December 13, 2015, at 9:37 pm | A friend of our family is a high school science teacher who has a passion for getting kids excited about science. So I was thrilled when he offered to drive halfway across the state to give our kids an in-home science lesson, complete with ooey-gooey edible experiments! Here’s Tim reading to our kids from one of his childhood science books (featuring the Peanuts characters – so cute!):
And here he is helping the kids make their very own rock candy. It took a whopping NINE cups of sugar to make the syrup!
After boiling the sugar and water together, he let the kids add different food colorings to their glasses, then stuck a wooden skewer in for the sugar to crystalize around. I nearly had a heart attack letting the kids near food coloring, but we all emerged unscathed!
Tonight, after waiting the necessary week for the crystals to form, we attempted to remove the skewers. Only one of the glasses worked, but I figured that was a valuable lesson in trial and error for the kids (let alone a lesson in patience for us all as we eagerly waited a week to eat that sugar!):
After the rock candy, Tim embarked on what I would consider the messiest science experiment my kids (and kitchen) have ever seen: Oobleck! I have a vague memory of making oobleck myself as a kid, but now thanks to Tim’s teaching, I now know that oobleck is a non-Newtonian liquid – meaning, it has characteristics of both a liquid and a solid. So when you dip your hand in the cornstarch/water mixture, it feels like a liquid, but then you can squeeze and grab it like a solid, and as soon as you take your hands out, it drips off like a liquid again. It was crazy! And fun! And very, very, VERY messy! But very worth it! We can’t thank Tim enough for his thoughtfulness and expertise!
 
December 11, 2015, at 8:20 pm |
December 9, 2015, at 9:44 pm | These boys may have zero interest in coloring, drawing or holding any kind of a writing instrument…but let them wield a paint brush, and they’re happy campers!
December 8, 2015, at 11:54 pm | Quite a few weeks ago, the girls and I ended up with a Saturday to ourselves, so we decided to hit the shops! If I remember correctly, we went to about five different stores, and the girls were still begging for more. They definitely have more of their Grammie’s shopping endurance than I do! One of the stores we visited was Michaels, where the girls each bought some craft supplies for that afternoon. Becky bought a wooden sign, stamps and stickers, and Susie bought fabric and a little sewing kit. The girls both went right to work as soon as we got home, and we were all so proud of their creations!
Susie made a little purse, complete with a button closure:
 
And here’s Becky’s sparkly wall hanging:
 
December 7, 2015, at 9:41 pm | Jimmy: “I’m listening to a song.”
Me, not hearing any sounds: “What??”
Jimmy: “I’m not singing. My head is.”
*****
Jimmy: “I had a big cold yesterday. It’s the same one I have today.”
*****
Jimmy : “Policemen’s hair is usually black.”
Me: “No bud it’s not. It can be any color, or no hair.”
Jimmy: “I think they would look better with hair.”
*****
Danny: “What if you put pretend mints and gum and a storm trooper mask on a snowmobile. Then I will ride a mint gum storm trooper snowmobile.”
******
Becky: "We have to get a dog before the rapture. Get shopping tonight, just in case."
******
Danny: “I’m cold. Shiver me timbers.”
December 6, 2015, at 8:53 pm | Since we were flying back to Connecticut on Thanksgiving day, we decided to celebrate a day early in Arizona. We started off our holiday with a trip to the park:
 
Then we had a family photo shoot, courtesy of cousin Alli. Many thanks to Alli for once again making our family look good for our Christmas card!
Then, it was feasting time! Julie, her mom, and her mother-in-law Jean really out did themselves. We were just sad we didn’t get to stay for the leftovers – we were dreaming of them while eating our official Thanksgiving meal the next day at McDonalds on the way home from the airport!
Then came the kids’ play, starring Max as the feathered friend:
 
 
Here are the boys showing off their costumes (Jimmy is taking his role as the soldier very seriously):
Captain American made a brief cameo:
Then it was dessert time. We were treated to our friend Tim’s amazing homemade scones:
And we finished off the day by sitting around the outdoor fireplace:
 
We had a very happy holiday!
December 4, 2015, at 11:07 pm | The kids put on an adorable Thanksgiving play on our last day in Arizona. It was 100% kid-inspired, directed, decorated, and performed. And as much as we all thought the kids did an amazing job, it was the dog Max that stole the show as the Thanksgiving turkey (complete with a paper beak hung on his nose). He dutifully sat in the middle of the “table” and allowed himself to get “cut” with plastic utensils as the pilgrims and Indians shared their first feast together. Bravo, Max!
Here’s the last bit of the play where they “carved” the “turkey”:
December 3, 2015, at 10:05 pm | The day after our Sedona journey, we took my parents on their first visit to a Cabela’s store (a.k.a. my kids’ favorite store ever!). Then we had to say goodbye to them as they caught a plane back to California.  
Afterward, we girls went to the American Girl store where the kids picked out some early Christmas presents.
 
And then we then met the boys at an arcade/laser-tag venue, where the big boys (Jim and Jon) won an insane amount of tickets! Danny slept through most of it, but still awoke in time to claim his fair share of the prize loot. It was fun for all!
 
December 2, 2015, at 11:14 pm |
December 1, 2015, at 11:28 pm |
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ABOUT US I'm blessed to be saved by the grace of God, loved by my wonderful husband Jim, and embraced by my twin girls, Rebecca Faith and Susanna Joy and my sons Jimmy and Danny. I started this blog in May 2008 when I was hospitalized for pre-term labor at 24 weeks gestation. The Lord allowed me to keep the girls inside until they were 34 weeks along, and on July 27th, Rebecca made her debut, followed by Susanna, five minutes later, on July 28th. We ecstatically welcomed Jimmy into our lives on April 25th, 2011, and Danny on August 31, 2012. This blog has been a personal journal of faith and motherhood and the only way I can remember which child did what and when. Thanks for stopping by to share in my Faith and Joy! Feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected]. |
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