Things That Make Me Smile 4/16/16

Jake (10), Alyssa (8), Zac (6), Tyler (4), Nicholas (1)

This was the week we went on a short vacation to Boyne Mountain and made lots of memories. We had fun building new LEGO sets, picking out some books and the thrift store, and making the best of our snowy April vacation. Lots of reasons to Smile! 

1. Alyssa: "The mountain was bigger last time we were here."

2. Alyssa: "What's a pirate's favorite letter?"
Me: "Rrrrrrrrrr!"
Alyssa: "No. X, because X marks the spot and always means treasure."

3. Jake: "How is sugar not good for you? I mean, it comes from a plant!"

4. Jake solved his 4x4 Rubik's Cube for the first time. 

5. Leighton, because I went out of the room for a few minutes to do laundry and Nicholas was getting into everything: "How do you get anything done all day at home?"

6. Tyler, the day after we got home: "Mama, you're the only one here that's big."
Me: "I know. Isn't that sad?"
Tyler: "Yeah, 'cause Daddy's not here."

7. Jake, about Nicholas:"His toes are so small, I just want to pop them off."

8. Eating at a pizza parlor.

9. Taking a bubble bath in the jacuzzi.

10. Building a snow-mommy and snow-baby (because I stayed in the room with Nicholas while Leighton took the big kids out to play in the snow).

11. Skipping stones.

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 11/27/15

Jake (9½), Alyssa (7½), Zac (6), Tyler (3½), Nicholas (11 months)

Happy Friday! I have a lot of catch-up to do, so let's Smile!

1. Alyssa: "Do you know why Daddy is shoveling the driveway and the sidewalk?"

Me: "Because it snowed?"

Alyssa: "No, well, that's part of it. Because he loves us. And because it snowed."

2. Tyler, listening to nursery rhymes: "Did you sing it, Mama?"
Me: "No, not this time."
Tyler: "If you sing it next time, I will be sooooo happy."

3. 

4. Zac, reading: "Pppp-hhh-ooo--"
Me: 'That says phone. Ph makes the F sound."
Zac, making a confused face: "Sometimes things make a very funny sound."

5. Tyler: "Can you help me?"
Me: "In a minute. I'm making Daddy's lunch right now."
Tyler: "Why?"
Me: "Because he's going to want to eat tomorrow."
Tyler: "Why?"
Me: "Because he's going to be hungry."
Tyler: "Why?"
Me: "Because your body needs nourishment."
Tyler: "Why?"
Me: "Because that's the way God designed it."
Tyler: "Why?"
Me: "Because He's God."
Tyler: Why?"
Me: "Because He's God." 
Tyler: "Why?"
Me: "Because He's God."
Tyler: "Why?"
Me: "Because He's God."
Tyler: "You don't need to say the same thing every time."
Me: "Oh, but it's ok for you to do it? That's no different."
Tyler: "Why?" 

Tyler, while driving: "Why did God make the whole world like this?"
Me: "Like what?"
Tyler: "Forests and trees and flowers and lights and outer space and cars and grass and the sun and stop signs and houses and lots of stuff.
Me: "Isn't it nice?"
Tyler: "Well, not really." 

6. Me: "I can't find my recipe."
Alyssa: "For what?"
Me: "Peanut butter cup granola."
Alyssa, shocked: "Please tell me this is just a nightmare." 

 7.

8. Me: "Do you want your jacket on?"
Tyler: "Yeah, I don't want my shirt to get cold." 

9. Tyler: "Mama, I can't hear you, because my hood is covering my ears."
Me: "Oh, yeah?"
Tyler: "Yeah."
Me: "So, you can't hear me?"
Tyler: "No."


What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 2/14/14

Jake (8), Alyssa (5½), Zac (4), Tyler (1½) 

Happy Friday! I'm a week behind again. I've realized that if I don't get a chance to post my list on Fridays, I have a hard time getting it done throughout the week. Creatures of habit, I guess. That just means that we get 2 lists of Smiles this week! 

1. Zac, looking out the window: "It's so sunny out there, it's going to burn my eyes down."

2. Alyssa: "In Jesus Love the Little Children, when it says 'red and yellow, black and white' who's the 'yellow'?"

Me: "Like Chinese and Japanese people."

Alyssa: "Well, I know who the red are . . . People with sunburns."

3. Zac, taking apart a K'nex creation: "Tyler, can you help me? You're good at tearing things up."

4.

5. Jake: "Why does food taste so good? 'Cause Mom made it."

6. Tyler said "I love you" for the first time. 

7. Alyssa, rubbing her head on a pillow to make her hair staticky: "My hair can be Medusa!"

8. Me: "Is there anything you'd like Daddy to pick up from Randazzo?"

Alyssa: "Ice cream!"

Me: "He's not getting--"

Tyler, running as fast as he can from the other side of the house: "Ie pream! Ie preeeam!!!"

 

9. Jake, astounded: "Do you know what I heard at church? There used to be this thing called sending letters to people.

What made you Smile this week?

Wordless Wednesday 2/19/14

Things That Make Me Smile 2/7/14

Jake (8), Alyssa (5½), Zac (4), Tyler (1½) 

 Happy Friday! This week involved playing in the snow, getting a new couch, and Leighton making me an amazing birthday cake. I hope you had a Smile-filled week, too. 

 

1. Zac, sad: "Each of my gloves has only 5 fingers." 

2.  Alyssa: "Tyler, you look so perish! . . . What does perish mean?"
Me: "To die."
Alyssa: "No, Tyler, don't perish!"
Me: "You were thinking precious."
Alyssa: "What does precious mean?"
Me: "Special."
Alyssa: "Yeah, Tyler, you look so precious."

3. Me: "Maybe pretty soon you can start wiping your own butt."
Zac: "When I'm 10 I'll do that."

4. Alyssa: "Is the milk still good."

Me: "Yes."`

Jake: "But it says it was collected in the 19th century!"

5. Zac left me a surprise card in the fridge. 

6. Alyssa: "Jesus can do anything. He could even turn into a fly. But if someone had a fly swatter? . . . He would not want to be a fly."

7. Jake: "Please, please, please 1 more?"
Me: "I already read 3 chapters."
Jake: "A 4th one wouldn't hurt."

 

8. Alyssa: "You can't get hurt in heaven, right? There must not be any pointy things in heaven."

9. 

10. Zac, all bundled up in his snow gear: "My butt kinda hurts. Can you scratch it?" 

11. Zac: "Alyssa said she was going to give me a bloody nose!"
Me: "No, she's not. I won't let her."
Zac: "'Cause I'm your favorite child?"

12. Alyssa, yelling: "Mom! Can you tell Zac to be quiet?"
Zac, yelling: "I can't hear you! I'm too loud!"


What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 12/28/12

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We have had a wonderful week spending time with family, receiving presents, and making memories. Christmas is always fun with little kids around. I just love seeing them get excited. Over and over, Zac would hug his presents, say I lub it!, No way!, and This was on my list! even if he had never seen the toy before. While I don't have many quotes this week, there were numerous smiles. I'm so thankful for my family.

1. Jake: "Do people in jail get Christmas presents?"

Me: "Only if someone sends them some."

Jake: "Can we send them some?"

Me: "Why would you want to send presents to criminals?"

Jake: "Well, could we send them Christmas cards?"

Me: "Yes, I suppose we could do that."

Jake: "I know, we could send them Bibles! That would be a great Christmas present." 

2. Jake: "Is it ok if we read the Christmas story twice - once before we open presents and once when we're done?"

3.

4. Jake: "I got a lot of reasons, but I'll only tell you one because I don't know the rest."

5. Zac, while watching our neighbor's snow blower: "It's a snow sprinkler!"

6. Zac, about snowballs: "Look, snow rocks!"

7.

What made you smile this week?

Make It Monday: Snow Artists

The sun is shining, the robins are fattening, the children are cabin fevering. Spring is in the air. We wanted to enjoy the last bit of snow before spring fully hits. This activity is so incredibly simple, but is one of their favorites. Make colored water inside a squirt bottle and spray away. With a blank canvass the size of the backyard, the possibilities are endless.

Sock Ball Fight

We have gotten a lot of snow this winter. Unfortunately, it has not been good packing snow. No snowmen. No snow forts. No snowball fights. No snow angels. We decided to remedy this situation in the warmth of our living room where the "snow" is always packable.

Tasty Tuesday: Snow Ice Cream

The kids and I went out in the snow to play today. It wasn't all fun though; there was work to be done. We were making snow ice cream. Jake and Alyssa went right to work filling up bowls with freshly fallen snow. 

 

 Ingredients:
1 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups sugar
4-5 cups clean snow

Directions:
Mix together the milk, vanilla, and the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Slowly add the snow to the mixture, stirring constantly, until it is as thick as ice cream.

Stirring the mixture of milk, vanilla, and sugar.

Not impressive yet.

Now comes the fun part.

Starting to look like ice cream.

Jake's took his first taste and said, "Wow, I can actually taste the snow!" We decided to add some others flavors - mint, raspberry, and chocolate. Jake loved the plain vanilla and mint the best. Alyssa, of course, ate all the chocolate. My favorite was the raspberry. It was fun trying the different ones. I did add more snow than 5 cups. Once the extra liquid from the flavorings was added, they needed even more snow to thicken them up. They turned soupy quickly. The kids had fun slurping it up through straws. Jake asked, "Why does ice cream have to be so icy and cold?"

Ready for flavorings.

Which one would you choose?

Taste testing.

Soupy cream.

Discovering that they can blow bubbles in the melted cream.

Once they ate their fill, I put the leftover ice cream in the freezer. They have since pulled them back out and finished the mint and chocolate. It's a good thing their daddy doesn't like those flavors! Although, I'm pretty sure we have enough snow to do it all over again.

Snowy Day

We've gotten a lot of snow today. So much that the schools are all closed, businesses are closed, and everyone is told to stay off the roads. My husband, the truck driver, is at work. Ironic? I thank God for giving him a wonderful job to provide for our family, but it would have been nice to have his help today. Do you know how long it takes to get 4 people ready to play in the snow??? By the time I found all the winter gear,and layered clothing, the kids were getting antsy. I misplaced Jake's old snow boots and mittens, so poor Zachy had to wear Alyssa's pink hand-me-downs. (Maybe it was a good thing Daddy was at work.) 

This was Zac's first experience with snow. He whined quite a bit. It's hard to move around when you have little legs and are all bundled up. Then, add a foot of snow. Poor baby kept falling down and getting stuck. He lasted an hour or so though. When I brought him in the house, he whined to go back out. Silly boy.

Not sure what to make of the cold, fluffy stuff falling from the sky.

His favorite part was finding the soccer ball. "Ball! Ball!"

He had been face down, licking up the snow. So cute, but I missed it.

Had to take a pic before helping him up. Hey, it's my job to fully document the day!