This boy LOVES his walker!

Grandma's Visit

We were blessed by a special visit by my step-mom, Kathy, this last week. She flew down on Saturday and left today. It's never a long enough visit, it seems. We always love having them here (even though it was just her this time - my dad had to work, unfortunately) and are always incredibly sad to see them go. It was hard dropping her off at the airport and even harder when Robby called out, "Grandma! Grandma!" when we got home. I really wish we all lived closer. We cherish the time we do get and pray for time together again soon.

Last night, we enjoyed the beautiful weather from the porch, watching the boys play while Matt was at AWANA. I snapped some photos - something I always forget or chicken out of when they're here. I never want to be a burden or bossy photographer, but always kick myself for missing memories. Kathy was kind enough to take this one of me and the boys. I love it.

Kathy, as usual, was a huge help with Drew, who has been quite cranky the past few days. We later discovered that he's frustrated by his immobility and that he now loves his walker and being outside.

This is the happiest I've seen him in days! Grandma sure has the magic touch!

Robby playing with his soccer ball. This kid is constant motion, now. It's incredibly hard to catch a shot of him sitting still!

Lots of loves from Grandma.

A little girl and her mom from our complex came to join us as we were sitting outside. Robby, always eager to entertain and amuse, was playing peek-a-boo with her. She was cracking up!

This was taken the next day. I felt bad that I was able to get so many of Kathy and Drew together, but not her and Rob. We made sure to fix that before her flight.

It was a great visit. Quiet, but full of laughter and good conversation. I sure miss her already. I hate good-byes.

Devishly Good Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

YUM.

That's all I have to say about this recipe. I found it in a free e-book from Gooseberry Patch.There's another chocolate chip cookie recipe in there that calls for instant vanilla pudding, which will make them incredibly soft.

Devilishly Good Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Gooseberry Patch

18-1/2 oz. pkg. devil’s food cake mix
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix dry cake mix and remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden. Let cool on wire racks. Makes 3-1/2 dozen.

ALSO - we found a very tasty way to cook corn on the cob tonight. Just throw the ears into a 350° oven, husks and all, for 30 minutes. The corn comes out tender, full of flavor, and makes the house smell like popcorn as it's cooking. =)

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas

I love Our Best Bites! They have the best recipes! We had these this morning and they were simple, delicious, and filling. I left out the Tabasco, but later we dashed a little Frank's Red Hot on top, which made it even better (I'm getting very brave about spicy food).

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas 
Recipe by Our Best Bites

6 whole wheat English muffins at room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
About 10 dashes Tabasco sauce
12 thin deli slices of ham or 10-12 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
3/4-1 c. shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese
Optional: Chopped vegetables like green onions, tomatoes, sliced olives, mushrooms, green peppers, etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray or brush with oil or melted butter. Set aside.
In a pie plate, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and Tabasco sauce. Gently pull apart each English muffin and soak each side (like you would for French toast) in the egg mixture--you want the egg mixture to soak into the bread, but you don't want the English muffin to be completely falling apart. Place the muffin, cut side up, on the baking sheet.

If using ham, slice the ham into thin strips and then place on top of the English muffins. If using bacon, just sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top. Add any additional desired toppings and then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes and serve immediately.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: After baking, loosen them from the baking sheet with a spatula and then allow them to cool completely. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. When the pizzas are solid, transfer them to a large Ziploc freezer bag. To reheat, place on a plate and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes at a time until the pizza is heated through (actual time will depend on how powerful your microwave is).

Giant Drew

No one really believes just how big Drew is. Here's a picture to put it into perspective for you. Here, he's wearing 9-month-old sized pj's. It gets better. Robby was finally able to wear these when he was 7 months old. Drew's just shy of 5 1/2 months old.

Yeah, I think Rob's going to regret thumping on his little brother someday...

At the Fair

I can't believe fair time has came and went. Where has the year gone? Matt spent most of his three day weekend working the church booth and evangelizing to passing fair-goers. He got into some interesting conversations, as usual. You never know what you're going to come across, but please be praying for those seeds that were sown. We went to the fair twice this year as a family, but the first time wasn't the best. By the time we made it out the door, it was almost the boys' naptime. Not a good time to do ANYTHING. So, we went again another day, AFTER naptime. It was a much better time! Here's Rob sitting on the back of a front-end loader. He was very brave!

We were so happy Robby could ride the rides this year. Last year he was too young (barely a year), so this year was a lot more fun. We chose a mild ride to start with because we didn't know how he'd react (even though this carousel was a lot faster than it looks) and Matt rode with him. Rob had an absolute blast and came running to me, proudly saying, "Rode horse! Rode horse!"

The second he went on he got to "drive" a firetruck all by himself! Well, he had a few passengers, but none of them got sick or started crying, so he must have drove well. He did great!

Obviously Drew didn't do any rides, but he was content to watch the rides and people go by.

The second car he drove. Again, all by himself! He didn't cry or freak out at all. We were very surprised and proud of him!

Matt loves the draft horses, so we spent some time in the draft horse barn, of course. I'm in awe of their incredible mass!

We splurged a little and bought a cup of food at the petting zoo. Robby thought the tickling tongues on his hand were a riot until he realized that his new friends had left quite a bit of drool. This kid HATES having his hands dirty for too long!

Matt and both entered five photos this year. Matt got a blue and red and I got a red and two whites. We ended up looking very patriotic. The judging seemed a lot tougher this year, so we were happy to get anything!

As usual, the fair was a lot of fun to attend and enter our hard work in, but I'm so glad it's over. I've definitely had my fill for a year. I'm happy to have my husband back - for now, until AWANA and Bible study starts up again. All for His glory!