10 on Tuesday

10 Least Liked Foods

1. chicken with bones (AKA "bone chicken")
2. onions
3. squash
4. zucchini
5. water chestnuts
6. sweet potatoes
7. crab
8. coconut
9. lobster
10. grits

I don't think I am overly picky. I actually had to think pretty hard to come up with 10 items. It is funny to note that most of these things are things my husband Loves to eat!

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping...

...Into the future! I lost another week?!!? How does this happen. Last weekend was crazy busy because of the Diocesan Youth Council retreat in Abingdon. I am excited because we have a really awesome group of young people to work with this year! We drove home Sunday afternoon in time for me to turn around and rive over to church for our religious ed kick off. I think the night went rather well and I am glad to have things underway.

My mom wanted to make sure I posted a few pictures from when Henry and Frances stayed with them last weekend. These are the pumpkins that my brother, Alan, grew. They are huge!!

They spent a lot of time in the garden picking grapes, blueberries and raspberries. My mom commented several times on what a good eater Henry is. And he is, especially in contrast to Frances who has a very small appetite and eats very slowly.

He got a new a hat as well. Yes, that is the potty seat! I couldn't use any of the other pictures because they all have Frances in the background...p**ing. :)

This has been a good week, but busy. I have been spending a lot of time on getting things ready for church this Sunday. I am really excited about the way our program is turning out this year. Things are going well at the pre-school too. I am up to nine kids in my class-three boys and six girls. They usually get along really well and LOVE circle time in the mornings-especially the message time we do.
There was a fire at the ABC store across town which has created more work for Ken, but today he doesn't go into work until 4:15, so we had a nice morning of cleaning house and hanging out. The kids are sleeping now, so hopefully when they get up we will have the chance to do something fun.
Please pray for Frances and Henry who both have the "coffes" (That's what Frances calls it when she has a bad cough.) I have been giving them their allergy medicine as well as some breathing treatments. This happens about once a season, and it can be a miserable two weeks for the two of them (and consequently mom and dad too). They don't sleep well, or eat much or behave well at all.

Ravioli!!

Well he must be feeling better...
Lunch time at home is so much fun!! Usually Henry eats the messy stuff at school or at dinner time (so he can go straight into the bath). Today I shared my ravioli with him for lunch. HE LOVES IT!! He loves the taste. He loves the texture. He loves the hair conditioning properties it apparently has (why else would he rub it vigorously onto his head?). He even loves it enough to take off his bib and rub it all over both sides of it.
I think next time I share my lunch it will be crackers and cheese!!

Saturday at the Park

We had some nice weather this weekend that was not too hot or too cold. After Henry sort of took a morning nap, he, Frances and I walked up to the playground at the church a block up the street. Frances pushed the stroller like a good big sister. She played on the big ship while Henry played in one of the tubes. He enjoyed the rocks quite a bit, and only tried to eat one of them!!
We left the playground to go home and get ready to pick up our Angel Food Order. If you have not tried this, yet-do it!! The food is great quality and very affordable. They aim to feed a family of four for one week for $30. We spread the food out and use other staples and we can make it last a whole month. We got a fresh fruit and vegetable box for $18. It included a seedless watermelon, a fresh pineapple (so juicy!), six potatoes, four oranges, two bunches of carrots, 6 ears of corn, and 4 onions. YUM!
After all the shopping and menu planning we decided to go out to eat! Pam had given me a gift certificate to Rack 'em, Smack 'em. It is a steak and rib place in Verona. The food was good and Henry enjoyed using the windowsill for his plate. We got back from dinner and decided to take a walk through the cemetery down the street. Frances got to chase a few bunnies-she is getting really good at it. After all that we put the kids to bed and went to bed ourselves. I love Saturdays when Ken gets off early!!

So that's what the holes are for!!

I am sorry it's so blurry. :( My camera is not the best at taking shots quickly. Henry had wagon wheel pasta for dinner tonight. He wouldn't eat them when I tried to feed him, so I just put them out on the tray. He ate almost all of them by sticking his finger in the hole and picking them up. He got very upset when his little fat fingers broke the pasta. He screamed! What a weirdo!!

Our Boston Friends

Tonight the Boston Appalachian Service Project (ASP) group showed up. They brought 93 teens and adults who are on their way to Lee County, Virginia for a week of service. The group stays overnight at our church on their way from Boston. We have traditionally hosted them with dinner, so several members of the parish provided side dishes and dessert. I grilled hot dogs and ordered pizza and BEHOLD! a feast.
This group has been staying at our parish for quite a few years and most of the adults have stayed consistent. Many of them remember Frances from when she was a baby and they all enjoyed seeing Henry again this year (he was only 4 weeks old last year!).
Frances entertained the group while we were waiting for a few more vans to show up. She got hold of the microphone and very sweetly sang "Twinkle, twinkle little star." The whole crowd got quiet to listen and then gave her a standing ovation. Then she sang "Baby Shark." A group of girls in the middle knew the actions and acted out the song with her. She had quite a good time showing off!!
A friend of mine borrowed my memory card for my camera, so no pictures just yet. When Chris emails me her pictures I will come back and add some in.

So Cool!!

Since it is summer time, Frances and I have been eating popsicles after dinner this week. Henry was staring me down a few days ago, so I jokingly gave him a lick. He usually doesn't like cold things, but apparently he LOVES popsicles. I was cutting up little pieces for him to eat, but that wasn't enough for him tonight. He reached out and took the whole popsicle. And actually ate it very well!! I took it away from him when he got to the stick and he threw a hissy fit! I had to cut up the rest into pieces and feed those to him too. I'm not sure about what the deal is with the smacking noises-he's been doing that all week. And yes, that is food all over his face. He fed himself burritos, fruit cocktail and mixed vegetables for dinner tonight. It wasn't pretty, but I sure was proud. He probably ate more than Frances!!

Last night Frances generously shared her popsicle with him. She tried to share again tonight, but I had just given him a bath, so she couldn't.

Dinner at our house

It's quite an interesting time. Henry decided to wear most of his dinner, but he still LOVES green beans!

Frances wanted to get in on the dancing, so I videotaped her as well. Henry wanted to watch her instead of dancing.