Silly Saturday: Brown-and-Serve Rolls

This last week, our local grocery store had brown-and-serve rolls for buy one, get one free, so I bought several packages.  These rolls come 12 to a package, so with a family of six, that means 2 rolls per person at dinner.

Apparently, though, that wasn't enough one night, and the kids begged me to make some more.  I guess there's just something wonderful about a warm dinner roll on a cold night.

They were so earnest, that I finally decided to make another package.  The kids were literally standing in front of the oven counting down with the timer.  When the timer went off, Isaac, my 7-year-old, started jumping around the kitchen yelling,  "They're done.  They're done.  Let the roll-eating commence!!"

Commence. (Where do little guys get big words like that?)

A Week of Pictures- Day 1: Summer Sewing

I haven't posted pictures for awhile, so I thought I would recap some of the things we've done recently by posting a few pictures each day for the next week.  

I love to sew but don't get much time during the school year.  I am also still learning, so each new project is a good challenge to expand my skills.  Amazingly enough, I actually completed nine or ten projects this summer, although I don't have pictures of all of them.   Here are just a couple of the completed projects:

I needed pot holders, so I made some!
 (You know you've been married awhile when you cut up the raggedy towels that were once a plush wedding gift and use them as insulation in pot holders.)  Life is just too short not to have a set of red polka-dotty pot holders, right?

This is a bag I made for a birthday gift, and with a few modifications, it turned out to be completely reversible.
 It was a new pattern for me, but it is a keeper!  I love the black and white.

Here you can see a bit of the inside with a big pocket!

If you have worked on developing a skill, I'd love to hear about it!  As one dear friend said to me once, "God is the Creator, and because we are made in His image, He made us with the innate desire to create."

That's something I'll probably continue to ponder for the rest of my life...

Pictures and Ponderings: June 1

Sometimes I come across a funny little scene in my house that makes me stop and say, "Hmmmm....I wonder how that got there?"  Recently, one such pile made me literally laugh out loud-- squirt guns, hair accessories, and a crystal-handled wedding cake server-- all hanging out on the laundry room bench together!

Yep, we are a family, and I guess this is a little bit like the way we roll--

  imperfect,
 sometimes illogical,
 but hanging together nonetheless!

Silly Saturday- The War on Germs

I came upon this scene this week:

I had to laugh as I noticed that the soap container is completely empty.

All hope is not lost, however, because we have obviously acquired a mighty and fearsome squirt-gun arsenal.

Therefore, I have now concluded that we can just simply shoot any lurking germs and call it a victory!

Who Knew?

Who knew we had a laundry room floor?


(It's normally covered with laundry, so I don't see it very often!)  


What a pleasant surprise to see it this week.


A reminder to myself and all of my friends to keep plodding on...

Pictures of the Latest Birthday Cakes

All of the kids have had birthdays in the last several months, so we've made some fun cakes to celebrate.  Josiah turned 11, Micah and Sarah turned 9, and Isaac turned 7.  How are they getting so big?  Didn't I just give birth to all of them yesterday?

I think we're up to 38 different cakes now including a couple that I've made for other events.  If you would like to see some of the other cakes we've made, you can check out the slide show entitled "Cakes, Cakes, and More Cakes" down on the right side, and you can also click on "Cakes" in my labels for pictures of more recent cakes that aren't in the slide show.

Here are the kids' most recent cakes:  (click any picture to enlarge!)

Josiah loves moose, so he asked for a moose cake.  I cheated and used figures for the moose because I truly had no idea how to do antlers in frosting!  The trees are sugar cones, and the logs are oreo straws.  The water is made with blue jello.

Sarah loves to play the piano, so she wanted a piano cake!

Micah LOVES the Denver Broncos, so to go along with last year's Broncos helmet,
 he asked for a Broncos jersey!

Isaac LOVES the Detroit Red Wings, so he asked for a very specific cake!  He wanted a polar bear in a Red Wings jersey with an octopus in front.  It is tradition in Detroit for people to throw octopi onto the ice after a goal.  The tradition goes back to when it took 8 playoff victories to win the championship.  The octopus is made with a lollipop and gummi worms.

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful kids I could ever imagine!

Silly Saturday- Doughnut Seeds

I didn't have a Silly Saturday post last week because it seemed somehow out of place sandwiched between Good Friday and Easter.

So...in honor of the first Silly Saturday post of April, I thought I would share something funny from April Fool's Day!

Since I'm determined to laugh more with this dear family-blessing God has given me, I was looking for a good joke when I came across this very funny printable.  I made one of these for every member of my family, wrapped them in gift bags, and presented them to everyone with much pomp and ceremony.

My dear, sweet family was incredibly touched at my thoughtfulness.  In fact, all four kids spent the rest of the day trying to find a way to repay me for my kindness.  They never did get me, although I did check my bed carefully that night before climbing under the covers.

Don't you wish you could really grow doughnuts? I'd plant them in my garden next to the chocolate bars, one row behind the marble cakes and french silk pies...

Silly Saturday- Never Bet on Guacamole

Lessons I have learned in the last 24 hours:

1.  Never make a bet that you don't intend to keep.

2.  As you sit at a Chipotle restaurant enjoying guacamole and chips (which you love), don't throw down the gauntlet to every other member of your anti-guacamole family and offer $5 to the first one who will eat and swallow a chip with guacamole on it. (What was I thinking?)

3.  Never count on the pickiest eater to stay picky when $5 is on the line.

Yep, the "silly" in today's Silly Saturday is me.  I'm $5 poorer, and Micah has now tried and swallowed guacamole.

Live and learn, Mommy....

Never bet on guacamole.

Or picky eaters...

1,003 Words- March 29

(Since a picture is worth 1,000 words, I'll only add 3 of my own...)

Daughter

needs

puppy!

Our Latest Birthday Celebrations

Micah and Sarah turned seven in February!  Here are some pictures of them with their cakes!  As you can see, the cake tradition continues, and we had a great time celebrating the birthday of our twinnies!  They got the presents, but they are the gift!

Sarah wanted a garden cake complete with a pond!  This may be one of my favorites!  The fence is made out of frosted graham crackers, and the little girl is made out of gum paste.

On the afternoon of Sarah's birthday, Paul came home from the store with the pot of daffodils.  You can't have a garden cake without real flowers too!

Micah wanted a football cake!  As we were finishing up the cakes, Paul decided to make a frosted graham-cracker scoreboard.  It is a little hard to see, but Michigan is beating Ohio State 77-7 with 7:07 left in the fourth quarter.  We do bleed maize and blue in this house!  The field is complete with yellow gummy bears to represent Michigan and red gummy bears to represent Ohio State.

Micah even wore his Michigan jacket for the picture!

New Year's Greetings 2010

Dear friends,

Paul and I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a Happy New Year filled with the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ! The last year was one of many changes for us, and I invite you to go on a quick pictorial journey with us as we recap our last year and look ahead to the new year unfolding before us.  With all of the adjustments and changes of the last few months, I haven't written nearly as often as I would have liked, but Lord willing, I will be adding to this blog much more frequently in 2010!

Josiah (9), Micah (6), Sarah (6), Isaac (4)

The year 2009 began with Paul at home for his two week R&R from Iraq. We had a wonderful time as a family, and we dreaded the good-bye that came all too quickly.

At the airport when Paul arrived for his leave

On January 8, Paul again journeyed back to Baghdad for another five months, and the children and I resumed our daily activities. To say that God was active in our family is an incredible understatement. There were many days that I got to the end of the day, positive that the only thing that had sustained us was the limitless grace of God.  I can definitely look back and say that I tasted the sweetness of Christ like I never had before, and I came away from the year of deployment having learned much about God as an ever-present help and refuge.

In March my mother-in-law came for two weeks, and then my sister came with her two girls for two weeks.  My mother-in-law even found time to paint murals on the basement walls!  Both Heather and Betty were a great help, and their company was a great gift.  Again, the Lord met my needs when I was very weary!

As April arrived, I have to admit that I've never been more excited to see spring come in all my life!  The children and I began preparing for Paul to come home at the end of May, and on May 29 we left for Fort Benning, Georgia to meet Paul as he arrived home on the 31st.  What a joy to be reunited as a family, and what a gift from God!

From Georgia we began a very long, very exciting road trip-- 8,134 miles to be exact!  We drove from Georgia to Florida and spent ten days on vacation.  We went to Disney and Sea World and loved every minute of being together.  From Florida, we began a 4-day, cross-country drive to Seattle so that Paul could out-process out of the Army at Fort Lewis, Washington.  After a week in Seattle, we drove to Denver for a few days with my parents, and then drove back home to Michigan.  The kids are fabulous travelers, and we had a wonderful trip!  We were gone a full month, and Paul was very glad when we finally drove back into his beloved Michigan!  He was finally home for good!  I posted numerous pictures of our long road trip earlier, so if you would like to see those, go here!

The rest of the summer was spent adjusting back to our life together, growing a garden, playing a ton of backyard whiffle-ball, and enjoying being together.  Paul and I celebrated our 10th anniversary at the end of July, and his mom came to stay with the kids while we went to St.Ignace/ Mackinac Island and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for five days!

The kids spent a lot of time foraging in the garden for sugar-snap peas and strawberries!

Paul and I at Mackinac Island

On August 1, Paul left active duty after more than eight years.  The Lord made it clear that our time in the Army was finished, and we are excited to begin a new chapter in our marriage and family!  Paul applied to transfer his law license from Colorado to Michigan, and in November, he opened his own law practice here in Rochester, Michigan!  The Lord seemed to lead in this direction, and we are looking forward to seeing what he has for us in the years ahead.

I am in my fifth year of homeschooling our children, and I find my days filled with school, our homeschool group, and tasks at home.  I am also directing the adult choir at our church.  The choir is one of the sweetest groups of people I have ever known, and they are truly passionate about leading our church family God-ward as we provide a musical picture frame around the face of Christ!  It is such a joy to be involved in this ministry.

Josiah is in the 4th grade now, and he loves books and animals.  He just received an aquarium for Christmas, so he is the proud owner of some new tropical fish.  He is a great student and is making wonderful progress in his education.  I see the Lord doing much in his life right now!

Micah and Sarah are both becoming great readers, and they are doing well in 1st grade.  Micah loves Legos and math, and Sarah loves dancing, singing, and writing.  Micah is daddy's boy when it comes to sports, and Sarah is my constant little companion in all things girly!

Isaac is our spoonful of sugar!  He loves Legos and Wii bowling, and he tries very hard to keep up with the big dogs (his brothers)!  He will start Kindergarten in the fall of this year, although he has already caught a lot just listening to me teach the others.

As I look back on 2009, I have learned three main lessons.  First, whether I can always see it or not, the Lord is active in the lives of each of His children.  Sometimes it is easy to imagine that He hasn't done much lately, but when I was forced to look to Him more than I ever had, I found Him in even the tiniest details.  Even when so many refuse to recognize His sovereignty, He is orchestrating every detail of life for His glory.

Second, I learned that I cannot calculate without God.  The instant I started to imagine what might happen, or "forward-fear", I would lose sight of all of the ways God had been so near to me in the past.  I had read many things about difficulties post-deployment, and while Paul and I had some adjustments to make, things really did get back to "normal" pretty quickly.  We found that two people seeking to glorify God can overcome many obstacles with His help.

Third, I learned how very blessed I am to have my precious husband and children, extended family, and dear friends to link arms with on this journey heavenward.  While Paul was deployed, he videotaped daily devotions for our children using a wonderful book called Training Hearts, Teaching Minds.  He would mail me the tapes, and we watched them almost every night.  I believe strongly that this made the deployment and subsequent adjustments so much easier for our children.  They heard their dad pray over them almost every night, even though he was half a world away, and they knew that God watched over all six of us.  Our family and friends came around us to "hold up our arms", and I can't praise the Lord enough for blessing us so abundantly.

The completed paper chain that grew around our kitchen while Paul was gone!

I don't know what this new year holds for our family, but I know that God is living and active and present.  With much thanksgiving, we bless Him for caring for us in 2009 and look forward with expectancy to what He will do in 2010.  We are thankful for each one reading this greeting, and we pray that the Lord will make His name great in all of our lives for His own glory.

Treasured Traditions

I was recently asked to speak on traditions for a women's gathering. The following post is from the handout for my session. I pray it will be an encouragement to those that are looking for ways to build up God-glorifying traditions in their homes!

Treasured Traditions

“A Magnificat Morning”

October 17, 2009

Deut. 4:9- “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

Psalm 78: 4,6-7- “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done…that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.”

Proverbs 17:22 -“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

I. Thinking through thousands of years of tradition—Looking back helps us to look forward!

A. My own definition:

A tradition is something we hold on to that points us to THE SOMEONE that holds onto us.

Something we hold on to…

Traditions exist in all cultures from all time periods.

Traditions are part of the human experience, based often on changing seasons or family history.

…that points us toward the SOMEONE that holds onto us.

There is great Biblical precedent for traditions. In Deut 4, God commands the children of Israel to talk about and pass on the things that He has done. He set up feast and holy days as days of remembrance. See also Psalm 78:1-7, Deut. 6, Deut 11:1-3, 7, 18-19. We can use traditions to help shape our family’s spiritual life!

B. What are the differences between habits, memories, and traditions?

Habits are things we do every day like brushing our teeth. They are automatic, but not always deliberate.

Memories are being made constantly, no matter what the situation. The brain is a never-ending recording device that takes in every detail of every moment. Memories are the backbone of traditions.

Traditions are deliberate, thoughtful ways to celebrate a family, culture, or belief.

For the Christian, traditions are more than making or preserving memories. They are about establishing earthly pictures that constantly direct our attention to God- His attributes, His Word, His truth, His sovereignty.

So if traditions point us to God, how can we fill our moments and memories to the glory of God? When do we do this? How do we start? Traditions are not just for our children. They point adults, grandparents, and singles to God too!

II. Sorting through thousands of possibilities for traditions in the future-- Isn’t “new tradition” an oxymoron?

A. The “When” of traditions?

1. Holidays- The word “holiday” comes from two words: “Holy Day”

2. Special days- Birthdays, Anniversaries, Family reunions, Weddings, Funerals, Vacations

3. Every days- Things we do daily in the life of our family.

B. The “Who” of traditions?

1. Immediate family

2. Extended family

3. Church family (worship service traditions, seasons in the life of a church throughout the year)

C. The “How” of traditions? Where do I start?

1. Be deliberate- Unless we plan ahead, something might never happen!

2. Be thoughtful- Start small with one or two things.

3. Focus on the treasure of Christ first and then the people in your life. Material things are largely unimportant in building up godly traditions.

D. The “What” of traditions- Some questions to get us thinking!

1. What is most important to me? My husband? Our family?

2. What truths of Scripture would I love to focus on in my traditions? (A favorite verse, a favorite hymn, a favorite spiritual memory or goal?)

For example:

a. We have a vase of stones and a journal on our entryway table. When God does something in our lives or provides for us in a special way, we put a stone in the jar and write the event in the journal. This comes from Joshua 4:21, 22a, 24b-

And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know…that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

b. My sister has small, square canvases on her living room wall. When someone comes over, they have the person sign their name and write a favorite verse. If someone comes that doesn’t know Christ, they have the individual write something they are thankful for! Their artwork is also a visible guest book and reminder of the things God has done!

3. What do I want my family to remember in 10 or 20 years? How can I pass on what I treasure to my family and others that I know?

4. What are the interests of my family?

5. What is one way I can plan for the upcoming holiday season?

III. Some of my favorite ideas to get you started!

A. Holiday ideas

1. Patriotic Holidays- (Even though patriotic holidays are not necessarily religious, they are great times for teaching a family about God’s gifts to our country and our civic responsibilities.)

a. Attend parades.

b. Send letters to soldiers

c. Make visits to the capital.

d. Read the Declaration of Independence together.

2. Easter- This is one of the most important Holy Days for the Christian. Our entire faith hinges on the Resurrection of Christ and His atoning work on the cross.

a. Celebrate Lent by giving up something in order to reserve extra time for Christ.

b. Start with seven lighted candles and gradually extinguish them in the weeks before Easter to show the darkness of sin. On Easter morning, all seven are lit again, signifying the risen Christ as the true light of the world.

c. Study various names of Christ.

d. Attend various Easter services (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, etc.).

e. Think through special meals or treats. See the link for a recipe for Easter cookies at the end of this handout!

3. Thanksgiving- This is the only holiday we celebrate that has an exclusively religious origin. It is a wonderful time for reflecting on God’s blessings.

a. Fill a “blessing box” with blessings and answers to prayer all year long. Then take them out and read them before your Thanksgiving meal.

b. In my family, there was usually an extra place setting at the table that remained empty in honor of those that were not able to be with us that year.

c. We also all wrote messages on a Chinet plate for each person that wasn’t there, and then my grandma mailed them. I’ll never forget getting those plates when I was at college and couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving!

d. There are some wonderful hymns for this time of year-- “We Gather Together”, “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”, “Now Thank We All Our God”.

4. Christmas- When we think of traditions, most people tend to think of Christmas first. What a glorious time of celebration as we remember the birth of the Savior! It is hard not to get caught up in the materialism and rush of the season, but if we are deliberate, we can institute some wonderful ways to reflect on Christ.

a. The beauty of many of the decorations can even point us to the beauty of Christ. In our family, we buy one special ornament for each child every year that helps tell the story of their life. They will take these with them when they get married. All of the decorations glow and shine, reminding us that Christ is indeed the light of the world.

b. Begin to research the origins of the different symbols of Christmas (i.e. Christmas tree, star, candles, holly, candy canes).

c. Some traditions can just be for the mutual joy and fun in a family, building togetherness and unity! We always buy new Christmas pajamas every year. They are the only present opened on Christmas Eve!

d. Plan special meals throughout the season. We have pizza on Christmas tree decorating night. We always have lasagna either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (it can be made ahead of time, thereby limiting the amount of time I spend in the kitchen on the holiday!)

e. Choose a new family to have over for a cookie night and get to know their story!

f. Celebrate Advent by lighting one candle on each of the four Sundays before Christmas and reading prophecies about the birth of Messiah. A fifth candle in the middle of the Advent wreath is the “Jesus candle” and is lit on Christmas morning.

g. Memorize and quote Luke 2: 1-18 together.

h. Create a Jesus tree with ornaments symbolizing names and attributes of Christ. I have also heard this called a “Jesse Tree”. See the link for Jesse tree ideas at the end of this handout!

i. Begin collecting nativities from around the world as a reminder that one day those from every kindred nation, tribe, and tongue will bow and say, “Worthy is the Lamb”.

j. Wonderful, God-glorifying music abounds at Christmas. Attend every concert and cantata you can possibly fit into the schedule!

k. Make a birthday cake for Jesus. The cake is chocolate to represent sin, covered with white frosting to represent Christ washing us white as snow. On the top of the cake place a star, an angel, a crown (He is the King of Kings), and a candy cane (shaped like a J for Jesus). Light a LARGE candle on the top of the cake while you sing a Christmas carol!

B. Special Day Ideas

1. Birthdays

a. Write letters instead of buying birthday cards. A handwritten note is like gold in this electronic age!

b. Make special meals, like birthday breakfasts or birthday dinners.

c. Begin a journal that you add to every year telling your child about how they are special and how they have grown that year.

d. If you like to scrapbook, make separate birthday books.

2. Anniversaries

a. Write a letter to your spouse sharing your memories and thoughts about the past year—what was special to you, what you learned, and how God worked in your lives during the year.

b. Watch your wedding video or look through your photos together.

c. Have a new picture taken of the two of you together.

3. Other Special days and Events- Things that happen once a year or even more infrequently such as weddings, funerals, family reunions, or family vacations are opportunities to cherish the gift of extended family. Be alert for ways to build traditions.

For example:

Family vacations or road trips-

a. Listen to books on CD together instead of everyone doing their own thing in the car. The Focus on the Family Radio Theater CD’s are fabulous.

b. I know a family that planned their family vacations for every year from the time their children were little to the year the last one graduates from high school. They save for these trips continually, and they picked the 10-15 places they most wanted to visit.

c. Our kids have fun bags that go along on every trip. Everywhere we go, we buy a patch, a key chain, or a pin to go on their bag.

C. Everyday Ideas- These are the things you do in your family that point you DAILY toward God and His sweet blessing of a family.

1. Periodically, we plan a surprise ride for a family fun time. We get everything planned and then run through the house screaming, “Surprise Ride! Surprise Ride!” Things we’ve done include going to get ice cream, going swimming at the YMCA, getting up early to go to McDonald’s for breakfast, or going to see a special movie.

2. Plan a family fun night each week and treasure that time.

3. Read books out loud to each other. I heartily recommend On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and North! Or Be Eaten from “The Wingfeather Saga” written by Christian singer Andrew Peterson! For a list of other great books to read see the following website:

www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html

4. Play games or buy a large puzzle. Much deep and even spiritual conversation can take place while a family puts together a puzzle!

5. Family worship is one of the most important traditions a family can have. As soon as children can read, start them on the habit of reading Scripture aloud together.

6. Especially with children, a bedtime routine of prayers and special songs is a wonderful tradition!

7. Eat dinner every night in the dining room and regularly use the nice dishes. Why have them if they only come out once or twice a year?!

8. Even prayer before meals is an important tradition!

9. We have a magnetic clipboard with notebook paper that hangs on our refrigerator. We call it the “cute list”, and we write down all of the funny things the kids do and say. Josiah just turned nine, and he has 26 full pages. When we need a good laugh, we just start reading through the cute list! It also helps to remind us of our family’s history—where we have been and how God has brought us to where we are now.

Some of my favorite resources:

1. Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper

2. Let’s Make a Memory by Shirley Dobson

3. Before and After Christmas- Activities and Ideas-Advent or Epiphany by Debbie Trafton O’Neal (daily activities to direct children’s thoughts during the Christmas season)

4. The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats by Andrew Peterson

5. Kids Love Michigan by George and Michelle Zavatsky (full of fun, family-friendly places to visit in our beautiful state)

6. For ideas for a “Jesus tree” or “Jesse tree”: http://www.crivoice.org/jesse.html

7. For a great Easter cookie recipe see the following website or do an internet search for hollow Easter cookies. http://www.allhomemadecookies.com/recipes/drop/easterstorycookies.htm

(Please link to this post instead of copying and pasting if you desire to use any of this material in print in any form!)

Josiah's 9th Birthday!

Josiah turned nine this week-- on 9/9/09. He absolutely loves the old Star Wars movies, so he asked for a Star Wars cake. Here is a picture of him with the Millennium Falcon. As I was piecing it together to frost and decorate it, Isaac (who is four) looked at it and said, "It's the Mill... It's the Mill... It's Han Solo's ship!" I was really thrilled that it was immediately recognizable, even before it was decorated!

We had a great day complete with Josiah's favorite dinner-- grilled steak with baked potatoes (both white and sweet potatoes)! I can't believe he's nine!

Eleven weeks from today...

...we will drive to Fort Benning to meet up with the love of my earthly life!  Only 77 days left on this journey!!!!  God has been so faithful, and I've tasted His sweetness like never before!

The adventure won't end in 77 days, however!  A whole new life awaits us.  The Lord has shown us clearly that our time in the Army is drawing to a close, so when Paul returns to America, he will be getting out and looking for a job in the civilian world! 

The plan as it stands right now is for the kids and I to drive to Georgia to pick him up on May 30th or 31st.  We will immediately drive to Orlando for a family vacation, including time at Disney.  Some people in our church own a condo down there that we are renting for ten days!  I absolutely cannot wait!

Paul is technically stationed out of Fort Lewis in Seattle, so after our vacation, he has to get to Fort Lewis to out-process out of the Army.  When faced with another separation, we made a big decision.  We will all drive together from Orlando to Seattle so that we can stay together.  It should be the road trip of a lifetime!  Paul bought me a Garmin for all of my traveling (a very gracious thing for my navigationally-intelligent husband to do for his poor, easily-flustered wife),  and the other day he was joking that when we input the address for Seattle as we leave Orlando, the Garmin will just flash a message that says, "Are you people crazy?!"  My only sadness with this plan is that Paul isn't here to see the looks on people's faces when I mention that we are driving from Orlando to Seattle with four kids!  It is priceless! (The kids ARE good little travelers!) 

So that is the plan.  Once we finish up in Seattle, we will make the long drive home and start our new life together.  To say I am looking foward to it is the understatement of the century! Oh, to be a family again!

Here are some recent pictures of the kids:  

Josiah was trying to show his muscles!

Sarah decided to cook one day while listening to some tunes.  

She had my ipod shuffle hooked to the top of her tights under her dress!

Micah is the lego king in this family!

Isaac routinely sticks his sword cover in his pants

 to help with the quick draw!

God continues to meet our needs and give rest when I feel too weary to continue.  Paul's mom came for about 10 days, and it was a tremendous blessing to have her company and help.  She even painted murals of a castle and sailing ship on our basement playroom walls.  What a gift!

Our Twinnies are Six!

(click to enlarge any picture!)

Micah and Sarah with their cakes!

Sarah wanted a jewelry box cake this year!

The top was a sugar cookie, and the cake was filled with all kinds of candy jewelry!

Micah wanted a "rock castle" cake with a dragon and knights!

The turrets and towers are ice cream cones, and the stones are marshmallows sprayed with black food color spray.

It doesn't seem possible, but Micah and Sarah turned six today!  We celebrated their birthdays this past Saturday with their Uncle Dan, Aunt Darcie, Uncle Tim, Aunt Jessica, and cousins Emma, Sidney, Addison, Jill, Noelle, Scott, Allison, and Kelly.  What a precious time to be with family!

In keeping with our tradition, the twins had special cakes!  They always get to choose the theme of their cake, and I had the distinct honor of creating their cakes by myself this year.  Paul and I always do it together, so I missed him terribly, but Paul helped with ideas from afar!  These cakes are just one more thing I didn't think I'd be able to accomplish this year, but by God's grace, we had a great celebration!

Our Birthday Cake Tradition!

It has been a tradition in our family for several years to make any style birthday cake the children want, starting when they turn three.  Paul and I have always done it together, and we try as much as possible to make almost everything edible.  With Josiah's birthday recently, I had expected to make his cake by myself, so I spent a lot of time mulling over his choice-- a jungle cake.  Then the Lord allowed Paul to be home for Josiah's birthday, so we once again had the joy of constructing a cake together! 

Eventually the kids are going to come up with an idea that goes beyond our cake-decorating ability, but so far, we have been able to have some great celebrations.  They really look forward to it!  They even talk about their next birthday cake choice all year long, sometimes starting the day after their birthday as we sit around the table eating leftover cake!

(To see some pictures of our past cakes, see the slideshow on the left-hand side of our blog entitled "Cakes, Cakes, and more Cakes!"  So far we've made a polar bear, a fire engine, a T-rex, a princess, a crocodile, a race car, a pink pig, a tank, a tiger, a princess castle, a globe, Mack from the movie "Cars", and the jungle cake shown above!)

Why chocolate syrup and cookie dough?

Why is our blog title "Chocolate Syrup and Cookie Dough"?

On the day Paul left for Iraq, I had to run to the store for a few things.  As I walked down the ice cream aisle, I realized that my husband was the one that usually bought the fun foods.  I tend to buy the sensible ones.  It struck me that life without him here was going to be a little like plain vanilla ice cream--still sweet, but not nearly so delectable!

When I got home, I told him about this revelation and then said to him, "You are my chocolate syrup."  Our son, Micah, thought that was so funny-- daddy being mommy's chocolate syrup!  From that conversation was born our blog title.  I love chocolate syrup, and Paul loves cookie dough.  We are trying with God's help to cherish the sweetness of each other even though we are so far apart!