Cervantes Family-Much More than We Deserve

So blessed!!!

2011-10-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's funny how as a believer, I feel more blessed going through a trial than I did before the trials! I think I appreciate the little things more and I have just felt so loved by people. Many people have written notes to tell us they are thinking and praying. Some brought meals. Others big hugs. It's amazing how loved and blessed I have felt.

A few praises.

* My dad's growth in his pancreas turned out to not be cancerous and it is very slow growing. It is still a very dangerous tumor and needs to be dealt with so we continue to pray that it is operable. The operation is very major and has a long difficult recovery...so we are praying for that also....and salvation.

*Mom's scan after her radio-iodine treatment looks really good, with one small area to keep their eye on.

*My recovery was much quicker and easier than I thought...God was so merciful! And baby took a bottle with no problem at all, even though she had never had one before. Daddy did such a great job taking care of her and I that day.

*Husband had an MRI done for some bad dizziness etc that has been going on for months and nothing more than a bad sinus infection showed up. What a praise. He still needs to do the heart test done in the next 2 weeks.

*Husband loves his new job, we have a great church and a wonderful network of friends. We are so blessed and so thankful for God's continual mercies, which are new every day! Praying we never take this for granted and always have a thankful heart.

For those of you who have encouraged and loved us through sweet notes and prayer....thank you from the bottom of our hearts! xoxoxo

His People

2011-10-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Funny how my blog has completely changed in the last year. I am really hoping and praying that I can go back to posting recipes and fun tips that I learn. I really want to go back to lighter-hearted days. But, that is not what God has for me right now.

I don't think God wants me to be comfortable. As soon as I take comfort in one step or something being behind me, something new seems to pop up. I am thankful that my surgery went well and I recovered quickly. I am thankful that the furniture is all put back in my house (although we still have repairs to do). I was thankful that my mom finished radiation and completed her body scan (the last step), and that my dad felt good about his surgical team at UCLA.

Today, my mom wrote and told me that she got a call from the radiologist saying she needs to come down for another scan (we don't know why). My dad wrote and told me that he has been researching the type of surgery he is supposed to have and since it is such a big deal, he is not sure he wants to have it. My husband (who still has to go get his heart tested) has also been feeling dizzy all summer. He had a follow-up appt with the ENT Dr today, who now wants to do an MRI on Thursday, with a follow-up on Monday. Then, my husband starts asking me about his life insurance policy (just casually). Um.....really? I was doing ok with his scan until that.

I am definitely learning that I CANNOT think about everything or even pray about everything ALL AT ONCE. It is WAY to much for my heart to handle. I am pretty much learning that I can only live ONE DAY AT A TIME. This is really big for me. I am a worrier and end up worrying about many things that never even happen. Although...I must say....a lot has happened this year that I wan't worrying about. Anyway...I physically and emotionally can't even go there right now. It is just WAY too much for me. So, along with the lessons I listed last week or so, living one day at a time is another one.

You might be wondering why I titled this post the way I did. Well, it is because of another blessing I have felt through all of this. I know that God wants to care for me and comfort me. What I have lived through this is that a major way He does that is through His people. so many people have come out of the woodwork and sent me the sweetest, most caring and encouraging notes. People have faithfully prayed. People have brought meals, even when I have wanted to refuse them. I feel God's love for me, through His church. I am so thankful for that. I continue to press on, trusting Him and waiting for Him to teach me all He has for me. I am praying for mercy and relief from suffering, but I know that He will be with me, whatever the road may bring!

Anxiousness

2011-09-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

I am trying to combat the anxiousness I am feeling as I wait for my dad's results. Here are a few verses on my heart (emphasis mine):

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,

my salvation and my God."

Psalm 42:11

" The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know your name put their trust in You,

for you, O Lord, have not foresaken those who seek You."

Psalm 9:9-10

"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27: 13-14

"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

Psalm 34:17-19

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you;

He will never permit the righteous to be moved."

Psalm 55:22

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Romans 8:18

Praises

2011-09-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

I feel like I dedicated this huge post to trials so I need to write a post to mention some praises from the last couple of days. CHOOSING to focus on things to be thankful for!

1. My mom (who was in isolation, receiving radioactive iodine for cancer), was released yesterday ( 2 days early) because her toxic levels dropped so quickly. She is so happy to be in her own home!!!

2. My husband, who works SOOO hard, was promoted to Engineer at work (LA County Fire Dept) yesterday

3. Amidst the complete mess in my torn-apart house, we have the sweetest company working on drying the water-damage. It is a pleasure to see them and they are working hard for us and even bought a very expensive Heap Filter system to use at our house because of the baby.

4. My sweet husband took off work, the day after I found out about my surgery, so I wouldn't have to be alone.....just in case I was sad!

5. My dad has been so sweet to help pick the kids up from various places, to make life a little less crazy for me.

6. Sweet friends have called a written to encourage me, pray with me and/or tell me they are praying for me.

7. I have healthy, wonderful children that I love with all my heart !

(totally trivial in comparison.....) 8. We finally found the type of car (used) that we have been searching for for almost a year! In process of purchasing it!

I am truly blessed!!!

*More praises to come!

Trials

2011-09-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

I really don't know where to begin with this post or why I am posting it, other than to journal a pretty significant time in my life. I feel like I have gone through so many trials in such a short time and I know that God is definitely trying to teach me something. I just want to be sure I get it. I am hoping this doesn't continue to go on and on, but I also know that each one of these circumstances was handpicked for me, they do not surprise God, He loves me, He promises to use them for good, and I can glorify Him through them. It is hard to see clearly in the middle of it all but I don't want to waste them. I definitely think 2 major themes that have reoccurred are: Not To Take Things for Granted, and I Do Not Have Control Over the Circumstances in My Life.

At the end of May, the trials began. They 1st couple seem fairly minor looking back but felt significant at the time.

1. My eldest son went in an ambulance to the hospital for chest pains and breathing problems. In a nut shell, more things surfaced that required testing and waiting through a long holiday weekend for results. Everything turned out ok...praise God. I definitely viewed my son differently after that....Things that bugged me didn't matter any more. I just wanted him to be ok

2. After my sweet baby girl was born in June, the Dr told me my hemoglobin was so low, I almost needed a transfusion. This resulted in a long recovery from child birth and a hard time having energy to get things done. It also resulted in not producing milk to feed the baby and the baby not gaining weight for about a week. May not seem big to some...but...this was my last baby and I desperately wanted to be able to nurse her. It all turned out ok and she has more than caught up. praise God

3. The day I was leaving the hospital, I found out my mom had thyroid cancer. Not easy to hear. Not a lot of explanation needed on that one. But, after further testing, it was a kind with a great prognosis. She has since had her thyroid removed and 3 very involved lymph nodes. This week, she is currently spending the week in isolation, receiving a large dose of radiation. Next week....a body scan to see if the cancer spread to other areas.

4. While trying to adjust to #6 and recover from childbirth, baby screamed all day, every day and seemed inconsolable. I know plenty of people have collicky babies but this was especially hard becasue of the 5 other kids to care for, including a 2 year old. I feel like my husband and kids didn't get to enjoy her the way they did Jonah because she was never happy and no one else could hold her. At a couple weeks, we discovered that she had blood in her stool and this was most likely food allergies from food I was eating. So, I needed to cut out dairy, eggs, nuts and fish. I thought "no problem". Ya right! Don't think I realized how many things dairy was in. It was worth it though, and that trial was resolved, too (about 2 weeks after changing my diet)! Now she is such a sweet, easy going girl and the kids all love to play with her and hold her all the time!

5. Soon after, my dad had some routine tests where we discovered he has a slow-growing growth on his pancreas. We had to wait a couple of weeks for a biopsy, which shows that is is not cancerous. However, they sent everything down to UCLA, where he needs to have further testing done next Tuesday (Sept 27) to see how to proceed.

6. Then, I had some problems recently with one of my eyes whenever I moved it or blinked (not with my vision). I wondered if I was starting to get an infection. For 3-1/2 weeks, it didn't get better or worse. Upon careful examination, I noticed it appeared to be sunken in a bit. It kind of freaked me out so I got into and eye Dr the next day who referred me to another Dr., who did a CT scan right in the office. The scan showed some sort of bad infection in my right sinus cavity that has eaten away some of the bone and is subsequently causing my right eye to sink toward the sinus cavity. Not fun news to get at all. This is resulting in at least 2 surgeries (the 1st one is next Tuesday, the 27th, to clear out the sinus cavity and take a culture of the infection.The 2nd one will be with a plastic surgeon to repair the bone and re-place the eye in it's proper position). I really struggled with accepting how this will all fit into my life of homeschooling, working, caring for my family, a newborn, etc. I cannot control it and God has allowed it for a reason. I am thankful it isn't something worse, is fixable and that God orchestrated it to where I was able to see every Dr, get a scan, and get results all within about a 5 hour window of time. Praise God! He is in every detail and nothing takes Him by surprise. Surgery is the same day as dad's procedure.

7. Seems trivial after all of that...but, in my busyness, I flooded my upstairs bathroom today by forgetting to turn off the faucet to the sink I was filling, as I went downstairs. Husband had to come home and has torn out the ceiling of our living room. We had to file a homeowner insurance claim and are waiting for someone to come out. I'm sure the house will be torn apart for weeks....all while being stuck at home, recovering from surgery.

8. Just got a text form my husband that his physical with the fire dept revealed a problem requiring him to get a CT scan of his heart quite a distance from our house next week.

So, next week is My surgery, my husband's CT scan, My dad's tests/procedure and my mom's body scan....all while repairs and construction will be going on at my house. God is definitely working. I feel so "not cut-out" for any of this. I feel like it is more than I can carry while still taking care of my day-to-day responsibilities. . Then, I remember that God does not give us more than we can handle, that we do not need to worry about tomorrow and that He WANTS us to allow Him to carry our burdens. He sees and knows the end result....I just need to cling to Him and trust Him through it.

Commitment

2011-08-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here I am! I can't believe it. Life has been so insane that I have neglected my blog since the last day in January! I am so sad because this was my one and only form of journaling life and this makes it look like NOTHING has happened....when in all reality....it has been the busiest time I can ever remember. I am on here to commit to myself and anyone out there that cares (maybe there's one person), that I WILL be back very soon!!! I doubt I will ever completely catch up but maybe I can do a very quick and simple summary of the last 7 months! Yikes....quite an undertaking. But, I am up to the challenge (I think). I miss this blogging world. I miss reading up on others' lives. I will be back Very soon. Just needed to warm up my fingers and my keyboard!!! "See" you soon!

A Dream.....

2011-01-31T22:17:00.000-08:00

I feel like I need to document this emotional journey of the last couple of weeks. This whole pregnancy, I have been thankful for a healthy baby, and have been prepared to have another little boy. Jonah melts my heart so much and is so fun-loving that I can't imagine not welcoming another sweet boy. However, knowing this will be our last baby, I was really dreaming of having 1 more girl. Julia is so sweet and brings a softer element to our house, among all of these boys. She has been praying for a sister for so many years. I can't deny that I would love to balance out all of these boys a little, too. Plus, we have 3 upstairs bedrooms available to the kids and a girl would also allow a nice division among the rooms : 2 boys, 2 boys and 2 girls. I prayed and prayed. I worked hard not to get my heart set on a girl, but the desire was always there and I would share that with God constantly (while trusting His perfect plan).

     At 16 weeks (2 1/2 weeks ago), I had an ultrasound with my OB. I started to get really nervous because, that day, it dawned on me that I may find out the gender. My OB looked and looked and all he would tell me is that he "couldn't see anything between the legs". I don't think I realized how much those words would torture me for the next 2 weeks. It gave me a hope that it might be a girl but it was really too early to confirm anything. So, all of these months, all the work I put in to trying to convince myself it was a boy, was kind of starting to fade. I didn't want that. I didn't want to start envisioning the baby as a girl, unless I knew for sure. I needed to guard my heart. It was a long 2 weeks because of how hard I had to work on controlling my thoughts.
     So, last Wednesday (at 18 weeks), I was at the perinatologist for an ultrasound. My appointment was at 4:00 and I was so nervous. I continued to be tested as I sat in the waiting room until 5:45, when they called me back...the last appt of the day. Well....both the assistant and the Dr. confirmed that it was a girl. I thought I would faint. My heart was beating so hard during my ultrasound (before I found out it was a girl) that the assistant said it sounded like the baby's heartbeat. I found it so hard to believe them and had them tell me over and over. They even gave me a picture to take home with the "3 little lines" to show me it was a girl. When I left, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. I cried on the way home.
    The kids wanted me to tell them in person. So, I stopped at the party store on the way home and got a bunch of pink balloons. When I walked in the door, all the kids came running to greet me. Their jaws dropped and they all screamed and jumped with happiness. There was a giant group hug. Julia told me that she felt like she needed to cry for Joy. So, she clung onto me and whaled for quite a while. The boys kept checking to see if she was ok. It was so surreal and so fun to see how excited everyone was.
     Today is Sunday, and it still hasn't completely sunk in. Every time I think about it, I can't believe it. God is so good to give me my heart's desire, even though I don't deserve it at all. I am so humbled. God is good...even when He answers us differently than what we ask for...but He has been so gracious to us. The funny thing is, if I had a girl instead of Jonah, I have a feeling I would have felt "complete" and maybe wouldn't have had such a strong desire for another baby. Then, I wouldn't have sweet Jonah. I am so happy that it happened this way. Now I have Jonah and a baby girl on the way.      Excited for a new journey again, after not having a baby girl for 8 years! It should be fun. (And....so many cute girlie things have come out in the last 8 years!) I am even excited for Jonah to have a baby sister, because Josh and Julia have such a sweet relationship with each other. I feel like I MAY just finally have a feeling of "completion" after this little one. I never have felt like our family was complete. The Lord always put this desire in my heart for another baby. I can't know for sure now, but I am hoping and praying to have that feeling after this precious one is born. Loving this baby and excited to meet her. The kids are wishing it was already June. In some ways, I agree with them!

Griffith Park

2011-01-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

When our 2 oldest boys were young, we use to love taking them to Griffith Park. There is this cute little place with train and pony rides and then Travel Town Museum is at the other end of the park. Jeremy use to be so obsessed with trains, that they loved to go and climb on all of them! Today was the 1st time we took Jonah there. He loves anything with a motor and/or wheels : trucks, trains, planes, cars....etc.

When we got there, he was so excited to be out of his stroller and running around. The thing that cracks me up about him is his funny little "trot" he does. He doesn't run. He frolics, or gallops, or trots. I really don't know how to explain it but it is totally hysterical and we crack up about it all the time. The more excited he is, the more dramatic the frolicking! I had to post this picture because it actually caught him in action!

I think the kids were more excited for him to ride the little train than he was. But once he heard the whistle and it started moving, he was beside himself.

Very happy after his ride!

Then......he got to go on his 1st pony ride. He felt so "big". We loved his proud expression. I couldn't believe how little he looked as the pony circled the track with him.

Then, of course, he had a blast chasing the pigeons.

And he took his 1st drink from a drinking fountain....big day for little man!

Then, we finished up by looking at and climbing in the trains at Travel Town. He will probably never remember this day...but we will. :)

Snow souvenir

2011-01-19T13:54:00.000-08:00

Is it weird that this snowball is still crammed in my freezer and 2 of my little ones were hoping to save it until next winter?

These are a few of my new favorite things.....

2011-01-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

I had to share a few of my new favorite things in my house. They make me smile, so I thought they deserved and honorable mention!

One set of grandparent bought this new cute chair for Jonah for Christmas. He feels so "big" when he watches his shows in it. Funny thing is.... I catch all of my other kids trying to sit in it....even my 14 year old!

The other set of grandparents go this cute table and chairs for Jonah. I love that we have this, especially now that we are expecting another baby that can share it with him. It has a cute little drawer for pencils and paper and he loves to sit and eat snacks at it!

We have been wanting a new rug for the family room for a while. So, I went to one of my favorite places, Homegoods, and found this wool rug at a fraction of the retail price. With Spring on it's way, I wanted to play up the green in the walls a little more. I am ready for something a little more cheery. I found a few pretty green pillows for the couch also......

.....but this pillow got a place of honor because it was my favorite!!!!!

New Pots and Chili!

2011-01-05T15:33:00.000-08:00

So, for Christmas, my mom got me these new enamel-covered, cast-iron pots. I am obsessed. I love them so much. I love the quality, the color, the sizes....everything. I couldn't wait to use them! All of this cold weather and SNOW, made me NEED to make chili. This is a simple recipe that I have been making for years. Originally, I got it from Weight Watchers. I think it was something like 2 points a bowl....and really filled me up. I make it from memory now. It may have gotten tweaked slightly, but nothing that would affect calories. Someone told me once that it won a chili contest.....but I can't confirm it. What I love most about it is that I can always keep the ingredients on hand, I can make it in a very short time or I can leave it in the crock pot all day...and it makes great left overs!

Weight Watchers Chili Recipe (from memory)

1 lb ground turkey (I have used ground beef when making it for other people)

1 onion

3 cans beans, drained (I like a variety so I use pinto, black and kidney)

1 can corn, drained (I've also used Trader Joes frozen, roasted corn)

2 cans diced tomatoes in juice

1 can tomato sauce

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 envelope dry ranch mix

1-2 cups water (depending on preferred thickness)

So, I chop the onion and brown the meat with the onion. Then, I dump everything else in the pot and heat until warm. I have also done this in the morning and allowed it to slow cook all day so that the kitchen is clean and it is ready and waiting when we are hungry. Toppings my kids love are: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can add or take away ingredients, according to your taste. We love it. It's basic and healthy! Hope your family will like it, too!!!

(I think the original recipe also added a small can of diced green chilies but I usually leave these out)

Snow Day!!!!

2011-01-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

Ok.....so the last time I remember getting snow in Santa Clarita, where it stuck to the ground was in high school. That was a LONG............. time ...........ago! Well, we were sitting home yesterday afternoon, anticipating the rain, when we saw snow flurries! The kids were giddy and running around the house with excitement. However, this has happened before and then stopped several minutes later. Not this time!!!!! We didn't know that at 1st, so we ran right out to get pictures.

I wasn't sure how well the snow was showing up in the picture so we were trying to capture the snowflakes on their hair.

Jake was trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue!

The snow started coming down harder! Is this really happening in Santa Clarita???? :)

Jonah wasn't sure how he felt about it....so he decided to watch from inside the warm house!

The snow started to stick! The kids were so excited!!! We had to get another picture!!!

I cracked up when I saw that they got out our sleds!

...and when I saw them making their tiny snowman! So cute!

A view from upstairs! So beautiful!!!! what a great last day of Christmas Break!!!!

Big News and a Good Explanation (I promise)

2010-12-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

Well....if there is ANYONE who still even bothers to read my blog (out of the 2 of you that ever did, when I was writing regularly), I think I owe you an explanation for my absence. I would have explained sooner, but couldn't.

Around the time that I stopped posted regularly, was around the same time that my morning sickness kicked in. Yes...you heard right...morning sickness. I am sure you are not nearly as shocked as we were but we are starting to get use to the idea now. In 2 days, I will be 14 weeks. We told our parents and our children on Christmas. Now that my kids know, it will be public knowledge!

It's hard to believe that in about a month, we will know the gender of the baby. Everyone in our house is praying HARD for a girl. However, we realize that we seem to make boys a little easier than girls. We also know that God chooses for us, exactly what he wants us to have, and what is best for us. So, we will be thankful for whatever precious gift he chooses to give us.

For those who care, I am due in June, again! Jonah will be 2 in June, right before this baby is due. That will be our 3rd June birthday.

Anyway, I thought things would make more sense (to anyone who bothers to read this blog), now that you know why I have been so absent. The last couple months, I have been on survival mode....adjusting to the news....trying to figure out how I will get by with more on my plate....rejoicing that Jonah will have a playmate and that we will see another baby in our house....dealing with sickness....going to bed right when the kids do...homeschooling in PJs lots of days...etc. You get the picture. It's almost comical. I was off to such a great start to this school year and was on a real roll with my attempted organization and healthier cooking, etc....all to come to a screeching halt! I know it will all be worth it and I am going to attempt to ease back into the blogging. I do need to be realistic, though, with my expectations!

Thanks to the 1 or 2 of you that may read this!!!! Otherwise, it is here for my documentation! A new and exciting journey is ahead!

I'm still here....

2010-11-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

I'm still here and have several things to share. I just haven't been able to get myself to sit and do it, because of a few things going on lately.

For one, a precious family in our church was watching their beloved mother/wife fight her last days of a battle with stomach cancer. She was diagnosed in April and it was evident, these last couple of weeks, would be her last. They amazed me, as they were such an example of trusting God through this. They mourned the loss of the many plans they had shared, but recognized that the Lord ordained this long ago. She went to be with her Lord on Monday afternoon and her Memorial Service will be this Saturday at the Master's College. They are expecting as many as 1000 people, because of how many lives she touched. I feel privileged to have known her, even just a little bit.

On a much more trivial note....I got sick again a few days ago and have spent the better part of the last few days in bed. So...there you have it. I have been here but have been pre-occupied. I do have things to share (for those of you that care). I will be back soon! :)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Halloween was fun again. We have a tradition of going down to the Hartungs' house and trick-or-treating with a huge group of people. The kids had a good time dressing up and being with their good friends!

Kip, from Napoleon Dynamite

Some sort of wizard?

Jack Sparrow

Princess Tiana, from Princess and the Frog

Our sweet little monkey

Happy 14th!

2010-11-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

I had to do a quick post in honor of my oldest child. Jeremy is 14 years old today and I do not know where the years have gone. I can remember the moment I knew I was in labor with him....it seems like such a short time ago. He has richly blessed our lives. He is smart, funny, caring, helpful, competitive, strong, self-motivated.....I could go on and on. Every child brings challenges, but the blessings FAR outweigh them. We are excited to see the man he will become. I love him so much and am so thankful that he is our oldest. Looking forward to see what the year ahead brings!

October co-op

2010-10-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

So, this year and last year, we have transitioned from meeting every Friday, to meeting about once a month. There are so many contributing factors. One of them is that the kids go to classes 2 days a week now...so 3 days of being gone would be too much (we would never get any of our work at home done). Other reasons were babies, pregnancies and bed rest over the last 2 years. It just became too hard to be prepared EVERY week. It is working out really well this way. We study science, Story of the world (history in chronological order), and usually try to celebrate a holiday that is nearby.

So, after our study of the different parts of the brain and the brain lobes, as well as history, we had some fun.

The kids decorated Halloween cupcakes. Julia, as you can see, refused to wash her face painting off from the day before. We did, however, take a shower and scrub it off after co-op :)

Stefanie had a fun craft idea of modge podging glass jars with Halloween characters, to put votive candles in. The kids had tons of fun with it. Jacob told me it was his favorite craft we have done in co-op thus far.

Here are the final results: We have ghosts, pumpkins, monsters and creative designs.
They turned out really cute!
Here are my kids' lit up after!

Fall Festival

2010-10-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Our learning center had a cute little Fall Festival for the kids. They dressed up in costumes that day and could purchase tickets to participate in fun activities. It was really cute and the kids had a great time.

Julia has a different costume for Halloween but grandma picked this up for her to dress up with also. She decided to wear this one to school. She was so excited. The boys were too cool to dress up.

There were lots of activites. Julia's favorites were the face painting and the nail painting tables.

Kaitlyn and Julia

Very happy with her face painting.

Julia and Christina
Julia and Molly

Olive Moore giving Jonah a kiss! :)

Soup

2010-10-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of the rain we have been getting, I felt it necessary to make a couple of pots of soup. I figured that it is just as easy to make 2 different pots as it was to make one. Now I have some for lunches throughout the week, etc. or simply some to freeze. One pot I made was just a simple chicken and vegetable soup. Later it can be eaten the way it was made or pasta or rice could be added to it.The 2nd pot was a recipe I got from Trader Joes several years ago...you can tweak it as you like it.

I started with a pot of water and chicken. I brought it to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of hours to make my own broth. In that pot, I added chicken bullion, chopped onion, and garlic salt. Once the chicken was ready to be shredded, I skimmed the broth and shredded the chicken and put it back into the pot. Then, I added 2 jars of Trader Joes' Salsa Verde (green salsa), a bag of Trader Joes' frozen roasted corn, 2 cans of chick peas (garbanzo beans), and a can of green beans (this was my own addition). As I got close to serving, I tore up tortillas into small pieces and threw those in the pot (I think the original recipe might have been chips...I can't remember). Simple but yummy. You can top with shredded cheeses, chips, sour cream or whatever you like.

Try not to judge the soup based on the picture. There have been so many things I haven't posted because the picture made it look unappetizing. I guess that is why they use fake things when they photograph food....because the really thing doesn't look as good....weird

Divine Dessert

2010-10-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

When I was little, I use to fly to New Hampshire during the summer to spend time with family. My sweet grandma was always baking and always thinking of others. Any time we went to visit someone or someone came to visit us, she would whip up a quick treat. Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars are one of those treat that I remember her making on those occassions. Everyone always loved them. I made some for friends today and thought I would share the recipe! My kids came home drooling when they saw them (I made an extra pan for home.....I had to......that would just be plain cruel) :)

Here is the recipe the way I made it...super duper easy and quick. If you want to be frugal (like I have done many times), you can make the batch of cookie dough from scratch.

For a 9 x 13 pan:

* 2 rolls of Pillsbury chocholate chip cookie dough
* 12 oz bar of cream cheese
* 1/2 c sugar
* 1 egg

Directions:

Cream together the cream cheese, sugar and egg. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Slice one roll of hthe dough and place discs on the bottom of the pan. Slightly press together...there can be small spaces because they will expand when they cook. Spread the cream chees mixture over cookie dough. Add the other roll of dough, sliced on top of cream cheese.
Bake 30-45 min. Done when gold brown.

*If you use homemade dough, just divide the dough in half for top and bottom!

Enjoy! ♥

Acorn Squash with Chicken Sausage and Brown Rice

2010-10-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

With the stomach flu out of our house, I am back to cooking. This Fall weather makes me want to be in the kitchen. Tonight we had another new recipe. First of all, I was excited about cooking brown rice in the oven. So much easier than on the stove. Rice, broth and spices, in the oven for 50 minutes and voila!

Then, I baked the acorn squash...yum!

Then, chicken sausage was browned in a skillet. I had chicken sausage with apples and Gouda in it. The chicken was removed and put in a bowl. Then, onions and red peppers were sauteed until they were tender.

The veggies and rice were added to the sausage in the bowl. Chunks of the squash were scooped out and added to the mix. The squash needs to keep 1/4-inch thick walls so they stay sturdy.

Then, the mixture was added to the squash "bowls" and put in the oven to "warm" for 20 minutes. I forgot to take a picture of the individual "bowls" that each person got.

Served with salad and whole grain bread...this was a yummy fall dinner!

Here is the link to the recipe that I used and modified:

Acorn Squash with Brown Rice and Turkey Sausage

I LOVE Fall!

2010-10-16T21:40:00.001-07:00

I love Fall so much. My favorite time of year is Christmas, but the sad thing about it is that once it comes, it's over. Does that sound weird? So, I actually love Fall because it is a stretch of time leading up to Christmas! I love the weather. I love the baking. I love the extra time we spend at home as a family, indoors, enjoying each other's company. I usually don't decorate for every holiday. I don't know why. I am just not a big fan of it. But I do enjoy little things hear and there that are a reminder of the season. (I do, however, enjoy decorating for Christmas).

Side note: one of my favorite stores is Homegoods. I find little treasures for little cost, and I often stumble on cute gift ideas. I was in there a couple of weeks ago looking for something and I stumbled on this cute little owl statue. He caught my eye and made me smile. So....I got him. And I got this cute pillar to hide my jar candles (that burn Fall scents, of course). I thought it was such a cute way to dress up those ugly jar candles (which I happen to love, becasue they last so long). So, they both joined my chalkboard on my bar with some fresh flowers from Trader Joes (another one of my favorite things)!

On the Mend.....

2010-10-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

Well....it has been a long week. All 5 kids ended up getting the stomach flu. Like dominoes, they each threw up, one after the other. Louie and I felt pretty awful for about 2 days: really bad stomach ache, nausea, headache, weak, tired, etc. You get the picture. However, I am happy to say that neither one of us ever threw up. We were spared. Thank you Lord! We still felt awful, but throwing up seems worse. My house piled up around me all week. This all started the day of my car accident. However, things could be a lot worse and I am thankful we are ll healthy again. No word on my car, yet. But that is just a "thing", right? So...we won't worry about that right now. just happy to be gaining back energy so I can go back to enjoying serving my family! :)

This is a better view than what my house has looked like this past week. This is after everyone started on their way to being well again. Prior to this....the picture was much worse!!!

The Saga Continues....

2010-10-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

Well...I kind of thought we dodged a bullet.....I was wrong. After I wrote yesterday, Jonah threw up 3 or 4 more times. So...we pretty much figured he had some sort of flu. He never acted super sick though. Today, he was a bit fussier and seemed to rub his head quite a bit as if he had a headache. However, the rest of us remained fine. So....I was getting a bit excited that we may all stay well. I was wrong. Now, tonight, when it was time to go to Awana and youth group, Jake started complaining he didn't feel well. So, he stayed home with me and Jonah. While the rest of the kids were at church, he threw up twice. The other kids got home, I went down to greet them and found Jeremy throwing up in the kitchen sink. Once he composed himself, he told me he threw up in the bathroom at youth group. Both have thrown up several times since. Good times. Terrified of who might get it next. It came on so quickly that I am nervous it will hit someone in the middle of the night. This is going to be a long night. Praying I don't get it.....not sure how I would take care of anyone!

I should have stayed home....

2010-10-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well, today has not been the most perfect day. Within 10 minutes of leaving the house, I got in a car accident with all 5 kids in the car. This is the 1st accident I have been in since I have been married. I am embarrassed to say, it was my fault. I was looking the rear view mirror and when I looked back out the front one....I saw a car stopped right in front of me. I slammed on the breaks, but....it was too late. Ugghhh. If I could only take it back. Nothing I can do about it now. It's only a car. I know all of these things. However, it disrupted all of our days. My kids were now late for school. My poor husband had to borrow a car (that we could all fit in) to come get us so I could take my kids to school. He then got it to the repair shop and got a rental car. He told me to just go do my errands, and he would take care of everyting. I'm pretty lucky how calm he can be when I tend to stress out so easily.

Then...............while at Target......in the parking lot.......Jonah threw up all over himself and was sitting in a pool of vomit (this is not for the faint of heart). It was everywhere and it was really gross. I used every wipe I had to clean him....(and now me, from picking him up). Oh....it was gross. I was already at Target, with a list, so I thought I would quickly run in and then get him home. I gave him some apple juice, hoping it would help him feel better. While pushing him around Target, he threw up apple juice on the floor twice. Yes, twice. Needless to say, I left. I'm sure we both smelled great at this point. Poor cashier.

Now, I am feeling kind of funny, and slightly naucious and I am praying it is all in my mind (or becasue I have been smelling vomit for the last couple of hours). "Please Lord, spare me from the stomach flu". I have the 1st staff meeting of the school year at my house this afternoon and I am busily setting up for that. I hope I can make it through.

Why am I writing this post now, when the day is only half-way over? I think this day has been eventful enough. I am locking the door and not leaving again. I am praying that the events are over with.... so there would be no need to write later (because there will be nothing new to report)! Right? Do you think it will work? I am going to have happy thoughts and say...yes.

Now, back to setting up and looking forward to a better rest of the day. :)

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Muffins

2010-10-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Tried another recipe.....and it was another hit. I am sure these recipes are not for everyone. And.....when yo compare them to the REALLY YUMMY food that is out there, I am sure they pale in comparison. However....my goal is to make healthy snack for my kids...ones with liw sugar and whole wheat flour and grains. So, I continue to search for new ones and experiment with them so i can build up a file of ones that my kids like. I found this one on Tasty Kitchen's website again. I discovered this website through my love for The Pioneer Woman and her blog. She is connected to Tasty Kitchen and tons of people share recipes there. Anyway, it is one of my favortie wensites to search for recipes....and they have ALL kinds....it's not meant to be "one of those healthy websites".

This recipe was featured to serve with dinner. After making it, I know why. It really isn't very sweet but it has good flavor. I added a bit of extra brown sugar than it called for...but not much. the kids enjoyed it for breakfast with homemade jam on it!

You can find the recipe here!

Disneyland-Twice in 2 weeks!!!???

2010-10-09T09:48:00.001-07:00

Here's another one with lots of pictures. I went to Disneyland 2 weeks ago with my parents. We hadn't been since April or May so the kids were super excited! We always have fun going with grandma and grandpa, anyway. It was a pretty hot day, but nothing compared to the 105 degree weather we had been having.
Jonah enjoyed it more than he had last time...he was older and more aware of all the fun around him! Grandma and Grandpa came over to meet and drive down with us....Jonah was happy to see grandpa!!!

1st day the park was decorated for Halloween

Jungle Cruise

Jonah thought he was "big stuff" running around Tom Sayer's Island!
Loved her hair so much (done at Gumball Alley) that I had to take a picture of it! :)

Hysterical Mexican Halloween display!

Great Day!!! Lots of fun!
The highlight of Julia's Day......SHE WAS FINALLY TALL ENOUGH FOR SCREAMIN'!!!!

*Then........2 weeks later, the Fays called and asked us to go again! I normally wouldn't go to Disneyland that close together. But, Heidi wanted company and I knew the kids would have fun together. This was a big adventure for me because I was taking all 5 kids, backpack, diaper bad, sweatshirts and stroller by myself. I was looking forward to it, though! It was also supposed to be partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. Boy....were they wrong!!!! It was super cloudy and maybe about 20% of the day wasn't rainy!

So happy to be at Disneyland with friends. The rain didn't seem to bother them a bit.

Hot cocoa for all the kids warmed their tummies!

It rained, drizzled, or misted most of the day. I finally had to break down and buy a Disneyland rain poncho to keep the stroller dry. When we would come out of a ride, it would be soaked. :)

Two very different, but fun days!

Leeks

2010-10-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Busy all day running errands...then picked kids up from school and needed to make a quick dinner. Found this recipe, Chicken and Leeks, and wanted to try it. I love leeks. I only started cooking with them recently but love them. My family also loves couscous, which the recipe called for. I added some veggies to the couscous and served a dinner salad. Chicken had great flavor and everyone loved it. Simple - but quick and tasty!

Our pirate who now says "no"

2010-10-06T16:33:00.001-07:00

I got these pajamas from Old Navy recently and last night was Jonah's 1st night wearing them. They made us smile and laugh so much that we left them on him all day. These aren't the best pictures but he is such a spaz now that we can't get him to stand or sit still for one minute. I just had to post a picture of the front and back! :) His new favorite thing is to shake his head "no". It looks so funny to us when we try to give him something and he so confidently shakes his head, as if he knows exactly what he is saying! Our love grows every day for him!

PRODUCTIVE, quiet weekend (..and lots of bananas)!! :)

2010-10-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for this????...It's long but I will try to be as brief as I can. My husband went away to a men's retreat with our church and my kids went to grandma's. So baby and I had the house to ourselves! It was a dream. There are so many things I wanted to bake and get done and I was able to do it because I had a quiet house. We even got clouds, rain, and thunderstorms throughout the weekend. So....I lit some candles and enjoyed the quiet.

For most of the weekend, my kitchen looked like this:

One thing I accomplished this weekend was that I made my casseroles and got them in the freezer for our casserole exchange on Wednesday!!!

Then, I made the applesauce bars again (that I mentioned in an earlier post). This time I made 2 batches and froze one of them (since the recipe said they froze so well). Then, I made another batch of my kids' favorite: Monkey Bars (recipe posted earlier also)...1st recipe with bananas!! Last week I froze tons of ripe bananas, so when I thawed them....I needed to use them....all!

Then...I made 2 loaves of chocolate chip banana bread, with whole wheat flour and oats. I used raw sugar, in place of the sugar in the recipe. I kept one out and froze one. (Banana recipe #2)

Then, I made banana cookies (banana recipe #3!!!). I modified it by using whole wheat flour for half of the flour and raw sugar, in place of the sugar.

Next....I made 2 loaves of pumpkin bread. This was the one recipe I baked that wasn't with whole wheat flour or raw sugar. It is my mom's recipe and I grew up making this every fall. In my opinion, it is the best pumpkin bread ever (probably because of sentimental value...but it still melts in my mouth). Anyway, I wanted to bring treats to a sick friend's kids and I froze one for a staff meeting at my house in a week.

Finally, for the last of the baking....I made these breakfast muffins. I had to photograph the batter because it is made with flax seed meal, oat bran, carrots, apples, raisins, etc! Lots of goodness!!!

With all of that baking done.....I decided to start tackling the cleaning out of my closet (this has been a long time coming). I just started to rip clothes off hangers and throw them in a pile, with the hangers in another pile. After I bagged up the clothes, I was left with this mess. And....believe it or not, I have more clothes to go through. I'll save that for another day.

Hubby and kids came home and I had a "breakfast for dinner" planned. I got the recipe for this "Chili Egg Pouffe" from a girl in my bible study when we first got married. It showed up at many baby showers at that time! I haven't made it in years but it was always a favorite! So...I made it.

Then, I made multi-grain blueberry pancakes from scratch. Although....all I had were mixed berries. Everyone loved them! With cantaloupe on the side, it made for a yummy, Sunday night supper!!!!

Super duper busy, quiet, productive weekend!!! Thankful to get so much accomplished!

First co-op

2010-10-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had out 1st co-op group of the year. This is our 4th year, I think. We have 11 children and we split them into an "older" and "younger group". We study science and social studies and we try to incorporate holidays, seasons and occasional field trips. It was nice to all be back together. The kids really love it and seem to learn a lot in science and history. In Story of the World we learned about King James of England.

With that chapter, they had a porridge that was found in a 1615 cookbook called The English Huswife. They converted it, slightly, to modern day ingredients. So, we made that. It was actually really tasty bit looked a little strange because oatmeal was thrown in to thicken the broth.

The next recipe we made to go with our lesson was called Parkin (a traditional cake from the north of England.)

Anyway...the kids enjoyed the little meal and it helps to bring to life the period and location they are studying. It was a fun day and the kids were happy to be back together at our house!

Orzo!

2010-10-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

So, I tried a new successful dinner recipe. This one I got from Tasty Kitchen (one of my favorite food websites by the way). It's called Orzo with Grilled Veggies and Smoked Sausage. I used Turkey Kielbasa from Trader Joes.

I started with chopped zucchini, yellow squash and red onion. Then, I drizzled with olive oil and mix in garlic.

Once it was all mixed, I put it on the grill, along with the sausage. The sausage had to come off a little sooner, so it wouldn't burn. The veggies stayed on until they had dark areas and started to almost caramelize a little. I was cutting up the sausage and making the dressing while they continued to cook. (the tomatoes got added to the grill during the last 5 minutes).

I've never used orzo before, but ave always wanted to. It is a pasta that is shaped more like a wide, flat rice. I found whole wheat orzo at Sprouts....happy mommy!

Anyway.....when everything was done cooking, it all got mixed together, and feta was added in.
Yummy!!!

And...while washing the dishes, the kids were outside playing and my son asked to take a picture of the "cool" sky!

Kitchen Floor!!!!!!!

2010-09-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

So....I am going to try to briefly update you on our latest project that has been a LONG time coming. We had linoleum (YUCKY) in our kitchen when we moved in and carpet everywhere else. Several years ago, we put in wood floors. My husband was terrified of wood in the kitchen because we have had some water issues over the years. The plan was to put Travertine in right after the wood. Well, several years later, we were still sighing and complaining over our thrashed, ugly linoleum that was peeling and chipping and an eye sore!

My husband got a bee in his bonnet last Friday and started ripping up the linoleum. Now, we were committed. It was a long, arduous process. And...might I add....my husband has never laid a tile in his life. So, we went to the pool (after the boys helped him scrape some of the floor for a while) and he worked like a dog...poor guy. (And, it just happened to be well over 100 degrees).

On Saturday, the tile laying began. Let's just say.....being kept out of the kitchen for 5 days with 5 kids (including a baby) was NOT an easy task.....especially with a very very busy baby that wants to be a part of EVERYTHING.

So very proud of himself for helping! (and cute, too)

My cute husband - Working very very hard to get us back into the kitchen as quickly as he could.

Tuesday, while the kids were at class, my hubby finally got a little help! (real help). A couple friends came over and helped him grout the tile!...yeah....we are getting there!

How, may I ask, can we also keep the dog out....when her doggie door is in the kitchen?!

This was my view today...from my desk...in the kitchen!!!! Yeah! Table is out of the formal living room. Refrigerator is out of the family room. Pantry items are no longer scattered around the house. We are back!!!! The floor has been sealed. (I am told it needs one more coat of sealer but I am pretending it doesn't)!

No more linoleum......The end!

Back in the kitchen....kind of

2010-09-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I have a lot to update...like pictures of our kitchen tile project. But for now, I am just so happy to be back in the kitchen. I haven't been able to cook or bake for days and it has made me quite sad. Today, my husband and a couple of friends got the tile grouted. So.....I decided to make a yummy dinner for a hot night. The tile needs to still be sealed so I can only spend limited time in there an my refrigerator and kitchen table, etc. are still in other rooms. But, I'll take what I can get right now.

For dinner, I made a cross between Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad and my friend's Asian Chicken Salad with Noodles!

Basically, you start with a mixture of lettuce and cabbage, green onions and red peppers.

Then you add linguine (I used whole wheat fettuccine)
Then you add grilled chicken: homemade Asian dressing:

And toasted almonds:

Mix it all together and .....Voila!

I asked my kid what they thought of it. My 13 year old son said, "I wish my mouth was bigger so I could get more in at a time!" I'll take that as him liking it! :)

Leave of absence...

2010-09-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been torturing me to be locked out of my kitchen, while I was on such a roll with cooking and meal planning. We were LONG overdue to replace our kitchen floor and my husband spontaneously decided to start ripping them up on Friday. There have been several bumps in the rode along the way, so it is going much slower than "we" thought. I am praying I can be in the kitchen for schooling and cooking on Monday. Plus....most of my kitchen stuff (including the fridge) is scattered throughout the house. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Swagbucks

2010-09-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

ok, so I discovered this new search engine a few months ago. I thought it was neat at 1st because you get swagbucks just for searching with it and every now and then, you win a random prize of more swagbucks. So, the more you search, the more bucks you get. Then there is a "store" where you can redeem them for all kinds of things. Well....my favorite redemption.....Amazon gift cards! I shop on there so much that this is so great for me! I am starting my Christmas shopping and can use all the help I can get! Click the link below to sign up!!!

http://www.swagbucks.com

Apples, pecans, and cranberries-Oh my!

2010-09-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am getting back into the swing of things. Having the kids go to class today helped a lot (shhh...)! I got up early and browned my pork chops for dinner tonight. Then, I put everything in the crock pot and went to shower and get ready before I had to get everyone else up for school. This is a yummy recipe that I got form my friend, Michelle, when she posted it on facebook last year! I love shared recipes! My family loved it then and I haven't made it in a while. I am trying to stay on a roll with meal planning and early preparation of dinner! :)

(The picture above is what it looked like at the end of the day)

Here's the recipe:

* 6 to 8 lean pork chops, about 1 inch thick

* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

* 2 teaspoons salt

* 1 (10 oz.) can chicken and rice soup or chicken and wild rice soup

* 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:

Coat pork chops in mixture of the flour, salt, dry mustard and garlic powder. Brown in hot oil in skillet, turning to brown both sides. Place browned pork chops in crockpot. Add chicken and rice soup. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Serves 6 to 8.

(I actually modified this by putting some dried brown rice and water in the crockpot 1st. Then, I used 2 cans of Campbell's condensed chicken and rice soup over the top of the pork chops)

Back to the story......Once I dropped the kids off, I ran 3 pretty big errands with the baby: Kohls, Homegoods, and Costco. Believe it or not, I am in the beginning stages of Christmas shopping. I have a few ideas that my parents have given me...so....I figure it will help a lot if I start with those things now! (Although, don't feel too bad...I wanted very successful at finding what I wanted to find.)

Anyway, back home and back to baking with some new recipes I found. The 1st one I made was an Apple-Pecan Granola Bar . Again....all healthy, wholesome ingredients! And....September just calls for apple recipes! And, by the way, my kids walked in the door and their faces were beaming when they spotted the plate of fresh granola bars on the counter. The bars totally passed the taste test with everyone again...including my husband.

So yummy with chunks of apples and pecans!

Next...while I have all of the ingredients out...Applesauce Bars. These are all whole wheat and they have chunks of apples (that I didn't need to peel-yeah!), and applesauce in them. The recipe stated that they freeze really well, so I will be freezing some! When everyone tasted these.....they loved them even more than the granola bars. Even grandpa stopped by and then Uncle Ray and they both gave them their stamp of approval. Uncle Ray even wanted the recipe! I can't take any credit for this because I just searched the Internet and found them. But, I can say that it is nice to know that "healthy" can taste good and get the kids excited. (2 new recipes to file away)

Love that it has chunks of apples

Finally, I ended the day with making a Broccoli Slaw to go with the pork chops and rice. Cranberries and pecans and onions with a homemade creamy vinaigrette dressing. Simple, healthy and delicious!

All in all, a busy and productive day! Yeah! Now, back to work with the kids home tomorrow!...No time for baking :( Tomorrow night is a casserole that I pulled out of the freezer from our casserole exchange a few weeks ago (since we have to leave early for Awana and youth group).

Old Standby

2010-09-20T17:25:00.001-07:00

So...we went to Disneyland Friday and it kind of threw me off. It was so much fun, but such a long day. I think we got home around midnight (Pictures to follow). Anyway, then we had a busy weekend and I think it took me the whole weekend to try to recover from Friday (which I never really got a chance).

So, today was our 1st day back to school and it was a bit of a rough day, I must admit. I think we worked until about 4. Hubby is working tonight so I had a bit more freedom when preparing dinner for the kids. I resorted to an old standby that the kids love.

It has no name. It's kind of a nice meal to throw together with leftovers or ingredients bought for other meals. I use any kind of pasta (but tonight I had cheese tortellini). Then, I add cooked chicken. I throw broccoli in the boiling water about 2 minutes before the pasta is done to blanch it. Then, it all gets tossed with Olive Oil (or butter), Italian Style bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and a bit of garlic salt. The kids love breaded chicken and they love a breaded pasta ( that my mom makes). So, this is the best of both worlds, with a little broccoli added! Very quick to make and always a hit in our house!

Oh Happy Day!

2010-09-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

This probably seems really pathetic but.... being in my kitchen makes me really happy now because my husband replaced our faucet. Simple pleasures are what can make my day. We bought our how brand new 8 years ago. They put cheap fixtures in homes and our sink faucet finally had seen it's last day. It was almost impossible to turn on and it was leaking. So, hubby went and bought us a new one the other day and installed it! Our sink is not worthy of this new faucet. It opened a can of worms and reminded us of EVERYTHING we wanted to replace. For now though, I will be happy with my faucet!

Then, today was another day with the kids in classes. I ran to Target and made all of my dreaded phone calls that seem to always pile up (nothing fun....just to insurance companies, etc). Then, I decided to make dinner in the afternoon! I decided to try a recipe that I found in Family Fun magazine. It's called Stacked Burrito Pie . So, I browned the meat, assembled them and put them in the garage refrigerator. Wow...what a great feeling tht was. I was able to do all of the cleanup while the kids were at school. Now...when they come running in the door and then need to leave for music lessons 2 short hours later.....all I have to pop them in the oven to heat it for 30 minutes, then serve.

Let me just tell you: this is something I will be doing a lot more often. Dinner time was a joy, not a burden. I was ready for my kids and was able to give them attention when they came home. And....best of all....clean up was minimal after dinner. And, by the way, the kids LOVED the recipe and came back for 2nds and 3rds!!!! Love when that happens!

First Bad Report :(

2010-09-13T19:58:00.001-07:00

It started out as a normal Sunday....all 7 of us got out the door for church on time (a feat in itself). Jonah hadn't been to the nursery for several weeks because he got so sick last time he went (pretty sure it was Roseola). Anyway, we put him in and he was happy. Normally get gets along really well in there and is a super content little guy. This Sunday, I went to pick him up and heard the dreaded words, "We had some issues today." Perfect. Just what I wanted to hear. I guess Jonah was pushing and pulling hair and biting. Even more perfect. What in the world???? How does he go from being a delight to a terror. My husband and I think that the virus altered his brain. I did notice his one-year molars breaking through the other day...can I use that as an excuse? Well, I don't know what to say beside the fact that I felt really burdened and need to really spend some extra time watching his behavior and shaping it here at home before he goes back. The sad thing is that he has to go Wednesday night since I am working at Awana this week. So, I will warn the workers. Poor kids. I hope no one gets bit. I may just have to end up working in there with him so I can keep a close eye from now on until he gets over this!

On another note, I decided to come home and cook my sadness away. Louie and the kids went back to night church for a concert (I didn't dare put Jonah back in the nursery so soon). So....I put on some sweet and sour pork chops for dinner.

Then...I went about and made another "healthy snack" for my kids. This one was SUPER DUPER easy!!!!! This is a healthy version of rice crispy treats.

The only ingredients in this one are: Natural peanut butter, honey and powdered milk. That it!

( http://quickeasycheaphealthy.blogspot.com/2009/09/here-i-go-again.html ). Stir over low heat until blended, then stir in the crisp rice. Press in a pan and let set!

Once again.....they passed the taste test! My kids have loved EVER one of the snacks I have made. The monkey bars were the biggest hit so far!

Trying to figure out the best way to spend tomorrow (my kids will be at school all day). I'm sure I'll come up with something!

Friday Fun Night!!!

2010-09-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, today was our 2nd day at home, implementing our 1/2-hour schedule. I feel like it ran even more smoothly today. Everyone knew what to expect. It started to run a little more like a well-oiled machine. We still have a few kinks here and there. I still need to work on being flexible within the structure. But, we are loving it, overall.

Today, I made dividers in a binder and labeled them for the days we are home. I put each of the schedules behind the appropriate day of the week, in page protectors. Then, we got out our dry-erase marker. The kids may have had a little too much fun with this...but it did the trick. After they accomplished what was in each block of time, they "X'd" that box. The younger ones kind of went to town with this. (Don't know that it's necessary to go quite this far, normally). Any excuse to write with a dry-erase marker! I thought I would take a picture of our messy completed schedule to show you. Anyway, we have already erased it...and it is clean and ready for next Friday! :) Until Monday, the binder goes on the book shelf in the classroom!

On another note, my oldest son had ANOTHER birthday party to go to tonight, and it's a sleepover (and he has ANOTHER one tomorrow afternoon). My husband is at work tonight, so it's just me and the other 4 kids. The baby doesn't know any different, but we just completed a pretty full week and I want the kids to be able to relax and have fun tonight (and not be too sad that their older brother and dad are gone). So....I bought whole wheat pizza dough and the fixin's at Tader Joes and let the kids each make their own pizza for dinner. Funny thing is: They only wanted cheese. That's ok, though. The point is that they get to make it the way they want. (Normally, I think it's fun to put out a bunch of different topping.) Anyway, it's a simple thing but they were excited!

After pizza tonight, we are going to have a family movie night and they get to have dessert. Then, they get to camp out and sleep together, somewhere other than their normal bed! My kind of night....a quiet one at home with family! I wouldn't rather spend it any other way (except having my oldest son and husband home- and then hubby and I could watch a movie after the kids were all in bed).

1st Day of "schedule" and 2nd day home alone!

2010-09-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Well.....I have 2 days to update.

Yesterday I had all the kids home and it was our 1st official Full Day at home, utilizing out 1/2 hour block schedule and the kids' clipboard checklists. Overall, it was a hit. It was a super duper busy day, don't get me wrong. But, I am tired of just trying to get through the day and delegating all day long what the kids need to be doing. It wastes so much time and energy. I put the 4 page chart on a clipboard on the kitchen counter. The kids kept running in, every half hour, to see what they were supposed to be doing next. A couple of the time periods seemed a bit too long and a couple seemed a little too short. So, I took notes on the chart as we went through the day. I will probably do this for a few more "home days" and then will tweak it and print out a new one. I also think I want to put them inside plastic page protectors so that we can cross them off with a dry erase marker as we complete them. I am a list maker and find so much enjoyment in crossing things off. It's almost a disorder. Sometimes when I complete a task, and realize it wasn't on my list.....I write it down, just so I can cross it off. I know...scary. Anyway...It was nice not to spend mental energy trying to figure out what to have everyone do, every minute of the day. I just had to check my chart. The kids enjoyed the structure and the accomplishment of completing their tasks.....and checking them off their clipboard lists!!!! (maybe a couple of them will be like me.......uh oh)

With that said, today is the 2nd day that the kids were in class all day. I have to admit that after the crazy, long day yesterday, I couldn't wait for the kids to go to classes today (did I just say that?) I was a lot better this morning than Tuesday (although my husband was a huge help, too, this morning). I left the house in one piece, the kids had all their stuff, I had all my lists...and my coffee. We were even early! So, I ran a couple of quick errands and excitedly came back to my quiet home and laid the baby down. Today was simliar to Tuesday. I got some computer work done, stuff put away....and started to bake some more snacks to freeze for my kids. (By the way....they LOVED the snacks I made Tuesday...and so did my husband. It also made me happy to serve them to the baby).

Today, I made 2 things. I wanted to make another one but was missing one ingredient....drag. So, I'll save that for another day. these are recipes that I got from my "friend's" blog. One was from her and one was a recipe that a reader posted.

The 1st one is called "Monkey Bars". It's made with bananas, natural sugar, whole wheat flour, dried fruit and chocolate chips. It smells really good....hope the kids like it. Jonah had some when he woke up and he loved it!
Here are the Monkey Bars before going in....

Here's the recipe:

1 2/3 cup mashed banana (about 5 medium bananas)
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup raisins/chocolate chips/nuts (I used chocolate chips and cranberries)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Whisk bananas, sugar, oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk in flour just until it is blended, then gently stir in 1/2 of the raisins (or other substitutes). Spread batter in prepared pan, and sprinkle remaining raisins on top. Bake about 15 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

When the cookies are cool, slice them carefully into 40 pieces, removing the foil as you go. These stay moist and delicious for several days in an air-tight container at room temperature. For longer store, it's best to freeze them.

And here they are ready to cool and be sliced....

I don't know about you, but my kids have become junk food junkies. They love processed foods. That is why I am on this "kick". I really want to eliminate some of that and have more wholesome snacks when we can. So, looking at the above ingredients (I forgot to include the coconut oil) that were called for in the recipe for "Breakfast Cookies".....I was happy to make these cookies for my kids. I will be even happier if they like them.

Look at how healthy this batter looks! I just had to stop and take a picture.

And, finally....here they are ready to go in, and after they came out!

I'm anxious for my guinea pigs to get home from school and try their new snacks. I froze a lot of what I made today so I can use them next week....but I kept some out for everyone to enjoy today and tomorrow! Hoping to stick to our "schedule" again tomorrow...........

Last Hurrah, Part 2 (a little out of order)

2010-09-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

It seems kind of funny to post this now, since we are in full swing of our school year. However, on the Friday before classes started (less than a week ago), Stefanie and I decided to take the afternoon to have our official "Last Hurrah" before the real crazy schedule had begun. So, we simply packed a lunch and got our kids together at the pool. Most summers we do many beach and pool days but the last 2 summers were different. Last summer I had a newborn and she was pregnant, and this summer was just plain crazy for both of us. I was gone almost all summer until the end of July and she had lots of people in her life that were moving and she needed to spend time with them. So, this is only our 2nd official day getting together all summer....pretty amazing. Although, we email things night and day so we are in touch constantly....

Anyway, Stefanie and I grew up next door to each other from the time I was in 2nd grade and she was in 1st. We went through high school together and lived in the same dorm at Masters College. All of our kids are about the age, only staggered. They have paired up so amazingly with each other and have become the best of friends. We are so thankful for how much they love each other and how well they play together (or now "hang out", as teens do). We got some sweet pictures that day....which was important to me, as they seem to change so much from year to year. So, as a record, I wanted to post them. (sorry there are a lot again....I am not learning to cut back very well). :)

Josh and Jaden

Joshua and Jaden

Olivia and Julia

Jonah and Isabella

Luke and Jake

My Jeremy and Josh, Her Jaden and Luke

Jaden and Josh

Our oldest: Jeremy, Andrew and Christine (the teens) !

Jeremy and Andrew: they are crazy about each other

Julia, Christine and Olivia (Christine is such a sweet helper with them)
Mini-Me's!

Productive Day: 1st Day of Classes....and home time for momma....

2010-09-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

So...today was the 1st day of classes for the kids. It's officially the 1st week of school. (I am jumping ahead but still need io go back and post our "last Hurrah, pt 2".) I was so prepared. So organized. So ready. However, the morning was crazy and everything seemed to go wrong. I won't bore you with all the details but after all my preparation....it was not how I imagined. It seemed like everything was going wrong, which caused me to be very forgetful. Neverthless....we got out the door on time (Just not as early as I wanted). So, once I was on the way to school, I realized I left all of my shopping lists at home (grrr). Baby was majorly crying because he got woken up to early.

Andrew and Jeremy planned to wear matching shirts so we had to take a picture once they got to school. Needless to say, they got "poked" a lot today.
Without shopping lists and a fussy baby, I needed to to go to plan "B". I nervously ran to Trader Joes, hoping I would remember my list (a little daring). I abandoned the rest of the errands due to fussy baby. I wanted to get a bunch of ingredients to make healthier snacks for my kids and I was determined to bake while they were at school. I forgot a few things, but thankfully remembered everything I needed for the recipes. When I got home, I laid the baby down and had a quiet house to be productive in.

{Side Note} I have been following a high school classmate's blogs (not sure she really knows how much):

http://lifeasmom.com

and

http://goodcheapeats.com

Wow....She is busy. She has 6 kids and homeschools and writes 3 blogs (one is for editors and publishers ,so I didn't list it). In the midst of it all, she is inspiring all of us (who are trying to get by with some success). She has inspired me a lot (probably doesn't know this either). I vowed to start the year off more organized and structured. I am hoping this lasts longer than the 1st month of school. I also want to be better about my meal planning, preparation, and serving less processed food to the kids. Her blogs have been a wealth of information for me. I got these recipes from her and wanted to make sure I started off on the right foot by making a couple today.

I got my Trader Joes ingredients out and made homemade, healthy, granola bars.
Here they are (above)...just before going in the oven.

And...here they are (above) after cooling and being cut into bars.

Then, using almost all the same ingredients (adding a couple things and taking 1 out), I made Cranberry, Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies.

I think I will have some happy kids for their after school snack time!

So.....feeling somewhat accomplished, with all of my quiet time baking, I got my new school schedule printed out for tomorrow. I was inspired by a book and other people's schedule's to make our own. We have every half-hour accounted for in the whole day. This schedule (below) is 4 pages long and we have a different one for each day that the kids are home. Again....I hope we can stick to it longer than the 1st month of school. :)

And, finally.....I got the kids' charts printed out and put in their slots in the classroom with all of their chores and tasks to be done each day.....

Overall.....a very productive day, for the 1st day the kids were gone. And, I got 4 "thumbs up" from the kids when I picked them up...they enjoyed all of their classes and teachers. Hope I can get this much done every day (although I would like future days to start off a little better ). :)

Last Hurrah, Part 1....

2010-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well...the summer was long, in the sense that we seemed to squeeze a lot into it. But...it was short, too, in the sense that it went WAY to fast! How can both be true? I don't know. But, they are. Friday, August 27th was our "official" last day of summer. School started for us on August 30th. However, classes don't start for us until September 7th so we "eased" into school the 1st week. Anyway, on the last day of summer, my dad and I took all the kids to Hurricane Harbor one more time. I dropped them all off and went home to give baby a nap. then, I picked up lunch and they met me out front for a picnic. Then, we all stayed until it closed. We were blessed with mild weather again. This time the crowds were a lot lighter. It was a really fun day!

LOVED climbing in the tubes!

My favorite face ....a danger on the road?

2010-09-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, this past week, Jonah graduated into is big boy car seat (technically still 6 ounces too light at almost 15 months). He is so excited with the new world that has opened up for him with all he can see (including the DVD player). I laughed to myself as I ran errands with him the next day. I was thinking about how they say it is so dangerous to "text and drive" or "talk on the phone and drive".....but what about "look at a cute face in the rear view mirror and drive"? I think that is WAY more dangerous. I found myself staring at his cute face as he looked around pointing, or watching the silly songs on the DVD and I couldn't stand it...it was too much. I think it's much more dangerous because it took A LOT to get me to take my eyes off of him and put them on the road. It is such a treat to see his sweet, curious, eyes now-rather than the back of his car seat!

Black Eye?..............

2010-08-29T10:52:00.001-07:00

So, last week, Jacob comes home from Grandma and Grandpa's house with a black eye. It was a bit shocking, since he's never had one. Lots of things ran through my mind ( as to what might have caused it). So, when I asked him....he hesitated. Finally, he spilled the beans.....he held the pool vacuum up to his eye while he was swimming. What????????? I guess these are the kinds of things you get when you have boys. Aye yi yi!

Home from the Doll Hospital!.....

2010-08-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Julia is really into her American Girl Dolls right ow. the 1st one she got was when she turned 6. It was a look-alike doll. then, when she turned 7, she got Rebbecca. Our friends, the Fays, graciously and generously passed Felicity onto us, as they outgrew this phase. (They also passed on her horse and several of Felicity's outfits and accessories). When we received her, she had some minor repairs that were needed because of all the love she received from her former family. So, we decided to send her off to the Doll Hospital. Julia would ask about every other day when Felicity would get home. We......she came home!!! And, Julia was thrilled!!!! She was dressed in a hospital gown, with a hospital bracelet and had a certificate of good health! Had to capture this moment of sheer delight! Oh, how I love to see my kids get excited!

A favorite pastime.....

2010-08-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know why...but my kids love to dog pile. I get worried when they decide to do the reverse order, with smallest on the bottom to biggest on top. This is so fun for them and they all crack up and topple over and do it again. It usually ends in tears. Today, Jonah joined in so I thought I would capture the moment! This also meant they were more careful and it didn't end in tears. :)

Photos Projects

2010-08-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with all of the photos I have, and all of the projects I want to do with them. I LOVE photos, especially photos of my kids...but I HATE how the things I want to do with them never get done and the projects pile up. I had to give up on my scrapbooking a couple of years ago, and moved to digital scrapbooks. Now...I am even falling behind on those. :( Then, there are photos that I print or enlarge because I love them and want to display them somewhere in my house. They plague my life, because they sit in piles and I never get to them. Well...this week...I tried to get the ball rolling. Today, I did a couple of projects I have been meaning to do. I ordered several gallery wraps recently and have been waiting to hang them on a wall where old "head shots" of the kids hung. So...I got to that today (yeah) and finished it. I have also had a collage frame forever (not a huge fan of collage frames) and I have wanted to put photos in that forever. Well....both were completed today. I am on my way. My list is longer than I care to share, of all the things I need to organize around my home. We spent all of July out of town and now I am paying for it. I really want to get a few things accomplished before school starts (then I will have NO time). So...today got the ball rolling. I am hoping it will motivate me to continue. The photos of the projects are horrible...bad lighting, weird angles (trying to avoid glares, etc) but it least it gives an idea of what I put together today. Both are in the upstairs hallway, on different walls. Hoping for many more projects to be crossed off by the end of this week.

Canvas gallery wraps of the kids....

LONG overdue collage frame project.

Mighty Mite

2010-08-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

I had to write this post, as my heart overflows with love for this little guy in our house. He makes my heart smile almost every minute of the day (almost). Louie has nicknamed him Mighty Mite becasue of his super determined, strong, busy, vivacious personality....and his little tiny body. It cracks me up! He has so much personality that we just marvel at him. Yet...he is so little. He is pretty much walking 95% of the time now...which is sad and happy and good and cute and hilarious. He is the size of some 6-9 month olds yet his personality seems to come from someone at least twice his age. The combination is comical. He has no fear. He is a complete adrenaline junkie. The faster you swing him, throw him, run with him...the bigger his smile gets. He loves when daddy skateboards while holding him (I know...scary) and tries to ride the skateboard himself. He learned, months ago, how to climb to the top of our slide, turn around and slide down. He even pushes off to make himself go faster, if he feels he is going too slow. Everything he picks up, he throws across the room with as much determination as a baseball pitcher. Daddy puts him in a backpack and rides on his bike and Jonah yells the whole time with a huge smile. He loves to play the drums with Josh and feels so left out if his older siblings go off and leave him out. His memory for things amazes me. I know this just sounds like a list of things but each one kills us and amazes us as we watch him. Maybe it's just that we haven't had a 1 year old around the house for so long that we forgot what is "normal" for that age. It sure makes it a fun experience, though. He is so joyful and friendly and full of life. He gets into EVERYTHING and makes the cutest little noises to "ask" us for something. He sure keeps me busy though. I don't know how I would have done it with 4 other little ones if they were closer in age. We love him so much and our hearts grow more with each passing day. I marvel at his personality and how God made him just who he is, and none of it has come from us.

Yesterday, all my kids were gone all day and night, so Louie and I were alone with Jonah. We played with him at home, and took him on errands, out to lunch with us and then to the carousel at the mall. We had so much fun spending time with him alone. It was a simple day, but a great one.

My sweet boy eating bread at Wolf Creek.

Cute Jonah keeping himself busy after finishing his food. (He kept wanting to eat the edge of the table but daddy kept stopping him)

Loving the carousel

This was the day before but I was too lazy to do a separate post. This is Jonah and little Bella. Stefanie and I have pictures of Jeremy and Christine at this age together and these little ones remind us so much of our oldest ones together. They were so excited to see each other and I am happy we could get this cute photo!

Hurricane Harbor

2010-07-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

My dad went with me and the kids to Hurricane Harbor on Thursday. I thought it would be really difficult with the baby and figured I might need to just leave with him and go back to pick them up. To my surprise, he stayed really happy all day because of all the shallow water in the kid area that he could crawl around in. The older boys were really helpful, also and really enjoyed taking him in the water areas. This new, huge, area called "Splash Island" kept everyone busy all day, in between long lines for the larger slides. Overall, really fun day and great memories. Can't wait to go back!

Not happy about this vest that is way too big!

One of my favs....

2010-07-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

I just had to share. I bought this calendar last year at a little shop near me. It is one of those things that makes me happy every day! My kids love to get up and change the date and day of the week. I was going through a phase of loving birds...no idea why....so that's what made it catch my eye! Anyway...just a simple thing but it makes me happy!

Summer "baths" for baby....

2010-07-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Even though Jonah has taken steps (and continues to take more each day) his primary way of getting around is still crawling. Because of that and because of his love for the backyard, he is ALWAYS filthy. He looks like he is covered in dirt from head to toe all the time. He really should take several baths a day. (But...quite honestly, each child that came along, took fewer baths than the one before) So....we came up with a new plan....we put a few inches of water in his pool and add baby bath and a few toys and put him in. He thinks he's playing out back, but...he's actually taking a "bath". Works like a charm (well for a little while anyway). :)

July in San Clemente!

2010-07-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

This was our 1st camping trip in the middle of summer. It was great because the weather was perfect and we were able to escape the heat. However, we are spoiled by being able to travel during the year. The campground was FULL and so were the beaches. Wow...I have never been to such a crowded beach! We had a blast. It was also our longest camping trip ever. We had never been for more than 4 nights and this was for 7 nights....which meant more meal planning and more laundry (which I have yet to start). It sure did go by fast, though. It was also a little sad. We have decided to sell the RV and seem to have a buyer so it was probably the last time we would camp in it. It is a long story but we always drive 2 cars so we have a car to leave the campground and my husband is always worried about doing something to hurt the RV while we are camping since it wasn't overly cheap. This puts a bit of a damper on our trips. So, we are hoping to get a much less expensive trailer so we can tow it and have a car to drive around in. Today I had to leave my husband because something went wrong with one of the jacks and he spent hours working on it at the campground before he could drive it home. He is still on his way home, now. (which is why I have not started the laundry....it isn't here yet!) I guess "she" (the "RV"...don't people sometimes call their things "she"...weird) doesn't want to go easily! Last night, Julia was crying as she went to bed, knowing it was the last night she would sleep in it and asked if we could still see it after it was gone. Poor girl. Anyway....I took more pictures than I could ever post but below is a sampling of a few of my favorites! (I am trying VERY hard to learn how to scale back on how many I post from a trip) :)

LOVE this face more every day!

Coolest pier!

View from the campground at sunset!

First Steps...

2010-07-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

I had to document this for myself and my journaling. Today we saw Jonah take his Fist Steps. I have no picture of it, since it happened spontaneously. He is 13 months and 1 day! He has been standing on his own for quite a while. he has taken steps holding on to furniture. But today is the first day we saw him take steps on his own. I heard Julia yell from the family room, "Jonah's walking." She was the only one who saw it. A few hours later, several of us witnessed it as he stepped toward me to hand me something. It's funny how precious it is to me to see this even more since I haven't seen one of my babies take his/her first steps in years. I feel like I was just sitting here last summer, holding him in my arms, savoring every second...knowing it wouldn't last. I love newborns. I love how they let you hold them for hours. I already miss that so much. Every stage is fun and exciting...even the teen years, which we are just beginning. I do wish I could slow it down though. I wish the years that my kids were home with me lasted longer. It is so hard to believe that before long they will be moved out and living their own lives, Lord willing. Well, today was Jonah's First step toward being a bigger boy and he was so proud of himself. Oh, how we love that boy!!!

Jake Turned 12! (last month....oops)

2010-07-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy summer, to say the least! Birthdays are still a big deal to our family but we use to make an even bigger deal out of them. As the kids get older, and times get busier, we can't celebrate the way we did when they were younger. However, it is a time for us to honor each child individually and make them feel special. We feel like this is so important in a big family. Jake's birthday is exactly 1 week after Jonah's. We celebrated as a family on his birthday and then he had a few friends over to celebrate with a few days later. It kind of got lost in a busy weekend (with other parties we attended) and then VBS week. So...since we had plans on the evening of his birthday, we went out to corner Bakery on the morning of his birthday. It is one of our favorite breakfast spots. They all got yummy things and we had fun hanging out. We went home and opened gifts together! He was a happy boys and got everything he wanted (that's because he never asks for much and is always happy with what he gets). :) He is a precious addition to our family and has very unique interests! We love him so much! His tender heart is a joy to see!

Days after his birthday, some great friends came with us to Mountasia and Farrell's to celebrate...then swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's...then a couple of them stayed the night! It was a fun day!

These are the dorky teenagers....too cool to sit with the others and too cool to smile! :)

Jake was mortified by the large drum and announcement!

And...of course....at the counter, trying to figure out what to buy with tickets earned in the arcade! Always a huge decision!

Another happy boy!

2010-07-12T09:24:00.001-07:00

A few days ago, I wrote about Jeremy's happiness with his new air soft gun. We are leaving for San Clemente tomorrow and Jeremy can't wait to have battles in the canyons bordering our campground. Only problem was....none of my other kids had guns that could compete with his. So, dad took them all down to the Evike store (the same day we got home from Ventura). Joshua cold not wait to pick out a gun. He was so excited. Jake got sucked in a bit, which I knew he would. He isn't much of a battle/gun type of boy. He enjoys reading, drawing, cooking, planting. Jeremy and Josh are a lot more a like in their interests. However, I think Jake was talked into it, due to the fact that they needed more people to participate in the battle. So, both boys came home with a brand new, expensive, fully automatic air soft gun. Oh Joy! They couldn't wait to set up targets and shoot them. Josh cracks me up the most because he cannot keep his hands off his gun. Every time I see him, he has it back out of the box and is taking it apart for various reasons. He actually had me take the below photo because he wanted to email it to show his friends. That picture isn't good enough now...so now he wants a close up shot of the gun. It is so funny to me and so cute at the same time. He is thrilled with it and I am counting the days until it breaks (not to be a cynic but these types of things always seem to break. ) For his sake, I hope not....I doubt we would buy another one for awhile. Until then, Josh can be a soldier battling for good (or evil) ! :)

Our Bounty!

2010-07-09T19:48:00.001-07:00

So, the day before we left for our trip, I posted pictures of our apricots. While we were gone, my husband collected another gallon ziplock full of apricots. When we got home, we picked plums (which were delicious but there weren't really enough to photograph). However! We were excited to see our other trees and are hoping they will be ready to pick and eat before leaving this week for our next trip! Funny how we feel so "rich" when eating our own fruit from our own trees. I can't imagine how I would feel if I lived on a farm! :)

Nectarines

Peaches

Ventura for the 4th!

2010-07-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

We have been going to Ventura for summer vacations since Jeremy was born. Many of those trips have been over the 4th of July. The kids look forward to it so much because the beach house we stay at is on the channel so they can fish, paddle boat, paddle board, kayak, play on the sailboat, etc. It is so hard to narrow down the hundreds of pictures I take on every trip but for one reason or another...these are my favorites from this trip. (Sorry...there's a lot)

Julia is very serious about her fishing and stays out there all day....participating in every slimy detail.

Hard to see in this picture since it is out of focus, but Josh is holding his fishing pole with the bait end in my face!

Jumping into the channel off the sailboat

Santa Barbara Zoo! (We LOVE it there!)

Joshua surfing!

At Sharkys before fireworks on the 4th

Macaroni Grill for Nico's birthday

One fun day.....

2010-07-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

I am playing catch up on my blog again because we have been on vacation. right before we left, we went to the beach for a friend's birthday. It was a really fun day for the kids. I have almost no pictures becasue I spent the whole day sitting i the cage with Jonah...he was not happy unless I sat with him. Oh well...we made it through and the kids had fun.
Rewind....oh, and if you don't have boys, this will make no sense to you. Jeremy (my oldest) has been BEGGING for a fully automatic airsoft gun for months and months. Finally, we broke down and let him order one (after many many conversations where he educated us on every type of gun and all of their functions).Well, he had ordered it a week or so before this day. On the way home from the beach, he said to me, "Now, what would make this a REALLY great day is if my gun was waiting for me when we got home." And....it was. So....I had to take a picture of this much anticipated day!

One very happy boy on one very fun day!

Apricots!!!!

2010-06-30T19:17:00.001-07:00

It is humanly impossible to eat this many apricots....even with 7 people in your family! Keep in mind...this is after many have already been eaten by family and friends and there are many more green ones still on the tree! We are blessed in apricots. Funny thing is, I have never bought apricots at the store but they are really very tasty! There is something also so satisfying about eating fruit you have grown. We are leaving tomorrow for 9 days and we always seem to leave right when our fruit ripens. We are also very close to having nectarines, peaches and plums ready to be picked. It makes me almost not want to leave! :) This year, I decided to make jam....but have no time before we leave. I am going to experiment. I am going to freeze the apricots in freezer bags and pray that they still work to make jam when we return! I am very excited! Keep you posted!

A Long Time Coming!

2010-06-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

As a homeschooling mom, I always rely on summertime to get my projects done around the house. Last summer, however, sweet Jonah was born. I felt like I lost almost a whole summer because I spent it hogging him and the other kids and just keeping up with life. Losing a summer of projects was nothing compared to gaining sweet Jonah. However, it just caused this summer's lists to become much longer. The problem with that is that we will be gone a lot this summer. So....I have been trying to cram little projects in here and there, whenever I can! I'm sure many things will go unfinished! :)

Little accomplishments make my day! Last summer, I bought several memo boards for my upstairs desk area. We have had a LONGGGG bulletin board over the desk since we moved in. I have never really loved it. I wanted to replace it with a group of coordinating memo boards. Well, I am embarrassed to say that the box has been upstairs since last summer. However, I am happy to say, I got them hung today!!!! Yeah! Simple pleasures. There is still more I want to get done with the space and I feel like the picture doesn't do the color, etc. justice, but I wanted to post it because it was something that made me smile today!

Jonah's Birthday Celebration

2010-06-26T17:11:00.001-07:00

Forgive me for having 1000 pictures in this post. My primary purpose in blogging is to journal so I can have it printed into a book. So, sometimes I have a really hard time narrowing down pictures. It is a bit of a disorder. I really want to be able to let them go but it is so hard. They tell a story and when some are missing, I feel like so is part of my story! I'll work on it!

So, this was Jonah's 1st year celebration. I had a huge party for all 4 of my other kids when they turned 1. As they are getting older, we are simplifying parties and having just a few close friends, rather than tons of families. Mommy just got tired of having 4 ginormous (I know that isn't really a word) parties a year. So, we celebrated as a family.....but got super excited over Jonah turning 1. Picture story to follow!

In the above picture, Jeremy is hanging out traditional birthday banner for Jojo! (This was the night before his actual birthday)

Jonah sat and watched Jeremy hang it. He got a real kick out of it! :)

I woke him up on his birthday morning and had to get a picture of him the 1st time I saw him as a big "1 year old"....though it ade me want to cry.

We are cuddling on my bed....he is still in his bunting! I wish I could freeze time and he could always fit into a bunting.

Julia surprised him with a special breakfast of fresh fruit and yogurt!

Birthday picture of the whole fam. (minus momma)!

Throughout the day, he showed off his birthday bib and revealed various new talents...like standing for several seconds without holding on, while chewing food!

Here he is opening some of his new presents (because there were a few nooks and crannies in our house that weren't filled with baby paraphernalia yet) :)

We got him a pool because of his LOVE for the water...baths, etc. We will only fill it several inches deep with water so he can crawl around. He loved it empty, though, too!

Some of the yummy desserts to sing and celebrate with!

This above picture is of his face while we were singing to him!

Here he is enjoying his carrot cake cupcake!

And.....big brother took him swimming for the VERY 1st time ever in grandma's pool and he LOVED it so much!!!!! It was such a great day! Love you Jojo Bubs!

Jonah is 1!!!

2010-06-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to begin. Jonah turned 1 on June 11 and I really have no idea where this year went. Don't get me wrong....I have savored ever single second of the year with him. I held him every minute I could hold him, and still can't get enough of each stage ( since I know how fast each one goes). This baby's 1st year has gone faster than any other, though, and it must be because I have so many older kids to keep me busy with their activities. I must say, that Jonah has brought so much joy to our home. I knew he would. But, somehow, he brought so much more than I ever could have imagined. The kids absolutely adore him. They are excited to do every activity and experience everything anew through his eyes. It is so precious to me. They are also so excited by each of his new milestones. He adores each of his siblings just as much. He kicks and squeals with delight when they come home or when he hears them in another room, after getting up in the morning. I just want to kiss on his face and squeeze him to death every second that I see him. He is always smiling and happy. He LOVES music and fast rides. He drives little cars and trucks around all day, while making motor noises. He loves animals and has a generic "creature" sound that he makes each time he sees one. He has such an expressive face and his many faces keep us laughing all day long! He is A LOT of personality, all wrapped up in a tiny body (still under the 5th percentile!) We love him to death. He has enriched our lives. God truly blessed us with him and I can't imagine life without him! Thankful for this last year and looking forward to many more great ones to come!

Happy!

2010-06-18T17:10:00.001-07:00

My dear friend, Stefanie, grows the most beautiful Hydrangeas. No matter how hard I try, mine never look this good or get this big. We swear she slips them steroids, but she claims to do nothing to them! She generously shared a few stems with me the other day (since she had so many to spare). They make me happy every time I see them! :) I had to take a picture and share them. I told her that a steady flow of these all year would be so wonderful! Maybe she will get the hint! ;)

Carlsbad!

2010-06-18T09:25:00.001-07:00

I LOVE Carlsbad also. I, however, have never camped there before this trip. This was a new campground for us and the location was great but I don't think would go back. I'm not even sure exactly why. It just felt too crowded and there wasn't easy access to walk other places, without walking on the main road (without a sidewalk). We brought a friend for Jeremy (1st time we have done that). It made it extra fun for the kids. With that many kids though, we had the boys set up a tent, and we put them all out there at night. I think the excitement of that wore off after the 1st night! :) We had been in San Clemente 2 weeks before and had the most gorgeous weather the whole time. In Carlsbad, we had June gloom the whole time. Still fun memories for the memory book!

Love this sweet face! He feel so big sitting in my chair!

Hi 1st ride on the beach on a boogie board! This was a daily happening when all the other kids were little and as they got bigger, they would all pull each other!

Feeling "big" walking! (not really walking yet...but walking with assistance)

Cookie in each hand and bottle in the middle!

Hobo meal dinner!

Roasting dough boys...they were a big hit!

Jonah crawls around the RV and hangs out the door watching the other kids play. Thankfully, he puts up with it for now! ;)

The boys all watching the waves

Party Wave during an "after dinner session". L to r: Daddy, Jeremy, Frank!

Last Day photo (after packing all up)!

San Clemente

2010-06-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

I LOVE San Clemente. I have gone there my whole life and there is something about it that is so relaxing. However, as a child, we stayed in time shares. Now, we camp. It's a lot different but I still love the beaches and the town! Definitely a happy place. Here are pictures from our trip in May!

Love this sweet boy! 1st time on the beach in his little play pen!

He crawled down the the beach and it was such an event with a rather large audience!

He LOVED when the water would come up and get him!

Our 2 campsites side by side...it was a good set up for us and the kids

Daddy and Jeremy caught the same wave!

The girls were hamming it up! (as usual) :)

One night we walked to a Mexican restaurant for dinner...it was a fun change

168 Academy Awards

2010-05-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

Youth group had an Academy Awards night based on some short films that the different small groups made. Here are the boys, dressed and ready to go!

The little ones got dressed and ready to go also....until the water heater broke and dad had to fix it :(

At church before the awards....with friends

At home after! Long, fun night!

Camp James

2010-05-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

This was a super fun camping trip. We have only camped at the beach thus far and the kids were so excited to camp by a river, and fish and hike and explore! When all was said and done, they said it was one of their favorite camping trips! I have to agree!

Fishing was a little slow going (which I had warned them). However, kids do not have a ton of patience! Just their luck....the fish hatchery showed up and dumped 2500 lbs of trout right where they were fishing (then did it again the next day)!

Fishing got serious now. The kids were pacing back and forth on the rocks, watching the trout as they stared at the bait...yet not one would bite.

Finally, Julia grabbed a bucket, and scooped one out. Very creative! So, technically she caught the 1st fish...just not with a pole!

Once the fish started biting, they caught one after another after another. They decided to cook a few to try them but the rest were all thrown back. The kids couldn't wait to use their knives to cut the heads off! What in the world?

The campground was so beautiful and kept up nicely!

Jonah was very excited over the fish in Jake's hand!

All packed up and ready to head home after a good trip!

Dad's cake

2010-05-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

One Sunday, after church, Daddy decided to make a layered cake...spontaneously. He got so "into" the pudding filling and frosting, etc. that I had to take pictures. Toward the end, I even made him put on a cute little apron! The kids loved it. I was very tasty, too, I might add!

Josh's 9th Birthday

2010-05-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Another birthday in our house! With 7 people in the family, it feels like we have birthdays quite often. We always try to make it a special day. I can't believe Josh is 9..where have these last 9 years gone?
For his birthday, Josh wanted to go to a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course with some of his friends. Louie picked up him and his friends that were in his Thursday classes, in the RV, and brought them to the place. They were so excited!

This is a horrible picture but gives an idea of the "glow". They were all told to wear white for the black lights.
After golf, we picked up dinner and brought the kids to the park to eat and play. Then, back to our house for nerf gun wars....what a dream!

Lastly, cake and presents! Josh said it was one of his most favorite parties! I'm so glad! I think it was because some of his favorite people were there with him to do some of his favorite things!

Spring at our house

2010-05-14T20:27:00.001-07:00

We LOVE spring at our house. We all love to garden and plant new things. However, we get most excited over all the new buds on our fruit trees (and then disappointed when wind blows at least half of them off!) Here are some of our trees this spring!...they make me smile!

Above: our Apricot tree!

Above: Our nectarine tree!

Above: Our Plum Tree!

Above: Our newer Peach Tree!

Above: Our Kumquats...which I think are so cute and quite a conversation starter on our front doorstep!

Easter-better late than never!

2010-05-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Just for documentation sake: Here are our Easter pictures from this year! It cracks me up because Julia was so excite to wear the hat and purse that she picked out with Grandma when getting a dress! She was so proud! Though, not what I would pick out, I think it is sweet that she isn't worried about looking "cool" yet and still loves being a little girl! I love that sweet girl!

There's a few extra of Jonah since it is his 1st Easter and he looked so cute!

Spring Break- Santa Barbara Zoo

2010-04-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

We LOVE the SB Zoo. So many times, during our marriage, (before and after kids) we have made lots of special memories in Santa Barbara. We almost got married there. We have gone to that zoo with all of my kids, no matter what age, and they love it. This is the 2nd time Jonah has been there. The 1st time, however, he was only weeks old. This was the 1st time he went when he "knew what was going on." He gets so excited over animals and creatures so we knew he would have fun. He loved every animal he saw...even the rattle snake (which creeped me out a lot). There is something unsettling about seeing your baby try to grab a rattle snake with a big smile on his face. Anyway, we bought a family pass for the year and I hope we get to spend many more days up there, as a family, this year. It was a very good day!

The pier--another place we love!

Spring Break Field Trip-The Science Center

2010-04-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

So, our homeschool co-op group has slowed down quite a bit this year. I ad a new baby and Stefanie was on bedrest for the 1st semester. Then, she had her baby 2nd semester and the kids started attending 2 days of classes, rather than 1. All of that to say....meeting every Friday was a bit too much this year. (How did I manage to do it last year-pregnant for the whole school year and working for 2 schools?-so crazy). Anyway, we started out with the intention of meeting every other Friday and this semester, it has become about once a month. We love the book we are using...it allows for almost no prep-work. We look forward to it so much! Weeks are just so full and we would have no days to homeschool if we did it every week! The 1st year of co-op, we took like 4-5 field trips. The kids remember those most. This year, we just took our 1st (and maybe last) one. It makes me sad because the kids love them so much! Anyway...we studied the human body this year. The CA Science Center has some really cool stuff in this regard, so that is where we went. We chose to go during our spring break from classes, rather than cram it into a week with 2 days of classes. It was lots of fun. I really hope we will plan more next year! :)

Funny how our group continues to "grow" yet no one new has joined! :)

Even cute Jonah got to participate and daddy came this time, which was a treat! :)

There was this cool "ecosystem" exhibit. It bag with a "film" and our group pretty much took up the whole room!

The Happiest Place on Earth!!!!

2010-04-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

We had such a great day! All 5 kids and I went to Disneyland with my parents. It has been a while since we have been because we didn't get Disney passes last year. This was Jonah's 1st time to Disneyland and he had such a fun day. I was worried about him getting frustrated about not being able to crawl. I was also worried he would be crazy without being able to take a normal nap. Well, he didn't sleep much, but he did so well. He stayed busy all day with all that their was to look at. He would jumps up and down and make funny noises every time a character would walk by. It was so nice to spend the day with my parents. The kids had a blast watching Jonah experience Disneyland for the 1st time. They all wanted to be the ones to sit by hi on rides! Can't wait to go again!

Jonah-waiting with grandma while the kids went on Tower of Terror!

Jonah's 1st ride ever!!!! Monsters Inc. at CA Adventure

1st time meeting a character....he LOVED him!!!!

Big Brother holding Jonah in line for the Pooh ride!

Baby FINALLY got a much-needed nap!

Good-Old Carpinteria

2010-03-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of March, we went back to Carpinteria. We do love it there. WE went into the section without hook-ups again. It's such a hard decision. We LOVE hookups, but then we feel like we are in a parking lot. In the loop we camp in, we have tons of grass and space for the kids to spread out. We had gorgeous weather and a great time. We left to come home on my birthday. It was a drag to be packing and unpacking on my birthday but great to wake up at the beach! The night before my birthday, my husband and the kids surprised me with a birthday cake out by the fire. They thought they were so funny by giving me "trick candles"! Lots of air was wasted trying to blow those candles out. Then, we were surrounded by raccoons....who seemed to be stalking us for the left over cake! :)....Oh...Jonah also learned to pull himself up and stand confidently in the RV on this trip!!! Life will never be the same! :)

First time on the beach.....trying to shove sand in his mouth. Daddy quickly put a stop to that.

VERY hurt feelings that daddy stopped him.....

Jonah didn't like the cold water on his feet...so Jeremy carried him....so sweet!

March Photo-shoot of the kids

2010-03-28T18:59:00.001-07:00

I am continuing to play catch-up. Surprised? Thought not! Anyway, I wanted to take pictures of all the kids together, so I decided to try to set up a back drop and play around at home. I took tons of pictures. I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is to get everyone looking half-way decent when you have 5 kids in the picture and one of them is a baby! :) My husband wanted to video tape the entire ordeal because of the stress involved. He couldn't believe I was expecting them to smile after the pressure I was putting on each of them. Maybe I'll do better next time! And maybe it's better when someone other than their mom is the one taking the pictures! :) Anyway, these are some of my favs.

This one cracks me up! Jonah is protesting the fact that Jeremy is holding his arms down.

The kids are posing like uncle Rico on Napoleon Dynamite....where he is getting his photo taken for his ID badge! :)

8 Month big boy!

2010-03-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

Jonah got to sit in a shopping cart for the 1st time without his car eat clipped on! Shopping became a new experience! He was suddenly happy to shop with me because he could sit up and look around. He has been so bugged lately being strapped into his car seat. I was laughing that he wanted to face backwards the whole time to watch where we were going! So cute!

photo shoot... 7 1/2 months

2010-03-16T13:19:00.001-07:00

I wanted t take some pictures of Jonah before too much time passed. I wasn't getting myself over to the mall, so I figured I would play around and try to take some myself. These are several (maybe a few more than a several) of my favorites!

Catching up!!!!-Jonah 7 months

2010-03-16T13:04:00.001-07:00

Why do I always do this? I get so far behind an then have to post a ton of things all at once to my blog. Don't love when I do that but I should just be impressed with myself that I am still even posting at all, right? Here are a few pictures of Jonah at 7 months...he learned to "battle crawl" around and pull himself up onto things and was very happy with himself!

Youth Camp!....already?!

2010-01-29T10:47:00.001-08:00

So, I sit here in a somewhat empty house and it feels so weird.......like a sign of what my near future holds....and I am thankful, yet resistant. My 3rd son is at a sleepover, the baby is sleeping and my husband took my oldest son to his first youth camp this morning. He decided to chaperon and go up early with the group of kids that wanted to snowboard today. I am so thankful he went. It was hard for me to see my son leave for his first camp, but having my husband there, softened the blow. I am thankful for our church, great leadership and great teaching. I am praying that this weekend has a large impact on their lives for Christ and is a great bonding experience for them together as father-and-son. So, for the 1st time, I see a glimpse of my kids having their own lives and being busy outside of our home. That is what we are supposed to be training them for but it seems like just yesterday that I held Jeremy in my arms in the hospital....and in a blink, he will have his own life as an adult! (Lord willing) ! :)

I like bananas and oatmeal!

2010-01-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

It's been so fun seeing Jonah discover food! His favorite, by far, is bananas! The kids love to help feed him....this is never a clean task but worth it! Have I mentioned how much I love this boy!?!?!?

Isabella Mae

2010-01-23T14:17:00.001-08:00

So, the long wait is over and Isabella Mae is here. After seeing Stefanie have such a rough time with this pregnancy, I couldn't wait for her to arrive (although, probably not as much as Stef couldn't wait)! I had the privilege of seeing her in the hospital and holding her....Here she is...in the blanket I got her and with her "Auntie Andrea" (Who looks like a drowned rat since I visited on the rainiest day of the year!...enough about me)! xxxooo

Christmas 2009...a little late

2010-01-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

So, still catching up on my blog...something that is my forever problem...getting behind! But, I wanted to post a few pictures to remember this Christmas...our 1st Christmas with little Jonah (who is personally my favorite gift of all...I couldn't think of one other thing to ask for! )

Our Christmas extravaganza is pretty complicated. It can vary from year to yea, based on my husband's ever-rotating work schedule. We also have 2 sets of grndparents that live close, and want to have our own family time. After several years of finding out that our gifts paled in comparison to the grandparents' , and how quickly the kids lose focus of why we celebrate, we decided we really wanted our celebration as a family to be 1st. So, we wake up Christmas morning and celebrate together. Mommy makes a fun breakfast (usually trying something new each year) and we read scripture, pray, visit and get to the gifts. I love to see the kids open gifts for each other. Next year, I think I'll have them draw names to ease the madness and the spending. This picture cracks me up because Julia still has her curlers in and they are all in mis-matched PJs that they put on the night before...kind of funny to me when I see so many other people's pictures with brushed hair and matching PJ's. Oh well...that's what you get with a house full of boys and 3 Christmas celebrations to be had!

Jonah ate his stocking, rather than opening it...

...and ate the presents inside!

Our celebrations continued on Christmas eve and Louie's parents' house. Once again...food, good company and gifts.

The above picture is Christmas morning....before we left for my parents' house. "Happy" perfectly describes this baby...and I love the ear sticking out! The kids and I were heading out alone because daddy was scheduled to work Christmas Day. :(

Me and my babies!- Christmas morning

On my way, I rolled down the window and took a picture of the gingerbread men we all made this year (that's why it isn't the greatest picture). The kids begged to make these. So, mommy drew the men, daddy cut them out and the kids and mommy painted them...one for each kid.

So....we got to my mom and dad's (who were acting very strange) and when we brought the gifts tot he tree, daddy popped out from behind the couch and surprised us. He managed to get the day off but didn't tell us. I love how he loves to surprise us! :) He had been hanging out there all morning, while we took our time getting there...oops! We were all so happy to spend the day with him
My mom and dad have this bear that moves and reads the story, "Twas the Night Before Christmas"...Josh was captivated by him.

The hit of the day...Jonah's new Jumparoo.....it's like an exersaucer and a johnny jumper all in one! He loves it...what more could a 6 month old ask for ????

6 months of loving this boy....

2009-12-13T11:08:00.001-08:00

We took the kids to get Jonah's 6 month pictures taken! Oh, how I love this boys and his face! He is the sweetest, happiest baby. He LOVES to play on the floor with toys now and has just started eating cereal and bananas...which he LOVES! Can't believe how fast the months are flying by.....:( I wish I could freeze time and stay "here" for a while....it's a really good place.

It's that time again.....

2009-12-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, am I behind...I just found this post and the next one, sitting in y "drafts" I never realized that I forgot to go back and type in them and post them! So, now that it's January, it seems less than exciting to post about getting ready for Christmas. We did have fun though! Jonah, as you can see, loved the lights!

This year, Jeremy assemble the entire tree and put the angel on the top.

Jonah was putting his "first" ornament on the tree !

This is the 1st year that Louie and I sat and watched while the kids decorated the whole tree. They did a great job spreading them out and varying them! Another fun night for our memory! We LOVE this time of year and try to start as early as possible!

Our sweet baby girl turned 7!

2009-12-13T08:59:00.001-08:00

As usual, there was at least a week of festivities to celebrate a birthday in our house. On her actual birthday, daddy had to work. So, he took the morning off to take Julia out to breakfast. She was so surprised and excited by this. When they got home, she opened her gifts from us. Her favorite was her new American girl doll, Rebecca. We loved her coat, boots and curls!When daddy went back to work, grandma took the boys for the afternoon. Julia, mommy and her 2 American Girl dolls went to Starbucks, then for a pedicure then for a light dinner at Corner Bakery. It was fun to have some girl time with her.

Julia insisted that we have matching nails!!!
In between that day and now, we went out to dinner as a family to celebrate, celebrated at each grandma's and went out to dinner with her Auntie and Uncle. For the Grand Finale, we had a small party with a few close friends yesterday. Lots of girlie colors, sweets and crafts....and tons of fun!
The boys helped make most of the dipped pretzels and marshmallows!

Making candy and Froot Loop necklaces

Our designated "helpers" and make-up artists!

Decorating cupcakes (with newly "made up" faces)

Very Rainy, very fun day!!!! The boys showed up at the end to participate in the fun! Well....the week or so of events is over. I can't believe our baby is 7. It's so weird to think that for 6-1/2 years, she was the baby. Now, there is a new baby (who we all adore, of course). Still hard to get use to the part where she isn't the baby anymore. She is growing up and it is so fun and so sad at the same time. She is such a joy to me. She catches every detail and is so "on top" of things. she is thoughtful, independent and thoughtful! She holds her own with the boys and even tries to fit in with them quite often. We do love this girl that God blessed us with. She is truly a treasure to us all!