Mr. June!

Mr. June has been making my month!!

Last year our adoption agency America World had a photo contest for their upcoming calendar of kids they had helped place. Well, guess who's handsome face made one of the months! I just love this pic of Josh taken at the lake by my friend Courtney , it totally captures his personality!

Hud and Nick

This spring brought several new families to our block. There are now 19 kids in our 6 home row. One of the families actually were our neighbors at our last home. They had two little girls, then had boy/girl twins about a year before I did, but moved shortly after Hud and Han were born. It's been fun to be neighbors again and their twins Nick and Laini have been super friends for Hud and Han.

Nick and Hud are like two peas in a pod. They have a great time on their sword fighting, light sabor, star wars adventures.

My God is So Great

The other day Josh was singing a song and by the tune, I finally realized he was singing, "My God is so great, so strong and so mighty. There's nothing my God cannot do, for you!!"

Kids' Kamp verses

Apparently while we were helping Hud and Han memorize their vbs verses last week our little Chinese genius memorized them too!

John 14:21 "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me."

Psalm 103:8 "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love."

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins."

Romans 10:15 "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!!"

First Day of School and Last Day of School

The Red Baron Flys Again!!

The Last Day of Kindergarten (May 26, 2010)

Here they are, about to head off to their last day of Kindergarten.

Josh always insisted on putting on his back pack and waiting outside for the bus with them.

Hudson really loved Mrs. Gray. She was a terrific teacher.

Hannah adored Mrs. Boone and I'd have to say she is a fabulous teacher!!

My Ninja in Shining Armor

Hannahisms

Hannah came out of the bathroom one morning after getting ready for school with her hair done. She looked at me and said, "How's this for cute, Mom?" What can you say? She had taken a headband and tied a ribbon to it so it would hang down!!

Hannah saw a dress in Target that she thought would be great for me. After looking at the price tag I said, "It's $30. That's too expensive." She said, "Well Mom, if you really love it, I could probably give you some of my money to help buy it."

The other day she said, "Mom, you're the best. I wouldn't trade you for anyone, even if we were poor and a king offered to let me be his daughter!"

The other night I was explaining to her why I was eating salad for dinner. I told her that I was trying to loose a few pounds because my shorts weren't fitting. She said, "Why don't you just go buy new shorts!?" Great idea! I did!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Yes, they are as good as they sound!!! Recipe here. I made the caramel instead of buying it, but it might not make any difference. You can find a recipe on-line for the salted caramel. Try it!!

The Fine Art of Evangelism

Hudson to his best bud in the neighborhood: "When are you going to ask Jesus in your heart, Nick? I don't want you to go to the devil!"

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!!!