FHE 7/28/08

Opening Song: Hymn #62 All Creatures of our God and King Opening Prayer: Anne Lesson: The Ant Family- We need to do service in the home like Serve-Ant, the youngest child in the ant family. (Thanks Dodie for the story and visuals.) Closing Song: Hymn #62 All Creatures of our God and King Closing Prayer: Grace We played with the marble run and built castles for the Princesses. It was a very girly night because dad is working. We miss you daddy and we look forward to you coming home tomorrow (even if you are exhausted).

Enjoying Idaho

The thing about driving long distances with two little ladies is they require unexpected breaks.

So this beautiful little gem we would have driven by if we didn't stop to take a walk.

We love Idaho!

Grace enjoyed driving the little car we found at the Second Hand store!

Anne likes to show us her belly!

Everyone caught some fish

Don't be deceived....Grandpa caught it...

I only reeled it in!!!

Eventually.....

Even Uncle Richard caught a fish!

We had a great time in the mountains with Edwin's family. It was good for Edwin to go fishing on a "Man" expedition where the women folk and kids were far away from disrupting the bait, tackle box, and fishing lines! We were not prepared for our water to freeze overnight....I remembered the mountains being chilly, but not THAT COLD!!! The night was spent trying to stay warm and keep the children warm too. We didn't get much sleep, but hey, who gets good sleep when they are camping anyway?!? Next time I think we will invest in sleeping bags and I'll be sure to pack the winter coats!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for bringing up our hiking packs for the girls! Edwin took a "short cut" through the mountains which turned out to be a long detour up a one-way trail on the face of the mountain! It was a bit scary at times. We stopped to remove trees and other things from our path. As we neared what we assumed was the end of the trail we came to a fork in the road that was not posted! The thought of backtracking was daunting. However, we didn't feel good about guessing which road to take either. So we opted to pray for the ability to make a sound decision regarding our family and loaded the girls in the newly acquired backpacks and hiked to the top of the mountain ridge. Once we were on the top of the ridge we could see the highway cut through the mountains across the canyon. We went back to the van and drove a little further up the mountain. There we saw the signs leading to our destination and we were soon on nice, smooth, debris-free roads once again. It was learning experience for us and we were grateful to return home safely.

Awesome Treats in Just 1 Minute

My dear neighbor Lynette heard this recipe on the radio one morning and thought she'd give it a try. It's quick, easy, only takes one minute, and makes a single serving (great for kids and those who are dieting but still want a little treat).
Anne can do it on her own and she's only one!!!

What You Need

• 1 Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake Mix (if you use a different brand make sure it is an "add water only" mix)
• 1 Cake Mix any flavor you desire (chocolate cake is shown in the pictures!)
• Large zip-lock bag.
• 1 Coffee mug
• 3 TBS Water
• Spoon
• Microwave
  

What To Do

• Pour both cake mixes into the zip-lock bag and shake together.
• Mix 1/3 Cup of the cake mixture and 3 TBS water into a coffee mug.
• Microwave for 1 minute!
• Now you can slide a knife around the cup edges and dump out the cake!

AWESOME TREATS IN JUST 1 MINUTE!!!

ENJOY!

This is posted especially for Ashley and Andrea! We miss our dessert groups and chocolate feasts!

FHE 07/14/08

Teeth are for Food

Opening Song: Hymn# 62 All Creatures of Our God and King

Opening Prayer: Anne

Lesson: Teeth are for food. They are not for biting bodies. Food goes into our mouths and through our stomach. It then passes through our duodenum and into our colon. We need to keep our bodies healthy by eating good food and using the toilet regularly.

Closing Prayer: Mom

Activity: We played with our interactive body book and then used many fruits to make smoothies.

Lesson was adapted to help Anne learn that teeth are for biting food and not bodies. She has started biting (it may be in part because she is cutting her molars) and unfortunately Grace is the one who is being bit the most often. Grace enjoys learning about her body and how it works. It was a great night for everyone.

Published at Last

Before Grace was born I had the opportunity to enroll in a study for new moms. The study started with an interview before Grace was born and then for the next year Grace and I went in for lab work, interactive playtime, and various other tests. Well, the research has come to a close and was published this week. I didn't know then that this would receive international publicity. However, Grace's picture was published in the USA Today and has been the leading face for Lane's research.

http://www.bcm.edu/news/features/item.cfm?newsID=1158

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-07-babysmiles_N.htm.

Congratuations Sonja and Lane!!! I'm very happy for your success. Thanks for letting us participate in the study.

PS. Happy Birthday Sonja. I miss you dearly. Keep dancing.