Grilling and baking

If you are a European and have tried bread in the states for the first time you probably know that it tastes sweet. Also the texture is very fluffy compared to the heavy bread we are used to in Romania. For two weeks I bought different types of bread for my parents to try in search of something similar to what they have at home. Nothing worked so my mom decided to bake her own bread without sugar in it. It turned out better than any bread I had here in the states. Yes, even better than Panera Bread! We all loved it and mom made two fresh loaves almost every day for all of us.

I also had to make my parents cook some mici which is a Romanian sausage that you grill outdoors and eat with fresh bread. Delish! To add to our feast Jeremy grilled ribs and lets say that it was a glorious carnivorous day.

 

Picking pears

What else did we do this summer? So much to write and so little time. One of the things that I want us to remember and have included in our family book is picking pears with bunicu si bunica.

I am grateful for the time my children got with their grandparents outdoors and indoors. We have all been richly blessed with love and learning from one another.

My mom has taught me how to can and pickle the Romanian way. I am excited for the goodies that I have stored in jars made by my mom.

Soccer

If you have noticed I am trying really hard to get caught up on my blog before we enter 2011. Some of these posts happened several months ago but I still need to document them for our family.

Grandpa and grandma bought this Spain world cup 2010 champion home soccer uniform

Fall soccer was even better than spring soccer! My kids were better at shooting the ball and scoring goals which made the game even more pleasant to watch. Even better my parents and sister were there with us to cheer them on. Jasmine and Andrew had fun playing soccer and I think until they are ready to try a different sport we will be playing more soccer.

Michael's blessing

We waited a long time to have Michael blessed because I really wanted my parents, bunicu si bunica Lengyel to be here for it. On October 17th Jeremy gave Michael a beautiful blessing that brought tears to my eyes. It was worth it to wait until grandma and grandpa were here because I know that they were able to feel how strong the spirit was in the church that day. The whole sacrament meeting touched my heart and I had tears in my eyes more than I expected. A superb musical number was sung by several sisters in the ward and the speakers words were inspirational.

After the blessing we had a little party at the park with some of our friends. We served sarmale which had become tradition to make for every blessing party. October the 17th is always going to be a special day not only because Michael was blessed on that day but also because we were married on the same day 12 years ago. I love what Jeremy and I have received from our Heavenly Father in our 12 years of marriage. I hope we continue to be blessed on our journey here on earth and after in the eternities.

Preschool

Some of my friends who have children close to Andrew's age have decided to start a preschool several months ago,where the moms take turns teaching every week. We all asked our little ones what they would like to learn more about and came up with a great curriculum.

I have already taught twice and I love it. The first lesson was about gardens and my second was about sports. Two subjects that Andrew was very interested in. Dinosaurs, water and colors are the next subjects picked by my little boy and I can't wait to have fun with my preschoolers.

Here is the lesson outline from the sports lesson and some pics with our craft (Bob-- was the name Andrew gave his chia pet) from the garden lesson. He grew beautifully with a little help from Andrew.

 

Sports10/19/10

Livia M

Arrival to 9:30 Welcome and Gather

Sharing time

Coloring sheet – Games / letter G

Book: Little G

9:45 – Story/ Lesson time

All about sports. There are many types of sports that we all enjoy playing and watching. Today we will discus baseball, soccer, football and volleyball. Sports are a great way of exercising and building strong bodies. What are some of your favorite sports?

10:00-Activities

Sports recognition (guessing which ball goes with which sport)

Volleyball with balloons

Sport activity page

10: 20 -Snack

10:30 – Craft

Make your own ball( with play dough recreate the ball from your favorite sport)

10:55 - Singing time

Take me out to the ballgame

Take me out with the crowd

Buy me some Peanuts and Crackerjacks

I don't care if I never get back

Oh it's root, root, root for the home team

If they don't win its a shame

For it's 1, 2, 3 strikes you're out

At the old ball game

 Every child  made one chia pet to take home

Here is Bob ( Andrew's creation)

Games

There is always some kind of game being played at our house. From go fish to Life to Chess to a dozen more that I do not remember their names right now, our closet it's filled with games.

Andrew's favorite game lately is chess and he is getting better every day at it. He will play chess all day with bunicu and everyone else who is up for a game. I love playing with him. He is so smart at just 4 years old and extremely inquisitive about everything around him.

My favorite game lately has been Clue. What are your favorite board games?

St Louis Trip

Our good friends the OutCalts were able to get married and sealed to their children in the St. Louis temple soon after my parents had arrived in the States. So, we all made the trip there together. It was great to be there in the temple with so many amazing people. I love our friends here! Sorry no pics with everyone just with my family.  After the temple we got to see the St. Louis Arch which was beautiful and a lot larger than I imagined.

                                       

Welcome to America

 After many years of trying to bring my parents here to the United States the day finally came. On September 21, 2010 we woke up early giddy with anticipation to finish our welcome board so we could go and get grandma(bunica) Gaby , grandpa(bunicu ) Dodo and my sister Andrea from the airport. This was my dads first time in the USA. There were tears of happiness in everyone's eyes as soon as they arrived. Hugs and kisses fallowed, but the part that will stay forever in my heart was the first time my mom took Michael in her arms. With Andrew she was able to be here when he was born so not holding Michael immediately after

birth and having to wait 8 months made the whole experience very emotional.

What is better than to have grandparents here nearby I say? The answer is to have a wonderful aunt here also. My sister Andrea is the aunt that has just as much energy as the kids making life so much easier for me as she entertained them tons.

Sweets from Spain

The presents brought from Spain piled all over the house and I even said to Jeremy that our house looked like it was Christmas in September.

Camping in Arkansas

For Labor day weekend we decided to go camping in Arkansas. We were there two years ago and we loved canoeing in Beaver Lake. We invited our good friends the Robinson's and Jeremy's brother David plus part of his family to join us. The children were really excited to camp and enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately for me I lost my voice Friday morning and throughout the whole trip I could barely talk. But that did not stop me from having a great time with my family. The views were amazing and the weather was just perfect during the day. A little cold during the night for my taste.

This amazing picture was taken by Jasmine my beautiful 9 years old daughter

On Saturday morning Jeremy, Jasmine and Andrew went fishing early in the morning while Michael and I slept in.

Later that same day Jeremy, David and the kids went tubing while Lisa( David's wife), Michael and I enjoyed the ride and views from the pontoon. Andrew and Jasmine loved it. They giggled the whole time and asked for more turns in the tube.

On Sunday we went swimming for most of the day and the kids did not want to return to the campsite for dinner. That's how much they loved playing in the water. I think the only thing that convinced them to come was that we had smores afterwards.

It was fun and I know we created some great memories as a family!