Handsome!!!

Last night we were having a little family movie night and the boys were snuggled up to me while Han was snuggled up to Russ. She looked up to him and said, "Daddy, you're the most handsome man in the whole world!!.... Well, Jesus is the first and you're the second!"
She's such a verbal affirmer!

Biker Gang!

Yes, we now have a biker gang in the neighborhood! A few weeks ago, Han decided she was ready to ride her bike without training wheels. After a couple of afternoons of dad sweating and Han wrecking she had the hang of it and has never looked back.

Now that is a biker princess!

Hud, didn't like being out-done by his sister...and though he didn't really want to...decided to ditch the training wheels and give it a go, too. After a few good wrecks and a lot of panting from dad, he was off as well.

Wanna ride?

And you guessed it! Josh thinks he can do whatever Hud and Han do. Pictures don't do it justice but at 3.5 on this little bike, he is quite a site! Folks in the neighborhood are pretty impressed with Hot Rod Josh! He's still not quite tall enough to get going by himself...but with a little push he is off and racing.

Isn't this the way Michael Jordan used to balance in the air with his tongue?

Stuntman Josh!

As you can imagine, the fearless Hot Rod has taken a few bumps and bruises as he masters his new stunts.

"Oh, my wurd! This doesn't look good."

"Hey, recovered and now I have the hang of it!"

"Need course correction!"


"Oooo, this is gonna hurt!"

"Dad didn't tell me I'd have to fly, too!"

"Mama!!!!!!!"

What the hail!

So, last week a little storm cloud came through our neighborhood and dumped a lot of rain and hail (pea to marble size). After the storm blew through Hud, Han, and Josh couldn't resist what was on the trampoline.

This frozen jump session only lasted about 3 minutes, then everyone was ready for a hot bath!

I don't want my kids to be happy....

This is a great great post about what we should really want for our kids...

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-dont-want-my-children-to-be-happy.html

Tell me what you think!

Easy Crock Pot Recipe

I recently tried this one and it is definitely a winner.... easy and yummy!!!

White Chicken Chili

2 lbs whole frozen chicken breasts ( you can put them in the crock pot frozen or thawed)
1 can chicken broth
3-4 cans Great White Northern beans (drained or un-drained)
1 jar salsa (16 oz)

Cook in crock pot on low for 5-6 hours. Take the chicken breasts out and slice thinly against the grain and chop. Chicken will shred. Stir back into pot.

Add:
1 cup (or more :) ) of sour cream
1 cup (or more :) ) of cheddar or mont. jack cheese

Serve topped with crushed tortillas chips and more cheese if wanted.

Visiting Orphans

It says in James that pure and faultless religion is to visit orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world. I have said here before that I think visiting orphans and widows keeps us from being polluted because it re-calibrates our perspective about what really is important.
I find that the computer helps me "visit" orphans and the more I do, the more my heart pulls away from my worldly, materialistic desires.

I invite you to visit this girl named Hannah... it will only take you 5 minutes, and you won't even get jet lag!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7FIQdjiSD8&feature=player_embedded

Hud's future wife...

Good news, Hud has figured out who he's going to marry. "She wears a cross necklace." No one in particular yet, but he'll know she loves Jesus if she's wearing one. Wish it were really that easy!

Yummy Breakfast!!!

This morning I tried a new breakfast casserole recipe that was a hit!! It's one of those that you make the night before. It also has endless options. (to give credit, it's from this BLOG.)

"Make Ahead Breakfast Bake"

9 eggs
package of hash browns (rectangle, shredded, tator tots.... whatever you want)
1 can evaporated milk

Add ins of your choosing:
Girly- artichoke hearts, feta cheese, sundried tomatoes (I haven't tried this one yet, but doesn't it sound delish!)
Manly- 1 pound cooked crispy bacon or sausage and cheddar cheese

(I made the manly version today and also added hot green chilies. You could get creative with this one and do just about anything.)

Instructions:
1. Layer hash browns in 9x13 dish.
2. Whisk eggs and milk together and pour over hash browns.
3. Scatter add ins on top. (If your using cheddar, it says to put that on right before baking... I'm not sure if it would matter though.)
4. Cover and store in fridge overnight, or just send it right to the oven.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until eggs are set.

Enjoy!!!

Country Music

We have Hud's alarm set on a country station to wake him up because it comes in the best in his room. Yesterday he came running in saying, "Mom, Mom the cowboy music had a Jesus song!!"

Me: "Oh, really!?"

Hud: "Yeh, they said, 'God bless Texas!!'"

Funny Josh

Either Josh is starting to say funny things, or we're just starting to understand the funny things he says... I think it's the latter. The other day he looked at me with sneaky look in his eyes and said, "Mama, I'm naked under this shirt!!!"

Siblings....

Me: "Han, you need to stop tattling on your brother."
Han: "Welllllll, I would stop tattling if he would stop being such a bother."

Who's the oldest?

This is a common question when people find out that Hud and Han are twins. The answer is usually, "Hud is by one minute." Quickly followed up by Han with, "But I'm the tallest!!"

The other day Han said, "Mom, how do you KNOW that Hud is the oldest!!???"
Me: "Well, you've watched the video of when you were born. Hud came out first and then you."
Han: "Welllllll, he came out first, but who went in first!?"

Good question.

When cliche's don't exactly say what you mean...

Tonight Han was writing a thank you note to the neighbor across the street whom she visits as often as possible. This friend is an older lady without grandchildren and spoils my kids with sweet treats.
Anyway, here's how the note started...

"Dear Mary,
You are the best lady money could buy...."


Hmmm.

Cranberry Holiday Slush

I tore this recipe out of a cooking magazine probably 10 years ago and finally tried it at Thanksgiving. It is definitely our new holiday favorite!
I usually just make 1/2 the recipe, and whenever we want some punch, we take it out of the fridge, scoop some with an ice cream scoop into our cups and pour Sprite over it.

Now if I was Pioneer Woman, I would have a few pictures of the ingredients and how to dump them into a bowl. But I think you can manage without pics for this one!

Cranberry Holiday Slush

3 cans (8 oz each) jellied cranberry sauce (not the sauce with whole cranberries in it)
2 cans (12 oz each) frozen lemonade concentrate
1 can (12 oz) frozen cran-apple juice concentrate (they didn't have this at Wal-Mart, so I just bought apple juice concentrate)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 (2 liters each) bottles of Sprite

Mix everything but the sprite, cover and freeze at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove from fridge 45 minutes before serving.
For serving, combine equal parts slush and Sprite.

Our First Day of School!!!

August 17, 2009, marked a huge day as our firstborns headed off to Kindergarten. It was a horribly dark and rainy day so we didn't get any good outside pics.

Han's in Mrs. Boone's class. According to Han she's the best teachuh in the whole wide school.

Hud's got Mrs. Gray for his teacher. She is really sweet and he seems to have a lot of fun.

More catching up from this year....

In early August, Russ' dad treated the family to a two day trip to San Antonia and Sea World. We had a lot of fun with Pa Paw, Grandma Doris, Russ' sister, Susan and the cousins.

Here we are feeding the dolphins.

I made the girls matching dresses.

We had some Mexican food in downtown San Antonia.

Thanks Pa Paw! That was a blast!!

"Smile Josh!!"

Here's what you get when you tell Josh to smile... makes taking Christmas pics a challenge!! Notice Russ and I both have a hand on him.

Joshua's new phrase

Josh has a new phrase he uses hourly. He'll ask me what something is and when I tell him he'll say in this sweet, enthusiastic voice, "OH, I Love ___(fill in the blank)______!!!"

Like when he was "helping" me make meatballs the other night for dinner he asked me, "What's this, what's this?" "It's onions, Josh." Then came, "OH, I love onions!!!"

Or, "What's that, Mom?" "It's something for Thanksgiving." And Josh replies, "Oh, I love Thanksgiving!!!"

Just now he was sitting beside me on the couch and was patting my chest. Next came, "What's this, Mama, what's this?" "That's my breast, Josh." And, you guessed it.... "Oh, I love breasts!!!"

One Year Gotcha Day

I know I posted something on this already, but this is such a classic pic. Our Chinese boy in a Dallas Cowboy helmet. How all-American can you get?

The kids are watching the video of when we got Josh. He kept saying, "That's me!!! That's Me!!!!"
I decorated the living room and kitchen with lanterns.

This is a similar to a pic that was taken just after we got Josh. I think it will be neat to take this pose every year on Gotcha Day.