What They Are Up to Now!

I was looking at pictures from Fall last year and thought it would be fun to see how much the boys have changed in one year.




Notice what's on the side of the wheel barrow...that is certainly true (at times!)

Some sweet, savory, silly and downright scarey things that have gone on here the past few days...
1. The boys were eating breakfast in their highchairs when it got suspicously quiet (always a clue to check them out!) They were leaning in toward one another, talking in their "turkey twin gobble" and holding hands. It was such a sweet moment!
2. J was alone with the boys while I was out shopping and he had given them some goldfish crackers for a snack. He freaked out when he saw them "fishing" for their crackers and eating their "catch" OUT OF THE TOILET!
3. J had put Drew in time out facing the corner. When he looked to make sure he was still sitting there, he thought he saw Drew but when he looked closer, it was Bryce! What a good brother paying the consequence for something he didn't do!
4. I have a full-length, free standing mirror that Bryce pulled down onto his head. I was so afraid to pick it up to see because I knew he was really hurt and there would probably be blood. The entire top of the mirror was shattered but amazingly, by the grace of God, all of the glass stayed in the wood frame! I was sick thinking about the possibiltiy of chunks of glass in his head and face.
Things have been very eventufl around here. Thankfully, it seems like with every frustrating, challenging moment comes a sweeter one to balance it out!

Thanksgiving in DFW

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Nana and Papa R flew from Seattle and we drove 9 hours from our neck of the woods to meet up in DFW with Uncle Jeff. Our dear friends Trey and Sheila graciously invited us to stay in their home while they were out of town visiting their family. It felt so nice to be back in DFW. I felt more "at home" there than I do in my current residence! We enjoyed spending time with the family, eating out at some of our favorite restaraunts, and getting lots of Christmas shopping done with free babysitting!
The boys loved driving our friend's car. Drew pushed the pedal and Bryce steered...quite a team! Notice the snow falling?

Papa trying to control them!

Silly Nana and Papa!

Bryce loves his Uncle Jeff!

Horsey ride with Papa

Shopping at Southlake Town Center and dinner at Cheesecake Factory...oh how I miss DFW!

Look-Alike Meter

THIS IS SO COOL! You can upload pics of your children and you & your spouse to see who they look most like. It only takes a few minutes...HAVE FUN!

A Heavy Heart

Several friends are experiencing painful losses right now and my heart is grieving with them and for them. Thankfully, they are strong in their faith and know deep-down that God is in control of their lives, but it still doesn't make the pain and grieving process go away. It is so natural to question God, "Why me?", "What did I do to deserve this?", "Why is that person blessed with what I'm grieving for?", etc. I have not personally experienced a loss like this but I have experienced loss. From 2001-2005 Jimmy lost 4 jobs and we struggled to get pregnant for 4 1/2 years. During our grieving process, we asked a lot of the same questions of God. Thankfully, during this difficult time, we grew closer together and most importantly to God. This song,You are God Alone, by my favorite Christian group Phillips, Craig and Dean was and is such an encouragement to me. It reminds me that God is mighty, sovereign and bigger than any loss we are experiencing. Is is a comfort to know that even when things are changing in my world, Hebrews 13:8 says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Opposite Directions

Before J had to depart this morning, he commented that Bryce had been much less "needy" of him lately. For quite some time he has been a "Daddy's boy" but since returning from our trip to CA he has been spending more time with me and playing quietly by himself...it's been so sweet! I thought it would be a good idea to go outside to wave bye-bye and blow kisses as J drove off to work, but instead, it caused Bryce to have the worst "fit" ever! He DID NOT want his Daddy to leave. He ran after J's truck down the road, screaming and crying. I thought he might make it past 1 or 2 of our neighbor's houses before he got tired, but no, he ran all they way down to the end of the street, which is a pretty good distance!

When I caught up to him I tried to hold him and comfort him and explain that Daddy had to go to work, but it didn't help. He just threw himself onto the road face down and screamed! Meanwhile, Drew is all the way down at the opposite end of the street, stuck in a ditch on his trike! I was trying to scoop Bryce up so I could run back to Drew, but each time I would pick him up he would throw himself out of my arms and head back the other direction. I guess he thought he could catch up to his Daddy??? FINALLY, after about 15 minutes of wrestling with him and picking him up off the street, I got the boys home TOGETHER, SAFELY, and calmed down. After a drink and a snack, they settled onto the couch together and read books! This is a good example of why I don't spend much time outside with the boys by myself... They inevitably go in opposite directions!

Nana and Papa M's Visit

A good friend of ours from high school got married last weekend in Sonoma, CA. We debated for quite awhile about what to do with the boys - take them with us, fly them to WA and have grandparents take care of them, not go, etc. We really needed time together and we really wanted to see our friend get married so in order to make it easiest on the boys we flew Mom and Mike out to babysit. We had such a hard time leaving the boys. I have never been away from them for more than a few hours so it was very hard for me! We both cried like babies when we said goodbye! Once we got to CA safely and heard that the boys were doing great, we relaxed and enjoyed our time together. The boys were angels, says Nana and Papa! They did lots of fun things to keep them busy. Bryce and Drew had lots of fun and so did Nana and Papa - especially without us around!

Playing the keyboard with Papa.

Driving the cars at Home Depot with Nana

Feeding the ducks at the park with Papa

Making banana bread with Nana - I'm so glad my boys show an interest in cooking and baking!

Watching a movie with Papa

Riding their new trikes from Nana and Papa

J and I had a wonderful 5 days in Napa and Sonoma, "wine country." We enjoyed wonderful California cuisine, gorgeous scenery, time together without babies, sleeping in and wine tastings and tours. The best part was spending time with some friends from high school and their spouses that we had not met before. The wedding festivities were spectacular. They consisted of 3 days of events...each one felt like we were at a Hollywood party! Thank you Jarett and Fernanda!
The wineries were so beautiful with the grape leaves turning fall colors. Our friends Aaron and Wendy at a winery.
The groom Jarett and bride Fernanda.
Our friends Darby & Rob, and Aaron & Wendy

Our Fun Weekend

We were so blessed to have our dear friends Brent and Renee with us for a long weekend. It was so great to spend time together and (for me) to have adult conversation! The guys enjoyed a hike, and the 4 of us got to get away Saturday evening for dinner and a performance.
The boys LOVED playing with Brent and Renee.

After brunch on Monday at a beautiful resort nearby we said farewell to Brent and Renee. We hung around the resort for awhile to let the boys run around. They were fascinated by this bridge and ran up and down it over, and over and over again!

Look at this cool display - the horses are made out of corn husks!

Just to make you smile

Some cute pics from this week - thought they would make you smile!

My boys LOVE blueberries.

The boys spend a lot of time in their ball pit - they think they're pretty funny smashing their faces on the window!

They will find the smallest places to climb in to - I guess when they've shared a womb for 9 months, this is easy!

My handsome boys!

Friday Family Food Faves

Ice Cream Sandwiches
this is so simple, tasty and fun to do with children!

Cookies of choice (I usually use chocolate chip)
Ice cream of choice (I usually use vanilla)

Let a few scoops of ice cream sit out in a bowl to soften, slightly. I like to put cookies in freezer for awhile so they are easier to work with. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop ice cream onto cookie. Place other cookie on top and press down into a sandwich. If you want to make it extra yummy, roll the outer ice cream edges in your favorite topping: chopped nuts, crushed oreos, m&m's, coconut - you get the idea! Put into freezer right away on wax paper or aluminum foil. One of my favorite combinations - chocolate cookie with coffee ice cream!

Chicken Salad
1 whole roasted chicken (I use the rotisserie chickens pre-cooked at store), diced
2 Fuji or Pink Lady apples - diced
1 cup pecans broken in half
2 green onions - chopped
5 T. golden or dark raisins
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T. sour cream
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix dressing in a small bowl. Mix chicken with the other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad.

Broccoli Salad
4 broccoli crowns, chopped small
1/4 cup (or so) diced red onion
1/4 cup raisins
6 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 cup sliced almond (I like Almond Accents)
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 sugar
2 T. vinegar

Mix the dressing in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. In a large bowl combine the broccoli and other ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss well.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta
this makes a very large bowl full - if you don't want a lot of leftovers, cut in 1/2. These are my favorite ingredients - tweak it to fit your family's faves

1 # pound of your favorite short pasta (I use whole wheat penne)
2 red peppers
1 large onion
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 broccoli crown
1 can large pitted olives
Dressing:
Use your favorite Italian Dressing or make your own
2/3 cup EVOO
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic - cut in 1/2
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp each: salt, dried basil, dried oregano and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper. Shake vigorously.

Chop the peppers, onion and broccoli into large chunks and the zucchini into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Place onto 2 baking sheets and drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees until veggies are cooked al dente. While the veggies are roasting cook pasta per directions. Drain the pasta and put into a large bowl. Pour a little of the dressing over the pasta while it's still warm so it absorbs the flavor. When the veggies are cool enough to touch, dice into smaller bite size pieces, chop olives and add to the pasta. Stir together and add more dressing to your taste. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bryce and Drew are 1 1/2 years old!

I like the sound of 1 1/2 years old vs. 18 months old - I guess it doesn't sound as old? The boys had their checkup with their pediatrician yesterday and had a great report. For the first time ever they actually weigh the same - 25#. Little brother Drew is still taller than his big brother Bryce. Drew is 34 3/4 inches and Bryce is 32 3/4 inches. Drew is in the 97th percentile and Bryce is in the 60th percentile for height. Just one more way they are so different from each other!

They have developed so much this past month. At 17 months I could count how many words they spoke. Now, they repeat almost everything we say, making lots of animal noises and trying to sing. I can no longer keep track of all the things they know. It's so amazing to see how fast they learn. Our favorite things they are doing include blowing us kisses, waving at everyone they see (even if they are strangers!) and saying AMEN after we pray with them...it's so sweet!

Thank you to all of you who took the time to comment on my blog or email me about Bryce's biting issues. I love to get tips and advice from other parents and hear about what you experienced with your children. Thankfully, we have not had any more problems since then....keeping our fingers crossed!

Jimmy has basically taken care of the boys on his own the past 2 days. My back is really acting up - it's been very hard to walk, bend, sit, lift the boys, etc. So, on the recommendation of my chiropractor, I am laying low for a few days taking pain meds and muscle relaxers. They are so blessed to have J for their father. He is so awesome with them! I am so blessed to have him too!

J borrowed the bicycle cart from a friend and they've had a blast riding with him!

The boys went to the fair with Jimmy's friend and his little boy - they say "moooooooooooooooo" really loud!

Jimmy did really well dressing them, packing their diaper bag, taking snacks, etc but he forgot the boys' shoes! Thankfully their friend had some they could wear!