366 Project: April Pictures

4:1

This is the first Lord's Supper Logan got to participate in.

4:2

Lane's first time to the YMCA.  He slept the whole time.

4:3

Logan and I were doing a Jillian Michaels Ab video and Lucas ran and put this outfit on so he would have a 6-pack.

4:4

Snuggle time with daddy.

4:5

I love that our road has only one other house besides ours.  The boys love riding their bikes down it!

4:6

Getting ready for the glow in the dark Easter Egg Hunt.

4:7

Dying Easter Eggs.

4:8

Lane's first Easter Sunday

4:9

We had a great day at the "sandy park" in Spencer.  The weather was absolutely perfect!

4:10

I love the way Logan cares so much about his baby brother.  He is so sweet to him.

4:11

My "Very Hungry Caterpillar"

4:12

Lucas' 1/2 Birthday.  He is getting so big!!

4:13

It doesn't take long to get behind!  Laundry is never ending.

4:14

Logan's first baseball game.

4:15

Logan finding out he is going to basketball camp at Indiana University this summer.  He was so excited it brought tears to his eyes.  He gets to work with Coach Crean and the basketball players.  He had no idea and can't wait to go.  I don't know who is more excited...Landon or Logan. 

4:16

Good report, thankfully!

4:17

It doesn't take much to entertain kids for hours.  He played with his toys in the sink for a long time.

4:18

Trip to the library

4:19

Logan playing first base.

4:20

My little guy is two months already!

4:21

We are spending lots of time at the ball fields this season.  Lucas is playing t-ball too.

4:22

My silly boys all in the crib.

4:23

Logan played well tonight!  He scored the winning run!

4:24

Yummy trip to the Schakolad Chocolate Factory.

4:25

Putting him to work☺

4:26

Logan was putting together a map of the US and he wanted me to take this picture and show Keith Weatherly, his Sunday School teacher.  This is what he thinks of Kentucky. 

4:27

The boys helped me make chocolate bowls.

4:28

Our chocolate taste testing party.

4:29

Sunday afternoon nap.

4:30

He's armed and ready to go.  His pacy and lightsaber, what more does a baby need?

Chocolate

Another unit study by Amanda Bennett that we have completed recently is about chocolate.  I let Logan pick out these studies and this is the first one he picked out.  We learned all about the process of making chocolate from the cacao tree to the candy bar.  It was an interesting study and at the end of the week there were some suggested activities to do as a family.  One suggestion was to take a field trip to a chocolate factory.  I looked up chocolate factories near us and found a place in Franklin, Tn called Schakolad Chocolate Factory.  It's not an actual chocolate factory, but it was a tasty and wonderful experience!  We all want to go back and do this again. 

Isn't this special??

I just love chocolate fountains!  I could really make a pig out of myself.

We tried chocolate from all over.  We got to eat chocolate straight from the cocoa seeds...gross!  We also tried some from Columbia and Madagascar. 

We got to be chocolatiers and decorate our own candy bars.

Our demonstration.

Classic from Landon.  He also made one for Debbie Foster...

Mamaw put a little chocolate on his nose.  I thought she was going to feed it to him. 

I almost freaked out.  haha.  We then got to coat oreos and vanilla wafers with chocolate and decorate them.  They had girly aprons for us to wear.  I can't believe the boys wore them.

I ♥ him.

We all got turns.  I especially enjoyed seeing Landon and dad in these aprons☺

Meanwhile, the boys snuck back over to the chocolate fountain.

It was a super evening!  I highly recommend going!!

******************************************************

Another suggestion in our study was to host a chocolate party.  We had one this morning and I still feel a bit sick from the chocolate.  The kids had a great time and got to try LOTS of chocolate.

Yep, a lot of boys...nine to be exact.  Lots of fun having nine boys hyped up with chocolate☺  We watched a video on how chocolate is made.  We talked about some famous chocolatiers and did an activity on the types of chocolate. 

Then the part they were all waiting for...eating chocolate.  We had a taste test card that they were to write the type of chocolate, how it smelled, looked, and tasted.

The first sample was a bit chaotic.  It was 100 % dark chocolate.  I didn't try it before hand and

they were all about to die.  Lucas started crying because it was so bad.  They were all jumping around looking like they were going to gag and barf all over the place.  They made a beeline to

the trash can. 

This picture is blurry but it makes me laugh!!  I really wish I had this on video.  I have thought about this and laughed out loud today. 

This was Bray's response on his taste testing card.

After this fiasco, we had to make some adjustments.  The next sample was supposed to be 85% dark chocolate so we skipped it.  I had to regain their trust so we gave them white chocolate.  It was much better.  I was concerned about our other samples because I had dark chocolate with chili and orange but there weren't any near barfing incidents on those.

 

Decorating cookies in the chocolate fountain...

Trent lost a strawberry in there. 

The last thing on the agenda for our chocolate party was eating ice cream in a chocolate bowl. 

These weren't as easy to make as the video I watched appeared.

How to make your own chocolate bowls:

1.  Melt chocolate in the microwave in a glass bowl. 

2.  Blow up balloons, wash and dry them.  The video I watched suggested water balloons but they 

     DO NOT work. 

This is what you get when you use water balloons...a near heart attack from the pop and chocolate splattered all over your kitchen.  We had already blown them up so I let the boys pop them all. 

You need to use thicker balloons so they won't pop. 

3.  Put balloons in the melted chocolate and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

4.  Put these in the refrigerator to harden.  I let mine set over night just because I made them ahead of

     time.

5.  Pop the balloons and carefully remove the balloons from the bowl.

 

6.  Serve ice cream in your yummy edible chocolate bowl.