My Funny Boy

(Lake house in Holland, MI)

Yesterday morning Ryan's car broke down on the way to work. I jumped out of bed rushing to get ready. In the meantime, Ryan went to wake up the kids and get them ready and in the car. They were both asleep, but as soon as Ryan opened the curtains and blinds Ethan said, "Are you waking me up?"

I guess he knows the drill. Funny kid.

p.s. Ryan's car has been towed to the shop (by me) and he got to work in time. Me, on the other hand, missed boot camp. Argh!

Village for the Dutch

This is one of our stops during Tulip Time "Dutch Villiage". We stock up on droppies and snoopies (for snoopy sandwiches). I am not into the salty licorice, so I stick to the ones covered in sugar. While in Holland, I made sure everyone knew Ryan's mom - Barbara is 100% dutch. I was hoping we would get something free out of it at dinner. But the 100% German waitress was not amused.

I did learn some swear words in dutch. So that is a plus. (Apparently, that is all Barbara knows)

Run Wild @ Brookfield Zoo

The Runner

The Fans

Happy Runner. Why? Well, because I ran this 5K fast! I beat my normal time by 3 minutes. YAY!

After the race we spent the rest of the morning at the zoo. I think the kids loved the giraffes and the monkeys the best. It was a great day!

Cookies!

(photo found on flickr...mine look even better)

My friend shared this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with me. They are perfecto! And are my very, very favorite!!!!

Mix together :

2/3 c shortening

2/3 c butter

1 c sugar

1 c brown sugar

2 eggs

Add the following:

2 t vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups flour

12 oz choc chips

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen.

Heeeeere's Ethan

This kid cracks me up. He comes up with some of the funniest one liners. While in Michigan, he came running down stairs and said "Here is me!!" He said it with so much enthusiasm I could not correct him. In fact he has a couple words that I never correct because they are so sweet to me.

For "airplane" he says "airclane"

For "very" he says "bery".

If he really wants to make his point he will say "bery, bery, bery". I love it! And my absolute favorite thing he said in Michigan, " You guys better not be bery sleeping"...TRANSLATION: "Grandma & Haili, you better not be sleeping right now".

Brace Brace

During our trip to Michigan, Haili played and played with the twins. At one point, Holland said to Haili "Don't tease me brace, brace". It sounds even funnier with Holland's lisp; which is more like "braith, braith"

She's a collector

I did not want to forget about this little quirk of Holland's. She loves to collect things. She picks up stuff everywhere too. Just today I found her holding a petal, a button, a sticker, and a rock. Where did she find them? I have no idea. The house, the car, the gym, the park? She will hold stuff like that all day long.

The best day of collecting was the day I went to clean the car. I told the kids to sit on the curb while I vacuumed the car. Well, unbeknownst to me Holland was picking up lots of crap during my cleaning frenzy. You can see most of the items in the picture above. It was hilarious to find her stash. And she was SO proud. I have a feeling this little girl may love a good garage sale or two.

Mother's Day in Michigan

We spent Mother's Day in Holland, Michigan. We soaked up all the wooden shoes and tulips Holland has to offer during Tulip Time. Grandma Brabra (as Holland would say) and Haili boo joined us. It was a blast! Since this was our second year enjoying the festivities, Ryan managed to find a little old house on the lake. It was the best. More photos and stories to come!

My Idol

I have been watching American Idol since the very beginning. This is the first time I have EVER done that. My kids love it, Ryan loves it, it has become a little "family time". I heart these two guys right now. I have liked Adam from way back when. Kris took me a little longer to love. BUT, his guitar and piano playing are heart melting! I think Kris is officially my number one...I have purchased more of his songs on iTunes then any other artist on AI. Go Kris!

Backyard Fun

You take a cheap swimming pool and a slide--and you have a fun afternoon! Their little squished faces are my favorite.

p.s. don't mind our WT backyard. It is currently a work in progress.

Morning Glory Muffins

photo from flickr

I made these muffins for a church activity and I fell in love after the first bite. Well, I actually ate 3 or 4. So what? They have wheat germ and oat bran. Can't have enough of that stuff, right? They are super healthy and tasty!
¾ cup sugar
2 cups flour
¼ cup miller’s bran
¼ cup rolled oats
2 Tbs. wheat germ
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt ¾ cup flaked, unsweetened coconut
1c. dark raisins
2c. grated carrots
1 apple grated
¾ cup chopped walnuts
3 eggs beaten
1c. vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
sugar

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, bran, oats, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix coconut, raisins, carrots, apple, and nuts. Add to dry ingredients. In a small bowl, beat together eggs, oil and vanilla. Add to dry mixture and stir just until blended.
Fill greased muffin tins ¾ full. Sprinkle tops with sugar to create a glaze. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Yields 18-20 muffins.*

* I usually will use the mini muffin tins. They are a great snack size for my kids.