ICK

We have a new family member...his name is Ick. He is a blue beta fish. He already had a rough start in his new life...while we were paying for him at the pet store, Ty kicked him off the counter and half his water fell out onto the floor! He seems fine now...let's just hope he lives. :)

The Game

Thursday night, Jess, Ty and I , along with Jess' brother and sister-in-law, went to the Chiefs/Saints pregame. It was my first time at a professional football game. We had so much fun. Ty had to get use to all the yelling, but once he did he went to sleep for a bit. I am glad to say that the KC Chiefs did NOT win! (None of us like them). Jess' sister-in-law is a major Saints fan. I don't mind cheering for them as long as they are not playing the Panthers! Anyway, there are some pictures of the game below. I am so glad it's football season again!!!! (By the way, there are no pictures of Jess and I...those two people are Jess' brother and sister-in-law)

Life's Favorites

Some of my favorite things in life...

-My little man, all stretched out, and sleeping peacefully in his crib
-Hugs and kisses from my husband
-Ty's laugh and smile
-Doing things for your family that you know they will really love
-Afternoons, or evenings, where Jess and I both sit down and play on the floor with Tyler
-Coming home after a long day
-Having people care about you
-Spending time with relatives you don't see much
-The peace and quiet you have after those relatives are gone
-Doing something good for planet Earth, like recycling
-Vacations
-Friday afternoons, cuz you know you have the whole weekend to spend with your family
-When you are so ready for the season to change, and then it does
-Being able to provide for your kids
-Seeing how happy you can make your kids
-Watching things grow
-Eating a really good meal, that you made
-Getting in the bed after a long day, and being able to relax
-Knowing there is a God who will never let you down

With No Use

It's hard to have only one good foot to use. Ever since I broke my foot, I have been hopping around, trying to get things done. I love to stay busy..so it's been a little hard for me having this foot problem. It's hard for me to clean, I am going to try to sweep and mop my floors today..cuz, well, they are dirty. I am trying to get laundry done..but it's hard to get up and down the stairs. I don't have much time to rest my foot because I have Ty to run around after all day. I do get to rest it during his naptimes, but even then it's hard for me to sit still..I think of all the things I need to do. My poor, poor garden is getting weeds, and it feels very neglected. I guess I am writing this to say that I am VERY thankful that this is only a temp. thing..and that I have the ability to walk, talk, and do all the other things that some people can't do. Now if only this foot would heal a little faster...

The "Other" Meat

I don't know if it's because I lived in a Muslim country for a bit or what..but I love lamb meat. It has such a great flavor. Here is a recipe I found using it. Lamb meat is expensive here, so you can use ground beef instead..but I don't know if it will be as good. This salad is amazing...

Gyro Salad with Tzatziki Dressing


Dressing:
-1 cucumber, peeled and coarsely shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream
-1 carton (6 ounces) plain yogurt (3/4 cup)
-2 tablespoons white vinegar
-1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon dill weed
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Salad:
- ½ pound ground lamb or ground beef
- ½ cup chopped onion
-1 teaspoon Greek seasoning or oregano leaves
-1 package (about 10 ounces) romaine salad blend
-2 tomatoes, chopped
-1 package (about 4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, drained
Toasted pita bread wedges

1. In a medium bowl, sprinkle cucumber with salt; mix well. Let stand 5 minutes. Drain.
2. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook lamb, onions and Greed seasoning until onions are tender and meat is no longer pink; drain.
4. Arrange salad blend on a large serving platter; top with tomatoes, feta cheese, olives and lamb.
5. Spoon dressing over salad. Serve immediately with the toasted pita wedges

The Best Pancakes

These are the best pancakes I have ever made and eaten....

Oat Pancakes

-1 cup quick-cooking oats
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-2 tablespoons sugar
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 eggs, lightly beaten
-1 ½ cups milk
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients.
2. Combine the eggs, milk, oil and lemon juice; add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.
3. Pour batter by ¼ cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes.
4. Cook until second side is golden brown.

The Tube

Every time I let Ty watch tv (cartoons) I always feel a little bad about it...like I should be playing with him instead. I do admit..it's nice to get the small break when he actually does watch something. We are not a big tv watching family, in fact, I hardly know what's on these days. When we do watch tv in the evenings, and Ty is awake, it makes me feel even worse that he is in the room with the tv. Am I just being weird? I know it's okay to let your kids watch tv...but how much is too much? How do you guys handle watching tv in your houses?

Mountain Man

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Tyler in the car after too much driving. He was a great kid for the 10 hours we drove (one way).


I don't think Ty is too sure about sitting on this rock!


Ty, Jess, and Jess' dad


Jess and Ty on a trail in the mountains.


A view of Colorado Springs from the Helen Hunt Falls trail we were on. ...this is the place Jess proposed to me..great view!


Don't worry...You can see from my shadow that I am right there..I would never let Ty fall off the mountain!


Jess and I


Some mountains


More Mountains


Garden of the Gods


Rock at Garden of the Gods...look closely and you will see rock climbers...people climb there all the time.


Jess, Ty ,and I at Garden of the Gods


Jess and Ty at Garden of the Gods


Ty thinking he is going to get to drive..little does he know...


Jess, Ty and I at my favorite coffee shop..Black Bear


Just a cute picture

We are back home from Colorado. How sad. We had a great time though. Tyler became a little mountain man while we were gone. We did a lot of fun stuff...we hung out with some friends, we went to our favorite coffee shop, Black Bear, we went to Garden of the Gods, went to Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs, saw the church we got married in, we saw the new YWAM base (Jess' parents are in YWAM..and they just got a new base). we ate a lot of good food, went to see Transformers (the BEST movie), Jess and I had lots of "dates" where we went out without Tyler. Thank goodness for grandparents who want to watch the grandchild.

So Jess and I wanted to go to a nice restaurant for dinner our last night there. We didn't really know where to go, so I looked online for some restaurants. There was one called Solos, and it's this plane you can go eat in. Sounded cool, and the menu didn't look bad. Well, the food was CRAP. Oh well, it was fun eatting in an airplane restaurant...just really disappointed in the food. We went somewhere else for dessert.

I got a call on Monday from the doctor's office...looks like my foot is broken and not just sprained.

On the way home from Colorado, Jess got pulled over for speeding! The state trooper just gave us a warning, thank goodness!

We had a great time. It was a fun trip, even though I didn't get to go mountain biking or hiking. We did a little bit of walking around, and I probably shouldn't have done that! We saw cute little foxes and deer. I didn't get to see any mountain lions or bears this time. Oh well. The weather was PERFECT too...and now we are back in the hot, humid weather of Kansas City.