The Birthday's! 40 & 41

Last year Jay turned 40.  I had the idea to get 40 letters from people he knew sharing stories, memories, things they remembered over the last 40 years. The idea was to put them all in a book divided into decades of his life. I ended up with well over 40 notes. It was the best idea.

The even better idea? Having him read them out loud to his children. The laughter and tears! Everyone needs a book like this! Seriously. If you are trying to come up with something for someone who doesn't need another thing- or someone that could use a boost? This is the gift!

I had another surprise. I was pretty proud of myself. Two surprises that I didn't share! (I have the hardest time keeping surprises a surprise!) Jay kept mentioning over and over how he really wanted to go see Ben Folds. He mentioned several times how he had almost bought tickets. I kept praying that he wouldn't because I had already bought them.

It was such a fantastic show! So much fun to have something to look forward to and keep celebrating Jay's birthday a month later.

Well for his 41st birthday I couldn't really top a book and Ben Folds. But I did surprise him with something he had wanted for a long time.

 

Besides the cake I took him out for an afternoon of olive oil and vinegar tasting in Edmond. There is this great store Teaoli, that lets you sample, and sample and sample to your hearts delight.

 

The gal that helped us was awesome at paring the vinegars and olive oils. Flavors that I never would have thought of. Like fig vinegar and butter olive oil together.

  

Some of our favorite balsamic vinegars were strawberry, fig, peach, & traditional.
Favorite olive oils were butter, tuscan herb, garlic & Herb De Provence.  

 

We ended up picking out Butter & Tuscan olive oils and Fig Balsamic vinegar. 
So not a night out with Ben Folds but a great way to spend your 41st birthday on a rainy Saturday!

What to Eat Wednesday- Chocolate Malt Cake

Chocolate Malt Cake
*edit at the bottom of the page after the recipe*

I had pinned this last spring only for how it looked. The image was so enticing I didn't even think about the fact that I didn't love malt balls. When it got closer to my birthday I quickly put the idea away as I looked at the recipe. Not only was I clueless on how to follow the recipe, I was reminded again that I don't love malt flavoring. I changed the pin to something I could try for Jay's birthday.

Well September came and I started to try and find a recipe that would work for me to bake for Jay's cake. I asked if I could just surprise him with a birthday treat. Good thing he said yes. I found "the" cake recipe.  I wished I would have found it for my birthday. I could go on and on with words trying to describe the cake and it's chocolate malt goodness but it is no use. You just have to taste it. My only improvement would be to add more malt (I know! I said I don't even like malt) which I have noted in the recipe.

 

 

Chocolate Malt Cake

Cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup malted milk powder (slightly more)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Malt Frosting
1 cup butter softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup malted milk powder (for sure add more- I think at least a cup)
5 cups confectioners' sugar
Garnish: malted milk balls 

(A very large bag is needed to cover the entire cake. Think Sam's Club/Costco sized bag)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (8-inch) cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixture, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine milk and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add milk mixture, oil, and eggs to flour mixture, beating at medium speed until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating just until combined. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa powder at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

In a small bowl, combine cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with malted milk balls.

adapted from Paula Deen's Holiday Baking, 2007 & found on the blog  Budding Baketress- 

The recipe called for less malt and 3- 9 inch cake pans. I found it completely acceptable to just do 2 - 8 inch pans and add more malt.

*edit* Yes it was interesting to cut. We put pans underneath to catch all the stray malt balls then had them sitting in a bowl. The kids ate them up quick. Once we started cutting the cake started to loose its shape causing some of the malt balls to shift sideways. Some fell, but most stayed on.
The decorating part took about as long as it would to decorate any other kind of cake. It was a lot of fun to make!

Tucker is 6

 Tucker is 6!

In celebration here are 6 photos from this morning as he headed out to school.

Tucker loves cowboys. He doesn't dress up like one. He is one.

I was talking with him about Halloween and suggested that he dress up like a cowboy. He just looked at me and it was like I could read his mind. 

The boots that he got for Christmas were all but falling apart. I have used them as a bargaining chip since school started. If there was something in question I could just say, "you'll loose your boots," and that shaped things up quick. Until last night. I said the phrase and he whipped his head around to look at me and said "I'm not wearing those boots again. I am going to wait for my new ones." 

(He just knew he was going to get them for his birthday-we had looked at some and tried them on.)

He has wanted a "big" buckle like he sees all the older boys (and men) wear. Jack found just the one and got it for him. It was sweet.

Right after school we are headed out to go ride.

 

 I love my 6 year old!

10th day of 10th grade

Last month- August 30th! How was it last month?! That day I almost missed taking Savanna's photos! I remembered on the drive to school- and had a momentary thought of turning around to go back home and take them. But sanity won out and we just took them after school.

Having Savanna in 10th grade is much more of an adjustment than her starting 9th grade (for me.) I keep repeating that song 100 years to Live  and the line "caught in between 10 and 20."  I am excited for the years ahead of her, but want to hold on to right now.

 

If I asked Savanna how 10th grade is I bet she would say the same thing. That it is more of an adjustment than starting 9th grade. I think that she is excited about her future too, but I don't think she feels that she wants to rush it either. I'll ask her after school and see what she says.

I love my 15 year old girl!

 

first day of seminary

And they are off!
Savanna and Jay started their 2nd year of Early morning Seminary on August 27th and today marked their 3rd week completed. This is Savanna's 2nd year attending and Jay's 2nd year teaching. Every morning they rouse around 5ish and get ready for their day. Piano practice, showers, smoothies then off to the church building by 6 to meet with the class.

Last year they studied the Old Testament and this year they are studying the New Testament. I am proud of them both for going. To get up, to be ready and not complain (for the most part.)

I am thankful for the time they put into it. Both as student and teacher. The early mornings have been a hard thing to get used to. But I honestly think that this year is easier than last year.  Oh the appreciation we have for sleep though! Getting to bed earlier than we would like and enjoying the treat of sleeping in on a day off or weekend.

seventh day of 7th grade

The middle of the middle. Sandwiched between 6th and 8th grade. Middle school!

It is a perfect place for Jack to be! Not much drama here-If there is a problem he's got a solution, and he is not going to take long to fix it. Homework? Either got it finished or is working on it. Diligent is a great word to describe Jack right now. 
If I were to ask Jack what he thought was great about school he would probably say he loves finally having a locker. If I asked him what was not so great he would probably say he missed his friend that moved away.(I'll check with him later today and see if I am right!)

4th day of 4th grade

Last Wednesday was Luke's fourth day of 4th grade. This boy is just moving on up! He is upstairs at school now and feels like that is an exciting thing.

 I was having an email exchange with all 4 fourth grade teachers- the kids switch for the core subjects, math, science reading and social studies. I had to laugh at their descriptions and feel a little relief: "fairly attentive, He's such a great kid! So sweet and polite & sweet little Luke."

Then this just made me smile-"Bless his heart, he was very understanding when I accidentally called him "Jack." Ugh! I asked him if his mom ever called him the wrong name and he said "yes." I explained that it was a hazard of being a mom."
It's also the hazard of being a younger brother!

So far a great year at school. I am thankful for each of his teachers! They are all very capable and will help Luke so much this year!

1st day of Kindergarten!

 

This big boy is in all day school! A big day for him and for this momma! He was so excited. He had been excited all along, but expressed his concern for me. He didn't want me to be lonely. Whenever I was headed out to the store he would ask if anyone else was going. If I said no, then he jumped to go and would say "I don't want you to be lonely!" I kept reassuring him that everything would be just fine, that I would miss him but I would be fine. I guess it worked because he hasn't looked back!

 

-so much to carry!  a lunchbox and a purple (required) school bag-

The day before school started we went to meet-the-teacher and dropped off all of his school supplies with all the other kids. It was a busy place! Tucker was excited until we got a note that said the first day of school they would be having a "luau" to celebrate. I didn't realize it was worrying him until he told me he wasn't so sure about the "aloha" and he wondered if he would have to dance. I tried to ease his mind that it was going to be fine. He wasn't so sure.

But on the morning of the first day all jitters were gone about the aloha and he was just ready to get the show on the road! Can we just get in the car and go already?!
The whole family was loaded in the car and "I" was doing fine with the idea that all of my children were going to be in school all day long.

Until we started talking about how we were all going to walk in- Tucker didn't want to have anything to do with it. He said "why can't you just drop me off?" (reminded me of last year!) I was starting to explain that it was tradition for mom and dad to walk the kids into school on the first day when Savanna piped up with, "plus this is Mom's last time ever to walk one of her kids into school on the first day of Kindergarten!" Followed by, "It's a big day!" I felt the hot tears and tight throat coming on and tried to laugh it off. Jay said "way to go Savanna, you are making mom cry!' She thought he was kidding so then she started to sing Taylor Swift ... she quickly realized that there was no kidding. I choked it back and got it all under control so I could get these kids to school!

 

We parked around the corner from the school and started the walk in. I felt like I was doing fine, until I saw the marching band in front of the elementary and the Kindergarten building. Something about the music and seeing all the other tiny pre-K and Kindergarten kids and the other moms getting all emotional made me get that tight throat again!

-Love those boots, even though he had new shoes he still chose the old worn out boots-

All of a sudden my big Kindergarten boy didn't seem so big anymore. He's my baby!
I left pretty quick. I didn't want him to see me getting all emotional and then having him get sad.
After I knew that he was where he needed to be, we left to go get Luke dropped off to 4th grade.

I pulled myself together, but let a few more tears go as I passed other tearful mommas.

I couldn't resist stopping back by to see him in his class. When we had dropped him off his room wasn't open yet. I was so excited to see him smile and wave! He was happy and had a lea on no less!
(I guess the aloha was going to be fine after all)

All in all I think it was a great first day. Even if Tucker came home and proclaimed that the teacher wanted to call me because he got mad in the middle of the day. That was the only thing he complained about. Everything else was, in his words "Great!" (or gweat if you speak like Tucker)

Survey says ... back to school edition 2012-2013

I love the survey's we do on the first and last day of school. I just went through all of them- It is so fun to see how each child has changed over such a short period of time. Even their penmanship!
Here are just a highlights from the first day of school 2012 surveys.

Savanna-10th grade

What did you wear today? 

My red pleated dress from the Trunk Hippie road show. My dad really likes it. 

(I do too, it is like it was made for her!)

If I could change one thing about my first day it would be:

I would like to have had a longer lunch period. I wish I had more classes with certain friends.

My favorite thing about summer was:

I LOVED  getting to go so many places! I stayed really busy!

My least favorite thing from summer was:

I didn't finish my summer reading list or my summer bucket list.

When I grow up I really want to:

Be a music teacher and a photographer.

What do we need more of in the world and what do we need less of?

More friendly, outgoing people. More color! Less awkward silences. Less homework.

Jack- 7th grade

What is great about being in 7th grade?

Having a locker.

I think my favorite class will be:

Art.

If I could change one thing about my first day it would be:

Keaton being here.

(I'm sad for you too.)

My favorite thing from summer was:

Photos.

My least favorite thing was:

Chores.

When I grow up I really want to:

Be some form of artist.

What do we need more of in the world and what do we need less of?

Kinds of art          war

(I love how all of Jack's answers are very to-the-point-one-word answers.)

Luke- 4th grade

I think my favorite subject will be:

Science

I am not looking forward to:

Math

One goal I am setting for myself this year is:

More A.R. points.

(that is going to be tough- but I am sure you will succeed!)

My favorite thing from summer was:

Swimming

My least favorite thing from summer was:

Heat

What do we need more of in the world and what do we need less of?

More happiness, less unhappiness

Anything else?

I'm upstairs this year!

(I am so glad this is exciting for you- moving up!)

Tucker- Kindergarten

What did you get to do on your first day of school?

Got to have a tiny party and stay in school all day. We had lunch in the cafeteria.

What was great about your new classroom?

Our cubbies were hidden! (where were they?) I can't tell you.

I think this year I will learn:

When we get in our room we start playing.

(hmm- I think there will be some adjustments!)

Something I am looking forward to this year is:

Getting the playground in

If I could change one thing about my first day it would be:

Having the playground in

My favorite thing about summer was:

swimming

My least favorite thing was:

the hotness

What do we need more of in the world and what do we need less of?

I don't want any floods.

Anything else?

My teacher was going to call you. I was sort of mad in the middle of school. The helper was giving me a lot of orderings. My teacher should be the one to do it. 

(Oh boy.)

First Day of School 2012-2013

It's that time of year- Back to School.  A very excited bunch we have here!

 

Last Friday was the day. August 17th- A Friday! I kept telling myself, we don't have to be ready for the whole school year, just Friday. It was nice to have the first day, have introductions, get things figured out then have a weekend. 

 I love how the first day of school we are all ready and out the door to take pictures, and still are able to get to school on time. I am hoping that enthusiasm continues through the year!

Luke the Cub Scout

 In February 2011 Luke joined Cub Scouts. 

 His first cub activity before he ever even attended a pack meeting was the Pinewood derby!

 The excitement involved in thinking/designing/making your own car is so fun to watch.

 Luke knew exactly how he wanted his car to look and his Dad helped him execute the details.

A dolphin car.

"Making Weight"

His first activity was a success! He had fun and got to make something with his Dad. 

On to the weekly meetings.

In the car ready to go to his first den meeting. Over the last year he has had a hard time going to meetings, (usually he doesn't want to stop reading or building with Lego's) but once he gets there he doesn't want to leave. I have just as much of a struggle getting him to leave as I did with getting him there.

Last summer Luke attended the "twilight" Cub scout camp- and I went and helped just like I did with Jack.

 Except this year I got to go almost every day. And this year it was hot. 

So very hot. We met at the camp from 2-7 or 8 in the evening. The boys all had a fun time, and I don't know if they noticed it was hot. I kept my mouth shut about how I felt I was going to melt.

summer 2011

 

(Going to camp gives me a great appreciation for those that work with youth. No matter what the capacity. But that is for another post- this is about Luke!)

Fast forward to this last February 2012 and Luke got to participate in another Pinewood Derby!

Once again he knew exactly how he wanted his "car" to be, and had just as much fun building it with his Dad.

A yellow submarine!

 I love how Luke does not get overly competitive when the cars are racing.
I can appreciate how he is just there for fun.

 Tucker made a sign to cheer his brother on. I don't know if Luke really loved it as much as this momma did.

 Luke really worked hard the last month he was a Bear Scout. He finished up all the requirements before he turned 9 and was able to earn his Wolf badge.

Now on to working toward his Bear!