MY NEW TOY!!

Yep - I got a new ride.  The RA has caused some problems with my foot, so I have had to give up running at least for now.  I can't ride an upright bike because of my replaced shoulder and messed up elbow and wrist.  So, I got a recumbent trike.  It is called a Catrike Expedition.  I took it out on a quick ride tonight for the first time and really enjoyed it.  I got a lot of looks on it.  :)  How do you like the green?????

Jaydon's turn for a ride - 

I think he liked it.

Garth's turn to take it for a spin -

In the news

Dylan made it into the local newspaper.  I know  no one is surprised by that.  I have attached the link of the story on the athletic camps that the city offers.  Dylan participated in the multi-sport camp last week and also the football camp this week.  The city offers all these great programs for the kids.  He really enjoyed both of them.  

Click on the link and he is in the last picture on the right.

http://www.myvalleynews.com/story/39301/

Isn't he cute??  Look at the determination on that face.  He may be little, but don't count him out!!!   We really love and cherish that boy.

Quick Snapshot

I just haven't been in the blogging mode lately.  BUT, I do feel the need to update you on some of the Aldrich happenings.  So here it goes.......

We officially have a 2nd grader on our hands.  Dylan finished up his 1st grade year mid-June.  Grammy and Granddad came for a visit to help celebrate that weekend.  We enjoyed their stay as always and are looking forward to seeing them again soon.  During their stay Dylan had a flag football game, we visited a car show in Escondido, and made a trip up to Palomar Mountain.  Thanks for the visit Mom and Dad.

Two weeks later we enjoyed a weekend visit with Grandma Sue.  She treated the boys to some great new toys and video game and a couple of wonderful new sleeping bags to use when we go camping.  We enjoyed some swimming at the neighborhood pool and time at La Jolla beach.  We are so glad she took the time to come out to see us.  We look forward to the next visit.

In the mean time, I have just been trying to keep Dylan busy.  He has enjoyed a Bible School at the Methodist Church and one at our church.  He also enjoyed three days of Art Camp at Painted Earth.  I haven't seen his creations yet.  I think I get to pick them up tomorrow.  This week he has been involved in multi-sport camp.  He attends from 8:30am-10:30am.  The kids have played baseball, dodgeball, kickball, flag football, basketball, and volleyball.  He has really had a blast participating.  He finishes up the camp on Friday and then starts flag-football camp on Monday.  On top of all that, both Dylan and Jaydon are taking swim lessons once a week.  Jaydon can now put his head under water and is much more relaxed when he is on his back.  Dylan is progressing nicely.  He has already moved up from level 3 to level 4 and I was told that in a couple of weeks he will be moving on to level 5 where we will learn other strokes like the breast stroke.  They both have a lot of fun are and improving all the time.

That gets you quickly caught up on our life.  We are looking forward to celebrating Garth's birthday this weekend, camping next weekend, my birthday the end of the month and planning for a big 3 year old birthday in August for our little Star Wars Jedi. 

The biggest news is that Nissy and Blake are having a BOY.  Hooray for boys.  We will be blessed to be an aunt and uncle to a little boy in November.  We are so excited and they are very loved.

Well, I hope to be back sooner than later!!!

The work of our hands

Psalm 90:17

"May the favor of the Lord rest upon us;

establish the work of our hands for us - 

yes, establish the work of our hands."

I have this verse written on a notecard and it is placed next to my sink in the bathroom.  I can't even remember why I have it written on a notecard or when I placed it in the bathroom.  All I know is that every time I have read it lately, I am encouraged.

I will preface this by expressing I have done no research on this verse to establish the context for which it was written.

I must say that I do not think anyone ever told me parenting would be so challenging.  Oftentimes, I feel so ill-equipped to care for our two boys.  We desire to love them, keep them safe, make sure they are healthy.  We desire to impart to them Christian beliefs, conservative ideals, strong morals.  We desire for  them to be drawn to our Lord as their Saviour.  I am only listing a few of the desires we have for our boys - and this is already a tall order.  How do Garth and I properly parent these children to best ensure our desires and expectations are met?  

We have failed so many times as parents.  There are words I wish I could take back and spanking and disciple I wish I would have given.  There are times I wish I would have stopped doing the laundry or washing the dishes and sat in the floor and played cars or read a book.  But, I can't look back.  I can only move forward and try again another day.  

We have publicly given these boys over to the Lord, and I find myself more and more giving them over every day.  I lack in so many aspects of my parenting skills that I need someone to make up the difference.  I am so thankful that I have Jesus to turn to.  He is the ultimate Father and we can learn so much about parenting by reading His Word.  

Now back to Psalm 90:17.  I think at this point in my life, Dylan and Jaydon are the work of my hands.  I am a stay-at-home mom and focus all my attention and energy to these kids.  They deplete me of all my time and energy on a daily basis.  Jaydon is in a massive terrible two stage.  I couldn't even make it into the grocery store the other day because of the tantrum he was throwing.  These types of things happen on a daily basis.  Dylan is growing up and maturing, but he is still as busy as ever.  He is constantly on the go and wants to know where we are going, or what we are doing and with whom we are doing it with.  At the end of the day I feel like all I have done is housework, spanked bottoms, and said "Not now".  

Because I am not the perfect parent I pray that the Lord establishes the work of my hands.  I hope He can see my efforts and look past my failures, bridge the gaps and establish my work - my children.  I pray that despite my shortcomings our boys grow up to be established works of the Lord.  I pray they are beacons on light in this ever darkening world.  I know the Lord hears our cries and prays that he will sustain us as parents to continue the good fight even during those very nasty days.

Dylan and Jaydon are blessings for the Lord and we are so humbled to be called their mom and dad.  We love them, treasure them, and pray for them often.  I know with the Lord's favor is upon us and He will establish the works of our hands!!!!

Grandparent Visit

We had the joy of having Papa Bill and Grandma Lenore visit over the weekend.  This was their first visit out to Temecula, so we enjoyed showing them around our new stomping grounds.

They arrived Friday night.  The boys were excited to have them here for a visit.  Dylan wasted no time and took Papa Bill on a bike ride around the neighborhood.  We enjoyed dinner here at home and had fun watching Garth and Dylan teach Bill and Lenore how to play Rock Band.  You did good guys!!!

Saturday Dylan had a football game.  It is so fun to think about how much they have improved.  This team had a girl on it and she was great.  She got the ball and ran it in for a touchdown early on.  Dylan and the other little boys were in awe.  How'd she do that?  Well, Dylan then went into defense mode.  I've never seen him get so many opponents' flags.  He did a great job, and he had a great run too!!

In the afternoon, we took the boys over to the hotel to swim.  They had a blast.  Dylan jumped right in.  Jaydon was a bit unsure of the water at first, but in no time he was enjoying th

e water too.  It was fun to watch Garth and Bill play with the boys in the pool.  We ended the evening with a delicious meal at a Mediterranean  grill.  The best part was the appetizer - Sweet Potato slices fried with coconut and Parmesan cheese.  YUMMY!!!

Sunday the sun finally decided to shine.  We went to a berry farm here in town and picked blueberries.  It was so fun to watch the boys.  Jaydon got his bucket and knew exactly what to do.  We then went off to the wine country.  Bill and Lenore had a chance to taste a few wines.  The winery was beautiful - the flowers and landscaping were breathtaking.  We went off to a campsite to let Garth ride his bike with a buddy. The boys enjoyed playing putt-putt golf with their friends.  Dylan even got a quick bike ride in with his dad!!!

We told Papa Bill and Grandma Lenore good-bye Sunday night.  We look forward to them visiting again soon.

Memorial Day Weekend

I haven't been keeping up with this very well, so I have to backtrack a bit.  

We had a great Memorial Day weekend.  Garth got off Friday afternoon and we enjoyed having him around until he went back to work on Wednesday.  Dylan did not have a football game on Saturday, so we went down to the Farmer's Market downtown instead.  I loaded up on a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies.  We tried out a hamburger joint in Old Town for lunch and really enjoyed our meal.  In the afternoon, we took the boys to see Monsters vs. Aliens.  The boys did great.  Jaydon can sit through anything while munching on a bucket of popcorn.  Garth and I even enjoyed the movie and really liked watching it in 3-D - very cool!!!  That was enough fun for the day, so back home for some cleaning and organizing.

Sunday we had the privilege of watching Dylan sing at church in the Children's Choir.  The kids did a great job singing for everyone.  We filmed it and will post it once we have a chance.  After church we went to lunch and then headed over to Pottery Barn and bought a rug for our living room.  It looks great.

Monday we spend most of the day at the park with some friends.  Garth and Dylan enjoyed a great game of soccer and Jaydon and I played on the playground.

Tuesday Dylan had school, so Garth headed down to Escondido to check out a bike store.  Most of our friends out here are avid mountain bikers, so Garth was getting the itch to ride with them.  He found himself a bike and some gear and even a carrier.  Dylan even got a new bike.  We wanted him to have it now, so he could take it on vacation this summer.

Those are the highlights of our holiday weekend.  We hope you enjoyed yours too!!!

TTT on Wednesday

I have a delicious and very easy crock-pot recipe to share.  We all really enjoyed the dish and Garth counts it now as a favorite.  I think it was adapted from a recipe in Real Simple.

Crock-pot Short Ribs with Cabbage and Carrots

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 T. honey

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T. grated fresh ginger

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

2-3 lbs. beef short ribs

5 carrots peeled and cut into 2 in. slices

1 medium green cabbage cut into eighths 

1 T. sesame oil

4 green oils, sliced

In the crock pot combine the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, garlic cloves, ginger, and pepper flakes.  Place the short ribs and carrots in the the pot.  Arrange the cabbage on top of the ribs and carrots.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours.  About an hour before serving, stir it all together so the cabbage can get down into the juices.  This is optional, but I also cut the beef off the bones and into bite sized pieces so the meat could soak up the juices.

We served it over a bed of brown rice drizzled with sesame oil and green onions. 

It was a treat.