Happy Birthday, Lane Stevan!!

He is TEN.

There, I said it!

Double digits from now on.

Sweet Lane Stevan, you are ten!

Lane’s birthday is today, but we celebrated last night so all our people could be together.

Even though it was Easter Sunday, we skipped the traditional Easter meal and let Lane choose what he would like for his birthday dinner and dessert.

As usual with these kiddos of ours, he did not disappoint!

Fish tacos with all the fixings it was.

And it was delicious.

At church yesterday Kayla asked if we would like to bring Lane’s party to their new place!

Of course we all said YES, yes, yes!

The very first party at the farm!!

After dinner, Lane opened his gifts.

Lane asked Clyde to help – super sweet!!

A Rubix cube from Eliza.

Some new Christian Heroes Then and Now chapter books and fishing stuff from Chad!

A new journal and pen for Bible time from Addie Mae.

Tate got Lane a fishing tackle box, and Grant got him some juggling rings and juggling balls.

His big sissy Kayla and her crew gave Lane a date to the trampoline park!!

Blake and I gifted Lane with a date too – to go mini golfing and go cart riding!

CAN’T WAIT!!

But first this crazy weather is going to have to straighten up!

It was time for cake and ice cream after presents.

Addie Mae is in charge of all birthday desserts – usually even her own!!

I think we should give her that job forever more, don’t you?!

Chocolate cake with raspberry filling and mocha icing.

I know, I know.

She’s amazing, I tell ya!

We sang a rather squeaky awkward rendition of Happy Birthday to you.

We are the Moschels after all!

Lane blew out his ten candles.

TEN candles.

I’m over it, really I am.

Time is a thief!!

I think it’s safe to say Lane had a great birthday!

I think he will say that even more so after the trampoline park, mini golf and go cart riding!!

Lane Stevan, how we love you!!!

You have the sweetest heart, endless things to tell me about all the day long, a visionary spirit that is going to take you places, and joy that fills a room to the brim.

We cannot wait to see all the Lord has for you, Lane!

The best is yet to come!!

Happy, happy birthday, Lane Stevan!!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

A Work Weekend

While on our anniversary trip two weeks ago, Blake and I made a plan for this past weekend to get some work done here at Twin Oaks!

Friday is most always a “work day” for the kiddos and I, as we clean house and get grocery on Fridays.

When I was planning the grocery list last week, I texted Blake to ask if we could start getting two weeks of grocery at a time.

He agreed with this grand plan!

IT IS A GREAT PLAN!

The only thing that will make it better is when it gets warm enough to use our third fridge.

Our third fridge is in the garage – and right now everything we put in it freezes.

Addie and Chad volunteered for the huge task of going after two weeks of grocery for us.

They are KEEPERS I tell ya!!

Grant got home from work just as they got home with grocery, so unloading took half the time!

We keep most of our grocery in our over flow area in the storage room.

We just felt SO blessed to have SO MUCH food.

Something I never want to take for granted.

Friday night most always is date night!

Blake and I met in town, got some snack foods for dinner, and headed to our favorite coffee shop to eat, drink coffee (and iced tea!), and chat.

We had already had our budget meeting while on our trip, and Blake had been picking things up to finish Twin Oaks over his lunch hours all week long, but we had some more errands to run after coffee.

To fit two sets of shutters for the front of the house in our budget, we decided to have the boys make them!

Pinterest to the rescue!

I knew the look I wanted, which everyone agreed with!

I had a photo to show Blake, even down to the shade of stain I hoped for, which made it super easy for Blake to get what the boys would need.

We saved hundreds of dollars doing it this way!

We spent most of date night in Menards!

Blake showed the boys the photo I saved, answered a few questions, and let them at it!

While the boys were doing that on Saturday, Blake and Lane were working on lights in the downstairs bathroom.

No more dark showers for these kiddos!!

We also found a mirror for the kids bathroom at Ikea while on our trip.

It was very inexpensive and fits great!

Blake started installing ceiling fans.

There was just a light bulb hanging there before!

I had a list that seemed a mile long for the boys for Saturday as well…things like getting the picnic tables out, even though it was such a blustery winter day!

Tate and Eliza played SO nicely on Saturday, and I worked the whole day in the kitchen!!

Imagine that!!

Our favorite people (David, Kayla, and our grand babies) just happened to buy a farm and have been painting and moving this week!

I made myself in charge of food and babies.

Got the BEST jobs!!

I prepped a lot of the food on Saturday.

First I started with the things that I always do on Saturday to be ready for a week ahead.

Things like stirring peanut butter, making waffle mix, freezing bananas, and filling flours, spices, nuts, and oat containers.

Then I started baking!

I have had some of you reach out and say how much you would enjoy seeing recipes of all the food photos that I post on the blog.

On Saturday, while I worked, I posted photos with recipes on Instagram stories.

It is a very, very quick way to share what I am doing in the kitchen, and will be something that I hope to purpose to continue!

Please, if you would like to see more of what we cook, bake, and eat and how to make it all….follow me on Instagram and watch those stories!

You can find Instagram from your computer by clicking on the camera icon at the top right of the blog.

It was a GREAT work weekend!

There are many more to come!

Not only here at Twin Oaks, but at River’s new place…which is only 11 minutes away!!!

I KNOW!!!

I am enjoying watching the babies and feeding everyone as they move today…but I CAN’T WAIT to see all they have done and everything Kayla has been planning all set in its place!!

As for Twin Oaks, stay tuned….Lord willing, our next big project is a YARD!

The Business of Spring is Here

There was about six to eight weeks this winter that seemed to drag on and on, but I knew even then that it would never last for too long.

Now we are back to being as busy as ever!

I think I really enjoy both seasons, and they both serve their purpose as well!

March has been flying by!

Unless something changes, March and September will be our two months full of doctor appointments for Tate and Eliza.

As I say that, I remembered that Eliza will be back at Shriner’s in May as well.

We spent the afternoon of Eliza’s birthday at the local hospital for two renal ultrasounds.

Even though these are imaging appointments, and we do them both at the same time, they are pretty quick!

We are usually in and out of there in one hour.

Tate and Eliza love this waiting room, and they do not have any problem hopping up on the bed to have their ultrasounds done.

SO thankful!

I am trying to be very, very consistent in stretching twice a day every day.

I am sure you can see my dilemma though!

I get very distracted when two cuties try to do back extensions with me!

We are still working hard with Eliza to teach her ways to cope with her severe sensory needs.

We see HUGE strides in this area when we are consistent with essential oils – and we are teaching Eliza how to realize she should reach for those oil bottles as well.

Lavender oil in Eliza’s bath water takes bath time, towel drying, changing into pjs, and combing and drying Eliza’s hair from a huge melt down to her singing and smiling through the entire process!

She is my hero.

Really.

She has come SO FAR.

Our other Chinese cutie still needs to know before bed every night and after each meal what will be served at the next meal.

His security in knowing there will always be food has grown SO MUCH – so I don’t wonder sometimes if these questions are just a habit now!

He sure loves when his Mama will make him an egg in the hole!

With cheese, of course!

I have been working on another goal too – making sure the bites I take for the snacks I eat are worth taking.

I am finding all kinds of yummy AND nutritious things!

There is a tablespoon of decaf coffee beans in this smoothie – but the rest of its health made up for that fact!

I love, love making food for my good eaters too – and I have been purposing to find new things for us to try.

Rice cakes were a hit!

Wraps for lunch are not new – but they still love them very much.

We will mix things up with different veggies, meats and hummus to make them different each time!

The four youngest and I eat at Kay’s for lunch once a week.

Guess what I took over for lunch this day?

YEP! Favorite all around.

Soup!

These guys work out together several times a week.

Nothing better than hearing them out there before the sun comes up – usually listening to a sermon while they work out.

Now you know why I am in the kitchen all the day long!

Good thing I have such cute helpers.

There was one helper this day that was eating more than he was cutting.

Ahem.

Addie Mae still blesses me by running errands whenever she can.

These two love, love, love it when she picks up all of the books I have ordered from the library!

Speaking of our beautiful daughter, while Blake and I were gone Addie had planned many fun things for the kiddos to keep them busy.

They had such a blast!!

Library day with big sis Kayla and her crew –

The park on another beautiful day with our same favorites –

They all LOVE to help, really they do.

The littles made a fruit salad together!

There was a drive around bingo game one morning.

SO cute!!

Tate and Eliza painted with some of the craft gifts Eliza was given for her birthday.

Sundays are very hard for Eliza still – so Addie sent Blake and I a text and photo to show how great Eliza was doing on Sunday morning.

Made my heart so happy!!

Addie also sent me photos of the sunrises and sunsets at Twin Oaks because she knows they are my favorite thing!

I usually get texts from Addie on Wednesdays too – when she is at Kayla’s helping her!

OH. MY. HEART.

Chad had an orthodontist appointment this past Monday.

His teeth have changed so much already!

I took a special helper with us to town.

Eliza was very distracted by the TV screens they have above all of the patients heads!

Can we talk about this squat though?

Super cute!

Games.

It’s an afternoon thing.

And a winter thing.

Hopefully we will be outside more than we are now very soon!

We had lunch at River’s place on Thursday.

I took root beer floats!

That’s what NaiNai’s do.

We also had loaded baked yams for dinner on Wednesday night and I took the leftovers to River’s place for lunch.

I wish you could have seen all those kiddos enjoy all this yumminess!!

Guitar practice and guitar lessons are happening in a new spot now.

Chad sings as he plays his guitar – and it makes my heart SO full.

The business of spring has made for some sleepy kiddos.

Eliza is our late one!

I love that our home school life can allow the kiddos the sleep they need!

Eliza misses breakfast most days….and this day her Mama gave her what she asked for instead of reheating what had been made earlier.

Bad Mama.

In a good way!

Part of my morning routine is to run a k-cup coffee and set it in the fridge for an iced coffee in the afternoon!

Speaking of that – I better get after this beautiful day!!

Happy Monday, everyone!!!

Hope it is sunny, bright, and spring like where you are too!!

A Place To Sit

While Blake and I were on our anniversary trip we shopped for furniture for our living room.

We made sure that the stores we visited while in the Twin Cities were stores that we had locally too.

I already had in my mind exactly what I wanted, and Blake agreed with what I was describing to him.

It was important to me that the back of the couch was not too high, that it was firm, and that the cushions that are behind your back when sitting down were attached.

I also was hoping for a nice light shade of grey – and all of that within our budget!!

The second store we visited had just what we were looking for!

We called the local store, ordered and paid for the furniture over the phone, and set up the plan to pick it all up on Monday night.

Perfect!!

The decorative pillows that came with the couch were not our taste.

Thankfully I had a friend who told me to bring them home anyway and recover them.

That is exactly what I did!

I ordered new pillow covers from Amazon for under $6 a piece.

We are enjoying this new furniture very, very much – as you can imagine!

I hear the kiddos say over and over how thankful they are to have a place to sit.

ME too!!!

This was just the start of finishing up things here at Twin Oaks.

Next up – ceiling fans and a YARD!!!