Thursday, April 30, 2009

3, count 'em, 3 boys!!

"Riding the scooter together" (last week; ignore S's hideous outfit. I swear he wasn't dressed like that in the morning:) He put his nap pants on and refused to take them off. They turned out to be Zakkai's pants....)

Today, I was the proud "mother" of THREE boys!! Oh my goodness! The testosterone level was ramped up in our house. Our friend Julian, who is one of THE cutest curly headed little boys you've ever seen, spent the whole day with us! The boys were giggling, throwing themselves off the couch, rolling on the ground, racing.....they were tiring but pretty cute, too:) They were SO well behaved together that I was almost tempted into thinking I am ready for three. ALMOST....


Speaking of three....Samuel is now asking when we can have a baby of our own. SO many friends have had babies recently and as I was naming off the most recent of the baby boom, Samuel said, "Can we have a baby, too?" I told him that maybe someday we would have a baby and asked if he would prefer a boy or a GIRL (of course, secretly hoping he would choose the latter). His answer? A girl:) Ah, a boy after my own heart. So later, I mentioned our conversation when Ben got home and Samuel once again said that he wants us to have a baby girl. And when? I said, "Why don't you pray that God will give us a baby girl some day." (Please, Lord!) He immediately folded his hands, squeezed his eyes shut and said, "Dear Lord Jesus, please give us a baby girl soon. A-MEN!" Daddy's response to the whole convo? "We'll see...."

Zakkai's newest fav pastime is climbing in "Samel's" bed. He thinks he is so big for doing so, too! The second I had him dressed and set him on the loose this morning, he headed straight for the bed. He climbed right in, laughing all the while, and exclaimed, "I climbing in Samel's bed!! I so silly!" Other things this chunky monkey is getting into? Playing the piano and guitar! Maybe we have a future musical genius here....That's it for us today. I'm off to enjoy my boys and decide what's on for dinner tonight. (I'll have to post my soup recipe from last night. YUM)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Goody Man!

Happy Wednesday! Not too much to report today: Clean house, mom's group and (hopefully) fantastic soup cooking in the crockpot!

So, I mentioned awhile back that we play music for the boys at nighttime, which they ADORE. Seriously, the threat of turning it off causes them to shape right up! More recently, I've been putting on a Veggie Tales CD in the morning for them as I'm taking my shower and getting ready. So they sit in their beds, play with toys and Veg:) They get really excited, too and they've been memorizing the words. I started singing one of the songs the other day (yes, I'm cool like that), which goes like this: "God is bigger than the boogeyman, He's bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on tv." Samuel stopped me, obviously appalled, and said, "Mommy! It is NOT the boogeyman. It is the Goodyman!." No amount of reasoning convinced him that God is bigger than the boogeyman. It's the Goodyman. Obviously.

Ok, BOY humor, here. I am sorry, but I must record this for future embarassing of my son:) A son, whom I shall not name, is really into boy's, ahem, anatomy. Yes. Yes, I did just throw that out there. He is really interested in the fact that boys have things that girls don't. I SOOOO don't want to enter this conversation with him but I know I'd better get over my discomfort now rather than when he's older! Anyways, he will ask me about people in books and our family (whether or not they have...the "unmentionable") He even asked me about an older grandma-lady the other day. It's really quite embarassing. Embarassing enough to talk about it at home (but obviously not enough to stop me from blogging about it!) but what I am most afraid of, is that he will ask someone we know! (Shudder) Why, oh, WHY, did God think I (one of 5 girls), would be cut out for BOYS?! I hope I don't ruin them....

As for the other boy in the house, er, man, I mean....Ben is scheduled to have sinus surgery on Monday! Even though it's a little scary, we are BOTH very excited about it because he has suffered for about 2 1/2 years now of constant severe sinus infections and a whole lotta other related stuff. He has lost his sense of smell completely and has lost some of his sense of taste, too:( Not to mention, he really has suffered a lot. Yea, for modern medicine! Please pray for a safe surgery and quick healing!

I'm off to enjoy the last 1/2 of peace and quiet before naptime is over:)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Chocolate 'N Raisins

We LOVE us some chocolate in this household! Some of us might even possibly have an addiction to chocolate. Okay. Fine. I might have an addiction. But, look! It seems like I have passed on the chocolate-lover gene! (BTW, chocolate+ 2 year old = huge mess!)
Here are some cute little boys paintin' their little hearts out! I just love a little boy all covered in his daddy's t-shirt:) The shirts go down to their feet! Perfect smocks. Ben was positively thrilled to share his shirts, too. Honest.

Tip from a friend: Let boys paint/decorate their own brown paper bags (which ,by the way, are SUPER cheap!). Let bags dry and then while children are sleeping, fill bags with snack! It turns even the most ordinary (or store brand) of string cheeses and raisins into a delightful snack:)
Speaking of raisins....Did you know that some children just might think it is a super hilarious and exciting thing to shove a raisin up their nose? Yeah, note to all mothers of 2 year olds (or at least 2 year olds that enjoy excitement such as coloring on walls with permanent marker, painting on the couches and other such toddler ventures): Never walk away (even into the next room) while your young child is consuming raisins (or any other small piece of nose-shovable like food) and leave your child's nose unsupervised. You just might find a raisin in it......

Monday, April 27, 2009

Monday, Monday

Monday's Checklist:


  • Boys up, dressed and fed :CHECK
  • Pulled out baby clothes to let friend borrow: CHECK
  • Laundry washed and dried: CHECK
  • Laundry put away: CHECK
  • Laundry hanging over my windows in hick-like style to dry: CHECK
  • Boys set up with painting: CHECK
  • Chased after Zakkai as he ran through the house with a paint brush: CHECK
  • Cleaned paint off the couch: CHECK
  • Made fabulous Zucchini muffins to trick my children with: CHECK
  • Fed said children lunch: CHECK
  • Cleaned kitchen: CHECK
  • Boys in bed for naps: CHECK CHECK
  • Lying on the couch with laptop having my own rest time: CHECK...

Wow, all this accomplished and it's only 1:30pm! Maybe Mondays aren't so bad after all!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Sunday Sugar Fest!!

What better place to take your young innocent children after their afternoon nap than to a bonified Sugar Fest!! What is a Sugar Fest? Why, I am so glad you asked! A Sugar Fest is a place where you gather with other sweet toothed, sugar-craving, pretend-the-sugar-won't-affect-our-children friends and party!! And what's on the menu? Sugar, silly! Ice cream with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate, homemade cream puffs with chocolate inside, apple dumplings and ooey gooey butter cake! Oh, and don't forget the dish of Dove's chocolates.....Are you drooling yet?

It's a good thing I don't have diabetes! I would have to go check my blood sugar after just WRITING this blog post! Anyhoo, had a blast. We really didn't consume as much sugar as I'm making it sound like (promise!)...as a matter of fact, Z wouldn't touch a thing! He munched on a banana:) Ah, I've taught them well! Samuel ate a small dish of vanilla ice cream topped with one strawberry (only one!) and what else? Sprinkles!! It was a fabulous afternoon chatting with friends and feeling the rush of good-for-you, sugary goodness flowing through your veins! A chocolate a day, keeps the dr away, I say!! Happy Sunday:)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Today

Just a few words to describe how I am feeling today: Anxious, peaceful, cautious, released, relieved, thankful, lifted up, tired, and alive! I know this may not make sense to you but I want to remember this day. The past almost 2 weeks have been filled with a lot of anxiety and fear over some things and God really answered my prayers last night and today. It is one of those times where I can truly see that He is doing a work in me; one of those works that is more painful before it gets better. But isn't that great? Because the deeper the wound that He reveals, the deeper the healing can be. I'm okay, I am thankful, I am free today!!

Spent the morning at the park with the boys: climbing, sliding, running, playing in the sand, soaking up the sun, marveling at the 80 degree weather, watching other people come out of hibernation, blocking the reflection off of my incredibly white legs (no really....WHITE), boy's rosy faces, making popsicles, feeling hope......this is the kind of day I love!! Not to mention, it's FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

I'm Just Saying

A Funny video for your amusement:)

So, you know you made an AMAZING dinner when it was eagerly gobbled up by not only you and your husband, but your finicky two and three year olds! You obviously must be a talented cook and genius mother to get the respective two and three year olds to eat many vegetables without ANY complaints, right? I'm just saying.... (recipe below!)

And when your three year old tells you that he has not been to the playground of many slides for "years and years and years" that might possibly mean he got the dramatic gene that runs on your side of the family. I'm just saying...

And when you're writing this post and your two year old, who is in the bathtub, starts pointing out rocks in the water and you realize to your horror that it is, in fact, not rocks but poop......stay calm as you remove the infected children, drain the water, scrub the bathtub and start bath #2....it could be worse, right? I'm just saying.....

Sausage Gumbo

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper (or color of your choice), chopped

2 medium carrots, chooped

2 TB olive oil

**In large skillet, saute celery, onion, peppers and carrots in olive oil until tender.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2-3 cups chicken broth

**Stir in flour until blended; gradually add in broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

**Transfer to a lg cooking pot OR crockpot. Stir in:

1 lb. turkey kielbasa or turkey sausage, sliced

1 can (14 1/2 oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained (I used tomatoes with added basic, garlic and oregano)

pinch salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Table Blend seasoning (Mrs. Dash, I think)

**If cooking in pot, cover and cook on low heat for 45 min or until heated through. If using crockpot, cover and cook on low for 4-5hrs.

**About 1/2 hour before done, add 1 cup of brown rice. Cook in soup until rice is tender. Serve with fresh bread. YUM!!

Things I love and wish

I love God
I just wish I were better at loving Him
I love my husband
And I wish we could spend lots more time together
I love my boys
I just wish they would stop growing up SO fast!
I love reading books
Just wish I had more books to read
I love Chocolate
I just wish it had no calories
I love Target
I just wish it had a Michael's/JoAnn's and a Panera inside and then it would be the perfect store
I love cats
Just wish they weren't so hairy
I love my family
I wish they weren't so far away
I love shopping sprees
I just wish I could actually win one
I love playing my piano
Just wish it would stay in tune
I love blogging
I just wish I had something to blog about
I love sunshine
I wish it would come out more often
I love girly things
Just wish I had someone to be girly with!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Days like These

Feeling a little anxious today and worrying about "what-ifs". Feeling the need to BREATHE and slow down, to calm my mind and my heart. To still myself enough that I can hear His voice speaking to me and feel His peace wash over me. One of those days....

UNTIL .....I got sweet slobbery two-year old kisses, sweet gentle three-year old kisses and tender loving faithful husband kisses. THAT makes life seem so much better!
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Last night Samuel was in the bathroom with me brushing his teeth while I was taking out my contacts. He was watching VERY carefully..
S: "Mommy? Why are you taking out part of your eye?"
H, chuckling: "It's not my eye! It's called a contact and it helps me see."
S, thinking: "Oh. Well can I see the part of your eye?"
H, showing him the contact and my in-tact eye: "See, it's not my eye, just my contact."
S: "Can I have contacts, too?"
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While at various parks this weekend, the boys went down the slides about 892 times each! Samuel flies down the slides so fast, he swoops right off the end and lands on his feet which is hilarious every time. Zakkai gets going really fast but slows himself down towards the end by turning sideways or using his feet. He always gets off with a HUGE smile on his face. At the end of one such sliding-venture, he exclaimed, "I so funny, mommy!" Yes, Zakkai, you are:)
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I am so thankful for the silly, sweet, endearing antics of my precious boys especially on days like these!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Sunny Days!

The first sound I made this morning? "GASP!!!" (think, sharp inhaling of air, heart beating rapidly, eyes WIDE open) The reason, you ask? There was a 3 1/2 year old standing about 3 inches from my face, staring at me. Just staring......

And with that, our day was off! We have SO enjoyed the gorgeous weather around here the past two days. (sunny and 70!)It is incredibly refreshing to spend so much time outside soaking in the warmth (not to mention it helps to wear out two energetic children:). But is it going to last? Nope. Tomorrow's forecast? Rain and upper 50s. Does anyone else think spring is taking for-ev-er to come? Somehow I forget each year.....must be mommy-brain:)

Not much else going on here at the moment. Just enjoying two boys outfitted in baseball hats (could they be any cuter?), one with a cold, being productive, playing in the sun, enjoying a happy-dissertation-writing husband, eating chocolate (makes any day good!) and anticipating a busy week ahead. Hope you're having a happy weekend!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Inspired

Occasionally, I have those days that I am totally inspired to do something. Usually it's extra cleaning, rearranging the furniture (one of my favs!), or changing something about my life. Today's inspiration? Cooking for/with my boys!

My Zman is becoming a picky 2 year old (grrr!!) and it takes creativity to get him to eat certain things. One group of foods that he has despised since he started eating? Bread!! Will NOT touch grilled cheese, toast, certain crackers (that's a new one), etc. BUT he will eat certain muffins, pancakes and cake. Stinker! Anyways, he's recently started boycotting veggies. Sigh. We went through this with Big Brother who was a FANTASTIC eater until approx 2 yrs and 4 mos old. Then one day he decided to turn up his adorable, kissable little nose in disgust at something he had voraciously gobbled down only the day before! Kids....

So it's hit or miss with dinner time and whether or not the boys are going to eat it. Last night's meal? http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Meatball-Sandwich/Detail.aspx
(I did Gr Turkey instead of beef and added some worchestershire sauce. Served with a side of fresh green beans. Yummy!!)
Miraculously, a HUGE hit! They even ate leftovers for lunch today. Go figure..
Today at the store (where, you ask? Where else! TARGET!!!), I ran across a kid's cookbook that looked so fun for cooking with kids with lots of kid-tasty treats. It was this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Magic-Kitchen-Cookbook/dp/0696237326
I'm going to check and see if they have it at the library! Soon I have a couple more kid-friendly cooking/tricking-your-toddler-into-eating-websites to share. First I have to test them out on my own two. Sneaky mommy!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Wordy Wednesday

A few pictures from our trip home! Okay...a lot of pics!
Two onsies/dress I made for my friend's new baby!
Popeye?
Throwing rocks in the river with Grandma and cousins, Brandon and Kaleb


Zakkai, Brandon, Samuel
Meeting my friend's baby girl: Olivia Kate~ 2 weeks old
A beaming Sarah and her precious baby girl

Decorating eggs with Mugga!
Zakkai's first egg decorating experience!
Ready, Get Set.....Go! (My cousin's friends, my nephews Jackson and Dylan, Samuel)

Samuel and his precious eggs!

Zakkai's egg-loot!
Mugga, Papa and Samuel

Mugga, Papa and Zakkai

The result of visiting on Easter:)



It is amazing what a one hour time difference can do to children! The boys are still going to bed super-early and unfortunately waking up early, too. And Zakkai is G.R.U.M.P.Y!!! We are totally thrown off by coming home on Monday and both Ben and I are completely confused on what day it is. Wednesday already?!

I apologize ahead of time for a very random post. I compose bits and pieces of posts for my blog throughout the day: clever things, funny sayings, silly stories.... And then I log on, the blank page comes up....and all my thoughts fly right out the window. I am learning how to be me and to write with my own style.
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I never get to watch romance movies (courtesy of my husband) but tonight on tv I found "You've Got Mail." Sigh. Have I ever mentioned that Tom Hanks is my favorite actor? I'm not into movie stars at all but I do love a good Tom Hanks movie. And throw Meg Ryan in? You've got a good movie!
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Zakkai is starting to boss Samuel around! He even tattled on him for the first time on the way home from Ohio on Monday:) It made us laugh and Samuel protest. Like big brother, like little brother. He is starting to tell us what Samuel wants along with his own wants, too. Samuel is usually the one who speaks for Zakkai so it's really funny to hear it turned around. This morning Zakkai said, "I wan' Shredded Wheat. Samel wants Life." He is growing up SO fast! Our families could not believe how big he's gotten or how much he looks like Samuel.
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Yesterday Ben got out some tools to tighten something on Samuel's scooter and the boys had to get our their tools to "help." It was SO cute to watch them! They went around finding some more things to fix. Then this morning our janitor, Ivan, stopped by to fix an outlet in the kitchen and the boys were absolutely enthralled with what he was doing. Samuel dragged his workshop over near the kitchen, asked me to help him put on his Bob the Builder toolbelt and filled all the loops with tools. He wore it most of the day:)
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While I was in the worst of my injury, I made a list of my goals for 2009. Partially because I really do have a lot of personal goals I'd like to accomplish and partially because I was pretty much stuck on the couch and anything sounded like a fun goal at the time, including cleaning the apartment from top to bottom!
One of my little goals (okay, big) is to get caught up on my scrapbooking for the boys. I was really really close to being completely caught up....and then Zakkai was born. And now? I am ONLY about 1 1/2 years behind on Zakkai and just less than 2 years behind on Samuel. Why does that sound incredibly daunting seeing it in print? It would be so nice to be caught up and add pictures as they come. Tonight I did May-June 2007 for Samuel. He was SO little! Hopefully I can get caught up before they're teenagers:)
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Anyways, lame post. I can't seem to collect my thoughts tonight but at least you know we're doing well, just getting settled back into our busy life and trying to de-grumpify the children:)

Monday, April 13, 2009

Our Weekend

It was a time of: Celebration
family
driving
cranky sleepless children
good food
memories
busyness
rest
bonding
exhaustion
meeting new friends
greeting old friends
egg decorating
easter egg hunting
chocolate on the boy's clothes
crying
hugs
love
games
thinking
talking
rain
sun
A time to share in celebrating our Risen Lord with other believers and spending time with our families whom we miss so much. It was super busy and tiring. It was good.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Dreams and Kids Say the Darndest Things!



We like to tease the boys and say that we "feel" their food in their tummies (Oh, there's a piece of chicken! Oh, that's a pea right there, etc ) just to be silly. (because you become more silly with each passing year of parenthood!) So today the boys and I were eating lunch and I ate something and Samuel was watching me and said, "Where did it go, mommy?" So I started tracing the path of my bite of cornbread down towards my stomach, talking about it's every move. The boys were watching me really intently with their mouths hanging open like something great was about to happen and then I gasped and said, "It's right here!" while pointing to a spot on my stomach. They giggled and as I turned from the table Samuel said, "Is it in your weg (leg) now?"
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Zakkai's new word (isn't there always one?!) is "Nope!" Zakkai, do you want some more water? "Nope!" Zakkai, can you share this toy with Samuel? "Nope!" He's very emphatic, too:) He LOVES Samuel so much. Tonight the boys were in bed and Samuel had to make a trip to the bathroom. Zakkai kept calling, "Samel! Samel! Where Samel go?" And Samuel said to me, "Mommy, why is he calling my name?"
I said, "Because he loves you SO much!"
Samuel said, "Why does he love me?"
and I replied with the exact truth, "Because you're his best friend and his brother." And I hope it stays that way!
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Tonight in our housegroup, we spoke about dreams. Dreams and plans that you have as a married couple and of your own, too. I realized that I had so many dreams (I am a dreamer and not really a long term planner!) when I was younger but I have put so many of them on hold as Ben and I go through this journey of education and focusing on his schooling and career right now. It's not a bad thing! As a matter of fact, I wholeheartedly support him and pray for him and am in this with him every step of the way. It just doesn't allow for many of my dreams to be realized just yet. I put them on pause; except for my dream of being married and having children, of course, but guess what? Now that I am FREE (see last post) and Ben is getting ever closer to being done....I think it's time to revisit those dreams and figure out all of the possibilities!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Thinking

I am thinking these days. Thinking about who I am, my relationship with God, who I want to be, etc. That's some deep stuff! This past weekend at the conference, one of the speakers was talking about our gifts that God has given us. She had 3 categories of people and what they do with their gifts. I fell under the category of : Person who spends so much time longing for and envying other people's gifts that I neglect to use my own as effectively as I could.

I did a lot of praying this weekend and received prayer and realized something (and not for the first time!): The words my father spoke over me as a child (you're not good enough/you do not measure up to anyone else/you are not worthy of my love, etc) have held such strong power over me all of these years (hey, it's been a long almost 28 years!) and have manefested themselves in me, producing such insecurity, self-hatred and such a deep longing to be loved just for who I am.

I spend SO much time wishing I had things that other people have. Not physical things (although I do occasionally lust for a dishwasher or a house) but gifts, qualities, character traits. I wish I was neverendingly patient like THAT mom, I wish I always responded so gently like THAT wife, I wish I was an incredibly gifted writer like THAT author or blogger, I wish I could play the piano like THAT person.....you get the point. I am now so incredibly aware of how often I do this! But this weekend for the first time, I feel that the power of my earthly father's words was broken and is being replaced with the gentle, new-every-morning compassionate, and ever so faithful love and words of my Heavenly Father.

I hope that I can learn to like and yes, even love the woman that God created in me. I pray I can be tuned in the unique gifts and characteristics He wove into me when He formed me in the womb. And I pray that I can, with His help, break down all of the barriers that stop me from effectively using them for the kingdom of God. I AM FREE!!!!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Monday, Monday!

After taking approximately 42 pictures, I finally got a good one of my Samuel!
Playing with crepes is MUCH more interesting than taking pictures...

This little Monkey was a hoot trying to make/wrap up his own crepes!


I can hear him smiling and laughing as I look at this. He's such a happy boy!

The Thomas wall!
It was SUCH busy weekend for me! Saturday I was gone all day and spent less than 1 1/2 hours in my family's presence! It was crazy and very refreshing (but I still missed them!) I went to a women's retreat and then came back home, helped finished getting the boys dinner and in bed and left again to have milkshakes with a friend! Fun, fun!
Aside from congestion (you know the kind that hangs on for-EVER after a cold and about drives you insane?), we are all doing well. The boys are busy and cute, as usual:) Last night, I went in to tuck the boys in bed after reading time (a fairly new establishment that works wonders!) and Samuel had a big bulge in the front of his pjs. I unzipped him and 5 stuffed animals came tumbling out! He chuckled and said, "Aww! Those were my sweet babies I was going to have!"

I should not even post this glorious thought aloud but our bedtime problems are solved! The boys were being such stinkers and keeping each other awake until the break of dawn...ok, 9pm or so but STILL! And Samuel was sneaking out of bed, etc. So with the help of some great advice from a friend and research on the internet...the boys now get around 20 min of extra reading time in their beds (after we do our whole bedtime routine) with just the closet light on and some soft classical music playing. Then we come in, tuck them in (again), turn out the light, take the books and leave the music on. They talk for a little while but settle down SOOOOO much quicker and all is usually quiet shortly after we leave. Oh and I removed all toys from the room except the train table which I cover with an extra fitted sheet. They are much happier now that they are getting good sleep. And I am much happier, too:)
Samuel also now has a Thomas Wall as you can see in the pic above! He gets a Thomas sticker for the wall (courtesy of Target!!!) when he's a good listener and stays in bed and goes to sleep quietly. He's got quite a collection now! I alternate now, either giving him a sticker or letting him get out of bed and play at his train table while I take my shower and while Zakkai is still cooped up in his crib. He feels mighty special!
Anyhoo, we're doing well, busy and preparing to travel home for Easter! Can't wait to see the fam!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Germs and Boys, Boys and Germs

Well, the glorious passing of germs is continuing here in the Thomas household. I peeked in on the boys last night before going to bed and found Samuel really flushed and not looking quite "right." He woke up and acted really strange and he was SO hot. He told me his tummy hurt (mine did too at the beginning of this nastiness) and asked me to pray for him to feel better. And after being drugged and settled with some water....he slept the whole night through. Today his voice is hoarse which freaked him out! He started crying and said, "Mommy! I don't wike this voice!" Not much I can do but at least we have matching voices now:)
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The other day after nap, I was organizing things in our bedroom and Z was sitting on our bed looking through photo albums. He opened one that has random pics of Samuel as a baby and he exclaimed, "Baby Jesthusth!" I told him gently that no, it wasn't baby Jesus, it was Samuel. He emphatically told me again that it was Baby "Jesthusth" but I was able to reassure him that it was indeed, his brother. So he turned the page and said, "Wook! It's anovver baby Samel!"
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Today is my Grandpa's birthday! I think he would say it's the second anniversary of his 39 1/2 birthday! See if you can figure that one out! My Grandpa is a big teddy bear who adores his family and loves to help others! He is "semi-retired" from being a pastor/counselor which means that he is not really retired but gets to go to Florida for the winter...and work there:) He is my only Grandpa and gives the best hugs in the world!
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Samuel just went to sleep with 8 stuffed animals (2 Giraffees, 2 dogs, 3 giraffes and a giraffe blanket)! He goes through phases of insisting on sleeping with certain stuffed animals and blankets beyond Giraffees. It's really quite ridiculous how attached my boys are to their giraffees and rays! They immediately get almost slap happy when they see them, start laughing and stick their fingers in their mouths. Suddenly the world is at right as rain! Hopefully they won't be caught in college with them under their pillows...
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Here is a recipe of some chicken we had this week that is SO easy and yummy!
Alissa's Ritzy Chicken
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (mine are usually frozen)
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 strip Ritz crackers, crushed
1 TB butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 in pan. Cover chicken with soup. Sprinkle crushed crackers over chicken. Drizzle melted butter over top.
3. Bake in oven for 45 min or until chicken is no longer pink!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The Common Cold

I am/have:
Sniffly, snuffly, achy, runny/stuffy nose, can't sleep, sore throat, cannot breathe, dizzy, headache, tired, coughing, ears hurting..........gosh, it sounds like a commercial for NyQuil! Maybe I should go get some...

And now I hear Zakkai coughing. Sigh.

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