Some Birthday Fun

There is nothing better then a Christmas time Birthday.  It just adds to all of the excitement of the holidays and it is fun finding ways to celebrate. 

Nate's birthday was Sunday so we had a small birthday party for him last week and then celebrated as a family on Sunday.  Originally we had planned to celebrate with the Grandparents on Saturday the 14th but we got hit with a big snow storm so we postponed it until Thursday.

 So, my parents came early afternoon and the in-laws came late afternoon.  The boys were so excited to have Nana and Papa coming over plus my Dad brought a new book to read to the boys. 

 Nate, ready to open his gifts!  This was after dinner.  So, what did we have for dinner?  Only his favorite foods - Mac and Cheese, (blue box, of course), Hot Dogs (well, with some Chili, Onions, and other toppings for the adults), Fritos and Doritos and I added apples and dip even though Nate does not eat fruit ;-)

 This gift was so fun because as he opened it he exclaimed with delight, "This is exactly what I wanted - I picked it out at the store!!"  And, he was right - it was  a Swamp People truck and trailer and is something he saw at the store and asked to get for his birthday.

 He got his own MP3 player . . .or phone as the boys call it :-)  Josh got one last year and he has been WAITING for one of his own!

 More gifts :-)  He also got a Semi-Truck, a Memory Game, the movie "Planes", Money from his cousins and  . . .I think that was it. 

 I asked Nate several days prior, what kind of cake he wanted.  He informed me that he wanted a Rocket, or horse or balloons, "You know mom, one of the cakes from the store - those are cool".  So I picked out, what I thought, was an awesome cake.  When he saw it he said, "This is not a cool cake mom, not at all, I need to go to the store with you to pick out a cool cake."  Well, then Papa stepped in, picked him and started talking about what an awesome cake it was with orange and blue worms all over it.  THEN Nate thought it was cool.  :-)

 Yes, there are only 3 candles; Yes he is turning 4; I so thought I had more candles and that is all that needs to be said.

Josh had to get in on helping him blow out candles. 

The boys had a lot of fun and were said when the grandparents left BUT were asleep in less then 2 minutes once they went to bed.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a fun day with Nate.  One of the nice things about a weekend birthday is you get the whole day to kind of pick when you do what.  We let Nate decide when to open gifts and eat cake!

 Nate (or maybe Josh) wanted to open his gifts in the morning - I think Nate had a little help from Josh on determining this time.  Josh wanted a picture with the gifts too.

 And the birthday boy with his gifts (Thank goodness for Zoom so I can get JUST the birthday boy!)

 Opening his first gifts - some suction cup building . . things.  He was so excited because he had picked this out of a catalog. 

 He also got a game called "Cheeky Monkey".  He saw it advertised on TV months and months ago and has been asking for it since.  The game is hilarious because they have to chase the monkey around to put rings on his tail - I might make Papa and Nana play it just for Laughs on Christmas Day HA! 

 Not to be left out, Josh needed his picture taken again before all of the presents were gone.

 Nate has informed us ever since going to Vacation Bible School at my parents which was a Soccer Theme that he wants to play soccer.  It may not hurt that his favorite person in the world, his cousin Kate, is an awesome soccer player.  SOOOO, we got him a Soccer goal.  He was so excited. 

 This was another gift he asked for from a catalog - it is a race car set and let me tell you, it is fabulous.  Talk about the perfect gift for this little guy!

 Joshua loves to take pictures and video . . .. I'm very sad because we can't find my little "cheap" camera which is the one he is really allowed to use.  I remember the last time I used it, even uploaded photos from it, and since that day I can't find it.  It is in this house somewhere . .. .

 We got hit by a beautiful Ice Storm (good thing we planned on staying in today anyway!).  Figured I would include a few pictures of the storm :-)

 We had lunch - Chicken Nuggets and Fries because Nate loves them and the boys went right back to playing.  About mid-afternoon he was ready for cake.  This time he asked for a cake AND Cupcakes so I baked both yesterday (6 cupcakes and a small cake with left over batter)

 Wait, isn't he turning 4?? Yep!  When we were at the store on Saturday, I let Nate pick out the candles for his cake (since I didn't have any more . .. uuugg!).  He liked the #'s so I showed him the 4 and he said it was not cool, he liked the one because it has polka dots and THAT is cool.  Therefore, his candle is not a "one" but rather it is a polka dot candle and that is according to Nate.

 Nate playing with the suction cups - the boys loved sticking them to the floor!

 Part of the favorite toy - this race track is by far the favorite toy of the day.  The cars have batteries so the boys just had a ball with them.  Best track ever!

One final ice photo - I love how this tree looks in the dark, with the ice and the Christmas lights. 

Besides the gifts above he also got a new book called "The Monstore". 

I highly recommend this book - it is cute, fun, and interactive. 

We really had a great day today and it is a little hard to believe that we have a 4 year old.. . .. who some days thinks he is 24.  ;-)

Nate's Birthday Photos! (Homeschool Corner - the picture version)

We are wrapping up our Count Down with the Grinch this week - the boys have enjoyed it.  Especially Josh.  He even peeks to see if he can figure out what little gift is coming up on future days. I now have to focus on getting ready to start school after the new year - yikes!

BUT today, I wanted to finally share Nate's birthday photos.  We took them at the end of October when we did Josh's and other photos as well. (I'll share soon!). 

I just love his photos :-)

Things my Kids Say (and do!)

First up, I want to wish Nate a very Happy Birthday!  Hard to believe that little guy turns 4 today!

* The boys and I made cookies last weekend - Peanut Butter Kiss cookies.  On Sunday, I was putting some in storage bags to add to neighbor goodie plates this week when I noticed that all of the tips were gone on the Kisses.  At first I just thought they melted like that until I took a closer look . .. and discovered teeth marks on every single cookie. Yes, the boys had bitten the tops off of ever single Kiss on every cookie.  Seriously???

* The boys and I were outside shoveling snow and hanging some lights on Sunday.  We were finally done and heading back around the house when Josh laid down in the snow and said, "Mom, I just ran out of gas, you will need to pull me back to the house." LOL

*Nate will get sick if he drinks our water (don't worry, we are getting a new well) so one night, after drinking bath water and getting an upset tummy, he told us that the people that live in his stomach, choke on the water and then make him choke.  I had a hard time not laughing especially as the story grew to a whole house living in his stomach with a mom and dad that look just like his real mom and dad.  :-)

*I recently asked Josh if he was 15 (because he was acting like a teenager) and he very seriously replied, "No mom, not yet, I'm really only 6".  Now what makes that even more funny is that he is only 5 but ARGUES with us that he is 6.  :-) 

* I mentioned in yesterdays post that the boys love Dot-to-Dot books right now . . .so much so that this is what I found one day last week: 

 Yes, dots.  Everywhere.  His face, hands, legs, feet.  Thankfully it was washable marker but I will say it sure was hard to take him seriously all day long - especially when he got mad about something . . .it just made me want to laugh!

And.  .. . .the latest Train Circle - they boys had a lot of fun with some new train supplies :-)

Our Book Advent - Week 3

December 16

Several years ago, a blog I followed prepared a set of drawing pages to go along with this book.  We may only do 1or 2 pages this year but I think it is a good introduction for the boys into this type of craft.

I knew going into this project that the boys would not draw much ;-)  I just wanted to use this to introduce the concept of drawing pictures for a story . We WILL do this again next year.  This book tells the Bible Story almost word for word from the Bible which is such a great thing. 


December 17

Today we started working on some Christmas presents so while I worked with each of the kids individually, the others worked on putting together a cute Elf. 

December 18

We worked on a fun beading project.  Well, I thought it would be fun . . the boys could have cared less.

 Ok, not beads - but this shows how interested he was in the project - he went and got a cheese stick HA!

 Nate's ornaments - he started with just two beads on a pipe cleaner but then made a couple more that were better.

 Josh Filled his pipe cleaner but really was glad to be done with this one.

December 19

So, we skipped this book - Today was Nate's Birthday party with the Grandparents so we didn't do class.

December 20

We tried a new style craft today and it did not go well.  Thankfully this book was fantastic :-)

I wanted a nativity scene . . .so Popscicle sticks seemed fun . . except this is what I heard, "Mom, I'm done now" LOL  Oh well.  My boys are not crafty at this point.  They are more into Dot-to-Dots right now. 

They really enjoyed the books, though, and I look forward to doing this again next year.  I do want to pick out a few new books for next year and maybe steer it even more towards stories surrounding the Manger verses Santa Claus . . .not that Santa Claus isn't fun :-)

Food Friday - Turkey Spring Rolls

Turkey Spring Rolls
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

I was watching an episode of The Pioneer Woman recently and she did a bunch of "left over Thanksgiving dinner" recipes.  This was one of them.  I loved the asian flair and the fact that it used Cranberries for the sauce.  Now, lets keep it real.  I had to get past a few things in this recipe.  The noodles kinda reminded me of worms (sorry) and as much as I love alfalfa sprouts, seeing them through the "skin" wrapper made them look a little . .. wormy!  Uuggg!  A couple fo things I would do differently next time - 1)I would not use the noodles and 2) I  would cut the Soy Sauce in half in the Turkey mixture and maybe leave it out in the cranberry sauce - or cut it in half as well.  

 

Ingredients

2 cups shredded leftover Thanksgiving turkey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon hot chile oil
1 package cellophane noodles
Eight 8 1/2-inch rice paper wrappers
3 leaves green-leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 carrot, cut into julienne
1 cucumber, cut into julienne
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Dipping Sauce:

1 cup leftover cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Hot chile oil

Directions

Place the turkey in a bowl and drizzle in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and the hot chili oil. Stir to combine and give it a taste. If you'd like a stronger flavor, add a little more of any of the ingredients.

Next, place the cellophane noodles in a large bowl. Cover them with boiling water and let them sit according to the package directions.

When they are tender but still have a nice bite, drain and set the noodles aside.

Soften the rice paper wrappers by placing them one by one into a bowl of warm water and taking them out when they're soft but still hold together.

To assemble each spring roll, lay a wrapper on a plate. Lay a small line of noodles in the center. Add a small amount of lettuce, turkey, alfalfa sprouts, a few carrot and cucumber strips, and top with a sprinkling of cilantro.

Fold in the sides of the wrappers and roll it into a tight roll. Repeat to make the rest of the rolls.

For the dipping sauce: Combine the cranberry sauce, soy sauce and a few dashed chile oil.

Dip the rolls into the sauce and dig in! Best if eaten within 1 hour of preparing.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/turkey-spring-rolls-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

 

Weekly Menu - The One with Christmas and Nate's Birthday

Welcome back.  I'm kind of amazed that it's time to think about Christmas Food.  Josh asked me recently what we eat for Christmas - he saw a cartoon that talked about special food and, had to find out what we eat that is special.  I did a lot of baking this past week so we have lots of fun Christmas goodies for the week and are looking forward to a wonderful holiday week.

Friday - Goulosh, Green Beans and Rolls

Saturday - Tonight we are going to eat out.  We want to take the boys to do their Christmas shopping and then drive around to see the lights.

Sunday - Today is Nate's actual birthday.  I'm going to mix it up a bit and make Chicken Nuggets and Fries ;-) That will make him happy :-)

Monday - I'm not sure yet - it is going to be a "Freezer/Pantry" meal.  With Christmas Eve and Christmas, my grocery budget needs a break so I'm trying to just shop from home for most of the week.

Tuesday - Christmas Eve :-)  It is our tradition to have snacks in the evening but this year I've had to get creative due to Darryl's stomach issues.  Plus I wanted stuff the kids will actually eat ;-)  So, we are having "tea sandwiches" - PB and J, Egg Salad, and maybe Tuna.  (I'll cut the crusts off and cut each into 4 . . .they will be cute.), Cheese, Crackers and Pickles, Fruit and Dip, and Christmas Goodies!

Wednesday - Breakfast is always special . .. .well, as special as it can be with two toddlers HA!  Unless something changes drastically with Darryl's stomach, we can't have our traditional food so, at this time, I'm planning Waffles, Sausage, and a nice fruit bowl. Christmas Dinner!  Ham, Cheesy Potatoes (and a Sweet Potato for Darryl), Pioneer Woman Green Bean Casserole, Roasted Carrots,

Thursday - What is best the day after a holiday?  Leftovers, of course!

Merry Christmas from our Family to yours!

So here it is!  Our Christmas card :-)  I ordered from a new company this year, thanks to an groupon where I got a $70.00 package for $20.00.  I'm not going to share the company name because I found that their templates were NOT easy to use at all and, when I opened the envelope with my photo cards in it, I discovered, well, that they weren't mine.  I had someone elses cards which included their address, phone # and e-mail address on the confirmation!  (And mine had been shipped to someone else . . .).  The company made it all right but I won't order from them again!

Anyway - if you feel like reading, our Christmas letter is below!

Christmas 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello!  For me personally, I always enjoy this time when I get to sit down and reflect on our past year in order to share just a little bit of our adventures with each of you. 

Our Animals – China, our wonderful dog, is still doing great J  She is just as much of a couch potato as she has ever been but has also become quite the “guard” dog with the boys.  During the summer she is outside with them often, seemingly sleeping in the sun, but if someone approaches the yard, she puts on her “mean dog” face and lets them know they can’t enter the yard.  Nate especially loves her and often sits next to her on the couch, resting his hand on her back.  Misty is really showing her age but she still has spunk.  Sure, her jumping isn’t quite as high; her hearing isn’t quite as keen; but she still loves to snuggle in and stay warm!  It’s hard to believe she is about 18 years old.  We did lose one pet this past year – Stratocastor passed away not long after Christmas last year.  We noticed the day after Christmas that she was having trouble walking; we were trying to decide what to do when she made the decision for us, curled up and went to sleep forever.  We are thankful for that but I sure missed seeing her on the porch this summer, stretched out in the sun!

Our Kids – Josh and Nate are doing great.  We worked on homeschooling this year with Josh in K-4 and Nate in preschool.  Both boys enjoy learning and, more importantly, enjoy learning at home J  They also attended a weekly homeschool co-op where they were able to enjoy gym class as well as other learning classes.  We have moved on to bikes with training wheels this year – Josh and Nate both love their new bikes and their new freedom to ride in the drive-way.  Josh continues to entertain us with his stories, jokes, and take charge attitude (He often asks me if it is his time to be charge . .. ).  Nate continues to have that sweet spirit that coincides with his “all boy – not afraid of anything” attitude.  I’m his best buddy right now and I wouldn’t change that for anything! 

Our Work – Darryl continues to drive a Taxi for Calder City Cab in Grand Rapids.  It is something he enjoys most of the time but does get a little stir crazy sometimes.  So far, God has not opened any other doors and has supplied for our needs through this job.  I am still helping a friend out and watching her children – ages 3 and 10 months.  We added a Girl to the mix with all of the boys as the 10 month old is . . well, a girl ;-)  My boys love her and would like her to live with us . .. except now she is ‘on the move’ and they really don’t like that at all! 

Our “fun” – Darryl continues to play with the group “Alive” and has enjoyed that more this year despite his long hours at work that make it hard to stay awake during practice.  He also enjoys writing and recording his own music too.  Scrapbooking is still my main hobby and I had the opportunity to take a weekend away with friends to do just that in the fall.  It was a great get away and I got a lot done!!  I have also enjoyed singing in the Lakewood Choral Society again this year and am looking forward to an upcoming Christmas concert. 

Our “Not so much fun” – As I write this Christmas letter, Darryl has been off of work for over 2 months.  At the end of September, after struggling with a very sore back, he ended up flat on his back due to a back injury.  After a trip to the ER, some awful pain meds, and an MRI he was sent to a Neurosurgeon to see what could be done.  It continued to get worse so he was sent for a CT scan as well where they found that the L4 and L5 Vertebrate had “tipped” and were severely irritating the nerves making walking very difficult and causing his legs to go numb.  During this time, he started dealing with stomach issues that turned into pain so severe that I had to take him to the ER again; after several tests it appears that he has gastritis and a possible ulcer.  Thankfully, a very, very plain, simple diet has helped that all heal and he is doing much better (and has lost 30 pounds!!).  We are still working on the back issues but, again, some good news is that it seems to be less painful and the numbness is not so severe.  Having Darryl home has been great – we’ve always joked that we wish he worked at home so we could always be together but, he is technically self-employed so we’ve had to really trust God to supply our needs, which He has done.  It hasn’t been a stress free 2 months by any means, but I can say that our faith is stronger J We are hopeful that he can slowly return to work over the next month and going to hold off on any surgery to see if it continues heal on its own otherwise surgery will have to happen at a later time.

Our Home – If you have read this letter through the years you know that I often have a “water” story.  Well, I don’t want to let you down!  This spring, this area experienced severe flooding – some of the worst that has been seen in a very long time.  All of our neighbors had water filled basements and ran sump pumps for weeks to get water out.  We did not J  We did end up with just one small “puddle” in a low area in the basement but I think that was from all of the neighbors adding water to a water logged ground.  We did have a “flood” of our own, though . .. our water softener broke and flooded our basement.  Not once, but twice.  Seriously.  Uuuggg!!!  After the second time, we replaced the old girl and put in a new system (Thanks to the Cullegan Man!) which, after almost 3 months, is finally working the way it should – the secretary knew my number because I called that office so many times!! 

Our Vacation – This year we enjoyed a fantastic family vacation with the boys.  We decided to stick close to home and headed to Mackinaw City for a week.  The boys were beyond thrilled – we even made a countdown chain to hang so the boys could keep track of how many “sleeps” until we left.  I can’t even express in a letter how much fun the boys had but on the morning we were packing to leave the boys cried, ask to be left behind, requested that we take the pictures off the hotel walls to take home with us and we had to drive over the bridge one last time.  Even now, 6 months later, Josh will ask when we are going back because Mackinaw City is his favorite place.  Can you guess where we are going on vacation next summer??