WooHoo

To begin with this is my 100th post!!! WOO-HOO!

But the real reason for my post: We made it! We safely and somewhat sanely made it to Oregon for our vacation. Our first night took us to Daddy Lion's sister's house and her 4 yes 4 kids under 3! Can you say amazing . . . the kids thought they were in heaven with all the toys! Aunt Crystal with Payton and Little Pumpkin ~ sharing stinks! *smile*

Little Lion and Tristian. Little Lion just not sure what to play with next.
Thanks for letting us crash there and for wearing out the kids. . . they slept the rest of the way to our destination.



Finally we arrived at Aunt Bran's house for the evening. It was only 9:30pm - that translates to 11:30 CST! But that didn't stop us from staying up until 11pm PST! *smile*

Today we did some quick visits around the bustling Burg! *wink* And extended the stomach with some great pink sauce from a favorite Chinese restaurant. After naps, we headed further south to our friends Lonnie and Cheryl and "those girls".

What fun . . . the kids played so well together and the adults actually played well too! i.e. I didn't loose at Quiddler. Don't ask *smile*
Little Lion and Aubrey on their first dinner date! *wink* Yes, we believe in pre-arranged marriages! *SMILE*

YEAH, you give two husbands the cameras and ask for a good picture of 6 people.

Okay, I got to let her have her computer back. We hit the road again in the am. I'm sure you'll hear from me there! *wink*

BTW . . . we finally heard from the doc and the CT scan was normal! PTL!!!

Kit the Horse

I have a few minutes before th dryer is done, so I'll blog about yesterday.

After the yummy lunch (see previous post), we headed over to Daddy Lion's co-worker's house. Mr. H and his wife have 5 horses (she's a horse doc). Little Lion was so excited to get to ride a horse again. It's been about 2 years since he's gotten to ride.

It was bare back and I'm not sure Little Lion was as confident as he would have been on a saddle, but he did a great job!


Kit was a pretty mare who really enjoyed her treat! She is the epitome of "will work for food!" (Little Pumpkin being a close second *wink*)

I was so proud of Little Lion being brave and letting Kit eat from his hand . . . that's a huge thing!

We weren't out there long ~ it was hot! Little Lion was wanting to ride more, so hopefully we will get to go back again soon.

Little Pumpkin on the other hand loves her horses at a 50 yard distance! (That really goes for any animal!) She loves the books and videos, but when it comes to the real thing . . .

Little Pumpkin safe in Daddy's arms!

Recipe Update

The "Amazing Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker" recipe turned out just fine. There were no ill effects on anyone from the alcohol. *wink* I don't know that I would necessarily rank it "amazing" however.
I found the recipe at allrecipes.com if you are interested in trying it.
It is worth making again. . . got use that bottle of wine some how! *smile*

Wine Virgins

Disclaimer: I'm only sharing this because in one short week our 13 year old nephew will be living with us for the summer and I need to set the record straight: we are not winos!

Okay, I admit we are not drinkers. Just never have acquired a taste for any of it. We've tried a few "fun" drinks on different occasions, but I could never stomach more than a sip. Tonight proved no different. I found a slow cooker recipe for pork tenderloin and really wanted to try it.

(That, and I really didn't want to cook dinner tomorrow, or go out to eat, or go grocery shopping 3 days before we leave for a week!)

So, Daddy Lion ran to the store for red wine:

Now, I understand it may be due to the price - ultra cheap, but pray tell how do you stomach this stuff?!? I seriously thought I was going to puke after the teaspoon sized sip I had. It tasted like drinking the juice from green olives. YUK! I guess people like green olive juice.

Please note if you are a wine drinker there is no condemnation here.

Yes, that is a screw in the top. We don't even own a cork opener. So Daddy Lion improvised ~ good thing he's an engineer or he may have been headed back to the store! *wink*

Well, I hope you all have enjoyed your laugh for the evening. Next time I'm over you can educate me on brand, when, how, with what you drink this stuff! There may be more variables than I realize here. *smile*

I'll let you know how the pork turns out.

Cheers!

Last Day

Yesterday was Little Lion's last day of preschool. They did a great job making it the best last day ever! *smile* Pulling out all the stops: from water slides to water rockets, bubbles to sidewalk chalk, even Popsicles and ice cream! The kids were in heaven . . . well, besides the chattering teeth. *wink* It was a little overcast and still early in the day so after being drenched they were a bit chilled, but not enough to deter them from the frozen treats! AND going back for more water play. Enjoy the pics!

Check out the line! They were so patient ~ amazing what they can do when they really want to!

SO, where's the party?!?
Little Pumpkin was allowed to come and participate too.
They keep asking when they get her ~ another year thanks to fall b-days!


Almost there!

In the mean time Little Pumpkin found some friends to play with in the kiddie pool.
They were getting sprinkled on by a near by water rocket!

Finally! Made it!


Not sure what exactly he is saying, but he is always got something to say!

Good enough for a second, third, fourth, . . . I lost count how many times he went down!

I cannot believe I got this shot! This is Little Pumpkin's first bubble!

She actually blew instead of just putting the wand in her mouth. YEAH ~ progress!


Saying good -bye to Ms. Debbie. She stepped in part way through the year when Little Lion's teacher went on maternity leave. We have thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Debbie.
Yes, you see a some remnants of a melt down. He was devastated that we were leaving while the rest of his class stayed for lunch. Fortunately, a promise to eat lunch with Daddy Lion and being lunch helper resolved our disappointment.

Being lunch helper includes passing out every one's lunch bag to them and saying the prayer. Little Lion was so happy to help out. I think he will have the gift of helps like his Daddy!
What a great note to end the year on.

Wednesday Surprise

Ms. K called on Wednesday and said she had something for Little Lion and needed his help to bring it in. So she gave me a call as she was "pulling in." So I allowed Little Lion to get up from rest time early. As he was putting on his shoes, I looked out the window and didn't see her car. Odd. Then I noticed the motorcycle coming around the corner. So I grabbed my camera:


Papaw (my dad) had come in early from Iraq! He was scheduled to be in on Sunday, but arrived a few days early to spend time with us before we leave for vacation on Tuesday!

Little Lion was so excited to see to Papaw! He had all kinds of plans for them. Beginning with a game of Spider-man & friends match. Little Lion won both rounds. *smile*

Little Pumpkin was very apprehensive at first (who wouldn't be after being awaken from nap with a strange bearded man in your room!). But after a fruit roll-up she was loving on Papaw. (I tell you, this girl is all about food.)

She even enjoyed a game with Papaw too. I'm not sure either one of them really followed the rules, but none the less it was sweet seeing them together.

Thanks for a fun surprise on an otherwise dull day!

Giggles, Grooving, and all Grown up

The Leap Frog Fridge Farm has been a favorite since Little Lion received it for Christmas years ago! Now Little Pumpkin is enjoying it more and more. She occasionally will match the animals, but for the most part she just enjoys dancing to the banjo music!

Here are some clips from last nights giggles and grooves!

Notice the abrupt ending to the dance?!?
Someone mentioned food - and Little Pumpkin does not pass up an opportunity for food! *wink*

When dinner time came, she decided she was all grown up and needed to be at the table!

Don't worry, we won't retire the high chair just yet ~
she still wanted in it this morning for breakfast!

Praisn' Jesus!

Faithful, Omniscient, Provider, Patient, Teacher ~ the list goes on, but these are just a few of the attributes of God that I have experience just today!
The lost wallet has been found! All in God's timing of course. I know it was done to teach me that I need to rely more fully on him and have more faith. Just like Peter's friends who were praying for Peter's release, but did not believe Rhoda, the servant girl, when she exclaimed he was at the door. Here I have been praying for the wallet ~ but not believing it could be found so easily. So much of the time I think I know just how it should all happen. (I just knew that it was going to be found early this morning in the trash - NO!)
Only after Daddy Lion had visited the DPS office and paid his $10 fee for a replacement. Just when I had logged on to cancel all the credit cards. . . only then did God allow me to find it. Simply tucked in between Little Pumpkin's car seat and the seat of the car.
Now, that I've totally stressed myself out over this little thing ~ God I give you our "big" things and trust your timing. You see He has a bigger plan, a larger view. I need to trust that He will equip and provide for where He is leading me. Even in the small things like lost wallets, He wants my complete faith not half-hearted!

Thank you to all of you who prayed! I got the best sleep last night after returning to bed ~ I know that God is in control, I just need to live like it!

Can't Sleep - Need Prayer

I'm praying for a miracle and might as well have you all pray with me!
I can not sleep this evening - granted it's only been about 45 minutes. But my mind is just so overwhelmed, I had to get up!
Besides waiting anxiously for the results of the CT scan Daddy Lion had last week - [which honestly I am very at peace about!] - his wallet has been misplaced this weekend.
What horrible timing!
Daddy Lion is mostly concerned with getting a driver's license for our trip - which is only a week away! He could use his passport for the flights, but I think he just really doesn't want me driving the rental car!
I'm worried about our debit card and credit cards! With it being a holiday weekend, I cannot tell if there has been any activity on the accounts thus far.
I'm hoping it was accidentally thrown away ~ long story ~ if this is what happened I'll explain then!
Most of all I'm sick to my stomach for my hubby! He was given a sizable gift card from work for all the extra time and effort he put in the last month and a half! As he was leaving for Home Depot this morning to spend his $$$ with a well thought out list in hand, he realized his wallet was MIA! *frown*
As usual, he is calm and collect about it all and as usual I'm a basket case! So pray for a full recovery of the wallet and peace of mind for me.

FEJUADA

We finally were served our fejuada today! Way back when we met our new Brazilian friends (the Z-Family), the V-Family (also Brazilian) promised a traditional Brazilian dish. So today we all got together for this yummy food. (For this southern girl, it was just like red beans and rice minus the cornbread.) It was black beans not red, had a more variety of meats and put a pico de gallo style topping. Still very YUMMY. So anytime you are having fejuada ~ let us know! We'll be there. *smile*

Tia S will get me for the pic, but you can see the food so well! ;o)

The Big kids eating it up!
Little Pumpkin even loved it -
what's not to love about white rice?!?

The kids played outside in the pool & sprinkler.
Water + Sun can only = Fun!

Little Lion sliding in to the water!

Check out the dimples on Little Pumpkin!
I don't think she's ever smiled as much as when she's in the pool! *grin*

This is what I got when I said "Smile".
The soldier stance from M!

AJ was not so sure about the water!
She finally warmed up to it though.

How many kids can you fit in a kiddie pool?!?

TOO much fun or sun!?!

Mesmerized by a butterfly they all got out of the pool and stood STILL!

Princess S sun bathing - too cute!

I must have stopped taking pics too soon! I have none of the C- Family's Little B! He is just a few weeks younger than Little Pumpkin & AJ! I don't know that I would have been able to get a shot of him anyway ~ he is quite the busy body. Another relaxing day ~ I vow to learn Portuguese though! I've got to find out if they are talking about us! *wink*

Hope you all enjoyed your holiday!
And remembered to be thankful for all of those who serve and have served for our country!
Happy Memorial Day!

Sunday Small Group Party

Our small group decided to get together for a BBQ on Sunday due to work schedules. This actually worked out nice . . . we had a great evening and still had today to relax and enjoy the holiday!

We had 6 couples and 13 kids! Here are some pics of the kids:

R-Family's Little A enjoying some extra protein!

R-Family's Big A & Little Lamb playing in the pool.

Magnum - the slide keeper!
(Looking great after less than two weeks post-delivery!)

Gator in the fortress!

Little Lamb pushing Doc! How sweet is that?!?

W-Family's newest addition - hum? no nickname just yet!
I'm sure we'll come up with one soon!
Give him a break; he's only been here for 12 days!

Z-Family's Princess S and Little Pumpkin checking the water temp first!

Z-Family's Captain M with the gun!
Little Pumpkin anywhere dirt can be found!
And D-Family's S supervising!

Most the gang - just chillin'! Isn't the fortress awesome!?
Kudos to D-Family's daddy - he built it himself!

Gotta have a fire for S'MORES! ;o)
That's the best part of any BBQ.

Little Lion, Gator, D-Family's B and Z-Family's M on the third(yes third) level of the fortress!

D-Family's R.
Always great to have around ~ thanks for your extra eyes!

D-Family's B ~ loving the mask!

D-Family's S ~ so GQ!

Just like his dad *hehehe*

Finally D-Family's K!
Hilarious!

I had to include this shot just because of the sacrifice I made to get it!
My poor feet were planted in a fire ant bed! (too bad it's not a better picture!)

Little Pumpkin letting her diva out!

Little Lion played so hard and well that I really didn't many pics of him! ;o(
Anyway, here's his attempt at the slip 'n' slide:

I know it's not the great video, but it was too funny! He would run all the way down to the end then plop on his backside! Not quite brave enough to just fall down. So I don't think sliding into home-plate is in his future! *smile*

GOOD FRIENDS! GREAT TIMES! FUN MEMORIES!