The Happenin's

four for ya :)

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:46:00 +0000

(1) His shirt says "I want a pony!"... and believe me, we're trying! Not for the pony, mind you, but for the chance for our boys to grow up on a "farm"- a yard, country feel, chickens, fruit trees, vegetable garden, dog, cat- whatever we want :) We've hit a few bumps in our escrow with the 'home on the range' so we're not 100% sure we'll be getting it- stayed tuned for more updates.

(2) I've been letting Zeke pick out his own clothes in the mornings and so far he's always matched wonderfully. Until today. I think he got sidetracked with the softness of the pajama bottoms & couldn't resist :)(3) My phone (on the left) just wouldn't cooperate for me anymore so it was time for an "upgrade" so last night I sorrowfully switched to the one on the right. Bye bye favorite phone, hello working phone (that's what's important, right?)
(4) This is the scene Zeke sees everytime he enters the bathroom- a jar full of m&m's just calling his name. And they'd be his if he'd just work up the nerve to sit on the potty. He did pretty good last Friday morning but then decided diapers were so much easier. And he's right. But my desire to add a little more drama to my life is so big! :)

runs in the family

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:34:00 +0000

Zeke loves to bake. One mention of it & he climbs up to the counter waiting for the instructions. We had ripe bananas so we tried a new recipe: banana cinnamon bundt cake :)

(quite the show of muscles, yes?)

And then every Saturday's supper I am relieved of cooking duty as Char fires up the grill & blesses us with his talent :) Tonight he bbq'd a wonderfully tasty melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder with North Carolina sauce. Mmmm.

I'd say the cooking talent runs in the family :)

december randomness

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Every once in a while something will take place & I'll fall behind on postings of our happenings- our internet was down last week and that's my excuse this time :)

I'm posting this picture not because it's the greatest, but because it symbolizes a phenomenal break-through: the boys are playing. together. with trucks. wow! Up until last week, the tupperware drawer & the food pantry & fighting was the favorite thing to do. And all of a sudden, this happened. This is a dream come true & you won't find me complaining one bit!

When it rained the first day, all day, I looked outside & considered how fun it would've been for the kids to have their 'weeee' (pool w/ slide) in the house to play on. Then it dried up outside for a few days & as the clouds rolled in for another pour, I ran out & rolled it in. I was right- all three guys loved it :) And for a crazy video of them jumping in, click here.
Jeremiah= king of the cheesy grins :)

Every Christmas we look forward to bell ringing for the Salvation Army. Isn't he just the cutest little candy cane giver-outer ever??

It was raining & slightly chilly but we had a fun time.

This week Zeke spent some one-on-one time with Grandma while I had some 1-on-1 with Jeremiah. We enjoyed shopping for his stocking & he was so excited to find this black puppy, he held it tight all through the store :)

I'm having issues with Zeke & marking things... the wall, his bed, his body... any ideas how to fix this problem?

And finally, there's not much funner than walking the turtle (with Zeke) and the frog (with Jeremiah)

Love ya guys!

cooking with Zeke

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:15:00 +0000

How to make Christmas Cookies

Step 1: cookie dough cutouts

(he used tupperware since they were easier to push down on)

Step 2: frost first layer

3rd step: add second color4th step: lick spoon

of us =]

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:42:00 +0000

A friend of mine is a photographer here in Santa Maria & we had the priviledge of getting our first ever professional pictures taken =] Here are just a few... my favorite isn't among them because I've chosen it for this year's Christmas cards &

so you'll just have to wait =]

Thanks, Amber!

we decided it was time for the third

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:09:00 +0000

We went back and forth. Should we or shouldn't we? Now or later? Hemming and hawing until last night we said Enough Already! Let's just do it and get it done! So this morning we opened our garage and pulled out all of our non-keepers and held our third yard sale of 2009 =] I was really apprehensive considering we're in the time of year of chaos & christmas presents- would anyone even come? Turns out our neighbors decided to have one, too & both of us did very well- sold probably 90% of what we put out =] In fact, a few hours into it we were starting to look bare already so we ran around looking for more possible subjects... and those sold, too!

towards the end of our sale...

an amazing God!

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:22:00 +0000

It's the little things, ya know? Like my boys always having clothes to wear. Char n I have only bought the boys' pajamas- friends have taken care of the rest. Here's Bubba in his 'new' vest, super cute!

And, of course, Zeke had to wear it the next day =]
And then the fact that I was just telling God how much I missed my turtle Thomas. I'd had him since I was 20 & he ran away 6 months ago & I was having issues moving away without him & seriously. I was just telling God this last weekend. And then the same friend that blessed us with the vest stops by with a turtle in a box. A friend that lives 1 mile away. On the other side of a very busy road. She had found him walking along the sidewalk & decided she wasn't set up for a turtle.

Can you believe this is Thomas??? This turtle has his markings. He has his personality. He knew exactly where to escape (went straight to the weak spot & climbed out in no more than 5 minutes after arriving) & from the get-go responded to my voice. So we have officially renamed 'Cracker' (sorry Caleb!) to Thomas. Welcome back, Thomas! And thank you, Amber!

Not to mention we've opened escrow on an incredible property- it's all the things we had not dared to dream of =]

And the week isn't even done!

I am just in awe of my amazing God =]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkw3a4raWfg&feature=player_embedded

the keepers

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:53:00 +0000

After over 3 years of renting our current home, I'm faced with what lovely flowers to dig up & take with us and what ones probably won't transfer so well since they've been here so long. Not an easy task considering I have a thought or memory connected to each of my plants. So far, these ones have made the cut =]

I can get it, Mom!

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:19:00 +0000

Zeke is determined to figure out the screen door from outside. And he was sure if he stood on the ledge he could get it. And he almost did =]

"the loot"

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:10:00 +0000

It was such a beautiful warm sunny day we just had to go for a walk... which for Zeke & Jeremiah that means getting loot... the sort-of pinecone thingys that are on parts of our sidewalks. Here's a pic of the boys checking out the loot before throwing them back into the street. And, yes, the turtle enjoyed the walk, too =]

1, 2, 3's

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

one... newly washed car

two... toilets waiting to be cleaned

three... loads of laundry yet to be washed

four... people crammed into a 4Runner

five... days until my brother's wedding!

ready or not, we leave tomorrow!

gone!

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:34:00 +0000

we finally agreed it was time for Jeremiah's 1st haircut...

lost

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:04:00 +0000

remote control: found in clothes washer

Zeke's 'baby': found in garbage

Zeke's other 'baby': found in toilet

toilet paper holder: found en route

lid to pot: found in crock pot

flip flop: found in garbage

other flip flop: found with teeth punctures, opposite end of house

sippy cups & plasticware: still being found

various tupperware: found in garden filled with dirt

toilet paper: found unrolled in living room

remote control again: we would love to know!

(obviously, Jeremiah's on the move!)

to my dad

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:44:00 +0000

Happy Birthday to our fun, crazy, & lovable Dad/Grandpa! Zeke enjoyed your card while signing it & sends a kiss your way too :)

We love you!

day 2: Bob

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:23:00 +0000

A friend of mine added a comment to the last post that I think is a super-good thought:

"Someone once told me that in kids' time, only a few minutes makes a big difference. I have also been known to pray for Jehovah Shalom to overflow our house with His peace. Just remember, when the occasional "off" day comes, it can be just that--the "off" day instead of the norm." (Thanks, Tonya!)

In our case, all of the above seems true =].

When Zeke was getting exceptionally overbearing on Jeremiah yesterday, that is when I sat him up at the table & we made Bob the tomato. Even though it only took a few minutes, that individual time made all the difference to Zeke, Jeremiah, & our overall household =]

And as always, God was faithful to remind me throughout the day to pray for His peace & He answered that prayer, blessing us with a good day at last =].

Larry to the rescue!

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Hitting. Stealing of toys. Throwing. Pushing. Hiding of toys. Yelling. Bossiness. Jealousy... This has been the constant all day long happenings of our home the last two weeks. It has not been the peaceful place God desires for us to have. It's been a place of turmoil & anger & of Satan (if I can be so honest).

So from the depths of despair, as Anne of Green Gables would put it (2 weeks is a long time, after all!), a few things will be changing around here (and may God grant me the energy & perseverance to carry it through):

Prayer. My kiddos need constant prayer. As sons of servants of God, they'll be assaulted in every way. I have a renewed resolve to cover my kids with God's presence.

Sugar. I have been checking out labels (novel idea, I know) and am appalled at how much sugar is in everything... especially in so-called kids' food. We eliminated some of Zeke's intake on Wednesday & saw a drastic change. Poor kiddo couldn't handle the onslaught of fake energy.

And individual attention. Since Jeremiah kicked the bottle, he hasn't taken a morning nap- i.e.: he's up when Zeke's up & takes a nap when Zeke does & goes to bed about the same time, too. Which spelled trouble where Zeke was concerned. He no longer had the 2 hr "mom time" in the morning. So. This is where Larry comes into the picture. I found a fun preschool website with free printable sheets (thanks Melinda for the idea!) which included Zeke's favorite characters: Bob the Tomato & Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales. And while Jeremiah was contentedly enjoying books all by himself (cause he's cool like that), Zeke & I sat at the table & learnt how to use "cut" (as he calls scissors), glue Larry together (yes, his mouth is covering his eye but that's where Zeke put it =] ) & overall enjoyed our little stolen moment of 'Pettit Preschool' =]

And so this posting has been put forth in faith that with the little things of change, my God will be faithful to touch this home & bring peace to it once more... filling us with His Spirit & the gifts that come with it: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, & Self Control =]

Ezekiel- month 28 :)

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:59:00 +0000

Ezekiel is my silly one; he's always doing something to make me laugh (like putting on my shoes & socks =] ).

He received from his Auntie Tisha (& fam =] ) a neat little stamp/ink set on wheels which we've had a lot of fun with.
A little warning, though, if you ever plan on owning these: there's little chance of your little one not getting inked & I made the mistake of punishing Zeke for coloring on the counter, too, only to realize later that the ink went through the many layers of paper onto the counter... I still feel guilty over that one.

Zeke takes every opportunity he can get to help Papa fix the car (a.k.a change the oil)

has upgraded to 'big boy sunglasses'

adopted another baby (so now he has two which is his favorite number, so why not?)

absolutely loves parks which he calls "weee" because of the slides :)

but did not enjoy this horse ride in a toy store (maybe you could show him the real thing, Sarah?)

& is still not getting the potty concept even though he shows all the signs of being ready...

What a cute gardener!

Besides being a crazy 2 year old, he's also my talkative one... all. day. long. If he's telling me a story in his language, all I have to do is nod & smile & maybe ask a question but if it's in english, he fully expects me to repeat after him what he has said & then give him an answer. Something like this: "Mom, Papa truck?"..."Yes, Papa has the truck"... "Mom, mama car?"..."Yes, Mama has the car". It seems to be paying off as his speech is becoming alot clearer lately :)

Zeke weighed in today at 33 lbs & stands at 33". He loves Veggie Tales & begs each morning to watch one (which he knows how to put in the DVD player & turn on the TV... when did he get so grown up??), also enjoys playing chef with me in the kitchen, and governs his brother to no end :)

Jeremiah- month 13 :)

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:50:00 +0000

Jeremiah has a very sweet spirit. Even though he has started tantruming regularly, he still remains sweet through it all. He doesn't talk yet, but points & shakes his head to relay his wants. He has alot of energy, which he uses to keep up with his brother & to find his own mischief :) Here are some other points of update:

he went on his first camping trip! I think his favorite part was getting dirty...

he's very adventurous & daring
absolutely loves corn on the cob

& really enjoyed this bike even though it was pink

he loves to look at books
did I mention how much he really loves corn on the cob?

this month he started eating with plasticware & dishes- & doing very well, too :)

he loves slides! ...

okay, so pretty much loves anything outdoors :)

All in all, our Jeremiah has 5 teeth but currently working on 4 more (& is very clingy because of it!), has great ambitions to conquer our few stairs (see results in below picture), is 20 lbs, 27", & has kicked the bottle successfully :)

New England Blueberry Coffee Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:06:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of hosting a ladies & kiddos brunch this week & I made a family favorite:

New England Blueberry Coffeecake

3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
2 T. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. blueberries

Put all ingredients together except blueberries.... mix... then add blueberries :) Spread into a GREASED cake pan.

TOPPING:
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 T. flour

Combine all topping ingredients & sprinkle over batter. Bake at 425* for 20-25 min (until top is light brown).

Serve warm or at room temperature.

It's definitely not a good-for-the-hips food but it has blueberries in it, so that counts for something, doesn't it?

for my growing boys

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:57:00 +0000

1) screw 2 x 4 to wall

2) screw tape measure to board

3) put up names to not confuse who's markings on which side

4) stand growing boy up to board, mark, and watch him grow :)

{Ezekiel marked 33" & Jeremiah marked 27"}

busted!

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:34:00 +0000

Yes, I realize it's not good to play in bbq debris- it has since been cleaned- but I couldn't resist taking a few pics...

hehe

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:01:00 +0000

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?"

Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?" The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg , Germany ..

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer, turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's right.. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"

"You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government", says Bud.

"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter. This is a herd of sheep.Now give me back my dog.

we broke it in

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:38:00 +0000

Today started out really good. It was a beautiful day & the boys were more than willing to spend time outside playing. Jeremiah received a Tonka truck for his birthday (thanks Auntie Amber & Uncle Eddie!) & was excited to take it for a spin in the great outdoors :)

and then, of course, the dirt beckons
and the need to break in this nice, shiny, clean Tonka is brought forth

never to be in the house again :)

(and then the fighting & non-sharing broke forth for the rest of the day... but it started out good =])

Jeremiah's 1!

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:09:00 +0000

He's also walking!

Charles filled us up with his wonderfully tender & tasty baby back ribs

which Bubba really enjoyedthen we took family portraitseverybody nowfor a video of the start of cake eating, click here

we are blessed!

glimpses of our monday

noreply@blogger.com (Mandi!) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:30:00 +0000

I accidently bleached Bubba's blue shirt... it's now California-style pink & purple...