Summer Days

Summer is flying by.  I can't believe it's the end of June already.  After a rocky first day of "I don't want to go to summer school," the kids loved it.  Caden came home everyday telling me some fact about a weird bug.  Jaelyn and Allie both really enjoyed their class and Jaelyn ended up liking the 5th grade teacher she was sure she wouldn't like.  She still wants the other teacher, but since they team teach, it's good to know Mr. K is okay.  The last week of summer school, the whole school went on a nature field trip to Happy Hollow.  I missed out on that field trip at the end of the school year so I was glad to get to have a second chance.  Overall, it was a really good experience.

This week, we were invited to a backyard bible study.  It's only an hour and a half in the mornings, but the kids are learning, memorizing verses and having fun playing with their friends.  Church camp and VBS are both in July while we will be busy here and in Florida. 

We are soooo looking forward to next week.  The Beatles are coming (that's code, y'all because I don't like typing my friend Jennifer and her family and I'm protective of last names).  We are so excited.  They'll be here on the 3rd. We are taking them to St. Louis on the 4th of July to go to the City Museum.  We should be back here in time for "the largest fireworks show in the area" right here on our little base (well, it's not so little).  The guys are leaving the girls and the kids here to play while they go climb five mountain peaks in Colorado.  Dan's crazy...he's just along for the ride with the other guys who are gung ho hikers.  After our fun week here, the kids and I are caravaning back to Pensacola with the Beatles to spend time with our family and THE BEACH!!!  I miss the beach.  Going to Happy Hollow just isn't the same.  I might or might not get better about blogging...life is just moving too fast these days!

Huli Huli Chicken

I made Huli Huli Chicken, ripped out of my mom's Taste of Home magazine, for dinner tonight.  Huli means "turn" in Hawaiian apparently, but I think it should mean "darn good teriyaki."  Jaelyn needed to be occupied for a bit this morning; so I put her incharge of dumping and whisking while I measured.  I even got her to try the marinade and give me a thumbs up.  That's a big deal. 

The chicken was great.  Dan and I had seconds and Jaelyn and Caden even ate it.  Caden gave us a thumbs down on the first bite, but by the 5th, he'd slowly raised his thumb level to almost up :).  I paired it with rice, sauted zuccini and grilled pineapple.  We have become major pineapple lovers. I buy 2 or 3 a week.  It tastes like summer and at $2-2.50 a pineapple, it's cheaper and healthier than just about any pre-package, processed snack.

Here's the recipe:


Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup chicken broth or sherry
2 1/2 tsp minced fresh gingerroot (we just grated a little teeny bit of ginger - I'm not a fan)
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
24 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 5 lbs)

1.  In a small bowl, mix the 1st six ingredients.  Reserve 1 1/3 cups for basting; cover and refrigerate.  Divide remaining marinade between two large resealable plastic bags.  Add 12 chicken thighs to each; seal bags and turn to coat.  Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

2.  Drain and discard marinade from chicken.  Lightly coat grill rack with oil.

3.  Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until no longer pink; baste occassionally with reserved marinade during the last 5 minutes.

Gracie Got Shaved!

Second Times the Charm????

Allie had her ears pierced the first time when she was about three.  We'd talked about it, but she seemed scared.  Then one day we passed a Claire's and she said she wanted them pierced.  I love to tease Caden then when she was done, he excitedly told us, "me ears, me ears" over and over because he wanted his ears pierced too.

Anywho, fast forward a couple of years.  Allie didn't like me changing her earrings or messing with her ears at all.  She got a pretty bad infection.  We had to take the earrings out and she'd never let me put them in again.

Last week, we were in Springfield for a doctor's appointment for Jae.  We were looking at jewelry in a store and Allie said she wanted her ears pierced again.  She had about 20 minutes to think about it as we drove to the mall and I signed the paperwork.  I was really surprised she went through with it.

Before

Ok, this might hurt a little!

She said it hurt a little, but she didn't cry. 

After

She's excited for the beginning of August when she can take out her starter earrings and wear fun ones. 

Doodle Days

Gracie was a sick puppy two weeks ago.  All she would do was lay on the floor.  She wasn't interested in eating at all.  She was hardly drinking.  After talking to our vet, I boiled her chicken breasts to try.  She gobbled those down, but it still took a good week for her to perk up again.

When I say she felt bad, I mean it.  This day, she didn't even try to eat play with Zac.  And as anyone who comes to our house knows, Gracie LOVES Zac.  All you have to do is say his name to get her perked up and looking around.  Think "Squirrel" from Up.

Last Monday morning, Gracie still felt bad, but Tuesday morning she woke up her crazy, insane puppy self.  After a week of peace, Zac thought he was safe in his cat house.  He drastically misjudged the house's safety and the size of the entrance hole!

We took Gracie to Happy Hollow to play on Friday (the kids' last day of summer school and my last day of peaceful mornings - Yikes).  Gracie used the whole 12 feet of the leash I made her and enjoyed wading and even tried a little swimming. 

Stay tuned for pictures of a smaller Gracie.  She's going to the groomer on Monday and we are contiplating clipping her all the way down.  She's getting a lot of mattes and she smells like a dog with all the heat and outdoor stuff.  And I DON'T like dog smell.

We Can

There's nothing better than home-made jam...the full sugar variety.  I tried the "no sugar added" kind last year.  Yuck.  Anyway, strawberries were on sale at the commissary last week so Allie and I bought enough to make jam. The girls did a great job of chopping and crushing the berries for me.  We made about 10 cups of beautiful, red deliciousness. 

Peach jam is also good; so when we were at Walmart the next day, we bought a bag full. 

Since I was on a canning binge, I pulled out a recipe I've wanted to make for a long time: Nana's Green Tomato Relish.  She hasn't made it in years, but it is so good.  Green tomatos are non-existant in grocery stores around here and we don't have a curb market.  I managed to get 1 qt of green tomatos off my tomato bushes.

I have a pork tenderloin to grill for lunch today and we'll be popping the seal on our first jar.  I can't wait!

Kendra - the Miracle Girl

That's what everyone is calling her at the hospital.  When the nurses heard she was coming in from Alaska, no one wanted her as a patient.  Her stroke was B-A-D.  Reading a few comments her family members have made, she shouldn't have been alive.  She definitely shouldn't have been breathing on her own, but she was.  Her doctors declared her right arm paralyzed and then she moved her fingers.  Everything she has done has been amazing.  When I was there, she was breathing through a trach.  She had semi-coordinated movement of her left arm.  She could move her left leg a little, but that was it.  A little over a month later, Kendra not only took her first steps, but she walked 33 feet with help while holding onto a rail.  33 FEET...from the girl who shouldn't be able to move anything, including her lungs. 

I'm amazed by my friend and so thankful for the miracles that God is performing in her recovery.  Everyone is praying for her to walk out of the hospital and to return home to Alaska.  Keep praying with us!

Summer

My parents went home on Sunday.  We had a great visit with them.  I'm sure Caden will begrudgingly happily give up his bed again.  Everytime, we mentioned something about Baba's room, Caden corrected us with a stern "It's MY room."  Now that it's just us everyday, summer entertaining is officially here. 

It rained cats and dogs Monday afternoon so we had a game day.  We played a Monopoly Marathon (Allie won) and then Jae and I had a Sequence tournament.  I won three games to two.  She wanted to play two more games, but I wanted to be the Grand Victor so I refused (mean Mommy - in my defense, I also had to cook dinner).  While I cooked we played several games of Mancala...I should mention the kids have to earn 8 checks on their chore charts to earn electronics the following day.  Sunday was a BBBBAAAADDDD day and Jaelyn didn't come close.  I was trying to keep her focused and happy so she could earn electronics for Tuesday....my trying failed.  Thankfully, Tuesday was a better day, so she can watch TV today. 

Tuesday afternoon, we went to the pool.  We had been waiting for this day.  The base outdoor pool here is huge and always packed.  It makes me miss our little APG pool where the lifeguard knew our names and where sometimes we had the pool to ourselves.  There's a water slide at this one compared to broken diving boards at the other one.  That kind of puts the new one out ahead.  It was the perfect 80 degree with a breeze day to sit out at the pool.  It wasn't a perfect day to be in the cold pool.  To begin with, Allie and Jaelyn played in the water while Caden sat beside me (I did get in the water, but I'm a smart girlie and got out pretty quickly before my lips turned blue).  Then some friends showed up.  Caden grabbed our noodles and started blowing water at everyone.  Jaelyn got cold and got out of the pool to take Caden's spot by my side.  She pretty much whined at me for an hour until it was time for us to go.  We decided that the pool will be perfect once the water warms up.  Friends to play with and a water slide that you can go down over and over...what more can you ask for.

Wednesday, I planned for the kids to bowl in the afternoon.  Jaelyn was horrible coming home from summer school and lost bowling before we got in the car.  She sat beside me and continued her rudeness while Allie and Caden bowled losing Karate for that night.  Allie and Caden had a great time bowling and I had a great time only paying for shoe rental.  Our bowling alley lets kids bowl 2 games a day free all summer long.  How great is that?  I see more bowling in our future.

Thursday was a beautiful, hot day and when the kids asked to go to the swimming pool, who was I to say no?  They each found a friend and had a great time playing.  This pool is so big and so packed that it's hard to keep on eye on the kids.  At APG, I could read a book and glance up to check on the kids every few seconds.  At this pool, reading is almost impossible if I want to know where my kids are at all times.  And trust me, I want to know where my kids are at all times when they are in the water.  There are so many dark, bobbling heads.  Allie had her hair in braided pigtails and she was the easiest to spot.  I that they might become the official swimming hairdo. 

I can tell that the kids skipped swim lessons last summer.  They've lost a lot of their strokes.  I signed them up for swim lessons but they don't do the higher levels until later in the summer.  We'll be doing lessons mid-August just in time for school to start and the pool to close.  Once again the slide was the hit of the pool.  It's fun...I tried it a few times myself. 

Today, Jaelyn has a doctor's appointment after school and then I might let them wade at the Roubidoux or take them to Happy Hollow. 

Tomorrow, I'm letting Dan borrow the cruise director hat.  I'm tired!

Dad's Pictures

Here are some of my Dad's  pictures from our weekend.

I LOVE my gorillapod and my timer.  Some of our best family photos have been taken with them.

I have no idea what this face was all about.  Caden has gotten hilarious lately.

Waiting at the base of the St. Louis Arch - made out of stainless steel.

That's me...with my camera at all times!  It went through almost every nook and cranny with me.  Dan went through the crannies too!

I love that my dad took this picture.  The bird cage was my favorite perch in the museum.  I was totally impressed with my mom for climbing up with us and my dad for taking the picture.  He kept his feet planted firmly on the ground at all times.

Again...we were cuh-razy!

Afternoon Relaxation

The kids had a busy morning in summer school and then came home and washed three cars after lunch on Tuesday.  In all honestly, they mainly washed the back of my dad's truck while my Dad and I washed three cars.

Since everyone was already wet, we packed up and took Baba and Grandpa to Happy Hollow to play in the water.

The kids loved the strong current.  It was quite the work-out to make it to the calm area on the other bank.

Grandpa has always made the best jungle gym!

Allie loved floating along side Grandpa.  They were the only ones brave enough to get totally in the water.  While it wasn't ice cold like a few other times recently, it was a far cry from not cold.

Our St. Louis Weekend

We've been planning to head to St. Louis for months, but adding Gracie to our family has really cut into our get up and go time.  I've found a kennel not too far away so in the future, we aren't going to let her slow us down.

With my parents here visiting, we thought it would be fun to finally plan a weekend.  We started our adventure at Grant's Farm outside of St. Louis. 

This was the home of Ulysses S Grant for a short period.  There's log cabin on the property that he built himself.  I was really looking forward to touring the cabin, but apparently that's a special tour.  We got a tram drive-by as we toured the outer grounds.  Grant's Farm had many animals.  The goats, camel and the elephant were the main attractions for us.

Allie got picked to feed the elephant an apple!

I had no idea camel's had such personality!

After Grant's Farm, we headed downtown to dinner and the St. Louis Arch - The Gateway to the West.

The Arch is in the background, I promise.
 No amount of photoshopping would make it show up.

To get to the top of the arch, you have to ride in a 5 person "pod."  We squeezed 7 people into our 5 person pod and I prayed the whole time we wouldn't get stuck.  I don't like small enclosed spaces.

We enjoyed the views from the top and hung out for about 10 minutes before catching a tram back to the ground.  The arch is the tallest monument in the country.  It was a really neat thing to experience.

Sunday morning, we had some time to kill before the City Museum opened so we found one of my favorite places....Target!  And right next to Target, we found a Five Below.  Oh how I've missed you Five Below.  There have been so many times since we've moved that I've wanted something and couldn't find it, but knew I could if I could just walk through your doors!  It was wonderful!!!

We've heard great things about the City Museum, but none of them did it justice.  I don't know that I'd really call it a museum, but it was the coolest place we've ever taken the kids.  I was soooo sore after climbing behind the kids (on my hands and knees some of the time), but it was worth it.  So much fun!

I can't believe we did this. 
Dan and I seriously thought we were going to get stuck!

Did I mention the 10 story slide???  This is a view from the ground.  The slide is on the left - the stairs are in the middle.  We took the elevator!

It's a little dark, but Dan took a video as he went down the slide...it's a long slide.  I was dizzy by the end.

And the rest of the pictures.  We took over 600, but I narrowed it down to my favorite 78 :).  I haven't looked at my Dad's pictures yet so there might be another post.

Under All the Junk...

Jaelyn has a good heart.  We are working hard at helping her get past all that junk so we can see her sweet heart all the time.

I helped each child clean out and organize their rooms last weekend.  It took all day long, but we managed to get a lot of stuff cleared out.  I found this on my dresser when I went to bed that night.

Musical Rooms...Take Two

We have a four bedroom house.  Three kids, three bedrooms, makes sense, right?  We have the baby 10x10 1/2 room, the 14x14 room, and the ginormous room that is the first two rooms without a center wall.  First we started out with the girls sharing the ginormous room because Jaelyn didn't want to be alone, but they had issues.   Next we divided the rooms and then we split the girls up and moved Allie into the 10x10 room and moved the spare room into Jaelyn's other half.  We are having issues at night with Jaelyn and she has continued to tell us she doesn't like being away from everyone else.  Our house is long and skinny.  The master bedroom is at one end.  There are some closets and then a hallway that leads to Allie and Caden's room.  Then we have a long living room followed by another hallway that leads to Jaelyn's room.  She is kind of on one end by herself.  It wouldn't be a problem if she slept through the night, but she wakes a lot (it's her medicine - I have a call into the doctor right now and that probably deserves a post all it's own).  When she wakes, she comes into my room and wakes me repeatedly or will wake Caden and Allie early in the morning.  It's a major ploblem!!!

After a chat with Jaelyn and some time for her to think about it, she decided to ask Allie to trade rooms with her.  Allie was perfectly happy swapping to a bigger room and being "closer to the kitchen to swipe apples at night" - that was a direct quote, people!  With the help of my mom while dad napped ;), we swapped their rooms.  Thankfully, their beds are the same so we didn't have to take apart bed frames or move mattresses.  Jaelyn is very happy with her new, cozy room.

And Allie is escastic with her Dollyville dollhouse wall!  Can you believe there are 3 more little Polly houses in a closet?  Can you say SPOILED, but I honestly don't mind buying Allie toys because of all the kids, she is the one who actually plays with them constantly!!!