A Day at the Pool!

We had a fun day at the Dell Pool this week! Becky has such a nice and large pool that fits all the kids (and adults!). Peter and Noah love splashing and laughing at each other and Becky took James in the water too! His first time in a pool this year. He wasn't so sure about it at first, but as long as the boys didn't splash him, he really liked it in the nice warm water!
Becky also got James to stand up next to the ottoman on his own for a couple seconds.


Later, we enjoyed an excellent dinner (and dessert) all together. . .thanks 'B'!!!!!!!! ;0)

Reading in Style!

Peter truly loves his little brother and tells me how he can't wait til he. . .can play catch with him, read with him, can talk! He also loves being read to, and is starting to sound out some two and three letter words. So, he was delighted in himself when he figured out that he can READ to James. Now, at first he was distraught because he can't actually READ the words, but I assured him that he knew his books well enough to tell James the story by the pictures.

Making It On My Own

My friend, Becky, suggested that I make James' baby food rather than paying high $ for each jar of baby food. Even the generic brand of baby food was adding up quickly. And, after looking at the ingredients on the back of some of these jars, listed were 'carrots, water'. . .and I thought, "Gee, I SHOULD be able to do at least that!!! How hard can THAT be?"
So, I began to create my own 'recipes' for baby food. Here is a couple of different ones that I tried right away.

First, I made, essentially, chicken soup; carrots, celery, some noodles, a few pieces of chicken and some seasoning, cooked it until tender and pureed it. I later mixed it with some rice cereal, and James really seemed to enjoy it! So, I moved on to his next food of choice, SWEET POTATOES! (which is the one in the bigger container)
Up to now, I've made pears, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, bananas, and applesauce. I've also noticed that they go a whole lot longer when mixed with oatmeal, rice or a grain mix. (I can't wait until butternut squash come back to grocery stores. . .this summer squash stuff stinks to high heaven!!)
So, there you have it, homemade baby food. Simple, pretty easy and saves $$!!! You DO need to make it ahead of time (for chilling time), but you can also freeze it!

My Music

Kimberly and I finally have some of our music on the web!!! Click here to listen to all of the songs on our new C.D. We are very excited about this new mini-album. We also get the chance to go to Nashville, TN, at the end of August to sing some of our songs at a church that has a couple of producers attending there. Please keep us and our ministry in your prayers!

Our Family

Forgot to show you Peter's own little chair from Pat and Catherine, at the cabin. Peter found it while inside the cabin, a good distance away, and said "LOOK!!! There's a little chair for ME!!! Oh. . .it's sooo cute!"

Vacation - Day 9

We traded nights, with Pat and Catherine , at the cabin, and Tim and I got our own room at the Lodge along with our own bathroom - ON OUR OWN FLOOR!!!


Peter got to sleep in his own bunkbed.

He was a little scared of the top bunk, on his own, but we made a fort on the bottom bunk and he loved it just fine!
Baby even got his own room. . .

which was tchnically a 'lower level family room', but it was really nice for Mommy and Daddy, so they could sleep without being woken up throughout the night! ;0)
Downstairs, there was a air-mattress

and Peter and I played 'throw Peter'! He would run from one side of the room to the other and jump on the bed, then I would 'fall' on the other side of the bed, launching Peter up in the air. I got a good 5 feet on him! He was enjoying this, until he fell into the dining-room table and chairs!
Here's some more pictures of the Townhouse. . . .


The Upstairs. . . .a.k.a. 3RD LEVEL:




All the furniture was made out from beautiful knotted wood. Tim and I picked up a catalog of the company that makes them. They're actually CHEAPER than 'regular' furniture! I love this rustic look. Maybe will do something in our house with this stuff. . . :0)
Pete and the stuffed little bear. . . he liked it because it was 'Peter-sized'. . .

For those who know Tim really well, you know that this was a very important sign to have at the front door at the Lodge:

The view from Grandma & Grandpa's room (because what would you do without a panoramic view of your house from your bedroom???)

We had a wonderful breakfast at the Lodge, again, this morning. I ended up getting the exact same thing I got yesterday, just because it was soooo good. We made the mistake of getting Peter oatmeal, which is usually one of his FAVORITE things to eat for breakfast, but they didn't serve just any-ol' oatmeal. . .this was some SERIOUS oatmeal. REAL oats. TONS of oats. So, between Grandma, Peter and I, we were finally able to finish his bowl. So, today, we decided NOT to make the same mistake again, so we ordered him a scrambled egg (which he ALSO had yesterday), and instead they brought out, what looked like a DOZEN scrambled eggs. Poor kid, we just can't seem to win!
Breakfast filled us up pretty good, so we skipped lunch and started packing up for the long trip home. Tim and I decided to split the driving home, through the night, in 2 hour shifts.
We said our good-byes and headed out for our ride home. . . . . .
The End!

Vacation - Day 8

Cabin Day #2!!!!

We got up to meet the Grandparents for breakfast, at the Lodge (which is where they are staying), and Grandma went to go get their rooms and the receptionist said that they didn't have any rooms for them. Grandma got these rooms a LONG time ago, and had confirmation numbers and everything, so they gave her a (VERY) nice upgrade. We went from two separate individual 'hotel' rooms, to a 3-story Townhouse!!!!!

WOW was it nice. It could sleep 18 people. 18 PEOPLE!!!! Being July 4th weekend, they were low on staff, but good in service! It was soooo nice.

Here is some of the views from the Townhouse. . .


So, as you can see. . .Grandma & Grandpa really suffered in their new mansion!

After all of the drama was over with the mess-up, we went fishing back at the cabin. Peter's first time going fishing! He, like everything else, loved it like crazy!



After Tim and Pete fished, he excitedly ran into the cabin and yelled 'Mom. . .MOM!!!!!! We caught NOTHING!!!!"
I'm not so sure that he understands what that meant, but it made me laugh!

For dinner, we cooked outside again, and had hamburgers, hotdogs, strawberries. . and the best part. . .SMORES! Pat fired up the pit and we had gooey smores! Oh man, were they good. I, personally, like to set my marshmellow's on fire, first, and then blow them out and add them to my chocolate, that way the marshmellow's are burnt and it melts the chocolate really nice. Peter also got to light up some sparklers. He was less afraid of them this year and didn't even cover his face this time!

We had a good night! And we were all very tired and ready for bed. . .
And we slept GOOD too. . . we got to stay at the Lodge! Whoohoo!

Vacation - Day 7

Cabin Day #1!!!!

The kids slept like logs. . .thankfully. . .



This cabin is small, but nothing compares to the whole 'cabin' experience. It has a functioning kitchen, stove and all


The water isn't treated, but it's nice and cozy, fit perfectly for a family of 4! :0)



Peter would NOT get up this morning. He was so excited last night, when we got here, that all his sleepiness went away! So, I thought it would be funny to try and get baby James to wake him up!



James is quite a puller-of-hair, especially with big brother, but no matter what torment he did to Peter, he still did NOT GET UP!
We had a little breakfast and then went grocery shopping. There's really only 2 grocery stores within many many miles of the cabin. So, we just got the essentials and headed back.
The Grandparents rented a pontoon boat, so we got up early to ride in it. Peter LOVED it. Tim kept going real fast and then suddenly got slow then went fast again. . and Peter would fly from one end of the boat to the other. He had a ball!



Even James loved the wind blowing in his face!

Vacation just isn't vacation without some problem that is out of your hands. Our 'vacation-blooper' was when we went out on the lake, in the pontoon, waiting for the call from the rest of the gang, so that we could go pick them up at the dock and head back out on the water. Tim, Peter and I decided while we were out, to see how our fishing skills were, so we were in the middle of the lake and wouldn't you know it, the boat wouldn't start! Tim tried EVERYTHING, but no luck. Tim finally figured out that you can 'start' (kind of a 'hotwire' thing) the boat from underneath the engine, so we were able to make it back to land! I'm sure it was only 15 minutes or so, but it felt like a 'Three hour tour'!!!

Lunch consisting of grilled cheese, mac and cheese and left over breakfast items (donuts, cereal, etc).
Around 3 PM that day, Pat, Catherine & Grandma and Grandpa met up with us at the cabin. Pat and Catherine grilled up some hotdogs and brauts, and we had colslaw and fresh fruit. Then we went to the Grandparents Lodge Hotel for dessert and to watch the fireworks off the lake. They were beautiful, reflecting off of the lake, really a awesome show. . . .but then, Peter thought that every time we went back to the decks of the Lodge, we were going to watch fireworks again.
What a fun day!

Fun Time

Pat & Catherine really enjoyed James. He didn't mind them either! :0)