Highland Lass

Hey, What's For Dinner?

2012-01-23T19:39:00.001-08:00

Here is the new menu:

Monday ~ Chili, Pasta and Cheese accompanied by cauliflower
(it was supposed to be Scalloped Potatoes, but the timing didn't work out)

Tuesday ~ Scalloped Potatoes accompanied by beets, relocated from it's previous place on Monday

Wednesday ~ Pizza with Pineapple for the kids and with olives, sauteed mushrooms and garlic for the grownups

Thursday ~ Salmon with roasted brussel sprouts and carrots (the vegetables are my kids favorite, believe it or not)

Friday ~ Thai inspired Peanut Chicken and cauliflower

Saturday ~ Possibly using a gift certificate for PF Changs that I have been carrying in my purse for at least the last 12 months (maybe longer)

Sunday ~ Still in negotiations

Weekly Menu

2012-01-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

I am not a breakfast person. Not really fond of eggs or bacon and sweet stuff makes me feel sluggish. I've settled, recently, on steel cut oats mixed with peanut butter. I love the chewiness of the oats and the peanut butter is just the right combination of sweet and salty. Mmmm. Lunch is either soup, salad or a half sandwich.

Here is dinner:

Monday ~ Turkey Sliders and Baked Yam Slices

Tuesday ~ Pumpkin Chili (with Tomatoes and Pumpkin from our summer garden)

Wednesday ~ Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Green Beans

Thursday ~ BUNCO! Chicken Cacciatore

Friday ~ Date Night (It's a surprise)

Saturday ~ Burritos

Sunday ~ Soup (Yet to be determined, but thinking about Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder)

Sunday Traditions

2012-01-15T19:50:00.001-08:00

Every Sunday, we all pile on the couch and watch America's Funniest Home Videos while eating popcorn. I love listening to my family laugh. I was also laughing at Natalia as she repeatedly said, "oh, that's not safe." I have to admit I am not opposed to using the videos to support safety. I have been known to ask the kids if they remembered what happened to someone on AFV that was doing the same thing.

Birthdays and Updates

2011-05-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

Exercise update: I finished 29 days of a 30 day workout routine before they removed the episodes I needed. No significant changes in weight, for which I had been hoping. The program was called the 10 lb slimdown. I know that my body shape has changed for the better, but the scale went the wrong direction. I have had a hard time sticking to exercise since and need to get back to it. I have also been doing fairly well with the bedtime goal.

It was birthday time for Miss Isabella last week. She invited friends from school and most of the girls were able to attend. I had Isabella plus 4 other first graders, a kindergartner, my almost 5 year old and the little brother for a grand total of 8. Most parents dropped their girls off, but one mom stayed and helped me with all that energy. Isabella had requested bobbing for apples and I figured, "why not, it's her birthday." But the more I thought about it, the more I started to realize that it would be a serious germ fest. She settled instead for Mommy's version of bobbing for apples. We took a toy broom, with the bristles removed, so basically it was a short stick, and wrapped it with crepe paper. Then I washed the apples and tied yarn to the stems. (Tobias and I had gone shopping and spent several minutes trying to only find apples with stems) They we tied one apple to each end. Hands behind backs, the girls took turns trying to be the first one to capture the apple. I'm happy to say that it was a success and that there were no teeth lost and no germy water to deal with. Natalia liked it so much that she wants to do it at her party. We also made crowns and recycled the "kiss the frog" game from last year. I had drawn a picture of a frog on poster board, then I recovered it in Glad cling wrap (yes, I through last years cling wrap away). The girls got to pick one of my lipsticks, we applied it and then blindfolded them and spun them. The goal was to kiss the frog on the lips and transform him into the prince. Half the girls loved it and the other half have reached the "kissing is gross" stage and wouldn't even participate. We revisited the butterfly design from Natalia's cake last year. This year was strawberry cake with chocolate icing. We topped it all off with a movie that none of them could agree on and only one or two of them really even watched. Fun times.

Poor Natalia, though, is having a difficult time with this birthday thing. She is the last one to have a birthday and is feeling very left out. She has been very sad that Isabella has received all these new things and she hasn't gotten any. We pulled out the clothes from the attic that I have been saving for warmer weather and she kept asking why she didn't get new clothes. Of course, it didn't help that I discovered a purchase that had been set aside for Isabella and Tobias. The only things for Natalia were the hand-me-downs (which were also there for her siblings) and a pair of new flip-flops.

Exercise Week 2

2011-04-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well this was the first day of my second week of exercise. If you read my previous post, you will know that I have not felt well enough to do much of anything. I made a goal last week to go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 6am. Although not perfect, I was able to get to bed before 11pm most nights and was able to get myself downstairs in front of the TV for my workouts by 6:15am. As this is week number two, I have set a new goal for myself. I'm trying to be more careful about my food choices. So for breakfast, I had vanilla yogurt with a Tbsp of cocoa to help curb the chocolate cravings. I took a mug of tea to work with me and was able to get by on only 1/2 Tbsp of sugar (this is an accomplishment, I will have you know). When I got home, I had an orange for a snack. Lunch was a healthy heaping plate of spinach with a wonderful mango dressing (it's only 30 calories for 2 Tbsp). I was doing so well that I celebrated with the last of the cookie dough brownies (not so good). I had a small serving of juice while cooking dinner. For dinner we had pecan crusted salmon (200 calories, approx), spinach salad (30 calories), and spanikopita (because I was trying to get rid of it, and 340 calories, but only because I ate 2 servings, YIKES!). Not a bad first day. . . At least it leaves me a lot of room for improvement tomorrow. Did I mentionthat I'm researching desserts for a baby shower this weekend. Will power!

Healthy Again

2011-04-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

We spent several weeks in March sick. Mark found out that he had a sinus infection, since November! Yikes. We are finally feeling better and working on keeping ourselves healthy. The short bouts of sunshine have allowed us to spend time outdoors. Mark has started work on preparing the garden and I have started some plants indoors. I went to Fred Meyer's fushia sale and got some flowers and free potting soil. Mark also recently took a cholesterol test with exciting results. He was considered to have high blood pressure, but with some better food choices and taking a vitamin supplement called GBG, he has been able to lower his blood pressure to normal levels, approx 20 points lower! We had a three day weekend from school, so we invited one of Isabella's friends for a play date. They played games, put together puzzles, colored, and watched Tangled. We also made some decadent brownies. We made a boxed fudge brownie batter. Let it cool and then added "cookie dough". It was made without eggs so that it would be edible without baking. Once the cookie dough was layered onto the brownies, it was put in the refrigerator to chill. I finished dinner while I was melting chocolate chips with milk to make a ganache/glaze. That was layered onto the "cookie dough" and place back in the refrigerator. So yummy! Cookie Dough 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup milk 2 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1/2 cup chocolate chips, mini are best Cream the first 5 ingredients. Add flour until combined and then add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto brownies. (The cookie dough will pull off the top layer of brownie if you don't smooth it out carefully) Chill completely before topping with chocolate layer.

Whew!

2011-03-14T20:01:00.001-07:00

What a roller coaster, whirlwind, soap opera...life can be. I started blogging in the summer with every intention of being more consistent. Then life happened. Lice, hunting season and then Mark was seriously injured Labor day weekend. It feels like we have been playing catch up ever since. His arm is on the mend and it looks like we are past the critical stage when it looked like he might need a bone graft to correct the breaks.

This post finds me recuperating from one of the most vicious sore throats I can ever remember. Still feeling a little weak, but thankful that I can once again swallow small, soft items and breath without pain.

Isabella ran the jog-a-thon at her school last friday. Daddy told her that in addition to her pledges, he would take her to get a doughnut if she ran 25 laps. Unfortunately, the person recording her laps was a little sloppy with the tally marks. Isabella thought that she had reached the goal, but was actually 10 laps away. So, I dutifully got out there and jogged/walked with her to help keep her motivated.

Now that we are somewhat caught up, I thought I would share my menu for the week. More of just a log for me.

Monday 3/14 ~ Soup, Spinach Salad and Sour Dough
Today's soup was Beef and Barley. I like to submerge my sour dough roll, broken in pieces, in my soup. It seems to heighten my awareness of the sour flavor. My kids like to eat it by itself and Mark is somewhere inbetween.

Tuesday 3/15 ~ Salmon, Broccoli, Spinach Salad, Twice Baked Fingerling Potatoes
I was watching Dinner Impossible while I was physically unable to swallow. I can't wait to try these. Salmon will be baked with garlic, lemon and dill.

Wednesday 3/16 ~ Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, Home Canned Green Beans, Salad
(yes, probably spinach again)

Thursday 3/17 ~ Stuffed Green Pepper Wheelbarrows, Green Fruit Salad, Green Garden Salad, Broccoli
The wheelbarrows will be stuffed with a traditional beef and rice mixture, but will be fashioned to look like these from Noodle and Doodle. The fruit salad will be a combination of kiwi, green grapes, pear, and granny smith apples. The green salad will include lettuce, spinach, celery, and cucumber. (This is also my Bunco night, so the family will be eating this menu without me)

Friday 3/18 ~ Peanut Chicken, Brown Rice and Cauliflower
Again, another shortcut dinner. I would eventually like to find a recipe for Peanut Sauce that I can make myself.

Saturday 3/19 ~ Dinner with Friends: Braised Pot Roast, Carrots, and Potatoes, Dinner Rolls and Salad

Sunday 3/20 ~ Beef Stew and Salad
I have been moving away from a heavy meal on Sunday because we enjoy having popcorn while watching AFV.

Experi-mint-al Cheesecake

2010-07-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

I made a yummy cake for Natalia's birthday. I covered it with a mint cream cheese frosting. The only trouble was that the recipe made an abundant amount of frosting. I was left with a very sweet minty cream cheese and not a lot of ideas of what to do with it. That is until I got my next sweets craving. I am a cheesecake girl. The more I thought about the cream cheese in the refrigerator, the more I wondered if I could turn it into a cheesecake. I couldn't come up with any other ideas so it was just going to go to waste. I decided that an egg was worth the sacrifice if the cheesecake didn't turn out.

I whisked in an egg. I had some mint dark chocolate that I broke up and mixed into my "batter". I filled my 4in springform pan. We have no cookies or graham crackers on hand, so I opted to not have a crust. I cooked the cheesecake at 350 for 15 min and then lowered it to 225 for 50 min. It is presently cooling on my counter and looks beautiful. I can't wait to try it. (Yes, that's a fingerprint in the middle, because I just couldn't resist)

Cream Cheese, Mint, Chocolate....Yumm!

2010-06-19T22:39:00.000-07:00

My beautiful 3 year old will be 4 tomorrow. However, how many kids would come to a birthday party on Father's Day? Yeah, I didn't think anyone would, either. We had a little get together for her today with a butterfly theme. Our tradition is for the birthday girl (the little man isn't big enough yet) to help make and decorate her cake. Isabella has made castle cakes for the last two years. Natalia wanted a castle cake, but only because of all of the candies we use to make it. Thoroughly bored with castle cakes, I convinced her to do something else with candy. Mark suggested a chocolate mint cake. I think he was joking, but it sounded kind of good to me. I'm often trying to make something look spectacular and this was a chance to make something super tasty.
I had made cream cheese mints for my bible study group several weeks ago. It was my inspiration for her cake. Mint frosting on a chocolate cake would be good, but mint cream cheese frosting...I'm resisting the urge to go get some more. I almost immediately stumbled upon a promising recipe at Epicurious. I didn't want to bake a sheet cake though. My vision had been a round cake with soft green icing and candy butterflies. I really didn't want a square/rectangle cake. So I opted for my grandmother's chocolate scratch cake and added 1 tsp of peppermint extract. It smelled so wonderful baking. I then used Epicurious' recipe for the frosting along with a few drops of "neon" blue and green food coloring. The result was a luscious minty cream cheese frosting.
Spreading on the cake was another story. Not fun. The frosting was too soft and runny, even now, hours after resting in the refrigerator, it is still very soft. Oh well, how pretty can a cake decorated by a 3 almost 4 year old be anyway? I had cut up pieces of black licorice for the body and used Jordan almonds for the top wings and Dutch mints for the bottom wings. Outside of the saggy frosting, it was just what I had pictured in my head. Purple being her favorite color, the butterflies were predominately purple. A pink butterfly for sister and some white ones for balance.
Mark made a homemade chocolate ice cream that tasted like a frozen hot chocolate (or at least what I would imagine a hot chocolate, that had been frozen, to taste like) It was the perfect balance to all that mintiness. Such a sweet daddy. Happy birthday beautiful! It's been wonderful watching you grow these last 4 years. I wish I could stop the clock and hang on to my precious little girl. I suppose the only thing holding me back is the desire to see what amazing things you will do with your life.

Castle Cake, Take 2

2010-05-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't make two castle cakes. Well, not in the same year. I asked Isabella what she wanted for her cake and she was adamant, "I want a castle cake". I tried and tried to convince her to do something else. Last year, we did a castle cake and this year we did a castle cake. Guess what! She wants to do a castle cake for next year. But, I have a plan. I don't think it's so much the castle, as it is all the candies that we decorate with. I'm going to come up with something else that can have just as much adornment. Otherwise, I think it will be time for a two-tiered castle...

I've started a tradition with my girls purely by accident. Both girls love to cook and I knew it would be more special if they got to help. You see, I'm what my cousin Beth would call a kitchen hog. Even more special, is the chance to cook with mom and not have to share with siblings. So, last year Isabella got to help decorate her own cake with no sibling interference. She was thrilled to get another go at it this year.

We baked the cake together Thursday after school. It cooled and was stored until we had time to decorate it. Friday was her birthday and it came and went faster than I imagined. Once the kids were in bed, I endeavored to make marshmallow fondant. I had been to a kid party and was served a wonderfully moist cake with a delicious fondant. I have always like the way fondant looks but the taste always left something to be desired. Which is why I was so excited to try this recipe. All the pretty tidiness of fondant and it tastes good! The process went smoothly, although I think I will try to incorporate less sugar next time. I dirty iced the cake and covered it with a thin layer of fondant so that it would be ready for Isabella the next morning.

So right after breakfast today, we got to sit down and decorate. Up went the cookie fortress walls, sugar cone turrets, wafer cookie draw bridge and sour strip flags. Perfectionist me took over 3/4 of the way, but I improved over last year. The cake looked great and is almost half gone, so it must not be too terrible, right? Pictures to come.

I Have A Purple Elephant For You

2010-05-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

This is a common phrase in our house. Why? Because I was trying to teach my girls how to keep a secret. I knew that it's almost impossible for little kids to keep secrets. I also knew that trying to keep something to yourself is like trying not to scratch an itch. So I decided that the best solution was to give them a phrase that was super silly. I figured the ensuing laughter might help them get past the temptation to reveal the secret, whatever it may be. Guess what - it worked. Well most of the time. Isabella is great at it. Natalia, not so much, but she is getting better.

Of course, it only works so long as you want to keep a secret. Isabella seems to have gotten my impatience in this regard. I can remember trying to bribe my mom to have Christmas early just so I could give my presents to everyone. I would even try to convince my best friend in high school that we needed to exchange presents early because we would be too busy with family. I have even been known to declare birthday weeks, so that I can spread out the gift giving (Mark hates this, I don't know why).

Today, Isabella came home from school and wanted to give me the Mother's day gift she had constructed at school. I tried to convince her to wait. I told her I would be sad if I didn't have a present to open ON Mother's day, to which she erupted in tears. She desperately wanted me to open her gift immediately. Finally, she said that she wanted me to open it whenever I wanted to, today. Funny girl, I can totally sympathize. Mark stepped in and negotiations began. He finally convinced her to wait and they would give me the gift from the family instead.

I am now the proud owner of a new camera. Not the professional one I have dreamed of, but a good stand by until we can afford one with all the bells and whistles. The best thing is that I will be able to take decent pictures of Isabella's birthday and her party. Thank you to my wonderful family!

All Girly-fied

2010-05-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know what to say. This being Cinco de Mayo, I got the urge to be festive. This entailed a brightly colored top, white peasant skirt and one of my favorite necklaces worn as a belt. My cute flower sandals exposed too much to the cold weather and would echo loudly at school, so they were passed over for some brown clunky shoes. I didn't have much time to get ready this morning (being a good girl, I had spent most of my time exercising), so I decided to let my natural waves alone. I stepped out of the bathroom and was greeted by a very funny look from Mark. "What", I asked. Of course, I received the standard "nothing". Well, that look very well meant something and I wasn't about to go all day wondering if something was wrong. He explained that I rarely wear a skirt and, although he likes me in a skirt, he just wasn't used to it. He made me stand back and he took another look. Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, I donned a slip just to make sure everything was covered. On my way out, Tobias kept stroking my leg and saying, "dress" quite proudly. Even the girls were fascinated with my wardrobe.

Feeling thoroughly self-conscious, I made my way to the car and quickly realized why it has been so long since I wore a skirt. It was COLD! I made it to school uneventfully.

Although, now that I think about it, there was a rather funny thing. Yesterday, one of the traffic signs along my way had been tagged. Where it used to say 35 mph, it then said 85 mph along with the artist's tag. I was rather amused at the time, because who doesn't want to drive faster every once in a while. Well, it had already been replaced today with a fresh new 35 mph sign.

Back to school. I walked down the hall and felt even more self conscious. If my family reacted so uniformly, what could I expect from my co-workers. I might add that I have never once worn a dress or skirt since my start date at the beginning of November, with the exception of the Christmas party where everyone was dressed up. I made it to the classroom with no comment. In fact no one took more notice of me than usual. That is until I took my coat off. I stood up to escort the kid to recess and all the girls' heads swiveled quickly my way. Oh, no. I quickly put my finger to my mouth to quiet them before they started. Flood of questions diverted, they made it to recess. Upon their return to class, each of the girls at the front of the line reached out to touch my belted necklace. A little stunned, no one has felt entitled to that action since my last pregnant belly, I was quite relieved when the boys didn't follow suit. Class ensued as normal. Then it happened. As I was leaving for the day, my co-worker did it. "I meant to tell you that you look beautiful today.", she said. The nicest thing anyone had said to me all day! I guess it was worth all the scrutiny. Thanks Aimee, you rock!

Facebook-itis

2010-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

I was amazed to see that I haven't written in almost a year. I call it Facebookitis. A perfectly good day can be waylaid by roaming the pages and profiles of those I call dear and others that I barely even know. I have become an observer of other's blogs. Enjoying the insights, recipes and tidbits that they share. I love catching up on what is happening with my family through their blogs.

Well, I have decided to kick my Facebookitis in the rear end. No more neglecting housework because I have to level up on some dumb game that is repeated with different themes (although, I will still play Family feud). No more will I passively read through others blogs without leaving comment. No more hanging out at my computer.

Today, before even getting on facebook, Natalia and I made the hard boiled egg cookies that I had been planning on making. One of my favorite sites is Cookiemadness. Almost everyday she has a new recipe or tidbit to share. Natalia had a blast. She got to put all of the ingredients in the food processor. She got to process the whole dough. She even got to form the gigantic balls. It was so much fun, the results were definitely yummy and it used up some of the Easter eggs. This is one recipe I won't lose.

Key Lime Pie

2009-08-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

The girls and I made our first Key Lime Pie tonight. My meringue looks great, which makes me very excited. We will try it tomorrow, make our friends be guinea pigs, and tell you how it turned out later.

Disneyland!

2009-08-18T20:10:00.001-07:00

Although I had some reservations about going, we decided that we should take them while we had the money. We started driving on June 16 and spent the night in Los Banos (not the bathrooms). The next day we drove to Anaheim and cringed everytime we turned a corner. We hadn't told the girls where we were going and there were Disney signs and characters EVERYWHERE. After getting to our hotel and seeing several kids wearing Disney hats, we decided that we couldn't wait any longer. We went to our room, pulled out the camcorder and made our announcement. We had a great first day touring Disneyland until I lost my camera on "It's a Small World". Just one more reason to hate that ride. It's August now and still no sign of my camera (I think it might have fallen in the water). We went to California Adventure the next morning and were fortunate to be there with only a few other families in the bug ride area, which meant next to no wait time. The highlight of our trip was dinner that evening. We took the kids to Ariel's grotto as a pre-birthday dinner for Natalia. The food was so-so, but the looks on the girls' faces were priceless. They were greeted by Ariel and also got to see Cinderella, Snow White Belle and Aurora during the dinner. Natalia was the most animated of the whole week and couldn't stop petting Belle's dress when she came to our table. The final day, Natalia's birthday, was spent at Disneyland with Mark's 2nd cousins CeCe and Laura. We made some great memories!

Comings and Goings

2009-05-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

Wow a whole month since I last posted. Life seems to be zipping by lately. We celebrated Isabella's 5th birthday by going to pizza at Roaring Rapids, her request. The following Saturday we had 4 friends and 3 siblings over to have a kid party. So much fun! It was a princess theme. We made our own crowns, rescued Snow white from the poisoned apple, tried to wake sleeping beauty with a kiss, and determined our royal character by finding the pea. Castle cake and presents and then off back to their respective royal kingdoms. The next day was mother's day and we were blessed to share it with some of the women in my family. While waiting for lunch my little family went down to the river and fed ducks/geese. Then we met my mother, grandmother and aunt, plus cousins, brother and girlfriend, at Marie Calendar's. Shortly after that, was mom and grandma's birthday. We celebrated by again going for pizza. Mark finally got to start on replacing the roof shingles, which he has been wanting to do since we moved in. Then off to Lincoln beach for some pseudo camping with Mark's family. It was roughing it in so much that we were sharing an RV with 2 other adults and 6 children. Then we hurried back home to finish the roof before any chance of rain. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Young Boy's New Invention

2009-04-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Alternate titles: Baby Shower, Squeaky Clean, 101 Uses For A Dishwasher, April Showers...

King of the Hill

2009-04-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Fast Break for the Ottoman...

Hello Nose. Meet Ottoman...

This is the Good Part...
Just a Little Further...
Almost There...

Look Mommy, I'm So Cool...

Got Down, Climbed Back Up, And...

Oops! Rolled Off the Other Side.

Nostalgia

2009-04-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

Photos that take me back...or make me do a double take...

Christi and family friend Nathan circa 1984

Nick and Isabella 2008

Mike (my brother) circa 1984

Tobias November 2008

To The Tune of The William Tell Overture

2009-04-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

Mommy is so wonderful,
Mommy is so wonderful,
Mommy is so wonderful,
Mooooommy is so wonderful!

Shortly after my last post, I called my Mom to bemoan my situation and my missing camera. She hadn't seen it, but asked if I had looked in several bizarre locations. Equally bizarre, if not more, is the fact that I had already checked all those places. As well as relocated my couch to clean out all of the kiddo klutter. I told her I would check the refrigerator one more time before I dove in our dumpsters (the next morning was trash pickup). Low and behold, my camera! I had set it in front between the freezer and refrigerator and I never put stuff there. I jumped, I shouted, I sang the song ~ my kids thought I was crazy. So I explained that I used to sing the song to my mom when I was little. They still thought I was crazy. Oh well, I didn't care. I was just happy to have my camera back.

Tobias' First Birthday Party

2009-04-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting to post pictures, but as I have already informed you...well, it's too painful to say again. Anyway...

We took Tobias to our favorite restaurant (so favorite that it was the first meal I had after having Natalia. Indeed, my in-laws brought it to my delivery room), Hole-In-The-Wall BBQ. We were joined by my parents, brother, and grandmother, and Mark's parents, brother, niece and nephews, Aunt, Uncle and cousin. Tobias packed away the food, anything and everything we would feed him. He also helped himself to his grandfather's french fries. Grandpa retrieved a fist full of fries and surprisingly, Tobias didn't cry. We soon discovered that he had secreted away a few french fries in the other hand. We had his picture taken with the pig hat and packed everyone up.

We went back to our house for presents, cake and ice cream. He was thrilled with his gifts and opening the presents. He has to fend off his sisters, who are very interested in the toys that he received. He really likes the cars and musical book, but he has played with each of his toys numerous times already.

After opening all of the presents, we gave him his first cake. Isabella requested a cake she had seen in a cook book, but I didn't have a bundt pan and I didn't want to buy one (I probably wouldn't use it again for several years). Anyway, I used a mini springform pan and but a prep cup in the center. It worked, it looked like a donut, but it worked. From there, I frosted it with chocolate icing, sprinkles, 3 straws were stuck in it to support the carousel top and animal crackers were put between the straws to complete the carousel picture. (Apologies for the description, but again no pictures available)

He grabbed the animal crackers one at a time. Once they were gone, he picked at all of the sprinkles. Once these too were gone, he began taking pinches of frosting. Bigger and bigger, until he was also eating cake. He was tired because, at this point, it was past his bedtime. He kept rubbing his hands in his hair and, yes you guessed it, plastered his hair with frosting. (This was the last time I remember having my camera)

We went straight to the bathtub and then back to the living room to get in some more play time before bed.

Despair! Oh Dark, Despair!

2009-04-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

I can't find it. Anywhere. I decluttered the kitchen after all the cooking on Easter. I picked up all the loot from Tobias' first birthday party. I cleaned the top of our television, one of the last strongholds against the children. I even, I know you won't believe this, I even moved my couch and rummaged through the socks, toys, dishes, writting utensils, and even a sun visor for my car that had all collected there. Still I couldn't find it. I cleaned my bathroom (multiple times, as this is the first room to get completely massacred by my children).

Oh what a depressing feeling...my camera is gone.

School House Rocks!!!

2009-04-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

We went to the library on monday and I found it. Instant nostalgia. Saturday mornings, still wearing PJs, eating breakfast while laying on the living room floor and watching cartoons. Of course, I had to borrow it. I was a little saddened when the girls both protested. "I want Mickey" and "I don't want a singing one" didn't daunt me. I started it none the less... Okay, so I had to bribe them with princess shaped graham crackers within the first five minutes, but they will thank me...someday.

And who decided to call them crackers anyway. They are just a glorified cookie...

My Little Guy is 1!

2009-04-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

He did it; he survived his sisters. He is currently in possession of 4 half teeth (none of them are all the way in), a not so lovely cough, and a snotty nose. He is also presently screaming on my lap, because he apparently needs to demonstrate his ability to throw a tantrum. Although not sleeping through the night, he is much easier to put back to sleep and is only waking up once a night.

He LOVES to play peek-a-boo. He thinks it is funny to move your hands away from your face and he enjoys being able to manipulate things. He will hurry around a corner, so that he can peek back around it. He knows how to push open doors and which doors Mommy doesn't like him to open (he still opens them if he can).

He adores Isabella and likes Natalia when she can curb her natural affection, which can get a bit overwhelming.

He is thrilled by bathes and, like all babies, loves to splash the water. He doesn't seem too concerned when he manages to get a face full of water.

He is quick to wave bye-bye when the word is mentioned and is experimenting with words like: Da (daddy), talia (we think he is trying to say her name), mama, ki (kitty). We have even heard him say thank you on occasion, although, the jury is still out on whether or not it was intentional.

He is still small for his size and I am sometimes surprised by a label to realize that I have been putting a 3 month outfit on him. He is not walking yet, but can stand up when holding on to something. He has the strength and balance to stand on his own, but won't do it on purpose. He enjoys practicing his steps.

Unfortunately, being number three, we didn't get to do anything eventful on his big day. But, hopefully we can remedy that when we have his party on Saturday.

The Joy of Youth

2009-04-08T11:42:00.001-07:00

The kids were absolutely tickled by open windows on the freeway.

I wasn't able to catch Tobias' expression because he was still in the rear facing car seat (but not anymore!). He was clapping and waving his hands in the air and had a very exuberant expression.

Port Orchard

2009-03-21T10:01:00.001-07:00

We had the pleasure of visiting some dear friends at the beginning of March. Mark and I both went to school with Katherine and when she married Kevin, Isabella was in the wedding party. They have lived in Port Orchard for the last several years, but with three small children, this was our first visit. The girls promptly struck their claim on Kevin while watching cartoons. After a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and eggs (requested by Isabella) and cinnamon rolls, we decided to go to Poulsbo for a late lunch and some site seeing.

We ate at J.J.s (you will have to correct me if I'm wrong, Katherine) and being indecisive, I went with peer pressure and had the Halibut fish and chips. Delicious!

Mark and Tobias

Kevin helping Natalia clean up.
Kevin let the girls hold the leash to Fergus (Golden Lab) while he held on to the lead closer to the collar. They thought it was great!

Fergus poses with Natalia.

"Don't take my picture!" Although she didn't see me sneak this one.

The whole gang at the water front. Isabella called it the lake. Well, what else would a large body of water be? Port doesn't really translate in Toddler speak so I just let it be.

Thanks Katherine and Kevin for opening up your home and all of the wonderful memories we crammed into that too short day. We love you.

Heartwarming

2009-03-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

I can think of nothing more exciting as a mother, than watching your children play nicely together. Especially the more children you add to the mix. The kids are playing with some Mr. Potato Heads, current and vintage. Well, vintage if you count items from the late 1980s. So funny to see their creations. And it lasted all of 30 minutes.
And my old childhood standby, card table forts!

Messy Messy!

2009-03-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Healthy but, oh, so messy. Tobias, like his sisters before him, doesn't turn his nose up at anything. Well, he's not too keen on certain textures but, he is a great eater. Today, Mark said that he devoured the cornmeal pancakes that were offered him.

Here is his first introduction to lentils. Despite the head gear, most of the lentils ended up in his stomach and this picture is of his second or third helping. (The bits of green are spinach)
And this is a Cameron favorite (definitely not a Christi favorite)...Beets! The kids eat them like they are candy. I on the other hand think they smell like stinky feet. Tobias is eating them sans shirt in an effort to preserve his clothing from anymore unsightly stains.

For the Love of Popcorn

2009-03-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

What a crack up! Tobias loves popcorn and can hunt it down no matter the distance. As soon as he is blessed with one of the pillowy pieces, he bobs up and down and grins a mile wide. Mini me pose?

One of My Favorite Pictures

2009-03-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Piggyback ride with Daddy.

February Funnies

2009-02-04T09:42:00.000-08:00

Natalia is 2 1/2 and very precocious. She is constantly into everything and creating messes. Her vocabulary far exceeds the expected at her age and she seems to comprehend so much, yet she still wants a pacifier. Her love language is definitely touch and you have to be careful that she doesn't smother you. Yet, her spirit is so sweet and she will do anything to gain approval. We are also in the midst of potty training, still. And while most days are great, we still have some days that I wish I could wave a magic wand and be done with it. Now if I could just get her to stop picking up Tobias, I will feel that I have accomplished a great deed.After being told to leave the grapes alone, she stuffed as many into her mouth as she could. Daddy, unaware of mommy's directions to her, thought it hilarious that she had so many grapes in her mouth and rewarded her by taking a picture. Oh, what to do!

My little warrior - Tobias is 10 months and closing in on one year. I can't believe it is already upon us. As you can tell, he is very excited by the broom. Not because of the cleaning capacity that it holds, but because of the weapon like quality it possesses. I am amazed that at such an early age he is already completely different than his sisters. He absolutely loves to wave the broom around and it is even better when he has the mop and can bang them together. Look at the great swing!

Tobias is very sweet natured and it is very easy to get him to smile and show off his dimples. He loves to flirt and has started "singing" with his sisters as well as babbling. He has been crawling since six months, pulling up to standing since eight months, cruising since 9 months and I can only imagine that walking is right around the corner. He is such a good baby, I can only pray for the day that he starts sleeping through the night.

Isabella is quickly approaching 5 (birthday in May) and I cannot believe that she will be in Kindergarten in the fall. We recently purchased a booster seat for her and she was so enamored with it that she found an excuse to sit on it all day long. She is my problem solver and can often come up with a great solution if she doesn't let her anger get away with her. She is definitely a first child and tries to constantly control the situation. Mark recently told her that she wasn't the equalizer and she responded by saying, "I'm not an appetizer, you don't eat appetizers, Mom(with a laugh), Daddy called me apple cider." She can write her name and sometimes Natalia's. She amazed me the other day with a grocery list. The first two items were peanut butter (pen bdr) and bread (brad) and the rest were squiggly lines. Apparently, she got tired, although, Mark told me that one of the squiggly lines was supposed to be eggs. She also is very aware of anatomy and recently drew a picture of Mark's cousin that left me speechless. Nothing inappropriate happened and the only one she has seen naked is her brother. It is apparently time for separate bath times. She loves to help cook and I often find her trying to clean, without being asked. But when it comes to her room, the age old rebellion wages strong.

Hardanger

2009-02-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

Inspired by one of my very talented cousin Beth and her recent hobby of scherenschnitte (german paper craft), I decided to teach myself hardanger. The scherenschnitte, with all of it's intricately cut edges and patterns and pictures, reminded my somewhat of the delicate stitchery that was much a part of my childhood. I am blessed to have a family heritage that has not been forgotten and have actually been able to see pieces that my great grandmother created. I have always treasured the beautiful needlework and the difficulty, but not so much as I do now that I have created my own. This snowflake is 2" x 2 6/16", followed by a close up.

This snowflake was to 2 3/4" x 2 3/4"

This is one of my favorites, probably because there is so much fabric cut out for the lacy appearance and it is more traditional. It is 3 6/16" x 3 6/16". Followed by a close up This is one of my other favorites, because of it's resemblance to a snowflake. However, it is not as traditional. At least, it isn't in comparison to the pieces from my great grandmother.

The size of this is 4 3/4" x 4 3/4". (Thanks for the measurements!)

The Obligatory Lemon

2009-01-28T20:04:00.001-08:00

The lemon initiation. My mother-in-law thinks we are cruel, but each of our kids has received their first taste of lemon at our favorite restaurant: Hole-in-the-Wall BBQ. And not one of them would relinquish there hold on that lemon. In fact, each of them threw a fit when we did try to take it away. This is after 2 or 3 tastes of the lemon. This is the 4th picture, probably a minute into the taste test and the first pucker he made!

We finally convinced him to trade the lemon for a rib.

Crazy 2 x 4 cat

2009-01-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

Can you tell what he is sitting on? Mark said that if we covered up the board, it would look like he was just a giant cat.

He is sitting on a 2 x 4 that is mounted on the deck to support our air conditioning unit in the summer months. Crazy cat!

What happened to the celery?

2009-01-28T19:54:00.001-08:00

I was trying to make dinner and the girls were hungry. I offered them some celery, knowing that it wouldn't fill them up and there would still be room for dinner. I decided to give Tobias a piece that was about 3 inches long. He has no teeth, so I wasn't worried about him breaking off small pieces. I was surprised that he was willing to chew on it as the girls only recently decided that they like celery.

He was quite pleased with himself.And this is what was left over. Barely an inch. There was nothing else in his high chair or on the ground.

Can you believe he actually ate it? I couldn't. It also sent me searching for teeth. Still none yet. I will definitely think a little harder before giving him something I think is harmless.

Roller Derby Darlings in Training

2009-01-28T19:39:00.001-08:00

My friends were teasing me about Child Services taking my children due to an onslaught of recent injuries, which inspired this posting.

Some of you may not know that I sing on worship team at our church. I had made it to practice and through the first service like normal. I left after we finished singing and went home to pick up the family. I helped everyone finish getting ready and we were actually ahead of schedule. I was getting Tobias' hat when I heard the screaming. Talk about having your heart leap into your throat. Apparently Isabella had her hands in her pockets (there were no injuries to her palms) and was jostled by Natalia enough that she fell on her left side. Words cannot begin to describe the disbelief and fear when I saw her left side covered, head to toe, in dirt and gravel. You could see the violet bruise through all the muck. Luckily, Mark iced it right away and once she was cleaned up, the injuries were not as bad as they first appeared. We were late to second service and I had to sneak back on stage during the greeting time.

Injury #2 happened later that night while I was going to pick up our babysitter. Natalia decided that it was the perfect time to shave her face. Four razor blade impressions on her forehead, two razor blade impressions on each cheek and a cut on her upper lip that wouldn't stop bleeding. I'm still surprised that we were brave enough to leave them home with the babysitter.

Injury #3 Neither girl seems to comprehend the lesson of the monkeys that they know so well. Natalia decided to emmulate them and received injury number three when she fell off her bed and on to only who knows what (it changes each time you ask them and depends on which girl you ask). She received several gashes on the bridge of her nose.

I imagine by now you can reason out the title of this posting. My attempt to cope with the new look with a twisted since of humor.

Treasured Memories

2009-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

We have been busy, busy, busy these last two weeks. Instead of the calm, lazy days that mark the first of the year for us, we have been hosting family and driving back and forth to Albany. On January 8th, Mark's Grandfather left his earthly body for a new and glorious home. I am surprised by the abundant emotions I have been feeling. Usually, I am happy for the times we shared and glad that he is no longer suffering from cancer. (He was diagnosed late February 2008 and given only 3 months to live, what do they know?) I have found myself surprised by the tears that come, which are often more frequent than I expected. The hardest part is watching Mark's family grieve. I have always been an empathetic crier and this time is no different.

Errant emotions aside, I am astounded at the blessing and greatness that one life can be. Edgar Willard Overlin was born August 11, 1915 and was raised in South Dakota. He came to Oregon to go to the Bible Training school in Eugene and graduated in 1939. He then married Gilberta Pauline Hansen later that year in October. They went on to have 15 children (2 babies didn't make it, if they had, there would have been 17), 46 grandchildren, 49 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild. For those of you keeping count, that's 111 offspring! He devoted 40 years of his life to faithful service at a local nursing home and 23 of those years were also spent ministering at Solvang Retirement Center (where my maternal grandmother is currently residing).

He led a quiet life, but a life of purpose and direction. I am greatful for the time that my children got to spend with him and hope that they will continue to have memories of him as they grow. I think that this is the crux of my grieving - that my children are experiencing loss, even though they may not understand.

A few times Isabella has gotten upset and stated that she doesn't want to go to heaven. I can relate. I remember those same feelings when I was little and had lost a family member. I have assured her that I am not ready for her to go to heaven, nor am I ready to go to heaven yet, myself. I have told her that there are still jobs that we need to do here before we go to heaven, but that it is a wonderful place to go when it is the right time. In true 4 year old fashion, she insists that she needs to pack a bag and becomes quite distraught when told that Jesus will have everything ready for us. She has been a ray of sunshine for us.

A Budding Problem Solver

2008-12-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has siblings know that there are some days when sibling rivalry can get over the top. I had gotten the easel and paper out for Natalia, as Isabella was otherwise occupied. It didn't take long for Isabella to discover and try to take it over. I was coming to Natalia's rescue and trying to make Isabella understand that it was out for Natalia and it was her turn. Isabella quickly offered me a solution.

She asked if she could draw on the other side. I know that it is silly, but it is one of the moments that I have been most proud of her. There was no fighting or complaining, just a simple request to move herself to the other side so that her sister could have her own space.

Here is Isabella hiding under the paper because Natalia wanted a clean sheet and Isabella hadn't finished with her drawing.And for those of you who couldn't tell, this is Larry the cucumber, of course!

Daddy's Co-Pilot in Training

2008-12-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

Mark has a great love of flying. He has completed a series of courses and holds a private pilots license. This was the inspiration for Tobias' nursery theme of airplanes. We have a wonderful friend that loves to bless others and she bestowed upon us this wonderful Elmo airplane along with a complete bedroom set of airplanes/helicopters ( that's the bumper, crib sheet, quilt, bed skirt, plus: lamp, rug, wall paper decor strip, wall hangings, valance/curtains, and mobile). Overwhelming in her generosity, we put the crib items out right away. The plane has waited in our room for fear that his sisters would either break it or wear it out before he had a chance to play with it. It has been much coveted at our house.

Tobias is thrilled with sitting on the airplane, but he is really tickled because he found the button that makes the propeller spin and he was able to catch the propeller.

Tobias was moved in front of the plane because he isn't able to keep himself on it, yet. Mommy pushed the button, so he is gleefully watching the propeller again.

I know that this one isn't much different, but I had to included it because it made me laugh. Look at his left hand, he has Joseph from our kids nativity set and is beating the plane with it. I didn't notice when I was taking the picture.

Sisters

2008-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

Hanging out together while playing Reader Rabbit. It was so cute that I couldn't resist the camera. They were so absorbed in what they were doing that they didn't even turn around or ask to see the picture. It's a rare moment when they are not fighting over the computer.

Mommy!

2008-11-29T23:48:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder where Tobias is while I am blogging on the computer? Well, here is my little boy who was supposed to be sleeping. He has discovered that he can see Mommy if he peers over his crib. He was definitely not happy with me and was letting me know about it. I also was not happy, because I was looking forward to some quiet recounting of our days and I had just lowered his crib last week. Now, I have to lower it again! Have I mentioned how fast these little ones grow up?

Thanksgiving at the In-Laws

2008-11-29T23:17:00.000-08:00

As the title states, we spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws. The girls went with my mother-in-law on Monday and spent Tuesday with her. Unfortunately, Isabella woke up on Tuesday and was sick. She slept a good portion of the day and when she woke up she told Mimi (my mother-in-law's nickname) that she hadn't had her cereal. When I called to check on her Tuesday afternoon, she was just sitting down to her bowl of cereal after badgering them about it. We arrived Tuesday evening after taking some time to have a date at Appleby's. Wednesday was spent preparing the house and making pies. I made pie dough for my mother-in-law and didn't know what else to do with myself, so I decided to go ahead and make some fillings to go with them. I made a blueberry pie, a frozen key lime pie, and two of the most delicious pecan pies I have ever laid eyes on. Doesn't my pie look yummy?Irresistible Pecan Pie

(found on allrecipes.com)

http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=irresistible%20pecan%20pie

Ingredients:

Crust: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons white sugar

1/2 cup butter, chilled

4 Tablespoons ice water

Filling: 3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 Tablespoons dark corn syrup

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup pecans, finely crushed

1 cup pecans, quartered

1 cup pecan halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). To make crust: in a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and white sugar. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually sprinkle the water over the dry mixture, stirring until dough comes together enough to form a ball. On a floured surface, flatten dough ball with rolling pin. Roll out into a circle that is one inch larger than pie dish. Place pie shell into dish and refrigerate until pie filling is complete.

To make pie filling: In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, light and dark corn syrups, brown sugar, butter, salt and finely crushed pecans. Spread quartered pecans over bottom of pie crust. Pour syrup mixture over top of pecans, then arrange pecan halves on top of pie. Bake in a preheated oven for one hour or until firm; let cool for one hour before serving.

(I did not use the pie crust recipe. I also did not have dark corn syrup so I just used light syrup in it's place and I did not have light brown sugar, so I used dark. The filling was darker than I am used to but still tasted wonderful)

After slaving away on the pie, I had to listen to all of my in-laws tease me about eating it and then tease me more about being afraid of me when I am angry. Oh well... Being the good sport, I stayed quiet and let them tease me all they wanted. They didn't touch the pie, though. We managed to get dinner on the table on Thanksgiving day (and when I say we, I mean mostly my mother-in-law). My poor mother-in-law worked so hard that she disappeared for most of the remainder of the day to sleep off all the strain (she recently had a bad fall and is still recuperating). We all congregated again in the early evening to sample the pies and was it ever worth the wait.

Then guess what we did on Saturday! We took 7 adults and 8 kids to the mall for family portraits. I am soooo glad that is over. We have some nice pictures to show for our hard work and it will have to tide us over because I can't see us forgetting how difficult it was and doing it again next year.

We hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and we are thankful for having you in our lives. For those of you far away, we miss you and hope to see you soon. Please come visit if you have the chance.

Tobias working hard at sleeping in an awkward position while being held by Grandpa (father-in-law). Mark had already repositioned him several times before this picture was taken.

A New Treat

2008-11-29T23:04:00.000-08:00

Tobias is extremely aware of food and will make a bee line for it any time that he sees something that might possible be food. So it wasn't any surprise to see him demanding to share in Mark's snack. Air popped popcorn with no salt or butter. I prefer mine with aforementioned improvements, but much to Tobias' delight, Mark was eating it unadulterated. Mark trying to find a kernel with a big pillowy top.

"Oh, hi Mommy. Do you see me eating this with Daddy?" Mmmm...yummy!"

" Okay, Daddy stop teasing me and give me the popcorn already!"

(disclaimer - all hulls were removed prior to feeding to baby)

Operation Christmas Child - Top Secret

2008-11-29T22:45:00.000-08:00

Mission:

To provide Christmas gifts to children who otherwise would not receive a gift, thus showing God's love for that child and christian love for others.

Operatives:

Isabella Cameron, gift preparation

Natalia Cameron, gift preparation

Christi Cameron, photo recon

Supplies to utilize:

Shoe box, wrapping paper, tooth brushes, tooth paste, soap, combs, hair accessories, candy, baby doll, hand crocheted doll blankets

Proceed with the package to Taney Street

Enter the facility fronting as an Open Bible Church. Leave package with the annonymous operative that will be stationed there. Leave with a smile.

( you may have noticed the matching clothes, they are both wearing last years dresses. We had to add pants to Natalia's because the 18 month dress no longer covers her 3T tall body. It is amazing how much they grow!)

Playful Daddy

2008-11-29T22:37:00.000-08:00

We are so thankful for having Mark back from all of his traveling. Here are two of my favorite pics from some silly time with Daddy.

Tobias and Natalia made quite the armful and are equally delighted in this new experience.
Daddy and Tobias were both cracking up over sharing the pacifier.

Mommy's Little Man

2008-11-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

I have been trying for several days now to get a picture of Tobias in push up position. This is a new trick of his and it reminds me of a picture of my brother stuck in a push up position screaming while my mother took a picture. Tobias is quite agile and does not get stuck, which makes it even more difficult to get a picture of this new feat. Here is the closest photo I've gotten.
The other obstacle I face in achieving the perfect picture is that, Tobias is now very aware of his surroundings and anything electronic. So, I can no longer sneak up on him or casually grab the camera. If I do manage to have the camera available, the beep preceeding the picture often does me in as in the next picture.

Title - Too Slow Mom
On a side note, the pants that went with this outfit, although perfect in length, are much to large around for Tobias and this was not the first time in the day that he literally crawled right out of his pants.

Grandpa and Tobias

2008-11-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

Nothing warms my heart more than seeing the effects of my children on other people. Grandpa, who was once very gruff and at times overbearing, just can't resist his grandchildren. He spent a good deal of time following Natalia around Joey's arcade games(a local pizza place that we have been patronizing since I was at least Isabella's age). By the time the pizza had come, there was a stool at the front of every video game, much easier than carting the same stool around to each game. When we got home and Tobias was put on the floor with some toys, Grandpa couldn't stay in his chair. He got down on the floor with a big grin and started playing with Tobias. I ran for my camera...

A day in the life of the Camerons

2008-11-21T12:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a snapshot view of our lives in one day. We started the day by eating cereal and then watching Super Why. I love the PBS programs. This show has really made Isabella interested in learning words and sounds. An hour doesn't go by now without her telling me that banana starts with b or that toast starts with t. At least we are no longer arguing about salt starting with P and pepper starting with s, phew. Anyway, once their show was over, I got out the shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child and began wrapping them. I didn't let the girls help, because I wanted the boxes to look appealing. Instead, I let the girls decorate the inside of the boxes.

Then we packed the boxes with all of the goodies. From there we turned the TV back on for Word World - another favorite PBS show. Next on our schedule was lunch and a little time outside. Our neighbor heard us and came over to play. They were so cute that I couldn't resist taking a picture.

This one is very reminiscent of a picture of me and my neighbor when I was about the same age. Check back because I'll try to add it when I get it from my mom. We came back in shortly after that and our neighbor went home for lunch. Our everday schedule continued with cleaning up and getting dinner ready. A few minutes of mommy being distracted resulted in dish upon dish filled with baby cereal.

Followed by adding baby cereal to the grocery list and cleaning up the mess. Daddy came home and helped me tuck the little ones into bed. Mommy was very thankful for bedtime and a few moments to herself.

"Bowling Balling"

2008-11-21T12:23:00.000-08:00

Mark has been traveling quite a bit lately and was asked by Isabella to take the family "bowling balling". She seemed to have forgotten so we went about our schedule, however, a 4 year olds memory is much better than we realized. We managed to make it to the bowling alley and the manager was nice enough to let us use a lane (the lanes were fully booked and there was league) for a quick game. It was Natalia's first trip to the lanes as a bowler. It was far different from my childhood. They now have the capability to raise/lower the bumpers multiple times through out the game. Which meant that Mark and I were able to bowl without bumpers and the bumpers automatically came up when it was the girls turn. (I kind of wish I could have had the bumpers)

Isabella, Natalia and MarkPutting on "special" shoes!Daddy helps Isabella.

Mommy and Natalia

Celebrating! (We are celebrating, too. Mark is back and the only traveling in store is our family Thanksgiving trip)

Study of Isabella

2008-11-12T09:55:00.001-08:00

A progression from frown to smile and then to a "I don't want to smile and I'm trying really hard not to" frown

Natalia

2008-11-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Natalia is definitely 2 and is keeping me on my toes. We've hit a rough patch with potty training, but she has also offered some good laughs lately.

Upon discovering that I had moved the play-yard: You move it! You move it? You move it out my way? I love you for move it out my way. (hugged my leg)

After being putting in time out:

Natalia: You are a bad mommy. You are a bad mommy.

Isabella: No, she's not. She's a good mommy.

Natalia: You in jail, Mommy. You in jail!

Isabella: No, Mommy IS jail.

(luckily I wasn't in the room so I could laugh without having to deal with what was being said about me)

And here are pictures of Natalia with some of Mark's video game equipment:

No Use Crying Over Spilt ... Yogurt?

2008-11-12T09:27:00.001-08:00

5 second rule? Who needs that? After trying to do one too many things at the same time while holding Tobias, kerplat! That was the sound of the 32oz yogurt container splattering all over my legs and the floor. We decided to take the opportunity to introduce Tobias to yogurt as we watched him make a mad dash for the spillage. I was going to just let him finger paint since I needed to change his clothes anway. I wasn't concerned about him getting it in his mouth, because I had just cleaned the floors. Daddy took it to a whole other level. (psst - don't worry, he isn't really feeding him the yogurt that touched the floor)

Charming Isabella

2008-11-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Isabella upon a recent visit to the fabric store, which has tinted windows, while standing in line:
*gasp* Perhaps it is raining (which it wasn't)

Do you think someone has been watching too much Winnie the Pooh?

Rip VanWisteria?

2008-11-01T18:08:00.001-07:00

The Wisteria is coming!!!

Stop that racket!

Summer Fun

2008-11-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

Jumping for joy at the church BBQ

Upon returning home to almost 3 digit temperature:

Sprinkles!

A Real Kick in the Pants

2008-11-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

After receiving our kicker check, we took the money attributed to the girls and purchased a bicycle trailer. Here they are in their very own chariot. Can you tell how pleased they are?

Off they go with Daddy. Any excursion with Daddy is a treat and Natalia spent the entire ride repeating "Wee, this is fun Daddy, wee" literally a litany with no end and only enough pause for breath. It's amazing that she didn't return hoarse after her 20 minute ride.

Maiden Voyage

2008-11-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

Having been a blogging veteran of Xanga for 2 years now, I have been reluctant to relocate. However, I find myself being lured by the proverbial grass. I have decide to take a trial run with blogspot and see which site I favor. If any of you blogspot veterans have a few pointers you would like to share, I would welcome the information. Happy blogging.