Sneak Peek of Family Pix

My Men:

Me and my girls:

Garden!

We doubled the size of our garden this year. Well, actually we had a raised garden and just made another the same size right next to the one we started last year. We have mostly the same produce we had last year, with the addition of jalapenos, spinach, and more tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and cucumbers. we also added kohlrabi, but haven't had much luck with them - we planted from seed and my mom/sister always did/do plant seedlings. Because of my surgery, I wasn't able to get out and thin them like I should have. There might still be hope, but we'll try again next year.

The radishes, spinach and lettuce are done - they were yummy. We didn't quite get the crop I would have liked to on the lettuce and spinach, but we had a fair amount before I had my surgery. Our onions are doing beautifully - we're enjoying picking them as we need them. I planted a bunch, but I'm not sure how many we'll have left to save for the winter, because we keep pulling them to eat. Oh well, at least they're not going to waste.

We just started getting in cucumbers - and they're plentiful. The zucchini and yellow squash aren't looking good. :( The jalapeno's are bountiful. The green bell peppers are coming along nicely - should be able to make stuffed peppers this weekend! :) We've had two tomatoes so far, and there are many more that just aren't ripe yet.

Tonight Jock grilled cheeseburgers, and we cut up a smorgasboard of garden vegetables to go with - our small tomato, onion, cucumber, green beans, sauteed onion and onion/jalapeno mix - yummy!!!

The kids and I stopped by the grocery store on our way home to pick up bananas and milk, and a 4# of strawberries jumped right into the cart (they were on sale for $5, and they weren't going bad)! So for dessert I mashed some to have over ice cream, along with a little banana and some chocolate syrup (except for Josephine who just had the fruit/syrup). Yummy again!!!

Crazy-boring blog!

I know... Only two posts last month, and this month is almost half over, and I haven't posted yet. Well, my excuse this time is that I just got back from a 10-day vacation - hanging out with my family.

I've got tons of pix to share, so I'll try to work on a few this week at least. I've got photos of t-ball, animal sightings, swimming lessons, hair-dos, E&J's dedication, vacation/4th of July, etc., etc., etc. We even took some family pictures over our vacation that I'll hopefully be able to post soon. They were shot by my sister and neice with the assistance of my other sister, my dad, and two of my nephews, and my professional-photographer step-sister has offered to do her editing tricks on them as well--but she's a busy gal. I might have to give a pre-editing sneak-peak, so keep your eye out.

I'll just post a couple landscape photos I took at my dad's place one night this past week. The rainbow was off to the east, and the sunset was off to the west when I walked up the driveway in the light rain. Not the best photo, as I was experimenting with my camera's panoramic options after the rain subsided - but the colors showed up almost exactly how they were that night - beautiful country up there!

I am going to do just a general update on how our kids are doing, but I'll likely wait until later in the month to post that, as they'll have been home 6 months on July 25th! The earthquake struck 6 months ago tomorrow. We're still praying for Haiti. It's still such a weight on our hearts, the stories we continue reading about the struggles there...

For now, I need to get some sleep. Monday morning, after a vacation, is going to come TOO early for all of us! G'nite!

Busy Summer

It seems like we have little down-time this summer. Well, that's not exactly true, but things are quite busy!

They got busier than we'd have liked when I had emergency surgery the week before last. I'm SOOOOOOO thankful for my dad and step-mom for taking the kids for several days. The kids and the grandparents thoroughly enjoyed themselves while they were there, and I really appreciated being able to rest and recover, with Jock to take care of me. I think I surprised everyone - including myself - letting them go for a few days. I missed them so much, but it worked out great for everyone.

We'd planned to go to Adventureland - a nearby amusement park, the day before my surgery - well, that didn't happen. Our back-up day (in case of weather - ha!) was for the following week. Well, I was recovering, so that didn't happen either. We wanted to hit the park during the week to avoid the weekend crowds, but no luck, we'll be fighting crowds. We already bought discounted tickets from Jock's employer, so we just have to find a weekend day to go before Elijah's birthday, or else the admission cost goes up by about 60%! (Elijah & Josephine's admission is free while they are 3 years old.) I think we'll be able to do it though.

Kaylen has one more t-ball game left. The season would have been finished this past weekend, but due to rainy weather pattern we've been in for the past few weeks, she's got one game to make up. I'm surprised she doesn't have more than one to make up, but just the luck of the timing of her previous games, they got them in. It actually worked out well, because the game that was postponed because of rain was while she was at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Kaylen does a great job with t-ball, so long as her competitive nature (even against her own teammates) is kept in check. But she decided that she'd rather play soccer, so I've signed her up for the league that plays two seasons per year, and no more softball.

This week and next, Kaylen has swimming lessons in the evenings. It's at a nearby indoor pool, so our "rainy season" should not cause problems. She's taking Red Cross Level 2, and she's got a small class. I didn't get much of a sense for her teacher, but I'm sure she'll do fine. She's turning into quite a good swimmer, and really enjoys the water! The only challenge is picking her up at daycare without the little kids seeing me. Jock's been picking them up since my illness, so he's going to continue that thru the swimming lesson weeks. It helps that Elijah's class is split up this week and next while his lead teacher is on vacation - so he's in Josephine's room, which is enclosed instead of the open room near the front that he's usually in.

After swimming lessons, we'll be off for a little vacation - at Grandma and Grandpa's house again. Jock has to work part of the time, but we're looking forward to spending time with my family, and also attending my high school class reunion.

A couple weeks after my high school class reunion, we're all excited to be going to St Louis for a reunion of the kids from Elijah & Josephine's orphanage. I can't wait to see some of the other families and children that we've met on our trips to Haiti. It'll be awesome to see so many children with their forever families!

Then we'll have a few more weekends to stay home and maybe relax and keep (catch) up with the garden before Kaylen starts back to school. It seems like this summer is FLYING by! But I wouldn't have it any other way - time with family, time with friends, and time to enjoy each other at home.

...and time to style Josephine's hair. Up next: box braids with beads themed for Independence Day - red, white, and blue, with silver stars!

Hair Day!

Elijah got his hair cut. I was working on Josephine, so he had to sit still by himself - and he did awesome! He didn't even complain too much this time. He thinks it's so funny to see the chunks of hair fall out, and likes Daddy to hand them to him as they are cut so he can throw them on the floor. Doesn't he look so handsome with his hair really short?!?











I wanted to post before-and-after photos of Josephine's cornrows. They lasted four weeks, the first two pix are from the day after I did them, and the next two are from yesterday right before I took them out - how fuzzy they were!



It probably took me 45 min to an hour to take the cornrows out, then washed, parted and put in these double-stranded hanging twists. LOVE how cute they look on her. I need to take advantage of this style while she's still young, because she likely won't like them when she gets a little older.
I'll probably touch them up weekly, but I hope they last three weeks. Then I'll be putting in box braids again, decorated nicely for the 4th of July!

Memorial Day Weekend, 2010

We had LOTS of fun this weekend. It's too bad it's over. Jock and I were commenting that we wish every weekend could be like this -- well, except for the thunderstorm last night which kept Josephine and Jock and I awake until midnight (Josephine is VERY afraid of thunder and lightening!) But the three beautiful days of fun to do were wonderful! Here are the highlights...

Friday evening:
Jock & the kids played outside a bit while I fixed angel-hair alfredo with breaded chicken & veggies - and Jock fixed garlic texas toast. Then bedtime for the kids, and a haircut and mowing the front lawn for Jock.

Saturday:
I went for a run, then came home to find Jock still asleep and Elijah & Josephine were upstairs holding up their hands to show me something. I could tell they were really proud of themselves for putting lotion on themselves... until I went upstairs and I could then smell it as they showed me the tube ... of A&D ointment ... nice! Got them all washed up, got them dressed and put real lotion on them, then took all three kids to the grocery store. Jock was going to make French toast for breakfast, but we were out of syrup. Came home with syrup, strawberries, bananas and milk, and donuts for the weekend. The French toast was AWESOME!!!

Jock finished mowing the back yard while the kids were jumping on the trampoline. Jock weeded the garden for me!!! I got some laundry done, and then Kaylen and I went out to get pedicures (and Kaylen got her fingernails painted also). Kaylen didn't know what the plans were, just that I had something fun planned for just the two of us. On the way there she was trying to guess - movies, eating out, going to a park, etc... I finally gave her a clue that we were going to be pampered, and she thought we were going to a beauty show -- until we pulled into the parking lot. Right next to the nail place was a shop called "Wine Styles". Um... no. She wasn't sure how things worked, but realized quickly that she had to sit still. She really liked it though - always does when we have one-on-one time together.

We came home to lunch - Jock cooked brats on the grill, then naps. After naps we went to the mall to hit a Memorial Day sale and the play area. Then home for supper, baths and bedtime. All the kids were excited to put on their new jammies after baths! :)

Sunday:
We went to the early service, came home for more backyard fun to wear off some energy, then went out for lunch with friends - BBQ!!!

After naps, I think we spent the remainder of the day outside, except for the quick supper. This included jumping on the trampoline, playing on the swingset, and running through the sprinklers before dinner. Josephine & Elijah were scared of the sprinklers for some reason. At first they'd go stand near them but they'd run out of range as soon as they'd move towards them. But they wouldn't even do that later on. Jock dumped water from his water bottle on them, which they liked, so then we tried to give them a cup to fill in the sprinklers, but that didn't work either. Elijah would even let Jock spray him with the hose, but Josephine wouldn't go near him. Oh well, they still had such fun running around!

After dinner we had ice cream cones outside on the front porch (except Elijah because he didn't finish his supper), then rode bikes for a while before bedtime. Both Josephine & Elijah ride tricycles at daycare, and I was amazed at how well they are at waiting for one another, or going around/past each other without hitting - and they can steer. Kaylen's good on her bike now, but still not so good at stopping/waiting and steering - she was told to put her bike away early for running into E&J. Josephine was finally starting to pedal instead of pushing it with her feet on the ground by the end of the night. Elijah's just a natural - he'd only ridden tricycles before this.(Yes, we know the bike Elijah is riding is pink with Disney princesses on it. He doesn't care. We just haven't had a chance to get one for him yet. Hey, at least we didn't make him wear the princess helmet. :)

After bedtime, Jock and I went back outside to cut lettuce and spinach, before retreating.

Monday:
We all slept in a bit (I think all of the kids may have been awake a bit during the thunderstorm), but then I went for a run while Jock got the kids breakfast. Then we all headed outside - I think we were out there all day except for naptime and meals. In the morning the kids played on the trampoline, with their balls, and on the swingsets.

After lunch and naptime, they put on their swimsuits, and played in the kiddie pool in the backyard for a couple hours. I think it was a little chilly, so after they'd splash around for a while they'd dry off and jump on the trampoline for a while - back and forth, back and forth.
We had ice cream sandwiches somewhere mid-afternoon (Josephine was done first and promptly says, "Ion mowa", aka "I want more"). We came in for an early supper, then had lots of time for reading books to settle down before baths and bedtime. I think they were sufficiently worn out!

What a marvelous weekend!!! Only four more two-day weekends before 4th of July vacation!!!

Sum-, sum-, summertime!

It's been hot here the last few days, and what better way to end a hot day, than with ice cream cones!

Josephine isn't the biggest fan of ice cream - or - should I say that she likes hers not icy, but melted. She apparently doesn't like it that cold, so she's painfully slow eating it. So slow, that with temps near 90, with humidity, she ended up with ice cream everywhere - her belly was covered in drips, her hands were wet and sticky, lips were coated, and she even had drops on her toes! :)

Elijah was slow, but more careful not to let his drip, but still slow - he's just a general slow eater - although I will say he didn't get his ice cream until 5-10 minutes after Kaylen and Josephine had received theirs because he had to finish his supper.

Kaylen had her ice cream eaten and the sugar was already taking its effect before I got the camera out to take the photo of Josephine's mess.

Busy-Mom Recipes

I've gotten suggestions from a few friends regarding my dinner-time insanity mentioned in a recent post - and a couple comments from other working moms that they have the same difficulty with their evenings. One suggestion was that I prep something in the crock-pot to cook all day, that would be ready with little or no preparation when we get home in the evenings.

I LOVE crock-pot cooking. A favorite is a roast (I put it in frozen), with spices, cut-up onions and carrots. Another favorite, in the winter, is chili. I also used my crock-pot a lot while I was on leave and home with the little ones from late January thru mid-April. I would prepare dinner during nap-time and leave it to cook all afternoon. I even have two "Fix It And Forget It" cookbooks that my mom got me - she was the cookbook queen!

My problem is finding a variety of recipes that can sit for 10-12 hours, since I typically leave home around 7 am, and we sit down to eat anywhere from 5:15 to 6:15 pm. It doesn't work very well when most of the recipes I find are for 4-6 hours - and I hate wasting a yummy recipe if it's overcooked.

So...here's my idea. Would you be willing to share your favorite busy-mom recipe(s)?

Something that can be left in the crock-pot for 10-12 hours? (Don't forget to include what size crock-pot it works best in.)

How about a favorite baking-dish recipe that can easily be made ahead, refrigerated and/or frozen, and then baked for 30-60 minutes? (Remember to include instructions for storage/freezing/thawing.)

Or, a quick one-dish meal, that doesn't require a lot of prep-work - just dump, mix and go-type meals?

I'd love to try some of your favorites!

I'll start with a one-dish dump, mix and go, courtesy of my friend Krista:

Veggie Tortellini Soup

5-6 C chicken broth
12-oz pkg tortellini
16-oz pkg California mix frozen vegetables
15-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until tortellini and vegetables are tender. Optional: Add browned ground sausage and/or fresh spinach to the soup. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

Josephine's Birthday Photos

I know what you're thinking... Finally!!! (It's only been two weeks!)

Do you think we had enough cake? Well, the chocolate cake was for her family party we had at our house on Sunday. The mini cupcakes were for daycare treats on her actual Birthday, Monday, May 3rd.

The kids had fun with the balloons!

Most of Daddy's family came to celebrate with us: 2 cousins, uncles, grandma, and great-grandma. We had pizza for dinner, then cake and ice cream.









This video is very fuzzy but Josephine was a little apprehensive about us all staring at her singing to her, and then having to blow out her "3" candle. She did try once, but I think Daddy ended up blowing it out in the end.


And the presents! This one was making noises - we LOVED the look of surprise on her face when it started talking - before she'd even opened it. :) It was a talking baby doll, which quickly became her favorite!
She also got 4 pair of princess dress-up shoes, another dolly, a little people princess castle, a magna-doodle,and a tricycle.

Elijah also liked the shoes...
...but she wouldn't let him touch the rest, yelling, "NO!!!" when either Elijah or Kaylen would get close to the coffee table. So much so that she would sit on her bike and just sit by the coffee table guarding them.

On her actual birthday, we just had a simple yummy dinner at home - spaghetti, which the kids love, followed by cake and ice cream. Overall, the birthday was a success. I cannot express just how special it was to be able to to have her first real birthday celebration. We did something small as a family to honor her first and second birthdays before she came home, but what a joy to celebrate it with her this time!

Quick Bio

I thought I'd share what I shared with some of my co-workers in a team newsletter two weeks ago - revised only slightly:

My husband, Jock, and I live in central Iowa. I am a statistician and SAS programmer, and Jock is a business intelligence programmer. We met at college, at Iowa State, and have been married for 11 years this May. We enjoy the outdoors – working or playing in our yard, taking the kids to the park or swimming, growing fresh produce in our garden. We are very active in our church, helping some with the preschool Sunday school classes, singing occasionally with the choir, and attending a weekly small group Bible study. With three children, our family life keeps us very busy as well.

Our oldest is our daughter Kaylen, age 7, who we adopted locally at age 3. She’s quite a joy for our family – always has some story to tell or some fun activity she’d like to do. She’s very competitive at sports (especially soccer), but also likes to dress up and play Barbies. She does very well in school, loves to read and write, and is very good at math and science as well. We think she’s an aspiring writer, or she may be a future veterinarian because of her love for animals, but she wants to be a rock star, so we’ll have to wait and see. She’s our dreamer, so maybe she’ll invent something new!

Elijah is 3, and is all boy! His favorite toy is anything with wheels or that rolls. He is wild and crazy, but is also a thinker and can be rather sneaky when left to his own devices. One day he took apart the flashlight someone had given him. He reminded me of my brother’s bed, when we were growing up – stuffed underneath with old small appliances he’d taken apart and studied! Elijah’s always studying things, whether the cars on the road, the people and things in a store, or the funny faces he practices in the mirror when he takes 5-10 minutes to wash his hands. His favorite part of daycare is probably recess, as I frequently was getting reports about his progress on learning to pedal the tricycles there.

Josephine is also 3. She is only 9 months younger than Elijah so she catches him every May thru July. She’s a Mommy’s girl, a cuddler, and a thumb-sucker, and can be quite silly. You can’t help but laugh when she giggles, but be sure to have your ear plugs when she’s not happy – she’s a high-pitch screecher! Josephine’s biggest fear is animals. She LOVES to look at them from afar, but if they get anywhere near her, she cries out in fear. She even is very afraid of things that move or look vaguely like an animal – including the feather boa we have in the dress-up bin. She cries and runs the other direction as fast as she can anytime she sees it. Her favorite toys are probably her tea set dishes, but she also loves her dolly and stuffed animals, and enjoys reading books.

Adding two kids to the family was a big adjustment. It was also a big adjustment coming back to work. I had gotten quite used to not rushing around in the mornings and evenings, and taking care of the day’s at-home tasks throughout the day, while spending precious time with the kids. I think I am settling back into the crazy working mom routine again though. The kids all love going to daycare, but they also like to see me at the end of the day, so that helped with the transition. My hardest task of each day remains getting dinner on the table in decent time – and without anyone getting injured, as Elijah & Josephine are usually at my feet requesting attention after being apart from me all day. Evenings are tough to get everything (dinner, homework, baths) accomplished in the 2½ - 3 hours (or less) we have at home before bedtime, while leaving enough time to play and have fun. Our weekends are spent catching up on household/yardwork tasks that are neglected throughout the week, and most importantly, catching up on all the fun to be had with the kids!