Just A Minute

Sunday was baths, Church, meetings, home teaching, naps, dinner, cutting coupons and just a bit of this...

While Monday was organizing, cleaning, dishes, laundry, naps, fixing toys, more laundry, building trains, Curious George and then...

Fall Leaves

Yesterday afternoon was spent raking up the small amount of leaves in the front yard, so that Maddy and Wyatt could jump in them. There wasn't so much jumping as there was throwing leaves in each others hair and kicking. Evan Eva took a turn on the pile, but mostly she just tried to lick the leaves. It was nice to take advantage of the somewhat warm weather. Not ready for snow yet!

Ode To Gampa

Thanks to Grandpa O and  uncle Kurt this is now what Wyatt talks about at all times.  He scouts out the new Dirt Bike magazine everytime we go to G & G O's house and oogles it one tantalizing picture to the next.  He also brings home the old ones as soon as Grandpa will let him.  He can tell you what motorcylce brand each bike is, depending on the color.  Honda = Red, Kawasaki = Green, and Yamaha = Blue.  He knows a couple more (thanks to Kurt) that have weird names that I can never remember ( I think one is a german one that starts with an "H" and ends in berg).  If he sees a rider in green, then it's Gampa, while anyone not wearing green is uncle Kurt.  While shopping for his birthday this last summer he picked out the bike and rider in the video.  At first he didn't play with them much, but has recently been known to have them within very close proximity to him at all times.  He sleeps, eats, and bathes with them.  I'm sure if Granpa and uncle Kurt have any say, Wyatt will be riding his own dirt bike before he knows how to ride a pedal bike!

Animal Crackers

Wyatt wanted to share his animal cracker with Eva this morning.  I agreed that we could try it because I figured she'd just spit it out, but she loved it!  She kept grabbing my hand and pulling it back to her mouth.  Listen carefully to what Wyatt says to Eva. It's so cute!

Popcorn Popping

I sang this song to Wyatt as his bedtime song about a week ago, and now it's his favorite.  He makes me sing it for his naps and bedtime and for Eva's naps.  He's getting better and better at the actions, especially when he has someone like Maddy to help him.  So cute!  (Sorry about the singing in the background!  I couldn't get either one of them to actually sing it without me, so deal with it!)

P.S.

Yesterday for dinner, I made the Wisconsin Cauliflower-Cheese soup (see recipe here) and it was delicious!  It was also very easy.  When the recipe tells you to blend small portions, I just left everything in the pot and used my hand blender.  It made that step much easier.  This is definitely a recipe I will be making again! Mmmm, Mmmmm.

Daddy Wins

She's been teasing us for weeks with her snorts and half giggles, but tonight, with Daddy's help, she debuted her cute laugh for us. Enjoy! 

Patience

We taught Wyatt our first names so that he can tell people who is parents are. Since he learned that I will also answer to Betsy, and that it gets my attention fast than "Mommy", he now uses my first name quite often. I have given up correcting him every time and now I just don't answer him at all when he calls me by my first name. This is how my day felt yesterday.

Tricks

Here's to hoping

Wyatt's first flu shot.  Eva will get her booster in about a month.  We'll see how they work.  I figure it can't get any worse than all the puking that went around last winter, so why not?

Wisconsin Cauliflower-Cheese Soup

While I was pregnant with Eva, we went to eat at a restaurant called Zupas.  They serve salads and soups and I would reccomend eating there.  Very good and large servings too.  I ordered the above mentioned soup and LOVED it!  It must be good because Wyatt ate like half of my bowl.  Since the weather has turned a little cooler I've been in the mood for soup and I decided to find the recipe for the soup and add it to my meal plan for the month.  I haven't ever made it myself but if it's anything like the soup at Zupas, it should be good!  

To Share:

Wisonsin Cauliflower-Cheese Soup

2 tablespoon(s)	(1/4 stick) butter or margarine
1 medium	onion, chopped
1/4 cup(s)	all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon(s)	salt
2 cup(s)	milk
1 can(s)	(13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head(s)	(2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon(s)	Dijon mustard
1 Cup 1 Cup	(4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (4 ounces) shredded Pepper-Jack Cheese

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.

In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth.

Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

First Snow

Snow was forecast for the weekend, and although we didn't end up with as much as predicted, we did get a little.  We woke to falling flakes Sunday morning, prompting me to get all of Wyatt's winter gear from last year out of storage.  Luckily for us, it all still fits!  Once we tried it all on Wyatt figured that he should be able to go outside to catch the snow.  By the time we left for church all the snow was melted. (yay!)

Beautiful Girl

Eva at 5 Months

Thursday Thirteen #1

I was introduced to Thursday Thirteen via a friends blog (see here) and decided to do my own list.  So here goes:

Thirteen Material Objects I Can't Live Without

In No Certain Order

1. Cell Phone.  Was there really a time when these handy gadgets didn't exist?

2. Sunglasses.  I always thought my mom was weird for "needing" sunglasses and now I'm totally the same way. (Coming soon: 13 things I do just like my mom...)

3. Flip Flops.  I know it's fall and winter is coming, but my toes need to breath! Plus, I really hate socks.

4. Lappy.  He's our laptop and I use him multiple times, everyday.  Email, blogging, recipes, finances, maps, etc.

5. My scriptures.  I think this is more of a spiritual item than a material item, but regardless of that, I can't live without them.

6. A vacuum.  Using it soothes me and always seems to put me in a good mood.

7.  iPod.  I guess I'm addicted to technology.  I just love having my playlist at my fingertips. And it makes working out and mowing lawn much more enjoyable. 

8.  DVD player.  If I couldn't put on movie for Wyatt then I'm sure I would shower a lot less!

9.  Washer/Dryer.  I don't know how people use a laundromat on a regular basis.  I'm sure that I do at least 2 loads of laundry a day. 

10. My Kitchen-Aid mixer.  I didn't always own it, but now that I do, I just can't go back.  Although, I did make a lot less "goodies" when I had to mix everything by hand. Hmmm.....

11.  Toothbrush.  For obvious reasons.

12.  Hand Sanitizer.  Again, obvious reasons and I might be a little OCD about clean hands...just a little.

13. A car.  I would love it if I could walk everywhere, but where I live just isn't really set up for walking.

Playing

I decided to take advantage of the little bit of sunshine today and took the kids to the park with a friend of mine.  It was a little chilly but the kids didn't seem to mind at all.  Eva is now big enough to put in a swing with blankets to cushion her.  She smiled and smiled, but wouldn't giggle at all.  I remember when Wyatt was about his age he would fall asleep in the swing every time.  Now he doesn't even need me at the playground, which, on the plus side, gave me time to hold Eva until she fell asleep from total exhaustion.

Swinging

Sliding

Sharing

Drinking

Pictures courtesy of Tanessa (Thank you!)

By The Book

I had a conversation today while at our playgroup that has gotten me thinking.  Two other moms were talking about when to move your baby into their own bed.  2 months, 3 months, 6 months?  They asked when I moved Eva into her own bed and I told them she slept in her crib in her own room since the first night she was at home.  Both mothers were surprised.  Mom 1 said, "Oh, well don't "they" say that you should wait until your baby is a little older to do that?"  I just shrugged my shoulders and told them that it worked for me and that I was not what you would call a "by-the-book" mom.  Mom 2 asked why, and I told her that I like to do things a little differently and that the "rules" of when to do things with your child were more like guidelines anyway, at least to me.  Some of these so called rules have changed even since I had my first child 2 years ago.  I admit that there are some rules that I do follow, but more often than not, I just do what works for me.  I gave Wyatt cow's milk, and yogurt before he was 12 months.  We also gave him rice cereal before he was 4 months, and to boot we gave it to him in a bottle.  When he stared to suck on his fingers a little too much for me (I was a thumbsucker for more years than I like to admit) we would rub hand sanitizer all over his hands so that his fingers would taste bad.  Does this make me a bad mother?  Both of my children are tummy sleepers, and I do not force them to sleep on their backs.  Eva is 4 1/2 months old and has already tasted chocolate and ice cream.  Does this make me a bad mother?  I don't take my kids to all of the recommended check-ups, I only take them when they are getting shots.  We also put Wyatt into a forward facing car seat before he was 12 months.  He's a big kid and so he grew out of his infant seat at about 7 months. Instead of buying a transitional car seat we purchased the normal forward-facing seat that they aren't supposed to be in until they are 12 months.  He was so much happier being able to see everything!  I'm not trying to say that I'm reckless, just that I don't always feel the need to do things because someone with a degree told me that I should.  Anyway, this is what's been on my mind today.  

Seasons

I love Fall! I love how the air changes and is more crisp. I love that when Wyatt comes in from playing he smells like cold. You might say that's not really a smell (Danny thinks I'm weird) but it's a smell to me. His cheeks are red and he's a little snuffly, but it helps me to remember being a kid. We lived across the street from a row of very large trees and every fall we would spend days outside raking them up and burying each other in them. I can't really say that fall is my favorite season (Spring probably is), but after a long, hot summer, it's time for a change. We went for a walk this morning and I wore my closed-toed shoes (good-bye flip-flops, you will be sorely missed!) and made some hot chocolate when we got home. Now I'm ready for a good book and some warm chocolate chips cookies.

Awake

Since the night we brought Eva home, she has only slept in her bed. For any of you that have heard her cry, you can understand why. She sounded like a Whistling Pete firework for the first week or so. Her cry isn't quite as screechy as that now, but it's still not a pleasant noise. So we have "trained" (meaning I don't cuddle her or rock her) her to not need anything to go to sleep and she does great. The only downside to this is that she doesn't really like to sleep anywhere BUT her bed. So, if she's tired and not in her crib this is what we get to hear. I just wish that I could explain to my kids that they don't need to fight sleeping. Sleeping is to nice and relaxing, at least for me. I've always been a very big supporter of a little afternoon shut-eye.

Sirens

Speaking of sleep, lately Wyatt has been going through a rough period. Over Labor Day weekend we went to a parade. Wyatt chose a spot right up front with all the other kids and was so excited to see a firetruck coming down the road. Until it got close and honked it's horn and he was terrified. Since we live about a 1/2 block away from the hospital, this has become a little problem. We hear sirens quite often, which has resulted in severeal conversations about how police and firetrucks are nice. Wyatt has also figured out that I will let him sit with me at bedtime if he says he's scared. We caught onto his ploy after a couple nights and realized that we have to let him cry it out on his own. Usually he cries by the door for a couple of minutes and then climbs back in bed. Although, every now and then we do find him like this.

Rolling Along

Eva is getting so big. Atleast she seems that way to me. I was very suprised at her 4month appointment that she's in the 40% for head size and hieght and 68% for weight. Wyatt was always in the 95% or higher for everything! The best part about her growing slowly is that she fits into her clothes for longer, which is very nice. Eva is still sleeping like a champ and is now eating rice cereal and rolling. She's such a breeze!