Q & A

Moms, do your kids ask you 743 questions a day? Mine do! Sometimes it's hilarious; sometimes it's overwhelming, sometimes I don't know the answers. I love getting little glimpses into their heart and mind. So many times their questions are great opportunities for me to share the Gospel with them, to teach them more about the Jesus I love, to share Scripture to guide and shape their thoughts. And daily, when I feel completely inadequate for the task of molding these little precious souls, I pray!!! 

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

And if you don't have kids of your own or they can't talk yet, here are some questions I got TODAY to help get you prepared:

“Can you buy me a boat? Or should I tell Spiderman to buy me one?”

“Does “gay” mean a boy likes another boy?

“Is Lady Gaga Drunk?”

“Are people allowed to be mean to orphans in America?’

“Do you like hearing me sing?’

“Do you know how tall the shortest NBA players are?’

“Why do I have more freckles?”


"Can plants grow on Mars? Why not?"

And if you have great answers, please tell me!!!!!

Trader Joe's Thursday

Oops, has it really been almost a YEAR since I've blogged? If you've ever had 4 kids and tried to keep your house clean and 6 people's laundry done and make new friends in a new town and help your hubby plant a church and have 3 kids who play different sports and need help with homework and try to throw a party every month or so...well, then you know it's busy! ;) And I think I've had a lot going on this year that I didn't feel like sharing. Facebook is quicker and easier and no one has to know my heart there. Or see any unflattering pictures unless people tag you in them. Why, people, why?


But I love reading Blogs and liked writing mine too. So, I thought I could ease back into with a TJ's post. Ha!


Ok, do you have friend's coming over to watch the game or the fight or The Voice (who else LOVES that show?) then please make this. SO delicious. Serve it with a margarita and let the good times roll! P.S. There is really nothing easier than this delicious appetizer and if I could, I'd eat some right now. 


TJ's Mango Salsa/Cream Cheese Dip


Jar of Mango Salsa
1 block of cream cheese
1 bag of tortilla chips.
~ Get out a cute baking dish. Slice the cream cheese in half lengthwise and place in the dish. Pour entire salsa jar on top. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cheese is hot and soft. Serve immediately with the chips. And Margaritas. Happy Summer! :)


Ok, I'll be back soon. And maybe even some pictures. 'Cuz who doesn't like a blog with pictures?!?!? 

Lucas' 3rd Birthday

Wow-it's been a crazy summer and I haven't blogged since Caleb's birthday BUT it's time for another! Another Winkler birthday, that is. My precious 3rd son is celebrating his 3rd birthday today!

Lucas is a ball of sunshine! Knox told me that he feels so sorry for everyone else because they don't have a Lucas!  He's easy going and smiles at everyone and everything. He is always cracking us up, sometimes on purpose but mostly because he's so cute and funny without even trying. And he gets SO excited about anything.
And at least once a day he comes up to me, hugs me and says, "I love you so much!" or "I'm so glad you're here!". He's stolen my heart and will steal yours too!

Today we'll celebrate with brownies, presents, and Toy Story 3! Saturday is his big boy Power Ranger Party that he's been waiting months for. (He's had to patiently go to all three of his siblings birthday parties and he's so excited for HIS party!). I'm excited too. His first two parties were mellow and thrown together since it seemed to come during a hectic time. So this year, I'm going all out and bought out the Power Rangers section of Party City! The fact that it was all on clearance helped iimmensely! Ha!

Last year, when he turned two, we had just moved to California so we had a little Elmo pool party at my parent's house. He loved Elmo and was ecstatic to see all his Sesame Street friends on the cake!

At his first birthday, I had just found out I was pregnant with Ava and was the sickest I've ever been during a pregnancy! Plus, that week was a record heat wave and was about 100 degrees! So we had his party at a splash park in Bellevue, invited all his little friends and played in the water and ate Costco cake. No theme or decorations but lots of love for the birthday boy.

And on his actual birthday, I fell in love. I was so happy to see him and kiss his cheeks! Jesse and I always say that his baby stage was our favorite since we got to share in the joy with his two brothers who were IN LOVE with their new baby brother and had been waiting for him for months! (literally!!)

When he was dedicated, we prayed this scripture over him and still pray it today:
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be a man of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."
~1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Happy birthday Lucas Arthur! Our little L.A.W.!!

Caleb's 7th Birthday!

Yesterday was Caleb's birthday. He's seven now. Today was his seven year check-up and the doctor asked about his siblings. After hearing their ages, she remarked, "Ah! A middle child! Good and bad, huh?"
I think it's hard to be the middle brother. Not the oldest, not the baby. (I always tell him that he is so blessed since he is the ONLY one in the family that has a big brother and a little brother! But sometimes I think he wishes he was either of those!)
But truly there are SO many special things about my Caleb and I hope he knows how precious and loved and cherished he is in this family!
Caleb is a joy. Always has been. He was a handsome baby and people used to stop me to tell me how cute he was! He had a sparkling little personality, even as a baby. Knox was more of a daddy's boy and Caleb became more of a mommy's boy in some ways. It was really sweet. While he was all boy and loved to roughhouse, he would ALWAYS pick me for prayers (at night, when we all pray with the kids before bed, someone starts and then whoever prays picks the next person to pray) and if I didn't pick him, he acted like his heart would break. He would always hold my hand and still does. He loved to cuddle and be hugged and tickled and rubbed. He was a charmer and manipulative but rarely got into trouble because he liked to please. Still does. He's smart and pretty much learned to read without much effort. Everything comes pretty easy to him but he's very sensitive about any failures. And he loves being the center of attention!

He had to share his birthday with Father's Day this year and he was NOT happy about it. We tried to make it special for him too but he will have another celebration anyway. This Saturday we will celebrate with a Pirate Party. I bought tons of pirate stuff including swords, eye patches, pirate head bandanna thingies, skull candies, treasure maps and a treasure chest pinata filled with toy gold coins, candy, skull bouncing balls and little trinkets. Plus a customized vinyl door banner that reads: "Ahoy! Beware of Pirate Caleb!" and a skull and crossbones on it! Caleb and his brothers and friends will each receive a treasure map and Jesse will take them on a treasure hunt with some stops on the way. One stop will lead to a chest full of Pirate Booty and drinks, another will lead them to their swords, another will lead them to a chest full of water balloons for a cannon ball fight and the last spot will be the buried treasure (a.k.a. the pinata!). The menu is simple since it's an afternoon party-root beer floats and cupcakes and candy! Then a sleep over with his cousins and pizza and a showing of Pirates of the Caribbean!
I love to celebrate all my precious kids on their birthday. It's their day and they look forward to it every year! Especially Caleb who loves to have a day to shine and not be in his big brother's shadow!! He's looking forward to a "cool and awesome" party so I hope we deliver. Hey, he's only seven once!!! These seven years have flown by and I'm guessing in seven more, he'll have NO interest in me throwing him a little party with skull gummy candy and pirate cups so I'm going to make the most out of these birthdays while I can  and pray that the memories of these parties will fill Caleb's heart with the knowledge that he is loved and special and important to us! Even though he's a "dreaded" middle child! ;)

The Oil Spill

So. I woke up at 5:30am to snoring and crying and I'm not sure which was loudest. That's not that big of a deal except that I didn't go to bed until after midnight. AND when I ran downstairs to make crying baby a bottle I stepped in something slimy. Shocked, I realized it was a puddle of olive oil. Then it all came back to me. The night before, right as we were rushing out the door to see the Lakers game and BBQ at a friend's house, I grabbed a box of crackers and accidentally knocked the olive oil off the shelf. The bottle broke and oil gushed out under the pantry. But we were in a rush and I was wearing a white skirt so Jesse easily convinced me to leave it for the evening when we got back. But the evening became night and we didn't get back until after 11pm. I'm sure you can see where this is heading but, yes. I forgot about the oil spill.
So, I'm standing in a puddle of oil at 5:30ish am and finally notice that the oil is now EVERYWHERE. The once semi-contained puddle under the pantry had traveled via the tile grout and was ALL over my kitchen. And the little river of olive oil had also carried little flecks of glass with it. 
Ava screamed bloody murder when I plopped her into her highchair so I screamed bloody murder for Jesse to come help me! Who, by the way, was asked late yesterday evening to cover the pulpit of a friend who had gotten ill so he stayed up well past midnight preparing a sermon!
20 minutes, 1 roll of paper towels, 2 kitchen towels, 2 thorough sweepings and a good mopping and the oil/glass mess was done.
That should have clued me into what kind of morning I would have...Let me just sum it up: fussy baby, cranky toddler, staying home from church to care for the before mentioned, accidental poop smearings, fat lip, bloody finger catastrophe, fighting neighbor kids under the window of FINALLY asleep fussy baby and realizing I have to go shopping at Costco before a major BBQ day. 

Moral of the story=oil spills are always bad.

Trader Joe's Thursdays. Ummm...Friday...

Ok, life is crazy busy and I have so many other things going on that I haven't blogged in awhile-even missing my TJ's blogs. But I wanted to share this super easy, yummy thing I made this week while my carnivorous hubby was away:
Veggie Stir-Fry w/ Veggie Egg Rolls
(everything is from TJ's)
pack of pre-cut Stir Fry veggies*
bag of frozen veggie fried rice, thawed
pack of veggie egg rolls
Sweet Chili Sauce
soy sauce
olive oil
One Omega-3 egg, beaten
~Bake egg rolls according to package. Heat some olive oil, saute the veggies in it. Pour in a dash or two of soy sauce. Cook until done. Put to the side. Put a little olive oil in a pan, saute the rice. When almost done, push all the rice to the outer edges and pour in the egg to scramble. Once scrambled, mix the rice in. Pour in a dash of soy sauce. Egg rolls should be done. Cut in half because they are sooooo hot and will burn little mouths if they don't cool down first.
Put some rice and veggies and an egg roll on a plate with some sweet chili sauce. Or mix the rice and veggies with a dash of sweet chili sauce in it. It's up to you.

My big boys had seconds and thirds of this! It was so easy, healthy and tasty.

*Or make your own with onions, bell peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.

10 birthdays

Knox is 10 today. A decade old-so amazing. He's such a gift to us. He truly makes this family happier, fuller...just better! He is a fabulous son, big brother and is daily becoming a fabulous man. Seeing his heart for God is one of the greatest joys in my life. Thinking about how to honor him on his birthday made me think of all his past birthdays. And I thought it would be fun to remember them...

1st= I made a huge 4-tiered star cake and frosted each layer a different color. everything was bright and cheerful and the party was held at a friend's lake house since we lived in an apartment and too many people wanted to come celebrate Knox's birthday! Knox ate the top star and LOVED the cake! He also got a cool rocking airplane from Kristi and her mom that he was obsessed with.

2nd= A football party! Knox loved football and was so excited to see the football cake I made. My mom flew up to help and bought every kid at the party a little football shaped cup with matching straw-big hit! Jesse borrowed an Elmo suit from a customer and my cousin wore it to surprise Knox and the kids. Scared Knox to death!! He hated it!

3rd= Knox saw a Kawasaki kid motorcycle at the store and asked for it for his birthday. We told him yes and he patiently told us that he  would be getting it on his birthday. For 6 months he waited! We were so amazed and proud of him! We had a fireman party with a pinata and lots of friends. We rented Dizzy's Tumblebus to come to the party. After cake, Jesse brought out his new motorcycle. His face lit up and he zoomed around the yard on his new motorcycle. Everyday. For a year!

4th= We had a race car party complete with a race car cake and a race car jump house. The cake took me 4 hours to make but was worth it when Knox proudly showed his friends. He was concerned that the crushed oreos were real dirt though.

5th= Super Hero party. All of Knox's friends came dressed as Super heroes and Knox dressed up like Spiderman. Everyone looked so cute in their costumes running around the yard and playing hilarious games. Our yard was covered in silly string for a few weeks afterwards!

6th=Star Wars. I think this is the first year I bought a cake. Knox helped design it and insisted on flames all around the sides. It came out perfectly. Our house was jam packed since it rained that day (1st rainy birthday in WA. Miracle!) and Knox got tons of cool Star Wars presents.

7th=Ninja party. My brother-in-law made amazing invitations for Knox's Ninja party. Everyone came dressed as a Ninja or in all black. I made black Ninja headbands and wrote every one's name on it in silver fabric paint. Jesse made an amazing Ninja training center in our yard-obstacle course, bow and arrow shooting range and Ninja skill tests. Knox designed the cake again this year too. Same flames all around and I found Ninjas and dragons for him to put on the top.

8th=Seahawks sleepover. Knox invited eight friends over for a BBQ, bonfire and sleepover. The dining room was decorated so cute-all Seahawks. But the boys thought it would be more fun to have a food fight than admire the decor! And during the Smores time, they had a serious flaming marshmallow fight.

9th=Pirates of the Caribbean party. Since Knox's 9th birthday was just a week after I came home from the hospital after having Ava, I was hoping it would be something easy. Knox chose to have a party at our apartment clubhouse (where we were living after the house sold/before moving to Cali). We rented out the theatre to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Jesse took the boys swimming, ordered tons of pizza, and then they ate cake, candy, popcorn and soda in the private theatre. Probably one of the easiest, cheapest parties we've ever thrown but Knox said it was his favorite so far! Go figure...

10th= Some friends from church have awesome laser tag guns that work off each other’s and that was all Knox wanted for his birthday. Well…a ball, shoes, clothes, itunes gift cards and a cool hat. But mostly those guns! So we bought them and arranged a laser tag party with his friends who have the guns and two school friends (his friends have 2 extra) . Jesse is taking the boys to a park to play laser tag for a couple hours. then back home for pizza and an ice cream sundae bar (Knox decided he doesn't like cake) and a movie.


~Birthdays are a big deal in our house because I hope my kids remember their birthdays as being special and a time that they were celebrated. My kids are all growing up so fast and I know I only have a short window to impress upon them how special they are to us, how much we love them and what a blessing we think they are! So, I can’t wait to celebrate another birthday with my precious son Knox and am praying for many more decades of birthdays to celebrate with him!