Oatmeal cookie fail, Mustaches, Laura Ingalls, and Playing Outside

It feels so great to be back in the blogging business again.  I think the time is also coming for me to hop on Facebook again too.  I have so many messages in my inbox that I am feeling it would be good to check them, and respond to friend requests.  We also have an adoption ministry event coming up that I am excited to promote, contact people about, and request help in some areas from the people in my groups.  

Our new computer is working well and we slowing figured out how to find all the photos on blogger so now I am free to photo blog again.  I have 11 posts and 96 photos scheduled within the next two weeks so check back often.  Once I get back on FB I am going to try to figure out networked blogs again in hopes that it will automatically post on FB whenever I blog... we shall see.  

These photos are all random and pre-surgery photos... that means they all were taken in March!  Now that we have a working computer I am somewhat more hopeful about the possible potential of not being so behind on photos :)  Promises, Promises... We will see, right? 

Once I fell in love with Gluten Free Oatmeal, it took about 30 seconds for me to start searching for cookie recipes.  Finally I just got my mom's recipe from childhood.  They were so good and thick and moist and amazing growing up.  Well... once I subbed out almost every ingredient for something "Shelly Safe" things started to go down hill.  They tasted good, but had to be scraped off into a bowl and used as granola.  I am pretty sure that the coconut sugar sub is the reason for the cookie fail.  I tried to search for "coconut sugar" cookies and of course it just turns up with recipes for cookies with coconut in them... sigh.  Some day I will figure this out.  I tried a tweaked recipe of this again recently and the same thing happened.  I guess adding more egg and xanthin gum isn't the ticket.  I think if I added some smashed banana I could make it work, but it would really alter the taste.  

Nailed It!!!

Oh how I love the theme nights at iGnite!   Mustache night was a bit stressful as we first tried to buy fake mustaches with no success.  Brandon came up with the brilliant idea to use electrical tape!  They turned out great!  

M and T:  Cheese!  Can you see our mustaches? 

Late last fall M and I started our journey through the Little House books.  We finished in early March and have since read Charlotte's Web, Caddy Woodlawn, and Addie Across the Prairie.  We always love book suggestions.  M loves being read to and I love reading chapter books!  Finally!  I must mention that the books are heavily censored to avoid violence and negative terms and ideas which would easily become part of M's vocabulary and thought life.

We Finished the WHOLE SERIES!!!!!!

M decided on his own to draw a picture of his special dog friend Maggie and cat friend Spot and send it to Grandpa Tom and Grandma Judy in the mail.  We were so proud of him and this healthy display of grief (after Maggie's death).  He drew Maggie at school and finished the rest at home.

M and the neighbor boys love playing together.  They all have balance bikes and they love racing!

M: I am going to get you L!

We have a raised landscaping bed in our back yard.  It was built around a tree.  The pavers provide a great little hideout for a curious and brave little girl.  It is actually much deeper than the picture shows.

T: You can't see me in this hideout!