4 generations

my grandma, my daughter, my mom, and me
do you see any resemblances?

random family update

~Jude's favorite activities include: climbing the stairs, turning the water on in the bathtub (not while he's in the tub, but while he is out of the tub just standing over the edge), eating, nursing (this kid is going to be hard to wean!), chasing Jeneva around the house, saying "hi", waving, riding in his carseat facing forward, and doing sign language for "more" and "all done."

~Jeneva has been taking a David Danced class on Monday afternoons. They learn to perfom biblical stories through dance. This afternoon we went with our friends Heather and Madeline to see a performance that her dance teacher, Mrs. Alness, was a part of called The Supercilious Ways of Walter Wading.

~On Tuesday I got to sub at Hope Academy. It felt so good to be in the classroom again! I've missed teaching at Heritage Christian Academy. We are considering Hope for Jeneva. We really appreciate the mission of the school, the teachers, and have heard lots of good things about it. It would be more affordable for us than other Christian schools. We aren't opposed to public schools at all, it's just that we are in the Minneapolis district and that seems a bit frightening to me (okay, a lot frightening). We are still planning on checking out the elementary down the street from us though.

~Last night Steve and I enjoyed going out...kidless! We went to Cafe Latte in St. Paul for dinner and dessert. That place is definitely a favorite! Then we drove down by St. Anthony Main and walked under the new bridge. It's enormous!

~Jeneva's favorite activities are riding her scooter and doing "math." I hated math when I was a kid, so I'm hoping she takes after Steve in that area.

~I am anticipating getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Yes, I'm 30 and still got em and they hurt! Now that I will be done nursing soon, I will have no excuse to not make an appointment!

french fries...

Jude getting a hold of his very first french fry...

here goes....

in the mouth...

mmmmmm good! (and oh so healthy too!)

my preschooler

Just enjoying a picnic at a park after preschool. Unfortunately this weather won't last forever!


Remember Rainbow Bright? The socks say it all!

Jeneva started going to Happy Time Preschool. Here she is waiting for her carpool ride. She goes on Monday and Wednesday mornings and we absolutely love it there!

horsing around

Just the usual horsing around the house.

princess in the rain

Yesterday afternoon it started pouring. It looked like night time. Immediately Jeneva wanted to put on her boots and raincoat and take her umbrella outside. Of course she was wearing her princess dress at the time, so it went out with her. I didn't want to get wet, so this was the best picture I could take through out window without my camera getting completely drenched!

uncle mike's sunglasses

not JUST your afternoon cup of tea...

...it's also a flavor (or scent) of Huggies brand baby wipes. Green Tea with Citrus. Seriously? Seriously! I picked them up awhile back at an Iowa K-Mart (I think I shop at K-mart once every 6 years or so). I was wiping my babies buns this morning and thinking that never before have they smelled so refreshing!

get lost!

That's totally what happened. We got lost in the corn maze for over an hour! The directions were terrible, but the kids were troopers. Dina and I took the kids to Apple Jack Orchards on Saturday. We spent the majority of our time there wishing that a helicopter would come and rescue us and that there wouldn't be any mysterious creatures lurking among the ears. There were a lot of "corny" jokes being told to make the time go by faster. We also had to be quiet because there were a lot of "ears" listening. Haha. Get it? That one comes from my father...I was basically raised in a corn field. You would think with my upbringing I would have been better able to navigate my way through a corn maze. That wasn't the case apparently.

Here are the kids at the beginning of the maze....oblivious to what was ahead.

Jude was a real trooper, but absolutely no help in getting us out.

Here are Lydia and Jeneva trying to read the directions.

The story does have a happy ending. We did get out....but not through the exit. We ended up cutting through the corn. I hope no one saw us. Eventually we got to enjoy what we went there for. Picking apples and raspberries! It rained. A lot. We continued to pick despite the weather. Fun! It really was quite an enjoyable time, but needless to say the kids were exhausted by the end....as were the mommies. Good thing we had the remainders of our Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiatos from the morning on the way home to keep us going...

easy, artsy, try it!

you can try it here.

a little girl's dream come true

Or should I say MY childhood dream just came true. I remember as a little girl looking inside of doll houses and imagining myself living inside of it. I even found myself reclaiming that childhood dream when we went to the 8th floor of Dayton's at Christmas time a couple of years ago to see the Mary Poppin's display. Part of me wanted to just crawl into the set and arrange all of the little miniatures. Just last week, my dear friend, Sara, in her endeavors to clean out a room in her basement came across a childhood favorite of hers. This doll house. Sara does not have a daughter yet, so wanted another little girl to be able to enjoy it! Jeneva is so lucky! Here is a little tour of the new "home" inside of our home.

The upstairs kids bedroom. The orange furniture goes so well with the green carpet and retro wallpaper.

Dare I say....this bathroom is cooler than my own bathroom!

The dining room complete with a table set for four, a high chair and a grandfather clock.

Another bedroom complete with the latest furniture fashions....including a record player. I wonder if we could hook up an i-pod to that! Ha!

This kitchen IS bigger than my own!

Here is the basement rec room. The striped wallpaper makes the ceilings look higher don't you think?!

The best part is the garage....complete with a 1976 Chevy Impala!

She refused to smile nice for this picture (she's stubborn like her father:) and she plays with it for hours. Josh and Levi are even here right now and playing with it!

untitled...

"Yep, that's me, I'm five."
"Look at my cool socks."
"I like waterfalls."

any other ideas?

happy friends

Sweet Gracie

Great picture of madeline.....but what is Jack doing? :)

Jonathan and Lydia both looking pretty cool

I put this one in for you, Jenny. Corene is licking her lips in anticipation of the cake!

The candles were lit and blown out twice. The first time by all of the other excited children. The second time by the one who was supposed to blow them out the first time.

foody friday

Today's theme is quick and easy meals.
After you read this, go to A Latte Talk for more quick and healthy recipes.

A few things that we always have on hand for easy meals are: flour tortillas, taco chips, refried black beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream for quick and easy "taco night." Another quick and easy meal is scrambled eggs rolled up in a flour tortilla with hot sauce, taco sauce, or salsa on top. Yum and super easy! Notice that both are vegetarian yet full of plenty of protein to satisfy the hubby.

This recipe though only has 3 ingredients and takes all of 15 minutes from freezer to table.

Polish Stir-Fry
(created by my friend, Erin who is particularly fond of poland)
Frozen Pierogies
Kielbasa (diced)
One bag frozen Calif. Blend veggies (cauliflower, carrots, broccoli)

Cook each item according to package directions and mix together for a very quick and easy and fairly healthy "throw-together" meal.

jeneva's first race

Here we are. She's ready to go! Her first race. Webber Park. Labor Day.

Sporting her new birthday New Balance tennis shoes and tanking up on some lemonade and a hot dog before the race.

Look! Her good buddy Jack came to run too and her neighbor friend, Zuri. Hooray!

Listening for directions from the guy at the start.

Hooray! Jeneva finishes strong. Her first half mile race. She finished in 4 minutes and 18 seconds.