Boys will be boys

zane's 1st tooth

2010-01-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

Zane is growing too fast. For me. He's actually the shortest boy in his class and he's skinny. Not super skinny, just very fit and active. It's wrong that my 5 year old has a 6 pack stomach and I have a hanging belly. Thanks Zane.

As I said, he's 5 (and a half, as he always reminds me.) and he has lost his first tooth. He was eating when it happened and we are thankful he did not swallow it as several of his friends did. He was so excited for the toothfairy to visit. We had him put his tooth in a ziploc baggie under a jar next to his bed. Daddy did the transfer successfully and Zane was thrilled to find his tooth gone and money with a note in it's place.

He's already decided what to do with the money. A new Wii game, all the way! I hoped for books or some outside toy, but my guess is that it will be the new Wii fit plus. He's been saving his pennies to buy a new Wii game and has more then enough now. We've also been talking to him about saving money and how you should not spend all that you have but save some too. We'll see if he wants to listen or spend it all. So far when we play Monopoly together, he tries to sell me his properties to make immediate cash instead of holding onto them for lots of money in the long run. One day he'll understand it better. He is only 5 (and a half!) after all...

a good year.

2010-01-04T06:13:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had as good of a year as we had in 2009!

The boys and I managed to do several fun things last year. We went to Chicago to help my awesome friend Marcy pack for her move to Montana. We went to Colorado to visit with my parents and our German friends that came to town. Much fun was had there! Then, we went to Colorado again with Auntie Lisa and Cousin Ian. The boys loved that!

In October Indie was born at home and the boys were thrilled to have a new sister. They love on her and often are too loving.

Dave is working like normal. Too much. And I am still home with the kids. It's a tough job, but better me than someone else!

This year has been full of wonderful things, and we feel very blessed as a family to have one another and have all that we have.

May 2010 be the best year yet for everyone!

2009-11-30T14:45:00.000-08:00

Zane, Stone and Indie are just growing like mad! Indie was 13 pounds 2 weeks ago. Who knows now! She's probably 14+. She's typically a good sleeper and is starting to really notice her surroundings and smile a bunch.

Zane has a sudden need to have his hair perfect. He's always worried people will make fun of him. Not sure why. He says that no one is making fun of him, not even one person, but he seems very concerned. I certainly hope no one makes fun of my kid. It is bound to happen someday, but I can always hope not, right? He is also going for his yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do on Monday. He seems to like TKD and we're hoping to keep him in it.

Stone is still struggling with speech. He's in therapy one day a week for 1 hour. I want to at least double this. I need to see what the county/state will do for him. He needs more to get things rolling. Any jerk at the insurance company that says it is not medically necessary to have him treated is off their rocker. They should come spend a day with Stone and try to communicate with him and figure out what Stone is trying to say. There is no way Stone could communicate with a doctor to tell the doc if something was wrong. In my mind, that means it is by far very necessary to get him help.

Otherwise, all seems good. The kids are happy. Zane's reading books and the boys are just both doting over their sister. Good stuff!

pic of Indie!

2009-10-13T19:47:00.001-07:00

Thought my 9 readers might want to see a picture of Indica. We call her Indie much of the time and think she is just the sweetest little girl! Zane and Stone fight over which one will hold her first and for the longest. Let's just hope the love continues to blossom!

the bus incident.

2009-10-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

Spoke with Zane's bus driver today and she said that the 8 year old pointed his finger at Zane and Zane just chomped on it. Ugh. Why?!

On a good note, Indie is sleeping like a champ! She does 2-3 hour increments, so I am a lot less tired in the morning than I remember being with Zane and Stone. I feel like recovery has been much quicker. Probably a combo of her being a bit smaller (for one of my babies) and the added sleep.

We have much to be thankful for. Three beautiful children and family and friends helping out. My parents have been incredibly helpful. Thanks everybody for everything!

More Indica.

2009-10-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

So Indica is now over a week old. Things seem to be going pretty good. There have been a couple kinks.

Zane bit an 8 year old on the bus. He knows biting is not ok and has not done it since he was 2. He told us that the boy told him to bite him. Unfortunately it was my mom that got him off the bus that day. The next day I went to pick Zane up but it was a substitute bus driver. So I could not ask her about it. What we suspect happened is that the kid said, "Bite me." and Zane took him literally...

Fun stuff.

Indica Sky

2009-10-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

The boys have a sister! Her name is Indica Sky and she was born Oct. 3rd. Nine pounds even.

Zane wants to spend time with her and hug her and kiss her, but he is sick. He has a 104.3 fever today, so Indica and I have been quarantined to my room. Fortunately the doctor that did the house call this morning to check out Indica also checked on Zane. His lungs are clear and he has swollen lymph nodes. Probably taking him to the doctor's office tomorrow for a more thorough check unless his fever is way down.

Stone is just not sure what to think. He saw me nurse Indica and he just started sobbing and threw his head down on my arm. Poor thing. It has been 5 months since he has had mama's milk. But I am pretty sure he remembers and is sad that Indica gets to have it and he does not. He does still seem curious about her, so that is good.

Looks like I will have to come up with a new title for the blog. That's the news for today.

stone's goose egg.

2009-09-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

So today we called 911 for Stone for the first time. He and Zane were playing piggy back rides when Stone fell off and bonked his head behind his ear. I had my feet up (not feeling the best, we have a cold going through the house) and I just happened to be having a contraction when I decided I should put the foot rest of the chair down when my contraction was over. At this moment he fell off and bonked his head on the corner of the footrest of the chair. I have NEVER seen a goose egg appear so fast and so big. At first we decided to rush to Children's, but then decided 911 would be quicker.

The ambulance came and in the end, we all decided he was acting fine. It's now 4 hours later and still no signs of concussion or anything of the sort. Phew!

Stone's bed.

2009-09-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

With the arrival of the new baby nearing, it was time to get Stone out of our bed and into his own. We put a twin bed in Zane's room and last night was Stone's first night sleeping in the room with Zane. He LOVED it! He only woke up once and Dave corralled him back into his bed and he went right back to sleep. When he and Zane got up in the morning, it was a little earlier than Stone normally gets up, and his nap was shorter today, but maybe that means he will go to sleep earlier, which would be great!

The best part, Stone seems thrilled to be sleeping in big brother's room and Zane seems happy to have Stoney in there too. Now to just do a little rearranging to make the room more user friendly.

bowl of radishes and water...

2009-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a bowl of radishes and water with a cup to keep a 2 year old boy entertained. I have much produce to wash and prep for use from the CSA I joined this year (I have been neglectful, so I have 2-3 weeks worth of things to clean) and Stone decided to "help."

He now has all 3 weeks worth of radishes in a salad spinner filled 1/5 of the way full of water and has a cup. He is filling the cup with radishes and then dumping them back into the bowl of water. Works for me since it means I get to do other things, he works on his pouring skills, he is entertained and the radishes do get washed.

I love when he helps with the produce. Usually he spins the lettuce. This week, he's on radish duty. Wonder what next week will bring?

zane loves me.

2009-09-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

Zane was especially affectionate when I dropped him off at school today. He even hugged Stoney before he got out of the car, then proceeded to blow kisses for abut 30 seconds, which in car line time is a LONG time. Very sweet, and the teachers did not seem to mind.

When Zane got home today he told me right away to check in his backpack. I looked and found several things. One was an envelope with David's and my name on it. We were notified yesterday to be sure to check his backpack that all parents were going to be getting a letter in an envelope. Then I found a few works he did at school.

One was not at all done. All he did was write his name on it. I looked through it and he said that he forgot to color it in, but I should look on the back. What do I find but a wonderful note he dictated to his teacher and she wrote out in yellow pencil. I would take a picture and let everyone see it, but it is hard to read due to the yellow on white. It says," Zane misses Mommy and I can't wait to come back home to you. And I really love you Mommy. And I was thinking I love Stoney too."

Honestly, it's enough to melt any mother's heart. Love him!

zane's first day.

2009-08-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Zane went to his first day of kindergarten today! And it was his first time riding the school bus. They only bus him home, since he is in private school, but he seemed to enjoy both school and the bus.

He has not told us much about school (no big surprise!) but seemed to have a good time and meet some new cool kids.

Not much more that we could ask for, really.

tractor ride.

2009-08-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

When we go to my aunt and uncle's farm, Zane always hopes for a tractor ride, and lucky him, gets one. This time we went to visit and Stone was up for it too. So both boys got to ride in the tractor and Zane got to steer! They were so excited and look forward to many more rides in the future. Thanks Uncle Jim!

cherry upside down chocolate cake

2009-08-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

With my pregnancy I have cut sugar out of my diet. I am allowed no more than 2 fruits a day and on special occasions a little low sugar treat.

For my needs, my dear friend Marcy has made up a recipe. It is in the oven right now. SO I want to share the link with you so you can find the recipe yourself and try it. I did modify it by using tart cherries instead of bing, only because I had tart cherries on hand. You can find the recipe here.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I think I will!

girl?....

2009-08-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

So, we are expecting a third child in September, and this child is supposedly a girl. Zane is VERY excited about it and wants a sister, so good news that it is supposed to be a girl. Hope she actually comes out a girl and is not one of those that is a "surprise, it's a boy!"

Anyway, not sure if I will change the blog title or not. Kids will be kids, maybe?

Let's just hope the kids continue to get along and I figure out how to parent 3 children. Oh my! Should be interesting!

soccer camp

2009-07-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Zane is in soccer camp this week. Nothing super long, just 1.5 hours a day for 5 days. He is having a blast, and now wants to join a soccer team for this fall. Wouldn't you know that you have to sign up for soccer in the spring?! Unreal. It's like preschool in a large city. You have to do it before you conceive...

I'm sure we will find a place where he can join a team. There have to be other slacker parents out there like me and people that want to profit from them. :)

chocolate zucchini cupcakes

2009-07-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

So, we did end up making chocolate zucchini cupcakes of which I quickly devoured most. The boys each had one, outside as they were rather moist an crumby, causing for disaster at clean up time.

I unfortunately forgot to take pictures, but there are pics available at the link to the recipe, and they looked pretty much the same. I did substitute spelt flour for wheat flour, but otherwise I followed her instructions to a T.

You can find the recipe here.

The one thing I would have done is forgo the cinnamon and allspice. Though it did lend a nice flavor, I just would have preferred the muffins without it. I think cinnamon and/or allspice and chocolate are kind of a strange combo. I just really wanted luscious rich chocolate, which these were, with the exception of the spices. The boys loved them as well and no one could tell there was zucchini in them. I would maybe add a little more zucchini, only to get some more veggies into my kids, though zucchini is the one veggie they BOTH like cooked in olive oil with onions, sea salt and pepper.

Hope you have some fun making something with your kids if you have them. Nothing like watching their excitement at having made something that they can eat and share with their friends and family. Such fun!

farm lettuce.

2009-06-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

The boys and I were gone for most of June. When we returned, we had been getting deliveries from the farm (a CSA, otherwise known as community supported agriculture) the whole time. Dave or neighbors took care of it while we were gone. They ate some of it, and the rest of it they gave back to me.

Zane has decided he likes farm lettuce better than store bought. He says it is the best. Unfortunately we missed the farm spinach while we were gone, but should get more as fall comes around with a little cooler weather. Zane should love that as he is a big fan of spinach.

This week we have a delivery of zucchini and yellow squash. Zane and I will make either zucchini bread or cake. Should be fun! He of course wants cake, but I think he just does not realize how good zucchini bread is. Whichever we decide to make, if it turns out great, we'll post a pic and the recipe later.

No more Schuyler to play with...

2009-05-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Schuyler left after having a day full of time here with Zane on Friday. Saturday Zane said he wanted to play with Schuyler and I had to remind him that Schuyler moved away and no longer lives here. Sweetly, Schuyler called that afternoon to talk with Zane for a little while.

Sunday when Zane got up, he said, "No more Schuyler to play with..." Zane has been less excited to go outside and play because of his missing friend. I have my work cut out for me!

So, here is a pic of the buddies hanging out on their last day as neighbors. I hope they can remain friends over the years. Would be nice!

moving neighbor.

2009-05-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

Our backyard neighbors are awesome! Schuyler is the same age as Zane, so they play together often and his mother sometimes makes yummy Chinese food for me. The food is a bonus, as I am a huge fan of eating.

The bad thing is that they are moving. And not in town, but to another state! I am SO bummed because Zane and Schuyler play at least 3 times a week. And, Schuyler likes to include my younger son Stone. He makes my life much easier when I have things that need to be done, but want my kids to be active.

How will I get over this? Lots of activities, I suppose. Maybe Zane will get along with the new 6 year old girl that will be moving into Schuyler's house. Fortunately he still has Ally, the 8 year old neighbor girl that likes to bike with him and play watersports.

We'll have to use some of the wonderful kids cookbooks we have. Maybe we'll all get fat from baking, cooking and eating too many things. Maybe we will just have to find some new kids in the neighborhood.

hair

2009-05-07T04:39:00.000-07:00

Zane decided a while back that he wanted to grow his hair out. No prompting from me, by the way.... I personally love long hair on boys and girls alike. His hair was just starting to look good when his father started mentioning getting Zane's hair cut and talking to Zane about shorter hair. Why do dads intervene when it comes to stuff like that?

Well, as you can imagine, Zane decided he wanted to get his hair cut. He told me for about 2 weeks, so when our stylist could finally come over yesterday, he got his hair cut. Of course, there was so much to cut that he decided he was done halfway through. He ended up with a longer short cut. Looks cute, but I think we might need to trim a little more off the back unless he is going to grow it out again.

As for me, I believe in letting my son have his hair just about anyway he wants. I draw the line at buzz cut, bowl cut, and paige boy cut. Those are the only huge no-no's for me! And I would really prefer no mohawk. They have hats that look like mohawks, and I think that is close enough. Let's just hope he doesn't ask to have his head shaved next.

behaving?

2009-04-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Do you think that if I just ignore the kids they will eventually behave? How many times do I really need to correct them?

Zane has been in trouble a lot lately. Even at school where he is usually a good kid. What on earth is going on?! Are the star not aligned properly? Is he eating more sugar than I realize? Or is this just normal almost 5 year old rottenness?

Every year on his birthday he comes up with some new awful behavior to make him even more ill behaved. Just when I begin to think it has to get better, it gets worse!

So, I've decided to just ignore it for a while and try to focus on the positive. We'll see how this turns out!

poop it out.

2009-04-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

Zane is quite the almost 5 year old! We are expecting a third child in September, and as this will be another homebirth there is the distinct possibility that Zane and Stone might be present for the birth. In preparation, I have been reading a book to Zane and Stone (when Stone will pay attention) called Welcome with Love. It's all about a mother that is giving birth to her child in the home with the family all around.

It has some illustrations in it that show the head between the mother's legs from a side angle (Not the legs spread angle). And when Zane saw it he decided that I am going to poop the baby out. After discussing it a little, he also said he thinks the baby will come out of my head. I explained to him basic hookups of a female body, so he does know how it happens, but I doubt he really gets it. How could he, really?

What I am waiting to hear is that he has been talking about it at school. I have not heard anything yet as this was his first day back at school since spring break. But, he wants to read the book all the time and he really likes the pooping the baby out picture. He will even go upstairs and read the book to himself without anyone suggesting it.

The great thing about all this is that Zane is very excited about the new baby. He often likes to kiss my belly and he talks about how he hopes it is a sister. I've also let him know that he doesn't have a choice. If the baby is a brother, there is no sending it back!

spring break madness.

2009-04-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

This week was spring break for Zane. He has had playdates almost every day. It has been quite crazy around here.

The biggest "problem" has been that one of his best friends (a neighbor) was out of town the whole time. Zane asked almost every other day to play with Schuyler. Fortunately Schuyler is coming back, this time. Unfortunately, Schuyler is moving at the end of May to Pennsylvania. We will all dearly miss Schuyler. He plays great with both of my boys and always listens to me. What more can you ask of a playdate for your kids?

That's it really. I thought at the beginning of the week that I was going to go insane, but it ended up being a really nice week. I'm glad to have had this time with both boys!

snow, snow, snow...

2009-04-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Much of our entertainment during our trip to Colorado involved playing in the snow. Good thing that was our plan, we wanted to play in the snow! Obviously Zane enjoyed it immensely!

playdates.

2009-04-01T17:50:00.001-07:00

We were out of town for a couple weeks. Sorry for the delay!

My son Zane loves to have playdates. We had one today that was particularly stressful for me. Normally I am fine with playdates, actually like them as the kids play well together and everyone seems to have a good time. But the kids that were here today are different than the other kids I am used to.

Now, I know that different is not bad. This is just an exhausting different. I had a rough night of sleep and then my acupunturist was late, so I was tight on time and got nothing done before our playdate. This makes for a grumpy me. Add extra kids, and wild ones at that, and you get a very grumpy and yelly Stormy. I even reprimanded the oldest of the 2 visiting children a couple time. Not sure what the mother thought about it. Oy.

All I know is that next time we will have to meet in a park or elsewhere. We'll see how it goes!

unitard.

2009-03-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Dave and I watched the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" the other evening and were laughing at his unitard. They are pretty ridiculous looking, yet there is just something about them.

That evening when I was getting ready for bed I put on some warm fuzzy black pants that my neighbor loaned me. I was very surprised that they were fitted and stretchy. But they were comfy and warm so I went with it. I followed that up with one of my favorite black double layer tops.

Dave walked in just about then and thought I was wearing... yep, you guessed it, a unitard! I thought it was funny. So much so that I wore it in the morning to drop Zane off at school.

I also then vowed to get Dave in a unitard sometime soon! OOH Baby!

the zoo.

2009-03-06T05:17:00.000-08:00

Today we are supposed to go to the zoo. Should be fun. It is supposed to be nice out (Can anyone say 70 degrees?!) an we will be meeting one of my friends from college there with her daughter that is a little younger than Stone.

I have 2 dilemmas with the day. First, do I want to rejoin the zoo or just pay as I go. It's quite a drive for me to go to the zoo. Probably 45 minutes. Now, I get that this is not that much, but when you are tired all the time and have to drag 2 kids plus all the snacks/lunch/and other things like diapers and extra clothes, it just gets old.

The other dilemma is which stroller to take. If I take the big heavy double stroller, I have to push the big heavy double stroller possibly with both kids in it. This means I could potentially be pushing around 125 pounds. Just 25 pounds shy of my current weight. I say current because I am on an upswing at the moment. If I take the single stroller, it is lighter which is nice, but then Zane has to walk and I can just hear the whining about being tired. I'm already exhausted mentally and physically.

I'm thinking single and I'll tell Zane we can ride the train a few times before we go if he keeps walking. There's also always juice boxes for energy. I buy really small ones so he does not have that much sugary juice at one time and they are a special drink, not an every day drink.

There you have it, my lame dilemmas for the day. I just hope the bears do not smell too bad when we walk by. Ugh!

gone for good...

2009-02-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

The games seem to be gone for good. Maybe a blessing in disguise. One less gadget for my sons to be playing with. I would rather they be outside digging up worms or planting random seeds. Zane likes to find seeds and plant them in my flower beds.

Now if I could just lose the Wii and the tv we would be all set. :)

m.i.a.

2009-02-22T16:06:00.001-08:00

We have hand held games for the boys called DS's. One for each boy so there is no fighting. They share the games and it is great. Nice for when I really need to get something done.

Unfortunately the small gray case that holds the games has gone missing. We all saw it last night during Stoney's birthday party, but this morning it is nowhere to be found. We have searched high and low. Such a serious bummer since these games are not cheap.

We both feel like it is here SOMEPLACE, we just do not know where. We really don't think anyone would have taken it. If someone did, it would be a kid who wanted to borrow it or just didn't realize what it was or just didn't realize it would be stealing if they took it.

Naive? Maybe. I do not want to accuse my friends or their kids of taking it. I just do not want a hundreds of dollars of games to be missing. And, the only 2 game cards we have left are the 2 most annoying ones. Ugh!

My mom even searched through the trash. She rocks. We looked under furniture, in furniture, in Zane's bed, in drawers, the trash, cupboards, the play room... Oy.

Wish me luck in finding these. Otherwise I might have to hide the DS's for a very long time so I do not have to hear the annoying songs that go along with the 2 games we have left.

Stone is 2.

2009-02-19T06:28:00.000-08:00

Stone is 2 today. I know, it's hard to believe... Time really does seem to fly.

My mom is visiting. Mom, Stone and I went to the store. We were at Target where they had all kinds of stuffed toys for 75% off. He did not want a single one of them. We then went to Kroger (a grocery chain) and he found a stuffed animal there that he wanted. We were walking along and there was a 25%-50% off table. He grabbed a tiger off the table, cradled it in his arm and kept walking. So I told him that we were not buying it but he could carry it around if he wanted.

Once we got to the check out I told him he needed to give the tiger to the cashier. He did not want to, but eventually he gave her the tiger without complaint and said, "Byebye." He waved to the tiger and we left. How lucky am I?!

I know I have a stuffed tiger in the basement someplace. Perhaps I will go down there and find it today.

static.

2009-02-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

Stone loves to have his hair standing on end. He also loves when balloons stick to him. He thinks it is hysterical. So do we. Nothing better than a little zap.

ice.

2009-02-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

We had snow, freezing rain, and then snow. This led to some beautiful ice covering everything. I love how sparkly the plants are in the sun! The world should be sparkly all the time. I bet people would be happier in general if the world sparkled.

SNOW and ice.

2009-01-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

We had some fun amounts of snow and ice here! Zane is thrilled to have snow and the first thing he wants to do in the morning is go outside. He is also pleased to be missing school. I'm not sure how I feel that my preschooler wants to miss school already.

Zane was particularly excited about the "ice crystals" as he called them. He loves the ice cycles and would hide them all over while I had to find them in the snow. Of course, they were pretty easy to find as he made tracks to wherever he hid them.

I think if it is going to continue to snow here this winter that I should probably buy the boys some snow pants...

forgetful me.

2009-01-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have not updated this blog for 4 days. And, if you can believe it, the reason is that I just kind of forgot about the blog. Yep. That's right. I forgot about blogging. I was on the computer plenty. Looked at all kids of things. Forgot about blogs.

So, if you will forgive me I will try to do better. See you later today or tomorrow with something new.

let there be soup.

2009-01-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight I needed to make something for dinner and had a big container of homemeade chicken stock in the fridge. So I made soup. And boy was it delicious!

Here's the recipe...

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions in 1-2T olive oil with salt and pepper until almost clear and then add the garlic and saute for one more minute.

Add 1/2 a can of tomato sauce. (I used Private Selections Organic Tomato Sauce, it was a 15 oz. can.)
Also add some chicken stock*. Now, I cannot say how much I used but I would guess 4-6 cups.

Chop the following into large chunks and add them as you chop.

1 sweet potato, 1 large red potato, 3 stalks celery, 1 or 2 carrots (I was running low, so I just had about 1 carrot worth), 1 large or 2 small zucchini.

Once the potatoes are ready, throw in some broccoli in bite sized pieces. If you throw it in with all the other veggies it just becomes mushy. Also throw in some shredded chicken if you have any precooked in your fridge.

Now, eat. Of course, I did neglect to mention that I cooked some noodles in salted water and put those on the bottom of the soup. I have to used rice noodle as I am not supposed to eat wheat, but no one ever notices the difference.

Vegetarians, use veggie stock instead and omit the chicken. Depending on the stock you use, you might want to add some herbs.

* For the homemade stock I used the bones, skin and fat of a chicken that I had previously cooked in the oven. The chicken had been brined in 12 cups water with 3/4 cup kosher salt, pepper, 4 cloves garlic or so cut in quarters and 1/2 and onion for about 1.5 hours. I then cooked the chicken with the onions and garlic cloves, 4 more garlic cloves, cut in half, a handful of carrot and 1 stalk celery stuffed inside. I coated it lightly in olive oil then salt and peppered the skin of the chicken. Baked at 350 degrees fahrenheit until meat reached 180 degrees with a meat thermometer. Once I picked the chicken apart, I simmered the bones, skin, fat, and veggies in 2 boxes of free range organic chicken broth for an hour or 2.

my poor baby.

2009-01-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

Zane had a fever and actually took a 2 hour nap yesterday. As soon as his head hit the pillow last night he was asleep again. He seems to be feeling quite a bit better today, I am just waiting to see if it lasts. So far so good. His fever is lower, but the best part is that he is acting like himself again. Good stuff.

And our library is closed. I tried to go return some books and videos and borrow some new ones, but sadly it is closed due to water damage. Maybe by the time Zane feels better and is ready to go out in public again the library will be open and we can go there together. He loves going to the library. He gets to pick out new books and videos and he gets to play in the kid section, which is tons of fun. And I like it because it is free!

wheeeeeee......

2009-01-18T08:51:00.001-08:00

Zane and I went to a birthday party at a place called Run Jump and Play. It's one of those fun places where they have the massive blow up things you can jump in and slide down. I LOVE these places and am not one of the parents that idly sits by while their kids have all the fun. My favorite is the large shark slide. It is so awesome and such a big slide. Zane and I like to race down. I took a break and had him do it alone so I could get some pictures... Sure looks like he was having fun! Wish we could do this daily. I think I am just a big kid at heart.

it's maaagic.

2009-01-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

To Zane, everything is magic.

Today he decided he wanted to perform a magic show. So we had to make all the required materials. A magic hat, a cape and a magic wand. A blanket for the cape, rolled up construction paper for the wand and a construction paper hat put together with tape. Zane also did some wonderful drawings of magical things on his hat and signed his name so all would know it is his hat.

Now here is the really fun part. My incredibly cool job was to make the actual items disappear while Zane waved his wand and said "Abracadabra!" Yep, I put my arm behind the bilibo (a weird rounded seat thingy) and flipped the items into the bilibo to make them "disappear." I use the quotes because our audience, better known as Daddy, could still see the items.

We pulled off the trick twice then decided to make Daddy disappear. A handy dandy blanket and voila! No more daddy. At least not until Stone pulled off the cover.

I bet Zane will be the newest David Copperfield and I can be his assistant. Think he might make me disappear? I hope not, I don't like the dark.

it just won't grow.

2009-01-14T17:23:00.001-08:00

Stone has yet to have a hair cut. He'll be 2 soon. His hair just will not grow. It's amazing how slow it is. Zane needs a haircut every month or 2 if we really want to keep up with it and he definitely had a haircut by the time he was 2. I guess Stone is just trying to save us some money during the poor economy. What a good boy.

In the mean time, I get to have fun with what little hair he has and do things like give him fauxhawks and different funky points. If I do it when his hair is wet and it dries, it stays for the day. I love it.

chicago.

2009-01-12T09:28:00.001-08:00

We had a blast in Chicago with Marcy and her two wild children, Caitlynn and Miles. Zane and Stone loved running around their house and playing with the kids. The foot or more of snow was a big hit too, as were the chocolate chip cookies and brownies (both from scratch).

While the kids played, Marcy and I got to work and managed to box up quite a few things. All the pictures hanging on her walls, most of the books not already packed, lamps, china, glasses, all kinds of good stuff! Now, I have NO room to talk as I have way too much stuff for my house, but Marcy is a packrat. (Love you Marcy!) She has a lot of stuff, but many of the things she is keeping have wonderful memories for her, and who can blame her?! I took 40 boxes with me (a few of which were really small) and we filled all but the tiny 3. We also filled some she found. Good times. I just hope nothing I packed breaks.

It was really great spending time with Marcy and it was a treat for me to see our children playing together. Even Stone, my youngest, was playing with Caitlynn, Marcy's oldest. Naturally Stone watched her every move and followed her exampled, resulting in a black eye. Poor thing! He's doing fine now and I'm hoping he has decided that head banging is not the best thing to do unless you are at a rock concert!

Oh, and a big shout out to the Noodles place Marcy likes so much. Can I just say YUM! I would have a hard time not ordering their food at least a few times a week if I lived there.

All in all, I'm thankful for my friendship with Marcy and look forward to a lifetime of craziness with her. Thanks Marcy for being my friend! Just be prepared for our visit to Montana.

going to see marcy.

2009-01-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

We're off to Chicago tomorrow. We're, or should I say I am, going to help my friend Marcy pack for her move to Montana. Should be interesting. It is a good 5-7 hour drive. I've yet to drive more than 4 hours with the boys. I really do not like driving for long periods of time. Not that 5-7 hours is really that long. I used to travel with my parents and brother across the country almost every summer. Of course, back then we kids could be unbuckled in the back of the van. It was no big deal. No car seats. Now, I think Zane will be in a car seat until he is 5 or 6. He just cannot get past 38 pounds. No booster seat yet!

Back to Marcy... She is a great cook. I am really looking forward to a nice visit with her and her kids and I am looking forward to eating some yummy food. I will update you all with details of the visit, how the boys did on the trip, and maybe even some pics.

Wish me luck! I think I need it.

ian's necklace

2009-01-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

Here is Ian with his funky necklace that Zane made him for Christmas. It's pretty different!

hairstylist extraordinaire!

2009-01-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

One before and two afters!

Looks like I have a new hobby. I am now cutting hair and coloring hair for those asking. My sister-in-law Lisa started it at Halloween when she was complaining about her hair and I said, "I'll give you a partial foil and a trim." This was her second foil and trim. So far so good.

My mother-in-law also needed a cut, so I went for it and think it turned out pretty good. She was very happy with it, so that is all that is really important.

My nephew needed his hair to be cleaned up, but I found him to be less cooperative than his mother and grandmother, so nothing happened.

All in all, I think it was pretty fun for me and pleasing to see such decent results. In all fairness, I did work as a receptionist in a salon for 3 years, so I did pick up some good tips along the way. And I do not plan to do this as a living, but for fun every couple months for them, I would love to!

what is it?

2009-01-03T04:53:00.000-08:00

What is it that boys like so much about electronics? Stone loves his daddy's phone and iPod. When he's really upset, something electronic will calm him. Here is an example of where Stone was upset when we came in from the cold and David took him to calm him down while I took care of Zane. Dave gave him his phone, put a pillow on the floor and within a minute of tapping the phone he was sleeping while holding the phone. I thought it was too cute and had to take a picture.

checkers and chess.

2009-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

Zane has discovered some new games he likes to play. He is particularly fond of playing them with Grandpa. Checkers and chess. Good stuff! They spent a couple hours playing these games and I loved that Zane could concentrate on something for so long. He did not even want to eat dinner. He just wanted to keep playing.

We will certainly miss having my parents here, but are thrilled to have more visitors for the weekend. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

cousin Ian.

2009-01-02T04:58:00.000-08:00

An update on our gift situation for cousin Ian. We have resolved the issue of feeling like we did not get enough. Zane decided to make cousin Ian cookies in a jar. You know where you mix all the dry ingredients and they have to add the wet ingredients and bake them. We had tons of fun making it and he liked making it so much we also made a jar for one of the neighbor girls. And we already had the jars and all the ingredients! Awesome!

Zane also picked out a glass monster bead prior to my other post and he made Ian a necklace. We used beads that we already had and some ribbon we had purchased for other things as well. I only helped with the bead where the hole was smaller and it made it difficult to put the bead on.

I also had a cool looking board game that I bought as an extra in case I forgot someone. Since I did not, I am going to give it to Ian. I think he and Zane will have fun playing it.

The gifts are already wrapped or I would have posted a picture of the necklace. Maybe I will post one with Ian wearing it after he opens it.

Zane's first comment this morning was that cousin Ian is coming over today and he is so excited. I hope Ian is excited about the gifts that Zane made him. I would love it if they were his favorite gifts! Here's the our last Christmas celebration that is supposed to be for Christmas 2008, even though we are celebrating it in 2009!

happy new year!

2008-12-31T19:53:00.001-08:00

What a nice evening. The boys, Dave and I went to the neighbors' house for a very nice party. I got to sit and relax, talk to some neighbors. The boys got to snack on junk food. I had some corn chips and guacamole. Mmm. Then Dave and I came home to put the boys to bed. I get to stay home and listen for the wee ones while Dave goes back to the party. As he should. They are his friends first. He knew them before he knew me. I would feel a little weird going over there and making him stay home. Anyway, it leaves me time to blog and just enjoy some peace and quiet. A rare commodity around here.

I think this was what I was looking for and just did not know it. I think tomorrow we will celebrate the new year by making pancakes. The boys love to make pancakes. I wish I could say we make them from scratch, but I am gluten, dairy and soy free (not easy!) so I have found it easiest to buy this YUMMY brand of pancakes called Namaste. They are so good! No one knows that they are fake. Or should I say free of so many things... The ingredient list is very small and I am sure I could come up with my own recipe for them with a little trial and error. I may do that some day. It would be a fun experiment for me to do with the boys. They eat the leftover pancakes frozen, so I do not think it would be a problem if they did not turn out quite right. Throw some mini-chocolate chips in them in the shape of a face and the boys are happy!

Hope you all have the kind of celebration you are looking for. May you all have a blessed 2009!

something is wrong.

2008-12-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

It's truly unbelievable. I never thought this day would exist. Ever. Are you ready for this?

I do not like chocolate anymore. I used to eat it all the time. Several times a day I would sneak a bite of chocolate.

How did this happen you ask? This is what I know. I was really sick and could not eat for several days. After that I decided I should see how long I could go without chocolate because it is really not supposed to be a part of my diet. So, I decided a few weeks later to just have one piece. And I did not like it. I spit it out!

I know. It's just not right. It's similar to not liking apple pie or pumpkin pie. Has the world ended? Not as far as I can tell... So far not liking chocolate has only affected me in one way. No more chocolate anything, thereby reducing my caffeine intake to zilch and my sugar intake also. Both good things. I guess I should be happy I do not like it anymore.

sharing grandparents.

2008-12-28T05:42:00.000-08:00

It has to be said that it is no fun sharing the folks. We used to have my parents all to ourselves since my brother did not have any kids yet. We were able to see them the majority of the visit and my brother would visit with them here or we would go see him for a day. It was so great to have them here playing with the kids and visiting with us.

Now my brother has a daughter. We have to share and we do not like it. It takes away our time and not only that, but we do not necessarily get prime babysitting time. Whichever of us asks first gets it. For example, New Year's Eve. It did not occur to me that I would have to ask my parents to be here and go to the neighbor's party with us. They have gone every year with us that they have visited. Usually my dad comes home early, so if I really wanted I could ask him to listen for crying kids while I stay at the neighbors.

This year my brother and his wife have asked my parents to babysit for their daughter (my beautiful niece) for New Year's Eve. This automatically puts me out of any possibility of staying out past 8:30. I should get home earlier if I want the night to be a little easier. I guess it is best as I should go to bed and get a good night sleep.

I'm not bitter. I knew one day I would have to share. And I am thrilled to have a niece to love and squeeze and spoil. I just liked having my folks to myself. In the end though, I would not trade my brother or his family for anything. I feel blessed to have them in my life. Even if I do have to share the grandparents.

skimpy taco bell.

2008-12-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

My parents went to a Taco Bell in Laramie, Wyoming. It was January 27th, 2008. I just uploaded the pics and saw the picture of the skimpy taco my dad was served. Amazing. I think there are maybe 5 pieces of cheese in it and about a tablespoon of meat. We won't debate the quality of the meat at this time. This is the skimpiest taco I have EVER seen. My dad complained and they gave him 3 new ones, but he says they were not that much better. He often complains about the food in restaurants looking nothing like the pictures they display. I think Taco Bell would go out of business if they displayed the picture of the taco they served Dad. Maybe people trying to lose weight would go there and then eat 10 figuring the tacos are so wimpy they could have more. Maybe that is a marketing idea for Taco Bell. Cater to those wanting to lose weight by showing them the skimpy taco. I think they should call it a skinny taco for better sales.

happy holidays.

2008-12-24T05:04:00.000-08:00

2008 is almost over. Incredible.

Zane was insistent that he get to see Santa this year. So off we went to the mall on the 23rd. Everything was coated with ice. We risked our necks to take our kids to see Santa at the mall. Are we crazy? I think so.

Fortunately, nothing bad happened. The worst part was we had to make an appointment with Santa and come back 3 hours later. In that time we managed to go to the library and return some dvd's we borrowed, pick up our holiday local free-range turkey from the butcher, and go home to have lunch.

The best part was that Grandma and Grandpa went with us!

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope it's great!

child labor

2008-12-20T08:32:00.001-08:00

Zane has an interest in washing dishes now, which is great and I highly encourage him. Stone wants to vacuum. I also encourage him. Here is a picture of my not yet 2 year old vacuuming and my 4 year old washing dished. I love it! Don't be jealous. They are not always this well behaved.

price tags.

2008-12-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

Is there anything worse than price tags that will not come off? Of course there is, but as far as tiny problems of the world, this one ranks pretty high on my list. I just spent 20 minutes getting the sticky off 12 plastic scoops from the price stickers. What a waste of 20 minutes. If I had known I would be wasting 20 minutes of my life doing that, I would never have bought those stinking scoops. But they are so cute and perfect to give along with the bath salts/sugars. Now, my hands smell like googone and the smell was still on the scoops after I gave them a good washing. Ugh. Now I am letting them soak overnight in Dawn dishsoap. Next will be baking soda. Anybody have any sticky remover suggestions that are more natural?

chocolate-mint sugar scrub.

2008-12-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

Even with the chocolate-mint half dead and what was green covered in ice, I decided to go for it and make some chocolate-mint sugar scrub. Unfortunately I am pretty new to this body scrub making and did not take into account the rather strong scent of olive oil. And, like I often do, I dove into the process without doing any research. I used the green de-iced parts of the chocolate-mint, olive oil, shea butter and sugar (All organic). The chocolate mint smell was there, but the olive oil was just too fragrant. And, since I had picked pretty much all the green parts of the chocolate mint, I had to scent it up another way. I just happened to have some wonderful organic peppermint oil in my pantry. Mmm. Now it smells wonderful and I just want to dive in. Still need to think about other oils. My babysitter suggested grapeseed. I will definitely be making more in the spring. Yum!

Just when you think you are done...

2008-12-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Was looking over all my holiday packages and thinking maybe I had under purchased for my nephew. Feel like I should go out and buy him a ton of stuff. Mind you, I have spent the allotted amount of money for each person, but when I look at his collection of things, I feel like it's just not enough. The worst part is that I know he already has a ton of toys and does not need more. Don't get me wrong, I also bought him a cool t-shirt made by an art student, some books, coffee filters (for snowflake making, I do not condone 4 year olds drinking coffee), and a nightlight. Only 1 or 2 toys in the whole lot. Am I brainwashed that you must buy buy buy? I'm beginning to think so.

On another note, I did end up making some organic salt baths to give to other people. I had some nice rosemary in my garden, a bottle of organic olive oil, a container of sea salt and some pure organic shea butter (good for inflammation). Whipped it all up in my cuisinart and I now have a wonderful homemade gift to give. I think I will need to find more containers and buy more olive oil so I can make more. I even have other scenting options. Do you think oregano bath salts would be good? My other option if it is not all frozen would be chocolate mint. I will have to check. We had a nice hard freeze and snow today, so it might not be... too bad, I think it is the best idea. I might try my hand at pink grapefuit bath sugars as well. Sounds delicious!

So now my big project is to think of something I can make or recycle to give to my nephew. Any ideas would be great! He does crafts with his grandma, all kinds of things really like gardening, stripping wallpaper, whatever needs done. (Child labor, woohoo!) And, he talks non-stop. If I could make a Kareoke machine or a video camera, that would be the way to go. At think point he will be lucky to get some organice good for you banana chocolate chip cookies (no sugars added). Maybe I could make a planter and throw some herb seeds with it so he can grow his own garden. Or instant cookie mix so he can make cookies with his mom.

I'll let you know what happens. Maybe Zane (my 4 year old) will help me with a solution. I have yet to ask him what he wants to get Ian. He usually comes up with something different like yogurts.

goofy cat.

2008-12-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not a crazy cat lady. I could have been, but I had kids, so now I am just crazy.

Here is our cat Leilu. We got her as a kitten about 10 years ago. She has been one of the best cats I have had my whole life. And she's just goofy. She will lick your nose and she likes to rest on her back, often with her legs wide open. Oh my.

special bond.

2008-12-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

Stone has a special bond with my father. He prefers Grandpa to anyone else. It's pretty evident in this photo. Even when he was younger, the only way I could get him away from Grandpa was if Stone wanted to nurse.

One time when my parents were going to watch the boys so Dave and I could go on a date, Grandpa had to go upstairs and would not take Stone with him. This was before we left for our date. Well, let me tell you, Stone held a grudge. He would not go to Grandpa for the rest of the night and was a Grandma's boy all evening. Grandma was thrilled to have this attention, and I think it was nice for Zane and Grandpa to finally have some time for just the 2 of them again.

Thankfully, a good night of sleep and the grudge was gone. He was Grandpa's boy again in the morning.

I hope everyone is lucky enough to have a bond like this with someone.

ready or not?

2008-12-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

Here I am blogging. This is something I never suspected would happen. I've come to realize that I need a way other e-mail and my husband's website to keep friends and family updated. Though I am also now updating the website as well.

We'll see how things go. Maybe I will continue with this. Maybe I won't. As a mom of 2, I keep pretty darn busy already.

In the meantime, check out http://marcydrivel.blogspot.com/ and http://cookingrut.blogspot.com/