three and 3 quarter inches...

is the difference in height between me

AND MY NINE-YEAR-OLD!!

can you believe that?? i mean, i know i am short, but come on now!!
the boys both had their yearly physicals last week, and i am just thankful.
thankful that i can look at this...

and realize that i have a nine-year-old who is healthy (in the 100th percentile!) and growing.
he is growing physically and spiritually.
i refuse to take that for granted!

and i can look at this

and see that i have a healthy (always right in the middle of the percentile!) growing 8-year-old boy.
who is also growing physically and spiritually.
i won't take their health, their gifts and abilities for granted!

we woke up today to S-N-O-W
so i had the boys each do 4 steps of shoveling

snowy days make good baking days.

i am forever trying to be creative with fruits and vegetables.
(stop judging.)
so when i was grocery shopping with the boys this week, we bought some plantaines.
when we were in the dominican republic a few years ago, we were served plantaines almost every day

that is one of my favorite pictures from our trip. it was an amazing trip by the way.
(have i said how much i love when kids have pacifiers? seriously. i love it.)

anyways...i found a recipe and me and ry worked together

(my mom took this, and i can hardly believe that i am even posting it when i did not even take the necessary time to do my ever-loving hair this morning.)

they came out like this

and they were really super good!

i also found a new recipe for rolls that i decided to try and they came out so good!

and while these were in the oven,
aj was doing his ministry that he signed up for at church - helping with mailing newsletters

and i think that is just about all i have the energy to write about right now.
i am tired. and after re-reading this, i am pretty sure this is THE MOST random, absurd writing ever. it makes no sense, and i am sorry you just wasted the last 5 minutes of your life. :)
but thanks for reading!