Homemade Ice Cream, Part 3

Here is the video of Gideon finding out what he made tonight with Papa. Read Homemade Ice Cream Parts 1 and 2 before watching the video.

Homemade Ice Cream, Part 1

Tonight I came up with a great idea.  As Gideon is constantly talking about ice cream, and is incessantly scouping ice cream and asking Kathee and me what kind we'd like (which, interestingly, he never has Neapolitin).  So since he's never seen it made from scratch, I thought it'd be fun to surprise him and have him help me make the recipe and tell him it's a mystery as to what we were making.  So we did.  

So we grabbed the supplies we'd need.

Even tying Gideon's apron the way my dad did when i was too little to wear it normally!  And he loved pouring in everything we needed.  

He was pretty certain he knew how to stir everything up and do it "all by mine self."  So I helped him a bit by making sure all the sugar was worked in.  

And he even made sure he helped me pour the mystery-mixture into the machine.  

As he kept watching, I continued to ask him what he thought it was going to be.  All he kept saying was, "I forgot Papa."  Translation... I HAVE NO IDEA!!!!

Homemade Ice Cream, Part 2

This story will be much better if you read Part 1 (below) first.  

Here is Gideon scouping out the first of the homemade ice cream!  

the first taste...

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

The Perfect Fort! Part 3

Gideon wanted to make sure we weren't going to take his fort down when he took a nap (we built it around 11AM).  We said we wouldn't.  We ultimately took it down just before bedtime tonight.  

Chillin in the fort.  

He continues to LOVE his fort.  

And is willing to protect it to the death... with the use of his Nerf Sword.  

The Perfect Fort! Part 2

Picking up where we left off.  

Step 4- Get everything set up so it looks like a cave.  

Again, the kid LOVES his fort.  

Step 5- Everything is set up, now for a quick-release door!

Final step- get your fort filled up with so many of your toys that your father wonders if you don't have a touch of hoarding disorder.  Oh yeah, invite your Papa into your fort, which takes him just under a calendar day to get in because he has to climb over all your toys.  "No Papa, be careful, don't break mine toys."  

The Perfect Fort! Part 1

Gideon LOVES forts.  And I love being able to come up with better and better forts for Gideon to play with throughout the day when I have a day off.  

I'm actually a bit embarrassed that it took me this long to come up with the idea.  Thanks for our friend Kristin Cornell, daughter of Rhonda McKinley (one of my adult leaders and a great friend of the family), we have a pretty sweet couch to use... and turn in to the perfect fort starter! 

Step 1- move the couch forward, and put folding chairs along the wall in the perfect distance so as to hold up the couch cushions.  

Step 2- get the boy to help move the cushions into place.  

Step 2A- be amazed that a couch cushion is so heavy for a two and a half year old boy to strain at moving it.  

Step 3- start setting up and have Gideon get super-excited!

Gideon Sings Hosanna

Gideon has a Palm Sunday wish for you. While Kathee and I were cleaning up from supper, I caught Gideon in the act of singing. I got it on my iPhone and thought you may like a gentle reminder that this is the day we remember Jesus' final entry into Jerusalem where He'll die for the sins of His Father's children.

Thursday Nights at the T's

On many a Thursday night, at around 8:05PM (right after Bible study finishes) an eruption of sorts occurs. The teens love to hang out at our home, some staying until 9:00, some staying till 11:00 (sometimes). We love having them over. The volume seems to rise a bit as they get excited and have 30 different conversations going at the same time. This video was during a "lull" of sorts (not kidding). And the best part? Gideon and Hope sleep right through the chaos! Also, keep in mind that normally we have about 3 to 5 more kids than in this video! We love it!

Spring Means BASEBALL!!!

I love baseball.  Watching the 1985 World Series posing my brother Nathan's favorite Kansas City Royals against my dad and brother Aaron's favorite St Louis Cardinals, was one of my first memories of watching the television.  I also LOVED playing baseball with boyhood friend Matt Lange with the Independent League's Dubuque Cubs (I remember having to go door-to-door to sell three boxes of 48 candy bars filled with Carmel, Almond, and Krunch bars for 50 cents a piece, in order to pay for my uniform).  When we moved out to the boonies, I loved playing with the Praire League team of the Key West Yankees, and also the Key West All-stars traveling team.  From there I moved into playing high school baseball with the Hempstead Mustangs.  

I'd even share with you my stunning career highlights, but in reality I was always good enough to make the team, but was not really all that good.  My stellar baseball career ended my junior year when the varsity coach (who I still love and respect) gave me an ultimatum in playing varsity ball for him.  I had always dreamed of serving at Camp Forest Springs, and the summer after my junior year, I was accepted to serve for two weeks as a volunteer on the maintenance department.  Upon asking Coach Core for the two weeks off, he said that I either serve my God or I play baseball.  That ultimatum ended my baseball career that day, with no regrets at all.    

And lest you think that I am going to live vicariously through my son by putting pressure on him to play baseball, think again.  Thanks to Jim and Julie Quandt, Gideon has a pretty cool baseball glove.  Today I bought Gideon a hard ball baseball, and after he woke up from his nap, out we went.   

As you can see, he's up on the balls of his feet and has just come up with the ball.

Now you can see the kid's impeccable form.  With the Dan Quissenberry side-arm, glove over his hear to limit the raucous cheers coming from inside the house, and feet parallel, I'd say he's ready.  

Although the ball is mid-air, I think we need to work on putting one foot in front of the other and following through.  My rambling is done for now.  Time to get cleaned up from working out and get ready for one of our teen's musical tonight.  

First Family of Four Meal

Tonight was the first official night of Hope joining the ranks for a family meal.  

She lasted about 10 minutes before it was bedtime. 

However, this is the start of something beautiful!

Gideon's Radio Flyer

So once Gideon wrestled HIS tricycle away from his mother (see post below), he really enjoyed it. We've found that Gideon likes to sit back and watch, take it all in, is a little uncertain at first, but then loves it after that. As a side, we saw that in him when he was still in the transition home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, as you can see by the smile...HE LOVES IT! Thanks Nathan, Kris, and family for the great gift!

Kathee's Radio Flyer

A few years ago my brother Nathan and his family gave Gideon a Radio Flyer Tricycle. Gideon is getting big enough to use it, so we took him out tonight for another run at it (last year he was still too little). As you can see, Kathee needed to show him how to ride it.

My Little Babooshka

As we were putting away our winter stuff (or atleast the winter hats were out), Gideon thought it fun to play in my winter hat.

So naturally, the defenseless little sister gets to don the hat.

However, I fail to remember whether Gideon or Papa put it on her.