Planes, Trains and Automobiles

We visited Grandma and Grandpa Cooper over Memorial Day weekend and had a great time.  Grandpa Cooper has a huge train set that the girls love - especially Sarah. Matthew also got so excited my camera couldn't capture the shot. Check out the picture of him flailing - how cute :).

Of course if I was a real photoshop expert I would photoshop his hands in but I'm not that good.  Or really any good at all.

I also snapped a really cute picture of Erik and Matthew playing. That is just too sweet.

Tuesday (yesterday) was Jenna's last day of Kindergarten. She is now officially a first grader.  Kindergarten is okay.  First grade just sounds old.  I can't believe she is so grown up now.  I also don't think I was reading as well as she is now when I finished kindergarten.  Of course it's hard to remember since that was just a few years ago (just a FEW!).

She made a Turtle book and a turtle ceramic in art class.  The turtle book was a result of research.  The teacher gave them books to read about turtles.  They took facts they learned from the books and made their own books.  I was impressed she was doing research already. 

Next she'll be attending conferences with me giving presentations about education or bioinformatics or something like that.

Matthew's First Birthday is coming up and I am having difficulty deciding the kind of cake to make for him (this is obviously very important).  I made a lady bug cake for Jenna and a bumblebee cake for Sarah. Those were easy because we had given them those nicknames.  We don't really have a suitable nickname for Matthew.  So I'm having trouble deciding on a good cake to make. 

Please take my very important poll to determine the cake to make:

http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTk1NjY4MDczNQ/web

Or if you want to text (because who doesn't want to text to vote for my awesome poll!) text a number to 37607

Make a live audience poll at Poll Everywhere

72 points on Quiddler today.

Little bo peep has lost her pattycake

The culmination of one year of rigorous ballet lessons for the girls occurred last weekend with the annual recital.  No it wasn't rigorous.  In fact, most every week Sarah just stood there rather than doing her pattycake routine. 

Will Sarah do ballet next year?  Maybe or maybe not.

 Jenna however absolutely loves ballet and the recital best of all.  Jenna was Little bo peep and had fun dancing at the recital.  Nana, Papa, Aunt Missy, and Aunt Amanda all came to the recital.  It was perfect except when Matthew spit up all over Papa!


In other news:

• Erik installed the third seat in the explorer. I'll have to take a picture sometime. The girls love riding backwards.  Remember this? YAAAAA BABY!
• Today Erik rode his bike and took the girls in the trailer to Handels and I drove my car.  I haven't ridden a bike since I was 32 weeks pregnant with Matthew. That's a long time plus I don't have a seat for him to ride, plus I didn't want to because it's hot.
• Today also Matthew ate his poop.  Yes. He. Did.  Nasty!  It required an emergency bath.
• 87 points on quiddler today and I got to make the word "gander"!

11 months - let's go to the zoo!

Matthew is 11 months old now.  Really.  11 months old!  He will be a year on June 20.  How exciting!  To celebrate we went to the zoo.  I got pictures of all three kids at the habitat house at the zoo. 

It was a beautiful day and we've been enjoying the weather.  Of course it is also raining, thunderstorming and tornadoeing (if that is a word).  Tonight I had to tuck in the girls multiple times because they were scared.  Erik was off playing racquetball or he would have taken some of the tucking in duties.  I told them before bed that there might be a tornado so I'd have to wake them up and take them downstairs.

Well that was not my brightest moment. 

They couldn't sleep.  They wanted me to sing songs, pray with them, and sleep with them because they were scared.  Next time, I'll just wait and see if there is a tornado.

Today I did another "not bright" thing.  Maybe this time off of work is reducing my brain cells.  Anyway, I put Matthew in his high chair and got lunch ready for the girls.  As I was fixing lunch I look over at him and he is standing up facing the other direction leaning out of the high chair. 

I didn't get there in time. 

He fell out of the high chair and landed on the linoleum head first.  Poor guy.  We need to strap him in all the time now.  He is too agile! He will make a good ranger in EQ2.

In other news:

• I took Sarah to the metropark Wildlife Exploration program. It is her third program and if she attends 5 programs she gets a nifty badge.  I went with my friend Jen and my friend Candi and their kids. We had a great time!
• My two MBA classes are going well.  I had a midterm this week in accounting which was fun.  It's much easier than teaching classes.  I might just be a perpetual student.
• Speaking of my session off - why am I so behind on everything?  I had this great idea that I would clean and do laundry and be all caught up on everything, run 5ks every day, redesign my website, yada, yada, yada.  I haven't done any of it.  This vacation is going by tooooo fast.
• I am currently reading a few books -
• Wise Mans Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. This is for our COO* book club.  I like this story and am excited to hear what happens to the main character.  He is a good storyteller.
• A Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones. I waited 2 months for this book at the library since they only have 1 copy.  When I finally got it I didn't read it right away then had to take it back since I had a *few* fines.  Now I finally got it again.  Yipee!  I'm excited for this book.
• The Dispossessed by Ursual K. LeGuin. I picked this book up again and it is very political.  Still a good story though - I want to see who wins, the capitalists or the anarchists. 
• Books I just finished -
• The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan.  This is a new series after the Percy Jackson series.  I really enjoyed this book.  It was fun and quick.
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark. This was such a neat book set in England in the 1800s. It really was Pride and Prejudice meets a fantasy world.  I liked the book but I know it is not for everyone. 
• The Judgement by Beverly Lewis.  This was a great book and the start of a new series by Beverly Lewis.  She draws you into the Amish world and I always wish I was part of it!  Of course Erik says I couldn't have internet access or my droid.  Bummer.

67 points on quiddler today!

Why Dinner is late

I'm making pasta for dinner but need a pan so I'll empty the dishwasher.  Emptying the dishwasher.  No Matthew put the plate back in, stop playing in the water. PUT DOWN THE KNIFE!

Finally get a pan and the water started boiling. 

Sarah walks in. "Mommy can I have a snack?"  No we are eating dinner soon.  "AAAH".

Jenna walks in.  Must don my Armor of Constant Questions.
Mommy have you tried laffy taffy? Yes
How old were you when you tried laffy taffy? I have no idea
Were you 7 years old when you tried laffy taffy? Possibly.
Why does Aunt Missy have great teeth? She probably flosses and brushes a lot
What did people do before toothpaste and floss were invented? Maybe had bad teeth?
Can I pray for good teeth? Sure
What is a number that rhymes with 8 but is not 8? 38
Can I paint?  No we are going to eat soon.

*sigh*

Water is not boiling yet. 

I hear screaming in the background.  "MOMMY Change my diaper!".  Sarah you are potty trained....oh no.... Did you have an accident?

Clean up Sarah's accident.  Water is boiling over.  Add pasta to the pan. 

"Mommy Matthew is up the stairs!"  I run up the stairs and there is dirt everywhere.  Matthew is smiling his most mischevious smile as he plays in the dirt from the plant.  Pick up Matthew and remember to close the gate.

Get dustbuster and clean up the dirt that is now all over the carpet and stairs.

Jenna walks in again
Mommy did you know that Daddy had a mane coon cat? Yes we think Rocky was a mane coon cat too.
Was his fur waterproof? I don't know do mane coon cats have waterproof fur?
Sarah chimes in: "My fur is waterproof" Sarah you don't have fur.
"Yes my clothes are fur"
Jenna: When she takes off her clothes she is an ugly cat.  Sarah is not an ugly cat.  Ugly cats have no fur and some people are allergic to cat fur so these cats make nice pets for those people.
Are some people not allergic to anything? Yes.  I think the pasta is done - let's go see.

Pasta is all stuck together because I didn't stir it enough. 

Sarah: "I don't like pasta.  I don't want pasta for dinner"  You like pasta.

Who wants red sauce and who wants butter on their noodles?

"Butter!!"  *sigh*

I remember I have 3 kids. Where is Matthew?  Sarah: "No Matthew NO!  Matthew is eating my polly pockets".

Is it in his mouth? Did he swallow it?  No - fine.  Let's get dinner on the table.

Who is going to put the napkins on the table and who is going to put the forks?

Jenna: I want to put napkins on the table.  Sarah: "I want to put napkins on the table".

An argument ensues.  We must divide the duties so that Jenna puts two forks and two napkins on the table and Sarah puts two forks and two napkins on the table.

Finally the pasta is done and the sauce/butter is on it and we are ready to eat.  Girls go call Daddy to dinner!  Sticky pasta that is late - yum yum!

Camping 2011

Last weekend we went on our first camping trip of the season and Matthew's first camping trip ever!  We camped at Buckeye Lake KOA, which is a fun place to camp.  The sites have large, mature trees, there is a huge jumping pillow for the kids as well as a pool and playground, and they have many activities - hello ice cream social! 

We had a fabulous time.  Matthew crawled around in the mud all weekend and the girls ate smores and got all sticky (see picture). This was a really great camping trip. Erik took a nice long nap and I got to read some of my book (which is way overdue at the library!).

Here is a picture of Matthew in our camper as well as a picture of all 3 kids piled in the back of the Explorer.  This is something we won't have to do much longer since we just got our third seat for the Explorer! Yipee!  Erik will have to install it and once he does, we won't have to squish anymore.

After the fun filled weekend we were a little tired and I may have forgotten to close the gate to our stairs.  This oversight led to Matthew climbing up the stairs and playing in the plant's dirt.  He made a tremendous mess and the girls were quick to correct him (I think correcting Matthew is Sarah's favorite thing to do). 

Since I've had this session off from working, one would assume I would have the house spotless and the laundry all caught up.  Ummm.... no.  I'm still behind on everything.  EVERYTHING!  Although I have been going to bed around 11 or 11:30 something I normally didn't do (if I go to bed before 12:34 it's an early night).  So I'm more rested but other than that - I'm still behind on cleaning!

 

97 points on Quiddler today and I got to make the word "aching".



I couldn't pick one thing!

Every night at dinner we all share our favorite things of the day.  Erik usually shares something about a process or program he got working for his job, Jenna often says "seeing Daddy" (yes she is a daddy's girl!), Sarah's favorite thing is nonsense 96% of the time, and I usually pick a favorite thing from the day.  Today I couldn't pick.  Yes, that's right.  There were too many good things today that I couldn't just pick one!

This morning I woke up to Erik making pancakes.  He made pancakes for me that spelled "MOM".  What an awesome guy.  Who doesn't love pancakes?

Then we went to church where I got to do projection.  I really like doing projection (projecting the words to the songs on the screen) so that made me happy.

Next we came home to Erik making pasta for lunch.  Yum!  I love pasta!  I also ate leftover cookies from the wedding we went to last night. My cousin Angie got married yesterday, and instead of a useless wedding favor, we all got empty boxes (sounds useless, but wait....). There was a cookie buffet and everyone filled their boxes with an assortment of cookies. I stuffed mine full (I mean full!) of cookies.  This was the best wedding favor ever! Of course her parents own a bakery so a cookie buffet is not too outlandish. 

Next the girls and I went on a wildflower walk at one of the metroparks.  We were led by a park guide who showed us the different wildflowers and told us which ones to stay away from and which ones were edible (I will probably them up). The girls loved it!

When we got home, Erik had put all of the dirt in our gardens and was assembling the boards to lay across the gardens.  After he finished, we planted the plants in our square foot gardens. 

Erik followed the Square Foot Garden technique from a book he got for Christmas.  He used a mixture of 1/3 peat moss 1/3 vermiculite 1/3 composte. I hope our garden does better this year than it has in the past.

So as you can see, my day was fabulous.  I couldn't pick just one favorite thing as we were eating dinner.  Plus I had leftovers of peanut butter cheesecake for dessert which was also incredible!

I have also included a picture of the girls sleeping on a mattress on the floor of their room. I'm so glad we spent $500 on bunk beds for them when they sleep on the floor.

80 points on quiddler today!

Girls trip!

This weekend we went on the 6th annual girls trip to Hocking Hills. We sat in the hot tub, laughed, prayed, played games, and ate, ate, ate!  Amanda and I had a peanut butter brownie throwdown and I hope to have more throwdowns with her. That was so awesome!

The cabin was beautiful and nestled in the woods in such a peaceful setting.  There was even a hummingbird feeder as well as many other bird feeders so I got my bird fix.

 Jill also braided my hair in two pigtails.  It looked awesome. I just needed a plaid skirt to complete the ensemble.  When I came home the girls wanted me to braid their hair too - which I did. I also snapped a picture of Jill braiding Jenny's hair.  Jill is an expert beautician!

I came home to Matthew climbing the stairs and playing in the plant's dirt. Here he is standing at the table in the playroom eating crayons.  Yum. Yum.  I'm glad he recognized me when I got home.  You never know at 10 months if they really know who you are!

53 points on Quiddler today!

I'm off

I am finally done with this difficult semester.  Yipee!

Today was my first day of my semester off and it was glorious.  I went to hip hop for the first time in 8 weeks, mopped the kitchen floor (which needed it let me tell you), went shopping, and made homemade pizza (pictures later).  It was a wonderful day!

Now I am off for 8 weeks!

We also had a wonderful Easter. I took the girls to an Easter Egg hunt which was absolute mayhem yet we had a great time.  Of course Jenna didn't want to eat her candy since it is unhealthy. 

We went to my parents house for Easter.  While there we visited my Grandmother and took her for a walk in her wheelchair.  She likes to watch the girls and was even humming.

Matthew also turned 10 months on the 20th.  He is incredibly happy and easy going.  When he gets excited he goes crazy.  I just want to pick him up and squeeze him all the time. Maybe by the third one you figure it out I guess.

In the most exciting news of all - Sarah is potty trained!  We only have one in diapers now.  It only took 1 1/2 years but she is finally potty trained.  Hopefully for good.

82 points on Quiddler today.

Church Hopping

This weekend our best friends at church told us they would be leaving our church and going to a new one.  They were the backup leaders of our small group and had been in our small group for the past 3 years.  She even threw a welcome baby party for Matthew when he was born. I was sad to hear they were leaving our church.

Why?

When asked their reasons were trivial. 

So why then?  Why do people church hop?

1.  A lack of long-term commitment.  When we look at our culture there is a lack of long-term commitment.  Any long-term commitment - in jobs, careers, marriages, relationships, houses, cars, and yes even churches.  We are not immune either!

2, We are always looking for something new.  Of course when you go to a new church it is new and exciting.  Of course when you buy a new house it is new and exciting.  The same old thing becomes boring and humdrum and we want NEW!

3.  We have become too critical.  The band is too loud (seriously...),  I'm not getting fed (I'm a particular fan of this one - whose job is this anyway?), I don't trust the pastor's leadership anymore (huh?), the children's program was not what it once was (be the change you want to see in the world). I have actually heard all of these reasons.

I'm convinced that a pastor's job is the most difficult, most stressful job you can have.  How can a pastor not take this personally when families come and go? 

How do you build a network of relationships, strong believers, and accountability when we are so transient? 

I don't know.

I wish I had the answer.

Vegas Baby

I submitted a paper to an IEEE Education in CS and CE conference.
I was nervous.
The acceptance rate is very low (20%).

And I got in!

We are going to Vegas! 

Yipee!

Fun outside in Spring!

It was beautiful this weekend so we actually ventured outside.  Luckily we have 3 swings on our swingset seeing as we have 3 kids.  Matthew fits well in the baby swing now as opposed to last year when he was floppy in the swing.  As you notice Sarah refuses to conform to the standard method of swinging. 

You can see more of her refusal while in the sandbox:

Even though it was beautiful this weekend it was back to being cold again yesterday, so we spent the day coloring eggs and going through Resurrection Eggs. If you have never heard of Resurrection Eggs they are pretty cool. The girls really loved looking in the eggs and listening to the story of Jesus.  Sarah even asked a lot of questions and seemed to understand.  I was really impressed with the Resurrection Eggs.

As you can see from the picture of the girls coloring eggs, everyone is concentrating.  Even Matthew in the background who is concentrating on some dirt he found on the floor.  He pretty much eats whatever he finds on the floor: pretzels, old m&ms, dead ants....

Erik has fashioned 3 gardens for us out of fake wood (since the wood from our old garden was....old).  You can see the gardens in this video where I've captured Matthew trying to get in one of them.  We have a plan for our gardens this year and I'm so excited.  Erik has even made a diagram.  I love him!

Two of my books have come in the library.  One I've waited for 2 months to get and the other I've waited a few weeks to get.  As I opened one of them today Erik said "STOP! We might read one of them for our book club".  Apparently I can not read any more books as they may be possibilities for the book club.  Bummer.

No update on Quiddler today.  I was left with h,w,x,n,cl,s,qu,b.  How can I possibly make a word out of those letters?

Baptism and Dedication!

On Sunday Jenna was baptized and Matthew was dedicated. It was an incredible ceremony.  Much to Erik's dismay I did get a cake with a picture of the kids on it.  Yes we did eat it too.

I have a picture of Jenna saying her Bible verse prior to being immersed. She did great! 

Matthew was also dedicated the same day. He was happy and Amanda snapped a picture of John, the pastor gnawing on Matthew's fingers in jest.  (obviously in jest, he is not actually a cannibal).  Matthew was happy the entire time which was a blessing.  

My Mom, Missy, Amanda, and Erik's parents all came to the dedication and baptism.  It was so nice to have family here to witness the ceremony.

While Missy was here she was talking about filling out a form with her favorite song.  I was trying to think of my favorite song and realized that it is hard to have a favorite song. It really depends on your mood.
Here are my favorite songs for different moods

• When I'm scared, nervous, anxious and crying out to God: Oh God you are my God
• Worship song: Arms of love
• Song to lift my spirits: Raindrops on roses
• Classic rock: The Joker
• Song to annoy my husband with: Pina colada song

72 points on Quiddler today.

Beautiful Birds!

Since we have put a birdfeeder in our backyard a plethora of birds have come for snacks. I've also discovered some beautiful birds in my backyard that I didn't even know existed. In this picture of our birdfeeder, a bluebird is waiting on the deck patiently as a northern flicker is eating.  The northern flicker is SO beautiful.  I have made a bird collage (because really, what else do I have to do) to show you some of these birds.  The mallard duck does not come to our bird feeder but is at the pond close to our house so I think that counts.

My pictures don't do them justice. The birds are striking in their beauty.  Okay....enough about the birds already. 

Jenna will be baptized on Sunday and Matthew will be dedicated. I don't know what Sarah will get?
It should be a wonderful Sunday!  We believe Jenna is ready and we are excited for her to take this step.  Our pastor met with her today and asked her what sin she has committed (to see if she understood the concept of sin). She said "not being nice to her sister".  Then he asked her questions of repentence which she understood.  I'm amazed at what she understands at 6!

I ordered a cake with a picture of all the kids on it.  Erik is not excited to eat a cake with the kids on it.  He would rather I made a yummy chocolate cake but such is life.

Tonight for dinner I made pancakes and put vanilla pudding mix in the batter.  Those pancakes were awesome!  Jenna and I both ate 4 pancakes!!  That is a record!

61 points on Quiddler today and I got to make the word "blimey".

My lazy week

The girls went to my parents house for a few days.  They had a fabulous time seeing movies, going to a museum, and going out to eat.

I, of course, thought this would be a great time to get caught up on cleaning, laundry, and go to the gym for exercise. 

Nope.

I sat on the couch and read with a cup of hot chocolate.

And it was glorious!

Some books I have read/am reading:

1. The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers. This was a fantastic book and a quick read.  The main character was raped and the book followed her struggle on whether or not to have the baby.  She ends up having the baby and I cried!  I loved it!
2. Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan.  Yes, I admit it. I love young adult fiction! These books are 2 and 3 of the Percy Jackson series.  I'm on book 4 and loving it!
3. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. This is a fabulous book we are reading with our CO* book club. We are about halfway through and I really like his writing.  The story is interesting and I'm excited to see what happens - he is a good storyteller!
4. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark.  This book is very English and I love English things!  I like having insight into the way English think about things.  I'm not sure if this is still true but in the book I get the feeling they hate the French and view Wales as we view West Virginia (eg. backwards).
5. What the Bible is all About by Henrietta Mears.  I'm still in this book and enjoying it very much.  I'm reading about proverbs now.  I recommend this book highly!

In other news, Matthew said Mama. The more exciting thing is that I got it on video. It is at the very end while he is rolling around. I really think he said Mama (maybe I want it to be true!).

I am also contemplating doing Bible Study Fellowship next year.  Each year there is a different study (for a total of 8 years). They are very in-depth and I've heard it is life changing.  I want a life-changing Bible study.  Sign me up!   They also have Bible study for kids so Sarah and Matthew would be learning the same books of the Bible the adults would study just at their level. I think it sounds wonderful.

67 points on Quiddler today and no bonuses!

Woo is Cute

My little man is 9 months old!  He is sitting up really well and crawling backwards.  He has also acquired the nickname of "woo".  I'm not sure how or why but he really is a "woo".  I need to brainstorm better nicknames or my limericks about him will have the word "poo" in them and that's just no good.

Matthew also loves Scruffles. I mean LOVES Scruffles. He laughs whenever he sees Scruff and squeals in delight when Scruff looks at him.  Matthew will be an animal lover just like the girls. Jenna's new profession of choice is zookeeper.

Last night Erik and I went on a date to Cantina Laredo.  It was expensive yummy Mexican food.  They made guacamole right at our table - which was delicious and very cool.  We gave Matthew some and he tolerated it.  We also got dessert.  It was a 6 layer chocolate cake.  It was so incredibly delicious that I felt like I was floating as I was eating it (yea...it was that good). 

Erik and I have gotten the chocolate cake from Max and Ermas.  It is a 8 layer chocolate cake but the cake from Cantina Laredo was better.  They both are decadent.

This has brought me to a very important decision:

I have decided to make it my mission to try layered chocolate cake at restaurants. 

I owe it to everyone. 

I will make this sacrifice.

I will determine the best layered chocolate cake in Columbus and of course, make a top ten list!

I have also included a picture of my 3 kids.  Seriously. Can anyone have kids this cute? I think not.

74 points on Quiddler today!

Sarah and Star Wars

Sarah has been obsessed with Star Wars since we went to a Star Wars party at the library.  We watched Star Wars tonight and Sarah ran away several times when Darth Vader showed up on the screen.  But at other times she was glued to the TV loving the movie! Yes... a 3 year old watched Star Wars :).  It was fun.  And scary.

Jenna asked too many questions and talked constantly. At one point in the movie she said she didn't really know what was going on. To which I replied "if you would pay attention instead of talking you might know!".

Anyway - this is a video of Sarah discussing how she would beat Darth Vader (because she is so menacing...).

Unfortunately Erik was gone playing racquetball during the movie so I had three kids on me wanting to cuddle.  I love cuddling but there is only so much room in my lap. 

Erik has been playing racquetball every week with Nick.  I've been amazed at how muscular his legs have gotten.  Tonight he burned 950 calories playing racquetball.  Wow!  I could eat 10 cheesecakes if I burned that many calories (maybe not).

I just got Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan from the library.  Yea!! The second Percy Jackson book.  I can't wait to read it.

I made the word "toker" on Quiddler today.  One of my favorite songs is The Joker by Steve Miller band so I was SO happy Toker was an actual word :). 86 points!

Iron Chef Battle: Nacho Cheese!

Erik and I tried something new with iron chef.  We did a dual iron chef with the same secret ingredient. We discussed the secret ingredient together and then bought it and had an hour to make our dishes.  Our secret ingredient was:

Nacho Cheese

Erik's favorite type of food is Mexican so this secret ingredient made him very happy.  I like cheese too so we're all good.  We approached this secret ingredient in two totally opposite ways.  He used a lot of fresh vegetables, cilantro, tomatillos, etc whereas I made more comfort foods (that actually featured the nacho cheese better but we won't get into that). 

He made:

1. Mexican pancakes.  Ummmm.... yes he did.  He put taco seasoning in pancake mix and made taco pancakes. Then put nacho cheese,  fresh salsa, and whipped cream on top of that with freshly grated lime zest.  Mexican pancakes.  Weird.  That's Erik.  I love him!
2. Cilantro lime nacho cheese dip.  This dip had cream cheese, nacho cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, and lime juice.   Erik loved this dip the best - it was creamy and flavorful.
3. Shrimp tacos.  Erik mixed shrimp and some fresh veggies and put them on corn tortillas.  Then topped it with nacho cheese.  The shrimp and fresh veggie combination was fabulous (it was my favorite!).  However the nacho cheese actually hurt the dish. So I think this one would have been better with a different secret ingredient.

I made:

1. Mexican lettuce wraps.  I love lettuce wraps - yum!  We had them when I went to P.F.Changs with my friends Leslie, Kimberly, and Erica.  So I wanted a twist on traditional lettuce wraps.  I made chicken with taco seasoning then put that along with some fresh veggies and nacho cheese in a lettuce leaf.  This was so yummy.  Erik loved it too!
2. Mexican lasagna.  Lasagna and peanut butter are my favorite foods. Before you get scared that I put peanut butter in lasagna, that was just fyi.  Anyway, I made a Mexican lasagna by layering corn tortillas, refried beans, nacho cheese, and fire roasted tomatoes.  This was yummy but Erik said it was a little too one-dimensional.  I'm not sure what else I should have added though.
3. Chipotle mac-n-cheese. Oh my!  This was HOT HOT HOT!  I made mac-n-cheese with nacho cheese and velveeta cheese. Then added chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Wow was this hot.  It was very good but a little too hot.  The girls wouldn't even eat it.
4. Nacho cheesecake.  Yes - I did it.  I also love cheesecake (along with lasagna and pb). I crushed tortillas and added butter and used that as the crust.  Then mixed nacho cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and egg for the cheesecake. It was actually good.  Really :).

This was a success!  The girls also made dishes as well. I gave them pie crusts, strawberries and bananas.  They made their own dishes and had fun with that.  Matthew napped.

We are going to do dual iron chefs again.  It was fun to see how we both interpreted the same secret ingredient.

Also, I made a brownie chocolate pie. Tomorrow is pi day 3/14 and I had to make a pie. Obviously!  Erik and I already dug in :).  You'd think after all that nacho cheese we couldn't eat anymore but we managed. Since I haven't exercised in 3 weeks my pants are tight.  I'll be able to exercise again next semester. This semester with 5 classes is too much (obviously exercise was the first thing to go!).

Recipe for brownie chocolate pie:

pie crust

5 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 sticks butter

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup heavy cream

I melted the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Then added the rest of the ingredients. Pour in the pie crust.  Cooked it for 30 minutes at 350°F.  Yum-O!

In more serious news - the tsunami in Japan looks devastating.  I saw this video and thought it was very scary

66 points on Quiddler today.

There are teeth, really!

I have tried unsuccessfully to get a picture of Matthew's two teeth.  He really does not like it when we try and get a picture (obviously).  He does have two teeth though. I promise. However I don't see much more solid food than baby food in his future. He really doesn't like anything with texture - not even yogurt.  At some point I hope he eats - I can't have three kids who don't eat.  I love to eat - what's the deal?

He is rocking back and forth like he's going to crawl any day. He can actually crawl backwards just not forwards.  Here is a video of him rocking back and forth a little bit. I'm just loving this stage.  I love 8 months - they are too cute.  Of course 6 and 3 yrs are also cute. Check out my super cute girls at ballet. 

I'm very excited for their ballet recital. This will be the last year they will be in the same recital.  After this year, Jenna will be in the main show (since she will be in first grade).  Sarah will be in the mini-show if she still wants to do ballet next year.  They do have all boys tap classes so if Matthew wants to tap he can!  You get a discount for the more kids you have enrolled - not a bad idea.

On a different topic, I'm very excited that a paper I have written was accepted through the first round of peer reviews for a conference I want to attend in October.  I will find out in May if my paper is accepted for publication which will be very exciting!  The conference should be good too.  I'm also thinking of working on some research and writing a paper for the Las Vegas conference I attended in 2009.  I learned so much and had such a good time!  Hubby came too for that conference and worked in the hotel room while I conferenced (if that is a verb).

Today is the first day of Lent.  I wish the Pentacostal church would get on the ball and observe Lent as well. It's such a great time of Spiritual spring cleaning. I love Lent!  Today I went to the Ash Wednesday service at St. Joan of Arc near my house. I love the Ash Wednesday service and St. Joan of Arc is such a wonderful church.  I think Jenna is old enough to go to Stations of the Cross this year.  I'm excited to take her. 

This year I am giving up coffee for Lent.  I tried to think of something that Matthew really didn't need (as I am still pumping) and he really doesn't need the caffeine in coffee (I guess I don't need it either).  I love hot tea though so I'll be drinking lots of tea!

82 on Quiddler today and I got to make the word "plaid".  "Plaid" is just such a cool word. I like it as much as I don't like "yolk". Really, who likes the word "yolk"?

Divine chocolate cake

Matthew turned 8 months Feb. 20.  While I did get a picture of him with the horse, he was sick that day so he looks a little grumpy.  He was a good sport though.

We also celebrated Erik's birthday as well.  I made him chicken enchiladas using a recipe but added 1 tblsp of lime juice and 1 cup (yes 1 cup) of fresh cilantro.  With those two additions (plus the recipe was pretty yummy) the dish turned out great. Erik said it was the best Mexican dish I'd ever made - and we make a lot of Mexican food since it is Erik's favorite.

But that was not the show stopper.  Erik said he wanted a super dark yet moist chocolate cake. So I researched some recipes online and found That Chocolate Cake which is a recipe that won the Scharffen Berger chocolate recipe contest....ummm....yea - I'll take that.  It was divine.  I mean divine.  Oh. My. Divine!

I probably gained about 20 lbs just by being around it but it was so yummy. 

The girls also made a menu for Daddy's birthday (you can see their menus in the picture).  The only things on the menu were chicken enchiladas and chocolate cake but they had menus so that's the most important thing!

In other news:

• We have purchased a third seat for the Explorer.  Erik is going to install it himself (because he is AWESOME!). He bought the seat from Little Passenger Seats and we are excited to have a 3rd seat in our Explorer now (squishing all 3 kids in the back of the car works, but we can't ever take anyone else with us).
• We are planning on having Jenna baptized.  The baptism may be sometime in March but we are unsure of the exact date yet.  Jenna is such a prayer warrior and I do believe she is a follower of Christ. Since I think she believes, and she has been asking to be baptized for a year, I don't see a reason to deny her because of her age.  We are very excited about this and I warned Jenna that I would most likely (will!) cry.
• I'm teaching 5 classes this semester. I'm not sure why I've decided to undertake 5 classes again.  It was crazy last time I did it and I'm sure it will be crazy again.
• I usually go to hip hop on Monday mornings.  Unfortunately I will be teaching during that time and can not go to hip hop for 8 weeks.  This is very sad.  I love my hip hop class more than other exercise I've done.  It looks like I won't be able to shake it for 8 weeks. I hope I can still shake it when I go back.
• Recently two people told me my skin looked good.  I don't think much about my skin (it's skin??) but then two people said something so I thought back.  Erik got me this "Youth as We Know It" moisture cream (don't look at the price!).  Maybe it worked?
• So Matthew is too cute.  He is always shaking his head "no" but I can't seem to get a good video of him.  I did get a video of him looking pretty happy though.
• I also posted a picture of him stretching around to look at me when he was in his jumperoo.  He loves it but loves to watch us so much more!
• 99 points on Quiddler today. Who knew "raxing" was a word?

Photography

I usually get pictures done at Target for the kids however the copyright always bothers us.  We pay them to take pictures of us but yet we don't get to keep the pictures.  So we went to DaleLynn Photography to get pictures taken of the kids.  Here are some of the pics that she took - it was an awesome experience.  And we got the copyright so we can make as many prints as we want - yipee!

Right now I'm on a little hiatus since it is finals week and I've been spending all my free time grading and working on next session.  I'll have a Friday night class next session - bummer.  I'll also be teaching 5 classes (2 online) which is quite a lot for me.  Hopefully I'll survive. The good thing is that this is my last session before my break.

Yea....that's right....

8 weeks off!! No work!

Books I'm reading:

• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.  This book is for our Coo* book club and I love it.  The writing is good and I'm drawn in by the story.
• The Born Queen by Greg Keyes. This is the last book in a 4 book series.  I have about 75 pages to go and the main character was just killed.  I'm not sure if this is a red wedding kind of thing like Martin or if she is not really dead.  Either way - this book is great and I can't wait to finish it.
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark.  This book combines two things I love: magic and Jane Austen's England. The tone of the writing and much about the writing is exactly like Pride and Prejudice (I daresay!).  I love it!  Plus it has magic.  Lots of neat magic.  There is also something in the undertone of Jane Austen and Susanna Clark's writing that is whimsical I daresay.  There are many places I laugh although in our day it wouldn't seem like a joke!
• Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst (I think).  This book started out great but I'm not enjoying it so much. The book is about replacing a food addiction with an addiction to God.  However the author doesn't eat sugar, bread, pasta, etc.  To me that sounds like she still has a food addiction.  Unless you are turly free to eat whatever you want and worship God - then you are still a food addict (imo).
• I'm probably reading 10 other books but can't remember them now. Isn't that sad :)

78 points on Quiddler today!

You love me

Happy Valentines Day!
For Valentines Day I wrote a poem to my love, my God.  I am not a poet and writer like my brother-in-law and friend so don't be too critical of me.

You Love Me

You created me, fashioning me in your image

You spoke to me, filling my heart with your beauty

You corrected me, guiding me when I failed you

You answered me, teaching me your ways are not mine

You rescued me, pulling me up from the sea of my depression

You caught me, dragging me down from my lofty pride

You died for me, cleansing me from sin's stain

You saved me, returning from the grave with new life

You changed me, purifying me with your fire

You love me, pursuing me with your unceasing love

void bringer()

I was inspired from reading Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings to write a little C++ program. If you have a C++ compiler handy (doesn't everyone??) feel free to run the code. No it is not spectacular but I wanted to do something fun! By the way - my code does have spoilers!

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

void bringer(void);

void main (void ){

//The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson - loved it!
//Reading about the void bringers I just had to create a function void bringer().

cout << "What are the void bringers? "<<endl;
bringer();
cout << "\n\nThank you for playing!"<<endl;

}

void bringer(){
char option = 'x'; //x is my default
//keep looping until the user chooses a valid option
do {
cout<< "\n(K)aladin"
<< "\n(S)hallan"
<< "\n(D)alinar"
<< "\n(P)arshendi\n"
<< "Choose one:";
cin >> option;

switch (option) {
case 'K': case 'k':
cout<< "\nI will protect those who cannot protect themselves. Not a voidbringer. Try again";
//I loved this part in the book. Chapter 67. Oh my. It might be my
//favorite chapter in any book.
break;

case 'S': case 's':
cout<<"\nI'm a murderer. I killed my father. Not a voidbringer. Try again";
//We thought she might have killed him and took his shardblade
break;

case 'D': case 'd':
cout<< "\nWhat is a man's life worth? Not a voidbringer. Try again";
//Wow this chapter made me love Dalinar!
break;

case 'P': case 'p':
cout<< "\nRight on!";
//I didn't see this one coming
break;

default: cout << "\nPlease try again :)\n";

}
} while ((option != 'p')&&(option !='P'));

}