the color black. At this time all the kids are looking around trying to guess what it could be, when all of a sudden our little boy jumps up and runs to me patting his tummy and says..."I black".

...it was seriously laugh out loud funny

The finished project...

2011-08-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

My daughter finished her dress in time to wear it to church on Sunday and she was so proud. To tell you the truth, I was proud of her too. My first dress was no where near as nice as she did...I believe she is a natural. As I was taking this picture, she and I both wished that her grandmother (my Mom) was here to see her in it.

You see, a while back my Mom flew in for a visit and brought with her the fabric and the pattern we used for this dress. (Crazy I know, but my Mom loves to sew as much as we do)

We wish you were here with us grandmom...thanks for the new dress!

Tonight...

2011-08-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight, our dinner was a little late getting on the table. Tonight, our lawn took a little longer than usual to get mowed. Tonight, the younger kids got to paint on their own. Tonight, I taught my daughter how to sew her first dress. Tonight, my husband taught my son how to mow his first lawn.

Yes, it would be easier...to not teach these things. But think of the "life lessons" they would be missing...tonight.

Discovering fire for the first time...

2011-08-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my cell phone died...my very old, very flip phoneish, very non-text archaic phone. You get the idea...it was simply a phone, nothing more. I have been fighting the entire technological thing for quite sometime. Texting was a word that was not in my vocabulary, the internet on your phone was overwhelming to someone like me and don't even get me started on trying to understand what "apps" are about.

...enter my dead phone...

After one week of zero phone at all, I decided very quickly that I had to "deal" with this issue and learn. So...I bought myself an iPhone. Oh my goodness, holy cow and whoo-hoo for me! I have been having so much fun with it. I am s-l-o-w-l-y learning how to text and understand everything this smart phone can actually do.

My little brother has an iPhone and had been bugging me about getting one too so we could do something called "face time". The other night my husband and I sat for a long time and did "face time" with my brother and his wife (who I might add is expecting their first baby). It was just like he was sitting in my kitchen having a great visit. I got to see their nursery, their apartment and "the baby bump" (so excited to be an aunt again). It was wonderful. My brother just laughed and laughed at me. He told me it was like watching two cavemen....

....discovering fire for the first time

Thought it was a good idea...

2011-08-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

But somehow, when you factor in the warm day today (89...not as hot as it has been lately...but still good and warm), or the 10 miles round trip, or the bike trailer filled with two kids (between both of them and the trailer...a good 80 pounds extra to pull), or the 6 o'clock traffic to deal with, and my personal favorite...a really sore rear end when it's all done....well, let's just say that when the kids say "hey, Mom, can we bike to the farmer's market today"

....just wondering about that good idea thing

This is what summer is all about...

2011-07-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Swim Team is over and our kids are going through withdrawal symptoms, I believe. We have spent practically everyday at pool this summer and have loved every minute of it. Here's a few pictures I captured along the way...and yes, I know I missed one child in the pictures (our oldest son). I have a great video of him swimming, but I never got a good shot of him in the water...still love him though. It's just hard to juggle a 7 year old AND a 2 year old at all day swim meets, cheer on your kids AND take video AND capture pictures of the moment. (We'll see if you leave with all your sanity intact)

Later, I'll try and post a great swimming video.

These two are something else in the water. Our smallest one (the one who probably never even got a full bath in the orphanage he was in - just a bucket of water poured on him) is seriously great in the water...I mean crazy good. He dives for rings and dives off the side and tries very hard to give his Mom a heart attack in the water. Our youngest girl just cannot wait to get on the swim team next year. Her goal...is to fly through all the swim lessons she can to get there. And you know, what...I think she just might do it. She has skipped levels already and constantly asks if she can go up to the pool just to do some "lap swimming". Yep, we are truly one water obsessed family...

This is the story of my life right now...

2011-06-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

...that is since swim team (for the older two) started for the summer.

It is our first "competitive" swim team to be on and it is intense. The practices are hard and the meets are L-O-N-G (I mean, crazy long). We are learning how things work as we go along. I have to tell you though, last night was our first swim meet and the kids were great. They swam hard and did their best.

Did they win??? Well, our daughter won first place (in her heat) for the breaststroke. Pretty good for her first time out in a meet. Our son...well, let's just say that he had to compete against the high school boy (which we hired to help us coach our kids on diving and flip turns) a few lanes down from where he was. (and believe me, those boys have been on the swim team for years and boy, can they swim) He had a great attitude about it though and I was so proud of him.

So, tonight we'll grab our suits for the umpteenth time and head to the pool, come home eat dinner and go to sleep.

...the story of my life

The sweetest words to hear...

2011-06-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

...I dove ew, Mom

The Showdown...

2011-06-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

I was in our garden last night picking our fresh strawberries, when I came across something I was not really expecting...snake skin. Ugggghhhhh!!!! Man oh man, you have never seen someone jerk their hand back so fast. Now from personal experience, I can honestly tell you that I do not do well with spiders, mice, flying insects and most of all...snakes. Let's just call it "being a girl" okay.

It's just my luck he'd pick my garden to live in. I told my children about it when I came in and my oldest son thought it was so very cool. "Just think Mom, maybe that's why you haven't had any chipmunk problems this year". not helping sweetie...I smiled. "Snakes eat mice, bugs and all sorts of creatures. It's great that he's living there, Mom". still not helping... I was smiling less at this point. "Besides snakes are carnivorous. They won't touch your strawberries." really not smiling...then I must look good and tasty with the weight I've gained.

There's going to be a showdown this summer...

Yes...we are still here

2011-06-01T14:17:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything on our blog. In fact, I seemed to have missed the entire month of May. Oh well...it may seem as though we have "fallen off the face of the earth" to some but life here has been going on in fast forward. And with that, sometimes it's just easier to hang on for the ride than to take the time and write every little detail of our lives (and seriously folks, the laundry and the diapers just ain't pretty sometimes...so I'll spare you that one).

But I will leave you with some fun photos from our life...now if you will excuse me I gotta go catch up and hang on for the ride of our lives

Our Easter holiday...

2011-04-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Our Easter holiday was such a nice one. We celebrated the resurrection at church services in the morning, opened Easter baskets after church and "played" the rest of the day. My mom is here visiting for a couple of weeks and it was so nice to have family with us for the holiday.

So from our family to yours, we hope that your Easter was filled with glorious celebrations and wonderful family time.

Two pounds...

2011-04-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since we brought him home, we have been trying desperately to put weight on our little boy. At our last checkup he had only gained 4 ounces in 6 months. So we've been working with the doctor in trying to add certain things to his diet that would help "boost" weight gain. The right kind of food...the good stuff.

Enter my Amish cookbook...

For about a month or so now, I have been cooking my way through this Amish cookbook. It is the old-fashioned kind of cooking - everything from scratch basically. Cooking where the meat slow cooks for hours in your oven and your entire house smells wonderful. Cooking where you can read and understand all the ingredients you put into your meal. Cooking where it's such a good meal that there aren't a lot of leftovers. Hmmm...yeah, that kind of cooking.

Well, today was a great day...if you are into the whole gaining weight and all. I took him in for a weight check and we are happy to report that he's gained a whopping 2 pounds since January. In my book, that is fantastic!

Hats off to the Amish...

Clean kitchens are way over-rated...

2011-04-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

After an incredibly LONG day yesterday, Daddy finally made it home safely...and we are glad. I was dragging so badly last night after rushing around everywhere and trying to accomplish everything I needed to do that by the end of the evening, I felt completely deflated. I was so glad to see "fresh troops" walk through the door.

Today however is a brand new day and with it brings renewed energy (on my part - given a good night's rest) and another day filled with fun things to do. After doing some school this morning, my two smallest ones took on a cooking project...Amish, of course...and they loved it. Now, the house smells wonderfully of "Blueberry Cake with Struesel Topping" (get the book I tell you...worth every penny).

Just don't ask me how clean my floors and counters are...

A precious moment...

2011-04-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we are going on day three at this point (of being without Daddy) and as always our lives were pretty busy today. The girls had gymnastics this morning which left me an hour with just my boys. My oldest son asked me if we could go for a run while the girls were at gymnastics (my husband runs with the older children quite often...me, I run by myself...much, much, much s..l...o...w...e...r).

That being said, of course I said "yes". So we packed up the jogging stroller and headed out. After we dropped the girls off, we started on our run. Now, here's where I should mention that my son loves to talk during a run. Me...I'm just looking to survive to the finish line. However, God gives you precious moments with your children sometimes at the most unexpected places. So here we were out running in the country and my son is just asking and talking with me about all sorts of things. It was such a wonderful conversation.

At the end of our run he told me "thanks Mom, this was such a fun, recreational run". I smile through all my huffing and puffing while sweating profusely....then thanked the Lord above for this precious moment, even in the most unexpected places.

My poor kids...

2011-04-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Alright...I am the first to admit that I can go a "little overboard" when I find something that I am interested in. Who doesn't, right? Right about now though, the kids are wishing their Daddy was here to help them out though...

You see, I have fallen in love with this certain cookbook called "Cooking from Quilt Country". It's Amish cooking at it's best and I love it. The kids though are not quite as sure. Of course, a few months ago I was cooking my way through a French cookbook and they LOVED that one. This one...maybe not as much. This past weekend I fixed an egg salad sandwich which did not get very good reviews from my crew (Daddy was here to agree with them on that one...they know his "vote" counts for a lot). So today for lunch when everyone got to the table the only question they asked was..."Is it Amish?" Oh, my poor kids....it's so terrible being fed good wholesome cooking. At least the reviews on that sandwich were a little better...not great, but better. I'll keep trying.

Today was an orthodontist appointment, piano lessons for one child, a quick trip to the grocery and a full day of school. It's dinnertime now...potato soup and cornbread have our name written all over it. It's loud and busy here. The kids are dancing to music to on the TV radio and later before bed, we'll start a new book to read.

Whew...day two of being solo is almost over...so far so good.

Flying solo...

2011-04-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today, my husband left on a business trip...which leaves me alone with one, two, three...oh, yeah that's right, four kids...all by myself. Thankfully, he doesn't have to be gone too terribly long but we still miss him while he's away. On some days, it's just nice to have "fresh troops" come walking through the door. Needless to say, while he's gone for the next few days I'm going to try and not get too stressed out about stuff here while he's gone.

Take for instance this afternoon...

The kids had a piano recital to be in (which I must admit was right in the middle of our little one's nap time). I strapped him in the stroller, gave him my camera phone to play with and prayed that our kids played first. YES!!! They did. So after filming what I could so Daddy could see it later, we strolled ourselves out of everyone else's way and out to the hallway. (I was only able to get a couple of pictures taken - you know juggling a video camera, a camera and a two year old is not always the easiest thing to do). Anyway, that bought us about an hour, but after that he was so done, tired and we had to leave. After celebrating with milkshakes we headed home, changed clothes and decided not to miss out on the beautiful day we were having here. So...we went on an extra long bike ride to a park. By the time we returned it was dinner, bath and time for bed. They were good and worn out. Yeah for me!!!

Now, it's on to day number two...

Happy Birthday our beautiful 7 year old...

2011-03-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday our little girl celebrated her 7 year old birthday. She wanted a princess party (which thankfully she has wanted for the past several years...I'm all for reusing party stuff). She picked a "spring cake" with flowers and butterflies and it was delicious - thank you Betty Crocker.

She was allowed to open one present in the morning (without Daddy being around) and that one was from Grandmom...it was perfect. It was markers and stickers - what more could she ask for? Except having Grandmom there...but the good news is that she is coming soon for a visit.

Daddy came home as early as he could and then it was a present free for all. She loved them all. At the end of the evening we enjoyed cake and ice cream...yes, it was a great day! Happy Birthday our beautiful little girl...

Blessings...

2011-03-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am reminded that blessings come in all forms...even raindrops

The 20 year feud...

2011-02-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

My little brother and his wife are visiting us this weekend and we are having such a wonderful time. My favorite part has been watching my husband and my brother continue their original Nintendo "Tecmo Superbowl feud". They hoop and holler like they are 8 year old boys over a video game so old that the graphics would make anyone laugh. They have officially been at this back and forth for about 20 years. To be honest, it's probably the reason why we never got rid of our Nintendo game system. But...they love it...and I love to see them have such a great time. Go team!

What aisle do you keep the sanity?

2011-02-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

After running several errands this morning with four kids in tow, this song came on the radio on the way home and I tell you it was speaking to me. So as I go and figure out how to be in three places at once, cook a dinner while not being in the house, do 7 more loads of laundry, and figure out a way to clean bathrooms just by leaving the cleaner in the bathroom all by itself, I'll leave you with "my" song for today.

Because today this is all I've got, since apparently they were out of sanity on aisle 7 at Target...

A rare treat...

2011-02-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

We went to Costco today and I splurged on a very rare treat for us right now...strawberries. They had them on "sale" for a big box for $4.99. Normally I would never even dream of spending that much on fruit, but to be honest, these strawberries were calling our names. As I served them at lunchtime, you would have thought I had given each one of my children a candy bar or a big ol' thing of cake...but no...it was a pile of strawberries. To them, it was the best $4.99 I've ever spent...

Ethiopian pictures...

2011-02-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Today it was picture day for our smallest little one. I wanted to get a picture of him in his Ethiopian outfit that they put him in when he left the orphanage. I loved how they turned out. The tapestry behind him is something we bought when we were there. It is a beautiful woven cross and reminds me so much of Ethiopia. The colored sash across him says "Ethiopia" in Amharic. I hope someday he'll look at this picture and know that we went halfway around the world and picked up the best one.

What if...

2011-02-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was working with my smallest little girl (who is 6) in a school lesson. One of the things we have been going over had been a question game called..."What if?" I would ask her a question, such as..."What would you do if a fire was in the house?"...or "What would you do if someone was hurt?" My favorite part was when I asked..."What would you do if you got locked in a candy store?" She paused for a moment then said..."I'd call 911 for help...and then I'd have a snack!"

In the middle...

2011-02-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

We live in the middle of the United States...the middle. No where near the ocean, nowhere near the mountains, and as of lately nowhere near where it's remotely warm. In fact if you were to drive 4 hours in any direction...ANY direction - pick one - you will find snow. Boatloads of it. And with that beautiful white stuff comes temperatures so cold that your heater in your house just can't keep up. Temps so cold that your hands hurt bad deep inside the thickest gloves you can buy within just 5 minutes of shoveling your driveway. Temps so cold that if you were to sneeze outside...okay, seriously trust me...don't sneeze. You get the idea.

So with all of this winter weather we are having to get a little "creative" with what we can do inside and not go crazy with cabin fever. The kids and I have resorted to doing several puzzles, putting on plays, building with Legos and having all the indoor play dates we can schedule around our school time. But I must admit we are all anxious to get outside again to go sledding and build snowmen.

So from the middle of the snowy tundra (so to speak...) here's a few pictures of what we've been up to lately...please oh, please come on warmer weather.

13 years have past...

2011-01-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated my oldest child's 13th birthday. 13 years...can you believe it?? Where does the time go so fast? I mean really...does someone know how to bottle it up and slow down the time continuum?

My children are growing up so fast that there are days that I just want to stop and say..."Wait, wait, I don't think I'm ready for you to be a teenager yet. Didn't I just teach you how to walk? Aren't you the same little one that couldn't say "toothpaste", but said "peesh-posh" instead?"

Being a parent is the most wonderful job in the entire world, but at times it's the hardest. I realize that at 13 he's only 3 years away from driving and 5 years away from leaving for college...and that makes my heart hurt.

But the truth is they were never really mine to keep. All along God has had a plan for them...a master plan. And I am thankful that for 13 years I have been able to be a part of it. So here's to you my firstborn...my teenager...I love you more that any words can ever express. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for you next.

4 ounces...

2011-01-14T12:26:00.001-08:00

Yesterday our little one had his two year checkup at the doctor. He's been doing great overall and is very healthy except in one area...his weight. That poor boy can't gain weight to save his life. Since our last visit to the doctor (which was in August) he only gained 4 ounces...4 ounces, people. We've been stuck on 22 for quite some time.

Now, I have to tell you that I have been cooking up a storm with stuff like "real butter" and adding oil and all the fattening things to his diet I can think of...and yet still he only gains 4 ounces. The doctor glanced at his chart and said, "Well, I really was hoping that he would be a few pounds heavier since last time...he really needs 2-3 more pounds." Smiling, I held up my hand and pointed to my thighs. "Uh, I'm pretty sure I know where to find those pounds."

Well, at least I know it's not my cooking...

Look who turned 2...

2011-01-12T20:32:00.000-08:00

Today our smallest one turned 2. We had a family party (when Daddy got home) at the end of a wonderful day. The older children would sing "Happy Birthday" to him and he would just smile and clap along. Of course, coming off the heels of his Gotcha day, Christmas and now his birthday this kid's going to think we celebrate just about everything in this family with singing, clapping and cake. Sounds pretty good to me...

So here's to you our little one...Happy Birthday. We are crazy about you!

Ask the banana...

2011-01-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago the kids and I were sitting around the lunch table and my oldest son mentioned something he had read in one of his fun science magazines. Here's how the conversation went:

Son: Mom, did you know that if you ask a banana a yes or no question and then cut it in half the banana will give you an answer?

Mom: Really..I'm pretty sure they didn't teach me that in college.

Son: Here, let me show you. Ask this banana a question...

Mom: Well...(seriously couldn't believe I was going to do this)...alright. Hmmm, okay I got one. Will we have a "boat load" of snow come in a couple of days?

Son: (He looked at the banana) Yep!

Mom: Is that just wishful thinking on your part?

Son: No, seriously Mom. It says yes, see the seeds inside make the letter "Y".

Mom: (still not believing it all) Well I guess the banana doesn't lie. Now quit asking it questions and eat it.

A couple of days past by....One morning I woke my smallest girl up and she looked out the window to see this.

"Mom, mom" she cried. "The banana was right." Her eyes gleamed with delight at the sight of all that snow and I could tell I was not going to win this discussion. So I simply said..."That's right sweetie, all we need to do is ask the banana."

Did you smile today?

2011-01-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

Well, if you haven't...you should watch this video. Our son is really into the Backyardigans right now. He just loves this toy and tries to sing and dance with it. Oh, so cute...

Wishes for 2011

2011-01-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

...to be fearless

...to worry less

...to finally lose the belly my "homegrown" children gave me

...to always have room for more at my table

...to cook a feast for a family in need

...to read the bible through in one year

...to witness something that takes my breath away

...to finally run that marathon

...to go out on more dates with my husband

...to be a part of something that is destined to fail without God's help

...to go South more often

...to live each day as if it were my last

Visiting Cousins...

2010-12-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

We are traveling around visiting relatives during this holiday season. Yesterday, we stopped in and visited with my older brother and his family and the kids just loved playing together. We got them all to slow down enough to snap this quick picture. I just love it.

Today we are playing with new toys, games galore and enjoying our time together with family.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours...

2010-12-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas. May God pour out his blessings upon you throughout this upcoming year.

Waiting for Christmas...

2010-12-24T15:20:00.000-08:00

Our children here are patiently waiting for Christmas to arrive. They have been counting down for weeks.

Today our adoption agency sent us a wonderful Christmas video. It reminded us that Christmas blessings come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages.

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ tomorrow, let us not forget those children all over the world that are still waiting for "their Christmas present - their new family".

Next time go with the Crunch 'n Munch...

2010-12-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

Has anybody out there tried to make peanut brittle??? Okay, maybe I should have asked it this way...has anybody out there made the gosh-awful evil treat called peanut brittle?

Given the holidays, I thought I would give my family a wonderful treat and make a batch of peanut brittle. Now, here's where I should mention that I've never made it before...apparently there is a reason why. So for the past two days (during nap time) I have spent on the phone with my Mom and my hand stirring a pot of peanut brittle while I ask..."okay, Mom, what's wrong with this batch?" or "is it suppose to look this way?" or my favorite (whining...which I can only do really well with my Mom) "my arm hurts stirring, Mom...do people really like this stuff?"

This was her "super-secret" recipe for peanut brittle. But don't you worry...Mom. I'm not going to share it at all. Because after failing miserably at the first batch (the house smelled like burnt peanuts) and then going out the next day and buying all of the ingredients again and then making it AGAIN. I have to tell you that this recipe should say..."super -secret - EVIL - recipe of arm hurting later from all that crazy stirring peanut brittle". Sure the second batch came out okay, but only because I think the Lord knew I couldn't take making it again. In fact, I had a back up plan...

Sitting on the counter when my husband came home from work...two packages of Crunch 'n Munch...God's gift to those of us smart enough not to make peanut brittle.

Gotcha Day 2010...

2010-12-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

Today is our Gotcha day. To our family, it's a very special day. It's the day we became "this" family...a day we will never forget.

Christmas + a Toddler = Super Glue

2010-12-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I just love everything about it...however...put a room full of twinkly, shiny objects all around a toddler and you've got yourself a recipe for disaster.

Our newest little one is making his way through his actual first Christmas holiday (where he is on the move I should say...last year he couldn't even sit up) and is seeing everything "up close and personal" for the first time. Here is where I should mention that he is leaving a wake of destruction that only a mountain of super glue can put back together.

Yesterday, it was the ceramic manager scene I had just taken it out of the box when low and behold around the corner he came. With a wink and a flash, he grabbed Joseph and off popped his head falling down and taking out baby Jesus' hand. As I scooped him up within a second, down dropped Joseph's body and took out the staff on the shepherd and one of the sheep's ears. If the stable had fallen in, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been surprised. I guess I can't blame him though...as I was gluing Joseph back together I noticed that I had super glued his arm back on a few years back...that one was thanks to his older brother and his "toddler years".

Thank heavens for super glue during the holidays...I'm not sure my manager scene (or any other decorations for that matter) would make it through without it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T17:08:00.000-08:00

As we are out celebrating this holiday with our wonderful family, we wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a "Happy Thanksgiving". Eat a ton, relax a moment, and take in all the small glorious moments God gives to us.

Angels unaware...

2010-11-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

You never know why God puts people in your path. But he knows, and he always has a reason.

Near the beginning of our vacation, we were sitting in Buenos Aires airport waiting for a flight to Iguazu to see the falls when we met an American woman. In the midst of the conversation we found out that she was an ER doctor (as well as a medical missionary) who was coming back from Antarctica. She was on her way to the falls as well. She then proceeded, out of the blue, to ask me about my older brother. My older brother...are you kidding me? Now, here's where I should mention that my brother is also a medical missionary. She knew my older brother personally and his family...my family. What are the odds? So there we were sitting in an airport in Argentina laughing and talking about stories of my older brother. We invited her to accompany us on our private tour of the falls the next day. We spent the day together. Later....when I received the news of my grandmother, my husband held me tight as I cried and she prayed with me and for my family. I cannot tell you what great comfort that was. The next day she boarded her plane and walked out our lives.

God always has a reason. For that moment, he must have known that I needed that prayer. It was...angels unaware.

A day and a half of flying...

2010-11-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we made it home finally after a day and a half of flying. We left El Calafate (which is near the bottom of South America - close to Antarctica) on Wednesday at 10 in the morning and flew 3 hours to Buenos Aires. From there we transferred to the international airport and boarded an overnight 11 hour flight to Dallas. After landing in Dallas we finally got on our last flight which was only 2 hours into Des Moines. By lunchtime we were home and exhausted. I have to tell you, the trip was incredible. It will be a hard vacation to top next year. I encourage everyone to go to Argentina...you won't be disappointed.

Shining light...

2010-11-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today was our trip to see a glacier. The pictures just cannot do it justice. It was massive with all the creaking and groaning and crashing down that comes with glaciers...way cool!

On a totally different note...the people here are absolutely mesmorized with our newest son from Ethiopia. We have had TONS of people come up to us, rub his head, kiss him on the cheek and say "bonito" - which means beautiful. O.k., when I say tons I mean it. People have asked to take pictures of him, with him and have crowded around us everywhere we have gone. He has taken it in stride mostly and will strike a pose now when someone pulls out a camera. There was only one time that I had to take him out of the crowd because it was too much (and yes...I did say crowd). I'm not really sure what it is about him. Maybe it's because he's black (there are no black people in this country). Maybe it's because that adoption is highly unusual here or maybe it's because we are a multi-cultural family. Whatever the case may be, he causes a crowd wherever we go. Today as we sat on our tour bus, we noticed that the people on the tour bus next to us were waving to him. He waved back. It is a bit overwhelming to all of the attention.

But here is the amazing part, the meaning of his African name means "shining light"....maybe his birth mother could see it the minute he was born. Because truly he is a shining light and we'll tell him all about it someday.

Pictures...

2010-11-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Our vacation is coming very quickly to a close. By the end of this week we will be travelling back to the states. It has been a very difficult trip at some moments, to say the least. But then at other times...the very best memories. I missed by grandmother's funeral on Saturday. I was walking among the penquins. I laughed and cried - but for the most part I held it together. I haven't really had the heart to blog much. So I will leave you with some pictures for now from the past several days and tell the stories more later...there are lots of stories to tell.

Yesterday...

2010-10-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

In a small casa in the middle of the jungle in Argentina, the phone rang. I knew the minute the Spanish operator said in very broken English that my little brother was on the line, it was the phone call I was dreading. Through the tears I said thank you in spanish and then there was my brother's voice. No one calls South America during someone's vacation with good news. My grandmom...my favorite grandmom in the entire world...the one who has made such an impact on my life...passed away yesterday. Yesterday...yesterday we were on top of the most beautiful falls in the world. Yesterday...yesterday we climbed to the bottom and got soaked in the falls. Did you see me wave to you grandmom? Did you see the most beautiful rainbow near the point? It was the closest thing I could get to heaven, grandmom...did you see me?...yesterday.

On the road again...

2010-10-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

On the road again...I just can't wait to get on the road again...

Oh yes, we are on the move. Today we flew (domestically) about an hour and half north to Iguazu. You should have seen it. As we landed all you could see for miles and miles was a sea of green. The jungle apparently...who knew. Tomorrow we will go into the national park here and see Iguazu Falls. It's an all day tour and we will see it from the Argentina side only (the Brazillian side is quite expensive for all of us to cross over just to see a different angle). We are staying at a small cabin on the grounds of lush tropicalness (is that even a word?). Anyway, it's beautiful. Granted we all smell like bug spray (there is a high risk of malaria here...better to be protected). But we are enjoying ourselves tremendously. So from this smelly bug spray family over and out...until tomorrow...

We made it here!!!

2010-10-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the beautiful country of Argentina,

After a two hour flight to Dallas and then a 10 hour overnight flight we finally made it here to Buenos Aires. Today the weather was beautiful. We took a guided tour around the city and it was so fascinating. The city is filled with history and the architecture is much like Paris and Spain depending on which part you are in. They had an amazing cemetary (where Evita is buried) that looks a lot like some from New Orleans which are quite ornate. Our travels so far have been quite stress-free - highly unusual for our family. (For starters, unlike our trip to Ethiopia our luggage made it...so we new it was a good start) Tomorrow we are headed to Iguazu Falls (a short domestic flight North). It will be a sight to see!

South America here we come...

2010-10-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

6 little passports lined up in a row,

4 packed bags all ready to go.

4 smiling faces anxious to fly,

If we don't get our bags I know we'll get by.

Because this is our vacation and being together is the best,

No matter what happens, we'll get through the rest.

So come along with us on a journey to South America,

It's going to be so much fun (sorry...nothing rhymes with America).

Keep your eyes on the prize...

2010-10-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

October for us is a crazy busy month. We have so many things in "full swing" right now that it's a wonder we get everything done.

The older kids are competing again this year in the First Lego League Mindstorm competition. The practices are three times a week at our house. The actual competition isn't until December but they are working hard on their project now and their robot design.

Our youngest girl is doing fall soccer and loves every minute of it. She practices once a week with one to two games during the week. Along with soccer, both girls are involved in gymnastics once a week. If that's not enough, all of the kids take swimming, piano and are involved in Awanas at church once a week.

Whew...that will wear anybody out. But in the midst of all this craziness, there is one thing our entire family is looking forward to in just a couple of weeks. The golden prize so to speak...our vacation.

This year we decided to take the entire family and go to Argentina and we are beyond excited. We are going to see this... one of the greatest wonders...Iguaza Falls. We are also going to walk on this...

a real life glacier in El Calafate. And play with these...

at Valdes Peninsula. If that's not enough we will see some of the most beautiful countryside and experience life outside of our little world. The best part of all...we get to do it as a family.

So as our weeks get crazier we just keep thinking about what's coming at the end of the month and keep our eyes on the prize...

Until I was a Mom...

2010-09-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

Ever pause for a moment and think about what you just said to your kids. Here's a few things I never thought I would say...until I was a Mom.

"Take the pot of your head..."

"Now where would you like your tattoo...face or hand"

"Use the diaper to wipe your nose..."

"Get that bone out of your mouth..."

"Stop licking the doorknob..."

"Don't forget your underwear..."

"Did you use soap with the washcloth?..."

"Everyone stop what your doing and search for the measuring spoons..."

"FREEZE! DON'T MOVE..." (said very loud in a retail store...boy, did that get looks)

"Shoes off ears, please..."

"The neighbor's kid..." (the answer I gave to my kids when they asked me which child that I liked best...I laughed out loud at that one - they did not find that funny)

Lunchtime conversation...

2010-09-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

The kids and I sat down to eat our lunch today and here's how our conversation went...

My oldest girl (11 yrs): Did you know (talking to her older brother) that they have a magazine at the library on space? It's true I looked at it and it said "Mars, everything you need to know about it?" But I put it back because I didn't understand it.

My oldest boy (12 yrs): It was about Mars. How could you not understand it? It said it on the cover.

Oldest girl: I know but it had lots of technical words in it. Do you know all the words you read?

Oldest boy: Probably.

Oldest girl: There is no way that you know all the words in every magazine. They have a magazine for running and gardening and trees and traveling and cars and...

Mom (trying to put an end to this escalating conversation): O.k., we get it. We know that they have a magazine for everything.

My smallest girl (6 yrs): You mean they have a magazine for mermaids!

...thump....thump...thump...(sound of Mom's head hitting the lunch table)

Mom: I give up...

Hello my name is...

2010-09-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

...trouble

Nuff said.

Meals from the Heartland...

2010-09-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had the opportunity to do something wonderful yet again this year. Here in the Midwest there is a grassroots organization that formed called Meals from the Heartland. Their sole purpose is to help feed the hungry in other countries. It was a fantastic experience to serve others. We spent a couple of hours pouring, measuring and packing boxes and meeting new people. Even our little toddler did fantastic and didn't complain one bit.

The dog bone issue...

2010-09-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

O.k., picture this...The baby goes and sits down next to the dog. She is chewing on a bone and part of it has fallen down on the ground. The baby picks up that part and puts it in his mouth...and here's where we'll begin...

Mom: (freaking out) Get that bone out of your mouth right now!
Both the baby and the dog drop the bone.
Mom: (to the dog) No, no...it's o.k. you can chew on it.
Both pick up the bone and put it in their mouth.
Mom: (again, freaking) Ahhh, icky! Get that bone out of your mouth!
Both drop the bone. The one with the tail is getting confused.
Mom: (to the dog) It's o.k., you can chew on it. Just go chew on it somewhere else.
Both pick up the bone and put it in their mouth and race to another location...the same location.
Mom: (badly freaking out and racing to the location) Get that bone out of your mouth!
Both drop the bone. The one with the tail gives up thoroughly confused...the baby races away

Moral of the story: Never give a dog a bone with a teething toddler ANYWHERE in the remote vicinity...confusion will only follow

Lead me...

2010-09-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

The bible says that a Christian husband/father should set an example as he earns a living, directs the household with concern for each member, and as he fulfills his role as head of the household. He should see to their spiritual development to the life he lives and the direction in which he leads his family.

I heard this song on the radio this past week and it reminded me just how much rides on my husband's shoulders every single day. He provides us with a wonderful home and the financial means so that I can stay home and teach our children. He loves each and every one of us unconditionally and is engaged in every aspect of our lives. I am so thankful for him. May we never forget to pray for the men in our lives...so much rides on their shoulders.

Happy 11th Birthday My Beautiful Girl...

2010-08-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today my daughter celebrated her 11th birthday. She was such a trooper to wait until dinner tonight (when Daddy came home) to open her presents. She adored all her presents and loved her cake. Happy Birthday my beautiful girl....

This past week she wrote a poem for school that was titled "I AM". It is one of my favorite grammar assignments that the kids have to do. I just love reading what they write and I am sure after reading hers you'll be able to tell what she will be when she grows up. With her permission, this is her poem...

I AM

I am an animal lover who likes books.

I wonder what will happen in the future.

I hear the wind whispering.

I see trees like they're alive.

I want to help out people.

I am an animal lover who likes books.

I pretend to be a vet.

I feel glad when I help.

I touch silky dog fur.

I worry about lonely animals.

I cry when I see them.

I am an animal lover who likes books.

I understand that no one's perfect.

I say "let's help animals!"

I dream about pets I'll have in the future.

I try to be a good learner.

I know I will go to Heaven.

I am an animal lover who likes books.

Chorepacks...

2010-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

I recently read a book that is changing the way our house functions. It was called "Managers of Their Chores" by Steven and Teri Maxwell. I'm not one to push a book on someone, but I will tell you that if you have children...you need to read this book. The entire concept of this book is, of course, about chores which is nothing new. But it's the approach the book takes on that's intriguing.

Since we homeschool we are here in the house during the day (when we are not out and about going places), but on average we are here most all day. With that in mind, we can mess up a house something fierce and fast. At the end of most days, I found myself picking up, wiping up and cleaning up most of the messes. The kids would help when I asked them to, but I got to thinking "why was I the one doing all the work?" Thus the need for the book.

The approach of the book is to set aside or "schedule" a part of each day and assign chores for each child to do. It explains that it's easier for some children to do chores in 30 minute segments. We set up "morning chores" for 30 minutes every morning and "afternoon chores" for 30 minutes every afternoon. Their morning chores consist of 5 simple chores that are always the same (1. get dressed, 2. put PJs away, 3. make bed) and so forth. And 1 chore that rotates each day of the week (such as Mon. - bring down laundry/sort, Tues. - polish certain furniture, Wed. - vacuum bedroom) and so forth.

Afternoon chores have only two chores. One that never rotates and the second one does (just as the morning routine does). Now you might be asking me how in the world do you remember who does what. This is the really cool part. Each child "wears" what is called a chorepack during the 30 minutes of chores. They go from card to card doing whatever your card tells you to do. When you are done with that chore put it to the back of the stack and go on to the next one. It's like wearing their own personal chore list with them at all times.

Now when it's time for chores, I simply tell the kids "go get on your chorepacks" and the work begins. It has been so very helpful to me just to not have to remind the kids to do certain things and to have the extra help with other things. Granted they still are kids so you can't be too terribly picky about the job they are doing - there is a limit to what they can do. But at least I know that I am teaching them life skills 30 minutes at a time.