B-day Zoo Trip

Instead of having birthday parties this year, our family decided to get a zoo membership.

So we headed off on Treyton's b-day since he's the first summer birthday in our family.  Bryce's is a week later, and a month after that is Galina's.

Brielle had never been before and absolutely loved it. 

 I knew she would since she loves seeing the cows and horses that live by us.

 It was a gorgeous Saturday in June; a perfect way to spend the morning.

 It's so fun for me to see how excited the kids get over the animals.  I love seeing the world through their eyes.  I never tire of it.  People keep asking me why we're having a fourth child.  This is part of the reason.  Childlike perspective on the world is something I want to continue to re-learn and never lose again.  My munchkins are helping me with this goal.

 Oh man, can you see how close that tiger is?  Galina found it first.

 I think she made it roll over.  If anyone could do it, it'd be Galina.

 Gotta love those big and baby giraffes.

 Our boy's a little over 3.5 feet tall.

 Galina, just over 3 ft.

 And Brielle did NOT want to get measured, but I reckon she was 2.25 ft. tall.

 They had this cute carved canoe which we tried to get all three kids looking at us and smiling.  Didn't work.  We made a scene trying.  Brought Brielle to tears.  Oh well.

 Brielle loved the bird's eye view from her daddy's shoulders.

 We concluded the morning with an elephant show.  These are my favorite animals.  A great way to close out the morning.

Popovers

These are delicious.  One of the great secrets of living in Minnesota. 

 I've searched for the perfect popover recipe. Living in Colorado brings about some challenges when it comes to making popovers.   I've tried probably a dozen.  Most turned out like hockey pucks.  And then I came across this one that actually works in high altitude.  And it's from Minnesota!

There was this restaurant in the old Dayton's department store called The Boundary Waters Cafe.  Then it changed to The Oak Grill when Marshall Fields took over.  Now that it's Macy's I'm not sure what the restaurant is called, but the popovers have lasted through all those years and changes.  I think that says something about how good they are.

 So when I found the restaurant recipe I was so excited.  AND IT WORKED!  The only popovers I've ever successfully made in Colorado, not for want of trying, mind you.  These taste exactly like the ones from the Minnesota restaurant.  They serve them with honey-butter, by the way.  Or they're good with syrup.  Or dipped in soup.   Or just plain.  Mmmmmmm......

Here's the recipe:
Boundary Waters Cafe POPOVERS
3 lg eggs
1 C milk
3 Tbsp melted butter
1 C flour
3/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Liberally butter or spray popover pans or deep custard cups. (Popover pans are sold all over the place.  See picture below.  They run about $10-$15.)
Beat eggs with an electric mixer until frothy.  Add butter and milk and mix well.
Add flour and salt and mix to just combine--batter will be a little lumpy.
Divide among prepared pan filling only half full.  Bake until puffy and well browned.
DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN WHEN BAKING!  It takes about 35-40 min.  And really, use your oven light to peek.  I can testify to that one too.  Many failures makes for a jubilant success when it comes!

Here's a what a popover pan looks like:

Enjoy!

Tigers

Treyton's favorite sport is baseball.  Even though neither Bryce nor I was into it, the boy has it in his blood.  I know my grandpa was a terrific baseball player, and I remember Bryce telling me his was too.  So I guess it skipped a generation but the boy is pretty good.

 His team was the Tigers this year.

 Treyton had to learn positions this year.  At the beginning of the season he kept running to the ball no matter where it landed on the field.  Then he'd scoop it up and throw it to 1st base.  Some kids just stood there.  Even if it landed right in front of them.  I would've been one of those kids.

 By the end of the season he had the positioning down.  He liked playing short stop and the pitcher's position. 

We've observed that he's not big into contact sports (just like his mom and dad) but he loves being part of the action.

I think coaches of Little League should have a special place in heaven!  The coach, PJ, was amazingly patient, encouraging, and organized.  Best coach we've had yet!  They really learned things this year.  And recently, we saw PJ again at Treyton's school for kindergarten.  His son is in Treyton's class!

Someday I'm sure I'll be able to watch all of a practice or game.

But I had two little ladies to keep track of as well.  Ones with lots of spunk and energy.

So I showed them how to roll down the hill.

That kept them busy for almost a whole practice.

Then there was this amazing park near by.  Not close enough for them to be off by themselves, however much they tried.  A constant temptation.

 We passed it to and from each practice and game and, if time allowed, I'd let them play a little.

One thing I love about T-ball season is how it turns Bryce into a shameless sports hero.

This year he taught Treyton how to practice throwing at a pillow target.

It was pretty cute when Daisy dog went after the fly balls.

The season is over now but I know will be back again next year.  So until then....

Summertime

I love it.

 

Kids sitting in a messy house reading books.  The only thing that would be better is if they were sitting in a clean house reading books.

I am starting to lose have lost control over the house but with a little darlin' like this, I'm beginning to not care.

At least as much.

Because, as I keep trying to tell myself, in the big scheme of things, does it really matter how clean the toilets are, how much floor you can see in the kids' rooms, and how much clean laundry is put away?

Summer has come to an end now that school has started.  Back in MN it was unheard of to start before Labor Day.  But out here in Colorado, they start at the height of the dog days of summer.

We've had a pretty good summer despite my expanding belly and decreasing energy levels.

We filled up the kiddie pool a few times.  Galina enjoyed her "parasol".

Treyton enjoyed being a superhero that could shoot water.

Brielle just liked helping out.

And going with the flow with her usual happy disposition.

Let the games begin!

You've gotta have the sprinkler going as well as the pool.  And a shield to protect against getting wet.

How many hours did I spend running through sprinklers growing up?  I swear I was out there all day.  With a faded, stretched out bathing suit at the end of the summer to show for it.

Soaking wet on a hot summer day is pure bliss when you're a kid.

And a fluffy pink tutu type bathing suit to top it off.

Happy summer, y'all!

Book Review - We Shall See God

We Shall See God is a collection of writings and sermons from the esteemed theologian, Charles Spurgeon.  The author, Randy Alcorn, has taken great care to translate those writings into modern English without disrupting the original meaning of the text/sermon.  Randy Alcorn then goes on to expound on Spurgeon’s thoughts with his own insights, research, applications, and inspirational ideas.

This book is absolutely fabulous!  I’ve never read Spurgeon before and found his fresh and honest thoughts on death, life, the afterlife, and heaven to be truly comforting and, dare I say, exciting.  Many of my preconceptions about heaven were changed.  And I’ve been a Christian all my life!  After reading this book I no longer feel as apprehensive about the transition from this present life to eternal life.  Alcorn did an excellent job piggy-backing on Spurgeon’s thoughts yet creating his own distinct insights.  I would consider Alcorn an expert on the subject of Heaven as is evident in his research and multiple writings on the subject.  Because of that, he was able to take the extensive sermons and writings of Spurgeon, categorize them, and organize them into small “chapters”, and make the theology easy to read and understand.  I definitely recommend this book.

I was given this book to review from Tyndale Publishing.  The opinions are all my own.  I was not paid to do this review.