Kangaroo Kid

Ryan's preschool teacher from last year just gave me this photo of him holding their baby kangaroo. The preschool my kids go to is like a little zoo. They have turkeys, chickens, llamas, reindeer, etc. I thought this photo was just adorable and it's certainly not every day that you get to hold a kangaroo!

Reflections Winner!

Kielle and Ada both entered the Reflections art contest this year at school. The theme was "I can make a difference by. . ." They both received participation awards and Ada earned a first place blue ribbon which means she gets to go on to Council. That's pretty exciting. Kielle's drawing was titled "I can make a difference by not polluting" and Ada's Painting was entitled "I can make a difference by planting trees and flowers" When we get her artwork back I will post it.

Finis!

After less than a day of working on the Trade Federation MTT, Nathan has completed it! This set has 1,326 Pieces! I am impressed. He just worked on this non-stop. He is a true Star Wars Legomaniac!

Nathan's 10th Birthday

We enjoyed a really relaxed birthday for Nathan this year. He is saving up for a Nintendo DS, So he mainly received contributions to that fund. He's pretty close to the goal now. Here he is trying on his new Webelos gear. He is eager to be with other scouts again, as he has been the only one in his bear den since June.




















































For his birthday we made something that he has been asking me to make for a while. They are Gaufres de Liege or Gaufres Liegeoises. There is a little stand at Gare du Nord in Bruxelles that sells the MOST delicious Gaufres but until I ever get back there, homemade will have to do and I must say they are pretty delicieux! Do not be deceived by the picture these are NO ORDINARY WAFFLES! These are not even American style "Belgian Waffles." They cannot be described only experienced! MMM!The secret to really GREAT gaufres is pearlized sugar. My mom gave me some. I don't know if she got it in the U.S. or on one her jaunts overseas but it is fabulous!Sugar Waffles from Liege (Gaufres Liegeoises)

Batter 1:
1 1/4 ounces fresh cake yeast or 2 1/2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk, warmed to 100 degrees F

Batter 2:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup pearl sugar or 3/4 cup crushed sugar cubes

Prepare Batter 1: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water with 1 tbsp. flour and the sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy. Sift the remaining flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, egg and
milk. Mix well with a wooden spoon to make a smooth batter. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until the batter has doubled or tripled in volume.

Meanwhile, prepare Batter 2: In a medium-sized bowl, mix the butter, flour, salt, vanilla, bakingpowder, cinnamon (if using), granulated sugar, and pearl sugar into a paste. With your hands, work Batter 2 into Batter 1 until well mixed. Shape the dough into 10 balls, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 ounces
each. Flatten each ball into a disk and dust lightly with flour. Bake in a medium-hot waffle iron. Don't let the iron become too hot or the sugar will burn. Bake until the waffles are golden brown but still slightly soft, 3-4 minutes. Serve the sugar waffles
lukewarm or cooled to room temperature on a rack. Sugar waffles will keep well for several days in an airtight container, if you manage to have any left over.

Birthday Surprise

Nathan stayed home sick from school today. It's his birthday and he was home when this package arrived. He was absolutely speechless! He has spent most of the day working on this LEGO creation.

Fence

We painted our fence today. Everybody got in on the action. Ryan and Ada helped mix the paint together. It was supposed to be stain but it was as thick as pudding--maybe THAT'S WHY they sold it to my dad for 10 cents a gallon. We used like a whole can of paint thinner to get it to a workable consistency but it finally worked out allright and all of us had fun painting the fence.
I was able to get a picture of what the fence looked like before. We just had a few planks left to paint when I snapped this one.

General Conference

We got tickets to the Sunday Afternoon session of General Conference. Aaron & I took Nathan and Kielle. Grandma May was in town so she graciously agreed to watch the other 3 while we went to SLC. It was the first time that the three of them have been to conference live. The last time I went was in the tabernacle back in the days when you stood in line in the freezing cold at 3am to make sure you got in and then they packed you in like sardines on the hard benches. For me, the tabernacle was not a pleasant experience. But the Conference center was GREAT! We got there about a half hour before the session began. The seats were very comfortable. We could see who was talking. Since I wasn't distracted by 5 kids I was able to actually listen and retain things I heard in the talks. Amazing! It was rather pleasant. I think Nathan and Kielle enjoyed it too. It was nice to get to spend some time with just the two of them. They were great.

Nathan's Trip to SC

This past July, Nathan got to go visit his Grandma May in South Carolina for a little over a week. He got to fly on an airplane to and from Atlanta all by himself! He and Grandma did lots of fun stuff like visiting the Georgia Aquarium and the Atlanta Temple. This is a tradition Grandma wanted to start with all the kids when they are nine. Kielle is already planning out her trip to see Grandma next summer and the others can't wait for their turn!

Tessa's nickname for me these days is "Molly." I'm not sure if she means Molly Mormon or Molly like the doll on "The Big Comfy Couch" or maybe it comes from somewhere else entirely. I've tried calling her Loonette when she calls me Molly, but she has informed me that her nickname is "Monkey." I suppose that fits her pretty well. She is such a trip. There really is never a dull moment with her around!