On the wagon...

Grandma and Papa Dykstra came up this weekend with Aunt Kristin and Baby Klaryssa. Because of AJ's health issues earlier in the week, we weren't 100% they were going to come until this Wednesday. So we didn't say anything to Andrew until then. But once I did, he spent a good 5 minutes on the ground with Grandma and Papa's picture.

We had a really nice visit. They got in late Thursday evening. We let Andrew stay up way past his bedtime, so he could see them that night. And sure enough, he snuck down (didn't even wake me up) and woke up Grandma at 7am (6am her time). Marc had to work Friday, so we got just played at home - mostly outdoors. The boys loved having Papa pull the wagon.

At one point, AJ and Klaryssa were in the wagon and Andrew rode backwards in the dump truck that was attached and being pulled by the wagon.

We celebrated Christmas and birthdays and Easter while they were here. The boys got some toys and books and candy. And we made our "prize winning" ribs along with grilled veggies and beer bread for a incredible dinner Friday evening.

And of course baby Klaryissa was a doll in her little pigtails!

Enchilada Recipe - Part II

After I posted this, there were a few things that I thought that I should add about these Enchaladas.

First of all, to all those very concerned... I did get it ok'd that this was not a 'secret' recipe and I will not be disowned for my divulging it - I'm just stuck at the kiddie table for the next year.

Then, I wanted to mention that this meal freezes wonderfully! In fact, because it is a time consuming meal to prepare (don't let it scare you - just be aware)... I will usually double the recipe and make 3 pans. Then thaw the night before, bake and top as desired. Practically a hassle free dinner.

Finally, this makes a great gift meal (as I've mentioned in previous posts). Usually family's who are getting meals get so much pasta and lasagna, that this is a welcomed change. Plus they have the option of eating it that night or freezing for some other time when the meals aren't 'rolling' in.

Alright. If you do make these - I would love to hear your feedback.

Enchilada Recipe

Shells:
· 2 C flour
· 2 large eggs
· 1 C yellow corn meal
· 3 C cold water

Filling:
· 2 lb ground beef
· 2 cans chili no beans
· water
· cheese
· onions (optional)

Additional:
· lettuce
· sour cream
· hot sauce
· Tomatoes (optional)

Shells:
Mix ingredients, pour about 1/4 cup into sauté pan, cook over medium heat until dry, flip and let cook 1 minute longer.

Filling:
Brown ground beef and drain. Add chili and little water if dry. Put small amount of mix and cheddar cheese and few onions in each tortilla. Place in 9 x 13 pan. Top with any remaining filling and cheese. Bake 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Serve with items from additional list.

This is a family recipe - but hopefully it wasn't a secret family recipe... 'cause - it ain't no mo. Enjoy.

Andrew-isms

The other day, while playing quietly by himself, Andrew started saying the word “Kalamazoo” over and over. Now, it’s not uncommon for him to sing to himself or even quote lines from Diego or Veggie Tales while playing. But he kept repeating the word over and over like he was enjoying the feel of the word in his mouth. We live near Kalamazoo Ave. and Marc works in Kalamazoo, so it didn’t surprise me that he picked up with word. I interrupted his play and asked him what Kalamazoo was. He answered…

“A road where animals live”

Then today, on the way home from a walk, I told him that I thought it just might rain later today. So at dinner, when a dark cloud came overhead, he started asking me questions about rain like “when does it rain” (he thought it only rained at night and not during the day) and “where is the rain right now” (when it’s not raining). To this question, I told him it was up in the cloud, just waiting to come down. Then he ask, (I’m not kidding)…

“Is it watching TV?”

What in the world?! I just started laughing. Out loud. I couldn’t help it. And then he thought he was hilarious and starting laughing too saying over and over, “Is it watching TV? Is it watching TV?”

Goofy Kid. Oh and when I call him that, he says, “I’m not Goofy, I’m Andrew!”

Skittle Skrategy.

I know it’s been awhile. And that’s because up until today – our house has been sick. Well, mostly AJ. The poor kiddo woke up in puke and is going on day four of diarrhea. He was happy Saturday and gradually felt crummier until he was a bear yesterday. Andrew and I also got a touch of it yesterday, too and I just felt bad all day. In fact, we all (including me) took over a two-hour nap yesterday. Today has been much better. Andrew and I feel fine. And AJ is back to happy self with his blowout episodes coming fewer and farther between (unlike every 10 minutes at one point – an expensive illness).

So we pretty much stayed home this weekend – although Marc got a lot of work done around the house and we got a lot of laundry done (still in piles unfolded). And of course, sick or not sick, the weather has been so nice, we just can’t not go out… even if we had to stay in our own yard.

Today has been much better over all. We even made it out of house for coffee and to Sam’s Club. Coffee because my machine is currently out of order since I decided to melt the carafe lid in the dishwasher yesterday. Cuisinart is wonderful and will be sending me a free new lid in 5-7 days. Until then, with the money I’ll probably spend in coffee, I could just buy a cheap replacement maker to get me by. (I’m kidding – I just can’t rationalize spending $4 on coffee that often even if I am convinced it’s the taste of Heaven.) Our Sam’s stop was for much desperately needed diapers. Then the boys took nice naps while I got our house in somewhat of an order. I even snuck a few minutes and painted my nails…including my toe nails! I usually get around to it once a summer. I really should take a picture – ‘cause this will probably be the best they look all year.

Now they are in bed and we are trying a new thing after hearing the concept a couple different times from other parents. I put 4 Skittles in a bowl in the hall. Every time Andrew gets up, just because of whatever-excuse-he-can-think-of, he gets a Skittle taken away and will not get to eat them tomorrow. His first Skittle was taken away before I even got back down stairs and you would have thought I just shot his dog. After that, I didn’t hear from him for quiet a while until he told me he had to go potty. His diaper was already wet, but I didn’t have the heart to take one away, so he went potty and back to bed. He’s lost one more Skittle since then. We’ll see just how many he ends up with tomorrow.

We are still driving a loaner car, but our car is finished so we will be switching them tomorrow some time. We need to do some grocery shopping tomorrow as well. Other than that we are just recovering ourselves and our home from this past weekend and getting ready for this coming weekend because… Marc’s parents and sister and niece are coming to visit! We are so exciting to have them.

Backseat Driver

This morning, on the way to open gym time, Andrew discovered Michigan Lefts. As I was turning through one, he told me, “Uh oh, we almost forgot our road!” He continued to remind me all the way there that, “We missed our road”, even though I told him that we had to go that way to get to the gym.

Then when we arrived, we were the only family there. So we had the whole gym to ourselves for the first half hour. Someone even came in and took Andrew’s picture with a soccer ball and football for a possible cover of the next season’s Parks & Recreation guide. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for that issue.

We left gym time a bit early, so we could take a meal to a new mama. All week, as I’ve been making enchiladas and rice crispy treats for these gift meals, Andrew has been asking me whether he can have some. I’ve been telling him that these were for Mommy’s friends and we could not eat them. So now, for the past couple days, every time he sees any food (dinner, snack in diaper bag, groceries, etc…) he asks if it is for ‘just us’ or for ‘your friends’. Poor kid thinks we are giving all our food away.

This afternoon is just working on the house and maybe playing outside a bit. Marc has a late meeting in the Detroit area, and Andrew has had a good potty day, so I’m thinking we will watch CARS tonight. We might even have pizza with it, but then I need to get busy and make more pizza sauce since our freezer stash is depleted and get the dough in the bread maker. Guess that’s my cue to get offline and get to work.

Have a great weekend.

The post that I will show Andrew's prom date.

Well, the car is in the shop, we are driving a loaner, and we made it to MOPS yesterday. I even got a good portion of our taxes done last night. And this morning (felt like it took all morning), I got three pans of enchiladas made. It's been raining all day, so we stayed home all day. However, we did get about an hour of decent (but still wet) warmer weather, so we took Andrew's new bubble machine he got from his cousins for his birthday and bubbled up our neighborhood. Literally. Man, that thing works! It looked almost like it was snowing there were so many bubbles. I wish I would have brought my camera out, but I was too busy running AJ through the bubbles. (I'm not sure he was totally sold on the bubbles).

So, now I am curled up with some hot chocolate and the laptop, supposedly finishing the taxes, listening to an amazing thunderstorm. But I've been interrupted several times by a 3 year old who has to go potty. This should be a good thing right? But when do I put on the brakes? He is still in a diaper at night. He can go several hours during the day and stay dry - yet he can't make it 20 minutes in bed without needing to use the potty? And when I tell him that ‘he just went’ he tells me, "but my pee pee is almost coming out" (it's really quite darling to hear). He goes potty and he does tinkle a bit each time. So - now what?! I know it's a stall tactic. And I finally (after the fourth time) told him that he was not allowed back up with the threat of punishment. But that doesn't feel quite right either, like he is getting in trouble for just doing what I've asked all along. Catch 22. By the way, he often does this with po*ping, too. He waits until nap/bed time and goes just a little, so that I have to change him... and then he does it again. Stinker! (and again - do I punish him for po*ping?) All right, moms. I'll be looking for advice in my comments section.

Ok - lighter fare.

Andrew's monster track!

AJ and his buddy, Noah.

Andrew and his cousin, Gideon - finishing off some brownie batter.

My MOPS craft.

What's Up Doc?

He's Got the Blues.

Heard:

Me: Andrew! Did you just kick AJ?!
Andrew: No. I bonked him with my foot.

(don't worry it wasn't hard - didn't even phase AJ).

Two thumbs up!

Last night we watched Facing the Giants. It is a G.R.E.A.T. movie! For about the first 20 minutes you can tell it's not your big Hollywood production, but you soon forget all that with the story. I highly recommend it!

On Track, More Track

Gosh - it's been a while. Which means my post will be more along the lines of an 'update' flavor, rather than the inspirational, witty posts that you may be used to reading (on somebody else's blog.)

Well, Wednesday we worked around the house and then took a trip to Toys R Us to buy a few gifts for my cousins’ birthday party. By the way, Andrew is at the age where everything in Toys R Us is “so cool!!” There was a whole “CARS” section and “Diego” section that I practically had to pry him from. However, he did make out with a $1.29 ball. Then, in our town, the Toys R Us store is located right next to the Krispy Kreme…so… we walked over. If you haven’t been to a Krispy Kreme – visiting the store is like an event in and of itself. We watched them make and ice donut holes. Andrew was especially concerned about the holes that were stuck. We almost spent as much time there as the toy store. Finally we got two donuts to share between the three of us before heading home.

Thursday was Bible Study in the morning and then getting the house all ready for Grandma and Papa to come on Friday. And since they were coming, we decided to not go the gym to play Friday morning, so AJ could take a good nap in the morning. Of course, Andrew loved have them here. They even brought him more train track for his train set, se he’s got a monster track that takes up the floor now rather than his little train table.

Saturday, Marc and Dad got up and went to the fishing show. Mom, the boys and myself headed down to Ohio for my cousins’ birthday swim party. My kiddos LOVED the water. Loved it. I wish I had pictures, but alas, I was with them in the water – so no camera. We had pizza and gifts then headed back to my Aunt’s house where Andrew got to play with Gideon for two days. It was Andrew heaven! My dad then came down Sunday afternoon and got to spend a little more time with the boys before we headed back home to Marc last night.

This morning we were supposed to go the body shop, but that got pushed until tomorrow – and I am thankful. I was tired after this weekend (I never sleep great there), the boys were tired (took great naps) and our house needed an overhaul.

Tomorrow, we have to take the car into the shop early squirrelly so we can get to MOPS in the morning. And I need to make 3 pans of enchiladas in the afternoon for new mamas with new babies.

Not an exciting post, I know. I’ll try to do better keeping up.

A few gifts at work..

Andrew and his new Go Diego Go jammies.
(He also some new Diego big boy undies, too).

And his new wagon...

First Steps!!

All day today we caught AJ standing by himself. He would let go of something and just stay there until he realized what he was doing. So this evening, Marc and I kept standing him up over and over.

Then it happened.

He took two itty bitty steps before falling to his usual sit/crawling positions. We both saw it. I am sure it will still be a little while before those steps turn into full fledge walking - but watch out world....

Here comes AJ!

The anti-tub

I posted my brains out toward the end of week and now I have nothing to say. Nothing too exciting at least. This weekend was simple. Just hung around the house. And just church on Sunday. See - I told you - nothing spectacular to read about. And this week - in stark contrast to last week - is quiet. Other than Bible Study on Thursday - we have no plans. And, oh has it been so nice. My house is pretty clean right now, much of my laundry is done, etc.. Plus, I am working on organizing (I use that term very loosely) then burning off all my digital photos. (I've been digital since '03 - so it's a big job).

Of course, we couldn't get by staying home all day, could we? Yesterday, we had to take the car to the body shop to get an estimate done. (By the way - whenever we come to place where we were hit in the accident last Thursday, Andrew says in a non-concerned voice, "we are going to get bonked, now".) Then today was SO stinkin' beautiful - that we couldn't ignore it. I had a whole list of things to do that went right out the window today as soon as we opened it (the window that is). We scrapped our plans - grabbed some fast food coupons for lunch so we could eat at the airport observation area. And a good airport day it was! Not only was there plenty of regular air traffic, but also there were two huge Air Force jets doing practice runs. So they would touch down, circle round right, touch down, circle round left, etc.... Really cool!

Tonight, I learned that when you take one baby with a very full belly of spaghetti, add one tub with a silly, rowdy big brother that gets the baby almost equally silly & riled up equals the need for… another tub.

Ok, I really sat down at the computer tonight to work on taxes and instead worked on photos and posted. Ah well, still have month, right?

Things that 'Mater'... when you're three.

Click page to enlarge. Journaling from this post

What?! Three?! Is that possible??

It’s been a good week for you kid! Playworld on Monday and MOPS on Tuesday. Thursday you got to play at Bible Study in the morning and with your friend, Aiden (who possibly likes to run as much as you do), in the evening. Thursday was marred a bit in the evening when on the way home from Aiden’s house (we got family haircuts), we were involved in a three car accident. We were all fine, but it was a big ordeal. We got to see them close the road, and set up flares. We saw police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks – all with their respective lights and sirens. We saw policemen, paramedics and firemen. I praise God it wasn’t worse than it was and truthfully, kiddo… I think you enjoyed all the action. And because of it – you got to stay up way past your bedtime.

Today, your actual birthday, has been full of fun also. This morning, before dad left for work, you opened some presents from us and your grandmas and papas. We met up a little later with your friend, Micah, and went to play in the gym so you could run, run, run. (AJ found something he could walk behind and was in heaven also). Then we all went out for a birthday lunch at none other than Old McDonalds for chicken nuggets and french fries.



Once home, you and your brother took great naps. The weather has been beautiful – so we got to take a nice walk before a dinner of homemade mac & cheese and hotdogs (one of your favorites). What a birthday dinner. Then – finally, dad came home with another round of gifts and we ate birthday cake. Diego Cake. A cake that we forgot to put candles on until I remembered just now. Maybe we’ll “take two” tomorrow. We definitely have enough cake for it. Anyway, you even got to stay up past your bedtime, again. Because you only get one third birthday.

So, kiddo, I hope your third birthday was a great one!

What you are like at three.

Likes
· Toys – He still races behind his large firetruck – so much so that we’ve had to request the company send us replacement back wheels. He also loves his basketball; well, he loves his dad throwing the basketball and him running to get it without getting hit by it (or fetch). He still loves his train and plays with them daily. Although, his play has matured from simply running them on his track, so acting out stories with them. “Oh no! James tipped over on his side and is stuck in the muddy mud! What are we going to do?”
· Food – The kid has a sweet tooth. In fact – earlier this week he had the hiccups. And Marc and I were have a fun time convincing him to do silly ‘tricks’ to get rid of them (jumping on one foot, tip toe-ing across the room, etc…). Finally he stopped and told us that he thought chocolate milk got rid of hiccups. Well, he got some… and it did work. Any cookies, treats, etc… the kid loves. He also loves cheese and salami and crackers. Of course, chicken nuggets and french fries. And he still drinks milk like we own the cow.
· Books – He enjoys most books, but he still loves “Go, Dog, Go”. He has a set of “Cars” board books that he can pretty much ‘read’ himself that he really enjoys. He also likes to look that those books like “Where’s Waldo”, “I Spy”, etc… where there isn’t much to read per se, just a lot to look at.
· Music – ABC song & Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. David song & Antshillvania. Theme songs from Larry Boy, Little Einstein & Thomas the Tank. He especially loves when you sing these songs replacing a lyric with an obvious wrong word and he catches you. i.e.: Twinkle, twinkle little pickle.
· Movies/TV – Diego and Cars take first place right now. Though he really likes Little Einsteins, and Toy Story. Lately, he runs though the house with his arms out in front of him and yells, “To infinity and beyond!” and spreads his arms out wide on ‘beyond’.
· His AJ – He loves pointing out things that he can do because he is a big boy that AJ cannot do yet because he is a baby. He loves when AJ laughs at him. And he always makes sure he gives AJ a hug and kiss before AJ goes down for a nap or bedtime.
· Other – He likes sitting on the barstool so he can help me when I am making something in the kitchen. He loves watching sports with daddy in bed and would prefer sleeping in our bed all the time (he currently gets to nap there). He is still at a very helpful age and will often volunteer to do something before I even ask him.

Dislikes:
· Talking on the phone – not sure where this came from because he used to love to talk on the phone.
· Mommy singing non approved songs – as soon as I start, he tells me to stop and sing one of ‘his’ songs (see above).
· Getting hair washed – again, water used to never bother him a bit, and lately, though he still loves tubs, he doesn’t like his hair washed or rinsed.
· Eating fruits/vegetables – he is his father’s son. Although – he does have to try a bite at each meal.

Andrew – Sometimes I think of everything in this world and what you will have to face as you get older. And if I am truthful with myself, it scares me. During those times, I just want to lock you up in our house and protect your forever. But I know my best option is prayer. I pray that you will grow strong and healthy and protected. I pray that you will have a compassionate heart and strong willpower. I pray that you will be a positive leader. And I pray for wisdom that your father and I will know the very best way to raise you to become a true man. We love you little man.

Looking Back - Part II

Tuesday, March 9th, 2004

I woke up this morning around 6:00 am with mild cramping. So I got up, and decided to put a movie in and ride it out for a while. After about a half-hour I realized that these were contractions and they were coming somewhat regularly. I got out our stopwatch from our packed Lamaze bag. They were coming about every 5 minutes, but not regularly. They were definitely getting harder to manage, so I woke Marc up around 7 and asked for his help. We went back downstairs and put in “Monsters, Inc.” to help me take my mind off the contractions. Within the next hour, they were consistently every 5 minutes. However, one would be a full hard minute and the next would only last about 20 seconds. Marc called Mary Ann (midwife) around 8:40 am and explained to her our situation. She said it sounded like our baby was face up. She told Marc to have me take a warm bath and to get on my elbows and knees to try to help the baby turn. She wanted us to call her back in a few hours with an update. So we decided that I should get in that position in the shower and Marc would run the hot water over me. By now the contractions were very strong and I was finding myself nauseous as well. A mere 45 minutes later, the contractions were all strong and about 4 minutes apart. Marc called Mary Ann again, and she told us to meet her at the hospital.

We packed up the car and headed downtown. The car ride was awful. Not only do you have to sit upright, but also watching motion out the window only added to the pain. Fortunately, we don’t live that far from the hospital and only had to endure 3-4 contractions in the car. In route, Marc called Kari & my mom to tell them we were on our way.

We arrived at the emergency room, I went in and waited in the wheel chair while Marc parked the car. They eventually wheeled me to a birthing room after what seemed like a forever wait in the ER. At 10:15 AM they had me put on their hospital gown, when Mary Ann and Kari showed up. Mary Ann said she was going to check to see how dilated I was, then put me in the Jacuzzi tub for a bit. However, when she checked me, I was 9 cm and they wanted me to start pushing.

Since the baby’s head was still face up, she had me do ‘specialized’ pushing in 5 counts in different positions for about an hour. The weird thing is in between my long contractions (sometimes lasting as long as 120 seconds), I would be totally asleep. Our Lamaze teacher mentioned this phenomenon, but it was hard to imagine until it was actually happening to me. Finally, with some help from Mary Ann, the baby turned and it was time for the “real” pushing. This was the most difficult part and yet the most relieving part of the labor. Kari, Mary Ann and Marc were so encouraging helping me through each contraction. In fact, they were able to convince me each and every time that I had made so much progress that I started asking after each one, “Just one more?”. Once our baby’s head started to show, Kari and Mary Ann excitedly started to tell us about all the hair they saw on his head. We pushed for full 10 counts for a while and only after showing some signs of distress, did Mary Ann decide to perform an episiotomy. And at 1:00 PM exactly, little Andrew Paul Dykstra was born into this world.
He was so bright eyed and alert. So beautiful and with a full head of hair! They placed him on my tummy and we just stared at each other. It was amazing!

However, unfortunately, I didn’t deliver my entire placenta and therefore wouldn’t stop bleeding. So while the nurses were weighing, measuring, and cleaning up little Andrew, I was getting worked on in a very painful way. In fact, I can honestly say it was as bad or worse than the labor and delivery. I actually grabbed Marc’s arm at one point and twisted it. Mary Ann called the doctor in and about a half-hour later, Dr. Peterson showed up. I must say, that this doctor did not have the same bedside manners that Mary Ann has. When he learned that I didn’t have any drugs, he stated twice out loud that, “She didn’t have an epidural? This will kill her.” At that point, I about lost it. Here my little baby was getting his first bath and footprints and such, and I am stuck here in terrible pain and this doctor comes in with his mouth and scares us to death. They were considering put me out under general anesthesia, which I dreaded, since I have this new little baby. Then they decided they would just give me Stadol and local anesthetic. From there everything got fuzzy. But the horrible pain was gone. It was almost like watching a scene from the outside…. seeing Andrew get his bath from Kari (he peed on her), having them stitch me up, etc…

The fuzziness lightened gradually and shortly after they were finished with me, I was ‘present’ again, though still a little foggy. And only then did they get around to putting my hospital admission bracelet on. Around 3:00 my mom and Andy showed up.

I called my Dad to tell him little Andrew was here (although I hardly remember the conversation now, due to the Stadol) and Marc called his parents. We made a few more calls to friends and family, I ate some dinner and then was ready to move to our postpartum room. I was exhausted, but also full of excitement that our little man was finally here.

Looking Back - Part I

Monday, March 8th, 2004.

3 days overdue, we had an appointment with Mary Ann, my midwife, at 2:45 PM. First, we listened to the heartbeat, which still sounded great. Then she checked me for dilation. I was still at 1 cm. She was able to get me to 3 cm. with a little magic of hers. Since, we were overdue; we also had to have a non-stress test to make sure our little guy was ok. So they hooked my tummy up with a belt to a machine and had me drink ice water. Every time I felt him move I was to press a little button like the kind they use to ‘buzz in’ on Jeopardy. I was to get 3 movements within their set time frame. Well, even though he had been kicking and moving up until that appointment, he decided that he was sleepy and didn’t move at all for a long time. I was starting to get nervous that we were going to fail the test. Then, near the end, he pulled through, we got our three kicks, and all was well. Once I was disconnected from the machine, Mary Ann told us that she expected us to start contractions within a few hours and we could possibly have our baby by the end of the day.We called our immediate family to let them know and to have them pray for us. We dropped Rocky off at Kim’s K9 who had been on “baby watch” for the past 2 weeks. We then went home and made sure all our bags were packed and ready to go. We called Kari and Andy to come hang out with us. We were pretty much just waiting for the baby to come, so we all went out to dinner for our usual Monday Fahita Night at Chili’s. Chips, salsa and fahitas are probably not the best foods to eat when you are expected to go into labor any minute. By the end of dinner, I was still feeling nothing but a few minor braxton-hicks. We decided to play some cards back at our place over some ice cream. Finally, we determined that the baby wasn’t coming that night and went to bed for what would become our last quiet night in quite a while!

Heard:

Tonight, as my hubby is stretched across the floor, pillow under head, in front of the Pistons game, he rolls slightly and obviously wakes himself from dozing and says, "Your dad's been on to something all these years".

It's only Wednesday.

Today was a little bit crazy. To sum it up - it's 8:35 pm and I still don't have all my groceries unloaded. We took it a bit easy this morning because truthfully, I was tired. We let AJ take his regularly scheduled naps today (which made him nap so much better). In between his naps, we hit two grocery stores and quickly swung by the library. First major grocery shopping day in a while. However, when we got home, instead of wanting lunch, Andrew wanted to go right to bed for his nap. What?! Works for me. What didn't work was the 102 degree fever that followed. He had a 103 fever last night before bed,too, but seemed fine again this morning, so I didn't give it much thought. I give him some Tylenol and let him watch a little Diego while AJ finishes his second great nap of the day. I did get some vacuuming done, the dishes done and some groceries put away. But as soon as Marc walked in the door I needed to leave to watch a friend's little one. (Her baby had the flu, so I really didn't want to bring my kids over). So Marc had the joy of making dinner and feeding the two boys on his own, while I lounged at my friend's house casually reading a magazine in peace and quiet with no interruptions (the child slept the entire time - poor guy). It was actually kind of nice.

Tomorrow is Bible Study in the morning, I have a list of projects to get done in the afternoon, then it's family haircut night. I will try to take before and after pictures, if I think about it, for you.

My blond sweetie...

AJ is 11 months old today. Already. 11 months. But he is still my baby. He is so snuggly. He just loves to snuggle. And if a stranger smiles at him, he will smile back, but only quickly before burying his head sheepishly in your neck. He has learned to cruise around the furniture and walk behind Andrew’s big trucks. And just this week, he’s mastered silent clapping and will do it at the drop of a hat with incredible pride in his eyes. He loves his “B” (tag blanket) and banana bread. He makes this hilarious sound when he is happy. It’s like he sucks in all his air in a loud manner while grinning ear to ear. I need to get it recorded before he stops doing it. Like, when he was a little baby and would cry hard – he would roll his tongue perfectly. It was so funny. Of course, he doesn’t do it anymore, and I have no record of it. Overall, he’s been sleeping ok. Not great, not horrible for the most part. And no new teeth... yet. Though he does get reprimanded for biting on a regular basis – usually when you are holding him and he gets excited – he takes it out on your shoulder/arm. He has amazing fine motor skills (in my ‘unbiased’ opinion) and loves pointing and touching things with his little pointer finger. He’s my sweetie. My blond sweetie.

This mama will need a meal... and a massage.

Monday night - boys in bed. Hubby out. TV, 'puter, couch, all to myself. Nothing on the tube, bills to pay, but couch is still comfy.

We had a nice, lazy weekend. I am thinking we did something other than church, but I just can't remember what right now. We did, however, have a great potty training week - so Saturday night we had pizza, made cookies and watched "Cars". A dream night for an almost three year old.

Today was a tiring day. We met my small MOPS group at Playworld this morning. We had never been there before. It really was great. For less than $4 for Andrew (AJ & myself were free), we got to play as long as wanted. There were giant inflatables and large structures like those found at McDonald's playareas, ball pits, push cars, etc... It took Andrew a while to warm up to the large items - he stuck to the toys he could be playing with at home for the first 45 minutes (very frustrating to me). However, he finally ventured into the bounce pad once I started calling it a giant "bed" to jump on. And I confess, I bribed him to try the slide. I knew he would love it, but I just could not get him to try it. But once he did - I couldn't get him off it. I also confess tha I was a little jealous that I was too big to play on the structures with him.

We even ate lunch there since they had $.99 hot dogs. AJ did great. He was so tired since he didn't nap, but I wore him most of the time so I could follow Andrew around and he did great. He even got to crawl on a smaller "bed" for a bit.

At 1:00pm, we finally left. It might have been the quietest ride home ever. I know AJ crashed before we left the parking lot. Andrew made it home, but only because I practically forced him to maintain a conversation with me whenever I thought he might be nodding off. (Mean mom.)

And the rest of the week is just as busy. Tomorrow we have the real MOPS meeting in the morning. We don't have library laptime on Wednesday anymore, but I need to go anyway to return books, plus Andrew likes to play with their Thomas Train set. Thursday is Bible Study in the morning and dinner/haircuts with friends in the evening. Friday is gym time and Andrew's birthday. I also have non-scheduled 'stuff' to do this week. I need to get tag blankets done for a few new babies and some meals made for those new mamas. Plus - I have to find time to hit the grocery store (or meals for mamas will not get made), and make a Diego birthday cake sometime. Whew.

Anyway - after all that, nothing else may get done this week. This weekend our house will need a full overhaul. Ah well. That's the way it goes. And if I don't write much this week - you now will still know what we are up to.

Not sure why - but I love this picture.

Peek A Boo

Joy.

So worth the buck!

I found out this week that there is local community center that opens their gym for playtime (age 6 and under) on Fridays between 10-12. I totally forgot about this until about 10 am this morning. We are getting more snow, so we weren't planning on going anywhere, but Andrew really needed to burn energy and the center is only a few minutes away. We packed up and went. It's only $1 per kid (and AJ was free) and you get to bring your bike, ball, whatever. So we brought Andrew's basketball and big dump truck. It's just a two-court basketball gym and there were only about a dozen or so kids and half that many parents there. It was perfect for Andrew. For almost two hours, he got to run... and run... and run. He was even telling me on the way home that he was tired. Bingo! This will definitely be going on our weekly schedule.

Your Punishment

Remember this mission? Well, I got NO responses. None. And I know I have creative readers. So - we had to come up with our own idea. And it's bad. But it's something. And you have to watch. Take that! Maybe next time I place a mission on you, you will give it more thought.

Granola Momma.

I didn't get a lot done today, due to a clingy kid. However, during naptime I did some baking. Without decent snack items in the house - Andrew thinks every snack should be sugared cereal. So, I made muffins, banana bread, and my own creation that I am very proud of... A little something I have dubbed White ChocoCran Granola Bars. Yes, my very own recipe. And - they are good. Real good. Surprisingly good. If you like granola bars - that is. Generally, I am recipe thief. I love Allrecipes.com. Over half of what we eat comes from that site. And I've tried a few granola bar recipes, but nothing that I loved. So I tweaked and tweaked, and... ta da. Below is my very own recipe. I give it 5 stars. (And surprisingly - the muffins, the banana bread, and bars all took mostly the same ingredients).

White ChocoCran Granola Bars

• 1.5 cups quick oats
• ½ cup Grape Nuts
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup wheat germ
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour minus 1 T.
• 1 tablespoon soy flour
• ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
• ½ cup white chocolate chips, chopped
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, Grape Nuts, brown sugar, wheat germ, flours, cranberries, chocolate chips and salt.
3. In separate smaller bowl, mix the honey, applesauce, egg, oil and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and mix. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Cool completely.

Don’t be fooled by all the ‘healthy’ ingredients. These really are good.
~

I passed.

Thunderstorm in February?

Welcome to Michigan. Where we have beautiful weather yesterday - so that we could walk a bit outside - and a lightening/thunder/ice storm this morning. It was interesting laying in bed this morning listening to ice hit the window interrupted by thunder. And of course, watching Andrew dive under the covers when lightening struck was adorable. (Yes, he was in bed with us since he woke up and is not allow (via baby gate) downstairs to wander the house without us up.

We got a call this morning telling us Bible Study was cancelled. And even though it is dissappointing, I think it's a good thing. It looks icky out there. Plus, AJ had another rough night and is currently sporting a 103 temp. Can you say clingy? I will be getting nothing done today, I'm sure. It really is sad to see him feeling so crummy and not be able to do much other than Tylenol and snuggle. I am ready for my happy boy back.

Speaking of AJ, he is currently beckoning for me in a pathetic little way. I must go. Be safe.