Pics!

Eva's on the move! After 2 months of trying to crawl, she got it down, and if that wasn't enough, just a couple days into her fluid floor movement she decided she wants to go up the stairs, and began pulling herself up to a stand at the chair, couch, stepstool, stair, etc.! We're thinking she'll be walking by 9 months, though I really hope not, she doesn't have to grow up that fast. I am SOOO proud of her, though! Adventurous and ambitious! And she is more self-occupied as she explores, a plus for me :)

Eva's sweet bottom! Oh, love baby bottom!
Liam's camel! Tacos: so delicious! Lentil tacos! W/raw sunflower seed/pine nut cream, cilantro, tomatoes, green onion, I was missing my avacado. So good, no kidding, a new fav here. Cook lentils, fry on skillet w/taco seasoning.


What a michilin! In the yard, she was going straight for the dirt. She's being trained otherwise!

what a doll... LOVE my baby!


I enjoy tulip season! Made it out to the field and my battery died, but here's what I got :)

Liam weeding

Me & the kids (at Larabee). Side note: this weekend we tried to go hiking by Mt Baker, hit snow 6 miles short of the trailhead! Fun anyway! Our guidebook said best hiked July through Oct. Ooops! ***See these dice? Our game of thousand aces, JP rolled this! It was so sacred he won. Below: the pic of me and the kids, I liked the composition of it, taken by JP.



JP teaching kids rock climbing/bouldering. Yes, even Adelle! She gets quite adventurous! Eva and rocks... enough said.

Fam at Larabee State Park, Bellingham. Beautiful! Love it.
Helped Liam get over squimishness to worms :)


What a handsome man! Liam through the air...


Adelle is such a doll. Liam had to buy her new flowers after ripping up her others. Ah, brothers.


Eva. What a blessing. She's amazing.

Kids dancing when trying on clothes for Liz & Mitch's wedding, Liam knows he's hot stuff!

Kids' gluing beans to paper, drawing on their tablets


Yummy salad, Liam making himself a snack.
Who can pass up fresh juice? Liam makes it for us, he does a great job.
Adelle & Eva: I love to dress them up matching :) I'm not usually a "cutsie" kinda person, either, it's surprised me.



Fam at Cabella's in front of the elephant,
A fav shot of Adelle, JP stuck the fish on her head w/some double sided tape.
The center of Cabella's: so fun!



Cabella's: Gun Library, shooting range fun for everyone!

Red envelope thoughts

I have been wondering about this since I first heard about it a month or two ago.
What is the expected result of inundating the president with anti abortion mail? Now I will not say that it will not effect his heart. However, we are talking about a man who does not care for human life as it is. One does not have to please the majority of the people they serve, only those special interest groups that pay the nice big paycheck, or effect one's ideology.

What statement would it make if the president received one or more dollars from millions of pro life citizens? Maybe then a stir would be caused.

But as I am thinking about making statements that actually make a difference, I have this thought. How can we as evangelical believers curse and rail against the murder of millions of existing lives, while we cut off the possibility of that life even coming to be? If we truly want to effect how this nation feels and believes about life, why are we not having more children, or adopting more children? There is no more powerful way to influence the way a person thinks, than to pour genuine love and care into their life.

How are we making any different statement than those pushing abortion when we go and get a vasectomy, or have "the tubes tied"? What are the statements we make and the jokes we tell concerning our children or how many children we have? Are these words and actions of love and value for life?

I do not judge or condemn any individual for these things, there are many culture and family influences on how we think and I do not know the details of your situation. What I do believe, is that each and every one of us needs to consider how we think, live our lives, and what values are truly demonstrated in the choices we make.

Jean Paul Holcomb

Great Wolf Lodge

I tried to put the pics in order but I'd have to choose them backwards to do that!
Here's our trip! Will post more updated pics soon.

Oh, I made our food on this trip. Found a new fav recipe (in fact it's in the crockpot right now!)
Crockpot Lasagna!
Layer 1# hamburger, cheese mixture (16oz cottage cheese, 2 cups mozz, 2 tsp itaian seasoning), 1 1/2 jars tomato sauce, 8 lasagna noodles (uncooked!) Tres Yum! I never made lasagna for my husby before (well, once, before kids), and now I can anytime I want!





Love the 84 degrees! Makes it easy and worth getting wet. Loved it. Lifeguards everywhere, too, and they were attentive and doing a great job.

A 1000 gal bucket (I think) fills and pours like every 3 minutes, that's that big splash in the back. Slide in the kiddie area. Background playground leads to some waterslides. There's so much to do and look at in these areas! Kiddie area is great, goes from inches to a couple feet. Lifevests available for kids, too. Lots of buttons to push and ways to get other people wet in the area!

Liam's so good w/Eva. Eva in her swimsuit, oh, she's edible!




Eva's so cute! Fam eating waffles at the table. The decor of the lobby, really neat. Very lodge-y and amusing, so much to look at! Animals move and talk, too, occasionally.

Snowing outside...

My kitchen: crockpot & toaster oven, yes, fridge included! It was so nice to have our own food in the comfort of our own room. Yes, it took planning and preparing, but it's worth it, esp. for the monetary savings! Newer hotel, nice, clean countertops & sink.


Liam jumping onto the bed, my crockpot brownies (too much/wet of mix, still yummy !)
Adelle nursing her baby & Liam shooting his stick w/his bow


Premade cookie dough! They do the toppings. A good 15 min. activity!
Weather on the way to the Great Wolf Lodge... perfect timing!

Aren't they adorable?



JP... there's one in every family


Bear Bread!


My tree climber. Eva's first taste of food (she's only 4 1/2 months, but she watches us intently)


Best French Toast in the world! Whipped cream w/sour cream, almond, and powdered sugar

Adelle and I do nails and make up together. What a girl, I LOVE her!
Eva's hanging out w/Dad while he's programming a home security panel for his next install.

Something interesting when produce shopping:
Here’s what you should look for:

• A four-digit number means the produce is conventionally grown
• A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic
• A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's Genetically Modified


I now have a Pampered Chef website: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/courtneyholcomb
You can have a catalog show on it, people can order under your host name. Also wedding registry! I will, when I plan a class or open house or something, post that on there, too.

I'll write more interesting and personal stuff later, gonna go love on my kids!
Courtney

Amazing Chocolate Mousse

This was a yummy accident! I opened a can of coconut milk for some soup, and the top 2/3 was cream! So I thought FROSTING! Whipped it w/ 1/3 cup cocoa powder and agave to taste, and it became delicious chocolate coconut MOUSSE! I'm going to go get like 10 cans of coconut milk and sit them on my shelf for awhile :)

So another fave coconut milk recipe is boil ramen noodles (sans the packet, the MSG is terrible for you, use a different boullion instead), add sweet peppers and 1/4 to 1/3 can coconut milk per package of noodles. My kids love this, and it's so easy! Add peas for more nutritional benefit.

Something fun

This is circulating Facebook, 25 random facts, kind of fun!

1. I am a tea freak, go through phases of flavors, glad that tea is relatively inexpensive!
2. I have never dyed my hair. Permed it once in 5th grade, and no, you can't see pictures :)
3. I'd love to decorate my walls but don't know how. This is a rental, kind of takes extra creativity.
4. I'm terrible at the upkeep of my carpet. I need hardwood.
5. I recently got a food processor, and I don't know where it's been all my life!
6. A french guy tried to kiss me in France. I ducked.
7. In labor and delivery w/Eva she nearly fell on the floor. Oops, it's difficult to say something during a pushing contraction!
8. Jen, I love going to the zoo, too! Love to meet you there sometime! And for anyone else, I can get you in 1/2 price!
9. I love to bake. Muffins, bread. I guess I esp. love putting a healthier spin on recipes and finding recipes that jive w/what I agree w/nutritionally.
10. I took tap ballet and jazz for six years as a child.
11. Played the oboe, I was bad. Someone should have told me.
12. I love the colors red and green. I dislike yellow.
13. The best smoothies have spinach in them, and with strawberries they look pretty gross.
14. Taught myself how to can food two summers ago, very proud of myself! This year it was applesauce.
15. Someday I'd like to live on a chunk of land in the mountains. I love the majesty of being surrounded by mountains and dense forest, less people, smaller towns, slower life.
16. On my land I'll have a garden and some animals, and my kids will be old enough to pull their share!
17. JP and I recently quit going to church. Yes, we're still "saved" and loving it!
18. I have a weakness for oreos. Maybe that's why this post pardom pooch hasn't receded as quickly as the other ones...
19. I love soup. Any kind. And salad w/dark greens, olive oil, and soy sauce!
20. Didn't watch Anne of Green Gables until recently, then read the books, funny, and I'd already been to Prince Edward Island!
21. I made us buckwheat pillows, the best pillows we've ever had!
22. I cloth diaper my kiddos and save mucho $$$
23. Breakfast is oatmeal, I like the instant ease, and JP likes the inexpensiveness! We top w/raisins or blueberries!
24. Liam rode his bike w/two wheels yesterday, wow! (okay, I cheated, it's about my son.) He did awesome, then he crashed and has the prize on his face for the next week. JP got the crash on video, but it's heart wrenching because he screams at the end.
25. I usually beat my husby at games (I have noticed we don't play as many together anymore...)