Monday, April 4, 2016

Cookie Baking Night 04/04/2016

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Emily, Ethan, Carissa, Alli, and Rylar.



The evening started with a lively game of Zingo



followed by a little homework doing by Ethan 



And then on with the baking. Tonight we decided to use up the bananas from the freezer and make some banana bread. When it was pointed out to me that banana bread is not a cookie, I suggested we focus on the "baking night" part of Cookie Baking Night this evening. The kids laughed and then recounted all the other things we make from time to time that are not actually cookies (like pumpkin patch brownies, dirt cups, etc.)




We made two kinds of banana bread, cinnamon-walnut and chocolate chip. 


Here's Aunt Katrina's tip of the day with banana bread. Line the pan with parchment paper before you pour in the batter. When the bread is done baking, you can lift it out of the pan by the parchment paper. That leaves you with an easy-to-clean pan and an easier way to cut banana bread. 



Tonight was filled with special treats for us. We went on our first walk of the season to the local gas station for a treat (something to drink tonight, a little too cold for ice cream yet) and Uncle Greg came with us! It was a fun time. 


Our Bible time this evening was a sweet time as well. We read from Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland. We read lesson 28 titled "God Cares For Us". This lesson took us back to the life of King David when he was a shepherd. We talked about how David took good care of his sheep as a shepherd. We also learned how Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. He takes good care of his sheep, and we are his sheep. When we got to the part of the lesson where we would read from the Bible, our text tonight was Psalm 23, and I asked my mom, Clara, if she would recite it for us, as I knew she had this one memorized. She was concerned she wouldn't remember it all as her memory is not the same since her stroke last year, but she recited it perfectly. It was a great lesson for us to see how God's Word hidden in our hearts remains there and stands the test of time and illness. God is truly faithful!

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 



Tonight's Cookie Baking Night was filled with sweet moments and sweet treats and, as usual, a fun time was had by all. 



Saturday, April 2, 2016

Just for fun



Uncle Greg the Human Jungle Gym


Enzo (2-1/2) and Rylar (4) had some fun with Uncle Greg at a family birthday party this weekend. Warning: Some of the pictures are blurry because action shots come with a price. 






Enzo has a lot of words in his 2-1/2 year old vocabulary, but very few of them make there way into a full sentence. In keeping with that theme, after struggling for a few minutes to push Uncle Greg over in his own strength he finally uttered one single word "Hard". He's little, but wise. 




By the expressions on all the faces, you'll be hard pressed to know just who was having the most fun, the boys or Uncle Greg. 



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