Little Miss Model

My friend Celeste opened a new Etsy shop last year selling her homemade sewing handiworks.  She's really talented, pays lots of attention to detail, and favors a classic style.  She recently made an adorable t-shirt and bloomers set and asked if Abby could model it for her Etsy site.

  

Abby is a little old for the bloomer look, which is really intended for 18-24 months (Abby's almost 3), but she looks SO cute in them.

Here's a link to Celeste's sweetpeaplusthree Etsy site.  You'll see Abby's pictures on the right hand side.  My favorite picture from the photo shoot is not on there, but it's on the right hand column of this blog as Abby's latest picture.  That little girl knows how to work it!

Step By Step

As I drove home from dropping Mimi and Boppa at the airport this morning, I started singing an old-school praise song we used to sing in summer camp or student ministries:

Step By Step Lyrics

Written by- David Strasser

O God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
O God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You

I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

And then, as I was singing, I realized that I couldn't remember which freeway connected the one I was on to the one I needed to be on to get home.  I felt a familiar moment of panic as I wondered whether I would get lost and stray off my path before I reached my destination.  But as I drove on, a sign appeared directing me to Downtown via the right lane.  I knew my house lay beyond Downtown, so I followed those directions.  

The panic set in again when I realized that I still wasn't sure if I was on the right path for my desired goal.  Yet again, a sign directed me to Downtown and I followed.  And finally, I saw the sign for the freeway that I knew would take me home.  In that moment of realization that I was on the right track for sure, the words to the song I was singing really hit me.  

And step by step You'll lead me

I have spent much time and energy in these past few months in trying to get God to show me the final destination.  "God, next year, with Isaac in school full-time, I'm going to have much more time on my hands.  What is it you want me to do come next fall?"  Over and over again I have fretted and prayer this prayer.  In the midst of my fretting, I have forgotten that, while God does promise to guide me, it is not always by giving me the whole picture.  Rather, He choses to cultivate trust and dependence in me by showing me just one step at a time.

Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path."

To put it pictorially, He choses to show me not this view (the view of the whole path):

Rather, He choses to show me this view (the view of my next step along the way):

And it is up to me to trust Him and take the next step without worrying about the end result.  That can be really challenging for a control freak like me.  And sometimes the next step can feel an awful lot like standing still.  

I also confess that I have been intending to start a new habit of asking God into my day first thing in the morning, as the song states.  I'm a busy mom and usually the first sound that hits my ears (often before the light of day) is that of a little voice telling me it needs something.  I usually do my quiet time of reading and prayer in the afternoon when the kids are napping (or "having quiet rest time" as we call it now).  But I have been wanting to also get into the habit of rolling out of bed at the sound of that first small voice and, instead of jumping into action, spending a moment to prayerfully ask God to join me in my adventures of the day. (The kid can wait a minute. I'm just sure of it!)  I want to take a moment to ask God to be my guide as He directs the important steps that I take throughout the day, in the moments that really matter.  

I imagine if I make it a habit to hand over each day to Him at the start, I will feel much more at peace with following Him step by step.

Recipe #5: Teriyaki Chicken

We found it!  The Just-Like-You-Get-In-A-Japanese-Restaurant Teriyaki sauce.  We've tried so many bottles that let us down by not being sweet enough or thick enough.  But this recipe I found online was perfect.

We made the sauce first (see recipe below).  It was super quick and easy:

Then we sautéed bite sized chicken, and added veggies (in this case, mushrooms, zucchini, green onions, and green beans) once the chicken is cooked throughly.  

Then we topped it off with the sauce and serve with steamed rice.  Easy peasy.

We served the kids with their sauce on the side for dipping.  Neither one really went for the sauce but hopefully they will in time.

Our Scores:

Megan: 10/10  (I'm just so happy to finally have found the perfect Teriyaki chicken recipe)

Adel: 9/10  (He would eat this weekly)

Isaac: 8/10  (Discovered he liked zuccini)

Abby: 7/10  (Didn't clear her plate)

Here's the recipe for the Teriyaki sauce from Recipe Zaar:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1-2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions

1. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   1

   Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4c water in a sauce pan and begin heating.
2. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   2

   Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and dissolve. Add to sauce in pan.
3. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   3

   Heat until sauce thickens to desired thickness.
4. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   4

   Add water to thin if you over-thick it :).

Rest for the Weary

Since Abby has given up her binky, she has started not napping most days (bummer!).  So, today I decided to start both kids on a "quiet time" routine.  After we pick up Isaac from preschool both kids have to go to their rooms for 30 minutes (I may up it to an hour but today I just did 30 min.).  They can sleep, read, or play in there but they have to stay in there until they hear the timer ring (and if they're asleep when it rings, I'm certainly not going to wake them up!).

Abby was excited about this new deal.  Isaac was upset.  But, as you can see, he eventually got over it:

He's sleeping in his Lego box with a shield on his back...says he was being "Zelda."

Goal: Achieved!

Three months ago we set a goal with Isaac to stop a sucking habit that he's had since he weaned at one year old.  I offered him a Lego prize if he could make 30 days without sucking.  He upped the stakes by asking for a BIGGER Lego prize if he could make it for 90 days.  Adel and I saw a good learning opportunity and so we agreed.  Here's his original paper-link chain with 90 links.

And lastly, it looked like this:

Just before he opened this:

Getting to work.

I heard Isaac whisper to himself in a tone of awe: "The greatest Legos in the Galaxy."

Almost finished!

I must give the boy props for completing the whole set (designed for 9-14 year olds) almost by himself.   His daddy did step in and help with the parts that were tricky or had moving gears.  Mostly, we're just proud of him for kicking the bad habit at last and for showing true foresight and patience in being able to hold out for the toy he really wanted.

Launch Day!

We woke up at 1am, loaded Isaac into the car, and drove an hour from Orlando to Kennedy Space Center.

We drove past the Astronaut Hall of Fame and the Visitor Complex, both of which had lawns packed with launch enthusiasts. 

I must give props to my awesome husband who was able to get us the pass for the Causeway because of his work connections. It was very cool to be waved through at two different checkpoints where crowds of onlookers were gathered.

One of the neatest things we experienced was being stopped on the road to wait for the passing of the astronauts' van (Astrovan) as they headed to the Shuttle. That's when Isaac woke up! (I wasn't fast enough to get a pic.)

In planning for this event, I assumed Isaac would sleep from the time we arrived until we woke him up for the actual launch.

But he and his friend Sophia were up the entire night! Thankfully my friend Kristie brought her DVD player!

We waited from our arrival at 2am until launch at 6:21am. Several times a single dolphin and then a group of dolphins swam past us along the Causeway.

This is a lousy picture of Discovery waiting to launch. We were 7 miles away and it was about the size of a quarter on the horizon.

Launch was just minutes away with no predicted difficulties. Just before the launch we got to see the Space Station pass. It was in view as a little dot of light for three minutes as it zoomed across the sky.  Discovery was launching to rendezvous with it.

And we have liftoff! Check out the reflection on the water.

My pictures of course do NOT do it justice.

All that driving, getting up in the dark of night, and waiting was worth it for this moment.  Those of you who have known Adel even for a little bit know that he rarely looks this excited.  I LOVE this moment between my boys.

Seconds later, Discovery was but a fading spot of light.

Soon all that was left as the sun came up was a beautiful cloud of smoke. I thought it looked just like a Chinese dragon.

The backup of cars getting off the Causeway was awful so we waited until it started moving.  At this point, Isaac was losing it. Poor thing had been up all night.

The drive that had taken us one hour in the dark of night took us three hours to get home in the morning.  It was awful. This is what the Space Center looks like in the daytime. 

Mother and child both sacked out in the car though and experienced very little of the torturous ride home!  THANK YOU Daddy for getting us back safely!

I'm pretty sure I would never recommend driving for four days straight to anyone, but the shared moment between father and son was priceless.  It was also such a joy for me to get to experience this with Adel.  He has given up a lot of his interests and passions for the sake of our family.  He sold his convertible, works super hard to provide for us, and hasn't played golf in years.  I am so glad I finally had the chance, after all these years, to support him in something that he is excited about.  He is a wonderful father and husband.  We love you Adel!

2,156.9 Miles

That's how many miles we traveled in FOUR days.  Yowza!

Here's the trip recap and a few (haha) pictures:

Day 1: Spring, Texas to Pensacola, Florida

Isaac did great coloring for most of the first day.

We drove through Lafayette...

And Baton Rouge.

Isaac also had fun going through his Easter eggs 

and playing with his new baby dinosaurs.

We finally stopped for dinner in Gulf Port, Mississippi.

"Race you to the water!"

Let that boy stretch and run for a while!

What else do you eat in Mississippi?

Fried seafood!

Day 2: Pensacola, Florida to Orlando, Florida

We stayed Night 1 in Pensacola, Florida and went

out the next morning for a walk before driving again.

Saw a few brave birds there.

Back in the car.

Isaac also played lots of Game Boy.

We arrived in Orlando at dinner time and ventured into Downtown Disney to walk around and eat.  Unfortunately it was packed with spring breakers so we ended up at McDonalds!  And we didn't have our camera so no pictures.  Not that it was that exciting anyway.  We were in bed by 9pm because we had an EARLY morning wake up call.

Day 3: Orlando, Florida to Kenneday Space Center to Orlando, Florida to Destin, Florida

 We were up by 1am for the launch.  My next blog post will have all the launch details and pictures.

Day 4: Destin, Florida to Spring, Texas

Ahhhh, we finally get a chance to run!

And play!

And play some more!

Did I mention it was paradise?

And then the poor boy zonked out in the car.

We drove back through Alabama and Mississippi...

To Mimi and Boppa's old stomping ground.

We had dinner on campus...

And met Mike the Tiger.

The drive home after dinner was my least favorite part of the trip.  We were all exhausted and I was scared that one of us would fall asleep at the wheel.  But even though I kept nodding off against my will in the passenger seat, Adel is great at doing what it takes to get the job done and he got us back to Mimi and Boppa's safely at midnight.  I'm so glad the journey is over but the memory of the event was worth the effort.  There's also something really sweet about being stuck in the car together and having nothing better to do than just be together.  Isaac really enjoyed the special time with his mom and dad.  (And PS, if it looks like I'm wearing the same shirt in every picture, I practically was.  I forgot to bring the shirts that were hanging ready to be put in the car.  Doh!  I finally ended up buying a shirt in Destin but it pretty much looked the same as the black shirt I wore the first two days.  Silly girl.)

Launch Day post coming up next...