Cracking Coconuts!

In our producce co-op basket this week there was a coconut....what do we do with a coconut??? Well we dug out the cookbook and found some info on getting the meat out. First we poked the eyes out with a screwdriver to get the juice out...not to be confused with coconut milk, which you have to make by cooking milk or water with the meat and straining it, who knew? The juice was really sweet and yummy but like the people on Survivor, I can get sick of it real quick! Then we put it in a baggie, wrapped it in a towel and hammered the heck out of it! It cracked open but we still couldn't get the meat loose. So, as instructed, we put it in the oven for 15 minutes and it loosened up...not without some prying though! The kids didn't like the meat but we chopped it up in the food processor and it's now sleeping peacefully in our freezer for future use in cookies, smoothies or pina coladas. Here is the one before picture we managed to snap before all the excitement began...

General Updates

Well, I'm just going to type away...
Today was my first official day as the N-2's Director. While it has taken about a week to get the major parts learned, I still feel like I have a lot of little things to learn. I do feel like I am able to start being creative now and have started a new theme in the classrooms that I am so excited to develop...Planting the Seeds of Faith. My job is primarily overseeing curriculum and nurturing, growing and developing the teachers and volunteers. Lots of hospitality which I love to do! I'm teaching the teachers and that's also something I love to do! I think that once I get the general routine and feel comfortable with what I'm doing, I'll be able to really have a blast with things! I have some great ideas that I plan on developing!

Avery started Tap,Jazz and Acro Intermediate last night. She loves it and it gives Andon and I soome date time at the library right next door. Andon will be starting TIny Tots Tennis tomorrow. He has played it on the Nintendo Wii at mom's house and has wanted to play it ever since. It works out that class is the same length as Avery's, 8 weeks, and we'll see how he does. We bought him his first raquet and tennis balls and he is SOOO excited to use them!

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!!! That's right, we are spending 8 days, 7 nights in Disney World with the Chicago Bibbeys. We arrive on Avery and Andon's 5th birthday and we will get a $75 gift card each for them to spend on goodies!!! They have the promotion where you get in free on your birthday in 2009 and since we purchased the 8 day park passes they get to choose one of the other options, the one of most value is the gift card worth the amount of a 1 day admission pass. Mark does not know his schedule yet and may only have a few days off but we'll do all we can to get him there as much as we can! DW has such a great promotion through June where you buy 4 nights you get 3 free...that includes tickets! We also don't have to get a rental car because we are staying at a Disney hotel we get free transportion! Because we are traveling with more than 8 people we get to do some Grand Gathering events...not quite sure what we can all do with that but it's supposed to be pretty cool.

Well, it's 10:45 and I need to get to bed....

What do I want to be when I grow up?

Tonight at dinner I asked Avery and Andon what they wanted to be or do when they grow up and Avery jumped right in saying:
I want to fly to outer space
I want to milk a cow
I want to pet a sheep (which they have done already...check!)