Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from The O'Donnell Clan. Tisha made an incredible dinner for us tonight. Pork tenderloin, boiled cauliflower, sweet potatoes, sauteed portabella mushrooms and green onions, and yeast rolls. For dessert, cream cheese brownies topped with a cherry sauce. WOW! I am a happy Valentine! :)

No! No! We Don't Say Guns!

Anyone that knows Aidan knows he's a Star Wars freak! Talk about an obsession. He is a FAN! That leads us to a quick story about a recent encounter Aidan had with a little boy at Barnes and Noble. They met in the children's area and were looking at a book about the new Clone Wars movie. The little boy was younger than Aidan and Aidan was trying to explain the ins-and-outs of the Clones and how they do battle. Here's how a part of the conversation went down:

Aidan: Okay. You know those Clone Troopers. When they shoot...

Little boy: No! No! No! We don't say shoot!

Aidan: Okay. (Looking a little disturbed) You know those Clone Troopers. When they...throw...those things out of their guns...

Little Boy: No! No! No! We don't say guns!

Aidan: Oookaaay. (Looking for a possible escape) You know those Clone Troopers. When they...throw...those things out of their...things...

A Visit to Troop 28

Ian's den had a tough choice to make this year. Do they stay with Troop 79 when they move up to Boy Scouts or join another Troop in the area? They visited three in all, Troop 3, Troop 28, and Troop 79. The boys all got together and assessed each Troop, their strengthens, their weaknesses and, how they though they'd get along with the other boys in each Troop.

After much debate, the majority of the Den picked Troop 28. Some of the selling points? They have an awesome Scout House dedicated to the Troop, they have a great record of pumping out eagles, and they camp A LOT. The only downer is one of their den mates chose to stay at Troop 79 because his brother is in that Troop. Here is a picture of Ian and his best friend Michael meeting with Troop 28's Scout Master:

Tisha

I always think Tisha looks beautiful, but there was something about this outfit I though was exceptional. She was absolutely stunning in it, so I asked for a few pictures. Do you agree with my assessment?

The Children's Book Store

As Homeschoolers, one of our favorite places to go is The Children's Book Store in Lyman. It's one of the best places to find any material you could want to educate your child. Here are a few pictures of one of our recent trips there:

The world's greatest Homeschool Book Store!

Tisha reviewing books.

They have row after row of books. It's almost sensory overload and everything is at least 15 - 20 percent off, and some as much as 50 percent off!

While we go for the great books and deals, the kids go to see the store cat. This poor thing should have it's picture over the word patient in the dictionary.

Another Aidan Costume

Aidan has come up with yet another costume. This one takes the cake! He tells us it's his clown suit, but it looks more like a demented super hero thing to me. He sure has the imagination wouldn't you say?

Grandma Mickey's Birthday Cake

Grandma Mickey had a Birthday recently. I'm smart enough to NOT tell you how old she is, but you'll notice there are no candles on the cake; that's because they wouldn't fit. :)

As always, Tisha made a cake and it came out beautiful. She has such a talent! She made the fondant on this cake herself from marshmallow. What do you think?

New Years Day 2009

In the south it's a tradition that families get together and eat Ham, Black-eyed Peas, Corn Bread, and Collards for dinner. The Peas symbolize coins and the Collards dollars, the Ham and Corn Bread helps us survive the other two. We had Grandpa Eddie and Grandma Mickey over this year for this treat!

New Year family diner.

My New Year stimulus meal.

Aidan Art

While at Eddie and Mickey's for Christmas Eve I took a few pictures of dinner, but blew it on the exposure. The pictures came out way too dark. I did have some fun with one of them in Photoshop though. I call it Aidan Art. What do you think?

Christmas Eve 2008 at Grandpa Eddie's and Grandma Micky's

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with Grandpa Eddie and Grandma Mickey. It is a favorite time for the O'Donnell Clan. Great food, a fun time for the kids, and time spent with loved ones. What more can you ask for! Here are a few pictures:

Tisha made an outstanding flan for this years Christmas Eve dinner. It was THE BEST she has ever done and words could not express how much we all enjoyed it!

Ian opening his gift.

Mia's new purse. She never leaves home without it. :)

Aidan opening his Nerf Gun. Let's just say Pippin was not happy about this toy! We told Aidan if he shoots the dog again, the gun goes.

It's a little late. But Merry Christmas from the O'Donnell Clan!