Baby Babble & Preschool

Baby Zane is becoming more and more vocal.  He loves to "talk" to his mobile when he wakes up in the morning, and starts to kick his legs high up in the air as if to make the mobile go.  I get the cue and turn it on for him, then the babbling begins.  His voice is loud!  Luckily he's not like that when he cries.

 

Maddie in preschool!  She loves to paint!

Where did Wednesday go?

Wednesdays are usually slow days and I love Wednesdays.  But not this week.  Let's see, I started the day with the usual routine - nurse the baby, wake up at 6 a.m., read scriptures with the kids, try to get more sleep in while they get ready for school, get them ready to go (lunches, etc), nurse again, then... 2 hours of photo editing, get myself semi-decent, volunteer for 1 hour at the kids' school with baby and Maddie in tow, get back home, eat lunch, then nurse; the kids get home from school, then it is time to be a drill sergeant for piano practice and homework.  Then before I know it, it is time to make dinner, after I nurse the baby of course.  Then it is time to eat dinner, clean up dinner, etc. etc. 

A pretty normal day if you ask.  Not like yesterday.  Yesterday I had kids losing their homework, losing their tempers, etc., etc, and telling me late in the night before I am about to go to bed that homework still needs done, and needs my help with A TORN UP collection of papers in hand.  Yeah.  Seriously?!  So we had to staple (yes, because the tape is nowhere to be found, since my kids like to take art materials like these and use it up on random projects and don't bother to put them back in the right place), so yes, I stapled the 5 pages of math homework.  I was so ticked.  Not to mention that the school room was in disarray so I won't even say anything about that.  I was trying to keep myself in check.  So...the homework got done and I stayed up a little later than usual.  Then just after I swore I would let this kid in question go to school and try to explain to the teacher about the torn up homework, I mellowed out and copied the homework so it was at least in one piece.  I shouldn't do that next time.

Mini Me Designs

Miss Kewl Kreative Brain came up with the best idea ever -- and created a blog for it.  It is called Mini-Me Designs, a blog dedicated to styling modest and stylish outfits for tweens.  I think it is sweet!  She came up with the name, created the logo in Photoshop, and styled the blog herself.

Check it out here:
http://minimedesigns.blogspot.com/

Day 90: 3 months old!

Little babe is 3 months old today!  He is such a good little baby though not yet sleeping thru the night.  He loves to smile and laughs when we tickle his belly and back.  Sometimes he doesn't know what to do about the tickling.  He also discovered his feet, so he constantly looks at them and kicks them up in the air when he's on his back.  He can roll over to his side, too.  He nurses really well and sleeps long naps for me.  I have noticed that he is staying awake longer in the day, and he wants to nurse for a LONG time before he settles down for a nap.  Sometimes all it takes is a ride in the car to make him sleep.  He will sleep for a good 2 hours or so if I do that.  He has lost his little newborn cry (sad!) but has a new little voice that is so cute!  I love having a little baby at home.

Spring Break - 1st week

This week and next  is spring break for us.  The week just flew by and I am SO glad that the kids are not going to school already on Monday.  I could use a 3-week break.  :)  Well, so let's see where the last 5 days went. 

Monday - we had a pretty laid back day, just did our normal errands, my important phone calls and catching up on pictures and blogging. 

Tuesday - I did preschool -- we missed a day the first week due to Maddie being sick overnight.  Allie helped me with the baby and even helped do the first circle of preschool.   I must say she did really well! Allie also went to cheer class that night.

Wednesday - the day before St. Patrick's - spent last minute green shopping and gathering ingredients for Thursday, and activity days for Allie, baked 7 layers of round rainbow-colored cake late that night too.

Thursday - Leprechaun Day.  Started out very early at 5:30 a.m. and didn't end early either.  This part of the day deserves its own post.  We finished off the day by Collin going to his karate class,

...then Allie and I to her Activity Days Recognition Night. 

She played Steve's Theme (from the movie The Last Song) that night, I didn't get a video of her playing the song, but here is how it sounds:


Allie played the song flawlessly - she was so nervous about it beforehand especially that she didn't get to practice on the piano at church. Allie chose this piece on her own and learned to play it in 2 weeks or so. Bob, her piano teacher, was impressed about her ability to play this piece so quickly that he wished she could play this song in a small recital type event of some sort. He will be so glad to hear that she actually was able to play it at church for the girls and their moms.

Friday - today!!  Our good friends the Evans went with us to Golfland/Sunsplash.  After a rocky start this morning (Maddie went to dance, I had to nurse before leaving, Alisyn getting stuck for 15 minutes on the freeway, getting our dates wrong on when Sunsplash was open, etc., etc.), we finally made it to the mini golf course.  The kids had fun with each other - yeah, it's so much more fun to go with your friends is what I heard from them. 

 Anyway, Maddie spent the time kicking her shoes off, walking barefeet, picking flowers (I had to literally peel her away from the flowers), and using her putt like a broom. Kaden-Zane was so patient the whole time and didn't hardly cry the whole time we were out. Such a good baby, I love him!

 After a round of mini-golf, we ate lunch, then headed to the bumper boats around 2:15 p.m. The line moved so slow that we didn't get out of there til almost 3:30. So an hour wait for a 5 minute ride - but the kids thought it was so fun. Allie, Collin, Alexa, and Ben went and Alisyn and I chatted and stayed with Maddie, Cole, and Kaden-Zane.

We headed to the raceway around 3:30 but the line was so long and they only had 10 cars running. It would have taken us another hour over there so we decided to bag it. Alisyn took her kids and Allie to the waterslides, and I went home with Collin, Maddie and the baby. We got home at a little past 4 p.m. Allie got dropped off around 7. All in all a fun day!

 Our group before we split

all photos from Golfland were shot with Allie's point and shoot Canon camera, using Program (part manual) settings

Harrisville Jobs

The kids have cleaning on the mind.  A couple of weeks ago, Allie wanted to make our job chart a little more creative.  She said we needed to make it fun.  So she went ahead and made up a new job chart.  Collin made the sign pictured above.  What do you think of mystery money?

Pretty concise summary of what I usually ask them to do.

Leprechauns Day 2011

The leprechauns outdid themselves this year.  

Water in the jug was turned green

Toilet water in all 5 bathrooms turned green

We got t-p'd this St. Patrick's Day.  Those leprechauns think up some really silly things to do in the wee hours of the morning!  Well, this was the scene the kids woke up to at 5:30 a.m.  (well, Collin woke up at 3:30 a.m. and was trying to wake Allie -- I just heard the whispers: C: Allie I think the leprechauns were here already! A:Shh. Mom said no peeking until the morning.  -- Then they both went back to sleep).

There was toilet paper everywhere! Even the living room, guest room and laundry room were not spared. 

No green milk this year, phew!  But they did leave a big jug of green punch in the fridge. 

But this tops the cake - everyone but me and the baby woke up with green toenails/fingernails.

Yep, even Kevin! 

Kevin I'm sure discovered his green toes in the shower and the kids didn't realize it until they were downstairs and happened to look down on their toes.  Collin wasn't too thrilled and asked to have it removed before he went to Karate.  Of course.  Anyway, Maddie didn't wake up with green toenails, but she did have green fingernail polish on. 

Everyone is wondering how in the world their nails got painted without them knowing.  I on the other hand am just amazed at how good that little leprechaun did painting nails in the dark without getting it on the sheets! :)

 Maddie with her stash of green surprises.

 She found some more treats in her shoe basket

 Collin found this in the dryer

Maddie was glad to also get green gum, golden chocolate coins and green clothes.

The night before, Allie and I baked 7 layers of cake for this beautiful Rainbow Cake that she said we had to have this year.  I frosted it the next morning, and psshh -- that's what we ate for breakfast. (That's Maddie's little hand picking on the frosting)

 Here are the three enjoying their cake breakfast.  I wouldn't usually do this but man I was up one too many times in the night.

Maddie loves frosting.  Just as the cake was frosted, she started picking on the frosting.  We had stripes all over the cake before we even got slices.  The look on her face says everything.

 Little dude got a green shirt.  Here he is laying on all the toilet paper the kids gathered from all the t-p-ing. It made a big soft pillow for him to lay on!

Allie is always over the top with the festive clothes - she got on her boa, suspenders, and hat for this part of the day (all St. Patrick's theme of course!)

We had a great Leprechaun Day - since the kids were up so early (5:30, really?!) Kevin got to watch them find their green treats all over the house before he left for work, which was nice because he doesn't usually get to be here when the fun begins.  He brought pizza home for dinner to save me from making any more messes in the kitchen that night.  Ha!

Old Post found: Sneaky gets bit from behind

Old post from March 25, 2010 ... posting to include in new blog book. a Year later.

It's a sad tale.  Of Allie registering for an online American Girl contest only that she somehow didn't want me to know about it, so she went in my email and deleted the "parent permission required" email that was sent to me.

Tonight I helped her get the rest of her photos submitted, which was great and it was done in a few minutes, but when I went to look for the email so I could click on the click to approve her entry, it was nowhere to be found.  She confessed and told me that she deleted the email and in the meantime entered the contest using her own email address.  By the time we found the "other entry" approval form, it was too late (10 minutes past the deadline) and she realized she didn't click on the right YES (two choices: yes, and yes, I approve).  So her entry was not "parent-approved" in time, and although it was entered in the contest, it is not eligible to win any prizes.

Oh I feel bad for her! There were 26 Lanie dolls to be awarded and I thought all her photos were good.  How disappointing.  Lesson learned: there is a reason why those parent permissions are required, and you can't be going behind your parents' back to do something, especially if it was something good like that.  It bites you back from behind and it doesn't feel good.

applesauce day

Last February apples went for 10 cents a pound at Superstition Ranch market.  My friend Mindy and I had planned on doing applesauce last fall, but apples never went cheaper than 50 cents a pound.  Between the high price and the end of my pregnancy, we decided to wait til this next fall to do it.  When we found out it was 10 cents a pound, we couldn't pass the opportunity and decided spontaneously to make applesauce. Mindy has this cool contraption that you feed boiled apples into and then it churns out applesauce.  We were bad at documenting the steps of each of our canning adventures and this time we decided we would take pictures of each step so we would have a reference for next time.

Facts about our applesauce making:
Qty/Type of Apples used: Honey Crisp, with a few Jonagold and Pink Lady, 180 lbs
Yield: 54 quarts applesauce (3.33 lbs apples used per quart)
Time started: 9:30 a.m.
Time last batch in the water bath: 7:30 p.m. * took breaks for lunch and dinner

 1. Cut apples in halves or fourths.

 2. Boil apples until soft enough to go in the applesauce contraption.

3. Push apples through this lovely contraption (I should look up and see what it's called). Here is Kevin helping a little when he got home from work.

This is what it looks like when it comes out.

 4. Add salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice, and sugar.  See recipe for cinnamon applesauce (2 of these green bowls made enough to fill 3 quarts.

Recipe for cinnamon applesauce.  We also made plain applesauce - just omit the cinnamon and nutmeg.

 The finished applesauce

 5. Heat applesauce in big pot, then fill quart or pint jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

6. Process applesauce in water bath canner for 25 minutes.  Remove from canner promptly and let cool on countertop.

 Mindy's applesauce: 27 quarts

My side of the countertop: I ended up with 40 pints and 7 quarts.



Kevin LOVES applesauce and he's been eating an average of 5 pints a week since I made it.  No exaggeration.  I told him to lay off the applesauce, but it is too good NOT to eat.  So he's in heaven that he has all this applesauce to eat right after he gets home from work.  Hope there is some left when Kaden-Zane can eat it.

archie and emily's one-day trip

My brother Archie brought his "significant other" to meet the family!!!  Yeah! We really like her a lot and sooo happy that they met.  Hope everything will work out for them!!  They made the 3 hour drive and 2 hour flight from Redding CA on Friday night.  So today we spent the day at the Mesa Temple after lunch at Costa Vida (this was Emily's first time to visit PHX) - I took photos, of course (!) and then we enjoyed really good custard at Nielsen's.  We had fun taking photos with some leftover caution tape that Emily found at the temple (see above).  Archie and Emily made us ribs and twice-baked potatoes for dinner tonight while I got their photos squared away so they could take them back to CA with them tomorrow.

 

They look good together don't they?

Day 80

Kaden-Zane travels very well.  Emily and Archie were in town today, so he got to spend most his day napping in his carseat again.  He didn't fuss at all until we got home and was more than ready to nurse.  I am so grateful he is such a good little baby.  Here he is waking up from his nap at Nielsen's.