Providence Community Kids

For the Grandparents! (Aunts and Uncles too...and anyone else that cares!)
Sorry about the poor quality. I really need to get our real video camera out instead of using my camera which only takes short segments. Notice how Max says "land of God" instead of "lamb of God" and "fank you" instead of "thank you"...so cute.

Happy Birthday Just!

Justin and his older brother Jared as sweet babes. Thanks to Justin's Mom for sending it today :)

Today my sweet husband turns 27.

While Justin and I are different in many ways, it makes us a better couple. I think we compliment each other well. It has been a challenge at times, but it has helped us to grow.

I'll never get over the discpline Justin has, especially for work. Justin works very hard, yet he does not bring work home with him. While he was still in school I was amazed at how much he studied...espcially when it was nice out. I was skipping class left and right. People really respect and look up to him, and that makes me proud.

Oh...that reminds me quick side story...

A few nights ago the boys and I went for a walk, Max was dying to skateboard (which means he pushes the skateboard down the street with one foot) and so we went for a short walk. As we are walking I see this guy from Tru-green (lawn guys) walking from house to house. I get home and Justin asks;

"Did you see that guy walking around?"

"Yeah, did he stop here?"

"Yeah, and I answered the door and he asked if my parents were home!"

I about died laughing.

Chad had the idea that if I would've been home it would have been hillarious if he would have had me go to the door.

I digress.

Just, I love you and thank you for all the things you do for me and our boys. Thank you for going in the crawl space, (he's spent some time repairing things down there lately) because I don't want to even look in the crawl space. The boys always look forward to your arrival home from work, as do I.

By the way, it was hillarious last night when you were opening a card and I said;

"ew spider!"

And you threw the card and screamed like a girl. (The spider was across the room on the wall.)

I love laughing with you!

This year marks ten years that we have been together. We sure have been through A LOT in the past decade, but the through it all, I wouldn't want to have done it with anyone else.

I love you.

Happy Birthday!

chicken enchilada's

I got a new cookbook: The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2007. (also check out their site.) It rocks. I tried these enchilada's last week, and they were SOOOO yum. Served it with rice and tortilla chips. A great make ahead meal for you, or a great meal to give to someone in need of one. :)

need:
1 (29 oz. can) tomato sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
1 canned chipotle chilie in adobe sauce
1 teas. ground cumin
1 teas. ground coriander
1/4 teas. salt
1/2c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon veg. oil
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
10 oz. shredded M. Jack cheese (2.5 cups)
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons miced pickled jalapeno chilies
10 (6 inch) corn tortillas
Veg oil spray.

1. Blend tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, coriander, salt, and broth in blender until smooth. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add tomato mixture, bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture is reduced to about 3.5 cups, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until cool. About 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 300 degrees and have oven rack in middle position. Toss 3/4 cup of the sauce with chicken, 1 cup of the cheese, cilantro, and jalapenos.
3. place 5 tortillas on a ackin sheet and lightly coat both sides with veg oil spray. Bake the tortillas until just pliable, about 2 minutes. Working quickly, transfer 1 tortilla at a time to a work surface , fill with 1/3 c. of chicken mix and roll tightly. Transfer, seam side down to a large plate. Repeadt warming and rolling process with remaining tortillas. Place plate in freezer until tortillas are frozen, at least 1 hour.
4. Place the remaining sauce in freezer safe container and press two layers of plastic wrap directly unto the surface of the sauce. Tightly wrap enchiladas in bundles of 5 first in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 2 months!
5. when ready to serve: adjust oven to middle position, and heat to 350 degrees. Defrost ench. sauce in micro on defrost setting (approx. 12 minutes).
6. Coat 9x13 oan with veg. oil sprayu. Arrange frozen enchiladas in a single layer in pan and coat tops with veg. oil spray. Bake until tops of tortillas are beginning to flake, about 20 mins. remove dish from ove, top enchiladas with 1.5 cups of sauce, and bake 10 more minutes. Sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1.5 cups of cheese and bake until cheese melts and the center of the casserole is hot and bubbly. 3-5 min. approx. Serve passing remaining sauce seperately. top with sour cream and green onion if you so choose! Enjoy!

barf.

Today I needed to get to the UPS store. I prefer going there to the post office because it is just easier with two little ones.
As I pull into the parking lot I am still thinking about my errand last night.

Here's the story:

So, there I was going to Target to pick up a few household items and I am looking for a parking spot and finally with glee I pull into a spot close to the store. In front of me is this monster like truck taking up 2, yes TWO spaces.

The thing was that:

1. It did not need to take up two spaces.

2. If you insist on taking two spaces do it far away.

It's like people with BMW's who think they are so above the rest of us and take up two spaces so no car is near theirs and park obscenely far away so that you can't miss the beauty of their car since it is so far from any other vehicle.

It kinda makes me want to "accidentally" bump their car with a cart. Or place a cart behind their bumper, something! OK, I am so evil. I would never really do it people! Anyway, I get all up in arms and bitter because I am lame and get upset over stupid events in my life.
Anyway, I finally get over last nights events as I pull in front of the UPS store.

In the boys and I go and the girl behind the counter asks if she can help me. She takes my package I needed to mail and proceeds to get stamps. Max looks up at me and says;
"Mommy..." and he proceeds to vomit all over the floor. I was stunned. I was even more stunned that nobody else noticed.
"Um, excuse me, but my son just vomited all over your floor. Do you have something I can clean it up with?"
She comes back with some paper towels, Lysol disinfectant wipes and a wastebasket in case he has to have another go.
Here I am scrubbing their floor so it does not smell or stain, and in walks about a billion people. Or five. But it felt like billion. They all just look at me like I am slightly crazy. Well, they might not be all wrong, but they could be a little more discreet with thier looks.

I finish clean up, and then dig in my bag for my credit card and hand it to the girl who looks at me like; "what am I supposed to do with this?"
" I need to pay for my stamps and package."
"Oh right, right."
No, I just walked in to have my son vomit in your store so I could clean it up. I thought it would be a fun event for the day.
Maybe I am just being to sensitive.
So we are home now, and Max is laying low. No vomiting since, but the whole thing was weird.
And utterly embarrassing.

side note: I don't know if it is the air here or what, but our family has never been sicker. In fact, we NEVER really got sick before but all of us have been sick at least once, some of us twice this year. Crazy.

the bike.

I'm usually unimpressed with 3 year old art. Scribbles on a page, I mean it's sweet but most of Maxwell's art projects are filed away in his art portfolio (just in case he makes it big someday) to be looked at years from now, and giggled at. Today though, I freaked when he came up to me with this bike...on his magna doodle. I can't even write my name on those things very nicely. Too bad he didn't do it on paper, but next time. At least I have a picture of it. Sure it has no pedals, but hey I was impressed!

these days.

Max and Evan have been outdoors everyday this week so far. Last night they discovered a puddle and came in soaked head to toe in mud...bath night. Today Max was found on the deck with his trucks and Evan in the lawn (excuse the state of our lawn...it desperately needs a mow) with a ball and bat or where else...but the mud.

spring 2008

*WARNING: If you are a man, you will probably care less about this post.
I get spring fever, and I get it bad. I have been sick over the last week and a half that finally today I got a chance to get out the ol' spring/summer bin of clothes and take stock. I am definately good on pants, but I can always find room for new shoes and t's. :)

A few spring/summer clothes rules/observations I live by.
1. Shorts are out....permanently. Look if you really must wear shorts, do it, but I ain't gonna pretend I love them. Those board shorts are actually pretty cute, but anything too above the knee isn't doing much for you.Hey, somebody had to come out and say it. But again, if you must carry on.
2. Capri's ROCK! If capris ever go out of style I will probably still wear them. I love them THAT much. I have a couple pair that I got when I worked at Limited, and I will wear them until the day I die, they are so comfy, stylish, can be dressy or not, and just rock!
3. Satan invented low-rise jeans. I swear, who can really pull those off without showing their entire behind? They are nast. I mean so are skinny jeans, and mom jeans but at least they don't show off your entire rear end. EW. We need more normal jeans. What happened to a good pair of flairs? I got this pair of jeans about 4 years ago at Gap for $14.99 as they were special pair for the season, and I still love them. They are my favorite, they have cute rear end pockets, and I ALWAYS get compliments on them. I should have stocked up...if only I would have known my slim pickings years later...and the fact that my body isn't quite the same but these jeans are still workin' it.
4. You can never have to many cute summer shoe options. Sure flip-flops are cute, and a dime a dozen, but you gotta go beyond the flip-flop people. Some cute flats, wedge sandals, if you are brave; heels, a nice strappy sandal. You get my drift. I am a sucker for shoes, especially in the summer since your feet are seen more.
5. Why am I able to buy a shirt with kitties on it? Ok, so this is totally random, but I have to say something. Our mall has a Sears right smack dab in the middle of it. So to get to stores on either side you have to go through it. Talk about bad clothing options. Sure here and there I see a few items I would consider taking a second glance at, but for the most part I wondered who could really shop at Sears? I had to stop at a rack full of shall I say, old lady shirts. Now I know all old ladies don't fall into the trap, but enough still do that they continue to make these clothes. I just could go on, but I will stop since I know all you who read my blog are stylish to the max!
5. A cute sundress/skirt always makes me smile. I honestly think I look bad in dresses, but in the summer they make some really cute and breathable dresses that I can't resist.

The Couch War

Check out my latest publication at Ungrind.

The Church of Oprah Exposed

I never cared for Oprah, but it is official, she has gone off the deep end.
UM...Oprah God is not Jealous OF you, he is jealous FOR you, and your soul.

today.

I felt well enough to at least sit outside with the boys while they played in the yard. I felt bad for keeping them in all week.

still recovering.

Here we are on Wednesday and I am slowly but surely getting better. My fever is going down one degree a day it seems, so by Friday I should be back to normal. I feel bad because I haven't been able to do much with the boys or make a decent dinner for Justin to come home to. At least it is temporary. It could be worse, I know.
Can anyone else believe we are almost in mid-April?

weekend.

all the girls: Liz, Heidi, Dana, Trisha, Angie, and me.

All for you Brian.:) These are my good friends Heidi and Brian who live in Milwaukee. They are the sweetest couple, and it is always fun to reunite with them again.

This past weekend I got to go home to Wisconsin all by myself. It was weird not having any kids to look after but also a nice break. On the way up everything went smoothly with my flights, except on my last leg we had to wait a little bit for 3 people whose planes had just arrived. The last guy gets on and has this huge ol' bag at which I was shocked they did not make him check and he is clunking the thing down the aisle causing a huge ruckus. The guy was out of his mind. I had a a good chuckle though.
Friday my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin Nicole(and her 1.5 year old Miles) came up to my parents and we all had a nice time together catching up and hanging out. Saturday morning my Mom and I hung out in our p.j.'s all morning and then I was off to the wedding I had come from. My friend Trisha from high school was getting married that day. It was a beautiful wedding and it was fun to reminisce with old friends.
Sunday I went to church and it was fun to catch up with people there, and then my parents and I went to
Justin's parents for lunch. Good times. Then my parents and I made a quick stop at Anthropologie (how could I not) before heading to the airport.
My plane from Madison was supposed to leave a 4:45, my connection was at 6 in Milwaukee, and then I would be home at 8. Of course things went wrong. The plane was SUPER late and there was no way I was going to make my connection so I had to re-book and get home via Chicago. If you have ever been to the O'hare airport, it is always busy. I wasn't going to get in to Louisville (which is about an hour away from us) until 11:15. Sigh. Justin found a flight to Lexington that was booked but I was going to try and get on it in Chicago. Well, I finally get to Chicago, and even early, but we sat on the tarmac for like thirty minutes and I missed the connection to Lexington by 3 minutes! While we were waiting to get in though there was like a service road outside my window, so I was watching the cars/planes and whatever go by and this guy in a golf cart was swinging his arms like he was Fred Flinstone driving the thing. It was hilarious. I think he was doing it for those of us waiting in line to get into our gates. Or maybe I am just crazy. Well, OK people, I was tired and not to mention feeling quite ill so it is possible I imagined the whole thing, but I don't think so! I picked something up in Wisconsin and it ain't pretty. I feel awful today, fever, chills, coughing, throat on fire. Good times. But I am glad to be home, back to the ol' grind and be with my boys.

yum.

My new favorite thing.

Granja San Francisco Blossom Honey. About $6 but worth every penny.

I have never been that into honey, but this stuff is SOOO good.

A little of this good ol' honey in the bottom of my coffee mug = T-a-s-t-y!

Hooter Hiders.

I thought these were pretty cool for nursing Moms. I have found my new baby gift! Plus, it will make for a good laugh at the shower because of the name. Check them out here.

Is it true?

Justin has been told more than once he looks like Ashton Kutcher. I know my comparable pictures are not the best, since Just is wearing glasses but just so you get an idea.

He is away at a conference in Ft. Lauderdale, and last night he called me when he was settled in his hotel room. On the plane ride over he was seated next to a couple who were fighting for the twenty minutes of the flight. Eventually the guy turns to Justin and says;

"Hey aren't you that guy from That Seventies Show?"

"No."

"Yes, you are. Are we on punked?"

"Nope, but I have been told I look like Ashton before."

"Well, you look a lot like him.'

"You've been PUNKED!"

OK, he didn't say that, but it would've been hilarious.

taming the tongue.

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, set on fire by hell." James 3:6

I don't know about you, but whoa. Uh, reality check aisle 5.

How often do I forget about taming my tongue. Probably daily. Too lightly do I take the words that escape my mouth, too often do I speak before thinking. I know I should be considering my words. Thinking before speaking, listening instead of talking so much.

Later James says, "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing." (vs.10) I don't really think of this often... that one minute I may be pouring out love from my mouth and the next spewing nasty, hurtful words. The tongue reveals what is in our heart.

I know I must work on controlling my tongue. My tongue criticizes, I use it to have control and to destroy. It is dangerous..."staining the whole body."

"The true believer is known by his speech. A true believer speaks with a tongue that is under control. Peter says, the true believer will love life, 1 Peter 3:10, see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no deceit. On the one hand, we will. On the other hand, we must.
And so does James warn us about two things. One, that we are revealed by our mouth. Two, that our mouth has tremendous potential for disaster. And so he calls for us to have a tamed tongue. And if we do, it's evidence that we're a Christian. And if we do, it's evidence that we're walking in obedience."- John MacArthur

18, almost 19...I mean almost 20 months!

Evan,

This morning after I got you out of bed your promptly went to the bathroom to "brush" your teeth. You get out your toothbrush and toothpaste and eat the toothpaste. Don't worry it is the kind that is safe to swallow. You are so addicted. When you were done with that you scurried into your bedroom and into Maxwell's closet and soon appeared wearing his shoes. You have a thing for shoes. I have never seen a kid love shoes so much. In fact we have been up for two hours and you still have them on. Even after I got you dressed and took them off, you put them back on. You are so weird.

The differences between you and Max amazes me. Maxwell is more like your Daddy, and you more so resemble my personality. Crazy. Good crazy though. :) You are willing to try about anything, and have no fear. At Uncle Chad and Aunt Mel's one evening you literally dove off the back of their couch crashing into the hardwood floor. You bawled, but 10 minutes later you were ready to give it another go.

When you play you are all boy. Although the other day you were pushing a stroller around at the Valentines...you are into anything with wheels. You love finding anything that resembles a stick- including my spatulas, and hitting things with it. Hockey perhaps? Golf?

Maxwell and you play so well together, most of the time. At least once a day, sometimes many more there is screaming and then you two are death gripping one another shoulders and wrestling to the ground. You know what buttons to push on Maxwell, and you do. You love to approach him while he is deep in play concentration and grab one of the toys and take off. You live for the chase, and you giggle the whole way until you usually trip over your own feet and crash to the ground, and Maxwell prys it from your hands and you lay there, no doubt plotting your next move.

You recently became VERY attached to the blanket Ashleigh made for you. You take it everywhere and won't sleep without it. You cover yourself up with it, from head to toe. You have started to sleep with the blanket over you head, something I also do, and I could not be more pleased. I think it is adorable that you love that puppy blanket, and it is just the perfect size to carry. You love it.

Your dance skills still continue to improve, and recently you have added a new shoulder neck move that looks like you have had professional training. When the music plays you are ready to go.

You also "talk" on the cell phone like you are running some large corporation. Cracks me up.

One of my most favorite things about you, and something I always treasure, is cuddling. You are a cuddly, when you are tired, or worn out. You will climb up by me and cuddle, covering up with your blankie, and a lot of times will lay your head on my shoulder. And then my heart melts. I know I should cherish this time as it will soon pass, and I do.

You are so kind to strangers, always saying hello and goodbye to people. You carry on conversations with people with such excitement it almost seems like they understand you. You are a leader and very independent. A few weeks ago at a playground with Maxwell's friend Camryn you were running all over, doing your own thing. Camryn and Maxwell played together and with the other kids but you were not about to follow a bunch of older kids around, they would have to follow you! You were fearless on that playground!

I have never seen a kid eat with such excitement! You gobble food up faster than I have ever seen a child do because you have activities to get back to. It is so opposite of Maxwell who could sit at dinner for hours if we didn't remind him to keep eating so we could get on with our lives.

You also have recently been obsessed with sunglasses, and you look like one cool cat when you wear them. You so want to be older. You want to ride a bike, wear big boy shoes, drive the car, climb a mountain, and it makes me appreciate your toddler years all the more.

I love you sweet boy, and even though a lot of days I feel as if I am in survival mode rather than relishing each sweet moment we have, know this; that you have won my heart a million times over, and you know that you have your Daddy and I wrapped around your little chubby finger.

Apparently he IS 4 popped collars cool.

He has risen! Happy Easter!

It was a gorgeous day, and we spent the late afternoon/evening with Chad, Mel, and Juliana. A good time as always. Of course I didn't take any pictures of that!! But I did get a few shots of the boys before church this morning. It was snowing when we left their house though! Not good. We hope you all had a blessed Easter as we celebrated Jesus' resurrection! Hallelujah for a Savior whom has given us new life and hope!

uh, hello, I'm a moron, nice to meet you.

image:www.sciencetech.com

So here I am transfering the laundry from the washer to the dryer and I begin noticing these clear/white thingys on our clothes. What in the world???
The next thing I pull out of the washer is a pull-up the size of Montana...seriously people, I washed a diaper!! Max wears a pull-up to bed, just in case, and the thing is when he gets himself dressed in the morning, he doesn't take his pull-up out of his pajamas, and being that I have "momnesia" half the time I forgot to take it out, threw the pj's in with the wash and hence the problem at hand.
I wondered first, am I the only person dumb enough to do this? Two, will this ruin my washing machine? Three, now what?
I dispose of the diaper, and re-wash the load with diaper bits, twice...
and the thing is, uh...
I have done this 2 more times since the first incident!

When will I learn?...
Oh,when will I learn?

for my husband.

new specs.

what do you think?

this morning.

and I'm related to these people...

Uncle Don and the Dorks.

My Mom just e-mailed this pic.circa- 1991(?) Somewhere in the early 90's...in the pink room at Nana's.

From left to right. My cousin Ken, Uncle Don, cousin Josh, brother Carl, cousin Jeff, and brother Alec.

What is that thing?

Today the boys and I went to the mall to meet a friend and her daughter for lunch.
As we were leaving Evan got a glimpse of none other than...
The Easter Bunny...
and he was big.
Evan stops dead in his tracks. Staring with the widest eyes I have ever seen. I wasn't sure if he was going to run up to that rabbit giggling with his arms wide open or take off the other way in fear.
Instead he found the nearest large freestanding item and hid. All the while he kept his eyes on that thing. There was no way that thing was getting to close! He had some inspectin' to do before that thing was getting near him. It was hillarious. I picked him up and put him in the stroller and he just stared, not sure what to think.
I love this kid...he thinks just like me. Max hadthis look on his face like seeing the Easter Bunny was an everyday occurance, just Justin would.
We snuck past that rabbit while he was being distracted by two year old yanking on his tail as he was trying to hand out paper bunny headbands. Max walked by no problem, and I think Evan was relieved he didn't have to have any contact with that thing, as was I.