The small lessons!

If you are going to sneak out of bed at 11:00pm to play, it would be wise to choose something other than drums! Just sayin'!

Cookie Recipe!

It was suggested that I post the recipe to the yummy cookies I blogged about not long ago!  I would love to tell you that it is a ancient family recipe, but the truth is that it came out of the Joy of Cooking cookbook!  So, if you have that particular cookbook, the page number is 705, and they are called Chocolate-Chip Drop Cookies!  Otherwise, here is the recipe!

Preheat oven to 375.
1/2 cup butter
Add gradually and beat until creamy:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
Beat in:
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
Sift and stir in:
1 cup plus 2 tbs sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Stir in:
1/2 cup chopped nutmeats (I skipped this)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Drop batter from teaspoon, well apart, on a greased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes!

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!!!

Cast Away!!!

Well, Logan's doctor must have felt sadness for my child because he promptly removed Logan's hard cast this past Thursday!!!  I was thrilled that they replaced it with a REMOVABLE walking cast.  Now, we can really enjoy the miserably hot days ahead knowing that the pool is an option!  The new x-ray showed that the fracture is healing well, and he should be back to running and jumping in four short weeks!

Luke really did not care for the noise that machine made!

It has been just two days since it was removed, but we did not waste any time at all!  We raced home, threw on our swim suits and broke every traffic law to get to the pool!  I had to carry him in, but once he sat in that cool water, he sighed this huge sigh of contentment!!! He splased around some and scooted around with his hands just happy to be around everyone else!  He has handled this situation so well, and everyday I am proud of him for showing such maturity!  He never complained about the cast, never whined about not being able to take part in certain things and even managed to get around very well on his own!  He actually took part in Vacation Bible School at our church this week which was such a wonderful experience for him!  I could not get over the fact that he was so big about being dropped off with his cast and walker at a new church with kids he does not know at all understanding that I was leaving him there.  I had a small heart flutter once I returned to the car on that first day.  He is just getting so big! 

I took the opportunity while Logan was at church each morning this week to do some special things with Luke!  The first day, we headed to the pool.  I thought Logan would be upset that he could not go, but, once again, he demonstrated just how wonderfully he is handling his injury. He was excited for Bubba and asked him if he had fun.  He had really enjoyed VBS that morning and was genuinely happy that Luke got to do something fun too.  The next day Luke and I went to the YMCA and hung out there with some friends and went to a playdate after we picked up Logan.  And on Wednesday, we did some not-so-neccessary craft supply shopping at Michael's, Barnes and Noble and visited the library!  It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with Bubba, and I think he enjoyed not having to share with Logan!!!

The dinos had to make the trip to the pool also!

I have to say that my 4-year-old child has dealt with this SO much better than his mother!  It has created some extra work for me in the effort to be somewhere on time! In some ways, the things that he has done so well by himself for a year now have become very difficult for him, and I have had to step in to help with basics.  Also, I have had to search myself for patience (something I lack anyway) and let some things go that normally would just drive me crazy. However, it has become very important to me that my children have fun this summer and do as much as we can together while they are still at home! Logan is at home for one more year with me before he goes to school, and my eyes well up every time I think about that!  My heart breaks for Luke too.  They are best friends, and most of the time they can be found hanging out together.  It will be a difficult adjustment for him probably more than anyone.  I hear it all of the time from people that have older children, but I really am trying to take to heart that this time in their lives is so precious and goes by so fast that we tend to take for granted what we have in this moment!  It is quite pathetic that his little leg injury has been such a reminder for me, but as with most difficult moments, I am taking the opportunity to learn what is most important!

We LOVE glue, and it was one of our big purchases at Michael's!  They each had their own bottle, and after this particular craft, each had about half the bottle left!

This is Luke's craft area!  He had moved on to coloring when I got out the camera, but I had to take a pic of the lovely glue work he did!  It took quite a bit of cleaning to remove the dried glue from the table, chair, floor and him!

A summer without swimming...

The beginning of the summer has been rough with Logan's cast!  Because he has not been able to swim or do anything involving water, I have really tried to find other activities that both kiddos can enjoy!  We also have some wonderful friends who have made themselves available for playdates and fun outings! So far, the heat has not been overwhelming which is nice.  They have spent a lot of time outside in the yard or playing on their "cars"!  We have even figured out how to set up Logan in the car so he can drive. 

So, he is learning how to adapt to his misfortune and handling it so much better than me!  I am the one who is pouting about the pool because I have hauled them back and forth to swim lessons since February to prepare for living at the pool this summer!  It is interesting how God works in our lives.  I guess He needed me to focus on other things? At any rate, we are having fun!  So, here are a few of our latest adventures. 

Logan and Luke helped me replaced the plants I lost during the move (that Lyndon killed during the move, rather)

Our adventure to pick strawberries with our wonderful neighbors!

The boys ate half of them before we even got home!

The kids enjoying a fruit smoothie...

precious!

Logan has a crush...she is as sweet as beautiful!

Luke helping wash the car...

and cooling off daddy!

The Lazy 5 Ranch!

They could not keep this beautiful bird in his "area"!  He was very entertaining!  The poor woman would move him back to his area, and within a minute, he would be back!  I felt her pain as I could not keep Luke where he was supposed to be!  The camals were a riot! 

This ram was very aggressive!  Those poor baby goat just wanted a bite, and he would literally kick them out of the way!  Logan was very disappointed in his behavior and refused to give him any food!

This peacock was amazing!  I think he was really trying to impress the ladies! They did not give him the time of day, but Luke could not stop staring at him!

The Month in Review!

To begin, lets just say that this has been one of the craziest consecutive 5 weeks I have had in a long time!  I thought that I needed that vacation to Jamaica because I had been so crazed beforehand.  However, I think that the Lord granted me that vacation to prepare me for the weeks that came after! 
To review, just two days before our trip, both of the boys got got sick.  I actually took Luke in because I was sure he had a sinus infection.  Logan was a bit snotty too, so I just asked if the doc could look at him too just to make sure.  Sure enough, Luke had some random virus and Logan was the one with the nasty sinus infection.  So, meds for Logan and Luke's would just have to run its course!  Lovely, considering my parents were on their way to stay with the boys for the next five days while we were away.  Then we were off to Jamaica, actually a work trip for Lyndon, but a fun one at that.  I now like to think of our return from our trip like being sucked through a worm hole back to reality.  Mom and Dad left the following day, and back to laundry, cleaning and cooking!
A few days after our return, our good friends came for a visit.  My heart broke for them as they just sold their house and have had a rough time finding a new home.  In their nomadic state, they have been in a hotel for a week, our house for a week and then stayed with family for a little over a week all while flying all over the U.S. with a three year old and a one year old.  I would have probably crawled under a rock and cried until it was all over.  However, they just dealt with it and made the most out of traveling and visiting. 
Only three short days after their departure, Logan, once again got sick.  This time, he ran a fever and had tonsils the size of golf balls.  I took him in to the doctor who sent us home with no diagnosis.  So, we had to sit at home and wait out the fever.  Convinced it was strep, the doctor did several test.  She even sent one off to the lab thinking it just was not showing up on her in-office test.  Mind you, I took him in on Wednesday, and the results were not going to be available until Friday.  So, we had to find ways to entertain ourselves at home for a few days!  We cancelled swim lessons, two playdates, and a ice cream party.  And, did I mention that Lyndon was gone this week?  To make it even more fun, I had scheduled our dog for her check-up complete with shots and teeth cleaning!  Finally, Friday roles around, and wouldn't you know it, the strep test would not be available until the weekend, and now Luke was running a temprature!  Lyndon returned late that Saturday to two sick kids, an angry dog and an extremely overwhelmed wife!  The good news is that by Saturday afternoon, neither boy was running a temp, so we were at least on the right track.  However, upon waking Saturday morning, I myself had an itchy and gooey eye.  I really tried to ignore it, but by Monday, it was apparent that I would have to have it seen about.  So, I made the appointment for Wednesday morning praying it at least was not Pink Eye!
By this time, both boys were well enough to resume our weekly routine of playdates and YMCA visits.  Finally, back to normalcy.  Wednesday morning at the doctor for me revealed an infection from the Lasik procedure I had six weeks prior and would be easy to clear up with drops.  No Pink Eye (an answered prayer)!
My day then got really interesting.  Upon our return home from that appointment, the boys hoped on their bikes and tricycles for a go around the cul-de-sac when Logan fell and hurt his leg!  Now, let me emphasize that I am usually not much of a coddler for either of my boys.  They have cuts, and bumps and bruises and bloody noses and I try not to make a fuss so as not to upset them.  So, I had no doubt that it hurt when he fell, but I am not one to overreact.  So, I carried him to the house, and our sweet neighbor ran to get ice and bandaged the ankle for him.  I watched it closely for the next few hours and saw no swelling or discoloration, but he refused to stand on it! Still thinking he was being a bit dramatic, I had Lyndon come home early and try to get him to move it around.  While he certainly cheered up, he still refused to stand on it.  It swelled slightly, but I keep ice on it and gave him some pain meds.  He did not complain about it hurting, he just would not walk.  So, the next morning, I called the doc to have him seen about.  Upon hearing about the fall and the lack of bruising and only slight swelling, the nurse called the Ortho immediatley.  Now, I am starting to feel terrible for not taking him in the night before.  So, off to the Ortho for some x-rays!  I knew it was bad news when the x-ray tech took one picture and that was all she needed.  The doctor showed me the pic, a nice, long fracture in his ankle that would require on of the most extreme casts I have ever seen on a kid!  It would be in place for six to eight weeks, and no water allowed!  I just want to emphasize here that it is May 28th, the beginning of summer.  Logan has been taking swim lessons since February to prepare for the summer.  He loves the water, so my heart is breaking for him as he is confined to dry land!  He never fused or cried when they looked at him or put on the cast.  He laughed and joked with the techs who were wonderful to him!  I put him in the car to bring him home so worried about how he is going to handle the next two months.  But, as it turns out, he has already suggested that we go to the pool so Bubba can swim and play while he hangs out on the lounger. 
All in all, weeks like the last few remind me how reselient my children are and how much I need to relax.  Even being confined to the house and missing out on playdates and time with friends, both boys played and were very creative finding things to occupy time in seclusion.  Not surprising, they handled it so much better than me!!! I suppose this is one of the many lessons they will teach me as we spend the next few weeks working around Logan's new summer accessory!  May you have a relxed and creative day!

Julie/Julia

For whatever reason, the boys love the movie, Julie and Julia.  We have watched it several times, it was a favorite last week when the boys were under the weather, and they now walk around saying, "Bon Appetite"!  So, we decided that we needed to make some chocolate chip cookies in honor of our new favorite movie! I would love to show a picture of them eating them, but being the mean mommy that I am, I insisted that they eat their dinner before partaking in a sweet (especially since they kept eating the batter)!  Luke, in true Luke form, walked away from the table and his full plate not really caring.  He will forgo the cookie anyday over eating vegtables. As a matter of fact, Luke has yet to taste one if that tells you anything! Logan is usually not much of a sweet eater, but he really wanted a cookie because he helped make them, so he sat at the table for awhile and finally choked down his dinner.  It was almost bedtime before he inhaled his cookie, and by that time, I really did not think about taking a picture.  So, here are the sweet pictures beforehand! 

They had to have on aprons which did little to keep them clean!

All of the ingredients...

Luke was helping with the flour...again, the apron is pointless!

Luke got flour everywhere, including all over Logan!

They really were tasty!  I am not sure anyone else would want them after the boys "helped," but they look good!

Critters

We are thrilled to have some fun backyard critters!  I was mowing the other day and almost ran over this cute toad!  The boys were very fascinated and watched it until it finally got tired of being poked and talked to!  They really wanted to take it in the house and keep him, but I had to put my foot down.  Luke loves bugs, ants or anything creepy crawley!  Fun for me as he takes it upon himself to bring them in and show them to me.  He brought in a poor stink bug the other day who was outside minding his own business and threw it in the trash can only to get upset that the bug was lost in the trash! Appropriatley enough, he said the bug was home! He really wanted me to dig through it and find it for him, but again, I had to put my foot down!  Logan is a bug lover too, but he tends to bring in the dead or almost dead bugs and lay them on the table waiting for me to do something with it, like bring them back to life.  He gets very upset when I insist that nothing can be done, and it is time to bury it in the backyard (we now have several small burial plots in the yard).  I am proud that they enjoy the bugs and critters and love watching and learning about them rather than killing and being grossed out!  I hope they keep their gentle nature and appreciate all living things even those that I would rather not have in the house!!!

Logan wanted to name and toad and thought it was funny that it "tinkled" on me! And, when it left the yard, he was quite upset.  I had to explain that he was on his way to see family.  That calmed him some. 

We have some HUGE bumble bees because we have some amazing flowers in our yard!  Logan and I watched these bees for some time that other day! They were very busy!!!

I was not sure I was ever going to pull Luke away from that toad.  He is very intense about bugs and usually finds a bug or ant in parking lots of places I am trying to go to.  So, we end up spending 5 or 10  minutes of any trip out of the house staring at a trail of ants or a rolly polly until he is satisfied or distracted.  Yes, we plan extra time for bug spotting.  I love that sense of wonder and wish I was not always in such a hurry so I could appreciate it too!

Luke made this crown at the YMCA and insisted on wearing this particular day!  Love it!!!