The Dove Diaries: March 2012

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Our footballers

Soccer is in full swing, and both boys are having a blast! Their first game went well. William is a little rusty after several seasons off, but by the end of the game he was getting back into his groove. He's one of the oldest on the team, so Zack is challenging him to step up as a leader... and he seems to be accepting that challenge!

Daniel did well in his first-ever soccer match. He and one other boy on our team are probably the smallest players in the age group. But he does NOT let that stop him! He ran hard and fought hard for the ball anytime he was on the field, and his smile showed how much he's enjoying it. He even spent a little time as goalie (it's actually a sweeper position - they can't touch the ball), and made some great saves. He surprised everyone with his level of comfort and skill in that position!

I don't have the game pictures on this computer, but here's one shot from their first practice.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A Post About Nothing

Did you catch the sitcom reference? It's one of our all time favorites. So much so, we had to find the restaurant made famous by it while we were in NYC last year!

The boys start soccer practice next week.We went to the kick-off meeting last night, and Daniel was excited to wear his brand new "cleaks."

They're playing in a small church league and the age range is kind of wide, so they'll actually be on the same team... with Zack as their coach! While it will probably be tough for Daniel having to play with the big kids, it has its advantages, too. It means only one night of practice each week, which is huge. It means he'll have a coach that understands him, which is big. He'll already know two of the players on his team: William and their friend Samuel. And he'll have more opportunities to learn from William in this format.

There's nothing else in particular of interest to post about right now, so here's a mix of random pictures from the last few weeks...

William came and 'worked' with me for about an hour yesterday.

Zack picked up some bongos at a pawn shop last week. The boys love them. This was a Saturday morning jam session. I'm not sure if they were singing Chris Tomlin or Maroon 5 :)

We got our Disney photo book in the mail last week, and it turned out great! It was kind of expensive, but worth it to have a way to remember an incredible trip.

I love this pic of my three favorite guys at the Magic Kingdom... eating my favorite dessert, a Dole Whip!

Here's a pic of us with my brother, SIL, and kids. I'm so glad we got to share some memories while we were there!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

White Chicken Enchilada Bake

I attempted a white chicken enchilada bake and it turned out pretty good! A few adjustments will be needed for next time, but I was pleased with it.

I started out with some crockpot chicken*, cooked with peppers & onions and taco seasoning. Stir together with 1 cup monterrey jack cheese, and half of a can of chopped green chiles (save the other half for the sauce).

In a saucepan, I melted a few tablespoons of better, and stirred in a few tablespoons. Then stir in 2 cans of chicken broth (I used 98% fat free chicken broth). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the rest of the green chiles, and a cup of sour cream. Don't bring to a boil, but heat until it thickens. It's best to whisk it, but I couldn't find a whisk...

Place about half of the chicken in a pyrex dish.

Pour a little of the sauce over it.

Quarter some flour tortillas (I used a pizza cutter). Place a layer over the chicken.

Place the rest of the chicken on top. Add another layer of tortilla quarters. Pour the remaining sauce over it.

Top with another cup (or two) of monterrey jack cheese or quesadilla cheese blend (I used both).

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Place under the broiler just long enough to brown it.
Here's where I messed up. We cut into it after only about 10 minutes, and it was still a bit soupy. We should have let it set for about 30 minutes, similar to a lasagna. The longer it sat, the thicker the sauce got.
I served it with some long grain rice, cooked with cheese, salsa & sour cream.

Crockpot Chicken - place boneless skinless chicken in a crockpot. Top with a package of taco or fajita seasoning. Add water (about 2 inches deep). Cook on low 8 - 10 hours. Turn up to high, add a bag of frozen peppers & onions, and cook another hour or two. Use a fork and shred the chicken.

The enchilada bake is based on Joyful Momma's Chicken Enchilada recipe (HERE).

Friday, March 2, 2012

I am Mephibosheth

It's a chapter in the Bible I'd read before, but honestly, had never given it much thought. And then I read a story this morning, written by my friend Keri as she shared their (first) adoption story on The Adoption Journey. And she opened my eyes to Mephibosheth, and what David did for him. (2 Peter 9)

Not only did Keri remind me of this Biblical story, but she also opened my eyes to the reality that as a child of God, I am Mephibosheth. I did not come to God in a pristine state. I came to Him as a total mess, and yet He wrapped His arms around me and invited me into His family. He does this for each and every person that accepts salvation through His Son, Jesus.

Let me tell you a little about the Mason family. Keri and I co-lead One.27, the orphan care ministry at our church. In the roughly 2 years since the ministry began, we have gotten to know each other well. I consider her a close friend and I am so thankful that God brought our families together. She teaches Daniel's kindergarten class at church, and is so good with him. Her daughter Eden is one Daniel's favorite friends. And her husband Gene is a talented man that truly uses his gifts of communication and visual arts/graphic design for God's glory. (Remember the How He Loves video? Yeah, Gene did that. Just one of so many things he does at our church to present the Gospel in a true and relevant way.)

I encourage you to visit The Adoption Journey and read about Mephibosheth & the Mason family HERE.

Then, I ask you to prayerfully consider joining the Mason family on their next adoption journey. They are in the process of bringing another precious daughter home from China, and hope to travel in late summer. You can visit their blog HERE.

They have been graciously granted a $5,000 Lifesong for Orphans matching grant. That means between now and March 28, LfO will match all donations made to their adoption fund, up to $5,000! Gifts are tax deductible and can be made via check or online.

As Christians, we are not all called to adopt. But James 1:27 does call all of us to care for orphans. There are many ways to do that: through adoption, foster care, prayer, missions trips - and through financial support of others.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. ~James 1:27

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. ~Psalm 68:5

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Disney

We're back, and the trip was great! We've actually been back for over a week, but I had oral surgery (impacted wisdom tooth) the morning after we got back, so I've been a little under the weather from that. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better now.

We spent one day at each of the four Disney parks in Orlando. We rode almost every ride that was open, and saw quite a few shows as well. We got the boys on some super scary rides. Sometimes they ended up really enjoying them. A couple of times we had to wipe a few tears (I know, we're terrible parents). We ate lots of good food, laughed a lot, walked a lot, and made some wonderful memories. We really did have a fantastic time! Here are about 2 dozen of the hundreds of pictures we took during our four park days...