MOPs Convention

I just returned tonight from a convention for Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) held here locally. They had amazing worship and excellent inspirational/motivational speakers. Here are a few morsels of what I learned that I just don't want to forget and I thought were worth sharing.

• Raise the children you were given, not the ones you wish you had.
• Every man has the seeds of greatness within him, and he needs his wife to water and nurture them to be sure they grow.
• On stress...Too much on your plate will cause you to regurgitate!
• Multi-tasking is not the goal - it's doing the things we were called to do WELL.
• Eight Essentials for Overcoming Stress: 1. Pray 2. Praise God 3. Peace (find it) 4. Play - enjoy your life. 5. Pause (rest) 6. Practice saying no and setting boundaries 7. Plan according to your priorities 8. Pay attention to your body and recognize stress.
• If you keep stretching, like a rubber band, you will break. Stretch and relax to renew and maintain.
• On what we choose to talk about...."what gospel am I spreading?"
• Don't let your weaknesses win....lead with your strengths.

Cake Finale

I have now completed my final cake.....and I am happy to be taking a break for a while. My waistline will thank me. I have licked icing off too many fingers (despite knowing what's in it)! I have had fun and was proud of my last cake, though. I had to do several roses for this cake - they aren't perfect, but I tried! We had our choice of a few cakes to make this time, and I chose the one that appears on the front cover of the course catalog. I was happy with it when I got home despite having left off just one detail - the little pink drop flowers around the bottom. I had just decided to leave them off and call it a day. But as I showed Claire the picture on the cover and my cake, she said, "Mommy, you forgot to do the flowers at the bottom!" Seriously? Although I was a tiny bit annoyed that now I felt like I had to "finish" the cake, I was so proud that she noticed it and was paying attention to details! Love that girl!

Cake Decorating Take Two

Here is this week's cake including skills learned in my second class - drop flowers, shell borders, and roses. We haven't learned leaves yet, so that's why they are not shown on my cake! I can't take credit for the nice rose in the middle - the instructor helped me to make it. Geez - they are HARD!

Big Fun at the Fair

Yesterday, we made a trip to a local county fair. We only had a few hours, but we packed in lots of fun! The first thing that Claire wanted to ride was the ferris wheel...

This is the closest my child will EVER get to riding a motorcycle...

She was very excited to ride these swings after she saw how high they went. My Claire is such a thrill-seeker!

Wwhheeeeeeeeee!




Another favorite is the carousel....




And what's a fair without cotton candy? We also tried a fried snickers bar. It was good, but I would really rather just have the candy bar as it comes in the package!

Ok, Claire insisted in riding the flying dinosaurs, and we were hesitant because we thought it would make her sick. A few big kids got in there with her, and they had this thing spinning soooooo fast. We could hear her screaming (and laughing) the whole time. She LOVED it and wasn't even dizzy when she got off!

There were lots of little playhouse type things there, and Claire enjoyed those as well.

Claire and daddy riding the caterpillar coaster....

We wondered why there was such a line for these little race cars.....it obviously had a lot to do with how they "sling" you around at the curves!

I think someone is in trouble....



Wow, daddy really fits the part, huh?

We were so impressed they had plenty for young kids to do, as well as hand sanitizer stations everywhere. We'll definitely be going back next year!

Cake Decorating

One of my 2009 resolutions was to learn a new skill this year, and I am happy to report that this is one resolution I am keeping! I just started a cake decorating class, and quite honestly when I walked out of the first session, I was extremely overwhelmed. Wow, all the stuff you need! I had no idea about the different consistencies of icing, how difficult it can be to get some colors just right, how long it takes to decorate a cake with lots of colors, etc. I have enjoyed baking for a while now, but have only done VERY basic icing, decorating and writing on cakes. I enjoy a yummy, beautiful cake, which is why I usually call on my friend, Mandy, if I need one (she makes a business of this)! I will have to say that people who do this all the time must be gifted with plenty of patience!

Anyhow, I really just wanted to learn some basic techniques so I would simply have the ability to decorate some fun cakes for my girls. For them, the labor would be worth it! This week, were supposed to decorate our first cake (a round one with a rainbow) incorporating some of the skills we learned. Below is the final product, although you can't see the white border at the bottom. Chris had been gone all week, so this cake was to welcome him home tonight!

I am enjoying learning something new and would welcome any tips from those of you who are experts in this area!

Sounds Game

Last night, we took Claire to a Sounds game while Ava was spending time with Nana. We did this last year before Ava arrived, and Claire really seemed to enjoy it, so we decided to make it a point to take her again this season. This was our third attempt - both of the first two were rainy evenings.

They have a family zone at the entrance with inflatables and such, so we took advantage of this with Claire to try and get her good and worn out so she would hopefully sit still for most of the game. We actually didn't sit down until a few innings into the game, so she didn't have much trouble until toward the end, when we were able to bribe her with the impending fireworks. We of course kept busy with the usual baseball game fare - hot dogs for her/hamburgers for us, popcorn, ice cream, etc.


Sometimes sliding just isn't enough. She was reprimanded by the attendant for doing this, but I think her landing was punishment enough to keep her from doing it again (not pretty!). Kick those legs out, Claire, so you land on your bottom!

They won, now onto the fireworks! We purposely sought out a 6:00 p.m. game so that we would be able to stay for all the after-game fun. These swirls were some of Claire's favorite.

This was her first time to run the bases after the game, and boy was she fast! I wasn't quick enough to catch anything but her backside! She loved it!

Claire funnies

As we were having lunch at a local Mexican restaurant today, Claire begins to do something she knows drives us crazy - opening her mouth to show her food (a few times chewed, a few times not, with a few tongue tricks thrown in). I know, gross, right? As we scolded her for doing this, she replies, "(Whine) I'm just doing some tricks for the children." We think she was talking about the family we knew sitting behind us, but I am not sure they were as amused as she hoped! :)

We love our dentist!

Yesterday, Claire's dental office hosted its annual patient party at Circus World. The girls had a ball! There was a soft play area for little ones and Ava didn't heistate at all to dive right in. Add yes, I know her hair is all in her face, but the child will NOT keep a bow in and I am tired of losing them!



There were a lot of fun games/rides for kids as well.

Claire showing off her tattoo...

They had food and gave away door prizes as well. We won a hula hoop, which made for a very excited Claire! But I will say the highlight (for me at least) was Claire's first attempt at riding bumper cars. She was so thrilled to get to ride them by herself! Let's just say it didn't go quite how she thought it would....here's the poor girl's expression as she continuously gets rammed by everyone while she is trying to figure out how to get her car working....


wait, I can do this.....

now that's more like it!

We were bummed we missed the chance to bowl, but we couldn'tstay long enough to play after our name came up on the waiting list. Oh well, another time! We are so thankful for Dr. Taylor and all of the staff, including our dentist, Dr. Katie (Chris's sweet cousin). Now, I just have to remind Claire when we go to the dentist Monday that this is who treated her to all the fun and games......then maybe, just maybe, they won't have to pry her mouth open?

So thrilled!

I just love my new blog design! I have been delinquent in blogging since Ava began to walk (for obvious reasons!), but I am inspired now and plan to spend some time this weekend catching up!

Swimming Lessons

Claire started swim lessons this week with Ms. Lauren, and I am so impressed with all that she has learned after just two lessons. I had heard that four was sort of the magic age where kids could really start to acquire skills, but I never imagined she would do so well so soon! She has never been afraid of the water, so at least that has never been an obstacle. I just never thought she'd already be jumping into the water and swimming to the side! So proud of my big girl! I must say the scenery I am able to enjoy is rather nice...

A few of Claire's buddies showed up for their lessons toward the end of ours. Luckily, I was able to get a quick shot of these sweet girls!

Homemade frosties!

Several weeks ago when I was talking about getting an electric ice cream maker and making homemade ice cream, a friend of mine gave me a simple recipe that she insisted tasted just like a frosty. I must admit, I was a little skeptical you could easily mimic the tasty treat. So tonight, we tried it and it really tasted just like a frosty! It was so easy and delicious.....

1 can Eagle Brand milk (NOT fat free)
1 regular container Cool Whip
1/2 gallon chocolate milk

Mix and freeze! I made mine in a six-gallon ice cream freezer, but you could likely do this recipe in a four-gallon. My thanks to Jama for the yummy idea!

Dance Me Daddy

One of Chris's Fathers Day gifts from the girls was a book called Dance Me Daddy, based on the song "King of the World," by Point of Grace. They all just love to dance around together and what a sweet story for them to share! It also came with a CD of the song - I had never heard it before, but just fell in love with it. Go here to listen for yourself. You might want to get your tissues ready, especially if you have little girls!

Grandpa is here!

Claire couldn't wait for her grandpa to arrive today. He got here shortly after we returned from church and spent some time playing outside with the girls.


We originally planned to go to a baseball game, but instead decided to go see a movie and have dinner. We went to see "UP" in 3D, and it was really cute. I think that may be one we have to purchase! I had also forgotten how much fun it is to see a movie in 3D - it's been a while! After the movie, we decided to try a restaurant (Barefoot Charleys) we'd never been to before, and we were pleasantly surprised. The food was pretty good and the service was great. They were very attentive to our two kiddos, which is always so nice! There was a view of the lake and you could walk down to feed the ducks and play on a little tire swing. Claire had a ball and the weather was amazing. It was such a nice evening! So glad I happened to have my camera with me - I got some great shots!

Push me higher!!! Whheeeeeeee!