Again...

I'd just like to say that I've met my quota for sick days this year and I don't think a mother of 3 should EVER get sick. Kids just don't understand. They don't even think my sexy raspy, or rather "you sound awful" voice is cool. I used to get Tyler to fall asleep for naps while reading her but since this new voice has appeared I can't get her to settle down. Don't know what that says about my "normal" voice, but if it gets the kids to sleep I'll keep it.

Last night when I couldn't sleep I convinced myself I had pneumonia. I finally went to urgent care this morning and found out I'm just a baby with a really bad cold that should be gone in 7-10 days after it started. By then One of my kids will pry breakout with the chickenpox. Why they told me to take Claritin, an allergy medicine is beyond me. Our pediatrician called this evening and when John told him, he chuckled and said "Tell Melanie she can ignore that advice if she'd like."

I hate this time of year-cold & flu season!

Weekend Fun-Kids

It rained buckets all day Saturday which results in:
and then this:

Sopping wet clothes-we even ended up pouring about a cup of mud water out of Tyler's boots.
And this:

John told me Tyler took a couple of tumbles, one being a faceplant right into a HUGE puddle. Sadly I wished we'd gotten that on camera, only because she popped right up and kept on running around. That'a girl...

Our newest Piano/Singing Sensation

She's is sporting a beautiful North Richland High Track T-shirt (aka Tyler's craft apron). Apparently we need a lesson on Morality to go with some piano lessons.

Spring Break?

I've decided it's titled Spring Break to give the teachers and bus drivers a break from the kids. I mean for most they have our kids how many hours a day? This "break", and after only one day mind you has me fit to be tied. I went into this without a plan and it's been one of those days where the kids and I both needed some direction or at least some sun. Or maybe it's just in the air as Tate was struggling today as well-lots of holding, not so much eating or sleeping. Tomorrow is another day...

The thought comes to mind, Count your Blessings so here I go: I have children, there was a good 15 minutes when McKenna and Tyler actually played together without any screaming and a good husband who came home early without me asking him too. Plus I had a meal out that I just had to throw in the oven-Thank you 30 meals!

03-26-09

Yesterday it was actually warm, no sun, but warm and the streets were busy last night with activity as we all came out of our homes to enjoy the non-rainy weather. Our neighbor Freddie brought a lil chick over for the girls to see which was really fun.

John came home from a meeting last night and Tate was feeling a bit snuggly, I decided to snap a picture of them together

and then the smiles started coming out.

He's not Camera Shy.

I found I don't take nearly as many pictures as I used to since Tyler decided the camera and the computer are her new toys. Everytime she sees the camera she "needs" to take pictures and cries and begs for it. Yeah that was a bad thing to let her start, it only took once, ok maybe twice. Funny thing she's actually quite good with the camera, too bad she doesn't like the one they got for Christmas which is actually kid proof.

My time on the computer is limited to nap times and after the kids go to bed as Tyler has learned to use the mouse and loves to play and color on Fisher-price.com and Sesame Street and thinks if the computer is on its for her to "play" games. It's ok, I've been able to control my blog reading & writing addiction.

Monkey see, Monkey do-it's good for both of us to keep the computer off. :)

With my new found time, right...I found a recipe for Cheryl's Quick Bread Sticks. I don't know who Cheryl is but her Bread Sticks are YUMMY! and Easy!

1-1/2 c warm water mixed with 1 TBS yeast, 1 tsp salt and 2 Tbs Sugar.

After it gets bubbly stir in 3-1/2 to 4 cups flour. Mix Well & Knead.

Let Raise til double, Shape, rise again. Bake 400 degrees for 10-12 min.

McKenna

It's been a week since I sat down to post and thought I should jot down a thing or two about what's happened this week. Let's see...

Last Sunday after church we were all sitting around the kitchen table for lunch with our "long noodles" aka Ramen and McKenna started telling us the agenda for the afternoon, "Lunch, and then not a movie, first naps and stories then a movie, hot chocolate and popcorn." I don't know if she was reminding herself, but the interesting point being John always makes them popcorn for their snack while I'm usually napping on Sunday afternoons, it's one of his things, so she must have been looking forward to it. Not only that but she didn't put up any fights that afternoon-she went and got in bed and quietly waited for her story before naps, used the potty w/out a refusal, got ready for bed and brushed her teeth. It was an amazing transformation and appreciated change of pace.

Her behavior actually continued like that for a few days-and looking back I really think it has something to do with John being home last week. Last Thurs-Saturday he didn't work on the kitchen at all, spent all his free time with the girls playing and/or helping me clean the house. (Apparently I wasn't the only one who LOVED having the Daddy home.) I can see she really is trying harder to do what is right. She really tries to not scream (as often) when Tyler takes whatever toy she is playing with, she's been rather successful at not hitting when she gets frustrated, and has gotten quite good at expressing herself by folding her arms, putting on a rather stern face and saying, "I'm mad" (funny-I've been trying to do the same thing.) None of us are perfect-so I'll just focus on the positive :) and not the occassional bad day, at least not today.

Plus-I ran out of Pull-Ups for McKenna and has forced her to use her underwear. She's done really well with only a few incidents of not making it to the bathroom quick enough. Now if I could only figure out how to get through the night or teach her how to wake up to use the bathroom. Any suggestions?

Come and Gone

Almost a week has passed since my sister's came to visit. I had such a good time with them, just relishingin their company. Brooke and Shelly are just witty and funny, they always know how to make me smile. We started the weekend off with Sushi at a place called something like Ocean C-which is this sushi place where you sit and a conveyer belt goes by with different sushi dishes in it. The plates are color coded according to price. It wasn't the most expensive Sushi you could buy, but I haven't had Sushi in over a year and I loved every bite of it. We then did a little shopping and sight seeing (or rather people watching), Tate didn't go without his jabs-He just sat in his car seat staring, once or twice he make a lil noise to let me know he needed to get out of the car seat and S&B would just laugh asking, "is that his cry?" He really is a great kid.

Poor Brooke came down with a nasty cold right before they came and sadly we didn't help matters because she went home with walking pneumonia. :( But she didn't let it affect her attitude and she was in good spirits the whole time she was here. She did try and protect the girls, everytime McKenna would go sit by her or try to get too close Brooke would very politely I might add tell her to back up so she wouldn't get sick. Leslie pleasantly surprised me Saturday morning with the Movie "Twilight" and a bag FULL of treats. We tried to watch it Saturday night, but we're all getting older and well the girls-my sisters never made it to the end. I was surpised that John liked it so well. Wondered what he would think of it having not read it and hearing so much from me.

All to quickly the weekend was over and I was taking them back to the airport.

Birthday Wishes Come True!

The festivities don't really start until tomorrow/today/Friday, but today was my birthday. It has seriously been one of the BEST birthdays! John was soo sweet and took today and Friday off work to help with the girls and such. So after taking care of Tate I was able to climb back in bed for a lil more R&R. Then my favorite part began-just a lil after 8 am the phone calls, the birthday wishes, the personal singing of Happy Birthday. I love it all, talking and hearing from my family and friends. I guess it's a Love Language for me because it really does mean so much to me!

John also took the girls for a couple of hours so I could try and get some laundry and cleaning done around the house. I also took advantage of the time to finish the Gilmore Girls-started the series like 2 or 3 years ago and finally got the last dvd through netflix yesterday.

This evening I was able to escape and to go to the church for homemaking, "Becoming an 8 Cow Woman". It was a wonderful evening spent with friends with Chinese haystacks for dinner and then 3 wonderful classes: Holy Cow, Madd Cow, and Udderly Love. The women who taught the class are both wonderfully wise and insightful and I wish I could sum up the lessons as elloquently as they deserved to be. As they were wrapping things up I was surprised by all the sisters singing, "Happy Birthday." In years past I pry would have fallen to the floor, but in my wise old age I'm becoming a lil more graceful and appreciative of such gesters. Still not all that comfortable with that much attention and eyes on me, but alas it was really quite sweet of them.

Afterwards I came home with a few of the girls for ice cream and a little chatting (which lasted until just before midnight-haven't done that since pry before I was married). I was excited & surprised to find my kitchen very clean and a couple of birthday gifts (Wii & Wii FIT- WAHOO!!!!!) from John and the girls on the table.

It's been a wonderful birthday that gets to continue on tomorrow with the arrival of my sisters. So very excited to spend the weekend with them and so very thankful for such wonderful family and friends. Thank you for making me feel so very loved!

John's Thumb-update

The saga continues... Last December when they pulled the pin out of John's thumb they told him to protect it and sent him home. That night as he played with the girls (as all good fathers do) McKenna fell back and hit it and re-broke it.

The last couple of months he has basically been waiting and watching to see if things would improve on their own. He finally resolved that it was time for action and after seeing the Dr and getting an x-ray last week it was decided on a 2nd surgery.

X-ray taken 03-10-09

Monday he had the 2nd surgery where they placed a screw in his thumb. This a semi-permanent thing that will hopefully avoid another easy break and another surgery.

X-rays of the screw in his Thumb

Kitchen continues to Progress

Beach Party

I've found I'm a sucker for pajamas and swimming suits and yesterday when the girls and I went into Costco I became victimized. They had the cutest lil swimsuits and covers. The suits had these frilly skirts on them, who could resist? The good news is McKenna is always more willing and cooperative to use the bathroom to get this kind of incentive. So this morning after I declared they wouldn't get the swimsuits until after successful trips to the bathroom, while I was feeding Tate in the peace and quiet of my room I heard the girls utelizing their independence in a way that makes us all happy.

This was the end result:

This is one of the covers-so cute!

Shamrocks-Happy St. Patrick's Day

I was recently reminded I have been slacking in my holiday history blogs. I had actually forgotten and am happy to jump back on the band wagon. I decided to start with St. Patrick's since it is still one of my favorite holidays. As a child I used to look through the clover in our lawn when a patch would emerge and try to find a 4-leaf clover. I was sure it would bring me good luck. I saw a banner on MSN asking about the history of Shamrocks and thought i'd do a little research. The history channel was once again was the most insightful without losing my interest: Short and sweet.

Picture of red clover leaf.David Beaulieu

Symbols and Traditions-The Shamrock
The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

I also learned that Corned Beef has only been an Irish meal since the turn of the century when Irish American could afford it in NYC. In lew of the holiday we'll be having it for dinner and for sandwiches for the next few days. YUMMY!

I tried to bring in a little fun today with some green mac'n cheese. I was excited and thought the girls would be too, especially McKenna who recently read and did a craft at school with Green Eggs and Ham. Alas she ordered "orange noodlels and cheese" declaring my fun unfit. I admit I didn't give in, instead I took pictures of her leftovers.

Haircuts & Girl time

McKenna and I had a lil girl time today and we went and got our hair cut this morning. Last time I got made fun of for saying I "chopped" my hair because it wasn't all that short. I think I might get to claim the "chop" this time.

It was a novelty for McKenna, I got my hair cut first so she could see. She would wander back and forth between the toys and I asking for her turn and telling me her hair was too long. By the time Kirstan was teaching me how to style it McKenna was trying to pull me out of the chair. Kirstan hadn't finished combing her hair when McKenna started fidgeting wanting to be done. :) She's a crack up, but was very pleased with her 2" cut. Her hair was so long it was constantly getting food in it, caught in her coat zippers, and caught on anything sticky.

Why do lil kids hate posing for pictures so much? Over exposure?

My inspiration came from none other than Faith Hill (those who know me won't be too surprised). She was on the cover of Shape Magazine in December. As a birthday present to herself for turning 40 she got herself in bikini swimsuit shape. Loved her hair and I hope I too look like her when I turn 40, as a gift to myself. :)

As a side note Tonight Tyler cleaned up the front room with me without being asked. She saw me folding a blanket and just started to pitch in. Made me smile-even if a few items were just pushed under the entertainment center and couch, but most of it she put where it belonged. That's MY girl. :) Always claim the good stuff after myself right? Right....

The closest I've come to getting all 3 kids in a picture

30 meals in 2 days

I have an ambitious friend (we will call her Leslie) who lets me tag along on her big ideas and feel like I'm a productive & organized type of Mom. A few months ago she found a book called "30 Meals in One Day:Dinner is Ready". Sounds ambitious doesn't it? Let me tell you it is, but with Leslie's organization skills and drive, and my support :) we made it happen.

We spent Monday night shopping and the last couple of days putting the meals together. It was more like 40 meals in 2 days, pry about 25 different recipes. She has a lil boy about 6 months younger than Tyler so we decided to get a babysitter to help watch the kids while we combined our efforts to make this happen. I have to admit between poopy diapers, nursing and screaming (all from my kids) Leslie did most of the work, but I was happy to provide the work space in my fabulous (almost completed) kitchen. This is what it was designed to do, provide the space needed to make lots & lots of food.

I have pictures but currently having a lil computer problem and unable to download them. Yes Leslie I did have a lot of fun and look forward to doing it with the kids at a different location. :)

Anyone interested I would definitely go get this book, it has an awesome computer program with it where you pick the recipes, which falli n the categories: Stove Top, Slow Cook, Oven & Assemble. It has recipe cards, freezer labels and shopping lists ready to print. It even takes the different recipes and combines them with the total amounts for the shopping lists, categorized.

The recipes I used:
Sweet and Sour Chicken - Stovetop Meal
Ham and Potatoes Scallop - Assembly Meal
Chicken and Broccoli - Assembly Meal
Chicken and Biscuits - Assembly Meal
Beef and Broccoli - Assembly Meal
Beef Stroganoff - Crockpot Meal
Chicken Tortilla Soup - Stovetop Meal
Honey Lime Chicken - Stovetop Meal
Navajo Tacos - Assembly Meal
Baked Chicken in Gravy - Oven Meal
Bacon Meatloaf - Assembly Meal
Peachy Chicken - Stove Top
Tortilla Chicken - Assembly Meal
Salisbury Steak - Assembly Meal
Creamed Corn & Beef - Assembly
Almost Ravioli - Assembly Meal

Kaitlyn Jayne Harris is here!

Congratulations to my lil brother& his family:

James, Laura & Justin

welcomed their beautiful new baby girl

into the family last night at 9:12 pm.

She was 7.36 lbs and 18 inches long.

I hear Mom and baby are doing fabulous!

Kindergarten Already?

This afternoon McKenna and I went to Maple Lawn Elementary school to register for Kindergarten. This will be her 3rd elementary school in the past couple of years. She was in Annette Bowen's preschool class at Liberty Ridge last year and this year she's in Christen Robinson's preschool class at Daffodil Elementary. McKenna is really excited to be going to school with the "big kids" next year. She' not quite able to say Kindergarten yet, it comes out more as "my garden" but that doesn't curb her enthusiasm any.


I wish I was as excited, but I'm just nervous, really nervous! I was planning on holding her back another year as I'm not sure she is as ready as she could or should be, but the district has really pushed the issue since her birthday falls before August 31st. Is a Mom really ever ready to send her first child to school? Will the kids be nice, will she make friends? Can we keep up and do the school work? The whole thing stresses me out.

It's got me thinking about my own kindergarten experience. I loved Kindergarten with Mrs Brockbank. I had my first crush on a kid names Thomas Footman-I even named my stuffed grover after him. The bathrooms had a giant Raggedy Ann on the tile in it. I loved freeplay and snack time. I don't remember my first day of school or riding the bus, just the really important stuff.

John remembers getting in trouble at the play dough table for talking to much and having to sit in cirlce time by himself. He also remembers him and Timothy Freeman sticking thier tongues out at each other during circle time. On the first day of school he sat waiting for his Mom to come pick him up from school. When she didn't show up he called her from school and asked why she didn't come, her response was he was supposed to walk home since they were only a couple of blocks from school.

Models

My good friend Leslie took Tyler on a photo-shoot out in the Mud on Tuesday for her 2 year old pictures

and then came back and took more of Tate in his blessing clothes for his 3 month pictures.

Little Sad Man Tate

Leslie has even set up a slideshow for you to see her results with Tyler:

Fun Bright Colors

I'm pretty happy with the results. Thanks Leslie!

Tummy Time

Tate hasn't been exposed to tummy time like he should, so apparently he's decided to help out. After changing his diaper I left him on the floor and ran to throw the diaper away-I heard him fuss, but since he isn't my 1st baby I didn't run back to him. When I finally got back a few minutes later I found him on his stomach, sucking his fist. He's rolled a few times onto his side, more frequently these days, but this is a first for his tummy. Good job Tate!

Spring, Come and Gone in a Flash

It's been a perfect beautiful Spring day-It was finally warm around 60 degrees, the sun was shining, a lil breeze was blowing. Tate and I got out for a few minutes to enjoy it and as we were walking back in the house we looked up and saw some ugly black clouds rolling in. about an hour later the sun disappeared the wind picked up, then there was a flash of lightening and a big BOOM! I know not everyone will agree but I think it was Awesome! Washington doesn't get a lot of thunderstorms and with each Crash my excitement grew. (The girls thought I was a little crazy).The rain came down in sheets and it was so clean and crisp and clear outside (other than the rain). I LOVE SPRING rain storms.

Date Night

Date? what's that? It seems like John and I spend all our free time doing household things and just trying to keep our heads above water with church, renovations and work. A week ago as we were having Family Home Evening John told the girls we (him & I) were going to go out the following weekend. I was pleasantly surprised and shocked at the announcement, he even found a babysitter. So this last weekend Carol & Everett Altig watched the kids while we got out for an evening. John was shocked when I expressed my desire to leave Tate home too. He's only 3 months old, but I really just wanted to get out kid-free. We called up our friends the Brower's and met them for pizza and adult conversation. It was so much fun!! I felt like we were "courting" again and it was so nice not to have to worry about a single child knowing they were at home with a wonderful pair of grandparents taking care of them.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Conversation between John and McKenna on the way to bed:

John: "Those are Daddy's books you need to leave them downstairs."
McKenna: "No"
John: "You're gonna read them huh?"
McKenna: "uh-huh"
John response: "They're in Spanish"
McKenna: "Hola"

Apparently we're teaching spanish in our home-Thanks Dora.

PS-Speaking of Dora, I was reading to Tyler one day, it came to a part where you were supposed to ask the gate to open in spanish and before I could tell her the answer she said, "Abre."

I was surprised and impressed by what both girls retain.