"B" is for Banana Bread

No school last Friday. For some that would mean a day off. Not at our house! We have to keep the energy channeled for good so... we baked banana bread. It was a good chance for me to practice for letter "B" day at the library and we had a great time!

Here follows.. Our Recipe:

1 cup sugar, creamed with
3/4 cup crisco or butter
3 eggs, added with
4 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 tsp soda, dissolved in
1/4 cup hot water
Mix and add
3 mashed bananas
3 cups sifted flour
Bake 325 for 50 mins

It looks something like this......

• Give each child 1 banana to thoroughly mash!

"The more liquid your banana is, the better." says Zachary.

  "Really!" remarks Macey. "Let me try that."

•  Let each child take two turns with the flour sifter, attempting to keep the flour on the plate, in the bowl, or at least off the floor!

• Kiss the cook, often!

• After mashing, mixing and decorating with chocolate chips, place loaf pans in oven and watch for any sudden changes.

• Patiently wait for bread to cool after removing from oven.

• Prepare for the taste test and the verdict.

Judge #1, "Yummy!"

Judge #2, "Would give two thumbs up, but the other one is busy!"

Judge #3, "Terriffic!"

Judge #4, "Not too sure about this. I think I'll just poke it for now."

 There's a critic in every crowd!

Nathan is ONE!

HOW I SPENT MY BIRTHDAY!

BY NATHAN VAN

I awoke to the smell of birthday pancakes being cooked by Dad in the kitchen. I was ready for my day after a good beauty rest! Check out my cheery disposition and my happenin' new teeth!

I ate a great breakfast with Mom's help. I guess I still need a few more teeth to get her to quit breaking up my Mickey Mouse Pancakes.

Downed a bottle before church. I had to tank up so I could have lots of energy to roam the halls during the meetings!

How do you like my very fashionable church duds? Mom says my shoes are cute, but really, what a pain!

I used up all my energy at church so I was really ready for an after church siesta! I had a great dream about my birthday cake!

Oh, and here's the cake now. Good thing everyone else knew what to do with that candle thing. Just give me the frosting!

That's more like it! It's all about the cake people!

The Twins



Could these two be twins? Could they ever!
Arianne and Macey were the inseperables during our wedding time visits to Jerome. Thank you Aunty Lindy for the fun PJs. We miss you guys and hope you are having a great day!



Joshua's #3 Birthday

Joshua David Born 12 Dec 2007

Joshua's First Birthday Dec 2008

Little Mr. Janitor Feb 2009

Summer 2009 on the Wiggle Cars at the Ranch

I love FOOD! July 2009

Mr. Hollywood Aug 2009

Testing out the Chinamen's Buggy Fall 2010

It's my birthday and I want Mickey for breakfast! 12 Dec 2010

Macey, Zachary and Joshua at Birthday Breakfast

Joshua is Mr Fix-It! He loves Bob the Builder so a constructing we often go!

He is always taking things apart and expecting his father and mother to show him how to put them back together. He is always right at our elbows whenever there is some doing that involves tools, be it screwdriver, broom or spatula!

How lucky were we to find the perfect cake pan at our local DI!?! I think Heavenly Father is aware of even the simple desires of little boys!

Opening presents is always fun.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the indestructible airplane. He loves to take it apart and "FIX-IT"!

Here is bright-eyed Nathan! He loved the party scene!

Our party was graced by our local love birds! We are so glad to have them drop by when their busy college life allows!

The kids played with Joshua's construction set for days afterward. It was a hit with everyone!

Oh how we love our sweet Joshua Boy!

 (pictured here with the coveted frosting bowl beater!)

Jan 19 Song Dedication

It's Your BIRTHDAY

and you can party if you want to!

Grandpa Ron on a CRAZY HAIR day at the office!

So we are late, as life happens at our house, but we didn't want to miss Grandpa's birthday. It is always better when Birthdays can last for 2 weeks, right?

This song dedication is also on David's cell phone as the ringer that we hear each time Grandpa Ron calls. In our last song dedication I was informed to "quit watching the blog, because everytime it comes on I try to answer my phone!" Sorry, David, but here goes another!

Since I was a tiny girl, my dad, Grandpa Ron, has been singing songs and making up the words as he goes. I always thought it was fun to hear all the songs my dad "made-up". As I get older I have learned that songs such as "RAG MOP" (so loving sung to me as dad combed out my wet, tanged hair in preparation for Sundays) is in fact a REAL SONG! My playlist is full of these made up songs that I have researched and found to be real. Some of you have probably recognized the songs on my playlist as childhood favorites.

Today's top favorite has become associated with dad and mom's business in town as we hear it in many of their commercials. It is a song I am well familiar with as my sisters and I danced many a prance to it in the upstairs of our house as kids. We would "borrow" dad's music cassettes and have a good time being the good, the bad, and the ugly! Probably mostly ugly as we weren't the most coordinated girls!

In the number two spot is a Marty Robbins' song because I just had to include it with this picture of dad riding MY rocking horse! How about that Continental Suit?

WE SURE DO LOVE YOU GRANDPA!

Feb 10 Note: Playlist dedication removed to allow for new

Only Macey!

This picture was taken on Macey's first day of preschool, Aug 26th 2010. She loves preschool! She loves to learn and she loves to have new friends!

Any parent knows that one of the most important times at school is SHOW & TELL. Well, one of my least favorite things is to have everyone ready to go out the door to school and have someone remember...
 "Mom! Show and tell is today! I have to take something!"

I was having a conversation with Macey tonight that went something like this...

Macey: "I'd like to take Nathan to preschool for show and tell."
I'm thinking: "I could probably make that work", and then I hear...
Macey: "He probably won't do so good in my backpack. I'll have to take a suitcase."

I'm dying inside from laughter!

At least this time she's planning ahead. Show and tell isn't until Thursday!

Song Dedication

Just about everytime David's cell phone rings, we know in an instant who is calling. Not because of the "miracle" of caller id, but because David has given frequent callers their own special ring.

This song dedication goes out to Grandpa Van, David's dad. It is what we hear on our end of the phone line before we hear from Grandpa and know he is safe and sound, somewhere on the roads of America!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA VAN!