A Close "Call"

There is something in a person's voice over the phone, that you can just sense, and know when something is wrong. I have had too many of those phone calls in my life. Saturday afternoon I got another one. It was my sister-in-law Rachael. I knew it the minute I heard her voice, and I went into panic mode. I held my breath as she told me that Chris' brother Miah had been in a plane crash. I wish that she had prefaced this news with the fact that he was okay, (hence my title for this post) because for a few seconds the worst case scenario flashed through my mind. He IS fine, he just has minor cuts and bruises. Let's just say that God was watching over him. He was flying to a auction in Illinois with a friend when they started having engine trouble. The friend, who was also the pilot did some quick thinking. Even though they crash landed, he must have known what he was doing and picked the perfect place to land. Above is the picture that was taken at the scene and here is the excerpt from the local newspaper in the town where they landed.

KSDK -- A small plane made an emergency landing Saturday in Sparta, Illinois. The pilot was having engine trouble and attempted to land the Cessna 182 in an open area behind the Dollar General on Route 4. Once on the ground, the pilot couldn't stop. The plane rolled between the store and another building, crossing the parking lot and came to rest in a ditch along the road. Despite the bumpy landing, no one was hurt.

"Night, Nights!"

I shot some video of the kids a couple of night ago after bath time. Kennedy was being shy and stayed in her room. Reagan however, loves to be the center of attention! She has always been that way and probably always will be. Jack just cracks me up! He says "night, night" and then just goes into his room. What a good little boy he is! I love capturing these small seemingly insignificant moments... they are growing up so fast! I am so happy that I have found a way of documenting it for them! Enjoy, the video is a little dark, but so adorable!

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Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall DOWN!

I guess that it is just that time of year where everyone is just crazy busy! I for one have hardly had a minute to slow down, let alone update all of you. I'm sure it doesn't help that I am glued to The Olympics every night. Plus, lets face it by the time they are over, I am definitely ready for bed. But, back to my point... my days have been filled with registrations, sign ups, and research for all of the different activities I am trying to get the kids and I involved in for the fall. Were talking MOPS, Gymnastics, Voice Lessons, and possibly Dance. That doesn't even include The fact that Reagan and Kennedy are headed of to pre-school. So trying to figure out how I am going to juggle this schedule is stressing me out! I started keeping a little miniature size planner in my purse just so I don't double book myself!

As far as the kids are concerned I am just trying to pack as much into what is left of their summer as I can. Play dates, trips to the park, and going out for lunch have all been on our agenda this week. One thing that has changed around here is that Jack is starting to be much more involved in playing with the girls. His new favorite thing is Ring Around the Rosie. He tries to sing it, but obviously doesn't quite know the words yet. He does know what he is supposed to do though, and he loves to "fall down." I think the girls have a much better time too making an actual circle instead of twirling around just the two of them. So here is a video I took last night while I was making dinner. Please excuse Kennedy for not wearing any clothes. We were having spaghetti, and I usually make the kids take their clothes off to eat it. Let's just say she was excited about this particular meal and decided to take her clothes off a little early. :)

Chicago 2016 Here We Come!?

Okay, is everyone else enjoying the Olympics as much as I am? I am LOVING them! I look forward to them every time they roll around, but this one has been especially fun because I can share it with my girls. Though I love watching all of the events, I am having the most fun watching Gymnastics. Every time it comes on Reagan pipes up, " I can do that just like her mom!", "I know how to do the high bar!", " She does the balance beam like me!" Yes, Reagan, your Gymnastics class is just like that! What an amazing way for her to make a connection between the fundamentals she is learning and the possibilities to come. I was looking online today, and Chicago is one of the four finalists being considered to host the 2016 Summer Games. Now, I'm not saying that I by any means have a future Shawn Johnson on my hands, but a girl can dream right? If nothing else the thought of taking my girls to Chicago just to watch the Olympics excites me. When I was little, I knew someone (my future mother-in-law) who went to watch the Games when they were in Atlanta. Ever since then I have always wanted to go watch them. I know she would be up for going with me. Plus, the thought that by then my girls would be 13 and 11 is kind of surreal. Until then I will just enjoy watching them on T.V. Tonight is the Women's Gymnastics team finals, Go U.S.A.

Praying on a Sunday

On this beautiful Sunday morning I sit at home in front of my computer, in prayer. This may sound odd to some people but it is not to me. Though I will be the first to admit that I do not get to church as often as I "should", that does not mean I do not have a deep and meaningful relationship with God. Lately I have found that relationship growing, thanks in part to many strangers out in blogland. You see, late at night when I can't sleep... I surf. The web that is, mostly blogs. Some of the people I know, some of the people they know. Those blogs lead me to others and so on and so forth. I find myself reading about complete strangers who are in need of prayers. A family dealing with cystic fibrosis and a premature baby (CFHusband), many families traveling to China to adopt children (thanks Rebecca), a woman who lost her child to stillbirth, yet retains her faith in God (Bring the Rain), and now a woman in Minnesota whose faith is being tested.

On her blog she calls herself MckMama, and she is in the hospital pregnant with her fourth child. Though she had normal pregnancies before, this one is different. Her baby, a boy named Stellan has a heart condition that the doctors can't seem to figure out. A few weeks ago she was told that he would probably die. So she turned to her blog as an outlet for her frustration, her questions, and most of all as a means of reaffirming her trust in God. Since then people have flocked to her blog to join her journey. They have offered prayers and support. What is amazing is that since so many people started praying for Stellan, he has improved. He went from a death sentence to a 50/50 chance of living. Then he started to improve more. Now they are talking about releasing her from the hospital and monitoring her from home. That is the power of prayer people. Nothing else can explain it. This is a woman who laid her child down at the Lord's feet and has been rewarded for her faith. Don't get me wrong, MckMama and Stellan are not out of the woods yet! But, they are on their way. Maybe I am so moved by her story because in reading about her, I see myself. I was blessed with 3 beautiful, healthy children. Though my pregnancies were not easy, I came out of them okay. If you would like to join in the fight and pray for them with me and everyone else out there in blogland, there is a link to her site on my side bar.

Panda and Hippo... Best Friends for Life

A couple of posts back I mentioned how when Dee Dee went to the doctor, she took Panda along and the doctor examined him too. I realized later they maybe not everyone knows who Panda is. So I thought I would explain.

Not too long ago the kids were watching a Baby Einstein movie about different animals and where they live. They kind of became fascinated with some of the animals from the video, hippopotamuses and pandas included. Being that I keep a bunch of toys (that aren't currently being played with) in the storage part of the basement, I decided to go rummaging in the stuffed animal bin. That was where I found Hippo and Panda. Yes, those are their names, as apparently my children are not overly imaginative in the naming department. Ever since I gave them to them they have both become inseparable. Reagan will cry at night if she can't find Hippo to sleep with and Dee Dee takes Panda practically everywhere we go.

Hippo belongs to Reagan and he was a gift given to us when she was born. Believe it or not he came from my hairdresser, who said her daughter picked him out for us. She has been doing my hair since I was three years old and also did all of my kiddos first cuts.

As for Panda, he used to be mine. I went through a phase in middle school where I was collecting bears, mostly stuffed ones, and I preferred the ones that looked already worn out. I guess I liked to imagine that they had a whole other life before they came to me. Anyway, I kept very few of them over the years, and Panda was my favorite.

So, here they are resting comfortably on the girls bed, which is where I usually put them whenever I find them lying around the house. That way I know that they will be there, ready and waiting to be loved by two very special little girls, who happen to think they are pretty special too.

If a Tree Falls in Your Backyard and No One is Around to Hear it, Does it Still Make a Sound?

Okay so apparently we did not make it through the storms unscathed. It seems as though lightning struck a tree in our backyard. All I can say is that I am grateful that it did not hit the house. The lightning I mean. Well, I guess I am also grateful that the tree didn't hit our house because let me tell you we lost a huge chunk of it. A very large branch broke off and rested in some pine trees. I am also grateful that it didn't hit the kids swing set. You can see from the first picture how close this tree is to the swing set. If the branch had fallen the other way it would have probably taken the swing set down with it. Anyway tonight some guys from Arby's came over to help Chris cut it up and haul the pieces to the front yard. I took some pictures of the biggest branch that fell, along with a shot of the trunk of the tree where the lightning hit and the branch broke off.

A Day in the Life

Other than my recent adventures in cooking with Reagan, I haven't really taken the time to update ya'll on the everyday activities of our lives. This week we have done a lot! I finally took Kennedy for her three year physical. Okay, I know she was three almost two months ago, but cut me some slack okay. It isn't that I didn't want to take her, it is just that our regular pediatrician up and retired on us, and I hadn't found a suitable replacement. We finally ended up @ Dr. Dick's (insert laugh) and he was wonderful. He is a family doctor, and not a pediatrician, but I think we are going to be very happy with him! I recognized his nurse from elementary school, and I was immediately at ease. He was amazing with Kennedy too, he made her laugh and everything her did to her, he did to panda first. She loved him. No shots, but she did need a T.B. test and she didn't even cry when they put the needle in! Talk about a brave little girl. I also registered both girls for preschool this week. Reagan will be going into Pre-K 4 (with Nini as her teacher, wish them luck!) and Dee will be in Pre-K 3. This was my major kick in the butt, on the doctor front and also the reason she HAD to have the T.B. test done. In other news they finally came to fix my oven! Some of you might know that it has been acting funny since oh, I don't know THANKSGIVING! So, in honor of having an oven that works again, today I did some baking. I love to bake! Cooking not so much, but baking, absolutely! Other than that, we basically spent a lazy day at home. If you must know, none of us even changed out of our jammies. As I sit here typing this I am wearing the same ones I wore last night. I did snap some pictures throughout the day. I do this a lot, but don't usually blog them unless we actually did something. The one above is of Dee Dee this morning in my cowboy boots. She found them this weekend after I wore them one day, and she has fallen in love with them! Here are some more pics from our day.

Today I turned these.....

Into this!!!

Here is Jack, who while I was baking decided to take his afternoon nap on the floor!

And here is my hand after I almost cut my finger tip off trying to slice Reagan a piece of the yummy banana bread. Curses on you, Cutco knives!

This last one was taken just a few minutes ago as Dee Dee was screaming at me about not wanting to go to bed. Oh, the joys of parenting!

Zucchini Cakes!

For those of you who ever check out my blogroll, you may have noticed that I follow a recipe blog, done by "The Pioneer Woman". If you ever have a chance you should head over there and check her out. Her website is amazing! Besides the recipes, you'll find her blog about life on her ranch with her four kiddos, some amazing pictures, and much more! So in honor of her, here are the events that occurred at our house last night, cooking zucchini cakes Pioneer Woman style!

It all started because my father-in-law had given me an absolutely huge zucchini that he got from his mother's garden. We're talkin' monstrous! Sorry I didn't take a picture of it before I started, but no one's perfect right?

First, we shredded the zucchini. And we I say we, I do mean "we". I actually allowed Reagan to help me in the kitchen. Although I usually let her do minimal stuff like pouring and stirring, I thought this would be a good one to let her work with, and she truly did the majority of it. Part of the reason for that was that I was kinda winging it, not truly following PW's recipe.





So she added the zucchini, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and eggs. then I let her stir it all up. She did a fabulous job, if I do say so myself. And I do!

I did not however, allow her to put them into the hot grease on the stove, that I did myself. Then I flattened them out and let them cook for about two minutes. Then...

Flip! Wasn't that fun!

Two more minutes and Voila! They were wonderful! I know that they probably weren't the healthiest, but we had fun! The added plus was that Jack liked them, and he is the pickiest little eater of any of my kiddos! Hope you enjoyed our little story. If you want the actual "recipe" go check it out! Who knows you may find something else that you might want to make! Lord knows, everything she does looks and sounds delicious!

So, there you have it

Tornadoes!

Last night we had some serious storms! Though it wasn't the first time we'd had to wake the kids up and take them to the basement it was definitely the most scared they had ever been. I had been out out the movies w/ some friends... by the way Mama Mia! was excellent! Anyway, I picked up Reagan @ Nini's and by the time I got home it was getting pretty nasty out! According to the local news there were 5 tornadoes headed our way. So we gathered up the two sleeping kids and the dog, along with pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals and went to the basement. I tried to make it like a slumber party for them, but the power went out they started to get scared. I must admit that I am usually not afraid of storms. Growing up, my older brother Shawn was always terrified, especially of tornadoes. So, I was always too busy trying to distract him, I didn't have time to be afraid for myself. But, last night I was scared. Maybe it has something to do with being a parent, and wanting to protect your kids. I felt completely helpless. With no T.V. and no battery operated radio, we had no idea what was going on outside. So, I started to pray that everything would be okay. I prayed that should the worst happen all of us would be safe, and that the most we could lose would be material possessions. As, soon as I began to feel better, I stared to sing lullabies to the kids. Everyone, including Chris, fell asleep. We ended up going upstairs around 12:45, and both of the girls slept in our bed. As far as I can tell this morning all is well and there is no major damage from the storm. Here's hoping everyone else out there was just as lucky!

PEACE

PEACE EVERYONE!!!

He's A Dancing Machine

Lately Jack has started "dancing". Of his many moves, one is spinning around in circles until he falls over. The kids were all dancing yesterday when I pulled out the camera. They have this Barbie doll that sings and they were using that for their "music". I didn't catch him on video only because Dee Dee fell into the T.V. first and I had to stop filming. They seem to think this is hilarious and I'd have to agree.

Congratulations Scott and Sara!

Yesterday our good friends Scott and Sara welcomed a new baby boy into their lives. Pierce Matthew weighed in @ 8 lbs. 6 oz. and is 21 inches long. Congratulations to them and to new big brother Hudson! To see Sara's maternity pics go to one day at a time... over on the blogroll.

Yesterday...or is it still today?

UPDATE!!! I think I finally have the video of the kids jumping on the coffee table working. Enjoy!

"Yesterday" was quite eventful around here! I only say it in quotes because right now it is about 1:15 in the morning and I am still up! So even though most of you will probably read this "tomorrow", the following actually happened on what is, for you, yesterday. Does everyone follow? Did I lose any of you there? Good.

So, anyway "yesterday" morning Rachael called and wanted to know if the kids and I wanted to do lunch at a local Mexican place. Even though I am supposed to be on a diet, this sounded like a good idea, so off we went. On the way I decided to call Gina and ask her to join us. Seconds after I hung up the phone, it rang. It was Chris calling from Arby's and he needed me to run to the other Arby's on the other side of town and get him some more roast beef. It was noon and he was about to run out! That is not a good thing! That should give you some idea of how crazy his day was. By the time we got to the restaurant we were really late, but we all had a good time. I think the kids like the chips more than the actual food, but hey, they behaved so I'm not complaining!


As we were getting ready to leave the restaurant Rachael asked if we wanted to go to the park. I though about this for a minute, and the remembered the piles of laundry at home that still needed to be tackled. She suggested that it would be fun for Austin to take one of his cousins along with him and I agreed. Great idea, or so I thought. So since Dee Dee never gets to go anywhere I told Rach to take her. This started the worst tantrum I have ever heard come out of Reagan. She screamed the whole way home! "I want to go to the PARK!" Then at home she proceeded to flail herself onto the floor kicking and screaming. I shut her in her room with the light off until she calmed down. I would have taken pictures of this not-so-funny fit, but I had sent my camera with Dee Dee, who from the looks of it had a pretty good time!

Getting ready to leave the parking lot...

cooling off under the pavilion...

Taking time out to empty their crocs of pebbles and mulch. Too funny!

When they got back to our house, they were all dripping with sweat. What a hot day it was! So, Rachael and Austin came in for a little bit, and the kids all had fun attempting to destroy the furniture. I don't know about any other parents, but my furniture is wrecked! You may notice all of the little finger and foot prints on my coffee table. They won't come off, it's like they are permanently etched there. As much as I hate it, it is too adorable. Plus they are having so much fun, I'd hate to spoil it for them.

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As for the rest of my evening, Chris and I got a babysitter and went out. First over to a friends house, and then out for dinner, just the two of us. It was some much needed time alone. Even though we were both exhausted from our days, it was nice to take some time just to catch up with each other! Now I am staying up late, sharing all of our adventures with you because I'm just nutty like that! Plus, tomorrow I have another busy day planned! Seeing as how the kids have so much fun with their cousin Austin, Rachael and I made plans to get them together again tomorrow. Or is that today? I'm so tired I can't even think straight!