you know you need to get out more when...

Last week we went to Trader Joe's in Atlanta (a favorite store!) Derrick suggested I purchase a butternut squash with which to make his yummy Ginger Squash Soup. When I saw this one...




...I immediately thought he looked like the Veggie Tales character, Jimmy Gourd.



I even mentioned the similarity to our friendly cashier, but he had never heard of Veggie Tales. However, the cashier behind us started to sing the theme song. Really! How many grocery stores can you go to where the cashier sings the theme song to your kid's favorite cartoon? That's why I love Trader Joe's.

We are on a Veggie Tales kick at our house. The most requested car CD is "Silly Songs with Larry," closely followed by "Sunday Morning Songs."

I find myself humming "God is bigger than the Boogie Man" while in the shower.

I've watched the Gideon show so much recently that I may actually think that Gideon recruited his army by offering free flashlights and selected his men by choosing those who did not get Brain Freeze when they drank their smoothies.

And, now I'm having trouble cooking the squash because every time it comes up on the menu, I think of Jimmy Gourd.

for Wayne

Here's a post for Julia and Wayne, Amanda's Godparents. I know God led us to select them as her godparents for many reasons, but sometimes I think it is because she would fit into their family so well.

We don't drink much Coke around our house, but I had one today and guess who found it...



I found Amanda enjoying a snack in Farley's crate with the bottle of Coke sitting next to her, as if she was planning to wash down her crackers with a sugary, caffeinated beverage.




A few minutes later, Farley realized what was happening and she shared her snack with him.

their words are precious

I have had such fun this week listening to my children. I mean really listening. What they say is so funny. For instance:

Scott & Andrew:

...love to tell Knock Knock jokes. Derrick taught them the one where you repeat "banana" several times. Then you say "orange"..."orange who"..."orange you glad I didn't say banana." Now Knock Knock jokes are featured at every meal. Derrick and I get such a kick out of them because they make no sense. "knock knock"..."who's there"..."banana"..."banana who"..."banana and orange sit on the pirate's head." The boys feed off each other and all we have to do is sit back and enjoy the show...and enjoy it we do!

Scott:

...Just before the school bus arrived home yesterday, Andrew was wearing his helmet and sword. We were discussing the Armor of God, specifically the "sword of the spirit, which is the word of God." Scott arrived at the tail end of that conversation (although he has heard it many times.) In his most authoritative voice he remarked, "Do you know why it is called spirit? It's because it is sharp, like a spear."

Andrew:

...There are just some words that our toddlers say that stick. For instance, we will forever eat "cho chos" and "ba bas" at breakfast (Cheerios and Bananas.) Derrick and I drink "poffee" together in the morning. We "yip our yippers" when we zip our coats. And Farley is still "Far-Far", Andrew's first name for him.

One of my favorite words of Andrew is "helitopter." A sad moment this week was when Scott finally corrected him - "No, it's heliCOpter." After three or four corrections, Andrew finally got it right. I almost cried to think I would no longer hear him say "Look Mom...A helitopter!"

Scott also tried to correct him when he calls his sword a "light saver." Luckily, light saber hasn't taken over, so I still have some time for that one.

Amanda:

...speaking of adding new words to the family vocabulary, Amanda is rapidly catching up to her brothers. She loves to talk. At breakfast on Wednesday, Andrew declared it was his birthday, so I sang Happy Birthday to him. At the end of my song, Amanda chirped "Happy Uh-un." It really was a chirp and so darling. Now, if you ask her when her birthday is, she will reply "happy uh-un."

...Others that she repeats often are "doe-gie" and "tooth" for toothbrush (a favorite pasttime.)

Texas Sightseeing

Have you ever traveled 16 hours in a van with three kids and a 60 pound lap dog? We made that trek once again over Christmas on our way to visit Derrick's family in Texas. It is such a blessing that Derrick has enough time off work to make the trip worthwhile. We spent great, quality time with Derrick's parents, and they enjoyed spending Christmas with five of their seven children and assorted grandchildren. The trek is long, especially when Farley decides that he can get a better view from my lap (which I only tolerate for short stretches.) Our children are great in the car. On this trip, we were introduced to the world of Beverly Cleary and loved listening to "Henry and Ribsy" on tape.

Texas is such a big state, that we cannot possibly see everything on one visit. Each time we are there, we try to see at least one new sight. For this trip, we decided that our "tourist stop" would be Cabellas, a giant sporting goods store that is a favorite of Scott's Godfather, Mike. Each time we are at his house, he sends the boys home with a catalog. They act as if he has given them a treasure and pour through the pages for weeks.

So you can imagine their excitement when we told them where our "field trip" would take us. I think they expected just to look at the bows and arrows and other hunting gear. We certainly did not expect what we saw.

The store was magnificent and amazing. Throughout the store were displays of stuff animals. By "stuffed," I mean taxidermy-stuffed animals. I think (and hope) it is the closest I ever come to these types of animals.

Amanda was enthralled with the animals and kept pointing and saying "doggie!"


This moose was huge!


My favorite part was the African plain.


This elephant looks fake in this picture because of the lighting, but it was magnificent. (There was a little sign in front of this display that explained the policy of "controlled hunting" to help preserve the endangered animals.)







As I post these pictures, I realize Andrew is not in many them. He and Aunt Stephanie had a fantastic time in the store. She is so much fun to shop with. Every time we ran across them, she was encouraging Andrew on a new game of hide & seek, find the color, or (Andrew's favorite) explore the camping tents. They zipped and unzipped every display tent in the store. What fun for a three year old! We were so thankful that she was with us. Later, as we grocery shopped, she taught the boys how to lie down under the shopping cart and go for a wild ride through the store.

(These fish were alive, swimming in a huge tank.)

For the Seuser Family

Here are two family pictures from our Christmas trip to Texas:

Back row: Kent, Derrick, Kendall, Melanie
Front row: Jim, Wilma, Stephanie

(ps - The Seusers love to sing. My favorite memory from Christmas day this year was singing carols all afternoon. They didn't even stop long enough to have their picture taken. Hence, Kent, Kendall & Derrick's O mouths)



Back row: Derrick (w/Amanda), Kent, Stinson, Kendall, Grant, Stephanie, Melanie, James
Front row: Leslie, Andrew, Jim, Scott, Wilma, Elisabeth (and baby!!), Kevin