Daily Funnies

There are so many times on a day-to-day basis when I think, "I should write that down." Well... here are a few from today:

• Sadie was playing with Macey and lifting her up by her arms. I said "Don't lift her like that, you could pull her arm out of place." Sadie looked at me strangely and asked "Will she bleed?" I tried to go into more detailed explanation--she just kept looking at me strangely and said "Mom, you're not explaining very good."
• While I was putting Kinnick to bed I heard "No, No, NO!" Normally, I would assume she was talking to Kinnick... so I kept listening to hear "Get in your crate right now for a time-out!"
• Sadie was sitting next to me while I was feeding Macey. She kept rubbing Macey's head saying sweet things, then proceeded to tell her "Macey, don't eat any mama milk from the tree of knowledge of good besides evil. That sneaky snake is bad!"

Macey--4 Months

I can't believe how fast Macey is growing! We are having so much fun with her... This month some of her new tricks include: batting at toys, blowing spit bubbles (along with LOTS of drooling!), playing with her hands (and sucking her fingers/thumb), and lots of rolling & scooting. She continues to coo and smile a lot and is generally a very content little girl!I love this picture in her "little sister" shirt and her sun hat--it really shows her dimples!

Macey loves to hang out with me when I'm working in the kitchen. (Although she's still not safe even here--her brother drags the ladder over to climb up and talk to her.)

She enjoys interacting with big sister and big brother. I've been trying to let Kinnick hold her a lot more...

A few more facts about Macey:

• She enjoys her exersaucer and her hanging toys.
• She sleeps on her belly curled up in a ball. Most of the time, she has both of her feet out of the leg parts of her pajamas and curled up inside of them.
• She's does not like riding in her car seat. It's about a 3 drive to either of our parents' houses and it is not uncommon for her to cry 2 + hours!
• She has recently decided that she should wake up every night around 2AM and screams at the top of her lungs (although she's not too interested in eating.) If this continues, we may be trying some cereal soon!
• She loves going for walks--especially in the sling, facing out to see it all. She also likes riding in the stroller and sitting outside in her papazon chair.
• She loves laying on a big floatie in the pool--we haven't tried the baby inner tube yet, but hopefully soon!

Cookie Dough!

Yummy!

Breakfast Recipes

My girlfriends and I decided (some time ago!) to do a recipe exchange to get some new ideas. Well, I never got around to posting any of my recipes. I decided that I had way too many recipes I would like to share, so I decided to do it in several smaller posts... what better to start with than breakfast! I use the term "recipes" loosely with this post because these are actually just ideas...

Two of our favorite things to have for breakfast are pancakes and smoothies...

Banana Berry Smoothie: I use: 1 banana, 3 big scoops of plain or vanilla flavored yogurt (I buy the BIG containers at Aldi), a cup of frozen berries (blueberry or mixed), 1 T. ground flaxseed (just for the health benefits!), approx. 1 cup OJ, and 3-4 big handfuls of ice. Blend and enjoy! This makes enough for a big smoothie for myself and two smaller ones for the kids.


I know that you all know how to make pancakes, but we like to make LOTS of different kinds of pancakes... maybe you'll get a new idea!

• Blueberry Pancakes (or mixed berry pancakes)
• Chocolate Chip (or M&M) Pancakes
• Banana Nut Pancakes: Mash one banana and chop 1/2 c. of nuts, stir into batter
• Smores Pancakes: Add crushed graham crackers and mini-choc chips to batter, pour pancakes onto skillet and sprinkle with mini-marshmallows before you flip them
• Apple Cinnamon Pancakes: Chop one apple and stir into batter with 2 t. cinnamon
• Peanut Butter Pancakes: Stir in 2 T. pb (it helps if you microwave it first!)
• Tropical Pancakes: Add 2 T. coconut flakes, 1 mashed banana, 1 c. crushed pineapple and 2 T. pineapple juice
• Strawberry Pancakes (or Strawb-Banana Pancakes): Add chopped strawberries, a drop of red food coloring and serve with strawberries and whipped cream
• Butterscotch Pancakes: Add 2 T. butterscotch topping and some butterscotch chips
• Cranberry Nut Pancakes: Add dried cranberries and chopped nuts
• Rainbow Pancakes: Divide batter into multiple bowls and add assorted food coloring, you can also sprinkle each pancake with sprinkles before you flip them
• Lemon Blueberry Pancakes (Recipe Here)
• "Sundae" Pancakes or Birthday Pancakes: For a special occasion we'll eat our pancakes with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and a cherry or candle!

Some of these ideas aren't the healthiest, but I do use wholewheat pancake mix and I usually mix in some flaxseed... have fun--and let me know if you have any creations that your family enjoys!

Low-Fat Bran Muffins: 1/2 c. flour; 1/2 c. ww flour; 1/2 t. baking soda; 1 1/2 t. baking powder; 1/2 t. cinnamon; 1 1/4 c. milk; 2 c. 100% bran; 1/3 c. brn. sugar; 1/2 c. applesauce; 1 egg

-Mix bran cereal and milk. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir together dry ingredients. Add bran mixture to dry mixture. Add sugar, egg, and applesauce, Stir. Bake 18-20 minutes at 400.

We like these muffins a lot. Sometimes I serve them as a side dish to casseroles, etc. Stay tuned for more recipes coming your way!

Finger Painting

Last week we did some finger painting... Sadie has finger painted several times, but this was Kinnick's first time (more successful than Sadie's first time!) I was sure he would try to eat it--and he did, but as soon as I told him no, he stopped. They had fun!

I took the above picture and thought to myself, "Wow, this is going really well!" I started to look through some pics on my camera and looked back up to find:

Oh well--what's the point of finger painting if you don't get messy!

Wedding Weekend

This past Saturday, we went to Burlington for a wedding. It was an outdoor wedding (the rain held off exactly long enough for their ceremony!) followed by a beautiful reception in a big tent. The kids did a great job sitting for the wedding and enjoyed the reception.

Kinnick clapping for the Bride & Groom

Daddy & his Girls

Sadie--always the poser!

Sadie lovin' on Kinnick

Kinnick & Marc in their matching shirts...

Sadie posed for a mini photo shoot for me the next day after church:

Streator Tornado

Streator experienced an F2 tornado Saturday night. Fortunately we were out of town. We started receiving phone calls and texts during the whole ordeal. We were up pretty late that night trying to get information. The most difficult news was hearing that our friends Megan and Jeremy had their garage and the back of their house ripped off...


Although the damage was extensive, there were no deaths or serious injuries--for that we were all thankful! It was very interesting getting back into town Sunday afternoon. The whole north side of town was untouched. The damage was very isolated. Our block went for a few hours without power (nothing compared to people who lost everything!) When we got back into town, many of the roads were blocked off. We couldn't get close to any of the "disaster areas". These are a few pics I snapped as we drove by the roads that were open:

My school (Oakland Park) was directly in the path of the tornado. Thankfully the building sustained very minor damage--just A LOT of debris. These pictures are the view out of my classroom window, taken after 3 full days of clean-up:

This is a house directly across from my school:

Our school had many families affected, some who lost everything.

This is a shot of Megan and Jeremy's garage that attaches to their house:

Here is a short video clip featured on WGN News. It shows the Devera house from an aerial view (during the phone interview). Here are some more pictures from the Streator Times.

This was very much a wake-up call! A tornado is something I always thought "would never happen to me." Although it didn't directly affect our house, it has been very humbling to see how it has affected people that we love. I have been able to use this experience to learn and grow:

• I will always take tornado warnings seriously and seek shelter. I will teach my kids what to do in an emergency situation and I will have an emergency kit in my basement with water, non-perishable food, and first aid supplies.
• Marc and I used this opportunity to teach Sadie what a tornado is. I had to show her pictures because in her mind "tormatoes" were people. (Probably because we sometimes refer to Kinnick as a tornado! She asked me "Is Kinnick only a messin' up the house tormato and not a ripping down the house tormato?") After our brief science lesson, Sadie was able to give her definition of a tornado: "A really, really, really, REALLY big turnin' cloud that walks down roads. When it gets tired of walking, it stops and trashes people's houses."
• I was able to reflect on and talk to Sadie about why God allows things like this to happen... I keep coming back to the unshakable truth that He is in control and that I only need to trust Him daily. I also know that he provides us opportunities to be his hands and feet.
• I was also able to teach Sadie that God gifts us each differently and teaches us to do what we are able. She was struggling with the fact that she couldn't go help clean up Emma & Eddie's house, but she was excited to pick out some toys and books to share with them while they stayed at a hotel.
• I'm very grateful... Sadie said today during breakfast, "Mom, I'm glad the tormato didn't see our house or Joe & Shirley's house when it was walking."

My favorite part of this whole experience was seeing my daughter's faith lived out. When we first heard about the tornado we gave her a brief explanation and then we prayed for our friends in Streator. We put her to bed and sometime later Aunt Nee Nee went into her room to get something and heard Sadie praying. She was listing all of her friends and asking God to keep them safe from the "tormato".

Loving the Long Weekend...

I have to start with apologies... NO PICTURES for this post. I left my camera at school over the weekend--and just to let you know how crazy my classroom was, I went back to get my camera when I was getting ready to put Macey in her swimsuit for the first time and I didn't see it anywhere so I assumed that it really was in my school bag where I had already checked once! Anyway, feel free to skip this post if you really only like the pictures. I just needed to record for myself.

I was really looking forward to this weekend because I've been very drained both physically and emotionally. Marc hasn't had a day off for awhile so we were ready to relax and enjoy each other.

FRIDAY: I woke up in a bad mood (subconsciously) on Friday morning. It was my last day in my classroom with kids and even with the rotten behavior I've been dealing with for a solid month, I was dreading telling them good-bye. It's always hard, but this year was especially hard knowing it will be my last for awhile (and maybe my last ever in Kindergarten!) My kids have been swimming every day this past week at their baby sitter's (she has a big pool and a little splash pool) and I had yet to go with them so when she brought me Sadie at the end of the school day and suggested I come swimming I thought it was a perfect idea. Sadie is getting very brave in the water and trying to swim without her floaties, Kinnick loves the water, and Macey looks so cute in her swimsuit and hat--there will be pics soon (she just floated on a big inner tube). Friday night I was so tired (and dealing with a cold/sore throat) that I feel asleep on the couch at 8:30.

SATURDAY: Marc had to work Saturday morning and we were getting ready to show our house at 2, so I spent most of the morning cleaning. When you're used to dragging your kids out of bed most every morning, any morning that includes letting them sleep in and plenty of snuggle time is a great one. We managed to squeeze in a walk to the park during our morning of cleaning and laundry. Although it was hectic to get our house ready to show (especially after a crazy long week at school) it was worth it to have a clean house to enjoy for the rest of the weekend. I played outside with Sadie & Kinnick while Marc showed the house and Macey napped.

Next, we were off to the carnival... Sadie was really looking forward to this, we had been talking about for a couple days. I had to reminisce when we put Kinnick and Macey in the double stroller--just last year at this time, Kinnick was the baby and Sadie was the big girl... my little boy is growing up so fast! We had a great time taking the kids on some rides. Sadie's favorite was the "dragon" roller coaster--I got to ride with her. She loved waving at Daddy and Kinnick every time we went past them. Kinnick loved the super slide. Marc and I each took him once. I thought he might be scared, but he just giggled. I think we have a couple of thrill seekers! We also enjoyed watching both of them jump in the bouncy house together! Of course our trip wasn't complete without a lemonade shake-up, kettle corn, and cotton candy (Sadie's favorite!)

It was so hot that we decided we all needed a swim. One of Kinnick's favorite tricks is to grab our sunglasses and throw them into the water--he got a big kick out of this. After swimming for about an hour, we ordered pizza and watched some "Life" before bed. Sadie enjoys it but it's hard to watch with her because she will NOT stop talking!

SUNDAY: Sunday was a relaxing day... We went to early church so we could get the kids down for an early nap. We had a surprise party to go to in the afternoon. The kids got to play with their friends while we got some time to visit with our friends. Sunday night we walked to time-out to get ice cream. Sadie had a big debate while we were walking about whether she would get a slushie or bubblegum ice cream... oh the decisions of a 3 year old!

MONDAY: Our big plan Monday was to buy and plant flowers and then cook out with our friends. Our flower planting was postponed due to the rain, luckily it cleared up for our cookout! Sadie was very disappointed about not getting flowers. Every time it stopped raining she would say "Can we go now?" We started our day with a big breakfast--I love being in the kitchen with Marc--he's a very good cook! After we had breakfast cleaned up, we pretty much started on our cookout food. I love being in the kitchen and entertaining, so it was fun to spend most of the day doing such (and have Marc home to help oversee the "helpers"). Marc grilled bbq ribs and made homemade ice cream--it was very yummy. Our friends Liz & Ryan came over to spend the evening with us. We played a game of bags that seemed to last hours (kids will do that!) It was such a fun night.

Before writing this post, I just got done reading my friend Mailee's post about their 3-day weekend. I totally agree with her thoughts of how a weekend like this makes you feel like you're missing so much with your kids on a daily basis. I'm so thankful for my family and thankful that we were able to spend this memorial day weekend together!