Labor Day Weekend

Here a few pics from our weekend in LeMars visiting Lola.

Olivia is helping gramma make pumpkin waffles! Yum!

We love the tire swing!

Mommy does too!

Olivia loves the pool!

Little water bug!

Here we are!

Hangin' with gramma at Archies Waeside!

More crackers please!

Not to be outdone, Sylvia insisted on eating corn off the cob just like big sis!

Let's Go State!

Last Thursday the Cyclones kicked off the new season by trouncing SDSU 44-17 (Did we expect any less?) The Cyclone defence looked pretty sharp, but the offence needs a little more consistency, I'm sure they'll pull it together before this Saturday when we avenge last year's defeat to Kent State...

Here's the view from our seats!

lovin' the new logo!

lovin' the new uniforms! Lookin good 'clones!

Here's a couple happy Cyclone fans!

Where is the Kingdom of Heaven?

The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:20-21

Sometimes I like to get wrapped up in my own agenda. My personal plan for my life. I also am frustrated when things aren't going the way I want them to go. I also think a lot of people feel the same way. We like to go about our own agenda fulfilment as if on a mission. "I need to buy this, then I can do that, then I'll accomplish this, then I'll be promoted to this or that," and on and on. There will always be another thing, another goal, another level, another distraction.

Through all the distraction and self-fulfilment I fail to see the truth. I fail to see the kingdom of heaven. I fail to see Jesus Christ, living and reigning within us. Someday we may go heaven, but is life a giant waiting room where we are forced to listen to horrible waiting room music and read the same Better Homes and Gardens from 2 years ago? I don't think so. Some may see it that way. I prefer to think of it like one of those computer generated 3D art posters from years ago. (Remember those?)

A lot of people would stare and stare and strain their eyes to see,only to give up, frustrated. Others look at it with relaxed eyes and POW! the amazing three dimensional picture would appear. Two people, looking at the same thing, one sees frustration and jumbled color mess and the other sees something incredible.

I think if you look at life in the right way, with relaxed eyes, with the comfort of Jesus Christ, you will begin to see the incredible image in front of you. You will see the kingdom of heaven all around you...alive and well. Maybe the morning air reminds you of a time when you were a child and you smile on the inside for a moment. Maybe a stranger is kind to you and for one moment you don't think the world is going down the toilet. Maybe you look into your childs smiling face and for a moment you see what God looks like. Its there. You just have to look at it right, embrace it, and let God reveal his kingdom through you.

You are the light of the world...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

Yippee!

Today marked the 5th day in a row that Olivia did not wear a pull-up to bed and stayed dry all night long!! WOO HOO!! In case you don't know...we have been working on this for months now. Olivia was promised a brand new Barbie doll if she could stay dry for 5 nights in a row. The most she could accomplish was 2 nights. Finally we decided the only way she was going to stay dry is to ditch the pull-ups and maybe she would learn from wetting the bed. Well, she didn't have to. We made the switch and she has been dry every night! Gee...if only we had done this months ago!! So this morning we pulled out the Barbie we have had stashed this whole time and gave it to her! I don't know who was more excited, us or Olivia!! Way to go little girl!



Here's some clips of the girls being silly around the house!

Move this, move that.

In transitioning the girls into a single bedroom together, we've dug out some items that got the girls' silly bones tickled. Sylvia insisted on wearing her froggie slippers and UV-blocking sun cap with her play dress. Olivia thought it was fun to wear an old lampshade on her head. They were quite a sight and had lots of happy giggles and squeals, my favorite! I included one picture of them being especially patient and activity-compliant with play-doh while I took a break from the moving and redecorating to pay bills and balance the "checkbook".

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

This bathtime treat can be yours for under $5.00!











The last few nights the girls have been enjoying the newest bathtime sensation, Sesame Street Bathtime Fingerpaints!! They absolutely LOVE them!! Olivia is learning how to make new colors by mixing others. The best part is the paints turn into bubbles when you wash them off the tub!! How cool is that?!


Don't you just LOVE our art??

Facing the Mountain

This week I began inservice at my school. The theme was less than exciting. We are addressing our epidemic-like standardized test scores. We have received some press in light of our current situation which has really put the pressure on our district, you can read about it here. (If you couldn't get the article before, I fixed the link. Sorry!)

I take the lack of success of our students extrememly personal, and articles like this sting a little. It can seem overwhelming sometimes. I know our test scores and I know what I am facing this year...a mountain. I guess it's time to strap on my hiking boots and oxygen tank and start climbing. I know I will do whatever it takes to get these scores up.

Please add my school district to your prayers as we begin the school year. Also support your local school district, whether you have kids in it or not. It truly takes a village to raise a child.

No Nuk is Good Nuk

We have successfully cut Sylvia off of the nuk! She was taken off of it cold turkey last Sunday and we haven't looked back! Overall, Sylvia has handeled it well. The only rough times were nap time and bed time.

We have also officially moved the girls into the same room together. They are loving it! We moved Olivia's bed into Sylvia's room and we have made Olivia's room a temporary "playroom" until the new baby arrives, then it will be a nursery. Olivia couldn't wait for us to move her bed in with Sylvia! What a pair!

Happy Birthday Gracie!

Happy 4th birthday to Gracie! We traveled up to Minnesota this weekend to help Grace celebrate her birthday. It was a nice time to be with family and enjoy each others company!


Make a wish Gracie!

Smile Everyone!

What's cookin' ladies??

Yummy!

Where's the cake?

Little Students

Olivia wasn't feeling well today so the girls got a day with daddy. I wasn't feeling well either so I took the girls on a road-trip to Mingo to do a few things in my classroom and get some stuff so I could work at home. The girls had a blast playing in my room. Of course Olivia LOVED drawing on my dry-erase board and Sylvia just enjoyed the open space to run and squeal!! Hopefully they keep that excitement for school!


Look at my pretty picture!

Ready to learn Daddy!

Do I get a grade for cuteness??

No really, my doggy ate my homework!

Middle School Upgrade

This summer my middle school received a new gymnasium floor through donations made to our school! I've been waiting all summer to see it, it's going to be awesome! We use to have a tile floor (which is not the ideal surface for a gymnasium, talk about slippery!!). It sure made for some interesting basketball games though! We also got all new lights in the gym.

Here are some "before" shots that I took before I left school in May:





And here are some "almost after" shots. They are not quite done yet:

Back to School!

Today I went back to my classroom for the first time this year. I've been so excited to get back to work!! I spent all day getting my room organized again and putting everything back in its place. I also had a few students both current and former stop by and say hello. It was nice to see them again and made me even more anxious for the start of the school year!!!!

3...It's the Magic Number

Well, in case you haven't heard by now, it's official, we are expecting baby #3! The most current due date is February 15. We are super excited and feel so blessed for this pregnancy. Help us pray for a healthy one! We'll be sure to keep you posted with the latest info!

What's chutney?

I tried a new recipe for lunch today...and it turned out to be a winner. I get a bit nervous when the dish's name sends me straight to the dictionary, but it was worth the gamble this time.

chut-ney: noun; a sauce or relish of East Indian origin, often compounded of both sweet and sour ingredients, as fruits and herbs, with spices and other seasoning.

Also, chutnee.


Did you know I used to despise cooking? I find this funny because my Mom was a home-economics teacher for years and can make basically anything...very domestic!! As I was growing up, she was forever trying to get me interested in such things and I wouldn't have anything to do with it! The more she pushed, the harder I resisted. This makes me a little sad now because I think she could have taught me much more and we could have had a lot of fun "creating" together, but I had other ideas. Now that I am interested, I'm calling her all the time for "how to's", "what's that", and "can I substitute this". She's as helpful as she can be, but there's only so much you can say over the telephone. So I experiment and my family gets to be the guinea pigs:)

What I find most fun about new recipes is shopping for ingredients I've never used and sometimes never heard of. This recipe called for ground coriander and cider vinegar, which were my "new" ingredients. I even grilled the chicken myself...Matt usually does the grilling. Not bad I might add, as I slowly watched them turn golden on the lowest heat the grill could put out. I finally served the chicken with a little lettuce salad and fresh strawberries on the side. Matt wanted to take a picture, but we just ate it up. Hope you all love this one too!

***NOTE: This is Matt...I did get a picture of the meal when Ab wasn't looking. Hehe**


GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST WITH TOMATO CHUTNEY

2lb ripe tomatoes (peeled, seeded, & cubed)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup paced dark-brown sugar
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 T. oil (calls for vegetable but I used EVOO-Rachel Ray term-& it was fine)
1 tsp ground coriander
4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb total)

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, onion, 1 tsp of the salt, 1 tsp of the ground ginger, & 1/2 tsp of cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 18-22 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has cooked off; set aside and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, place oil, remaining 3 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cumin, the coriander, & cayenne in a shallow glass dish; stir to combine. Place chicken in the the mixture and turn to coat.
3. Heat grill to medium-high. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and grill for about 7 minutes per side or until internal temperature registers 160. Serve chicken with a heaping 1/4 C. chutney.