A Sad Farewell

After a lot of thinking and praying we made the hard decision to discontinue the homeschool preschool group we were a part of two days a week.  It just got to be too much with all of the errands I needed to run for the rest of the week plus work plus quality time with the kids at home plus chores around the house, yada yada yada.  I was stressed when we got home, Natalie was distracted while we were there and Liam spent his time at preschool running around the playroom emptying toys and puzzles left and right. 

Regardless, it was a hard decision as we'd made a lot of good friends there and the kids really did have fun each week.  I'm thinking the Fall might be good for another try as they'll both be a little older. We'll see...

Abel

Camden

Making muffins with Ms Erin.  I love Abel's face!  This is right before he dumped half the can of baking powder in the bowl.  It's a wonder those things turned out - but, MAN, were they good!

Liam

Peyton

Rory - eating a donut for Sequoia's birthday.

Sequoia (celebrating her 4th birthday at preschool!)

We'll definitely miss the preschool bunch, but hope to develop a routine of educational play/activities and scripture memory here at home.  If anything, being a part of the preschool group helped me to gain more confidence with my role as an educator at home.

It also helped me realize that I'm probably not cut out to homeschool my kids.  Of course I could change my mind, but I think I realized how BIG of an undertaking that truly is.  I'm missing some of the creativity and patience factors that I think you'd have to have to do this well.  I'm also missing all of the science and math skills I used to once posess (where DOES all that information go?).

Ah well, your kids thinking you dont know anything comes with the territory of being a parent I guess.  I better just accept it now.  

That and mom jeans. 

Okay... sorry, Mom, but I'm going to be fighting that one til the day I die.

Fanny Pack

You may think this is cool now...

but you're going to be burning pictures like this here in about 12 years.  (Note the drool drenched shirt to top off the look!)

Too bad I've got a backup of the digital copy!!!!

Say Cheese!

Natalie got a camera for Christmas.  Granted it takes .3 megapixel pictures so the quality isnt that good. 

.3 megapixels!??!!??  I mean my GRANDMA has more megapixels than that!!!

I digress.

The big selling point on the camera was not the quality but it's ability to be dropped, stomped on, thrown and used as a club for your brothers head.  We were sold!  (Actually Nana and Papa were sold... but I digress again.)

So here are some pictures that Natalie has taken with it.  Yes, they're all pretty fuzzy and these really are the best out of all 400 she took.  I just thought it was interesting to see what life looks like through the lens of a 3 year old.

Seeping Gooty (thats how she pronounces it)

Kevin...aka Dad

Ms. Jody

Stinky Pants

Me (bending down, of course, because otherwise you would have just seen my crotch...and this is a family blog, people!)

Nana and Papa at Christmas

Self Portrait!

We are Pull-Up Free!!!

Natalie acheived a HUGE milestone this past week and went 7 nights in a row without wearing a pull-up to bed.  Whooo Hooo!!

To celebrate we got her a demonic Disney movie.

Okay, so let me just say that I had no idea that Disney was THAT bad, but The Princess and the Frog just creeped me out.  Demons, tarot cards, palm readings!

WHAT?!?!?

Princess Tiana was nice, but they could have left out all of the Shadow Man and his accomplices and still would have had a decent movie.  I was truly disappointed with it and fortunately we were able to take it back.

After evaluating all of the Disney movies Natalie owns, I'm thinking that perhaps we'll try to go another route with future movie purchases.  Snow White deals with murder, attempted murder and death.  There's a line in Sleeping Beauty where Queen Maleficent calls on "all the powers of hell!" and there's a lot of the use of "idiot" and "stupid" in several of the Pixar movies.  That might all be okay when she gets a little older and we can talk through all this stuff, but I'm uncomfortable letting Disney dictate what's okay for my kid to be privy to right now.  I'm in the process of trying to find some VeggieTale movies to feature more often at home and may well be getting rid of some of the more offensive Disney flicks we have.  So disappointing, really, as the stories, themselves, are so good.

Ahh... and so it's starting.  I can already see us fighting about short skirts and bikinis!!

Snow Day

This was our first foray into the snow this winter.  I can attest that it *might* be our last.  Anyone out there ever try to dress a 1 year old and 3 year old in winter gear all by oneself?  I can tell you it took almost 45 minutes (well that included me as well).  Ridiculous!

Okay, so that DOES seem a bit of a downer, but we DID have a good time playing in the white stuff.  Well, Liam was a bit tentative and not particularly interested.  Hmmm... I seem to remember a certain someone feeling quite the same way when they were his age...

We are not amused.

Yes, his pants are pink.  Perhaps that's what he was so unhappy about!

I had to bribe with a treat to get Natalie to look at me for this photo!  We ended up doing hot chocolate when we came inside which she announced she didnt much care for.  Must run in the family because I've never been a fan either!

Natalie was sledding down our tiny hill right into the neighbors fence and thought it was the most hilarious thing ever.  Hopefully next year Liam will be a good enough sport to try a better hill.

Standing in our picture window admiring the snow.  I love this photo because you can kind of see pictures of her on the window sill when she was 14 months old.  Sniff... they grow up so fast!

Thats all for now folks!

A State of Chaos

I keep reminding myself that my house will be clean... one day. 

Granted I can clean it, but the kids and I spend one day at home and the house could be mistaken for a burglary scene.  Couch cushions are on the floor, clothes drawers are emptied, bookshelves completely swept of all their books, refrigerator magnets littering the floor.  Natalie can definitely be to blame for her fair share of messes, but really it's Liam who's the prime culprit.

Just today, I cleaned his room three times.  He's climbing the steps to his room all the time now and loves to go in and close the door to his room and turn on his music. 

Funny... I have a feeling he'll be doing this in about 13 years too. 

This morning, while I was stealing a few moments to apply my makeup, he went into his room and shut the door and redecorated his pad with the bag of wet diapers hanging off of his changing table.

Let's hope THAT isn't being repeated in 13 years.

The kids are playing together a lot more - and that's fun to see.  However, one unfortunate side effect is that we hear a lot of screaming coming from Liam these days.  Usually it's in response to Natalie "mothering" him by trying to pick him up or shuttle him into the position she wants him in.  Sometimes it's indignation that he doesn't have the toy he wants or she's taken it away from him.  I can imagine it will just be replaced by "No!" and "Back you evil fiend!" in no time.

Just the other day I walked past the playroom door and did a double take.  Both kids are in a little drawer enclosure we use to store the play food.  The drawers have been cast aside and the whole thing is upside down.  Not sure what the faces are saying but they definitely look guilty!

Recently, to my amusement Liam's taken quite a liking for Dora and her map.  Well, okay, its really just the map.  Cartography in his future?  Not sure, but he'll go ballistic for the map when it comes on TV and listened rather intently to me read a Dora book Natalie had brought home from the library, insisting that we turn back to the "MA!" (map).  This is the first book of any length he's listened to.   What hold does Dora and her triangle-shaped head have on kids?   Seriously, what do the creators of the Dora empire understand about kids that I don't?

While I've never been fond of introducing my kids to TV, I DO see a need for Liam to be able to sit in one spot for an extended period of time so that we can travel to Kansas City to see my parents this spring.  Maybe Dora will help forge the way!  My last plane trip with him in August was a living nightmare and I'm determined not to repeat it.  So we'll see...

I walked into the living room in the middle of preparing dinner the other night to see this...

 

Notice the couch cushion missing?  I think my husband removed it this time.  Geez I can't win!!!

Realizing he's caught looking so grown up.  Now I just need to put him to work so he can pay for a maid.

Holy Stuffed Peppers, Batman!!

I love stuffed peppers!  But it had been forever since I'd made them.  I recently resurrected this recipe from the tried and true family favorites cookbook (a 3 ring binder of all our favorite recipes) and realized I need to make these on a more regular basis.  Can I just say... YUM!

Notes: I changed a few things...I substituted tomato sauce in lieu of tomato soup/water.  I seasoned my ground beef with all sorts of things (steak seasoning, SeasonAll, pepper).  I also halved my peppers and used red peppers instead of green.  If you do this, you'll need to increase the meat mixture so you dont run out.

Knock Knock

We have entered the world of knock knock jokes.  "Poopy" and "Pee Pee" have been struck from the acceptable list of punchlines and we've recently had to strike "toots" as well.  Toots, it seems, is the funniest thing in the world to a three year old.

For instance...

Knock knock!

Who's There?

A bunch of toots under the bed!!!

Something tells me that's always going to be funny.

Take Two

Started diet yesterday.  Bypassed chocolate cupcakes on our counter and went straight for the All Bran.  Tried to overlook souring milk but caved halfway through bowl and opted for 2 cheese sticks and a diet soda instead.

For lunch had tuna fish (only a little mayo) and half a sheath of saltine crackers.  Not QUITE a diet at half a sheath but a step in the right direction.

Opted not to workout since I'd been to the chiro that day, but resolved it was going to happen tomorrow.

Kevin called to say he would be home late.  Call happened to coincide with kids crying, dinner being late to go in the oven and sinus headache.  Instantly shoved fistfuls of sugared almonds and chocolate covered pretzels in my face.  Followed by the kid's macaroni and cheese, chicken, some ribs, the rest of a box of Nilla Wafers, and two hard ciders.

Um... apparently I'm an emotional eater.

Today is Tuesday.  Take two.

Old

So last week I was sitting at my desk minding my own business when I noticed a strange neck stiffness all of the sudden.  Turning my head was so painful, in fact, that I was unable to fully move my head from side to side (envision someone with a neck brace that requires turning the entire torso to look side). Figuring it would just "go away" as it easily as it had come I carried on as usual.  Granted my neck has gotten a bit "better" but the whole thing has kinda migrated down my back and I wake up in a good deal of pain in the morning now.  Yesterday I caved and went to the chiropractor and, while it helped some, I'll be back again tomorrow.

If this is the way that 2011 is starting I'd like to call a timeout.  When did 31 become old?  I at least thought I had a decade or so more before I got strange pains from sitting in an office chair.

This might be retribution from my body for taking a month off of working out and then stuffing my face through the holidays.  You just watch out, body, because when I get back to it I am SO going to kick you in the butt.

Off to take some ibuprofen now...

So I'm Noticing a Trend Here...

Okay, so I have moments of blogging prolificness followed by long periods of blogging ineptitude.  You could blame it on my kids, my experimenting with couponing (no I am not of of those Extreme Couponers on the TLC show) or all the online shopping I did for Christmas (New Years resolutions related to budgeting money more effectively will follow).  However, it really was that I didnt put it as a priority.  And for that, well, I'm sorry.  So I'm back, for now.  Let's see if I can make this work this time.

Christmas was a whirlwind of eating, going (see eating), entertaining (see eating again) and present giving followed by a little more eating (New Years resolution related to not eating so much and such indulgent foods to follow).

We got together with my in-laws the week before Christmas to exchange gifts and have a traditional Christmas dinner (homemade hot rolls, scalloped potatoes, ham, green beans and pecan bars).

Christmas with the in-laws!

Lion House rolls - the best rolls I've ever made from scratch!

Pecan Bars - better than pecan pie, oh yeah.

It was loads of fun and we enjoyed opening and giving lots of gifts.

The Wednesday before Christmas my parents and sister came to town as did several members of my dad's side of the family for a Christmas party.  We had hors d'oeuvres (think mini crab cakes, bites of filet with paremesan cheese and horseradish sauce, cocktail shrimp, homemade mini quiches, homemade jalapeno poppers, meatballs, spinach artichoke dip, more pecan bars, etc). 

Deer Ol' Grandpa Frank (ha ha ha!)

Natalie sporting her "Jesse" hat (from Toy Story)

Aunt Kathi and Grandpa Frank

Dad with Aunt Kathi and Uncle Wendell

My Deer Ol' Husband (I know, but I cant help myself!) and Uncle Dave

Me and Uncle Dave (who, btw, is a chef - love of food runs in the family!)

Aunt Jennifer, Cousins Kate and Justin and Grandpa Frank

It was so great to see the family.  Its been 5 years since we've all gotten together on that side and we all agreed it had been WAY too long.

The next day my mom, sister, dad and Kevin and I hit the bus for a day trip to New York City to do a food tour in the Central Village/Soho neighborhood.  My WORD, it was a good time!  We went to 6 restaurants on the tour and then hit up 2 more afterward.  We saw Bob Dylans old house and had a sighting of James Gandolfini (i.e. Tony Soprano)!  Such a neat way to tour a place you're unfamiliar with and an interesting view into the culture there.  The Duck Confit macaroni at MacBar (a place we visited after the tour) was among one of the favorites of the day!

Christmas day was fun - as it usually is.  I knew what all my gifts were this year as we all made lists.  I'd even bought a few things for myself and wrapped them up under the tree.  Hey...when you're an adult you get to do things like that.  We ate breakfast casserole in the morning and then had rosemary bread, baked potato soup and salad for dinner (followed by pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese frosting - for Jesus' birthday and all).

Mom got a Kindle!

Liam just LOVES play-doh!

Homemade Pear Honey in the stockings

I stood outside at 3:30am sick as a dog for this Toy Story dvd.  Ahh what we won't do for our kids and a good sale!

It was a princess Christmas this year!

In case you can't tell this is Kevins "oooh... so COOL" face.

My sister rounded their visit with a pork cassoulet, thyme roasted carrots, green beans and salad with homemade vinaigrette and rosemary bread followed by peanut butter ice cream with homemade peanut butter sauce.

Um, I know we had homemade pizza in there one night too.

So, /urp..., all in all it was a super Christmas with all the different members of the family.  I actually got my Christmas cards out on time AND had time to crochet a few Christmas presents ahead of time AND do some Christmas baking (see here and here).

Dad and Lib

Papa and Natalie

Nana and Natalie looking at old photos of me with buck teeth

 Me (looking tired from all that eating!), Mom, Lib

I *will* be going on a diet after this weekend to atone for all of my gross indulgences in culinary delights, but OH what fun I've had doing so.  Stay tuned for my grumpy, hungry, self to return to blog land with tales of chicken, brown rice and vegetables.  All right, I'll find something more interesting to talk about.  Liam and his pink purse perhaps.

Preschool Update

Preschool has been such a blessing this year.  It always feels like a marathon when we're there.  Me chasing Liam, Natalie struggling to focus and general chaos as 5 women try to herd 7 preschoolers and 3 toddlers through a lesson plan.  I generally leave totally wiped out, mentally and physically and wonder what, if anything, Natalie learned that day.  However, it's been good for me as it's made me a better educator at home.  For instance, Natalie now recognizes the "W" in Walmart and the "M" in McDonalds.  (Classy, I know.)  In fact, she's recognizing more letters, memorizing Bible verses, making good friends and going on some great field trips.

Our last field trip we went on was to a dairy and ajoining ice cream shop.  We got to see all things cow and see how the ice cream was made.  Here are some highlights:

Lets just say that cows must not be able to smell, because they'd have keeled over from the stench!  Glad this room was well ventilated!

The ice cream they make doesn't get any fresher than this...

The entourage

Not sure what the cow was thinking here, but I like to imagine something like "man these kids smell!"

The preschoolers LOVED seeing the pigs.  The farmer tossed a pumpkin in the pen and it broke into pieces for the pigs to chow down on.

Ice cream at 10:30am... Sweet!