Andrew's Visit

Here are a few pictures of when my brother Andrew came last month for a visit. It was really nice to spend some time with him and get to know him better. We had a great time!
One of the tings we did when he was here, was to take the kids and go play at Potowatami State Park near Sturgeon Bay. It was a pretty nice day for early spring here in Wisconsin. We climbed the 'look out' tower to get a nice view of the bay. There was still alot of ice on the water.
It's pretty pathetic to say, but after climbing all those stairs as fast as we did to keep up with all the young ones, Andrew and I both had sore quads the next day...argggh!

The little ones had fun playing on the park equipment. This was the first outing to a park after a long winter.

After, we headed over to our favorite place, Culver's Custard! I was so excited because they were running a special that day for a buy one Concrete and get another one for free. Love good deals!!

Dave took Andrew out on the Ahnapee River for a morning of canoeing. Andrew said he had never been out on a canoe before so I think he had a good time. They saw a lot of wildlife.

Dave, Andrew and I hanging out on the bay in Fish Creek.

On of the traditions we have when family comes to visit from Utah is to take them to my favorite restaurant in Fish Creek called The White Gull Inn. It's a darling little inn that had wonderful food. One of the traditional meals they serve that is customary for the peninsula is called a Fish Boil.

They put some fresh, local caught whitefish in a big pot along with some red potatoes (in separate baskets).


Then the Mater Boiler adds what he says is, "a pinch of salt"...

...then he trows some kerosene on the fire and the pot of boiling water heats up really fast and the oils from the fish boil over resulting in a much tastier, less fishy tasting fish. It's quite a show!!!

The meal is served in the restaurant along with some wonderful breads, coleslaw and delicious cherry pie a'la mode! It's a great meal! If you're ever in the area, call and we'll have to take you there. You won't be disappointed!

This is a long one! But at least it's getting me writing on my blog.

1. How old will you be in five years?
41

2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
Chloe and Makaela

3. How tall are you?
5'6

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
Having Dave home for the summer

5. What's the last movie you saw?
Bedtime Stories

6. Who was the last person you called?
My mom

7. Who was the last person to call you?
Connor's teacher (the last person I wanted to talk to!)

8. What was the last text message you received?
I can't remember. Don't text.

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
Connor's teacher...just great... :/

10. Do you prefer to call or text?
Calls

11. What were you doing at 12 am last night?
Sleeping!!

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?

Married

13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
A couple months ago.

14. What color are your eyes?
Hazel

15. What time did you wake up today?
5:30a.m

16. What are you wearing right now?
Blue athletic wear bottoms, red t-shirt and red hoodie.

17. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Oh Holy Night or What Child is This?

18. Where is your favorite place to be?
Anywhere with my family (mostly home though)

19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
Chucky Cheese

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
England, Portugal and Tahiti.

21. Where do you think you'll be in 10 years?
Same place doing the same thing, probably

22. Do you tan or burn?
Mostly tan with an occasional burn

23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
The Boogie Man in the basement

24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
Watching failblog.org videos on youtube with the family

25. How many TVs do you have in your house?
2, but only watch 1 of them

26. How big is your bed?
queen

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
desktop

28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
I guess with...

29. What color are your sheets?
red paisley

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
1

31. What is your favorite season?
late spring and early fall

32. What do you like about fall?
The colors, the crunch of leaves, the crisp air

33. What do you like about winter?
being warm by the fire with my family close by in our home

34. What do you like about the summer?
family camp trips and vacation time, flip flops, water, capri's, the beach, ice cream, loud music/windows rolled down, boating, suntanning and relaxing, reading, running, biking --I could go on but I won't.........

35. What do you like about spring?
Buds, flowers, getting back outside after a long winter, starting up on BBQ, mowing the lawn, fixing up the yard, the freshness in the air

36. How many states/provinces have you lived in?
3...Utah, Portugal and Wiconsin

37. What cities/towns have you lived in?
Salt Lake City, UT., Heber, UT., Orem, UT., Provo, UT., Lisbon, Portugal, Gresham, WI., Sturgeon Bay, WI., Algoma, WI.

38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
bare feet...I really shouldn't because I suffer from plantar fasciitis right now...should have more support on my arches.

39. Are you a social person?
sometimes

40. What was the last thing you ate?
Shredded Pork taco salad

41. What is your favorite restaurant?
Victoria's

42. What is your favourite ice cream?
Anything with chocolate and peanut butter

43. What is your favourite dessert?
anything really

44. What is your favourite kind of soup?
Enchilada Soup

45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & jelly sandwich?
It's a tie b/w raspberry and strawberry

46. Do you like Chinese food?
Yes, as well as Korean, Thai, Japanese, Mongolian, Mong, and Indian.

47. Do you like coffee?
No. I think it's sick and makes people have stinky breath.

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?
Maybe 4 but I need to drink way more. I get busy and forget.

49. What do you drink in the morning?
Cold Milk or Water

51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
Yes, the right side.

52. Do you know how to play poker?
No and honestly I don't care to know

53. Do you like to cuddle?
Sometimes...(Stuart is saying over my shoulder, "Me...no"...hahaha!)

54. Have you ever been to Australia?
No

55. Do you have an addictive personality?
Yes

56. Do you eat out or at home more often?
Home

58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you?
Yes, I know lots of people with my birthday. My best friend growing up (that I've known since I was five) shares my birthday.

59. Do you want kids?
I have already been blessed with the little darlings.

60. Do you speak any other languages?
Portuguese and took three years of French and a year of Russian in high school.

61. Have you ever gotten stitches?
Just after child birth and after surgeries.

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Nope--hope I never have to

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
Either one would be nice

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seats?
Window Seat

65. Do you know how to drive stick?
Yes. Had to take over driving my sister's husbands car for her when she couldn't get it in gear going up a hill. Very embarrassing!

66. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
Pandora beads.

67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7?
Of course!

68. What is your favorite TV show?
24 and American Idol

69. Can you roll your tongue?
yup

70. Who is the funniest person you know?
Connor

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
Just my husband, if he classifies

72. What is the main ring tone on your phone?
Just whatever is on my cell phone. Nothing fancy.

73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little?
I don't think so.

74. What red object is closest to you right now?
My sweatshirt and a tea towel.

75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth?
Yes...I'm a wanderer while I'm brushing.

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Most of the time it's closed

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
How about neither!

78. Do you flirt a lot?
Pretty sure I don't with others but I do with my husband

79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
BBQ sauce or sweet n sour

80. What is your favourite food?
Any Oriental

81. Can you change the oil on a car?
No, I leave those duties to the husband

82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Yes...slightly speeding though a school zone when there were no kids around...very expensive.

83. Have you ever run out of gas?
Nope

84. What is your usual bedtime?
B/W 10 and 11 PM

85. What was the last book you read?
Deception Point by Dan Brown

86. Do you read the newspaper?
I read the news online

87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
Church magazines and Cookie (which was a gift...don't really like it.)

89. Do you watch soap operas?
no

90. Do you dance in the car?
Just bop the head up and down

91. What radio station did you last listen to?
Whatever plays good music.

92. Who is in the picture frame closest to you?
My kids

93. What was the last note you scribbled on a piece of paper?
Ebay purchases between me and my mom for Pandora beads

94. What is your favorite candle scent?
Cranberry Mango- Scentsy

95. What is your favorite board game?
Settlers of Catan, all the way!!!

97. When was the last time you attended church?
Sunday

98. Who was your favourite teacher in high school?
A teacher that I had in Portugal...Mr Duckett

99. What is the longest you have ever camped out in a tent?
Three days (one day too long)

100. Who was the last person to do something extra special for you?
My kids made me some cards and gave me plants for Mother's Day and my brother-in-law made me breakfast in bed for Mother's Day while we stayed at their house.

I know I've been the biggest looser on my blog lately. We got the part for the computer but I haven't figured out how to get all my info off it yet. Dave is going to help me figure it out this weekend and then I'll be able to get some pictures on here. This was kind of a funny tag I saw on my friend D.J. blog. Thanks for the good idea!

1.YOUR REAL NAME:
Sara Robertson

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(sisters and brothers middle names)
Dawn Ann Perry Joseph

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Ellis Newton

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Robsa

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Red Dog

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Gayle Salt Lake (???...doesn't sound so good)

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Green Dr. Pepper (sounds pretty intense--I know)

8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Saon

9.STREET NAME:(fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Moose Track Macaroon

10.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of last name plus izzle)
Robizzle

11.YOUR IRAQI NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name, last two letters of your first name then last three letters of your last name):
Abgarason

12.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Poppy

13. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, favorite candy)
Ralph Hot Snickers (sounds sexy!)

Connor's blog

Here's a little shout-out for Connor's blog. He was a little jealous that Oliver was getting comments on his blog and so he asked me , "Can't you advertise for me too?" So here's his link :)
planetconman.blogspot.com You guys are the best! Thanks for making my little boys happy!

Oliver's blog

Oliver has recently made a blog and checks daily to see if any one has looked at it or made a comment. So here's your invitation...oliverspurdyblog.blogspot.com. Connor has one too. Pretty entertaining for his mom...I don't have his address right now, but I'll link it on my side bar later.

Waiting, Waiting....

We recently had to buy a new computer, which is very exciting, indeed! Dave wants to put our previous hard drive (which was only a couple of months old) onto our new computer as extra storage and back-up. The old hard drive has my photo program on it as well as my picture files. So hang on while I patiently wait for this thing we had to order to get the old hard drive to go on our new one. I have lots of pictures I want to put on of Easter and of the visit of my brother, Andrew.

Mama and Papa, my birthday and other happenings.

Mama and Papa Have Come for a Visit!!!

It's been a while since I've posted anything. You might be wondering where I've been? Well, my parents came for a visit from Utah and we've been so busy playing, cooking and going out on the town that I haven't had the time to sit down and load pictures and write anything. We've had a great couple of weeks and have made a lot of memories. I've posted some of the pictures we took, but I wish I would've taken more. Umph!
Here's a few of the highlights...

The first Saturday my parents were here, Stuart and Connor had a three on three tournament here in town. I really think they liked having Mama and Papa here to cheer them on. Papa said they were good players, calling them "little scrappers". Stuart had some great games, scoring half of the teams total points. He also did a great job playing defense.
This was Connor's first experience playing basketball in a competitive way and we were all really impressed. Papa said he set a pick like nothing else!

I like these pictures of the kids with Mama and Papa. They all have a great relationship with their Mama and Papa. Oliver and Papa are two peas in a pod; teasing each other all day long!

That night we took my parents to a nice restaurant in Sturgeon Bay for my birthday called Inn at Cedar Crossing. We all enjoyed our meals, as everything is always so delicious! After dinner for dessert we went to Culver's and had some custard, Mama's favorite! We actually made several trips there during the visit!
Mama didn't want her picture taken this night at the Inn because she had some kind of allergic reaction earlier that day, and her eye and surrounding area all swelled up. I promise she was there!

On Sunday the 22nd, it was my birthday. We went to church and then enjoyed a great meal made by Mama. She made pot roast, mashed potatoes, bread and salad with homemade Thousand Island dressing. Yum!!

Then they sang me Happy Birthday and we had cake and Culver's custard, of course!

One of the great traditions my dad does with the kids is to "Call the Magic" into the treasure box. (I've posted an essay my nephew wrote a couple of months ago about this tradition.)
The kids LOVE it and beg him to do it every day!!

Poppy even got in the action and took a sucker from the treasure box! She thought if she hid on the other side of the couch we night not notice! No, NO, NO, POPPY!!

Mama in all her glory...in the kitchen. My kids have told me that I'm a good cook, but only second best! They all think Mama is the best cook ever! I'm OK with this because really, she is the best!

This is poor Mama after spending the whole day in the kitchen last Sunday, making a delicious meal of Feijoada, molho, Mama bread, and Danish Dessert. She was pooped!
(all that I can add is this picture was taken right before "Poo-lates" #2...that's all I'll give away, Mom! :)


Us girls, getting ready to hit the town. It was so fun to take off for the day and go shopping! We went to a garage sell, a jewelery store to get Pandora bracelets and then to TJ Maxx. Fun times!

For my birthday, Dave got me (but I went to pick it out with my mom) a Pandora bracelet. They are like a charm bracelet but instead of jangly, loud charms, they are silver (or gold) beads. My mom and I both fell in love with these! She got one too and bought her a couple of charms for her birthday coming up and for Mothers Day (I guess I won't have to worry about shipping anything out to her, as I stink at this and she always gets her presents too late!) We spent many an hour drooling over the catalog deciding what charms we wanted next. It was funny because one morning I woke up and told her that I had dreamed about Pandora. She started laughing and said she did the same thing!

Another funny thing that happened were these shoes that my mom bought for Chloe at the Garage sell. As many of you know, Chloe has had a fixation of the wizard of Oz and has taken on the identity of Dorthy. My mom saw these shoes and knew that Chloe had to have them. Even though they are 10 sizes too big, it hasn't deterred her from wearing them all over town. She clomped all over Green Bay wearing these things. It brought many a smile to other shoppers faces! Chloe even sleeps in these things. Oliver told her the other day..."Chloe, I have news for you. Those shoes are too big for you!". "NO THEY'RE NOT!!!", she replied!

Going to church wearing the ruby slippers, of course!

On Friday, Dave took the boys to La Crosse so that Stuart could play in another tournament. That left me and Chloe home with my parents. We decided to go out for a bite to eat since we didn't need to cook for the whole gang. I took them to one of my favorite places to eat, Victoria's in Green Bay. It is an Italian Restaurant that puts Olive Garden to shame! I always get the same meal every time I go there, Fucilli Milli Gusti, but my parents order Chicken Parmigiana over a bed of fettuccine. One thing Victoria's is famous for are their portions! When my dad first saw his plate, he said loudly for every one around to hear, "GOOD GOLLY!!" He told the waitress that he'd eaten in restaurants all over the world and he'd never seen portions of that size! They had a huge plate of pasta covered with two enormous breaded chicken breasts.
I've never gone to that restaurant without taking a box home. In fact we all took some home. We ate our dishes for dinner that night, lunch the next day and dinner as well! I'd say we got our money's worth!

We always love when Mama and Papa come! We get them all to ourselves to spoil and love! We are looking forward to the next time we see them this summer in Utah and are looking forward when they can come back to our house when Oliver's gets baptized in November. But until then we'll miss them lots!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

This morning for breakfast I made the kids some GREEN steel cut oats for breakfast. They seemed slightly concerned when they looked in their bowls!

Oliver asked this morning if I knew where an orange marker was. I asked him why he need one and he said so he could draw an orange beard on his face. I guess he wanted to be a leprechaun. I told him that I thought a green shirt would be fine to wear to school and maybe we'd have to look into making a beard with yarn after school.

Last night for dinner I made corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots, and Irish soda bread rolls for dinner. I made the Irish dinner last night instead of tonight because Dave and Stuart weren't going to home tonight. I thought it was so tasty! The kids liked it too, even the cabbage! They normally devour carrots but they all said they didn't like them too well. Maybe the carrots tasted funny to them because I cooked them in the crock pot with the meat and potatoes. Who knows!!
My sister, Emily, gave me the recipe for the Irish soda bread. It was the first time that I had ever tried making it and I thought it was pretty good. They are a heavy, quick bread with a crusty crust. They are quick and easy and that's what I liked about them! Here's the recipe if you want to try them out.

Irish Soda Bread Rolls

2 1/2 c. + flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose)
1 c. oats
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. currents or raisins (I used currents to add some sweetness)
1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Combine dry ingredients and add buttermilk to make a manageable dough. (You may have to add a little more flour so that the dough isn't too sticky.) Stir to just combine. Overmixing produces a tough dough. Form into rolls and roll in some flour. This recipe made 8 rolls for me. Place on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Cut crosses on the top of the roll and bake for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Best fresh out of the oven!

Oliver's Busy Week

DESTINATION IMAGINATION

Oliver had the opportunity to be involved with a program called Destination Imagination. I wasn't familiar with this before I moved to Wisconsin, but it is a neat thing for kids to get involved with after school. It's a world wide program that kids get to compete in, first on a regional level, then state, then nationals, then world. (In fact, the school the kids used to go to before we moved to our current city, took 1st in world level for several years.)
What the kids do is meet together for several months after school with a "coach". The kids are given a challenge that they have to overcome as shown in a play/skit. They have to come up with the idea and solution all on their own, create their set, write the play and come up with ideas for costumes. It's a great way for them to let their creative juices flow!
Oliver has had a couple of opportunities in the last few weeks to let his artistic side show through the stage. He told me a few days ago that he thought that maybe his "destiny" was to be an actor! We'll see!!

THE PINEWOOD DERBY

Another big thing on the list to do this week was to help Oliver build a Pinewood Derby Car. Can I just say, the more I do this event with my boys, the more I hate it!? To me, all it is is a place for the dad's who know what they're doing to make their kids car the best and the fastest thing to hit the track! It is so hard to compete at these races if you don't know what the heck you are doing! Let just say, based on Dave's look in the following picture, that he doesn't get into it too much. He wants our boys to make the car themselves as much as possible, which is the right thing to do. But on the other hand, I know they can't preform next to these "daddy pros" who build their boys car. What to do?? Well, Oliver's car didn't do that well...30th out of 31! I felt bad for him, looking at the disappointment on his face when his car lost every round. I heard several other boys who didn't preform very well go up to their dad's and say, "You stink at building cars!!!". Sad.
I do know that Oliver had fun making the car and he especially had fun after the race, zooming his car around the gym with his brothers and buddies.
I know there are other Pack's out there that have a "daddy race" for the dads to compete in. I wish ours would do that and leave the kids to do their own with just a little bit of help in the carving of the car. But until then, this mommy feels too much pressure!
(* Note: After re-reading this post on the derby with Dave, I realize that it sounds a little harsh and bitter. I'm not really that upset about it, but these are the things I feel about it.)