In Nashville with the Plattner Pals...

We spent this past Easter weekend with Blake's sister & family in Nashville. The Plattner Pals, are so much fun! Alexander was LOVING it! With seven cousins at his beck-and-call, there was always someone to play with, read with, play with, explore the woods with, play with, chase after, ETC. Here are some snapshots of our time together.

SISTERS: Savannah Rose & Emily Marie (in PINK!)... COUSINS: the sweet blue-eyed Savannah and Xander performing a concert all their own... BB: there was lots of hoop-action on the driveway... THE REFEREE: When the action got too 'active', Xander took to the sidelines to observe...

KITE FLYING: Hey, a few inches off the ground count as kite-flying, right?

MORIAH: I love the look of pure excitement on her face as she rushes about the cul-de-sac...

So, what did we do in the afternoon? Stay tuned!

Some Recent Xander-isms...

#1 While observing me check my apperance in our full-length mirror before leaving for church. "Momma. You need to put some of that tummy away." NOTE TO SELF: Spend more time at the gym!

#2 While driving in the car & after being denied a request, the X-man said in a cautionary & quite mature voice. "I'm getting upset." NOTE TO SELF: Research 'Anger Management Classes.'

#3 Overheard while sharing lunch with his playmate. "Alea. Do you love me?" NOTE TO SELF: Keep an eye on those two! :)

One of THEM Moments...

Earlier this week I experienced one of those can-i-get-a-do-over moments. Here's how it played out. NOTE: The folloing events all occurred in about a 6.2 second timeframe.

Alexander and I were in the basement.

I smelled smoke.

I ran upstairs and screeched.

Alexander followed...and screeched louder.

The timer went off.

The smoke alarm went off.

The UPS man knocked on the door (indicating a package).

Call me crazy, but as I peeked out the window, I do believe I saw the deliveryman leaving our driveway at a faster-than-normal pace :)

Prayer Request...

My good friend. A friend of my heart. A friend who loveth at all times. A compassionate listener. A ready encourager. A follower of Christ. A friend of Christ. She was recently diagnosed with cancer. And she's scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Would you pray that her heart can be filled with peace & courage? Her name is Lois.

Family Weekend

Last weekend, we hosted Blake's family for a fun-filled family weekend. I was distracted with the 'organizing' that I did not take many pictures and those I did take...um, not so good. One of the activities was a visit to Extreme Trampolines, which was a totally fun couple of hours for both adults & kids. Here are some pictures of our time there. As mentioned earlier, quality leaves a bit to be desired -- do you know how hard it is to take photos of individuals always in motion?

We spent some time swimming together at a local hotel on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. During lunch on Saturday we had a little impromptu celebration of Dad & Mom's upcoming retirement where we gave Dad a couple of imaginary (wink! wink!) retirement projects & enjoyed some homemade sauerkraut using the crock that Blake recv'd for Christmas. In the evening, we spent a nostalgic evening eating Giordano's pizza which is not available in the three states where Blake's siblings live (yummy!) and played our own version of Minute-To-Win-It games (lots of laughs!)

More X-Man Style Files

There was this post. And then this one. And now for the X-man's latest fashion-forward entry. Pajamas, snow boots, gloves and shades. Ow!

Recipe: Homemade Granola

Alexander and I have been making homemade granola for the past several months. While we have tried a couple of recipe combinations, thanks to a recommendation from my good friend Kasey, I think I have found THE recipe in the Artisian Bread in Five Minutes A Day cookbook. Granola tends to be a very kid-friendly kitchen project. At our house, I measure and Xander dumps.I typically put my mixing bowl inside a jellyroll pan so if anything lands OUTSIDE the bowl, I know it should have been INSIDE. While I mix the liquid ingredients, the X-man stirs (and stirs, and stirs, and stirs...) the dry.

gathering the ingredients...

stirring the dry ingredients... ready for the oven...i like to store my granola in a glass jar; kind of old-fashioned nostalgia, I guess

NOTE: I have tried repeatedly to post the recipe ingredients & instructions but having some 'technical difficulties' so I will try to do so later.