4.28.2012

{menu plan: may 2012}



May 1-5 
01: chicken parmesan
02: frozen pizza
04: boston butt
05: fiesta chicken burritos {crock pot}

May 6-12
06: leftovers
07: throw together for kids/late appetizer dinner for us, including this
09: steaks and potatoes
11: chicken patty sandwiches
12: deer and noodles

May 13-19
13: grilled sausage
14: creamy italian chicken {crock pot}
15: taco bake
16: easy pasta dish
17: pancakes
18: no cooking
19: no cooking

May 20-26
20: cold meat sandwiches
21: spaghetti
22: twice baked potato casserole and salad {new}
23: chicken manicotti {freezer meal from last month}
24: tacos
25: leftovers

May 27-31
28: we'll see :)
30: homemade pizza, asparagus, creamy corn, canned pears, and punch {Claire's birthday dinner of choice}
31: deer steaks

Happy cooking!!





{b.i.f. ten}

Setup: I'm changing Olivia's diaper.  One small rolled up cotton ball is laying on the floor nearby. 

Me: Amelia, can you please throw that away? {referring to the cotton ball on the floor next to her feet}

Amelia: What is it?

Me: A cotton ball.

Amelia: {laughing} Ohhhh.  {Earlier}, I thought it was a marshmallow and I put it in my mouth and it tasted like a tissue!

Kind of gross...but soooo Amelia. :)

4.25.2012

{b.i.f. nine}



This is what currently happens when Olivia is in desperate need of a nap:  As I'm holding her, she becomes extremely squirmy.  I put her down.  She sits there for 3 seconds feeling unloved, unwanted, and completely neglected.  

Immediately after said 3 seconds, she bursts out into tears and leans her head across her legs {as if she were stretching before a big race} and acts as if she's never been loved a day in her life.  

And in a perfect world {i.e. we're at home}, she is scooped up and taken to bed.  

Sweet dreams, baby girl.

4.21.2012

{b.i.f. eight}

From Amelia. 

Mom, when we get to heaven, can I sit by you?

{I'll be sad if you don't.}

4.19.2012

{with help}



Olivia walks pretty much anywhere she can push something {her cart, a chair, a stool, a sister, etc.}.  And if you can't tell, she's awfully proud of herself. :)

4.17.2012

{containing the spices}

Let me start this post with a couple of confessions:  I'm in love with Pinterest...and I'm in love with all things Melissa and Doug.

Pinterest has these beautiful pins of these spices that are all contained in the exact same jars that are magnetically attached to your cabinet door.  They're lined up perfectly and I'm certain that anal perfectionists some people enjoy using them.  

Enter Jackie.  I'm practical.  I live in the real world where I would have to store all of that extra-spice-that-wouldn't-fit-into-the-jar-hanging-on-the-magnet-board somewhere else.  That would take up 2 spaces in my kitchen.  No thank you.

I kept thinking that I wanted something fabulous to contain all of my lovely spices so that I could take them all down at once, and so that I didn't have to take a gazillion small ones out to find the paprika that was hiding in the back.  IKEA, probably for the first time ever, failed me.  I couldn't find anything that was the right size for my cabinet.  

Now enter Melissa and Doug.  Melissa and Doug toys are often packaged in fun little wooden crates and boxes and such.  I never know what to do with these, but it seems like such a waste to toss them.  So, they sit in my game cabinet until I can repurpose them.



Spices+ Melissa and Doug containers=cabinet sanity {thank you Melissa and Doug: Shape, Model, and Mold}: 


Those are all of my main spices that I use on a pretty much daily/weekly basis.  They get prime real estate in my baking cabinet.

Next up, we have the spices that I use once per year {thank you Melissa and Doug: Lacing Beads}:

These guys get the top shelf of the baking cabinet.  Though I do have to stand on my tip-toes, they all come down at once and I don't drop a single one!

Love it.


This has been one of the best organizational improvements to my kitchen in the past two years.  I keep all of my larger items {salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa} sitting next to these on the shelf.  I used to have to get my big step stool and dig through my cabinet until I found the spice I wanted.  No more! Now, they come down altogether and go up altogether.  I never drop a single one.

Don't have any Melissa and Doug containers?  Find a kid, buy them a gift, and steal their container...and consider it a gift to yourself. :)

4.16.2012

{b.i.f. seven}



Goodness, I'm in love with these girls!

Claire:  She read scripture from the pulpit yesterday for the entire congregation.  One of the most beautiful things that I see is my children living out our faith.  

Meredith:  Guess who isn't sucking her fingers at night any longer?!!  Oh my goodness, I seriously questioned whether this day would ever come.  {Thank you, Myah, for that article!!}

Amelia:  The way she pronounces "stomach" is adorable.  "Mommy!  Claire hit me in the skumick, and it hurts so much."

Olivia:  Fell out of her highchair last week.  {One more reason I'm not getting mother of the year this year.}  I don't strap my kids into their highchairs until they appear to be trying to escape in one form or the other.  She hasn't even appeared to want to get out up to this point.  I was in the laundry room, heard a thud, and look out to see her lying on the floor crying next to her highchair.  I'm pretty sure she dropped her sippy cup over the side and was leaning over to try to reach it.  I'm guessing she was pushing on the other side with her foot and slipped right on over.  Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as tragic as it could have been.  She cried for about 30 seconds and was fine.  Claire looked at me as soon as I picked her up and said, "Mom!  I think you need to start strapping her in every time!"  There were lots of comments, on my end, that came to mind at this point {again with the reasons that I'm not getting mother of the year}.  "Ya think?!" was what actually came out...trust me when I say that I thought about much worse.  So, obviously, the little one is getting strapped in at this point. :)


4.11.2012

{happy 4th birthday, amelia}

So, last Tuesday was Amelia's 4th birthday!  She had been soooo excited about it since Meredith had her birthday in February.

A few weeks ago, my mom had mention that she was going to my sister's house for a few days near Amelia's birthday, and she wanted to know if Amelia could tag along.  Ummmm....yes.  The best part was that they were leaving on April 1, and I kept accusing my mom of this being a cruel April Fool's joke. :)  

Thankfully, it wasn't.  Although, I think my mom might think twice before taking Amelia and Eden to the zoo together {by herself} again.  Neither Amelia nor Eden has ever won "easiest grandchild" award.

So, Amelia comes home on her birthday in the afternoon, and even though I'd been without her for a couple of days, those two days were jam-packed full of things to do.  It was much easier being down a kid!  So, I clicked through Pinterest {my favorite obsession} and found some easy butterfly cupcakes that I knew Amelia would love.  

She's easy to please.  She would have loved anything.  Seriously, she goes head over heels for the simplest things. :)  {I love that about her.}



See...she's thrilled...


So, we get to the present part of the evening.  We bought her the cutest little wooden match game from Paper Lullaby.  Seriously some of the cutest stuff.  Click over onto Shel's blog {always.} for the link if you're looking for a gift.

Anyway, so she loved the match game, and then it was time to give her the little scooter that I scored at a local children's resale that I attend every year.  Seriously, it was $8.  We have 1 scooter already.  Three girls and one scooter just don't go well together.  This one was a bit more suited for the 4 year old crowd, and I knew she would LOVE it.  {On a side note, I saw the exact same on in the Target ad on sale for $27 the weekend we gave it to her...oh, how I love resales!!}

Ok, so we decide to put it outside on the cement so that she can start riding as soon as she sees it.  Claire and Meredith blindfold her, and I carefully lead her outside.  {Seconds earlier, while in the house, she tells me that she can walk outside by herself, even with her blindfold on...I should have taken this as a warning sign.}  

I put her in place behind the scooter and run in front of it so that I can snap some pics:


What happens next is all a big blur.  Instead of standing still, she decides to walk straight ahead.  I was watching her through my camera {why I didn't continue clicking, I'll never know}, and I watch her tumble right over the scooter and face-plant into the concrete.  I screamed!

Josh grabs her as fast as he can, but we were both just so in shock that she was walking toward it in the first place.  Sobbing.  Tears.  I thought this was supposed to be fun!!  Anyway, so I yell at Josh {because she's still blindfolded}, "Take off her blindfold!!  She'll quit crying when she sees it!!"

So he does.  And this picture is what I like to call, "My pain is gone because I have a new scooter!!"  {I also thought it looked like she might have been looking at a winning mega-millions ticket.  One or the other.}


Ok, so you've never seen a happier little girl.  Complete joy.  


Now focus.


She was obviously thrilled.  My single regret of the entire evening was not having the video camera.  I am not joking when I say that I think we would have been the next big winners of America's Funniest Home Videos.  The entire scene was priceless.

Now for the cupcake.
 


Happy birthday, Amelia Kate.  You are one of the chattiest girls I've ever met, and you love gum more than anyone I know.  You are so full of energy, excitement, and fun.  We love how your eyes get big and your voice fluctuates as you tell the simplest of stories.  I love how you wish Daddy a Happy Valentine's Day when he walks through the door at night.  Your energy and love for life is contagious.  On the flip side, if looks could kill...well, let's just say that you've got a few that could. :)  You are silly, funny, and lovable.  We are so blessed to have you as a part of our family.  As you would say....I wuv you soooooooo much! {insert big hug here}

{menu plan: april 2012}



Better late than never. :)

April 5-7
05: fajitas
07: chicken and noodles

April 8-14
09: leftovers
12: pancakes
13: frozen pizza
14: no cooking

April 15-21
15: no cooking
16: honey roasted pork loin
17: baked chicken breasts with parm/garlic
18: sloppy joes
19: homemade pizza
20: tacos
21: stir fry

April 22-28
22: italian beef sandwiches
24: boston butt {i'm drooling already}
25: leftovers
26: deer steaks
27: leftovers
28: breakfast burritos 

April 29-30
29: spaghetti
30: roast

4.01.2012

{first birthday: take two}

And round two of Livi's birthday was celebrated exactly two days after her first birthday.  We celebrated with my family, Josh's parents, and the families of a few of our close friends.  It was such a beautiful day, and we invited everyone for cake and ice cream...everyone stayed for dinner as well.  So much fun!

My sweet girl was so polite with her birthday cake.  I think she may have been a tad bit tired, but I didn't want to put her down for her nap just as everyone was arriving.  


We did a bee theme {thank you pinterest}.  I frosted the cupcakes, and Claire generously made the cupcake toppers.  She and Meredith also gave Olivia bee-themed birthday cards.  So adorable.


Little beehive cake.  It possibly looked more like a beehive mound.


Olivia's smash cake.


Slightly mesmerized by the candle and the singing.
 
Saving a little ice cream on her face for later.


It was a fun, fun day getting to celebrate our little peanut.  

Olivia,

You are one of the sweetest babies that we've ever met.  You are a speed crawler, and you are obsessed with lamp cords and outlets {slightly dangerous}.  You have the cutest little dimple that shows itself on your right cheek when you're really happy.

Watching your sisters obsess over you day after day shows me exactly why the "baby" of the family gets so much love and attention.  Claire asks almost every morning if she can get you out of bed.  Meredith thinks you are the best baby in the whole wide world.  Amelia makes me hold you up as soon as you come into the kitchen each morning so that she can say her "Olivia chant":  Hurray for Olivia! Hurray for Olivia! Hurray for Olivia!  

Needless to say you get a little bit of love around here.  We all adore you, and you bring us smiles every single day.  We are so blessed to have you as a part of our family.