May '10 visit to TX

My early morning coffee with the kids [the boys get milk with a little chocolate and vanilla syrups and Ali gets milk]. Noni gets BLACK coffee!!

Took a late morning trip to the park for a picnic lunch, feeding the ducks and the play ground. It was a gorgeous day.

Dad explaining nature and the boys listening intently.

Feeding the ducks stale bread. The water was a little far away for the kids to toss the bread into. But if they got closer, they would sink into the mud. Luckily, the ducks would come ashore and get the bread.

The playground was full of kids and parents. Great equipment that just invited the parents to get involved and play too. Mark is helping Alex, first, to hang and just slide across the bar. Tony patiently waiting his turn [cutie pie].

Ali and momma walking to the playground. She's getting so big and tries so hard to keep up with her brothers. Still holding onto that stale bread!

Momma and Ali sliding with dad waiting to help if needed : }

It takes both parents to keep an eye on all 3 kids. Check it out....all 3 are each going a different direction. Whew!!

Amy all dressed up and working at Lulu's Bow-tique. She really is very creative! : }

Standing outside Alex's school just before we walked him in.

Tony LOVES Alex's school room. Runs right in and makes himself at home. He'll do great here in the Fall.

When Alex arrives at school, he hangs his things up in his cubby, then has to sit and keep himself busy until all the kids arrive.

Alex and Miss Christina, his teacher.

Aliana watching Little Einstien. She loves the characters, music and little kids on it. I remember ALL the g-kids loved these DVD's.

Amy didn't have an apron for Ali to wear while hand painting in the yard. So she thought of using this bread bag and it worked! Ali is so tiny, she's precious!

Washing hands by the hose after finished painting the little white table. Even washing hands turns into a game....fun!!

Helping Tony write his name on the table under his hand prints. What a great idea! Look at Ali trying to play on the teeter-totter by herself : }

Alex pressing his painted hand onto the table. What great memories for the kids and mom [and me].

It was fun to watch the kids as Amy heavily painted their hands. It was like they were thinking, "Mom are you sure you know what you're doing?" Tony was very still and just watched.

Look how hard they are concentrating [check out Tony and that tongue] : }

All done and the proud artists are ready to display their handy work. Great job, boys! : }

Here's Amy working at Lulu's Boutique in between doing laundry, vacuuming, keeping track of the kids, holding Aliana, thinking about what to cook for dinner that night, waiting on the dishwasher to finish so she could empty it.....a great multi-tasker! And she kept it all together and had LOADS of energy and patience. A ture Proverbs 31 woman, really! : }

Another project - Chocolate covered frozen strawberries and cherries. Ummmmmm : }

And the end product!

The kids picnicing on the patio and trying to say prayers before eating. Notice Ali not wanting the boys to hold her hands : }

The Deno Den

I asked the boys to stand on the yellow line and follow it. They looked at me, then looked down the road, then looked back at me and never said a word. HAHAHAHa Follow the yellow brick road, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road [remember.....Wizard of Oz song] : }

We walked all the way to the top of the dam and son-of-a-gun the gates were locked. We were so diappointed.

Little Aliana walking down that long lonesome highway.... NOT : }

Noni and her precious grand-kids! <3

Learning to Golf

Rob is trying to teach Susan the basic ABC's of golfing but his competiveness got the best of him. As you can tell by Susan's stance, she's probably thinking, "You've got to be kidding. Of course you won whatever it is you think you won. I'm just learning!" Learning to golf with my "treasured" golfballs that I place strategically on the patio in a very special basket used as a converstaion peice : } I collect these balls as they come accidently into our backyard. So far I have about 2 dozen collected in the past 5 years. Not too shabby. Anyway, here's Susan swinging with her instructor standing close by observing and giving tips of this manuever.

SAGE Student Bistro 4/10

We went to the Fort Omaha Community College Culinary Arts Student Bistro "SAGE" last evening with some friends. The senior students run this bistro totally [serving, cleaning, cooking and creating the menu]. We were allowed to ask any question we wanted to and so "I" did : } After dinner we got to take a tour of the kitchen labs and see where the kids learn and cook. They even learn how to cut up pigs, chickens, cows, etc. in a special room. The room behind the sink that is glassed in is the "Chocolate Room". It has to be at a certain temperature and then supposedly no air bubbles form in the chocolate. Interesting! It's so clean!


This is Sarah Slattery the Student Chef De Cuisine for the week. She created our entire menu and then specializes in what they call the "Student Prix Fixe Menu". So each week a student in the fine dining class presents a 3 course menu rooted in the fundamental techniques of the classical kitchen. I have 2 pics below showing her talent. This is her family that came to taste and tour too.

These are random pics of the students working in the different glassed in kitchens while we walked and observed in the hallway.

The yellow cords hanging from the ceiling are just eletrical outlets for each learning station. I noted that they had at least 2 dozen Kitchenaide mixers on one shelf!!

This is our waiter, Brandon. He did very well serving us and explaining the menu. He also gave us the tour. He graduates this December with his AD in Culinary Art and plans to tour Europe for a while tasting and learning about the different foods, then coming back to Omaha and opening up his own restraunt specializing in foods grown locally.

OK, this is from the Prix Fixe menu by Sarah. She made a Cajon Cobb Salad first; then came the Shellfish Cake made of crayfish, shrimp and crab; below is the Bacon Studded Beef Sirlon in stewed creole vegetables, andouille boulette, and peppercorn sauce; and then for dessert she made Beignets with Butterscotch Pastry Cream and Banana Brulee'. It was awesome, fantastic, wonderful.....and any other word that means "awesome" : }

Dad and I ordered the Seared Red Snapper below with green lentils, fennel, green pea puree' and caper beurre noisette. I can't even pronounce it all that but it was sure good.

These are our very good friends, Dr. Tom Tonniges and his wife, Jane who is also a nurse. We have "alot" in common and really enjoy their company.

Spring in Omaha 4/10

We are so excited to be officially in Spring up here in Omaha. NO MORE SNOW!! This is our purple plum tree covered in tiny pink flowers that will turn into beautiful purple leaves. I had to buy this pot of flowers at HyVee last weekend just to spring up the house. When they are all dried up, I plan to save the bulbs and plant them outside in front of some large rocks near the driveway.

And these are the lovely orange/yellow tulips that Will loved so much. He was helping me plant other flowers last Spring and before I knew it, he pulled one of these and handed it to me with this huge smile on his precious face. All I could do was say, "For me Willam, thank you so much!" : }

Alexandria, VA 3/10

I toured this mansion, the Carlyle House, in Alexandria, VA built in 1783. I love this type of thing! It was the first brick/stone home built in VA. Mr. Carlyle was from Scotland and he missed home so he built his house like those he remembered. All homes in VA were cabins. So you can imagine what his neighbors must have thought.

The back of the Carlyle mansion. He wanted his home to be as beautiful on the backside as it was in front because people visited the home coming from the Potomac River in back and from the town in front.

I imagine the gardens are simply beautiful in spring and summer.

I walked from our hotel straight down Kings St. to the Potomac River [~3miles]. Bands were playing, magic shows going on, balloon art, lots of people walking their dogs, and just sitting on benches eating ice cream looking out at the river. Luckily it was a gorgeous day.

The trolley's go up and down Kings St. all day long and I could just jump on and off as I wanted.

Looking up Kings St. with my back to the river.

Here is dad talking with the photographer in the lobby of the AAO building right after he had given his candidacy speech. The physician on the right with his back to dad and in the dark suit is dad's competitor for Presidency.

The is the official American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgeons [AAO-HNS] building. Our hotel was a 1 minute walk away. This is Kings St. right near the Trolley station, the Metro and the Train Station....very convenient for the docs to get to and from the airport.

Trip to TX 3/10

OK, this is the family bd party for Aliana. She's sitting on the stool that Papa & I got her. Checking out the bd stool!
Alex & Tony had as much fun, if not more, helping Ali open the presents and playing with them.
Here's the g-ma's [Noni & Grammy] with our precious g-kids.
Several bd pics:

Here's the 2nd cake Amy made in 1 week. Look at thew details!

I had to include this pic. Ali and Momma were going to a Tutu's & Tea party. Note the purple patent shoes : } The decorations in the porch pots were for Ali's bd party the next day.

Grammy & Noni with the bd girl.

Miss Lulu wet through her special bd onsie and it had to be hand washed and was now drying. So...she was walking around like this and as cute as could be. The birthday present table! Note the birthday tree Amy created. It can be decorated for whatever occasion she desires to use it. Very creative! The boxes on the right side above the book are the treats for Ali's girlfriends to take home after the party.....too cute!

Amy worked so hard on this cake. It was several cupcakes put together then iced with tiny stars. The kids loved them and the amount of sugar could be controlled.

Ali's Dedication at Christ Fellowship Church. I must say, "I think" Lulu was the prettiest : } It was so funny when looking back on the pictures. All 3 daddies had the same shirt on [black with white pin stripes]....must be the dedication attire : }

Ali was dressed all in white eyelet. Here she is flirting with 3 grandma-type ladies sitting in the row behind us. She was sooooo cute!

Tutu Birthday Party video. The boys kept blowing the candle out before Ali had a chance to pucker up. Eventually she did blow it out : }