Meet Steve Harris

WOW! How can I say anything more? What a diverse group of people! And Steve Harris??? Number 1, who is he? Number 2, seriously?? I just don't know what to say. I should have known that I'd get some funny ones after seeing Sara's, Sally's and Holly's results...but it still shocked me!

Banana-rama

Apparently we don't eat as many bananas as I think we do because we always have ripe bananas laying around. So I must buy more than we need. We've had a pj day today since it's so freezing cold outside and I don't want to bring the boys out in this weather. So faced with a day inside and some really ripe bananas, I decided to find a recipe to make something with them.

I got this one on All Recipes for Banana Oat Muffins. Henry helped me make them this morning. We almost had a major muffin disaster - I turned my back to got a bowl to mash the bananas in just as Henry figured out how to open the Morton salt pouring spout and as I turned back around he was holding it over the bowl of mixture getting ready to dump. I have a feeling they would have been some super salty muffins. Anyway, they did turn out and they're good for a change from plain old bread. Henry loves them (and every other baked goody), so after he ate his lunch I let him choose one. Then as I was cleaning up lunch I saw him run away with another muffin in his hands. Since he already had one, I made him put it back and when he did I saw that 2 other muffins had a bite taken out of them! He is fast!!

Amen!

We've been trying to teach Henry to pray before meals so I'll often say a few words and pause to let him fill in the blanks. Just to give you an idea about why this was so funny to me, I'll share what a typical prayer before we eat might be: Dear Jesus, thank you for this food and for this day. We love you. In Jesus name, Amen. So pretty short and simple.

Well today at lunch I started and this is how the prayer went:
Me: Dear (pause)
Henry: Father
Me: (smiling because it surprised me and I thought it was sweet) Thank you for (pause)
Henry: chicken nuggets
Me: (trying not to bust a gut) We (pause)
Henry: Rejoice!
Me: (cracking up) Amen!

I just thought it was hilarious that he heard "re" instead of "we" and that he filled it in with "joice". I didn't even know he knew that word.

Beware: hair care

I bought a new hair straightener today at Wal-Mart. It's definitely not top of the line, but it's so much better and up-to-date than my current one, so I'm excited.

As I was reading through the little booklet that came with it I came across this instruction:

"6. Never use while sleeping."

I just find it hilarious that the makers of this product found it necessary to include that rule in a list of other pertinent ones. Who straightens their hair in their sleep? Really, if I could figure out how that would save me some time...

Burnin' up

One of my very favorite features about our car are its seat warmers. I love to turn on both the driver's side and the passengers (for my passengers) and crank them up high. Especially in this cold, wintry weather.

Rewind to a few weeks ago when on another of these subzero arctic chilling days I was leaving Wal-Mart with William in the backseat and started smelling a smoking, burning smell. It was almost immediate as I started to drive and caused me to freak out and stop for a minute in the parking lot to assess the situation. I did immediately turn off the heat thinking that maybe that was the issue since I cranked it up so fast. When I didn't see any obvious smoke (my brother Dan and I had an experience with something under the hood of our car literally catching fire once, that's another story-a hilarious one- of its own) I proceeded home with caution. Basically thinking that what could I really do anyway. So I just prayed the whole way home that the car wouldn't blow up and that I'd get William to safety. Well, we made it and later that night Patrick took the car out to run an errand. I'd told him about the burning smokish smell and when he got home he just laughed and said he didn't notice anything. I decided that maybe I was just either crazy or that someone else's car had been smoking and the smell had wafted into our car.

A few cold days later, I was again driving this time with both boys and smelled the smell again. Henry confirmed that I wasn't just smelling things. He too, could smell the burning smell. I should also note that as I smelled this smell on different occasions I also got a pinch on the seat of my pants. Not being sure how this all correlated, I sort of just forgot about it.

Then a few days ago when the whole family was out together and Patrick was driving I discovered the burning, butt pincher. Patrick parked the car and ran in to Monicals to pick up a pizza. I casually glanced over at his seat and saw two small holes in the leather, maybe pencil tip size. Suddenly everything became clear. I'm obsessed with using the seat warmers, Patrick's not so much; in fact, he rarely ever turns his on. I realized that our seat warmers must be the culprit because I cranked mine up every time and that's when I'd start to smell that burning smell. Also, the leather had started to burn, HENCE the bottom pinching.

When Patrick got back into the car I told him my revelation and asked him if he thought we should call the dealership. He said that it should be covered under warranty and suggested that I call. When I replied, "ok, what do I say? That the seat warmers are smoking and burnt a hole in my butt." He said, "I'll call".

He did call and the warmers are covered under warranty, so that's good news. We just had to stop by to show them the seat so they could determine what parts to order and then they'll call us when the parts come in and fix it the same day. The guys at the dealership did ask if we got burned. I think they thought it was funny that it took me so long to make the connection.

Hollywood or Bust

Anyone else watching Season 7 of American Idol? We've been DVRing it and then watching it once the boys are in bed. The first few weeks of auditions have definitely been funny-just lots of characters walk through those doors. Here's what gets me, though-why does everyone think that they have to sing? As in, their life's purpose is to communicate through song. I mean, people get so angry/devastated/ruined when they are told "no" to Hollywood. Most of them are clearly not talented singers, and isn't that ok? It seems like this show aired 7 seasons ago and now the vast majority of the country is convinced that they either are a talented singer or the "next American Idol". I know I can't sing, I have no singing voice, nada. It's terrible and I know it. Here's the thing, I'm ok with it. I'm not offended that I'm not going to Hollywood. It just gets me every time watching the show when people who are so convinced that they have a melodic voice and are denied, leave cursing the judges and saying "I don't need this show", "I know I'll make it" or my favorite "You will see me again America"! It's like who cares if you can't sing-I feel like each of those people must have so many other talents that they're not pursuing because they're obsessed with singing for the country.

William at 3 Months

Sweet. In one word, that sums up this little baby. He's just a sweet little boy. He has been full of smiles and now he coos and has started to laugh. I love having these little baby conversations with him. I'll hold him propped up on my lap and will talk to him and then pause and sure enough he'll fill in the pause with some sweet coo. It's fun seeing his little voice start to emerge. He is definitely growing and I feel like he's already really filling out the 3-6 month clothes I've put him in. I just got all of those sizes washed and organized and now I feel like he might not stay in them too long. Switching out the clothes sizes is my least favorite baby chore I think. I guess it's just that...a chore. Finding all of the right size/right season clothes and then washing them, taking the smaller size out of the drawers and packing them up and then putting away all of the new bigger sizes. Uggg, it just takes me forever and feels overwhelming. I'm thinking I might be doing it a lot more than every 3 months as the labels say if William keeps packing on the pounds! His eyes are also bright blue and remind me a lot of Henry's. I'm thinking he might also have blue eyes?? Patrick joked the other night that he's starting to wonder if he's the father. I said if that's the criteria, then I'm not so sure I'm the mother either. Ha! It would be funny if we, two hazel-ish eyed people, ended up having two blue-eyed boys.


Just in the past few weeks I've really noticed a change in his awareness. When I'm feeding him he gets really easily distracted by anything around us. If I'm eating he stops to watch me take a bite; if someone else is in the room he stops to watch them walk by; he stops to admire pictures on the wall; and always stops to watch big brother Henry. He's just really aware of what is going on now. It's great because he's really interacting and awake more, but it's tough because he's also moved out of his newborn falling asleep constantly throughout the day-ness. Because of that I started laying him down awake for his naps a few weeks ago and have had some ups and downs. The first few times were tough, he just cried and cried and I ended up picking him up feeling like a failure when he conked out in my arms. So I waited a couple of days thinking maybe he just wasn't ready and then tried again, trying really hard to time it right--after he ate, was changed and started showing signs of being sleepy. He's done well---he usually lays in his crib for a few minutes, then starts to fuss at which point I go into his room and give him his pacifier (he'll only take it if he's upset) and then he sucks on that pretty vigorously and falls asleep within a couple of minutes. But that hasn't been for every nap. There are days that I must totally miss the timing and his crying only escalates more and more at which point I pick him up and rock him to sleep.

His schedule has been that he takes a couple of shorter naps in the morning (only about 30 minutes each--short!) and then a long, marathon nap in the afternoon--3-4 hours. A lot of afternoons I wake him up after we eat dinner around 6! And just in the last week he's been having an earlier bedtime- I feed him around 7:30 and then he's out for the night usually--until around 5 or 5:30. The nap trouble is that when he falls asleep on his own, he's on his back and those are his shorter naps. In the afternoon I put him down on his tummy if he wakes up after 20 or 30 minutes and only then is it that he'll sleep those long stretches. So he definitely naps better on his tummy. So my trouble is that he doesn't like to be on his tummy if he's awake so how do I get him to fall asleep on his own (which he does on his back) but get him to sleep for a long stretch? Maybe it will get better when he can roll over and can choose to lay whichever way is the most comfortable for him. I feel like sleep issues are the most stressful ones with babies. I remember always feeling that way when Henry was a baby. I'm anxious to have William on more of a schedule so that I'll know what to expect. I'm also still not confident with his naps and laying him down awake, so that feels stressful too. I'm feeling the old 'I don't want him to feel abandoned' feelings. Oh and I don't know what I would do without our Snugli baby carrier. I literally stuff that in my diaper bag and bring it with me every where. I use it every week grocery shopping and usually weekly at the children's museum, too. I love having my hands free, and having my baby happy. It works out really well for us both.

Profile of a 2 1/2 year old

Henry is officially 2 1/2. The next milestone is his third birthday. There is just no way that I can have a 3-year old! A confession of mine is that I've always been able to imagine myself with babies and small children. I honestly cannot imagine myself with a 7-year old. And the confession part I guess, is that it terrifies me. What happens when your children don't think you're funny or right anymore?
In celebration of Henry's 2 1/2 years we had a doctor's appointment for a check up. Taking him to the doctor since he was around 18 months has been terrifying for he and I. He basically fought and screamed the whole way through and it was just never any fun. I was nervous about how things would go having both he and William at the appointment. I really tried to prepare him for his appointment and tried to pump him up about seeing the doctor. And I was pleasantly surprised when he did great! He actually climbed up onto the exam table and laid there very willingly while the doctor examined him. I was so proud of him. Here are his stats: Weight: 36 lbs (100%=off the charts) Height: 36 1/2 inches (80%) I think it's weird that he's over half of my height and Patrick's too!
This stage has been so much fun. I really love the age he's at. (I have a feeling that this is what ends up happening with every age - so maybe having a 7-year old won't be that terrifying after all?) He really has turned into such a little person. I've been trying to take him out and do things with just him sometimes. Last weekend we went to the children's museum together and then to Starbucks! He chose a reduced fat blueberry coffee cake from the pastry case and I had my new fave a decaf white chocolate peppermint mocha with (thanks to Holly) half the pumps and no whip (it's delish). It was so funny to sit there and talk to him. He was really interested in the Starbucks logo and wondered if it was an angel. Is it? It kind of reminds me of a mermaid, too.

He's also been really into first names. When he woke up from his nap today I heard him calling for "Patrick" over the monitor then when I went upstairs to get him he said, "where's Patrick?". I reminded him that it was "daddy" to him! Then out of curiosity I asked him what my name was and he said, "just mommy and girl".

This morning he noticed some very ripe bananas on the counter and said, "look mommy, those bananas are dirty!". So we made some banana bread after his nap this afternoon while William was still napping. I had all of the ingredients on the counter and he picked up the egg very curiously and then crushed it in his hands before I had the chance to stop him. It definitely surprised him as much as me!

He has been so sweet to William and I'm so proud of him when I see him being a good big brother. He loves to get William's attention and just lately William's really been watching him and smiling at him. Last week though he did tell me to put William down when I was holding him and Henry wanted me to be holding some tractors instead.

I've also noticed his imagination really starting to take off, too. Lately he's been really into imaginary friends-well, they're real people that he knows but we play with them at our house as if they're actually here. "Cousin Gabe" has been his #1 fave imaginary friend to have over. He loves to play with cousin Gabe by first calling him on the phone to invite him over to our house. It's a fun game, but does get confusing when he keeps asking me, "mommy, where did cousin Gabe go?". :-)

My Smilebox creation...

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

This side up

Microwave popcorn and other microwaveables usually have a "this side up" stamp on them. Does anyone know what happens if living dangerously you decide to put that side down?

Just curious...

A New Year

There is definitely something so refreshing about a New Year. It feels like the slate has been wiped clean and it's a chance to start fresh and make some needed changes. It's also a chance to reflect upon the past year and remember all of the highs and lows that have shaped, changed, influenced and affected me. I've been thinking about some things I'd like to accomplish or strive to do this year and listing them on a piece of scrap paper. Now that we're well into January I figured it was time to compile them into a list of official "resolutions". So here it goes:

• To take a "chill pill". I recognize that I worry way too much. If there is something to be worried about, count on me to worry about it. Even if there is nothing to worry about, I'm still worrying about it. I've also realized that I let little day-to-day things stress me out. I just want to keep things in perspective. I realize that taking care of Henry and William is a full time job and that there will be days that I'm just not able to accomplish anything else. I want to be ok with that.


• Galations 5:22-23; to evidence the fruits of the Spirit that Paul lists in this verse. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. With a big emphasis on patience.


• To steer (pardon the pun) clear of houses, mailboxes, dogs, other cars and state troopers. No car accidents in 2008! 2007 was quite the eventful year for my personal driving record. Check my blog for an upcoming post about all of my car accidents last year.
• To remember birthdays and anniversaries. I really admire my Aunt Anne. She not only always sends a card for every birthday and anniversary, but these cards always arrive early. I'm so impressed by her and really touched by her thoughtfulness. I really want to strive to remember friends and family's birthdays especially-I'll start small, and send cards. (e-cards if the date sneaks up on me) *disclaimer: I just marked all b-days on my calendar, so if your birthday has already passed this month and the card has not arrived, it will be in the mail shortly!
• To wear my pre-pregnancy jeans. I have a few pairs of jeans that I just love and I would just love to be able to wear again. So instead of listing a number of lbs to lose or a goal weight I'll just set my goal as my favorite pair of Gap jeans. To get into those jeans I'll need to exercise (I have a few workout videos that I'm going to use until it warms up outside)and switch out some chocolaty, sweet snacks for some healthier options. I have such a sweet tooth, I will never eliminate them completely, but I definitely could do some cutting back. I think I'll also start opting for lattes at Starbucks with 1/2 the syrup and no whip, thanks Holly!
• To plan meaningful "play" with Henry. I'm ordering this book, Montessori Play And Learn: A Parent's Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six by Leslie Britton from Amazon. I love the Montessori method and this book has ideas for teaching your young child in practical ways with the materials you already have at home. I just want to make the most of the time I spend with him.
  

These should keep me pretty busy in the upcoming year! I'm excited to go into this new year and looking forward to seeing it unfold. 2007 was such a full year: Henry turning 2 and becoming a big brother, William's arrival, going to New York to visit my childhood best friend, Katie, and so much more. I'm so thankful for all of the blessings in the past year.

Boys

I don't really have many pictures yet of me with both boys. I'm usually the picture-taker, and it seems like whenever it does happen to strike Patrick to take a pic, I'm either sleeping on the couch with my mouth hanging open (he immediately ran to get the camera one night when he saw William and I dozing on the couch together--both of our mouths wide open-gross!), or I haven't had a shower for 2 days. Anyway, here's one of all of us awake and posing. The only thing is, poor William, he's crying to eat and we're forcing him to pose for a family photo. Oh well.

I just love my boys. I really love having boys. I love the things I get to do and play with that I've never done before in my life. Like planting rows of beans and corn with Henry's tractor and planter and then putting the corn head on the combine and combining them all up. I mean, really, who even knows what that means? I never had a clue about farming and tractors and trucks until this sweet 2-year old boy was a part of my life. It's funny now that we have two boys, it seems like everyone's question is, "are you going to try for a girl?" It's a very innocent question, and it would be fun to have a girl - I really get the girl stuff and I'd love to see Patrick learn about girly things just like I've had to learn to combine. But it also makes me think about being satisfied and content. Satisfied with what we've been given - who's to say that we'd be able to have more children? (Grandparents reading, don't fret! We do want more children) I just want to be satisfied in a way with life where I feel full and any more blessings just add to that fullness. I also want to be content to rest our lives in God's hands and to not only accept his plans for our lives but to also receive them graciously. So if that means another boy, 2 or 10 more boys (ok, maybe not 10), then I will be thankful for God's plan and for those boys. Every child is such a gift (so cliche, I know) with his or her own unique plan and purpose.

Anyone with two same-gendered children get asked the same question? What do you think?

*this post turned into a lot more than just a silly picture of a mom and her two boys. Maybe I should wrap some of these thoughts into a New Year's resolutions post.

28

Patrick is now the old man in the house--he turned 28 on Friday. Happy Birthday to Patrick! Henry helped me make him a cake-it's a deliciously easy ice-cream cake, made with ice-cream sandwiches. If you need a easy, fast and delicious cake--email me for the recipe! He snuck lots of tastes as we made it, loving the cool whip "frosting" as he called it the very most. Then my dear friend Rachel offered to babysit so I could take Patrick out for a relaxing dinner that didn't require bringing any snacks, cutting anyone else's food, or ordering off of the children's menu. Henry had a blast playing with her--they made a lego person together and Henry named him "George Bush". When we got home we sang Happy Birthday to Patrick and dug into the cake. It was fun and relaxing.

Henry making the cake and sneaking some tastes.
Henry and Rachel--he loves her!
Me and the Birthday Boy (I think he's yawning in the picture, but we only took 1 other one and he was closing his eyes in that pic. Tired maybe??!)
I realized that we didn't have any birthday candles so we ended up using this fragranced votive. This picture is funny to me: Patrick looks annoyed from all of the picture taking, Henry looks ready to literally dive into the cake and William is crying for some food!

The Great Flood

You really discover what means the most to you in a crisis situation. This past Wednesday was the first of several of the coldest days that we've had so far this winter. That morning I went to wash my hands in our downstairs 1/2 bath only to discover that nothing happened when I turned the faucet on. No water came out. Patrick had only left for work a few minutes earlier so I called him to report this news. He told me that the pipes were probably frozen from the cold and he told me where the shut off valves were in the basement, just in case they burst. He said it probably wouldn't happen, but just in case...

Fast forward through the day, Holly came down to visit (we planned to have our Christmas together...Holly, me and Rachel). Patrick was still at work and Holly was playing with Henry in the living room. I had just finished feeding William and was holding him. All of sudden we hear the sound of gushing water. GUSHING. I jumped up, set William on the chaise (Holly prefers to say "threw"--maybe it sounds more dramatic. But please know I wouldn't throw this sweet boy!), ran into the 1/2 bath and saw streams of water gushing from the cabinet, grabbed my cell phone, dialed Patrick and then what? No I didn't remember the off valve in the basement. In my panic I ran upstairs to grab bunches of large bath towels. Meanwhile, Holly has scooped up William and called up to me, "don't worry, it's ok". From upstairs I yell, "It's not ok, my makeup is in there!". She repeats, "it's going to be ok". Thinking my makeup loving best friend surely didn't hear me, I repeat, "my makeup is in there!!". Patrick answers his phone, hears the frenzy and asks, "did you shut off the valve?". Oops! Downstairs I run, turn the valve and hear Holly yell, "it's off!". Then we sopped everything up with towels, learned that my makeup was safe inside it's damp bag and cracked up at the hilarity of it all. What worried me most? That my makeup would be ruined. Not to mention my hair dryer and straightener that I also store under the sink. All cosmetics are safe and well. Oh, yeah...the sink is working again, too. Patrick spent a good part of the night working on pipes and insulating things more so hopefully it won't happen again.

The soaking wet mess....all of the towels that my instincts told me to throw all over the floor.
My dripping makeup bag. Here I am feeling so sad about the possible ruins of its contents.

Pits

Cherry pits, that is. One of the gifts Holly gave me for Christmas is a cleaning product made by Shaklee. It's called Scour Off: Heavy Duty Paste. It's made from cherry pits, so it smells delish. I actually want to eat it (but you can't, so I won't). It's nontoxic, with no harsh chemicals, naturally abrasives, biodegradable surfactants, and has no phosphates. (that's from right off the container)

I'm not gonna lie--I am generally a Comet girl and love the way that it makes my tub, sinks and stove shine. So I used this pasty cleanser today on my kitchen sink, mostly just to satisfy my curiosity and guess what? I love it! It is equal in it's shine inducing quality; however, I scrubbed and scrubbed with no ventilation and didn't feel like my lungs were collapsing. Usually when I'm using Comet, I have to have a window open nearby because it really burns when I breathe it in. Obviously that's not good. This cleaner smelled and worked great. And instead of leaving green dust, it left a delicious smelling cherry scent in my kitchen sink. Thank you Holly, I love it! And when it's gone...where can I order more?

Lost in Translation

Today Henry just noticed that our black car is missing. I never really filled him in on the whole "your mommy ran a dog over and wrecked the car" story. He's also on a big question asking kick. Even once we answer him and he knows the answer, he'll ask again. It's not the "why's" yet...just more "where" and "what". I'm finding it really funny now that he's talking so much to hear the way he understands the way things work in the world. So here's how our conversation went:

Henry: Mommy, where's the black car? Where?
Me: Well it got hurt really bad and so it had to go to the shop to get fixed.
Henry: (takes it all in for a moment, then,) Where's the black car mommy?
Me: Remember, I just told you. Where is it?
Henry: It went shopping mommy.

So here we are stranded at home while our black car is off gallivanting at the store! Too funny.