Presenting . . .

Madeline's insanely cute wall stickers:

Cousin Fun

Cousin Kate is here to visit from Washington DC!!! My kids have been having fun with their cousin and I've been having fun with my sister!

Kate loves giving Madeline kisses and kisses and more kisses!

Kate and Ethan on their airplane. They had fun packing up their stuff for their big trip. They haven't learned the art of packing light though.

Ethan's been slightly out numbered. He has been hanging out with his mom, aunt, Grandma Mimi, cousin Kate, and sister. For our afternoon activity we decided to decorate crowns, but as you can see, Ethan quite enjoyed himself. His crown is covered in CAR stickers though, just for the record.

Lemon Water

I really don’t like lemon water. It’s one of those things that seem like such a lovely thing to like, but I tried it again last night and I just think it’s awful. I kind of wish I liked it because it makes a pitcher of water look so pretty and it just seems like the thing to drink when having a shower or other party with women, but BLEH! I’ll just take plain water any day.

Sleep Announcement

Madeline slept through the night last night! Only the second time in her life!!! And (drum roll please) . . . Ethan did too!!! Last night was the first time in OVER a year that I went to bed and didn’t have to get up in the night! I stayed in bed the ENTIRE night! WAHOOOOOO!!! Now if only they could cooperate and do it again!!!

Speaking of sleep, here is a picture of Madeline with her self proclaimed lovey . . . her sleepsack!

She drags it around all day hugging it and getting her feet tangled up. The nicest thing about having a sleepsack be her lovey is that she won’t ever lose it while she’s sleeping! Maybe if I'm lucky that will help her sleep through the night again sometime!

Happy Valentine's Day

A Little Bit of Yesterday

Madeline spent her day with a twinkle in her eyes

Ethan has his own version of twinkle eyes too!
"Ethan, smile good for the camera"

"Oh, let go of Madeline please!"

"Mom, I am running so way way way fast, you can't catch me or my BA-YOON!"

I'm trying to get my bow out of my hair for the 27th time today . . .

Got it!

Dinner Excitement

Tonight for dinner, Madeline ate the following: half a broiler cheese sandwich, a pile of peaches, chunked avocado, mashed potatoes, zucchini pieces, and apple juice.

Tonight for dinner, Ethan cried for over an hour over the ½ inch square of broiler cheese sandwich he was required to eat before getting anything else. Considering he likes toast and cheese, you would think it wouldn’t be that hard. But cheese sandwiches are NOT part of his “normal” dinner and so therefore it is. Over the last three days we have made Ethan try scrambled eggs, tuna fish, zucchini, and now cheese sandwiches. I know, I know, Todd and I are very mean parents . . . I’m happy to report though, that after the hour and ten minutes of crying, Ethan ate his square of sandwich and then got the rest of his food. We ended the night with a lovely game of “Go Fish” and he went to bed happy.

Phew . . .

February Recipe

Toasted Turkey Subs with Smoked Mozzarella

From Cook's Country Magazine

Store-bought pesto and a quick fresh tomato sauce enliven deli turkey in these Italian dinner sandwiches. Fresh mozzarella can be substituted for the smoked mozzarella.

Serves 4

3 TBLS extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2/3 cup basil pesto
Salt and pepper
4 (6-inch) sub rolls, slit partially open lengthwise
1 ½ pounds thinly sliced deli turkey
12 ounces smoked mozzarella, sliced into thin rounds

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500. Heat oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large skillet over med-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until mixture is dry, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 2 TBLS pesto and salt and pepper to taste.

Spread remaining pesto on insides of each roll and layer each roll with turkey, tomato mixture, and cheese. Place sandwiches on baking sheet, with open sides facing up. Bake until edges of bread are golden and cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Happy Birthday Hubby!

The Party Guests

Four Generations!
Us

Ethan all excited about Todd getting cereal for his birthday . . . too bad that wasn't what was actually in the box. The real present wasn't nearly as neat for Ethan.

Todd's pirate cake! When you like cherry frosting (i.e. pink), you have to do something to make it not look girly!

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Happy Birthday Todd. I love you so much. Thanks for being so absolutely wonderful!

Back to Blogging

We've moved, and we're basically settled in, but we still DON'T have internet. I couldn't stand it any longer, so I'm over at my parent's house using theres. But ours should be up and running this week! Things have been going well, my kids have adjusted quickly and are happy to be here. Ethan sometimes will still ask if we are going to go back to our "normal" house, but overall, I think he's happy and glad to be where we are. He certainly was happy to have his toys again. He loves his "soft friends" and had so much fun playing with them on our couch.

Playing with empty boxes is always fun too.

So much has happened, so enjoy all the posts . . . that is, if you have lots of time to kill.

My Birthday Girl!!

Here is a picture of my Madeline Jean one year ago, in the NICU

And here she is on her birthday one year later! You've come a long way baby!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Anxiously awaiting her birthday breakfast

Having fun with the presents!

I made these Petits Fours from "Hello Cupcake" for Madeline's birthday cake

Madeline wondering what's going on

She figured it out quick! She LOVED the cupcakes. She ate two and she cried when I pulled her out of her highchair. She probably would have been happy to eat two more!

I can't believe how fast this year has gone! Madeline is the sweetest! And just for the record, she can now drink from a sippy. She prefers straw cups, so thank you to those of you who suggested that. Her birthday was a blast.

To Sleep or Not to Sleep

If you would have asked me a few weeks ago, which of my children actually knows how to sleep, I would have said Ethan. He's been sleeping through the night since he was a few months old . . . until recently. Now he wakes up 1-3 times every night. I hope things will settle down once we get more settled into our new place. Then there's Madeline . . . little miss no sleep. She's never slept good and always wakes up. Except for ONE NIGHT about a week ago when she-for the FIRST TIME- SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! I could hardly believe it! Too bad it was only one night, and too bad it was the night Ethan woke up three times. Haha, I often wonder if I'll ever sleep through the night again. I have hope though, because both my kids have proven it's possible!

Moving

We survived the moving days despite the fact that the packers arrived 5 hours late! They made up for it and did a good job fast.


When they took the front door off the house to get our fridge out, Ethan was just sure they were going to load the door into the truck.



The truck was huge, it carried all our stuff and Todd's truck and still had loads of room to spare. Overall, the kids did great! Ethan was mostly excited though he didn't really grasp what was happening.

Goodbye Sudden Valley

Goodbye lake