Bouncing Eggs on Rainbows and The Children

Here's sleeping beauty with her bed buddy really close.


a tea party with hats. I had on a Santa hat.

Love Gwen's pose!

We made paper plate rainbows yesterday with Grandma as a St. Patty's day display and then today I saw these fun little eggs at Hobby Lobby. I had to get them. So now we have happy little boy and girl eggs bouncing off of clouds. Wow... weird, but I'm LOVIN' it.

Stuff and the Best Banana Bread on the Planet

The dreaded hand foot and mouth disease is back in our house this winter. There is no medicine for this... just have to wait it out. It's bad and it seriously limits getting out of the house. Well... I guess that's the way the good Lord has let us know we need to stay home more this week.

Here's my girl with the first sign of hand foot and mouth.


She wasn't feeling well so she laid down in her bed and Zeke decided on his own to lay down with her to keep her company. I found them in there listening to classical music on the radio (Kansas public radio) and talking. Oh, and yes, Zeke had it too and it turned into infantigo and now that that is healing Gwen gets it.

Our Valentine's boxes we made last week. Gwen chose a butterfly box and drew her own name on the box.

With a suggestion from his mama Zeke decided on a frog box.

and now... what you've all been waiting for... the Best Banana Bread Recipe I've Ever Had! Up until this point, my mother's recipe topped the charts, but this one I like better. (sorry mom)

2C flour

1 1/4 C walnuts (toasted) (I used toasted pecans instead and not as much)

3/4 C sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled bananas- mashed well

1/4 C plain yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt)

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

6 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract (homemade if you have it!)

Bake 350 oven for 55 minutes in a loaf pan. YUM!

After the Doughnut

Snow Woman and Engagements

This is our snow lady we made today. Her name is Madame Clusoo.



Jake recently got engaged to be married to a fantastic woman named Melody. On a side bar, I took Zeke to another ENT for another opinion and they finally scoped him. Well... he's got vocal nodules which I knew, but I actually got to see them this time and the placement of them they said is due to misuse of the voice. He's so young now that voice therapy wouldn't do much, so there's nothing I can do except encourage him to use a quieter voice. So, he doesn't have to take the prevacid tablets he was prescribed or go non dairy or the nasal spray that he was prescribed. I'm just thankful it is nothing more serious and now I feel as good as I can about the situation. He's still my little butter ball and so we always want to see them whole and well and wonderful don't we? Just thankful for him.

Zeke and Jake... he loves his Uncle Jake.

Aunt Melody and Gwen. (or she will be Aunt Melody) I have applied for Gwen to be in a preschool classroom for several hours a week. We'll see how that turns out, but in Kansas you can send your child to school at age 5. I think I'd like to do that with Gwen and I think this step would help her transition better. She is doing very well with learning academic things... now we are in a season of obedience training again. It comes in waves for us with her. Just when you think you are in the clear... here comes another tide of challenge. Oh well... we love her dearly and she has come so far this year!

Land of the cheese heads

I went to Wisconsin for the first time ever this past week to sing with my choir at a convention. Here's a strange sighting in the airport. A Best Buy vending machine. Does anyone else think that's weird?

I went into the capital in Madison because I was told it was the second largest rotunda in the nation... second to the white house. Here's lady Liberty. I liked that she was a little chubby.

Unhappy Bunny

Ben subscribed me to a magazine called Create and Decorate and it has some weird stuff in there. I'm not sure who is writing this stuff, but I am loving this bunny they have in this month's issue. I thought it would be a good discipline tactic to say "if you don't obey you have to sit with unhappy bunny." Think it would work? :)

Quotes of the day

Ben here. This morning I was exercising and Gwen & Zeke decided to join me. I said:

"Good stretching Gwen!"

... to which she replied:

"Yeah, it's like we're a real family!"

Later Zeke was trying to tell me something and it's sounded like "I want ehhhshuhh". I asked Gwen for her spirit of toddler interpretation but she couldn't understand it either. Through a long process of elimination we figured out Zeke wanted to watch the kids alien movie ("Planet 51") that we've been watching recently. ehhshuhh = aliens.
As I started up the movie, Gwen laid back in the recliner and sighed: "oh Zeke - you said aliens... I'm so proud of you!"

Questions to Consider

Ben sent an article to me with these questions in it and I printed it off and have it on my fridge. I try to look at it every day and think about them. I thought you might find them interesting too. (whoever you are!)

1. Have I made certain that those I love feel loved?

2. Have I done something today that improved the world?

3. Have I conditioned my body to be more strong, flexible and resilient?

4. Have I reviewed and honed my plans for the future?

5. Have I acted in private with the same integrity I exhibit in public?

6. Have I avoided unkind words and deeds?

7. Have I accomplished something worthwhile?

8. Have I helped someone less fortunate?

9. Have I collected some wonderful memories?

10. Have I felt grateful for the incredible gift of being alive?

For Uncle John

This is for Ben's brother in the Navy, Uncle John.