Our Week

We rode our bikes over to the pond one afternoon. Hud caught 3 good sized catfish and a few small bluegills. He quickly realized that he was the "fishing expert" that afternoon, as the rest of us were not having such good luck. He started going around and telling us to "watch ouw bobbuhs." (watch our bobbers)
Oh yeah, he also managed to catch a snapping turtle.

Han caught a fish all by herself after Rusty cast her line in. She waited for quite awhile, and saw the bobber go under, then reeled it in. She's quite a bit more patient than her sibling! He usually runs around telling the rest of us how to fish while his pole is laying on the ground with his line in the water.

I managed to find this vintage horse at a garage sale this week for $8. It is quite a hit around here, and Hud has named him, "Wocket" (Rocket).

This pic of Han was taken after an attempt to go "poo poo" in the potty. PTL, she had her first success in 6 months later that afternoon. This achievement merited a family trip to the grocery store so that she could pick out some ice cream treats. She shared them with all of us, and then wanted to take some home to save for her "baby sistuh." She had already told us after she poo pooed that she was going to teach her "baby sistuh how to poop!"

Hud was wearing his bathrobe around, so Russ decided to teach him a few boxing poses.

Hud's still really into tools, building and "big tucks." Thursday we went to a playgroup at Barnes and Noble. The theme that day was construction. When I told Hud that we were going to be talking about building, he insisted on taking his "hammuh" with him. They had hard hats for all the kids and lots of building toys and books. It was quite fun! Later that day, I bought him a cube of styrofoam so that he can pound golf tees into it to practice his nailing skills.

Russ and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary last night. Hud and Han got to spend the night with their Uncle Kyle and Aunt Carly. We had a really fun time! Today we were telling the kids that we were married, and that we had an anniversary... Han piped up and said, "I want to mawwy my Huddie." (Huddie is what she calls Hud) How precious!! They are such a blessing wrapped up in a lot of fun!!

Bake me a cake as fast as you can....But quit growing up so fast!!

I recently started writing down some of the sayings that Han has been using in her everyday conversations. (I have nooo idea where she comes up with these (ha!)). Here's a little sample.... Sometimes she'll start with, "Mom, I have kestion." After I answer she'll say, "Oh IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII see!" After I've told her about an upcoming plan for the day, she likes to pull this one out...."That be puhfectttt!" And, during some of her "projects" I'll hear her saying, "Let's see heeuh." When she wants something she likes to try, "Peeze can IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII," (add extra nasal sound to the IIIIIIIIIIII, and tilt the head a bit to add to the cute factor). The other day in the store she wanted some gum. After I said, "no," she said, "Go head (ahead), Mom, go head!" As if she was giving me permission to buy some. Her latest one, that she hasn't quite found the appropriate context for, but likes to use anyway is, "You kiddin' me!!" Yesterday she copied one of mine that I would prefer she forget..."Shooooooooooooooooot!"

Happy Birthday, Grandma Doris!!

Today is our Doris' 60th birthday. She became our Doris about 2 years ago when Pa Paw married her. We love her a lot, and we're really glad she joined our family! Grandma Doris, we hope you have a super birthday!! Sure wish we could be there for your roller skating party! (Just be careful.... roller skates can really pick up speed when you're headed over the hill!)

Rusty Retreats with his Company

This past week, the organization that Rusty works for had a 2 day retreat for planning and dreaming. They managed to add a little fun to the process, and invited us wives along for dinner at Granite City, a dip in the hot tub, and an overnight stay. These people are more like family than co-workers! We've been really blessed to be a part of the team for ten years!!

"No Longer Eligible for 'Dad of the Month'"

Well, it happened. I had assumed that raising twins would involve trips to the emergency room, especially since one of them is a rowdy boy. The thing I hadn’t anticipated was that I would be the cause of our first trip.

Yesterday, I was working out in the backyard. There has been some settling around the foundation of our house. The ground underneath our patio slab had settled as well. So, I dug a hole where the slab meets the house and began to pack some rocks and dirt under the slab. I was on my knees, tamping dirt in there with the handle of the shovel (packing it with the shovel handle…yeah, holding the shovel backwards)…It was working really well until Hud stepped up behind me to throw a dirt clod into the hole. He loves helping Dad. Only this helpful move met the back swing of my shovel…He took the blow right in the middle of his upper lip…laid it open like it had been cut with a knife. And yes, it looked as painful as it sounds.

Four hours in the ER and five stitches later, we took our somewhat intoxicated little guy home for a nap. He was really tough. Before the day was over he had untied one of the middle stitches. Thankfully, his lip is still holding together. This morning, after getting something in his tummy, he was back to his wild self. He even said multiple times, “I feew weely dood!” Looks like he will be fine. Dad is still recovering.

Playing with the cousins!

Midway through our swim, Han decided she no longer needed the float wings. So, she shed them, and jumped in over her head, TWICE!! She's pretty fearless.















Hud loves jumping in! He comes up choking and caughing, and can't wait to get out of the pool and jump back in!

We recently met Russ' sister and her family in OKC for a little family fun. As you can see, we really enjoyed the pool. We look forward to making many more fun memories together!!

Growing Fast!

Sometimes I feel like Han is a twenty-year-old stuck in a two-year-old's body! Yesterday I told her she and Hud would be spending the night with a friend. Next thing I knew, she had climbed up various objects in her closet to get a small bag we usually pack for them when we travel. She was in her bathroom putting her and Hud's toothbrushes and toothpaste in the correct pocket, as well as enough hair accessories to last her a few weeks! After that, she spent the rest of the morning "packing" Wal-Mart bags with stuff she thought she might need... various chunks of play-dough, some artwork, a fleece stocking cap, a doll, a wire basket, and the case to a DVD. As you can see in the pic, she arranged them all along her doll stroller by hanging them like she has seen me do on their stroller before. She is also insistent on driving soon. She hounds me about it nearly everytime we get in the car. I've tried to explain the rules from the policeman that we have to obey, but she is convinced she knows them, and won't "cash" anyone. To be honest, she does know a few rules. Just today I came upon a 4-way stop with a blinking red light. I stopped, then proceeded through the intersection. She piped up behind me, "Wed means stop, Mom." "I know, Honey, I did stop." "But I not see geen light!" Then I had to explain what a blinking red meant. Later, I made a right turn after stopping at a red. "Wed means stop, Mom!!" So again, I had to explain that it was in fact permissable for me to make a righthand turn on a red light after I have stopped and waited for other cars.

Adoption blog

New post on our adoption blog if you're interested. www.our-china-doll.blogspot.com

My Small Group

So far I haven't mentioned an amazing group of sisters that I share my life with. I'm on a spiritual journey with these amazing women, a journey that we pray leads us closer to Jesus, and more like Him with every mile. It's a pleasure and a privilege to have these women in my life!

Our Great Texas Adventure

When Russ headed off to Alaska, we headed down to the metropolis of Venus, TX. I took the kids down to my Aunt and Uncle's house for a few days. We had lots of fun! We watched football practice, dance practice and band practice at the high school. (Go Bulldogs!) We also went swimming at a huge old fashioned pool, rode a carousel enough times to get permanent vertigo, and experienced Build-A-Bear. The kids loved jumping on the trampoline, and Aunt Debbie made mini-scrapbooks for each of them of their vacation. It was a lot of fun spending time with family!!

Look below

I finally published a post I started a while back. Look below the trip blog.

On a little trip

Sorry for the delay in posts recently. The kids and I sent Rusty off on a 9 day fishing trip of a lifetime to Alaska. Since we didn't want to be here without him, we headed down to see some great friends in Oklahoma, and my Aunt and Uncle in Texas. Unfortunately, I left my camera in OK, so I can't show you our great Texas adventure, but here are a few pics of our friends' kids. They have 2 biological children, and two children adopted from China!

Bob The Builder... Can he fix it?

Hud has been fascinated with tools for quite some time now. His Grammy and Grumpy bought him a small plastic tool bench complete with plastic tools. He knows the names of all of them "hammuh," "skuudivuh," "wench..." We recently rented a "Bob the Builder" movie, and he has made a new friend!! The other day Hud misplaced his "hammuh," and I caught him on the phone calling "Bah duh bidduh" for help! Sing with me now, "Bahhh duh Bidduh, can he find it? Bahh da bidduh, yes he can!"
He also loves Home Depot, and can almost give me directions from our house to it. It's a young boy's dream to ride around in their race car shopping cart and look at the endless supply of BIG toys! The other day I took the kids in, and Hud started singing the theme song for Bob. "Bah du Bidduh..." A man in his forties piped up and said, "Can he fix it?"

Weekend with Pa Paw and Grandma Doris

This weekend we had a little mini-vacation in OKC with Jerry and Doris. We had been missing them a lot, and it worked out for us to meet them for a few days. We enjoyed the OKC zoo, seafood in Bricktown, the hotel pool, and a short visit with Uncle Shorty. Hud's favorite thing while driving was to spot all the "big tucks" for everyone. Russ pointed out a tractor dealership to which Hud exclaimed, "ohhhh----myyyyyyy-----doodness!!" Pa Paw and Grandma Doris sure know how to have a good time! We love them a lot!!

Of course we had to stop at the huge Pro Bass shop to pick up a few things for our new hobby!

Han took these pics of Jerry and Doris. These were probably the only two that ended up publishable.

They had a really neat aquarium there. Notice the seal swimming by the kids.

Per Han's request, we rode the choo choo twain. Turns out, we should have ridden it the whole time. We saw more animals on the train in a shorter period of time. In case you're wondering, I was stinkin' hot, but you wouldn't know it by my father-in-law's rain or shine attire!

Our Adoption Blog

For those of you who haven't been following our adoption blog, I just put a new post with a neat video. Grab a tissue! And please be praying for our daughter.
www.our-china-doll.blogspot.com

Week in Review

Well the week started after spending a long, hot weekend in our neighbor's garage. We had a Fri-Sat. garage sale, and did quite well... about $1,100. Most of the earnings were hers, but I made about 335.00 on baby clothes. New on Russ' list of things never to buy at a garage sale.... thong underwear!!! He was appalled after seeing a young woman leave with a handful of them. I must say they were pretty cute, and according to my neighbor, had only been worn once. Russ' argument to that... "that lady didn't know that!!" New on my list of things not to wear while gardening.... a floral skirt. Wednesday I was bending over picking some spent flowers from my daylilies when a bee mistook my bee-hind for a bouquet. Ouch!!! He also got me on the hand when I swatted him away. We've had a hot week, in the 110's with humidity, so the kids and I have pretty much stayed inside. Now Han is running a fever. Must be a virus or something. I was not responsible enough to put the children's Ibuprofen in a safe place before Hud managed to get the safety cap unscrewed and chug a good mouthful. So, needless to say, I made friends with poison control yesterday. They really are very friendly and quite helpful. We determined that he had definitely gotten more than the therapeutic dose, but not a toxic dose. PTL! I'm supposed to work tonight and tomorrow, so Russ can take over at the homefront. Good luck!! Maybe he can hunt down that crocadile while I'm away!

"Tostadas Ode to Carlita"

When it comes to cooking, I really enjoy a new recipe. Down-home or gourmet, if it looks good I'll try it. But usually, I haven't the guts, or culinary skills to create my own recipes. However, the other night I was struck with a bit of creative genius in the food section of Target and managed to unite a few of my favorite flavors for one serious mouth party!! So, as promised, here is the recipe for
BLACK BEAN TOSTADAS WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS
(otherwise known as "Tostadas Ode to Carlita." Well, now that I said that, I guess I'll have to explain myself. Those of you who are already salivating, please close your mouth and swallow for a few seconds. "Carlita," is one of our fun names for Carly, a sweet friend who just moved out of our house to go live with her new husband, Kyle. Might I just say now, that Kyle will have to "UP" his exercise regimen considerably now that he has wed Carly, because she is one amazing cook! She was forever trying out new tasty recipes she'd find on the internet. Another truly endearing quality of Carly's is her love for garlic. It rivaled mine!! Rachel, remember the night I ate too many garlic cloves!? I smelled up our dorm room for days! Anyway, when you mixed Carly and I in the kitchen, you quite often ended up with more garlic on the table then Russ could handle!! One time she and I made a homemade pizza that probably had more whole roasted garlic cloves than meat. Well, I'm rambling, but I have named this recipe after her because I have truly been inspired by her to continue to take chances in the kitchen. After all, if you put enough garlic in something, it's gotta taste good!! )

Let me apologize in advance for those of you who never stray from the recipe.... I didn't measure any of this.... just wing it!

Start with a crispy tostada shell. Our store sells corn tostada shells already crispy (they're the flat ones for those of you who aren't from NM).
Next, smear a generous layer of homemade guacamole. This serves as an adhesive to keep your black beans from rolling off. (make guac by mashing an avocado, adding a few T's of sour cream, a few T's of salsa and seasoning it to taste with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder.)
The third layer is black beans (heat in saucepan after adding some olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder).
The next layer is carmelized onions (saute onions in olive oil and minced garlic until translucent and caramel in color).
Follow with roasted red peppers (buy a jar of roasted red peppers, and julienne, then heat in the left-over oil and garlic from the onions).
Finally, smother with cheese, cheddar or Monterey Jack (goat, if you really want to BAMM!).

Enjoy, and leave a comment to let me know how you liked them!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Happy Birthday to my Dad!! You're a super Dad, and a really cool Gumpa!! Hope you have a great day! I've enjoyed my time with you this past year. It's been really fun to see your passion for Jesus, and those is need grow. I'm glad that you have found a church you love, and an outlet for your heart for others. I pray that this next year will be one of your best yet!.... Retired, 2 grandkids and 2 on the way, a trip of a lifetime to Alaska, a hot steamin' Gamma to live with, and a mighty God to serve. I love you!! Les