Freaky Friday? No, Surreal Sunday

This week, Lloyd had a much needed Sunday of pulpit relief. So, we worshiped out-of-town and then settled down for a nice relaxing day. Anika talked Daddy into painting the ceramic tea set that she got from her birthday so we all had a little craft time.

As we were waiting for the paint to dry, we all rested our eyes for a little nap when out of the blue we had a freak thunderstorm, lighting, hail all while the sun shone brightly. Then the power went out. . . and didn't come back on. I lit candles and searched for my lamp oil (yep, I was thinking about those foolish virgins in Mt. 25). Lloyd headed over to church to help with the decision to cancel evening services - as it was after sunset so it was unsafe to have people in a pitch black sanctuary. Gratefully, power was restored before bedtime so we had heat and nightlights:-) Here are a few pictures of the once-in-a-decade storm here in Ripon.

Out the back door - this shows the crazy weather. The sun was shining except for the bank of dark clouds over our house. You can even see a rainbow if you look closely.

HAIL!

The view out the front - quite a bit of flash flooding!

Rainy Day Fun

We've been (finally) having some winter weather here in the Central Valley of CA. I'm not complaining because we really, really need the rain (and the snow pack in the mountains). So, we've been entertaining ourselves inside. (Well, the rain AND the strep infection that Drew had have kept us in.) We enjoyed some play doh creations!
A smiling Drew now that the fever is gone!
And we've enjoyed a new Wii game that the kids received for their birthdays. It is called Outdoor Adventure and I must say that since we can't be outside to have our adventures we can sure work up a a sweat inside! I love to see my kids huffing and puffing after jumping, running, swinging and swaying:-)

On your mark, get set, RACE!Running and jumping over logs and other obstacles!Drew really gets some air:-)Both jumping, neck and neck!

Comparative Photograph

We've been told before that our kids have "some family resemblance". (One person put it like this: "No one can kidnap those kids; you know who they belong too.) So, when Anika found an old picture of herself and she thought it was Kathryn, I did a little searching. . . Here are our girls at approx. the same age.

Can you guess which is Anika and which is Kathryn? (Answers below:-))

A.

B. C.
D.
E. F.


(Answers: A. Kat B. Anika C. Anika D. Kat E. Kat F. Anika)

The Party

We so enjoyed a wonderful time celebrating Anika and Andrew's birthdays!

Cakes, Cakes, Cakes

Oh, boy! I thought I might have bitten off more than I could chew with our birthday party:-) I really wanted to make Anika a castle cake and Andrew a spider man cake for their party. I had made their cakes last year so I was feeling confident (cocky???). I finished Drew's last night and I was pleased with my simple cake.

Today, Anika and I tackled her "castle cake". We had watched an online video and were all set to go. . . I guess I struggle with the fundamentals because the biggest pain was icing the thing! (I didn't line the layers up and I ended up with a leaning tower - that made it difficult to frost. My imaginative little girl made Mommy feel better when she told me that it was leaning because the "white witch" was trying to knock it over with her wand!!) All the work was worth it and my little princess was beside herself -- and it went over well at the party too. (I thought I would just be taking off the decorative sugar cubes, cones and sugar waffers, but the little girls were so excited to eat those too.)

In process:

Final product:

Andrew's Special Day

After Anika enjoyed such special events on HER birthday, Drew couldn't wait for his turn. Today he turned 3! He had a WONDERFUL lunch with Daddy. (Like Anika he went to Applebees, had chicken fingers & fries, received balloons, and was serenaded. However, Andrew greatly enjoyed his dessert of chocolate cake while his sister had a strawberry shake.) We were also able to enjoy the unseasonable mild temperatures and play outside. We ended our day with our free ice cream treat at Baskin-Robbins. What a day!

Andrew enjoys his chocolate cake!

Sitting Up

Kathryn has reached a new milestone. She is confidently sitting on her own. She takes an occasional tumble, but all in all, I'd say she has this mastered. I'm liking this stage a lot; she takes an interest in toys, siblings, pets, etc. but she isn't mobile yet. (I'm not looking forward to the crawling stage). Her sister and brother adore her and take good care of her.

Happy 5th Birthday, Anika

"This is the best birthday ever!" exclaimed my now 5 yr old -- and it didn't even include presents, party, or cake. We are going to have a party for Anika and Andrew next week but Anika was delighted by the special touches on her special day.

• She woke up and asked if she "looked 5"
• She picked out a fun "birthday" outfit.
• She told every one at the store that it was her birthday.
• Daddy took her out for a special Daddy/Daughter lunch date at Applebees!
• After dinner we took a walk to Baskin Robbins for her free birthday ice cream.

Getting serenaded at lunch AND enjoying a strawberry shake for dessert:Chocolate milk, what a treat!:She wanted to go to the place with the balloons:Special time with Daddy - priceless:

A Time for Change

Hello All! Just a quick note to comment of the new look of the blog. I've gotten so boring and routine that I didn't even think to jazz up the site. Boy, was I missing out. I hope you enjoy the new look:-)

A Moment with Kathryn

I was reflecting recently that Kathryn's babyhood is slipping by without the fanfare and photographic attention of Anika or even Andrew. So, I had to catch this with the camera. Kathryn is getting quite adept at sitting up . . . and putting anything and everything within her reach into her mouth. She wanted to join us for lunch so she grabbed an orange (from our backyard:-))

"If I can't get it to my mouth, I'll bring my mouth to it!"

Chef Anika

Aunt Christine gave Anika a fun, new project for Christmas. They are silicone cups with a recipe book of things that kids can make. Anika made dinner for us! She measured, stirred, scooped, & sprinkled to make mini-lasagnas. Then she set the tabled and served everyone. She did such a great job (and was so proud of herself!). Thanks, Auntie Christine!

The proud cook:

A willing taste-tester:

Anika serves us dinner (She positively glowed when Daddy asked for seconds!):