Tripodding

These photos crack me up.  Sometimes Gunner will sit up in a tripod position for a whole minute before falling over, but today, he just couldn't do it!

And... just for fun, I thought I'd include one of my favorite pics of NJ in the same outfit at 9 months old (Gunner's 5 months old now).


 I think Gunner's growth is slowing and he's letting the other kids catch up.  This is actually a very good thing because if he doesn't, my sister and I are going to keep struggling to get clothes mailed after her 2 yr old outgrows them, in time for Gunner to wear them!

My Blueberry Candy Cobbler Helper

A good friend of mine made the yummiest blackberry cobbler a few weeks ago and I've been itching to try making once since.  Last weeknd, I tried the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (11th Ed), but it wasn't as good.  So I got her to send me her recipe so I could try it too.  Her recipe looked much simpler than my first try, so, in an effort to do more WITH my two year old, instead of doing stuff near him, I asked NJ to be my big helper while making blueberry cobbler.

It was an easy recipe and turned out to be a fun activity.  Of course, after he helped make it, I HAD to let him try some, which was pretty special given the number of desserts I usually let him have. (I seem to be saying that a lot more often these days- maybe I'm not as restrictive as I think I am?)  He LOVED it so much he was speechless- just jumped up and down. (I wish I had a video or picture of it!)

After I tasted it, I realized it was waaaaaay too sweet.  It tuns out, I accidentally doubled the sugar... Now I think I'll have to call this one Blueberry Candy Cobbler so he won't be disappointed at all the future cobblers he tastes.

Now, what to do with all this candy cobbler?  B and I had some with some ice cream and that was ok, but still very sweet.  I tried a little bit with my morning coffee, but it was too sweet for early morning.  It seems a shame to throw it out, but it's just soooo sweet...  Then, I had an idea.  Normally, we mix a bit of brown sugar and raisins with our old fashioned oatmeal in the morning- what if we mixed candy cobbler with it instead?  Ah... perfection!  This is the best oatmeal I've ever had!

Here's the recipe, as I SHOULD have made it.  If you're making it to mix with your oatmeal, just double the sugar in both spots! I might try using a smaller dish next time to get a thicker cobbler...

-----------------------------------
Berry Cobbler

1 stick of butter
1 c flour
1 c milk
1 c sugar
2 t. baking power
4-5 c fruit (I used blueberries)

Preheat oven to 350.
Melt the butter in a 9x13 dish.

Mix flour, milk, 1/2 c. sugar, and baking power.  Pour over butter.
Mix 1/2 c. sugar with berries and pour over flour mixture.
Bake at 350 until golden- about 30-35 min.
(The crust rises to the top and the berries sink to the bottom as it bakes.)
----------------------------------------------------

If you try it, let me know how it worked for you!

Rockin' and Rollin'

On May 17, Gunner rolled over for the first time! Sure he was propped up on his elbows at the time and totally confused by what happened, so it's not likely to happen again soon. But still, I stuck that 'rolls over' sticker on his baby's-first-year-calendar and was a little shocked that he's almost 4 months old. Where did the last 4 months go? I can't believe I'M actually saying this, but I want him to stay little a little longer. He's so sweet and innocent- incapable of malice... and he's almost always smiling! :) I also love how NJ interacts with him. NJ loves to make Gunner laugh (as seen in this video). It's just too cute!

I LOVE my boys!

Easter

I know, Easter was almost a full month ago, but I thought I'd post a bit about it anyway- better late than never...

My parents drove over for Easter weekend and we tackled the big project of building a fence to seperate the storage part of our back yard from the nice part. I suppose many of you might think it wasn't THAT big of a project, especially since we bought the pre-made fence pannels. However, since it involved a jackhammer to dig the holes (we have a solid layer of clay under our topsoil, I mean topsand), cement to set the posts, and a gate kit without it's instructions, I think it was a HUGE project!

I'm so glad mom and dad were there to help and celebrate Easter. My mom brought NJ some stuff to dye eggs (which I'd already decided I wasn't brave enough to attempt with a two-year-old) and then got him to help peel them. Although, she could not get him to eat them. My only regret for the weekend is that I didn't get a picture of the boys in their matching Easter outfits prior to leaving the house. Within minutes of getting to church Gunner had a full blowout and so, spent most of Easter in the faded romper I keep in the diaper bag for just such emergencies...

So,

NJ is really cracking us up these days. He'll say, 'Mommy, Daddy, I have a story for you." Once we've agreed to listen and he has our full attention, he'll start- and it always starts, "So...." This is followed by some sort of made up adventure, usually involving his animal de jour and a little boy. The stories are often, but not always, suspiciously similar to things we've done the last day or two, but there's always a twist for how he thinks the day should have gone- you know, and extra trip to the park or a sonic lemonade thrown in. NJ also throws in a bunch of *tisk* kinda sounds during his story telling pauses. The only other time he does this is when he's around my mom. It's really very strange and quite cute!

pictures

I suppose that if I'm too lame to write anything, I could at least post a few pictures...

Gunner's such a silly baby- he'll laugh at just about anythingBut then every once in a while he strikes a more serious pose...
(this one makes my laugh!)

I love my boys!

My arms hurt

I'm not sure why... must be this big baby I've been carrying around... at least he seems pretty big- I wonder how much he actually weighs... let's see, I'll step on the scale by myself first- owe, ouch, that's ugly! ok, now step on while holding little Gunner... use a calculator to do the simple subtraction... WOW! 15 pounds at 6 weeks old!

I wonder how much NJ weighed at 6 weeks old... I think it's in my palm pilot... well ok, NJ weighed 14 lb 12 oz at his 4 month check up.

Yep! Gunner is one BIG baby!

I wonder when NJ was wearing this outfit Gunner's got on today... sort through some photos... yep, when he was 4.5 mo old- check it out: NJ's the one in the upper right (on 1/8/08) and the other two are Gunner (today).

"Work"

I'm so torn!

A friend of mine called and said she's ready to buy a house- was I working or taking time off with the baby? I quickly told her I was working part time and would love to help her. But now as I think about it, I'm really torn.

On one hand, I LOVE the idea of getting back to business and working on something mentally challenging right now. I really truly love my real estate business. This sleep-deprived-survival thing is not fun!! Plus, I hate to pass up an opportunity to work with someone who already knows what they want- they don't come around all that often. Also, the money's good and how else can we build up the truck fund?

On the other hand, I'm thinking I may not be ready to take anything else on.I've been chanting "just survive the first 8 weeks" to myself. I can barely compose a rational thought these days,so what's the chance I can do a good job of this, much less enjoy it? More importantly, I'm afraid that getting back to working will make me dislike the time with the kids. Ug, even thinking about all this has got me feeling much less satisfied with my day- does this make any sense??? I think about what I could be accomplishing and suddenly life as a stay at home mom seems sooooo...... menial.

I know there are many of you who will cringe at all this and try to remind me about how important being a mom is. I know all that. That's why I'm still here. But I also know that when NJ was young I really struggled to enjoy my time at home with him. Some might see it as baby blues, but it was really more like an identity crisis. (There's nothing like going from a 'real job' to staying at home to make you question who you are...) I kept trying to balance work and motherhood- it seemed like it should be possible. However, I've never been given to moderation. I know that when mommy duty and a paying job sit side by side, I'll always feel compelled to do the paid work and be annoyed by the mommy stuff.

Yesterday, I laid Gunner down in his crib for a minute while I helped NJ with something. Then when I came back he seemed pretty content just moving all his limbs, so I just stood over his crib and started talking to him. That's when he let out a big smile and a little half chuckle! It's the first time he's really smiled AT me instead of just in front of me. He was happy to see me!!! What joy to see your child respond to your presence that way! These are the moments that are so hard to anticipate but so easy to miss. If I go back to working, even just a little bit, I know I'll be too busy to just stand there and do nothing...

I guess that's why I had to call my friend back and ask if I could refer her to a co-worker. It hurt me to do so, but I'm hoping that I can enjoy the first six months of Gunner's life instead of the dissatisfaction I remember from the first go 'round. Maybe now would be a good time to start chanting that they're only young for a little while... NJ should start preschool this fall.

Big Brother

Tomorrow, my younger son will be two weeks old. It's been a long two weeks for sure, and I'm making it harder on myself by trying to get the taxes sent to the accountant before my mom leaves tomorrow and feeling guilty about not having the baby announcements done yet. But I want to take a few seconds to record a few thoughts before they're lost forever.

Today it occurred to me that the newly crowned Big Brother has started some interesting new things (besides the understandable neediness). First, he's started the "why?" game, but spices it up a bit by throwing in an occasional "what kind?" even if it doesn't always make sense. He's also started beginning many of his sentences with "Well..." and interrupting any adult conversation to ask, "what are you talkin about?" Mostly, he's just talking constantly! It's very cute but a little exhausting too.

The other thing that's struck me is just how big he really is! Every time I see his hands I just can't believe he's soooo big. His hair is so thick (I've always know it was very thin), his legs are so long, he knows so many words, he's so curious. It's all quite wonderful. I only wish I'd relax and enjoy him more instead of fussing at him for taking it too far.

Baby brother is also wonderful and a true blessing, but I really look forward to the day when they're both walking and talking, entertaining themselves with Lego blocks and playing together. I can't wait to take the boys camping and to the park. I want to feel good enough to play soccer with them in the back yard and chase them around through the sprinklers.

Insanity

Now that I'm officially past my due date, I think I've reached a level on insanity that something akin to a manic-depressive with ADD. No matter how hard I try to concentrate on any sort of project that might get my mind off of the 'any minute now' feeling. In addition, it seems that NJ has somehow picked up on my craziness. He's been trying to skip his naps and that makes for VERY long afternoons.

So, on days that he naps well, I try to say, "oh wow, what a great nap you took! You're so well rested that we should go do something fun!" So now, whenever he gets up from his naps he immediately says, "Something fun? Lets go to the big park mommy!"

Well today it's actually raining in Yuma- CRAZY!!! So when he wakes up he tells me it's raining and then asks about the park. So, I start explaining why we can't possibly go to the park in the rain. His response? "I want to feel the drops on me head, mommy!" Being insane as I am, I agree and put him in a coat! What fun he had!!!!

After enough minutes to start him to shivering, I made him come inside. I striped off the wet clothes and put a warm fluffy track suit on him with a matching hat and then we both say down to a cup of Hot Chocolate. If you know how little sugar I let NJ have, you know at this point that I've totally lost it. But hey, I'm the mom, I'm allowed it indulge my son!

It's such an adorable picture moment that I can't resist pulling out my camera again... 'but the bib, it just ruins the shot! let's take that off for just one second..... oh no, you're pouring it all over yourself!!!!! Ack, HOT beverage!!!! Yank him out of the chair, strip the clothes off!!!

Ok, so now you can drink your cocoa in a t-shirt and no pants.... What fun we're having.... you want a spoon? Sure, here you go...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?!? YOU JUST FLIPPED HOT COCOA ALL OVER MOMMY! We're done here. Go wash your hands while mommy stain treats her shirt.

The Look

This is the look- the one that precedes Nolan doing something he knows he probably shouldn't do. Often it's the look he gives me right before he does whatever I've specifically told him not to do. However, fortunately, in this instance, it wasn't misbehavior. Instead it was jumping off a piece of playground equipment that's taller than he is.

Yes, he survived, unscathed. In fact, he immediately jumped up, ran back up the stairs, and jumped again and again.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

THE hair cut

I think maybe I've been complaining a lot lately- pregnancy has that effect on me.

While my favorite subject to complain about it my strange pregnancy related pains, I've also recently found opportunity in NJ's latest haircut. I spent good money and took him to the same place as last time, but I had to use a different girl because the girl who cut NJ's hair last time was out that day. Haruph! Then I didn't know I needed to insist that they scissor cut the top. So, of course, she did what was fast and easy and gave him a buzz. Then, she charged me more than twice as much as the other girl!!! I was so tired and in so much pain (it was near the end of the day) that I didn't even have the emotional energy left to express my dissatisfaction, which, unfortunately, is very unlike me.

I've been asked by a few grandparents for pictures, so I snapped and snapped until I found some cute ones that I took while we were playing catch with the soccer ball. For some reason he didn't want to kick it that day... (as always, click on it to see it bigger)

I know, the hair cut is not THAT bad- he's cute and looks a lot like daddy! -but I wanted it longer for our holiday photos and really, if I'd wanted it buzzed, I would have done it myself!

ICKY!

Daddy's been gone most of this week and we've been talking up the pumpkin carvings- like, "When daddy gets back you two will carve the pumpkin together!" NJ's been very excited about the whole idea. He loves to spot pumpkins in the stores, eat pumpkin bread and talk about carving so I thought the pumpkin carving event would be a BIG hit. But just at soon as we opened our orange beauty up and NJ got a look at the seeds and strings, he said, "No, no, icky icky" and started making his get-away. In fact, he really didn't want to even be able to see it. I think at one point he literally gagged when he saw grandma pull a handful of gunk out!

The little man kept his distance as daddy scraped and cleaned. We did end up convincing him to try to help draw a face on, but really, he was hesitant until the little saws came up. He was very interested in cutting the pumpkin- until he got a chunk out. Daddy asked him to pick it up and throw it away, but he was having none of that!

We actually had a second pumpkin, but it seemed like too much work to carve it when NJ wasn't at all interested. Oh well! Maybe next year!

The inevitable happened this morning

I went out front to pull the trash can in and told NJ that if he went and got his shoes he could water the potted plants. But when he came back with his shoes he accidentally locked the deadbolt instead of opening it. Then he couldn't figure out how to get it unlocked. Of course, I have no keys, the back door's locked (plus there's a pad lock on the gate- can you see a big pregnant lady trying to scale the wall?) and my cell phone is in the house.

I tried to get him to unlock it but he said he couldn't. He said, "Mommy do it, Mommy do it" and started crying. I started contemplating how easy it would be to break into my house through a window (I'm always telling my hubby that's how any bugler would get it) and then realized that NJ can barely reach the deadbolt. So, I told him through the door to go get a step stool. (For some reason, he choose the one from his bedroom- the heaviest and furthest away.) I guess the added height helped because he got it open. *sigh* I have a house key in my bra now (stupid maternity jeans have no pockets!)

A Two Year Old With Opinions????

Last year, I was visiting my sister right before Halloween and we did a fun project where we made the kids costumes out of hoodie sweatshirts, felt, and glue! It was great! The only problem is that it was so hot on Halloween here in Yuma that I could only bear to put him in it for a few minutes at a time.

This year, I've been thinking for months about making a costume! NJ's really been into jumping lately, so I thought I a Tigger costume would be great! Can't you just see a little two year old boy jumping around in a Tigger costume!?!? For some unknown reason I never doubted my ability to sell NJ on the idea- he's barely two years old, after all. At first he didn't really get the concept, but after I told him all his friends would be wearing costumes, he agreed to the concept. Simultaneously, I've been working on the Tigger idea. We've been reading a lot of Pooh books lately and I've been really talking Tigger up! I was thrilled when he fell in love with a small stuffed Tigger at Walmart, which I uncharacteristically bought for him. Then, in accordance with my general parenting philosophy, I gave him a choice between being a Tigger and a frog costume. However, he refused to get excited about either. Sometimes when we were talking about it, he'd say "frog." I generally chalked it up to him still not getting the costume concept.

Wow, now that I write it all out, it seems so premeditated and manipulative... it really wasn't like that... honest! I don't even know why I got so sold on the Tigger idea to begin with.

Anyway, I was very excited about making another costume at first, but lately I've been a little more panicky about it. I picked up another course to teach (rather unexpectedly) and suddenly I've got way more to do than time to do it in. So yesterday we visited a few stores looking for a pre-made costume. I was disappointed to not find any Tiggers in his size, so we looked through some of the other costumes. My primary complaint with the bought costumes for kids is that they're made all footsie jumpsuits made out of polar fleece- don't they know that it's still HOT in some parts of the world???? So, I was focusing on the cooler, simpler costumes. The problem with these is that they're $30 and only consist of a vest, a hat and some trinkets, but whatever- Halloween is in less than two weeks and I can't have my boys costume-less- especially after I told him ALL his friends would have costumes!

So, we're looking through the train conductors and the cowboys, the firemen and the veterinarians but he's just looking at me, totally unimpressed. We go to leave the store and pass by the fleece jumpsuit costumes and do you know what he says? "Di-saur mommy! Di-saur!" Seriously? dinosaur? Since when is he old enough to get ideas on his own?????? I look and sure enough, it's three different adorable dinosaur costumes made for below freezing temps.

We leave the store, and don't mention it again, but now, anytime anyone asks him what he's going to be for Halloween, he says, "di-saur!" with that cute little two year old voice...

So, last night we went to Joann's to look at patterns. When looking at the kids on the patterns, NJ picks out the one kid in a dinosaur outfit, so I pick it up and head back towards the material. Now, I don't really sew a lot, my machine doesn't even have a stretch stitch, and I've never made anything from one of those patterns in an envelope so I called my mom in Tucson for a consult. After a few minutes she says, "It's too bad I'm not there to do it with you!" (It really is too bad because she's a pro at this stuff and NJ loves to watch her work, as shown in these photos from last month!) and then she adds, "how about I just make it for you and send it over next week?" *audible sigh of relief* I'm not sure I realized how stressed I was feeling about this silly costume until she offered to make it. I said, "Yes, thank you!" and instantly felt better (even though NJ was beside me yelling about something and my husband was sitting there looking pitifully tired.) Next she asks about colors and, to my surprise, NJ quickly says "Green!" (I should have know he'd have an opinion.)

So clever

NJ got this great art easel for his birthday. The chalk board side has a cool tray for holding the chalk, but the paper side has no place for your crayons. I thought I was soooo clever when I bought some magnetic mesh locker baskets from Target on clearance and a metal strip from home depot. I planned to nail the metal strip on and then the baskets could hang on it. But then realized I could just attach those baskets directly onto the easel since they were mesh! I got out my thumb tacks (all my nails would go all the way through and out the back side) and got NJ allllllll set up. As soon as I walked out of the room, I hear him say, "UH OH!" I run back in only to see one of the baskets ripped off! *sigh* not so clever after all....

An Airplane Cake

I'm so excited! NJ's 2 year old birthday party is tomorrow! His birthday was actually in August, but with the crazy travel, doing a birthday party in August just wasn't going to happen.

I was really sad about it until my husband suggested that we just do it in September- why didn't I think of that myself?

NJ's always been fascinated by airplanes so I decided months ago that it had to be an airplane party. My favorite part of all this is, by far, making NJ's cake! My mom always made us shaped cakes when we were little and I love the thought of continuing the tradition. (Maybe after I finish scanning all of my mom's old photos in I'll post of pics of hers too!) My mom acted as a babysitter and sous-chef, baking the cake and mixing the ice for me (I seriously could not have gotten this done on my own).

I started by searching the internet until I found a plane I liked. Then I blew it up on my printer, transferred the pattern onto wax paper, cut out the wax paper, laid that on the cake and cut out the cake. Then I drew on some of the interior lines with a toothpick and started icing the darkest parts first. Each time I was ready for more icing, I asked mom to make it a little lighter. I used a pastry bag to just make little stars all over the cake and that’s it! Didn’t it turn out nice? I’m so excited for tomorrow!!

The Big Boy Bed

With the new baby coming in just a few months and my last trimester taking place during the holidays, I'm feeling a sort of overwhelming pressure to get all the furniture switched around and the new nursery set up. Several days ago, when I was threatening to freak out, my hubby helped me finish getting my office and the guest room combined. Today, my wonderful mother in law, after two weeks of helping my sister in law move, mustered a little extra energy and helped me get NJ's Big Boy Bed set up before she headed home! Yay! (Thank you, again!)

So, today's nap was the first sleeping experience in the new bed. Initially he wanted to play and, of course, he had to see how far he could push me. But when I head him playing with the blinds, in an effort to get a peak out the window, I went in there and reminded him it was nap time. To my relief, within a half hour of being put down for a nap he was solidly asleep. At this point I couldn't resist tempting fate and sneaking in for a few pictures! (As always, click on the photo to see it bigger- and please forgive the graininess of the photos, it was a little dark and I hated to use a flash!) Apparently he's taken an immediate liking to having a pillow but is not as good with the blanket! Hopefully I'll find just the right comforter soon!

Home Sweet Home

August was such a blur. I spent 10 days at my sister's house in Austin and then three days in Tucson for some Realtor training. Then I left NJ with my parents for three days and come home to trade all my clothes for the next step up in the maternity wardrobe and host a baby shower of a good friend. Then my hubby and I went back to Tucson for two weeks while he did some work-related training. So, poor NJ was away from home for 31 days! I think he started asking about "home, home, home" around day 6 and by day 20 it had progressed to "Go home? Go home?" The poor kid was probably wondering if we'd moved! I tried to explain to him that it was just a long vacation, but I never know how much he understands.... Regardless, I totally know the way he felt.

Don't get me wrong: I LOVED my trip to Austin! It was so much fun to have the three cousins together! We did all sorts of wonderful activities with them and my sister and I did scrapbooking almost every night. I managed to create an entire 8x8, 11 spread album about a trip my husband and I took back in 2005 before we had kids, complete with journalling! Then one night, my brother in law was kind enough to watch the kids while my sister and I went out for a nice dinner, just the two of us! Good times, good times!

I also loved my time in Tucson- even if I was injured and flat on my back for an entire week of it. I did manage to get baby boy #2's quilt designed and the fabric picked out so mom could start working on it and I managed to start scanning some of mom's old pictures while organizing them. It was also great to be there when my mom got a new laptop so I could help set it up and try to make it as identical as possible to the old one.

Still, there's just something about home... When I got back I didn't even want to think about ever leaving again, but after one single week in the 108F heat, I'm ready to go back to Tucson where the highes are 90 and it rains almost every afternoon...