Iceland & Easter

Lincoln, Lydia & Henry really enjoy cousin time with the Hopwoods, and Ella's birthday party was a good time for them all to catch up. And Em made a darn good cake with some good coaching from the family cake guru.

The next country in Jenn's homeschooling/cooking adventure was Iceland. Iceland has some, shall we say, interesting cuisine. It was a two-fer for the kids, in that Jenn made a really neat dinner with lamb & Iclandic bread and then followed up with a traditional breakfast of Icelandic pancakes and yogurt. And it's amazing what these kids retain. Lydia walked up to the globe the other day, pointed out Iceland, and said, "Here's Iceland. And there's the glacier." And her finger was in the 100% correct spot!

We're liking the more spring-like weather. Between the hiking and playing outside, it's gonna be a good year, and we're even planning a real garden for the first time in this house. Photos to follow when it's through.

Mossy Log, Spring 2015

Of course, the kids are always looking for things to do around the house, and out and about.

The above photos are from Easter at the Parkinson's in Dublin. I'd like to draw your attention to the long bubble container, Lydia's is pink, that each of the kids got. This is the subject of a big first that I heard just a few days ago.

The kids were talking about wanting to blow bubbles outside, but I was in the middle of something in the kitchen and I couldn't go outside. Henry said, "Aw, now I can't play with my bubbles."

I asked him why not. His reply: "'Cause I can't hold the container with my other hand."

And that represented his first actual complaint about his hand. It made my heart sink a bit. I wonder how often these moments will happen in the future. But on the flip side, it's pretty darn amazing that he's made it to 4-and-a-half years old before voicing his first real complaint.

Jenn and I also have what may be an uncomfortable situation coming up this week. You may or may not know that we've decided to move Lincoln to a new school next year. Most of what we wanted to see out of his current school has simply not panned out. He's had two amazing teachers who have really connected well with him. The overall school environment is just not what we were looking for, and certainly not what we wanted to pay for. Lydia & Henry will join him next year, giving Jenn one destination (cue Handel & his Hallelujah). This Wednesday is our exit interview with a board member and principle of his current school. There shouldn't be too much of a discussion beyond us listing our reasons. I hope I'm proven wrong on my suspicions of it being uncomfortable.

Brazil!

In an effort to further expand the kids' tastes and palates, Jenn has taken them to the grocery store to pick out various food items and then has included them in the cooking process as they learn that the same items can taste differently when prepared in different ways. On top of that, she's even incorporating geography into the project! This past Thursday night it was Brazil night, as the kids made their own Brazilian flags, colored a map of South America, and learned about the Amazon river and the coffee & beef industries of Brazil. For dinner we ate feijoada (faze-wah'-dah) with plantain chips and agua de tamarindo to drink. Wow, was it good!
Jenn's latest cake creation was for the son of a friend, and it was very well-received.
And Lydia has been picking up a number of things lately. First, her ability to puzzle is beyond what we've seen from the boys. She doesn't start with the edges, but just works with finding matches, and she's really good at it. She's also been getting her letters lately, and it's something that just seemed to click overnight. And we've enrolled her in gymnastics again, and she's loving that.

#Gymnastics @RiverfrontYMCA.

A photo posted by @rggates on Feb 28, 2015 at 6:28am PST

Swagger

It's been over a month since I've posted. Yikes. It't not like there's nothing going on, it's that there's a *ton* going on and devoting the energy to blogging is something I have to summon up.

Anyway...

Jenn's been busy w/ cakes...
The kids started school...
Somebody made the cover...
Jenn and I celebrated 11 years... Jenn and I are taking off to Cincy this weekend for cousin Kelly's wedding. Looking forward to that.



Oh, and we got a miniva... eh hem!... a Swagger Wagon. Even as I say "Swagger Wagon" I kind of cringe, because while Toyota's original Swagger Wagon commercial is what originally loosened me up to the idea of a minivan, they've come out with a new version for the 2015 model, and it is horible. Take a look at the two:

2010:


2015:


This is my blog, so I get to tell you what I think of this update. Here's what I wrote on the YouTube page:

For years I swore I'd never drive a minivan. Then I saw the original Swagger Wagon commercial (SWAGGER WAGON | Toyota) and started to warm to the idea. It portrayed parents and kids that were relatable, and put the Sienna in good light. Three kids later, and it was time to consider a minivan. I'd become convinced of their practicality, and the luxury included in the newer models cannot be denied.

Had I seen this advertisement, this new version of the Swagger Wagon, prior to my recent purchase, I'd've been turned off to Toyota & the Sienna. This commercial is awful, is distasteful, and just embarrassing to watch. The characters are not relatable. If the goal was to feature the actual vehicle then the marketing department failed miserably as the attention is on the caricatures not on the product. Further, the blending of racial stereotypes just feels dirty.

To each his/her own, I guess.

But back to our experience. We love this car. The kids are more spread out (they love it, too), it's the most luxurious car we've driven, and we've only scratched the surface on learning what all this thing can do.

Gymnastics, Cake & a Whole Bunch of Stuff

Jenn was out with friends, I was having Bible study in the kitchen with some friends, and a storm blew through. Henry always wants to get out of bed and go somewhere, so this is where he went... right outside his doorway.

And here it is, mid-August. 2014 is buzzing by. Tomorrow starts a new era at Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic as Dr. Kirt Yant begins. Wow. 24 years Dad was a solo practitioner, then we paired up for 9 years, and now Kirt is set to assume my role as I assume Dad's in the coming months. James 4:14 says...

What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

He was onto something.

Lincoln had another fun trip to Leesville Lake last week.

One of the very cool events of the summer was when Grandpa Doug received tickets to the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club that he couldn't use. He gave them to me, and I invited Brandon, and after he posted something about it on Facebook, Michael made mention that he'd like to come up from Charlotte and go with us. Well, I had an extra ticket, and it just worked out really, really cool. The Schwab tent was over the top, with hotdogs, fruit, prime rib, all the desserts and Nature Valley granola bars we could eat. It was fun to have the cousins together (it had been a long time!), and the highlight of the day at the course was when Kevin Na gave Lincoln his hat as he came off the 18th Green and then signed it for him. What a cool guy!


Below...
The kids decorated a birthday cake for Grandma Paulette; Lydia stretches before gymnastics class; another year, another Men's Retreat (this time with just my Bible study guys, Manny & Andy, along with three invitees); Lincoln at one of the Cuyahoga Falls wading pools; Grandma & Brandon's birthday party w/ Jenn's latest work of cake art



I'll try to remember to tack this onto the end of posts. They'll always look the same if you scroll through the posts, but at least if you keep up with this on a regular basis, you'll see the progression of my updates.