Labor Day

It is always a treat to get to spend an extra day with Marc. :) We decided to make the most of the holiday and take the kids out for a picnic and explore some more of the many hiking trails we have within a few minutes of our house. Peoria really is quite beautiful. We were yearning so much for green landscape when we left Africa and Peoria has not disappointed us. I think there are around eight nature preserves just in the Peoria area.

We decided to try a new area out today called Robinson Park Nature Preserve. We really didn't even make a dent in the hiking trail, but Eli and Hailey had so much fun. They love seeing all the different plants, picking up sticks, and listening to the birds. They seem to be nature lovers as much as we are. Today, I had Eli searching the path for a snake skin. We talked all about snakes and how they shed their skin every few months. We didn't find one but he sure had fun looking!

Hailey was convinced before we left the house she was ready to wear her big girl undies for a full morning out. I kept trying to put her pull-up on her and she would shake her head at me and say, "No pull-wup mommy. Panties!" She did great and was even willing to take a potty break in the great outdoors. :)

We took a picnic lunch (that Marc volunteered to pack all by himself) and enjoyed some PB&J (except I am the only one who likes the "J" part), chips, apples, and grapes after our little hike. I could tell Marc packed the lunch when he threw a bag of Dora fruit snacks at me and said, "I packed us some, too." Ha!

We headed for home after lunch to put the kids down for their nap. I started working on some dinner while Marc went and visited with some family for a little bit. I made Swiss steak and mashed potatoes tonight. Not really a Labor Day meal, but it still tasted good. This was one of my favorite meals growing up. I never actually watched my mom make it, but I have followed the recipe she gave me fairly closely and I think it tastes similar. I started doubling the recipe in the past year because, well, our family just keeps growing in size and appetite. :) This makes enough for us to eat for two nights. I am a big fan of meals that make enough for leftovers the next night or that make enough for me to cook for our family and another family at the same time.

Swiss Steak
Serves 8
2 1/2 lbs. eye of round steaks (1/2" thick cut), trimmed and cut into small pieces
2 green peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cans of tomatoes
1 small can of tomato sauce
pepper, salt, and garlic powder
flour
oil

Sprinkle the meat pieces with seasonings and coat with flour. Cook meat in large skillet in hot oil until brown on both sides. Remove meat and drain on paper towels. Return meat to skillet. Add in green pepper, onion, tomatoes, and sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 3 hrs. or until meat falls apart with fork (can also be cooked in the crock pot all day on low). We like this with mashed potatoes but you could also serve it over rice.

Happy Labor Day!

Some Fun Visitors!

My mom and dad came into town last weekend. This was their very first trip to Peoria and I think we all had a great time! Eli and Hailey were very excited to have company coming to our house. They helped me make the bed downstairs the day before they came and went with me to the airport to pick them up. :)

We ate lots of good food, enjoyed quality time outside, and shopped for some cute Fall clothes for the kids. Marc and I even managed to get away to the movie theater one night which is always a treat. I think my favorite part of the weekend was the picnic we took to Peoria Heights on Grandview Drive overlooking the Illinois river. The weather was perfect for most of the weekend.

Thanks mom and dad for making the trip! We look forward to having you back.

Updates

Ok, so I haven't quite figured out how to work blogging into the new schedule, hence the slower pace these days on the blog. In Africa, I really made a point to update regularly because I knew our family really needed to see what we were up to. Before Africa, it was really easy for me to blog over my lunch break at work or when I was pumping when I was still nursing Hailey. I haven't quite figured out how to make it happen as smoothly these days. I haven't abandoned it... just slowing down a bit. I think part of the problem is I feel way less inspired to write now that our life has become very "normal" again. It is still wonderful, but seems much less interesting without the camel rides, dust storms, and weevils. :) The other part of the problem is that I am so much busier than I thought I would be trying to keep up with the house work and watch two kids! I remember joking with Marc in Africa that I wasn't going to know what to do with myself when I didn't have to bake my own bread, clean our produce in bleach water, and trim and grind our own meat. I thought I would have just TONS of time every day but somehow I don't. Maybe I will just blame it on the pregnancy fatigue. :)

A few updates:
Marc has been going strong at work for over a month now. He really loves teaching the residents and I am sure he is doing a great job. He is doing OB this week and really loves that part of the job. He is on weekend call 1:5 and on weekday call every Tuesday. He has really enjoyed cutting back the call some from what it was in Africa. Yet, he really misses working at the hospital in Galmi. There is such need. It is a hard place to forget and we have enjoyed looking through our pictures over the past few weeks and remembering the stories.... There have been very heavy rains recently in Niger and many parts of the capital city are flooded. Please pray for the many who have lost their homes and for the missionary school as they figure out what to do about their classes until things improve.

I have spent the past few months learning more about this stay-at-home mom job. I have always functioned really well with a schedule so it has been different trying to adapt to a pace that is less structured. I have also learned whole new lessons in the area of patience. Eli is certainly a "spirited" child and I am trying to learn more each day about ways to effectively parent him without being too hard on him. One thing I have learned is that he needs time every day outside to burn off some of his energy! We have ventured out most days of the week trying out all of the playgrounds nearby and learning our way around town. Target is very close to our house and we have probably visited it a little too much. :)... I have been working on a Kelly Minter bible study this summer on the book of Nehemiah. It was the perfect book of the bible to study after coming back from Africa. I never want to forget what it means to have a heart that is broken for those around me in need. I want compassion and mercy to run through my veins but I am learning more and more that they are qualities that I have to nurture.... I think I am 17 weeks along at this point but beginning to lose track of the weeks. The baby has been kicking for a few weeks now which has been fun. Eli is so eager to feel a kick but will have to keep waiting for a few more weeks. We should find out the middle of September what we are having.

Eli is really beginning to fill his big brother shoes. While he fights with his sister daily over toys, he is also very protective of her and looks out for her often which is so sweet to see.... We decided to enroll him in preschool this year. After looking at several programs, we found what we hope to be a great school for Eli. He will attend two full days a week and is VERY excited about starting school the beginning of September.... Eli's latest accomplishment is that he has let go of his favorite comfort, his beloved thumb! I am still amazed that he is done with it. Marc told me he sucked his thumb well into grade school so I just knew we were done for when Eli became a thumb sucker at 4 months of age. But alas, he hasn't put that little friend in his mouth in nearly a week. We took the kids to McDonald's last weekend for breakfast to celebrate Eli's big accomplishment. We are super proud of him and I think he knows it. :)

Hailey has become even more independent. I hear at least a hundred times a day, "I do it! I do it!" whenever I try to help her with something. First, she wanted to put her seat belt on by herself, but now she has decided that she needs to crawl into the car and into her car seat all by herself as well. Everything takes so much longer this way, but I really don't mind encouraging this little independent streak she has going on. :).... She still loves to sleep like no kid I have ever met. Marc's parents kept her for us when we went to Chicago and Marc's mom commented how funny it was to hear a toddler ask to go down for a nap or to go night-night! She knows the routine and loves it.... Potty-training has been so easy with Hailey. Eli was pretty easy to train once we got him interested (with lots of bribing), but Hailey was interested way before we even left Africa. I just didn't have the right stuff to make it happen there. Maybe it is all part of that independent thing she has going on. It didn't quite seem fair to continually reward Hailey in front of Eli with a treat so he gets a M&M each time too as long as he tells her "Good job!" It has been a win-win for everyone.

A few more pics from life lately...

Celebration breakfast at McDonald's play-place

 Followed by a trip to the Peoria zoo

 Bidding Uncle Ryan farewell before he heads off to college

And here is a little clip of Hailey performing her favorite song, "The Bumblebee song"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBH0HRme4_A

Olympians in Training

Last week there was an open day for kids under five at one at the gymnastic centers in town (for a small fee at least). I have the kids each signed up for a class at this place this fall so I figured we would go and get familiar with our surroundings. I really thought that Eli and Hailey would love something as active as gymnastics but seeing them run around this place so happy and giddy just confirmed it. :)

Hailey's class requires an adult "buddy" so I will be joining her while Eli's class goes on at the same time in a different area of the gym. The Fall classes end just before Thanksgiving so I am hoping I won't be waddling too bad at that point! It should be fun and good activity for us out of the house each week. I really loved gymnastics as a kid so I am excited for our kids to get a chance to learn some of the basic skills. Eli nearly walked the length of low beam all by himself the other day so I think he is going to be really great at this (though I am his biased mama)!