Science Project: Cells 101

Hudson came home last week and said "Mom, we have a group project and everyone in my group is coming to my house Sunday." At 1:30 today, Hudson's classmates showed up to begin the project. They all had a great time working together.

The task: Make an edible replica of a cell.

Here is what we used: green jelly (or jello if you are an American), Laffy Taffy, Bread, Passion Fruit, and Grapes. (We had a taste test for the Laffy Taffy since noone besides Hudson had eaten it before....it was a hit)

Here are the boys using the Laffy Taffy as a Cell Membrane. They are installing it in the cell wall. Hudson and his friend getting the green jelly just right to insert into the cell. The finished and labeled product. Don't you wish you were in that class tomorrow when the time comes to EAT the cell! No thanks. The proud scientists displaying their cell!!

A Very Special Guy

I will never forget the first time I met him. I was excited for Spring Affair at OBU to begin. This guy that I had been spending a lot of time with was going to sing and I had been listening to his act practice, so I couldn't wait to hear them. As I sat down in my seat, a man in front of me turned around and introduced himself and his wife. He said he had heard a lot about me and was very happy to meet me. Turns out, this was to be my father-in-law.

Over the years, I have grown to love Bob Olmstead more and more. He is probably the most honest, caring, and loving man I have known. He was and is a great father, continuing through the years to model Godliness to his children. He would be the first to tell you he isn't perfect and has made mistakes, in fact, he is honest about his shortcomings. I see through my own husband many ways his dad invested in him....and for that I am truly thankful!

Today, Sept. 28th, is Bob's birthday, and I just wanted to take this chance to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB! You are a GREAT DAD, PA, and FRIEND!! We love you!!

Out of Town Partying

This weekend has been full of activity and fun for the O Fam! On Friday morning Rob left our city and headed out for a weekend of travel. He needed to leave before the kids got out of school, so the kids and I didn't join him this weekend. Instead, we went out of town to help a little friend celebrate her 7th birthday. One of the things we miss the most here are all of our cousins and extended family. However, we are so thankful for new cousins, aunts, and uncles that we love spending time with. (though they could never replace the real ones) This weekend we took the bus about 2 hours out of our town with our good friends the "B's" and met our "out of town" family and had a BIG PARTY!!!


Here are the "big girls" riding in style. Somehow we lucked out and got the nice big seats on the bus. (not so lucky on the way home)
And the little brother and little sister. Why was no one willing to smile at me?? Once we arrived we all hit the pool. It was so cool and clean! And no, fall has not arrived! It is still so very hot! Please notice this picture is typical of Hudson's life......GIRLS EVERYWHERE!! Dinner. Mmmmm. Our friends had a grill made here. Yes, made. And it worked very well. The homemade hot dog buns and queso, salsa, and baked beans were all SOOOO good!!Hudson, enjoying his hot dog.After the meal the girls all played swords with Hudson. Aren't they sweet to him. I loved this pic because if you look closely at Hudson he is "in flight" about to attack some poor sweet girl. The look on his face is one of pure joy! The big sisters supplyed the balloons, and I created the swords. Hannah having fun"Please Mom, I really need a dog. Everyone else has a dog, why can't I??" This was said about 20 minutes before his left eye was red and swollen from dog allergies. That's why. Ah! The sweet little birthday girl! Happy Birthday!! Thanks for inviting us!

I Heart Football!!

I come from a long line of football fans. My Grandfather loved to watch Tulsa Football, my PawPaw loved to watch the Dallas Cowboys, and my Dad has been a football fan for as long as I can remember. I have vivid memories of going to Arkansas Razorback games as a child wearing my big, plastic Razorback hat and calling the hogs. I also remember sitting with my dad in his recliner watching bowl games all day long on New Years.

Then we moved to Texas. Dallas, TX. And my love of Dallas Cowboy football began. I remember my Dad taking me to my first Cowboy game. I was in 2nd grade and he bought me a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader sweatsuit (not the short shorts and halter) which I wore proudly to the game. I came away with my first Cowboy foam finger!!! I was so excited. I still remember how BIG the stadium was and how exciting the whole place felt that night. Danny White and Tony Dorsett were my favorites....then Troy Aikman came onto the scene and I was hooked forever. (I won't say any more about that only that I had a life size poster of him in my room when I was in high school and college)

There were several times the Cowboys played on Sunday nights that the Wagoner family quickly slid out the side door as Sunday evening services ended and made our way to Texas Stadium for the game. All that to say.....we ALL love football!! I really think these pictures are funny becasue without being planned, we had on the "family uniform" this day as we all ate lunch together.....and watched the game.

So, you can imagine it nearly broke my dad's heart when I married a 49er's fan in the 90's. It has been an uphill battle, but now that T.O. is no longer a cowboy, Rob will no longer loudly encourage Dallas's demise.

Please note that in this picture, Rob is NOT wearing the family uniform of blue, silver, and stars, but he is wearing a blue"ish" shirt!! Thankfully I married into a football loving family, however not all of us are Dallas Cowboy fans. We do, however, agree on the Sooners!

So, last night, when my tutor stayed after class and ate dinner with us, she was in for a treat. Our after dinner entertainment was the taped Cowboy/Giant game from Sunday. Needless to say she was at a loss for words at the size and opulence of the new stadium, of course so were the commentators, and she couldn't believe how big all the players were. At one point Rob told her that the biggest men were around 350 pounds. She gasped and said they could flick her like a bug. As the game started I began explaining the game to her in her language. That proved to be challenging, but by the end of the first quarter she was excitedly cheering for the Niu Zai Ren (cowboys) and booing the Hen Gao Ren (very tall men ....aka giants). She jumped up and down when the Cowboys scored and sat on the edge of her seat every time a 3rd and long came up. I couldn't believe how much she got into the game. It was a fun evening, until the last 4 seconds of the game, and I was happy to share this with my sweet friend.

This is one of my favorite pictures because my grandmother is in the middle of this picture, who has learned to watch football after all of these years becasue "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". Here she is last year at her first NFL game, along with my niece, Reese, who is also enjoying her first football game.
Football has arrived again after the long absence and with it comes the hope that fall is right behind, though in our city it is WAY behind. It reminds me of so many fun family events and shared memories, like my mom in her Cowboy hat.....ahhh it is no coinincidence we will be home for football season 2011!!

Labor Day!

Did you know that it is very enjoyable to celebrate Labor Day in a country that DOESN'T celebrate Labor Day as the first weekend of September? Why? Because when a billion plus people are all celebrating a holiday.....I choose to be inside due to the fact that crowd surfing is not my thing! So, when a handful of Americans choose to go to the beach on the first weekend of September, it is a very good choice. On top of that....it was the first weekend of "back to school" in our area, so noone was at the beach!!

We all packed up our children, beach stuff, and headed out of town!! We decided to take the train on Thursday, check-in and eat dinner at a GREAT western restaurant that evening. However, due to unforseen circumstances (hee hee) we missed our train. I am sure we were quite a sight....19 people, including 2 new babies, and endlesss cute children, with unbelievable amounts of luggage all trying to convince the train ladies to let us in the gate....but alas, the train had already left. So, we waited for 3 hours in the waiting room and took the next train. No worries! We got to sit around and visit, and start our time together with some card games and laughter! Did I mention we had some very cute and adorable babies with us?!

Here is Hudson "hanging out" at the train station.

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful, except for the fact the hotel wanted to charge us for our kids swimming in the pool. What?

We had a great time at the beach. It is always to have friends to dig in the sand and play in the waves with you! This little friend wasn't sure what she thought about the sand, but once she put on shoes....all was right in her world.

And isn't this sunbathing beauty too cute!! This might be my favorite picture of the weekend, I sure hope her nana sees this!
Hudson and his buddy AB floating in the ocean. My kids decided that it was so much more fun to take friends to the beach with you!! I guess mom and dad are losing their coolness factor. :) Or, maybe it is because mom and dad aren't as willing to get into an all-out sand throwing war! Hannah and KT having fun on the beach.

As usual, there are always a few "crazies" on the beach!! Here is Hannah and our good friend who came to the beach with us. She is one of my teachers and a great freind to the O Fam!! And yes, she and Hannah are the same size, but she is 24. These are some of our great friends We ate a lot of GOOD food and all had a great time together!

There is no such thing as dumb question??

Today I sat at McDonald's for 3 hours and had language class. Just me and my teacher. We found a quiet corner and began. Normally, we spend about an hour chit-chatting and somehow she works all my current grammar lessons into the conversations and she really expands my listening skills at the same time. She is pretty amazing. Then, the last two hours we spend in the book. So, for 3 hours, no English. It is like this every day, for as long as I can remember. :)

Today was no different. I arrived a few minutes before 9am got a drink and sat down. She arrived shortly after and we began talking. Soon after she sat down, a man sat a few tables away and listened and stared. We ignored him and kept going. 2 and 1/2 hours later he got up the nerve to approach us. And he asked me,

"Are you teaching her English or is she teaching you the local language?"

Really? After 2 and 1/2 hours you don't know? We spoke NO English during that time so how in the world could I be teaching her? And she certainly didn't speak any English to me.

We kindly told the man that she was teaching me the local language. Then I asked him if he had heard any English coming from us and he said, "NO". Then he asked me if I was sure I wasn't teaching her English. No.

We laughed and he left, and we went back to grammar.

Happy Grandparents Day

Today is Grandparent's Day. Not a hugely marketed day in the US or elsewhere in the world, but nonetheless, my calendar tells me it is today. So I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about my wonderful grandmothers and tell them as well how much they mean to me, since they are both faithful readers of my blog!

One of the greatest blessings in my life is the Godly heritage that has been passed down to me through my grandparents, on both sides of my family. I am so thankful for that heritage and don't ever want to take it for granted! My grandma Veta is one of the greatest role models I know. She has had such a gift of mercy her entire life, and would do anything to meet the needs of those around her. From the time I was small I remember there were always people in her home she was taking care of, nursing to health or ussuring on to Heaven. She worked tirelessly but always had time for a game of Skip-Bo with the grandkids. In fact, we still play with her every time we visit, even my kids love playing skip-bo with Grandma Veta. The greatest thing about my Grandma is her love for our Lord. She has been a faithful Sunday School teacher for many many years, and you will always find her early in the mornings with her Bible open as she studies and prays. She has a HUGE world map on her dining room wall where she can see the nations and she is faithful to lift up all the workers all over the world. I can't wait to return to see her.....and take her to lunch at Taco Bueno, one of her and my favorite restaurants! I love you Grandma Veta!

On the other side of the family is my Grandmother Mary Lee. She, too is another wonderful role model in my life. I am so thankful for the countless hours she has spent with me talking, looking at pictures, playing Scrabble, and investing in my life. She has been such a faithful servant to our Lord and to her family. She is a constant learner, a poet, a pianist, a wonderful cook, and so much more! I have admired her all the more the last few years as she has weathered the loss of my grandfather, her best friend for 60+ years. She has such a strength and sense of adventure, but more importantly an unwavering faith and trust in her Savior. Currently she is planning a 2010 trip to visit us here.....yea! I love you Grandmother and can't wait to see you next year!

Finally, I would like to say that one of the constant encouragements in my life is that each day I know these two great women of faith are praying for me and for that I am TRULY blessed!

Look Out Krispy Kreme!!

I have long admired my good friend Rachel who I believe can create/cook ANYTHING here in this country. So when Hudson came home this week and said he had volunteered to bring donuts to school on Friday for his class party because his mom could make "really good donuts", I decied to summon my Rachelness and attempt to live up to his claim. (Flattery will get you everywhere with me)

So, I scoured the internet to find a good recipe. I found one titled "Krispy and Kremey". I took that to mean Krispy Kreme-ish. In the past I have made cake donuts for my family, and they were ok, but a little heavy. Tonight I followed the recipe and the final result was EXCELLENCE!!

I made enough for everyone in the class to have 2, enough for breakfast in the morning, and enough for everyone to sample one tonight. My reward? Hudson said, "MOM, did YOU make THESE? (Ummm....yeah, what have I been in here doing for the last 3 hours?) These are the best donuts I have ever eaten!"

Here is the before picture....And the after picture.

So....Look out Krispy Kreme!! And....Look out bathroom scales, I may be a little heavier in the morning.

Heard from the Back Room....

Hudson started 3rd grade this year, and with third grade comes cursive writing, paragraphs and topic sentences which all entail.....HANDWRITING!! My boy loves math. So, the last 2 weeks we have been slowly getting used to not only doing homework again, but doing a lot of writing. Hudson's teacher this year has 4 boys of her own, so she really understands the boy mind. However, he still has to write. :) Last week, he began cursive. On the first day he came home with several letters to practice. Write, rewrite, write, rewrite. A whole blank page waiting to be filled with cursive letters. I was helping him write each letter largely on the whiteboard, making sure he understood the strokes and flow, then once he had that down, he would start with his paper. After the first letter, he began writing and went to the kitchen to work on dinner. Very quickly he called and said, "DONE!!"

What? So quick?

I called to him and said, "Hudson how many times did you have to write each letter?"

He replied, "Mom, I really am done!", for he sensed the skepticism in my voice. "My teacher said I only had to write each letter until I felt good about it, and I feel good!!"

Being the good mom I am I made him complete a whole line for each letter.....not just write one letter. Curioulsy enough, the next day, the instructions for cursive homework were a little more explicit!

It may be a long year!