Timothy's First Tournament

Emma has been in dance for three years now, and really loves it.  She also does horseback riding, which she also really loves.  But we really didn't have anything lined up for Timothy.  I knew that we needed to find some kind of physical activity for him to be involved in, but for some reason, dance just didn't appeal to him. ;)  Thankfully, we have a great Tae Kwon Do program here.  Timothy had been asking since we started school last fall to sign up.  Finally, in January of this year, we got him all signed up.  He came home from his first class beaming!!!  He was so excited and I was so happy for him.  I love the fact that he has an activity that challenges him physically.  I also love how they focus on character qualities like perseverance, self-control and respect.  

So, today was his very first tournament.  I was very excited for him, but also a little nervous.  Randy is the one who has been bringing him to class, so I hadn't seen him in action yet.  Turns out, he has been working very, very hard the past couple months.  

The day started with the patterns, or forms.  Each person choses a pattern, or series of moves, appropriate for their level.  Timothy's group had six students, and he was last.  As he began, I realized that to my completely untrained eye, he appeared to do quite well.  I was right.  He placed first in his category!

The day ended with the sparring competition, where Timothy placed third out of 6 in his category!  I am so proud of him, not because of his trophies, but because of his hard work.  (Ok, the trophies are cool, too.) :)  

He also received award patches- one for Academic Achievement and one for Curtesy.  

So very proud of you, dude! :)  Way to go!

Abby is 4!

Okay, so I am almost three weeks late.  It happens.  

On Sunday, April 7, my little Beezus girl turned 4!!!  It is so hard to believe that she is already 4.  She really does make our home and our days bright and sunshiny!  I think one of my favorite things about Abby is her absolutely, unwaveringly positive view of the world.  Everything is positive in her world.  That's where I want to live. :)  I also really, really love her imagination!

She has also decided that 4 years old is a VERY grown-up age.  It is so much fun to see how independent and grown-up she really is becoming. :)  She makes me smile!

Here are a few pictures from her birthday.  We had a party for her on Saturday at Grandma and Grandpa's.  While eating her cake, she said, "This is awesome!  This is WAY better than being 3!!!"

When we came home on Sunday afternoon, we made her birthday cupcakes.  She had chosen pink and purple flower cupcake liners.  

She also decided that she wanted the cupcakes to be pink and purple swirl.  Not a problem! :)

When it came time for the frosting, she said that she wanted pink and purple swirl frosting, also.  This had been my original plan, but by this time everyone was getting tired.  So, I told her that she needed to choose one color.  Abby decided to go with purple, since that is Emma's favorite color. :)  She is such a sweetie pie!  That made this mama's day. :)  We had also found some pink flowers and some funky, colorful flowers to decorate them.  Grandma also sent us home with some butterfly decorations.  I think they turned out pretty cute!

Oh, and sprinkles.  Pink, purple, and little pearls.  I think we did pretty well!  Abby thought so, too. :)  They were also rather tasty, if I do say so myself.  (No, the cake was not made from scratch, but the frosting was.)  

Happy birthday, sweet girl!!! :)

It's here!!!

When Randy and I first got married, pretty much all of our furniture was hand-me-downs, and that's ok.  We were in a little apartment and really didn't need a lot.  We did have a small dining table, but most of the time we just ate in the living room- sitting on the couch and using the high coffee table.  With just the two of us (and eventually Emma in a high chair) it worked.

When we moved from the apartment to our first house (when I was pregnant with our second), we had a lot more space to fill and very little to fill it with.  We were very blessed to purchase our house from family friends who were downsizing.  They offered us their large dining room set for a very reasonable price.  It was a great deal for everyone!  We had a nice, large dining set ready and waiting for us, and they didn't have to move it. :)  This dining set worked really well in the large, open space in that house. The six chairs fit easily around the table even without the two leaves (which gave us lots of room for company!)  

Once we moved out to the farm, however, the large, oval shape did not fit as easily into the space we had.  As much as we had enjoyed this set, it just wasn't as functional in our new space.  So, we began the process of searching for a replacement.  I was really excited at the prospect of purchasing a brand new dining set!  We visited many, many furniture stores over the course of a couple years, gathering ideas and trying to decide on a style that we liked.  We saw several tables that we liked, but we were always a little disappointed in the quality of the chairs.  We wanted something that could stand up to 4 kids...something that would last.  At one point, we stopped in to an Amish furniture store near my parents'.  We were immediately drawn to the beauty and quality of the furniture.  We knew that this was something that would stand the test of time (and children!)  However, it would also be a significant investment.  We spent a lot of time weighing our options, and kept returning to the Amish furniture store.  Each time we went, we came a little closer to making some kind of decision.  First we found a style of chair that we really liked, then a general table style.  After a LOT of measuring and remeasuring, we decided that a large square would fit nicely.  Finally, on our last visit (between Thanksgiving and Christmas), we brought in a cabinet door to compare stain colors.  Again, we left without actually ordering.  I was not really upset, because I knew that at some point we were going to get something, and we had something to use in the meantime.  I was excited about the possibility of a new dining set, but I was willing to wait.  

The day before Christmas Eve, as we were getting ready to head out of town, Randy handed me an envelope that had arrived in the mail.  I saw that it was from the furniture store.  I figured that it was a summary of what we had finally decided on, along with the pricing information.  I really didn't think anything of it...until I opened the envelope.  Inside, I saw a purchase order...for a brand new dining set! Randy had called and ordered it for me as a surprise Christmas gift!  I was speechless!!!  Not only a brand new dining set, but a custom-made table and chairs that would last through generations!  Of course, the one drawback was that we had to wait for it all to be made. :)

Well, as of this morning, the wait is over!!!  Our new table and chairs were delivered this morning, and I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!  

I am so very blessed, indeed!  

My very domestic week

So, it has been a very long time since I have really posted much of anything.  It's certainly not that I don't have anything to talk about, it's just that life gets busy and I don't make this a priority.  

Anyway, I have been very busy recently.  First, I have been doing a LOT of crocheting in my spare time (as if moms really have "spare time").  I have been making some baby gifts for some friends, along with FINALLY finishing the very large blanket that I was making for Timothy.  (He was VERY patient in waiting, considering I started it well over a year ago.)  

Secondly, I have had a very fun week of making things from scratch in the kitchen.  On Monday, we stopped to pick up our fresh, raw milk from our friends who have a dairy farm.  (Before anyone freaks out, yes it is legal to buy and sell raw milk in our state, and no, it is not unsafe or otherwise unsanitary.  In fact, it is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH healthier for you, but that is a topic for a different day.)  Anyway, on Tuesday we made a batch of homemade yogurt.  This was our third time making it, and it is not nearly as crazy, scary or "weird" as I thought. :)  It's really very, very simple (and tasty).  Then we also tried something we had never done before...we made some homemade butter!  It was really pretty fun (and again, very tasty with the raw milk).  It is great for spreading on homemade bread, which we also made twice this week, but it would take a LOT of cream to make enough butter to use for things like baking.  

The most exciting kitchen venture was definitely Thursday night.  One of the ladies in our homeschool group has been making homemade mozzarella cheese for almost a year.  So, at our Mom's night on Thursday, she taught us all how to make it!!! :)  I was SO excited!  In our house, we LOVE cheese!  A lot!!!!  And it turns out that mozzarella cheese it extremely quick and easy to make.  (It only takes about half an hour!)  Hard cheeses are definitely more involved, but maybe someday...
One thing I have to say is that it was AMAZING to all of us to see the incredible differences between using raw milk versus pasteurized milk for making the cheese!  The raw milk took less time to set, the curd formed SO much nicer and didn't stick to the kitchen towel when straining (apparently cheese cloth does NOT work so well, contrary to what one would believe).  Also, the cheese stretches and forms SO much nicer.  And...the whey was completely different!!!  The whey coming out of the pasteurized cheese looks pretty much watery, while the raw milk whey looked basically like skim milk. :)  Bonus science experiment with our lesson! :)  

So, it has been a VERY fun week in the kitchen!  Also, my beloved has requested some homemade chocolate chip cookies.  It looks like we need more butter for that, but that can definitely be arranged. :)  However, there appears to be some debate over what cookies we should make.  When I asked Abby if she wants to make chocolate chip cookies, she replied, "No.  I want strawberry cookies...with chocolate beneath the strawberries...and extra vanilla...and maple syrup...and "cupcake frosting" on them."  So...I'm not sure we really have a recipe for that...  Also, when I told her today that we need to pick up some more butter to make our cookies, she said, "I don't want butter!!!  Butter and strawberries do NOT mix!"  Silly girl. :)

Michaelisms

In my last post (which was quite a long time ago!), I shared some of my favorite things that Abby says that make us smile.  Now that Michael is saying a lot more words, I need to record some of my favorite Michaelisms. 

Shoo- (noun) This can mean one of two things: The first one is somewhat obvious- "shoe".  The second option is a little less obvious- "fish".  The good news is that it is usually pretty easy to determine whether he is referring to swimming creatures or footwear.  This also works for socks or anything else that goes on his feet. :) 

Aye- (noun) This would be Michael's word for "milk".  I am not exactly sure how that came about.  For a very brief time, he pronounced "milk" in the same way that Timothy did at that age, which is even more difficult to try to spell than it is to say- "Blggoobllgw".  While Timothy stuck with that one, (Thankfully we had taught him to sign the word milk also, or we would have been hard-pressed to figure that one out.), Michael switched it up with a much easier word, both to say and spell.

"Eeya Doh."  This would be translated as "Here you go."  It just makes me smile, the way he says it. :) When he wants me to pick him up, he will come up to me with his arms up and say "Eeya doh."  :)

Bubble- (noun)  While this can refer to the obvious- bubble, it is also his word for blueberries- definitely a favorite in our house. :)  

"Ah Ditey!"  Translation- "Alrighty!" 

Pee pee-  (noun)  This is not what you would think.  Instead of being used as a bathroom reference, this is his word for pizza.  Appetizing, don't you think? :)

Eee hee or Hee hee- (noun)  This started out as his way of saying "horsey".  However, more recently he has started saying "Yeehaw!" every time he sees a horse. :)

I am sure there are more that I will have to add, but that is all I can think of right now. :)  I love my kids and I am so thankful God blessed me with being their mama. :)

Abbyisms

Kids are really funny!  They say funny things.  They do funny things.  Sometimes they do and say things to intentionally make others laugh.  However, I think some of the very funniest things are the ones that are just part of that particular child.  Here are some "Abbyisms" that I want to make sure I don't forget. :)

Stripey- adjective.  Relating to the unfortunate condition of having one's socks pulled up too high.  (ex.  "Help!  My socks are too stripey!!!!")

Shovey- adjective.  Relating to the unfortunate condition of having one's feet improperly situated in one's footie pajamas.  (ex.  Help!  My feet are shovey!!!")

Snadie- proper noun.  The name given to any and all unicorns in her possession.

Laffy- proper noun.  The name of Abby's baby doll who giggles when you squeeze her hand.

Nakie- proper noun.  The name of Abby's other favorite baby doll.  (Disclaimer- all of Abby's baby dolls spend their time sans clothing, but this is the only doll labeled that way.)

Pickles- proper noun.  The name of Abby's favorite stuffed bunny.  (Also a favorite food of both Abby and Emma.)

Clo- noun.  Referring to a single item of clothing.  (ex.  Mom, can you help me find Laffy's clo?")  
I can completely understand the use of this word, as I said the same thing when I was her age. :)  When you think about it, it really does make perfect sense.  Generally speaking, most nouns with an "s" at the end are plural nouns, referring to more than one of something.  Clothes is a noun that ends in "s", therefore one might think that this word refers to multiple articles of clothing, such as an entire outfit.  Therefore, it would seem to make sense that when referring to a single article of clothing, such as a dress or shirt, the word would then be "clo".  That completely makes sense, doesn't it?  Ok, maybe it's just me...and Abby.  :)  

I am sure there are plenty more things to add later on, but these are some of my favorites that are currently on my mind.  Kids really are funny! :)

Camouflage birthday

Yesterday was Timothy's 8th birthday!  I can't believe he is that old already!  (I know that sounds really  cliche to say, but it's still true nonetheless.)  

A few weeks ago, I finally broke down and joined Pinterest.  (I definitely agree with the advice that I have heard from several people- set a timer!!!  It's amazing how much time a person could spend on there!)  Anyway, I have been finding all kinds of delicious and fun recipes on there.  There are still WAY more recipes on my board that I haven't tried yet than those that I have, but I have already made several things and all have been delicious!  (Olive Garden breadsticks, a taco pie, an amazing chocolate chip cookie-peanut butter cup-brownie dessert, and several others.)  One of the first things I found on there was a recipe for camouflage cupcakes.  As soon as I saw them, I knew that I had to try making them for Timothy's birthday.  (This child would live in an entirely camouflage world if he could!)  Now, a little disclaimer...I am not all that daring and creative when it comes to making cakes.  I'm sure that I probably could do more than what I have, especially if I had the right tools and supplies.  But I just haven't made that a top priority.  Usually we end up with a 9x13 pan with frosting and some kind of sprinkles and/or decorations.  So, this is the most involved cake project that I have tackled in a long time.  (I did have help from our friend Laura, who was invaluable in this process!  Over the past couple years, any really awesome cakes the kids have had have been made and decorated by Laura.)  :)  Anyway, here is the end result.

I was shocked at how well they turned out!  I can't believe how much they actually look like camouflage!

Some of them overflowed the cups a little and ended up looking like little turtles. 

This is the final product, with the camouflage frosting and orange and green sprinkles.

Here is Timothy's birthday turtle.  It even looks like it has a face and little legs popping out.  There is no way we could have made it do that if we tried! :)

We got to celebrate with an awesome play date with some great friends!  The girls played together and had a blast.  The boys played together and had a blast.  The four littles played near each other and seemed to have fun, and the mamas definitely had a great time visiting and catching up! :)  

Happy birthday, Timothy! :)