The Joker

I should save this for Wordless Wednesday, but I'd likely forget by then. So this is Gus doing his best Jack Nicholson as the Joker impression:

Baking Boy

Reese has discovered a new favorite pastime---baking. He wants to continually add ingredients though. he hasn't figured out you can't add an infinite number of teaspoons of spices.
We made pumpkin butterscotch muffins together.

I made a double batch because who knows when I'll do it again. Reese was very intent on his stirring duty. Here he is mixing all the dry ingredients. This is after a little taste--unfortunately it's still just dry ingredients.Still Mr. Focused using 2 stirring tools to mix in the wet ingredients.I turned the light on in the stove so he could see. When he walked back into the kitchen and noticed he squealed with excitement and brought in his chair to sit and watch. He squealed again when they rose a bit. But as soon as the camera was aimed at him he went back to a straight face or covered his face completely. He is not too hot for smiling for the camera.
I failed to photograph the finished product, but they look like the ones in the link. Kyle and Reese love them. I think they are a bit too sweet. Butterscotch chips are super sweet. Next time we make these I think I'll cut back on the sugar a wee bit and see if anyone notices.

Muffin Tin Monday

So basically I go to my designated blogs of choice every night to feed my daily fix. If someone I like references something interesting I go there and so on. This happened last night---through some convoluted path I can't retrace I wound up here. I found this awesome Muffin Tin Monday thing. I have thought about serving Reese's meals this way but have not gotten around to it. This blog event has inspired me! And I love the muffin tin picture she has!!
I'm going to link this up to the Muffin Tin Monday site, so folks may click over who haven't before. For those folks I just want to quickly explain hubby works swing shift so we have dinner around 1pm everyday. Daddy handled drop off and pick up of Reese from "preschool." Gus and I stayed home to cook. He had a blast!

Ta DA!! Reese's muffin tin dinner: clockwise from the bottom right corner
pork chop, homemade macaroni and cheese, green beans from our garden, mini marshmallows (he discovered these at Mimi's house last week), raisins, nectarines that we canned.

He was pretty excited about the serving display. I used a silicone muffin pan. He dug in before Daddy even made it to the table. Yes that's a raisin on the fork!

Of course he dug right into the meat, promptly emptied that compartment and began the daily meat chant: Meat! Meat! Meat!!!!!! accompanied by the frantic sign for please.

He even ate his marshmallows with the fork!This method worked great. After the meat was gone I conned him into eating half of the mac & cheese (normally he we not even he 1 bite), tasting the beans (he spit them out after making a horrid face and desperately swiping his lips with his hand), and even finishing the nectarines. Then he asked for more nectarines. This is quite an accomplishment because usually he won't eat moist fruit (i.e. anything from a can or fruit cup).
SUCCESS! I think we'll have Muffin Tin Monday everyday!!
You can head over here to see other people's interpretation of MTM.

Menu Plan Monday

We keep bumping the black bean, barley and corn burritos. Last week we substituted beef stew because I had meat to use up. This week is a bit packed with stuff to do before Kyle goes to work so this week's plan is more of a "I would like us to eat" than a we will definitely eat week! I'm not even going to try to fit in the crock pot meal.

Monday: Since we never got to the teriyaki pork chops this weekend we will have Stubbs Pork marinated pork chops, homemade macaroni and cheese, green beans from our garden

Tuesday: Silverdale errands = eat out
Wednesday: spaghetti and aidell's meatballs
Thursday: Lunch with Kyle's grandparents and parents
Friday:I have 2 doctor appointments so leftovers or eat out
Saturday: chicken tetrazzini, beans from our garden or broccoli
Sunday: Cheddar Chicken and Potatoes and broccoli

For more menu ideas check out: Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday and make your plan, then link it up!!!

Gus' birthday celebrated at Soccer

On Friday Gus turned 13 weeks. On Saturday he turned 3 months old!! He is getting HUGE! We started wearing 6 month sized footie sleeper this weekend. He is staying awake for much bigger blocks of time and sleeping thorugh the night regularly. He laughs and chuckles and coos non-stop.We celebrated his birthday at Uncle Travis' (my brother) soccer game (Whitworth University vs. University of Puget Sound). Reese and Gus and I went with Mimi (my mom) to watch the game which we finally won, 1-0, in overtime with a goal kicked in by my brother.Travis is wearing the black Whitworth uniform.During halftime Reese used the team's practice ball to demonstrate his footwork on the field. I'm thinking we need to find a Pirate costume on sale after Halloween so he can be their mascot next year!Sunday the boys spent about 27 hours watching football------UGH! Reese actually fell asleep and took a 2 hour nap during the game. Here he just woke up and there was still plenty left for him watch.

All About Angus

Angus has some issues with his poop. He can't seem to keep big ones inside his diaper lately. Luckily my trusty oxiclean soak gets his cute little duds clean. The other day Kyle and Gus were hanging out on the couch while I tended my farm (farmtown on facebook). All of a sudden I hear a frantic distressed yell. Gus had pooped and it soaked through--Kyle felt the wetness on his hand. He raced into the changing table---more frantic yells like maybe he'd seen a snake. I graciously offered to assist -- I collected the pooped on clothes and changing table cover for scrubbing and soaking (the more disgusting job due to the clingy mustard seed pieces). When I came back from the sink I found this:

In his frantic distress, Kyle put one of Reese's diapers on Gus. Somehow this photo doesn't really show how enormous the diaper is on him. I'm shocked he could lift him without it sliding off!

Here's Gus feeling happier in his own clean diaper and clothes, bouncing in his bouncy seat.

Here he is on Mimi's couch looking like fat rolly baby, but he's only 25th percentile in weight. The double chin cracks me up. Incidentally my double chin is gone and happily my snoring went with it. Reese and Kyle found it greatly amusing that I could sleep sitting up feeding Gus and snore super loud---they'll have to entertain themselves some other way now because the tubby Mommy is finally almost a normal size again! (30 pounds down about 10ish to go!!!)

Menu Plan Monday

So planning for the whole month is just silly. I have to keep going back and changing things, so I don't know if I'll do that again. It is nice to have a rough draft plan I guess so maybe I will keep doing it on a monthly basis. Then we'll just tweek it as needed. For example, green bell peppers where on sale so we had stuffed peppers today which wasn't planned for and costco didn't have my alfredo sauce so we didn't have ravioli whenever we were supposed to. On to this week:
Monday: Stuffed peppers
Tuesday: Jambalaya with Zatarain's rice and Jennie-O turkey keilbasa and shrimp
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Black Bean, barley and Corn burritos--crock pot
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: Teriyaki Pork Chops (just marinated in teriyaki sauce), hern and butter rice, broccoli
Sunday: Crunchy Tacos (hard shell, black beans, ground beef, lettuce, tomatoe) and spanish rice

I'll take a photo later and discuss it, but I just had to let you know Reese spent the past 2 nights (all night) without a peep in his big boy bed!!!! AND he "made" his bed on his own---an old blanket of Kyle's pulled over the whole bed to protect it from the cat hair because Tara loves to sleep on there.

Check out OrgJunkie for more ideas!

Gus is 12 weeks old

On Friday Gus turned 12 weeks old. Here he's wearing his uncle's long johns. I swear I took more photos that day--but there aren't any, so I guess I have fuzzy brain! He is doing well sleeping through most nights. He laughs at his brother which Reese thinks is hysterical. His favorite musical selections are Kid Rock and the Star Spangled Banner. But his most favorite thing is to be held ALL THE TIME!

Another milestone this week: Our first pepper harvest!!!

Back to School

Reese started back at Holly Ridge for preschool on Monday. We went to the 9am class (UGH!) and discovered the teacher we like is also going to do an 11:30 class. Woo hoo! Wednesday we're joining the 11:30 class. Aside from the time I also thought most of his class seemed really young. I don't really feel like it's too beneficial to be the oldest in the class, so the 11:30 will be better age wise....a few older kids for him to learn from.This their apple tree where they put their apple that has their name and photo. They do this in the circle time that starts off their day.

Playing with the kitchen gear, not overly excited to be interrupted for photos.

Taking a ride on the motorcycle in the waiting room on our way out--as you can see he's sick of the glasses already.

COOKIES!

Reese and I made chocolate chip cookies. We used the Nestle Tollhouse recipe except I used only 1 3/4 cups of white flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. It was not noticeable so next time I'll increase the wheat, decrease the white. I added a tablespoon of applesauce to add some extra moisture since the wheat is sort of dry.

Reese loved dumping all the ingredients in.He was a bit upset that he couldn't crack the egg.He wanted to taste it every step of the way, from a bite of straight butter (yum) to a spoonful of flour (spit out).He really liked the completed cookie dough! He did a nice job helping put the dough on the cookie sheet.Of course he LOVED the finished product.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Nachos-tortilla chips, ground beef cooked with taco seasoning, black beans, mexicorn, cheese, salsa, sour cream

Tuesday: blackened tilapia, sweet potato, broccoli
Wednesday: red beans and quinoa chili
Thursday: Beef Barley Stew
Friday and Saturday: use up leftovers
Sunday: chicken and pork risotto, green beans

Gus is 11 weeks old!

Reese loves to hold his brother!
Baby Angus in his Angus suit--this is probably the last time it will fit while the weather is warm enough to wear it... :(

Whoa--that's bright in the eyes!

Peek-A-Boo

Reese and his new hairdo

Have a Great Day!

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled "I'm glad you asked.

It just goe s to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Please share this with someone you care about. I JUST DID.

menu plan monday

This is Reese at 3 months old. One of the only times he had a round, pudgy cheeked face. I'm showing you this because he is wearing the same outfit Gus left the hospital in on day 3 of life. So Gus at 3 days is the size of Reese at 3 months!!! Also I think this photo shows how much alike they look!okay on to menu planningWe had leftover lasagna in the beginning of last week. And we bought pork chops at Costco so added them to the menu this week. SO we did not eat nachos, or fried rice. oops!
Last night I went through and planned for the rest of the month--4 weeks. Then I made 4 shopping lists of what we'd need to make those meals--week 3 I don't need to buy anything! Of course we'll need milk and fresh produce and such but really I discovered I can basically make a month of meals just out of our freezer and pantry. Woo Hoo!

Week One Sept. 7-13
Labor Day BBQ at Kyle's parents
fajitas with leftover carne asada from Kyle's mom
apple stuffed pork chops, sweet potatoes, green beans
green enchiladas (recipe on back of Old El Paso can)
veggie fried rice and egg rolls
leftovers

Week Two Sept. 14-20
Nachos
Red beans and Quinoa Chili
Butternut squash ravioli and alfredo sauce
Beef Barley Stew--need to search for a recipe--know a good one?
Chicken and Pork Risotto
leftovers

Week Three Sept. 21-27
Spinach ravioli
Black Bean, Corn, Barley Burritos
Jambalaya using Zatarain's low sodium
Stubbs Chicken, rice, broccoli
Pork Chops marinated in teriyaki sauce on the grill, mini potato gratins, peas
Crunchy Tacos

Week Four Sept. 28-Oct.3
Spaghetti and aidell's meatballs
garlic chicken
baked ziti
chicken tetrazini
leftovers

Get more ideas at organizing junkie!

FIRE

We had just gotten into bed when I heard a thud. I thought for sure Reese fell out of bed but there was no crying. I went in to check just to be sure while Kyle investigated the kitchen. He said I think there is a fire.

See those flames behind our garage?So I ran out into the alley to find our neighbors car totally engulfed in flames. We were worried our vinyl fence would melt. Two fire trucks came and they put the flames out. The people's trash cans melted and the car parked behind it has a melted bumper. The car itself is totally burnt away leaving just a crispy shell. Luckily no people or houses were burned. It was a pretty crazy night though.

Wow 10 Weeks!!

Can you believe this chunky monkey is 10 weeks old? He is staying awake in the day more and sleeping in the night more (though not every night.) He laughs out loud and coos a lot. He likes looking at his brother's antics. But what he likes most is to be held. I recall my friend's second babies spending huge amounts of time in the car seat carrier perfectly content--not this boy!

DOCTORS DOCTORS all week long!!

We had 5 doctor appointments this week! The boys well baby check-ups went okay. Gus got 3 shots and an oral vaccine, so he was not too happy, but Reese needed no shots. Reese is 36" and 24 1/2 pounds. That is between 25 and 50th percentile for height. Third percentile for weight. Yes that is 3rd %!! Ha ha. Gus is 23 1/4" and 10 pounds 4 ounces. 75th percentile for height, 25th for weight. I had an XRay to see if my kidney stone is gone and it is. I will continue taking potassium citrate for 1 month to try to dissolve my uric acid kidney stones. October 2nd I'll get a cat scan to see of they are all gone. Regardless I've had no more pain so I am pleased with that.
I also saw my primary care physician and we are starting the weaning of the blood pressure drugs process. Woo hoo! I am hoping to dump them altogether ASAP. I also had my cholesterol checked and got the results back. My total is 280 (should be >200). Triglycerides 176 (should be >150) and LDL 206 (should be >100). SO........I have to start statins to get that under control. However you can't breast feed on that class of medication. So I am going to really make an effort to get my numbers down during the rest of the time I'm breast feeding. Hopefully I can take a low dose. I don't believe I can control it with diet and exercise just because of my family history but I'd like to avoid a high dose at this point. I'm looking at A LOT of years of taking statins. Since they ruin your liver I'd prefer not to destroy mine with medicine before my kids are out of high school.

Trying out the Bumbo

Gus really isn't quite ready for the Bumbo, but he can hold his head up for a couple of minutes. He loved looking around for a little bit before he couldn't hold his head up anymore and slumped.

Reese remembered this was his and gave it another whirl.

A moment of brotherly love.

Garden

Finally some stuff is growing!!! Actually I've harvested some zucchini already but we got over run by some mold, so we chopped down the zucchini. Bummer. I didn't get very much before the mold took over.

But my tomatoes are finally growing! These are heirloom beefsteak. I can't wait for them to be ready!! Unfortunately my cherry tomatoes all roasted in the heatwave, so we'll have none for salads. Last year I had hybrid jellybean tomatoes that were the yummiest ever, but I couldn't find those seeds this year.

Just look at these cute bell peppers! I planted a little late so I really hope these are ready before the growing season ends. Last year our plants didn't survive so I'm pretty excited we actually have something to see! Woo hoo!

menu plan monday

Last week I totally forgot to take a picture of my beautiful lasagna! It turned out quite yummy! Here is the recipe I used:
30 oz ricotta
2 cups mozzarella
1/4 cup Parmesan
2 eggs
2 26 oz jars of sauce
noodles
diced zucchini from the garden
mushrooms
10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thaw and squeeze out liquid

Cook mushrooms and zucchini with some minced garlic. Mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan, 2 eggs, and spinach. Mix zucchini and mushrooms into sauce (also put your meat here if you like meat sauce). Put one cup of sauce in 9 x 13 pan, layer uncooked noodles to fill the pan, cup of sauce, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, sauce, noodles, sauce, ricotta, sauce, noodles, sauce. Cover with aluminum foil, bake at 375 1 hour. Remove foil, sprinkle one cup mozzarella, bake 10 more minutes. Serve!!

This uses more sauce than a traditional recipe so you can use normal lasagna noodles and skip the pre-boiling step.

For this week we have 5 doctors appointments int he day before Kyle leaves for work at 3pm. So.........I think I am going to try to prep dinner the night before so it's essentially ready otherwise we'll eat out every day while we're out at the various doctors. I think I'll just plan meals and we'll eat them as we feel like instead of assigning a day. This week in no particular order we will eat:

• spaghetti and aidell's meatballs
• 15 bean cajun soup (recipe on bag of dry beans)
• teriyaki chicken with brown rice and peas
  
• nachos with ground beef, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, salsa
  
• veggie fried rice and egg rolls
  
• leftovers

For more meal plan ideas check out OrgJunkie