Monday Musings

I baked a cake for a friends baby shower.

I love baking but it is not really the time of the year to get too carried away. It was 112 degrees outside when I seriously thought about skipping out and heading down to pick up a Costco cake. I am glad I stuck with it though. It turned out pretty cute, I think :-)

Grandpa and Grandma Cookie arrived and promptly got to playing and teaching the young ones. So grateful that they had a safe trip and are here to visit. :-)

Too cute! We were at our Pool Day with our Homeschool group and Mini Chip was getting tired. He built his own bed and tried to take a nap :-)

VBS Wrap-up Night's singing made the boy's eyes open and make him appear awake, but that doesn't mean he had to act the part. But Daddy sure makes a great recliner to safely check out the noisy business from. 

Mini Chip is plain pooped from all the learning, playing, and sweltering temperatures.

The big kids (including Mr. Cookie) swimming with Grandpa Cookie. After swimming around for a bit, Grandpa informed us that he had never been in a pool before. WOW!! The girls sure had fun showing him how fun it was to get a little excercise in! :-)

Grandma Cookie receiving singing lessons from the littlest one.

Sometimes random pictures turn up on my camera... LOVE IT!!

Oreo hanging out with her best buddies at Pool Day>

Our Favorite Mayor

This is Oreo Cookie. I would like to share with you the story of her life this past week.

Amy is the real Mayor of Junior Achievement's BizTown.

The story behind her running for mayor in the first place warms my heart and makes this Mama well up with tears.

Two weeks ago, as we were wrapping up our studies associated with attending JA BizTown, we looked over the citizens running for Mayor and DJ in the town. We discovered that there were 8 people running for DJ including our very own Butterscotch Cookie! Oh, the competition! So exciting!

However, there was not one citizen running to be the towns Mayor. This was upsetting news to Oreo. She was concerned that there could be no town without a leader. She seemed to be distracted most of the rest of that day. She approached her Dad and I late the same day and asked loads of questions, as her sweet self is prone to do, and then asked if it would be okay if she prepared a speech just in case no one else stepped up to run for Mayor. After all, if the town needed a Mayor, someone had to step up and do the job.

The next morning when we checked there were 4 others running for mayor. We went to church and afterwards Oreo told us that she had thought about it alot and was going to run for mayor anyway! So exciting!
The following day at BizTown she gave an awesome speech to her fellow citizens. She stood tall and spoke loudly and clearly. The other candidates did very well also. When the votes had been tallied, she had won! She was voted in by her peers and will make an excellent Mayor!
Due to an unforeseen and sad display of adult behavior, Amy was unable to perform her duties as Mayor that day due to absolutely no fault of her own. Many tears have been shed by her, this Mama, her dear friends, and their Mama's too. These people know who the REAL MAYOR of JA BizTown was that day. No one can change that. The life lessons, hard, sad, and real... will be with us always.

Amy is amazing to us as her parents. She is the most caring, sensitive girl we know. This has been a week so full of emotional ups and downs that it has left us exhausted. But God has got our backs! He has lifted us up, brushed us off, and prepared us for the next wonderful challenge this life has to offer. Go Oreo!!

Ice skating

We went ice skating with friends yesterday.

It was tons of fun.

Butterscotch Chip was really good at it and helped teach the younger kids. I don't know what we would have done without her! I have not done much like this since having Mini Chip.

We got to meet some friends of friends which was really great. We have heard lots about them and it was nice to finally put faces with the names.

(I didn't show them here because I don't have their permission.)

Mini Chip had to...

...curl his hair in preparation for the fun!

Lol!

Apparently he had been watching me curl Chocolate Chips hair :-)

Every once in a while it's fun to be reminded that even at 18 months, they are watching your every move and waiting for an opportunity to mimic it back for you :-)

Umm, Where's October? Part 1

I'm pretty sure every year comes standard with one, but this year it seems to have disappeared!

So, I am going through my pictures to see if I can find it...

Turns out it was a very good month!

It started out fast... Nate's new Corvette...

SWEET!!!

It was fun to drive!

We traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico with some friends...

Played games, acted silly in the mirror...

and went to the Balloon Fiesta and saw the special shapes balloons take shape!

WOW!!!

It was SOOO good to be chilly too!

This balloon owner asked us if we wanted to climb into his basket... ummm, YUP!

You REALLY have to see this in real life...

the pictures do nothing for the massive size of these balloons!

Off to Killeen, Texas... VERY long drive.

 But TOTALLY worth it!

 We really do love traveling, especially when at the end is someone so amazing and wonderful!

 Spending some time with Dad.

One of the greatest things about homeschool...

 It doesn't matter where you are.

 We LOVE homeschool!

This boy LOVES his Daddy's watch!

 It fits him well... well someday! :-)

 Snack time.

 LOVE THE KISSES!!!!

 It is a great adventure God has led us to...

Sweet!

 Aren't they just so awesome!

 Little man so proud in his little boots and overalls.

Such a happy boy! He is just such a joy!

Drove back to Albuquerque, New Mexico...

 Starbucks sword fighting...

 We stayed with friends in Albuquerque. While we were there we were able to visited Old Town... very fun!

 Oreo and her best buddy.
This family is simply wonderful!

We learned that we REALLY love New Mexico food...

Sopapillas with honey and Green Chili...

Mmmm, MMmm, MMMmmm!

Even Miss Chocolate Chip loved the sopapillas with honey!

Back in the car for the trip back to Phoenix we were blessed to see...

 Snow capped mountains!

Breathtakingly beautiful!!

 SNOW CAPPED MOUNTAINS!!

 We had only heard about them and saw pictures in books.

I think I need to make this a two part finding October post...

See you in Part 2!

Hugs,

Mrs. Cookie

Back to School...

This week we started back at school!

Welcome Schoolyear 2011-2012

:-)

We REALLY LOVE school!!

Oreo Cookie is always the first to rise and shine!

Happy and eager to see what the day brings!

Not too far behind her is Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Always bright eyed and bushy tailed!

The girls got some exercise via the WII.

Not sure how I didn't get a picture of Chocolate Chip at her desk.

Much later...
and not very bright eyed...
and certainly NOT bushy tailed...

The sweet and adorable Butterscotch Chip Cookie rolls out.

If she wants to wake up happy, she can. And she is really focusing on blessing her family in the morning this way during the month of August. When September arrives, she is going to have it mastered!

Mini Chip had a very full morning and couldn't quite make it through lunch!

CUTE!!

Before lunch he had plenty of vim and vigor!

He has turned into something of a peanut butter caper!

Influences of his big brother I'm sure!

Loving life, Christina

Christina's Cacklings

I have much on my brain today and thought I would type it instead of write it and create a post and organize my thoughts at the same time. :-)

Cactus in bloom.

My family is a very snacky family.

I aim to change that!

Mommy's Little Helper.
Organizing books by topic on the shelves.

This morning I woke up and decided to make some of the changes I have been thinking, talking, and dreaming about a reality.

Hiking while on our camping trip June 24, 2011.

For starters, I made hard boiled eggs and celery/carrot sticks for the refridgerator, and washed some grapes for the counter. I know, you are thinking that this is encouraging snacking... TRUST me! We are already snacky and fast foody thanks to our recent Minnesota trip. My idea is to take the junk out of our snacking first and make our meals more nutritional and filling which in my mind will automatically reduce the snackiness of our lives.

Time will tell.

Hiking while on our camping trip June 24, 2011.

Then, I have this crazy idea that my family needs to love beans... must be something southern... or something. In Minnesota, we called them legumes. YUCK!! I do NOT want my family to love legumes! I want them to love beans. Beans are so nutritional and filling and just good for you.

I also have this idea in my head to make chili flavored pinto beans. I can find no recipe for them, so, I made it up. I'll let you know if it works out. Anyways, these yummy and filling beans can also be in the fridge for quick meals in tortillas, cheese topped, or whatever.

Hiking while on our camping trip June 24, 2011.

Today, I definitely need to get more school planning done. The trip back home was not very good timing for school planning type things. It was very good for other things, just not for school planning. Which reminds me, please be praying for my Dad, I do not want to explain it right now, but he is not in good health and has started chemotherapy last week.

I purchased a new curriculum, Tapestry of Grace. I like to make my own curriculum/schedule but this is such wonderful curriculum and so flexible and covers so many levels and... I think it will help me to not stress out about covering everything. Also, I LOVE that all of my children study the same thing, at their own level, and that their writing, reading, etc. is all based on history. Last year it seemed that history and science were the first to go if something else came up, which was often. This year, they are in a science co-op with some members of our AWESOME homeschool group and the rest of their studies center around history.

I love the exciting feeling of a fresh new year!

Oh, the potential!!

:-)

Anyway, I also purchased the teacher training cds for Tapestry of Grace. That is what I am trying to get through yesterday and today. Then, I will finish planning the first 3 weeks of school so we can go school shopping and get started on the 15th. It feels very rushed, probably because it is, and like not enough planning, but by only doing the first three weeks, I won't throw away any planning if I decide to change things up... learning curve :-)

Hiking and shooting while on our camping trip June 24, 2011.

Also, decluttering needs to happen this week. Closets and dressers are overflowing! This frustrates me and needs to be remedied. We usually do this kind of continually, but it has really backed up around here. It frustrates me because everything takes longer to accomplish if there is excess clutter. Laundry, room tidying, and there is not a home for everything. Even the games and books are crazy.

One thing that is harder for me is that my wonderful husband has asked us to not have garage sales and to just donate everything instead. He feels that with being new to homeschooling 3 kids, new to Arizona, and a new baby boy it makes more sense. I do agree with him, not that I have to, it is just hard for my brain to adjust to the idea.

Sweet little monkey boy
Camping June 24, 2011

Okay, I feel the need to DO something now, so, wish me luck! :-

 I think this is going to be a new heading for me to simply ramble about whatever... I am thinking that in this case, less boundaries will mean less stress.

{{HUGS}}

Christina :-)