Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
update: 2 weeks later...
so A has now been with us for 2 weeks.
just a glimpse of her...
on wednesday, april 30 she quietly walked into our home for the first time. she timidly came into the family room, politely said hello, and cautiously sat forward on the chair. she answered questions and gently spoke only a few things with a smile on her face. she was meek, shy, and nervous about us and her new home...
2 weeks later, on wednesday night, may 14...
A is listening to her favorite music video in the family room at the very same time she had entered just 2 weeks earlier. she is dancing as if no one else is in the room and having a grand time! and yes, we were in the room!
i think she is enjoying it here and we are certainly enjoying having her. we have our bumps but they are just that, bumps. we work through and communicate when things go bump and we are all learning and adjusting well to our new living situation.
we feel so very blessed for the opportunity to have her in our home. the kids adore her. micaiah LOVES sharing a room with her, elijah found another set of ears willing to listen to his imagination (gone wild) and caleb has found a new wrestling buddy. she is willing to help around the house and is even getting involved in our middle school youth group at church. she is fun to hang out with, i am teaching her the little piano i know, and her and ashlei have begun a friendship too.
just a glimpse of her...
on wednesday, april 30 she quietly walked into our home for the first time. she timidly came into the family room, politely said hello, and cautiously sat forward on the chair. she answered questions and gently spoke only a few things with a smile on her face. she was meek, shy, and nervous about us and her new home...
2 weeks later, on wednesday night, may 14...
A is listening to her favorite music video in the family room at the very same time she had entered just 2 weeks earlier. she is dancing as if no one else is in the room and having a grand time! and yes, we were in the room!
i think she is enjoying it here and we are certainly enjoying having her. we have our bumps but they are just that, bumps. we work through and communicate when things go bump and we are all learning and adjusting well to our new living situation.
we feel so very blessed for the opportunity to have her in our home. the kids adore her. micaiah LOVES sharing a room with her, elijah found another set of ears willing to listen to his imagination (gone wild) and caleb has found a new wrestling buddy. she is willing to help around the house and is even getting involved in our middle school youth group at church. she is fun to hang out with, i am teaching her the little piano i know, and her and ashlei have begun a friendship too.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
foster kid #2
friday night, we got a call at 9:30 p.m.
will you take a 4 year old boy? he was a precautionary placement. he only speaks spanish. his sister is is the hospital with some untreated fractors in her legs and abdominal trauma.
so after A spent 4ours in ER waiting for his check up, this is required by DCFS, he came to our home at nearly 2AM!
He fit right in to the family, played well with all the kids, was very well behaved, played on Elijah's soccer team, went with us to visit friends for the day, attended church (one of Peter's students volunteered in his class to interpret for him) and went with us to Amy's for mother's day. i even managed 2 days alone (no interpreters!) FK #1, A was at school and peter at work.
he was a joy to have and acted as if he had played at our home often. today at about 1:30 we got the call that the judge order him back home, no probable cause for removing him from the home.
we said our good byes around 5:30. the kids were sad and wanted him to stay. caleb made him a card.
i think it was a great first opportunity to loose a child as he was only here for a short stay but long enough for the kids to get attached and see what this will be like.
i was so proud of them, they treated him like a brother, shared with him, included him and elijah even gave up his bed to him.
we will miss A and always remember him.
and...my spanish is continuing to improve! A (fk# 1) is helping me a ton! and i am teaching her sign language!
wish i could post pics, but not allowed :o(
will you take a 4 year old boy? he was a precautionary placement. he only speaks spanish. his sister is is the hospital with some untreated fractors in her legs and abdominal trauma.
so after A spent 4ours in ER waiting for his check up, this is required by DCFS, he came to our home at nearly 2AM!
He fit right in to the family, played well with all the kids, was very well behaved, played on Elijah's soccer team, went with us to visit friends for the day, attended church (one of Peter's students volunteered in his class to interpret for him) and went with us to Amy's for mother's day. i even managed 2 days alone (no interpreters!) FK #1, A was at school and peter at work.
he was a joy to have and acted as if he had played at our home often. today at about 1:30 we got the call that the judge order him back home, no probable cause for removing him from the home.
we said our good byes around 5:30. the kids were sad and wanted him to stay. caleb made him a card.
i think it was a great first opportunity to loose a child as he was only here for a short stay but long enough for the kids to get attached and see what this will be like.
i was so proud of them, they treated him like a brother, shared with him, included him and elijah even gave up his bed to him.
we will miss A and always remember him.
and...my spanish is continuing to improve! A (fk# 1) is helping me a ton! and i am teaching her sign language!
wish i could post pics, but not allowed :o(
Monday, May 12, 2008
our first foster kid
she arrived wed, april 30 about 9pm. sat quietly and a bit timid in the chair as we briefly got aquainted and then went to bed. thurs am she had school and then friday the day off.
A has now been with us for 2 weeks on wednesday!!! she has moved into micaiah's room, which has become the "girl's room". she is a sweet heart, is teaching us all spanish, is awesome with the kiddos and has taught me so much in just this short time. all those things i have been praying about and wanting God to show me how to be a better mom, He has given me A as an answer to how He will stretch me and teach me, and refine me to be the mom and women He wants me to be.
It has been a good start, with a few minor bumps in the road. we are so greatful for the privaledge we have to take care of A and the way God has graciously blessed us by opening our hearts to her.
oh yeah, if they would have called us one day later or one day earlier we would not have been able to accept A since she did not fit into our criteria of 0-3.
yeah GOD! in His perfect timing.
i will keep you posted, as my schedule allows!
A has now been with us for 2 weeks on wednesday!!! she has moved into micaiah's room, which has become the "girl's room". she is a sweet heart, is teaching us all spanish, is awesome with the kiddos and has taught me so much in just this short time. all those things i have been praying about and wanting God to show me how to be a better mom, He has given me A as an answer to how He will stretch me and teach me, and refine me to be the mom and women He wants me to be.
It has been a good start, with a few minor bumps in the road. we are so greatful for the privaledge we have to take care of A and the way God has graciously blessed us by opening our hearts to her.
oh yeah, if they would have called us one day later or one day earlier we would not have been able to accept A since she did not fit into our criteria of 0-3.
yeah GOD! in His perfect timing.
i will keep you posted, as my schedule allows!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
my life has drastically changed!!
i don't know where to begin...
our foster care classes were to end on April 29 and technically we could be licensed by the end of the week and get a phone call to place a child. we met with the licensing worker on 4/24 and stated we would be open to having up to 2 children, ages 0-3 years old.
on tuesday, april 29, the day before we were even licensed we got a phone call for a possible placement. our licensing worker said i know it is not what you had in mind, she is 14, hispanic girl whose needs a place to stay. her mother is undergoing chemotherapy, has exhausted all her resources, and needs a home for her. her father had recently died of cancer. she is columbian. this is all we knew.
after hearing this much information, i called peter and told him what i knew. as i was at work at the time. he called her case worker to find out more about her.
she is a sweet girl, adopted from columbia 2 years ago, her adopted father was the one who died of cancer, she gets good grades, and is a fairly typical 14 year old and in 7th grade.
peter prayed with our kiddos, called me back, we briefly spoke as i was at work. we decided to say yes. as so many of you know, so many things seemed to match up, despite our criteria of 2 kiddos, 0-3 years. she is 14, we took in ashlei when she was 14 and had some experience with that, she was adopted internationally, just lost her father (got lots of experience there) and she was dealing with cancer (lots of experience there too).
a side note: before my car accident we wondered how we would fit foster kids in our van, God took care of that! our new van is bigger! also, caleb was concerned where the foster kid would sit when we have the 2 extra kids i babysit (even in the bigger van this is a concern). i told him i didn't know but God would take care of it. he said, mommy i think we should wait until i am 8 then i can sit in the front seat, then we don't have to worry about where the kid will sit. let's ask God if He can wait until i am 8. i told him i didn't want to wait that long.
so we said yes, but our licensing needed to be complete. this would not happen until wednesday, april 30
and so this is where our journey begins...
our foster care classes were to end on April 29 and technically we could be licensed by the end of the week and get a phone call to place a child. we met with the licensing worker on 4/24 and stated we would be open to having up to 2 children, ages 0-3 years old.
on tuesday, april 29, the day before we were even licensed we got a phone call for a possible placement. our licensing worker said i know it is not what you had in mind, she is 14, hispanic girl whose needs a place to stay. her mother is undergoing chemotherapy, has exhausted all her resources, and needs a home for her. her father had recently died of cancer. she is columbian. this is all we knew.
after hearing this much information, i called peter and told him what i knew. as i was at work at the time. he called her case worker to find out more about her.
she is a sweet girl, adopted from columbia 2 years ago, her adopted father was the one who died of cancer, she gets good grades, and is a fairly typical 14 year old and in 7th grade.
peter prayed with our kiddos, called me back, we briefly spoke as i was at work. we decided to say yes. as so many of you know, so many things seemed to match up, despite our criteria of 2 kiddos, 0-3 years. she is 14, we took in ashlei when she was 14 and had some experience with that, she was adopted internationally, just lost her father (got lots of experience there) and she was dealing with cancer (lots of experience there too).
a side note: before my car accident we wondered how we would fit foster kids in our van, God took care of that! our new van is bigger! also, caleb was concerned where the foster kid would sit when we have the 2 extra kids i babysit (even in the bigger van this is a concern). i told him i didn't know but God would take care of it. he said, mommy i think we should wait until i am 8 then i can sit in the front seat, then we don't have to worry about where the kid will sit. let's ask God if He can wait until i am 8. i told him i didn't want to wait that long.
so we said yes, but our licensing needed to be complete. this would not happen until wednesday, april 30
and so this is where our journey begins...
Monday, April 14, 2008
pics from our spring break trip to cinciy
(the trip we were coming home from when we got into our accident!)
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
our accident!
so here is the story
thursday evening i headed back from a great trip to cincinnati for spring break. we took the usualy route. i even printed a map and put numbers along the route to let the kids know where we were on the trip and how long until we would arrive. they each got a copy! it worked wonders. the kids were very well behaved on the trip. we headed out just after enjoying lunch with Dawn and Madison! what a blessing it was to have them drive from lexington just to see us for a few hours.
as we began to drive the rain began. i knew the further north, this rain would turn to ice and then snow. and of course it did. early on in my trip i spoke on the phone with some friends (this is always a great time for me to catch up). then the rain came and it came hard. and the temperature dropped. it was about 4:30ish and the signs all said there was lots of construction on 80/94 and 65. this is the ONLY way to get to Chicago from Indiana. I called my mother in law to ask her to check for alternate routes since the weather was bad, the timing was bad (rush hour), could she check for another route. we spoke briefly, when i told her i had to go. the rain was really coming down and i didn't want to be on the phone. i looked in the back and almost simultaneously elijah and micaiah were falling asleep, it was about 4:45 in the evening.
within 5 minutes of our conversation i passed a semi. he was in the center lane and i was in the left lane. it was raining hard and all this water splashed up on my car, making it even more difficult to see. at that point i was thinking...semi's should not be allowed to drive in these conditions, it makes it so dangerous for the rest of us. well the very next semi i approached is where my story begins.
i was driving along in the left lane heading north and as i began to approach another semi on my left my car slipped (not sure if it was on ice or water or what?) and i fish tailed into the semi, my van bounced off him and off we went (myself, caleb, elijah, and micaiah) went into the median ditch, and into oncoming traffic. once we were up on the asphalt the van spun and was then facing south but towards the median ditch. i immediately stepped on the gas and put our van back into the median ditch.
i quickly unbuckled and got in the back seat to check on the kids. micaiah was in the seat behind mine, elijah behind her and caleb was next to elijah in the back row. i grabbed them all and held them tightly. all i could say was "thank you God, thank you God" over and over and over again. the kids were all crying hysterically. all three of them were perfectly fine. just crying. after i had all them in my lap for a few moments, i went back to the front seat to grab my phone and call 911. i went back to the kids and we waited. caleb pointed out that the windows had been shattered (i didn't even notice, i just kept looking at my beautiful children, overwhelmed that we were all okay). the automatic door on the passenger side of the van had its window shattered as well as the back right window and back window. i called rita to let her know what had happened and to contact AAA for a tow. we are friends with our insurance agent so i knew she could call him and he could help her get the info and i could focus on my kiddos who were still quite shaken up. since i had just spoken with rita i knew she would pick up and could let peter know as well. as i was on the phone with her, someone FINALLY stopped to see if we were okay. the semi never stopped, the car who swerved to miss me when i went into oncoming traffic never stopped, and the many many witnesses who saw the accident (at nearly rush hour) never stopped. i thanked them greatly and told them the police were on their way. the police man came, offered to have an ambulance come. at first i said no but he said i probably ought to with the three kids in the car. so we did. then he took us the police car to wait. i was terrified to sit in a police car on the side of the road for fear someone would slide into us, but i ignored that fear and calmly reminded how wonderful the policeman was to come and help us.
the ambulance arrived and we all went into the ambulance to talk. the kids had calmed down, just anxious as all the emt, paramedic, etc. offered to carry them from the van to police car, then to ambulance, and eventually into the hospital. the kids still seemed just fine, they checked caleb's head for glass since he was sitting next to and in front of 2 broken windows, NO GLASS! we asked about their pain and i moved around their little bodies. THEY WERE ALL PAIN FREE and now excited about their experience in the ambulance. the paramedic asked if we wanted to go to the hospital and i shrugged and said, i thought we were okay. although my neck was a little sore. he warned me that there was a possibility i could turn into a vegtable if i didn't get checked out and that it would only be worse over the coming days. so off to the hospital we went. the kids got strapped into their car seats in the ambulance and i was put on the stretcher in a neck brace. again, spending all of my time preparing my kids for what would be happening and trying to keep them calm. THEY WERE! Caleb and Elijah were given a stuffed sponge bob and micaiah got a little cheetah, we named miracle.
as they put me in a neck brace and on the stretcher i became overwhelmed with thoughts of my father's heart attack and death. i had no choice but to suck it in as my children are all sitting slightly above me watching me on our 15 minute ride to the hospital. as we arrived my kids were taken by nurses into the er with me and my bed was now raised and the for the first time i was out of sight of my children. i burst into tears, still overwhelmed with flashbacks of my father coming into the hospital after suffering a massive heart attack and then being revived for nearly 45 minutes before his 6 day coma and finally passing.
for over 3 hours i lay in the hospital bed, twice leaving to go for x-rays and then a ct scan of my neck. i was not allowed to get up or take the neck brace off until all x-rays were cleared. in the meantime, my kiddos continued to sit on three hospital chairs. EVERYONE just kept commenting how good they were. and they continued to be for 3 HOURS!!!! now remember, elijah and micaiah had just fallen asleep so were obviously tired enough for a nap and the accident happened at 4:50 so it was supper time. yet they just sat patiently, waited, behaved beyond belief and waited some more. God's hand was definitely on them!
after 3 hours i was finally able to get up, take the neck brace off, and hold my kiddos. we still had waiting to do. peter had gotten in the car and began driving from elgin at about 5:15 and did not arrive at the hospital until almost 9:00!! the roads were horrible as was the traffic. this was only 90 miles!
we were so happy to see daddy! we spent the night in a hotel and drove home the next day.
i suffered whiplash, and was in a neck brace until sunday. today i am continuing to get better, just some soreness and stiffness, but really nothing, especially considering what could have been!
God so evidently protected our family and amazed us in soooo many ways. we are so very grateful to be alive and well! He has blessed more than we can possibly imagine! again, i say, thank you God, thank you God!
thursday evening i headed back from a great trip to cincinnati for spring break. we took the usualy route. i even printed a map and put numbers along the route to let the kids know where we were on the trip and how long until we would arrive. they each got a copy! it worked wonders. the kids were very well behaved on the trip. we headed out just after enjoying lunch with Dawn and Madison! what a blessing it was to have them drive from lexington just to see us for a few hours.
as we began to drive the rain began. i knew the further north, this rain would turn to ice and then snow. and of course it did. early on in my trip i spoke on the phone with some friends (this is always a great time for me to catch up). then the rain came and it came hard. and the temperature dropped. it was about 4:30ish and the signs all said there was lots of construction on 80/94 and 65. this is the ONLY way to get to Chicago from Indiana. I called my mother in law to ask her to check for alternate routes since the weather was bad, the timing was bad (rush hour), could she check for another route. we spoke briefly, when i told her i had to go. the rain was really coming down and i didn't want to be on the phone. i looked in the back and almost simultaneously elijah and micaiah were falling asleep, it was about 4:45 in the evening.
within 5 minutes of our conversation i passed a semi. he was in the center lane and i was in the left lane. it was raining hard and all this water splashed up on my car, making it even more difficult to see. at that point i was thinking...semi's should not be allowed to drive in these conditions, it makes it so dangerous for the rest of us. well the very next semi i approached is where my story begins.
i was driving along in the left lane heading north and as i began to approach another semi on my left my car slipped (not sure if it was on ice or water or what?) and i fish tailed into the semi, my van bounced off him and off we went (myself, caleb, elijah, and micaiah) went into the median ditch, and into oncoming traffic. once we were up on the asphalt the van spun and was then facing south but towards the median ditch. i immediately stepped on the gas and put our van back into the median ditch.
i quickly unbuckled and got in the back seat to check on the kids. micaiah was in the seat behind mine, elijah behind her and caleb was next to elijah in the back row. i grabbed them all and held them tightly. all i could say was "thank you God, thank you God" over and over and over again. the kids were all crying hysterically. all three of them were perfectly fine. just crying. after i had all them in my lap for a few moments, i went back to the front seat to grab my phone and call 911. i went back to the kids and we waited. caleb pointed out that the windows had been shattered (i didn't even notice, i just kept looking at my beautiful children, overwhelmed that we were all okay). the automatic door on the passenger side of the van had its window shattered as well as the back right window and back window. i called rita to let her know what had happened and to contact AAA for a tow. we are friends with our insurance agent so i knew she could call him and he could help her get the info and i could focus on my kiddos who were still quite shaken up. since i had just spoken with rita i knew she would pick up and could let peter know as well. as i was on the phone with her, someone FINALLY stopped to see if we were okay. the semi never stopped, the car who swerved to miss me when i went into oncoming traffic never stopped, and the many many witnesses who saw the accident (at nearly rush hour) never stopped. i thanked them greatly and told them the police were on their way. the police man came, offered to have an ambulance come. at first i said no but he said i probably ought to with the three kids in the car. so we did. then he took us the police car to wait. i was terrified to sit in a police car on the side of the road for fear someone would slide into us, but i ignored that fear and calmly reminded how wonderful the policeman was to come and help us.
the ambulance arrived and we all went into the ambulance to talk. the kids had calmed down, just anxious as all the emt, paramedic, etc. offered to carry them from the van to police car, then to ambulance, and eventually into the hospital. the kids still seemed just fine, they checked caleb's head for glass since he was sitting next to and in front of 2 broken windows, NO GLASS! we asked about their pain and i moved around their little bodies. THEY WERE ALL PAIN FREE and now excited about their experience in the ambulance. the paramedic asked if we wanted to go to the hospital and i shrugged and said, i thought we were okay. although my neck was a little sore. he warned me that there was a possibility i could turn into a vegtable if i didn't get checked out and that it would only be worse over the coming days. so off to the hospital we went. the kids got strapped into their car seats in the ambulance and i was put on the stretcher in a neck brace. again, spending all of my time preparing my kids for what would be happening and trying to keep them calm. THEY WERE! Caleb and Elijah were given a stuffed sponge bob and micaiah got a little cheetah, we named miracle.
as they put me in a neck brace and on the stretcher i became overwhelmed with thoughts of my father's heart attack and death. i had no choice but to suck it in as my children are all sitting slightly above me watching me on our 15 minute ride to the hospital. as we arrived my kids were taken by nurses into the er with me and my bed was now raised and the for the first time i was out of sight of my children. i burst into tears, still overwhelmed with flashbacks of my father coming into the hospital after suffering a massive heart attack and then being revived for nearly 45 minutes before his 6 day coma and finally passing.
for over 3 hours i lay in the hospital bed, twice leaving to go for x-rays and then a ct scan of my neck. i was not allowed to get up or take the neck brace off until all x-rays were cleared. in the meantime, my kiddos continued to sit on three hospital chairs. EVERYONE just kept commenting how good they were. and they continued to be for 3 HOURS!!!! now remember, elijah and micaiah had just fallen asleep so were obviously tired enough for a nap and the accident happened at 4:50 so it was supper time. yet they just sat patiently, waited, behaved beyond belief and waited some more. God's hand was definitely on them!
after 3 hours i was finally able to get up, take the neck brace off, and hold my kiddos. we still had waiting to do. peter had gotten in the car and began driving from elgin at about 5:15 and did not arrive at the hospital until almost 9:00!! the roads were horrible as was the traffic. this was only 90 miles!
we were so happy to see daddy! we spent the night in a hotel and drove home the next day.
i suffered whiplash, and was in a neck brace until sunday. today i am continuing to get better, just some soreness and stiffness, but really nothing, especially considering what could have been!
God so evidently protected our family and amazed us in soooo many ways. we are so very grateful to be alive and well! He has blessed more than we can possibly imagine! again, i say, thank you God, thank you God!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
familiar, foreign, fantastic
i can't believe i haven't posted this yet...
last weekend gramma tina came to town to watch the kiddos. peter was officiating a friends wedding an hour and a half a way. we decided to stay there for the weekend since we had to attend the rehersal dinner the night before. friday afternoon gramma came and we were on the road. just the two of us! what a foreign way to travel, two adults and no children. we enjoyed the ride and had a few real conversations without interruption. i didn't know we could still do this! :o) we dropped our stuff at the hotel, went on to the rehersal and then dinner and had a great time. now comes the really good part.... on saturday morning we both got to SLEEP IN!!!!!!! when we woke up, we just laid in bed!!! it was soooo relaxing. then we went out to breakfast! i forgot you could go out to breakfast. more real conversations and we even got to read the Bible together, no interruptions!! then we walked back across the street to the hotel, went to walmart to pick up a few necessities and then back to the hotel with NOTHING TO DO!! peter had to go for pics and i was FREE!!
it was the strangest feeling in the world. i had nothing i had to do and i could do whatever I wanted!! how could something that used to be so familiar, feel so foreign, and yet absolutely FANTASTIC!! i just laid in bed to soak it all in. then i listened to a few songs, peter had brought his ipod. i read my Bible and enjoyed the beauty of "me" time. what a gift it was.
then off to the wedding & reception. we had a blast and danced till the dj stopped. then we slept in again!!! and got back to our church's extension campus just in time to check out there service. we went out for a quick bite to eat before releaving gramma of her duties.
and when we got home, we found out gramma had gotten sick saturday morning. poor thing threw up and was in charge of my kiddos and feeling miserable. bless her heart she survived and didn't even bother us, despite her condition.
thank you gramma tina. you are amazing and we are soooo very grateful for our first weekend with no kids! yep, you read that right. we have never left all the kids before! fyi: not because we were not willing! :o) we had a great time and of course, the kids had a great time with gramma!
last weekend gramma tina came to town to watch the kiddos. peter was officiating a friends wedding an hour and a half a way. we decided to stay there for the weekend since we had to attend the rehersal dinner the night before. friday afternoon gramma came and we were on the road. just the two of us! what a foreign way to travel, two adults and no children. we enjoyed the ride and had a few real conversations without interruption. i didn't know we could still do this! :o) we dropped our stuff at the hotel, went on to the rehersal and then dinner and had a great time. now comes the really good part.... on saturday morning we both got to SLEEP IN!!!!!!! when we woke up, we just laid in bed!!! it was soooo relaxing. then we went out to breakfast! i forgot you could go out to breakfast. more real conversations and we even got to read the Bible together, no interruptions!! then we walked back across the street to the hotel, went to walmart to pick up a few necessities and then back to the hotel with NOTHING TO DO!! peter had to go for pics and i was FREE!!
it was the strangest feeling in the world. i had nothing i had to do and i could do whatever I wanted!! how could something that used to be so familiar, feel so foreign, and yet absolutely FANTASTIC!! i just laid in bed to soak it all in. then i listened to a few songs, peter had brought his ipod. i read my Bible and enjoyed the beauty of "me" time. what a gift it was.
then off to the wedding & reception. we had a blast and danced till the dj stopped. then we slept in again!!! and got back to our church's extension campus just in time to check out there service. we went out for a quick bite to eat before releaving gramma of her duties.
and when we got home, we found out gramma had gotten sick saturday morning. poor thing threw up and was in charge of my kiddos and feeling miserable. bless her heart she survived and didn't even bother us, despite her condition.
thank you gramma tina. you are amazing and we are soooo very grateful for our first weekend with no kids! yep, you read that right. we have never left all the kids before! fyi: not because we were not willing! :o) we had a great time and of course, the kids had a great time with gramma!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
it's a beautiful day
today we went with caleb's class to the shedd aquarium AND it only cost us $3 each! what a deal and what a blast!!
elijah was climbing on the rocks in the oceanarium
caleb loves to look at the map and see where to go
my brave child, the boys didn't want to sit up on the very safe wall to take the pic!
this pic is for you auntie amy in australia! did i mention it was 60 degrees today!
so as soon as we got home we spent the next several hours outside playing!!!
elijah took this picture, i was impressed :o)
elijah was climbing on the rocks in the oceanarium
caleb loves to look at the map and see where to go
my brave child, the boys didn't want to sit up on the very safe wall to take the pic!
this pic is for you auntie amy in australia! did i mention it was 60 degrees today!
so as soon as we got home we spent the next several hours outside playing!!!
elijah took this picture, i was impressed :o)
Thursday, March 06, 2008
we finally made it to the library today
and when we got home, here is what they did.
all on their own :o)
did i mention i love my kids!
can you guess who did this?
notice, two of my children are oblivious that i am taking pics while the other one is trying to be cute :o)
all on their own :o)
did i mention i love my kids!
can you guess who did this?
notice, two of my children are oblivious that i am taking pics while the other one is trying to be cute :o)
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
this is sooo yummy!
my friend shelley gave me this great idea of making soup for peter to take to work for lunch! i have run with it and am loving it (and peter is too!).
here the is chicken tortilla soup i made! it was EXCELLENT!! definitely one of my favorites.
i tweeked the recipe a bit...
INGREDIENTS
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken I PUT FROZEN CHXN IN CROCK POT AND SHREDDED AN HOUR BEFORE SERVING
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed WITH CHILES
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers OMITTED
2 cloves garlic, minced I USED 3
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin 1/4 TEASPOON
1 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 TEASPOON
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 3 TABLESPOONS
AND I ADDED 1/4 CUP OF LIME JUICE (THIS PERFECTED THIS RECIPE FOR ME!)
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.
WE DID MAKE THE TORTILLAS, BUT THE KIDS AND I PREFERRED IT WITHOUT THEM WHILE PETER ENJOYED THEM.
shelley, you gotta try this one!
here the is chicken tortilla soup i made! it was EXCELLENT!! definitely one of my favorites.
i tweeked the recipe a bit...
INGREDIENTS
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken I PUT FROZEN CHXN IN CROCK POT AND SHREDDED AN HOUR BEFORE SERVING
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed WITH CHILES
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers OMITTED
2 cloves garlic, minced I USED 3
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin 1/4 TEASPOON
1 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 TEASPOON
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 3 TABLESPOONS
AND I ADDED 1/4 CUP OF LIME JUICE (THIS PERFECTED THIS RECIPE FOR ME!)
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.
WE DID MAKE THE TORTILLAS, BUT THE KIDS AND I PREFERRED IT WITHOUT THEM WHILE PETER ENJOYED THEM.
shelley, you gotta try this one!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
happy birthday auntie amy in australia!
for my sisters birthday we decided to suprise her with a webcam!! we called her on the morning of her birthday, 3:30 the day before here was 8:00am the day of!
we baked her a cake and sang her happy birthday, the kids blew out the candles and we enjoyed the cake, well all of us except amy that is :o)
regardless of missing the cake, the eating of it anyways, she loved the birthday present!
oh yeah, and we ran out of icing when we got to the last a in Australia :o) amy would have never known had i not blogged it!
i also wanted to video it. this was our first and attempt at using the webcam, it kept going on and off, and i was on my own with 3 kiddos dying for auntie amy to wake up so they could sing happy birthday and eat her cake. then waiting for the web cam to work properly. i was holding the webcam for her to see them and the video cam to record it(though i didn't do a very good job). i wished i would have recorded her on the computer screen, but well, my kids wanted that darn cake. first i thought they were just as excited about amy's surprise as i was. i should have known better. hope this video works...
well, it wasn't that great anyway!
still trying very hard to fix this video problem and getting very frustrated with it!!! urrrrrgh
we baked her a cake and sang her happy birthday, the kids blew out the candles and we enjoyed the cake, well all of us except amy that is :o)
regardless of missing the cake, the eating of it anyways, she loved the birthday present!
oh yeah, and we ran out of icing when we got to the last a in Australia :o) amy would have never known had i not blogged it!
i also wanted to video it. this was our first and attempt at using the webcam, it kept going on and off, and i was on my own with 3 kiddos dying for auntie amy to wake up so they could sing happy birthday and eat her cake. then waiting for the web cam to work properly. i was holding the webcam for her to see them and the video cam to record it(though i didn't do a very good job). i wished i would have recorded her on the computer screen, but well, my kids wanted that darn cake. first i thought they were just as excited about amy's surprise as i was. i should have known better. hope this video works...
well, it wasn't that great anyway!
still trying very hard to fix this video problem and getting very frustrated with it!!! urrrrrgh
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