I have been trying to add more variety in my kids lunches and make it a little bit more fun. My mom told me about Muffin Tin lunches. She read on someone else's blog that their kids will eat anything out of a muffin tin. You can google it and there's a huge muffin tin meal movement out there! I decided to give it a go!

Liam wanted blue yogurt and Rori wanted red so I tried to give their tins that theme. I tinted vanilla yogurt with food coloring, gave them each some ham, colby jack cheese, apple slices, red or green (they don't have blue) goldfish, and red or blue m&m's. They thought it was so fun and asked for muffin tin meals for the next day too! What I liked about it was that they got a variety of foods instead of the chicken nuggets or hot dog and chips that I tend to lean towards. We also just watched Jami.e Oliver's Food Revolution--you should totally check it out--and it really solidified the idea that I need to give my kids more nutritional foods. I'm hoping that if I can find new ways to present food, they'll get excited about eating it. I have also noticed that when they help prepare it, they're more excited about eating it. Can anyone give me some tips on getting them to eat their veggies?! 

On a side note--I am totally going to be updating my blog more frequently. I have been busy and exhausted because my sweet baby boy has decided that napping isn't his idea of fun anymore. It's been difficult and stressful for me to get anything done, but since this is supposed to be a way to document memories for my friends and family, I'm going to make it more of a priority instead of sitting on my rear end catching up on our DVR :)  

After Church

Bill and I have been attending our church for about two years now. Previously we attended a very large church that was about 30 minutes away. We decided to move to a smaller one closer to home because we wanted to make connections with people and have the kids meet some friends that they could grow up with. The first Sunday that we went to Sunday School we met our friends Dan and Anne. Anne, being very outgoing, made us feel welcome (Dan did too) and they, as well as several other couples had kids the same ages as ours. We were excited and felt at home immediately. Two years later we have joined their small group and made a wonderful group of friends. Now, every Sunday after church we go to McDonald's with Dan and Anne and their kids. Lunch is eaten, conversations are enjoyed, and mayhem occurs! It's great and we love it!

By the way, Anne is the one I credit for helping me lose the weight I've lost so far! She's my personal Jill.ian Michaels! She encourages me to exercise and eat healthy. Everyone needs an Anne :)

Juliana Update

I am sorry that I have been behind in my blogging--I ask for prayers for Juliana and then don't give an update. Unfortunately the appointment with the gastroenterologist did not go well. You can read Jenna's experience here . Basically they didn't get any answers--just more questions. The doctor wants Juliana to get checked out by a neurologist and also prescribed more therapies. He is concerned because her head size is bigger in proportion to the rest of her body and she is behind in some developmental milestones and he wants to have it checked out. Naturally this is very upsetting news. Unfortunately they aren't able to get in to see the neurologist until March 31. So that means that we all need to wait.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Phillipians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
We will cling to that as we wait. Please pray for peace for Jenna and Ryan in this time of waiting.

Buttery Sweet Goodness

In my previous post, my friend, Anna, suggested that I make Jenna some cinnamon rolls. I took her suggestion literally and made these :)

It was kind of challenging because the recipe is quite a bit of work and is time consuming. I took a few shortcuts because it seemed like I had a dozen kids instead of three. There was crying, whining, temper throwing, and that was just me--imagine the kids! Anyway, as far as the shortcuts--the rolls didn't rise as much as I'd like, but now I know for next time.

I did do part of it while Rori was at school and had a helper

It was serious business--but not so serious that he needed to put down his sucker!

Then, after they were all finished, Bill came home. He surveyed my hard work and then proceeded to pick which pans were his

And now after having my buttery sweet goodness, I have to answer to her

There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters

My sister is my best friend. She would do anything for me and I would do anything for her. We are only 13 months apart and I think we are bonded as close as twins. She was my playmate growing up--she would play barbies with me and I would play G.I. Joe with her. (Thank God she was a tomboy so now I know a little bit about those things so I can play with Liam and Brendan!) I always looked up to her--even when the day came that I was taller than her ;)

She has walked with me along all of my journeys. She put up with my hissy fit when she got engaged (I was annoyed that some guy was taking her away). In fact, she understood it. I am horrified at the way I acted (sorry Ryan) but she didn't hold a grudge. I was her maid of honor. She was my matron of honor. She was at the hospital when we found out we would lose Faith, she was there when we lost her, and she and Ryan stayed at our house in the days following. The two of them would give us the shirts off their back if we needed them. In fact, I am pretty sure that she made a pretty big sacrifice for me. I think they would have had their first baby a little earlier than they did, but Jenna wanted to wait until we were able to have a baby. I think she knew that, while I would love her baby and be happy for her, it would be very difficult for me to watch her have a baby while I was grieving for mine. That was an incredible sacrifice and I feel selfish even talking about it, but that's my sister. Selfless.

My sister is incredibly strong. She has dealt with sometimes debilitating headaches for most of her life. She spent a great deal of her high school life in and out of the hospital trying to get them under control. She watched while I went away to college and she had to stay home because my parents wanted to make sure her health was under control (she was able to go away for her Junior and Senior years--where she met her hubby). She became one of the most beloved teachers in her school. If you check out her facebook page, you can see how much her students adore her. She suffered a brain injury several years ago that would probably cause most people to need to quit their jobs, was just another obstacle that she overcame.

Now, I am asking for prayers for her, her husband Ryan and their sweet baby girl, Juliana. Juliana eats very little. They have taken her to multiple specialists to try to get her to eat. Every calorie this sweet girl gets goes to her brain (thankfully) but she really needs more. Fortunately her head grows with every appointment, which means her brain is growing, but she is very small. The stress is taking its toll on Jenna and Ryan. You can hear it in her voice, and see it in her own physical well being. I have asked my sister what I can do to help them, but she hasn't been able to come up with anything. So all I can do is pray, which isn't nothing, but I feel helpless for them. The Bible tells us that the "Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." That verse has always given me comfort. When I just want to cry out to Jesus and have no words, I know that the Holy Spirit is crying out the words that I don't have. And He is doing that for us now. Jenna is taking Juliana to a specialist at Children's Memorial this Friday. She told me that she just needs some good news. Please pray that the doctor will have something positive to say. They really need to hear it. Pray that this burden of stress will be relieved, pray for a miracle!

The Old Ball and Chain

I have been trying for the last several weeks to get my wedding rings on and today, Ta Da! They fit! It makes me so happy because, one, it means I've lost weight, and two, because my fingers aren't naked anymore! Excuse my nasty nails, and dry hands. This girl needs a manicure!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bill got me these

And this

So that I could do this

To make these

Those are butter cookies on sticks (like a cookie boquet), truffle pops, and homemade marshmallows cut out in heart shapes and dipped in dark chocolate. I am completely uncrafty, so I really have to pat myself on the back for these. I did have some help from my chief assistant Rori and my mom. Grandma Rose was our marshmallow taste tester...