Funny Childhood Memory

I had given Julia her bath (she's always especially cute in the tub, pretending to be "Samu"). Next it was the boys turn. I was out of the bathroom helping Julia and they were in the bathroom preparing to get into the tub, when I heard hysterical laughter. Daniel was in the tub and Jay was nearly rolling on the bathroom floor he was laughing so hard. I went in to investigate. Daniel was sitting in the water still wearing his socks! He, through much laughter, explained that he had forgotton to take off his socks before getting into the tub (which prompted a new wave of laughter from Jay). I reached in, peeled off his plastered on black socks, wrung them out and went to put them in the laundry room. The boys were still laughing.
As I walked toward the laundry room with two wet balls of sock in my hand, I remembered once when my sister Mandie and I tried to convince my Mom to let us wear our socks in the tub. (According to Mandie, it was just my idea.) For whatever reason, I thought it would be really fun...I have no idea why... :)

PS For the decency of my children this post will remain without an accompaning picture.

Daniel

Look at this cute smile. It's so infectious. I can't help but smile when he does. Now that Daniel is four I've noticed some changes.
He looks older. His face has thinned out and lost it's baby chub. I looked at a picture of him from just 6 months ago and was surprised by the drastic change in such a short amount of time.
He has also lost some of his "anything goes," easy-going personality. It is now possible to make Daniel mad. As much as this can be a pain (more fighting between the boys), in some ways I'm glad. I don't want him to be spineless and easy to walk over as he gets bigger.
One thing that hasn't changed: he is still the funny one. He has a good sense of humor and often makes us laugh with his commentary, songs, or antics. He is our comedian.

My Parents

My parents came to visit this past weekend. It was so nice to have them here, even though it was short. I wish we didn't live so far apart...
I thought this picture of them turned out nicely.

I love you, Mom and Dad.

Easter Sunday

My attempt at taking a picture of them Easter morning...this is the best of the pictures I took. It's nearly impossible to get everybody cooperating at the same moment! haha



On the subject of Easter, I was so irritated when watching the news this morning and hearing the interviews of people, standing outside churches and declaring how Easter is a nice time for family to get together and eat good food. Will Easter become as pagan as Christmas has?

Happy 6th Birthday, Jay!

Saturday was Jay's sixth birthday. I tried to forbid him from turning six, but I failed.

Jay...
favorite food: soup
favorite color: orange
favorite subject: reading
favorite movie: Cars
favorite toy: build-a-car (a toy truck with magnetic pieces) and Steve (a Webkinz dog)
favorite thing to do: ride his bike and play on the computer
wants to be when he grows up: a pastor

Here are a few pictures of him...

(the build-a-car)

(Steve)

Oh, Julia

We have four kids. All of them are quite different from each other.
This is the first time we've EVER had one write on a wall.
Culprit?
Julia Ruth Stange. Yes, cute little, sweet little, everybody loves, Julia.
She did it the other night while we had people here. I didn't know she had done it until much later. I was sitting at the desk, and Johnny came in. He looked past me with a horrified look. I hesitantly turned around, and declared, "JULIA RUTH!" I recognized her "drawing style." Well, I hoped that it would easily come off with soap and water...I was wrong. I pulled out the Magic Eraser. It came off, but not easily and not without removing some paint along with the purple marker.
Now, if I had caught her in the act, or shortly thereafter, she would have been spanked. But, when I asked her the next morning if she had written on the wall, she either didn't remember or is already capable of crafting a lie. Either way, she denied it. So, I didn't spank her because I didn't want it to be an unconnectable spanking in her mind. Instead, I gave her a stern talking to concerning where she can and cannot draw.

For all of her rascally-ness and strong-willed personality, she is also really cute and says funny things...

Last night while my husband and I were enjoying a movie, we heard the sound of kid steps coming down the stairs. [Dad, Julia, Mom]
"Who's out in the kitchen?"
"Ju-ee-ah"
"Come out in the living room."
Julia emerges from the darkness wearing only her diaper.
"My happy-nappy time is all done."
"Julia, where are your jammies?"
"I toot them off while I was seeping in my bed."
"Why?"
"Betuz I wanted to be NATED!"
"Julia, you need to wear your clothes. You'll be cold without your jammies."
"Otay."

After letting her sit with us and watch the movie for a few minutes (which she talked the whole time), we told her it was time for her to go to bed and get some sleep. I took her upstairs and put her clothes back on and tucked her in.

About ten minutes later, we heard kid steps again.
"Julia, are you in the kitchen?"
"No."
"Where are you?"
"Up stairs." (or on the stairs to be more exact)
"You need to get back in your bed or you're going to be in trouble."
"Otay, I yisten!"
Then we heard thump....thump...thump....thump thump thump.....as she first climbed up the stairs, then started off walking down the hall and then began to run. It must take her a hundred steps to make it down the hall. We sat, movie paused, and listened and laughed at the cuteness of our little two year old girl.

Here she is this morning, watching a cartoon, apparently tuckered out from last night's mid-night adventures.
Now, normally, I tell her to take her thumb OUT of her mouth, but I let it go for that brief moment...she just looked too cute.

A Hobby or An Obsession?

The time has come to post something not related to our trip to Florida...so sad...

I love to decorate cakes...


People often ask me if it bothers me that I spend so much time making the cake only for people to cut it up and eat it.


Or, if I have a hard time cutting the cakes,


and somehow, the answer is, No.


I do not mind that people are going to, in essence, destroy my work. I don't even care if people rave over what I've made. I get satisfaction purely out of the accomplishment of a cake that looks how I wanted it to. I'm not certain whether my cake-making is just a hobby, or is bordering on obsession...


Here are three cakes that I have made within the last week.

Shamu the Orca Whale for our son, Jay's sixth birthday party... An Apple for our daughter, Hannah's student teacher's last day...

A wedding style cake for my sister-in-law, Tami's bridal shower...

My sister and I both love to decorate cakes. You can see all of the cakes we've made by visiting http://www.twosisterscakes.blogspot.com/

Florida Vacation, Part 6: A Few Remaining Pictures

A family picture in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, Celebration, Florida...

Cute kids...
Silly kids...
Annual picture in front of Dillard's (a Stange family tradition)...

and...

Can't wait for next year...

Florida Vacation, Part 5: Hannah

Florida memories according to Hannah...

I was glad when we got to Regal Palms where our vacation home was.

I enjoyed that music.

I like standing with Cinderella. That was fun!

When I barked to the Sea Lion, he barked back. That was funny.

That was extremely fun. I was playing in the water fountain on Celebration Avenue.

I enjoyed walking up in the Swiss Family Treehouse.

I was aiming at the "z's" on the Buzz Lightyear ride.

I loved the slide. It was extremely fun!

Florida Vacation, Part 4: Jay

Florida memories according to Jay...

Isn't this picture funny?

I was having fun playing in the fountain, but I didn't get that wet. But I stuck my head in at the end and got it wet. I wanted my hair to be all spikey, so that's what I did.

I had fun playing pinball. Dad was helping us by teaching us how to play pinball.

We had fun at Tom Sawyer's Island at Disney World. We ran around all over the place. It was fun.

Daniel and I liked having our picture taken with Buzz Lightyear.

We are looking at a Sea Dragon made out of Legos. I liked it.

I had fun going down the slide. Going to the pool in Florida was very fun.

On the Buzz Lightyear ride we got to shoot at things. It was fun. At one point we had to shoot the "z's" Anyway, I didn't get that many...

This is a cool action shot of me jumping off side of the pool.

Florida Vacation, Part 3: Daniel

Florida memories according to Daniel...

We were at the fountain, and we were waiting till it comed up, and it sprayed us! It was so fun. I couldn't believe it!

I was playing pinball. Dad put quarters in and told us who's turn it was. I liked playing pinball. Once when the ball shooted out and I forgot to do the flippers then the ball went back down through the flippers.

This is the Shamu Express. It was really fun. It went really fast. I loved it! I was tall enough for that ride. It was my favorite.

(he really did love this ride...it was his first roller coaster experience. all he wanted to do is ride again and again.)

Jay and I are being with Buzz Lightyear.

I'm going down the waterslide with Dad. I asked Dad if I could go down the waterslide on his lap and he let me. It was so fun! I loved it!

This is me and my green tube.

I'm jumping into Dad's hands. I look like Superman in this picture!

Florida Vacation, Part 2: Julia

Florida Memories according to Julia...

"I yike Piddet's House. It's my size."

(Julia's favorite ride was It's A Small World. She kept pointing to all the kids and calling them babies. The whole time she would gasp and laugh and point to everything.)

"I'm sitting on Daddy's soulder! On his head! I yike that! I'm having fun!"

"I'm kissing Daddy, Mom!"

"I'm sitting in Minnie's House! I yike her house."

"I'm sitting in the storrer eating my yunch. It's a sandwich. It was mummy."

"I'm in da pool. I'm wearing my baying suit. And I spwash like a dolphin, yike Samu."

"My baying suit is purple! I yike sitting in the water."

"I'm riding with Daddy on the yazy river."

Julia's thoughts on Florida:

"I yiked Fworida."

"I'm stared [scared] of Jack Sparrow. He's pretendered to be a pie-wut (pirate)."

"I yike Mickey Mouse. He's nice. He's not stary [scary]."

"I yike Samu. He spwashes."

"I yike Cinnewewa's Castle. It's pwetty."