Mrs. Smith

Devon: January

2012-01-31T18:42:00.004-08:00

Devon is still in soccer once a week for an hour. Watching three year olds play soccer is hysterical. It's just drills, no games, and they have a blast. They are so serious about their water breaks. Gotta hydrate, mom! (He's in the hat on the far left).

"Im' ready to do ju jitsu! I'm a fighter!"

Devon's daddy made the design on this t-shirt. When he wears it he demands to be called "octopus man".

This is his mountain hat. He got it at the Asian market and wears it happily. How adorable is he?

Chillin'.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Meet the "White Animal". Joe made this sweet puppet about a year ago out of a tube sock and feathers. Devon named it the White Animal. Joe is the only one who can do it because the White Animal has a very specific voice. It used to be the only thing that would calm Devon down when he was really upset. It is crushingly adorable to watch Devon talk to the White Animal and give it hugs totally oblivious that his dad is responsible for making it move.

Devon has sort of given up naps. He takes one about once a week so I call it "resting time" which means that every day he has to stay in his room for 1-2 hours and rest. This means he has to stay on his bed (with the off chance that he will get tired and sleep) and at the very least play toys quietly. This is how I found him when I went to get him out. Shirt off ... mask on.

He loves to ride his motorcycle in the house and on the driveway as Audrey and I ride together on a plasma car. Our driveway slopes just enough to give you a bit of speed as you head back towards the house.

Devon loves to read. He knows all the words in most of the books on his bookshelf cover to cover. His memory is amazing to be able to recall, word for word, as many as he does.

I decided to put Devon in a teacher lead gymnastics class to see how he likes it and he does a great job. He has more confidence on the trampoline, he can do forward and backward rolls, jump tucks, follows directions, interacts with kids his age (all girls by the way) and swings on the rings. He loves his teachers and gets covered in stamps at the end of each class.

Sand angel. This is how we do it in the desert.

So serious.

"Look, mama! I made a "X" with my bacon." Devon can be such a contradiction. He is making a letter x out of bacon, but at the same time demanded to eat in the high chair. He goes through occasional days where he wants to be a baby, go in the pouch, "go" in his pull up and eat in the high chair. I sort of indulge him in it because it is pretty short lived and it's just his way of telling me he needs more attention and care. I love the days when he's extra snuggly, but it's difficult when he has to be carried a lot and demands things as "baby Devon" that add extra clean up and stress to the day. Plus, Audrey actually is a baby (well, more of a baby than Devon is and actually needs to eat in the high chair and be carried down the stairs)and needs extra attention as well. I need more arms!!!

Devon loves to be outside, play with his daddy, play on our bed, paint, color, watch shows, fight, make crafts, go to the park, eat fruit snacks (he calls them ponies), eat ice cream, go to the Children's Museum, run and do anything that requires never ending, child energy. He is nice to his sister, polite to strangers and is always telling us how much he loves us and that he is proud of us. He is the sweetest little boy around.

Audrey: 18 months (January)

2012-01-31T18:39:00.001-08:00

Audrey is just one of the kids. She is not a timid baby happy to sit by and play with other babies or baby toys while the big kids run and climb. She gets right in there and is adventerous, but with the right amount of caution.

She loves to play on the computer and my ipad coloring and playing games. Her vocabulary has increased over the past couple of weeks and regularly says mama, dada, ball, kitty and cat. Her favorite word by far is book. It's the first thing she says in the morning as she staggers over to me with her bed head hair, her blankie and a book for me to read.

Audrey enjoys spending time with all of her grandparents. She couldn't get enough of grandma's square dance skirt and was giggling and clapping when pops and abuela took her and Devon out for dinner.

As much as I would like Audrey to be a snuggly baby she is as independent as ever and constantly on the move.

She is always busy and likes to play in her kitchen, build with Lego's and play with Devon's Buzz Lightyear.

While Devon goes to soccer practice, Audrey and I have some time together to play on the grass, watch a little soccer and eat snacks. She loves .... LOVES to kick around the soccer ball and chase after it. I've never seen such a little kid do that.

She loves to eat tofu, noodles, fruit snacks, apples and peas.

After music time at the bookstore we went and got smoothies and her blankie goes every where she does. It get so dirty and it's nearly impossible to get it washed since she rarely lets a few minutes go by without holding it close.

Audrey is having fewer and fewer tantrums. Thank god for that! She still has them, but no longer throws herself to the floor flat on her belly. She dramatically drops to her knees which is a nice change :)

She is starting to do more mimicking and will cradle dolls in her arms, give them kisses and take a make up sponge and blot her cheek. She loves getting into my makeup and loves ... LOVES lip gloss.

We love going to the park several times a week to climb and run. Audrey, my little thrill seeker, is all about the slides. The tallest, steepest, twirliest slides are the ones she likes best. She is usually a very happy girl, super fun to be around and just wants to be included. Love this little dolly!

Devon: December

2012-01-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic month with all the excitement that comes with the holidays. We did Christmas afternoon at my mom's house, Christmas with Joe's family a week later, but we had a lovely Christmas morning at home complete with pajamas, messy hair and sugared cereal. I had so much fun selecting gifts for Devon and I think my painstakingly slow gift selection paid off. Devon is such a caring boy and loves animals. We recently took Sampson to the vet and Devon was such a great helper, I thought he would enjoy his very own vet kit.

Ahhhh the magic of Christmas morning and the thrill of a new toy. Devon's "big" gift was a real Buzz Lightyear. He plays with him constantly. They are best friends. This is a seriously awesome toy that is, thankfully, very durable.

Testing out the laser. Yeah. It's awesome.

I made a supreme effort to do festive crafts with the kids this Christmas as my way of starting traditions so I made a felt fishing game. I made a few "fish" (ornament, candy cane, gingerbread man, etc) with paperclips sewn in and a simple pole with a magnate on the end. I need to make some actual fish and put these away with the Christmas stuff for next year. Such a simple game that both kids love to play.

Felt board holiday craft. "Snowmans" and Christmas tree with all the decorations. He was so proud of himself for putting it together. Check out that hat!

Santa says,"Ho! Ho! Ho!" in honor of a sparkle covered pine cone "tree".

Paper chain and snowflakes. I cut everything out and Devon and I spent about two hours gluing on glitter. He did a great job putting on just a tiny bit of glue (he had plenty of practice) as well as carefully placing the glitter. I hung the paper chains in the dining room near the tree and I think it added a sweet whimsy to the holiday.

I think the gingerbread house was Devon's favorite this year. I built the simple, basic structure the night before and put it in the fridge so it was solid for decorating. I put the frosting in a zip lock bag, tied a knot and let Devon do the rest. We took a couple of days to get the whole house covered, but I think we all had a great time doing new, seasonal crafts and it gave us a wonderful opportunity to do things one-on-one.

We enjoyed some lovely weeks of rain this past month and on this particular day I got Devon suited up to play in the rain. He shoveled mud and sorted the rocks for about 15 minutes before he begrudgingly came inside.

I know all parents think their kids are amazing/smart/cute, but seriously Devon is very smart. I have started to let him use my phone somewhat unsupervised so he can play a matching game and he is A-mazing at it. I also let him take pictures and out of 40 or so shots, there are about 5-6 truly good ones.
For example:
Holiday crafting paper chains covered in glued on glitter on the floor.

I call this one "Diaper change" :)Devon's perspective.

Audrey coming into his room to play.

His growling dinosaur.

Mama. In her pj's. No make up. No hair done. Hands in front of face just in time :)

Although Audrey is passed out, it's always a good time for funny faces and robot arms.

Devon loves few people more than he loves his Uncle Ben. Devon is so well behaved and sweet when Uncle Ben is around. He wants to show him all his toys and books and cool tricks and my ever patient brother listens intently.

I took Devon over to Aunt Jane's house for a play date with all four of her girls. He had so much fun and loves his cousins. They play so well together giggling and playing toys. Devon is such a good sport with this Super "man" outfit. It has a cape so the fact that it's actually a dress is a moot point to this sweet boy.

Devon and Audrey are becoming pals. For realsies.

Devon loves to go to the park, be a super hero (that changes every 20-30 seconds), play on mama and daddy's bed, ride cars, "do some exercisin'" and all types of art projects. He is a delight to be around and is pretty easy going.

THE ENDS.

Audrey: 17 months (December)

2012-01-12T13:33:00.001-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Christmas this year with the kids. On Christmas day we got up and opened gifts at home then after naps went to my Mom's house. We did Christmas with Joe's family a week later.

Audrey got some really fun gifts and her favorites seem to be her Doodle pad, a kazoo, a doll and a stacking toy.

BOTH kids were very excited when Devon opened his REAL Buzz Lightyear.

This globe plays music and shoots out snow when you push the button. After all the Christmas decorations were put away she would still go over to this spot looking for the globe. So sad.

I made this felt board over the holiday and Audrey loved building and tearing down the snowman and tree. Devon took this picture with my phone.

"Umm. Hello? I need a snack in this hand please."

Not a great picture, but I LOVE this dress on her.

Audrey has been watching her brother and is very much into coloring and painting. The kids got these "dot" paints for Christmas and she digs in the art drawer, brings one over to me and says,"Pwahhh?" I'm guessing that means paint :)

The crafting drawer usually gets emptied out on a daily basis. Seriously, how cute is this outfit?

Wheeeeeeere's Audrey?

THERE she is!

Watching Yo Gabba Gabba limbs akimbo. Audrey (unfortunately) loves to watch TV, movies or cartoons. Loves it. Ever since she was super small she has loved watching TV and has a surprising attention span to sit through an entire movie. I don't let them watch TV everyday and maybe she loves it because it's not very often.

At her last appointment, Audrey was 80% for height and weight and 60% for head size. She loves to eat pretzels, cookies, crackers, whole apples, watermelon and soy beans.

Audrey and Devon get along SO well lately. They not only play together, but they actually take turns playing with toys and willingly share.

Audrey has been on a bit of a tantrum tear. She will throw herself on the floor, carefully roll onto her back and proceed to kick and scream her way across the floor. It's pretty hysterical. She's so serious about something ;) She can say so many words and gets better every day at repeating words we say to her. Devon (De den as Audrey says) loves to help her say new words and rejoices when she gets them right. He is also very encouraging when she walks which she is totally in command of. She figured it out in a couple of weeks and it is so much fun to see her exploring with her new found freedom.

It's not always about the kids: Melanoma edition

2011-12-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

Our story begins with me needing to schedule a hair appointment.

I really needed to get my hair done so my hair dresser squeezed me in on Saturday afternoon ... his busiest day. I sit down and the first thing he says to me is,"Woa, somebody got a hickey on their ear!" I was thinking, that's not possible (it wouldn't be on my ear ha ha ha) so I flipped my ear over and it wasn't a hickey, but it was a brownish (not totally brown, but a gradient of browns)spot the size of my pinkey nail on the side flap. I remember thinking to myself,"Ohhhhh THAT is bad." Outloud, I was like,"What is THAT?" Torry (my hair guy) was also highlighting another woman's hair. Her foils were setting and she was sitting close by. She waves me over and says,"Here honey, I'm a doctor, let me take a look at that. Hmmmmm. Yeah you should go and get that looked at. Call this dermatologist. Her name is Robin Glaesser ..." she knew her number by heart and I wrote it down. I called first thing on Monday and they had a cancellation for that Thursday. Otherwise I would have had to wait over a month. I go in on Thursday for a skin check (which I do once a year around my birthday so I don't forget). She took a biopsy of my ear and one spot from my back. The next day she called and said the spot on my back was nothing, but the spot on my ear was in fact stage 1 Melanoma.

Shit.

Seriously?

Ugh. She referred me to a plastic surgeon and they got me in the next day (Friday). They did another biopsy which required them to take a pretty good size chunk out of my ear to make sure they removed all the cancer cells. I could either leave my ear the way it was (with a piece missing), do a graft or do "donor skin" of my own skin behind the ear. I almost decided to leave the ear as it was, but I'm young and the doctor said the result would be pretty good so I went ahead and decided to do the reconstruction.

A week from the first biopsy I went into surgery. My mom watched the kids A LOT and Joe never let me take a kid with me to a follow up appointment. My dad drove me to have my stitches taken out. Joe's parents brought dinner over one night, my mom also made us dinner and right before I left for surgery I got flowers delivered from my brother who lives in the Caribbean. Jane offered to bring me dinner as well so it was so comforting to feel taken care of by my family through all of this. I am so appreciative of all that my family has done for me.

I was put under and he took skin from the back of my head (behind my ear), attached it TO my ear where they did the biopsy. This allows the skin to grow a blood supply.
This picture is after the first surgery with the skin attached from my head to my ear. There is a space between the skin and my head so basically there is an "open wound".

Looking a little wrecked after surgery, but I was so out of it I don't remember INSISTING that Joe take pictures of me. Funny anesthesia. Nice hair. Peace yo!

5 days after.

3 weeks

I had to keep my ear covered for 3 weeks. Luckily for me the day after my surgery was Halloween so I didn't look totally out of place with my head all wrapped up, although, I looked like I had a really lame costume. I was too out of it to really try for a real mummy costume and seriously ... I just didn't really care what people thought of how I looked. I even ran into a friend while out trick or treating and she thought my "costume" was hilarious. She didn't know that I had surgery until later so I guess I blended in pretty well ;)

I went back to the doctor 3 weeks later and they cut the skin, folded it behind my ear and sewed it in place. It looks pretty terrible at first, but just a few days later it was looking so much better.
Front. Not too bad.

Back. Ewwww ... I know. Hurt. Like. Hell.

About a month ago. Looking pretty good. Oh nice manicure, too!

I think that it looks pretty good as of today and in 5 months I can go back and decide if any "revisions" need to be made (ie: cutting away some skin to look more contoured to my ear, etc).

So yeah, that's what I've been up to. I now have to go to the dermatologist every 3 months for about a year or so to get checked out. I am becoming a connoisseur of sunscreen and am slowly accumulating a hat collection for myself and my kids. Melanoma can be caused by the sun, genetics or a combination of both, which is probably the case for me. I live in the desert for crying out loud, my sister had stage 3 and my Dad had stage 1 as well. I know that in the scheme of things this is not a big deal. It was stage 1, caught early and treated quickly. In fact, if I hadn't of had the reconstructive surgery this would have felt like that big deal at all.

It's all the "what ifs" that kill me.

What if Torry hadn't seen it?
What if he hadn't fit me in that day?
What if that doctor hadn't been sitting there and recommended the dermatologist?
What if the dermatologist hadn't had the cancellation?
What if ......

It's maddening. I feel betrayed by my skin for literally hiding this from me. What a jerk! My skin and I are working on our communication and I am taking better care of her so we can get along better in the future. I am so lucky that I came out of this situation with the best possible outcomes and a fresh perspective on life. I AM SO grateful to those who were so supportive and helpful, brought meals, called to check in, sent flowers, drove me to appointments, watched my babies and kept me in their thoughts. If anything, I hope that you will be inspired to get an annual skin check and keep your kids protected since most skin cancer damage occurs when you are a child.

Peace yo!

Devon: November

2011-12-16T12:32:00.001-08:00

Devon has returned to his normal, sweet little self. He and Audrey are getting along better and better every day and it has made all the difference with our day-to-day activities. I had to adjust my attitude as well and I think we are all reaping the benefits of being more positive. Devon knows all the words to "The tale of Custard the dragon" and loves to read, be read to and have his Daddy "tell true stories". He loves doing Playdoh, going to the Children's Museum, watching movies, riding cars and doing superhero jumps and tricks.

If there was a boy more into superheros than Devon I think the world would implode. He wears a superhero mask (that he painted) while he paints and every 30 seconds refers to himself as a different superhero. Just when I think I know which hero he is he simply says,"Ugh, mama? I'm not (fill in superhero name here), I'm Devon." He wears them on his shirts, underwear, plays with them and pretends to be them. He is Spiderman most often, but also loves Thor, Incredible Hulk, The Thing, Cyclops, Mr. Incredible as well as all Transformers. Sigh ... boys.

I bought this "light saver" a few months back when Devon was potty training. It was my incentive gift to get him to #2. One night just before bed it FINALLY happened. I gave him the sword and it never happened in the potty again. It's like he waits until I get a pull up on him for resting time and sleeping and then he goes.

Devon loves scuba divers and talks about regulators, seeing under water and being a scuba diver when he is a grown up.

We love going to the park and the zoo since the weather has been a dream lately. We can spend hours outdoors and the time just flies by. He loves lizards and birds, but is really into snakes and a big, coffee table snake book his Dad picked up for him.

I let Devon use my camera. He took this picture of me.

I took this picture of his muscles.

I leave you with this ...

Audrey: November 16 months

2011-12-08T12:26:00.001-08:00

Audrey loves to go to the park and is very confident crawling away from me and doing her own thing. She can finally walk, but still prefers to crawl as her main mode of getting around. She loves to go on the swings and will literally send herself down the slide. She loves to interact with other kids, climb the equipment and dig with her brother.

She loves to play toys, sing songs, dance, play ball, ride cars read books. Her favorite book is "Counting with Blue". Audrey and Devon are getting along SO much better this past month and it has relieved some stress from the day. They will play together, share toys and very soon I think they will be throwing a ball around.

She has a great attention span and loves to watch cartoons with her brother. She gets just as excited as he does when I turn on Sponge Bob or Yo Gabba Gabba. Audrey can say mama, dada, Audrey (seriously, she can), cat, Sam (our cat) and meows when she sees him. She is starting to do animal sounds and is much more communicative with her needs. She is getting 4 teeth right now and it has been a bit challenging to manage her pain through it, but hopefully it is nearly over.

I didn't post about Halloween because I only post up until the 27th of each month (since that's her birthday), but Audrey went as a little ladybug complete with black and white striped tights. I didn't get any good pictures on the day since she was in the stroller when we did the trick or treating and you couldn't see her outfit anyway so I'll have to get her in the costume and take a couple for next time.

Devon: October

2011-11-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

Devon got to pick out his own Halloween costume this year and though I tried to steer him towards something not so hot, he picked the CUTEST costume around. He was an astronaut complete with helmet and a salute! We went to La Encantada and he went trick-or-treating store to store. It's a fancy, out door shopping plaza and the weather was perfection.

Devon has recently learned how to wink and got baby Claire to do it too. "Look mom! She's winkin!"

Devon picked out the pumpkin and selected the skeleton design that he wanted off the computer.

I love taking the kids to the pumpkin patch, letting them ride around in a wagon and pick out a pumpkin. When they are a little older we'll go to the actual place where they get to pick it from the ground, but at this age they are perfectly happy with this tradition.

Devon is very artistic and spends a good part of his day coloring with crayons, pencils, markers or painting. He has transitioned from scribbling to drawing people. This is me. Love it.

The figure below me is Audrey, to my left is Joe and below him is Devon and his long feet. We are not drawn as people. We are drawn as .... bugs. Yup. This is our family if we were bugs. How adorable is that?!?

Devon had a runny nose and I was always scouring for tissue. I decided to wrap him like an Egyptian mummy, which he loved, so I could always find a tissue :) He only had this on for about 3 minutes, but he liked it fully for that amount of time.

He is very much into doing big kid things himself. He wants to help me stir stuff when I cook, he wants to pour his own juice, take his clothes off, etc. He LOVES to cook. I sent him out to the garden to pick some basil for dinner. he washed it in the sink and I taught him how to chop it with a butter knife. I also let him use a real knife (under my INSANELY close supervision) and he did great.

I started Devon in "Little Feet" soccer and it is just about the cutest damn thing I have ever seen. It is for ages 3-5, they only do games and drills (no actual games, it's 6 weeks and an hour each time. The weather is beautiful so Audrey and I do a little picnic breakfast on the grass and watch Devon do soccer. He gets to run around and kick the ball, learn to follow directions, score a goal and meet new kids. Truth be told, he loves his coaches so much he would rather just stand by them so they do a lot of gentle encouraging, but I know that he has a really good time. Plus, his cleats and shin guards are super cute. He picked out his socks.

We go to the park once a week at least and Devon has really come out of his shell and has been very brave trying new things. He will climb and slide down really high equipment, but he is very careful and proud of himself. He pretends to be Spiderman or Batman or some other superhero and will designate an identity for you as well.

I am still struggling to get Devon and Audrey to peacefully coexist. He seems to constantly take toys from her and will hit her for no apparent reason other than the fact that she is in his general vicinity. He is very sweet when she is not around so I think he just needs a lot of personal attention and Joe and I are working on that. He is so funny and smart and a really wonderful kid. He loves to be read to and knows each and every word to "The tale of Custard the dragon". This is a great book with wonderful vocabulary words. The other day when we were driving around he said,"Mom, when we get home and I use a cutlass bright?" AKA a knife. My sweet little boy and his knives ...

Audrey: October 15 months

2011-11-07T12:42:00.001-08:00

Audrey is a happy, cheerful, funny and sweet natured baby.

I am amazed how independent she is. She will crawl away from me and play by herself with toys or other kids. When we go to "jumping class" (a class where kids go to a gymnastics gym and get to use the trampolines, bars, rings, etc) she loves to jump on the trampoline and heads straight toward the foam pit. She loves to crawl all over the obstacle courses and even when she wipes out she just gets back up and keeps going.

Audrey loves yogurt, pretzels, Kixx, bread, eggs, soup and pasta. She does not like fruit snacks or raspberries. She loves to feed herself a bottle and I am slowly transitioning to a sippy cup, but she hates them.

Audrey loves to go to the park and swing. She crawls all over the equipment and goes down the slide, head first and on her belly, with out any help from me. Did I mention that she's 1? She squeals the whole way down and then tries to climb the slide to go again. My little dare devil.

Audrey is getting into coloring more and more, but still seems to like being read to and playing toys the most. Her favorite book is "Counting with Blue". She will crawl over and hand it to me to read to her then do the sign for "more" and we read it more. I didn't do signs with Devon, but I think Audrey doesn't get to do a whole lot of talking since Devon seems to be so "chatty". I thought this would be a good way to help her language. She can say mom, cat and bubble. She can sign milk, more and again.

She loves her Daddy and her brother, although, Devon is not too keen on returning that love at the moment. Joe and I are being very conscious about spending one-on-one times with the kids and taking them places so they get that special attention and age appropriate outings.

Audrey is getting 4 teeth and took 3 steps all by herself a few days ago. She can push the grocery cart around the living room and LOVES to walk assisted. I call it "the shuffle" because she holds onto the back of my pants to hold herself up while I shuffle around the kitchen. She is so sweet and happy and very easy to be around.

Devon: September

2011-10-14T15:21:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Devon!

Little man turned the big 3 this month. I love how he does 3 fingers. Very unique.

The cake. Complete with spider rings and a real Spiderman toy that spins webs.

My first attempt at a layer, rainbow cake. I think it turned out pretty good for my first try. Truthfully, it wasn't difficult so much as it was time consuming. It took a little finesse, but easily done if you have the time. I LOVED making this cake. I really want my babies to grow up knowing that their birthday is a special day to celebrate how amazing they are.

I want to be able to make them a cake and decorate the house just for them with balloons in their room when they wake up and streamers everywhere. (FYI, Devon is clearly not ready for silly string. Oops.) He's been talking about having cake all day. He is mesmerized.

Make a wish!

We asked Devon where he wanted to go to dinner for his special birthday meal and he said,"Uncle Donald's" aka McDonald's. I NEVER take him to eat there. I think he's been there 3 times in his whole life and I hate the place, but if he wants to eat there on his 3rd birthday, fine by me. Look at how happy he is :)

Grandma and Grandpa took us out to dinner at Friday's for Devon's early birthday since they would be out of town on his actual birthday. He LOVED the knife, flashlight, Bernstein Bears game and shield my parents have him. He loved them all! It was fun to watch him while they sang Happy Birthday after which he delicately ate his free sundae.

We took a quick trip to Vegas with Joe's parents this month and the kids had a great time. Kiss on the lips for Mama!

Hangin' with Daddy in the hotel lobby.

At the Bellagio with Pops.

Watching the talking tree with Abuela.

Lovin' on this sweet boy of mine.

Checking out the pool from the 17th floor. The kids LOVED swimming. Joe and I had a great time as well watching them both have so much fun.

Devon loved having so much time to spend with Daddy literally running through casinos. I think he liked Caesar's palace the most.

Since we drove, we took several pit stops to get the kids out and let them run around.

Devon was a DREAM for the 7 hour drive. He played with toys and colored. I brought every DVD we own and he didn't watch any.

Scorpion sucker!

Devon got these glasses from my Mom. They turn light into rainbows. He is so tripped out by them. He points to me and says,"I'm turning you into a person."

A possible Halloween costume. Salute! Is there anything cuter than a 3 year old in a full on astronaut outfit?

This outfit inspired by Uncle Ben. Pony tail and all.

Making cookies. This is not a mixer attachment .... it's a sword obviously.

Hanging out in his "nice safe cage" made from pillows and blankets on Mama and Daddy's bed.

Equal parts frosting and cake make for one seriously happy kid.

Out for our weekly trip to Costco. Couldn't properly shop without this rainbow glasses. Samples just wouldn't taste the same.

Devon is very smart. No seriously .... he's really smart. The things he says continue to blow my mind. His vocabulary is increasing more and more each day.

Devon is very affectionate and gives out tons of hugs, kisses, says,"You're my brand NEW treasure!" and I love you's in sign language. He is very specific that Daddy is his pal and I am his best friend. Awesome.

Devon loves to eat hot dogs, popsicles, Eegees, toast, pizza, carrots and apples. He loves condiments like ketchup, ranch and steak sauce. He loves to read, color, ride his "motorcycle" (aka big wheel), watch Sponge Bob and Super Why and torment his sister ;)

The End.

Audrey: September (14 months)

2011-10-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Most days this is my vantage point of Audrey.

Clinging to my leg, dress or shirt. She has gotten very steady pulling herself up to standing and easing her way back down to the floor. She has officially given up the Army crawl (sad face) and crawls on her knees. She is like one of those battery operated puppy toys .... she will be crawling like a maniac towards the stairs and I'll pick her up, turn her around and as soon as she touches down again she is of at top speed again. She is very independent and is content to be away from me as long as SHE is the one to move away. If I leave her to go to the bathroom she has a meltdown. Figures ;)

This kid hates hats. Hates them. Hence this face. It could also be the above 90 temps, but whatever. She pulls her hats off almost instantly unless I distract her and get her to forget she has one on her head.

I can finally do two ponies. REAL ponies and They. Are. Adorable. I am trying to slowly get her off bottles and onto sippy cups, but she looks so old in this picture I may have to let her keep the bottle a bit longer.

Audrey is not quick to smile and seems to be quite a serious baby. When she does smile she smiles with her whole body squealing, giggling, clapping her hands and that little dimple makes an appearance.

Audrey loves music. It can be a song you sing to her or pounding on the floor in rhythm like a drum she will start to sway. She has done this from the very beginning.

She is so in love with our cat, Sampson. He tried to hide himself in the towel bin (and Devon blocked him in with towels to hide him from her), but she quickly removed the towels and went in after him. If she is having a crying fit, all I have to do is get her little face close to his fur and she giggles and returns to a happy baby.

Downdog Audrey.

At her last appointment Audrey was 60% for weight (down from 90%), 70% for head size and 80% for height so she has started to lean out a bit over these past few months.

Viva Las Vegas!

Baby bum.

Road trippin' to Vegas.

Devon and Audrey are going through a bit of a rough patch right now. I feel like I say that every month! What gives me hope that they will get along is he has given her a nickname that he has come up with all on his own .... Aud.

Devon: August

2011-09-14T12:18:00.001-07:00

Since the Castle had to be torn down due to structural damages beyond repair, we periodically make Devon forts out of pillows or chairs and sheets. One of his favorite books is Custard the Dragon and he wants to be in a "nice safe cage", so Devon likes to have us make him a "cage" out of blankets and pillows on our bed. I wish he would call it a nest. I can just see us at the grocery store,"Mom, when we get home can you put me in my cage?" Oye. Devon hardly leaves the house with out a gun in hand. When I told him we were going to a play date at Roman's house the first thing he asked with if he could play with his gun.

Although he has let go of his 3.5 hour naps (ahhhhh, it was good while it lasted) Devon has "resting time" everyday for at least two hours. That may seem like a long time, but he does often fall asleep for an hour after playing toys for an hour so I think is a good balance. He doesn't have to sleep (which is why I don't call it nap time), but he has to stay in his bed and play quietly. I moved the bulk of his toys out into the living room and left his puppets, Mr. Potato Head, books, balls, tractors and blocks in the trundle storage. His loophole for not getting out of bed is pulling out the trundle and playing with his toys while sitting in it. Sigh.

Mr. Devon Head

Super Stretchy Devon

This t-shirt used to be mine. I never wore it, but it's super soft and the perfect night shirt length so I gave it to Devon. It has sushi on it and says "This is how we roll."

Devon loves going to Grandma and Grandpa's house every week. He loves to wear this feathery crown and was happy to sit with Grandma and stack dominoes. What outfit is complete without some sunglasses and at least two swords? He has been going through a strange phase lately, but I think it only happens when Joe and I are around. No matter what the question/statement is, if it comes from someone other than Joe and I Devon will give the opposite response.
Grandma: "Devon, you are such a smart boy!"
Devon: "No I'm not a smart boy!"
I don't know where this is coming from, but he stopped doing it when I left and my Mom babysat and he also stopped when Pops and Abuela took him out to dinner. He is such a sweet boy for Joe and I that I hope he snaps out of this soon so people don't think he's always this ornery.

Devon is potty training again and it has been SO much easier this time around that I wish I would have waited. He still has accidents, but when he does he says,"Mom, I need a towel." Me: "What for?" Devon: "I peed on the floor and I need to clean it up. There, that's better." He still won't #2, but at least he only does that in a pull up. I got him a really nice "light saver" and I set it out on the counter so he can see it as incentive to "go" ;)

Joe is always on the lookout for desert creatures to show the kids and this bat ended up on the porch. Which means that Joe caught it and showed it to the kids. This is one creepy little animal. It hissed and bared its' tiny teeth.

Devon loves to go to "jumping class" and is easily the sweatiest kid there! He jumps and runs and climbs like his little life depends on it. It's probably the only the day of the week that he actually falls asleep right away for nap.

Devon was so happy to help blow up balloons for his little sisters birthday.

Devon LOVES doing art projects. We color with markers, cut paper, paint or glue every day at least once. He is very specific about me making him a pallet on a paper plate and says,"It's poopin'." when I squeeze the reluctant paint from the tube.

The End.

Audrey: August (13 months)

2011-09-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Audrey can crawl! She still does it in her own, unique way, but she gets around (mostly) with her belly off the ground. She loves to walk around as I hold her hands and pulls herself up to stand. She doesn't walk along the couch by herself, but I prefer that so I can make sure to be there with her when she walks.
"Not so sure I like this gymnastics class."

"I'm still on the fence. Although, I do get to stand up and crawl and play with other kids."

"OK, I like it."

Joe is so good about exposing the kids to nature. He takes them out and they help with the garden, but when he sees something cool he brings it in so the kids can see it up close. So far he's caught a bunny, endless lizards, a king snake, hawk moth, HUGE grasshopper, June bug, cuchara, tortoise and a bat.

Audrey has started to feel better with her teeth this month and is less cranky. Her one year molars came through and that has helped ease some of the pain. She had 8 teeth coming in all at once. That's right. 8.

I try and do art projects with the kids every day. Audrey doesn't seem as into it as Devon was at this age so I don't push it, but I still want her to try things. She really enjoys playing toys, chasing the cat and watching cartoons.

Audrey can do cool tricks, too! She also has this uncanny ability to scream. Like, REALLY scream when she's upset. It's not a long scream, more of a "Hey! I don't like what is happening here and I need attention RIGHT! NOW!" type of scream.

Audrey is such a good eater. It is stress free feeding her. She loves to eat fruit snacks, pasta, nectarines, blueberries, carrots, lunch meat and cereal. She will often point at you and giggle with delight if you touch her index finger with your index finger.

Her hair has gotten so much lighter and less curly over the past few months. It is really growing in the back and finally covering the bald spot she rubbed off ;) Audrey can say Mom, Mama, no and poop ;) Nice. She doesn't say no very often and she only said poop once, but it was clear as a bell. Audrey is such a delightful baby and I love to kiss her cheeks and blow raspberries on her belly. We love this sweet little girl!

The End.

Devon: July

2011-08-30T15:27:00.001-07:00

This little boy is growing up! People can't believe he is only two since he is so tall and speaks so well. When it comes to food, however, he is very much his age. Devon has good and bad eating days. Some days he won't eat anything until dinner (with milk being the only exception) and other days he eats three meals plus snacks. He really likes Chinese food so we try to keep that on hand. Love those udon noodles!

Wouldn't swing without protective eye wear and a gun. Why wouldn't you want to constantly wear glasses that turn everything blue?

So happy wearing Daddy's glasses.

"Don't I look smart?"

"Hmmmm. Lemme think about it."

"Thinking."

"Still thinking. Let's discuss this at another time."

This is Stewart Little. He was our wild, desert bunny for nearly two months. I spotted this little guy in our garden and Joe caught it. It was so hot and he was so lethargic that we didn't think that he would make it more than a few days. But, with a little kitten milk, some rest and daily snuggling he was well enough and we let him go back into the desert.

We also, briefly, had a desert tortoise that Devon named Pascale. I had to get a picture of "The tortoise and the hare."

"Look, Mom! I'm an astronaut!)

At story time they read books about horses and then gave each kid one of these ponies and had them gallop around the room. Cuteness overload!

Devon is still very much into "cool tricks". Instead of saying,"Mom, watch me! Watch me!" He is a little more convincing with,"Mom, watch my cool trick!" You might get an actual cool trick so you have to watch every time just in case ;) At the very least you get giggles and an eyebrow raise so that's good, too.

Devon is generally a very pleasant boy and is happy to stay home playing toys, watching movies, coloring or painting. I try to take the kids out every morning to get out of the house to the Children's Museum or the grocery store, but the most fun we have is finding stuff around the house and making something out of it. Sew some crafting feathers to an elastic headband and BAM! .... instant crown.

Devon is still in the phase where he wants whatever Audrey is holding. It can be a toy, a chewed on straw or the wrapper that the straw came in. If she has it .... he wants it and usually takes it. I haven't figured out what tactic works so he will be more willing to share, but we are working on it daily and I'm guessing it's something he grows out of.

Devon loves guns, swords, knives, kung fu, fighting and tools. He is a very masculine little kid. He usually totes a gun when we go to the grocery store. And when I say "gun" I mean a scale size double barrel shot gun with sound effects, thanks Aunt Crystal and Uncle Jordan. I am always surprised at the people who play along and pretend to die when he shoots them. I am more surprised when people ignore him completely. And it never fails that I get looks, and sometimes comments, about letting him have a toy gun. As if they can't believe I allow it. Newsflash: It's. A. TOY!!!!!

He loves to play Play Doh! and make tortillas, balls and noodles. He squeezed this purple Play Doh! in between him fingers and said,"Look, Mom! A dinosaur!"

Audrey: 1 year old!!!

2011-08-16T20:43:00.001-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday Audrey!

So exciting to have my little La La turn one!

Balloons in the bed .... A birthday tradition.

We went to a special music class at the library then later we had a family party at our house with grandparents and cousins.

I decided to have a taco bar and made chicken, beef and pulled pork. I had some fruits and veggies, chips and dip, home made salsa and lemonade. It was so fun to decorate the house with pink streamers and balloons to try and make the party festive. I know she doesn't appreciate it now, but hopefully someday she will look back at pictures and see that I truly wanted to make each of her birthdays special.

Ahhhhh the cake. It's from a wedding cake store. The same one I got Devon's last birthday cake from. They didn't do it exactly the way I asked .... WHY didn't they do the leaves in green? It would have looked so much better, but it tasted SOOOOOO good with white cake and Bavarian cream filling.

The "smash cake". They gave this to me for free. How nice was that?

All the little cousins came up to the high chair to help her blow out the candles. It was probably one of my favorite parts of the evening. They were all so excited and happy for her.

Very dainty at first. Just dipping her fingers into the frosting.

Bravely digging in.

Yummy. Taste it, Mom!

Almost done.

Oh, this is so fun! Right after my Mom took this picture I ran my fingers through my hair. Bath time!

Demolished. I seriously had to take it away from her or I have no doubt she would have licked the plate clean.

Audrey loves her Aunt Jane. Jane is so sweet and patient with little babies they can't help, but love her.

Audrey had a blast with Abuela pushing her around the house in this grocery cart.

Audrey is such a lucky girl to have such thoughtful family to shower her with gifts.

I gave Audrey a sock monkey that I named Lily and a Madame Alexander doll I named Claire.

She waved her hands at the sock monkey and kissed the baby.

My sweet husband selected this beautiful antique box and bracelet for Audrey after looking in several antique stores for the perfect gift. He did this with out any prompting from me and I was brought to tears when I opened it. Someday she will be able to look back on this birthday and know that her Daddy got her a gift that will last a lifetime.

Fascinated by her new bracelet.

Happy Birthday to my darling daughter!

Audrey hit a HUGE milestone this month .... her first word!!!
Mom.
Not Mama, Mommy or Ma.
Mom.
I think she said that because that's what Devon screams over and over and over at the top of his lungs first thing in the morning. So happy that her first word was ... me ;)
She has such a fun time swinging at the park with her brother. She loves to be pushed high and giggle and wiggle!

Pucker up!

"Do you love my bow? My Mom made it. She makes me wear one every day, but even though I don't like having my hair done I am getting used to it."

Audrey will stop crying for three things: 1) milk 2) food and 3) books. She LOVES to be read to. She will be in a screaming fit and fussing to avoid going to bed, but will stop crying almost instantly if I set her in my lap and read to her.

Audrey loves her brother and he loves her too, but we are definitely starting to deal with sharing .... or lack there of ;) As soon as Audrey picks up a toy, Devon decides that he has to have it. She used to just let him take it and she would pick something else, but every once in a while she "fights back" with a slap or a hair pull. He better enjoy this time right now because pretty soon she's gonna clobber him! ;)

I am not sure what she will end up with, but so far Audrey seems to be a "lefty" much to my Mom's dismay.

Audrey has taken a few official on-her-knees crawls, but mostly Army crawls. She is so fast and has a pretty unique way of getting some serious speed by pushing with her toes and slapping the ground with only one hand to pull herself forward.

At her last appointment Audrey was 60th% for weight, 70th% for head size and 90th% for height. She loves to eat blueberries, eggs, chicken, fish, yogurt and pretzels.

Devon: June

2011-07-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Devon is a little ray of happy at our house. He has never ending energy and always wants to play and have fun. I feel like a gushing Mom every time I sit down to write about my kids, but I can't help it and I'm not gonna stop ;)

I took Devon to his first, real movie at a theater. We went with my brother and sister and a few of their kids and saw Shrek 4. He clung to his little cup of soda, ate his jelly beans and sat for the entire movie. He loved it and can't wait to go back.

About once a week we have "tattoo day" at our house. Devon will start to draw on me with a pen so I draw on him, myself and we just have fun coloring our skin. I always give him a "Mom" tattoo on his arm. It is the only tattoo, real or otherwise that I will allow.

Devon loves to pretend and use his imagination. Here we was being "Sampson" our cat on his way to the vet.

I am happy that Devon hit a new milestone (in my opinion it's a milestone) and gave up his "papash". We have been slowly throwing them away as they wear out and I didn't buy new ones. Finally, the last one just had too many holes in it and it was no longer safe for him to have in his mouth. We told him that he could choke on it and that we had to throw it in the garbage and that was it. He did ask for it for the next few naps and nights, but we just talked to him about it having holes and that we had to throw it away and he seemed to understand. He is also less attached to his blanket and even slept without it a couple of times. The blanket thing doesn't bother me, but I was getting so sick of having to hunt down ONE papash night after night.

The evening ritual. Wrestling and playing on Mama and Daddy's bed with Daddy.

Devon is getting better at eating more food and has put on a few extra pounds. He has also developed an affinity for jelly beans.

Charming a set of twins at the park. "Hi, I'm Devon. Nice to meet you."

Devon is amazing at using a computer. Seriously, it's sort of freaky. He can totally navigate the mouse and pull up Google Earth on his own. He loves to play video games and watch videos with his Dad on youtube.

Joe took Devon to work with him last Friday and they took this cute picture on the copier.

Some of my favorite quotes:
Me: Devon, what are you doing?
Devon: I'm reading to the Statue of Liberty.

Me: Are you OK, Devon?
Devon: Sigh. Yeah. I'm just resting. I'm Daddy.

"Daddy, make a smiley face."

Devon loves to play Playdoh, watch the "crazy show" (America's Funniest Videos), paint, color, ride cars, play soccer and sword fight. If you sword fight you better defend yourself because he doesn't take it easy on you. My strategy is to swing and retreat.

Audrey: June 11 months

2011-07-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week for Miss Audrey since she has had to deal with her first time getting sick. She almost made it a whole year, but not quite. She has been running a high fever, not urinating, not eating or drinking, fussy, and vomiting. After a couple of trips to the pediatrician, a catheter and Urgent care I think she is finally starting to feel better.

Audrey has been "Army crawling" all over the house. If she has somewhere specific she wants to go she gets there fast! She goes from sitting to her belly pretty seamlessly and has pushed up to her knees a couple of times. I think next month will be her month to really crawl.

Audrey loves to eat grapes, crackers, noodles, Cheerios, pretzels, green beans, yogurt and eggs. She really hates ham, tofu and laughing cow cheese and will almost always spit them out.

She gets up pretty early, but it's nice to have some time that is just us girls and eat breakfast and chat. She has the sweetest smile and I never tire of seeing her little dimple and toothy grin. She loves to draw, but the fact the the pen is connected to the pad frustrates her into screaming fits.

"Shake, shake, shake your bean bag" is her favorite song at story time.

I stopped using her infant bath tub and put her in the regular bath .... which she hates. I basically just try and clean her as fast as possible and get her out. On the rare occasion she enjoys the bath she loves to splash the water and poke the bubbles.

Audrey loves to watch cartoons with her brother. I am amazed at her attention span, but she will sit for most of a movie and watch quietly. She also does a great job playing toys by herself and will keep herself entertained. She still prefers Mama to pretty much anything else at this point, but she is starting to reach out for other people to hold her.

Audrey loves her Daddy and perks up when he walks into the room. He and I have such different dynamics with the kids and it's fun for me to see the new and fun things he introduces to her.

Like all siblings, Devon and Audrey don't always get along, but when they do it is so sweet and tender. Audrey thinks that Devon is hysterical and the feeling is quite mutual.

She is babbling more and more each day and I have heard Mama, Dada and what, but we can't call any of them her "first word" since she was just babbling and not knowing what she was really saying. It is so cute to hear her little voice start to emerge and words start to form.

I can't believe this little-not-so-little baby doll will turn 1 year old in just a few weeks.

Freezer cooking day 3

2011-06-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Gravy
Chicken tacos with black beans
Pulled pork

OK. These are three of the BEST foods I have ever cooked. Like .... probably ever. They are soooooo good and embarrassingly easy. You almost have to try to screw them up. The gravy takes a little finesse, but it is worth it. I love it because it is made entirely of veggies so I don't have to make a whole chicken or, God forbid, a turkey to get flavorful gravy.

* Gravy*
1 carrot
1 celery rib
1 onion
3 T. butter
1/4 flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 t. thyme
5 whole peppercorns
salt pepper

Food process carrot, onion and celery. Heat butter and saute veggies 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in flower for 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add broths. Reduce to medium low and add herbs. Simmer and reduce 25-30 minutes. Strain solids through a mesh strainer and discard solids.

* Chicken tacos *
3 chicken breasts browned in olive oil
1/4 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1 small can diced green chilies
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 onion diced

Brown chicken and put in crock pot. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, saute the onion for 1 minute then add the chilies and tomatoes for an additional minute. Add to chicken and mix in herbs. Cook in the crock pot for 4 hours on high. Add the black beans for the last hour and stir the entire mixture breaking up the chicken. Add small amounts of chicken broth if it seems to be getting too dry. Voila!

I make these chicken tacos every other week for dinner. I made them into 6 oz. lunch portions and froze them and have had a taco salad every day this week for lunch and I am not tired of it yet.

* Pulled pork sandwiches *
1 T. brown sugar
2 t. salt
2 t. garlic powder
1.5 t. ground mustard
3 t. chili powder
1 3 lb. bones less pork shoulder (**I used pork country style ribs. YUM!)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

Mix herbs together and rub over the pork. Place pork in crock pot. Cook for 7-8 hours on low. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the tomato sauce. That's it. You literally only use one pot ... the crock pot. How easy is that?!?!?

I made the pulled pork for the first time this week and served it on French bread with lettuce and avocado. You don't want to look up from your plate or interrupt the eating by wasting time talking .... it is so good. These would also make insanely good tacos. OK, great ... now I'm hungry. Happy freezer cooking!

Devon: May

2011-06-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

At least once a day I say out loud,"Devon is blowing my mind today." He is so staggeringly smart I am just amazed at the way his mind works, how he speaks, the way he thinks about things and what he is learning.

No, we did not get this dog, although, I wanted to. I have decided that a Husky is my kind of dog. Beautiful, soft, loyal, smart, calm and good with kids. We aren't going to get a dog until we totally fence in the yard, but I am not taking care of a dog so Devon has to be old enough to help feed, bathe, walk and train it. I take care of enough people (and a 20 pound cat with a litter box) so I am not dealing with a dog as well.

Devon loves to sit with Dada in his truck when he gets home from work. He turns on the wipers, steers, uses the gear shifter and rolls the windows up and down.

We visit a park at least once a week and Devon has gotten more adventurous with trying new things and climbing the equipment. He loves to play with his friend Roman and talks about him all the time.

This little boy loves his grandparents. Devon, Audrey and I go over to their house once a week for an hour or so and play in the garden, Grandma's toy room or we just sit around and let Devon talk to us ;)

Devon requested nail polish on his toes. I let him pick out the colors and he had a blast! He sat so still while I put on the color and watched intently as it dried. Joe thought it was hysterical and Devon loved to show off his toes where ever we went.

Heroes and Villains was having their "free comic book day" event so Devon and I went and got a few comic books about Super Dinosaur, Shrek and Spiderman. Local "Star Wars Fans" showed up to sweat it out in their official Star Wars storm trooper uniforms and shake hands and take pictures with customers ... for free. They were all incredibly nice, patient and accommodating with Devon and even let him hold their guns and "light savers".

We went into the store to get our free comics and Devon wouldn't leave the front window. One of the storm troopers came over and gave him a high five through the glass. He kept calling them "white guys".

Fumbs up white guys!

The splash park finally opened for the summer and I didn't think Devon would even get in the water so I didn't put him in swim clothes. He surprised me and was excited to play in the water with his super sweet friend, McKenzie. The fact that there was a gun helped encourage him as well ;)

I still love to baby-wear my babies. Audrey in the front in my new Pikkolo carrier and Devon on my back in the good 'ole Ergo.

I took Devon to see "Elmo LIVE" at the TCC and he. Had. A. Blast. It was so over the top and so amazing it was sensory over load.

He sat in his seat for the entire first half (45 minutes) and made it 15 into the second half before he got up and started walking back and forth in our row. No one was sitting by us so it was fine. It was so fun to take him to something that I knew he would like and something that was so outside what we normally do.

I try to take Devon out somewhere every week just the two of us and I really treasure that time together. He is such a funny kid and I love being able to give him my full attention while we do something fun that I know he will love. It usually involves going to Costco for diapers and formula and ends up with a hot dog and soda lunch.
Devon loves to shoot his Dada with the water hose when they play out in the yard every evening and tend to the garden. They wrestle on the bed and Devon knows how to get out of a rear naked choke (by turning into the choke), he can do a take down, get in your guard, side control and he is great a punches in bunches. He loves to fight!

Audrey: May (10 months)

2011-06-06T14:52:00.001-07:00

Oh how I love this little girl. Nicknames include: baby doll, little lady, little girl, La la and Aud. She was reaching up to run her fingers through my hair, I would squeal, she would laugh and so the game goes.

Little Audrey is this close to crawling. She doesn't get up on her knees, but she goes from sitting and pushes forward onto her belly. She tries to get up on her knees, but they slide out from under her and she ends up moving backwards. I think in the next month or so we will have a crawling baby.

Audrey loves to play toys, clap her hands, coo and "dance" to music. I think music and food move her in the same way because she sways when she eats as well ;)

This baby loves to eat! She prefers to feed herself and will swat your hand away if you try to give her food until you allow her to take it from you so she can feed her self. She loves pasta, fruit, eggs, crackers, green beans, sweet potatoes, pretzels, Cheerios and chicken. She's not picky and is quite content in the high chair.

She loves to be held and when she wants to be held .... she will let the entire neighborhood know! She is very good about sitting and playing by herself or with Devon for 20 minutes or more, but if you happen to walk by and she sees you you better be prepared to pick her up. If you choose to not pick her up, she will let out a scream that is so alarming it sounds like she is missing an arm or something when all that's wrong is she wants to be picked up.

In spite of her condition that Joe affectionately calls being a "hold-a-holic" or as I call it, having "hold-a-holism", she is such an easy baby about naps and sleeping at night. I can just lay her down and walk out of the room without having to wait until she is asleep. In fact, she doesn't really like being rocked to sleep and much prefers to just lay in bed. She loves to "pet" the cat and is starting to show preferences to who can or can not hold her. Can't believe she's nearly 1! Planning the party already ;)

Freezer cooking .... again

2011-05-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

After some much needed nudging, I got back into doing freezer cooking. It is SUCH a lifesaver. It is so relaxing to know that if I can't get to the store or if I'm too tired to cook that I can reach into the freezer and heat up a delicious vegetable laden, ground turkey lasagna AND have leftovers to boot. I also used disposable pans (thanks for the idea Katy) so not only will I not have to cook, I won't have to do dishes either. My sister told me about a book that teaches you how to prepare 30 meals in 1 day (Dinner is ready), but I think that is too stressful for me so I decided to make a few meals every few days during the kids' naps. I did all the mise en place the night before and THAT made a huge difference is the ease of actual cooking the day of. I was surprised at how easy it was. When you make one lasagna, it's really not THAT much more time or work to make 2 more. Plus, buying food in that kind of bulk is cheaper than just buying enough to make one.

From cooking days 1 & 2 I was able to make:
2 servings of marinara sauce
2 servings of meatballs
3 lasagnas
2 servings of cooked, shredded chicken
1 Mexican casserole
1 stuffed pasta shells
1 stuffed mannicotti

So not only do I have 10 meals, I also don't have to clean my kitchen or wash dishes for 10 days and it only took about 4 hours of cooking over a two day period. How great is that?

These meals are a great supplement to cooking fresh meals as well as being able to drop one off to a friend who needs a hand or a Mom with a new baby.

Easter

2011-05-03T14:49:00.001-07:00

Easter was so fun this year. In 2010, Devon was too little to hunt for eggs so we were really excited for him to participate in the fun this year. We didn't decorate eggs, but I hosted an Easter dinner at my house with my parents, my brother's kids and Jane and her kids. We pooled all of our plastic eggs and had nearly 200. That allowed each child to find about 38 eggs so there were plenty to go around.

Each of us provided a dish (or two) so there was plenty of food and I didn't have to do all the cooking for 15 people. Joe even grilled the ham (that's right .... grilled ham. It's INSANELY good) so I made a pound cake, cup cakes, filled and hid the eggs and got the house ready. I set up a cupcake decorating station for the kids and sent them home with the ones they didn't eat on the spot.

I made Autumn a barrette and each of Jane's girls a felt flower corsage in different styles and colors. They. Were. Adorable.

(I didn't get a picture of Emily with hers for some reason). They wore them to school the next day ;)

Aunt Jane entertained Audrey most of the night. Love that sweet sister of mine!

Checking out Harrison's cool shirt.

Autumn, Emily and Chloe giving the castle their stamp of approval.

I also made Devon's Easter basket this year and I think it turned out OK, but it could have been better. I didn't measure anything and I didn't spend a lot of time making it exact, but my goal was to make him a basket .... not to make him a perfect one ;)

I got a card board box and added felt until it looked finished.

Gold sequined rattle snake tail.

A sneaky mouse evading the snake's red tongue and some hidden eggs.

I tried to make a "manly" basket that would possibly get some use beyond Easter. Devon took the basket with him on a play date and to the grocery store. Mission accomplished!

Devon: April

2011-04-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Devon has definitely become a climbing climber. He is outgoing at the playground, "jumping class" (gym class) as well as furniture. I have to trust his coordination, but I still keep a tight watch on him so we don't have to go to the hospital for stitches ;)

This is Roman.

He's adorable and out going and Devon loves him. His Mama is one of my closest friends. We met at story time when the boys were just starting to crawl.

We were pregnant together with our second kids and Audrey and her son Lincoln are about a month apart.
High five!

You have eyebrows!

Fist bump!

Hugs.

Cutie booties!

Just a couple 'a guys hangin' out and holdin' hands.

Devon LOVES his cousin Sadie. We see them at least once a week at "jumping class". It's a gym class where the kids get to just run around and use the equipment. In this picture she was teaching him how to slow dance. "Hold my hand and put your arm around me!" The giggling between these two kids is hysterical.

We are so lucky to have so much family live in town. I can just call up my parents and go out to dinner .... and we did. These two kept cracking each other up.

He loves to give "fumbs up". Look at how far back he curls his little thumb!

His new obsession is Clifford and LITERALLY memorized an entire book. It's called Clifford's first Halloween, but Devon calls it the "hand book" because there is a hand wiggling on the wall. His memory is staggering. He will read other Clifford books as well, but also loves to watch him on TV.

Devon is a totally different kid this month. He has come out of his shell even more and is so out going. He speaks very well and has a few phrases that he has latched onto. Some of the classics include:

"I love you so much."
"Wanna see cool trick?"

"Um, so, how's your day, Mom?"
"I'm Spiderman/Woody/Mr. Incrediboy/Prince Charming."
"Probly wanna clip it."

He had a hang nail and once I clipped it off and it stopped hurting. "Clipping it" is his standard solution for all types of pain. Sun burn? Probly wanna clip it. Headache? Probly wanna clip it. Stubbed your toe? Probly wannt clip it.

Devon loves lizards (geckos specifically), snakes, and birds. Somehow a Bull snake got into our house and I caught it so show to him. He was so brave and wanted to touch it. He is very gentle and without being told, only used one finger to pet it's tail. He is fearless with that kind of stuff. Can you see the snake?

I was worried about Devon loosing some weight so I took him to the pediatrician. He had, in fact, lost a couple of pounds so the doctor told me to mix ice cream into his milk, cut back on milk to two sippy cups a day, pizza twice a week, regular hot dogs (not the turkey ones I usually give him), dessert, ranch dressing on his veggies and let him basically eat whatever he asks for (with in reason). I have to say for the first week it seemed like allowing him to have fattening foods seemed to have "primed" his appetite "pump", but after a couple of weeks he went back to not really wanted to eat and now asking for cake, ice cream and cookies ;) I hate that I am now reduced to getting him to eat dinner with promising him dessert afterwards.

Look at that happy face!

Devon will show you his happy, pouty, funny and fierce face. The fierce face is my favorite because it comes with sound effects and hand gestures. Devon is such a fun little kid and has a truly sweet personality. He is very tough, but at the same time very sensitive and doesn't like for us to see him cry. If he gets hurt, he will turn his head so we can't see his face and won't look at us until he has calmed down. We tell him all the time that it's OK to cry when you get hurt, but he still doesn't like for us to see him cry. He readily shares his toys with other kids (this does not include his sister at the moment, but we're working on it ;)and is an all around fun kid to hang out with. His new bed time routine includes reading books, kiss on the lips, monkey kiss (eskimo kiss), butterfly kiss and a hug.

Audrey: April (9 months)

2011-04-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Audrey has quite a lot of personality for not even being a year old yet. She has selected "her" blankie and won't sleep without it. I tried to get her to use one that could be used year round since the one she likes is a little warm for summer, but she wouldn't have it. They really do know what they like don't they?

She is doing great at sitting up and I don't have to sit and hover around her to make sure she doesn't fall. She loves to play with her chewy, crinkly toys, a slinky, a ball and has some sort of baby radar for finding things that she could choke on.

Devon opened a plastic egg from Easter and dumped out M & M's. Before anyone saw her, she scooped up an orange one and ate it. We didn't notice she had something in her mouth until there was orange drool dripping down her chin followed by chocolate. I am super vigilant with that sort of thing, but when she and Devon are playing all bets are off.

Her official first trick is clapping. It. Is. Adorable. She sort of holds her right hand still and claps her left hand into it. I say,"Yeah!" very enthusiastically and she claps and giggles. It is so sweet, genuine and innocent happiness it just warms my heart. She is such a sweet baby.

Audrey loves to eat lunch meat, scrambled eggs, peas, sweet potatoes and Ritz crackers with her brother while they watch cartoons on the couch. She doesn't really like to be spoon fed and much prefers to feed herself. She will sit happily in her high chair, but doesn't like the tray pulled up too close to her.

Audrey loves to see her Daddy and interact with him. She reaches out to touch his face and then gets shy and buries her head into my chest to snuggle. It is a special, tender bond that they share.

I only leave the kids once a week on Sunday when I teach yoga for an hour so they are not used to me leaving or being gone for that matter. Even though I am only gone two hours (teaching and driving time), it is sort of fun for me to come home and Audrey kicks her legs and waves her arms in excitement when she sees me. You would think I had been gone for a week!

Audrey and her little, dimpled friend, Lincoln, at a picnic lunch.

This little baby gets so many kisses, hugs and love from so much family it is amazing. Aunt Jane snuggles and plays with Audrey every time I see her and Audrey is just smitten with her. All my nieces and nephews (all 18 of them) love this little girl and always give her attention. I am so grateful for grandparents, aunts and uncles who help, hold and love my children.

I can't believe in just a few months she will be one! What?!? HOW does it go so fast? It feels like just the other day I said to Joe,"Not to alarm you, but I think I'm in labor." What fun we are having with with sweet, sweet baby girl.

2011-04-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Dear god of infants and toddlers,
I would like to make it through today without being projectile vomited on, pooped on, diapers exploding in cribs, or mysterious-liquid-from-the-garbage-leaked-on. Just for today. Seriously, this has gone on since Sunday and my washing machine has been brought to it's knees. I did 12 loads of laundry on Wednesday and took 3 comforters to the dry cleaners. Enough already.

Thanks,
Annie

OK. Apparently it will have to wait til tomorrow, but tomorrow would be great. Gotta go now. I have to wash Audrey's sheets, change her clothes, give her her a bath and air out her room. Ugh.

It's not always about the kids

2011-04-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Daffodils.

Daffodils are officially my favorite flower.

Joe brought these home for me yesterday and when I saw them .... I decided they were my favorite.

They are so happy and yellow and beautiful and interesting.

Daffodils.

Devon: March

2011-03-15T13:09:00.001-07:00

Devon, Devon, Devon.

Sigh.

Where do I begin?

Let's start with this .... the terrible two's are in full swing at our house. Even though Devon is still his sweet, little self most of the time, it would appear that periodically throughout the day a demon takes over his mind and body and he has crying tantrums, dangerously climbs on furniture, says "no" to everything, gets up from sleeping 5-6 times at night and sits on the floor by the stairs yelling,"Annie, get up here now!" and refusing to ingest anything except milk and candy. Thankfully, he is not like this all the time.

In fact most of the time he's well behaved and when we go to my parents' house or on an outing he does really well, but I think he just gets tired of keeping all the energy bottled up in his tiny, polite little body all day that it all comes out when we get home. It is a lesson in patience that I work on everyday.

The upside to his latest "personality shift" ;) is his language skills have improved dramatically from last month. Total strangers comment on how well he speaks and can carry on conversations with him. When he is open to listening, it is possible to reason with him. Like, when I had to explain that I had to put a gate on his bedroom door so he wouldn't climb on top of the dresser at night and turn the TV on and off and scare me half to death because Mama thinks someone is in the house ;)

I hate to gender generalize, but Devon loves all things that a typical boy would love. Tools, rocks, hanging out in the garage, building stuff, swords, spraying the water hose, digging in the dirt, guns, robots, super heroes, space, astronauts, rocket boots, transformers, spitting, burping and farting.

To his two-year-old credit, when he does burp/fart he says,"I burped/farted. Excuse me." At least he's polite about it ;) He will turn anything into a gun or sword. My hair dryer, a butter knife, a plastic pipe, a screwdriver, you name it and he will fight you with it. And watch out because he seems to have some natural ability with fighting. He has drawn blood more that once.

I love this picture. It's me, Audrey in the pouch and Devon out for a mid day walk. Devon was pointing at the moon with his stick sword.

I am continually amazed at the imagination of this little guy.

He can walk by a pile of gravel and say,"I want to go look at that pyramid." and then proceeds to tell me everything he knows about Egypt.

I read him a book about space and told him about Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and planting an American flag. 15 minutes later we were taking a walk through our neighborhood and the gas company had marked the ground for some work that was going to be done in the next few days. He walked over to this flag and said,"This is a flag from the moon."

Joe was showing Devon how to dig for sand rubies and they collected them in a little cup. I had a little cup of beads that I left on the table that Devon dumped onto the floor and I had to literally dig each one out of the carpet. Devon called them "mama's sand rubies."

When Joe lets him get on the computer Devon asks to see happy faces. Like, pages of smiley faces. How sweet is that?

He loves to "show you a good trick" and have you show him one in return. Balancing a spoon on your nose, handstands, curling your tongue and fish faces are very good tricks. His cool trick is to take a plastic/paper sword and spin it in the air. And when I say "spins it" he throws it in the air and it spins like a propeller on a plane. It's so fast! It's a pretty good trick.

He loves to make cookies on a weekly basis and I even taught him how to make home made noodles. He was more interested in swinging the handle around like a sword than the noodles, but he did like it for a few minutes. I like how he stopped putting the noodles on the rack and just globed on dough.

Devon loves to watch Monster's Inc (he calls it Monster's name fink), Bolt, Transformers, Tangled, Yo Gaba Gaba and The Incredibles. He frequently asks to be referred to as: Incrediboy, Mr. Incredible, Prince Charming, and when he's carrying a sucker like a magic wand ... Fairy Godmother. He asks to watch the History channel so he can watch shows on Egypt and "mommies".

Devon loves to eat nectarines, Pokey, marshmallows, apples, cheese, suckers, broccoli, noodles, pizza, fish and watermelon. His new favorite condiment is steak sauce. Move over ketchup!

If you ask him what he thinks about smoking he will give you various answers:
"It's grossy."
"It's disgusting."
"It gives you cancers."
"It's only for the fireplace."
"It could burn you. Blah!" (sticking out his tongue)

That last one he came up with on his own.

Devon is starting to be helpful around the house and will often tell me that he needs to pick up his toys before bed. He will empty the silverware from the dishwasher to the drawer and picks up food that he spills on the floor. He is very good at calming Audrey and they are genuinely interested in playing together. Except in this picture where she swatted at his sample of peanut butter pretzels and he was devastated that they spilled onto his shorts. He is quite a tender kid.

Devon constantly says,"I love you so much" and gives out hugs, kisses and monkey kisses. A monkey kiss is an Eskimo kiss, but he calls it a monkey kiss. He loves to snuggle up with his blanket, papash (pacifier) and his sock monkey when he goes to sleep and insists that mama and daddy lay down with him each night.

Audrey: March (8 months)

2011-03-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Audrey is such a fun little girl. She can sit on her own now, but I can't put her down and walk away since she's not 100% steady 100% of the time. I leave a pillow behind her just in case she tips backwards. She loves to play with Devon's toys and wants to be included in all the fun. Devon would not have it any other way. He brings her toys and tries to soothe her when she fusses.

She has started to "worm" her way across the floor, but mostly spins around in circles. It's startling to set her down, leave and come back and she's in a different spot. She's too little to be so mobile!

She has started eating real food like cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, apples and bananas. She attacks Cheerios. I'm not kidding. I put them on the tray and she goes at them with both fists spraying cereal everywhere. She puts handfuls in her mouth at once and I have to sweep the floor after every meal. She loves to crunch them in her tiny, front teeth,

I definitely call her by her name, but her nicknames include beauty, lady girl, la la and little squishy. She has settled into her 9-12 month clothes and even some 18 month stuff since pants tend to be short on her because she has gotten so tall.

She takes a nice long nap in the middle of the day and is in bed for the night by 7:00. She is a dream sleeper.

I never have to rock her to sleep, which is sort of sad, but nice that I can just put her in her bed when she's wide awake, give her her blanket and she just goes to sleep. If she cries for more than two minutes that means that she's not ready and I'll keep her up an extra half hour.

Although she hates to be put in her car seat she is a sweet little girl to run errands with.

It is so fun for me to take her shopping with me or to the grocery store and have that one-on-one time that I cherish.

Audrey loves to laugh, watch cartoons with her brother, sing and click her tongue. Since her teeth are really starting to descend, she is doing lots of raspberries and sucking on her lips.

She sits while I do her hair and style it into little curls. I have started making little hair clips for her and I'm sure in a few months she will have a clip for every outfit ;)

It delights me to no end to go into her room after she has been sleeping. When she sees me she kicks her legs and waves her arms wildly all the while she is giggling and cooing. It makes me happy that she is happy to see me. I adore this little lady and I live to make her smile.

I just don't have time ...

2011-03-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

I hear this phrase all the time.

"I can't (fill in the blank) because I don't have time. I really want to (fill in the blank), but there are not enough hours in the day."

What people really mean is they don't MAKE time. If something is really, truly important to you you WILL make time for it. Plain and simple. You will make time for it and you will follow through. If you don't do it then it's not as important as you say it is.

I have been saying this about getting the the gym for the last several months. I have a new baby, I have a toddler, I don't have time, I'm too tired, I can only go in the early morning or late at night and I can't do either of those (because I don't want to), I can only work out once a week so I won't go at all ..... I was so full of excuses I was annoying myself. I finally decided that I had had enough. I decided that I would suck it up and go in the morning before Joe goes to work. I figured that I needed to go early enough in the morning so I could be home to get the kids ready as well as get myself showered, ready for the day and breakfast eaten. Audrey gets up around 6:30 and Devon around 7:00.

Yesterday I got up at 4:50.

That's right.

In the MORNING.

I got my bum to the gym at 5:00am and worked out for an hour. I thought it would be empty at that time, but it was positively full. It felt so GOOD to really work out. When you get up that early you tend to really push yourself to make sure that getting up was really worth it.

I got home a little after 6:00am, showered, got ready, ate breakfast, made Joe breakfast and did two loads of laundry. Audrey got up at 7:00 and soon after Devon was up. It was such a different experience because I wasn't rushing around trying to get ready while holding Audrey and Devon begging to play. I wasn't scrambling to clean the breakfast dishes before we could leave the house and I wasn't stressed. We had a perfectly pleasant morning and the kids even got down for naps early and slept 3 hours .... at the same time. In those 3 hours I was able to clean the house and make dinner. Since I didn't have any cleaning to do after dinner I was able to read and make some jewelry .... something that I really enjoy, but haven't done in a while. I was somehow able to keep my energy up all day and had to force myself to go to bed at 11:00pm.

I went again this morning and it was even better! I am pleasantly sore and know that I am getting benefits from my hard work. I have never been a morning person, but I have a new appreciation for getting up before the sun does. I feel so much more productive, I feel healthy, I've done something good for myself that, in turn, benefits my family.

It's amazing how something like going to the gym can make me feel like the me-before-I-had-kids. I want to get back to going five days a week and I can't wait to get my body back! I was this close to loosing all the baby weight (I literally had one pound to go), but then I gained back five pounds. Ughhhhh. I only have two pounds left at this point so I don't think it will take me any time at all to reach my goal.

Devon: February

2011-03-02T12:40:00.001-08:00

Me: What are you doing Devon?
Devon: Licking the wall.
Me: What does it taste like?
Devon: Ketchup.

Devon reached two milestones this month: potty training and getting a "big boy bed".
I have been agonizing .... AGONIZING over when is the right time to get Devon a bed. He loves his crib and will even ask to stay and play in it after his nap is over. I felt guilty about "kicking him out" to give it to little miss Audrey. I felt guilt over her turning six months old and still being in a pack 'n play since they aren't that comfortable. Ahhhhh a mother's guilt!

Fortunately, Devon made the decision himself. One day, during nap time, I heard on the monitor,"Devon riding a horse!". I knew what that meant .... and it wasn't good. I ran upstairs and he was straddling the front of his crib. Yes, I ran and got my camera before I asked him to get down ;)

When I asked him who taught him how to ride a horse he said,"Prince Charming. It's from Shrek." OK, thanks little man! ;) He usually does this on the couch or on arm chairs, neither of which are in his room. I had him lay back down and climbed in there with him. I held him tight and he wrapped his arms around me and fell back to sleep. I just stared at him. He is so beautiful and it is so sweet to be so close to him while he sleeps. I knew that it would be my last time to snuggle in his crib and I soaked up every minute of it not wanting it to end. My little baby is growing up.

Since he could officially get out of his crib, we went that day and got him a bed.
I ended up going with a trundle and It. Is. Awesome. It's like having another closet only better because it can be an extra bed at some point if we need it to be. It can slide out on either side so I can store stuff right ....

and left. It also slides so easily that Devon can move this huge trundle all by himself. The sheets glow in the dark. How cool is that?

The first night he was so excited and kept talking about how soft his big boy bed was.

The second night he climbed out and fell asleep on the floor at the top of the stairs (yes, the baby gate was up).

The third night the inevitable happened .... he fell out. He yelped when he hit the ground, but he was totally fine and went right back to bed. He loves his new bed and wants to play toys in it all day. He seems to go to sleep faster for naps than when he was in his crib and also sleeps longer. I am so happy that he likes it and that it was such an easy transition. My only complaint is that he does get out of bed several times at night before he falls asleep. It is starting to get a little tedious and I don't know how to keep him from doing it.

I have threatened to take away his blankie (that always makes him cry at the mear thought of that happening) and that works, but not every time. I'm sure it's one of those things that will just have to work itself out.

In the beginning, he would head over to Audrey's room and climb into her crib. It woke her up, but I would always know he got in bed with her because I would hear giggling over the monitor. It's difficult to get upset that neither child is napping when they are being so sweet to each other. Needless to say, I started locking her door ;)

There were four huge boxes of materials to put this bed together. Our living room was covered in cardboard. My husband is a genius. Have I mentioned that? I came home from teaching yoga and this was in my living room.

My husband built a castle out of card board and duct tape. It's amazing! It is big enough that Devon, Audrey and I (and probably even Joe) can comfortably fit in it without having to hunch over. The next day while Joe was at work I added the draw bridge. It works, too. It's an engineering marvel if I do say so my self .... and I do ;) Devon will stay in there for an hour a day lifting and lowering the draw bridge while I color on the walls and Audrey plays toys. It's fun to play together and be so close at the same time. The best part is when Devon is done playing with it we can recycle it!

One day I realized that I was getting low on Devon's diapers. I am feeling comfortable with the whole having-two-kids-thing, I feel like I can handle the extra work of potty training and I think Devon is definitely ready so I decided that once the size 5's were gone I wasn't going to buy more. I have had a box of pull ups for months and potty training was going to happen. I took Devon with me to the store and let him pick out some underwear. It's so fun to see what he picks out. He went for the super hero assortment, Pixar multi pack and his latest favorite Yo Gabba Gabba. I have given him stamps and stickers as a reward, but suckers and marshmallows worked the best since he pretty much never gets either of those.

It took him less than a week! It is so awesome to hear those six little words. "I have to go potty, Mama." I still ask him if he has to go in my attempt to avoid an accident, but it is exciting (in a lame Mom sort of way) for him to understand what his body is doing. It is so great to have one baby out of diapers and he's only 2 1/2! Of course he has accidents, but extra laundry .... I can handle. But rushing out to stock up on diapers when I'm running low, the smell, the garbage, the expense .... I am SO over it. One down and one to go! By the way, his other favorite phrase is,"Ca ca means poop, in Spanish." Giggles ensue. Sigh. Such a boy.

One of Devon's favorite phrases right now is,"Want just a tiny, little bit more milk, please Mama." The kid loves milk. He would drink it all day long if I let him. He gulps down an entire sippy cup of it in one sitting and then asks for more. He also loves rasins, pizza, dumplings, rice, watermelon and cheese.

Devon loves to cook and be a little chef. He regularly asks to make cookies and I have finally figured out a way for a two year old to have fun and actually be helpful in the process ;) I fill the measuring cups and he dumps it into the mixer. I scoop the dough and he puts it on the cookie sheet. I bake the cookies and he eats them ;)

Devon is quick to give out kisses, hugs and I love you's.He loves his baby sister and actively includes her in play time and makes sure I bring her with us where ever we go. He drags her car seat out of the closet and brings her toys for the drive.

It is the sweet, innocent moments that make being a Mom SO, incredibly worth it when you are able to watch your children grow and learn. Devon knows the President, Vice President, First Lady, who is on the $1, the $5 and is starting to learn letter sounds (T-ta-truck) as well as basic math problems (1+1=2). It is amazing to understand how kids grasp language.

Joe was teaching Devon about George Washington. The next day Devon pointed to a dollar bill and said,"George Bath time!" Get it? He knows the word wash, but bath is more accessible for him. I think that is SO amazing! My current favorite word of his is "yester-night". You know .... like yesterday, but at night. It seems like it should be a real world.

And finally, if you ever want to know what the world of a small child looks like ask them to look at a picture and tell you what they see. Joe showed this to Devon and asked him what it was....

He said,"Monkey." Such a sweet imagination I almost cried!

Audrey: February (7months)

2011-02-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

Audrey is doing a great job figuring out how to sit by herself. She will sit the longest when she is playing this piano since it keeps her attention. I put the pillow behind her just in case she tips backwards, but she usually sits until I pick her up. Devon will give her a little cup and we have a tea party clinking our glasses. Audrey has surprisingly fast reflexes and will grab toys right out of your hands and wave them around.

Little Audrey got six teeth this month leaving her with a grand total of eight. She got two middle bottom ones last month and now her "fangs", her two top front teeth and two bottom teeth are coming through. She loves crunching Cheerios with her fancy new chompers and still loves baby food in all flavors. I remember having to coax Devon to eat every bite (it still feels that way sometimes), but Audrey loves it. I think the only thing she doesn't really like so far is peaches. She loves to chew on feeding spoons to soothe her gums even when she's not sitting down to eat.

Her lashes are a mile long! I can't wait to slap some mascara on them when she gets older. Much older ;)

Her hair is super curly when it's wet, but gets pretty straight once it dries since it isn't very long. It has thinned out quite a bit from when she was born and even seems to have gotten lighter. I was born with super dark hair and it turned blond by the time I was one so we'll see what happens!

Audrey was crying and Devon was trying desperately to make her feel better. He literally brought her every toy she has, but she continued to cry. All she wanted was a nap!

Audrey is generally a very pleasant baby. She loves to be talked to, sang to and all around just given attention. She is happy to go along with whatever we are doing and loves to be close to Mama in the pouch. She seems to like the "ring sling" (Maya wrap), even though I didn't like using it with Devon. I have a better appreciation for it this time around, though I'm sure that has more to do with me figuring out how to wear it properly.

In the toy room at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandpa gave her this toy to chew on. It's a rubber snake. Awesome.

Sleeping little thumb sucker. Thankfully, she only sucks her thumb when she's tired. It's an easy way to tell when she's ready to be put in bed.

Now that big brother Devon is in a real bed, I was finally able to move his crib into Audrey's room. Her bedroom is now complete and she definitely sleeps better and for longer periods of time. I knew she would be more comfortable so I am happy to have made the switch. I love the bedding for her crib! It is so lovely and pink ;)

Devon loves to climb into Audrey's crib when they are both supposed to be napping. I'm not sure if Devon does it because he wants to be with her, he doesn't want to sleep, he misses his crib or a bit of all three. If I don't lock the door to her room he will climb in there again and again.

He hasn't ever hurt her and she loves it when he's in there with her, but sometimes it wakes her up and Mama needs both babies to nap at the same time.

I recently started putting them in the tub together. They love to splash each other and share bath toys. I am continually amazed at how much Devon loves this little girl and genuinely wants to play with her.

Audrey is a little ray of sunshine in our home. She is so sweet and lovable and life wouldn't be the same with out her.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

Pink pancakes for breakfast.

Joe and I aren't big on Valentine's Day. It's Valentine's Day every day at our house ;)

I made some red velvet cupcakes and let Devon decorate them with frosting and sprinkles. Every few seconds he would say,"Mess. I made mess. Need to clean it up with a towel." He would say this over and over until I got him a towel. And when he says "mess" that can mean that he got the tiniest speck of frosting on his finger.

He wont lick it off. He wants it wiped with a towel. He is such a neat freak!

Audrey was content to sit in her chair and when Devon finished they played together.

Audrey pulled on his shirt, sucked on his fingers and he handed her toys ;)It is great to see them actually starting to play together. Devon is so gentle with her and loves to make her laugh. He giggles so much when they are together when she touches his hair or face or makes some sort of physical contact with him ;)

We don't do gifts, but we always get each other a card or write a love letter. Joe always makes me one and I keep them all (of course)and they are hilarious. I usually buy him a card, but this year I made him one and I think it turned out OK for my first try.

I had all this crafty stuff around because I have been making hair bows for Audrey so I put this together. It's not a big deal (and it clearly didn't take me long to make since it's not terribly well done), but the felt heart flips up to reveal the message.

Joe made me this card.

He designed the top and bottom himself and printed it out on his fancy sign-making printer. It's like a giant sticker. To give you an idea of the scale I had Devon pose with it.

It's awesome! The best one yet. The BEST part is the text on the inside is 12 size font and he only wrote three, little words. It was hysterical and I love it. Now where am I going to put it? I think it will look great in my bathroom.

Perfect! I'll have to do my hair and make up somewhere else, but I think it's worth it ;)

Devon: February

2011-02-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Devon: January

2011-01-27T13:57:00.001-08:00

Plasma car race!

Sometimes Devon just won't eat anything for dinner. He may have had a big lunch or too many snacks or he doesn't like what I cook. So we do what I call "Dinner Derby". We chase each other around the house on our plasma cars and every few "laps" I yell out "Bite!" and he happily takes a bite of food and we continue with the derby. One minute he declares that he's not hungry and "30 Dinner Derby minutes" later he has eaten everything on his plate. It is so much fun.

Devon loves to go to Costco with me. I usually take him when they have samples and he rides around in the cart and eats while I get all the shopping done fuss free. Sometimes I let him walk and he pushes the cart and says hi to EVERYONE that passes by. On our last shopping trip I got him his first hot dog and he ate the entire thing (minus the bun). I think hot dogs are his new favorite food.

Every once in a while I am reminded at what a kid Devon is turning into. He was carrying this "bucket" around for a few days and left it in the kitchen after dinner. After he went to sleep I emptied the contents and this is what was in there:
a fancy plastic cup, a plastic knife, key chain, bear, stop watch, a phone and some beans. Too funny and so random!

Devon loves to drink water from plastic bottles that his Daddy brings home and this large jug was no exception. NOTE the ADORABLE Mr. Potato head backpack that my sister made for him. When he goes out with his Daddy I use it for him to carry diapers, wipes, a toy and a snack. He loves to wear it and tote his own stuff.
(Yes, that's a water jug in one hand and a lighter in the other. Sigh. I can't keep up with this kid).

Joe had the great idea to take Devon to Mt. Lemon over the weekend. We wanted him to see snow before it all melted, but I think the highlight was the impromptu fire that Joe and Devon built.

I put Devon in warm clothes and packed a hoodie, but when we got to the mountain the hoodie was soaked because Audrey's bottle leaked all over it. He was warm enough, but we built the fire to keep him from getting too cold and let's face it .... the kid loves fire. He loves building it, gathering pine needles, and putting it out by throwing snow on top of it. It was exhausting, but a fun family day filled with sweet memories.

Fruit smoothie mustache!

Swinging with Audrey at the park. Such a sweet brother.

If I am putting him down for bed and he is fussing, but hears Audrey crying he tells me to go and check on her. Sometimes he cries and wakes her up, but most of the time he is super sweet. He doesn't show any negative behavior toward her, but will ask me to put her down so I can pick him up. He has definitely gotten more stubborn and some days it feels like the only thing he says to me is,"Um no". He says both words so quickly they sound like one word. Even if I ask him something like,"Did you like that ice cream?" (an obvious "yes" response is expected) and he says,"Um no", I know he's just being .... two ;) He is totally in that phase where he wants to do things for himself. He seems to get distracted between climbing into his car seat and the toys on the floor and he decides that he's not getting in the seat. This is very aggravating because it usually ends with me putting him in the seat, he's crying which makes Audrey cry and I'm wondering why we ever leave the house ;)I'm sure (and I'm hoping) that this will pass soon. He is more will full these days and I am trying to figure out what kind of discipline actually works. I'll let you know when I figure that out ;)

He picked up this stick and kept saying,"Big gun! Pkew, pkew! (that's my gun sound).

I took Devon and Audrey to the zoo today. Devon was upset that he couldn't feed his veggie chips to this "sneaky bird".

Most kids want to sit on this statue. It is a classic photo op at the zoo.

Devon, also wanted to sit on this tiny statue. Such a funny kid.

Devon loves to build pillow forts on our bed with Daddy at the end of the day and wrestle. We can understand everything he says and he says a lot! His vocabulary and sentence structure is impressive for his age. He is very thoughtful and has an amazing memory. He can count to 20, though he skips 15-17 so I don't know if that counts. He loves to watch "shows" like Despicable me, Monsters Inc, Transformers and Shrek. He walks around the house muttering about Prince Charming and saying "Light bulb!". His favorite phrase right now is,"Per gun! (short for piranha) Oh yeah!" and he runs around the house with my hair dryer shooting stuff. I love to take him shopping with me (for those quick, specific item shopping trips) because he holds my clothes, tells me if he likes what I pick out and he spontaneously dances to the music playing on the speakers. He is at such a fun age and we are savoring this special time.

Audrey: 6 months (January)

2011-01-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

Isn't she so beautiful?

Audrey got two teeth within a week of each other. Poor little thing! She has had a few days of crankiness, but it has got to be so painful to grow teeth! In spite of these two developments, she loves to coo and "talk" and will laugh right along with you as if she's in on the joke. She is very sweet natured and quick to smile. As my Dad says,"That little girl smiles with her eyes."

She is eating real food twice a day and really seems to enjoy it. She likes peas and prunes, but isn't too thrilled with carrots or bananas. I usually strip her down to her diaper to feed her since it makes such a mess and I can't keep food from getting on her clothes.

We went to the park this week since the weather has been PERFECT. I usually keep Audrey in the pouch or stroller so I can be more hands on with Devon, but I put both of them in the swings at the same time and had a blast. Audrey liked it more than Devon, but she is pretty easy going at this age. Check out those gold glitter shoes. Love it!

I have been working with Audrey to get her sitting up on her own and she is doing a great job! She can only sit for 15-20 seconds before she starts to tip over, but she is getting stronger every day.

Audrey is a pretty independent baby and will play on her mat with toys for 15-20 minutes at a time without fussing. This has been a lifesaver so I can get ready in the morning, prepare a meal or play with Devon one-on-one. She does like to be part of the fun when we are playing toys in Devon's room and especially likes toys that play music or "crinkle".

She loves to be rocked to sleep, but really enjoys being in a swing and snuggling with her blanket. She holds the silk ribbon lining with her fingers and holds it to her face while she sucks her thumb. Where could she have inherited THAT from? ;)

This is the first picture I have seen that I look SO much like my Mom. We have the same face, cheek bones, smile, eyes, etc. I don't know how I didn't notice it until now.

Audrey got to meet Granny Great (my Dad's Mom) for the first time and they loved each other! Granny would take Audrey and hold her in a way that would have that little girl asleep within a few minutes. I call it the "Granny grip". I tried it, but she just wiggles. I guess I don't have the touch for the "Granny grip" so I guess she'll just have to come and visit again ;)

Snuggle bug!

Audrey is definitely a Mama's girl. It seems that the moment she realizes that I have left her alone with her Dad she cries and cries ... and cries until I get home. It only makes sense that she wants me because I am with her 98% of the time and she is used to me, but I think it's good for both of them to have that time together even if it's stressful ;) Make no mistake, she is enamored with her Daddy. I will be holding her and he'll walk by and smile at her. She coyly smiles back and buries her head into my neck, only to peek out at him a moment later. He tends to have that effect on the ladies ;)

On this particular day I just could not get it together. I was planning on staying home with the kids instead of going on an outing, but it was what I call a "Murphy Day". Anything that can go wrong .... will. The kids got up earlier than usual so it became a not-going-to-do-my-hair-or-make-and-stay-in-my-pajamas kind of day. I'm allowed one a month .... and I took it ;) We didn't eat breakfast until 9:00 and the breakfast dishes didn't get done until after dinner. (That will also let you know when I got the lunch and dinner dishes done). The kids were sort of cranky, I was sort of cranky, I had mountains of laundry to do, the house was a mess, yadayadayada. Anyway, this was us around 2:00 in the afternoon. Same hair, same expression and both in our pj's.

Audrey loves to watch Devon and is enamored with him. He has continued to surprise me with what a thoughtful brother he is when he brings her a toy, a blanket or papash without me asking him to do it. She is also in love with our big cat, Sampson, and her eyes widen and follow his every move.

Audrey celebrated her first Xmas with us this year and it was such a nice day. She sat in her swing chewing on a toy watching all the paper and lights. It was so nice to have a new baby in the house and it will be even more fun next year when she will be a bit older and able to join in the fun.

I love to breathe in the scent of her skin right after a bath and twirl her hair into little curls. I often "cover her in kisses" and tickle her face by brushing my hair on her cheeks. This gets her so excited she pumps her arms and legs like crazy! She is such a happy, sweet and soft little girl.

The End.

Crib Talk

2011-01-08T13:55:00.001-08:00

Last night I was doing the usual bedtime routine with Devon.

PJ's. Blanket. Milk. Brush teeth. Papash (pacifier). Tell stories and sing songs. Hugs and kisses all around. Good night. Sleep tight. You're my favorite little boy in the whole world. I love you.

As I was about to leave Devon's room he said,"Mama, get in here crib." I wasn't sure if I heard him right, but he kept saying it over and over again.

"You want me to get in your crib?"

"Yeah!"

I couldn't climb in there fast enough! His crib is on the lowest setting so the mattress is resting on the wooden frame like a regular bed. I honestly couldn't believe that it could hold me or that I could even fit in there with him, but we snuggled up together and looked at the glowing stars on his ceiling. I told him a story that I made up about a giraffe who flew to the moon then swam down to the bottom of the ocean to have a tea party with an octopus. It's his favorite. It was probably the greatest 10 minutes with my son ... ever. As I was telling him this story we were giving each other kisses, giggling, snuggling and exchanging I love you's. At one point he was stroking my cheek with his finger tips. It was one of those moments that you never want to end and one that you know you will never forget.

Audrey: First tooth

2011-01-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

Audrey cut her first tooth on January 2nd. It's a tiny, little bottom tooth and she has become a drooling machine! She has been her usual, pleasant self and hasn't been cranky which has been a relief, but I'm sure that may change as more and more teeth emerge. She's only 5 months old .... I know all kids are different, but that seems too little for teeth. I'm enjoying these last few weeks with my toothless baby and loving that gummy grin!

Devon: December

2011-01-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

Devon is such a fun little kid. He says the most hilarious things everyday that Joe and I sit around after he has gone to sleep and trade quotes and laugh and laugh and laugh.

He suddenly decided that he is too big for his high chair and now sits at a regular chair at the table ... without a booster seat. He won't sit in them at restaurants so I decided to skip it and see how he does at home without one and he seems to be doing fine.

His current favorite things to say are:
"Mama/Daddy, sit down right there."
"Take (item) with us."
"Big sword. Kill dragon. Save princess."
"This is my handbag."
"Mama/Daddy tell story. Once upon a time ..."

He is in love with the Incredibles and insists that he is Incrediboy and that he has rocket shoes on. He also watches Shrek and talks about dragons, swords, princess, and Prince Charming. It is totally adorable to see him actively using his imagination and turn random things into swords and guns to kill the dragon.

He is getting better and better at articulating what he wants and will tell me when he's hungry and "irsty" (thirsty). He has also started helping himself to food in the pantry and will suddenly have a sucker or a mouth full of crackers. He loves to eat macaroni and cheese, jello, ice cream, apples and cheese. He also loves soup ... the broth in particular. He picks up the whole bowl and drinks the broth without spilling.

Devon loves to dance and sing and constantly sings with me when we are in the car. He really likes classic rock. He nods his head and raises the roof while singing along even if he doesn't know the words. He does know a surprising amount of lyrics and his current favorite singer is Pink.

Devon is such a tough little kid. Sometimes he wipes out and I think he is going to crumble into tears, but he just gets up and moves on and he's fine. When he does cry I know he must be really hurt. He does the sweetest thing ... if he gets hurt he sort of hides his face as if he doesn't want me to see him hurt until he can "pull it together". He might ask me to kiss it better and magically he's fine. Ahhhh the magic of Mama's kiss!

A few days before Xmas Devon got a super high fever. 104. It would spike, we'd give him Tylenol and it would go back down. 4 hours later it would go right back up. We were so worried we wanted to keep an eye on him through the night so we had our first sleep over in our bed and I LOVED it. I totally get why people let their kids sleep in their bed. I loved waking up with him and giggling, snuggling and just seeing him so cute and sleeping. I wouldn't let him do that on a regular basis, but it was fun that one time. Anyway, his fever suddenly went away after 2 days and he got a rash all over. He had what is called Roseola and apparently lots of kids get it. It's not contagious, but you just have to monitor their temperature and make sure the fever and rash don't occur at the same time.

He loves to play cars, play in his kitchen, build with blocks, play trains and race in his Plasma car. If you haven't seen these cars, Google them and watch the video ... they are AWESOME! I wanted to get Devon a new car for Xmas and when I saw this car I knew he would not only love it, but grow into it as well. I got him a red car and Uncle B (Ben) got him a blue car so I can ride one and Devon can ride one and we race around the house and bump into each other and go as fast as we can! It's a total blast and we do that several times a day.

Uncle Ben also gifted him his super cool REAL stethascope. His little heart started beating faster when he realized that he could actually hear it beating.

This was the first year that Devon really got to experience Xmas and it was so fun as his Mom to share it with him. We let him pick out the tree and let him decorate it all by himself. There were a number of ornaments grouped together at the bottom of the tree, but I think that gave it some charm since it was pretty obvious that Devon placed the ornaments right where he wanted them to go.

Our first Xmas tree completely died 2 weeks before Xmas, but the place that we got it from totally replaced our tree no questions asked. It sounds like a pain to do the whole tree-getting process twice, but with such little kids it was actually fun to decorate and re-decorate.

My parents got him this super cool kitchen and I got him pots and pans and food to go with it. He loves to pretend that he is a "little chef" and prepares gourmet meals. He didn't really enjoy opening toys, but once he saw what was under the paper he wanted to open everything and play with it on the spot. His Dad picked out this set of toys (from the infamous "Swap Meet") and it came with an M-16, walkie talkie, head set, handcuffs, etc. He loves to pretend to shoot us and we love to play along. Aunt Crystal and Uncle Jordan also got him some revolver guns and he shoots us with those complete with little boy sound effects.

Devon loves to help his Dad grill food, work outside and help out in the garage. He will do anything with his Dad and wants to be around him all the time. They love to wrestle, punch, kick and jump on the bed.

Devon does have pretty spectacular tantrums from time to time and he just lays down on his tummy and cries. All I can do is laugh because it is so much emotion coming from such a tiny person over something so (usually) ridiculous. They are getting fewer and fewer and thankfully they only happen at home.

Devon is really good about taking baths, but has a new found love for showers. As soon as he hears the water turn on his head pops up, his eyes get wide and he takes off running to the shower shouting "Shower! Take shower!" all the way there. He has gotten so brave about going under the water, something he used to really hate.

He has reached that age where he wants to do things himself and I thought it would be annoying to have to wait for him to do things that I could do for him in a split second, but it has been really nice to have him gain some independence and start being a big boy. He will get into his car seat, brush his own teeth and undress himself. Sometimes when I go into his room to get him in the morning he is standing there in his crib wearing only a diaper, we have a good laugh and he declares that he's funny.

Devon loves to go to Gamma and Gampa's house and pick oranges to make juice. He even brought his own fancy glass from home to drink from. Cheers!

Joe and I are so in love with this little boy. He is calm, quite, thoughtful, funny, shares his toys, plays well with other kids and loves to spend time with his extended family. He loves to give out hugs and kisses and we can't get enough of them!

Audrey: 5 months (December)

2010-12-27T14:02:00.000-08:00

As of her last appointment, Audrey weighs in at 15 pounds and is 70% percentile for height, head size and weight. She is my little chunky monkey (note her forearm "rolls" ;) and we just love her!

She finally rolled over a few weeks ago and sometimes I find her sleeping on her belly. She looks so pleased with herself when she gets up on her forearms and looks around.

I didn't think I could give birth to a more mellow kid than Devon, but it would appear that I have! Audrey is still a great sleeper and will happily go along to a morning play date or errand and sleep in her car seat or pouch while Devon plays. There have been many occasions when it's 8:00 am and the house is still quite. I tip toe upstairs to check on Audrey and she is just laying in her crib, awake and waiting for me to get her. I scoop her up and check in on Devon and he is sitting in his crib reading a book. I don't know how I got so lucky to have these little babies, but I am so grateful.

Audrey loves to stand up, play with toys, chew on things, sit in her swing and watch TV with Devon. She is transfixed. She loves to be talked to and will reward you for paying attention to her with constant cooing, kicking and laughing.

The older she gets the more girly she dresses (with the occasional skull and crossbones black and grey leggings ;) I have dressed her in a few things that I NEVER thought I would, but she just looks too damn cute I can't help myself. Case in point ... THIS headband. It's not even the biggest one she has. Love it!

Audrey seems to have some sort of sensor in her brain that tells her when I have gone out of "acceptable range".

Sometimes I will wait until the kids go to bed and I will run errands and go to the store. I put them both down, wait until they are totally asleep and then I slip out. The last two times I've done this, the MOMENT I pull out of the driveway Audrey wakes up and screams the entire time I'm gone. I get home, take her from Joe and she instantly falls asleep. Poor Daddy.

I call this one "knuckle sammich". You talkin' ta me?

Audrey is such a good baby and I can't give that kid enough kisses. She gets so much love and attention from her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents who clamor to hold her. She is super ticklish on her ribs, belly and neck and lets out giggles and grunts. She is a happy little girl and we love watching her grow.

It's not always about the kids

2010-12-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

So ... yeah, Jasmine died. She was one of the first animals (aside from Sampson, who is still alive) that I raised so it is a tough loss for me. She was one of my first babies. I miss her. I stayed up all night with her on Friday night petting her and trying to soothe her the best I could. I kept telling her that I loved her, that I was sorry I couldn't save her. I laid next to her on the floor and she slept with her head on my hand and purred. I thought she would pass on Friday, but by Saturday morning even though she was still alive she was in bad shape. I could tell that she "wasn't there anymore". Her mind had checked out. I placed her on a towel in my room in the closet so she wouldn't be disturbed. I know that kids don't really understand death until the age of 5 and even then some kids think that the person who died will come back. We explained it to Devon as simply as we could and it's sad to me that he probably won't remember her. Joe took Devon in to see her when she was still alive and Devon said,"Bye Jasim. Good kitty. Miss you lot."

The day wore on and we had to get ready to go to my Mom's house for Thanksgiving. I put Devon in the car and came back into the house to say a final goodbye to her. I wanted to have a moment with her. I wanted it to be peaceful for her as much as possible. Joe sat next to me and she passed right then. It doesn't seem right that she is gone and buried in the backyard. So close and yet so far away.

In other, less depressing, news ....

I am 95% done with my Xmas shopping. Everything is wrapped and labeled and I am just waiting on a few gifts to arrive from my boyfriends, Amazon and Ebay, and I will be all set ;) I have one gift for one person that I am not totally sure about, but other than that I am done. I tried to get everything bought by December so I don't have to deal with any last minute shopping and I can just enjoy the rest of the month.

Since I stopped working with my trainer I have lost about 8 pounds. I have 5 more to go and I will be back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I would like to loose 7 more and be a tiny bit smaller. I haven't been working out much at all so I have just been watching what I eat. I have cut out snacking almost completely. What a difference that makes! It feels so good to be so close to my normal size after being out of shape for over a year being pregnant and carrying 30 pregnancy pounds. I hope to reach my goal by the new year. Woot!

Devon: November

2010-12-01T12:11:00.001-08:00

Devon is so smart! He can sing the whole alphabet and can recognize most of the letters by sight. My favorite part is "L, M, N, O, P" because he basically says "Elmo, P" , but it's close enough ;) He is learning what words start with what letters and will randomly say,"T-shirt ... T!!! Truck ... T!" It's adorable. Devon loves to sing in general and knows all the words to many of his favorite songs (twinkle, twinkle). Joe and I hover over the baby monitor at night to hear Devon singing himself to sleep.

I am still working with him on his counting and numbers, but he seems more like an alphabet guy for the moment.

Devon loves to drink juice out of my "fancy" (plastic) cup. One handed no less.

Devon loves to run fast, play cars, dance, collect rocks, jump, go outside, play on the slide, watch cartoons, feed Audrey milk and "drive" Daddy's truck. Joe will put him in the driver seat and he pushes every button he can reach. Devon loves to watch sports and bands play on the computer. He still likes calculators, but above all else he loves to play cars. He wakes up in the morning and wants to play cars before a diaper change, milk or breakfast. He never gets tired of it. He plays with all his Hot Wheels and all his random trucks at the same time. He also loves to drink milk, eat lemons and popcorn.

First "official" hair cut. He got to sit in a Jeep chair and pretend to drive, he got a sucker and they turned on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I don't know what else they could possibly do to distract him from his hair cut other than sit a puppy in his lap, but it all worked and he sat there like a champ. (It's Sports Buzz $13. Kinda pricey for a kids cut, but it was so easy I think it's worth it).

Devon has started to get a bit more "tantrumy", but I try to get him to calm down by getting him to show me how big of a deep breath he can take. This usually works ... usually. I never intend for Devon to appear like the "perfect" child, but he is very well behaved. Of course he has tantrums and doesn't listen from time to time like any other child, but honestly, he is a pretty laid back, go-along kid.

Devon is starting to enjoy our play dates more and more and will talk about his friends when they are not around. Mackenzie seems to be his current favorite and he even gave her her first kiss. Oh la la! It was so cute. She leaned in, he backed away. He leaned in, she backed away. The both leaned in and kissed. Sweet! Now they hug and kiss on the cheek ... it's very sweet to see them play together so well.

I am so excited for Xmas this year to see Devon enjoy it and have an understanding of what's happening as well as having Audrey with us for the first time. Joe and I don't usually go gifts for each other, but we are slowly starting to implement family traditions without making it stressful. We hope to make the holidays about doing fun things as a family and not all about gifts. I carefully picked out a few toys that I think he will like without spoiling him with too much and I can't wait for him to open them. We have been talking to him about picking out a tree and decorating it and he loves for me to tuck him in at night and sing Jingle Bells. It's a nice break from "babies" (The wheels on the bus: "The babies on the bus go wah wah wah" is his favorite part).

I gave Devon a pony just like Audrey because his hair kept getting in his face. Isn't he so pretty? ;)

It's funny to be able to have full conversations with Devon and hear the random things that come out of his mouth like,"Here, Audrey. Hold this." as he hands her a toy. Too funny. Some of his popular phrases right now are: "Devon do it self" (Devon did it by myself) "Mama sit down there (and points exactly where he would like me to sit ;)"See? Better" (See? Isn't that better). "Love you lot. Miss you lot." "No like that." I love to hear him talk.

Joe and I are really enjoying Devon right now. We can easily communicate with him and have conversations about his day. His favorite color is blue ;) He requires a TON of seemingly endless energy, but he is so much fun to play with.

Audrey: 4 months (November)

2010-11-29T12:34:00.001-08:00

Little Audrey is not so little anymore! She is getting bigger by the day. She barely fits into 3-6 month clothes and definitely fits better in her 6-9 month stuff. It is getting colder so I am having to layer all her summer dresses with sweaters and long sleeve onesies. Girls clothes are convenient that way.

Devon loves being a big brother and is eager to feed Audrey a bottle. He does at least one feeding a day and holds her often. It is so cute to see him share his toys with her and lay down next to her when she's on her play mat.

She is starting to have more of an interest in toys and kicks her legs with surprising force! She is getting so strong and showing off that little personality.

Audrey is a sleeping champ! She is down to two naps a day and it is amazing. She usually sleeps during our morning outing (ie: park, Children's Museum, etc) for an hour or so, but manages to stay awake and enjoy most of it. Once we get home she goes down around 11:30 and sleeps until 4:00. If she's not up by 4:00 I wake her up. She takes an evening bottle and is asleep around 7:30. She has been waking up around 3:00am lately for a feeding, but she sleeps so well otherwise I don't mind getting up with her. Everyday is a little different so she keeps me on my toes.

She is this close to rolling over. She turned on her side the other day and she is figuring it out. She will be rolling over any day now so no more leaving her on the changing table, I guess ;)

I love to put her in dresses, but she ends up grabbing the bottom, pulling it up and drooling all over it that I often have to change her into another outfit because she soaked through it. It's gross and funny at the same time. She likes to be holding something so I try to give her a toy or a blanket.

She is laughing and cooing and is so alert. She is very ticklish! She loves to be held facing out so she can see what is going on, but loves to snuggle up close right before nodding off to sleep.

Just sucking our thumbs.

I love doing her hair and even made a few barrettes out of flowers. She is pretty happy to sit while I do her hair and she looks so damn cute with a little pony "fountain" on the top of her head.

My super crafty sister, Katy, made this blanket. She even made a doll size one for her little, blue cradle. It has adorable fabric that I love, love love! Thanks, Katy!

This lavender blanket was made by my Mom. It is so soft. Isn't it beautiful? Thanks Mom!

Audrey loves to smile at her Daddy, but is quite the Mama's girl at the moment and she cries pretty much the whole time if I leave her at home. It feels good to be needed, but it's sad that she has such a difficult time.

I am just loving every moment with this little girl. She is just such a good, sweet natured and calm baby she is easy to fall in love with. It is such a special time for our family as we head into the holidays, making new traditions, making new memories and celebrating as a complete family of 4.

Jasmine: 2001-November 27, 2010

2010-11-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

I will miss you, sweet girl.

Xox,
A.

It's not always about the kids

2010-11-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

Jasmine watch ... day 12

Last Tuesday at 9:00 I was on my way to a play date with a new friend and her two children who are exactly the same ages as my kids. She also has a boy and a girl. She is a very sweet Mom and always makes me feel encouraged. She is a positive person and I appreciate that most about her.

As I was driving to her home all I could feel was gratitude.

Gratitude for the fact that I was NOT on my way to put my sweet Jasmine to sleep. I made a 9:00 appointment to put her down, but I happily cancelled it on Monday because she was doing so much better. I can't believe I almost put her down at the advice of the vet. I know the vet wasn't flippant about putting her to sleep, but I also felt like she wanted me to do it in that moment. It's not like I have this stray cat that I found and she's sick ... that cat is almost 9!!! She's a member of the family so you would think that more caution and more options would be considered to save her.

At least I listened to my own instincts and didn't give up. She is eating better and I got her a fountain so she can have access to running water any time of the day. Hydration is extremely important with kidney issues so that should really help her. She is up and around more and even ran away from Devon ;)I haven't seen her run in a while so that is good. I don't know what's wrong with her, but I hope that she is getting over it.

Things are really looking up! Thanks for your concern.

In other news ... nursing the baby isn't going very well to say the least. I noticed that she was fussy and crying when she was feeding and I could just tell there wasn't much milk. I decided that I would give her a bottle of formula and pump and see how much milk there was. I put her to bed at 7:00 and pumped at midnight. I would normally get 5 ounces, but I BARELY got two. Not good. I pumped again at 7:00 am and I only got two ounces. After 7 hours I only got 2 ounces. Not good.

This also happened with Devon around this same time (3-4 months). My milk just went away. It's funny how we (as Moms) can have so much guilt over things that are out of our control. I felt like I wasn't being a good Mom to him by not being able to provide milk, but I know it's not my fault and there's only so much you can do. I cried every feeding that I had to give him formula. I felt like I was failing as a Mom and it really made me depressed. I still feel guilt about stopping with Devon even though I know I did everything I could. When my supply went down I put on weight to make sure I was eating enough, I pumped every two hours (even though he was sleeping through the night), I took medication to increase the hormone that helps produce milk ... for three months. When he was 7 months his pediatrician begged me to stop because he could see that I was visibly stressed by the whole thing so I did. I'm glad he gave me permission to do that and I immediately started to feel better.

I have tried many things to boost my supply and some women just don't have a lot of milk. I am one of those women. Some women make TONS of milk and have more than enough to feed their babies and freeze milk for a year. I am not one of those women. I pumped a few days ago and when I only got an ounce I decided to stop breastfeeding. It makes me extremely sad to stop since I really do enjoy that time with her, but if there's no milk there's no milk.

I read a recent study that found that the benefits of breast milk really only apply to the first week of life since the colostrum and the hind milk (milk for the first month) that follows it are the most important antibodies and nutrients that a baby needs. After that, as long as the baby is getting milk it doesn't matter if it's breast milk or formula.

I have tried a few of the frozen dinners that I made and I have to tell you that I'm not impressed with most of it. It tastes like "left overs" even though I bake it in the oven. Does that make sense? The mashed potatoes were pretty unappetizing (very starchy and doughy) and the stuffed pasta shells were a little dry. I'm sure all of this takes a little finesse, but I don't know if it's worth it. I do think that spaghetti sauce is perfectly fine frozen. I will admit that even though the food hasn't been great, on the few occasions where we did eat them it was a lifesaver to have something ready to go. I think I might try a few soups since the weather is getting colder it might be nice to have that on hand.

I am dreading the holidays, but I am trying to stay positive. I do not have that "holiday gene" that most of my family seems to have. We put up a tree every year and I enjoy that I have to admit. I like going to the lot, picking out a live tree, watching Joe heft it into the house all by his manly self and setting it up together. We don't usually do gifts for each other, but this year we are going to and I decided that we should do stockings and start our own traditions with the kids. I am excited to give my gift to Joe and to watch Devon enjoy his first real xmas as a "big boy" since he is finally old enough to open gifts and articulate a bit better. It's Audrey's first xams this year and our first xmas as a complete family.

Xox,
A.

It's not always about the kids: Jasmine watch ... day 5

2010-11-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

This is Jasmine.

She is almost 9 years old.

Nicknames include Jasim (Devon calls her that), the femur, the fu foo, the girl and the foof.

She was found in a parking lot when she was just a kitten and we have been loving her ever since then. We got her because our other cat, Sampson, was depressed and needed a companion to cheer her up. She is a sweet cat. She doesn't like everyone, but if you're lucky enough to have her like you she will never leave your side. She follows me into the bathroom every time I go. EVERY time. She nibbles on my toes. She sleeps in the bed with us at night and often wakes us up because she walks back and forth over Joe and I. If I'm really lucky she will burrow underneath the covers and snuggle at my feet. She will only eat tuna if it's really fresh, sashimi quality fish. She loves to have her front teeth rubbed and wags her tail like a dog. She is a sweet kitty.

A few days ago we couldn't find her anywhere. When we finally found her she had lost weight and was noticeably lethargic. She wouldn't drink or eat anything. Her back legs would slip out from under her when she went up or down the stairs. It was very sad to watch her limp around. I took her her to the vet and she weighted 5 pounds. She normally weighs 10. A normal cat fever is 100 and she was 104 ... VERY high for a small cat. They gave her IV fluids, meds and took some blood. Turns out she has chronic kidney failure. They said that she would need a 2 day hospital stay ($550 on TOP of the cost of the tests that I already paid for) and sub Q fluids every day ... for the rest of her life. Having to poke a needle into my cat every day for the rest of her life is no life for her. I can't put her through that and I have a feeling that she would not even let me do that for very long anyway. She sent me home.

I went back a few days later to talk about our options and the vet said that if I wasn't going to give her fluids that I should put her down. I told her that I wasn't ready to do that in that moment. Jasmine was doing OK at that time and it seemed premature to put down an animal that seemed "fine". I had them give her another IV and took her home. I made an appointment for Tuesday at 9:00 to take her in and have her put to sleep.

Heartbreaking doesn't begin to cover it. I had this cat before I had my children. I used to literally cry on the way to the airport when Joe and I would go out of town because I was worried about leaving my cats alone.

HOWEVER ... I have to tell you that she is doing so much better today!!! She is not 100% by any means, but she IS doing better today. She is drinking water, walking around and she is sleeping in our bed during the day which is a HUGE change since she has been hiding in our closet most of the time. She is purring again and her eyes seem brighter. She is rolling on the floor and showing me her belly so I can scratch it ;)

Maybe she ate something poisonous and it's just working its way through her system? Maybe she is just really sick, but not terminally sick? Maybe I am in denial and want to think that she is doing better, but she's really not? It's possible. Whatever happens, I canceled my appointment to take her in and I am going to take it one day at a time and see how she does. I am just giving her lots of love, water, trying to get her to eat food and hoping that is enough to get her through this. It is not her time to go and I'm not giving up on her!

The point is ... I am hopeful.

Xox,
A.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

I asked Devon what he wanted to be for Halloween and he said,"Pooh" and never wavered. I found this cute Pooh costume online and it even has a stuffed "belly full of honey". When we first showed Devon his costume I wasn't sure if he would love it or cry. He walked up to it and hugged it so I knew we would be OK with getting him to wear it. I was not really interested in getting Audrey into a major costume since she's so little so I went to Savers, found a pink onesie, made some ears out of a wash cloth and headband, put some "baby legs" on her and she was Piglet. I feel a little guilty for not making her first Halloween costume more of a big deal, but seriously ... she's 3 months old! Regardless, I think they both looked so cute!

Don't they both look thrilled? Ha!

I took them to a Halloween party at this play group we go to on Friday morning. They had a few games, but it was too hot for poor little Pooh bear so we didn't stay for more than an hour. His costume is basically an arctic jacket with ears and pants so I'll need to be more careful next year with getting Devon to choose something more weather appropriate.

Friday night I thought it would be a nice family outing to go and get a pumpkin. We put Devon in a wagon and wheeled him around this huge tent and let him pick out two pumpkins to carve. It was a really nice set up. They had great live music, there was BBQ being cooked, beautiful orange, green and while pumpkins, tractors ... it was oddly peaceful being their with my sweet dolly asleep in my arms and Joe pulling Devon in a wagon.

Devon got to pet a goat, see the pigs and sit in tractors. I didn't know they were working tractors until he hit a button and the engine turned over. Oops!

The finished product.

Joe did the "Nighmare before Xmas" inspired one on the left and I did a classic happy face on the right.

On Saturday evening Joe's parents came over to see the kids in their costumes.

We met Jane and her family at the mall for trick or treating. They were Danny, Sandra and the pink ladies from Grease. Such a cute idea as a family concept.

Devon is still not really ready for Halloween so I didn't want to do door-to-door trick or treating anyway. 45 minutes of indoor candy getting was perfect for us. He got to see other kids in costume and I know he liked eating his suckers two at a time. He totally melted down when we tried to get him to eat dinner, but we went home and he was happily in bed by 7:15. It ended up being a pretty stressful experience for me and I don't think I was able to relax enough to really be able to enjoy it, but I think that Devon had a great time and in the end that's really what matters, right?

I have made a point of NOT eating Devon's candy ;) It's sort of lame when parents take their babies trick or treating just so they can have the candy. If he got something that he can't have (ie: jaw breakers) I just throw them out. He didn't get much candy anyway, but he got more candy than he's ever had in his life and it's kind of fun to indulge him this one time and let him taste it all. So far he likes suckers, air heads, sour candy and pixie sticks. The CUTEST thing by far is what he calls Twix candy bars. He calls them "chocolate toes". Hilarious.

Devon (October)

2010-10-29T20:37:00.001-07:00

Devon is amazing. His language and understanding has totally shifted! It's pretty remarkable what he can remember and what he can say. Lately, when he gets upset I can ask him to be a nice boy, he quiets down and I am able to explain to him why he's not allowed to reach into the knife drawer or play with scissors or have 3 juice boxes at once ;)99% of the time this works and we can move onto something else.

Sometimes it doesn't work at all (he is 2 after all), but I am learning to be more patient ;) He is totally saying 4 and 5 work sentences and we have been working on turning those one word sentences into phrases like,"More milk please, Mama." Instead of just saying "more" or "milk" or "Mama" and pulling on me. He is learning the power of the word "please" and I must admit that I usually give him what he wants as long as he says please (as long as I don't have to remind him to say it). I don't give in every time, of course, but I think it's important for kids to learns manners at a young age.

Just this morning he was getting into the fridge and pointed to the egg carton and said,"Eggs come from chickens." I know that's not ground breaking news, but ... HE'S 2!!! Amazing.

Devon loves to play cars and trains complete with little boy sound effects. He got several tractors and "guys" (GI Joe type dolls) for his birthday and loves to carry them around. He is super fast on his little car and rides from one end of the house to another at top speed and somehow manages to stop just before slamming into the cabinets. Every time he does this I'm sure he's going to crash and he never does.

Devon loves to hold his sister. He is learning to be more gentle with her and to whisper when she is sleeping. He is happy to have her around while we play and I haven't seen any jealousy yet so maybe I won't.

You can't win all the time I suppose.

He is so funny! He says the most hilarious things sometimes I start to laugh which makes him laugh which makes me laugh .... it's funny.

He has been going into his play garden and using his imagination to pick tomatoes and squash. He will bring me handful of these imaginary fruits and I am expected to gobble them right up because he is coming right back with more.

He is starting to have some say in what he wears and definitely knows what he doesn't like. I make sure to praise him when he picks out something cute so he will be more likely to wear it again.

Any time he has two of anything he calls them "friends". Two peppers, two toys, two shoes ... friends. They often kiss and hold hands.

He decided that Pooh Bear needed to visit the beauty parlor for a wash and a curl.

Devon loves eating crasins, pumpkin cake, rice cakes, pokey sticks and tamarindo (this nasty, slightly spicy Mexican candy you squeeze through a tube). I started giving him a big boy bowl of Cheerios for breakfast and I think he loves eating out of a bowl all by himself. I remember giving him Cheerios when he was just a little baby so it's cute to see him being such a "big" kid. He is eating pretty well these days, but I still have to feed him to really get a full meal in that little belly.

I think he is finally coming out of his shell with other kids and now wants to give out hugs and fist bumps to his friends. I think his cousin Sadie helped him with that because she is so gentle and calm with him and they see each other once a week now. They even hold hands when we walk to the car through the parking lot. He is learning to really play with other kids sharing toys (instead of watching from my lap) and will wander away from me to play, something he doesn't do unless we're at home. If I'm not right there with him he will find me and drag me over to where he is playing. I don't mind, but it makes me happy that he's feeling comfortable and being more independent around other children.

I occasionally go to Trader Joe's when I need a few, specific things and they have these really cute kid sized carts. I let Devon push one around and I grab stuff off the shelf for him to put in his cart. He is quite the spectacle. He is very serious about this cart and pushing it. ;)

Devon has an amazing memory for names. He remembers kids' names he met twice and nearly every day he lists off (almost) every member of both sides of our family. My personal favorite is "Aunt Nick". I don't correct him either. Sorry, Aunt Nick ;)

Devon loves to run! He is so fast and runs even faster if the right music is playing. He learned how to jump all by him self so I have had to stop using phrases like,"Let's go jump in the tub." or "Jump down," because I don't really need to take a trip to the emergency for stitches ;)

I have been waiting until I ran out of size 5 diapers to officially begin potty training and that time is rapidly approaching. I think I feel this pressure to potty train him because "boys take longer" (not actually true so I wish people would stop telling me that. They potty train just as fast as girls sitting down, but they also have to learn to go standing up so people consider the standing part as "fully potty trained" ... lame), but I don't think either of us are ready. What's the rush? He can't even get his pants down by himself so I would have to take him every time. What's the point in that? I know it saves money on diapers, but really it can wait a few more months when things settle down a bit and he is a little more willing. Potty training can be very psychologically damaging or embarassing for kids if they are pressured to do it when they're not ready and I don't think a lot of parents think about that. They just want their kid trained first among their peers or they hate changing diapers or whatever. Regardless ... we're not ready yet ;)

Devon is such a tender boy. Even though he can be difficult to handle when his tantrums are in full swing, he is still a very sweet and thoughtful child. He seems to have genuine concern for people and wants to be a good helper all the time. Whether it's bringing Audrey a pacifier, giving out massages, throwing away garbage or cooking in the kitchen Devon loves to be helpful. He is so happy when he gets to be a "little chef" (from Ratatoulle, said in a high pitched voice) and help me pour or stir when I'm preparing food.

It's very cute to see Devon mimic me. If I am holding the baby he will go get a doll, wrap her in a blanket and sit next to me on the couch. I sometimes call Audrey "dolly" because she is such a doll ;) He puts his "dollars" in the cradle or pushes them in the swing. The red haired doll was mine when I was little.

This past month has been a tough one on many levels, but we are starting to get into a new routine and I am learning the activities that Devon truly likes. I try to make sure we do fun things everyday as well as spending quality time at home. Devon still follows his Daddy around the house everywhere he goes for every second that he's home. I love to see them interact and I am always inpressed (and a little envious) with the activities they do together. Joe made Devon a tee pee out of cactus ribs and a rocketship and a gun out of drawing paper. So creative, Daddy!

Joe and I are so in love with this little boy and count ourselves lucky everyday.

Chicken with black pepper maple sauce

2010-10-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

You will lick your plate when you eat this. I promise. It is SO good and so easy to make. I am not a huge fan of simultaneously sweet and salty food, but this is an exception. It may sound like a lot of time and a lot of work, but it's not. While the chicken is cooking you make the sauce. Easy!

Ingredients:

1 (3- to 3 1/2-lb) whole chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 (3-inch-long) sprigs fresh rosemary plus 1 (1-inch-long) sprig
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup dark amber or Grade B maple syrup
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Preparation:
* Let me just start by saying that I use 4 chicken breasts. None of this cut-the-backbone-with-kitchen-shears-nonsense. Gross. Just use chicken breasts and it's perfectly good and less time consuming.* Carry on!

Cut out backbone from chicken with kitchen shears and discard. Pat chicken dry, then spread flat, skin side up, on a cutting board. Cut a 1/2-inch slit on each side of chicken in center of triangle of skin between thighs and breast (near drumstick), then tuck bottom knob of each drumstick through slit. Tuck wing tips under breast. Sprinkle chicken all over with salt and ground pepper.

* I took a large boiling pot and put my tea pot in it to weigh it down. I filled the tea pot with water. You really do need to use a weight so the chicken gets that lovely crunch to the outside. I can't figure out how to get the crunch AND get the inside of the chicken to stay moist, but I don't care. I'd rather have crunchy dry chicken than not crunchy moist chicken.*

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in 10-inch cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add chicken, skin side down, and arrange larger rosemary sprigs over chicken. Cover with parchment round and second skillet, then top with weights. Cook chicken until skin is browned, about 15 minutes. Remove and reserve weights, top skillet, parchment, and rosemary, then carefully loosen chicken from skillet with a spatula. Turn chicken over and re-place rosemary sprigs, then re-cover with parchment, skillet, and weights. Cook until chicken is just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more.

*Let me start again by saying I don't bother toasting whole peppercorns and crush with a rolling pin unless I REALLY have time to do it. And who really cares, anyway? I just use ground pepper. * Carry on!

Make sauce while chicken cooks:
Toast peppercorns in a dry 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board and coarsely crush with a rolling pin. Return peppercorns to saucepan and bring to a simmer with syrup, 1/2 cup broth, and small rosemary sprig, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter and loosely cover with foil. Add vinegar to skillet and deglaze, boiling and scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in maple mixture and remaining 1/4 cup broth and boil until slightly syrupy, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and swirl in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce with salt and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Serve chicken with sauce.

I made this with herbed potatoes and used the maple sauce on the chicken and as dipping sauce for my potatoes ... then I licked the plate ;)

De-vine. Enjoy!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread (Muffins)

2010-10-19T14:13:00.001-07:00

I love pumpkin flavored food. Starbucks has a seasonal latte that is pumpkin spice and I order it skinny and tall with a piece of pumpkin bread. It's a little bit of heaven inside my car as I drive. I shared my bread with Devon and he calls it pumpkin cake so I decided to make some. I got this recipe from www.epicurious.com (where I get most of my recipes, by the way). I made two batches of muffins in two days and both times they turned out perfectly so it's a good recipe for muffins. I will say that I thought the loaf was over done and I would have to adjust the recommended cooking time if I really wanted to have bread, but I prefer the muffins anyway.

I used a cool leaf muffin tin that my Mom gave me from Williams Sonoma ... fancy. I got 36 muffins from one batch.

My sister, Jane, doesn't like pumpkin bread, but she liked these. They aren't too pumpkiny and they are a great spice cake for "fall" here in Tucson where we can still wear tank tops and flip flops.

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts, if desired.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.

*For muffins, I bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Audrey: 3 months

2010-10-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

We are so in love with this sweet, little girl.
She has definitely started smiling and showing off that dimple! All I have to do is start talking or smiling at her and she smiles away. She loves it when I lay her down and let my hair wash over her face. She kicks and waves her arms. Joe tells me she thinks I am magical. Ok ... I'll accept that ;)

She is cooing and melting my heart with those first baby sounds. She used to make all kinds of grunts and groans and Joe and I would look at each other and laugh at how "unlady like" she sounded, but now all that has changed.

Devon loves to snuggle with his baby sister. When he says "hold" he runs to the couch, gets into position and waits for me to bring Audrey to him so he can hold her. He is so excited to have her on his lap and giggles back at her when she smiles at him. He is so interested in her it's cute to watch them get to know each other.

He points out her hair, fingers, eyes, stomach and toes. He loves to stroke her hair, give her hugs, kisses, high-5s and fist bumps. He covers her with blankets and gives her a pacifier even though she doesn't really take them.

She is officially a thumb sucker. I have tried to take her thumb out of her mouth and give her a pacifier, but she spits it right out (if she takes it at all) and her thumb goes in. It's pretty adorable and it is easier than trying to track down a pacifier, but I'm sure breaking her of that habit will be tough.

Audrey sleeps from 9:00pm to 5:00 or 6:00am. No kidding. It's heaven and I thank her everyday for letting me sleep. She truly has made her entrance into this world easy in more ways than one. I love to pick out something cute and girly for her to wear everyday and I love, love, love that I can put her hair in pony tales. I can't wait for "winter" when I can put her in tights, sweaters and hats.

I love to squish her arms and legs ... she is SO soft! She definitely is my chunky baby and Devon was my little bird. She had her 3 month appointment today and had 6 shots. It took forever to get her on our insurance so we are a month behind on her shots, but she's still within a good time range so we're not "technically" behind. She is 90% for height (24.5 inches), 50% for head size (16.5) and 70% for weight. She weighed 15 pounds on my home scale, but the doctor said she only weighed 12. Does that mean that I weigh 3 pounds less? ;)I asked my pediatrician if you can over feed a breastfed baby and he said YES. I'm not over feeding her (I asked ;) since she goes 4-6 hours in between feedings.

I love wearing her in a pouch everyday and getting to hold her close. It's a MUST, in my opinion, when you have a 2nd kid to have a baby wearing system of some sort. It's an easy way to be hands free to play with the first child, the 2nd baby gets lots of snuggle time plus all the benefits of baby wearing (IE: easily comforted, good sleepers, voice recognition, lots of bonding time with the parent, etc) you're not having to carry the baby in your arms all the time (saving your arms and back from getting tired) and the baby isn't just being left on the floor. I use them at the grocery store so I don't have to lug a car seat around and she stays asleep so I don't have to worry about a meltdown.

This is my view of her in the Ergo carrier with the infant insert. (Check out those lashes!) It is a little bulky with the insert, but it just clips on so it is super easy to wear. She falls asleep almost instantly and stays asleep when I transition her to her crib. I couldn't do without this carrier. I use it everyday (and used it with Devon until he was almost 2) and it's my favorite. I also like the Moby wrap when babies are little because it holds them close, the fabric is super soft and they can be held in lots of positions.

She must have been holding it in all these months, but she has found her lungs and knows how to use them! She usually only cries when she's really, really tired, but she lets me know it for sure. The first time she cried I almost stripped her down to her diaper because I was sure something had bitten her ... she was that loud. It is still a little jarring when it happens, but we are figuring it out I am learning about her and how she likes to be soothed.
2 ponies!

Audrey loves to smile at her Daddy and it's cute to see them together with their matching hair. It's surprising that I have been asked on more than one occasion if she's mine. Seriously. I get it that Devon is so blonde and I am so blonde and Audrey is so dark, but seriously people ... genes can do amazing things! I have been asked if she's mine, if she's adopted or if Devon is from a different relationship than the one I'm in now. I know ... rude. I just smile and say no and make a mental note NOT to talk to them again.

I love to take her shopping and I treasure my one-on-one time with her. The second child usually doesn't get held or stared at as much as the first, so it's nice when it's just the two of us. She loves to be held close and I often soothe her by turning on some music and "dancing" around the room. That seems to work and I love that time with her.

There was a moment the other day when I had Audrey on one leg and Devon on the other and we were all snuggled together on the couch. It brought tears to my eyes to have both my babies in my arms. I'm sure as they get older those tender moments will become even sweeter.

I feel so lucky to have a daughter.

Friends

2010-10-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

Why is it so hard to make friends?

Real friends. Not acquaintances, but real call-you-and-we-talk-and-go-shopping-and-hang-out-without-our-kids type friends. I'm a normal girl. I would like a few normal friends please. WHY is that so hard to do?

Honestly, most women annoy me for some reason or another so it's no wonder that my contacts list isn't bursting at the seams ;) I don't want that either. I don't want lots of friends. I want two. Maybe three, but I want REAL friends.

As a Mom I totally understand not wanting to call and talk on the phone. Some days when I can manage to get both kids to sleep at the same time the last thing I want to do is get on the phone and talk about kids and kid stuff.

Finding time and energy to go out and do something with a friend is difficult, too. I know how much preparation it takes to leave the house with out your kids. It sometimes feels like it takes more preparation to leave with out them than with them and there's the guilt of leaving them home, but I digress. But I think that girlfriend time is important. I go out at night by myself and go shopping and that's nice too, but spending time with another Mom is nice in it's own way.

I've never had lots of friends ... let's just be honest here. I always had friends, of course, but I was never the girl with a million friends. The only friend I still have (that's a true friend that I talk to with any regularity) is Joe and I married him so no one can really compete with that ;)

Since I became a Mom I have realized that making friends is difficult. It's easy to pass the time and go to play groups, but it has been difficult for me to forge any true friendships (with one exception and she knows who she is ;)

I have gone to a few play groups. Some with kids and some just women getting together and going out with out kids and I always thought I was "in" with these groups of women.

Ultimately, something would happen and I would see that I was very clearly not in at all. If you have been going to a play group for a while and want to know if you're "in" the group here's how you can tell ... if you don't know who's in or who's out ... it's you. You're out. You're not in the "in" group. You're there and playing and they're talking to you, but you're not "in" the group.

They all get together and do other playgroups and outings with THE SAME group of women, but they don't invite you. WHY this happens ... I don't know. Why are you invitable to a playgroup, but not out to lunch or shopping or a movie? It sucks when you realize that has happened. It's embarrassing and it shouldn't be, but it is.

WHY can't I just enjoy the play group and not let the other stuff bother me? Maybe I'm too sensitive. Maybe I'm desperate and they can sense that. Maybe I get on their nerves after one day and they can't handle another. You don't have to invite everyone to everything all the time. You don't have to be friends with everyone. Not everyone is going to like me and I get that. Trust me ... I annoy myself sometimes ;)

The point is ... making true friends is difficult.

Xox,
a.

It's not always about the kids

2010-10-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

I started this blog as a way for my family members to stay updated and see pictures of my rapidly growing kids. I did movie reviews for a while (lame), posted about going out with "friends" (even more lame) and I still do recipes even though I'm pretty sure no one cares but me ;)I feel like I should take my turn and update about my self every now and again, share random thoughts and talk about something other than just "the kids". I may never do this again, since I tend to be a private person, but I can always delete it later, right? ;)

I miss my grandma today. My mom's mom ... I miss her. She died when I was 8 or 9 and today I miss her. She collected EVERYTHING. Gnomes, ornaments, plates, and cards off of gifts she received. You know those little rectangle cards that say to & from so-and-so ... she collected those. I remember each of her houses and hearing the screen door swing shut. I remember playing cards with her and sharing a shredded chicken and sprout sandwich, washing it down with Kefir milk and "treating" myself to a malt tab from her pantry. I still eat my sandwiches with sprouts (and converted my husband to do the same) and I still drink Kefir milk because of her. I would eat malt tabs, but I don't know where you even get them anymore. She was fun. She let us play with all her costume jewelry. I remember playing in the snow in her backyard. I remember how sweet she was. She never raised her voice and was never mean to me. I wish she could have met my kids. They would have loved her and missed her, too.

I hate when people flippantly say,"I'm doing the best I can." Really? Really?! Are you really? I think most of the time people are just doing what they do, but not their best. It takes lot of effort to actually do the best you can and I don't think people care enough enough of the time to actually do their best.

I feel guilt. Mom guilt. Wife guilt ... I feel that all the time. Like I'm not doing enough or something. Spinning my wheels. My kids are happy and thriving and my husband appreciates me so I know the pressure I feel is self inflicted. I feel like all I can do right now to keep up with life is to be two steps behind. Anything I do to prepare for the next day seems to just make room for more stuff to get done. I guess that just comes with the territory these days. I worry constantly. Constantly. I worry about Devon falling down and hurting himself and breaking his arm or worse. I guess that comes with the territory, too.

I gained 31 pounds when I was pregnant with Audrey. I hired a trainer for a month and I still have 13 to go and it SUCKS! Loosing weight sucks. Carrying around extra weight sucks even more. I have friends who just loose the weight no problem and I feel like I am slugging it out at the gym. I don't want to be thin ... I want to be fit! Yeah, I could just not eat and loose weight, but that's not healthy so what's the point?!?! Do you know a skinny fat person? I do. They're the kind of people who don't work out, don't eat much or eat poorly, but are skinny anyway. In fact, they brag about NOT working out. Skinny fat person. I don't want to be a skinny fat person because that's not healthy. I do want to be skinny so I guess I just have to keep slugging it out at the gym.

I'm cranky today, can you tell? ;) My car didn't pass emissions (for the 2nd time) and it is getting worked on at the mechanic. We are at home all day. It's one thing to choose to stay home, but it's another to HAVE no choice.

In spite of being home all day the main upside is I get true, uninterrupted time with each child separately. When we go out it is nice to do something different, but sometimes I feel like I'm just trying to get through it without anything "going wrong" instead of enjoying it. Or, I try so hard to get Devon to try something new (that he hates) he doesn't have as much fun as I hoped he would and all the work it took to go out feels like a waste. I love it that he would rather stay home playing cars with Mama than go somewhere. He's a pretty laid back kid when it comes to that sort of thing. When we're home I can relax a bit more. I don't have to wear make up or get dressed up. It's a lot of work to pull myself together and quite frankly, sometimes I just don't feel like doing it. I get to watch Devon and his pretend play with cars and trucks. I get to watch Audrey smile and coo. It's nice. I'm lucky to be someone who enjoys being home more than going out.

Xox,
a.

Freezing Day

2010-10-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

I used the frozen chicken and salsa (that I cooked, chopped and froze) the other day to make enchiladas and not only did they taste great, but it took me about 15 minutes to put the whole meal together. It normally takes me about 45 of stop and start preparation so I was really happy to save some time. Plus, I only had to wash a few bowls so clean up was super easy.

I decided to make a few more frozen dinners and see how they turn out before I start making it a regular thing. I made spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce and meatballs. I also thawed a bag of salsa and chicken and made Mexican Casserole for dinner that night.

In one nap time (3.5 hours ... thank you, Devon!) I made 4 meals. It was sort of a production and it took the entire 3.5 hours (with cooking and clean up), but that's 3.5 hours that won't take away from spending time with my kids or with Joe.

This past Saturday I was too tired to go to the store and get food to cook. I pulled out the meatballs and marinara sauce and voila! ... dinner. And I only had to use 2 pots. One for the sauce and one to cook the pasta. It was so awesome. I always make sure to lable what's inside, the date, the oven temp I cook it at and cooking time. I also found that laying things as flat as possible when you freeze them makes thawing time shorter.

When I made the marinara sauce I made it very basic. I just used salt and pepper, 1 large can of tomatoes, 1 can of sauce, 1 can of paste, 1 onion and some garlic then I froze it. Once I got the sauce thawed out I added fresh tomatoes from the garden as well as some fresh basil and oregano. I let the meatballs thaw enough to be broken up, but added them to the sauce cold and let them simmer until they were cooked through. It was so good! For the meatballs I did 2 lbs. ground beef, 1 lb. ground turkey, some parsley, salt and pepper, 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese and 2 eggs. I made the meatballs very small so they would thaw easily and they would be more appealing to Devon.

I don't know why more Moms don't freeze food for dinner. I am all about fresh food and I still cook fresh meals 95% of the time. However, at this stage of my life I am all about doing things that can make my day-to-day life a little easier and freezing a meal (or part of a meal) here and there has really helped me. I went to Costco yesterday and got a huge tray of pork chops. Going to try out a new recipe for them tonight and freeze the rest for another day!