Days 3 and 4 of our adventure

To say that we have been having a fun time is an understatement! Our days have been filled with swimming, eating, swimming, eating, swimming, exploring, sleeping.....and on and on. As I type this we are experiencing some rain and distant thunder claps. The kids are watching a movie on the Disney Channel and they just finished up a little bit of ice cream. I am thoroughly enjoying spending some one-on-one time with each of my kids. How blessed we are. Enjoy these pictures from the last couple days.

Noah and Joey very engrossed in "The Wizards of Waverly Place" movie!

Abby and Eli enjoying the movie from a comfy spot.

Enjoying ice cream and cookies after lunch.

At the lake, each of the kids were trying to catch minnows that were swimming around our feet.

Now no one can say that I never post a picture of myself! hahaha It's my shadow in the lake!

These are our treasures from the day.....Abby and her shells and Joey found some kind of bone in the water.

All clean after a nighttime bath!

Joey is a master at making up his own games!

But nothing beats playing games with Grandpa Fred!

Day 2 of our adventure

It's been a very rainy day and we spent most of it in the indoor swimming pool. Thank goodness that happens to be the favorite activity of my children! But after our 2 long swimming excursions today, we headed to what was supposed to be a bonfire on the lake with hot dogs, chips, lemonade, smores.....needless to say, it wasn't on the lake. It wasn't even a bonfire. But we did get hot dogs, chips, lemonade, and smores made inside.

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade, right?!?!

The benefit of a rainy day after eating smores is easy cleanup!




Even Grandma got in on the action!
We have a nice phone call with Daddy so we won't be so homesick for him.


We play games as if we had some money with us.

We play ping pong with Grandpa.

And when we get "home", we play a fierce game of Uno with Mom!

All in all, a very good rainy, wet day.

Day 1 of our adventure

My parents, my kids, and I are on a special adventure this week out of town. Poor hubby is left to manage things on the homefront. We were so excited when we woke up this morning to see what our day had in store for us but we encountered a little hiccup in our plans. While we were swimming Joey started to complain about his stomach hurting. We left the pool quickly and headed back to where we are staying. As he got out of the van, he started throwing up. Poor guy had such horrible pains in his stomach and he was barely throwing anything up. I know, I know -- TMI!!! He rested a good part of the afternoon and right now you would never know he was feeling sick this morning.

Despite his not feeling well, we had some great adventures.


A sweet, sweet picture to wake up to this morning. I was able to sit back and watch them interact with Grandpa Fred while I drank my cup of coffee.

Abby making a big splash in the pool

Joey jumping in the pool -- great form!

Eli, my little swimmer

Abby and Grandpa Fred

Love love LOVE this picture of Noah and Joey

Eli and Grandma Theda

It was off to the lake!

Eli and his shadow in the water

All 4 kids are watching the minnows swim all around their feet....and trying to catch one with their bare hands.

Fun at play

We had so much fun today playing with my cousin and her kids at their house. There were 4 wheelers to ride, a sprinkler to run through, a trampoline to jump on, 4 wheelers to ride (again), a treehouse to play in, puppies to be played with......lots and lots of activity....lots and lots of fun memories were made as well.


The whole gang -- Noah (10), Chloe (8), Abby (8 1/2), Joey (7), Eli (3 1/2), Carter (5)

Eli drinking from the sprinkler

Abby and Joey on the big 4 wheeler


Eli drove this battery powered "4 wheeler" all day long!

Chloe and Joey

Chloe and Abby



Carter and Noah


Eli and "his" puppy -- the hardest thing to do all day long was separate him from the puppies



Abby holding the girl puppy


Joey and puppy


Noah and puppy, looking lovingly at each other

Thank you, Carla, Chloe, Carter (and Chad!) for being such wonderful hosts. We must do this again sometime.

Out of the mouths of moms

Wow! When I saw this on my friend Jennifer's blog, I knew this was the perfect re-entry into the blogging world. So, sit back and enjoy some of the things I've said in the last couple weeks to my children!

• Please put that mouse down right now! Why? Because it's gross! I know it's dead...that's why it's gross and dirty. Now come in here and wash the dead mouse gook off your hands!
• Put the scissors down! We don't try to cut our friends while they're here playing.
• Please don't bite your brother. You aren't a real dinosaur.
• Please take your hands out of your pants. (ah, life with boys)
• (said to 2 of my boys in the back of the van while I'm driving) Keep your hands to yourself please! I said, keep your hands to yourself! BOYS! Ok, both of you sit on your hands and look out the window. Look out your own windows please! Thank you.
• Please tell me you're wearing underwear.
• Please take that pull-up off your head. Because we don't wear pull-ups as hats. Please tell me you didn't pee in that one.
• Did you just dip your toothbrush in the toilet to get it wet?

And my favorite one:

• Yes it's very cool your penis has a hole in it but it's not cool to pee on your fingers! Now please come here and wash your hands!

Yes, life with children is always an adventure. And one that I love!!!! Hope you had a laugh...or 2!

Lasagna casserole

I made this for supper tonight and it was a huge success!!!! 5 out of 6 of us liked it which is what makes a HUGE success in my book. So I thought I'd share the recipe with my "mommy readers". Let me know if you try it and what the outcome is for your family.

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
****I used 12 oz of mild Italian sausage instead of the ground beef/onion****
salt (I omitted)
pepper, to taste
1 pound medium shell pasta, cooked and drained
****any pasta can be used...next time I'll use whole grain pasta****
1 pound (4 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
****I used 2% skim shredded mozzarella cheese****
1 carton (24 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
****I used 1% cottage cheese****
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
****I used Barilla Tomato and Basil pasta sauce****

In a skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink, drain. Sprinkle with salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, set aside. In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, 3 cups mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining pepper; stir gently. Pour into a greased 13 in x 9 in baking dish. Top with the beef mixture and spaghetti sauce (dish will be FULL). Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I served this with a salad, fresh veggies, and garlic rolls. Yummmmm!!!!! Enjoy!

Life

"Only one life, so soon it will pass. Only what's done for Christ will last."

These are a couple lines from a song my cousins, aunt, and uncle used to sing years ago when they traveled during the summer singing at different churches. I heard them do this song many times but, I hate to say, it didn't really mean much to me at the time. But this week this song has gone through my mind over and over.

Early Sunday morning a tragedy struck the home of a young couple (Heidi and Nick) from our church. I had her in youth group for a short time when I worked with youth. I knew her older brother better since I worked with him for a longer time. Heidi heard an intruder in her house and told Nick. He armed himself with his shotgun and they headed downstairs. Nick was confronted by the intruder and a struggle over the gun started. The gun went off during the struggle hitting and killing Heidi. The gun went off a 2nd time hitting Nick in the leg. Heidi was only 25 and her husband is 27. To say that this has rocked our church is an understatement. Both Heidi and Nick's parents are dearly loved at our church and have attended for years.

This has made me think about how I'm living my own life. None of us are guaranteed a long life. If something were to happen to me tomorrow, would people say that they saw Jesus in me? Would my children remember the fun times we spent together or the times I got upset with them? Would they know how I pray for them and how my heart breaks when they are sad or hurt? Would my family know how dearly I love them? When I see my Savior face-to-face will He say "Well done, my good and faithful servant"? What am I doing daily to live for Jesus?

These are just some of the questions I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about. And these are the quesions that are causing an ongoing change in the way I live my life. No more mediocrity. I want to do all things to the glory of God.