Introducing Governor Evans

Last night my mom was inducted as Governor of the Oklahoma/Arkansas District of Pilot Club International. They are a service organization that works on many projects locally to improve their communities, including a organization-wide campaign to stress the importance of bicycle helmets. Mom has been active in Pilot Club since I was in high school and so this was a great accomplishment for her. Last night, lots of accolades and gifts were presented to her, including a hand-made butterfly quilt, a stained-glass butterfly made by hand, and letters from the mayor of her hometown, the President of the bank she works for, and the President of Pilot Club International. Then she had to get up to speak through her happy tears. Dad slipped her one of his ever present hankies, which helped, as did her recognition that hers were not the only moist eyes in the room. Her local chapter also threw a special reception for her with a delicious raspberry filled cake and chocolate shavings on top. We're so proud of her. The dedication that my parents have shown to service in their communities have always been, and continue to be, and inspiration for my brother and I. Its something that I hope we can pass on to our children. As my mom said to me tonight, "Now the party's over. It's time to get to work." Her official duties begin July 1. Congratulations Mom!

Alex's 1st Soccer Win!!

Alex's team practice got rained out this week, but they played great today. There was less of the clumping that we saw last week. There were more breakaways toward the goal (by both teams), including unfortunately a breakaway toward our goal by the other team. We won 6-4, so even if they hadn't scored on themselves, we still would've scored more. Because of some absences today, Alex got to play a little more than last week. Once again he played his hardest. This league does not have goalies, but Alex did his best to protect the goal. If the ball burst forth from the clump of kids toward our goal, Alex sprinted back to stand in front of the goal, even if he was the closest to the ball and had a chance of getting back in play by their goal. To his credit, he did block several shots and got good at goal kicks. We were proud of him doing his best again, which is all we asked. As you can imagine though, he was pretty stoked about the win.

Survivor Miakonda

We've been looking forward to this weekend for a couple of months now. Alex started Cub Scouts when a program opened up at his school a few weeks ago. I noticed on the area Scout website that they were hosting a Dad & Lad campout this weekend at the local Scout camp - Camp Miakonda. This camp is located in the middle of the Toledo metro area, just 10 minutes from our house. However, once you leave the parking lot and cross the wooden bridge into the camp, you are definitely in the woods. They do have electricity, running water, flush toilets, and cabins to sleep in, so we were only partially roughing it. We got our stuff in our cabin and assembled for a flag ceremony. This may have been Alex's first, because they don't do this in his school. We were divided into tribes and scheduled into a variety of activities that the tribes all rotated amongst.
We started with two of Alex's favorite activities from the whole day. First was a turn at the archery range. He's going to get another chance at school this year, but this was his first time holding a bow and arrow. The boys sat for a safety speech and a history of bows and arrows. Then we took turns in groups of 8 with a compound bow. The bow was a little hard for him to pull back, but I helped him. The targets were mounted on a long rubber block and one of his arrows hit the block, three fell short and one went over the block. Next we snuck into our cabin to change into warmer clothes. Even with our jackets on, it was a chilly morning. From there we went across the camp to the BB gun range. We knew that BB guns would be a part of Scouts from stories we'd heard from other parents and kids. We had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, we have become very anti-gun, just about from the moment of Alex's birth. We don't let the kids play with toy guns, not even making "guns" out of Legos or sticks. We don't permit any shooting games where the boys pretend to shoot each other. The BB gun range also began with a safety lecture, including the use of the gun, the prone position they would be laying in to shoot, and the safety goggles that they had to wear. Alex did a good job and hit the target once. He let me shoot once as well (and yes I hit the target). [I told him about the Red Ryder BB gun that I had when I was growing up. Dad (Papa) also taught us about gun safety and kept the guns and BBs out of reach. He used to take us to a dirt road outside of town during the day that was frequented by cruisers in the evening who threw their various bottles and cans out the window. We used them for target practice, and then carted them home to put into the trash.] Then we went to the Council Lodge building (back on the other side of camp) to do a craft. Alex made a story skin with sticks we found outside and a rabbit pelt they provided. Alex put a CM in the middle for Camp Miakonda, lightning bolts above it and arrows below it. I drew stick figures father and son at the bottom and we signed and dated it.
After lunch (hot dogs with the works) we went to the Fort. This fort looks like one that might have sprung up during colonial days, though it was built about 13 years ago. The boys learned how to make frybread from flour, salt, baking powder, and water. They flattened their piece of dough and a scoutmaster fried it for them in a dutch oven on coals. Alex put sugar and honey on his and we shared it. Then boys had free time to run around the fort before the scavenger hunt.
Next we started a lame scavenger hunt. It could have been kinda cool, except that the Boy Scout running it wasn't informed that additional clues were hidden all over the Camp, with each clue leading to the next. After finding 2 clues near the starting line, we were told that was it. Most of us went back to the cabin to rest off some of the hiking and lunch/frybread that we endured so far. Then it was time for games. First the boys divided into teams and had to find puzzle pieces on the ground blindfolded with the help of a sighted caller. Then they moved on to throwing balls through hoops that were tied between two trees. Then we all raced through an obstacle course and put in the best time for a tribe our size so far that day. Alex's favorite was a rope swing in the middle of the course. Then they ran a race to fill buckets with water carried in a styrofoam cup on a paint stick.
Next we practiced a skit that we needed to perform for the entire camp that night at campfire. Our skit had the Emperor (in the chair) reject various offer of food until he found raisins that he liked, but was upset when he found out that he couldn't get more because their rabbit died. Think about it for a minute. Alex was a guard to the left of the Emperor. We had dinner (tacos - Alex ate taco shells and pudding, not at the same time) and then went to the "Survivor Challenge". There we answered 30 trivia questions in teams to win a bag of candy. Our team fought hard but lost. However, the winning team was generous. They also let the kids roast marshmallows over a small campfire they had built there.

We had almost 2 hours left before the evening presentation. At the beginning of the day we were given a blank piece of fabric, some leather cord, two markers, and a pile of yellow beads to make a tribe flag. All day the kids traded their yellow beads for different colors from other tribes and special beads from the scout leaders. One of the scout leaders wanted a handful of trash for a bear claw or seashell. During this down time the kids played around the cabin, strung their beads, and signed and decorated the flag. The dads helped them mount it on a frame and we got them to pose around it before the evening campfire. During this evening presentation, we watched and participated in several skits. Awards (more candy) were given to the tribe with the best flag and to the one with the best time (per Dad) on the obstacle course. A thunderstorm moved through which canceled a planned evening hike. The evening movie would have been the 1960's Disney scouting movie "Follow Me Boys", if they brought a DVD player instead of the VHS player. Oh well. The glitches gave Alex and I a chance to go stargazing in the parade field with our star chart from the planetarium. Alex slept well in the cabin, but I had a hard time getting comfortable on the bunk bed - spoiled I guess by my foam mattress topper. The next morning, we packed up our gear and had breakfast on the way out (after hiking all over camp one more time looking for Alex's sunglasses). Alex already wants to come back next year for the Dad and Lad campout.

Mommy Tip - Denture-Style Toothbrush Cleaning

To clean the grime of old toothpaste off of our toothbrushes, I invert them in a cup of water and drop in two effervescent denture cleaning tablets before I go to bed. In the morning, I rinse them off, and they're good to go. ~Becky

Alex's 1st Soccer Game

Alex had his first practice for his new soccer league a couple of days ago. He's played soccer in gym and learned some basic ball handling techniques, but this is his 1st team. His coach's name is Jarrod and he seems to know his stuff and enjoys working with the kids. Alex informed us that he doesn't need to practice because he knows everything he needs to. We smiled and told him that he'd be surprised how much he'd learn. Basic ball handling skills are one thing, playing as a team is completely another. He put them through a few drills that day and gave us our game schedule.


Today then (2 days later) was his 1st game. They played well, having just met. Becky and I found it to be very exciting to watch because it is so fast-paced. The kids unfortunately suffered from clumpitis - wherein they all clump around the ball and kick at it until it squirts out somewhere. They then all chase after it, reassemble around it, and repeat. If it happens near a goal, it sometimes goes in. We lost today, but Alex (and his whole team actually) played their hardest. One good thing about losing is that it has motivated Alex to want to practice. We'll be proud of him either way, but winning is definitely a big motivation for him.

A Beautiful Spring Day

After Grandparent's Day, we had one more day with Nana & Papa before they headed back to Oklahoma. We discussed going to any of several area attractions like the Zoo or COSI. But it was such a beautiful Spring day, after several cold days and springtime snows, that we decided to just play outside. We hauled a bunch of the outside toys out from the garage. Becky pulled out the bubble maker she had gotten for the boys for Easter when it was too cold to use it. She also pulled out a hula hoop that she had been saving for just such an occasion. Alex got good at twirling it on his arm.
We also pulled out the sand and water table that had waited patiently on the porch all winter for the boys to miss it. We didn't put water in it yet because I haven't hooked up the outside hoses. They love burying toys and then finding the "treasure" together. We've even slipped in a few shells from our trip to the beach last summer.
Nana dazzled Alex with her soccer skills. He's starting soccer within a week. Much to his surprise, Nana showed him that he doesn't yet know everything he needs to know about soccer.

When Aaron went down for a nap, Nana, Papa and I took Alex to a nearby park to do a few things that we couldn't easily do in the backyard. This included hitting practice for baseball this year. It will be a "coach pitch" league and he'll be on a team with several of his friends from school. He did surprisingly well considering the last time he swung a bat was in T-ball. We tossed the Frisbee around the horn and did some longer soccer drills than we had room for at our house. Finally we practiced on Alex's new bike, his first without training wheels. He's still a little nervous, but motivated. He's not ready for me to let go yet, so we'll have to get back out there soon. What a lovely day to play.

Mommy Tip - Easter Egg Tree

We've seen these around town, so this year we decided to hang plastic easter eggs from a little tree in front of our house that had yet to bud or bloom due to our late Spring. It made the barren tree much more festive. I threaded kitchen twine through holes in the bottoms of the eggs with a "needle" that I made out of a doubled over length of thin wire. I knotted the two ends of the twine together inside the eggs to make a loop of twine. I closed the eggs and hung them on the tree. They can be saved for next year as long as the twine holds up. ~Becky

Grandparent's Day 2007

Today Nana & Papa Evans went with Alex to school for their second Grandparents Day at his school. They won the prize for the grandparents who traveled the furthest within this country to be there today. Though in an unfair yet diplomatic move, they had to share the honor with parents from Nebraska and Kansas.

During morning meeting, they got to watch Alex help with handing out "choice" assignments for where the kids could spend free time once they had finished their work. One of his projects for today was to interview them about where they grew up and went to school. They had to come up with one difference between school then and now. They told him that they didn't have computers in their school when they grew up, which blew him away. They got to attend French, Math, and Gym with him and they said he did a real good job in class.

They also went out with him for recess where he showed them an old log that he likes to climb on. He spent most of recess playing chasing games with his friends. All in all they loved spending the day together, back in 1st grade.

Mommy Tip - Car Coupon Organizer

I used to keep coupons in a plastic card file, but it was clunky to take to the store. I went to Office Max and found a small accordion-style file folder. I've divided it up into sections by the most popular stores I shop at and then some general categories. Besides coupons, I keep gift cards and shopping lists, gift ideas, etc. there. I keep it between the 2 front seats in my minivan and at long stoplights I will often sort through it, looking for expired coupons. It's always there when I need it and I save lots of money having these handy. -Becky

Jump Rope for Heart a Big Success

From Alex's school Newsletter:

The Lower School (Grades 1-6) participated in Jump Rope for Heart in late March and raised $3,544. No school in a 14-county area has raised more money in their first Jump Rope for Heart event.

The donation will help the American Heart Association in its battle against heart disease and stroke by allowing increased funding to go towards research and educational programs. Maumee Valley's Physical Education program was awarded a $200 gift certificate to US-Games to purchase physical education equipment.

Fun at the Park with Nana & Papa

After the Butterfly House, we had lunch at the San Francisco Oven, and then went to a park near Alex's school while Becky picked up Alex. Aaron went all over the jungle gym with very little fear. He even walked up the big metal slide a few times - once with Nana right behind him.

Showing Nana & Papa Butterflies

We took Nana & Papa to the Butterfly House today while Alex was in school. This was Dad's 1st time in a place like this.
He took lots of pictures with their new camera, including several of the abundant Blue Morpho.
For the first time, Aaron was apprehensive about the butterflies. At times, he was paralyzed because they were flying all around. He felt better if one of us was holding him.

After about half an hour, he loosened up a little bit and would walk around with someone, like Nana.

The Glass Museum

Nana & Papa Evans came into town yesterday for Grandparent's Day at Alex's school on Friday. While Alex was at school today, we took them and Aaron to the new Glass Museum that opened last year. This is a part of the Toledo Art Museum, located directly across the street. Since the Libbey Glass Company is located in Toledo, this has been known as the Glass City. Through the Libbey family and other generous donors, the museum had amassed a large collection of ancient and modern glass works. Of course they have glasses and bowls, but the collection includes tables, sculptures, and other art and functional pieces. The oldest are thousands of years old, though most of the pieces were hundreds to dozens of years old. Some of the more modern art pieces were made in recent years.



This punch bowl and table were made by the Libbey Glass Company for a World's Fair near the turn of the century - I think around 1905. Part of the art around us was the museum itself. It was designed by the ..... group from Japan and built by local contractors. The interior and exterior walls are made of glass and all of the corners are rounded - no right angles. Unfortunately, Aaron bumped his face into the glass at least 3 times because he didn't see a wall in front of him. The nearby security guard said that she did that too during her first week there.



Besides the glass collections, they have a glass furnace that is used by artisans and students. Since all of the walls are glass, you can watch them at work while you tour the museum.



The other surprise feature was this long room on one edge of the museum with movable stools, but no glass (other than the walls) so Aaron could wiggle around a little. It was hard being in a museum with lots of pretty displays that he couldn't touch, but overall he did a good job. Today was also my parents 37th wedding anniversary. I turn 36 this year, so the math checks out ;)

Recipe Summary - April 2007

I want this post to be a link back to previous posts that had recipes in it, so that it will be easy to refer back to. I'll update it as I add new recipes. Please check out our...

Ribs
Paella
Fruit Salad
Jambalaya & Creole Sauce
Fire Roasted Corn
Spatchcocked Chicken
Baked Eggs and Potatoes
Becky's Chili
Black Bean Soup
Lime Guacamole

Mommy Tip - Lime Guacamole

I found that squeezing fresh lime juice on my homemade guacamole helps preserve the color and tastes great. I typically mash up one ripe avacado, mix in a dash of granulated garlic, kosher salt and ground pepper to taste, and then squeeze a quarter lime wedge over the whole thing.
-Becky

Easter 2007

Becky and the boys got dressed up and went to Easter services at Westgate Chapel. The boys were wearing alpaca sweaters knitted by Grammy Hardage. They all enjoyed it, then came home to find that...

...the Easter bunny had braved the snow and freezing temperatures to deliver eggs full of candy, toys, and money for the boys.

He was very sneaky with some of his hiding spots, but the boys found them all.

We went back inside and opened the eggs. The boys shared this moment of brotherly love. Then we had an Easter dinner of ham, corn, roasted potatoes, carrot sticks, sesame wheat rolls, biscuits and our eggs from yesterday. Aaron had chicken nuggets and fruit.

The boys then opened Easter gifts from us, Nana & Pana Evans, and Grammy & Grandpa Hardage. Lots of candy, toys, coloring books , and outdoor toys that will be tested in warmer weather.


Alex got a bike this weekend, that also will be tested in warmer weather. Aaron's favorite toy was this black puppy dubbed Black Beauty. Happy Easter everyone!

Making Easter Eggs

Becky tried out a new kit this year that involved sticking the boiled eggs in a plastic bag, dripping egg dye on them, and then rubbing the dye on the eggs through the bag. Aaron got stripped down as a precaution.
Alex wore an old shirt he'd already gotten paint on in the past. He tried out multiple color combinations.
They made 9 in all and had a blast. One more day to Easter!

Mommy Tip - Pool Noodle in Bed

Jason found this post about traveling with kids, suggesting to bring a pool noodle along to slip under the sheet at the edge of the bed to give kids a reminder not to roll off the bed. Aaron is sleeping in his old converted crib. It has three walls and is open on the front. Like his brother, he likes to sleep on the edges of the bed; so, we bought one of those bedrails that slips under the mattress, but only extends partway down the bed, giving him a spot to climb into bed from. He prefers to sleep with entire body on the pillow across the width of the bed - but lately, he's gotten too long to do that. This meant his head was getting shoved into the net portion of the bedrail, making him look like a fish caught in a net. I've coaxed him into lying lengthwise now. Yesterday I removed the rail and slipped in a pool noodle we bought. After a nap and a full night in bed, it seems to be working.
-Becky

Mommy Tips

Jason has been encouraging me to blog more, but I haven't been sure what to say. I realized that I've found, developed, stolen, or otherwise obtained numerous little tips that help make my day more efficient and running smoothly. The smoother things go, the more time I have to spend with the kids and the more sanity I have left at the end of the day. I'm going to start posting them here, but if I get the hang of this, I may transfer them to their own blog. One thing at a time. These will all be labeled with the "mommytips" tag - so you'll be able to click on the mommytips label on the right side and bring them all up. Please feel free to disagree or add new ideas in the comments section.
-Becky

Spring Break 2007 - Cincinnati

Right after getting back from the water park, we did some laundry, got a good night's sleep and headed down to Cincinnati. We have good friends from medical school that live down there - Dawn and Chris and their kids Rachel and Ben. Dawn introduced Alex to a small harp on a wood base that had room underneath for a paper song sheet that showed him which notes to play in what order. Rachel showed us her blankets she's been making for girl scouts, including the Cars blanket she made for the boys. That night, after getting the kids to bed, Dawn and Chris introduced us to a video game for the Playstation 2 called Guitar Hero. Instead of a joystick, you control the game with a guitar-shaped controller. You have to "strum" it and finger buttons on the neck in time with the music. It's hard to describe, but you can watch a random 8-year-old do it here playing "Freebird". Out of all of us, Dawn was the best. She plays the flute and I think that this helps her, but nevertheless she put Chris and I to shame.The next day we went to the Cincinnati Children's museum which has several fun and educational things for kids to try. Alex loaded foam rubber rocks into a crane bucket and later worked the crane to drop them into the yellow dump truck you see behind him. They shot plastic balls across a room with jets of air and other cranes. They played in a pretend vet's office, a diner, and a construction site.
They also had a water area like they do at COSI which of course they loved. Their favorite part had to be the forest with logs you could crawl into and climb up into tunnels, mazes and bridges. It had a real aquarium that contained some bass and a Lucite tunnel that you could use to crawl into the middle of the aquarium for an eye to eye view of the fish.
That night we had dinner at the Iron Chef restaurant which had the chef prepare and serve your food from a grill right at your table. We loved it, but especially the kids. Alex tried white rice for the first time and like it. The chef tried to coax him into trying some vegetables, but he would have none of it.

One of the kids favorite parts were the fire tricks he did, like build a volcano out of onions and caused it to erupt. We'll be talking about this around here for a while.