best buds

Tonka will probably be appalled that these cuties will not fit into his suitcase:







Lord willing we will see them all (and all our other buddies that I don't happen to have pics of!) again, but I don't know if that will be enough to comfort my boy once he realizes the permanence of this separation. gulp.

Birthday Weekend

Here are some pics from this weekend.

Tonka is learning to be a mechanic

Fixin' the wheel

OSHA was not involved with this operation. I don't think that Italy even has OSHA.

Birthday Cake!!

Tonka may have gotten a birthday haircut.

Tonka and a neighbor friend in the bouncy house

Momma and 'Fer not in the bouncy house

Birthday booty!!

There are lots more pictures on the computer. Maybe you can see them in a couple of weeks.

up to lately

1. DSC_0279, 2. DSC_0272, 3. DSC_0168-1, 4. DSC_0227, 5. DSC_0218, 6. DSC_0003-2, 7. DSC_0206, 8. DSC_0252, 9. DSC_0266, 10. DSC_0160, 11. DSC_0032, 12. DSC_0260, 13. DSC_0135, 14. DSC_0172, 15. DSC_0076, 16. CSC_0282

can I get an amen?

my God is so BIG,
so STRONG,
and so MIGHTY,
there's NOTHING my God cannot do!

Haven't had your devos this morning? That's ok, I've got ya covered.
Do you all know that my eyesight is terrible? That I rely on contacts and wear them too many hours in the day? I bought 2 pair of glasses in the states right before we moved here, but they are both broken in the same place and are not quite the right prescription anymore, so I never wear them. I have just been lamenting the fact that I miss the availability of glasses in the morning and at night, and apparently God got tired of listening to me complain.

After I got dressed this morning, I decided to put away some of the laundry folded and stacked nicely piled precariously on top of my dresser before putting my itchy contacts in and going downstairs. I got near the bottom of the pile and discovered a box of precious memorabilia miscellaneous junk. Near the bottom of that was a pair of glasses I've had since high school. I keep meaning to give them to my doctor cousin who goes on missions trips to places where glasses are harder to come by, but have never gotten around to it. For some reason (thanks God) I decided to try them on. Wouldn't you know, but they are the right prescription and I can now see! For all the years of not-so-careful storage, they are in perfect shape and the only scratch is the one I put there within weeks of purchasing the specs in the first place. Exactly the motivation I needed to finish folding and putting away my clothes and move on with my day.

I am so blessed. Now I just need to learn to pray for things as I think of them instead of complain; I bet my prayers would have been answered a whole lot quicker!!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning,
new every morning,
Great is thy faithfulness, Oh God...
Great is thy faithfulness.
~song I learned as a kid, taken from Lam. 3:23

cheese =D

1. DSC_0209s, 2. DSC_0210s, 3. DSC_0212s, 4. DSC_0208s

new toy...

or "The most use my Bowflex has seen in months"

The necessary supplies

'Fer helping

Final Product: A new Pull up Bar!!

Works like a charm.

The wife wanted a flex pic. She got a half-hearted "starting point" one instead.

Obviously, when I say toy, I mean instrument of pain. Also works well for Knees-to-Elbows and Commandos. The bar was supplied by my bowflex, which is still collecting dust in the spare room. Too bad I only have two more weeks with this fun new toy.

travel activity #1

A couple of weeks ago, I had the H pick up a little binder thingy for me at the Exchange Depot, along with a pack of 5x7 cards to fill the pockets. Since then, I have been brainstorming activities for Tonka. As I finish each activity, I'll try to post it. Here's the first.

Directions:
Have 3yo separate the clothespins so each player has one of each color (or just match them up if he's playing on his own).Shake the die and drop it into the container. Find a clothespin that matches the facing color and attach it to the proper square on your game card. Next player's turn.Repeat until all of the clothespins have a home. This can take a half hour if you "do" it right.

When you've finished playing, let the toddler take his time putting the clothespins back into the container. He might want to stir, chew, point, dump, or smack with them instead... but eventually they'll all make it in, especially if you only give him half of the pins to work with in the first place. If he masters this, put the lid on first and open the "pour" side for a smaller opening. (this was formerly a parsley container).

The flip side:
Again with the matching. This particular almost-3-year-old cannot match the ordinals yet, but is surprisingly proficient at the digit matching. The circles are for counting and perhaps cheerios.

flowers for you

on this blessed Sunday.

Korean Barbecue night

1/4 c low soy sauce
1 1/2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T sesame seeds
1 T fresh grated ginger (or 1 t dried ground)
1T dark brown sugar
1 T sesame oil
1 T honey
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 t crushed red pepper

marinate tofu or meat ( I used sliced cube steak) for up to 8 hours. I stir-fried with veggies and served over bean threads. And there was much rejoicing.

Tonka was excited about eating the "worms" with his own set of "pokes;" he gave the meal a thumbs-up with no hesitation.
His brother thought the bean threads were a little slippery, but loved the broccoli!super strange expression and crazy hair aside, I loved it. The H was perhaps more "yay." than rejoicing, but kept his comments to a minimum.

The dog, for those of you who are just itching to ask, couldn't figure out how to eat bean threads D tried to drop into her mouth. It was a little amusing, in a totally disgusting sort of way. Special thanks to Kristan for the bean threads, Sheena for the Sesame oil, Emily for the recipe, and D for buying fresh broccoli!

caught in the act

DSC_0034
Originally uploaded by newlywaaz

yes, he on the table. He also on the chairs, wobbly metal shelving, slightly-less-wobbly plastic shelving, stroller, couch, and kitty litter box. help!

WW: SOOC

(from a few weeks ago)

quotable#2

"wahoo, I love food in my mouth!"

"Mom, would you please put some hair in my armpit please?"

"I scratched my hurt, and I eated it" (scab, I presume?!)

"...and please help Daddy to be in a good day. Amen."

minutiae

birthday inspiration for the boys

(for those of you who haven't found the perfect yard-saled, thrifted, or dumpster dived gift)

www.magiccabin.com
www.hearthsong.com
www.etsy.com

and the list goes on :)

Happy Anniversary!

5 years!?! Already?

Well, she has grown up a lot in those 5 years.

I'm outta here before I start feeling old.

Happy Anniversary darling. It has been a wonderful 5 years already, and i can't wait to see what the next five bring.

did I mention we went to the beach?

same spot (almost exactly!) as the first time. Luckily no popped tire this day. A few pictures: