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This weekend was BEAUTIFUL.  80 degrees on Saturday.  We got to work on our backyard gardening project…cleaning out the bed and expanding it.  Derek went on a “team ride” (cycling).  And then I was lucky enough to find a woman on Craig’s List selling trampoline parts (net and bumper pad) that were the exact ones I needed!  So we drove to Garland for those and went out to eat…sitting on the patio and talking about how perfect the weather was.

I told you it was bad…they were actually very cooperative…I asked them to frown for our “before” picture!
This was Samuel watching them ride their bikes thru the window on Friday.

Then the wind came on Sunday…followed by rain…then a drop in temperatures and this morning we woke up to this:

And, of course, the snowballs start flying…(after they took Jacob to school…poor kid was so disappointed that he had to go)

And once again this little guy has to just watch from the window…

That’s Texas for ya, sun and shorts one day, snow the next.

Yesterday my oldest children told me that they thought daycare would be fun.  And asked if they could please try it.

"You get to play and have snacks", was the argument.

This, after they had Doritos and played outside with their favorite neighbor friend.

And, frankly, I was THIS close to enrolling them.  It’s been one of those weeks, where I’m feeling like I need a serious vacation.  But I don’t want one of those fun, educational, well-organized daycares.  NOOOOOO.  I want the worst one possible.  How many parents ask for bad reviews of daycares, in hopes of sending their kids there?! 🙂

Last night I layed in bed trying to figure out how to improve morale around here.  How to get back to feeling good about being together.  How to enjoy this wonderful job of stay-at-home mother again…because the last few months I have simply been enduring it…and them.  It’s just been an effort to survive.  And they are conspiring against me because of it.  They’re wreaking havoc on every nerve that my body has. 

So after praying and pondering on solutions, this is what I came up with…we’re going to WORK. We’re going to work together on a project that will hopefully be fun at the same time.  Our backyard is a disaster.  Weeds, a trampoline with the nets torn, toys that no one wants to play with, and absolutely nothing pretty to look at.  So we’re cleaning it up, planting a garden and beautifying our space.  That’s what me and the boys will be doing for the next few months.

And I’m hoping that it will encourage better feelings…among all of us, positive memories, character-building activities, and hopefully some more appreciation for what we have together.

But if that doesn’t work…daycare, here we come. 

This little man has reached the point of no return. He’s BUSY, he’s active, and he’s ALL BOY.  He has us wrapped around his little finger…and for good reasons (look how cute he is!).  BUT the last few days have been tough…here’s why:

He peruses thru trash cans.

Empties out cabinets.

Had the laundry cart topple on his head.

Stands on the hearth of the fireplace (stone).

Was playing with the water in the toilet.

Emptied out one of his wipe boxes.

Was pulling files out of Derek’s church bag.

Was shaking the baking soda box onto the pantry floor.

And took all of the shoes off the shoe racks.

And yesterday after his nap he took his pants off and threw them out of the crib.

I really do watch him.  🙂  But up until now he would just kind of "hang out", play with toys and let me get some things done.  NOT ANYMORE!  He’s super curious and in to everything.  The only time I can count on getting things done is when he’s napping, and yesterday’s total napping time was ONE HOUR.  Yikes!  I’m in trouble!

And here are some notes for me, so I don’t forget:

He’s learned how to go DOWN the stairs, feet first, sliding on his belly.

He mimics our inflection on almost everything…one of our favorites is when we nod our heads and say "yes, yes, yes" and he copies us with "ah, ah, ah" in the same tone.

I’m teaching him to buzz like a bee, and he loves it.

He’s starting to like books and will sit and listen (as long as you’re fast and the book is short).  But what he REALLY wants to do is empty the book shelf on his own.

We have women at church who come sit by us every Sunday in hopes of getting to hold him during Sunday School and Relief Society.  He’s like a magnet.  And I’m sure the fact that he’ll lay on their shoulders, say "cheese" on demand (big cheesy smile) and sit quietly on their laps is a big plus.

He’ll walk pushing something (his wagon outside yesterday).  And will walk holding our hands too.  I think he’ll start to go on his own soon.

He’s a climber…boxes, low tables, you name it.

He loves to sit in front of the bucket of balls up stairs and pick up every one.  He loves balls.

He also loves cars and will make "vrooming" sounds, a trademark of all our boys…we never even have to teach it.  They’re born knowing how to "vroom"!

Jacob participated in his first Pinewood Derby on Saturday…and it was so fun!  An aluminum track that was wired to a computer for instant results, hot dogs, popcorn and root beer, and LOTS of excited young boys.  Jacob worked hard on his car.  Derek took direction from Jacob mostly…Big J came up with his own design, cut it under D’s supervision, painted it himself, decided where to put the weights (he wanted to make them mufflers and "spikes" on top), and named it "FLASH".  And despite not being in the top 3 of his "division" (his Wolf Den, of which there are 12 or more boys), he did quite well…winning one heat and coming in a consistent 2nd or 3rd.  But if you know Jacob you know that 2nd or 3rd is kind of tough for him (I think he gets that from his dad!).  So we had prepped him all week on what he would do if he wasn’t winning.  There was only one moment of contained sadness, but overall he was such a champ and we were so proud of him. 

I took this as they were announcing the cars that were moving on to the Finals.  "Oh please, oh please, oh please let it be me!" I imagine him thinking.

Bless his tender little heart!

I was planning on cutting/bundling Box Tops tonight…boring! (They’re due next week).

But around 4:30 this afternoon I got a phone call.  Tonight was a big semi-formal dance ("prom") for 16-18 year old youth from our church.  They came from all over the Dallas area.  And the woman on the phone had been asked to take candid pictures at the event (there was going to be a professional photog there to do posed shots).  But she had tweaked her back and couldn’t walk upright!  So she asked me to fill-in. 

So I put Box Tops on hold (thank goodness) and gussied myself up as best I good, and went to Garland.  And had a great time!!

Here are some of my favorites:

The event was called "Shanghai Nights".  These neat centerpieces had beta fish swimming around in them!  So clever.

Me and Dana

This cute blonde was our nanny that summer I was pregnant with Samuel.

Matt and Dana cuttin’ a rug! I know they’ll love me for posting this one. 🙂

This handsome guy is Matt and Dana’s son, Christian, with his gorgeous date!

These are two of my favorite young women.

Two boys showing off! 🙂

Ok, that’s it for now…good night!

Last week I was SO busy with Gourmet Club that I didn’t know how I was going to pull-off our traditional Valentine’s dinner of chicken parmesan and strawberry soup.  So I sweetly asked for a rain-check of one week.  The boys in my life pondered on it for awhile (especially Caleb who LOVES my chicken parmesan) and decided they would allow it (gee thanks guys!).  So this past Thursday I fulfilled my obligation and we enjoyed our usual tradition.  And it was just as sweet and fun as it would have been on the actual day…even more so because my mom could join us!

Then afterwards we went to see Jacob sing in the 2nd grade music program. 

Caleb made cards for everyone…mine was, of course, hearts; Derek’s was tools; Jacob’s was sports; and Samuel’s had a bottle and a binky.  So cute that little Caleb!

Is it Tuesday already?!

Last week was consumed with life + Gourmet Club preparations, which made for late nights and early mornings.  BUT, it went swimmingly!  Donna and I were so pleased with the results of our brunch on Saturday.  I guess 2+ months of preparation really does pay off!  Everyone was very complimentary, and we only had minor hitches that we would have changed.  My biggest regret is not being able to take more pictures!  I didn’t even get a pic of the main course.  We were way too busy to stop and snap photos.

Our theme was "winter into spring" and we used this poem as our inspiration (you might have noticed the last two lines were on the invitation):

"In winter’s cold and sparkling snow,
The garden in my mind does grow.
I look outside to blinding white,
And see my tulips blooming bright.
And over there a sweet carnation,
Softly scents my imagination.
{
On this cold and freezing day,
The Russian sage does gently sway,
And miniature roses perfume the air,
I can see them blooming there.
Though days are short, my vision’s clear.
And through the snow, the buds appear.
{
In my mind, clematis climbs,
And morning glories do entwine.
Woodland phlox and scarlet pinks,
Replace the frost, if I just blink.
My inner eye sees past the snow.
And in my mind, my garden grows."
– Cheryl Magic-Lady, Winter Garden

Here was our menu:

White Hot Chocolate: our guests were served a tea cup of hot chocolate as they arrived.  There was orange zest, toffee bits and cinnamon sticks to add if they chose.

Danish Puff Pastry: Donna’s recipe and it’s to die for!  In fact, I’m having some at this very moment!

Then they sat down at the table and we served…

Honeydew Granita Spritzer: granita is an Italian dessert.  You make it with pureed fruit and a simple sugar syrup, then freeze it and scrape it with a fork.  This variation was served as a drink, with ginger ale and club soda, garnished with a lime.  And for extra prettiness we sugared the rim of martini glasses.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches: this is favorite recipe of mine that I’ve been doing for years.

Vanilla Poached Pears:  these are so delicious!  Bosc pears poached and then stuffed with raspberry jam.

Eggs Florentine: you start with a fried potato cake (with bacon), sauteed spinach, a poached egg, and then top them with a mornay sauce (fancy cheese sauce made with Emmenthaler swiss)

German Apple Pancake:  kind of like a turnover, made in the oven with cinnamon apples, sprinkled with powdered sugar

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

And they all left with bound recipe books, homemade petit fours, and pebble magnets (that I made).

SOOOOO much work…but SO fun.

Here are some pics:

the menu/place cards

the pebble magnets

Here’s the other half of the story:

Friday night I was up until close to 1 am.  Then I was back up at 6, cooking away.  Jacob was up that morning early, as well, watching cartoons.  It was storming outside.  Around 6:30 a.m. we were pounded with large hail…and I do mean pounded.  Derek shot out of bed and was running upstairs, as Caleb was running down crying.  The baby was sitting up in his crib, crying.  It sounded and felt like the windows were going to shatter.  I felt like a mother hen gathering her chicks.  I went to the middle of the house, spread out my arms and held all three kids.  It was scary…and so loud.  Luckily we had both cars in the garage.  But our plastic grill cover and plastic toy bin outside all have holes in them. And outdoor lightbulb was shattered too.  Then about 15 minutes later the lights went out for a few seconds.  I almost had a heart attack…gourmet club was not going to happen without power!  But it all came back on and we were fine.  The only hitch was having to take 5 trips back and forth to Donna’s that morning…in the RAIN!

I’ve seen this on other people’s blogs and think it’s fun…if for no one else, posterity.

1. I take baths, not showers.  Every day.  Haven’t stepped foot in the shower in months.  I wash my hair every other day.  On off days, it’s always in a pony tail.

2. I had braces in college.  And a big permanent mouthpiece with a bead on the roof of my mouth.  I was also the anchor for our weekly college news at the same time…with braces and a big mouthpiece…that was interesting.

3. One of my dream jobs would be to edit/proofread novels.  I can find at least 3-5 mistakes per book I read.  I don’t use that same part of my brain when I blog. 🙂

4. Jacob would have been a Jacob or a Caleb.  Caleb would have been a Caleb or a Samuel.  Samuel would have been a Samuel or a Luke.  Luke, are you out there?! 🙂

5. Derek’s great grandmother on his dad’s dad’s side was Else Klara (German).  My great grandmother on my dad’s mom’s side was Eileen Clara.  If we had a little girl, she would be Clara.

6. I’m a germ-a-phobe.  I can feel the germs on my hands when I get home from the grocery store, church, or school.  And I hate dry hands…must have lotion.

7. I sleep with my hair in a pony tail.  I can’t sleep with it down…in my face.  As you can probably tell, I enjoy pony tails.

Ok that’s it.  Dana, Shelley…your turn!

Surviving…that’s what I’m busy doing this week.

Valentine’s Parties, a husband who’s out of town, a book club meeting here, a baby with a small cold (doing breathing treatments to prevent any respiratory issues), AND I’m DEEP in the trenches of our Gourmet Club brunch.  We’re very excited about our menu and theme, but it is SO much work…more than I bargained for.  Pictures and details on that next week.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of Caleb and Samuel from last week.  We went to a local Nature Museum (Heard) to see the Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit.  Robotic dinosaurs along an outdoor trail.  Caleb LOVES dinosaurs, and he loved the one-on-one, fun time too.  Samuel was mesmerized by them…especially when they roared.  It was cold and windy, and the trail didn’t have stroller access, which was a bummer.  But the good thing was (probably because of the aforementioned downsides), there was no one there!  We got to play all by ourselves!

There was a small indoor museum with different nature/science exhibits.  One exhibit had live snakes…native to Texas.  We got close to the window of one rattlesnake and it hissed and shook its rattle at us for a while.  That was pretty fun (in a "mom’s-gonna-stand-back-here" kind of way).

Of course, you can imagine my delight when on the outdoor trail there are signs posted saying "Please stay on the trail, watch for snakes".  Lovely…

Well, you can imagine what I’LL be doing tonight.  Watching and waiting and groaning, probably, at Mike Huckabee who should’ve been out of this race weeks ago.  And who might be ruining my chances of a victory.  But alas, I’ll also be crafting and creating for Gourmet Club too.

Derek decided a while ago that he wanted us (all 5 of us) to be walking American History textbooks.  So he bought a game from Mindware, a great little company with a huge selection of games.  It’s an American Trivia game, the Junior Edition.  And we keep it at the dining room table and read several of the questions/answers each night.  Watch out…Jeopardy, here we come.

We’re also really in to this game right now…Also in the Junior Edition.  It’s very fun for all of us, which is nice.