Happy Birthday Chandler!

It just seems like yesterday that Chandler was born. I went to the hospital to be induced and in 2 hours he was born. All 7 lbs 11 oz. He was such a good baby too.

He is the sweetest boy I know of. His little heart has so much compassion in it. He is kind. Loving. Caring. Gentle. Funny. Everywhere we go girls say, “Can you believe how long his eyelashes are?” and he says “I know, all the girls tell me that all the time!”

He has a great personality. He is a helper. He is very smart. (can you tell I am a little biased) His smile is contagious. He is detailed. A go-getter. And can you believe that he is 6. The years really do fly by.

I have cherished each memory that has been made with this little guy. I can’t wait to see what he will be when he “grows up”. I know God has a good plan for his life.

Chandler keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the one who will sustain you through it all. He will guide you and be a light for you when you are having a hard time seeing. Mommy loves you lots!

Choclate Chip Pound Cake

So I have been in the mood for cooking since I am “stuck” here. Tonight after we ate a yummy dinner from my friend Liz, I made Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.
And it was YUMMY!

Here are the directions:

1 yellow or butter cake mix
1 (3 Oz) package of instant chocolate pudding
1 (3 Oz) package of instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 T vanilla
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
Almost a whole package of chocolate chips

Mix all of the above together and then put in a tube pan or an angel cake pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. Dont forget to spray your pan so it does not stick. Flip the cake onto a plate and then sprinkle with powdered sugar! Very YUMMY.

So today was a very LONG day. I cried several times…hoping my knight and shining Tony would walk through the door and say ” I took the rest of the day off” I am very frustrated with my foot. My back really hurts and so does my neck. I am going to make an appointment tomorrow with a dr at the same office as my foot dr, and have the rest of me looked at. I am hoping I did not screw my back up to badly, but I know something is wrong. Blah.

Last night Tony and me were talking and the subject of MKS came up. It comes up often…MK’s that is. An MK is Missionary Kid. My question is this, why do MK’s feel like they never really belong anywhere? My theory is that the have lived in so many countries they dont know what to call home. Or they grow up in one country and then are placed back in the US to do the whole college thing. But they really feel like they don’t belong. If you were to ask me where my home was, I would not be able to give you just one place. IT is the weirdest thing. Do any other MK’s feel this way. I would like to know what the biggest struggle is for other MK’s?

Side note, my cast ITCHES LIKE CRAZY!!!!

Heidi’s Sweet and Sour Chicken

First start your rice….just make as much as your family wants.

Getting the Chicken Ready:

In a plastic baggie, put 1 cup flour, dash of salt and pepper, and 1 teaspoon of paprika.
Once you dice your chicken into cubes place in baggie, shake to coat each piece of chicken. Again dice up as much chicken as your family will eat. We usually use 3 large chicken breasts cut up into small cubes.

Once your chicken is done, heat up 3 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Place chicken in hot oil and fry until it is all cooked.
Remove chicken from pan once done and place on a plate.

Cooking the Veggies:
Then in the remaining oil fry 1 onion finely chopped, 1/2 green bell pepper, 4 carrots finely chopped, 1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped. Fry until tender, and then place on top of your chicken, that is on the plate. If you need to add more oil for the frying, just add as much as you think you need.

Cooking the Sauce:
In the same pan, add 1- 10 ounce can of pineapple tidbits (including the juice), 3/4 cup brown sugar, 4 tablespoons of corn starch, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar. Once you see that it is beginning to thicken add the plate of chicken and fried veggies. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Now it is all done.
Serve over cooked rice.

NOTE: if it is to sour due to the vinegar, add more brown sugar. I usually end up adding about 1 tablespoon extra. My kids like it more sweet then sour! This is a very easy recipe to make and the kids love it.

SECOND NOTE: If you don’t like chicken, you can just add meatballs to the sauce and veggies. My kids love that too. We go to Sam’s Club and get a bag of the precooked meatballs, and I just add as many as I want frozen. The rest of the recipe remains the same.

So on the way to the movie last night with the boys we found a baby blue jay in our drive way…the boys wanted to keep it and raise it.

As far as Wall-E goes….that was the dumbest movie ever. My little kids laughed a few times, but me and my oldest were so bored. And actually the little kids had a hard time focusing. It was not as good as I thought it would be. So it is not one that I am going to recommend to friends. There was no talking in the movie. This is just my opinion. I am sure someone else will say it is the best ever!

Be sure to stay on the look out for my oldest. He will be cooking dinner tonight with me and we are going to film it and put it up on my website! He is so excited. He says this is his break through to being famous!

Okay, we are off to the pool.

Dutch Babies

When we go to the Original Pancake House we always order Dutch Babies…oh so yummy. And then my brother (aka my brother in law Kyle) got a recipe to make them. Number 1 they are better than the pancake house, and Number 2 MUCH CHEAPER!

Dutch Babies Recipe:

1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon

MIX very well.

While you are mixing your batter preheat your oven to 400 and put 2 Tablespoons of butter in a pie pan. Once the butter is melted put your batter in the pan and cook for 15 minutes. They should rise pretty big. Once you take them out of the oven sprinkle with powdered sugar and lemon juice. We also put strawberries and syrup on ours.

You can split the above batter into 2 pie pans, but we like ours a little thicker and taller so we use that recipe for just one pie pan.

I took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda yesterday. It was SO good. I highly recommend it. Lots of good lessons for kids to hear throughout the movie. And it was funny. I laughed quite a bit. Today I think we are going to go see Wall-E. We will see how our day goes.

My oldest came home from camp yesterday. He was so ready to be home. He was SOOOO tired. It made my heart happy to hear him talk about the alter calls and the time in prayer that they spent. It had a great impact on him. He came home with some things that make his mouth light up. I think I am going to have to try them out!

We still have not found a puppy yet that we want. But we are looking. We talked to a breeder at Tony’s work. I need to do some more research Australian Cattle Dogs. But they seem to be good dogs. Who knows what we will end up with.

Here is my Ben. Yesterday in the store we were holding hands and he said “mom do you know why I am so special?
, and I said no ben why are you so special, “because you are my mom” He could have asked for anything at that point. Totally melted my heart.

And this little girl. She always makes me smile. She always says thank you for things, and please, and I love you mommy. Seriously can it get any better than that! She is my little princess.

Birthday Boy!!!

Yes, we have another birthday in our house. We actually have 3 June birthdays in our house! I am still trying to take it all in that I have a 10 year old now. WOW. The past 10 years has flown by. I will never forget the day he was born. We drove to the hospital at 5 AM, they got me all hooked up with meds, and then started the inducement, and after 4 big pushes he was out. The overwhelming joy that I felt at that very moment was priceless. That he was mine and that he grew inside of me for 9 months, and now here he was. I remember thinking, I wonder what he will be like in 10 years. And here we are and I could not ask for more. I know some of my blog readers know my oldest, but if you have not had the priveledge of meeting him, let me share a little bit of what he is like now:

1. He is HANDSOME. Dont believe me look at the pictures below.
2. He is compassionate. ANY time there is someone who is hurting or in need or sad, he is there and very concerned and trying to find a way to fix the problem.
3. Funny….all of his jokes make me laugh. And he has a great sense of humor.
4. Loyal to his family. He will protect his brothers and sister if any one tries anything on them. This does not mean that my kids never fight…trust me they do, but when it comes to the outside world, no one messes with his family.
5. Sensitive heart, he is very sensitive. Even when he does something wrong, he has always been very quick to admit it and ask for forgiveness.
6. Smart. He is very smart. Sometimes I think too smart for his own good! He passed the TAKS test this year with flying colors and had almost all A’s on his report card. He is also a great reader.
7. Hard worker…when geared in the right direction, he is a very hard worker. He loves to help me in the yard and with a little incentive he is really good at helping to clean up around the house. Even at school his teacher said that often he would help to stack chairs, and clean up the extra stuff on the floor without being asked.
8. Great cook….he loves to cook. And he is getting pretty good at it. Often he will make the whole family breakfast (eggs, toast, bacon). He even sets the table. He is eager to learn more, we just need more time so I can teach him.
9. He loves Jesus. He really does. And that makes me happy. This is the one that counts. I always tell my kids the greatest thing in life is to KNOW Jesus. Not just know about him, but REALLY know him. In the end…that is all that matters.
10. I am just thankful that we have him in our life. He is such a blessing to me and to our family. When he is not around “the party is gone”. I know he is not perfect, but he is a great kid. And I am just thankful today for him.

We love you son. And we are so proud of you and who you are becoming. We are praying every day for you, and that God will continue to raise you up to be a man of God. That he will protect you and keep you safe. That he will guard your eyes and ears, and that he will guide your steps. And that he will give me and your dad wisdom for every day.

MOM

Birthday Girl!!!!!

My baby girl is 2 today! The 2 years have flown by way to fast. It is bittersweet today. She is getting so big, so smart, so beautiful, so sweet, great personality, and her spirit is precious. I love her to pieces. Every time I see her…I melt. I love to read to her at night. It is our time together. I love it when she says “I love you mommy” Her love for her daddy is amazing. She adores him. I am so blessed to have her in my life. I am so thankful that the Lord gave her to us. Happy Birthday my sweet Kaitlyn…Love, Mommy

Birthday Boy

TO my sweet boy Ben:
You are 4 today. Time has gone way to fast. I will never forget the day that you came into this crazy world. The first moment I laid my eyes on you, well I was in awe and I was so thankful that God entrusted your life to me and your daddy. What a gift!

Everyday is a new adventure with you. You are so funny, and can make me laugh at the drop of a hat. I love to hear you laugh. You have such a sweet spirit. You are so gentle. Especially with your little sister. You are so tender hearted towards others and how they feel.

I love your hugs that you give me every morning…with out fail. I love to hear you pray at night…you are so genuine. I love to watch you sing your Kids Hillsong Praise music. Boy do you know how to get down and have a fun time.

I pray that as you continue to grow up, that you will have a very personal relationship with Jesus. That he will be your very best friend. That you will listen closely to our heavenly father as he directs your steps. That your eyes would always be fixed on him.

I hope you know my sweet boy, how much your mommy loves you. And I cant wait to watch you develop even more this next year. In just one more year you are off to kindergarten. Wow…I cant believe it. Everyone told me to cherish the moments because time goes fast. And boy were they right. I want you to know that I cherish everything about you and all the moments that we have.

Happy 4th Birthday Benjamin!

Puppy Dog Cake

So Ben’s birthday party is tomorrow. He is having a party at school, with a doggie cake, and a birthday party at night with a firetruck cake. I have the doggie one done.
Don’t ask me how I got suckered into making TWO different cakes, but I LOVE MY BABY BOY!

Ben helped me lick all the egg beaters afterwards…..hey that is the best part!

We will post more pictures after the party tomorrow!