he once was mangy, feral, stinky, dirty, unsnuggable...

See what I mean? Snap-dog's fur was absolutely out of control. I feel bad for him now that I look at this photo. He looks utterly pathetic, like a homeless drifter dog. Poor pup.

It was probably nice and warm for him during the winter, like when we visited home and he spent a lot of time outdoors. But now that the weather is warming up, or at least it's supposed to, we decided he needed a trim.

Oh, and I beg to differ that Miniature Schnauzers don't shed. They do. Since his fur has gotten so long, I've discovered it on the kitchen floor when I sweep. But, thankfully, it doesn't seem to bother Terry's allergies.

Does that look like an irresistible face...? Hmmmm.

I should have know that he could be redeemed from his feral state since he looked like this as a pup:

And voila! He's so soft now. Way different than all that course hair.

What a nice job Doggiestyles in Cozad (10 minutes east) did. And very reasonably priced too.

He even got an Easter flower. Noah liked it too. He REALLY liked it. "I love Snap. He's my best friend."

And we got him a name tag due to the recent run away incident...

strange things some people's kids do

Okay okay, I admit it. It's MY kids I'm talking about. It's not just some random kids I saw on the street.

But hey, I'm completely innocent and can't be held responsible for their actions. Even if it is ME they spend most of their time with... But we won't talk about that. It's their dad who's the "silly" one.

This is Noah's new thing. Getting locked (it has to be locked) inside Snap's kennel w/him. Snap does NOT enjoy it. Better him than Evie I guess.

Evie is sucking on a farmer toy that goes w/a barn in lieu of her pacie

It fell out and she switched it around. Now his head is in first.

There you go girl. That's what you really want. Right? Right?

Cornmeal fried tilapia

I posted this on facebook and thought I would here as well since it was ready made:

Okay, so last night's meal was excellent if I do say so myself. I took it out of my America's Test Kitchen The Best 30-Minute Recipe book (thanks Megan). The fish was FAST. What took longer were the mashed potatoes I made to go w/it. And actually, I made a sauce for the fish that I usually make w/salmon. But since there was no *inexpensive* salmon at Walmart yesterday, I improved and it worked out great!

The Fish:

- 2 skinless catfish fillets (12 oz each) - I used 4 tilapia fillets and had TONS of breading left over I had to toss.

- salt and ground black pepper

- 1/2 cup fine-ground cornmeal

- I just food processed it to make it fine ground

- 1/2 cup all purpose flour

- 1 cup vegetable oil

- I used half veg oil and half olive oil but the book says they can't tell the diff b/w them so they use veg oil

- Rinse and dry fish

- Season fish w/salt and pepper (their note says this is important b/c it draws out the moisture so when you coat it, the flour and cornmeal sticks better. i think it worked well)

- Add oil to 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.

- Meanwhile, dredge fish in cornmeal mixture, one piece at at a time. Press on breading to make sure it adheres.

- Fry fish until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes total (if fillets are large you may need to fry in two batches). This took me probably twice as long to get golden. I could have gone longer but I was worried about drying out the fish. It was pretty crispy yummy as it was though =)

- Remove fried fish from oil and let drain briefly on paper towel-lined plate

The sauce:

- 1 T olive oil

- 2-3 garlic cloves

- 1 t lemon-pepper seasoning

- 2 T lemon juice

- 1/2 c fat-free sour cream (I used light)

- Heat oil in small saucepan

- Add garlic and cook for 1 min.

- Reduce to low and stir in lemon-pepper seasoning and lemon juice.

- Simmer for 5 min or less

- Add sour cream and cook for 5 min or until heated through.

- Double this if there are more than 2 of you... it was just enough for Terry and I.

So yeah, the sauce is quite amazing on salmon, but also on this tilapia as we found out last night. I think that the fish might have been a little bland if I hadn't of made the sauce. Good luck!

improvement #1

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, our house/parsonage is undergoing some improvements.

When I returned from MOPS last week, I was pleased to see this:

The old stove and broken microwave. See how old they are? Still in ONE piece.

And then this, in the color biscuit or almond or maybe both since they're two different brands:

See the nice flat, ceramic stove top? I like it. Also, it is so nice to have a working microwave above the stove again. It's taking us some time to get used to not to keep walking to the one in the pantry like we have been for the last two years, but we'll learn soon enough after repeatably changing course.

So the only thing that still needs to be done w/the stove is some wiring above the microwave. Right now we're using an extension cord that connects to the counter outlet.

spring water

So yeah, spring has begun. Today, March 23rd, was our first thunderstorm complete with hail (we were on the interstate. it was a little scary and yet cool - Evie's eyes were just huge)! So, crazy weather abounds. The Black Hills are being dumped w/snow and we're hanging out in the 60s and might get snow tonight. Gotta love it.


Saturday was great. It was like 70 degrees out. We asked Noah if he wanted to go for a walk but he insisted on playing in the backyard. Evie had no problem with that b/c she loves to swing. Noah doesn't really like to share "his" swing but he IS just a little too big for it. Yeah, still working on the sharing thing.

So Noah contented himself with throwing the water balloons that daddy made for him. Evie even enjoyed the water. I have to say, one of my favorite parts was when Noah gave Evie a filled balloon that wasn't tied yet (I don't know how he got that away from daddy) and it sprayed all in her face. It was actually quite naughty of Noah (he was disciplined) but it made me laugh. Yeah, so if you don't know already, I have a dark sense of humor.

Noah "helping" daddy carry the hose.

Daddy diligently works for the man...boy.

Noah tosses a balloon - see the white speck by the swing?

Daddy teases Noah.

Doesn't look like a good idea? Yeah, it probably wasn't. But her 2 teeth are quite small and it never popped ON her... Oh, and doesn't her scar look good? I think it'll turn out just fine.

After she got sprayed w/the open balloon, we had to take her clothes off and since it was warm enough, we gave her her own bucket to play in since she was intent on eating Noah's sand... Gotta love those chubs! See why we call her our little "squish?"
Thirsty boy.

Snap checks in on the Eve-ster.

it's starting...

...Spring...it's starting!


It's happened so fast that I didn't even notice the first blades of grass popping out of the ground. Guess I don't walk back and forth to class anymore... So I am quite excited to get us out of the house and into the sunshine more!

Spring, bring it!

Here are some shots of spring happening before my eyes in our back yard on Saturday was - something like 70 degrees.

Some kind of plant pushing their way out

Strange looking red rhubarb bulbs emerging from last years stumps.

One of Noah's favorite parts: water balloons. We'll have to work on him helping pick up the mess afterwards.

skiing

So last weekend was our spring break and I accompanied Terry to Laramie, WY, and Snowy Range Ski Resort for our annual high school ski trip. We go w/a ministry there called Table in the Wilderness. They're really great to us and it's very econimical for the kids.

We also partnered w/ another youth pastor, Darwin and his wife Theresa. There was also a small group from a neighboring town. Darwin's church owns their own charter bus so we just all crammed about 40 kids and adults in there and took off - we brought 18 students of our own!

The first day of skiing started out w/an inury. Terry was teaching a somewhat unatheletic girl how to ski and on their first time down the bunny hill they collided and she was a little hurt. The lift operator insisted ski partrol get involved and they ended up treating her as if she had a spinal injury and took her to the hospital. She turned out fine and Terry accompanied her through the whole scary process.

The second day of skiing brought one more injury - Theresa. She is a great skier but fell in such a way to tear what looks like her ACL...

But otherwise the trip was great. It was only my 3rd time ever skiing and I began to think I'm not such a natural skier (just watch the footage, I look quite clumsy, something I'm not used to and didn't like) but I blamed it on my "new found" mortality that I think comes w/having kids. If I felt out of control or like I was going to fast, I just sat down. But if we keep going every year, I just might get better. I hope...

Terry on the other hand has skied 20-25 times, he says. So he did a bit of that but then tried snowboarding. =) He's got some natural ability too (like all of those kids do) I would say.

Oh, and my parents were GREAT and drove down to watch our kids for us so we had no worries.

Here are the two videos I made: One of me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQqGEQj7ww4 and one of Terry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSlwkMCWL4g. I think they're hilarious.

home again

I am so behind. We've been gone that last two weekends and this weekend we're here but gone the next! I want to post about last weekend but the "order" part of me wants to do things chronologically. Guess which part is going to win?

Two weekends ago we went home for the purpose of throwing Nathan and Ana a couple's bridal shower, which was on Saturday the 7th. We left on Thursday and came back Monday. It was a nice little trip. The shower went great, though I could have wished for a few more people to show up. It worked w/who was there though. Nathan and Ana got a good start for their marriage, which, by the way, takes place in Michigan on June 27th! Craziness.

Here is Noah's first meeting of Kato the Avenger who is my sister's cat. Yeah, this is why we don't own a cat, even though someone (ME!) would definitely prefer that.

Nathan and Ana make their way to the party room w/their plates loaded w/3 different egg bakes, 3 muffins/bread concoctions, juice and coffee - my mom was in charge of food and she might have gone a little overboard =). But hey, it was great and we were prepared for A LOT of people.

Grampa, Aunt Tammy and Mom

Mom, Dad, Steph, Stephanie and Ross Alexander (go to the church where Nathan was interning and now is just helping and attending)
Steph, Alexanders, Ron and Carol Doerkson (parents of Nathan's best man), Michelle Westvig (works w/Nathan), and Terry doing his making faces thing.

Awwww. What a great picture, right?!

The lovebirds w/their first haul to get them started in their very soon to be married life.

Steph playing at something...

After the shower we all went to the YMCA to let the kids have their swimming time. Evie and I enjoyed our new polka dot suits.

Everyone enjoying Evie =)

Noah practicing his running-through-water moves.

Evie all tired out on our way back to G-burg. She's not a very good car sleeper. This was her only nap of the 6 hour drive and it was just about 45 min long...

upgrade

Evangeline is growing up so fast! She turns ONE on the 31st of this month, finished nursing a couple weeks ago, got her second tooth yesterday and is now too big for her infant carrier seat. We're not complaining or anything b/c the less crying during road trips, the better.

And it just so happened that last weekend we went on a car trip and Evie was 20 pounds (according to our scale anyway) so we could upgrade her seat...and turn her around.

Sniff sniff.

Here is Evie's first time in her infant seat on the trip home from the hospital. Aawwww!

Evie's last time in that seat as a not so small baby. See how ready she is to be out of it? =)

BIG girl!

MOPS - MEN of Preschoolers

Yesterday in MOPS Terry spoke w/3 others on their first ever Men's Panel. It went quite well and though I might be a little biased, I thought he was the most insightful. =) I was also able to participate w/Terry and the other couples in the Newly Wed game. We were the couple who'd been married the least amount of time and perhaps that's why we did so poorly - we only got 1 out of 5 correct!

Yeah, Terry thought our sheets were blue (they're green), that we last laughed together when watching Talladega Nights (we laughed that morning about something else), thought my first gift to him was a Coke (I thought it was a Spiderwoman I made myself b/c that was the story he made for me due to my spider scar...), said his favorite meal I make was spiral sandwiches (I thought it was pizza). The only one we got right was my favorite snack food before bed - 2 cookies. We both had quite a wad of gum when we were through. Yuck.

Anyway, I thought it was a little ironic that Terry said his favorite food was the spiral sandwiches b/c I was planning on making them that night. Yeah, I made ham and bean soup w/a recipe off Cook's Country and the sandwiches which were from a King Arthur magazine my mom gave me. I used ham hocks for flavor (instead of a bone, I suppose) for the first time ever - they are apparently pig legs... Did I just ruin the soup for you?

The fam ready to eat the yumminess.

Check out the exquisite folding and baking I did.

rock star Evie

There's been a lot of U2 lovin going on in the B's household lately. Yesterday U2 came out w/their new album and they're on Letterman every night this week - it's quite historic. So, even though we don't own No Line on the Horizon yet, we will this weekend. We'll also be recording their performances every night and I've been looking up more stuff on youtube.

Anyway, Evie woke up yesterday morning w/rock star hair. I think she wanted to contribute to U2 in her own little way. =)

sharing

My mom requested no more cute pictures of our kids...but I couldn't resist.

I know she said only said that b/c it's been two months since she's seen them and therefore wants to put a stop to all the growing up that's been going on.

She'll see them soon enough though (we're going home to SoDak this weekend for Nathan and Ana's couple's shower) and I have to keep things updated - especially since Evie is on the move.

Feast your eyes on this: Noah SHARING his trains! If you know how obsessed Noah is w/his tracks and trains, you will understand how BIG this is for him. If not, I will just tell you - It's BIG. He actually allowed Evie to touch his "fence" (Lego's) without screaming or pushing or crying. I think it's b/c he had a good nap. He was most pleasant this evening. He kept hugging and kissing us. Plus, when ALL his trains derailed, he screamed (of course) but then said, "It's okay, I can fix." This is crazy different. He usually screams (of course), fetches us and demands we fix it b/c, as he says, "I can't dooooo it."

See the pieces of "fence" on the floor? =) That's something Noah wouldn't usually stand for.

He's fixing it now... You can't ask for too much.