Janey Kate dancing her way toward bedtime

 Jon sure knows how to wind them down.  I should count these as her 10 month pictures as I tried to get some today but she wouldn't be still long enough.



encore:





encore 2:

Wordless Wednesday

Me and My Shadow

 Janey Kate is the Me and I was her shadow as I followed her around the room trying to get a picture of her "fang."  She got the tooth to the right of her front top teeth before the front teeth so she has a cute little fang. She is about ready to get a matching one of the other side.  My friend Kiersten(well it might have been her husband) christened her daughter, Katie, "Princess Fang" when she did the same thing.  Emma was also a Princess Fang.

 

There it is!!! Finally!

 
p.s.  Sharon and Mary,do not ask what all the stuff in the background is.  Thank you. The management. 

And A Child Shall Lead Them

    Like most moms, I worry about my kids.  Lot of times the things I want for them seems to be conflicting.  I want life to be easy for them, but yet, I want them to understand the value of hard work  and to not just think that "I want = I get."  I want them to not have to suffer and go through hard things, but I want them to know that God is faithful and steadfast in good and bad times. I want them to be well-liked, but I want them to be choosy about the company they keep and be the kind of peer that leads and not follows. I want them to fit in, but I don't want them to compromise things we value like modesty and edifying speech.  I want them to be creative and imaginative, but I don't want them to feel like they stick out like sore thumbs.Sometimes I find myself trying to encourage them to do, say, or wear that which will keep life most pleasant  for them.
   Elizabeth was telling me about youth group tonight; it was just her second week.She said they had to answer the question: What amazes you?  She told me her answer and commented that she imagined that some people might have thought it was a weird answer.  She said, "I really don't care if they did.  I don't understand why you would care if someone thinks that something you say is weird or they don't like what you are wearing.  If they do, they aren't really the kind of friend you'd be upset about not having."  Maybe I should just back off a bit and find something new to worry about.  I think she is doing just fine!

A New Favorite(no mess) Cookie

One-pan dark chocolate chunk skillet cookie.You mix it and bake it in a 8 in cast iron skillet. If you don't have one, they are not a big investment.  They cost around $10 and last forever.  I got the recipe from here.  Sophistimom and I must be kindred spirit as we both share a love of Guittard dark chocolate chips.  They really are the best.  If you are a local reader, you can get them at HEB.I did decrease the butter by a couple of tablespoons and added a 1/4 a cup of peanut butter because we are all peanut butter addicts around here; one of these days I am going to keep track of how many pounds we go through in a month.  I also cut back the sugar the second go around and will cut it back even more next time.  While we all love our sugar, we tend to like things on the less-sweet side.  Here is the list of ingredients and you can check out the instructions on her site by clicking the link above.


one-pan dark chocolate chunk skillet cookie
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chunks


Our finished cookie...minus a slice.

An Emma Funny

Emma : Mommy, have you ever seen a newborn baby?
Me: Um....at least 7 of them....

Out and About

This actually happened earlier in the summer, but I was reminded of it tonight; it is too funny not to share. We had been to friends in Mississippi for the weekend, and had driven all day. We got back into town and went to Jason's Deli for supper. I am not sure why but it seems like every time we go there, someone comments on our family(in a positive way!)
So while we are all eating dinner and can I just say we were looking mighty rough after being in the car all day, this man comes up to Jon and says, "Can I just shake your hand?" Jon shakes his hand and the man starts this speech. I can only remember bits and pieces, but he told Jon that he had a great family and he was happy to see us. Now this is the part that I remember...He says, "You know how you see the Grand Canyon and you say, "This is magnificent! Well, this(and he waves his hand over the table) is magnificent!"
It was really sweet, but I really had a hard time not giggling....and here is the funny part. We leave and as we are getting in the van, I ask Jon, "So have you ever thought of us as magnificent as the Grand Canyon?" His answer: Maybe as a giant pit of stuff!!