Cookie Baking Night 01/26/15

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Ethan, Carissa, Alli, and Rylar. We made peanut butter surprise cookies (peanut butter cookies with a peanut butter cup in the middle of them).

As everyone was arriving tonight, Ethan helped me with supper preparation by cutting up strawberries. He did a great job. 

Now for the cookies ... first, the unwrapping of the peanut butter cups

Once the dough was made, we put a peanut butter cup in the center of it and rolled it into a ball. 

The finished product. Yummy. 

In between supper, baking cookies, Bible lesson time (Leading Little Ones to God - Lesson 2 -"We Cannot See God"), and a few games of Zingo, the kids played a lively game of Hide and Seek. Rylar was always torn between hiding or counting, no matter whose turn it was. A few times he counted right next to the person who was "it" at the time (as pictured above) and when that person (Carissa in this case) finished counting they would open their eyes and say "Rylar, I found you." And then he would laugh. It didn't seem to diminish the joy of the game for him one bit. 

Another Cookie Baking Night has come and gone and, as usual, a fun time was had by all. 

Nephew Musings (of Basketballs & Birthdays)

Tonight was our nephew Ethan's birthday. He turned 12 years old today. He spent his birthday evening playing in a basketball tournament, and I (as well as several other family members) was able to go check out the action. I think it was particularly special because the tournament was held at his own school. His team is doing well this year. They've lost only one game this season, and they won their first game of the tournament, so they're still in the running for championship.

Happy Birthday, buddy! We're ever so glad God has placed you in our lives. 

Cookie Baking Night 01/12/15

Tonight was the first Cookie Baking Night of 2015, and it was a full house. The whole gang was here. In attendance this evening: Emily, Ethan, Carissa, Alli, and Rylar. Tonight was also Ethan's birthday choice (he'll turn 12 years old at the end of this week). As is our practice here at Cookie Baking Nights, the birthday person gets to choose what we have for supper and what kind of cookie we bake. For supper, Ethan chose Cheese Pizza, Cheesy Fries, Raspberries w/cream and for his cookie he chose the classic Chocolate Chip Cookie.

It was a full dining room table tonight

Tonight we returned to Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland. Since we have little ones among us again, we thought we'd work through this book one more time. Emily read the first lesson tonight and she started her introduction with "Do you know what this book represents? Answer: Four years of our lives (that's how long it took us to get through it the first time at a pace of one lesson per Cookie Baking Night, every two weeks, and over 80 lessons). Reading a systematic theology for children that teaches them to think big thoughts about God is 4 years well spent in my opinion. 

It was fun to watch Emily take on the responsibility for reading the lesson tonight. She did a great job, and I daresay she might have even learned more by teaching it to the others than she would have simply by listening to me. Ethan read Psalm 103 from the Bible for us. 

Happy Birthday, Ethan! May you know God more this year than you did the year before. We're so grateful God has allowed us the opportunity to be part of your life. 

It's shaping up to be a good year here at Cookie Baking Nights. As usual, a fun time was had by all. 

Vacation Musings

Since it was our 20th wedding anniversary, and we never had an official honeymoon, we decided to take an anniversary trip this year between Christmas and New Years. We visited the state of California. We flew into San Francisco the day after Christmas, drove up and down the coast for 7 days, and flew back out of San Francisco on January 2. It was a lovely time. We are grateful to God for this opportunity. Here are a few of the highlights.

San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz Island

Fishermans Wharf

Lombard Street "Crookedest Street"

Trolley Car

Drive-Thru-Tree Park, Leggett CA

Visited our friends, Sam & Judy, in Murrieta, CA

Spent New Year's Eve day at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA

We don't know these ladies, but I thought this scene looked like something straight out of a commercial for Disneyland. Whenever Mickey (or any other character) appeared in the park, a long line soon formed for an opportunity to have a picture taken with them. 

Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach CA

Hollywood Blvd

Muir Woods National Monument Park, Mill Valley, CA

The above picture was digitally enhanced by Google, but beautiful nonetheless. 

January 3, back to Minnesota reality, but we sure did enjoy a coat-free sunny week in California while it lasted.