Adventures in Mommyhood

We had a big day here today... Fisher learned to ride his bike!  Just yesterday I was trying to help him learn and he was sobbing and saying things like, "You KNOW I'll never learn to ride my bike!  You promised me only one more try!  I want to ride my scooter- I HATE my bike!!!"  He was trying to learn on the 20" bike that we had gotten for him.  I realized that it was too big for him to learn on- he was too scared.  It was big and heavy and he couldn't put his feet solidly down on the ground when he started to tip.  So we hauled his old, really used bike that used to have training wheels on it out of the garage.  This time he was able to start on his own and put his feet down when he felt unsure of himself.  After a couple tries he was off and riding and saying things like... "WOW!  I can't believe how GOOD I am at this!  I LOVE riding my Two- wheeler!  This is AWESOME!!!  I just believed in myself and I CAN DO IT!!!"  Lance and I tried our best t

{this moment} {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Than a baby girl tending to her baby doll???

I made my second batch of yogurt last week.  My first batch was a little off in consistency but had really good flavor.  I did a little research and decided that I needed to make a small tweak to the process.  The second batch is really great- I am sold on it!  Everyone can eat all the yogurt they want and I am saving a ton of money!! The Process 1.  Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into a crock-pot (I have been using whole milk) 2.  Cover and turn the crock pot to LOW 3.  Let the milk heat to 180 degrees.  This will take 2.5-3.25 hours.  I used an instant read thermometer (can be purchased for <$5) 4.  Once the milk has reached 180 degrees, turn off the crock pot.  Let the milk cool in the crock pot for 3 hours. 5.  Remove 1-2 cups of the milk and place into a bowl.  Whisk in 1/2 cup of plain unsweetened yogurt.  You can use your homemade yogurt as starter after your first batch is made.  Then add the milk/yogurt mixture back to the rest of the milk in the crock pot.  Stir and then repl

{this moment} {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Here's Claire on her first day of school in September And here she is last week on her last day of preschool with her much loved teacher, Miss Julie Claire's first year of preschool is over!  She absolutely loved every minute of her time there.  She went Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings and never complained once.  I am glad she enjoyed her mornings there so much, but I am honestly happy to have preschool come to an end and am glad to be able to spend more time with her.  Now that Holland is ready to loose her morning nap, we will be able enjoy some outings together in the morning. I love the hustle and bustle of the school year, but I love it when summer comes and we are able to slow down a bit more.  Tomorrow's project:  planting the garden!

Now that summer is around the corner, I felt safe using some of the cherries in my freezer.  These are the cherries I picked last summer ; you can find my recipe on that post.  I now only have one bag left in my freezer, but since I'll be picking more in a little over a month, I'm ok with that. I would never recommend rolling out a pie crust if you don't have a pastry cloth and a rolling pin cover.  My mom taught me many things... but this may be the most important lesson I learned from her :) I decided to make a lattice top crust.  First roll out the crust, then cut into strips. Then lay the strips over the pie, leaving evenly spaced gaps between. Next lay a second set of strips over the pie running the opposite directions.  Gently lift up alternating strips of dough to form the lattice pattern.   There... aren't they pretty?  Place a pie protector over the edges and pop it in the oven After the pie is in the oven, roll out the scraps, spr

 When I woke up this morning the kids gave me this card.  Isn't it perfect?  I love it.  Today we dedicated our little Holland at church.  Our family The mothers on mother's day.  My mom, my grandma, Holland and me.  A PRAYER OF BLESSING FOR HOLLAND written by her Daddy Holland, Your Mother and I are blessed by you.  We love our strong, determined and silly little girl.  You have a big family praying for you today.  Our prayer is that you would sense God's presence in your life.  We have placed our hope in our Heavenly Father, and we wait expectantly for the moment God becomes your Hope, your Savior and your Redeemer.  We pray that you will live with strength, boldness and faithfullness.  Remember to turn and run to God for strength, even when you feel least worthy of His love. We will always love you, Mom and Dad Holland was a typical 15 month old during her dedication:  she babbled and grunted and strained pretty much the whole tim

If April Showers bring May Flowers, then I predict that May is going to be a gorgeous month!  Claire and I did a little crafty spring decorating the other day to brighten up our kitchen window...