Riding the Bus

Another post for my sweet sister. Me and all the kids on the bus, as requested.

We went to the children's museum for mom school. The ride there was lovely, the ride home not so much. I think the high school had just let out and we got to ride the bus with a bunch of hooligans, to put it politely.

Halloween Recap

Delia decided to be a Princess

Joshua wanted to be a Ninja Turtle, mainly because he was excited about the nunchuks (which his dad crafted out of toilet paper rolls), too bad they went missing between the church party last week and the trick-or-treating yesterday!

And we didn't dress up our baby, but here's a picture anyway!

Wednesdays

Our Wednesday routine, as of late, has been to head down to an appointment with my midwife in downtown Everett and then head to the Everett Children's Museum for some fun! Here is a picture of the kids riding in the "slinky" part of a double bus. They love the slinky buses!

The bus ride takes about a half an hour, but it's only one bus and we catch it close to home - so it's pretty easy. We just bring some books to read.

Delia flying the plane at the museum.

Joshua and Delia driving the bus.

Joshua testing his climbing skills.

Zoo and Vancouver

We spent a full day at the zoo on Thursday and the kids loved it. We were all pretty tired when we got home, but Brady still managed to master the art of riding a two-wheeler that night!

The kids liked the animals, but their favorite parts of the zoo were the playground features!

On Friday we headed up to Vancouver to drop off Mike and Brady and pick up Dad and Ellen. Their visits overlapped by a few hours so we all headed to Stanley Park and went for a train ride and to the petting zoo. Then we enjoyed dinner together before Mike and Brady headed back to the airport.

I told Mike to make himself at home the first night he got to our place, and he said that it wasn't really possible at our house, because if he was at home he'd be enjoying a beer and watching television (neither of which are an option at my house!).

But I'm hoping they still had a good time! I know Joshua did - when Brady was leaving Joshua told me he wished that Brady could stay with us until he was fifteen!

Uncle Mike and Brady are in Town

Yesterday we ventured over to Pike Place Market to watch the fish throwers and find something for lunch, but all the kids wanted to do was come home and play - so it was a quick trip through the market and home to ride bikes and play! Today we're going to try the zoo and tomorrow we'll head up to Vancouver so they can begin their journey home.

29 Weeks and Counting!

We took this picture because we couldn't believe the size of this tree! I set the camera up myself and didn't center it very well, but no one was willing to do a retake!

Here are a couple of belly shots for my sister-in-law Honey. Click on Honey and you can see how much bigger my belly is than hers - Honey's got the cutest little belly!

New Beginnings

I have been inspired this week by a book that was given to me by my dear friend, Rebecca. I have been more focused on my children and the desires that I have for them. I want my children to feel how important they are to me and to know that they are loved every day.

When Joshua woke up this morning he asked for crepes for breakfast - I thought to myself "I can do that," so we enjoyed a lovely breakfast together. Then we baked bread with a recipe found in the above mentioned book (see below). It turned out great. Jason took the bread to a meeting he went to on Four Season Gardening in the Seattle area, and he said everyone was asking for the recipe.

We had our morning devotional. We painted. We ate lunch. We played Blokus. We played Memory. We read stories. We had a pizza and movie night. And then the kids rode bikes outside until it was time for bed.

I don't have much scheduled in my days right now, and I am loving it. We mostly stay close to home and fill our days with being together. I want to cherish this time while my children want to stay close to me.

Wonder Bread
(From mitten Strings For God by Katrina Kenison)

Combine in a very large bowl:
4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
4 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Salt

Add:
8 Cups Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Yeast

Stir and wait 5 minutes, until yeast is dissolved and bubbling.

Stir in:
7 Cups White Flour
7+ Cups Whole Wheat Flour (I used at least 2 more cups of wheat flour because it was too sticky)
2 Cups Rolled Oats (Or any combination of oats, soy flour, rice flour, wheat germ, oats, bran)

It is not necessary to knead the dough, but you can if you want to. Divide dough into two oiled bowls. Cover and let rise until doubled. (About 1 1/2 hours) Punch down and divide it into 6 or 7 greased loaf pans and let rise until doubled. (Again, about 1 1/2 hours.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.

Joshua gets a new bike

About a month ago we rode our bikes over to a park that's a couple of miles from our house. It just so happens that the park has a BMX track and that there was racing going on while we were at the park. Jason asked Joshua if he would like to give it a try some time, and so it began.

Joshua had outgrown his 12 in. Trek this year, and we went looking for a bike for him on my birthday. He fell in love with this 16 in. Redline, and it was birthday happiness to me to get the bike for him. He got his bike on a Tuesday and went out to the BMX track for a practice ride that Friday.

He wants to ride his bike everywhere. He rode it the other day when I went to visit some ladies from church (it ended up being 5 miles round trip) and then still wanted to go to the BMX track when his Dad got home (another 4 miles round trip - not counting the laps around the track). He fell lots of times that first week getting used to the new bike, but always wanted to get right back on.

Joshua posing with his brand new bike.

Joshua feels that it's important for everyone to know it's a Redline.

His Dad sets him up at the gate.

And a little wobbly, as we hold our breath!

And he makes it through the lap. (Phew!)