Recipe Time!

I tried a new recipe yesterday and it was AWESOME! Aaron LOVED it :) It takes time, but very little effort to make.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 boneless pork shoulder roast (6 pounds)
Dash pepper
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
½ cup sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
2 celery ribs finely chopped
4 teaspoons onion powder
4 teaspoons ground mustard
4 teaspoons paprika

Rub roast with pepper; place in a roasting pan. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Transfer roast to a Dutch oven (stew pot). In a small bowl combine the broth, sugar, vinegar, celery, onion, mustard and paprika; pour over roast. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 ½ hours or until meat is very tender.

Remove meat; shred with two forks. Place in a crock pot with liquid. Heat on low for 5 hours.

"Just Because"

Elliana likes them too :)

It's Asher's Birthday!!

Today is Asher's 5th birthday :) He is such a joy. The morning he was born I had no idea how wonderful that little bundle would be. Asher has an amazing personality. He is very determined to finish what he starts (kind of like his mama). And he is extremely caring and compassionate. His best friends are Joshua and Elliana. He loves to be around people. When I leave the room I often here him saying "if you go I will be lonely." Asher is also very bright. He is well on his way to being a great reader. His critical thinking skills astonish me. He solves problems in a totally different way than I would. Most of the time his way is better!

At five years old he loves grilled cheese, chocolate milk and candy. He gets up at 6 am and watches cartoons with his brother and sister. He starts school at 8 am each morning. He is a great brother. Elliana just adores her big brother and Joshua could not have a better buddy. He is notorious for bringing toys to the table at dinner. He would much rather play than eat. Dad reads him stories each night. He falls asleep way before Joshua does. He sleeps with the quilt I made him.

Most importantly, Asher loves Jesus. He used to whisper it to me and tell me not to tell anyone :) He is a great boy. I am blessed to be his mom. I am so thankful for everyday that I get to look into those big eyes and see that amazing smile. I am so excited to see what this year holds for my little guy. But for today I will be content to hold him close and cherish the moment he turned five.

Life With Brothers

Elliana was minding her own business. She was playing with her baby Elmo. Just pushing him around the house in her stroller.

And then her brother decides that her baby stroller is a helmet....

Elliana is less than thrilled with this idea.

When Elliana voices her objection Asher decides that she must want a turn wearing the helmet.

Mama came to the rescue :) This is a picture of Elliana saying "Come with me". I think she knows she still needs moms protection.

Love Is Not A Fight

Beautiful song :)

Spring Weather!

One of the great things about homeschooling is being able to change your agenda at a moments notice. With the promise of a beautiful day we put aside our school books and headed outdoors. We visited the zoo and then played at the park :)

Asher liked looking through the microscope.

Elliana LOVES the Meerkats. Something surprised her :)Elliana cruising through the zoo.

Joshua is pointing at a tarantula!

Looking into the eyes of a snake...

Elliana liked swinging at the park.

While I'm Waiting...

Aaron and I LOVE the movie Fireproof. It is my favorite movie of all time.


The apology...makes me cry EVERY time...

Barbarians!!!

Apparently my house is being attacked by barbarians (workers fixing a pipe for our neighbors). Two highly skilled and courageous warriors are going to save me :)

The Barbarians...

My Warriors (aren't they adorable..uh..I mean strong and noble...)

Preparing for battle (they are pretty annoyed that mom insists they stay on the front porch :)

Elliana

Here are some pictures of Elliana's day :)

Getting a piggy back ride from mom

Sitting on the table with her first ever pig tail :)

Reading with dad..

A visit from grandma and grandpa :)

We were all very excited to have Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Dan come for a visit. We went to Joshua's Upwards basketball game (he is getting so good!) and we spent the afternoon at the Children's Discovery Museum. It was a lot of fun :) Here are some pictures of our day.

Joshua reading to Grandma (she was very impressed with his reading ability).

Elliana had a blast looking through her American Girl catalogue with Grandma..

Elliana LOVED Grandpa Dan. She called him "papa". She spent most of the afternoon telling Grandpa to "read it!". He happily read the same book over and over to her.

Elliana loved snuggling with papa :)

Hope you all have a fantastic Monday!!