HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LACEY!!!!!

Here's Lacey at 364 days and 23 hours old....

Now my baby is one year old!!!! I kinda went pink crazy for her party. Her Aunt Mary, Uncle Andy, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Nick came over to celebrate with us. Chocolate cake with pink icing and strawberry ice cream is a great combination!

She's getting so good at feeding herself!!

Fun in the Pool!!

My sister-in-law, Sarah, invited us to go swimming in her in-law's neighbor's pool this week, and we had a blast. At first the boys didn't want to get in the pool, then they were ok with sitting on the edge with their feet in the water. Then I guess they saw that their baby sister LOVED the water and didn't want to be outdone, so they decided they wanted to get in.

Oh, yeah...they had water guns: double the fun!

Happy Birthday, Lance!!!!

On May 25, 2010, my little Lance turned 3 years old. That's 3 years of his cuteness, silliness and...Lance-ness.

We celebrated at Mary and Andy's house. Red Velvet Cake. Wiggly candles. Lots of family.

I don't know if you can see it in this picture but one of the presents he got (from Aunt Sarah) was a caterpillar sprinkler that shoots water everywhere. At first Lance would only run around it at a distance where the water couldn't get him. Then I picked him and ran through it with him. His response: "Do it again, Mommy!" So we ran in circles around it and got very wet, and it was so much fun.

Afterwards, we sat on the porch and ate ice pops. One of the best parts of summer is getting wet in the sprinkler, and then eating sticky messy ice pops on the front porch. Now that I think about it, it may have been more effiicient to give them the ice pops first, and then let them wash themselves off in the sprinkler....oh, well.

I think Lance had a fun time. He has a laugh that will take him far.

I 'Lost' It...

I debated on whether or not I should post this, but it was so funny, I just had to write it down somewhere....
The other day, Lucas was having a 'rough' morning. It just seemed like his mommy refused to give him anything he wanted, and when he tried to 'convince' mommy that she should give him what he wanted (with a loud, angry voice), she would give him a spanking. He apparently decied that something had to be done to put an end to these injustices.
Fast forward to daddy's arrival home - and the one thing he forgot to consider in his plan: Daddy: " Where's my belt?" Mommy: "I put it on the couch - I've had to use it several times this morning." Daddy: "It's not on the couch." I went to the place I thought I had put it....it wasn't there. Lucas passed by me, and I asked him where daddy's belt was. He pointed behind the bedroom door and said, "I lost it." I looked, and there was Ben's belt on the floor behind the bedroom door. I asked him if he put it back there, and he said, "Yes" and then in a sing-song voice, "so you can't spank me".
How can you not laugh at that?!!
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Step One: Complete!

At the beginning of the year, I resolved that i would get my NIC (that's: National Interpreter Certification) by the end of the year. This involves taking both a written test and a perfomance test/interview. Well, I am very excited to announce that this morning I took the NIC Knowledge Exam (written test) and PASSED!!! I needed a score of 5oo to pass and I got a score of 700. Praise the LORD!!!

A Science Lesson from Lucas:

The difference between smoke and steam:

Smoke comes from fires.

Steam comes from Thomas.

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever:

Yes, it was THAT good!!
Here's the recipe:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
(mix in a bowl - set aside)

1 cup water
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup butter
(combine in a small saucepan, bring to just boiling; add to dry ingredients and mix on high until thoroughly combined)

2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
(add to mixture, beat for one minute - batter will be thin)

Pour batter into greased 13x9x2 inch pan or 15x10x1 inch pan. Bake in 350 degree oven: 25 min. for 15x10x1"; 35 for 13x9x2".

Frosting:
In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons of buttermilk. Bring to boiling; remove from heat. Add 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour warm frosting over warm cake, spreading evenly. Cool completely. Enjoy. Go back for seconds. Ben does!

Kid Funnies

Lance got some candy at church: "Wook, I got a wahwy-pop! I eat it a-mahwow." (Of course, it's not nearly as funny in writing as it is when you see his facial expressions and gestures that go with it - we really need to get a video camera.)


Lucas: "Tissues are for snot; napkins are for faces."



Lucas: "Mommy, you got-for (forgot) your purse."



And the winner:
Lucas: "Mommy, you're my best buddy!"

How 'bout another random update?!

I've really got to stop going weeks at a time without posting anything, and then try to update what's going on. I really want to post the random funnyness that goes on here. So I'll give it a try:
My house is currently a complete mess....actually that's not true. Yesterday morning when I woke up, my house was a complete mess. It is amazing how a simple day trip to Nashville to can completely wreck the quasi-order of my children's toys, Ben's books and papers, and my laundry that I really do plan to fold 'today'. But thankfully, I was actually able to wash almost all the dishes, clean the living room, and wash two loads of laundry (which I will fold 'today').
But Nashville was great!! I had a workshop to go to that was for NIC test preparation. In two weeks we will find out just how good it actually was, but I definitely feel a little less petrified of taking the test now. The kids loved seeing grandma and grandpa and great-grandma....and Sam (great-grandma's dog). They especially loved chasing Sam around the house - not sure how much she loved it, though.
This week should prove to be quite busy: Our church is having their first annual "Independant Baptist Friends International" meeting. Emphasizing truth, friendship and world evangelism: we agree on the fundamental truths of the Bible; based on this unity, we should build friendships and work together to evangelize the world. Tonight, the ladies are having a 'tea'. Cindy Shaap will be speaking. After that, I have to go to work, but hopefully I will be done in time to catch the second sermon tonight at church. Yes, I did say 'second sermon'. Every night there are two speakers as well as a testimony. Last night we got home at about 10pm. It's going to be a long week.

Crayons Aren't Food!!

Someone please explain to me when they are going to stop making crayons taste so good!!!

Easter Pictures

Don't you just want to squeeeeeeeze them?!!

Spring is HERE!!!!

Ok, this is getting rediculous! It has been over a month since I have posted anything, and sooo much has happened....maybe that's why I haven't posted anything........
For starters, Ben is nearing the end of his time in seminary (you thought I was going to say something else.....sometimes that's what it seemed like). He has finished his last big project and now is working on a couple of smaller ones, and then he graduates!!!
Lucas is totally reading!!! It's small words, but he can hold up a word card and sound out the word. All by himself!
Lance is talking. A lot. Well...not as much as Lucas always did, but he sounds soooo smart.....and silly.....and cute. He makes me wish we had a video camera.
Lacey is crawling everywhere and eating everything. I won't even mention what I have found in her diapers. All I can say is "Ewww!". Speaking of eating, she started eating baby food, and then decided that it wasn't for her. Now she only eats things she can put in her mouth herself...and milk. We just need to teach her that some things are edible and some things are most definitely NOT.
I have been working still. Not as much as I would like to work, but we are still doing ok in that department. I have my written test scheduled for next month. Not sure I really want to make that announcement in case I don't pass, but I am pretty sure I can post it here and not worry about too many peope knowing. ;)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Lacey's Big News!

She's CRAWLING!!!!

The first time she did it was Monday night (Feb.8). It was a distance of only about a foot, and she was crying and trying to get to mommy, but she did it! Ben was in the hallway floor in front of the bathroom playing with her, and I was just inside the bathroom door. She was on floor on her hands and knees, and started moving her legs like she was going to crawl, so we just kept encouraging her, and she came to me!

Here is footage I took today as official evidence:

Quarantine???

Well, things have not been going so well around here the past week or so.
Lacey has been coughing on and off for about 6 weeks - mostly at night. I was thinking it was leftovers from when she was sick, a cold, allergies....no big deal....but it just. wouldn't. stop. And then it got worse. So I decided it was time to take her to the doctor. We have had a hard time finding a doctor because of our position on a certain controversial topic (and I'll just leave it at that), but after a day of calling around, I finally found one. We take her in (this past Friday) to find out that the 'got worse' thing was RSV (a respiratory virus that causes colds that can be very serious in babies). She also has a double ear infection. The doctor said that the coughing over the past several weeks was probably walking pneumonia. So two antibiotics and a nebulizer later, she is starting to get better. Except yesterday she puked up an entire feeding. Please, please, please don't let it be something else.
Then, Lance got sick. Sunday he started coughing and asking for a tissue every ten minutes. But he hasn't been too bad. Then Lucas started to get sick on Monday....and, boy, has he got it. Runny nose, cough, fever, loss of appetite and just general crankiness.
So...guess what we are doing today and possibly the next few days!??!!!! The boys will be sitting on the couch watching movies and drinking juice, I will be collecting every toy in the house and disinfecting it with the Lysol spray Ben got for just that purpose. ugh.
Pray for us.

It Snowed!!

After the past 4 years of living in Ohio, I was not very excited about the 'snow storm' we were to receive this past weekend. However, now that our 'babies' are old enough to play in it and enjoy it, I discovered a newfound delight in wintery weather. And they are so cute!

Lucas took this picture!

So Much Fun...

So I am stealing a moment to post an update on the state of affairs in our house....
The biggest thing here: Lance is potty training!!! We decided to dispense with the pull-ups, etc. and instead just put cotton pants on him - no diaper, no underwear. And I think it's working!! We still have to tell him to go, but as long as we take him every hour or so, he stays dry.
My New Years resolution (among other things): get my RID (registry of interpreters for the deaf) certification. It will take a lot of work and a lot of money, but I will get a big pay raise. Oh yeah, I guess I should explain: since we moved to Tenn., Ben hasn't been able to get a job, which in a way is good because he is busy enough with school, but it is also bad for obvious reasons. So I started freelancing with the place where I worked before Lucas was born. It has definitely helped, but it is not quite enough to pay the bills. Thus begins weeks of reading and studying.
Ben is doing well with his school work. He is also turning into a pretty good stay-at-home dad!
Lucas is starting to learn to read. He knows all his letters and most of the sounds, and he is starting to learn to put the sounds together into words. Discovery: he loves 'Blue's Clues'.
Lacey is sitting, rolling, teething and getting cuter every day. She is also big. Lacey weighs almost 16 lbs now - she's 7 months old. To put that into perspective, Lance and Lucas weighed about 16 lbs when they were a year old. They now weigh 24lbs and 30lbs respectively. It won't be long that I won't have to discipline them for playing too rough with her anymore.
Well, that's all the updating I can do for now. A typical evening has just begun: Lacey wants to eat, the boys just woke up from nap time and it's time to make dinner.