My Little Bookworms' Picks

We were out of town for a couple of weeks and visited other libraries.  Now, we are back to our regular routine and our library's summer reading program!  The boys have already enjoyed a DJ and a magician.  I have also found that the HOT days provide a wonderful excuse to stay inside and read. :D  Benaiah has also started to love reading!  The cutie will sit by the bookshelf pulling off book after book and "reading" them.  So adorable!

Our favorite this past week (Everyone picked the same book - even Mommy!):

Jimmy Zangwow's Out-Of-This-World Moon Pie Adventure - This book allows imaginations to run wild as Jimmy travels in his flying jalopy to find a Moon Pie!  Sadly, my kids have never had a Moon Pie, but we will find some soon.

Hoping to get in many more hours of reading this week in between runs through the sprinkler!  :D

How to Survive!

You know the time I am talking about.  I have heard it called by various names.  Those lovely hours from when nap time ends to when dinner begins.  They are so . . . peaceful . . . NOT!  I know they are coming.  I sneak around without making a sound hoping to stretch those precious quiet minutes.  Then they wake and you never know what you will get.  One wakes up smiling and hungry, another wakes up crying just because they woke up.  And what do you do?  Well, I have come up with a few strategies to make those hours more bearable and, dare I say, beautiful.  I like beautiful, don't you?

Prep dinner during nap time.
Yes, this takes planning.  I sit down and make a plan for what we are eating each night of the week.  I try to take into account  nights we will be out and days when I will be out of the house a lot.  No, we don't follow it down to the letter, but I am not standing in front of a frozen piece of chicken hoping it will turn into a casserole by some miracle of God.  When I know what we are having I can get it ready ahead of time.  Dinner might need to go into the crock pot.  I might need to chop a lot of veggies.  I might put together the whole casserole and throw it in the oven right before meal time.  It makes for a fun and educational time with Jonah, Huck, and Eli since they don't nap, and I am not chopping, stirring, boiling, and measuring with Benaiah crying between my knees.  When all else fails - order pizza.  I go by Proverbs 17:1 - Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house filled with feasting and conflict. :D

Be available.
Since dinner is covered spend that time with the people that matter the most - your kiddos!  These are not the hours to catch up with your friends on the phone or surf the web for a great vacation spot.  You might be in the same room but you are not with them.  Take some time to play ball, race cars, rock and cuddle with a book, or go on a walk.  It is amazing how the fussing ceases when I sit down in the middle of the floor to play.

Have special toys.
Save a few special toys that are only used during the hours before dinner.  We have some magnets that the boys love to use on the refrigerator and dish washer while I am polishing off dinner prep.  I can keep an eye on the boys, the magnets are novel and even educational.  Other choices are puppets, set up the indoor tent, or pom-poms.  Don't do anything that is going to make a huge mess, like play dough.  Remember you will be cleaning up soon to eat.

Save the TV
The TV only gets turned on during special times at our house.  When I need a shower, we have a rainy day, or we have an emergency come up and I need some quiet to be on the phone I will turn on the TV.  Because we seldom use it the boys are glued to the screen.  If I have a meal that can't be prepped beforehand and I need to have them occupied I don't feel guilty using the TV.

Snack Attack
My boys are always hungry.  The second I step into the kitchen they expect food!  So, I make sure to give them a healthy snack far enough from dinner that they are still interested in dinner but not too early that they are starved again while I am cooking.  Another strategy is the veggie tray.  While I am cooking I make a plate of raw veggies for the kiddos to snack on.  They go ahead and get those veggies out of the way and since they are hungry they inhale them!  Makes Mommy happy!  Sometimes I give them a fun dip or cut the veggies in fun shapes!

I hope these tips help you survive and thrive during the pre-dinner hours no matter which side of the bed they wake up on!

A Blueberry Birthday

It all started with a simple question: What kind of cake should we make for Daddy for his birthday?

Huck insisted on a blueberry cake.  I thought, "Perfect! It will be blue, his favorite color!"  Oh, how wrong I was.  I don't know what I was thinking.  It ended up lavender.  A nice lavender cake for such a manly man :D

However, with the help of my three big boys we made a delicious cake!  And that's what matters, right?  I tweaked a strawberry cake recipe and  . . .  TADA!  It worked! I was amazed that the whole kitchen wasn't stained purple.

So, if you ever find yourself in need of a nice and easy blueberry cake, here is the recipe!

Blueberry Birthday Cake

1/2 c. cold water
1 small package blueberry jello mix (I couldn't find blueberry at the commissary, so I used blackberry.)

Mix these two ingredients together until the jello mix is dissolved.  Add:

4 eggs
3/4 c Wesson oil
1 box white cake mix
10 oz. blueberries in syrup (I used canned blueberries and drained out just the blueberries to make the 10 oz.)

Beat well and bake in greased and floured pans at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Icing:
1 box confectioners sugar
1/2 c. juice drained from blueberries
1 stick butter, softened

Beat by hand until smooth.  Ice when cake is cooled.  Enjoy!  Benaiah certainly did!

Out Of The Mouths. . .

Oh, Jonah . . .

Me: What do you want for dinner this week?
Jonah: What'd ya have in mind?


Before reading about Isaac finding a wife . . .
Me: How would you find a wife?
Jonah: First, you must travel for many days and nights.  Then, you set a trap and catch her.  Take her out and you have a wife!


I was telling (not yelling) Jonah not to move all the pillows from Benaiah's landing pad . . .
"Mommy, I'm tired of all your yelling and  . . . consequencing!

It's a . . . GIRL!!!

With Jonah we had a cake.  With the twins we had balloons.  With Benaiah we had a surprise.  Danny loves coming up with fun ways to tell our friends and family which "flavor" of baby we are expecting.  This time I thought it would be fun to do something for him!

Everyone knows two heads are better then one, and this endeavor wasn't an exception.  My sister had this great idea to have a BINGO type card with tasks he had to complete.  I took the idea and ran with it.  I decided to have different family members text him each hour with a task he had to accomplish.  After he completed the task he would text back "Finished".  He or she would then give him a number of circles to mark off, for example, "Two blues, 1 pink."  He had to do push-ups, sing songs, text advice, run, knock out some jumping jacks, and many other fun activities!

I thought it was a wonderful idea. . . Danny almost went insane having to wait the whole day, especially knowing I knew the answer.  To add a complication, we were traveling to Georgia that day, so all the tasks had to be done in the car or at rest stops.  

In the end he had one of each color . . .  and then . . . 

Woohoo! I was a little bummed by Danny's initial reaction.  He didn't seem very excited.  However, after the shock of pink wore off he was over the moon!  Our family was "tickled pink" (especially Eli)  :D

Now to pick a name . . . and find some adorable things for her to wear!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father’s Day!

Jonah – green   Huck – blue  Eli - orange

What is Daddy’s name? Danny, Daddy, Danny

What does Daddy do for fun? Play soccer with me, wrestle with us, play with us outside

What does Daddy do at work? Tells soldiers about God, have an Army shirt on and says ‘cuse me, ‘cuse me to get out and away back home, talks to armies

How old is Daddy? 12, 3, 25

What does Daddy like to eat? Popcorn, cereal, cereal

What does Daddy like to drink? Sweet tea, hot chocolate, water

How tall is Daddy? Very tall, big big, bigger than you

What color is Daddy’s hair? Black, black, black

What color are Daddy’s eyes? Brown, brown, brown

What do you like to do with Daddy? Play volleyball, wrestle, wrestle

How does Daddy drive? He drives by doing what is good and right, with a steering wheel, to Mamzie’s house

What does Daddy say? He uses good language like I love you, be quiet, He says not wrestle right now and then he tickle us on the monster pillow and sometimes he broke my head and sometimes he not and me not care

What does Daddy wear? Clothes, Army shirt, Army boots he go to work

What is you favorite thing about Daddy? He plays with me, when we play cars and wrestle with him, he takes me to church and comes back to ours classroom

How much do you love Daddy? A lot and a little bit, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, five

Three Weeks Airborne

Okay, so Danny was the one that was Airborne, but we definitely didn't stay in one place too long.  We hit the road to see what we could get ourselves into!  Since Danny was down in Georgia and had weekends off, it made sense to go down there too so we could see him on the weekends.  At first I missed the routine of laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning (I know, crazy.  I am just that Type A.) but we had tons of fun and wonderful time the family.  

We spent the first few days with my mom.  The highlight was watching the boys do her hair and find all of Hillary's old accessories.  This is Eli in his get-up.  I love the scrunchies all the way up his arm!

We headed over to the Melin casa to meet Baby Judah.  I have a separate post on everyone's reactions and the baby holding.  Let's just say I hope Juliet is born in a bubble!

Memorial Day was . . . memorable?  We had so much fun!  The day started with a 1 mile run with Jonah.  He finished after running the whole way in 11:17!  He was so proud of his medal.  Then Danny and I both finished second in our age groups in the 5K!

After the race we watched the parade!  Huck loved the marching band.  Eli was so glad that people kept giving him "all kinds of things!"  Benaiah and Maila actually sat for most of the parade and watched.  Such sweet kiddos!

We headed the Uncle Darryl and Aunt Nee Nee's for a Memorial Day cookout!  The boys had a blast swimming and were worn out by bedtime.  Unfortunately, Danny had to go to school, but only for four days.

Leave it to Aunt Ree Ree to supply the style!

 That next week we tried to stay busy visiting family, going to story time, eating and playing at Chick-fil-a, and getting haircuts.  The two most exciting events?  First, spotting a opossum outside the barber shop.  It had to be caught by a policeman.  Jonah said it had leprosy!  :D  Secondly, Papa Dave took the boys on a treasure hunt by the light of the moon!  They found jars filled with money, candy, and toys!  What a great grandpa!

When Danny came to visit the first weekend, we headed to the zoo.  I was so proud of the big boys for walking the whole time on their own little feet!

Always ready for a picture!

All my chickadees!

He tried to ride them! Benaiah LOVES animals!

We ended the day with ice cream!  Could it get any better?

Monday Danny was back at school and we headed to the spray park with Aunt Jessica, Uncle Jonathan, Maila, and Judah!  It was a little chilly, but Maila led us on a walk afterward to warm us all up!

Later that week we headed down to Augusta to see Gus Gus!  We ate lunch at a drive-in diner that has been around for 50 years.  Then, he took us to a natural spring!  The boys loved getting wet and drinking the water.  I have to say I was afraid they would get sick, but it never happened.  Watching Benaiah drink water out of my dad's hand was so cute.  His whole head just fit right in.

The next day we met Mrs. June, Ree Ree, and Mamzie for Chick-fil-a.  I love that they can play and climb and I can still be in air conditioning!

That next weekend we had another celebration to shower Baby Fox.  Then, I left with Danny for what turned out to be a mommycation.  I thought I might see him a little, but the joke was on me.  Oh, well!  I found I had to swim, exercise, and hike just to burn enough energy to sleep at night.  That shows you how much energy it takes to chase after my boys :D  I also crafted some bows and went shopping for clothes for Juliet!  I might be a little excited about a little girl!

 The boys had a blast on the Tour de Aunt!  They spent the first night with Aunt Ree Ree, stayed up until "midnight", and played with sidewalk chalk paint.  The second night was spent with Aunt Kristin watching a movie. And the third night they camped out in Aunt Nee Nee's living room!  I was so happy to see them when they arrived at Fort Benning, but I don't think they missed me much ;)

We all got to go to graduation together the next morning!

The boys waiting to see their Daddy!

Love those smiles!

So happy to see Daddy!

The tower to practice parachuting.

Amazing free-fall demonstration!

He's in there somewhere!

So proud of Daddy!

After I pinned his wings!

Can you stand all those muscles?

So, now we are all back home with our Airborne soldier.   In one day we have caught up on laundry, done meal planning and grocery shopping, gone to get patches sewn on, picked up library books, dead headed the garden, ran by the bank, got the oil changed and car washed, and played on the playground!  I miss the fun but boy that felt nice :D  Now for the weekend!  Woohoo!

Out Of The Mouths . . .

My precious Eli has been cracking me up lately!  Here are a few of the best!  :D

He wakes up one morning at Grandma's house . . .

Grandma: Good morning, Eli!
Eli: (walking with his head down and eyes up) I'm an evil spirit.

Kinda creepy!

He drew a picture and showed it to Grandma . . .

Grandma: That is a beautiful picture!
Eli: It's monsters. (With a "duh" attitude)
Grandma: Oh, yes.  The one at the bottom is scaring me!
Eli: That's the baby.

You can't pull one over on him!

The boys were acting up on the way to the playground . . .
Danny: If you boys can't straighten up we will just have to play on the playground without you.
Me: Yep, Daddy and I will play while you watch.
Eli: Let me tell you a truth.  You are to big.  Growm-ups can't fit on the playground.

Man, it is no fun being a growm-up!  :D

I Use To Love Summer . . .

I use to love summer!  It was my favorite season of all.  Of course, I was out of school, but I could also run around in my flip flops ad bathing suit.  No, seriously, I would trim the hedges in my bathing suit.  I could sleep late, stay up late, and lay in the sun for hours.  I finally got to thaw after months of cold weather, and did everything outside.  Then, all that changed.  I became I mom.  Now, I hate summer with a passion.  I wish we could go from spring straight to fall.  Don't get me wrong.  There are perks like beach trips, crock pot meals, and less laundry, but I would give it all back.  Here is why.

1. Sock Lines

Have you ever tried to chase a tricycler down a hill and stop him before he hits a tree in flip flops?  You won't make it.  He will crash every time.  The same is true for little boys running toward the road and catching runaway balls before they go down the storm drain.  So, now I wear sneakers when we play outside.  I sport the worst tan line ever.  Same is true for trying to play with little boys in a bathing suit.  Not very practical, so my running shorts have left the tops of my legs as white as snow.  Making me wish for winter all the more :)

2. Early Mornings

I still get my late nights.  The sun doesn't go down until after 9 and neither do the boys.  However, they also wake up with the sun.  I love my boys, but the early bird gets really cranky around 3 in the afternoon.  That also gives me like 3 seconds to time before I go to bed to  . . . oh, I don't know . . . take a shower!

3. It Is Hot!

This is obvious, I know.  The summer is hot, but I have never felt hot like being pregnant in the summer hot.  I can't get enough water.  I sweat from morning until night.  I have never been so thankful for air conditioning!  We go out to play and I am ready to go in after five minutes.  However, little boys are oblivious to the sun baking their skin.  So, I endure . . . and by the time it is bearable I have to head inside to make dinner.

4. Pests

Ants, ants, ants!  Enough said.  Have you ever tried to watch a toddler play in the grass and guard them from toddling into every fire any hill?  Stressful!

5. Swimming Pools

They are so much fun and a great way to cool off.  However, I am terrified to my kids drowning.  I count to four over and over the whole time we are at the pool.  I leave there counting to myself.  They might admit me.

6. Sunscreen

Not only do the stores think it is white gold, but it also doesn't magically disappear when you come inside.  I feel like it leaves a greasy film on everything.  I also have to give nightly baths when every other night does just fine in the winter.  Baths are for the birds . . . right along with those early mornings!

7. Sunglasses

Little head, need kid-sized glasses, don't want Dora on them, forced to by adult sunglasses, look like a dummy.  That's the gist of the problem.

Well, now Danny tells me I sound too negative.  So . . . I love summer and sunburns and sweating and mosquitoes!  Better?  ;)