Cutie Cousins!

We went to my Aunt Jackie's so that Norah could meet her 2nd cousin Carson this Saturday. He is about 1 month younger and 3 lbs. bigger! They did catch each other's eye for a moment! What could they be thinking?

Thanksgiving #2

Thanksgiving at Nana and Papa's! We did some eating (ok, lots of eating), four-wheeling, game playing, shooting and hanging out. We missed you Price family!

Photos, top to bottom; Dan and baby girl, Cooper a.k.a. "pa" showing off his cowboy boots, Wendell II, Sophia & Norah and Shannon, Rita and Terri (very pregnant!!) riding four-wheelers, the girls - Sophia and Norah!

Thanksgiving #1

This year we were fortunate enough to have two Thanksgivings! On Thanksgiving Day we went to celebrate with some good friends of ours from small group. Here are our wonderful hosts, Aaron and Emily!

Norah at her first Thanksgiving! Of course, she'll have to wait till next year to try the turkey!

The first Thanksgiving for Norah and Breven!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you land!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100

Legoland Discovery Center

We've been planning this trip since Jake's birthday in October and we today did it! Dan had the day off and we were off to Karate then on our way to the Legoland Discovery Center.

We finally made it after a slight detour due to an incorrect map (I do not recommend Google Maps). You can't miss this store!
We were greeted with a salute and a toot! I guess that is why his eyes are crossed!

My favorite part: the Lego mini-city, Chicago version. I still had to turn my camera to get all of the Sears Tower in!

On to the Lego jungle! Tigers and . . .

monkeys . . .

and hippos, oh my!

Norah wasn't quite sure what to make of all this! She looks a little bewildered - or is she just pooping?

And if you're in a jungle, you'll need . . . Indiana Jones!

Do you see any resemblance??

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is our Lego factory tour. I must say I was a little disappointed with it. Yes, it did show the process, but it wasn't actually making Legos - and the boys knew it.

First, they start with different colors of plastic granules.

The granules are then melted . . .
And put into a mold . . .

and Lego bricks! We each got to take home a Lego Discovery Center brick.

Next up: The Hall of Heroes! Who doesn't love R2?!

I think Luke is trying to look like Vader!

Through-out the center, they had some famous works of art - Lego style! The boys studied Van Gogh's art last year and remembered this one!

Dan and I joined in on the fun too!

We even got to take a Lego building class - what a job!

Assembling the Sears Tower . . .

The last stop (besides the store), Legos building tables. This made Dan feel a little better.

Afterward, we drove into downtown Chicago for have dinner with Uncle Wendell and Shannon. We ate at an Italian place called Club Lago - it only seemed appropriate! I brought the camera in and forgot to use it! But it was wonderful and Luke and Micah tried some calamari for the first time and loved it!

1st Trimester Break!

See all those checks? We did it!

We made it through our first trimester of the 09/10 school year!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I recently got together with some ladies from our small group to make another batch of laundry detergent. It is really quite simple and quick! The recipe I got from this site.

Ingredients are: Borax, Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, Fels-naptha Soap and water! You will also need a grater, saucepan (4 cup capacity), measuring cups (1 and 1/2) and a 5 gallon bucket and lid! The bucket will need to be filled with warm tap water about half way.
You can do this in your bathtub if that is easier. I know - exciting picture!

Grate the bar of soap into the saucepan. Add 4 cups of hot tap water.

Stir on medium heat until it is all dissolved. Be patient! I wasn't the first time and it boiled over! Not that big of a deal, I ended up with a really clean stove top (it is soap after all)!

When it is dissolved, add to 1/2 bucket of warm water. Add in 1 cup of Arm & Hammer and 1/2 cup of Borax. Mix until all the soap is dissolved. The hotter the water, the quicker this will be.

Next step - add more water! Fill the bucket almost to the top. Put a lid on it and let sit overnight.

The end result - a big bucket of slime! Your kids will love it! It does gel up, so before putting some in a smaller container, mix it up again and each time after. Then put equal parts water and detergent in an old laundry detergent container (recycle!) and shake well. I use a top loading machine, so I use 5/8th of a cup with each load. I just measured the amount the cap to my container held and now I know to use 2 capfuls. Have fun and happy laundering!

4 month check-up

Norah had her 4 month check-up today! Dan's dad came over to watch the boys - I didn't really want to take all my healthy kiddos into a doctor office waiting area! Thanks Rick!

Norah weighed in at 15 lbs. and 5 oz. She is 25 1/2 inches long. That puts her in the 90th percentile! I'll have to remember she was up there when she plummets down to the 25th like the boys did!

Norah is 4 months old!

Here she is at 4 months! Wow . . .how time flies! She is very happy and lights up when anyone talks to her (or in her general direction)! She has been sleeping great and Jake has gotten her to roll over from her tummy to back once! She has started drooling - alot - working on teeth already??
Norah and Daddy! She gets those cheeks from him!

And I had to have a picture of her chubbiness! I just love little fat naked babies! Don't you just want to pinch those cheeks?!

Trying new things

We decided to try something new with our fruits and veggies. We order and purchase them from a local organic wholesaler. They have a program that offers fruits and veggies or a combo once a week. The boxes vary every week. They email the selections, you reply by the deadline, pay and pick up the next week. They also send home any specific recipes, handling instructions for the not-so-normal produce. I don't usually buy organic, so I'm not sure how cost effective it is, but it is nice to have it on hand. I think we are more likely to eat it if it is already in our house. Here is our first box. So far everything has been delicious! Now I wouldn't normally buy a bag of pears, kale, ginger root or a pomegranate, but . . . Jake and I are really enjoying the pears, we cooked the kale the first night and loved it, we had the pomegranate tonight and I've yet to research a recipe that I need fresh ginger for. Hopefully it keeps for a little while. Overall, I am very happy with the program for many reasons: eating organic is healthier, trying new things is good for all of us and is bonding us as a family, and we are all learning alot about the food we eat.