More fun than galoshes in the rain.
Do you know my favorite part of this photo?
I’m thrilled my mom loved her Mother’s Day package enough to take a photo of it. Before even opening. Grateful lady.
What I love even more is that she has written “Thanks!!!” on the inside of their mailbox. My mom is amazing-grateful like that.
What mailperson wouldn’t smile every. single. time.?
I know the real name is Hasselback potatoes – but these are called baked potato chips around this home.
It’s amazing how much quicker they get gobbled up compared to regular baked potatoes. Just a few nights ago I announced it was dinner time to which I got the classic “What are we eating?” I slipped and said “baked potatoes” – groans all around. And then I remembered – “Oh – I mean Baked Potato Chips!” Instant eruption of cheers. Amazing.
Simply slice the potatoes 3/4 of the way down. Rub/brush on olive oil/melted butter/the likes. Or bake them up and place butter between the chips to melt. Stand back as your children eat twice as many as regular baked potatoes.
Reminds me of a legendary family story. When Jim Bob was young he did not like peas. Not in the least. But then his mom started making “meat peas” – those green ball vegetables were downright delicious! He loved “meat peas” for years before discovering they were the exact same veggie under a name-disguise.
I love my baked potato chips with Valentina and cottage cheese. This rosemary/garlic version looks delicious. And this one – Cinnamon Sugar Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Oatmeal Cookie Crumble – you are on my list too.
First though… Meri’s autograph. Drewby was pretty excited to get this! 😉
And now…
1. Press the boxing glove button.
2. Boxing glove punches the matches down.
3. Push the chair flip back button.
4. Drop a match down the air tube.
5. It goes through the air tube and hits the lighter that starts the cannon.
6. The cannon shoots the keys into the key slot.
7. The key cuts a rope that drops a rock on the gas peddle.
8. The car starts moving.
1. Pull back lever on chair.
2. The toaster lever is pulled down.
3. Really old toast comes out.
4. Toast hits a light bowling ball.
5. The bowling ball falls onto a trampoline.
6. The ball bounces over you.
7. It hits another trampoline while it is cutting a rock off a rope.
8. The rock rolls and pushes a block over to a little space where the bowling ball is going to hit.
9. The bowling ball hits onto the block which has a little trampoline on top.
10. The ball hits the button and the lamp turns on.
(no explanation necessary 😉 )
.
Katey: I love Joshua because he lets me sleep during his spotlight. (Sounded suspiciously like Jacob’s voice.)
Jacob: I love Josh because…
Daddy: Because he lets me sleep through his spotlight…
Jacob: No! I love Josh because he has a very smart mind and disgusting, realistic sound effects.
Daddy: *singing* (serenading Meri and describing her actions.) I closed my eyes, drew back the curtain, ah-a-ah, and found a binky. Even though it’s not mine. Then I stomped on my sleeping sister to see if I could wake her… for my brother’s spotlight.
You can call me the lyrical gangsta.
(I promise – none of this is made up. 😉 )
Caleb: I love Joshua because he does the spotlight at nighttime. And I love Josh because he makes cookies.
Josh: I roll over him like a rolling pin and tickle him like I’m putting sprinkles on.
Caleb: And then he puts me in an oven and eats me! …and he makes burritos.
Me: What’s a burrito? (thinking it’s something like making cookies…)
Caleb: You know… things on a tortilla.
Andrew: I love Josh because he trades Legos with me.
Autumn: I have mine! And no one’s taken it!!! He reads stories to the girls when Mom and Dad are gone. Sometimes he makes up stories too.
Jacob: Tell them the height of your story-telling career.
Joshua: Foo-Foo the Bunny Rabbit with his magical death lazer. The good guy in the story is Professor Fluffernut and his invisibility cloak of epicness.
Daddy: I love Josh because he is one of the few people that is brave enough to tickle me back and it gives me a great reason to tickle him mercilessly.
Mommy: Joshua is so sweet to his little brothers and sisters. As his big brother is getting older and more involved in activities Joshua has stepped up to help with babysitting, a few extra chores and is my food sampler in the kitchen. Practically helpful in every way.
Meri affectionately calls him J.J., Joshua is such a good friend, has a big heart and a head full of ideas. Fun ones. So thankful to have this fun-lovin’ young man in our family!!
Lesson: Jacob’s award-winning essay and discussion
Treat: Surprise!
(in other words – thinking on whether we should bust out the ice cream or dig into the emergency stash of Dove chocolate)
Birthday
{aperture: f/5.0, ISO 3200, shutter speed: 1/100th, 85mm on 28-135 mm lens}
1001 Words is a fun little series where I post one photo + one word.
Jacob’s take on a Rube Goldberg machine. It’s all about “depicting complex devices that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways”. Oh how he loves them.
Directions come on the back of his page:
You pull the foot rest lever (1A), opening the footrest (1B), and pulling the bed off of the board (2), onto the catapult and launching the baseball (3), knocking the board away (4), making the window press the bellows (5), making the hand on the boat knock over the board (6), hit the bookshelf (7), making the chips fall (8B) and making the rock swing off (8A), and turn on the TV (9).
Jacob loves it enough to give the “ah, yeah” face. And seriously – two great things happen here. Bag of chips in your lap and the TV turned on all from pulling the footrest back. The great thing I love? The fact that Jacob wasn’t eating chips and watching TV – because he was too busy dreaming and sketching.
Jacob’s little brother loves his plans too.
Caleb also loves posing. That one does not take a Rube Goldberg device. Simply have someone else start to pose for the camera and he’s there.
Autumn and Andrew’s drawn plans to follow…
Jacob: I hope it hasn’t been too hard for you to think about something good about me…
Andrew: I want to go first.
Daddy: Andrew is prepared with the opening salvo.
Daddy: Caleb! Stop throwing it in the air. Put in on the floor please. (purple frisbee dot thing)
Drewby: I like Jacob because he lets us play with his Legos.
Jacob: My private collection is awesome – with many specific pieces.
Caleb: I kinda broke my castle.
Daddy: Can you build it again? Jacob, are you reading over there?
Autumn: He is also a really great babysitter. And he’s very responsible. Responsible enough to stay up.
Josh: I like Jacob because he plays Pokemon cards. Pokemon cards rule!
Daddy: Joshua, close the book please.
Jacob: I like me because I am one with myself. I forgot the word that means multiple personalities… schizzlefriznick??
Daddy: Schizzle reminds me of Scrubs. Fo’schizzle!
Jacob: Whenever I hear schizzle I think of bacon, because it sounds like sizzle.
Mommy: I love that Jacob is such a good learner. And he remembers things. Last night he told us all about the fireside he went to. There were sound effects, and actions, and scripture stories… He even remembered the Stake President’s jokes and all the treat toppings.
Jacob: Well, that’s obvious. Even a kid with a bad memory would remember treat toppings.
Mommy: And Jacob shared all the information with us. I loved it. He also applies the lessons he learns and that might be the best part of all. Such a wonderful young man.
Daddy: I love Jacob because he has brown hair. And I love Jacob’s finely tuned sense of humor and sarcasm.
Mommy: Josh put away the book. (a different one…)
Daddy: There is such a thing as too much reading!
Josh: No, there’s not.
Daddy: You’re right. There is a time when it’s inappropriate to read. This is one of those times.
Caleb: I love Jacob because he helps me make Lego things. Heh Heh. And he makes toys for meeeeee! and Katey too.
Katey: I’m trying to decide. All I can think of is Legos.
Daddy: What does Jacob do that you like?
Katey: He plays with me. He plays for me too.
Jacob: With my clarinet.
Katey: Yep!!
We love our super handsome young man that is full of fun and so considerate of all of us. He has a special relationship with Meri. When he gets home from school each day she goes running to him squealing and saying “Jaaa-cob!” It was one of her first words and she adores him. We all do.
Lesson: Testimony Glove
Treat: Spring Popcorn
Daddy: Who would like to start?
*All hands raised* – They know how to make a girl feel loved.
Daddy: Now remember the rules – you need to stand on your head, plug your nose and tell Mom why you love her.
Josh: *while standing on his head & plugging his nose* I love Mom because she does these spotlights and if she didn’t do it, our Family Home Evening spotlights would never exist. Or her blog.
Jacob: So, we’re going to actually go through with this? Okay… (also standing on head and plugging nose) You cook all our food and make our lives such a wonderful thing. I also love you for all the love you give us. And you have lots of patience.
Drewby: Mom, can I sit by you until Dad returns? (Dad’s taking a photo upon my request.)
Autumn: I like Mom because she makes really good treats. She bakes really good tasty things. She is always taking pictures and is creative.
Drewby: Ummmmm… I love you for all the stuff you do for us.
Caleb: Now it’s my turn! I love Mom because she makes the best food. Heee hee hah hee. And the best day is my medicine. (He has antibiotics he’s taking right now and the last few days he has rocked them. A beautiful, welcome contrast to the first few days.)
Daddy: I love you Becky because you are the shoulder I can cry on, you’re the grave I want to die on… just kidding. It’s a good thing I have edit powers on your blog.
Caleb: What animal makes two sounds?
Daddy: Rawwrr and Oink Oink (thinking Caleb asked him to make two animal sounds…)
Caleb: A humpback whale. There are lots of humpback whales in real life. They are big. This big. And they live in lots of water. Now this is really tricky – what says woockcht woockcht woockcht?
Daddy: A pig?
Caleb: You got it!! (Not sure how he got that one…) What says mooooo?
Daddy: Cow?
Caleb: Yes! And what says shine shine shine?
Daddy: ???
Caleb: The Sun!
Daddy: Alright Katey – it’s your turn. What do you love about Mommy the most?
Katey: What??!? I thought we were doing scriptures.
Daddy: Go ahead. Mommy’s waiting.
Katey: I can’t think of anything… Oh, Daddy I’m ready. I love Mommy because she makes food. If we didn’t have Mom she couldn’t make the food. Only you could Dad!
Daddy: That would be tragic.
Drewby: If we didn’t have Mom, we wouldn’t even be born. (The deep thinker…)
Daddy: Everyone listen up! This is going to be epic.
Katey: Wait. wait. I want to do another one. I wasn’t finished.
Daddy: *sigh* go ahead.
Katey: I also love mom… because yeah. I’ve got to think of something… Well, *lip smacks*, …um… uh… *pant* *pant* what I like about mom is that… uh… what does she do? I’ve got to think of something… But I don’t know one. Awww… I’m not finished.
Daddy: Katey, you don’t have one…
Katey: Yes I do. I love mom because she gives us hugs and kisses. (Good one.)
Daddy: I love mommy because when she has very little time to do things that she would like to do she gives up that time to do things for us. She doesn’t get to read as much as she wants, or ride her bike as much as she likes because she gives up her time to do things for you. She does the same thing for me too.
Autumn: Is that it?
Daddy: No. If this is the longest spotlight ever I need to think of something else to say. And mom always makes birthdays epic. Good thing mine’s tomorrow… nudge, nudge. (no pressure)
Autumn: I’m pretty sure you’re done – right dad?
Daddy: I’m just getting started…
The end.
Dessert: Apple Pie Cake
Guardian
{aperture: f/4.5, ISO 200, shutter speed: 1/25, 53mm on 28-135 mm lens}
1001 Words is a fun little series where I post one photo + one word.
Can you guess what the Sunbeam lesson was about on Sunday?
What I learned:
3. Crocodiles – the bad ones – eat bugs and bees while baby alligators eat monkeys. (thank you Caleb & Madi)
2. There are a lot of stories in the Bible about fish. The creation, Jonah & the whale, fishermen disciples, feeding the multitude with loaves and fish…
1. Cutting fish free-hand is impressive. Cutting sharks is infinitely more appreciated by three-year-olds.
After we got home Meri had her turn loving on the fish:
She kept saying “Feesh!” and “Feeshies!” It was so sweet. Jim Bob put the jar in the window sill of the dining room while she ate her lunch. She had the hardest time concentrating – just kept moving so she could see those swimming, fascinating beauties.
{Big thank you to Mom Pipes for letting me not only borrow her guppies – but let me have her rainbow fish crackers as well! :)}
And a quick little update on Caleb’s growing project from last week:
He’s so excited. He wore it around his neck for half of Monday. 🙂
