Family Trip - Glen Rose, TX

This is the first time we were able to leave town since having Rhys and with Keri's health back. We thought it would be good to choose a place fairly close by and Glen Rose is approximately 2 hours away.

We left on Monday (Presidents' Day) and by late morning we arrived at Dinosaur Valley State Park. There we got to see the footprints of 2-3 different types of dinosaurs preserved under water. The best sets had been removed and taken to a museum somewhere.

Can you see them? They are 3 toed prints. Anyway, that was neat but the fun part was playing in the water.

At the start of day 2 we drove through the wild animal park. We opted not to buy feed for the animals but had a bag of romaine lettuce to share if they were interested. We didn't need the food. They were so used to being fed, the animals would come right up to the car looking for a snack. We got plenty of up close and personal shots.

This was a great experience for the kids. Sophie was not fond of the ostriches but was fine with the other animals. She handled this friendly visit by a deer perfectly.

Yep, he licked her!

Neal's favorite part was seeing the rhinoceroses.

We left for Dinosaur World that afternoon where the kids got to dig for real fossils and take them home.

Then there was the photo op at the decapitated T-Rex head.

There were over 100 life size dinosaurs at this tourist's trap.

On Day 3 we ended our trip by visiting Dublin, TX touring the oldest Dr. Pepper factory. We each enjoyed a Dr. Pepper while learning how it was invented, produced, and advertised. They even had Dr. Pepper Jelly in their gift shop.

Ahhh, the good old days...And today...Why does Keri love Neal? For one, how he flies into framed shots at the perfect time.

We had a great time as a family. There as plenty to keep us entertained and we enjoyed making memories together. Now where to next?

Happiness is Homemade

Keri, who is not always comfortable in the kitchen, is feeling a little bit more at home lately. She has been making some yummy stuff despite her "helpers."Recent successes: Dinner-a.) an amazing Black Bean Pumpkin Soup, b.) Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff, Breakfast-a.) Fried Egg over Asparagus, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, b.) Lemon Blueberry Scones with Lemon Icing (see below, and they were NOT dry), Dessert- Cinnamon Rolls with Icing.

And the real marvel is that we foodies are not gaining weight!

Dental Health Month

Yes, February is Dental Health Month and the "tooth" of the matter is, as parents we stink at making sure our kids brush in the a.m. on a regular basis. So to help Mom and Dad do a better job and up the excitement about oral care, we whole-heartedly threw ourselves into better dental health. We:

1. bought new toothbrushes
2. watched a video about how to brush our teeth online
3. talked about why we brush our teeth and brushed the yellow plaque off a paper tooth (with white paint to reveal a clean tooth)
4. introduced flossing by flossing teeth (upside down egg carton) and our own teeth
5. kept tract of morning and evening brushing with a sticker chart.

It's been fun forming better habits and our mouths are gloriously clean and fresh because of it!

Love, Love Me Do

Battling through the ups and downs of illness this past week, we were still able to enjoy our Valentine's Day celebrations. We had our "Love One Another" party a few days before Valentine's. We read John 13:34-35, sang Love One Another, discussed how Valentine's Day is a special day to demonstrate our love for others, and then made Valentine cards and fingerprint heart bookmarks to give to some selected elderly people in our community.On Valentine's Day, Sophie was just well enough to go to preschool to exchange Valentine cards and candies. We did not push her by visiting the senior citizens that day. And after Sophie got feeling better, Rhys was fighting a virus and ear infection. We hope to be able to visit the rest home soon and give them our very late Valentine wishes.

Simple Faith

We've all got an unwelcomed head/chest cold thing at our house this week. A couple days into it, Sophie told me, "God can hold me so I can feel better." She is always extra cuddly when sick. I told her that God gave her a mommy to hold her for Him and that He would love to hold her again some day.

A Bit of Toilet Humor

I know she'll hate me when she's older for posting this but...

Recent bathroom happenings have involved Sophie becoming more efficient at tending to her own bathroom needs. She seldom needs our help anymore but we occasionally enjoy little snippets like this:

Sophie down the hall in her bathroom. Mom in the living room watching TV.

Sophie: I need help wiping!

Mom: Just grab some toilet paper. You can do it yourself.

Sophie: But I didn't pee or poop.

Mom: Then why are you sitting on the toilet?

Sophie: Oooooh,...I'm just resting.

Sophie, once again, in her bathroom. Parents elsewhere in the house.

Sophie: I need help wiping! Oooooh Haaaandy Heeeelpers!

For those of you who don't spend endless mornings watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with their preschoolers, the Handy Helpers are pictured below and "help" with various tasks during the show (i.e., opening doors, passing out plates, and the like).

Thank Goodness for Snow

The good part is that we now have enough snow so we can walk outside without slipping on the ice and breaking our necks. It looks like we have about 5 inches of snow. Will we ever thaw out? I'm sure people in Minnesota are mocking us. At least we got outside today. Even Mohini had cabin fever.

That's a beach ball we've had sitting in the backyard since May. Sophie has a good arm when it comes to snowball fights.

Whoops! Still a bit icy. Thanks for the help Dad!And the snow is still coming in healthy spurts. Stay warm!