Bumpersticker of the Day

CRITICAL THINKING
THE OTHER NATIONAL DEFICIT

Happy Sadness

Most people are overjoyed when their children start eating solid food. Don't get me wrong, the idea of being able to leave for more than 2 hours at a time has its benefits, but it is also a little bit sad. This means she is growing up, she is not longer the baby who entered this world just 6 short months ago. I know it sounds odd, but up to this point it has been ONLY MY BODY that has nourished her from a tiny little egg to his 20+ lbs pile of giggles and rolls. How amazing is that?

But this little girl continues to be completely opposite of her brother and has taken to food with a passion. She loves it all, sippy cups, teething biscuits, applesauce, chicken and whatever else we give her too...

Teething biscuit... sorry for the basketballs little girl!


Love.

Um, dad... what is this stuff?

Okay, I guess it was good.

Meet Evangeline

Meet Evangeline. Evangeline sits next to me in choir. Evangeline is my choir buddy. Evangeline had a birthday. Evangeline loves birthdays. Evangeline also loves pineapple. So, here is the present I got Evangeline for her 16th Birthday. The End. :)

IMHO: Hide 'em In Your Heart

If you have small children and don't have these CD's you need to go out and buy them! (Or at least go to Amazon.) We have all 3 of the CDs and love each of them!

What I like about them is that each song is simply a bible verse put to music, nothing more, nothing less. I grew up listening to them and I can still sing "without complaining, without arguing... do, do everything!" (Now it is just a matter of putting it into practice :-P). Ben remembers everything and he is absorbing so much... so it is just one little way I can put "good stuff" in without much effort... and it is good for my soul too!

Naomi: 6 Months

Everything seems to fly by faster with the second one! Naomi is already 6 months old! At her 6 month appointment she weighed in at a whopping 19lb 13oz. Despite being so much bigger than Ben she is keeping us if not doing better than his when it comes to crawling. She has been moving backward for a few weeks but now is going forward and can get almost everything she wants (for which I am thankful, I find the "i-want-it-but-don't-know-how-to-get-it-because-I-can't-move-yet" stage rather frustrating.)

This little girl continues to delight us with all her smiles and he also loves to eat! She will try just about anything... although she is not a fan of apple sauce and sweet potatoes (aren't those like the two baby staples?)

Bumpersticker of the Day

WICKED GOOD
BUMPAH STICKAH

Friends

Yesterday my wonderful friend Adele came over... brought us lunch... AND brought me dinner... complete with oatmeal cookies... she is awesome. Naomi also got a friend to play with for a while... Silas is 4 months older, about 4 lbs lighter and moves about 4x as fast. I think they will become fast friends... look... they are already sharing Mr. Potato Head! :-P

My Street

I love my street... especially in the fall. :)

Boy with Stick

An entire hour... just a stick and leaves.

Why do we spend money on toys again???? :)

One More Camping Picture...

Oh Dear

Eating breakfast...

B: Mommy, you have a ring... JUST LIKE FRODO!!!

- Andrew is ENTIRELY to blame for this one. Augh, he isn't even three yet!

And He Keeps Talking...

After 5 minutes on his Sit n' Spin

B: Mommy, I am getting sooooo busy!!

---

L: Ok Ben, time to get up! We are going to have a good day today! We are going to go to Grandma's house, mommy has a doctor's appointment so you and Naomi are going to stay and Grandma's house and play!

B: (whining) I just want to stay home and have a baaadd day!

what on earth do you say to that?

---
The the two latest things have been TIME & "JUST LIKE"

TIME
B: This morning I want to go to the park tomorrow.

or

B: Mommy, let's go to the library next week.

or

B: Naomi just work up last night in the morning.

or

B: We are going to play with 'Kenna when I wake up from my nap tomorrow. (meaning today)

----

"JUST LIKE"
L: Ben, look at the grape skin.

B: Mommy, grapes have skin just like tomatoes & me!

or

B: Mommy, what do babies breathe?

L: Air

B: OH! Just like you and me and daddy and elephants and Bob and Larry and cheese!

Graduation Day

Ok, so it isn't college, or even preschool... but our children graduated to the next car seat! Well, Naomi surpassed the 22lb weight limit on the infant carrier and therefore kicked Ben out of his seat (he could have gone another 9 lbs. :). Fun fun!

The FIRST Camping Trip

Well, as I wrote in my last post, I am a recovering camper. Andrew has been wanting to camp for a few years now, and some of our best friends are big campers (they moved away, so the pressure isn't as intense :). I finally gave in and Andrew bought a tent, stove and lantern... but I figured I would have until spring to get used to the idea, who camps in October anyway??? Well, we do. :) Andrew decided last WEDNESDAY, that we were going to go camping on FRIDAY. So after rearranging our scheduled a few hundred times we made it work. My brother and his wife came with us and we really enjoyed having them!

We went to a campsite that was not too far from home (by that I mean 15 minutes or less). We got their on Friday afternoon and left Sunday morning. Neither child slept very well, but other than that we had a great time. We played in the lake, had camp fires, roasted marshmallows, played Uno and Go Fish and Ben spent 2 hours with a stick and some acorns... :)

Making Sand/Mud Pies

Gettin' Dirty

Naomi checking out the water

Splashing

Splashing is awesome!!

Ben may have done a face plant in the water...

Naomi enjoying the beach/shoe

Breakfast at camp

Auntie Mers is the best! Her lucky charms beat mom's oatmeal any day!

Going for a walk

Uncle Ryan is so cool! And so tall!!

I can see everything!

"So much being carried, I am pooped!"

Free entertainment

Washing dishes

And This is Why I Sell Books...

Bumpersticker of the Day

A GOVERNMENT THAT IS POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT
IS POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO TAKE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE
- THOMAS JEFFERSON

Apples, Apples and More Apples!

Well, it is that season! Our life has been filled with apples, applesauce, apple pie filling, german apple pancakes, apple slices, apple cider and so much more... :)

Last week my mother-in-law, Sarah, and I went out to Hickory Nut Gap Farm (a local farm here) and bought 4 bushels of apples. While Sarah filled boxes with apples, the owner took Ben (and her two little grandchildren) on a little tour of the farm. We saw horses, piglets, calves and got to stand in the chicken coop while hundreds of "teenage" chicks ran around our ankles! Ben had a blast! Here are a few pictures of Annie (the farmer) and her two grand kids teaching Ben how to swing on a rope!

Checking for eggs in the hay!

Getting ready!

Showing Ben how it's done!

Sarah and I spent two whole days last week making applesauce and apple pie filling (which I use for apple crisp mostly). We got about 10 quarts each of applesauce and 6 quarts of pie filling.

And we have been eating lots and lots of apples! Here is a recipe that I found (and modified :-P) for an apple coffeecake that was very yummy!

APPLE COFFEE CAKE

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 cup applesauce
  
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 4 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 5 tablespoons white sugar
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10 inch bunt pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat together sugar, applesauce, eggs. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture, alternately with orange juice, until smooth. In a small bowl, combine 5 tablespoons white sugar, 5 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
3. Pour 1/2 of batter into prepared pan. Add 2/3 of the apples then 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat laying with remaining ingredients.
4. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 60 to 80 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes, invert on a plate and serve.

I added the glaze of powdered sugar, cinnamon & vanilla. :)

A Recovering Camper

I am a recovering camper.

I know it sounds silly but we camped a lot when I was younger, and when I was 12 we moved into a 36' travel trailer waiting for our house to be finished... well... FOUR YEARS LATER we moved out. That's right, my parents, 4 brothers and I lived there for 4 years... we all slept in sleeping bags in the floor. So, you can see why I may not be totally keen on the idea of camping...

Well, since my husband works for a company that SELLS camping gear, and we have kids (so camping is a MUCH cheaper option for vacationing) he is been pushing harder than ever, so this past week we bought a tent, sleeping bags and a stove. As long as I can take a shower every morning, I think I will live. :)

So here is to many years of fun memories for our kids of the great out doors, camping, hiking, campfires, marshmallows, bug spray, sleeping bags and so much more...

5 Months Old

I really can't believe this little girl is 5 months old already! She is such a joy in our lives and we can't imagine life without her. :) From our best estimates she is about 22 lbs, and is wearing 12 month clothes. She babbles all the time, sleep well at night, but doesn't sleep more than 30 minutes at a time during the day. (My mother-in-law said Andrew was just like that... so I blame him.) She is sitting like a champ, and, as you can see in the last picture, is getting ready to crawl! She goes from sitting to her tummy and she gets up on her hands and knees and rocks and then screams because she can't figure out how to go anywhere. She rolls all over and likes to sleep on her tummy,like her mother. :)

She likes the grass far more than Ben ever did/does. :)
Ben would pick up his feet and/or wail to be picked up.

More bows!

Yummy, yet poky, leaf!

So good!

"Watch me zoom, mama!"

A Bow for her Hair

I never thought I would be the bow type... but after the 30th person said, "Oh what a cute little boy!" I decided we needed some... and providentially one of the booths I was doing was set up next to a bow rack. So, I got 8 different colors and since getting bows, I haven't had any comments about my "Cute Little Man." Wohoo!




Funny enough, the boy cost more than the outfit. :-P $2 for the bow, and $150 for the shirt and skirt! YAY for deals!