Spring Break!!

We are on Spring Break (beginning now) this week!! The kids and I are so excited, Craig on the other hand is not so much! I woke up this morning and really did not want to go to school, but it made it so much easier knowing that I had 7 days to sleep late!! The big question this week for all of my students has been "what will you do over the break?" Many of them (and parents too) begin asking me the same question. Here's our list of things we are doing over the break (more fun things will be added spontaneously I'm sure):

• sleeping (as late as Drew and Mikayla will allow)
• staying in pajamas (at least part of the time)
• cleaning house (I mean the get down and dirty kind - we need to have a yard sale while I'm out)
• playing outside (as much as the weather allows)
• going to the park
• swimming (well not really, it's still a little early - but Drew did mention to Poppi that he needs to open the pool)
• playing dress-up, babies, make-up
• playing with moon sand/trains/cars
• relaxing

So, just because we don't have a trip/vacation planned we will still have plenty of fun. You can count on that!! :)

Happy Easter 2008

Easter morning, Drew and Mikayla woke up to find their Easter baskets full of goodies left by the Easter Bunny. They each received 2 books both signed by a recent author we had visit our school, some temporary tattoos, and just a little bit of candy. Then it was off to church to hear our choir present the Easter Cantata. It was absolutely beautiful! After church we headed over to Mimi and Poppi's house. The Easter Bunny also left goodies for Drew and Mikayla over there and they were very excited about that! They were especially excited about the eggs that Poppi made for them! They loved these eggs! I loved the thought behind them - daddy said he came home at 11:30 Saturday night from my aunt and uncles house and made those eggs for Drew and Mikayla. Drew's had dinosaurs on them and couldn't have been more perfect! Mikayla's had flowers and butterflies and she loved it!After seeing what the Easter Bunny left at Mimi and Poppi's house we walked across the street to my Grandma's house! There Drew and Mikayla allowed Mommy to take more pictures of them and then they spotted eggs that Poppi had already hid (very smart daddy)! We were going to cook out hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner and daddy told them they could hunt while the food was on the grill. They waited very patiently (more so than I would have been) by hiding and finding one of Drew's eggs that he had carried across the street. While at Grandma's Drew and Mikayla hunted eggs (74 altogether), we all had a wonderful dinner (my Grandma had a fantastic idea), and we enjoyed each other's company! Everyone had a terrific time! I remember going to my Grandma and Papa's house every Easter - my kids will also have these memories that will last a lifetime!!

First Baseball Game 2008

Golden Gophers!! WOOOHOOO!! Baseball season has officially arrived!! Drew's first game, the Jamboree, was today! And what a day it was for Drew!?!?! I screamed/yelled/hollered (whatever you wanna call it) so much it's a wonder I have a voice!! Drew is playing first base this year, and he LOVES it! His team has only had 4 total practices (some were rained out, and other times the fields had no lights), and they have only practiced in positions once so I was a little nervous about this first game. I shouldn't have worried - the whole team played so well!! Drew and his friends worked hard to win the game 5 - 1!!

I must brag a little on my boy though (I also write this because it's something I don't want to forget). Drew played AWESOME at first base today. He was focused on the game, he hustled, and he was able to get many outs! Even our coach's wife said "he was like a little vacuum, anything that was hit remotely his way he scooped up". All of their outs today, while playing defense, were made at first base (with the exception of the batters who struck out). It amazes me the growth from last year to this year. Drew has always been a pretty decent batter, but to see him play defense like he did today was amazing!!
Speaking of batting, I must also mention that my boy hit two home runs today, one each time he was at bat. Both times there was a runner on base so he scored 4 RBI's!! In the picture above you can see one of his coaches giving him a high five as he crosses home plate the second time. You can also see Craig who was coaching first base today. Drew came out to sit with his Papa after his team came in to hit. It's hard to see Papa and Mikayla but they are there. Mikayla was mad at this time because Drew had just gotten her friend Cole out at first. She started crying and told him not to get Cole out anymore. He replied "I was just doing what I was supposed to do". It was a fantastic game where both teams played very well and gave it their all! Drew received the game ball after the game, and I've been calling him Home Run King all day!

Easter Cookies!!

I received this recipe through email this week - some of you may have received this too (or may have already tried it)! I have never tried these, but we plan to tonight as a family! If you've never seen this, please take a look. It looks like a great way to share Jesus and His sacrifice for us!! That's what Easter is all about. I feel honored to serve a Lord who sacrificed His life for me and then rose again, so that I can go to Heaven one day! He did the same for each of you!! Happy Easter!

To be made the evening before Easter.
You need:1 cup whole pecans 1 tsp. Vinegar 3 egg whites pinch salt 1 cup sugar Zipper baggie Wooden spoon Tape Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important-don't wait until you're half done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. Vinegar into mixing bowl.Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross. He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins been cleansed by Jesus.Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.Read Matt. 28:1-9

Share The Easter Cookie Story With Your Family and Friends. Happy Easter and may God bless you!!

Dyeing Easter Eggs!!

We teach Drew and Mikayla the true meaning/reason for Easter, but we also celebrate with them in some of the more "commercial" forms. Last night we dyed Easter eggs. This is a favorite activity of Drew and Mikayla and they so look forward to this each year! They have gotten old enough now, so they are pretty independent with this activity. I still get the dye ready and boil the eggs of course, but after that they do everything while I watch (and take pictures)!

Last night we decided to dye eggs so that tonight we could make Easter cookies (look for a post on that to come shortly - a great way to teach little ones about the true meaning of Easter). Drew and Miki did a wonderful job with their eggs - they are beautiful if I do say so myself. Drew took great care to make several of his eggs different colors! Mikayla knew just what she wanted and went for it!

The waiting is the hardest part!!

Just the perfect shade of purple will do!

Making eggs two different colors is hard work!

My Sweet Man...

Drew is so much like his daddy - in every way! He's silly (when at times I want him to be serious), funny (always trying to make people laugh), and he LOVES TV (so much so that he would do nothing but watch TV all day if we let him)! Another way that he is so much like his daddy (and my favorite) is that he is thoughtful!!

Some of you may remember an earlier post about Drew putting a rose on my pillow (he brings tears to my eyes at times). This happens to be another thoughtful "Drew" story. At times, our little rambunctious "all boy" son gets in so much trouble that I really, really, - did I mention really want to remember these sweet, precious things he does. Not just remember them - but share them too!

With the last tooth Drew lost, the Tooth Fairy left him FIVE DOLLARS!?! I'm beginning to wonder where this generous fairy was when I was a kid. My sweet, sweet, six year old says to me and Craig as he finds the five dollar bill under his pillow "I'm going to give this to Mikayla!" "I've already gotten a lot of five dollars and she hasn't gotten any." Craig and I told Drew how proud we were of him that he wanted to share with his sister and that he was thinking of her, but we also reminded him that she would get money from the Tooth Fairy as soon as she starts losing her baby teeth. To which he replied "Oh, ok then, Mikayla you will get some when you pull your teeth!"

She's One Smartie!!

Mikayla's first sentence - look carefully in the lower right hand corner!!

In an earlier post (Mikayla's favorite things) I told about how Mikayla loves to read and write and she always has either a book in her hand or a writing tablet and writing utensil. I wasn't kidding! This morning my four year old wrote her first sentence! I couldn't believe it - you should have heard me squealing with delight. I wish I had gotten a picture of Mikayla's face lighting up when she first realized why mom was so excited. I didn't think of the camera until later when I thought I've got to show everyone this. So Nana, GGma, GGpa, Susie, and Juanita we hope you get a chance to read it.

Some of you may be asking "how in the world is that a sentence??" If you look closely it says "I love my mom" - honestly it does!! Mikayla was sitting on the couch writing this morning and I said "why don't you try writing a sentence, something like I love my mom" and she wrote that all by herself!!! She has the "I" for I, the "L" for love, the "m" for my, and another "m" for mom! Then I showed her how to put a period at the end. I teach both of my children just as I teach the children in my classroom to first write words the way they sound (phonetically, or some people call this invented spelling). Last weekend, Mikayla was pretending to take my order and when I said I wanted french fries, she asked me how to spell that. I told her to spell it the way it sounds and write the letters that she hears.

She has been able to identify some letters since she was two, learning all of them and the sounds when she was 3, and she's been reading Dick and Jane for the past 6 months so I knew this was something she could manage even though she's four. Never would I have guessed that just a week later, she would be writing sentences!! After she wrote this sentence, she went on to write "ILMD" (I love my dad), and "ILDrew" (I love Drew) all with periods at the end and all COMPLETELY by herself!

That paper is now dated and proudly displayed on our refrigerator.

This is one of those things that mommy will keep forever!

I can't believe it's over...

Basketball and cheering that is. All games have been played and we had the banquet Sunday night. I missed posting on all of the games, especially these last few. I do have a few favorite pictures I'll share in this post, then it is on to baseball. We have already had 3 baseball practices so I guess you could say we are in full swing. As a family, we have been super busy and that would explain my lack of posts lately. I hope to get back to my weekly memes soon though!

Our lovely cheering girl! She absolutely LOVED cheering this year. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with Ms. Kellie and Ms. Stephanie, her coaches!

Drew heads down to the other end of the court to get ready to play offense!

Drew (and everyone else) watches as he shoots to see that his shot is GOOD (in the picture the ball has not come down yet)! This is from the same game where he made the last shot of the game - at the buzzer! I didn't get a picture of that shot unfortunately as I was too wrapped up in watching. The crowd went crazy though when it was good and his coaches and teammates ran over and almost tackled him! It was a sight to see, and Drew had the biggest smile on his face! Way to go Drew!!
Our little princess!! She sure is a cutie, huh?

A Few of Drew's Favorite Things

I meant to post some of Drew's favorite things directly after posting Mikayla's. I didn't get to the post that night, and I'm just now getting to it (imagine that). Drew is our child that is "all boy", but he also has one of the biggest hearts of any child I know. Here are some of Drew's favorite things of 2008, in no particular order! *Editor's Note: I'm not including family on these lists because those are givens that won't change (hopefully)!

• Basketball - He loves everything about it, especially the shooting. He is also pretty good on defense.
• Math - Drew can read and he reads well, but it is definitely not one of his favorite things to do. He does, however, enjoy anything that has to do with math. He loves to add, subtract, count money, tell time, etc.
• Baseball - Our little man (whose not so little anymore) loves all sports, but baseball is definitely his favorite. He loves hitting, and can hit a ball well. He is also practicing to catch pop-flies.
• Soccer - Our boy is a great goal tender, but it sure makes mom nervous...
• Molly, our cocker spaniel - Drew loves her and she sure loves him too!
• Jackson and Hannah Montana, our goats - Drew loves those goats!
• Jokes and making people laugh - his teacher says he's just like his daddy.
• Video Games - He doesn't have any of the "big time" gaming systems, but he does have a Gameboy DS, V-Smile, and Leapster, and he and Mikayla got the Smart Cycle for Christmas and he loves these. (Can you tell mom's a teacher?)
• TV - more specifically Power Rangers, Suite Life of Zach and Cody, etc.
• Any and all Animals - I tell him all the time he's either going to be a Vet or a Scientist when he grows up.
• Blue, Red, and Green
• Moon Sand - Santa brought him a lot of this that he molds and shapes!
• Lego's
• Dinosaurs
• Chicken Nuggets
• Steak/Hamburger Steak
• Sweet Tea (like mommy)
• High School Musical
• Monster Trucks/Matchbox Cars
• Carolina Gamecocks!
• Tattoos - The temporary ones right now, thank goodness!
• Riding his Bicycle

Whew - what a list! Can't wait to compare!