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| Getting a ride up the hill with daddy... pretty sweet deal! |
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| Lake Placid circa 1980?..........Nope. Toytown, PA. 2011 |
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Seize the Snow!
Mike somehow managed to make our very flat yard into an awesome sledding hill. He built up a huge hill on our deck (even bigger than the one in the pictures in the post below) and he and Owen went sledding in our yard all. weekend. long. They had the best time. Every free opportunity they had to go outside and take a few runs, they did. Owen would say, "Just one more!" and of coarse, they did. Over and over and over again. We did go over to Paige's house for a little sledding fun in her yard which has a big hill. My mom watched Adam so the three of us were able to go together. Tonight, after I put Adam to bed, I was able to go outside for some night time sledding fun with Owen and Mike. Aunt Judy and Uncle Boo stopped over to check it out. Here are some pictures from our sledding weekend :)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Bologna Fest & Playdates
I finally ordered another carseat for Owen. We had been managing with only 2, but it was time for another one so that we are not constantly having to take them in and out. Anyway, the box that the carseat came in has provided both my boys with LOTS of entertainment.
Yesterday we had a playdate with a friend of mine and her two kids who are close in age to Owen and Adam. She took a lot more pictures so I will post more when I get them from her. The kids had a great time playing together and I enjoyed having another adult here to talk to. They stayed all morning and had lunch with us before heading home. It really helped to make the day go by quickly!
I can't wait for our next playdate!
Our little town is well known for its bologna (aka- baloney) and when I was growing up we would go to the Bologna Festival every summer. They stopped doing it for some reason, but decided to start it back up again this year! However, instead of doing it over the summer when there are many other festivals going on, they did it in the winter when people are stuck indoors and need something fun and different to do. So last night we headed over the the Bologna Fest. We had a lot of fun. There were activities for kids and yummy food, including bologna hot dogs, bologna fries, and bologna sandwiches. Adam had fun testing out his new shoes. He walked, and walked, and walked. Then, he would stop at some random person and stare up at them, smile, and wait for them to smile back and talk to him. He is such a friendly, sociable guy and quite the ham!
Owen really wanted a cookie, but all they had were deep fried, sugar coated, Oreos which Lala kindly got for him. I didn't think he would like them, but I was very wrong. He LOVED them and we had to cut him off after two.
I told Lala she was welcome to take him back to her house for a sleepover after all that sugar. :) Thankfully, he was exhausted by the time we got home and fell right to sleep. He has not taken an afternoon nap all week so by 7pm he is wiped out!
There were a lot of other games and activities Owen would have liked to try, but Adam was getting fussy so we had to get home and put him to bed. I told him maybe we would go back again tonight, just he and I.
Today might be the one day Owen takes an afternoon nap. He played outside in the snow for about 3 hours this morning. He and Mike made a ramp off of our deck and were sledding all morning.
This afternoon we are going over to Paige's house for some big hill sledding :)
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| I love Adam's sweet smile in this picture. |
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| Owen decorated the box with markers. |
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| Both boys are inside the box "hiding" from me. |
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| Sometimes it's hard being the little brother. |
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| More playing in the box fort. |
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| Adam and his friend "J". They are only two months apart. |
Our little town is well known for its bologna (aka- baloney) and when I was growing up we would go to the Bologna Festival every summer. They stopped doing it for some reason, but decided to start it back up again this year! However, instead of doing it over the summer when there are many other festivals going on, they did it in the winter when people are stuck indoors and need something fun and different to do. So last night we headed over the the Bologna Fest. We had a lot of fun. There were activities for kids and yummy food, including bologna hot dogs, bologna fries, and bologna sandwiches. Adam had fun testing out his new shoes. He walked, and walked, and walked. Then, he would stop at some random person and stare up at them, smile, and wait for them to smile back and talk to him. He is such a friendly, sociable guy and quite the ham!
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| Owen attempting to make a basket. |
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| Spin Art! |
Owen really wanted a cookie, but all they had were deep fried, sugar coated, Oreos which Lala kindly got for him. I didn't think he would like them, but I was very wrong. He LOVED them and we had to cut him off after two.
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| "Step away from the Oreo" |
There were a lot of other games and activities Owen would have liked to try, but Adam was getting fussy so we had to get home and put him to bed. I told him maybe we would go back again tonight, just he and I.
Today might be the one day Owen takes an afternoon nap. He played outside in the snow for about 3 hours this morning. He and Mike made a ramp off of our deck and were sledding all morning.
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| Poor Owen. His boots are a little snug and now his snowpants look like floods. It's time for a bigger size :) |
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| This picture is hard to see, but Owen is sledding down on Mike's back. |
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| "Not a smart idea," I said to my third child. |
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Clean Eating
I am a horrible eater. I don't eat healthy and the majority of my calories come from bad carbs (although I've been doing better eating whole grain carbs). Mike, on the other hand, is a pretty healthy eater. He loves healthy food and is always trying to get me to eat healthier. I'll never forget when I was pregnant with Owen and he entered a "Biggest Loser" competition at work. He read the book Eat Right for Your Blood Type and followed it and lost 40 lbs. He was 200 lbs to start and won the competition at 160 lbs. Some people that knew him well were concerned that he was sick so they did not comment on his weight loss. I was proud of him for winning, yet annoyed that I weighed more at 9 months pregnant. I thought husbands were supposed to gain sympathy weight along with their pregnant wives! Anyway, obviously that was a little extreme and he has gained some of the weight back, but he is no where close to 200 lbs. anymore and he still chooses to eat foods that are "right" for his blood type. One thing he cut out, almost completely, is red meat and milk. He now drinks soy milk and whenever a recipe calls for meat, I use ground turkey instead (otherwise I pay for it ALL night.... if you know what I mean!). I, on the other hand, could not make the switch to soy. I still drink regular milk.
Since I've been off on maternity leave I have done a pretty good job making dinner most nights and I try to make healthy, well balanced meals. It can be tough with a picky three year old and a one year old that is just starting to eat solids on his own. My Zumba instructor has been talking a lot about "clean eating" and she has a blog where she records her exercise and healthy meals for the day. I decided to try to make some Clean Eating recipes myself. Mike was thrilled, but wondered why it always takes someone else to tell me something before I believe it or listen! ha! I went to the Clean Eating website and picked out some recipes to try this week. I made a very long and detailed grocery list and made sure I went to the store without my kids since I was buying some things I had never heard of (collard greens?) or bought before (black eyed peas). I timed myself and it took me almost exactly one hour (pretty long in my book). Surprisingly, our grocery bill was under $100 which is almost unheard of for us!!
Last night we had Boneless BBQ Pork Strips
and Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Collared Green and Potatoes
Both were a hit. Owen liked the pork, but I did not even try to get him to eat the stew. I was surprised how much I liked the stew. Mike said the it was good, and definitely tasted "clean". I am going to post the recipes on my recipe blog, mostly for my own use, but feel free to use them too if you are in need of some new dinner ideas. I know I am!!
Update: Last night I made the Monte Cristo Sandwich. It didn't go so well. The sandwich was pretty good, however making it was ROUGH. I had a fussy 11 month old clinging to my leg as I tried to move around the kitchen. At one point I wondered if the healthy sandwich, which involved a LOT of ingredients for just a sandwich, was really worth the hassle. I was in a rush because Mike was taking Owen to a hockey game, I was off to Zumba, and Aunt Judy was coming over to watch Adam. I realized that I need to find easier/faster Clean Eating recipes or ones that I can prepare ahead of time (like when the boys are napping) if I want to keep my sanity. :)
Since I've been off on maternity leave I have done a pretty good job making dinner most nights and I try to make healthy, well balanced meals. It can be tough with a picky three year old and a one year old that is just starting to eat solids on his own. My Zumba instructor has been talking a lot about "clean eating" and she has a blog where she records her exercise and healthy meals for the day. I decided to try to make some Clean Eating recipes myself. Mike was thrilled, but wondered why it always takes someone else to tell me something before I believe it or listen! ha! I went to the Clean Eating website and picked out some recipes to try this week. I made a very long and detailed grocery list and made sure I went to the store without my kids since I was buying some things I had never heard of (collard greens?) or bought before (black eyed peas). I timed myself and it took me almost exactly one hour (pretty long in my book). Surprisingly, our grocery bill was under $100 which is almost unheard of for us!!
Last night we had Boneless BBQ Pork Strips
and Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Collared Green and Potatoes
Update: Last night I made the Monte Cristo Sandwich. It didn't go so well. The sandwich was pretty good, however making it was ROUGH. I had a fussy 11 month old clinging to my leg as I tried to move around the kitchen. At one point I wondered if the healthy sandwich, which involved a LOT of ingredients for just a sandwich, was really worth the hassle. I was in a rush because Mike was taking Owen to a hockey game, I was off to Zumba, and Aunt Judy was coming over to watch Adam. I realized that I need to find easier/faster Clean Eating recipes or ones that I can prepare ahead of time (like when the boys are napping) if I want to keep my sanity. :)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Way Back Wednesday
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Double Whammy
Sickness has overtaken our house AGAIN. Last night was rough and today is not much better. I think there may have been one hour or so last night when both boys were sleeping, otherwise when one finally fell asleep, the other was up. Adam has a fever, cold, horrible cough, and had diarrhea yesterday. He also threw up in his crib (right after Owen had an accident in his bed...all around midnight). Owen has a cold, headache, cough, and just started with a fever. He told me his stomach feels sick and I am just praying that he does not throw up. I am taking Adam to the doctor at 2 to make sure he does not have an ear infection. Owen just ended his antibiotic on Saturday for his ear infection so unless he complains about his ears I am going to let his cold run its course. I was hoping for a big snowstorm this winter, but now I can't wait for spring so we can open the windows and get rid of these germs. Both boys are napping so I better go rest too.
update: We ended up taking both boys to the dr because Owen said his ear hurt. Turns out they both have ear infections (Owen in his right ear, Adam in his left).
update: We ended up taking both boys to the dr because Owen said his ear hurt. Turns out they both have ear infections (Owen in his right ear, Adam in his left).
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A few firsts and some other things
Friday morning we met some friends at Club Kid. Owen had such a good time playing with his buddy Tyler. They were pretending to be policemen and firefighters and were running all over the place. Can you tell Tyler's mommy and I shop at the same place?
There were two little boys around Adam's age there too (Cal and Matthew).
For someone who does not like loud noises, he sure does know how to make them himself! At one point he was so excited to be playing with Matty that he screamed and upset him. Then, he did the same thing with Cal. I told him he has to stop or he will scare all his friends away!
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Last night Lala and I took Adam for his very first pair of big boy shoes. They had him stand inside a train that had a scanner which took a picture of his feet to measure them.
He is around a size 5-6 and has chubby feet. It was pretty easy to pick a pair since there was really only one or two that worked for him. They were in the process of getting their spring shoes out so they were out of a lot of sizes. That was fine since I'm sure we will be back again in a few months anyway.
He LOVED the attention from the two ladies that were helping us. He pulled out all his tricks for them. We were trying not to laugh at him when he first tried to walk in his new shoes. He kept lifting his feet up really high. He's never had "real" shoes on before so they probably felt funny to him.
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While Adam and I were shoe shopping Owen and Mike did a little project together. Earlier in the week I had to get something to the post office to mail so I bundled both boys up and put Adam in the backpack. I knew that Owen would complain about the walk unless I made it somewhat fun. So we decided to collect pinecones along the way. I told him that once we got home we would tie a string around each pinecone, cover them in peanut butter, then roll them in birdseed for the birds to eat.
Owen loved the idea and had a great time on our walk. We have a few bird feeders in our backyard and Mike LOVES to watch the different birds that come to eat. I joke with him about how he will be a little old man sitting by the window all day watching birds. He is always calling Owen and I over to the window to point out certain birds. It's funny.
Well Mike put his own twist on the project. They put all the seedy pinecones in one wire feeder and hung it in our upstairs window. I don't think any birds will fly up that high to eat, but we will see. I think we'll end up moving it. Mike is afraid the squirrels will get at it before the birds have a chance.
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Today I met three of my friends for lunch at Olive Garden. It was so much fun and I brought my camera along to take a picture of all of us, but we were too busy talking that I completely forgot. We sat and talked from 1:30 till 4:15pm. Our poor waitress might have been a little annoyed with us since she probably could have had two other sittings in the time we were there.
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This afternoon, Owen tried cross country skiing for the first time. This was his first time on skis. It didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped and it was so cold that he did not last that long. He was a little frustrated too, however before bed Mike asked him what his favorite part of the day was and he said skiing. We were a little shocked especially since Mike had spent a lot of time while I was away making forts for the boys. We thought that would have been his favorite part of the day, but we were wrong!
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Lastly, Mike has been bugging me to do another race with him. He really wanted to do a night trail race, but I do not like trail running. I feel like I have to look down all the time so I don't trip and it makes me dizzy. So we decided to do a 10K, but then found out about the Warrior Dash. It looks like a lot of fun and we're hoping to do with with a few other friends which will make it even more fun! The race is this June and we're already signed up so I better get training! I did 25 "girly" push-ups tonight and, I'm not gonna lie, it was rough.
Good night :)
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| Adam tried out all the colors, but I think yellow tasted the best :) Thankfully they sanitize the ball pit every night! |
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Last night Lala and I took Adam for his very first pair of big boy shoes. They had him stand inside a train that had a scanner which took a picture of his feet to measure them.
While Adam and I were shoe shopping Owen and Mike did a little project together. Earlier in the week I had to get something to the post office to mail so I bundled both boys up and put Adam in the backpack. I knew that Owen would complain about the walk unless I made it somewhat fun. So we decided to collect pinecones along the way. I told him that once we got home we would tie a string around each pinecone, cover them in peanut butter, then roll them in birdseed for the birds to eat.
Well Mike put his own twist on the project. They put all the seedy pinecones in one wire feeder and hung it in our upstairs window. I don't think any birds will fly up that high to eat, but we will see. I think we'll end up moving it. Mike is afraid the squirrels will get at it before the birds have a chance.
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Today I met three of my friends for lunch at Olive Garden. It was so much fun and I brought my camera along to take a picture of all of us, but we were too busy talking that I completely forgot. We sat and talked from 1:30 till 4:15pm. Our poor waitress might have been a little annoyed with us since she probably could have had two other sittings in the time we were there.
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This afternoon, Owen tried cross country skiing for the first time. This was his first time on skis. It didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped and it was so cold that he did not last that long. He was a little frustrated too, however before bed Mike asked him what his favorite part of the day was and he said skiing. We were a little shocked especially since Mike had spent a lot of time while I was away making forts for the boys. We thought that would have been his favorite part of the day, but we were wrong!
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Lastly, Mike has been bugging me to do another race with him. He really wanted to do a night trail race, but I do not like trail running. I feel like I have to look down all the time so I don't trip and it makes me dizzy. So we decided to do a 10K, but then found out about the Warrior Dash. It looks like a lot of fun and we're hoping to do with with a few other friends which will make it even more fun! The race is this June and we're already signed up so I better get training! I did 25 "girly" push-ups tonight and, I'm not gonna lie, it was rough.
Good night :)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Owenisms
Today Finny asked Owen why he doesn't wear his cowboy boots anymore. He responded, "Because I'm not a cowboy, I'm a wockstar!"
Tonight:
Owen: "Mommy, I just can't be-wieve your behavior today."
Me: Looking at him with my hand on my hip, hoping he is being respectful and waiting for what's next...
Owen: "I don't mean dat you weren't nice, I say-ed dat because you had weally good behavior."
Tonight:
Owen: "Mommy, I just can't be-wieve your behavior today."
Me: Looking at him with my hand on my hip, hoping he is being respectful and waiting for what's next...
Owen: "I don't mean dat you weren't nice, I say-ed dat because you had weally good behavior."
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Ice skating and a few other things
We ended up going ice skating yesterday. Owen did really well considering he has never skated before. It was pretty crowded since a lot of kids had off school. We plan to take him back again when it is not so full. He started off just walking/skating with a little metal walker, but in no time he was skating without the walker and "wunning weally fast!" with a little help from Mike. When he was finished he let us know that he was "vewy pwoud of himself".
Lately Owen has been having a lot of fun playing with Mike's iPad. We've downloaded some apps. for him and he LOVES it. It is such a great learning tool for kids. He enjoys playing memory, playing a pattern game, and tracing and making his letters and numbers. It has a lot more capabilities, but we've only downloaded some free apps for now. I bet by the time he gets to kindergarten they will have iPads for every classroom and they will be used as centers (if they aren't already)!
I am so sad for the families of the four local high school boys that were killed in a car accident over the weekend. I can't imagine how they are feeling and I hope I never have to. That's one of my worst fears, as I'm sure it is for most parents. I don't think I will ever sleep or stop worrying once my boys are driving. I just hope Owen and Adam are reading this blog long after I am gone, not the other way around.
And to add on a positive note...
It was just Adam and I today since Owen was at Linda's house. Mike had a late start so we were able to have another lazy morning at home. I really wanted to get out of the house so once the roads were cleared of the ice and snow Adam and I ventured out for a little bit. I had the idea to take him to Pet Smart to see the pets and "walk" up and down the aisles to get some exercise. Unlike his brother, he LOVED the birds. He also liked the fish and the sleepy Guinea pigs, but he favorite part was watching the dogs getting groomed. He let out a few loud squeals that may have scared the already frightened pups, but he just could not help himself. Seeing dogs get a haircut was very thrilling for him. The best part... he got exercise and stimulation walking up and down the aisles, seeing the pets, and colorful toys and it was FREE! I'm sure the people working at Pet Smart thought I was a little nutty taking pictures of my boy in their store. Adam and I have to keep things like going to Pet Smart a secret because if Owen found out we did something fun (if you call that fun?) while he was not home, he would be a little upset. He thinks that Adam and I clean the house and take naps while he is at Linda's house.
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| I passed Adam off to Mike and decided to take a few laps. |
I am so sad for the families of the four local high school boys that were killed in a car accident over the weekend. I can't imagine how they are feeling and I hope I never have to. That's one of my worst fears, as I'm sure it is for most parents. I don't think I will ever sleep or stop worrying once my boys are driving. I just hope Owen and Adam are reading this blog long after I am gone, not the other way around.
And to add on a positive note...
It was just Adam and I today since Owen was at Linda's house. Mike had a late start so we were able to have another lazy morning at home. I really wanted to get out of the house so once the roads were cleared of the ice and snow Adam and I ventured out for a little bit. I had the idea to take him to Pet Smart to see the pets and "walk" up and down the aisles to get some exercise. Unlike his brother, he LOVED the birds. He also liked the fish and the sleepy Guinea pigs, but he favorite part was watching the dogs getting groomed. He let out a few loud squeals that may have scared the already frightened pups, but he just could not help himself. Seeing dogs get a haircut was very thrilling for him. The best part... he got exercise and stimulation walking up and down the aisles, seeing the pets, and colorful toys and it was FREE! I'm sure the people working at Pet Smart thought I was a little nutty taking pictures of my boy in their store. Adam and I have to keep things like going to Pet Smart a secret because if Owen found out we did something fun (if you call that fun?) while he was not home, he would be a little upset. He thinks that Adam and I clean the house and take naps while he is at Linda's house.
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