CORRECTION!

Happy HaPpY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

to the coolest 3-year-old in the WORLD!!!

(had the wrong date before--runs in our family apparently to forget the actually birthday of our siblings youngest off-spring. Lucky, we tend to think their birthdays are 10 days before they actually are!)

Cake Feet

Do you remember that Saturday Night Live sketch with Mary Cathrine Galliger, the Catholic school girl who put her fingers in her armpits and smelled them when she got nervous? I use to think that was just a grossly humorous fictionalized character. However, let me share what I heard from my 5-year-old tonight, who shall remain nameless for the appearance of protecting the ... guilty.

"My socks smell like cake. They REALLY smell like cake! Smell them."

"Ah, no thank you!" responds the polite father.

"REALLY, they smell like cake! Smell my socks."

"No, that's just stinky feet" replies the father slightly more realistic.

"Whoa, it's my feet. They smell like cake. My feet smell like cake."

"I do NOT want to smell your feet!" insist the father.

"My shoes smell like cake, too!"

All I can say is, 'Thank God for little brothers who are willing to believe anything a big brother says and smell socks, shoes and feet that supposedly smell like cake!'

HBH!!!

A big shout out to the coolest 3-year-old in THE WORLD!!!

Happy Birthday

Henry ("On-REE") "Henners" James Scriven!!!

Pizza-Man

Last night I was hungry for pizza, so I asked the boys if they would like to make pizza. We found a pretty good (and relatively simple) recipe a couple years ago for making your own. Unfortunately, enthusiastic Seth grated some knuckle with the mozzarella and left for the comfort of mommy before it got "fun."

It turned out great! Even if it did take longer then I would have liked. I have included the recipe below, be warned: this is from a British cookbook (The New Simply Delicious by Rose Elliot) with non-American measurements...good luck!

Easy Wholewheat Pizza -- 4 servings

225 g/8 oz (I used 1/2 cup each) Self-raising wholewheat flour, or half wholewheat and half white

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

50 g/2 oz (I used 1/2 a stick) butter

40 g/ 1/2 oz (I used like a 1/4 block) Chedder cheese, grated

150 ml/5 fl oz (I used about 1/2 cup) water

Set oven @ 425F

Put flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, then stir in the grated cheese and water to make a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute, then cover and leave for 10 minutes...Roll the dough out into a 12 inch circle, a place on a pizza dish or baking sheet (I covered the pizza pan with some corn meal to prevent sticking). Spoon on sauce and top (we chose to season homemade canned tomatoes Charity had done and Toby decided to top that before covering everything with Seth's mozzarella). Bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffy and golden brown.

The Heights I will Go to!

The Southern Union kindly scheduled Wednesday afternoon as "Conference/Family Time" beginning at lunch. To which the Florida Conf. decided to schedule a 1:10 minute (that of course ran long) for 2:00 PM...THANKS!

If that was not frustrating enough, my loving wife planned a wonderful afternoon for us and another family (Cook's) of visiting the beautiful Ponce Inlet Lighthouse.

Have I ever mentioned that I am "acrophobic" (scared of heights)?

Really, what is the point of looking at a lighthouse from the bottom...when you can climb 203 steep and winding steps ALL the way to the top!

Let me just say, it is one thing to privately suffer from an embarrassing and crippling fear of heights. It is quite a different thing to allow dear friends to witness it. But totally demoralizing when your 5-year-old burst to the top before you can even set a foot on the first step and then force yourself to the top only to have your 4-year-old "bail" you out by insisting he must be CARRIED down all 203 steps!

No lie, right now--3 days later--my thighs are still burning to the extent that I literally have difficulty walking down a step and standing up or sitting down.

Whatever, can't do anything about it now. At least I am taking personal consolation in my mini victory, despite the pain and the fact that those of you who know me best have got to be amazed that I was able to do it!

PS--I even stopped on the way up to read the sign about how one dear light-keeper had a heart ache while climbing the steps and fell to his death!

LITTLE issue as we stopped to visit the brand new IKEA in Orlando on our way home from Daytona Beach yesterday...

Mom decided that it would be great if the boys would stay at the IKEA supervised play area while we "buzzed" through the store. Seth said he would do it if Toby would, but Toby just wanted to sit in the lobby and watch the video running there. After much "negotiation" Toby would not budge from a tear filled stand of 'no entrance' to the play area.

So, I gave him a choice: go in with Seth, check it out and if you don't like it you can go shopping with us OR go sit in the car and take a nap. Easy choice, right? YE! Toby chose, "NEITHER!" Which of course left me sitting in a hot car, tired myself and starving with the picture above.

Kids are smarter then we think!

Wed. Jan. 9 was a rough day, Toby and I learned that Redskins Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs had again retired, almost assuredly for good this time. Luckily, Toby & I were able to attend a game at RFK last Fall with Uncle Jonathan and Cousin Patrick, where coach Gibbs pulled out an exciting win in Jason Campbell's first home start.

We'll miss Coach Gibbs, but still cheer for the Skins!

Here we start...

believe it or not, i am blogging....OK, so maybe it would better to say I am "trying" to blog. I am sitting in a seminar on building your own blog at the Southern Union Ministerial Mtg in Daytona Beach. YES, I am IN a meeting at Daytona while my wife and boys are on the beach!

So, what do you think are the chances I will continue to update this?