Learning to eat is messy business

Confession time. Potty training and solid foods are two of my least favorite developmental milestones. I feel a tremendous amount of anxiety when my kids are learning to use the potty (like the not-going-out-of-the-house kind of anxiety). Also, I can't stand feeding a baby solid foods when they spit most of it out onto their belly. Especially when they are teething simultaneously. That means there will be drool mixed with spit-out food. A combination that I, once again, think belongs to something out of a John Carpenter movie.

Thankfully, I have an 8-year-old. And he thinks that watching a baby eat solid foods is the funniest thing since Spongebob split his pants. Instead of stressing, I just invite Cole to come watch, shuck the baby's clothes, throw him into a plastic containment center (i.e. high chair), and get the camera out. What results is good for immediate AND future laughter.

Here are some pictures of the last two 'sessions'.

Happy start to a feeding session...mom forgot a bib

This expression made me laugh

Again, he is seriously concentrating on eating.

I'm pretty sure he's using the force to get the spoon closer to his mouth.
Doesn't he look like Quado from Total Recall?
This is the face you make after gagging yourself with a spoon.
(Imagine him laughing like Popeye)

Look for my next post - Potty training is messy business. (Just kidding)

I'm in love

Every one of my children is a beautiful enigma to me. I can't express how amazed I am that THESE are my kids. They are all supremely different from one another and yet all COMPLETELY perfect for me. If you've read my blogs from when Cade was born, you'll remember me doing some whining about how slow he was in forming a personality. What's the saying about good things and waiting?

H-O-L-Y C-O-W, I'm in love with this baby. When he's laid back, his dead-pan expression cracks me up. He literally stares at me with no expression until I feel his eyes boring into me. Once I look at him, no expression turns to wiggle-grin. He waits for my attention.

Today, I seriously started worrying about introducing him to solids. I can't get him to eat rice cereal because he won't stop laughing long enough to swallow. He ends up spewing it all over himself and me in fits of laughter. What on earth is so funny about the way I feed him? I haven't the foggiest, but we are both sitting there getting doused and laughing at each other.






And, what is so funny about a diaper change? I can only guess that it's the cool air on his 'man parts.' But, that doesn't explain why he cracks up when I'm changing his clothes. All three of my older ones screamed bloody murder when I changed their tops. Like I was trying to garrote them with their own shirt. Cade finds it incredibly amusing.

I'm in love. I'm blessed. I'm incredibly amazed at God's willingness to entrust me with these treasures.

Princess Bride makes me laugh.
Anchorman makes me snort drinks through my nose.
Funniest Home Videos makes me wonder why I don't have my video camera out more often.

But these kids, they make me smile in the deepest parts of my heart. They make me laugh through my bad days. They inspire me, encourage me, and entertain me. They are my very tangible reminders of grace. Of mercy.

Dr. Seuss' Pot Roast

A little background - I've just learned to cook this year. My family didn't starve before I became Stay-at-Home-Mom-Extraordinaire, but we ate mostly spaghetti, meatloaf, or pizza.

I learned several things about food in the past year. For instance, using rice vinegar instead of cider vinegar in a sauce for meatballs renders a good flavor, but literally singes the nostrils as it cooks.

Sugar-in-the-raw does NOT cook the same as regular sugar.

Thyme is not a great substitute for Rosemary in a recipe called "Rosemary Bread."

Dried cranberries are a MUCH favored replacement for raisins with my family in oatmeal raisin cookies.

Today, I learned a lesson in garlic. In my entire life (a whopping 36 years), I have never witnessed a weirder scientific reaction in a dish I was preparing.

I threw a bunch of ingredients into a slow cooker this morning and took off for church. When I got home, the house smelled so good - I couldn't help but go over and admire the pot roast that was in process.

Imagine my surprise as I approached the slow cooker and saw something teal-colored under the glass top. I opened the lid to discover this:





Is that TEAL garlic? I assure you, the garlic was white when I minced it. First thing to do - call Chad over to marvel at the garlic. Next step was to call my parents to ask them if they knew what the deal was. Final step, Google 'blue garlic'.

Turns out, there's a scientific reason why my garlic looks like something Sam I Am would hesitate to try. I won't bore you with the details, but it turns out that it's perfectly safe to eat teal garlic. Well, as long as it isn't teal when you buy it!

Here's a website that explains why my garlic turned blue. No, it wasn't holding it's breath because my cooking it that bad.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/bluegarlic.htm

Child of Convenience

This has been an interesting year in lessons for me. I was laid off from my job in May, and Chad and I decided that we'd make the sacrifices necessary for me to stay home with the kids. The hardest lesson I learned was how NOT to spend money like we both still had jobs!

In an effort to be a good steward of my family's new financial situation, I started researching budgeting topics. The ones of most interest to me were related to my new job - so grocery shopping for a family of 6 without going broke! I found a website that had great information (www.budget101.com).

I learned that I could make my own...well, anything. I read the list with a growing excitement - this was going to be an adventure!

Make my own baby food - check!

Make my own bread - check!

Make my own pasta - check!

Make my own brownie mix - check!

Make my own........wait...what was that? Did they say I could make my own BROWNIE MIX??? You mean to tell me that the box of brownie mix I buy at the store is made from ingredients just ANYONE can walk into a store and buy? People made brownies before brownie mix?

Oh, but there was more. Did you know that people can make their own cake? CAKE without a CAKE MIX?? Onion soup mix, ranch dressing, refried beans, yogurt - you can make all of it without having to buy a package!

My mom and dad had a good laugh at me as I shared this revelation with them. I am a child of pre-packaged convenience. I am a remote control child. I am an indoor plumbing, color tv, video games, McNuggets, brownie-mix child.

I made my first batch of completely home-made brownies - in total wonderment. My children fell over themselves trying to get to them. They exclaimed for days that they were the best brownies EVER. And now, they ask me if everything I put in front of them is 'home-made-from-scratch.' They, too, are mystified at this new world where Convenience Mom has turned into Homemade Mom.

Facial Expressions

This one is really just for fun. I'm looking through pictures to take with me on a scrapbooking weekend in February and I find myself laughing at Cade's facial expressions. I give you permission to laugh at my baby.

"Are you really going to take pictures while this toy is being so agressive?"

"Why do you keep blinding me with that light box?"

"Mmmm-hmmm. Whatever."

"I don't think I like your tone of voice, Mr Lion. Don't make me go all ninja turtle on you. "

"Shhhh...wait...did you hear that?"

"We meet again, my musical toy nemesis. This time I will conquer your buttons."

"Paparazzi. You disgust me."

"Hey, Bubba, check out my De Niro imitation!"

"I just know this is going to end in a headbutt."

"God? Is that you in the musical toy?"

And finally, because he really is a cute baby, I'll end with these two pictures:

Pictures I will definitely show to their significant others someday...

Each year, Chad's parents buy all the kids pajamas. I didn't grow up in a 'pj' family. Getting dressed into a 'pre-bed' outfit never made sense to me and I certainly can't sleep in pj's because I have a tendency to twirl my legs into a giant, claustrophobic taco made of sheets. But, the kids love their pj's, so I love the gift because, like I said, I never think about buying pajamas.

This year, the pajamas Pearce and Cole received had one of those devices sewn in that flashes when the fabric moves. You can't just hit the device - Pearce tried that - it only flashes with movement.

These are the pictures I took of Pearce and Cole trying to get their pajamas to flash.







P.S. - I'm writing this while wearing pajama bottoms. I've been partially converted. I still prefer t-shirts on top, but I LOVE the pajama bottoms for wearing around the house.

2008 - Year in Review

This isn't going to be a chronological review of our year. This is a random pass through our year and the random thoughts I have that go with it.


This is one of the first pictures of Stone in 2008. He's still just a baby, but looks so much more grown up now. He's watching a Spider Man trailer on the computer in this pic.



Here's a picture of Stone's big birthday present and the people who enjoyed it the day he got it:




This was a big fishing year. Chad sold the ski boat and bought a fishing boat. Pearce and Cole caught their first fish:




...and Pearce discovered of himself, after watching Chad fillet his fish, that he's a catch-n-release guy:




I watched Pearce and Cole fall effortlessly into their roll as big brother to Stone:



I know that the trampoline was a good gift:



Pearce and Cole are growing up so fast. I realized this while looking at these pictures of them in a relay race. When they were younger, they ran with glee. Now, they run with purpose:




I noticed that my kids have a 'pool personality'

Pearce is the weapons expert:




Cole is the camera clown:



And, after taking an unexpected fall into a pool, Stone is a side sitter/splasher:





Oh, and there was one more small thing about this year that is noteworthy:


I can't wait to see what my camera reveals to me at the end of 2009. Happy New Year!!!