When the Talcotts visited last week on their way to western adventures, we beat the heat by taking the kiddos to Tilles Park. The fountains were a big hit for Carver, Ellie, and Tommy!
Three Wet Kids
Jul 20th, 2008 by ECM
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
Jul 17th, 2008 by ECM
Tommy has become quite the little boy, seemingly overnight! He loves anything that has wheels attached…and most of his sounds are of the “vroom” and “choo-choo” variety. He even likes taking apart his truck to look at how its wheels work. Need I even mention that all of his favorite books right now involve cars and trucks and things that go?
Murder and the Class of '54
Jul 16th, 2008 by ECM
Tonight our kingdom group was transported back to 1959, where we reenacted the five year high school reunion of eight members of Roley High School. All friends of Rock N. Roley, a rock n roll legend, we arrived at Maltie’s Falcon Malt Shop and Cafe to discover that murder was afoot. While we ate Maltie Burgers, fries, and Falcon Floats, we endeavored to figure out the true facts of the case. Who was the culprit? I won’t say, in case any of the rest of you want to borrow the game and play it yourselves, but here are the suspects:
Evelyn “E.C.” Leigh and Joe K. Awledge
Cal Q. Layder and Penny Lofer
Deirdre “Dee” Deucer and Delbert “Del” Toydes
Priscilla “Pris” Teene and Richard “Rick” Alcitrent
Hangin' with Uncle John
Jul 15th, 2008 by ECM
Still playing catch-up from last week’s dead battery lull…
With John in town post-eye surgery, Tommy finally got to bond with his least-known uncle. I think the two share a similar sense of humor, and rumor has it that they love hanging out together….
Our New House!
Jul 14th, 2008 by ECM
We did it! We found a house to rent in Chicago! Thanks to all who prayed for guidance as we searched this past weekend. This place was nicer (and cheaper!) than we had expected to find. Amazingly, it has 4 bedrooms, so we have LOTS of room for company. We are so thankful that God provided a great deal on this home, and we want to use it for hospitality as much as possible!
We’ll have more pictures when we go up again in a couple weeks…
A Day With Katie
Jul 14th, 2008 by ECM
My dear friend Katie Casey got to come spend the day with us last week! As she reminded me today, we’ve been friends since age 13–for half of our lives! I’ve loved the numerous visits from friends this summer, and Friday was no exception… hours of talking, many photo ops, lunch at Nadoz (I may be getting in a rut), and a fun (but hot) afternoon window shopping in historic downtown St Charles. Hurray for the blessing of good friends!
The first haircut
Jul 11th, 2008 by ECM
Well, it happened this weekend…the epic first haircut! After several weeks of commenting on Tommy’s growing hair, his sweaty little tendrils over the 4th convinced me that it really was time. Little did I know that Derek (who didn’t trust me to cut it!) was about to take matters into his own hands. I returned from an outing to find Derek with Grandpa Tata’s clippers in hand and Tommy buckled into a booster seat in the basement. (sidenote: my mom always cut everyone’s hair in the kitchen, with all the good light, etc, but apparently the Tata/Muller tradition is in the basement…I guess the poor light hides the mistakes, but more about those in a minute…) Fortunately, I got down there in time to catch some of the first locks.
Problem is, Tommy was very interested in what Daddy had in his hands. He kept turning this way and that to see the clippers until I had to sing a really monotonous song to him while clapping Digits the Money’s hands in his face over and over again to get him to sit still.
The results? Well, I’m not sure why Derek thought he could do it better than I could…I was very emotional at just how short he’d gone! Guess Tommy is practicing the “high and tight” look to fit in with his future Marine uncle…
Great Children's Books, Part One
Jul 10th, 2008 by ECM
I’m in the process of creating a lecture for a homeschool group on how parents can/should choose good children’s literature for their kids to read. There is such a big difference between the great stuff and the sub-par! I think that parents can do a lot to promote a love of reading if they expose their children to great books from infancy. Here is an unscientific list of many of our favorite books for around Tommy’s age:
Robert McCloskey is great–we also love Blueberries for Sal and Homer Price. Make Way for Ducklings has a special place in my heart, however. When John was in kindergarten (!), we lived near Boston and went on a tour of all the places represented in the book and took pictures of him in every frame. I’d love to do that with Tommy in a few years!
THE classic bedtime book!
Ezra Jack Keats is a wonderful illustrator, and his stories crack us up! This one won the Caldecott medal for best picture book back in 1963. (NB–most of the Caldecott medal winners, especially in the early years, are delightful! Any good public library should have them highlighted on a special shelf.)
Richard Scarry is the only author I know who makes worms and pickle cars really cool. My favorite Scarry-illustrated book is I am a Bunny, but Tommy’s now into cars and trucks and anything that goes, so this one is perfect for him!
Probably Tommy’s favorite book. Anything by Virginia Lee Burton is absolutely delightful! Mike Mulligan is so much a part of American childhood that it shows up in other children’s books, too. Even fictional children love Mike and Mary Anne!
Don Freeman captures so many charming details of childhood here!
All Beatrix Potter books are wonderful and should be read frequently!
So what treasures am I missing? I’ll post more of our favorites soon…
Technical difficulties
Jul 9th, 2008 by ECM
As our camera battery is dead, and I have nothing profound to say without a picture, I don’t really have anything to blog about. My gentle readers can rest assured that I am drafting several scintillating posts for when my dear husband helps me upload the trapped photos…
Patriotic Trifle
Jul 6th, 2008 by ECM
Here is the link to the recipe on which I based my trifle, and here’s how I made it:
- 1 1/2 cups cold skim milk
- 1 (4 ounce) package cheesecake flavor instant pudding and pie filling mix
- 1 (8 ounce) container cool whip
- 1 medium angel food cake, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 cup blueberry
- 1 cup sliced banana
Mix together milk and pudding mix and beat with wire whisk for 1-2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir the thawed whipped topping into the milk/pudding mixture.