The Messes of a Toddler

This is Gwen painting with daddy.  She has paint even in her hair.  Ben got this photo and asked her to smile.  This is her attempt at smiling... :)

She just keeps the laughs going at this house.  Here she is after drinking some cocoa from mama's cup.




Her attempt at smiling again.  PRECIOUS!

Zeke and a Laugh

Here's a picture of Zeke.  His baby acne is clearing up now and he's such an adorable little boy.  Such an easy going, quiet little boy.  We'll see if that lasts.  :)

The other night we were having Bible time using a children's Bible Gwen has.  We got to the story when Jesus is resurrected and appears to the disciples.  This is the picture it has for the disciples being all happy that Jesus is alive again.  We thought it was funny that they disciples on the right are giving each other high five.

Gwen Singing

Here is a video of Gwen singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".  P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S!

Sovereign God

Soak up this song this Sunday morning!  Woo hoo!

Meal Plan

French onion soup, sandwich rolls, brownies- having someone over for dinner
spaghetti, salad, turkey meatballs, garlic bread
slow cooker split pea soup with turkey ham, left over garlic bread
ham and cheese empanadas, salad
turkey tenderloin, steamed broccoli

Gwen and Soup

This is Gwen today.  I turned around one minute and then look at her again and this is what I saw.  :)  Makes me laugh.  Also, today I was nursing Zeke and I heard Gwen on the monitor waking from a nap.  Instead of her usual call for me, she started singing "twinkle twinkle little star."  It really touched my heart and I sat there and cried.  I'm so thankful for my two wonderful children.  I'm also thankful for my loving husband.  When he got home I was pretty beat, so he told me he'd feed Gwen and I could go upstairs for a nap.  I did and then when I came downstairs I made the soup below.  It is from the weight watchers recipe book, and for those of you that like to try new things... let me just say, it is easy and delicious!  You know me and soups!  You just can't go wrong with a soup that has peanut butter as one of the ingredients!  Fantastic!  I had it with a bit of nan bread.

Senegalese Peanut Soup

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 C chicken stock or chicken broth (I used chicken broth)
3 T natural creamy peanut butter
1 tsp peanut oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 (1 inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste (I put it on top because I didn't want to make the whole pot spicy)
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried cilantro on top of each bowl)

1.  In a blender or food processor (I used food processor), combine the chickpeas, 1/2 C of the stock, and the peanut butter; puree.
2.  In a large nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil.  Saute the onions and ginger until the onions are soft.  Stir in the curry and cumin; saute 1 minute longer.  Add the remaining 2 1/2 C of stock, the tomatoes and the chickpea mixture; simmer 5 minutes to blend the flavors.  (I simmered longer because I was nursing)  Season with the cayenne and cilantro.

A Bushel and A Peck

Wonder what song I can't get out of my mind in the last few days?  Here it is:



My mom sent a Valentine to Gwen with this song in it when you open it.  Last night I caught Ben singing it to Gwen.  Wanna hear his version?  Here it is:

I love you a bushel and a peck
a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
a hug around the neck and I kick you in the eye
I kick you in the eye and I'll steal your cherry pie

:)  Made me laugh

Biscotti

Have I ever mentioned that I like food?  Ok, I have a new "thing" and that is biscotti.  They aren't as sweet as cookies and not quite as tempting to me, but still satisfying.  I allow myself one a day and it is nice with some hot tea.  Here's one I made recently.  This recipe is from Weight Watchers recipe and has a points value of 1.   Below is the recipe and a picture.  I'm sorry that my food photography is so horrible.  You should see some of the photography on other blogs... beautiful!  Oh well! :)

Chocolate Espresso Biscotti

2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C slivered almonds
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 T ground coffee (I used instant coffee)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 C sugar
2 large eggs
3 T strong brewed coffee (I used milk instead)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a baking sheet and set aside.  Combine flour, almonds, cocoa, ground coffee, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, brewed coffee, and vanilla.  Add the sugar mixture to flour mixture and beat on low speed until well combined and a fairly dry dough forms.  Divide the dough in two. Shape into two "logs" on your cookie sheet and pat down a little.  Bake about 20 minutes and then take them out and rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, lower the temp of the oven to 300.  Cut and arrange cookies as a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes on each side.  (I don't like mine SO crunchy, so I cut down the time on this step)  Biscotti will crisp as they cool.

Also this week I tried my hand at making Cornish pasties. (pronounced paaa  sties like the sound in action)  They are like little meat pies that coal miners used to eat with their dirty hands and then throw the end away.  That's what Ben told me.  They were ok, but it was harder than I thought to make the pie crust and it grosses me out to deal with shortening.  I just think of Dr. Oz's face shaking side to side when I get it out.  Anyway, next I'd like to try empanadas or Indian somosas.  I guess every culture has it's own little meat pie huh?  Maybe the American one would be the chicken pot pie?  

Around the House

Today Ben had the day off for President's Day (gotta love those Presidents!) and so we went to the library for "rhyme time" for Gwen to participate in and then we went to Chick-Fil-A as a special treat.  Gwen loves it there because she gets to play in the play area.  Ben takes her in there and watches her, but at one point today she got out of his sight in the tubing stuff.  He said he heard the kids saying "I've got the baby" and things like that and he knew they were talking about Gwen.  Then this little boy came out and said "they won't let us have the baby, they've captured your baby sir."  Ben said to the kids just to leave her alone.  Mind you, they weren't doing anything mean to her...but just "taking care" of the baby meaning talking to her and probably passing her around. Then when Ben was getting Gwen out and pulling her down the stairs from the tubing part the little boy emerged again and said, "we took good care of your baby, sir" and saluted.  I found that very funny.

Tonight we had our first family Bible time.  We've been talking about it for ages, but just now have put it into action.  We have decided that after dinner and cleanup that that would be a good time for us.  We spread out a blanket on the living room floor and read Psalm 1 tonight and talked about it.  Gwen pretended to be a tree planted by water and she told us that there were birds in her tree.  I asked her if there were squirrels in her tree and if they were trying to get nuts and I heard Ben snicker.  Then we went around and said something about our day... something we were thankful for or something we'd like to share with the family.  Gwen decided to sing "Twinkle, twinkle" for her contribution.  Then we ended in prayer.  Zeke was there too...but he was sleeping.  Afterwards we had a good time together singing London Bridge and playing horsie on daddy's back.  So.. how do you all do family devotions and how do you make them special?  I've thought it would be neat when they get older to light a candle...but that isn't going to happen for a long time!!

Finally, a video of Gwen counting to ten.  She is unprompted here, other than what you hear.  I find it remarkable that she is doing this.  I mean, we haven't really worked on it per say.  She is a bright little girl I think.  Of course, every mother thinks they have a gifted kid. :)

In The Palm Of Your Hand

I'm trying to get this song together for me to sing it at church.  We have a dobro player and guitar and mandolin. I love this song.

My Valentine

This is a photo of Ben and I when we were engaged.  This is one of my favorites.  Ben is all the things I ever wished for in a husband and more.  He definitely is the one for me.  Just to prove the point... below is a children's story that Ben worked on a little while ago that makes me laugh.  He had the idea of doing a children's book.  I personally think it's hilarious and gives you a little insight into the man I'm crazy about.

A goat named Billy
who looked very silly
sat on his rock at home.
He ate green bugs
and chewed all the rugs
and lived all alone.

He rolled in the dirt
wearing only a shirt
and never cut his hair.
His friends said "hi"
but they soon said "bye"
and often ran away scared.

Late one day
a bird named Ray
said "Billy, you need to change!"
"Your friends all think
you really stink
and eating bugs is strange."

He snorted and snuffed
and pouted and puffed
mad that Ray was right.
"How dare that bird
with the honest words
hurt my feelings tonight!"

But after a week
he started to reek.
His fur was turning green.
He finally agreed
he really did need- a bath.

Rubs and scrubs with lots of suds,
soap and shine and lemon and lime,
stems and flowers, soaked for hours,
bark and seeds from different weeds,
big green pickles, things that tickled,
bamboo shoots and old leather boots,
a rabbit, a duck, a chicken that clucked,
some hay and a barn and a field full of yarn,
a house with a fountain, a lake, a mountain,
the state of Hawaii and the WHOLE SKY!
... and a big stack of pancakes with maple syrup because he was really hungry and malnourished from eating bugs all the time.
Then...
The goat named Billy
Didn't look so silly
sitting on his rock at home.
He smelled so good
his friends never would
give him five minutes alone!

Meal Plan and Babies

I think I missed a week of posting my meal plan, but suffice it to say, we ate. :)  Here's this week.

Bankok Chicken Satay
beef taquitos, salad
English sirloin pasties, peas
stew
pancakes and eggs (I have a fear of making pancakes that I am going to conquer.  I know.. I know... pancakes?  I seem to always burn them, so I'll try again this time)

This is Zeke giving a little smile.  This just melts my heart.

Here is Gwen this morning with all her stuffed animals in the chair with her.

Can Anyone Say Precious??

Gwen, Beki and the Snowman

This week Aunt Beki has come to visit from Miami.  She has stayed with us this time and has been such a help to me with the kids.  Today they went outside to build a snowman.  We had a good laugh because we practically had to hogtie Gwen down to get this snowsuit on.  I was inside nursing and bathing Zeke.  

Here is Gwen hugging the snowman.

Gwen and the snowman.  She was not too happy when she had to come in.  They had a good time.

Zeke's Stats

We went to the doc today for his 1 month check up and he gained 3 1/2 pounds this month!  He was 11 lbs 5.7 oz which is in the 78th percentile and he has also grown 3 inches and is now 22 1/2 which is in the 71st percentile.  He is such a doll baby!

Finally, a picture that made me smile.  I've been singing Little Bunny Foo Foo to Gwen.

Zeke

See this little baby? His name is Zeke. This family is on PBS and it is called Sid the Science Kid. :)

Busy Mama

These days I hardly know what day of the week it is...but I know what season! We've had additional snow this week and I must say, it is lovely when you just can look at it and not get out into it. I am used to staying home, and almost prefer it these days, so it doesn't bother me. I feel like I'm tag teaming it all the time between two children. One will go down to nap, I come downstairs to feed the other, then back upstairs to get the napping one, check on the other, then feed the other a snack. Like that. :) It's not as difficult as I anticipated really. I mean, God gives you the strength you need. It is tiring though, especially since I am up during the night. This season will pass too and I'll eventually sleep through the night again. That's probably when we will find out we are expecting another right? ;)

Life with a toddler is a joy and a challenge. Gwen has suddenly started singing and requesting songs. She will come to me and say "rabbit" which means she'd like to sing Little Bunny Foo Foo and then she will cycle through all the songs she knows... Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels On The Bus, ABC song. It is very funny and sweet.

Here is a picture of Gwen sitting in the bouncer chair that she shouldn't be in after pulling the tablecloth off of the table onto herself and she is looking at the DVD cover for Nacho Libre. That's also her new mailbox we made from a wipes box. She puts junk mail and index cards in there.

It's not just me that is tired. Ben is a huge help and when Gwen wakes in the night due to teething (STILL teething) he goes to her and puts her down again. He also helps me in the night if I need it. He is truly my night in striped armor. (by the way, this picture is staged... can you tell?)

Projects and A Laugh

Yesterday Gwen and I made an easel from a diaper box. We just cut one side off and then made a triangle shape and then taped it up. Here she is drawing.

We got this today in the mail. I read it differently than it was intended. :)

Playdough Take Two

We made it again today and it succeeded. The problem with my other one was that I didn't cook it long enough. Gwen only got disciplined one time during the whole process this time. :) She chose the color blue for the playdough and after we had it all done I sat her in her high chair to play with a portion of it. Lo and behold if she wasn't more interested in the things I had out for her to play with the playdough with. Like the cookie cutter she put on as a bracelet. Then she looked at the playdough and said "ball"... so I thought "hey, she's interested in it." I rolled the playdough into a ball shape and explained to her how you do it and she took the playdough and threw it in the floor. :) I guess she'll just grow into playdough. She also had a little taste of some of it and decided she didn't like it.

Sorry for the shadow... but here are my two.

Cole Miner's Daughter

Last night I couldn't sleep because I was thinking randomly about this song. I don't know where it came from... I mean, it's old school country for one (not my fav) and it's been years since I've heard it probably. I had to look it up today and hear it. I've decided I'd like to be like Loretta's mother, minus the hard work and poverty. :)

A Poem and A Couple of Quotes

This is a poem and a couple of quotes I came across in some picture albums that someone gave to me. I thought first of all it was interesting that men wrote all three. Secondly, how pretty they were. Enjoy.

Frail new-born wings,

Small voice that sings,

New little beating heart...

The sun doth shine,

The earth doth spin,

For welcome-- enter in

This green and daisied sphere,

Rejoice-- and have no fear.

- Richard Le Gallienne

The smile that flickers on baby's lips

when he sleeps- does anybody know where it was born?

Yes, there is a rumour that a young pale beam of a

crescent moon touched the edge of a vanishing

autumn cloud, and there the smile was first born

in the dream of a dew-washed morning.

- Rabindranath Tagore (do you think Ben and I should name our next child Rabindranath?)

A baby in the house is a well-spring of pleasure,

a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for

innocence on earth, a link between angels and men.

- Martin Farquhar Tupper

Playdough Gone Wrong

Everyday after lunch I try to make a concerted effort to do something constructive with Gwen. Sometimes it is drawing, sometimes singing, sometimes reading and sometimes working on a skill like sorting (pieces to a game I have with different colors), or stacking cups. Today I thought it would be nice to make homemade playdough together. I looked up a recipe online and sat her in a chair with a booster seat so she could see the whole process while I explained how fun it was going to be to play with. Well... it turned out horrible! I'm not sure what I did wrong! You can see in the following pictures how terrible it came out and how excited Gwen was to play with it. I couldn't just throw it away after I had spoken so much about it. I let her play in it and yes, it was messy... but I didn't care. She had such a good time. I guess I'll try again another day. I am more determined than ever to make my own now. Of course, I was out of food coloring and added half a packet of jello to make it colored. Maybe that threw it off.

Gwen and Zeke

Today Gwen made me laugh several times. She insists on putting these Mr. Potato glasses on even though I've told her a million times they are too small for her face. She wears them around her mouth area all squeezed onto those cheeks of hers. Today she added to it by putting in her pacifier in one of the eye holes. She's teething something horrible... so if you see a little drool in this first picture... well.. sorry.

Reading.

She also loves to draw now. She can recognize the letter "O" and can draw one too. She tried an "X", but only made one line. :) Oh, and by the way, she really gets "into" the art as you can see. She is drawing on herself, paper, tablecloth, you name it. On the totem pole of things to get onto her about, that is pretty low considering they are washable markers.

Gwen's "O"

Zeke hanging out in his new outfit someone at church gave us. Isn't it cute?

Zeke has this shock of hair that stands straight up and I can't get it to lie down. I think it's so cute!

Meal Plan

It's back to cooking for me after many weeks of having my mom cook for us and then my church's small group bringing me dinners. It was great! We had Spanish casseroles, strawberry pie, roast and potatoes... need I go on? I really appreciate it. Here's this week on my own.

Easy chicken dijon

turkey loaf, corn pudding, steamed broccoli

black bean soup (from frozen), banana bread

cornish hens, potatoes, salad

breakfast for dinner- waffles or biscuits, eggs or sausage balls

stew- using tomatoes in freezer from our garden

Making a large batch of All-Seasons Sesame Chicken and freezing for later

freezing any leftover sausage balls

* On a food related note, I just got Gwen from her room after taking a nap and I she was a little grumpy, so I said to her in a cheery voice, "hey... do you want cheese and crackers?" and she said "no". I asked her if she wanted yogurt to which she said no. Then I asked her if she wanted filet mignon and she nodded yes. The girl has taste!

Little Amusements

As a homemaker of two under the age of two... well... you have to keep your sanity somehow. The way I operate is that I have to find small things in my day that make me smile or amuse me in some way. The other day I found this tiny little clothes pin that I saved from somewhere. I can't remember where I got it... but I know why I saved it. It makes me happy. Here it is beside a tube of lip balm to give you some perspective of how small it is.

Yesterday I was going up the steps with Gwen in my arms and I looked down on one of the steps where a puzzle piece had fallen. Just like a bad fortune cookie it read "rough road ahead." It made me smile, so I have kept it there on the step.

We gave Zeke his first real bath today. It took a while for his umbilical cord to fall off and to heal completely. I'll show some video of that soon. Ben made sure to video and comment on his boy parts down there...shesh... so I have to go and see which one might be most appropriate for public viewing.

My Boy

Poem

This is a poem from a book I just finished called "Song for Sarah" by Paula D'Arcy. I read this poem several times and thought about it today. I feel like my brain is made of scrambled eggs these days. Sleep is not a luxury that I have too much of now a days, but I do have love... and that's enough.

I sang him a lullaby,

an unfinished lullaby,

a raspy, whispered lullaby

that made his blue eyes smile.

- Meredith Powers

Babies

Gwen at 2 weeks.

Zeke at 2 weeks. This is home made picture we tried today.

Felt Like This Lately?

I got a chuckle from this photo. I'm doing well. Ben took today off and Friday off and Zeke is a dream baby. We went to the library "rhyme time" with the kids today and the leader lady told me I couldn't come in there with Zeke. She explained to me that it was a one to one situation in there. I told her that I thought it would be ok since Ben was with me. She said that one kid would want to see the baby and then all of them would and it would distract. She also said, "this is a time for your 12-24 month old." I thought for a minute there about crying because I was frustrated by what she was saying... but miraculously I just smiled and said "ok." Gwen had a blast though with the rest of the kids there and singing songs she knows like the Itsy Bitsy Spider. She got in the middle of the circle and turned to the other kids like she was leading the class. She is very outgoing and independent. :)

Cool Games for Preschoolers

My sister showed me this site that has some games that Gwen loves. She especially loves the game with the zoo animals.

http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=30&e=gameslanding&mcat=game_infant,game_toddler,game_preschool&site=us

Moments To Remember

Well... I hope you aren't eating a sandwich when you read this because it gets kind of gross. I have to write this down to remember and plus, it's just plain funny.

Last night I was changing Zeke. As I was cleaning him he starts to poop again. No big deal, he does it all the time. I was prepared for that. Then he starts to pee. Ok... I've got a rag, got it covered. As soon as I cover that he poops again... except it is projectile at this point and makes a loud noise. It goes on his blanket at the end of the bassinet, on his clothes, and on the new diaper I had out. I think I exclaimed something like "woah!" and Ben bolts straight up in bed. He didn't wake up with my exclamation, he woke up to the sound little Zeke made. He got out of bed and I told him I'd need his help I thought. We stood there beside his bassinet at 3am and laughed our tails off. Having a boy is such an adventure thus far.

Life

Here is Zeke this morning sitting cozy in the swing. He is most wakeful in the breakfast and dinner hours. He is a pretty laid back baby.. until you take his clothes off. :)

Sitting with Ben

Look at that little tiny face. He is such a sweet little boy and has the softest hair of all times I think. It's like feathers on a duckling. He also is a pro in the pooping department. Never in all my years have I seen a little person go through so many diapers. He easily can go through 4 diapers in the span of 5 minutes. I think it's all that good milk. :)

Some daffodils my mother-in-law gave to me. My FAV! and in the winter too!

Some beautiful tulips that Ben brought me yesterday. Aren't they lovely?

Visits and Laughs

We've had quite a few visitors lately and here are some photos. This first one is of Granny Pam (Ben's mom) and Zeke.

Here is Gwen and Zeke's second cousin, Mia. She is such a little cutie.

My sister came this past weekend and it was really nice. She helped me organize closets, rocked babies and laughed with me at my toddler. Someone at church asked if we were twins. I looked over at her and said, "you are lookin good." :)

This is attempt number 1,000 at getting a decent family photo. Still trying... :)

Last but not least is something that made me laugh. I got a book from the hospital about taking care of babies and all and I was reading it while breastfeeding this past week just as a refresher. I came across a section called "stools" and was greatly amused to see the following: "Sometimes these stools explode from the rectum." That's right folks, explode. I can tell you from what I've seen from Zeke this week that it is true.

Quote

"Dying is easy, it's living that takes work. You've got to have goals and challenges."

Jack Lulane- 94 years old

I read this quote this week in the paper and have been thinking about it a lot. Of course, everyone knows this guy from his juicer commercials... but I think this quote is true. I've been thinking of what goals I have, what challenges I have before me and how I am living... truly living. How am I working towards living in the areas that I feel I could improve in? I've got lots of time to be introspective now that I get up every three hours in the night. :)