MERRY CHRISTMAS... Ours was good. 


                               Hope yours was too.

Birthdays Come Every Year.... On the Same Day

Awhile ago our four year old asked when his birthday is.

"July", I responded. 

To which he said a very surprised, "AGAIN"!?!

 Naps are wonderful. 

Really good cookies

Granola Cookies

1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. white sugar
4  eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
5 c. oatmeal or granola (or a mixture of both)
6 to 7 cups flour

Cream butter, sugars and eggs. Add dry ingredients. Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes on greased baking sheet.

 This recipe makes a lot of cookies. Sometimes we make half the recipe and it still makes a lot. And they are really good cookies.....And it is one of the only cookie recipes I have made that the cookies didn't go flat.

And thanks Mrs. Mallory who submitted this recipe to a cookbook in 1992. 

Quote of the Week

"Hey, I can sniff and close my eyes at the same time!........and stick out my tongue!"

And,
Walking by a house with a for sale sign in the yard,
"What's that for?"
"It means it's for sale."
"How do you move the house out of the ground?" (After you buy it).

Good question

A Little Boy's Wish

Last week I decided to make an attempt at a new job/chore system. (I'm not very good at enforcing the completion of jobs everyday). So I printed some cards with jobs and pictures. The cards were very general and included some that we probably won't use. (Feed fish, clean fish tank, pay bills...Who has "pay bills" as a job for kids?)  It was very exciting and our four year old asked our seven year old what the words said. I only heard some of the conversation but I did pick up on these two things:

Four year old: "What's this one?" (It had a picture of a snow shovel).

Seven year old: "It says shovel snow."

"It's not snowing!" (It was a nice September afternoon).

And,

"What's this one?" (It had a picture of an excited looking dog with a leash).

"It says walk the dog."

"WE HAVE A DOG?!"

He was so excited and so sincere. I laughed for a long time.
Someday, maybe.

Quote of the Week

After Watching a popular movie-
"The movie is over... and they didn't find Nemo!"

Pictures Just Because

Fabulous Four

Turning four is fabulously fun, so fun and exciting, you have to blow out your candles before the birthday song is over.

Happy Birthday to my favorite four year old boy

Summer So Far

Occasionally people will ask me what we have been doing this summer. That's the moment I usually have brain freeze and think, "I know we have been doing things, fun things. What have we been doing?" I guess I needed pictures to help me remember.

Hiking to a waterfall

It was a hot day. And a good day to stick your head in the waterfall.

Camping with cousins- very fun and very adventurous. We had a lot of good food, which I hardly helped with, which made it even better, and lots of fun with cousins, aunts, uncles and/or brothers and sisters, depending who you are. There were a lot of people in our campsite but it was big and we all still like each other.

We started eating dinner at the table. Then it started raining, then it really started raining so we gathered under the tarps and awnings to finish dinner and dessert.

Posing by a painted horse.

33

It was a good day, especially with some of my favorite people to celebrate with me.

I decided that our stuffed animal collection was exceeding the amount of space we had for the stuffed animals so we made a fancy display and decided which ones we couldn't possibly live without and which ones could go to another home to make someone else happy. It took two or three tries, but we finally narrowed it down so they could all fit in one box.

I think we will keep this one, even though he fits in the box.

What's summer without Popsicles?

Or funny faces while eating Popsicles?

Loves to wear sunglasses.

Loves it even more if they are not hers.

Swimming lessons. Need I say more? Swimming is fun.

Finding a friend at the park is fun. Finding a friend at the park wearing the same thing as you, is the same age as you and has curly brown hair like you is extra fun. Having to share the wagon with that friend, not so fun.

Views from our campsite (going back to camping).

All fourteen cousins in one spot, looking at the camera at the same time, and no one crying. Miracles do happen.

The only picture of birthday number 35. It was a good birthday. And a good birthday card.