Strawberry Bread

We've had some extra strawberries lately and when this rare occurrence happens I make strawberry bread.  It's a big hit here and is requested often even if the strawberries aren't going bad.   ( I forgot to take a picture today, sorry!)

Strawberry Bread

Ingredients

2-3 cups fresh strawberries

3 1/8 cups bread flour

2 cups of sugar

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cups cups coconut oil (you could use veggie oil or olive instead)

4 eggs beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

2. slice strawberries, sprinkle with a tad of sugar.

3. In your mixing bowl combine all ingredients mixing well.

4. Add Strawberries, oil, and beaten eggs to mixer.  Mix until throughly moist. Divide batter into pans

5.  Cook for 45-50 minutes, until tester comes out clean. (In my oven which is gas I have to cook it for 1 1/2 hours for the top to cook throughly.)  Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans.

If you are going to freeze allow to cool completely, wrap in two layers of foil, place in ziplock bag then freeze. Use within 3 months.

Enjoy!

Traveling to Hawaii

Packing while the kids are sleeping and trying super hard not to talk about it while they are awake is a lot harder than thought it would be! The results though were well worth it!  Once we got to the airport and had unloaded the van and the littles, Grandmomma and I told them that we were going to Hawaii.  They were so excited.  I was very thankful for preparing them for the airport.  They knew we had to check in, get our tickets, check our bags, go through security and then go to the gate and wait for the airplane.  They were fantastic!  Voices were a little hard to control because their excitement was hard to keep bottled up!  

Mathieu met us at the airport with lei's that he picked out special for each of us.  

The littles each took their trunkie and a backpack on the plane.  I was able to pack all their clothes and pillows into each of their trunkies.

Preparing for a plane ride

While we didn't tell the kids we were taking a visit to Hawaii, we did tell them that we would be learning about Hawaii while Daddy was there working.  We read "The Travels of Bonga Monga in Hawaii" by Kay Perry.  We colored pages from the "Hawaiian Kids Coloring Book" and did activities from this book.  We watched "Fa'a Samoa" and learned how they make fire and cook.  We also talked a lot about airplanes and how you ride on one.  We even set up the living room like an airplane while we watched "All about Airplanes".

What do you do to prepare your kids for a trip?

He is Risen!

Matthew 28:6

"He is not here; he has rise, just as he said."

He is Risen! Happy Easter to your family from ours!  We spent the day worshipping at church, celebrating a friend's baptism, dyeing eggs, hunting eggs and eating a yummy dinner.  

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Little Flicks

Promotion Day!

Mathieu was promoted today to TSgt.  We are so proud of him and the hard work it has taken him to achieve this rank.  His ceremony was outside and it was very cold for the little ones.  Caleb did not want to be wrapped in his blankets and the littles tried to keep moving to stay warm. After the ceremony we had a little reception for him with cake and sandwiches.  We had a great time and everyone loved seeing our family in action.  

Happy 7th Birthday Nehemiah!

Breakfast dressed as Obi Wan Kenobi

We love birthdays and Friday was Nehemiah's 7th birthday.  He choose what we ate all day and what to decorate the dining room with. We had homemade chocolate chip muffins for breakfast, Cars mac and cheese for lunch, and homemade chinese for dinner (with two types of chicken and not the usual one). He chose Star Wars as his birthday theme and black, blue, green, and white rings for his streamers.  He also got to go see Star Wars episode 1 in the 3D with Daddy on Saturday.  Mathieu said it was super cool and Nehemiah was saying lines before the actors were.  (Nehemiah has only seen this episode like 3 times!) 

We are incredibly blessed to have Nehemiah in our family.  He has a kind spirit, and a heart for God.  He is a great buddy to Samuel and he loves entertaining Caleb.  He enjoys dressing up with the girls, as he defends them from dragons and monsters dressed as Obi Wan Kenobi or Bible Man.  He slays things with the full Armor of God on and happily spits out verses to back up his slaying.  :)  

Lunch dressed in his Cars hockey jersey

Chinese dinner

His cool Jedi sign

His R2D2 cake

Happy 7th Birthday to our oldest son, Nehemiah! What a blessing he is and we love watching him grow in the Lord. May the force be with you. ( It's a Star Wars themed kinda day :) )

Potty Success

I started introducing Samuel to the potty last Thursday.  As soon as he woke up I showed him the potty  and let him know that that's where we go now.  I put him in underwear and then set a timer for 30 minutes.  We had lots of accidents that first day and the next day we had errands to run.  He told us while we were out that he had to go, even though I had him in a diaper!  Everyday has been much easier and he has woken up from nap and night time dry.  Today we celebrated by going to get new underwear! 

Eating ice cream for going #2 in the potty.

Super proud of his new choo choo underwear 

Saying "I go in the potty!"

Strength in Him

We recently found out we were expecting.  We were excited and blessed to know that God had given us another little one and that he/she would be joining our family soon, but after several days of severe stomach pain on my right side and a spot of blood, we decided to head to the emergency room to have the baby and I checked out.  After a few tests, they discovered that the baby was not growing in my uterus but in my right fallopian tube.  Mathieu and I were heart broken but also at peace knowing that God already knows the outcome and He will see us through this.  The E.R. doctor told us that there were two things that could happen but of course it would depend on what the GYN had to say.  I could get a shot of a cancer drug that aborts the baby and my body would then absorb any leftover tissue, or I could have surgery to remove the baby.  Mathieu and I did not want to have the shot, the long term effects and the procedure didn't follow our beliefs.  We prayed and cried out to God to help us to know what the right thing was and if we were suppose to have the shot to let us know that.  A few minutes after praying the GYN came in and let us know the two options again but after her explanation she went on to say that she felt it was safer for us to have the surgery.  She couldn't tell from the ultrasounds the amount of damage that had been done so she felt surgery was better.   Mathieu and I were so happy that we could feel God hands and Him moving.

The surgery went well and the doctor took pictures to show us how the surgery went.  She found more blood than she thought there was and was glad we went with the surgery.  I did loose my right fallopian tube but I still have both ovaries and my left fallopian tube.  While this has some affect on our fertility, we know that God has control over how many blessings we have and when we have them.  We are thankful for His knowledge and His timing, though it's not what we always want it's always best.

"I will praise you in this storm" by Casting Crowns played in my head the day of and the weeks following our loss. The song goes like this:

I was sure by now
God you would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as You mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth




I'm linking up with Raising Homemakers

Jedi training

Caleb has been intently watching the boys play with their light sabers this past week.  Last night one of them accidentally left theirs in the living room, and Caleb made a mad dash to pick one up and try it out. It was heavier than he expected it to be, but he had a great time moving it around and pushing the buttons. 

Matching pajamas

Nehemiah enjoys wearing the same clothes as his brothers.  Aunt Caitlin and Uncle Mac got the boys matching hockey pajamas for Christmas and per Nehemiah's request we took some pictures.

We couldn't leave the girls out of this one!

Samuel would turn to Caleb and say "CHEEESSSEEE" very loudly and Caleb as you can tell did not like this one bit!

Trying to crawl

Caleb has been doing a lot of planking but has recently started moving his arms into the correct positions to move.  He has the moving of the arms forward down, now if he could just figure out how to get up on his knees!

Pigeon Farm

Uncle Corey has a pigeon farm. He raises Homers, Kings, and Rollers.  The Homers are really neat because they will find their way back home from far away.  They've been known to go through several states to go home.  Kings are really really big birds and the Rollers do really cool dive bomb rolling like maneuvers.  Nehemiah now wants pigeons when he grows up.

Rollers ( I think)

Kings

Natasha showing us a fur Uncle Corey had drying.

Four Generations

First Grandson Mathieu, Grandpa, First Great Grandson Nehemiah, First born son Papa ( and of course Samuel sneaking a smile behind Mathieu)

One of the days we were at the farm, Grandpa took Papa, Mathieu, and Nehemiah out to see the land.  While driving home Grandpa stopped and said hi to a neighbor where he then introduced everyone.  He had his oldest son with his oldest grandson with his oldest great grandson.  What a very cool thing to think about!  So of course when they got home they needed pictures!  :)  

Grandpa wearing his hat that says ''Old farmers never die, they just go to seed!"

Fun at the park

One of the days we were at the farm we went to the local county park.  It's right down the road and it's full of things to do.  One thing that really caught our eye was the old merry-go-round.  They just don't make them like they used to. (We actually wonder if they even do make them anymore.)

Trevor, Natasha, Kara, Rachel 

Horseback riding with Aunt Raino

Aunt Raino has a beautiful horse named Gem and we were blessed enough with warm weather and a loving horse to take the kids on a ride!  

Aunt Raino and Natasha

Aunt Raino and Samuel, this is about all the riding Samuel did

Watching and waiting patiently for their turn.

Nehemiah got to ride all by himself!

Aunt Raino and Rachel

Sibling love!

The Farm

Our visit to the Farm was full of relaxation, tons of visiting with family, and great fellowship.  We appreciate everyone taking so much of your time to see us.  It really means a lot!

Nehemiah, Grandma, Grandpa, Me, Mathieu, Caleb, Rachel, Samuel, and Natasha

Grandpa and Caleb

Grandma, Grandpa and Caleb

Caleb, Grandma, and Grandpa

Grandma and Caleb

Grandpa and Caleb