Thankful on Thursday

• A chance to talk to other teachers about TEACHING this afternoon. You’d be surprised how rare that is!
• Um…that Aubrey needs me at 2am? I am thankful that I have a baby that needs me (and at 12:30am, and 4:30am).
• Thankful that Logan has been a bit easier to get up this week and our mornings haven’t been full of drama.
• That someone keeps remembering to move the Elf.
• Christmas! I love, love, love December!
• Online shopping. It is awesome.
• Comfy chairs – I may have fallen asleep in the recliner in Aubrey’s room when I put her to bed tonight (see second bullet – lack of sleep!).

Friday, Friday, Friday. Short, But I am sleeeeeepy (teeth are torturing us here I think)…

Laughing and Learning

So when in the world was the last time I put video on here? It has been forever. Let’s see if I can remember how to do this…

Here’s Aubrey showing some of her giggles at dinner tonight. The funniest part was that I wasn’t doing anything, just smiling at her. Apparently I am hi-lar-ious.

Aubrey’s giggles…

Then I decided to get Logan counting in all his languages. There are two funny things about this. One, I have NO idea what he’s saying in Chinese, Vietnamese, or Laotian. Two, I don’t even know how to say the word Laotian. Logan even corrects me. He is smarter than me, for sure.

Logan counting

And there’s your peek into our lives for the night, pure excitement!

Brotherly Love

I’m not a fan of shirts with sayings on them like, “I didn’t do it” and “Recess is my favorite part of school” because, well, I think kids sometimes live up to those sayings. So I tend to avoid them. But this one? It’s true.

I’ll admit that I’m totally biased. But for the record, so I can remember on days when they’re driving each other crazy, here are the things that make him an awesome big brother.

• He always asks to see, “My Aubrey” on the video monitor after she is asleep.
• He can make her laugh. Yesterday in the grocery store she just seemed off, and no matter what I did she just looked sad. So then I asked Logan to make her laugh and he started making funny faces and laughing, and she joined right in with a big smile and belly laugh!
• He always says, “Hi cutie” when he sees her in the morning.
• When she cries he very quickly says, “What’s wrong with Aubrey mommy?”
• When she pooped in the bathtub while they were both in there the other night (oh yeah, that happened) and we had to quickly pull them both out he said, “Don’t worry Aubrey, you didn’t know better.”
• When we’re driving close to nap time and I can tell she’s drifting off, I ask him to keep her awake and he sings LOUDLY to her. It works!
• He’s quick to point out when she has something she shouldn’t, or might even be approaching it.
• If she has one of his toys he’ll exchange it for one of hers.
• He is super patient.
• He loves to tickle her.
• He kisses her goodnight every night.

Their sibling relationship is so important to me. I know it won’t always be sunshine and roses, but I want them to rely on each other and really enjoy each other’s company, especially as they get older. I think we’re on our way!

Oh, and he totally read all of those letters on that shirt to me this morning. Upside down, since he already had it on. Blew me away at 7am! He read the letters on my school shirt with both capitals and lowercase letters last night. Love it!

Our Big Girl

Oh she’s growing by leaps and bounds right before my eyes. A few months ago I read an article about “lasts” and how often we don’t know they’re lasts. For example, the infant bathtub has been taken out of the bathroom and is waiting to be put in the basement storage area – and all of the sudden when I saw it in the hall tonight I thought “Wait, what? I’m never going to give one of my babies a bath in there again???”

The big news last week was that she sprouted a tooth! Wednesday evening I was feeding her and I was like WHAT is that in your mouth child???

Yeah, excuse all those sweet potatoes…but can you see the white on her gums? I put my finger in there and it was all sharp and yep, a tooth was poking through. Tooth number two is doing the same now. She is literally RIGHT at the same spot where Logan was when he got his teeth, a few days before 8 months.

And, yes, here she is showing off how big she is again, at Moe’s last night.

See her in that restaurant high chair (with my germ-o-phobe cover?), eating a Mum-Mum? Seriously people. She’s all, “Don’t you dare try to touch this, I will hold the whole thing myself, bite off little pieces, and eat it all, thank you very much.” And she very happily hung out in her chair the whole meal.

8 months in 4 days – then 4 months until 1. Good grief.

Let the Fun Begin!

After all of the Thanksgiving fun, there was even more fun to be had this weekend! It could be said that we are very, very excited about Christmas in our family. It is my favorite time of year, Logan is finally “getting” it, and I am ready to start lots of fun traditions. We wasted no time and put the tree up on Friday morning!

So, every year Peter and I have this big debate about real vs. artificial tree. Every year I want a real tree. Every year we use our fake tree…but it’s a nice one! Logan was really confused about this tree coming out of a box thing!

He was however, very excited to put on the first ornament!

Aubrey was just excited there was *MORE*stuff for her to play with (those are the stockings Peter and I had as kids. We have matching ones for our family now, but we are still waiting for Aubrey’s to get here, so no pictures yet!).

And then she helped put on an ornament.

Logan helped as long as he could, then he just started jammin’ to some Christmas music.

I’m excited to get more of the house decorated this week, and the outside too! Our neighborhood has quite the variety of decorated houses already, and Logan loves seeing all the lights. It’s going to be a good month!

Saturday morning I woke up and was out of the house bright and early to go to E’s baby shower in Pittsburgh. It was so nice! Everybody that put it together did an awesome job. I met E when I first started teaching – we were first year teachers together. And her family and friends in PA have always been SO welcoming and warm. I was really apprehensive about leaving the kids, especially Aubrey, but it was so worth it! Peter got to relax and hang out with them, and I got to have some adult time and a good night’s sleep! I can’t wait to meet baby G in a few months! I didn’t get a picture of just her and I, but here I am with some of the ladies.

I made it home this afternoon without too much traffic, and everybody was all smiles when I got here. A successful weekend all around!

4 weeks of school, think we can get some snow days in there? A girl can dream, right? I have to have something to get me through Monday!

Thankful on Thursday: The Thanksgiving Edition

I did it! I made the whole Thanksgiving dinner on my own. Well, mom helped me add some cornstarch to the gravy, but other than that, I did it! Now, please note that if my parents had not been helping with the kids, it would have been a much later meal! But, it went really, really well. I deemed all of it pretty good, except the green bean casserole and that was because the green beans were overcooked (though Peter claims it was great). The rest though? Even my gravy made from scratch? Pretty good! Now, for the picture recap…

Mom made Aubrey this adorable little turkey onesie. It was too cute!

I made some appetizers – they were totally unnecessary. I’m going to skip them next time.

There was some pretty serious playing during meal prep time!

There it is! My goal next time is to “dress” the table a little bit better, but getting the food on it was the main goal for today!

We did gratitude rolls (from Pinterest of course) where everyone wrote down something they were thankful for and we opened it up, like fortune cookies. It was really cute!

There it is, the complete plate! There was: turkey, gravy, rolls, mashed potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin ooey gooey cake. And guess what? I made it all from scratch! Well, except for the crescent rolls. The sweet potatoes weren’t even from a can. All of my recipes are on my pinterest Thanksgiving board, if you’re curious.

A few extra shots after dinner, of course!

My new favorite picture…

Now, my Thanksgiving list of thankfuls, from the past year…32, since I’m 32!

1. Peter, for being my partner in everything.
2. Aubrey and her giggles.
3. Logan’s snuggles, still, at 3 years old, before he gets in bed.
4. Healthy children – there is nothing that scares me more than something happening to them, and we are so blessed that they are healthy and happy!
5. My mom, for helping me with things I should already know how to do (cooking/cleaning certain things/crafting).
6. My dad, for teaching me to be positive.
7. My parents in general, because I am not the easiest daughter – they have grown and changed with me, and are so incredible!
8. My in-laws, who we missed today, but I am so thankful to have such caring ones!
9. Bestie and her family – she gets me through so much and really is like a sister to me.
10. The other Z’s! We haven’t seen them in a while, but we had a great time at the river with them a few months ago and can’t wait to see them again!
11. So thankful that our Abby is doing better after her iodine treatments, and back to her crazy kitty ways.
12. Diet coke. I try to limit myself since I’m still nursing, but yes, I love it.
13. Our bed, it is so comfy!
14. Our fabulous new house, which this time last year we were only dreaming of.
15. Living closer to my parents – it is so amazing having them only 10 minutes away.
16. The best neighbors we could have ever imagined. We hit the jackpot on our street, that’s for sure!
17. Three of my friends who have been waiting for babies got pregnant this year, one already has her lovely lady and 2 are so very pregnant – I am so, so happy for them!
18. Friends who made a huge life decision this year and trusted us to help them on the road to make that decision happen. I happen to think it is the best decision ever!
19. My team at school – I could not make it through each day without them.
20. Friends who left school (ahem) but still send me fun notes and help me through the day!
21. Bloggy friends!
22. My message board ladies.
23. My car, because although it’s old, I still love it and it still gets us where we need to go.
24. Target. Because well, I just love Target.
25. The chance to make a choice about our future.
26. Encouragement from friends and family as we make those choices.
27. Very thankful I have an elliptical upstairs that I can start working out on more regularly, for me.
28. The holiday season – it just makes me so happy!
29. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
30. Pajamas.
31. Friends I haven’t talked to in a while, but who are still close to my heart!
32. Thankful for a life I never imagined would be this good – 15 years ago I was in a terrible place in my life and didn’t see how that was going to change. My life has become more than I ever believed possible, mostly because of dear friends and family who stuck with me, and a husband and children who transformed me and helped me see how special each day is.  Love you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Eve

I declared last Thanksgiving that I was cooking this years meal in our new house and on my own…and I’m doing it!

I’m making 8 things. And I’m horrified to say this was some of what I had to buy at the grocery store:

Uh yeah, when I put all the recipes together I needed 4 CUPS of butter. Not to mention cream, half and half, cream cheese – I’m hoping our arteries make it out alive.

However, I also had to have 7 cups of chicken broth, so I got this:

Low sodium, see? Yes, yes, I realize I could have made my own chicken broth. But for real, I’m doing this whole big meal thing for the first time on my own! I need a few shortcuts!

However, I am kind of crazy and refused to buy canned sweet potatoes. So I wasn’t sure how many I’d need for 4 mashed cups, and I have a TON of sweet potatoes. Guess what Aubrey might be getting extra batches of?

I got a little nervous when I was unpackaging the turkey and I cut the cooking directions in half. Good thing I’m not using those directions.

So yes, the turkey is brining away.

Believe me, you don’t want a clearer picture. OMG that raw turkey nearly sent me over the edge. And it was just turkey breast. Ick, ick, ick. Next time I’m doing it blindfolded.

I’ve made 2 casseroles that are ready to be cooked tomorrow, I’ve got pumpkin ooey gooey cake in the fridge. And all I’ve forgotten at the store is whipped cream (Dad? Did you read that? Can you help?) for the top of the cake, which isn’t a huge deal if all else fails (though I know a store that’s open tomorrow!).

It’s just my parents and us, so any disasters won’t be too embarrassing. Hopefully tomorrow the house will still be standing, I’ll have all my fingers, and we’ll have full bellies – stay tuned!

Bath Buddies

Bathtubs are drama, aren’t they? And there are so many stages – sponge bath when their cord stump is still there, then that whole infant tub with sling, then infant tub alone, then with Logan we did the ducky tub, then the regular tub, and eventually he started taking baths in our big garden tub. Not to mention showers. Good grief!

A few nights ago I decided it was time to put Aubrey in the regular tub, and of course I wanted to do her bath at the same time as Logan’s, because come on, time saver. And fun! The first night I forgot the camera, but tonight, Peter came prepared. What resulted was an attempt to get ONE decent picture. And it was impossible, because they were both having too much fun to look at the camera at the same time.

He took 41 pictures. 41. And this is the best we got.

This is the funniest, for sure. I mean seriously, look at those faces! Logan looks like “I KNOW, I am looking at the cam,era! COME ON!” And Aubrey is all, “Leave me alone and let me splash this water people!”

Oh, but she was happy!

And so was Logan!

Adds one more fun element to the evenings, for sure!

Nothing Is Safe

So it turns out the biggest difference between kid one and kid two in this house is that it’s just plain harder to make sure kid two doesn’t put things in her mouth that don’t belong there. With Logan, I could baby proof the heck out of the house. There was nothing anywhere near the floor that he could get in his mouth.

With Aubrey? It’s significantly harder, because of a certain little boy’s toys. Logan doesn’t have super tiny toys like little lego bricks, but he has plenty of things that are on the “bad idea for Aubrey” list. And Logan’s toys are SO much more appealing to her. Forget those baby toys, she knows where the real fun is!

Seriously, I never knew how many little “guys” we had until Aubrey started crawling.

Even books aren’t safe…

Even when she finds a big toy like his Buzz I get all worried that some little piece is going to come off.

Logan is hot and cold about sharing his toys with her. As I guess 3 year olds are in general. But, the rule is that if she has one of his “safe” toys and he wants to play with it, he has to bring her one of her toys instead. And he has to be gentle about the whole thing. He’s trying and does pretty well most of the time. Now, when she gets older and can safely play with his toys? Yeah, that’ll be interesting…

Because this kid? She’s serious about moving around wherever she pleases, thank you very much!

A Day

Just an average Sunday…

First, we took a trip to the mall with Grandma and Pa Pa F, complete with new clothes for the children (of course!).

Aubrey stared adoringly at Pa Pa.

She is transfixed by his beard. And pulls it. A lot. Good thing that Pa Pa is a good sport!

Logan got to eat a special lunch treat.

Later, the Bat Cave broke, and daddy came to the rescue with emergency repairs.

Logan ate another good meal (GASP – 2 decently eaten meals in one day!) and ended up looking like this…

At which point he proceeded to clean his face with this handy towel.

You know – his SLEEVE. The funniest part was he was so proud he had cleaned his face!

Aubrey devoured this delicious grub.

It’s a carrot, green bean, and oatmeal mix, but um – if you’ve ever changed a breastfed baby’s diaper – well, Peter can’t look when I give her this concoction.

But she thinks it’s delicious, thank you very much.

See? She ate it all!

Oh, and she also made this face approximately 5,973 times today.

Oh, that bottom lip. AHH!

We also bought some Christmas decorations and gave both kids a bath together for the first time. And, I  bought the turkey for Thursday and made the whole grocery list. And when I put all 8 dishes together? I needed 4 CUPS of butter. Watch out Paula Deen!

The end result of all that? There’s a frozen pizza in the oven right now for Peter and I. And I am completely and totally okay with that.

A short week ahead – wahoo!

Yumminess

Here comes something I never do on here…a recipe post. I’ve never been known for my cooking. But I’m getting better! With the great kitchen in our house I feel a bit more inspired than I used to. So, a rare share today!

One of my very favorite appetizers ever is a salsa that my mother-in-law makes. My favorite dish she makes is chicken enchiladas, and she often makes this as an appetizer for the enchiladas. It is SO yummy, and the best part is it’s super easy too!

Super Easy Salsa

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1/2 can (or a little more) of corn

2 avocados – peeled and chopped

1/2 lemon squeezed into mixture

1/2 cup (or so) of salsa – use the chunky kind so you’ll have tomato chunks

Salt and pepper to taste

Tabasco sauce – a few drops or more to suit your taste

2 Tbsp. of sour cream (I use the light version)

Mix together and refrigerate. Serve with blue and yellow chips.

Voila! So yummy!

And, some children, to keep those picture hungry grandparents happy.

Um, seriously, I couldn’t find him for about 2 minutes – I knew he was in the room, then he disappeared!

He was quite proud of his hiding skills.

Aubrey has decided Woody’s hat actually belongs to her.

She wears it pretty well, huh?

Happy weekend!