Gotta Catch 'Em All!

Pokemon has been discovered at my house! We have basically been taken over with the love of all things Pokemon! We've got books, movies, cards and drawings.

Pie Pie has been developing her drawing talent by drawing various Pokemon. As you can see, she has gotten quite good!

Pants likes to pretend to be different Pokemon. Her favorite is Squirtle. She runs around yelling, "Squirtle, Squirtle!", and then she curls up on the floor and pretends to be in a Pokeball. A Pokeball is where a Pokemon rests in between battles.

Both of the girls like to use plastic eggs from Easter to hold their pretend Pokemon. Pie pie currently has a Pickachu and Charmander. Pants has a Squirtle, of course!

I find Pokemon interesting. I was tired of the same old thing, so this was something new for us to explore. You can only watch so much My Little Pony and Dora before you go a little crazy! (Not that I wasn't already.) There is a ton of movies and books in the Library System, so it will be a while until we watch all of them.

I like to learn about all of the different Pokemon. One of my favorites is Shuppet. This Pokemon takes all of your negative feelings and makes them positive. Who wouldn't love a creature who can do that!?!

Shuppet

I also love the ones who say their name in a cool way!  I'm not a big fan of the girl characters in the show choice of dress. They all have tops with their bellies hanging out. I didn't notice, but Pants did. One night she was walking around with her shirt pulled up saying, "I'm a girl, I'm a girl.". I was racking my brain trying to figure out where she got that idea. I asked her, "Where is that from?". She said, "Jessie, from Team Rocket.". Jessie is a character from Pokemon. That is when I noticed the girl's clothing. I just explained that kind of clothing is not my girls! I've decided it's still a basically decent show. We all have to make our own decisions about what shows are appropriate for our children to watch.

One of the positives is that the Pokemon do fight, but they don't die. They just need to go back in their Pokeball to recharge! I still have much to learn about Pokemon. I've just started on my journey. I am going to take my time and enjoy the ride.

I doubt we will ever "Catch 'Em All!", but does Ash Ketchum ever accomplish that either?!
P.S. Ash Ketchum is the lead character in Pokemon!

Plant Observation Journal Part 2

(This is the continuation of the journal we started at the beginning of this Summer.)

August 4th, 2011
We had pretty much given up on our plants. They were mostly dead, but two of them have gone from brown to green. The already growing marigold has many buds. Our sunflower has started buds too!

August 11th, 2011
Our plant must be tasty because we caught a grasshopper eating our sunflower today. Lucky for us, and him, it was a stem without a bud. So, we still have two buds. Yeah!

August 26th, 2011
Our buds are getting very close to opening on both plants. We are very excited. You can already see the yellow on the marigold.

OK, I admit it, I'm not perfect! I kind of forgot to keep exact dates after that last one. We did continue to take care of our plants and the flowers did bloom.
The marigold opened first.

A few days later our sunflower opened.

This was a successful, scientific journey for Pie Pie and Pants! A+ for everyone!

Flavorful Friday

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour

1 1/3 cups of oats

1 tsp. of baking soda

pinch of salt

2 sticks of butter, softened ( 1 cup )

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1 cup of pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp. of vanilla

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1/4 tsp. of cloves

1/4 tsp. of nutmeg

1/4 tsp. of ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves,  nutmeg, ginger and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Beat butter, brown sugar and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.

4. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla, mix well.

5. Add flour mixture and mix well.

6. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.

7. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers.

8. Cool on baking sheet for two minutes.

9. Eat and Enjoy!

This tasty treat is pumpkin bread in a yummy cookie! My girls loved them and so did I!

Join the Club!

A.W.A.N.A.

Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed

2 Timothy 2:15

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

My church, along with many other churches, started AWANA recently. I am a big fan! It is a Bible Club for kids. The kids get to enjoy games, a Bible Lesson and snacks every week!

This year Pie Pie is in her 3rd book in SPARKS. SPARKS is the program for K-2nd grade. You are supposed to try your best to finish one book each year. So Pie Pie is right on track.

Pants is in her 2nd year as a Cubbie. Cubbies is the group for preschoolers. She was much more interested in learning verses last year, but I think she will warm up to it soon.

Learning verses is another part of AWANA. Each week the kids learn verses. When they learn a verse they earn points, patches and/or jewels. The points they earn get accumulated for a trip to the AWANA store. The amount of points they have determines what they can pick at the store.My girls usually come home with stuffed animals! The kids love store night!

AWANA is not just for kids. I am one of the lucky leaders of the kids in the 1st book of SPARKS.Brand New Sparkies! I enjoyed my first night and am looking forward to many more!

See if you can find an AWANA club near you.  For you and your kids!



Archie The First (Lesson)

The day finally arrived for Pie Pie's first horseback riding lesson. She completely enjoyed the experience. Her trainer's name is Miss Heather and Archie was the first horse she got a chance to ride.

Archie is a Paint horse who is very calm and patient. His personality is very laid back, which is perfect for a new rider like Pie Pie.

Miss Heather and Pie Pie started off with grooming Archie. They had to get all of the dirt off of him. Once that was done Pie Pie got a helmet and saddled up the horse.

Archie was led into the ring. Pie Pie was ready to ride. Miss Heather taught her the basics: to turn, walk and stop. They walked around the ring and over obstacles. She even got to trot a little!

When the ride was over she had to make sure all of the saddle marks and sweat were brushed. After that Archie was ready for a rest. I think he earned it.

In Pie Pie's words, "It was awesome!". We will be back, HorseBACK riding!



Remember

We Will Never Forget


(Photo Credit: Kayleigh Kline)


The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:8

This Is Pie Pie and my memory verse for the week.  I like to memorize the verses my girls are learning right along with them.
I think this verse can apply to our lives today and the events that happened ten years ago. Many people were and are afraid. We also get discouraged when things don't go our way. We can be assured that the Lord will never leave us!
I am thankful that I can teach my children such wonderful verses from the Bible!

Daddy's Birthday!

My husband's birthday was a little while ago, September 2nd to be exact! We didn't have a big celebration, but my mom made a yummy cake for him and we let him know how much we love him. I just wanted to share a couple pictures of my handsome husband! I am a very lucky woman to have him in my life!

Pants and her Daddy



Waiting to blow out the candles!

My niece is having a great time!

He had a little help blowing out the candles!

Enjoying my mom's tasty cake!



Happy (late) Birthday Daddy!  We love you!