1st Day of School Pics

Now I realize that for many of you this will seem a little belated, but around these parts we've only had 2-3 weeks of school so far. Okay, so that's still pretty late, but here they are anyway.

My beautiful 3rd grader was extremely excited to go to school! Last year they moved her up to 3rd grade for reading, and her teacher this year is the same one she was working with for that. So, she is very comfortable with that and excited to see all her friends.
Last year Maya and Tristan were able to go to preschool from January through June, so this will be their first full year of preschool. They have the same awesome teacher, but the students are different as they are in the afternoon class now.Isabelle is attending preschool for the first time this year, also in the afternoon. She started a week later than the others, and she missed all last week because she has come down with a bit of bronchitis. She LOVES it and has been very sad to miss out this last week.
Isabelle has "homework" each week, and one of the assignments was to draw a self-portrait. Here is the final masterpiece:
I love the red bow in her hair. :)

The Creation - Goldfish

I was just going through some papers from last April and I found one that I had jotted down a funny little conversation with Isabelle.

Isabelle: Did Heavenly Father and Jesus make goldfish?

Me: Yes

Isabelle: How did they make them?

Me: I don't know sweetie, maybe when we get to heaven, you can ask them. (always a good answer ;) )

Isabelle: Maybe they just fold it in half and crunch it up and put a little nut in it and squish it down, and that's how they make goldfish.

Not sure where all that came from, but it was certainly more creative than anything I could have come up with.

Grandma, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and the Black Stallion

Today I was reading a Dora book on manners, and when we were talking about what good manners were afterwards, I mentioned that my mommy had taught me about good manners when I was little. I thought the next part of our conversation was so cute.

Isabelle: Who is your mommy?

Me: Grandma Fifield

Isabelle: I wish we could live with Grandma Fifield.

Me: I would love that too.

Isabelle: Then we could make chocolate chip cookies!

Sadly our kids only see their grandparents about once a year if they are lucky, so it's easy to forget how the details of those visits can make such lasting impressions.

Guess what we are going to be baking tomorrow? :)

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Tonight was family movie night at our house and we watched the Black Stallion. I didn't know how it would go. It is 2 full hours and I thought it was probably a little too involved for our little motley crew. Emma saw it long ago and was excited. Well, you would not believe it, but all 10 of their eyes were absolutely GLUED to the screen! Maya lasted an hour and half before she got restless, which was a record for her. Isabelle was very sad when it ended cause she wanted more. And my two-year-old little Alex was insistent that we watch it again immediately upon awaking tomorrow! It did help that the main character's name was Alec.

1st Trip to the Zoo

Last month we finally got the courage to take the kids to the zoo. We hadn't been since we had brought back Maya and Tristan from Russia. Both of them have been very fearful of all animals, especially Maya. They have improved a great deal in this regard over the last year. We have taken them to a local farm many times and this has helped some.

I'm happy to report that the zoo trip was a complete success. No fears! I think it was mainly due to the fact that the animals were far enough away or behind a glass wall, but regardless, this shows major progress!
We all loved the tunnel we could walk through to watch the sea lions play.We got an annual pass, so I'm sure we'll go back soon!

tying the knot

Me and my Big Brother

Although Oregon's coast was definitely spell-binding, my brother's wedding location was absolutely spectacular as well: the lush green color, the beautiful wildflowers and the towering trees with hanging moss.My brother's life has almost always revolved around the entertainment industry. In earlier days as a roadie, then band manager for various famous heavy-metal bands. There was even a brief marriage to Darcy of Smashing Pumpkins. After leaving this industry many years ago he now does construction and remodeling work. However, my new sister-in-law brought him partially back into the world of entertainment, on a slightly different plane--one of contemporary dance. She dances, choreographs and teaches a dance form from Japan called Butoh. She designs and creates clothing as well. Together they now put on a performing arts festival each year in Portland.

Having this background knowledge will help to elucidate the following wedding photos. They incorporated some of the Butoh culture into their ceremony and celebrations. Many of their friends are performers as well, and it made a beautifully vivid background for the nuptials.

the radiant bride
One of her friends gathered these wildflowers from around the property the morning of the wedding and made them into this incredible bouquet!

the vows
They wrote their own vows, and they were some of the most meaningful and beautiful vows I have ever heard--full of wisdom and lifelong commitment.

the kiss
I love this photo! :)

the celebration begins!

This is my new sister's best friend, Anastasia. I believe she is a costume designer, and she made the wedding dress.This guy produced sounds that I wouldn't have thought could possibly come from somebody's vocal chords. Cool hat, huh?In the evenings they had Gong Cabaret performances on the stage. Basically this is where anyone could get up and perform, and if it was terrible or took too long, they would bang a gong and you had to get off the stage. My brother totally surprised me by singing a song he wrote. It was very good too! What a stud!

Congratulations big brother! Thanks for letting me be a part of your special celebrations.
I love you!

Oregon's Pacific Coast

Last month I traveled across the nation to Oregon for my brother's wedding. And when I say across the nation, I mean it, as my plane flew from Michigan to Texas, and then up to Portland. Not sure why it's cheaper to fly a criss-cross pattern when they claim fuel prices are so high, but there you have it.

At any rate, the wedding was to take place on an incredibly beautiful piece of property about 3 hours south of Portland, just a few minutes from the coast. Our hotel was right on the Pacific Ocean, and it was absolutely heavenly.

I LOVE the ocean!

In the morning it was extremely refreshing to walk along the coast listening to the waves, looking at all the starfish and clams clinging to the rocks, smelling the salt air, and just simply feeling alive!
My mom and I couldn't agree on whether this individual was male or female. What do you think? :)As we were sitting on a bench overlooking this fisher...., um, ...person, we actually saw a whole pod of whales spouting fairly close to shore. As we continued to look we saw the seals they were after. They were coming even closer to shore to get away from the whales in the shallow water. It was an amazing sight!

Now I just need to find a way to go back there soon!

Brainy Breakfasts for School Kids, another idea

This breakfast was easy, and the kids loved it. Even got a "Cool!" out of Emma. :)

Whole wheat English muffin, natural peanut butter, banana, raisins and milk....and a hard-boiled egg for even more protein.

or a yolk nose for Isabelle, who refuses to eat "the white part."

Remember, it is super easy to make your own peanut butter. We get the big canisters of nuts from Sam's and puree them in a small food processor with a little peanut oil. That way you don't have all the sugar and hydrogenated fats. It tastes better too, more rich in flavor. I like to make it from the honey roasted peanuts, mixed nuts, or even cashews for cashew butter.

You can find peanut oil by the other oils in the grocery store. For about 6oz of nuts, add about 3T of oil. Cashews take a couple extra tablespoons of oil. I just eye it and it comes out great every time!

My little park rangers

These two little handsome park rangers currently patrol a rather small portion of the natural environment, but never-fear, forestry is in the family and their realm of responsibility is sure to increase with their growing abilities.Here is their Great Grandpa who just passed away a few years ago. While he was going to college he was a forest ranger in the mountains of northern Utah. In fact, Alex gets his middle name from him.
I do miss my Grandpa.

Brainy Breakfasts for School Kids

Everybody knows that kids do better in school when they have a good breakfast, but I really hadn't thought about why this is true. Lately I was reading some nutrition books and they said that the brain uses about 25% of the body's blood sugar! So, if kids that don't eat breakfast (or at least not a good breakfast) try to perform complex learning tasks, the brain runs out of fuel because it depletes the glucose stores, which are already low from the overnight fast.

This means that proteins, complex carbs, fiber and calcium should all be a part of our kid's breakfasts each day.

Proteins perk up the brain, and complex carbs relax the brain, so you need both for optimal performance. Fiber steadies the absorption of the nutrients, so they act like a time-release energy capsule throughout the morning and prevent mid-morning crashes and sugar cravings. High-calcium foods have also been shown to enhance behavior and learning in schoolkids.

Because of this, I have been trying to make sure my kids eat well in the morning. They definitely hadn't been getting protein every morning. I hadn't realized it was so important to the brain.

In one of the books there was a smoothie recipe that I think is pretty good for all the healthy stuff crammed into it. What I LOVE about it is that my kids love it. :)

Here's the recipe:
3 cups lowfat milk or soy beverage
1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 banana
1 tsp. lemon juice (to preserve color)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of several of your favorite frozen fruits
4 T. ground flaxseeds (for a grainy texture) or 2 T. flaxseed oil (for a silky texture)
4 oz. tofu (I have never added this, but I would if I ever had it on hand)
2 T. peanut butter
1/4 cup raisins (opt.)
2 T. wheat germ
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
2 servings of a chocolate- or vanilla-flavored multinutrient protein supplement

Combine all ingredients, blend until smooth and serve immediately.
This recipe makes 8 cups.

My tips
-If I don't have enough frozen fruit or just want to use fresh fruit on hand, I just add ice as well.
-I always put everything in my blender except the milk, because it won't fit. I put the milk in a pitcher and mix them back and forth to finish it off.
-A serving size for a child aged six to twelve would be 2 1/2 cups (20 oz.), but no one drinks that much. I usually serve it with whole wheat toast.
-If there is any leftover, just stick it in the fridge and whenever you walk by stir it up and have a little sip. Guaranteed, you won't be hungry for hours!
-The problem is that Jeff always wants me to make it on the weekends instead, so he can have some too. :)

Duking it out

The other night Jeff brought home these boxing gloves and the kids had so much fun duking it out with each other and with their Daddy. I'm not sure teaching them to pummel each other is a great idea, but I decided to just think of it as therapeutic. :)

Here are a few of the boxing champions:
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough light in the family room to cut the blur much on the action shots, but I think they are still fun photos.

Frozen Tomato Trick

Last year our garden produced more tomatoes than we could eat. I could have bottled them, of course, but my mom told me how you could simply plop them in the freezer. That's what I did, and I have loved using them all year long.

If you don't have a garden, go to a farmer's market and buy tons of "canning tomatoes" for a very good price. Once you get them, here's what you do:

1. Wash tomatoes.
2. Cut out the top of the tomatoes.
3. Put the tomatoes in a freezer bag.
4. Seal the bag, label it, and toss it in your freezer.

Sounds tough, huh!?

Now, the magic is that when you want to make spaghetti sauce, or chili, or anything else that requires canned tomatoes, you simply take however many you need out of the bag, run them under hot water, and the skin simply falls right off! Then you can just dice it up and throw it in.

Funniest Commercial Ever!

Guess I need to sign the kids up for roller-skating. They sure start them young these days! :)

Precious Peaches

Peaches around these parts go very quickly. They are so delicious and everybody buys a ton of them, so you just have to grab them quick during the 3 weeks or so that they are on. I got a bushel this year so we had enough for peach cobbler, peach smoothies, peaches 'n cream, and I was still able to bottle some, freeze some and make a little freezer jam. I actually still have some peach jam from last year!
This was the first time I've ever bottled anything without someone helping me, and it worked! All bottles sealed successfully. These will be so great to have for breakfast in the morning with cottage cheese or granola, or for peach pie and peach crisp, of course. :)

Since we don't live in Florida anymore, and any power outages are usually less than an hour, if they occur at all, I like to freeze a ton of peaches so I can have that fresh peach taste all year long.
Getting peaches ready to freeze is really easy. You don't have to peel them all. Simply plunge a few at a time in boiling water for 30-60 seconds and then into a sink full of cold ice water to stop the cooking process. This separates the skin from the flesh of the fruit and you just pull it off. Then you just take the pit out, and slice it up how you want. I put mine in sandwich bags and topped them off with some apple juice so each bag was completely full. Then I put them in gallon freezer bags and tossed them in the freezer.

Problem is, I already want to get some back out and eat them!

My Little Fish

We have had so much fun at the pool this summer, and the kids made so much progress in their swimming. I am so proud of them! It is especially crazy to remember how utterly terrified Maya and Tristan were of water just a year ago.