Memorial Day Weekend

What a fun weekend, here is a list of the activities that we fit in...

Friday-

Jason's Family Arrives

(Ben in Pj's waiting for family to arrive)

Saturday-


Indy 500 Museum ( Big race was the next day so we saw a lot of cool new things)

(Ann, Nicho and Benjamin waiting for everyone to get out of the Museum movie)

White River State Park, we took a surrey out and rode (yes all 9 of us fit on one) around the park.

(Maas' Family new vehicle)

Jeff and Jason go see the new Indiana Jones movie





Sunday-


Church Activities

(Nicho sleeping...soooo cute)

Monday-


Movies

(Sophie, Lydia, Nicho, Marcella, and Jason Maas)

Happy Hallow Park, we took the trail walk in.

(Jason and Nicho)

Grilled Hamburgers

(Lydia Marcella's Mother, Marcella and Nicho)

Jason's family left...

(Ehre showing off her attitude)

another hair cut...

Is there a practical use for hair clippings? At the rate Jeff's hair grows I should use it to stuff pillows! Jeff and I had an agreement that he couldn't cut his hair until I trimmed mine....well that didn't work. TO many family members thought Jeff's hair was unkept and too long...it really wasn't that bad when he fixed it! I love his curls so when I cut his hair I tried to keep some of them...the hair cut looks good even though I didn't take pics. But here is all the hair that we got rid of! (you'll see his haircut in future posts)

Newest Member of the Family

....that didn't stay long. :) The kids and I were in the back yard, cutting the grass when this big clump of dirt started moving! Holy cow it was a frog! Pretty cute little guy, we showed him to all our friends, but in the end threw him over the fence and back into the pond...we're just not a pet family!

Trip to Michigan

Well, we survived watching 5 extra kids for two days. ..... survived is the wrong word. It was a pleasure watching the kids, each one was so helpful and happy. Jeff made his famous Bales, and we added a few new flavors. Dutch-Apple, Cinnamon-Sugar, and Blueberry (my favorite). We multiplied the batch by 6 and yet all of them were still gone by lunch!

Individuals that you may not recognize in the following pictures: Peterson Clan, Alice, Brad, Emily, Laura, Katrina, Rachel, James, Hannah and Chrsity.

This is Benjamin's favorite way to drink his bottle in the morning! Go figure.
Ehre was creatively playing with her blanket in the car...up until she fell asleep.

A cute goose family!
Beautiful Barn that we found!
Little Christy and a baby alligator!
..... 10 tries, and this was the best shot of all the kids "sitting" on the bench...see ya Ben!

It appears that this building has a problem with bees!
Getting ready to find a place to have lunch, but first we want to hike around a bit.
Our picnic spot!
What a silly little boy!
We DO NOT encourage this behavior, but lately Ben loves going down the slides all by himself, head first!
Hannah and Ehre creeping closer and closer to the big goose.

Everyone had SO much fun jumping on the trap with Jeff, after school each day they would all head out and wouldn't come back in for atleast an hour.

Sometimes this is just the best place to put Benjamin, he loves the water and he holds still.
Hanna, Ehre's new favorite cousin in the Peterson family. They did everything together!

Happy Birthday to ME !

I've made this pie for Mothers Day, and then I realized that this is deffinitly what I wanted for my Birthday as well! There is no better way to celebrate 1/4 of a century old, than with a delicious Bannanna Cream Pie.



Recipe:

3 Packages Vanilla Pudding

2 Cups Milk

16 oz. Sour Cream

Sliced Bananna's (as many as you want)



2 Baked Pie Shells



Make filling place in cooled pie shells top heavly with whip cream! Chill for 2 hours.

YUMMY!

Garden Update

This is how our garden started out....there was a lot of weeding to do. There were several options on how we would go about this but in the end we decided on old fashioned weed pulling. It only took 2 hours (while keeping the kids out of others gardens) to complete 1/2 of it. We quickly realized that it was going to be extremely difficult to get Benjamin to not destroy the neighboring gardens, so we devised a plan. We made him a kids pen. He lasts for about a 1/2 hour before he starts screaming to get out.
So far we have planted 3 Pumpkin, 3 Yellow Squash, 5 Zucchini, and a row of Chard. I still need to plant the tomatoes and onions.
The plan was to have the garden finished by today, but it pored all last week, and then some more last night, so we are waiting for a dry day so that we can go and finish the project. As you can see we still need to weed the last 3 feet, (tomato section) but what can you do.... it rains all the time here which won't be a problem once we get all the plants in.

Garden Update

Work is exausting!

....this is Jeff 5 minutes after getting home... it must have been a long day at work!

Thank You!

Grandma D and Grandpa Mark, THANK YOU for the surprise package. The kids loved the new outfits and stickers!

Indy Zoo

We decided that after we dropped some friends off at the airport that we would then go to the Zoo. As soon as I saw the 50 yellow school buses I knew that this would be an interesting day. We walked around, but couldn't see any animals. The only animal venturing out was the Bear. We walked around for an hour and then it started sprinkling. I decided then that we should probably have our lunch and then head back home. As soon as we got into the car, the heavens opened up...... all those poor elementary school kids.

Indy Zoo

We decided that after we dropped some friends off at the airport that we would then go to the Zoo. As soon as I saw the 50 yellow school busses I knew that this would be an interesting day. We walked around, but couldn't see any animals. The only animal venturing out was the Bear. We walked around for an hour and then it started sprinkeling. I decided then that we should probibly have our lunch and then head back home. As soon as we got into the car, the heavens opened up...... all those poor elementry school kids.

Nicholas Eli Maas

Nicho was blessed the first Sunday of May. What a beautiful baby! We enjoyed the weekend with the WI Maas Family. Lydia, Marcella's mom will be here until July, and it was fun to see her again. We went to the children's' museum, what a fun place. Enjoy the pics.
Ben stays pretty happy in the car as we travel.
Ehre does well, both love to nap in the car and that's OK.
Passing through Chicago.

Benjamin would get jealous of me holding Nicholas its cute! When ever I held him he had the be there too!
Jeff wasn't able to hold Nicho last time we saw him because he was sick....he's making up for lost time. If you go back in the blogs to last summer you will see a similar picture taken with the same car. Wow the girls are really growing up!
Ehre learned some Celtic dancing at the Museum, she had so much fun taping her feet and spinning....maybe we'll invest in some future dance classes for her.
....... is the cornerstone really the important part? What would happen to the arch if you moved the block right next to it? Would it still stay?

This beautiful blanket was crocheted by a friend in Argentina, its beautiful and the detail is amazing. Ehre and Nicho are buddy's.
There is a beautiful little town, about 30 minutes from Jason. I don't remember the name, but it had some pretty bridges and really fun shops to go into.
The story about the Little Girl and the Wolf, told by Sofia.

"Cool Mom"

Ehre was so cute today, she came up to me and said that I was cool....We've not used this phrase much around her so I'm not sure where she picked it up, but thats ok!

My next project!

Ok I've talked to friends about this and here it is. I think that I"ll make it differently but with the same idea. But I am going to include ribbon ties in the inside to allow me to make a PVC frame so that this "house" can transfer outside during the summer months!

This is such a cute idea. What a great way for kids to play in the house...almost like something you would see the Children's Museum! So I was thinking about making this I"m not quite sure when yet, but I think its cute!

Bagels

Ok they say that bagels are super high in calories, but I don't care. Last week I came home from some activity, I don't remember what it was but I got home late..and the house smelled wonderful! Jeff had made Dutch Apple Bagels. YUMMY ! We had tried these at Einstein Bagels, a few weeks ago and they were great. We stopped by for more but they close at 4 pm...(dumb) so Jeff made them! I was really impressed!

Then things got even better, this morning Jeff let me sleep in....all for a "Mothers Day Weekend" He made the bagels again! He woke up at 6 to start them so that they would be ready by 9. He is so sweet. They turned out great!

All I can say is that I am the luckiest mom in the world, I have great kids, with a wonderful husband. I am so blessed!

A-Z a little about me.......

A-Angels, I have such wonderful friends, they are my earthly angels. They are the ones that drop an email, or a phone call, come to play, say hi at church, and make me feel so special to know them.

B- Benjamin my favorite little boy, brings me so many smiles through out the day.

C- Cats, just to let you all know, we will never have any in this house.

D- Dogs, yeah they're a no too.

E-Education. I am so thankful for the opportunity our family is having right now to further our education. Jeff is learning so much, and its so innovative and cool. I really enjoyed my semester as well.

F- Family, I have the coolest relatives. Both immediate and extended rock. I love spending time with my husband and kids, and I love family reunions. I can't wait till our kids have families of their own and we can organize the first "Jeff Maas Family Reunion" its going to be great. I have about 20 years to plan it.

G- Garden at Purdue, I love this "self sufficient" feeling...now I only hope that something actually grows, other than weeds.

H- Hair, Jeff has asked me to grow out my hair...that means long...well um.. my hair grows terribly slow... If I calculate it right, in 10 years my hair "should" be long.

I- Interesting people, I love getting to know people. I love learning about who they are and what they like to do. There are so many interesting people, that don't look interesting, and once you get to know them its amazing.

J- Jack O'lanterns, one of my favorite seasonal activities. ... mind you this activity must include roasting the seeds, and then later making pumpkin pie.

K- Killer Whales, ok maybe I watched too much "Free Willy" growing up, but these creatures are amazing, not only are they huge but they're cute too!

L- Licorice, a favorite treat of mine, but not the cheap plastic stuff. I love the kind that come in a huge tub....sounds good right now huh?

M- Management, there are so many things to manage in a house life and in our personal lives, thank goodness the Lord is generous and doesn't expect me to be perfect by tomorrow. I enjoy learning to manage what I have. Its a learning process, but hopefully I am moving in the right direction, in becoming a well organized mother.

N- Nap Time, personally my favorite time of the day. The house is quiet I can read a book, sew or clean....well I better find another fav time of the day, Ehre just outgrew naps. :(

O-Oreo's, another absolutely favorite dessert. This is definitely a genetic preference. Thanks dad for passing on such wonderful genes.

P- Primary, what a wonderful calling I have. I get to spend the time with Ehre and I get to teach all the little kiddos about Jesus Christ.

Q- Quality time with Jeff. I love spending time with Jeff. One of my favorite things to do with him, is working on a project. I love the time we spent building our headboard, or working in the garden...its soo much fun.

R-Reading with Jeff, Jeff and I used to read a lot of books together and then......well we got busy, but summer is here and we have some more free time so we have stared reading together again. Bring on the good mystery's and novels!

S- SUMMER I am definitely a summer person, especially in IN. Despite the humidity, it beats the winter/spring rain and blues.

T-Talking, ok this is a no brainer, I like to talk, but I promise I also like to listen.

U- Umbrella, we finally bought a good one. After 2 that couldn't stand up to the wind... I hope this one works well.

V- Volleyball. I wish I still had my athletic body, but to everything there is a time and season right. I do miss playing though. I've seriously contemplated finding a rec group or something, it would be fun just to play around on a court.

W-WORK HARD, my parents taught us to work hard and I am thankful, hard work really does pay off.

X- eXpert advice. I know that free thinking is good, but I love getting advice from my mother and mother in law. Such practical wisdom.

Y-Yellow Dandy=lions, ok I hate this flower, not because its pretty, but the yellow color is just shouting a warning, on how terrible this weed is. IF you get one plant in your garden watch out, in a week you'll have a billion.

Z- ZZZZZZZ I treasure my sleeping time. We have an excellent bed, that is so comfortable. To prove my point, I went to bed last night while Jeff was working, and fell asleep so quickly I never noticed when he himself came in. The next thing I knew, he was kissing me good by as he was leaving for work. Excellent nights sleep!

RF Confrence

Jeff has been gone all day with this conference, he left our house around 6 am...so the kids are beginning to go nuts, and starting to miss him.

I think that its incredible, how children get use to things. They are ready for their dad to come home right now, but they don't understand that he is gone and won't get back till late. I love seeing their dependence on him.... I don't like the crankiness that comes a long with missing him, but I love seeing that they do miss him. I don't want to know what it would be like if kids didn't need their parents...wait that's when they think they are teenagers right?! I love feeling needed by my kids, that they want to spend time with me. I know that Jeff misses them too.

SO the big debate is this, do I keep the kiddo's up till dad comes home...accepting all behavior trauma that may come with sleep deprivation, or do I just put them to bed and let them see him tomorrow...sometime?

These are the BIG questions I deal with daily, hmmmm they require lots of thinking sometimes.

Virtual Garden

This is our garden... everything starts off with a plan.

So far we've

1. Weeded 1/2 of it

2. Installed the kids playpen, built specifically for Ben since he eats the dirt like its chocolate!

3....well that's all we've done, but hopefully we'll follow this plan and have it done by the end of the week!

Virtual Garden

This is our garden... everything starts off with a plan.

So far we've

1. Weeded 1/2 of it

2. Installed the kids playpen, built specifically for Ben since he eats the dirt like its chocolate!

3....well thats all we've done, but hopefully we'll follow this plan and have it done by the end of the week!

Semester Update...WE DID IT ! ! !

WE'RE DONE!!!...and alive! Jeff and I have finished our finals, and this morning they posted the grades. I am beyond happy to report that:

- Jeff pulled off a 4.0 semester, along with more homework than usual, he watch kids twice a week, worked LONG hours in the lab, managed a church calling and a baby on Sundays...he's soooo amazing!

-Ann pulled off a 3.5 semester. Seriously Marriage makes you smarter! Evening classes were a challenge, but I can successfully speak/understand some German, and I have a greater appreciation for culture diversity here within the USA. :)

That's the big news for today, we are quite pleased with ourselves, to do this, as well as maintain our parental responsibilities wasn't easy, but we enjoyed the challenge.... (we won't be doing this again for a long time)

So whats next?

-Jeff, will be attending conferences and working on his research. He won't be taking classes this summer.

-Ann, sadly 43 of her AS credits were rejected by Purdue (they are a little snobby) so instead of redoing her degree she'll hold tight, until sometime in the future she is able to attend full time and finish up. (Seriously though, whats a degree? Time and effort, well I have a 2 year degree, and 3 years experience as a mom...so heck I'm all ready working on a masters right?!)

So there you go no more "homework" till August!

(please excuse all the 1st and 3rd person comments, sorry if it is confusing!)

BIG NEWS!!!

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... our family is growing! Green Thumbs. We've decided to plant a garden this year at Purdue. We have a 12 x 9 plot. and grow as many green things as we can. We are planning on zuchinni, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins and maybe some broccoli. We are really excited. We hope to post pictures, and creat a virual garden for you to enjoy as well. So far we've weeded 1/2 of it...we'll do the rest in the next few days.