Soccer

The boys had their first soccer game this past Sat. Brady is playing up an age division so that they can be on the same team. We really did it for us, so that we only have one team to deal with. We only have to worry about one practice schedule and one game every Sat. It's really nice, and we've only had one game so far. We were worried that it wouldn't be good for Brady because he can be hard on himself. I was worried that it would be too hard, and it would just make him frustrated. He was very excited about it, and did really well in the first game. He's a very competitive kid(understatement of the year!), so that could be good or bad. Hopefully we'll have a good season. I got a couple of pictures, but it's harder when you have two out there at once.

Conversation with God

Last night I tucked Chloe in bed and said her prayers. When I got done she said, "What did God say?" I was confused for a moment, but then realized what she meant. She has been asking God for rain the past couple of days. Random times she'll just say a little prayer asking for rain. It's so cute! So, anyway, she was asking me what God said in response to her request. She truly looked at it like I was having a conversation with God. I told her that God always answers us, but sometimes we have to wait a little longer. These are the things I never want to forget.

I...

I AM... blessed.

I WANT... to reach my (weight loss) goal already!!

I HAVE... a weakness for Chik-Fil-A.

I WISH I COULD... be a marine biologist for a day, or two. Whale watching is tops on my list of things to do.

I HATE... when people think their lives are more important than anyone else's.

I FEAR... being chased by dogs every single time I go outside, regardless of whether there are any dogs around. I also used to think this same thing about bears when we lived in Alaska.

I HEAR... peace. My kids are in bed asleep.

I SEARCH... for answers to questions that have no answers.

I DON'T THINK... I'll ever get tired of hearing my kids pray.

I REGRET... not keeping in touch with friends and family.

I LOVE... feeling good about myself again.

I ACHE FOR... fall. Cooler temperatures, the colors of the leaves...I can't wait.

I ALWAYS CRY... when I hear the music from "Last of the Mohicans." I watched that movie the night my Granddaddy died. I haven't seen it since, and as much as I love the music from it, I can't bear to listen to it.

I AM NOT... a morning person.

I DANCE... rarely.

I SING... in the car when I'm alone.

I NEVER... think of the right thing to say until after the fact.

I RARELY... step out of my comfort zone.

I CRY WHEN I WATCH... Extreme Home Makeover, the Olympics, random commercials...the list could go on forever.

I AM NOT ALWAYS... the mother(or wife, sister, daughter, friend) that I want to be.

I HATE THAT... my kids are growing up so quickly.

I'M CONFUSED ABOUT... a lot.

I NEED... some time to myself occasionally.

I SHOULD... really be doing something else.

A princess...even on the potty.

Yum!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 sticks (8oz.) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
One 16 oz. jar creamy peanut butter
3 cups crispy rice cereal
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, melt half of the chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 cup peanut butter, then 2 cups rice cereal. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan; refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Wash out the saucepan.
2. In the saucepan, combine the remaining 2 sticks butter and the salt; melt over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining peanut butter and the confectioners' sugar. Spread half of the peanut butter mixture over the cereal layer. Top with the remaining 1 cup cereal.
3. In a small bowl, microwave the remaining chocolate at medium power until melted, 1.5 minutes. Stir into the remaining peanut butter mixture. Spread evenly on the cereal-topped peanut butter layer; refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes. Cut into 16 pieces.

I got this recipe out of my Rachel Ray magazine. It's the first recipe of hers I've tried. It was delicious, but very rich. If you don't like really rich desserts, then this one might not be for you. It said to cut it into 16 pieces, but I could never eat that much in one sitting. It's similar in richness to peanut butter fudge, so we cut it pretty small. It's definitely something to share. Next time I'll probably make it to take to a potluck or something similar. My next recipe to try is called Monkey Bread Minis, also from the magazine. We'll see how that goes. I was going to try to link to the recipe, but it's not on the website yet. Oh, and the picture is from the magazine also. I didn't get a picture of mine.

We have recess!!

The boys came home today excited and ready for tomorrow! I can't tell you how thankful and relieved I am. My prayers were answered today. They both love their teachers, and have already made friends in their classes. We all have positive attitudes, which is really a big deal, especially with me. They both have a scheduled recess, and it's at the same time. They thought that was pretty cool. Avery has snack, which he didn't have last year. We even gave the bus another try. They have a new driver this year, so that's nice. I know some of you prayed for us because you knew how hard last year was, and I just want to say thank you!

Chloe's Easter dress

I'm aware that it's not Easter, but this is the first time Chloe has worn her dress. She accidentally stepped on the bottom of her dress right before we were leaving the house, so she was unable to wear it. Until now. I know it shouldn't have taken me that long to get the dress fixed, but I was so bummed that I just didn't deal with it. I gave my Mom a really hard time about the dress because she was horrified that I was putting her in a sleeveless dress. It was really cold this past Easter, but I did have a sweater for her to wear. Anyway, I blamed my mom because she didn't get to wear it. (I was really kidding Mom!) So, thankfully Mom was able to repair the dress. I'm excited that Chloe will be able to wear it before it's once again too cold.