Sweet Snuggle

I'm sure missing having a baby around.  Seems that I should be announcing the next pregnancy about this time of year...but I'm not.  There will be no more babies around here and I just HAVE to get used to it.  I'm asking that everyone prays the same for me.  I really need peace in my heart about this.  God did give me the gift of a great snuggle with my son today, so I know He's working on my heart as we speak.

Such a dollie.

Book Recommendation: Sacred Marriage

I've been able to get some reading done now that our days are a bit more scheduled and predictable.  (Weird how summer vacation sometimes seems more stressful than the school-year)  I am recommending this one for all married folks.  If anyone has read it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it too.  If you DO end up checking it out after seeing this, also let me know what you gained from reading it.

First Day(s) of School

Yesterday was my first day of school. Our middle school only has grades 7 & 8 so our 7th graders are new to the building.  The first day was spent guiding kids to right place and helping them get into their lockers since they are new to combination locks. Everyone managed to find the right place eventually.

What do you think? Is purple my color?

 Today was much more nerve-wracking.  It was Olivia's first day of school.  Sylvia and Joseph also had their first day at new day care.  Of course it had to fall on a Friday...the ONE day that Olivia needs to ride the bus to school.  She wasn't phased however, she was pumped to go kindergarten! Mommy and daddy, however, were a gigantic anxiety-ridden ball of nerves.  See Also: First Day of School and First Day as a Grasshopper.

First off, daddy was in charge of getting the children ready in the morning which includes doing hair.  This is one skill that totally escapes me so please don't poke too much fun at their homely appearance (nice first impression at school eh?).

Ready to roll daddy!

Here's Olivia with her backpack, or as they call it....pack pack.

 Dropping the kids off at a new daycare was a little tense.  Joey cried and Sylvia looked petrified.  As much as I wanted to comfort them I had to just leave. Hugs and kisses and off I went.

Olivia came to the middle school with me to catch her bus.  We hung out a bit inside since Olivia was convinced it was going to rain on us.  We watched out of the window of another teacher's room anxious for the bus....Olivia wishing it would hurry...Daddy wishing it would never come so she would just HAVE to stay with him all day.  The bus showed up.

Olivia's bus TWO-OH-TWO. More affectionately known as the pink pig.

To help the wee kids remember and recognize which bus they need to ride each one has a different colored animal on it: Gray horse, red chicken, green cow, pink pig...

Olivia rides the pink pig bus.  I held her hand as we waited for the doors to open. I asked the driver if they were going straight to her school.  Twice.  Up she went and she found a seat a few rows back.  She looked out the window and gave me a wave.  My girl was off to kindergarten.  Naturally, I needed a private moment in my room to regain my composure before students filed in.

The end of the day couldn't have come sooner.  I anxiously awaited the arrival of the pink pig carrying my lil princess.  It was the first day of elementary school so the busses took what seemed like an eternity to show up.  All of the barnyard labeled busses started rolling in but no pink pig.  There are seven busses that come to the middle school and six had arrived. No....pink.....pig. After another eternity I saw her bus coming up the road. It came to a stop and I believe I was the first person at the door.  I let the driver know that I was there to pick up my daughter and he called her up to let her off. Hooray! She made it! I was so relieved.  I swept her off the bus and gave her a big squeeze.  Her first request was for "a bottle of water or something" since she had just had a long, hot ride on the bus and was a bit sweaty.  Off to my room for some cool water since I have a drinking fountain in it.

Olivia told us all about her exiting day of kindergarten.  By far the best thing about her day was having THREE recesses.  That was a huge deal.  And the hot dogs for lunch were great too.  She can't wait to go back Monday.

School Supplies

In my opinion, new school supplies are one great part of starting a new school year.  I'm definitely working on focusing on the positive and fun aspects of sending our first-born off to kindergarten.  Check out Olivia with her supplies.  We go to meet her teacher and get acquainted with her school and classroom tomorrow.  She has been counting down the days!  She was delighted to see me labeling all her stuff tonight and wanted her picture taken with the loot:)

She's holding her favorite Tinkerbell folder.

Cornbread & Beef Skillet Pie

New recipes make me happy, especially when they turn out easy and yummy:)  Try this one if you're in the mood for some warm, comfort food.  Another bonus: I'll bet you have all the ingredients (or at least close substitutes) right in your pantry and freezer. 

Heat oven to 400. Brown 1# lean ground beef in a large skillet with heatproof handle over medium-high heat. Stir in a 21-oz can Ranchero Beans (I couldn't find these, so I used Pinto Beans) and a 15-oz can drained corn niblets.  Simmer 2 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare a 6.5-oz pkg cornbread mix as package directs.  

Spoon cornbread mixture on top of beef mixture in skillet.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese.  Bake 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cornbread comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes.

Final bonus I'll mention (besides the fact that everyone ate it-Olivia picked out the beans to NOT eat them, Sylvia picked out the beans TO eat them)  is the price of this dish...around $4.00...and we had leftovers!  

Ames Flood Pictures

Here are some pictures we snapped just outside the hotel where we were staying.

This is the intersection of Duff Ave. and S. 3rd Street. Right outside our hotel, you can see where the flood water was in the morning by looking at the debris under the stop light.

Panera's parking lot.

The view down S. Duff looking South.

Target parking lot.

Mosaic Magic

I sat down with the girls today to try out Sylvia's new "game" that she got for her 1/2 birthday. It's a magnet board that you put different pictures on and you match the colors with numbers, letters, or shapes to create different mosaics.

What could it be?

It's starting to take shape...

It's a snail in a garden! How cool!

Brusha brusha bruh-shuh

Joey is joining in the dental hygiene fun.  Check it out!

Joey and his toothbrush are the ONLY cute thing in this picture!

Trip to Battle Creek

We headed down the road to visit Great Grandma Dorothy in Battle Creek today.  Everyone had a wonderful time eating, playing, coloring, and visiting.  We LOVE 1:1 time with Great Grandma Dorothy and I believe she loves it too:)  The girls were tickled by the JELL-O served up in petite glass stemmed dishes.  One special treat for myself was recording some of Aunt Carol's best recipes.  I'm so glad Grandma thought to share them with me!  We're already looking forward to our next visit.

Now that's a GREAT picture!

Magic Mousse

The girls' new favorite dish, to make and eat, is Jello Magic Mousse.  It's so easy and refreshing!  We made a strawberry batch last week and orange batch this week.  We made it to take and share with Great Grandma Dorothy on Wednesday.  Check out the next blog entry for details about our trip to Battle Creek.

They really enjoy the stirring step.

Adding the cool whip.

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz) jello

1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping, frozen or thawed

Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved.  Whisk in whipped toping until blended.  Refrigerate 8 hours or until firm.  (we like to add some chunked fruit after the mixture has thickened slightly in the refrigerator)

Spirit Lake Visit

We are finally experiencing some of the perks of living closer to the family:)  While Great-Grandma Evelyn had company in town, Grandma Lola and the Rudens were invited to join in the fun.  We drove up to the lakes tonight and had supper with some extended family.  The kids played and made a mess while us "grown-ups" played some cards.  All that fun and they were sleeping in their beds within an hour of our departure from the festivities:)

2 out of 3's not bad.

Joey found himself a rubber mallet.

He's not afraid to use it.  Did I mention he's ALL BOY?

Pool Day

After story-time at the library this morning, we grabbed lunch and headed over to check out the Spencer Aquatic Center.  We enjoyed about an hour of refreshing swimming before the storm clouds rolled in, forcing us to seek shelter.  We had a blast while we were there!  We will definitely be frequenting this local attraction in the days and summers to come.

The girls played a lot of chase in the water.

These bathing beauties are getting quite brave at the pool.

Little Joe needs a CLOSE eye kept on him as he likes to run into deep water!

Little Climber

Look at Joey climb.  Last night I found him watching the digital picture frame.  He was giggling, pointing to the pictures, and dancing on the chair.

What a sweetie!  Love that boy.

Birthday Weekend

We got to spend Saturday and Sunday as a family at Ruden's Retreat at Lake Shetek in Minnesota.

What a great looking crew!

The kids enjoyed the sun, sand, and water.  Mama enjoyed being with the family on a weekend and Daddy got to throw some discs at Plum Creek DGC.  Thanks to all the family for hosting the birthday!  (and thanks to Gracie and Austin for sharing your summer celebration with Sylvia on her 1/2ish birthday)

New School...Old Habits

Today was registration day for the students in Spencer.  Registration was being held at the middle school so we took the whole family to get Olivia registered for kindergarten (already?) and let them see my classroom for the first time.  The kids loved playing in my room.  The girls especially look forward to writing on my boards with markers (if you will recall from this post from almost 2 years ago exactly). Check out their work:

They love school...for now!

Here's all three of them. Joey is about to smash one of my mini helmets. (It wasn't harmed)

Just another shot of my new room.

Pic-a-nic

What's nearly as fun as an outdoor picnic, minus the sweltering heat, suffocating humidity, and mosquito attacks?

You guessed it, an indoor picnic!  The girls in their dress-up clothes and Joey still in his jammies, they enjoyed  a lunch last week on the living room floor.  

Getting Crafty

The other morning the girls and I sat down for an "activity" that Gramma Lola left with us.  Olivia had been begging to do it since she laid eyes on it the day before.

Our task was to assemble three foam butterflies and then connect them.  Each of us took one butterfly and I showed them each step.  They took great care to get each piece just right.  The finished product is currently hanging in their room on the bulletin board.

Eager to Help

The other day Olivia decided to take a break from make-believe and princess play to ask her mommy if she could help with the dishes.  She got herself a stool and dried the dishes as mommy washed them.