Mid-Month the First Month of the New Year

The second week of 2012, I had an annoying cold. I remembered hearing a pediatrician tell me once that if you have a cold go out into the frigid cold air and it will kill the germs. I decided to give it a try. I went for a jog in the 30 degree weather, and it was heavenly. It opened up my sinuses (probably the running part) and I felt great. I was tired but it was good. I realized that if it's sunny out (no can run in the dark), I can jog even in frigid temperatures if I have gloves and something covering my ears.

When I told my sister Becky that I wasn't sure I was going to our niece's birthday party because I had had a cold and didn't want to pass around the germs, she offered to take the older two boys for me, which I thought was super nice. They had fun! Aunt Jen sent some chocolate cake with strawberries back with her, and it was yummy! :) :) :)

 This post will be filled with a little of this and a little of that randomness from the second-third weeks of January. While I was taking pictures of Joshua for his 'birthday' on the 18th, Caleb wanted some of him as well. So, I also got some of Ryan who was sitting there with us. :)

Monday, January 16, was Martin Luther King , Jr. Day. I tried explaining the very basics to the boys as we were doing laundry together. I said a long time ago, there were people who weren't very nice to each other. They treated people who looked differently than they did unkindly. MLK Jr was a man who said "I have a dream" that some day we will all be nice to each other, no matter how we look. We are all people and we should all be kind, just like God tells us to love our neighbors. Joshua was interested in the story; Caleb seemed to care less. I told the Bean about when he was Ryan's age and I was talking to him while changing his diaper and how he squealed with delight when I told him about civil rights. Haaaa!!! I still remember. And Joshua loved the story about himself much more than the one about this holiday.

Tuesday was Study & Share, and little Ry-guy was unhappy in the nursery. By the time they called me out and I walked back there, he had fallen asleep. But, I felt terribly guilty that he had been crying so much. Poor little one!

That day I had a migraine, and I only realized it AFTER I got sick. Poor the mama! Poor Daddy, who takes care of me and the boys when he gets home from work and I'm sick.

My little Caleb Luke is liking his preschool class more these days. He's even started going to the library like his big brother and taking out a book. I'm glad he's enjoying himself more. I think he's being challenged more, and he's made a buddy named Jason Good. Of all last names! :) :) :)

That same Wednesday, January 18, Shawn stayed home from work. He had gotten my cold, and he was miserable. Poor Daddy! Since the boys were gone all morning at preschool, he could rest. When Ryan napped, I worked out, and Daddy had some time to sleep and recover.

Mamaw called that day and asked about having Joshua come play Wii at her house while Ken was away. I said sure, and asked if Caleb could go too. She said yes, so the boys went to her house to play Wii. While they were there, Shawn & I went out to eat at the Olive Garden and ordered soup. It was heavenly! It's more expensive to eat soup at a restaurant than home, but their soup is really good and it's cheaper ordering soup than big meals that we don't want the calories from. With Shawn's cold, soup was perfect! And we love having time out to ourselves. The only issue was that Shawn with his cold could barely hear. He said "I feel like you tonight, asking what." Haaa!!! SO true!

The above is a craft Caleb made at preschool. I LOVE the polar bear with his shaving cream face. Isn't it adorable?

Thursday I cleaned the house in hopes of getting rid of all the germs and sickness - the bleach was out and I scrubbed everything top to bottom. The next day my friend Karisten and her three kiddos came over for a play date. The boys enjoy playing with Kyler and Sophi, and she held little tiny one-month old Ethan in her arms. We talked about lack of sleep and when babies start being "fun." I am SO glad Ryan's in his current stage. He has tons of personality, sits up on his own, and yet he is sleeping most nights and still that cuddly innocent baby. Sweetness!

That afternoon, I realized that my Schnook is starting to scoot places. He's not crawling and he's not fast, but he can grab at things and slide over toward them to get a better handle on them. I love this stage! :) :) :)

Friday, the 13th

Friday, January 13, I woke up and like most days I read my Bible after feeding the baby. The boys were awake and running downstairs for breakfast when I finally knelt down to pray. Thinking it may be quick, I sensed that God had more in store. I felt like He was reminding me how much He loves these boys. They are my current ministry. It wasn't a long prayer time, but it had a lasting effect on my day and my attitude.

There are many days I can get caught up in doing laundry or cleaning up messes that I forget to allow the kids to make a mess and have fun! That day, I decided to just focus on them and let the little things of life go. We ate breakfast together, simple cereal so I didn't have cooking or clean-up time. Then, I taught them a new song: "I'm a Little Teapot." They LOVED it! They sang it over and over again, and I even got them on video (seriously cute!). We sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider, the Tiny Turtle Song and Five Little Monkeys, too.

We played a ton of games in our office. We started with Rory's Story Time Cubes where we each start out with "Once Upon a Time" and then make up a story based on the pictures of the dice we rolled. Caleb's are funny with "and then" and not a lot of it links. "Once upon a time I flew on an airplane to see Papaw, and then I saw a fish, and then I saw a rainbow, and then I got some wishes..." It's adorable to listen to. Joshua is getting better and better at making up the stories and trying to have them make sense. "Once upon a time, we flew to Florida and while I was there, I mailed this card home and I used this telephone to call home and say hello," and so on. There are nine dice. It's a cute game!

After the dice game we played Toy Story Yahtzee and Memory. We play Memory over and over again, and the boys like to both win. We count the matches to see who "won." The first time we played, we each got five matches. I didn't even have to make it up - it was all tied! PERFECT! No fighting, just fun!

As our day went on, I of course fed baby Ryan and he sat next to us as we played. He sits up well now and grabs at everything. He's fairly content as we play, so I just keep an eye on him so he doesn't fall over. The boys love to make him giggle, too. I feel bad that I often don't get a picture of him in the action, but he's either asleep so I can finally dig out the camera or I'm holding him while taking the pictures. But, he's here and very much a part of the family and the action!

For lunch, I warmed up some of the chicken noodle casserole we had had from the night before, again easy and not time consuming. I realize that kids don't care how much time and effort we put into food - they just want to get back to playing.

While Ryan napped that afternoon, we got out the play-doh. I dug out their place mats they had created at preschool and all our play-doh and accessories. The kids love the car molds Aunt Missy bought one of them for their birthday (Caleb, I think?). They also love the thing I called a "spaghetti" maker to make long stringy things. You can tell what we're into - I call it spaghetti and Joshua calls them "skinny snakes." Haaa!!! We rolled up, padded out and molded all sorts of things with our play-doh before cleaning it all up.

Then, we read books until I told them it was time for quiet time. A new favorite is "You Can Do It, Sam." In it, the bear Sam and his mama make cakes for all their neighbors. Then he gets to deliver the cakes at their doorsteps with a note on the bag that says "A Tasty Surprise." Joshua said "I wish we had a tasty surprise," which got me thinking for later that evening.

I also created a 'new' game where they hold onto their doodle-pros, and I ask them to write certain things. For example, how many fingers am I holding up? Then they have to write the number. Or, what letter does baby start with? I told Caleb he could write capitals but I made Joshua write the lowercase as well since it's good practice for them. When they tired of the game, they had their quiet time. I think both boys fell asleep.

After dinner that night, I told Daddy about our book and asked if he minded if I baked with the older boys. He said "Not at all - sounds delicious!" even though we're counting calories. I had some pumpkin spice mix in the pantry, so we baked some muffins together. They love to help in the kitchen! They each lined one muffin pan with cupcake liners.

They both got to help dump in and mix the ingredients.

And after they were done baking and the boys were in their PJs, they both got to sample our "tasty surprise." It had been a very fun day, and this is a random sampling of activities we do together. I love my kids, and I'm glad God loves them, too! I am blessed to be their Mama!

Smiling Snowman Cake

I stumbled upon a recipe on the Family Fun Magazine Website for a snowman cake. I LOVED the idea, and I thought it looked easy enough to do with my 3- and 5-year-old boys. I didn't have round cake pans, but I asked Mom and she did have two that I could borrow. They were the same size, whereas the original recipe suggested a smaller and larger one, but I figured this was good enough. I was right! :) I printed off just the picture of their snowman cake, and then I went searching for a different cake recipe that would use a cake mix. Since the snowman calls for coconut shavings for snow, I thought pineapple cake sounded good. I found a good one!

The recipe was: One yellow cake mix, three eggs, one stick of butter and one can of crushed pineapple with the juice. First, you mix the eggs and butter (softened to room temperature). Then you add the cake mix and pineapple (no oil like the box calls for). I poured this mixture into my cake pans and baked at 350 according to the time on the box for two 9" round pans. Here are my boys in their chef outfits, hands washed and ready to help!

I cracked the eggs and let Joshua put them into the bowl where Caleb had already dumped the butter.

 

Then I let Caleb mix  the butter and eggs together. They LOVE to hold the mixer.

Then I let Caleb dump the cake mix and pineapple into the bowl.

Afterward Joshua helped me finish mixing the cake together. It baked while the boys & I played a game of Trouble.

Once the cakes had finished baking and a toothpick inserted came out clean, I set the timer for 10 minutes. Then I covered a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and used a knife to loosen the edges of the cake and flipped them next to each other onto the foil. There, I let them cool completely while the boys napped and I exercised. When it was time, I iced both cakes with butter cream icing (store bought, but I saw a million recipes online for icing as well). Then, the boys helped me sprinkle coconut on both round cakes to resemble snow. There's no wrong way to do this, and the excess that lands on the cookie sheet just makes it look more real.

The boys opened the circle candies and chose which colors to use for the buttons. Shawn helped me figure out how to make a scarf, for which we used Twizzlers and a marshmallow "pin." Joshua put the mouth on (simple candy rope stuff), and Caleb helped put on the orange gum drop nose. The Bean put on the chocolate wafer eyes. I added the Twizzler arms.

Caleb was SO excited about our little snowman creation and called him "Frosty."

Frosty had a magic black hat, and while I didn't have a top hat to use, I got out a disposable black plastic bowl. I cut it in half and used it for his hat. Shawn said he thought the cake looked better with his hat. :) What do you think?

I loved the idea, and the boys were excited that the weather report was calling for snow the following night!

We each had a slice for snack Thursday evening, and the boys don't really like sweets all that much so they didn't even finish theirs. Knowing approximately how many calories were in this cake (the original recipe said you could add a half cup chopped pecans, which I opted not to since I didn't have any), I knew we had to give it away. Shawn doesn't like coconut, but he still seemed to like the cake okay. I thought it was awesome! The cake was moist, and the butter cream icing was scrumptious. I knew I could eat it all if we didn't get it out of our house. So, I called Mamaw to see if she'd like some, and I gave her the rest of the cake we hadn't eaten that night.

My friend Karisten came over the following day for a play date, and I gave her half of the other cake circle, a slice of which she ate at our house and the rest she took with her to share with her fam while they were eating lunch together. That left us with one more slice for Shawn & me to eat that night after supper. I had taken all our decorations off and thrown them away. It was a fun craft to make with the boys. They enjoy baking and decorating, and I love new ideas of things we can do together. :) This one was easy!

Date Night!

 

I had asked Mom if she would be available to watch our three little loves on Wednesday, January 11 (or 1/11) so Shawn & I could go on a date. While it didn't work for her to do it that day, she suggested the night before. We were thrilled to go out together. As much as we adore our boys, it's also nice to have some Mommy & Daddy time.

In preparation, Shawn went and got a double-take deal on a new restaurant to try. That morning was my first morning back to Bible study, and I told the gals about how excited I was for our date. :) We dropped our little men off at Mamaw's (thanks for watching them!) and headed out for Chinese. The food was good, but probably not a place we would go to again. That said, the company was excellent! When we were finished, we picked our boys back up. They had had fun playing, and Mom bought Joshua a hat to match Caleb's since they both wanted it. After we tucked the boys in bed, Shawn & I watched "Sherlock Holmes" and it was excellent. It was a great night, and I am so happy to be married to my man! :) :) :)

Love :)

Caleb's Milestone Photo Shoot

On Monday, January 9, I took my three boys to JCPenny's to get their pictures taken. My purpose for the visit was to capture Caleb's 3.5 year birthday. But, I like to get the boys together when I can, and since I have a portrait club membership, it's free to add in the siblings and try to get them all together. This top picture was my favorite of the three boys. How adorable are they?!?!

Ryan did not want to lay on his belly like his brothers. The photographer started him on his belly when it was just the three of them and he frowned. So, she sat him back up and he was fine with that. This picture reminds me, though, that I forgot to put his shoes on him. I was going to change his ugly old socks, and then thought "I'll just wear his cute shoes instead." Not only did I forget the shoes, but I hadn't changed the socks either. WHOOPS!

When I was picking out the boys' outfits, I had no idea what to wear on them. I wanted them to coordinate, and I realized that I had something that would go for two out of three boys. If I had an outfit that Joshua & Caleb looked nice in, I had nothing even remotely close to wear on Ryan. I found something that Joshua & Ryan looked great in, but I didn't have anything that matched for Caleb. It was getting frustrating! So, Mom & I stopped in at Children's Place the day before the photo shoot, and she got Joshua this gray sweater that went perfectly with the other outfits. They all coordinated then. Caleb wore the sweater from the Children's Place we owned from before (originally Joshua's) with a white button-down shirt underneath. Ryan has on a blue hand-me-down sweater from his cousin John from the Children's Place and a white button-down shirt with gray stripes in it (so faint you can't really tell in the pictures) with gray pants. Joshua wore the button-down shirt we had purchased to go underneath Caleb's sweater that has the same blue in the checkered pattern with a plain gray sweater on top. I think they all looked so cute! I wish I (or the picture taker) would have noticed Caleb's white shirt sleeve hanging out a bit too much. And, I also am annoyed I didn't think to take off my watch!

When we got there, the photographer took a couple of me with the boys since I was already holding Ryan. The baby was happy being with his mama and got him comfortable in the environment. I'm glad to have pictures of me with the kids. I'm often the one taking the pictures, so it's nice to have me with my little loves!

Then, to make sure that Ryan would stay happy for the photos, she moved on to do the three boys together. Part of me wishes she would have done one of them in the birth order. I was assuming that Caleb with his stripes would be in between the two brothers in solids. But, it really doesn't matter. They turned out well, and I love how inexpensive they are. :)

After she captured the three boys, she went on to get ones of just Caleb, and he hammed it up for the camera. The boys are both at the ages now where they squint and give you a fake smile when you ask them to say cheese. So, she worked at saying weird things to try to make them laugh and give genuine smiles. It's tough!

I especially like the serious ones of Caleb. What I wouldn't give to have his eye lashes! He has the most beautiful eyes and longest eye lashes I've ever seen!

I like the one of him above if it weren't turned at a strange angle. But, his expression is dear! He has a real smile in the one below, too, but I don't like seeing his big ol' feet in it! (I think he's gone up another sneaker size already. He's officially wearing the newer sneakers we have now!)

This one was PRICELESS. That is SO a face he makes. I LOVE the mischievous look. Adorable!

I ordered the one of him standing on the right. That is definitely his stance and his grin. How I love my little Caleb Luke! Such a great kiddo all around! He and his brothers are awesome to me! I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world. :)

When we were done with the photo shoot portion, the photographer (one of my very favorite, Audra or Audrey - wish I knew for sure which it was!) did some of the collections that are higher priced. I love them, too.

It was a great experience overall. The kids were well-behaved, and I got some nice pictures. :) :) :)