4th of July 2011

Rick had a DJing gig on the 4th that allowed us to go to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and watch the fireworks on a tour boat. It was a really neat experience for all of us. It was so nice to be able to spend time with the kiddos, making memories and celebrating the country's birthday!

   When we got to the Harbor, Rick loaded the DJ equipment on the boat and then we went and had dinner. We made it back to the back for one of their 45 minute tours of the Harbor. It was really neat to see the old buildings and hear about the history of the port. After we were done with the tour it was time for the fireworks  tour to start. It was a bit long for the kiddos, as we had already been on the boat for an hour, but they did really well. There was an air conditioned lower deck where we hung out until the fireworks display began. It was nice to just be able to hang out with the kiddos. And Rick did a great job DJing. People were singing and dancing. It was a really great evening even though we had a few snafus at the end of the night when we were trying to leave.

*The picture of the motorcycle and the guy with the motorcycle shows the ticket he was given for parking his bike on the pier and him coming back to find the ticket.  

Field Day 2011

Rick and I had off on the day the kiddos had Field Day (it was Rick's birthday, too). Noah's class went first. It was so neat to watch him doing all the relay races. I think the water relay was his favorite.

Kari's class started their games after lunch and it was really hot! She was doing really well with the games, but said she didn't wanted to stay. After a few more games, she changed her mind, but wanted us to go home. We decided to go to Costco until it was time to pick them up from school. We didn't even make it into Costco and the school nurse called saying Kari had a fever and needed to be picked up right away from school. So, we headed back to school, picked up Kari and Noah and ended the day with a few Slurpees.

  

The Last Few Months

I am so behind on the blog. I tried to upload some pictures for an Easter post, but none of the pictures downloaded correctly, I got frustrated and deleted the post. Sigh.

We had a delightful Easter, though. We went to the Pilkertons and had dinner and an egg hunt. We were able to take Kaysen with us and he was so good. He flirted with Karis, took a nap and made faces at the chickens. It was so nice to spend time with family and friends.

Kaysen turned 1 on Mother's Day this year. We had a SpongeBob party for him, complete with jellyfish balloons and a homemade cake. He was so intrigued with the cake and did really well eating it. It was so neat to see him having fun with the kiddos and family that came.

Rick turned 40 in May and Devin turned 20. We didn't celebrate until Devin came to visit in June to have lunch and swim with the kiddos.

Kari turned 9 in June and went to Dave and Buster's with a few friends to have lunch and play games. We were gifted a free hour of bowling, too. The girls had a lot of fun picking out their prizes and Noah didn't mind being the only boy. Rick made an incredible owl cake per Kari's request. It was delicious!  

School ended on June 14 and we started to make final plans for Cody to move to TX to live with his mom. He will be completing his junior and senior years of high school at Marcus High School in Flower Mound. We are praying that this is a easy transition for him and that he does well.

After Cody left for TX we have been spending a lot of time purging, cleaning and switching around the bedrooms, giving Kari and Noah their own rooms with Rick and me taking over the attic bedroom. Once everything is completed it is going to be so nice for all of us to have more space.      

Tomorrow we will be celebrating the 4th of July on a boat at the Inner Harbor. Rick is DJing on a cruise ship and we get to tag along with him. Kari and Noah are really excited. They enjoyed being able to swim and watch fireworks today, so shouldn't mind hanging out downtown tomorrow.

I just realized that we took a lot of pictures on Field Day, which took place on Rick's birthday, but I will have to post those later.

It's bedtime for me or I might fall asleep on the boat tomorrow!
    

Sausage* and Cheese Brunch Squares

 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby & Monterey Jack cheese blend, divided
 1 package (22.5 ounces) frozen toaster hash brown patties, thawed (10 patties)
 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
 12 eggs
 ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
 1 lb. breakfast ground sausage
 4-5 green onions with tops, divided (1 cup sliced)
 3 plum tomatoes
 Additional coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly brush a large bar pan with oil. Crumble hash browns over bar pan; press gently into an even layer. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over hash browns.

Bake 13-15 minutes or until crust starts to brown and cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, whisk cream cheese until smooth using stainless whisk. Gradually add eggs and
black pepper; whisk until smooth.

Slice green onions, reserving ¼ cup of the tops for garnish.

Place sausage and remaining green onions into sauté pan; cook and stir over medium heat. Stir sausage mixture into egg mixture.

Remove bar pan from oven to cooling rack. Pour egg mixture over crust. Return bar pan to oven; bake
6-8 minutes or until center is set.

Meanwhile, slice tomatoes in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and dice.

Remove bar pan from oven; top with remaining cheese, tomatoes and reserved green onions. Sprinkle with
additional black pepper, if desired.

Cut into squares and serve.

You can also add jalapenos to the sausage mixture. It adds some kick to it.

*This is a recipe from Pampered Chef that we changed a bit. Their original recipe has ham in it.

Kari's Awards' Ceremony

Well...Kari won first place in the essay contest! It was such a blessing to see her rewarded for her essay and a neat surprise that she won first place. I think she really wanted to win first place, but was not wanting to get her hopes up (1st place included a $100 award). I was cautiously optimistic. I started to cry when they announced her name.

She got to read her essay and it was so neat to hear her. She did this little hair flip thing while she read that was just so cute!

It was nice to have Grammie and Poppy at the luncheon and ceremony, too.

Here are a few pictures.....

The first picture is of Kari's certificate. The second one is Kari with her certificate. And the last one is of the program from the ceremony. None of the states were drawn in, so Noah drew in Texas. LOL

What An Honor

Cody and Kari both made honor roll this quarter! So very proud of them! Noah does not receive letter grades yet, but he did very well on his report card, too.

We are so blessed with some great kiddos!

Oh....and Kari won an essay contest! We get to go to an awards ceremony and luncheon on April 30 to celebrate her accomplishment. She will receive a plaque and a monetary award. She is so excited and again we are so proud of her. She is also learning to ride her bike without training wheels and is doing so well. And today she overcame her fear of riding the escalator at the mall.

Sigh.   

We really are blessed!

Just Keep Swimming.....

Life doesn't stop for anything. Not new birth, not death, not heartache. Nothing. It just keeps going and sometimes it is hard to keep up with and sometimes it is hard to keep going. But, even in the times when everything else is loudly spiraling out of control, God is not silent as it may seem He is. He is in the whisper and if we quiet down enough our own hearts and minds we can hear Him.

I am definitely trying to listen, but it is hard. I enjoy talking and find it hard to quiet my heart and mind in the midst of life and its constant motion. Especially when I think I know what God needs to hear about a certain situation or my solution to the problems in our family. But, I am trying. I really am trying.

And even in the midst of uncertainty, God is still blessing us every day. We are all healthy, the children are doing well in school, we have food and a home, hot water and air conditioning, cars that run and people that love and care for us. And most importantly a Savior that gave so sacrificially of Himself that He died for us, when we didn't deserve it. And there are so many days that I still don't deserve it, but I have His love, mercy and grace.

So, I keep swimming. Knowing that I need to for myself, my family and my God.