Life on our corner

Last but not least Audrey rounds out our Spring birthday marathon.  She waits not so patiently for her big day.  Jordan keeps saying "She's growing up fast on me!"  While it seems like she was already 5 he is right! She is going to hate us for this one someday. B-Bops Birthday lunch with daddy!

I didn't forget about Jonah's birthday;  I just now got my pictures downloaded!  Will he have a brithday doesn't make me want to cry?  How is he 7?  He left yesterday to go to a camp with Audrey and his dad.  He swept the floor and cleaned the counter for me before he left.  He didn't want me to be sad since I was being left behind.  Is he the sweetest or what?  Playing for the A's this year! Catching fish at the pond for his supper! (Thanks Papa and Uncle Joel!) Helping out in the garden. Singing in the Children's Celebration Choir. Loving his baby sister Unwrapping gifts. One of his gifts was Duct tape.  He surprised his sister with a new purse that afternoon.  Being silly. Birthday lunch with Daddy.  (A little tradition around here.) He chose a man's lunch:  Buffalo Wild Wings.

I was humbled tonight to the point of tears.  I know that we are supposed to have faith like a child, but when you see this lived out in front of you it is truly amazing. Jonah has wanted a basketball hoop.  He has been praying and asking God to give him one.  Jordan and I have been searching craigslist for one in our price range.  When we found on we were the second in line.  Jonah wanted one so badly that before he had a hoop he put a basketball on his birthday list.  We had the Spring Birthday Fest with my side of the family this weekend, and my parents got Jonah his basketball.  Now he just needed his hoop. It is "Set out anything that won't kill you" garbage week here, and the streets are littered with old couches and broken appliances.  Guess what Jordan found on his way home from work tonight...a height adjustable basketball hoop!  The joy on Jonah's face as his arms shot into the air and said "Thank you God!" was pr...

We took a trip to the doctor today for Reuben's 3 year and Elise's 15 month.  The other day we drove past the doctor's office and Jonah said, "Remember when we used to go to the doctor there?"  We have been blessed with really healthy kids. Sweet Reuben...he is thinning out.  He was 37 inches high and 37 lbs.  Still my little square, he grew 4 pounds and 4 inches!  That put him 33% for height and 88% for weight.  That is down from 99% last year. I am so very curious to see where Audrey is next month at her 5 year. The rice milk is working for Elise, and she is inching back up the charts.  She weighed 21 lbs 14 ounces and was 31 3/4 inches.  She was 60% for weight and 87% for height.  That is up 2 1/2 lbs and 5 inches in 3 months...is that possible?  Jordan and I have thought that she was getting bigger, but that was surprising!  I really wanted to talk through the "if she has a seizure" scenario with the doctor.  I...

My sister asked for a post about our highly anticipated overnighter without kids this past weekend, and it has taken three nights to get past the exhaustion to write this!  We had a great time but stayed out waaaaaay past our bedtime and paid for it! A month or so ago my mom asked if she could have the kiddos each stay the night at her house for a little one on one time.  I joked and said yes, but I really needed them all to go there or her to come our way so that Jordan and I could go to the Needtobreathe concert.  To my delight she said "Yes!"  While we have had date nights without the kids for a couple hours this would be the first time in 3 1/2 Years that we would not have kids for the overnight!  CRAZY! Saturday morning I had to leave before 8:00 am to be in Ames to set up for the women's seminar so Jordan took the kids to my parents.  (They didn't cry when he left, or for bedtimes.  Elise didn't even reach for me when my folks brought them ba...

I started blogging a couple of years ago, and I have really enjoyed it. One thing that surprised me was how many people were interested in the dairy free recipes that I posted. I have toyed with the idea of splitting off my family posts from the recipe of posts, but I never did anything about it until now.   I was asked to have a booth at an Ideas Fair for woman at our church. My booth is supposed to encourage woman with different ideas about homemade cleaning and personal products. As I was compiling recipes and info there was more that I wanted to say than I thought I could get on a handout so I branched off into a new blog. I am looking forward to having Simply Made Home be a fun place to write about being a real food nerd, making “Soft Scrub” or face wash, and other ideas I have about making things both simple and homemade. I am not sure how this all will develop.  I may end up privatizing Life on Our Corner for friend and family and just have Simp...

We have been working on a few projects, and Jonah asked me to put them on the Internet. (Crazy 21st century kids anyway!) We took a couple weeks off from his regular curriculum to do a unit based around the book Mr. Popper's Penguins. Jonah put together a lapbook of all his work.  Here he is with one of his favorite pages.  The one with the flap that asks "Would you like to be fed like a penguin chick?"  (You can ask him to explain why he said "No!") Jonah in penguin toboggan pose. Silly boy! I thought this was creative, on the back of his book he made the penguins look like they were walking away! We finally finished up his body.  This was a lot of fun because Audrey did it with us.  (Reuben thought that he did as well!)  I think that he really learned a lot about his body.  When I asked what he favorite parts were they included everything about waste elimination.