Mamas survive winter nights with wee ones

We've been missing our Daddy (Ericlee) who has been very busy lately with early morning practices and late night basketball games. We try to get out to at least one game a week to cheer on Daddy and his team but the away games are tough. One way we cope is by having friends over on nights when Daddy is gone. A few weeks ago we discovered our friends Beverly, Josiah and baby Bethany Ford are also home every other Friday night while their Daddy (Matt) is doing youth ministry. We decided to band together and make it a fun night for the kids. Our celebrations began by making homemade pizza.

I made the dough ahead of time (recipe at right) and Meilani put on her Christmas apron and showed off her cooking skills to her friend "Siah" (or Josiah). Jo was excited to experience the kitchen for the first time (according to Bev) and help put the toppings on our pizza. He dumped on his pile of pepperoni to go with our veggies and cheese. This past Friday we made beef burritos for the kids with guacamole for dipping chips and a Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie recipe (at right) sans sugar.

The cookies were a hit and Meilani and "Siah" even cooked up their own concoctions in our kid kitchen. They made "soooup" and something wild in the blender while the mamas got in a little chatting time. I appreciate talking about parenting, marriage, cooking, faith and life in general with my friend Beverly. She encourages me so much.

Josiah and Meilani also entertained Baby Bethany, who can definitely hold her own. She loved watching the "older kids" dance, play, scream, jump, pillow fight, pretend grocery shop and eat in our kitchen/playroom. And the mamas were able to survive another winter night with wee ones.