Amanda's Blog

Last year, we started what we hope will be a new tradition…going to see the eagles at Land Between The Lakes.  We had a wonderful time last year and had been looking forward to doing it again this year.  Well, a couple of Saturdays ago we sat out, all 6 of us + Stella (our Golden Retriever) in Josh’s truck for a fun afternoon.

We don’t take a paid tour…we just ask where the eagles are and then drive there ourselves (yes, we are cheap! But, with 4 kids and me staying home, I guess we will have to be:) We were a bit disappointed that we couldn’t get as close as last year.  Last year, we were able to drive close to the water and then walk even right up to the small pond.  We were able to watch them in their nests, dive to the water, and soar above our heads.  This year, however, there must be some high-strung eagles at LBL because we were not allowed very close at all…guess we stressed them out last year:)  The road was blocked off, so we had to go to a “viewing road” that was across a field and levee…  Needless to say, we were a bit disappointed, but still enjoyed watching the majesty of them soaring through the air.  At one point, I counted 11 soaring together and three white dots in the trees meaning their were three in their nests.

The kids LOVE getting out in nature, and they especially loved taking Stella with us!  Caleb even got out to watch the eagles for a brief moment, but he didn’t care too much for the wind taking his breath away!

While at LBL, we had to do the Elk and Bison Prairie.  For some reason, I have always loved to drive through and “hunt” for the elk and bison.  This trip was a little more interesting than others because we had Stella in the back of the truck!  And, what do you know, the elk and bison were both really close to the road!!!  When we came up on the elk, she started barking and all the elk turned and looked at us.  (Insert worried and crying children here…Brooke was worried about Stella getting hurt, but Landon assured us that he would run over the bison with the truck if they came after us:)  

Josh got out and told her to hush, and she listened better than the kids…we didn’t hear another peep from her.  As we approached the bison (that were walking in the road!) we were all a little okay, mostly a lot worried (except Josh, of course).  Thankfully, Stella was quiet and the bison took no notice of her.  Don’t really think I care to take a dog through a wild life trail again…it wasn’t near as relaxing, but it has been a great story for the kids to tell!

 And, for our family, a trip to LBL is not complete without standing on the rock at the Golden Pond Visitor’s Center or throwing rocks into the lake!

This is probably the kids favorite part of the trip!!

What a beautiful way to end a day enjoying God’s creation!!

For Christmas, Brooke got a real camera from Santa.  She was so excited on Christmas morning!!  She is still excited and LOVES to take pictures with it.  I am thankful for the camera, because, honestly, sometimes I am too lazy to get my camera, so it is nice to ask her to get up and get hers (just keeping it real!!).  

Such a beautiful girl!!

It has been pretty interesting to see life through her eyes, aka pictures.  I thought from time to time, I would share some of her pictures with you on this blog.  Some will be funny and some will be impressive!  She often captures parts of life that I missed as we go through the day, so it is nice to experience it through her lens…

Not sure what I was looking at…or what in the world I am thinking!!! But, I sure am rocking some family-matching, purple, fleece pjs…Ha!

She took individual pictures of everything they got for Christmas…even the socks:)

Her other gift (besides the camera) from Santa…

Matching pjs!! (I really don’t sit around in my cute pjs all the time even though this is the second picture I have posted of me doing just that! Ha!)

Daddy has to stand right by the tv so he can hear over all the noise:)…

“Going to the chapel and we’re gonna get married!” Oh, the important, camera worthy events of a five-year old girl!!

Our pretty snow! (This is one of the pictures I am glad she got because I was too lazy to get my camera out…)

Aunt Ashley – No words!!!

Crazy bed head…Brooke told him to stay in bed so she could get her camera and take a picture…he was happy to oblige:)

Sweet Boy!

Wish I knew what he was thinking…

Her trusty dog!!! Oh the things she take pictures of!!!

She LOVES to take pictures of Austin at Upward basketball!  She is convinced that she will get that awesome play (whatever that is in 1st – 2nd grade basketball:) captured in her picture…a true photographer!

This is how I usually look…doing 200 things at once…

Fell asleep in mommy’s chair…this NEVER happens, except that it did just this once:) So cute!!

Ready to be a teenager…she can already take funny pictures of herself to post to Facebook! Ha!!

Butterfly tattoo! Too pretty not to capture in a picture…

Hope you enjoyed her pictures, too!  Of course, this is the edited version…the picture of daddy with his shirt off just couldn’t make the blog:)

Once again, I have no idea why my pictures won’t center…I am dumb when it comes to all of this!!! Thankful for a husband who will lose sleep tonight trying to figure it out:)

This past Sunday, January 20th, my Grandma Green (my dad’s mom) turned 85 years old.  We had a come-and-go party in her honor.  The party was very nice.  Caleb and I only drove over for the afternoon instead of spending the weekend as we had planned. My mom had the FLU and my dad was still recovering from it.  We missed Nana being at the party and hated her being sick!  (FYI…I didn’t fear the flu as badly until mom and dad got it and have been sick for 2 weeks or more!  YUCK!!!)

Grandma has always been a very important part of my life as I grew up across the yard from her.  Here are some special things I remember about growing up beside my grandma…

• She always kept Little Debbie cakes in a specific tupperware bowl in a specific cabinet so we always knew where the stash was and could take as we pleased:)  She also had Schwan’s ice cream sandwiches, which was a real treat for us!
• She had an intercom that ran underground from our house to hers.  The reason for this was that we had to majorly cut expenses when my dad went back to school when I was 5.  One of those expenses to be cut was the home phone, so we would give Grandma’s number to anyone who needed our home phone number, and she would intercom us when we got a phone call! Pretty funny to think about now with all the phone technology that we have:)
• She ran “Grandma’s taxi service” for a little while after her retirement and before I got my license.  I can remember her taking me to cheerleading practice very early on summer mornings and picking me up from practices after school.
• She usually fixed lunch on summer days for the farm boys and Ashley and me.  I would often go over around 11:30 so I could help set the table and finish up lunch with her.  She had a TV in her kitchen, so we would watch the weather and grain prices on the news (important info for a farmer…), and then she loved to watch “The Bold and the Beautiful” after lunch.
• She was always very active (and still is for her age!) and enjoyed going on trips to Batesville, AR with Ashley and me to visit our Aunt Linda.  She was especially happy when we got our license so we could do the driving!!
• She enjoyed working in her flowers and would always push mow her yard!  My dad would always fuss at her for choosing the hottest part of the summer days, but she did it anyhow:)
• She and I took many walks together down the field rows behind our house.  We would stop and eat the honeysuckle, and of course, Grandma had to pick up any trash along the way!!
• She lost the love of her life, Grandpa Green, many years ago…22 to be exact.  It was a hard transition, but she did very well!
• She went on a trip to Orlando, FL in 1998 with Mom, Ashley, Aunt Linda, Dean, Jacob, and me.  We had a great time…it was my first time to Disney World, and my first time to see the ocean.
• She worked many years (too many for me to know, but she could tell you) at the bank in Malden, MO as the secretary for the president.  She knew everyone because of this, so if you ever went anywhere in Malden, plan to take a while why she talked to everyone she saw (and she likes to talk…Ha!).

There are many more memories that I have in my mind, these are just a few that came as I was writing.  I was very blessed to grow up next door to my wonderful Grandma!!  I am thankful that she played such an important role in my life growing up and continues an important role even today!  I am thankful that my children know her and love her.  They always plan to see Grandma when they go to Papa and Nana’s house.  She is the only great-grandparent that they know and remember.  She raised a wonderful man whose is my father and has loved my mom as her own.

We love you, Grandma!!!

Wow, Caleb is 4 months old already.  He was 4 months on Sunday, January 20th, which was also my Grandma Green’s 85th birthday!

Caleb and Grandma at her party on Sunday

(Don’t know why this picture is not in the center, but I give up!!!)

Caleb being 4 months means I am 1/3 of the way done with breastfeeding him (funny way to think, but it is what I do every three hours and once in the middle of the night…).  I am both happy and sad about this….I am happy because I am on a special diet and have to think about everything that goes into my mouth and I am constantly on the clock, but I am sad because he is my last, and I have truly enjoyed being able to breastfeed and “bond” with my children.  Ok, enough of THAT discussion…on to what he is doing now:)

•  You are 15.6 pounds (50 to 75 percentile).
• You are 26 1/2 inches (75 to 90 percentile)…obviously a Ketchum!
• You can hold your head well now and like to sit in your Bumbo seat.  You still like your swing and bouncy seat, too!
• You finally enjoy tummy time a LITTLE more.  You are actually going on record time (like 7 minutes:) right now as I post this blog!!
• You rolled over from your tummy to your back…only once, but we are counting it:)  We know you are advanced!! (What do you know, you rolled over again while I was typing!! Of course, I haven’t actually seen you roll over yet because usually I have to rush to get something done while you are lying on your mat.  If you were the first child, I would be a little upset about missing a milestone, but since you are the fourth, I am just glad you are happy and need no other proof beyond you ending on your back to know that you rolled over:)
• You like to blow raspberries and slobber all the time.  It is so cute. (Well, the raspberries that is, not the slobber. Ha!)
• You get scared around new people and don’t like daddy’s silly/scary faces and noises.  Daddy called you his “tender foot” last night, and I think that nickname may just stick!
• You only drink breast milk right now (every 3 hours and once at night), no solid foods yet.
• You sleep pretty good.  You only get up once in the night to eat and take decent naps.  You especially like to nap in your carseat in the middle of the living room where all the noise is.  I guess that quiet just isn’t like home.  Ha!
• You laugh out loud and especially like to laugh at your brothers and sister!
• You still love your bath! Daddy gives you a bath every night.
• You can hold things in your hand and get it to your mouth.
• You like to suck your thumb/fingers, but we are fighting you and sticking a paci in whenever we see you!!
• You are still a great baby and are very happy if we keep you fed:)
• You enjoy Baby Einstein and Praise Baby.  We are thankful, because they buy us time when we need to get something done!

One of my favorite times of the day is when the big kids go to bed, and Josh and I have about an hour with Caleb before he goes to bed.  (Do you do a bedtime dance when you finally shut the kids’ doors at the end of the day with them in bed?  Yeah, me neither:)  It is at this time of night that we get to soak up Caleb like we did Austin when he was the only one.  Last night, we had fun trying to teach him to blow raspberries.  It was so funny, that we got out the camera (iPhone camera that is, not the real camcorder camera…Poor fourth child – his life will be chronicled on the iPhone and iPad instead of a camera or camcorder. Ha!).  It was soooo cute to see him try so hard to blow raspberries that I wanted to share the video on my blog.  I know the grandparents will enjoy it!  (Ignore the crazy parents’ voices in the background…)

If this embedded link does now work click here.  youtube

Today, as I was cleaning the bathroom, I started thinking about my brother, Brad and how today is his birthday.  He is 35 years old today!!

(On a side note, as I was cleaning the bathroom, Brooke came in and asked what I was doing.  I replied, “Cleaning the bathroom.” To this, she said, “For Daddy?”  Ha!  She knows just as well as I do that Daddy cleans the bathroom more than mommy, and for that I am soooo very thankful!!)

Anyhow, back to Brad.  I started thinking about all the good memories that we have from growing up.  We were very blessed with great parents and grandparents; our childhood was easy, secure, and happy…I wish all kids could have the home we grew up in!  So, I thought I would share some of my memories on my blog to reminisce the “good ole days:)”

I remember…

I remember crying for Brad when I was just a baby at the daycare where mom took us.  I was little bitty, but I can still see it in my head.  I was in a crib and crying hard for Brad, but no one would take me to him:(  Mom only sent us to this daycare for two days because the second day, Brad beat her back to the car when she dropped us off!  He didn’t like it either!

I remember (mostly because I have heard the story over and over again:) how I was jumping over Brad when he was laying in the floor watching cartoons and landed on and BROKE his collarbone.  Ashley was brand new and just home from the hospital…guess I was a little too excited!

 (Brad sporting the sling for the broken collar bone and for some reason, that’s about all we have on:)

I remember bargaining to get what we wanted from each other and ganging up on Ashley to get her to do things for us.  We would tell her, “If you don’t change the channel, we won’t play a game with you…”  (Those were the days before everyone had 10 remote controls, and we only had 5 channels…) We were typical siblings!

I remember Brad getting stuck in a tree he was climbing, and Grandpa Green having to cut him out with a chainsaw.  Grandpa told us not to call mom at work, but Ashley and I ran home (bawling) and called her anyhow.  She could hear him screaming from across the yard and could hear the chainsaw.  Probably not the phone call you want to get at work…  Thankfully, it all worked out in the end:)

I remember Brad playing hot wheels and all things ball.

I remember having crushes on most of Brad’s friends:)

I remember Brad working on the farm with Wayne all summer long.  I remember him driving off in a deep ditch on the farm.

I remember him and Ashley eating a Fudge Round and Mt. Dew for breakfast while I ate my bowl of cereal and drank water:)

I remember Brad getting a new speaker system in his truck and being so proud of it.  I also remember it getting stolen and how awful that felt!

I remember riding to ballgames together and using said speaker system to get pumped up!!

I remember Brad getting his new full-sized white GMC pickup!  We were all so excited and happy for him!

I remember Brad hugging me and comforting me when my heart was broken.

I remember making grilled cheese sandwiches at midnight because Brad would make me feel bad by saying, “You are going to make a bad wife someday.”  Yes, he was a great brother, but still a brother:)

I remember moving to FHU with Brad.  He was a transfer student, and I was a freshman.  I was soooo thankful to have my big brother with me!!

I remember calling to tell Brad the first night that Josh called me.  I said, “You will never guess who called tonight.” He said, “I bet I can.” I said, “Who?” He replied, “Josh Ketchum.”  I then said, “How did you know?” He answered with every freshman girl’s worst nightmare, “He is sitting here in my room.” I was humiliated!  At least it worked out and Josh called again!

I remember Brad being so happy the day that Josh and I got married.  I remember the hug he gave me and how he remarked about what a happy day it was!

I remember the day that Brad married his best friend, Roxanne.  I remember standing next to Ashley as a bridesmaid and her crying her eyes out:)  It was a very happy day; one we had prayed about for a long time!

I have so many good memories of growing up with Brad.  He is such a wonderful brother and man.  I now get to make more memories of our children growing up together.  I get to watch him be a great dad and husband.  I was always very proud to be Brad’s sister, and I am proud of the man he is today!  We love you, Brad, and hope you birthday was wonderful!!!

Sorry Mom and Dad, this is the only family picture I had at my house of us when we were little:)  And, yes, this really is my dad!!

P.S. Sorry Ashley, but for some reason, most of the pictures I have are just of Brad and me.  Not sure where you were…:)

Some of you reading my blog may not know that our family is on a special diet because of food sensitivities.  Landon, Brooke,and I have been gluten-free for over two years because of Brooke and Landon’s asthma, and Landon has been on a soy-free diet because of digestive issues.  Austin now eats gluten-free too because of eczema and just recently, I have started eating dairy free while nursing Caleb because of his digestive issues. (So, we pretty much have 2 or 3 foods left that we can all eat. Ha!)

Josh would want me to clarify here that he has no known food sensitivities, and if you were considering bringing food to us (which, you probably weren’t, but just in case) he would be glad to eat all the gluten you’ve got!!

So, when it came time to make cookies for Santa (which I blogged about here), I was worried (pretty pathetic, I know) that I wouldn’t be able to eat the cookies (and I love me a good sugar cookie with lots of buttercream icing on top…or maybe I really love some buttercream icing with a little cookie to hold it:).  Well, I set out online to find a good recipe, and I hit the JACKPOT!!!  This recipe is simple; it rolled out well, cut well, and cooked up great! (I may even have to make sugar cookies more often because these were so easy and SO DELICIOUS!)  These were so good that my gluten, soy, and dairy eating family asked me for the recipe…always a good sign:)

So, without further ado, here is the wonderful recipe taken from the Pamela’s Products website:

Vanilla Roll-Out Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 bag (3-1/2 cups) Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix (no yeast needed)
• 1-3/4 sticks of unsalted butter (14 tbsp)*
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla

*I substituted Spectrums Organic Palm Shortening to make it dairy free.

Directions:

Soften butter in a mixer. Add sugar and cream until light in color. Add eggs and cream together well. Add vanilla and mix in, add salt and the whole bag of Pamela’s Gluten-Free Bread Mix (be sure to take out the yeast packet enclosed in the 19 oz bag of mix).

Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out between two pieces of parchment paper that fit a baking sheet, cut out cookie shapes and remove excess dough- don’t move the cookies. Place the parchment with cookies on baking sheet and bake in preheated 350° oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown.

Decorate with colored sugar or candies before baking, if you desire.

I used Wilton’s Buttercream Icing recipe and sprinkles (so good, but so messy…) to decorate the cookies, but substituted the Spectrum Organic Palm Shortening for the butter and shortening and substituted ice milk for the milk to make it dairy free.

**A special thank you to Pamela’s Baking Mixes for making our gluten-free diet easier and yummier!!  If you were a real woman, my husband would want to marry you:)

Today is the 13th anniversary of the day I married my best friend!!!  I love Josh more now than I even knew would be possible.

His name has thirteen letters, so I will use them to describe him:

J – Jesus first

O – Others above self

S – Sacrificial for family

H – Honest in all things

U – Understanding of me and my crazy ways:)

A – Adoring of me and the kids (and he lets us know it!)

K – King of the house (He is a great leader for our family!)

E – Educated (So proud of his MDiv he worked hard to earn this past year!)

T – Tough and able to do any job (He’s the daddy, after all!)

C – Cares for everyone

H – Hardworking and Humble (I know that’s two for one, but I couldn’t choose:)

U – Upbeat and positive

M – Manages time and money well

I love you JOSHUA KETCHUM and am so thankful for the 13 years of marriage!

The Friday before Christmas, Josh was able to take off of work, and we were able to spend the day getting things ready to go to MO for Christmas.  (Who knew that you would need a WHOLE day to get ready to leave for a few days…guess that is life with four kids:)

On Thursday, I was talking to Austin about all that we had to get done on Friday.  He looked at me and said, “That is the best day of Christmas!” I was a little shocked, so I paused waiting for him to explain why.  He went on to say, “It is fun when we are all home working together. I like it better than getting presents.”  It was definitely a proud momma moment (and believe me, I have to hang on to those because with four little ones, there are plenty of “scratching my head,” “I feel like a failure” moments…)

So, I wanted to give you a glimpse into “The Best Day of Christmas”!  It was a fun, full day…

We started the day by making cookies for Santa.  It was not easy to find a sugar cookie recipe that would allow for all of our special diets, but I found one online, and the cookies were delicious!!  (I plan to post the recipe in a separate post soon!)  We all were involved in making and EATING the cookies. (I know you aren’t suppose to eat the raw cookie dough because of the eggs, but it is SOOOO stinking good!!)  (On a side note, I must say – It is fun to cook with the kids, but it does get hairy trying to remember whose turn it is to pour in the ingredient, turn on the mixer, turn off the mixer…do you all have the same problem???)

We also spent time today vacuuming the house, doing laundry (which is never done…), packing for our trip to MO, finishing wrapping presents, and cleaning out the car (actually the kids cleaned out the car – that is their job around here).  Brooke also squeezed in some time for our dog Stella.  She loves Stella. (I think it is because she can boss her around:)

I am glad that Austin enjoys these days at home working together.  I do too (until it is 11:00 p.m. and I am still trying to finish up…)

FYI: Josh helped a lot today…contrary to what the pictures show:)