Doctors and Bravery Bags

Last week was check up time. It was supposed to be for Fletcher's 5 year and Luke's 18 month check-ups. We were just a little late.

Fletcher weighs 52.8 lbs and is 48 inches tall. That puts him in the 99th percentile for height and 93 percentile for weight. Luke is 29 lbs 8 ounces and 34 inches tall (84th and 81 percentiles, respectively). Doctor summary: "Wow! Your boys are big. "

Fletcher had to get a shot to finish out his immunizations for kindergarten. He knew beforehand that he was going to get a shot. We talked about being brave and how it would only hurt for a second. It would be ok to cry if he needed to. I even told him he would receive a "Bravery Bag" (a bag with a small toy) if he did ok.

I hate shots too - ask my mom. I've gotten so worked up I've passed out when I got a shot which is somewhat embarrassing at age 15. So I feel his pain.

As you can imagine, when the time came there was drama. Lots of drama. The doctor gave Fletcher a playful pinch on the arm to show him that it would only hurt a little. Fletcher started crying saying that the pinch "really hurt". Great. The nurse came in with the shot. More crying. Luke is laughing and I am trying to keep Luke from unplugging the various medical equipment in the room. The nurse is speaking calmly to Fletcher, but of course he can't hear her because he is screaming at this point. He was getting the shot in his leg so I asked him if he wanted to sit up or lay down. More screaming and then kicking. Eventually, I had to lay on top of him and hold his hands while she gave him the shot. These are the parenting moments I just hate.

So then there was my parenting dilemma. Does he get the Bravery Bag or not? I caved and gave it to him (see above paragraph about my shot experience). All was right with the world. An Indiana Jones Lego Motorcycle Chase Scene Set can do wonders.

Later, we were getting lunch ready and I asked him whether he thought he really deserved the Bravery Bag based on his behavior.

His response?

"Well, Mom. I was really brave on the inside. You just couldn't quite see it on the outside."

Indeed.

When Photoshoots Go Bad

We tried to get a few pictures of the boys Sunday after church. Why do I have a feeling this will get even harder?

Can you believe they both need haircuts again? I feel like they get them every 2 weeks!

Hedge of Protection

If you've spent any time in any church setting . . .



We're off to do some landscaping of our own this weekend!

Throwback Thursday

The date: July, 1986

The place: Coming home from Centrifuge at Glorieta, NM so we were probably in the middle of nowhere TX.

The mood: After my recent post on smoking smarties, I had to laugh when I ran across these pictures. This was my Olivet Baptist church youth group "smoking" candy cigarettes. I am sure our youth minister was thrilled. On the back of one of the pictures I wrote that we were coming home with no AC. That doesn't surprise me in the least since I think our church van was held together by duct tape. It broke down on every single trip we ever went on. Ahhh, the memories. Yes, I think that is a nail file that Danyelle is holding to Brent's neck. The Texas heat in July will do that to you. Oh and by the way, why didn't anyone tell us that those enormous sunglasses were not attractive in the least?

Easter 2009 Recap

Kevin and I both served in the preschool and children's area at our church on Easter Sunday. Kevin had to be there really early on Sunday so the Easter Bunny paid a visit on Saturday afternoon instead while Fletcher & Luke were outside playing. Fletcher said, "He must have used the back door."

Can you tell he doesn't get gum very often?

Move Over Martha! Part 2

I'm not sure what got into me over the Easter holidays. I saw another article online about how to make tie dyed cupcakes. Our neighbors had invited us over on Good Friday for a little egg hunt so I thought these might be fun to make.

They really are pretty simple.

Get a white cake mix like Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines and prepare the batter according to package directions. After the batter is prepared, divide it evenly into 4 or 5 bowls depending on how many colors you want in your cupcakes. Put different food coloring in each bowl to make different colors. I used regular food coloring and made purple, pink, blue, green and yellow. I did read that Betty Crocker makes something called gels that will make more intense colors. Pastel colors were great for me since it was Easter.

Line muffin pan with cupcake liners then drop spoonfuls of each batter color in each liner. I did use a skewer to sort of swirl the batter on one batch but it really didn't make a difference. Bake according to package directions.

This is what the top looked like without swirling the batter.

This is what the inside looked like.

I colored white frosting with some pastel colors and frosted them and decorated with jellybeans but I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. The kids thought they were cool.

Move Over Martha!

I recently read about a "new" way to dye Easter eggs using old silk ties. I am normally not the crafty type, but this sounded interesting so I thought we'd give it a shot.

First, we found a few of Kevin's old silk ties. They have to be 100% silk. I think at least one of them was a tie that Papa Charlie had given to Kevin.

Then we took the ties apart. That white stuff is the interfacing, I think. We wrapped the silk around raw (not boiled) eggs with the printed side (the good side) touching the egg and secured the top with a twist tie.**

Next I cut up an old pillowcase into squares and wrapped those around the silk-wrapped egg and secured those.

Finally, we put the eggs in an enamel coated or glass pot (apparently metal pots won't work), filled with water until eggs are just covered, added 3 tablespoons of vinegar, brought it to a boil then simmered for 20 minutes. We took them out, allowed them to cool then unwrapped them.

Voila! or as Luke likes to say Ta Da!

These are the eggs matched up with the tie. I was able to get two eggs from each tie with some fabric left over.

**We later found this was the tricky/crucial part because if the fabric isn't touching the egg, then the ink doesn't transfer. But if you twist too tightly the egg can break since it isn't boiled yet. We also learned that ties with dark colors and small patterns work best. Bigger patterns don't seem to cover the egg. My favorite was the dark blue tie with the tiny red paisleys. If you want more specific instructions or better tips, you can google "silk ties and Easter eggs" and find plenty of info. Fletcher thought it was cool. Luke was glad it was over. I'm not sure if we will do it again because mommy did most of the work. But if I'm ever at Goodwill, I might check out their tie selection to see if I can find some cool silk ones for next year.

Stay tuned tomorrow for part two - our tie dyed cupcakes!