Sunday, August 30, 2009
New Word...
Last night at dinner, I asked Allyson how she liked the grilled chicken we were eating. Kristen said, "Isn't it fabulous?" Allyson's response...."No, it's fabunot!"
Friday, August 28, 2009
Meeting Grandpa V.
This is three posts in a row about Christopher, but you'll have to endure. (I have some fun shots of Natalie for the next one and Allyson wrote a story that I'll share soon. It should be up for the Caldecott medal when it's published!)
Christopher met his Grandpa Vargason for the first time this week. The two bonded instantly. Whenever Chris made the slightest peep, my dad rushed to his side. It was so precious. He loves his granddaughters so much, but I sensed a fun new connection with his one and only grandson. Let's just say they hit it off!
Do you see any resemblance?
(Sorry for the blurry arm movement...I prefer the coloring in pics taken without the flash, but everyone has to act like a statue to get a crisp shot...I might need to take a class or something.)
Christopher met his Grandpa Vargason for the first time this week. The two bonded instantly. Whenever Chris made the slightest peep, my dad rushed to his side. It was so precious. He loves his granddaughters so much, but I sensed a fun new connection with his one and only grandson. Let's just say they hit it off!
Do you see any resemblance?
(Sorry for the blurry arm movement...I prefer the coloring in pics taken without the flash, but everyone has to act like a statue to get a crisp shot...I might need to take a class or something.)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Seriously Striped
Simply Scrumptious Set of Strapping Studs Snuggling
and Sporting Splendid Stripes. What a Sight!
and Sporting Splendid Stripes. What a Sight!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
VBS highlights...
Allyson attended VBS at a local church last week. This was her third VBS, but the first that was without her mom as the director. The night before her first day she said, "I think I'd like VBS better if you were the teacher." Fortunately, she liked it just fine without me and had a great week. She came home with some fun new bits of wisdom...
On the second day, they talked about the 10 Commandments. On the way home I was testing her a bit to see how many of the 10 she could remember. I said something like, "You should never say..." and she quickly said, "Oh, yeah. You should never say 'Oh my God.'" I confirmed her correct response, then she continued: "And you shouldn't say 'Oh my gosh.'" I agreed. Then she added, "Or 'Holy cow.'" Hmmm. Did they roll in the story of the golden calf with the 10 Commandments?
Allyson has a sweet little friend from that church who is quite outgoing and fun. Apparently they were dancing together to the morning's music, and her friend got a bit out of control. Ally exclaimed to her friend, "If we keep dancing like this, you're going to put me in the hospital!"
And on the final day, she came home with all kinds of facts about bats. Bats sleep during the day, so if you see one in the daytime, it's probably tired. Bats eat fruit and mosquitoes, so they are really helpful for us! And bats are usually afraid of humans. As she is sharing her newfound wisdom, I'm thinking, "What Bible story has bats in it? 6 years of children's ministry and I can't think of a single one!" So I finally ask her, "Why were you talking about bats today?" Her quick answer, "Oh, there was a bat in the church." Which led to my giggles, picturing the teachers throwing out these helpful facts about bats to calm the nearly hysterical children as the bat swoops around their dancing heads.
5 days after she started, our Ally-girl is older and wiser...at least about the commandments and, um, bats.
On the second day, they talked about the 10 Commandments. On the way home I was testing her a bit to see how many of the 10 she could remember. I said something like, "You should never say..." and she quickly said, "Oh, yeah. You should never say 'Oh my God.'" I confirmed her correct response, then she continued: "And you shouldn't say 'Oh my gosh.'" I agreed. Then she added, "Or 'Holy cow.'" Hmmm. Did they roll in the story of the golden calf with the 10 Commandments?
Allyson has a sweet little friend from that church who is quite outgoing and fun. Apparently they were dancing together to the morning's music, and her friend got a bit out of control. Ally exclaimed to her friend, "If we keep dancing like this, you're going to put me in the hospital!"
And on the final day, she came home with all kinds of facts about bats. Bats sleep during the day, so if you see one in the daytime, it's probably tired. Bats eat fruit and mosquitoes, so they are really helpful for us! And bats are usually afraid of humans. As she is sharing her newfound wisdom, I'm thinking, "What Bible story has bats in it? 6 years of children's ministry and I can't think of a single one!" So I finally ask her, "Why were you talking about bats today?" Her quick answer, "Oh, there was a bat in the church." Which led to my giggles, picturing the teachers throwing out these helpful facts about bats to calm the nearly hysterical children as the bat swoops around their dancing heads.
5 days after she started, our Ally-girl is older and wiser...at least about the commandments and, um, bats.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Meal Worth Photographing
You will never hear me say that I'm a great cook. I'm just a basic cook. I can handle basic meals and anything with a simple-enough recipe, and that's about it.
That being said, I made a meal the other night and my sweet husband said, "You've gotta take a picture of this." WOA. I've heard that statement exactly zero times and never expect to hear it again.
So here it is. Stuffed peppers with fresh green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. Mmmmm.
And here's the bonus, the peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and garlic were plucked from our very own garden.
Since I didn't decide on stuffed peppers until my husband picked the beautiful babies from the garden, I wasn't prepared to make Maha's recipe (David's grandma). So, I improvised, and I must say, they were good. REALLY GOOD. So, in case you want to copy my stuffed pepper genius, here's the recipe. (That genius part was supposed to be sarcastic, and in case this recipe was copyrighted by someone else, I won't take credit. However, I didn't use a recipe...I did the whole thing by myself. And I felt like a big kid.)
Stuffed Peppers
2-3 peppers (we used Black Beauties, but regular old green, red, or yellow peppers would do the trick)
1/2 pound ground beef
Garlic clove
1 tomato (fresh from the garden!)
1/2 cup rice
Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper
Brown ground beef with S&P and garlic (don't overdo the garlic...a little goes a long way here). You could also do onion (fresh or salt). Meanwhile cook rice (I used instant brown rice), and chop the tomato. Drain off ground beef fat and add cooked rice and chopped tomato to the pan. Mix it all together, then add about 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Cut tops off peppers and scoop out seeds. Scoop your beef mixture into pepper shells, squishing as much in as you can. Pop into the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. You can add foil over the top if you're afraid it will dry out, but we didn't have that problem. You could also sprinkle with cheese on top for a crusty-cooked-cheese topping, but ours was great without it.
Many stuffed pepper recipes include tomato sauce, paste, or soup, but we found that the garden tomato added such a fresh flair. We loved it...and I'm making it again as soon as two more black beauties mature in the garden!
That being said, I made a meal the other night and my sweet husband said, "You've gotta take a picture of this." WOA. I've heard that statement exactly zero times and never expect to hear it again.
So here it is. Stuffed peppers with fresh green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. Mmmmm.
And here's the bonus, the peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and garlic were plucked from our very own garden.
Since I didn't decide on stuffed peppers until my husband picked the beautiful babies from the garden, I wasn't prepared to make Maha's recipe (David's grandma). So, I improvised, and I must say, they were good. REALLY GOOD. So, in case you want to copy my stuffed pepper genius, here's the recipe. (That genius part was supposed to be sarcastic, and in case this recipe was copyrighted by someone else, I won't take credit. However, I didn't use a recipe...I did the whole thing by myself. And I felt like a big kid.)
Stuffed Peppers
2-3 peppers (we used Black Beauties, but regular old green, red, or yellow peppers would do the trick)
1/2 pound ground beef
Garlic clove
1 tomato (fresh from the garden!)
1/2 cup rice
Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper
Brown ground beef with S&P and garlic (don't overdo the garlic...a little goes a long way here). You could also do onion (fresh or salt). Meanwhile cook rice (I used instant brown rice), and chop the tomato. Drain off ground beef fat and add cooked rice and chopped tomato to the pan. Mix it all together, then add about 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Cut tops off peppers and scoop out seeds. Scoop your beef mixture into pepper shells, squishing as much in as you can. Pop into the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. You can add foil over the top if you're afraid it will dry out, but we didn't have that problem. You could also sprinkle with cheese on top for a crusty-cooked-cheese topping, but ours was great without it.
Many stuffed pepper recipes include tomato sauce, paste, or soup, but we found that the garden tomato added such a fresh flair. We loved it...and I'm making it again as soon as two more black beauties mature in the garden!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sandra Vargason, 1954-2009
I've known that I wanted to write this since early Monday morning, but it is now Thursday, and I still don't know exactly what to say.
My very sweet aunt, my only close Vargason relative, passed away on Monday morning, after a brave fight against Lupus. She was my dad's only sibling and, since she never married, she had no family of her own. Because of this, she adopted Jeff and I as her own. We were always treated as treasures to her. And as adults, she became a treasure to us.
She lived in Pocatello, Idaho for most of her life. We saw her many times during my childhood (at least 3 or 4 times a year), but since following God's direction for our own lives meant moving around the country, we have seen her very little over the past several years. Isn't it amazing, though, that someone you cannot see often still has such an affect on your life? You see, she was an amazing support. Her shoulder was terribly strong and quite capable of carrying our burdens. She was incredibly generous, usually sacrificing her own needs to make another smile. She listened, truly listened, when I needed to vent, and seemed to sense when something was not quite right.
I am not one who remembers a lot of details, for whatever reason God did not bless me with a great memory, but a few stories really stand out in my brain. We always camped with her and my grandma and grandpa V. over Memorial day. One time their friends joined us with their little dog. (Now I have no idea who they were, but I did then.) At one point, Sandra and I were going on a walk and the dog came at me for some reason; again, I don't remember details real well, but I remember feeling like the dog was going to attack me and I remember Sandra yelling at the dog and kicking it (hard!) away from me. That may seem like a silly little story to remember, and at the time I was a little irritated that Sandra had kicked that little poochie. But it didn't take long to realize what had really happened. She would do anything, even kick her friend's beloved dog, to protect me from danger. I always felt safe with her. Isn't it strange the little things we remember?
And much later in life, when Dave and I were first married and living in Florida, Sandra and her friend visited us to see the sights. I remember her absolute awe at seeing the Atlantic ocean. She collected the tiniest shells, just like a child would, and collected them in a fast food drink cup. She joyously picked grapefruit from our backyard tree and ate with glee, even though the fruit would give her awful mouth sores (one side effect of the disease she was already fighting). Anyway, all along her trip, she was constantly grabbing things to buy for this person or that. I remember her list of many (MANY!) people to whom she wanted to bring a "little something." At one point I said, "You should pick up a souvenir for YOURSELF." She looked at me, almost baffled, and said, "Well, I don't need anything." She operated like this for as long as I knew her.
I don't mean to ramble, but I wanted to take just a moment and remember her. I can't go across the country for her memorial, it's just too hard at this time in our lives, but I wanted to write out a few things. I wanted you to know her, just a little. She was suffering so much at the end that we were all praying that God would just end the pain and take her home. So when I got the phone call, I almost felt relieved. I now picture her walking on streets of gold with my grandma and grandpa (and many others), enjoying their company and enjoying a body free of sickness and pain. Even still, I cry out of joy for her. I'll miss her, yes. Without a doubt. But, I am so thrilled for her now.
And I can't wait to see her again.
My very sweet aunt, my only close Vargason relative, passed away on Monday morning, after a brave fight against Lupus. She was my dad's only sibling and, since she never married, she had no family of her own. Because of this, she adopted Jeff and I as her own. We were always treated as treasures to her. And as adults, she became a treasure to us.
She lived in Pocatello, Idaho for most of her life. We saw her many times during my childhood (at least 3 or 4 times a year), but since following God's direction for our own lives meant moving around the country, we have seen her very little over the past several years. Isn't it amazing, though, that someone you cannot see often still has such an affect on your life? You see, she was an amazing support. Her shoulder was terribly strong and quite capable of carrying our burdens. She was incredibly generous, usually sacrificing her own needs to make another smile. She listened, truly listened, when I needed to vent, and seemed to sense when something was not quite right.
I am not one who remembers a lot of details, for whatever reason God did not bless me with a great memory, but a few stories really stand out in my brain. We always camped with her and my grandma and grandpa V. over Memorial day. One time their friends joined us with their little dog. (Now I have no idea who they were, but I did then.) At one point, Sandra and I were going on a walk and the dog came at me for some reason; again, I don't remember details real well, but I remember feeling like the dog was going to attack me and I remember Sandra yelling at the dog and kicking it (hard!) away from me. That may seem like a silly little story to remember, and at the time I was a little irritated that Sandra had kicked that little poochie. But it didn't take long to realize what had really happened. She would do anything, even kick her friend's beloved dog, to protect me from danger. I always felt safe with her. Isn't it strange the little things we remember?
And much later in life, when Dave and I were first married and living in Florida, Sandra and her friend visited us to see the sights. I remember her absolute awe at seeing the Atlantic ocean. She collected the tiniest shells, just like a child would, and collected them in a fast food drink cup. She joyously picked grapefruit from our backyard tree and ate with glee, even though the fruit would give her awful mouth sores (one side effect of the disease she was already fighting). Anyway, all along her trip, she was constantly grabbing things to buy for this person or that. I remember her list of many (MANY!) people to whom she wanted to bring a "little something." At one point I said, "You should pick up a souvenir for YOURSELF." She looked at me, almost baffled, and said, "Well, I don't need anything." She operated like this for as long as I knew her.
I don't mean to ramble, but I wanted to take just a moment and remember her. I can't go across the country for her memorial, it's just too hard at this time in our lives, but I wanted to write out a few things. I wanted you to know her, just a little. She was suffering so much at the end that we were all praying that God would just end the pain and take her home. So when I got the phone call, I almost felt relieved. I now picture her walking on streets of gold with my grandma and grandpa (and many others), enjoying their company and enjoying a body free of sickness and pain. Even still, I cry out of joy for her. I'll miss her, yes. Without a doubt. But, I am so thrilled for her now.
And I can't wait to see her again.
This picture was taken at the massive toy store, FAO Schwartz,
in Orlando. We just couldn't resist.
in Orlando. We just couldn't resist.
This picture, one of my favorites, was taken when my aunt met our firstborn,
her first great-niece. They clicked instantly.
her first great-niece. They clicked instantly.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Dog Gone Cute
Christopher's bib says "Dog Gone Cute" and I couldn't agree more.
He's been smiling for a few days now, but we weren't able to capture it until today. Hope his smile makes you smile!
He's been smiling for a few days now, but we weren't able to capture it until today. Hope his smile makes you smile!
Thursday, August 06, 2009
The Screams Heard 'Round the World
Yesterday both girls visited the pediatrician to get vaccinations. Thus the title of this post.
I'm sure you can imagine the scene. I thought I was being smart (or at the very least efficient) to schedule the girls at the same time. I thought Natalie would see Ally be brave and emulate her. I thought Ally might be a good support to Nat. I thought wrong.
Once again David was right. I hate it when that happens. His only comment was, "Why did you schedule them together?" (There was more than a little incredulity in his tone.)
Anyhoo...Ally went first because I knew if she saw the deed take place with Natalie, she'd run screaming from the office, never to be seen or heard from again. So, Ally sat in my lap and I held her arm down so she wouldn't jerk it away from the "pinch." What we didn't really think of was this: Natalie was in Dave's arms, watching the WHOLE thing. Oops. (Bad parent moment.) We've never seen her protective side, but she freaked out, believing that this stranger was hurting HER sister. Then, just a few moments later, we were holding Natalie down and the stranger came after her!
Yeah, so it was a loud morning. Christopher slept through it all. (Gotta love that little guy.)
When we got home, Natalie crashed into a morning nap and Allyson sat down to draw. Here's the result. The figure with the smile is the nurse. Not sure why she's so smiley. I'm at the far right, holding Ally in the center. The lines all over the page are tears. Poor thing.
For the record, Allyson screamed almost as loud today when we took off the band-aids as she did yesterday for the shots. Good grief.
I'm sure you can imagine the scene. I thought I was being smart (or at the very least efficient) to schedule the girls at the same time. I thought Natalie would see Ally be brave and emulate her. I thought Ally might be a good support to Nat. I thought wrong.
Once again David was right. I hate it when that happens. His only comment was, "Why did you schedule them together?" (There was more than a little incredulity in his tone.)
Anyhoo...Ally went first because I knew if she saw the deed take place with Natalie, she'd run screaming from the office, never to be seen or heard from again. So, Ally sat in my lap and I held her arm down so she wouldn't jerk it away from the "pinch." What we didn't really think of was this: Natalie was in Dave's arms, watching the WHOLE thing. Oops. (Bad parent moment.) We've never seen her protective side, but she freaked out, believing that this stranger was hurting HER sister. Then, just a few moments later, we were holding Natalie down and the stranger came after her!
Yeah, so it was a loud morning. Christopher slept through it all. (Gotta love that little guy.)
When we got home, Natalie crashed into a morning nap and Allyson sat down to draw. Here's the result. The figure with the smile is the nurse. Not sure why she's so smiley. I'm at the far right, holding Ally in the center. The lines all over the page are tears. Poor thing.
For the record, Allyson screamed almost as loud today when we took off the band-aids as she did yesterday for the shots. Good grief.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Another Tooth? Seriously?
Yes, you read that correctly. Allyson lost ANOTHER tooth today, right next to the first one. And it was ANOTHER drama. You'd think her toenails were being pulled off ONE. BY. ONE. (To read the story of the first tooth, read this post.)
It all started yesterday at supper. She bit into her bread and started screaming. Would you believe that it was the EXACT same meal that we had been eating when she lost her first tooth? (If you must know, it was a Little Ceasar's Pizza with Crazy Bread.) Anyway, the tooth wasn't gone, it was still intact, barely. But it was enough to start the waterworks. Here were our favorite lines (please imagine her screaming each line and the rest of us trying valiantly not to bust a gut):
"It's going to come out THIS INSTANT!"
"I'll never be able to eat again!"
"SOMEONE HELP ME! HELP ME NOW!"
So today, she had been functioning really well until after she finished her lunch. We decided to wander around the mall for a bit. After walking for a few moments, she announced that we had to do something about her tooth. (Cue the waterworks...AGAIN.) For the remaining half hour in the mall, she varied between crying, sobbing, and sniffling. (Yes, it was embarrassing.)
Just before supper tonight, she had twisted it around enough that it was just barely hanging on. Finally relenting, she asked me to pull it out because, "Daddy won't do it gentle." Two seconds later the deed was done. Grandpa gave her a dollar and the tooth fairy will visit our house once again. I told her the fairy might get tired of coming to Wisconsin, but she vehemently disagreed.
It all started yesterday at supper. She bit into her bread and started screaming. Would you believe that it was the EXACT same meal that we had been eating when she lost her first tooth? (If you must know, it was a Little Ceasar's Pizza with Crazy Bread.) Anyway, the tooth wasn't gone, it was still intact, barely. But it was enough to start the waterworks. Here were our favorite lines (please imagine her screaming each line and the rest of us trying valiantly not to bust a gut):
"It's going to come out THIS INSTANT!"
"I'll never be able to eat again!"
"SOMEONE HELP ME! HELP ME NOW!"
So today, she had been functioning really well until after she finished her lunch. We decided to wander around the mall for a bit. After walking for a few moments, she announced that we had to do something about her tooth. (Cue the waterworks...AGAIN.) For the remaining half hour in the mall, she varied between crying, sobbing, and sniffling. (Yes, it was embarrassing.)
Just before supper tonight, she had twisted it around enough that it was just barely hanging on. Finally relenting, she asked me to pull it out because, "Daddy won't do it gentle." Two seconds later the deed was done. Grandpa gave her a dollar and the tooth fairy will visit our house once again. I told her the fairy might get tired of coming to Wisconsin, but she vehemently disagreed.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Ally….On Boat Rides
Yesterday, we visited Lake Geneva with Grandpa and Grandma Fox and decided to take one of the boat tours on the lake. It was a gorgeous day and the lake was beautiful. We chose to do the Ice Cream Social cruise because we thought the girls would like it.
Unfortunately, Ally thought is was just boring and too long.
At one point we saw a seagull floating in the middle of the lake near the boat. Grandpa said, “Hey Ally, look at that seagull floating in the middle of the lake.” Ally, clearly unimpressed, looked at the seagull and said, “Yeah, he’s just sitting there on the water, kind of like us, just sitting here on this boat in the water doing nothing.”
Oh well, someday she’ll look back fondly on her first boat ride. :)
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