How To Roast a Peep

It started out as an ordinary wiener roast. Thing is, with this crew, there is no such thing as ordinary. There's not an ordinary ounce of flesh among us. But hey, it was fun! Uncle Funandone and the kids jumped on the trampoline.


Then we started the hotdogs. The fire had been going for a while. JMatt had been duly warned by Uncle Kearsdad to stay away from the fire. DO NOT play in the fire. There was something about that statement that just was not clear. I am not sure which part wasn't clear. But something definitely wasn't clear. See, JMatt stayed uncomfortably close to the fire the whole time.

The hotdogs were good, unless you drag yours through the ashes and have to go wash it off with the water hose. Kat had trouble with that part.

We learned that Lou Lou and Banana can have a conversation without talking to each other. They demonstrated this fine art for us. Here they are talking to each other without talking. We do not know what they said. But they can apparently understand each other even when no one else can.


JMatt also invented a new Olympic Sport. It's call the Marshmallow Toss. He invented it while trying to talk with his hands and hold his marshmallow roasting implement at the same time. The marshmallow flew off, landing securely in the petunia tree. Here is the marshmallow lodged in the petunia tree.

We never actually knew we had a petunia tree. But Lou Lou told us it was a petunia tree, so I guess that is what it is. We don't know how long the marshmallow will stay in the petunia tree, but it's pretty high up and securely lodged.

Here are Aunt Junebug and Kat just because they are so cute.


Then came the real fun-no all of it was real fun-but then we started the peep roasting. I think Junebug felt a little sorry for the peep. Roasting, however, is the only thing Kearsdad likes to do with peeps.

Ballerina Girl

This is Banana doing what she does best. Today was observation day at dance and Kearsdad and I got to watch her in her element. (We also got to watch Kat...more on that in a sec.) Banana would rather dance than do anything...except maybe eat. I think it would be a close call between dancing and eating. Her morning routine is this...get up, drink coffee (yes, coffee) watch Full House, eat breakfast, get dressed, make bed, do quiet time, and dance. Every morning, as soon as she is dressed, and before I make it in to start giving school assignments, she disappears into the playroom, puts on music of some sort (anything from Barlowe Girl to Aly and AJ to The Nutcracker) and starts dancing. She dances till I announce, "Turn your music off and do your spelling." Late in the afternoon, before dinner, it's usually the same thing again. Thing is, she is a really good dancer. I am quite impressed. Kearsdad and I wondered aloud today how it is her teacher can spew out a long list of French words that translate into dance steps and then turn on the music and count "5-6-7-8" and Banana can repeat it back to her in dance form, but when we say, "Go hang up your towel and put your shoes in the closet." She can't remember which way she was going. I guess it's priorities.


We have spent a lot of time lately talking about honoring God in everything you do. I hope and pray she will get that. I think she does. Dance has been a wonderful thing for her. As a preschooler, she was painfully shy. She went an entire year in Kindergarten Sunday School without speaking a word. In first grade, she would follow me out the door and back up the stairs crying. But when I would take her to dance, she would run into the room smiling, barely pausing to tell me good bye. Dancing gave her self confidence and made her believe in herself. I thank God for the talent He has blessed her with, and for the passion she has.


Kat is taking Hip Hop just for fun. We watched her class to. It was cute...all those little white girls with no rhythm trying to keep up. But they did well. We have been pretty impressed with Miss Kat. And she has had lots of fun doing it.

Holiness

I was challenged tonight to think about my life, and whether it reflects God's holiness. Wow. What a thought. He has called us to be a kingdom of priests, His representatives in a world of depravity, His ambassadors to a world that is lost and dying. Do I reflect Him, or do I look just like them? What about the lady behind the counter at WalMart, or the lady at the drive-thru at Sonic? Do they see God's holiness when they see me? Or do they see another frazzled, worn out, irritated person? Makes me think. And, maybe even more important, what about my family? Do I reflect God's holiness to them? I'm afraid that very often I do not. That makes me sad. I am glad for the challenge. Maybe it will be the encouragement I need to step it up. I want to reflect the God of creation, the God of grace, and the God of salvation. Not just to the "world", but to my husband and children, to my parents, and to my friends. I want to become smaller, so that He can become bigger. I want Him to be my beginning, my end, and all my existence. To God be the Glory, forever and ever and ever!

Our Very Busy Weekend

We survived our Very Busy Weekend. Friday, after lunch, I delivered girls to the "horse house" where they spent the afternoon bathing and grooming horses. Even Banana got into the action, taking care of SouthernUtahGirl's daughter's horse since The Thinker had to attend her brother's birthday party. Banana took very good care of Grace. I was told later that Kat is an expert tail tie-er upper. She apparently tied up all the horse tails. I never knew how much went into preparing a horse for showing!

Late in the afternoon, I picked Banana up, took her home for a bath, and delivered her to Uncle Funandone at the ball field where he was overseeing Lou Lou's team practice. As I drove away, Lou Lou and Banana were standing in the field with their arms linked. I didn't have my camera. It would have been an awesome picture. I am not sure how Lou Lou managed to practice with her arm linked to Banana. If you are interested in the rest of Banana's weekend, click here to read Junebug's weekend post.

Saturday morning Kearsdad and I got up very early, before it was light, and dressed and drove to Taylorsville. Taylorsville is a suburb of Magee. If you have ever been to Magee, you know that it's suburbs are specks on the map. In fact, I am not sure if Taylorsville is on the map. But that is where the horse show is. Kearsdad and I and SouthernUtahGirl and Golden Boy are very out of place there. Neither of the dads have cowboy hats or belt buckles and they don't chew or smoke. And S-U-G and I wear our hair kind of short and mostly straight, not real big and fluffy and not in a bun. But it is lots of fun there anyway.

We had a good time watching our girls and their horses. They did really good. Unfortunately the judge was an older man who can't get a job anywhere else because he is legally blind. Really. He kept getting all the numbers mixed up. We hope the lady judge who was very slow is back next month. Or someone else. What is important, though, is that the girls had fun and did well, and their horse teacher told them she was proud and she could see how much they had improved.

So, after the show we drove home. While Kat and I bathed and I put pies in the oven, Kearsdad went to pick Banana up from yet another ball field. Aparently Junebug's family spends as much time at ballfields as we do at dance studios and horse pastures. Everyone got cleaned up and the pies got baked, and we left again. We dropped Kat off at church for her preteen activity. Again, see Junebug's post to see what she did. While she was off galavanting with Junebug and company, we went to the 10th grade Bible Study. After that, we met Junebug and Funandone to get Kat back. Then we all went home. Junebug and Southern Utah Girl and I were all very sleepy Sunday morning.

Here is a picture of Kat and Hickory and The Thinker and Grace.


Here is a picture of Kat and Hickory and a very nice jump. If you look to the right, you see the judge. He is looking at something in his hand. He is not looking at the jump. Maybe that's why he had trouble judging. He didn't see anything. By the way, that is Golden Boy standing with the judge. He was the "ring steward" on Saturday. Or, as the judge called him, "Hey Boy".

In My Own Defense

I have not posted anything new since the weekend. The next four days are going to be beyond busy. I get a headache just thinking about how I am going to get it all accomplished. I am in charge of our last homeschool "class day" tomorrow-we are studying Egypt. Then in the afternoon the girls have dance. Friday is my official "work day", when I meet with Mr. Student Pastor and then he and I meet with the rest of our staff. Also on Friday, Kat has to go get her horse ready for a show on Saturday. And I have to figure out how and when to get Banana and her bike to Funandone sometime late Friday afternoon. For Saturday, I have to figure out what SouthernUtahGirl and I are going to take for lunch to the horse show (did I mention the horse show is 2 hours away?). Then, when we get home in the afternoon, I have to get dessert and salad ready to take to 1oth grade Bible Study that night. Sigh.....

So, this is my post for the week. After all this stuff going on in the next few days, rest assured I will have lots to blog about by Sunday...including pictures.

Daddy's Girls

Father Daughter Date Night was last night. It's the grown up version of Dads and Dolls. Kearsdad has had some form of special date at church with the girls since Kat was 2. Last night, they had a luau. They had a limbo contest (Kat was in 3rd place, Banana tied for 1st with The Thinker.) I understand the dads didn't do so well at limbo. But they had a sweet time. I'm so glad my girls have a daddy who treasures them and teaches them how they should expect to be treated, and who models the Father's love to them.

Here they are when they got home with all their goodies!

Play Ball!!!

What sweet words! Life is good again! The long winter drought is over. It's baseball season! If I am lucky, I can watch baseball for the next six months...all the way to October! And until August, I can go watch the Mississippi Braves play as often as I like. Well, okay, maybe not THAT often, but as often as we can get tickets!

Last night we went to our first game of the season! We missed the actual FIRST night because we had FAITH at church. The last two years, we've gone to the opening home game, but this year we had to settle for the third night. The game itself was not so spectacular. Even though our MBraves are in 2nd place so far, they weren't too hot last night...some good hits, but they never could turn them into runs. And, true to form, it was a bit chilly. April games always are. But that is okay! It's baseball season and we were at a game! People who don't understand baseball don't get that. It's just being there. It's the sights and smells and sounds of baseball. A win makes it that much more wonderful...but we have wins to come.

Banana was not happy because we forgot her hat and her glove. She usually comes armed with both, but we had to pick her up at dance to go straight to the game, and dad didn't think to grab her stuff. Kat didn't like that she didn't have a new Braves shirt to wear...we'll have to take care of that soon. Usually, the girls are decked out for the game.



Here is Banana eating her chili cheese fries. This is in the third inning. She ate a hamburger in the first inning. And a funnel cake in the sixth! Kat and I had cheese nachos, and Kat also had a funnel cake. But we all thought it was so funny that Banana just kept eating.



Go Braves!!!!!!!!!!

He Is Risen Indeed!

Happy Easter to All! Baskets have been emptied, candy's been eaten until the proclamation of "No more candy" has been made. Fluffy toys have been played with. Eggs have been decorated, and decorated again.

More importantly, Jesus has been honored and thanked and sung about, and sung to! What an awesome time of celebration we had this morning! I thank God every day for the incredible body of believers He has so graciously allowed me to be a part of! And for the love He pours on me every day.

Here are a few Easter sightings...







Now, for a brief confession...Those cute pics of Kat and Banana at the top...they were taken this afternoon. Like at about 3:00. And what you can't see is that they have jeans and no shoes on underneath. See, we got home and did what we do every Sunday...hurried in and changed. I was in even a bigger hurry 'cause my mom and dad were here and they were anxious to get on the road. After lunch was over, and mom and dad gone, and we were all layin' around eating peeps and such, I jumped up and yelled "Oh no!" I had forgotten to take ANY pictures except for those Junebug and I took at church this morning! What has happened to me?? So I forced the girls to change back into their dresses (bribing Kat with some computer time. Banana is a camera hog, so she wasn't a problem). But there they are...Easter pictures of my kids, in their Easter dresses, on Easter day. So there!

Horses and Dogs

Our friend Jo. B. was home last week. That meant we got to go play with her and her animals. Luthie is a 4 year old Doberman and she is a sweetie. Tootie is Jo's 13 year old Pinto and is a very patient teacher. She let Banana ride her around the yard saying, "Walk, woah! Walk, woah!" for about 15 minutes before Banana got confident enough to go more than 3 steps at a time.






Kat also got to work with Hickory, the miniature horse she shows for Mrs. B. They do all sorts of neat things like drive the cart and do jumps and go through obstacle trails. Bulldogs Missy and Magee like to help. They think they are horse trainers. They are actually just big pests. But they are sweet.







This is Banana and Luthie and Missy. Missy got jealous because she thought Luthie was getting too much of Banana's attention. Missy likes to have her backside scratched, and if she thinks you aren't close enough to her she will sit on you.