Yummy

I love to cook. It is a great passion of mine. I am always buying new cookbooks and trying stuff out. Most of the time though, I just start throwing things together and pray they taste good. I love it when food appeals to all my senses, taste, smell, sight.... It makes it so much more enjoyable to eat. So, the other day, as I was giving Jack some baby food from a jar, I thought to myself, this is so nasty. It smelled bad, it was bland, and it was the color of poo. So, I went to the store, bought fresh fruits and veggies , and went to town with my steamer and food processor. I was up until 1 o'clock in the morning. I ended up with a rainbow of culinary delicacies! What child would not like these? From top to bottom: Beets w/ bananas and apricots (surprisingly tasty), the "classic" sweet potatoes, Broccoli with Parmesan cheese, spinach and zucchini w/ chicken broth, spiced apples w/ blueberries, and butternut squash with a dab of brown sugar and cinnamon. Yum! Then, I just bagged them in small portions and stuck them in the freezer. (They will be wonderful to sneak in my families meals, too.) I hope jack enjoys them as much as I enjoyed preparing them.
Proverbs 31.15 She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household...

Dear Grandma

Maggaw, we love our wagon and bike trailer!

Love, Mia and Jack

All in a Day's Work

I did landscaping today in our backyard. Can you believe it? And I did it all by myself. I have not worked that hard in....oh... my whole life. I had sweat dripping from my brow! And I'm pretty sure I lost some lbs. too! We had a garden area in our yard that was surrounded in bricks, so I used those to line our landscaping by the deck. Then I planted the shrubs I bought yesterday. They look really nice with the other plants I moved in from around the yard. We also had these cement blocks in another part of the yard that you couldn't really even see, so I moved all of those, along with all the dirt from the brick line I had just dug out, to the tree in our yard. Then I had two huge hostas that I transplanted from other areas in the yard. I can't wait to fill it with some flowers, too! I also planted a some grass seed, which I'm sure is entirely gone from flash flood/hail/tornado!

Postpartum

This is just a question to throw out there into the void: Is my hair ever going to stop falling out? Seriously!

Jack's First Real Haircut

Jack got a haircut yesterday. I was so nervous. I have trimmed the back and sides several times to camo his bald spot, but I have never cut the top. I just love his hair fluffy on top, but it had gotten too long. I should have fed him first because he got a little angry with me!

My Pots Runneth Over

Today Katie came over to help me plant flowers, something I've never done. After six hours, four different stores, a tantrum, lunch, and dirty fingernails, I have GORGEOUS FLOWERS, HERBS, and SHRUBS! Thank you, Katie, SO MUCH, I love them!

What's new with us...

Heath: Well, like I said, Heath is now done with two years of school. The only downfall is, now he gets to spend almost every waking moment studying for Boards, June17. God give us GRACE!
What else? My Uncle Cubby and his wife had their first baby, Maddox. (Mia thinks his name is Maggots!) He was 9 lbs. 20 in., and he makes my boy look like an albino! So cute, that dark skin and hair! And his voice is so sweet, like a little bird in distress.

Mia: Big girl potty time!!! Yea. I won't call it potty training, because we haven't really been "training" her. She just woke up with a dry diaper one day and decided she was ready. So besides a few accidents over the weekend, she has been doing very well. Mia has also developed a fondness of dresses. Each day I try to put anything but a dress on her is a screaming battle. So, needless to say, every time I am out and about, I pick up a dress for my little lady. If Mia ain't happy, nobody happy! Also, we have begun some behavior modification. Mia has been a thumb-sucker since birth. It has always been adorable. She usually holds Quack's tag by her nose in one hand, and twirls her soft, baby-fine hair with the other. I have always loved it. However, lately the twirling turned to twisting, and the twisting has led to getting her fingers caught in her hair, and her hair falling out. It is just so sad because she has the cutest little hairstyle with a huge thin patch on one side.
So, shout out to Matthew Laughlin, we now tape a glove to her left hand. The first night we taped both hands, so that she couldn't suck her thumb, but Heath and I were too heart-broken from the hours of tears. One day, she can blame Jo-Jo for giving us this idea!

Jack: My boy turned into an all out thumb sucker. I just don't know how I feel about this since we now have a half bald child, but it is cute. And, he will not take a bink anymore. He is just changing so fast. He now eats some food. He did not like rice cereal so I found him some Muesli with apples by Beech Nut, He Loves It! He also likes whole peas, mashed potatoes and gravy, and ice cream from Coldstone! You see, it has become a family tradition to go eat ice cream every Monday night, in downtown Spfld. We can't just leave Jackson out. My sweet Baby Boy.

Me: I have been pulling lots weeds and holding my kids whenever I can. Time just goes by too fast. So my housework has gone by the wayside. I just can't stand it anymore, so that's my goal today, CLEAN HOUSE! We'll see if it actually gets done. LATER!

More stories coming soon...

Well, Heath is finished with his 2nd year of med school now. So, now I will have some more blogging time. I pretty much have been banned from the internet for a couple weeks now!

My Day

I went to see my Dad today. This is huge. I have not seen him in several years. Let's just say it has always been one of those "on again, off again" things. And, some of you may or may not know, but I can be very stubborn and hard nosed about stuff and can hold a grudge for a long time. God works on me all the time. That being said, I came to the point where I decided I would rather know him a little than not know him at all.
I went with Jessie, and we both took our kids. We had a great time. He lives in the country and has several animals. Chickens roaming around everywhere. Mia got to sit on a horse and see a hen laying on her eggs. The girls tromped through the flowerbeds, playing with an antique water pump. Mia can't wait to go back to see the baby chics.
Anyway, I still believe that God is the God of Restoration. I have been praying a long time. It may not come in the way I imagined or in my timing, but that's another story! No great miracles happened today , but at the end of the day, I am blessed to know him.
I hope this isn't weird. Rather, I just want to encourage you to hold on to the hope that God has given you, for whatever it may be. He is so faithful.

Silly Girl, Tired Boy

We went to the zoo again yesterday. We fed the geese, the fish, the goats... We watched the monkeys as they were "cuttin peoples hairs." We talked to the turtles, the monkeys... We played really hard. All of this was just too exhausting for Jackson Tate!

Breakfast

Today we made green eggs and ham (turkey bacon).



We like them, like them, Sam I am!

Let ther be joy!

I love high heels. I love the way they make my little legs feel a mile long. So feminine. So classic. I would probably wear them everyday if I could. But the fact of the matter is, I just can't. In fact, lately, I can't wear them ever! This is no laughing matter. I have been wearing $2 flip-flops from ON just about everyday for the past 3 years. How am I supposed to feel stylish in those. Come on now!
Here is my problem, it all started when I was prego w/ Mia. When I would go for walks I would get this unbearable, shocking pain in my left foot. Occasionally, I would get this "clicking" in between my toes. It just kept getting worse and worse. Anyway, to make a long story short, due to pregnancies and nursing I have not been able to be consistent w/ meds, but I have tried Alieve, Advil, Tylenol, shoe inserts, arch supports, expensive tennis shoes... nothing gave relief. When I was prego w/ Jack I begged and begged Dr. Johnson to give me a cortisone shot. Not a chance. He finally broke down when Jack was a month old, but it still didn't help. So, my last resort has been to go to the Orthopedic Surgeon. He concluded, as many others had assumed, that I had a Morton's Neuroma. An enlarged nerve commonly found between the 3rd and 4th toes. "Bad Luck," he told me. I will have to have surgery to remove it, but never fear, he told me there will be high heels in my future! Hallelujah!

Watch out for those goats!

Today was such a nice day outside. I had about seven loads of clothes to fold and a ton of cleaning to do, but it was just too nice to waste the day inside. So, we went to the zoo as soon as Heath got home from lecture. I don't know if many of you have gone to the Henson Robinson Zoo in Spfld., but it is a really fun place for kids. It has a playground/picnic area, it is never really crowded, and there are lots of opportunities to feed the animals. Mia loves it. She runs from one exhibit to the next. And, little Jack just took a nap in his pouch. (Which, by the way, there is a kangaroo w/ a joey in it's pouch there!) The zoo is open year-round and has several special events throughout. The admission fees are $4 per adult, $2.50 children 3-12, individual pass $25 , family pass $45. Since both of my kids are free, I got an individual pass for $25. Cheap entertainment a whole year I'd say. We will probably spend lots of time there this next year. The best thing is that it is only a few miles from our house. Sure beats the St. Louis traffic. So, anyway, enough rambling. Just thought some of you might enjoy the zoo also. Check it out. Warning: Goats are crazy!

20 hour Day

Well, we had a great garage sale Saturday. We sold a ton of stuff. I don't typically go to garage sales, nor have I ever had one, so I had no idea when to "open shop." I got up at 4.30! Why didn't I ask someone?? I was looking around, no one else was out yet. But I decided to stay outside anyway. I just read my Bible and drank about 5 cups of coffee, literally. It was so cold, too. My first paying customer didn't come until 7. But, we made some $$ and have a clean garage now, so it was well worth it. But, I am sure Heath will give me a hard time about it for years to come. Next year I will be well prepared!
Later that night, we went on a date w/ the Yenchko's. It was really nice to go out as a couple without the little ones. It was a long time coming. We had a great time. Although, I missed my kids terribly by the end of the night. Weird, since we haven't been on a date since before Jack joined the family. I found myself being tuned out, thinking, " I hope they are being good for Nana. Did Jack take a bottle OK? Is Mia twisting her hair in bed right now? Is she even in bed right now?....." But, when we got home, Jack was nestled in his crib with his ruffy dog. And, Mia, Quack, and Nana were snuggled up together in her room. So cute.
Good Times. AND, Did I mention that I beat Heath @ bowling! ! NJ