Taxes

I just love the feeling of having our taxes done for another year! And just to put it out there, I think our tax system is a little screwed up. Because of Jacob's deployment last year, there was a chunk of our income that wasn't taxable. I thought that since we made less we would get less back, but we got almost as much as the year before (which was a lot.) Bot that I mind getting a tax return, I just don't get why we do. It's not like the government doesn't need it. We have a huge national debt (in case you haven't heard). Why take the money in the first place if they aren't going to use it. And the way they give it back to the people who don't make as much but not to the people who make more doesn't way make sense either. If they give it back to one, they should do it for all. People who make more, have to give more and then not get anything back and people who make less give less and get it all back? Anyone else confused by this strange phenomenon? 

Pancakes

I love pancakes! Can I just tell you that I love pancakes? I remember as a kid we didn't get pancakes very often so they were ALWAYS a treat. I have memories of when I was quite young of going to my Grandma Wetzels house and she would make pancakes into shapes and that brought the level of fun to a whole new level! I remember her making me a turtle shaped one. I don't remember how well it actually resembled a turtle but in my mind, it was perfect. I never saw my grandma wetzel as often as I would have liked. For the first 5 years of my life we lived 5 hours away and after that when we moved closer she was sick with cancer and she passed away two years later. I don't have many memories of her, but her fun pancakes are a memory I hold dear.  Always my favorite thing about pancakes is making them into shapes, and now that I'm a mom with my own kids, it's a fun tradition I can pass down. 

Here are a few of our pancakes we made for our fun Saturday morning. Can you guess what they are supposed to be?

Funny things

So I was just remembering a funny story about Rachel the other day and wanted to record it. I was making dinner and Jacob was playing with the kids and I overhear this conversation. 

Rachel: Don't eat me!

Jacob: But I'm hungry.

Rachel: But I'm not yummy!

Jacob: Yes you are. You are a little girl so you are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. That means you are yummy.

Rachel: Eat Kent instead!

Jacob: Kent isn't yummy. He's a little boy so he is made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails.

Rachel: I don't want to be yummy. I want to be made of yucky things like boys. 

Pumpkins!!

My pumpkin plant has a blossom on it!!! I'm so excited!!!

And another blossom on its way!!! 

We are going to have pumpkins!!!!

Come backy

Kent is talking so much, I just wanted to share this while I was thinking about it. I put Kent on the potty for a minute and I had to run into the other room to grab something. The while time I was gone, he was yelling at me to "Come back-y!" "Come back-y!" He often puts a "y" on the end of words and I think it's just about the cutest thing ever!

Speaking of kids saying cute things, when we were taking down our Christmas stuff for the year, Jacob started taking the lights off the banister and Rachel asked him if he was pretending to be the Grinch. Jacob said no but Rachel kept insisting that he was because he was taking our Christmas away. She still brings it up. She didn't like it when he helped take Christmas down last year either and for months afterwards she talked about how "Dad broke our Christmas tree!"