365 Project | Week 30

Whoosh! What a week! :) We've been filling our days with fun activities--indoors and out--as summer vacation draws to a close.

Day 204. Peter particularly enjoys the fun faces I often make with their food for lunch, and since his request for a photo was the first and only time I remembered to bring my camera out, his Sunday evening snack steals the show for the day. :)

Day 205. Hannah and Peter put their KNex coaster together all by themselves! :) I was so proud of them, and they were pretty pleased with themselves, too! Later in the week they took it apart and Hannah built the second version for this kit, and they have since taken it apart again and now Peter is building this version again.

Day 206. Tuesday's fun trip to a huge, really cool playground ended somewhat abruptly. Mommy got stung--twice--by a yellow jacket. OUCH. Made the drive home rather interesting, but thankfully it was my left hand and leg that were suffering, rather than my right ones. Ouch. :(

Day 207. Matthew loves "twains," with "Homas da Twain" being a particular favorite. ;) While the big kids have been building coasters with KNex, Matthew's been playing with Lego trains. He sometimes puts the tracks together on his own, but most of the time, Mommy designs the track and he runs the trains.

Day 208. We enjoyed a hot, but very fun trip to the zoo with our friends on Thursday! Everybody was glad for the sprinkler tents set up throughout. On an interesting side note, Peter thought it would be cool if we could all sleep on one leg standing up like flamingos do. ;)

I enjoyed watching Hannah-bug spin on this thing--if I tried, I would fall off after just a couple loops around, but she went around a couple dozen times and wasn't even dizzy when she got off!

Matthew was inspired by the zoo animals and spent most of the afternoon playing in his own cage. ;)

Day 209. While Daddy enjoyed fellowshipping at his work picnic, Hannah, Peter, and Matthew enjoyed exercising their swimming skills in the pool! :) Hannah's jumping and swimming in the deep end ...

Peter's jumping and swimming with just arm floaties ...

And Matthew is proudly making his way around in his swim-tube. "I swhim! I swhim! Hiss way, Mommy, hiss way!"

Day 210. Mommy finally got to contribute to our bathroom project--paint went on the walls this Saturday! :) Woo-hoo! The end is in sight! :) Very much looking forward to having a bathroom upstairs again. ;)

I must say it's hard to believe that August begins this week. It's been a fun summer. :) I have so enjoyed the freedom of being able to enjoy it with the kids. :)



365 Project | Week 29

We were blessed to enjoy a fun week this last week ... no outside obligations other than Guppie lessons and plenty of fun, memory-making activities. Still hoping to be able to enjoy a bit more Daddy-time in the evenings, but that will come eventually. :)

Day 197. Our quiet little creek gets a bit overwraught when we exceed 1.5 inches of rain in less than an hour. While much of the world is experiencing drought, our creek overflowed (or nearly) twice this week--both Sunday and Friday. (I'm cheating and sharing a picture I took on Friday--the pictures I took on Sunday were from our front steps, which really doesn't capture the full scope of it.)

Day 198. Please let me introduce you to "I Hope You Stay In Our Yard, Toady." Yes, I kid you not. That is his full and complete name. Peter was rather discouraged when Mommy informed him that we are not prepared to adopt a toad, so we took lots of pictures and got some cute video of Matthew hopping around behind him. On the pet front, however, we have adopted a second snail, Goliath. And we had opportunity to adopt a box turtle, Henry, this week as well. We'll probably do a bit of research and try to be prepared to adopt Henry if he comes back to visit.

Day 199. Mommy wanted to get out, so we visited George the Train. And since most sensible mommies keep their children inside when it's 90+ degrees outside, we were privileged to enjoy riding him all by ourselves. :) Matthew was funny--he sat straight up with his hands folded and the most serious expression for nearly the whole ride. Then I finally asked him, "Matthew, what are we riding?" and his whole face lit up with the biggest smile as he said "Twain!" And what does a train say? "Honk! Honk!" Yes, I'd have to agree that the train's whistle sounded like a duck, but I still had to laugh at the unexpected answer! :) We all enjoyed our outing. :)

Day 200. Between high-temperatures and frequent thunderstoms,  indoor play has been the best option most days, and the kids have enjoyed making a variety of creations with their fuse beads.

Day 201. "Libwary Day? Libwary Day too-day?" Matthew loves going to the library, and it's one of his first questions most mornings when I'm getting him dressed. He gets very excited when Mommy can cheerfully agree, "Yes, today is Library Day!" :) Not "mawrow" or "yastaday" but "too-day." :)

Day 202. Mommy's salon opened Friday evening for three haircuts and one trim. Salon evenings are special at our house, because it means about an hour or so of Thomas the Train videos ... fun for the kids and very helpful at keeping little heads still and not turning towards the scissors. :)

Day 203. After Daddy's busy day of sanding in the bathroom, we enjoyed going to the pool as a family after dinner. Hannah and Peter are enrolled in Guppies--pre-swimteam classes designed to prepare kids in the area for a swim team next year. Peter's in Level 1 and Hannah's in Level 3. It's been really exciting to see them progressing, and we've been able to start getting to know some of the other families at the pool.

And such was our week. Lots of opportunities to learn and grow and just enjoy being together as a family. Thankful for the blessings God has given us!

Cool kitchen fun with my munchkins!

What do you think of our Penguin Pops? :)

I LOVE it when ideas work!

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Hannah's been choosing our Friday evening meals. (Pretty much) anything she'd like from my Simple and Delicious or Taste of Home magazines--including both main meal and dessert. For dessert this week she chose these cute little critters:

Cute, but they require circus peanut candies, Nutter Butter cookies, and green candy melts. As a general rule, we try to avoid significant amounts of food coloring, and I don't overly care for either circus peanut candies or Nutter Butters. So we compromised with Mommy's idea for Penguin Pops, which could be made entirely with ingredients I already had on hand (minus the Oreos, which I'm never loof to purchase.)

We had a lot of fun, and the project is just right for the 5-7 age range (plus or minus a few years). :) Two year olds can "help" Mommy. ;)

Step 1 Ingredients:

• Cool Mint Oreos (any round sandwich cookie would work ... I just happen to be very fond of Cool Mint Oreos.) ;)
• Vanilla almond bark (approximately 1/2 block per cookie pop)
• Lollipop sticks

1. Melt the almond bark in a large mug. (Microwave for 30 seconds, stir; repeat until smooth.)
2. Twist apart the cookie. Dip the lollipop stick in almond bark, place on cookie half, and replace cookie top. Refrigerate for about ten minutes until set.

 3. Dip cookie pops in white chocolate.

4. Place cookie pops in foam blocks and refrigerate for about an hour until firm.

Couple notes about the foam blocks:

• Punch the holes BEFORE you're trying to stick a just-dipped cookie pop into the block. It just works better that way.
• Cookie pops are top-heavy. Foam is not heavy. Secure foam prior to carrying top-heavy cookie pops to fridge. (Not that I speak from experience or anything ... eh-hem...)

Step 2 Ingredients:

• Sweet helpers! :)
• Cookie pops from step 1
• Butterscotch chips
• Chocolate chips
• Chocolate almond bark, melted (approximately 1/3 block per cookie pop)
• Small amount of remaining vanilla almond bark, remelted

5. Dip chocolate and butterscotch chips in vanilla almond bark and arrange on cookie pops to form the penguin's eyes and nose.

6. Dip the sides and back of cookie pop into chocolate almond bark to create the penguins wings. Matthew "helped" Mommy with this part ... ;)

7. Enjoy your cute creations (and your cute helpers!)

365 Project | Week 28

Whew! It was an "out of the frying pan and into the fire" kind of week. Vacation recovery + no upstairs bathroom + VBS + huge work project for Daddy = Very Crazy Week. :) But, some weeks are like that. ;)

Day 190. I realized how very thankful I am for our church family after having been gone for a few weeks. It was so good to be welcomed back and realize we had been missed. And I am so thankful for our Pastor's solid preaching! What a blessing! :)

Day 191. Just before we drove her to the airport, Grandma treated us to lunch at her favorite "only in SC" restaurant. :) We love you, Grandma! :) Thanks for driving down with us.

Day 192. As I mentioned, it was VBS week ... the kids had a blast! :) And it was really exciting to see the Lord answer very specific prayers throughout the week. :)

Day 193. We do not have a DVD player in our van, but we do take full-advantage of our CD player. I stocked up on a fresh bunch of audio-books before vacation. In particular, we all enjoyed listening to three books about Clementine--a precocious 3rd grader with a big heart and a penchant for trouble. I was tickled on Wednesday when my kids decided to make their bedroom "look like a magazine picture" during their rest time. They did a pretty good job, too, with their very neat bookshelf being the crowning glory! Thanks, Clementine! :)

Day 194. Hannah thoroughly enjoyed spending the afternoon with Eliza, her BFF from school! :)

Day 195. Cow Appreciation Day! :) It's the first time we did it without Daddy, but since he didn't get home till after midnight, I guess it's a good thing we didn't try to wait for him. ;)

My baby albino cow wasn't too keen on spots, but he did enjoy his ice cream. :)

Day 196. My hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed ending the week with a date night! :) It was nice to catch up again after being ships in the night for a couple weeks running.

And since I don't think things could get much busier, I'm hoping for a somewhat quieter week ... time to get some serious planning done for the upcoming school year.

365 Project | Week 27

While Daddy was working hard, we enjoyed another week with grandparents! :)

Day 183. We were all enjoying the evening sunset from Grandma and Grandpa's new deck, and we actually remembered to take a picture of the grandkids with them--woo-hoo! That doesn't happen very often! :)

Day 184. We enjoyed spending some time with Aunt Barbi and cousins Sam and Bryce!

It was a very busy work week for Grandpa, but he still made time to take Peter with him for a ride in the truck. Peter's favorite part? "Talking with Grandpa! I had to talk very fast though in order to say everything I wanted to say inbetween phone calls!"  Yep. Peter's my talker. :)

Unfortunately, however, Peter managed to end this day on a MUCH less pleasant note, as he decided to play hide-and-seek without letting Mommy know about it. We called and searched for 20+ minutes and were starting to seriously consider calling the police when Grandpa finally found him hiding under the deck. :(  Anyways. Hopefully the lessons learned will not be soon (ever!) forgotten. What a mixture of utter relief and frustration when we finally found him!!!

Day 185. Grandma's special treat for Hannah was joining in a girls' day out, complete with manicures and pedicures for all. :)

Happy toes! :) Complete with sparkly fireworks. :)

Day 186. Happy Fourth of July! Grandma helped us make cute fireworks shirts! :) (So simple ... fold six pipe cleaners in half, then spread them out to make a star shape. Dip in red, white, and blue fabric paint and waa-laa!)

We enjoyed a fun church picnic, and Mommy and Grandma had to laugh when Hannah used two squirt guns to fend off the boys! :)

Day 187. We were so glad to be able to visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Alan made our visit even more special by letting the kids drive his antique Johnny-Poppers! What a special treat for my John Deere loving crew! (Mommy even got to drive one with Matthew!)

Day 188. And then it was time to head back home. Mommy was thankful that Grandma was able to join us for the trip back to SC. By the end of the second day, Matthew was just plain tired of being in his car seat, and it would have been rather tough for Mommy to drive from the backseat. :)

Day 189. Home again! With significant progress made on our bathroom project! :) For those who are wondering, the bare-bones synopsis is that we pulled down all of the green tile, pulled out the tub, replaced the tub with a shower and added a door between the bathroom and the master bedroom. We also replaced the flooring and added a linen closet where the master closet used to be. Mudding and painting is about all that's left. The master closet will have a new home post bathroom renovations.

And then ... we raced headlong into week 28! :)

365 Project | Week 26

We thoroughly enjoyed our week with Grandma and Grandpa! :) In fact, we had so much fun, that I'm breaking my "rule" and including a bonus picture for many days. :)

Day 176. Most visits to Michigan include at least one round of some new game with Bryan and Janie. The games are definitely fewer in number these days though than they were, oh, about five or so years ago. ;)

Day 177. Grandpa had a big project which kept the men occupied most of Monday, so we enjoyed a girls' day complete with shopping, baking, and a movie. :)

My favorite "Grandma quote" from all of vacation: "Peter, I think it's stirred enough--if you get any more flour on your shirt, I'm going to have to bake you!" :) (Said with a smile and without the slightest hint of exasperation ... hmmm, Mommy needs lessons in that occasionally!)

Day 178. We enjoyed a fun family picnic at Uncle Pat and Aunt Judy's. Not only did they graciously capture a family photo for us, but Matthew thoroughly enjoyed exploring. :)

Day 179. Grandparent day! :) Grandma braved the park with the kiddoes on her own while Mommy and Daddy did some planning for the following week.

Grandpa and Peter enjoyed building Lego's together.

Day 180. Building definitely runs in the family. :) Uncle Bryan and the kids had fun putting together their birthday gift of a working roller coaster. :)

Cousins! :) We were SO glad to finally get to meet Kathryn! She is a CUTIE!

Day 181. And then our paths diverged. Chris' folks travelled back to our place with him in order to lend assistance in the bathroom remodel, while I headed to NY with the kids to spend a week with my parents (and thus help with the bathroom remodel by staying out of the way.) ;)

My Dad has cousins who live in Canada, so we took a detour and spent the evening with them at their "cottage farm." Directions are not a strong point for me, and as we do not have a GPS, navigating the unfamiliar roads with just my maps was quite the adventure (and a leetle bit nerve racking). :) We made it safely though, and I was so glad I didn't chicken out! Doug and Hilke's farm was beautiful--much like a private camp, complete with lots of tractors-real ones and toy ones, hiking trails, a "hay" ride, and a campfire. The kids had so much fun, and we enjoyed great fellowship. I also enjoyed learning more about our family's German heritage from Hilke.

Me and my crew!  

 Our "hay" ride :)

Day 182. The second half of Mommy's solo trip with the kids was kinda crazy. Did you know that Canada day in July 1? And on June 30 pretty much everyone in Canada decides to hit the QEW in order to get to wherever they want to be to spend their holiday? Yep. Traffic was nuts. And on top of that, as I was traveling in very heavy traffic, I was reading signs informing me that the border crossing my maps took me through had delays of 2-3 hours. Not good. So I called my personal GPS (i.e. my hubby) and he helped me figure out what it would take to get to the one border crossing without a crazy long wait. Praise the Lord, we made it, and the kids were phenomenal travelers! (I took this picture while we were parked on the bridge.) :)

Next stop, Grandma and Grandpa's! (Hmmm, that sounds a bit familiar ...) ;)