Taste Test 2007

Okay, in my never ending quest to get the kids to eat healthy and try NEW things (especially vegetables and fruits) I decided to do TASTE TEST 2007. The kids all thought it sounded like GREAT fun and agreed that they would play the game as long as Bob and I participated too. DONE! We just finished our first goal of NEW TASTES and here are the reviews! We have eaten winter squash, turnips, asparagus, fruit cocktail (which my kids HATE~aren't kids suppose to love fruit cocktail?) hominy, kiwi, mango and cooked spinach! This week we have tried brussels sprouts and spaghetti squash...NOT good reviews on those two. The rules are, that each person must take a bite with the other six watching. (This keeps anyone from cheating...as if ANYONE would EVER try to sneak their bite in a napkin OR give it to Bud or Camden... NEVER!) Watching Sam take his bite is particularly entertaining as he will physically SHUDDER and look like he is going to wretch....and does not even TRY to hide it!! :) HILARIOUS!!








And the scores of TASTE TEST 2007 are....

Flat Stanley goes to MAINE!

Excellent work Emma!

You got an "A."

Emma launched and completed one of her Second Grade projects today. Flat Stanley is a character in a book. Each student in Emma's class mailed him to another place to gather experiences and learn about a new part of the world. Emma wanted Stanley to make the trip to Maine to visit Uncle Si, Aunt Susan, Paul, Samantha and Caroline. He had an exceptional trip and got to eat lobster, go to the beach and collect shells, attend karate class, and ride our cousin's horse, Carmen. He went ice skating and of course, no trip to Maine is complete without a visit to L.L. Bean's! Emma's favorite part was Uncle Si took Stanley to work and tested his eyes and Uncle Sirus says that Stanley needs glasses! Thanks to the WHOLE family for helping Emma have such an exciting project to complete. Aunt Susan mailed back ALL kinds of goodies for Emma's presentation including a stuffed lobster, Puffin and Loon. Emma also received a lot of new shells and her favorite is the sea glass.

Emma did her presentation board all by herself and her oral speech was GREAT!

Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!

Xin Nian Kuai Le means Happy New Year in Chinese (Mandarin)! Today marks the first day of the fifteen day celebration and the year of the pig! This Chinese festival is the biggest celebration of the year in China much like our Christmas. Almost all Chinese festivals follow a lunar calendar not a solar calendar. The new year celebration or the Spring festival heralds the coming of spring and the reunion of family. Families clean their houses from top to bottom and cook up all kinds of lovely delicacies to eat. Children are given new clothing and red envelopes with money in them. Fireworks, music, parades and family gatherings abound.

We celebrated with a delicious Chinese dinner out with Grammy and Gramps. Our family can REALLY put away the Chinese food! Madeleine and Sam will be taking in red envelopes and oranges to school on Tuesday in celebration of the spring festival. (Madeleine is also celebrating her HALF birthday! HOW can that little girl be five and a half years old!?)

The Chinese are a highly superstitious people and put their trust in many gods. At this time of the year they pay special attention to the Kitchen God who watches over each household and decides the fate of every family. We so love the Chinese people...please remember this beautiful country in prayer as most have never heard of Jesus Christ.

A romantic dinner for...SEVEN!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snow Day Games!

We finally have some snow days! YIPPEE! Everyone was so pleased to wake up and realize that Dad and Mom had NOT awakened them to get up for school. We have really enjoyed our time at home. No where to go, no appointments, no clubs, no practices...just relaxation and fun. Even Daddy's office was closed today! We baked up some goodies, watched some movies and played MANY games!

WOO WOO! WOO WOO!

Sam has a new OBSESSION...
it is Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. He calls them "Woo Woo's." He plays with the engines, cars and track every day without fail. He enjoys it so much. Mitchell was consumed with his trains at Sam's age too and acquired quite a collection. We had stored it all in the attic and we are SO GLAD we saved it all. Gramps made a train table for Mitchell when he turned four and it is put to good use.




Sam takes trains with him all over the house. He leaves a little trail of engines and train cars wherever he is in the house! All the kids love to help him create new tracks and are willing to play with him. Sam likes Mitchell to tell him the names of each engine then Sam repeats the names. Mitchell is pleased to re-visit his favorite toddler toy!

Valentine Parties!

Mitchell and Emma had their Valentine's parties at school today. Games, fun food and lots of Valentine's to open is a recipe for fun!


Emma is posing with her friend, Haley, and Mitchell is leaning over his Solar System Valentine box! He came up with that idea which fell under the "MOST EDUCATIONAL" box category!

Bedtime routines...not so routine.

Emma and Sam have a special relationship. She loves to mother him and he likes it MOST of the time. He will seek her out to ask her to read him a book or get him some milk and she is always quick to do it for him. She carries him around on her hip and he loves it. When the kids come home from school if Sam is up from his nap it is always a joyous homecoming. They ALL receive big hugs of welcome. We like to read before bed and then after we all read together Emma loves to put Sam in his bed and cuddle up next to him and sing to him. Sam is a "hair twirler" as is Emma, and she allows him to stroke and twirl her hair and he LOVES that. It is very sweet to hear her sing songs that I have sung to her since she was a baby. It is even sweeter to hear her sing hymns that she knows and hears at fellowship. Last night Sam was singing along in his garbled toddler voice as she sang, "Praise Him, Praise Him, praise Him in the morning, praise Him in the noontime, praise Him when the sun goes down..." I just stood at the door and enjoyed the beauty of the moment...they are growing up so fast...