A Peek at our Week 2011: Week 25

Saturday, June 18

Today is Jack's birthday and we have had alot of birthday fun!  What you aren't hearing during the picture is this:  Happy Birthday to you {cha cha cha}, Happy Birthday to you {cha cha cha}, Happy Birthday dear Jack, Happy Birthday to you {eat more chicken}!

 

Sunday, June 19

Happy Father's Day to one of the silliest Daddies that I know.  I always knew you would be a wonderful father, but watching you love them, play with them, and invest in them has been one of the greatest joys of my life.  May your example be a legacy for our future generations.

 

Monday, June 20

We wrapped up the birthday fun today with a movie and frozen yogurt.  I am in love with this stuff!  There is just something about being able to mix lots of different flavors of yogurt with endless possibilities of toppings that speaks to the inner child in me.  I'll be back...

Tuesday, June 21

Our yard always has something in bloom, one of the benefits of being married to a talented gardener.  Right now, Brent's daylillies are showing off.  This particular variety was given to us by Mom; it is called The Rachel and was specially hybridized by one of her friends and named for his daughter.  I just think it looks so delicate and beautiful.

Wednesday, June 22

We went tubing down the Chestatee River today with the swim team.  It was a lazy river, so Jack and Will each got their own tube.  Jack was old enough to float down with the others, but I had a grip on Will's tube so he couldn't float too far away.
 

Thursday, June 23

This summer we have been "homeschooling", just trying to keep our skills sharp.  Jack works on Math, Reading Comprehension, English, and Spelling; Will works on pre-K readiness skills and the proper way to hold a pencil/crayon (not demonstrated in this picture).   It has been going well, once we get over the initial mumblings and grumblings about having to start.  And my hat is off to all of you homeschooling moms!

Friday, June 24

A glimpse at a typical summer afternoon for us... swimming at the pool!  That is Will swimming on top of the water and Jack is under the water.  I don't know how we would survive summer without the pool!

Love Song from My Savior

Recently, each time I have been in the car, Rascal Flatt's song "I Won't Let Go" will play. And every time I hear it, my heart feels like Jesus is singing it to me.  I get chills each and every time.  I love when Christ taps you on the shoulder during the middle of an ordinary, busy day just to remind you that He is there, always.

So if you need a reminder, too.

Parmesan Okra

Do you love fried okra?  I do, and the best I've ever had is my Grandmother Calhoun's fried okra.  Sooo good! And while I do love fried okra, I've never been inclined to learn how to make it.  I came across this recipe a couple of years ago in a Southern Living magazine.  It is quick & easy (a requirement for a weeknight meal in this house), has a short list of ingredients, and although it isn't authentic fried okra, it tastes like the next best thing.  So if you love fried okra, too, then give it a try.

 

Parmesan Okra

serves 4

• 1 pound fresh okra, cut into 1/2 inch slices (I've used a mix of fresh and frozen and it worked fine)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 c Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp Greek seasoning
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese

Saute okra in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes or until crisp tender.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and seasoning, and cook, stirring often, 3 minutes.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Happy 8th Birthday, Jack!

We have had so much fun celebrating Jack's birthday season!  Brent says that birthday celebrations in our family go on and on for so long that you can't say we celebrate a birth day, but more like a birth season.  And the problem with that is?


It all began Friday afternoon.  We told Jack that his birthday present from us was being delivered.  We thought it would be delivered that evening, but due to weather, it wasn't delivered until around 9:30.  A little past the birthday boy's bedtime, but what can you do?

Waiting for the birthday present to arrive.  Jack and Will were camped out, ready and waiting.  They had even pulled up some chairs to the dining room window.  No talking anyone into going to bed now.

It's an air hockey table!  Jack loves, loves, loves air hockey and was floored that he now has his very own air hockey table!

We had to get in a couple of games before bed.  Jack and Will played and then we had a family game. We also had to have a discussion about being gracious winners & losers.  To say that we are a competitive family would be an understatement.  The air hockey table is going to provide many teachable moments about good sportsmanship!

Saturday morning, June 18th, Jack's actual birthday began with opening presents from the grandparents.

Happy and Honey gave Jack a cool Lego Creator Lighthouse set.  Not only can you build a lighthouse that really lights up, but you can also build a boathouse and a seafood restaurant with a light up oven.  So cool!

Happy and Honey also gave Jack a "The Bird is the Word" Angry Birds t-shirt.  Oh yeah.  Watch out, Granddaddy!  The game gets serious now!

Gramma and Granddaddy gave Jack a fantastic interactive globe.  He has loved learning about the world.  We have learned about different countries' native music, native wildlife, flags, and languages.  And that is just the beginning....lots more information to discover.

  

We had Jack's birthday party Saturday afternoon, and he thought it was pretty neat to be having his birthday party on his actual birthday.  We had a pool party again this year because they are so much fun for the kids and so easy for the mama!

We swam...

and played...

and jumped...

and swam some more...

until the lifeguard called for adult swim.  Then it was time for pizza!  On the menu was the usual pepperoni and cheese, and in addition, we had Jack's favorite barbeque chicken pizza.

After pizza, everybody headed to the diving board for a "Show Us Your Best Dive or Jump" contest.  And that is when we heard the first clap of thunder.  Oh No!  So Brent took everyone to the playground to wait out the 20 minute break.  And about 10 minutes later...

the bottom fell out of the sky!  A major thunderstorm came through.  What a bummer for a pool party.  So we came up with Plan B.

 

We quickly herded everyone into the safety of the clubhouse for the ice cream cake.  While I got everything ready, Brent, aka Super Dad, organized a few quick games to keep our guests occupied.

Then it was time for ice cream cake!

Mint Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Cake.  Jack's favorite.  I was a little worried that not many children would like mint chocolate chip ice cream, but boy was I wrong.  They scarfed that stuff down!

Jack turns 8!  Happy Birthday, baby!

We passed out the goody bags and thanked all of our friends for joining us and that was the end of the party.

But the end of the birthday celebration?!?!  Of course not!  We still had to have our little family celebration.

Jack decide that he wanted to go see Mr. Popper's Penguins.  Ms. Ross read the book to his class this year, and he thought the book was funny so he was excited to see the movie.  

The movie was funny...alot of penguin poop humor, which to four year old Will, is pretty hiiii-larious or kilarious as he says (and I'll be so sad when he learns to pronounce hilarious correctly.  When Jack was a toddler, he called me Monny and it killed me the day he learned to say Mommy!).  But the movie wasn't all potty humor, it did have a sweet message about family and what's really important, too.

All of the cold, snow and ice put us in the mood for some frozen yogurt.  We love this stuff!

 

Can you guess which one is mine?!?!

It was a fun birth "season".  Our first born is growing up too quickly.  As he reminded us this weekend, Jack is halfway there to getting his driver's license (gulp).  

Happy Birthday, Jack!  You are amazing and we love you more than you know!

A Peek at our Week 2011: Week 24

Saturday, June 11

The traveling continued this weekend as we headed to the lake for a little sun, fun, and R & R.  Saturday afternoon, we went on a boat ride to survey the April 27th tornado damage to the Windermere area of Lake Martin.  Will was so proud to be able to drive the boat by himself (I love the biting of his lip in concentration!).  We were in very capable hands, especially since Granddaddy wasn't too far away.

Sunday, June 12

The cousins came up to the lake around lunchtime to swim and play.  They swam, jumped, went on a boat ride and skipped rocks.  And everyone was sad when it was time to go home.

Monday, June 13

Jack and Will are at VBS this week.  We stayed after to play on the playground for a little while.  I don't know what this piece of equipment is called, but the point is to swing yourself in a complete circle, and of course, the faster the better.  Jack, the old pro, was showing us how it is done.

Tuesday, June 14

It's a Tuesday night in June, so that can only mean one thing...Swim Meet!  Tonight, Gramma and Granddaddy traveled to watch Jack compete.  His best race by far was the 25 yd backstroke.  Jack came off of the block a little late, but no worries.  He swam hard and strong the entire race and came in first place!  Granddaddy said it was worth the 5 hour round trip drive just to see that!

Wednesday, June 15

Jack's orthodontic journey, that is.  Well, at least phase I of it.  Unfortunately, Jack has inherited Brent's and my very narrow mouths (although Brent would beg to differ that he does, in fact, have a rather big mouth!).  So phase I involves expanding Jack's jaw in order to make room for all of these permanent teeth that are coming in.  Phase II will be straightening those teeth once they have the room.  This is going to be EX-PEN-SIVE!  And it appears there have been some upgrades to the orthodonists' waiting rooms since I was a patient; gone are the magazines and aquariums and in their place are video games.

Thursday, June 16

Will's group, the yellow fish, had the honor of leading the songs this morning at VBS.  Will sang and did the motions to all of the songs.  Our church gives each child a CD with all of the VBS songs, so by the time Jack and Will arrived on the first day, they had already memorized all of the songs.  Will's favorite songs were "I Wanna Say YES!" and "Jesus Fill My Heart."  Jack's favorites were "El Shaddai" and "I Believe."

 

Friday, June 17

Tomorrow is Jack's 8th birthday!  But tonight we were having his birthday present delivered to the house.  Jack and Will were so excited that they pulled up chairs and camped out in front of the dining room window watching for the truck.  What could it be?!?!

A Peek at our Week 2011: Week 23

Saturday, June 4

We went to Baton Rouge today to have a picture made with Happy & Honey and all 11 grandchildren, and then spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the cousins.  Z is the oldest (by 5 years) of the boy cousins, and there is alot of hero worshipping of Z by the younger boys.  And it is well deserved...Z spent all afternoon running, chasing and throwing the ball.

Sunday, June 5

Who can come to New Orleans and not have beignets?!?!  A little coffee and beignets is the perfect afternoon treat.
 

Monday, June 6

Poor Jack came down with a stomach bug Saturday afternoon, which cut his playtime with the cousins short.  It was very sad because he. felt. so. bad.  He was starting to rebound Sunday afternoon, and I went down Sunday night.  Annnnd, we were driving home Monday morning.  Luckily, we made it home without a major disaster, and it appears that Brent and Will escaped the attack of the germs.

 

Tuesday, June 7

The swim team went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 this afternoon to try and escape the heat so everyone would be well rested for the meet that night.  The boys enjoyed the movie and Will decided that the popcorn was the most delicious he has ever had.  A little R & R did the trick...our Speed Demons won the meet!

Wednesday, June 8

It's summer, so every afternoon you can find us at the neighborhood pool.  I'm so excited because my very cautious, I-don't-like-to-get-my-face-wet boy is turning into a little fish right before my eyes!  Will is becoming so comfortable in the water, and I am so proud of him.  I told him that this summer he was going to learn to swim just like Jack.  In the afternoons, we have been playing the "back and forth" game, where Will swims back and forth between me and the steps.  He can already swim halfway across the width of the pool!  He also is enjoying doing "tricks" in the water: touching the bottom of the pool with his feet and hands, floating on his back (41 seconds is his record), and lots of cool jumps off the diving board.  I can't wait to see how far Will progresses with his swimming this summer.

   

Thursday, June 9

We stayed for an hour after swim practice this morning to watch the cutting down of a tree.  The tree was huge so it provided quite a bit of excitement as piece by piece fell down with a mighty splash into the creek below.  The kids were chanting encouragement such as "Cut it down!" and "Timber!" to the workers, who were smiling and trying not to laugh at their enthusiasm, and the mothers wished we had brought a picnic lunch and made a day of it because 3 more were scheduled to fall.  That is what I love about summer...without the hectic schedules, you have time to stop and watch a tree fall!

  

Friday, June 10

Each summer, the boys join the library's summer reading program.  Even though Will can't read yet, he still gets to participate because the books that we read to him count for his total.  Will's favorite library book is The First Rule of Little Brothers by Jill Davis.  We've read this book 5 times now, and will probably read it again at least that many times before we have to return it.  Jack is currently reading to me The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson, which is the sequel to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  This book is hysterically funny, the have-to-stop-reading-because-we're-laughing-to-the-point-of-tears kind of funny.  Jack and I will quote different parts of the book to each other and then laugh again just remembering how funny it is.  I highly recommend this book for children in 2nd-4th grade.  I love the fact that Jack and I are having so much fun reading together...I hope his love of reading last a lifetime.

Jack's Last Day of School

Thursday, June 2nd was Jack's last day of school.  First grade is in the bag.  Jack was sad that the school year had to come to an end; he absolutely loved his teacher, his class, and almost everything about first grade.

Here is Jack on his first day of first grade:

 

And here is Jack on his last day of first grade:

 

He grew 3 inches during the school year, and lost a few teeth along the way.

A few of Jack's favorites during the school year:

Subject: Social Studies and Science

Special Class: PE and Computer

Book: Slugs

Chapter Book that Ms. Ross read: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Science Activity: Strawberry Float

Computer Activity: Mathblaster

Math Activity: math tubs

Writing Activity: Wishy Washy Day

Favorite Poem: Chicken Soup with Rice

Field Trips: The Nutcracker and The Botanical Gardens

Lunch: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ms. Ross and Mrs. Weinke were both incredible teachers.  Ms. Ross really got to know Jack and always made him feel so special.  He is convinced that he was her favorite student!  The first day of summer, Jack woke up and said, "I already miss Ms. Ross."  If he could only convince her to teach second grade....

The highlight of the year was the Bugz play.  He loved all of the rehearsing and the performances for school and parents.  I'm pretty sure that we'll be saying, "I'm a maggot!" for a long time around here.

It was a great year, and we can't wait to see what second grade has in store for Jack!

A Peek at our Week 2011: Week 22

Saturday, May 28

Saturday, we woke up at the farm and, although excited about the day's activities, we decided to have a relaxing, slow-to-get-started kind of morning.  At one point, I looked around and all of the children are playing on either an iPhone or iPad.  And the children can navigate these devices better than the adults!

Sunday, May 29

Does anything say "summer" more than sitting on a front porch swing in your swim suit eating ice cream?

Monday, May 30

Look who can pump his legs and swing all by himself!  And just when I thought my pushing days were over, I hear "Mommy, can you push me?"  "You can swing all by yourself now!  You don't need my help!"  "But I want to go super high, so I need you to push me."  And I obliged because I love the fact that he still needs his Mommy!

Tuesday, May 31

Jack is swimming in the 7 & 8 year old division this year.  This is where the swimming gets serious: they swim all four strokes, the IM is introduced, and some events are 50 yds (2 laps) instead of 25 yds.  It's the big time!  For his first meet, Jack swam the backstroke leg of the medley relay (2nd place), the 50 yd freestyle (4th place), the 25 yd butterfly (1st place!  The fly will make a man out of ya, for sure.), and the freestyle relay (2nd place).  At the end of the meet, Jack was exhausted and we were so proud.

Wednesday, June 1

or bad table manners.  It's really all a matter of perspective, no?

Thursday, June 2

We picked Jack up from school today (his last day) and hit the road for New Orleans.  Happy and Honey, ready or not, here we come!  The boys did great on the ride; they played video games, watched movies, and even listened to a few tunes.  We can't wait to spend the weekend with Happy and Honey and all of the cousins.

Friday, June 3

We love us some crawfish, and Happy is the best at cooking 'em.  Jack ate his weight in crawfish and even Will, our picky eater, couldn't get enough.  32 pounds of crawfish and not a single mudbug left.  They were delicious!