A message from the kids

(tomorrow)

Food Network

I love watching cooking shows. Lately, Noel has enjoyed watching with me. I didn't think she was really understanding it. . . until today.

While the boys were at school, the girls ran an errand to Hobby Lobby (love it!) and then came home. It was snack time for my daughters, so while I fed Penny on the couch, Noel grabbed a yogurt and sat at the table. Before she could eat, she wanted to know what flavor it was. I couldn't see from where I was sitting, so she came over. Strawberry Banana Blast She returned to the table and I returned to feeding Penny.

I realized that she was saying something, so looked up and paid attention. Noel would take a bite of yogurt, put down her spoon, and then throw her head back and spread her arms out.

"Yummy. That certainly is good. Very tasty." Then, she'd take another bite and repeat her routine. After a few spoonfulls, she added more to her routine.

"Tasty, but it needs a pinch of salt. Perhaps a little more pepper. This bite needs some banana. I'll add some, but not too much. How about some rice. That will make it delicious."

When she caught me looking at her, she stopped of course.

Traditions

Yesterday, I was able to celebrate a very long-standing tradition, one which I can't remember ever "not doing". We made doughnuts.

When I was growing up, my folks worked hard to do fun things with us. We knew that on the first cancelled school day of the year (generally a snow day), we got to make doughnuts. My dad would dig out the frier (used once a year!) and mom would get out the ingredients. We'd don aprons and get covered in flour. We loved loved loved making doughnuts. It was so special because mom and dad needed our help, we only got to do it once a year, and it was just so tasty! Often, neighborhood kids would come over to the Koemans to participate. It was awesome! I was even home from Florida one year and there was a snow day. We made doughnuts! You don't have to be a kid to enjoy a doughnut.

Gary and I have decided to continue on with the tradition. First, I asked for the Betty Crocker Cook-book years ago. I needed to have the same recipe as my mom. :) Next, I had to have some kids. Then, my kids needed to go to school. Yesterday, school was cancelled because we were under a tornado watch. We broke out the ingredients, heated up the oil, and went to town. Noel even cracked the egg for us. Everyone rolled, everyone got flour on them, everyone tried the batter, everyone cut out the doughnuts, and everyone ate. Well, not everyone. Penny slept through the whole thing. Good thing too. I didn't want to be the one to tell her that she wasn't allowed to have any. . . yet.

Beware: lots of pictures ahead!

Welcome!

Here are a bunch of our pictures from the fall: my favorite season. We celebrate here at the Sprick house.

I apologize because these are in reverse order. Maybe starting at the bottom and working your way back up? :) I'll put the caption for each picture underneath it.

Nothing like exercising outside!

This is what happens on the way home from the zoo.

Up close to the chimpanzee

Noel shows us what sound a bear makes. Motions included of course.

Princess Noel and Princess Lydia



She is fascinated with the leaves. A girl after my own heart.

Garrison asked if he could wear a tie to church. Handsome I think.

What can I say--We love and like each other.

Fall Family Festival: what great pumpkin carvers!



Garrison adores his Aunt Tricia.

Noel and Lydia being goofy. (Noel wore her ladybug dress.)



Cousins Bryce and Simon sharing the bench and a laugh.

Is Penny upset that Kody got a cool headband or that mommy made daddy wear that shirt?

Thanks Danielle! Garrison, Noel, and now Penny have worn this shirt with pride.

Vacuuming in a tutu. It works.

My boys the paleontologists. The have found so many bones under the deck.

Three mamas, three babies.

Noel, Emily, Simon and Garrison love this hike.

They made backpacks our of bungee cords. Noel had to hook hers in her underwear.

Picnic on the beach.

Typical. :)

Simon waves during the Pumpkin Parade.


Garrison feels the Zeel!




The kids enjoy the firetruck parade.

I'd smile like that too if I just learned to roll over.

Something is fishy

I've been trying to be more disciplined about taking my vitamins. This past week, I've pulled out the fish oil caplets and have been taking one every day. Why?
1. I hear that fish oil is very good for you. Omega 3, 6, 212. . . you know.
2. I don't like to eat fish. (I love to catch them, but alas. . . I've tried and tried different kinds cooked different ways. Nope.)

My problem with my fish oil caplets is that it makes me burp up a little (don't even pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!) and then it tastes like fish in the back of my throat. I don't like it! So, what it better? Doing what it good for you or enduring hours a bad taste and general dislike.

Maybe I'll try taking them right before bed. Won't Gary be happy in the morning when I greet him with a kiss. :)

Is this thing on?

"Hey boys--you can wear short sleeved shirts and shorts today. It will be the last warm day of the year, so wear your favorites."

These were my instructions to my sweet sons. This is what happened.

I sat down to eat my breakfast (cold of course) and Garrison arrived ready to cut out the pictures from the paper that I was done with. He had on a long sleeved shirt and long pants.

"Garrison, I asked you to wear shorts and a short sleeved shirt." "Oh brother." As an aside--this has become a favorite phrase of Garrisons. He uses it often and sometimes even correctly! I'm not sure where he picked it up, but it doesn't bother me. He doesn't appreciate it though when I laugh at how he is using it. Often, he'll respond with an "Oh brother" because I'm laughing which will cause me to laugh even harder. He stomped off to his room to change. He arrived back minutes later and began rummaging through the newspaper.

"Garrison, you still have on a long sleeved shirt and put on a new pair of long pants. Would you please go back to your room and put on shorts and a short sleeved shirt." I said this all while laughing.

Three "oh brothers" later. . . he returned in appropriate wear. :)

I had just returned to my reading and eating when Simon appeared in the hallway in just his underwear. He was holding his favorite shirt and his favorite shorts. Both were regulation for the day. This is what he said to me in a close-to-being-whiny-voice.

"Mom, you said that I had to wear shorts and a shirt and not wear pants and a long shirt! I want to wear these." I started to laugh, looked at him, and said "yes". "But mom. . . " "Think Simon, think about what you just said to me." "Oh". And he was off to put on the clothes that he so desperately wanted to wear.

I'm glad that I like to talk--I seem to often do it just for myself. :)

Greater understanding

What happened to Wednesday? Well, I hoped to post last week about Jim Terpstra's talk at our church. Instead, I got caught up in my life which included hand/foot/mouth disease. Ugh!

Jim gave an analogy at the beginning of his talk that was the best that I've ever heard. I'm going to TRY and re-tell it. I'll tell it in first person, as he did.

I went into work one morning. I opened up the office and then went into the warehouse to get that ready. I noticed that there was a bird up in the eaves trying to get out. I went and opened up the big warehouse door. Light flooded the warehouse, yet the bird continued banging against the corners and running into the eaves. I tried to shoo the bird out, to show him the big open door that awaited him, yet my efforts were futile. There is one window at the top of the building and he went and perched there, looking out the window. Perhaps he was looking out, wishing that he could play with his friends, enjoy eating great treats, and fly so very high. After gazing out for awhile, he continued to fly about high at the top of the building. Now, there is another element that I must share with you. We work with and cut mirrors and if there is an imperfection on the mirror, we use a razor blade to fix it. Our ceiling is covered with dry wall. When we were done with a razor blade, we would throw it up in an effort to get it lodged in the ceiling. Sometimes we had to scramble out of the way as a razor blade would come falling down. Over the years, hundreds of razor blades had found their way to being stuck in the drywall. I watched as the bird continued to fly about searching and searching for a way out. As it grew more and more tired, it wasn't able to avoid the beams and eventually the razor blades. As it flew into the razor blades I saw feathers drifting down to the floor and could see blood on the bird. Yet, there was nothing that I could do. The bird was determined to do it his way. Finally, the bird was so exhausted and bleeding. It fluttered to the floor. It was then that I could go over to it and show it the way out. Friends, the door is God's grace. I was so addicted and so convinced that I could do it on my own. I finally had to reach the bottom, battered and bruised before I could look up and see God's grace.

Sadly, my dad hasn't hit the bottom. Currently, he is in an assisted living facility. He doesn't want to be alone and wants people to cook for him and do his laundry. He doesn't want to work. He doesn't want to admit that he can't do it on his own. He doesn't want to meet with Jim Terpstra or our counselor Tom Kragt. They would be able to see through him deception. He doesn't want to see the big warehouse door just beckoning him to come outside, to enjoy all that God has to offer. It will be hard to see him fly into the razor blades, but he needs to hit the bottom, he needs to admit he is powerless, he needs to say he will do anything to get well. We'll keep praying.