Peyton's Interview on Being Five {super tardy}

How do you like being Five?  Nice.

What is the best thing about Five?  Playing video games and going on dates.

What is the best date you have ever been on?
Going out for hot chocolate with Mommy and looking at fire trucks.

What video game do you most want to get?  Lego Hobbits

What is your favorite bedtime song that mommy sings to you?  "Peace"
and he holds up two fingers.
The song the kids call Peace is Michael Card's Numbers 6:24 lullaby,
The Lord Bless You and Keep You...
Although he is claiming Peace as his favorite,
he most often chooses "Black and White" (Jesus Loves the Little Children)
and "Jesus Paid it All".

What is the best book you have ever read?  The Hobbit

What's your favorite food as a five year old?  Little macaroni and cheese, not the shells one.
(translation: Kraft brand, not Annie's brand)

What's your favorite color?  Green, blue and yellow.


What do you like best: wrestling, playing Avengers or riding bikes?  Wrestling

What do you like best: laughing, snorting or growling? Growling.

What do you most look forward leaning in school next year?  Learn about stories.

What is new and exciting about being Five?  Being six next.

What else do you want to tell me about life as a five year old?  Nofhing

Current Events

Do you want proof of the hipness of Watsonville?

This week my sister and I meet for coffee.  At Safeway.
That's the local nightlife.

Nobody else seemed to be there chilling with the in-store Starbucks bev.
Hmph.
We had a beautiful time.

Also this week, I had a major brain lapse situation.
I was on a super quick grocery run, while my guy was home for lunch break.
I put the car in park, grabbed my purse & jumped out of the car.
My radio was still going.
Hmmm...  Curious.  I wonder why?  Electrical malfunction?
Oh.  Keys still in the ignition.  Car still running.
Although I was only in the store for a 10 minute blitz,
probably still would not have been a good idea...
Close call.

We have beautiful sunshine this weekend.
Which is a relief.
Because last week we were really bearing the burden of winter
with day time temps in the 30's.  I kid you not.  Cold stuff.
Gillian & I were up for our turn in the parent/child outing rotation.
We scored on a gorgeous day.
I took her to my favorite quiet time place, the New Brighton Cliffs,
to explore and hang out.
Fabulous day with my girl -

I have another recipe to share with you all.
It's another dessert thing.
I don't bake every day.  Really, I don't.
But, I guess I more inspired to share the sweet recipes, lately.
I'll try to do a change up on that soon.

This one is Peanut Butter Frosting.  Swiss Meringue Buttercream style.
SO good.
I put in a top chocolate cookies that were only so-so.
I won't share that recipe with you.
Find your own cookie recipe.  Or a chocolate cupcake.
A rolled chocolate cookie, cut in the shape of hearts, made into cookie sandwiches?
Sounds perfect for Valentine's Day.  (I love that day.)

This frosting is a tiny bit more complex than just turning the mixer on.
But, do not fret!  It is NOT hard.  But, you do need an electric mixer.
And it is SO good.

Peanut Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream
3 Egg Whites
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

Fill a medium sized pot with enough water to come up about 1 inch high.
Put over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

In your metal mixing bowl, drop your egg whites & sugar.
Whisk the whites and sugar continually over the the simmering water.
Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Now, click your mixing bowl into the mixer, with a whisk attachment.
Mix on medium speed until bowl is cool to touch.
You should have a gorgeous white fluff.

Now cut you soft butter into several hunks.
Change out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment.
Turn the mixer on low and add one little hunk of butter at a time,
until it is all incorporated smoothly.

Now add the peanut butter.  Now turn up the speed to medium.
Beat for about 5 more minutes, until creamy and smooth.
Now slowing add the Vanilla until well mixed.

Spread on your cookies or cupcakes.
Or, just scoop it with a spoon and sprinkle with chocolate chips!

P.J.'s in Wonderland

We went hunting for awesome Christmas lights.

Or, as Moira said, we were looking for Wonderland.

We found it!

(Drive up Hilltop off of San Jose Soquel and you may find it, too.)

Thanksgiving Day #5

I am thankful to
-have my kids at home for their schooling.
-cool online resources like Made by Joel and his Paper Cities.
-our once weekly support classes at CFT.
Gillian is learning some basic French language & culture (from her Grandma!)
She is learning drawing skills & calendar skills.
She gets to share all her scientific discoveries with other kids.
We get introduced to great books.
She loves her lovely, youthful teacher, Mrs. Jensen.

Boys are Sensitive, too

Since no one is interested in chiming in on the last post,
 I guess I need to move on with my life blog.

My little man with his lovely sensitive skin received his horrible sun burn
#2 this last weekend.
It cannot compare in anyway to his first horrible sunburn.
Behold his nose, 3 days post exposure.

Poor boy.
See boys are sensitive, too.
They don't all have thick skin.
And that's okay, right?
I just wish I took better care protecting it.

But even sensitive ones can heal.

Kids & Types {knowing}

I love personality assessments.  I’ve said that before.  Myers-Briggs and all that jazz.

I think I am an ESFJp 
I know that is cheating…  But, I waiver between the J & P.  

And sometimes I waffle on the N & S, too.  I am so confused!  Or maybe just balanced? ;)

My husband is an INTJ.  Totally.

As the kids are growing, 

I often wonder about their unique personalities & try to understand their own little “bents”.

I found this website that has an assessment quiz that you can do for your child.

Of course, I can’t resist that. 

The test is geared toward children 7-12.  I know mine aren’t that old yet.  

But, I gave it a go, for the two oldest.

Some of the questions were tough.  Surely I won’t be able to “get” their personalities completely.

But still, it has value to help me in trying to know them.

Giving it my best shot, I came up with the results of ISJ for my Gillian & IFP for my Peyton.

I can see how the results are fairly accurate, although some things are off.  

(Gillian is quite intuitive.  I may have come up with the completely incorrect letter there - N instead of S?)

I didn't do the test for Moira yet.  I am certain she is an E & probably a P, but not sure of the other letters.

I think she is perhaps a lot like myself.  So, it seems a little easier for me to “make sense” of her & what she does.

I like how the results offer learning style help for the different types. 

Try the test out your kids & tell if you think it seems helpful.

That’s about all I have for the thoughts on knowing your kids.

I was too lazy/shy to ask anyone to write a guest post.

If you have something you want to write as a guest post, let me know.

Check back Friday for my closing thoughts & a continuing blog community idea.

Peyton the 4 year old is interviewed

How grown up is our little man looking? 
It is a bit mind blowing for us.

January 2012

We cannot believe he is 4 years old today.  

Here's what he thinks of life right now - 

 An Interview with Peyton

What is your very favorite food?  Hot dogs and Hamburgers
What game do you like playing the most?  Outland (with daddy's help) 
(editor's note - this is a xbox game)
What is the best t.v. show to watch?  Spiderman
Who is the coolest person you know?  Jacob
What is the neatest thing you have learned in school?  about Jesus healing and sharing
What is something you are super good at?  games
If you could take a trip anywhere in the whole world, where would you go?  
Grandma and Grandpa's 
Where is your favorite place to go?   Grandma and Grandpa's 
What is your favorite animal?  Rhinos
What is your favorite color?  Golden
What would you like to be when you grow up?  
A baseball player and have an Iron Man costume
What is your favorite song right now?  Star Wars 
What is the best book you have read lately?  Book of Bugs
How would you describe yourself?  Good at games and being nice.
When you where younger, what did you do?  I touched  the oven
Did you learn some thing from  that?  yes.  to stop doing it.
What is your favorite snack food?  Crunchy Noodles
What food is the yuckiest to you?  tomatoes
If you could have one wish, what would it be?  
I would have a real light saber and a remote control airplane 
What is you favorite memory?  learning at church


Scenes from his day -

breakfast choice - chocolate chip scones & orange juice

outing choice - head to the beach after church

It turned out to be a gorgeous day.

Wrapping up the day with burgers & a gumball cake at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

We love you sweet little man!

Scout Work

We did some embracing of the camera this morning.

We've been sick.  Kids around here are coughing.

We took a drive this morning to get out of the house 

& allow Kendall a chance to get a car ride snooze.

I got lost on our way to Mission San Juan Bautista, so she got a bit of bonus time.

We walked around a bit to do some scouting.

We plan to have family photos taken here next week.

Shadows are tricky.  

I hope we can do something cool in these arches.

My attempt today did not turn out.

Maybe the photographer will know some magic of how to work it all out.

Now at home I hold sick, sleeping baby because she wakes every time I lay her down.

the other kids don't sleep during their "rest" time.

I currently hear wailing from my drama queen.

Soon I will relieve them of rest duty & maybe make some applesauce "tea" for all.

My friend Stef had mentioned serving her sick kids honey & cinnamon water.

I did a little variation of adding apple cider vinegar to the mix.

Hot water + a shake of cinnamon + a spoon of honey + a big splash vinegar + a pinch of cayenne.

Scott & I like it more than the kids do.  But, they'll drink about 1/2 of a cup.

Hopefully it helps them feel better!

Counting Blessings {happy hollow}

Probably most of you all know about 
Ann Voskamp's journal challenge to folks to keep track of all the gifts they are grateful for.
Well, I started that a long time ago & totally failed to keep it up.


I am not ready to re-commit to doing this for an extended time period.  
I will, however, attempt to count my gifts through November.


(Can you believe we are well into November?!  
I planned to write this post a week ago.  See?  So far, not so good.)


I got to 13 last summer.  So, here we start at 


14.  last minute family holiday at Happy Hollow

15.  Hummingbirds, returning to our backyard.

16.  Having Scott who is happy to share & do life with me. 

17.  Peyton's sense of humor.

 18. Moira's joy.

19.  Gillian's imagination.

20.  Gorgeous November weather. 

21.  Picnics


22.  Kendall's teeth coming through.


23.  Being able to watch Kendall explore & discover.

24.  Brave kids who love a good thrill.


25.  Coconut Curry in the freezer for dinner after a long day.

Super Hero Halloween

You may not have known this.  

But, Captain "Amerin" & Word Girl & are pretty good friends.

this pose was his brilliant idea.  I love it.  He had many others, but I'll spare you.

I love felt.  I used felt for everything for these two costumes.

We invented Bird Girl because I wanted a reason to make this.  

Source: llevoelinvierno.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Super baby passed out candy at our door with me.  She was super.