Happy 5th Birthday Zane!

Our Zane turned 5 on the 10th and the following day we celebrated with a Picnic Party. The weather was not quite appropriate for an outdoor picnic at 45 degrees, so we were thankful to have use of the church's gym for the evening.


We even found some bugs to make the picnic complete.



We had hot dogs, chips, ants on a log, juice & ant hill cupcakes. Yum!

Ready for the guests to arrive.

Picnicking...

Played some games...

And opened presents!

It was a great time! What a blessing to have so many friends help us celebrate!

What's in a grandparent's name?

We have gotten many questions when Zane mentions his grandparents by their endearing names. They don't seem strange to us, but we also know how those names came about. So, I thought I would share a little insight into our family naming...

Bryce's parents:
G'pa & G'ma
I think that flows very nicely together. It could be that you first think of a new rapping duo perhaps? But we think of two very generous, loving, selfless people that we are so thankful to be going through life with. One of the first gifts they gave Zane, (I can't remember if it was a book or a card) there was not a lot of room to sign on it and they shortened their signature to G'pa & G'ma. They didn't have grandparent names yet and so it stuck.

My parents:
Gramps & Mama Frita
Now, I realize if you were confused by the first set, you are really confused now. Gramps is a great grandfather name. I think my dad came up with that himself and I think it fits him perfectly. The name Gramps makes me think of a loving, patient, always there for you kind of grandfather and that's exactly what he is. I'm leaving you in suspense about Mama Frita. ;-) I took three years of spanish during high school. This is where it began. My greatest memory of my teenage & junior college years, is that when I came home from school, my Mom was always there. I never wondered about what to do with my afternoons. I knew I'd be chatting with Mom about my day, either snuggled on the couch, out for a fun snack or while making dinner together. And somewhere along the road my endearing name for her became Mama Frita Rita Rosita Conchita. So it has actually shortened itself down quite a bit! It sounds a little silly, but to me that name is full of love and memories. I love that my own children can carry that on.

My grandparents' endearing names are Pop & Gram and Papa & Nana. I also had a Grannie for many years. Bryce has a Grampy, and a Grammy waiting for us in heaven. He also had a Grandpa and Grandma. All of whom have given us a humbling Christian legacy.

What are your grandparents' names?

Can I be a bigger fan?!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Dirt Cups

For AWANA this week I made dirt cups for snack time. They have been talking about creation and their verse this week was "He made everything beautiful" Ecclesiastes 3:11



This was such a fun recipe! I happened upon it, while searching online earlier this week. Now I can't find where it was, so I'm sorry to say, I can't give credit where credit is due. The cups are actually chocolate chip cookies. You use refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough. Smash it into a cupcake pan and bake them the noted time. When they first come out of the oven you need to poke them with a spoon or something to make them fall. After they cool, they come right out of the pan. You then fill the cups with chocolate pudding. Top with crushed Oreos and a gummy worm. I must say they looked fun and were delicious too.

Stuck

An interview with Mom

While I was cooking dinner yesterday, Zane asked if he could help. It just wasn't possible this time, with what I was doing, so I turned him down. He then asked if he could interview me while I was cooking. I said, "Sure!" I started jotting notes down on a pad after we got into it, because it was getting pretty entertaining. Maybe you'll enjoy it too...

What's your favorite color?
All shades of Blue

What's your favorite letter?
H - That's the first letter of our last name

What's your favorite number?
7, because that's how many days God took to create everything.

What's your favorite silly hat?
I like winter stocking caps with the fuzzy ball on top

What's your favorite animal to draw?
Probably a snake, because my drawing isn't the best

What's your favorite food?
That's a hard one, probably pasta

What's your favorite thing to do around the house?
Read books to you and Gemma

What's your favorite bug?
Eww. I don't like bugs! (Zane then informed me that I do like caterpillars, butterflies & lady bugs, because they're nice)

What's your favorite Bible verse?
Phil 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (That spurred the song we know about that verse, so we stopped to sing) :-)

What's your favorite flower?
White daisies (Zane said his was sunflowers)

What's your favorite TV show?
Diners Drive-ins & Dives

What's your favorite drink?
Mint Iced Tea

What's your favorite color apple?
Red, because I think they are sweeter

What's your favorite plate to eat on?
The white corelle (Zane thinks that I should eat off of the colorful plastic plates we have more often)

What do you like to cook?
I like to cook new recipes that I haven't tried before.
Zane says, "That's a pretty good answer Mom."

I love my little man.