Wherever we go...that's where the party's at!

We joke with the kids about that song..."Wherever we go...that's where the party's at!" being our family's theme song.  Today that was definitely the case. 

Parking lot birthday party...



 

We brought (well, our friend made and brought them) cupcakes for Daniel to share with his friends before our fieldtrip.  It was so sweet that his friends made him presents and cards.  We have been so blessed with great friends. 

Waiting...

(I love how they are all are looking in different directions)

Post Office Tour

Again, we had a great tour guide.  The kids got the biggest kick out of packages falling inside the drop boxes.  We got great coloring books and a collectible stamp about Owney the Postal Dog.  Read more about him -Owney the Postal Dog.

Party Time!

The Cake

Frosty Orange Dream Squares 

 

   Party Time...

Presents...

   Daddy proving he was at the party...

A special song by Tera

Joint gift--beach trip essentials

Sand toys, paper bag scrapbooks and supplies, pudding packs and fruit snacks, audio books on CDs and flying disc toys.

Happy Birthday!

Since the day you were born I've seen

this laugh...

 this love... 

this hardworkin' little boy... 

   


always with this sense of humor...

and this smile...

I wouldn't trade these past 9 years with you for the world! Happy Birthday, Daniel!

Recipe: Chicken Enchiladas

This is Tera's all time favorite dish!

Chicken Enchiladas

2-3 cups chicken chopped

2 cups grated cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup salsa (hot or mild)

1 cup chicken broth

soft tortillas (depending upon how many layers you want)

Note: The ingredients can be adjusted if you like more chicken and cheese.

Blend soups and broth. Add salsa and chicken. Layer tortillas, soup mixture and cheese in a casserole dish. Repeat layers until all mixture is used. Top with grated cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Tip: Use a round casserole dish to make layering tortillas easy.

You are More

Life Cycles and Little Shrimp

We talked about life cycles (butterflies, frogs, humans), but what my kids enjoyed the most were the hands-on examples.  Releasing a butterfly and chasing it until you run out of yard. 

   
Then, we talked about shrimp migration and how dams pose a problem to this process.  The kids were given yardsticks, marbles and two tents- one for downstream, one for pipe.  The marbles represented the shrimp.  If a "shrimp" went through the pipe, it was dead and out of use.  The ones that went through the downstream tent, were rolled again.  The kids kept rolling until all the shrimp went through the pipe.  They recorded how many "died" on each turn.   After the activity, the kids brainstormed ways to solve the problem to help prevent extinction of the shrimp.  They found out by looking at their records that on certain rolls less shrimp had passed through the pipes.  Then, our leader revealed the scientist's solution to this problem-turning off the pipes at certain times to correspond with the influx of shrimp. 

I was with the younger set this time around.  We had fun rolling our marbles without worrying which "tent" they went through.  Their only concern was someone else picking up "their" marble.  They all looked basically the same to me, but magically the kids knew exactly which one they had rolled.

 

Michael was pretty good this time...he really enjoyed this puzzle. 

Random

My pirate and his hand built ship

Haitian Chicken and Fried PlantainsThis recipe does not photograph well at all, but it is sooooo good!
 JP has started some canning this season.  This is our first experience with canning, so we are taking it slow.  We've done 8 pints of tomatoes and 7 pints of spaghetti sauce. 

 We were invited to a bowling birthday party!  I really like bowling...I need more practice!