Twice today Ethan has said the funniest things that made Casey and I stop and laugh out loud. At breakfast this morning Josiah was humming a tune that I couldn't quite make out. Ethan said he new what it was and said, "you know, that one song." Well there is a song that we have sung in church and part of it goes Savior, he can move a mountain... Ethan thought a moment and said, "you know, that one song, Savior, peeking through the mountains." We got a good laugh and I've thought of Jesus peeking through the mountains all day today.
Yesterday for lunch I picked up some slow cooked barbecue pork from the grocery. I made it into a salad with pineapple and a barbecue/ranch dressing that the boys said was the best salad EVER. So anyway, tonight I called them in for dinner and Ethan asked what we were having. I told him we were having some chicken. He said, "Oh, is it that pork?" I said that no, it was chicken. And he said it again, "I know, but is it pork?" Couldn't help but laugh again. He is such a crack up sometimes!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Cedar Hills
Monday was the first day of Casey's spring break from school (and the only day he has off from his jobs) so we took advantage of the day off and headed out to Cedar Hills State Park. It is about 20 miles from us, just south of Dallas. We had a nice time at the park. It has 300+ overnight camping places and many day use sites as well. I think we will try to camp there sometime when we have a couple of nights open...and the weather looks cooperative. The park surrounds one side of a lake. We spent some time on the beach, but it was a little cool to play in the water. The boys put their feet in...and Josiah slipped off a "slimy" step and fell down, but that was all the water play we had. Casey and Ethan tried to skip rocks and Josiah splashed his feet around in the water.
Another section of the park has an old farm homestead dating back to the 1850's. We enjoyed walking around and seeing the old buildings and farm equipment. Ethan said that he would like to live on a farm or ranch...except for all the chores he'd have to do. The park has lots of trails, but they were all closed because of wet conditions. So, that means we will have to go back. There is one trail in particular that is for mountain biking, so Casey is excited to try that when we go back. After the park we headed into the town of Cedar Hills and did some shopping.
Another section of the park has an old farm homestead dating back to the 1850's. We enjoyed walking around and seeing the old buildings and farm equipment. Ethan said that he would like to live on a farm or ranch...except for all the chores he'd have to do. The park has lots of trails, but they were all closed because of wet conditions. So, that means we will have to go back. There is one trail in particular that is for mountain biking, so Casey is excited to try that when we go back. After the park we headed into the town of Cedar Hills and did some shopping.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Little boys growing up
I think I stayed up too late last night. It is 10:30 am and I just now finally came downstairs to get my breakfast. Days like today make me so glad my boys are just a little bit bigger. They can pour their own cereal and milk and enjoy breakfast on their own.
Last night we went to Azle, TX for a get together hosted by someone in one of Casey's choirs. It was a nice night for cooking out and fellowship. They have a zip line set up at their home. It was probably 10 ft in the air and maybe 20 yards in length. (I am spatially challenged so I could be way off on the length, but I think the height is close). Here is what I still can't believe...Ethan was the first volunteer to go on the zip line...in the dark! He's never been the bravest kid, always very cautious (I wonder where he gets it from?). I kept waiting for him to back down, but he never did. He climbed up the platform, got buckled up and jumped off. He loved it! So, of course Casey had a turn too and then Josiah said he wanted to try it too. Josiah got all set up and was at the edge of the platform and said, "I changed my mind, I don't want to go." Well, by that time he went anyway! He wasn't totally freaking out, so he was picked up and off he went. I caught him at the end and he was all smiles.
After the zip lines the kids roasted marshmallows in the fire and then went inside to play games. The "grown ups" got to have some nice fellowship around the fire. It was late when we headed home and both boys were fast asleep by the time we arrived at home.
I think they are both a little tired this morning, though they would never admit it. Ethan and Josiah went outside for awhile and a little later Ethan came in all sad. I asked him what was wrong and he said the other kids were picking on him. I asked him how and he said that he would ride by on his bike and they would just say, "hi." I said, "What are they supposed to say to you?" He said, "Well, usually they invite me to play with them and they didn't, they just said Hi." Oh, poor thing, I think someone might be a little tired today!
Last night we went to Azle, TX for a get together hosted by someone in one of Casey's choirs. It was a nice night for cooking out and fellowship. They have a zip line set up at their home. It was probably 10 ft in the air and maybe 20 yards in length. (I am spatially challenged so I could be way off on the length, but I think the height is close). Here is what I still can't believe...Ethan was the first volunteer to go on the zip line...in the dark! He's never been the bravest kid, always very cautious (I wonder where he gets it from?). I kept waiting for him to back down, but he never did. He climbed up the platform, got buckled up and jumped off. He loved it! So, of course Casey had a turn too and then Josiah said he wanted to try it too. Josiah got all set up and was at the edge of the platform and said, "I changed my mind, I don't want to go." Well, by that time he went anyway! He wasn't totally freaking out, so he was picked up and off he went. I caught him at the end and he was all smiles.
After the zip lines the kids roasted marshmallows in the fire and then went inside to play games. The "grown ups" got to have some nice fellowship around the fire. It was late when we headed home and both boys were fast asleep by the time we arrived at home.
I think they are both a little tired this morning, though they would never admit it. Ethan and Josiah went outside for awhile and a little later Ethan came in all sad. I asked him what was wrong and he said the other kids were picking on him. I asked him how and he said that he would ride by on his bike and they would just say, "hi." I said, "What are they supposed to say to you?" He said, "Well, usually they invite me to play with them and they didn't, they just said Hi." Oh, poor thing, I think someone might be a little tired today!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Ethan's Birthday
Saturday we celebrated Ethan's 8th birthday. I can hardly believe that he is that old already! We had a fun day celebrating. After breakfast we got ready and headed out to a place called the Main Event. They have bowling, arcade, laser tag, etc. We had hoped to do laser tag, but Josiah was not quite at the height requirement. We did bowl a game and then spent some time at the arcade. We let Ethan choose lunch and he chose McDonalds.... Really? What a surprise!
After lunch we headed home to get ready for the barbecue. We didn't tell Ethan until that afternoon, but we invited some friends and neighbors to join us for a cook out. We grilled some chicken, sausage and hot dogs and had a great time. Funny, that all of the kids were girls, other than our two boys. What happened to all the little boys around here? Well, the boys that Ethan and Josiah played with the most have all moved away off campus! Sad.... The boys didn't seem to mind all the girls, they all get along well.
This year I asked Ethan if it would be okay if we just bought a cake and he was agreeable. However, when I checked the prices (the day before) I thought, no way! The cake he picked out was over $20! So, being the frugal person I am I decided it would be better to make the time and bake him a cake myself. He was set on a transformer cake, so we had a compromise. He could pick out his cake and frosting AND a small transformer to put on his cake as the decoration. (All for less than $20)! After looking at all the toys, he decided on a new lego power miner set instead. So, I did my best to make him a "lego" type cake. Note, I am NO cake decorator! He loved it though, so that is all that matters! In case you can't tell, there are two lego bricks (1 with sprinkles and the other with the candles) and a "grassy hill" for the guys to hide behind.
After lunch we headed home to get ready for the barbecue. We didn't tell Ethan until that afternoon, but we invited some friends and neighbors to join us for a cook out. We grilled some chicken, sausage and hot dogs and had a great time. Funny, that all of the kids were girls, other than our two boys. What happened to all the little boys around here? Well, the boys that Ethan and Josiah played with the most have all moved away off campus! Sad.... The boys didn't seem to mind all the girls, they all get along well.
This year I asked Ethan if it would be okay if we just bought a cake and he was agreeable. However, when I checked the prices (the day before) I thought, no way! The cake he picked out was over $20! So, being the frugal person I am I decided it would be better to make the time and bake him a cake myself. He was set on a transformer cake, so we had a compromise. He could pick out his cake and frosting AND a small transformer to put on his cake as the decoration. (All for less than $20)! After looking at all the toys, he decided on a new lego power miner set instead. So, I did my best to make him a "lego" type cake. Note, I am NO cake decorator! He loved it though, so that is all that matters! In case you can't tell, there are two lego bricks (1 with sprinkles and the other with the candles) and a "grassy hill" for the guys to hide behind.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Spring is here...hopefully to stay!
This week has been incredibly wonderful and sunny! Yay sun! Today is a wonderful 67 degrees with just the slightest breeze. Wonderful! I'm not sure how much more of the gray of February I could take. It always seems to be the dreariest month, regardless of where we're living.
March is a big month for us. Ethan, our first born, will be 8 on Saturday. Yes, 8 years old! How that has happened I'm not too sure. In a couple of weeks Casey will be out of school for Spring break and then at the end of the month we will celebrate his birthday.
That's about all I've got for now. Unless you'd like to hear more about the new vegetables we've been trying lately. You do? Okay, we also tried some parsnips this past week and butternut squash. All I can say about parsnips is, "yuck!" Not a big fan of those. I did like the butternut squash the first night, but couldn't bring myself to eat the leftovers. So, I'm now back to green beans, salad, broccoli, etc. I'm going to take a little break from new veggies for a couple of weeks.
Oh, and I am on week 6 of no sugar! That's right, zip, nada, zilch on the sugar (and refined flours).
March is a big month for us. Ethan, our first born, will be 8 on Saturday. Yes, 8 years old! How that has happened I'm not too sure. In a couple of weeks Casey will be out of school for Spring break and then at the end of the month we will celebrate his birthday.
That's about all I've got for now. Unless you'd like to hear more about the new vegetables we've been trying lately. You do? Okay, we also tried some parsnips this past week and butternut squash. All I can say about parsnips is, "yuck!" Not a big fan of those. I did like the butternut squash the first night, but couldn't bring myself to eat the leftovers. So, I'm now back to green beans, salad, broccoli, etc. I'm going to take a little break from new veggies for a couple of weeks.
Oh, and I am on week 6 of no sugar! That's right, zip, nada, zilch on the sugar (and refined flours).
Monday, February 22, 2010
Weekend recap
Our weekends always seem so full, but in the good kind of way. I don't mind too much since the weekdays all tend to look the same. Casey had a bit of the crud all last week and grew progressively worse by the weekend. He came home Thursday night with a fever and then spent Friday and Saturday in bed. This morning he went to the doctor and was given some antibiotics for bronchitis. So, he is home today again and hopefully will get back to school and work Tuesday. The rest of us are fine and healthy, thank you Lord!
The boys had a basketball game Saturday morning. It has been so much fun. Two boys were out sick this week, which meant extra play time for the others. Josiah was so tired by the end. His team mates passed him the ball several times and he dribbled the best he could. I, of course, did not have my camera that day! Both boys have come so far and learned so much. Next Saturday is their last game. We will be sad when it's over.
Saturday afternoon we had a nice visit with one of my girls from our youth ministry days about 10 years ago! She was down visiting some family in OK and looking at some land near here. It was so good to see her!
Sunday was great! We had some missionaries from the North Africa region visiting and sharing about their region. It was so good. I think the Lord is stirring hearts for missions in our church and that is so exciting to see. On Sunday nights the boys do RA's and Mission Friends for 45 minutes and then both have choir practice for another 45 minutes. They both are really enjoying both those classes. During that time I am in a ladies bible study called, "Me, Myself & Lies," by Jennifer Rothschild. It has been a great study so far. It is such a blessing for ladies to be able to share honestly and openly with one another about struggles and to encourage one another in our walk with God.
The boys had a basketball game Saturday morning. It has been so much fun. Two boys were out sick this week, which meant extra play time for the others. Josiah was so tired by the end. His team mates passed him the ball several times and he dribbled the best he could. I, of course, did not have my camera that day! Both boys have come so far and learned so much. Next Saturday is their last game. We will be sad when it's over.
Saturday afternoon we had a nice visit with one of my girls from our youth ministry days about 10 years ago! She was down visiting some family in OK and looking at some land near here. It was so good to see her!
Sunday was great! We had some missionaries from the North Africa region visiting and sharing about their region. It was so good. I think the Lord is stirring hearts for missions in our church and that is so exciting to see. On Sunday nights the boys do RA's and Mission Friends for 45 minutes and then both have choir practice for another 45 minutes. They both are really enjoying both those classes. During that time I am in a ladies bible study called, "Me, Myself & Lies," by Jennifer Rothschild. It has been a great study so far. It is such a blessing for ladies to be able to share honestly and openly with one another about struggles and to encourage one another in our walk with God.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
New recipes: part 2
Hmmm...maybe there is a reason we only eat 5 vegetables of over 200? After trying a few new recipes using some new veggies the result is mixed. The first new vegetable was bok choy. I stir-fried it with garlic and scallions and served it with salmon and rice. Casey and I both liked it, at least enough to eat it, but not enough to make it a "staple" in our family. Ethan was totally grossed out by it and Josiah said he liked it, but wouldn't eat more than 1 bite. The next new veggie was turnips. I found a few recipes for mashed turnips that had good reviews so I thought I'd try them that way. At first I really liked the mashed turnips, but eating a 1/2 cup serving was almost more than I could handle. Have you ever had foods like that? Where the first few bites are good, but then something happens it no longer tastes good after a few more? The boys each had a bite and turned up their noses. So, our first few new veggies didn't go over well. I do think I will try the turnip again cooked a different way and maybe with some other veggies. I am glad though that, for the most part, my boys like the normal veggies that we do eat, like salads, broccoli, green beans, carrots, etc. I can't complain since I know some kids (and adults) have never met a veggie that they've liked!
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