Who Needs Sonic?

With summer officially underway, I have to give recognition to the simple things that make summer my favorite time of the year. We've enjoyed sprinklers, popsicles, the river and late nights outside to mention just a few. I also love an ice cold drink--pop, lemonade, Slurpees and of course water. I came across this recipe for a cherry limeade that sounded similar to the YUMMY Sonic version but healthier. We tried it tonight with cherries from our tree (another summer favorite--cherry season). We were pretty happy with the results bit did add a bit more Splenda to make it less tart. Definitely worth sharing:

Cherry Limeade

1/2 cup frozen cherries

2 T. fresh lime juice

1 T. Splenda (I would say 1-1/2 T.)

1/2 cup ice

8 ounces sparkiling water

Combine in a blender and process until smooth. Makes one serving.

Enjoy! Happy summer!

Hooray for the Month of May!

The countdown continues at our home for school to be out for the summer! Well, at least for four of us. Mom and Bradley aren't quite ready for the invasion yet. Before we get thrown into summer, just wanted to share a bit about our happenings lately. We tried to make up for Amanda's "birthday on the move" and let her have a few friends sleep over. It was so nice to have a place to throw the girls and not hear them but most of all, not wake up Bradley! We had a Mother's Day BBQ with both families and broke in the new blender I got for Mother's Day (see earlier post). We also celebrated my "25th or so" birthday (as my friend's sign on my door so sweetly stated) by going to The Mandarin House with a few other couples and playing games at our house. We then loaded up and headed to Waitts Lake for some beautiful weather, fun and relaxation. It was sad the weekend went by so fast but we needed to come home--we still have more unpacking to do. One of my personal highlights was running around the lake for the first time ever. My mom and sister and I have a very long-standing tradition of walking the hilly 4.6-mile road at least twice during the weekend every year. This year, my sister and I knew we were ready and attempted to run the distance instead of walk. We did it and really enjoyed it! We spent last weekend doing a yard sale with two other families. I haven't done a yard sale in a long time and had forgotten how much work they are!

I have also been experiencing a new level of motherhood; celebrating successes and challenges with Amanda and Jared that as they get older I realize are out of my control. For example, Amanda ran for an ASB office and then didn't make it. She was then turned down for a position in leadership. I was so proud of her for running! I was sad with her but couldn't make it better. It seems easier when you know what to say or how to solve the disappointment. When did it get to the point where I can't put a Band-Aid on it anymore and kiss it better? Jared, too, went through some confidence struggles with pitching and batting this season. Nate and I and his coaches worked extensively with him to change the mechanics of his swing, etc. but in the end we realized it was something he had to figure out for himself. Once he did, the reward was much sweeter for him and for us. It is amazing to see these kids grow and become their own person. I find myself recognizing that the Lord has a plan for them as individuals and as they experience these things and while I am a part of it, I certainly cannot be the director but sometimes I really would like to be! It will be funny to look back on this stage and realize it is probably a walk in the park but for now it is a new experience for me and makes me want to thoroughly enjoy every time I can still "kiss it and make it better."

Getting Back with the Program

Wow! I wish I could say I was on vacation but moving is definitely no vacation. We are getting settled slowly but surely in our home! My first post post-move will be to respond to Shelli and Jodi's tags--I figure if I got tagged twice, I should probably do it. I hope I do this right; here goes:

(Tagged by Shelli and Jodi)
4 Places I go Over and Over:
1. Sunmart
2. Costco and Target
3. My kids' schools
4. The baseball fields

4 People Who Email Me:
1. The ladies at the office I transcribe for
2. My Mom
3. Michelle
4. Sherrie

4 of My Favorite Foods:
1. Popcorn
2. M & Ms
3. Chicken (grilled usually)
4. Quizno's flatbread salads

4 Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. Mexico
2. Hawaii
3. Disneyworld
4. The gym (I just ate a lot of treats for Mother's Day)

4 People I Think Will Respond (This means I tag you)
1. Kirsten
2. Jenny
3. Jen
4. I don't think anyone else reads my blog that has a blog and hasn't already been tagged???

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
1. The Wedding Singer
2. Madagascar
3. The Notebook
4. Enchanted (as of recently)

Things You Gotta Love About Amanda

This Tuesday, we will officially have a teenager! I posted some recent action shots at Amanda's last track meet because she loves track right now! Here is my Amanda favorites list:

1. She tried new things this year in school--volleyball, track, science fair and has done very well!

2. She is one of the most compassionate people I know.

3. She has recently become kind of a "tree-hugger"/environmentally conscious girl, which is very fitting since she was born on Earth Day.

4. She helps out and is a good house cleaner.

5. She still likes to talk to me about what's going on in her world.

6. She works hard in school and gets good grades.

7. Her testimony of Christ and her faith in Him have grown this year.

8. She is friendly.

9. She is grateful.

10. She loves to go with her mom and/or grandma/aunt to the mall.

11. She is learning how to cook--yea!

12. She loves to accessorize.

13. She is a very important part of our family and we love her dearly for being our oldest "guinea pig!"

We love you, Amanda. Happy 13th birthday!

Having Fun on Spring Break

Between packing and taking care of house stuff, we took a trip up to Hayden, ID/Rathdrum, ID to go to Triple Play--an indoor waterpark and amusement center. It was a great way to escape the cold weather and we had a great time. In all fairness I tried to post pictures of everyone, which is why you only see my back side in the shot--that's the only non-blurry picture of me. I'm like a witch or something that doesn't photograph well, I think. Our cousin, Jordan, also joined us, which made Megan very happy. We also had a great time when the Webb family stayed with us on their way home from Idaho. I wish we would have taken pics, Jenny! I know we talked about it but we were too busy talking and having fun. It was so great to go running in the beautiful weather we had at the end of the week; I loved it! We also celebrated Grandma's (Floyd) birthday with a BBQ on Saturday at the park--a great way to end the week. I feel like we made some progress in packing but I'm sure it won't feel like much as we get closer to the move date of April 30! The picture of our new home is above. I added it late and can't figure out how to type directly under the photograph so there you have it!

Is It Spring Yet?

Although we tried to be springy and warm for Easter, it's been so cold! We had a very nice holiday celebrating as a family and then with both families later in the day. It has been so odd to see snow falling this week in the Tri-Cities and have such cold temps for the end of March. I am very anxious for warm weather!

Things You Gotta Love About Jared

Happy 10th birthday Jared!!! This post is long overdue but only because we have been actively participating in Jared's activities among other things . . . The pinewood derby was actually on his birthday, so that's what we did. Dad took him out for ice cream and a "birthday interview" afterwards. This year, the kids decided on a Wii for their birthdays instead of throwing birthday parties so Jared had a couple of friends come over to play the new Wii (we're all having fun with it, I admit) and Mom and Dad got off easy this year. As you can see from above, Jared also has been busy pitching for his baseball team. As his parents, both Nate and I get very nervous watching him--we can hardly stand it. Well, without further delay, here are my favorite things about Jared:

1. He makes VERY good choices and wants to do the right thing.

2 He is loving to everyone in the family and is still my best cuddler.

3. He has a good sense of humor.

4. He loves to read the sports page of the paper to me including rankings and scores from any and every sport.

5. He is a great friend.

6. He is compassionate.

7. He is very talented and works hard at everything he tries from piano to pitching.

8. He is great at math.

9. He will hang out with me--go on errands, etc.

10. We feel so blessed to have him in our family!

We love you Jared! Hope you have a great 10th year!