Friday, October 23, 2009

Yummy Fall Treats


(1) I made this yummy snack mix for our playgroup tomorrow that is supposed to meet a the pumpkin patch. {We are hopeful that the rain will hold off.} Claire had fun dumping the bags of treats into a huge pot and then I just shook it all up. I found some cute Halloween treat bags on sale at Hobby Lobby so we bagged them up for tomorrow.

Here is the recipe from Southern Lady Magazine:
2 16oz. bags Reece pieces candy
2 bags Brach's Autumn Mix (with candy corn and marshmallow pumpkins)
4c. white chocolate covered pretzels (I omitted these b/c my store was out)
4c. milk chocolate covered pretzels
12oz. container Whoppers
2 16oz. bags orange slices
1 16oz. box Cheez-It crackers

Combine all ingredients and store in airtight container.


(2) Glazed Apple Bars: TO DIE FOR! This is one of the best desserts I have ever had. Of course, apple pie is one of my most favorite things and this little bar is like holding apple pie goodness in your hand. As you can see, Will and I already put a pretty big dent in the pan.

Go here for the recipe. I cooked mine a little longer than the recipe says and added a little more water to the glaze to make it pouring consistency. Next time I make these, I think I will add an extra apple too.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

In today's news ...

The firetruck came to the kids' preschool today and everyone got their own fireman's hat.


The kids acting silly with Daddy before dinner. Who knew you could use a lap tray as a kitchen sled.


Looks like everyone had a good time!


David thoroughly enjoyed his Halloween Oreo cookie. And he said "cheese" for the picture.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

We were in panic mode!

My nanny had her baby on Monday morning. 6 weeks early. Yikes. Needless to say, I knew this day was coming, I just didn't know it was coming so soon.

(Despite being a little early, baby Isabella is healthy and got to come home from the hospital with the new parents today. We hope to visit them soon after my kids get over their runny noses.)

Back to my problem: childcare. My sweet friend Krystie volunteered to help out with the kids on day a week. Today was her first day. The kids went to her house and had a ball with her two girls.

Here are Claire and S. picking flowers. Claire brought home a lovely bouquet for me.



Here it is.



These two may be trouble!



She even caught a picture of baby brother. That is quite an accomplishment.



He didn't stick around for long though. He had to check under the trampoline for monsters!



My kids were pooped when we got home today. We fed them, bathed them and put them to bed! Thanks K.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

David: 18 months old


I cannot believe my sweet baby boy is 18 months old this month. He's really not such a baby anymore ... he is starting to look like a little boy!

He has changed a lot over the past 3 months.

-he has now outgrown his 12M clothing and is in full 18M clothing mode. Shoe size is 5.

-I will be back with height and weight stats later ... we don't go for our well-check until the end of the month.

-he loves to play outside, especially with our Fisher Price golf club set. He is quit good at hitting the ball with the golf club. He also really likes to throw balls ... well, pretty much anything ... food, the hedge apples outside, etc.

-he likes to eat chicken nuggets, french fries, veggie chips and bananas. He really likes pretty much any fruit. Now that strawberries and blueberries are out of season, I may have to take out a loan to pay for all this fruit my kids eat! David does not like hot dogs, which is really problematic since my kids normally eat hot dogs for lunch about 3 times/week. He doesn't really seem to like peanut butter either. He can throw down some cake and ice cream though. He had plenty of that in utero, which is probably why he likes it so much!

-he can feed himself with a fork ... if he can stab it, he can get it in his mouth. Feeding with a spoon? Not so good. He will get the spoon to his mouth and then turn it over before he gets it in and all the food falls off.

-he is VERY independent and will not let us help him get said spoon into his mouth the correct way. He does not really like to be carried anymore either and will wrestle his way down out of your arms. This is especially fun when we are in public places like pick-up at school, a gymnastics birthday party for a 4-year-old or Chuck-E-Cheese. He has spent many a soccer game whining in the stroller. Otherwise, he would out of the field too.

-he has started going to Mother's Day Out two days a week. His teachers are THE BEST and he seems to have fun. He sure is excited to see my when I come to pick him up and as soon as he gets in my arms, he starts yelling "bye-bye" loudly and waving real big. Warms a mother's heart.

-his personality has really started to develop. He is such a sweet boy, even though he can get into some trouble quick. He will get the biggest grin on his face when you catch his eye and then turn his head away and act shy. And he already loves to flirt with older girls. He is going to be a heart breaker one day.

-he is talking A LOT. Still not saying a ton of words, but he has picked up a few new ones like bubbles, ball, banana, bathtub, "moo" and no. He also shakes his head no when he is finished eating if you try to feed him more. He also says a couple of phrases like, "where's David" and "good job". One morning, he even said "let's go" as we were finishing getting ready for church.

-he loves to play in his sister's room ... including wearing her princess dress-up shoes and necklaces. We are going to have to invest in some boy dress-up clothes. Pronto. He really loves to put any shoes on and frequently gets my shoes out of my closet. He also loves to play chase, hide & seek and tackle with Claire and Daddy. He also really likes to play peek-a-boo with Mommy and will cover his eyes with his hand or his favorite bedtime blankets.

-he loves to read books and will go get a book out of his book basket in his room at bedtime if you tell him too. He will proceed to sit down on the floor and pretend to read the book.

-he likes to watch the DVD player in the car. If it is not on, he will point to where it is and whine (even if we are in Will's car that doesn't have a DVD player). He is a big fan of the movie "Cars" and the Praise Baby DVDs (which will and I affectionately call "Baby Crack" because it always calms the kids down and puts them in a quiet zone no matter what their previous mood). He does not like some of Claire's more girly movies like "The Little Mermaid" and he is not afraid to tell you about it!

-he gives the BEST kisses. When it is bedtime and we are telling him "night, night", he will start leaning towards you and make a clicking sound (like a kiss) with his mouth. It's pretty darn cute. And then, sometimes, he will lean towards you with his mouth open and tongue out for a big sloppy kiss. (Daddy usually only gets those kisses for some reason.)

-FINALLY, he has the sweetest little singing voice just like his big sister. He has learned several new songs since he started Mother's Day Out, like "Wheels on the Bus" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". I love to hear him singing over the monitor in the morning when he first wakes up. He doesn't quite have all the words down, but he hums the tune so that you know exactly what he is singing.

**UPDATE: stats from the 18-month doctor's visit. Weight: 24 lbs., 13 oz. (30th percentile). Height: 33-3/8 inches (76th percentile). Head circumference: 20-1/4 inches (>97th percentile).

Monday, October 19, 2009

Menu Plan Monday: October 19-25


This week's meal plan is going up a little late because my nanny had her baby this morning ... 7 weeks early. Yikes! Needless to say, I have been scrambling around trying to get childcare lined up. I thought I had a little more time. Please say a prayer for baby Isabella since she arrived a little early. So far, everything is looking good.

We loved this Easy Chicken Soup I made last week and it is quick and easy. My picky 3-1/2 year old even gobbled it up. We didn't actually get around to eating the Cheez-It Chicken, but I made two pans of it and froze one and sent the other one to a couple in a our Sunday School class that just had a baby. It looked and smelled yummy!!

Monday: Glazed tilapia (from the freezer at Costco), steamed broccoli & carrots, scalloped corn

Tuesday: Eat out after Claire's soccer game

Wednesday: Cheez-It Chicken, mashed potatoes, Asian slaw

Thursday: Chicken Parmesan, salad, garlic bread

Friday: Chili at a friend's house then off to see the spooky zoo

Saturday: Game day food (TBD)

Sunday: Elegant pork chops, green beans, rolls

Check out other menu plans here.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Claire's Big Weekend

A couple of weekends ago, Will's parents came to town on Friday afternoon with Claire's cousins, Davis & Breanna in tow. They stayed at a hotel on Friday night and swam their little hearts out. On Saturday morning, they hit the hotel pool at 7:00 AM, ate breakfast and then headed to Claire's soccer game.

Claire had quite the little cheering section at the game. And her play was much improved from her first game. She didn't stand with the coach the entire time (and try to hold his hand) and she actually kicked the ball a couple of times.

Pre-game warm-up with sub-Coach Nate.



Claire's cheering section.

Breanna & Davis-Claire's cousins. She is just crazy about these two.

There is some serious team strategy going on in this picture.

Cousins!

SCORE!

After the soccer game, Will's parents took the big kids to lunch (David had to stay with us) and then to see Disney on Ice. Claire loved seeing all the Disney characters ice skating. She has been telling me for about a month now that she didn't have any ice skates (she was worried) because she didn't get that she was going to WATCH the ice skating. She loved it and Will's mom said she sang all the princess songs. I kind of wish we could have gone too! But, Will and I enjoyed a nice peaceful day at home watching Alabama football and remembering how easy it is to only take care of one child. Even if that one child is such the handful right now.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Re-Gifting ...

at its finest. We gave this garage to my nephew for Christmas last year. Since he recently celebrated a birthday, my sister was trying to make room for all of his new toys and asked if we wanted the garage for David. I said, "Absolutely. Yes!"

As you can see from David's BIG smile, it was a BIG hit.





Do you re-gift? I do sometimes, but only if the item is: (1) new/unused, and (2) something I would give the person anyway. It is the thought that counts right? We are thankful that Aunt Ashley thought of us when she was getting rid of Ian's outgrown toys!