One VERY Happy Mother-in-Law

Since we've lived in New England, every time Sherry has come out, we've wanted to make sure she gets her "lobstah". When Ralph and Karen were out, we found a really good restaurant in Kittery, Maine called Warren's. Since we enjoyed our meal there, we recommended it again. So this evening, Sherry took us all out to dinner. What a treat!

I took the camera along and shot some pictures of the architecture and scenery for Sherry since she enjoys it so much (and since her cell phone camera just doesn't cut it!). Here's a glimpse of our beautiful New England.

Photo Shoot

One of the things we wanted to accomplish while Sherry was here was a new portrait of the twins with her. The last professional one I had done of them was when the kids were about 6 months old. Instead of marching into the mall, Sherry suggest I take them like I did with Janelle and the kids a while back. We figured I could take them and then if they didn't turn out, we could always go into the mall. We had fun, and, I think they turned out okay! They might not be professional, but we certainly saved more money.

Grandma Time

You can tell that Grandma Sherry is experienced with kids. She knows of some interactive websites that the kids can learn from. They know now that they can go up to her when she is checking her email and ask her if they can watch the special video. She could keep them occupied for hours!

I mentioned in a previous post that she had found Shaylen a pink hat like Marshall's Washington Huskies hat. She wears it almost as much as Marshall wears his (so they have continual hat head). Last night she was in an aggressive baseball mood and was having a ball (like my pun?) playing catch with Daddy. Hitting it was almost out of the question. Maybe you remember the video from a long time ago that showed off her pitching form? It hasn't changed much, but she still looks ever so cute.

Yesterday Taigen took Sherry and Shaylen up to Portland so that Sherry could see Brenda Bowman, Lois Champlin and Mama Mac (Eunice McIlwaine). Our van broke down on the way to church Sunday night so they had to take the Civic (which only seats 4). I stayed at home with Marshall for some one-on-one time. I think it was good for him to have some down time even though we would have loved to have seen everyone up "north". Hopefully the van will get fixed soon!

Last night when they got home, Taigen experimented with a new BBQ recipe from a cookbook that Jason and Joni, Enzo and Julia gave him for his birthday. He grilled hamburgers with a special sauce. They turned out sooo good that I think he'll have to do it again. Marshall helped Grandma Sherry shuck corn and wash it off. I got this cute picture of them working together. The kids finished off their picture frames that they were working on with Sherry so I'll have to get pictures of those here in the near future. They turned out so nice.

We are having so much fun! More pictures to come.

The "Rest" of Saturday

I'm laughing at my own pun. This Saturday wasn't the most restful day, but it was a profitable day. After the brunch this morning, Sherry and I stuck around the church so that I could finish the bulletins for Sunday and other various and sundry items that church secretaries have to do. It took longer than expected, but Sherry was sweet about waiting. I got to listen to her play the piano and she even folded the bulletins for me! Is that nice or what?

When we finally got home, Taigen wasn't there. He was running errands and had also taken the kids to the church to meet the missionary family that will be with us for church tomorrow. We had just missed him. However, he had been a sweetie and prepared a wonderful stuffed chicken dish to be thrown into the oven. By the time he got home it was dinner time. He did a great job and it was nice to not have to cook after a busy morning.

After dinner, Sherry gathered Marshall and Shaylen at the dining room table and proceeded to pull out a great craft. They worked on that while Taigen and I took care of getting ready for tomorrow. It was a huge help and so much fun for the kids.

After baths tonight Marshall and Shaylen each read one of their readers for Sherry. She got a good laugh out of their descriptions of the pictures and their wild imaginations!

Opening Brunch

Today was the opening brunch for our ladies' ministry at Heritage. We kick off the Treasures of the Heart "year" with a brunch that is graciously put together for us by Dale Tock and several other men (and teen guys).

This year for our ladies' ministries, we will be focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23. Each month will have a devotional given by one of our ladies (or a guest missionary speaker) on a specific "fruit" (joy, peace, longsuffering, etc.). We thought it would be nice to have some continuity to what we are studying throughout the year.

We had a wonderful meal this morning. There were four kinds of quiche, honey glazed ham, seasoned red potatoes, Waldorf salad, yogurt, and then dessert! Dessert for breakfast you say? Of course! We're talking about a ladies brunch and we all know that ladies love sweets, right?

Sherry came along with me this morning and it was so nice to have family there. I gave the devotional this morning on the first fruit of the spirit, love. It was nice to have Sherry sitting in the auditorium with us. It's the first time I've ever had a relative in the room when I'm speaking and she's just so supportive! It meant a lot to me that she was there.

Friday's Festivities

It's been rainy here the past couple of days so it hasn't been touring weather. Hopefully next week will clear up some and we can show Sherry the sights. In the meantime, Sherry is enjoying the beautiful Fall leaves from the comfort of our van, (They aren't quite at peak yet, but they are already looking gorgeous.) and the wonderful old New England architecture. (Dover was settled in 1623, which makes it the oldest permanent settlement in New Hampshire and the seventh oldest in the United States!)

The first day Sherry was here she pulled out a few gifts for us. Marshall got a purple Washington Huskies hat that looks just like Daddy's. It looked so good and fit so well! With all the talk about the great hat, Shaylen said, "I would like a pink hat, Grandma Sherry." So of course, that became Sherry's mission. She decided to take us out shopping today. We went to Old Navy and hit a monster sale.We found a perfect pink hat there and boy was Shaylen thrilled (major brownie point score!!!).

Around lunch time, we called Taigen and he was able to meet us at *GASP* Ol' McDonald's. Whoa! Two days in a row! And guess what? The kids ordered...drum roll please: French Fries and Chicken! They got two additional toys from the Wizard of Oz collection so now the conversation goes four ways when riding in the van. Grandma Sherry is learning awfully quick that it doesn't take much to please the kids. Soon, she'll have them wrapped around her little finger, right where she wants them.

After lunch we went to the grocery store and got a few things for dinner. The brownie points earned at Shaw's were M&M's for all of us AND she also allowed the kids to each pick out the kind of ice cream they wanted. The kids carried those half-gallons around until we got to the check-out counter! They were so excited. Sherry made us all homemade spaghetti that was terrific and Taigen (with the kid's help) made cookies.

It was a busy day and they were tuckered out, but we're enjoying the memories that are being made.

French Fries and Chicken

Thursday was the infamous day for Ol' McDonald's. When Grandma Sherry finally told the kids, they were ready to go right then! They immediately said that they would get French fries and chicken. We don't go out to eat often, (okay, it's almost never) so when we go to a "restaurant" it's a big deal to the kids, even if it McDonald's. They always order the same thing, so I guess it doesn't matter where you go, does it?

We didn't have as much time at McDonald's as we would've liked, but it was fun regardless. There are Wizard of Oz toys now (which in my opinion are less scary than Batman...just don't ask my brother in law, Kyle for his opinion on that subject) so I requested that the kids get those in their happy meal. They've never seen either movie, but Marshall's track record with any super-hero that he's seen at Target or Wal-Mart has taught me to avoid all serious-looking action figures. ("He is staring anxiously at me Mommy." or "Spiderman is scary. He has no eyes!") They named their Oz figures Mr. Phillips (the teacher's name in Anne of Green Gables) and Mr.Green. We have heard numerous conversations in the car ever since. What vivid imaginations these two munchkins have!

All in all, Sherry got major brownie points today. There's more on the way for sure.

Grandma Sherry's Turn

Well, my friends, the spoiling has started. We were thrilled to have Grandma Sherry from Seattle arrive safely Tuesday morning just after midnight. I stayed up (even though she told me I shouldn't wait up for her...You can tell I'm not always obedient to my mother in law! Hee hee!) and welcomed her to our abode. She loves the guest room!

The kids were so excited to have Grandma Sherry here. Shaylen bounded down the stairs and quickly said good morning, but Marshall had to introduce his "dogs" to Grandma first. We were able to get in some school yesterday and Sherry enjoyed seeing how things run in the classroom before eating a quick lunch and going to gym.

Last night the kids and Sherry made ice cream cone cupcakes. It was so much fun and looked fairly easy. I've never made them before or eaten them, so I was curious to see how to do it.

While they were baking, we played a quick game of Go Fish. We never actually finished it because of the cupcakes coming out of the oven and distracting Shaylen, but she wasn't going to win anyway!

After the cupcakes had sufficiently cooled, Sherry frosted them and the kids put sprinkles on just prior to stuffing them in their mouths. Were they good? The picture of Marshall is proof that they were a huge hit. (The kids took some to church tonight to share with their friends. Even though there were only 4 in the class tonight, and Sherry packed at least 10...there were no leftovers. Hmmm.)

Today was a relaxing day. We got some schooling done and Sherry worked on a quiche for dinner tonight. It was fabulous!

Tonight after church we were thinking of what all we should do while she's in town. Tomorrow Sherry's going to rack up some major brownie points by taking the kids to "Ol' McDonald's". They don't know it yet, but as soon as they do, there'll be no end to the talk of French fries and chicken!

Heritage Celebrates 25 Years of Ministry

Today we are celebrating Heritage Baptist Church's 25th Anniversary. It is an awesome privilege not only to be able to serve at this church but to have my husband as my pastor. I truly enjoy hearing him preach week after week. It is convicting, challenging, and applicable. Not only that, but I can rest in the fact that he definitely practices what he preaches!

We are celebrating this great occasion by a picnic lunch following the morning service and then a special afternoon service at 1:30. God has been so good to this church over the past 25 years and we're eager to hear testimonies from our church family during this service regarding that very thing. Taigen has put together a slide presentation chronicling the past 25 years and I have put together a special bulletin commemorating the special day. Included in the program is a special message from the founding pastor, Gary Reimers.

The theme of our service is "Remembering the past...Rejoicing in the future." We're looking forward to many more years of service at this great church.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son & Holy Ghost! Amen.
--Thomas Ken (1637-1711)

JHSA Weekly Update

We had a good week of school this past week. It was harder to get Marshall and Shaylen motivated to do their work because they were out later than normal due to our special services with Mike Manor, but they still had a sweet spirit.

We continued our studies of "Around the Town" this week. So far, we've had a fireman and a police officer. This week we studied mail carriers. I especially appreciated the emphasis on encouraging others with mail. On Thursday, the kids had an opportunity to write a missionary of their choice. When Mrs. Lawson asked the kids if they knew of any missionaries, Marshall and Shaylen got really excited! "Auntie Janellee", they shouted at the same time! Janelle left on Tuesday and we had been praying for her to arrive safely and for all of her luggage to arrive with her (She did!!!). The kids drew her a picture and then "wrote" her a message. They were so excited.

The kids extended their knowledge of letter sounds and word families. They have a lot more words to add to their little list and their reader this week includes those words. I'm proud of them for their effort in reading. They were so tired and I can tell it took a lot of their concentration to think so hard! They also learned how to write their numbers 0-5, learned about dot charts and also learned how to make a tally mark/chart. They already knew their numbers and could easily recognize them, but writing them has always been a challenge until this week.

We went to gym again on Thursday and Marshall was surprisingly happy to go. He participated in the free time and ran one lap around the gym before he burst into tears and came running off to the side. We've been working with him about this and we're praying that he'll be ready to obey on Tuesday. Pray for him! This is a struggle. In case you didn't know by now, our kids aren't perfect. Sorry to burst your bubble about pastor's kids. Shaylen on the other hand loved it and did everything. She did her two laps, her exercises, and then played in dodge ball and floor hockey! She stays right in the thick of things too. I'm so proud of her efforts.

On Friday night we had Mike over for dinner again (He had previously come on Friday night of last week.). This time the kids weren't silent. He learned all kinds of new things about them whether he wanted to or not. Marshall and Shaylen loved Mr. Manor and continually mentioned during the day how silly he was. Of course, he did more than just be silly, but it sure helped keep the attention of our younger congregation members during the service. I think Marshall and Shaylen remembered his illustrations more than his sermons however.

It was a full week. The kids would practically fall into bed each night and would s-l-o-w-l-y get out of bed in the morning. They learned a lot though and are eager to show Grandma Sherry how they "do school" next week when she arrives. I'll be sure to post pictures throughout next week chronicling our special visitor!

Home School Gym

Yesterday we had our very first day of home school gym. Marshall and Shaylen were so excited. They were hoping to be able to go right after breakfast. I think for the first time, they were disappointed that they had to do school! To top it all off, we've been having special meetings this week with Mike Manor. They got to bed a bit late on Sunday and again on Monday so they were dragging their feet a bit during their lessons. (I'll post more about Mike Manor in another post...probably Saturday.) School seemed like an eternity for them.

As soon as lunch was over, the kids threw on their shoes and we trekked over to the gym. It was a good sized group of home schoolers. I would guesstimate that there were probably 30 kids there. There were 4 year olds clear through 9th graders! Fortunately, they didn't play together the whole time. I think that would be intimidating to the younger & much smaller ones and boring for those more coordinated and competitive.

Marshall and Shaylen were a bit overwhelmed when they first walked in and didn't seem too eager to go and bounce the balls or play with the hula hoops. Thankfully we have some very sweet kids from our church who took them under their wing and encouraged them to go play. After a bit of free time, the instructors had them run two laps, do arm circles, push ups & sit ups, touch their toes, and balance on one leg.

The instructors separated the kids into "teams" (Hmmm, conveniently categorized by age. Nice!) and then they did some games. Marshall and Shaylen loved hopping in the hula hoops. It was fun to see how coordinated, or not so coordinated they were.

I'd love to say that the entire experience was perfect, but unfortunately, Marshall started to cry for some reason during the second game, ran to me and even after much prodding, didn't participate for the rest of the time. We dealt with that later at home and I think he's ready to go back tomorrow and have fun. (We'll see tomorrow!)

Shaylen on the other hand was a trooper! She played really well in a game of soccer and stayed right in the thick of things. She kicked the ball several times and even had a good attitude when the ball was kicked right in her face. She did cry and I comforted her, but after a drink and a hug ran right back in. Her teacher gave her a high five for being a trooper.

I couldn't tell who had more fun, the kids or the teachers. Regardless, it is a terrific program and the kids will benefit from it greatly.

More Goodbyes

Janelle is leaving for Zambia on Tuesday evening. Since we are having special meetings this week, we will not be able to see her off at Boston's airport. In order for us to do a good-bye justice, Janelle came down with Mike and Brenda Bowman on Saturday. This gave us a chance to have a day of fun together while the guys participated in Heritage's annual golf tournament.

We tried to fit in all the fun things Janelle likes to do with us before she takes off: We started off the day by a trip to Starbucks. Marshall and Shaylen split a strawberry frappucino. They looked so cute and grown-up sitting there sipping it with us. Eventually the cold got to Marshall and he had to stop or get a brain freeze.

After Starbucks we went to a local park. It was a beautiful day for it! We got some great shots of the kids playing and had a fun time playing "ship". They have some musical areas on the playground and Marshall was playing some sort of song on them. He also enjoyed the big drums. I wondered how much the neighbors liked it. It got awfully loud.

Next on Janelle's list after lunch was Dutch Blitz. The kids were having their quiet time, so Brenda, Janelle and I went at it! Janelle promptly clobbered both of us the first round and then, shock of all shocks, I beat them! What was even more shocking, was that Janelle came in last!?!?! Where is that score sheet? I need to frame it!

Marshall and Shaylen read their readers to Janelle and Brenda and then we went outside to draw with chalk, play basketball, run around, play tag, pop all of Mrs. Bowman's bubbles, and do ring-around-the-rosy about a billion times.

For dinner we had my sister Stephanie's recipe for Chicken Alfredo pasta. It is a fabulous dish and it was a hit the first time I made it for Janelle. I'll post the recipe sometime. Yummy!

Of course, the dreaded moment eventually arrived. Janelle gave the kids a parting gift and had written a sweet note on a card. Marshall asked Janelle to read it, but she really couldn't. She was trying hard to not cry. It was a valiant effort she put forth, but when she hugged me, the crying started! The kids were confused and Marshall provided some much needed comic relief. He said, "We don't cry when we say goodbyes!"

We're going to really miss Auntie Janelle. We really loved it that she could pop down for a visit often and we'll miss that too. Thankfully, we have email, IM, blogs, digital cameras and various other technological gadgets to help make the distance not quite so far. Please pray for her with us. We are so thankful that she is willing to go and help the ministry of Christ.

Corn Maze Field Trip

Today was definitely the highlight of our week. We counted down the days until we could go to the farm! I think Marshall and Shaylen were more excited about meeting the animals than the maze, but they had fun the entire morning regardless.

Every single home-school family from our church was there, plus an additional family that attends Wolfeboro Bible Church and one other home school girl. It was a great time for these kids to spend together. Once we walked over to the entrance to the maze, we split up into smaller groups and were sent through at 5 minute intervals.

The Coppal House Farm maze this year was a design of two dragonflies. You can see a picture of it here. It is professionally designed and cut. Trust me, it's harder than it looks. To help us out along the way, there were several stopping places with a mailbox. In each mailbox was a question about a dragonfly. Several answers were given in multiple choice form. With each potential answer was an option for which direction to take. If you answered correctly, you headed in the right direction. If you didn't, you got lost. Sometimes you would even come upon a sign that would say, "You're Lost". Too funny! The corn was much taller than I am (6') so you couldn't see a thing but corn and the path ahead of you. We did fairly well. (Amy Meroff and I brushed up on our dragonfly facts yesterday since I knew my kids wouldn't have a clue!) Somehow we missed the #5 mailbox but still managed to get out of the maze in a timely fashion.

After the maze we went down to the barn where we met the horses. The kids loved this! I think they would've spent the entire time there if we had let them. After the barn "tour" we headed back up the maze to conquer it again. The older kids in our group thought it would be really neat to try it backwards. We went in the exit and definitely had a harder time getting through it. I took a little video so you could see what we saw. It could get very confusing. Since I was unable to see over the cornstalks, I lost all my bearings and got all confused!

We all had a picnic lunch there at the farm. It was a great time of fellowship for all involved. This is definitely something we would want to do again.

Marshall's First "Composition"

Marshall discovered a chord this week and has been working on this song ever since. When I asked him last night what the title of the story was, he said it was called "God's Creation" and proceeded to tell me about what sound was which day of creation. God's creation story has been on his mind because that is what we've been learning about during Bible class. We just finished creating a six-petaled flower with each petal representing a day of creation. It sounds kindof pretty for a four and a half year old who has never had a lesson.

JHSA Update

The Joos Home School Academy is about to finish another week. Tomorrow will be our last day of formal studies for this week as we have our first field trip on Friday! We are going to a farm with some other home schoolers to get a tour and then work our way through the fantastic maze! Click on the link to take a look of the aerial view.

This week the focus in their Beginnings class has been on police officers. (Their "snack of the week was a traffic light!) Thankfully, it hasn't been as traumatic as the fire safety week. I haven't had any questions about criminals. They got to see a police officer, a squad car, and see all of the different things an officer has to carry. Did you know that police officers call their walkie-talkies "WT's"? Today they learned about fingerprints and made a little fingerprint mouse. It was all so exciting and new.

Marshall and Shaylen have also been learning how to read. They can easily see "here" and "is" and then work through some of the "it" and "in" families. They are so excited that they can finally "read". You and I both know this is just the beginning, but to them it is priceless. I am proud of their efforts.

In Math they have been working on pictographs. They've learned how to determine which group has fewer and which has the most. They have also been categorizing items into their own groups and figuring out which item in a group is different than the rest. It is very easy for them right now, but I know that all too soon it will be more of a challenge for them. They gradually work into the tougher concepts.

Tomorrow Marshall and Shaylen get a new reader. It is entitled Grandpa's Bible. This reader will be the first one that has words in it and they will be able to read them! I'll try and get a video of that on the blog. This last week Marshall and Shaylen enjoyed telling their stories to a very proud Uncle and Aunt from Washington. I loved listening to them be expressive and carry the plot all the way through the story. Good job kiddos!

Chicken Broccoli Pasta Shells

It's been a while since I posted a recipe on the blog. These chicken broccoli pasta shells are always a hit in our family. They are super easy to make and always fly out of the casserole dish at potlucks. (This recipe is not original with me. I got this recipe from a fellow twin mommy.)

Chicken Broccoli Pasta Shells

1 jar (16oz.) Alfredo sauce
2 cups frozen chopped broccoli (thawed)
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
21 jumbo pasta shells (cooked and drained)

In a large bowl, combine Alfredo sauce, broccoli, chicken and cheeses. Spoon into shells. In a greased 9x13 baking dish, cover & bake for 45 minutes @ 350 degrees. (Can also be microwaved as needed. Be sure to cover when reheating so the pasta doesn't dry out.)

Enjoy!