New Bunk Beds

One of the best moves we made ( Lance made) was moving the boys into the same room last October. Eli's twin bed and Caleb's crib with the side off. Actually Lance did it one Saturday while I was with the boys in Stillwater. On the way home he called me to let me know he had been doing a little remodeling - this can be a scary thing sometime! But once I got over the shock of change that I wasn't planning or expecting, I embraced it and the boys just loved sleeping in the same room. Caleb was just beginning a difficult phase of going to sleep at night. This didn't really help much, but it did give him someone to talk to, so instead of calling out for us many times, he would just bug Eli! Thankfully Eli usually conks right out and is not bothered by Caleb's ramblings most nights!

So, we finally decided what we wanted to get for sleeping arrangements in their room and they arrived yesterday. Here they are in their new bunk beds. The first night went well.We loved this one because it was different and it had some nice storage! We ordered it online and were very pleased. Lance and I had to put it together (me reading the instructions, he following) and it wasn't too hard. Can't believe my boys are growing up so fast - what's next - dorm rooms!

Tara

EARTH Week

Since last week was Earth week - we spent a lot of time doing "green things" and learning about our earth. Here are a few of the highlights:

We made a recycling center on one of our play tables. We used legos of different colors and they sorted them into the correct recycling bins! Very fun. The idea came from here .

We picked out flowers and planted them in our pots and some in our flower beds. Eli picked out all the flowers based on color - he did well.

For our 12 months of Giving project in April ( see this previous post) we picked up trash in our neighborhood and park on Earth Day. Those are kitchen tongs in their hands - they used those to pick up the trash!

Lastly, we attempted to make paper mache earths. For the most part, they turned out well - Caleb kept tasting the paper mache mixture (thankfully it was only water and flour) and Eli was done after 1 layer so I had to finish layer #2. But they really liked painting them. Note: if you are trying to dry out your paper mache, don't put it in the bathroom with the heater on. The balloon expands and the paper cracks. Not that I would know from experience or anything! Glue gun to the rescue! Here is a picture of our end project!

One last thing, we checked out a really cute & educational book on recycling called The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle. Both boys loved it and I learned a lot from it too.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Genesis 1:1

Tara

Do You Recycle?

Since this week is Earth Week (April 22nd is Earth Day). I wanted to post a question for you. If asked this question about a 1 1/2 years ago, my answer would have been no. But, one of my good friends did and she inspired me to begin recycling (thanks Rachel!) So for over a year now, our family has been recycling. The town we live in has a recycling center, but doesn't have a pick up service. This makes things a little more work, but once we got in the habit of it, it was easy. Last year on Earth Day, I did my best to teach my kids about recycling (why we do it, what sign to look for, where we take it). We even made some recycling bins to keep things organized. Here is what they look like.One of the main reasons I feel strongly about this is because I want to be a good steward and do what I can to take care of the beautiful earth God provided for us! Even if it's a small part, it's my part! So if you want to recycle but don't know where to start, here are a few ideas.

• Recycle cans & milk cartons (this is a great place to start & easy to sort)
• Put a box in your garage & recycle junk mail, catalogs, & papers (most schools & libraries can make money off recycling these items, so I dump them in those spots -look for green & yellow dumpsters)
• Take reusable bags to the grocery story (you'll reduce plastic bag use plus you will have less bags to carry in from the store!)

Just a couple of steps to get you started. And a great lesson and example to teach your kids.

Happy Recycling,

Tara

Easy Peasy

Any idea what these are? This is something new I tried for breakfast this morning and both boys gave it a thumbs up! Biscuit waffles - I found the idea/recipe on the Pillsbury website. Take 1 can refrigerated biscuits ( I buy the 4 pack great value buttermilk biscuits from Walmart) and your waffle iron. Place 2-4 biscuits in your waffle iron, shut, and let it cook. Watch closely, it won't take long at all - 1 minute or so. I thought it would since biscuits take about 7 minutes in the oven. Notice one is darker than the other - that was a reject because it was too brown Eli said! Like I said, watch closely!Serve with butter, syrup, peanut butter - whatever you like. There you have it - easy, fun, and different! Hope you are enjoying this weather! It's popsicle season, so we had to stock up on new boxes ( I finally just threw away the old boxes that I had for what seemed like years). I have a feeling these won't last long!
Have a great day!
Tara

Easter 2010

We had such a fun Easter seeing all our family and the weather was just amazing! It has been several years since it has been nice and warm on Easter. Friday we headed up to see Lance's sister & family, and Aunt Dixie. Saturday we took the kids to the zoo & they hunted for large wooden eggs hidden throughout the zoo & counted them. Then, as we were leaving, they turned their number of eggs in for a fun surprise! Eli was totally into this!

Saturday, we headed to my brother's house to spend the rest of the weekend. The kids decorated eggs (about 60 of them). We ate dinner outside that evening (it would have been a shame not too!) The kids opened their Easter baskets from Pamma & Papa - then played with all their goodies. Easter morning we worshipped at my brother's church then came home for family pictures. This drives everyone crazy, especially Lance & Eli, but I still make everyone do it and they'll thank me one day - I'm sure of it. We ate a yummy lunch then had a monster egg hunt! By monster, I don't mean we hunted monster eggs - that would be weird! We hid around 150 eggs for 5 kids - so much fun for them.

"Greatest day in history, death is beaten you have rescued me. Sing it out , Jesus is Alive! The empty cross, the empty grave. Life eternal you have won the day. Shout it out, Jesus is Alive! Oh, happy day, happy day, when you washed my sin away! Oh happy day, happy day, we'll NEVER be the same - forever I am changed!"

Tara