Pink Eye

I am not sure why I was the first one to develop pink eye. Generally stuff like this comes from the kids and then is transferred to the adults.  However, yesterday afternoon I noticed my eyes were pretty itchy (didn't think too much of that because of allergies), and within a short while, I started getting that yucky yellowish greenish eye booger snot built up in my tear ducts.  It actually got to the point where the gunk was causing my vision to be blurry because it was encasing my eyeball.  Luckily for me, we still have some of the eye drops left from when James got pink eye several months ago.  I started using them yesterday, and already today I see a significant difference.  Don't get me wrong...my eyes are still itchy and incredibly red, but there is less mucus, and I haven't had trouble seeing.  I did hate waking up this morning though because my eyelids were "glued" shut by the gross eye booger mucus.  I had to have my husband get me a warm washcloth, so I could soften up the gunk and wipe it away, so I could fully open my eyes.

Who knows what caused me to get pink eye first...possibly Sam putting his fingers all over my face (he has been really into pointing out the different body parts he knows..."eye" being one of them) or because I rubbed my eyes before they got washed thoroughly...or whatnot.  It doesn't really matter how it started...I am just glad the drops seem to be helping.

Today my husband and Sam also started taking the eye drops.  Sam had been rubbing his eyes last night, and we hadn't thought too much of it (just thought he was tired), but this morning one of his eyes was a little gunky.  My husband woke up with his eyes feeling itchy as well.  So far James has held up well without any signs of eye discomfort, so I am hoping he just stays in the clear.

Before anyone gets upset that we are using James' eye drops, the doctor had specifically told me that he gave us plenty of drops in case anyone else in the family developed pink eye since it is so easily spread.

Less Processed, More Homemade

I am attempting to make meals and snacks that are less processed and more homemade for several reasons. 

1) I know exactly what is in my food...no extra preservatives or added colors and flavors.
2) It is healthier for me and my family.
3) Most homemade items taste a whole lot better than their processed counterparts.
4) Doing homemade can amount to a decent amount of savings...not with all things, but with some.

I have been meddling with this idea for a little bit of time now, and as I think it through a bit, I am trying to incorporate more and more homemade foods.  For example I have been making my own macaroni and cheese (haven't bought the boxed stuff in over a year), hamburger buns (started this within the last several months), refried beans (started this a couple months ago...I use dried beans, soak them, cook them and then re-heat them with a little olive oil, some chicken broth and seasonings), Caesar dressing (actually my husband makes this) and other items as well.

Last night I made homemade bread crumbs for the first time...I had some bread that was going stale and wasn't going to keep much longer.  Tomorrow I am going to try my hand at homemade pasta sauce, and I will make the pizza dough that will accompany the sauce tomorrow night.  I will be making a large batch of sauce to freeze and use for future uses as well. 

I would like to start making my own breads, granola bars and much much more.  Although homemade seems far superior on all accounts, it is also time consuming, so that has to be factored in.  I can sometimes make good use of the boys' naps, and some evenings I put aside some time to cook and bake, but I also want to spend time with my husband too.  It is a delicate balance, but as I strive to do better in this regard, it will get easier, I am sure.

I would like to eventually start making my own jams and applesauces and learn how to can those items.  I think it would not only be a fun hobby, but it would provide fresh, tasty homemade healthier options for my family.
Of course there are always yummy looking baked goods and candies I want to try making too.  I think it would be fun to give homemade marshmellows a whirl as well as caramels and other tasty candies.  Then cakes, cupcakes, breads and everything else too.

I have a friend who amazes me with all the healthy foods she has readily available for her family.  She also has two little ones, similar ages to mine, and I am impressed she finds ways to make it work for her.  A couple weeks ago at a play date, my friend brought  homemade graham crackers for her kids' snacks.  Now, I have actually thought about making those because I saw a recipe in a magazine, but that is as far as I have gotten with it...just thought about it.  I am inspired to give it a try sometime soon.  My friend is a great mom, and I aspire to be like her.  : )

Creeks & Hammocks

Yesterday we made it to the cabin to see some out of state family members...technically our aunt who lives locally and our cousin and her boyfriend whom live out of state.  We spent several hours hanging out, visiting and entertaining our little boys.

Shortly after we arrived, we all walked down to a creek and spent time throwing rocks in the water, climbing on rocks, and having fun.  The boys were quite adventurous in their own ways.  Sam was our little climber; he happily tried to climb over fallen tree trunks, up large rocks and all over the place.  James was content to throw rocks into the water and have competitions with Mr. Brian (our cousin's boyfriend) to see who could throw the farthest or make the biggest splashes.  James also had Daddy take him on a walk across the rocks in the water which resulted in a wet Daddy due to the slippery nature of their trek, but James stayed dry, so that was good.

Back at the cabin we ate lunch together which consisted of ham and cheese melts, watermelon, and chips.  James especially loved the hummus chips!  It was pretty funny, though, because James helped assemble the ham and cheese melts (buns with mayo, ham, cheese and mustard that got heated up in the oven), and he devoured some ham samples.  This is interesting because normally James will not touch lunch meat with a ten foot pole.  : )  Then when it came time for actually eating the sandwiches, James was no longer interested in it at all...instead he munched away on the watermelon and hummus chips.

After lunch we spent some time outside enjoying the wonderful weather.  Auntie Krissy set up the hammock and she and James had a blast swinging in the hammock together.  Sam joined them for a short while before he wanted back down to continue his explorations.  We left while the boys were still in happy moods, but they were definitely tired because it was past their normal nap times.

Overall we had a wonderfully relaxing time visiting with everyone at the cabin.  We are glad it all worked out so we could make that happen.  Looking forward to a future visit...

Memorial Day

I want to send out a heartfelt thank you to all those families whom have suffered loss.  Thank you to your loved one for fighting for our freedom.  Thank you for your commitment to your loved one.  I appreciate your sacrifice.

Also thank you to those of you who are currently members of the armed forces (whichever branch you are a part of and wherever you may be stationed).  Thanks to you and your family for your dedication and sacrifice.

Finally, thank you to all the veterans, whom have fought for our country and returned home.  I appreciate your sacrifices.

May God bless each and every one of you!

Revised Plans

We ended up not doing an overnight camping trip after all.  Poor James had a fever and was not himself yesterday, so we cancelled the camping.  James continues to have a fever today, although lower than yesterday, and he still isn't feeling well, but at least he is having spurts of energy and wanting to play for short periods of time, so he must be feeling at least a little better considering yesterday afternoon he just wanted to be held.

We are optimistic that with another good night's sleep, James will hopefully be pretty much back to his normal self tomorrow.  We really would hate to have to cancel our plans to go to the cabin and visit with our relatives tomorrow, but depending, it may come down to that. 

The good news is as of yet no one else in our household is sick.  The bad news, of course, is that James is sick and feeling so poorly.

Packing

We are getting ready to leave for our overnight camping trip.  It is crazy how much work goes into preparing everything from clothing to food and supplies!  For the most part, we have everything together.  I am just working on getting the last of the food items taken care of and then double checking the boys' belongings to make sure all the important supplies are accounted for.

We plan on leaving after the boys' naps although part of me wonders if it would be better if we left beforehand, so they could sleep on the long car ride.  However, on the same hand, we have a busy weekend (camping and then visiting relatives at a cabin), and I know the boys' schedules are going to be completely messed up, so it would be best for them to get a good, decent nap in before we leave for our camping trip.

After all I will be the one receiving the backlash come Tuesday morning when my husband returns to work, and I have two very tired, cranky boys on my hands.  It will be worth all the fun this weekend, but I will just need to keep that in mind when my grouchy little boys take a couple days to settle back into their normal routine.

Anyway...I need to get back to work.  My husband took the boys to the park to play for awhile, and I still have some food to prep for our burgers tonight.

You Want What You Can't Have

So, today I am supposed to get a CT scan done this afternoon, and part of the requirements for getting the CT scan completed is I cannot eat or drink anything but water for four hours before the CT scan.  Not that big of a deal, really; however, this morning when I got up with the boys, I only ate some of the leftover blackberry yogurt left in the container I had given to Sam (I had scooped some out of the container and put in a bowl for him, and I ate what was left in the container which was about two tablespoons).  I had all intentions of eating a little bit more once I got everyone settled.

Well...let's just say, we had a busy morning going out the park and playing with our cousin and Grandma (she was in town for Grandpa's dr. appt.), and I never got around to eating anything.  My mom took the boys up to her house to allow me time to pack for our camping trip this weekend and so they can play with their cousin some more, and she plans on returning the boys after my CT scan which works out well for everyone.  I just sent them off on their way a little while ago, and I came inside planning on helping myself to the peanut butter brownies I made the other day and some lunch, but then I looked at the clock and realized my time to eat has passed, so instead I got myself a tall glass of ice water, and now just sitting in my kitchen is tormenting me because I can see so many yummy things to eat that I am not allowed to touch.  It just seems so much more difficult than I had imagined it would be.

Let me tell you about these peanut butter brownies, though.  They are delicious!  When I think of peanut butter brownies, I conjure up images of brownies swirled with peanut butter; however, these are more like a peanut butter cookie bar.  It is a peanut butter base mixed with chocolate chips with a melted ganache adorning the top.  I followed the Peanut Butter Brownie Recipe from Smitten Kitchen except I used bittersweet chocolate chips (what we prefer and what I had on hand) for both the chips mixed inside and the ganache on top.  What a nice change from the regular brownie dessert items...then again this family loves chocolate and peanut butter, so when you combine the two, it is heavenly.

Disappointing Society

So this morning we had to take my parents' vehicle back to the parking lot, so they can have it upon arrival back in town from their cruise.  We loaded the boys up and headed out first thing this morning, so my husband would be able to make it to his work meeting.  After dropping my husband off at work the boys and I drove over to Starbucks (we never go here, but the children's museum was not going to be open for another half hour, so my husband recommended this as a place to go get a treat for the boys before the museum).  I took both boys inside with me and ordered a bagel with cream cheese for us all the share (I hadn't had a chance to eat breakfast yet) and a child's hot chocolate (it is great to inform the worker the hot chocolate is for a child because then it is lukewarm instead of piping hot, and the kids can drink it immediately).

James and Sam were sitting nicely on chairs at a large table right in the middle of the establishment.  In fact the line surrounded this table on one side.  The hot chocolate order had come up, so I grabbed it and took a sip to make sure it wasn't too hot before handing it over to James.  Then our bagel order was called, and I had to go retrieve it from the counter.  As I return someone in line points and says "he's spilling the hot chocolate."  I look and sure enough, the hot chocolate container has tipped and is soaking my son and the floor.  I right the cup and look around for a napkin dispenser or paper towel or anything really.  I don't see anything at all, and not one single person in the whole establishment offers any assistance at all.  Finally I run quickly into the restroom and grab a bunch of paper towels, mop up the mess and take the boys outside to finish our treat.

I am a bit disappointed in society that not a single person offered to get paper towels for me or at least pointed me in the direction to find them.  Here I was by myself with two young boys, and clearly I had a mess to clean up.  I didn't expect anyone to clean the mess for me, but it would have been extremely thoughtful if they had at least offered to grab some paper towels for me or something.  I would have thought one person would have helped, but instead no one did...not a single offer.  I believe strongly if I had witnessed this scene, I would have offered some assistance...even if I had my two little ones in tow with me.

What a society we live in...

Door Handles

Our little Sam learned how to open the doors in our house today.  We do not have the more difficult round knobs, but instead the lever type door handles.  Boy, are we in trouble now!  : )  Lately I have just been closing a door when I want Sam to stay out of that area, but that may not work so well in the future.  Mostly I like to keep Sam out of the bathrooms because he likes to unroll all the toilet paper, play with the toilet brush or plunger, or just play with the toilet itself...all of which is quite disgusting (well...unrolling the toilet paper is not disgusting, but the other ones).

Look out world!  Here comes Sam, and he is learning fast!

Sunday Hike

Yesterday we went on a hike to a beautiful lake.  We had decided to hike to this particular lake on Saturday, and we had sent out some really last minute invites for some of our friends to join us.  Unfortunately, because of the short notice, no one was able to tag along.  Next time we will plan something farther in advance, so those that want to join us will have the opportunity to plan it into their schedules.  We are not always the most advance in our hiking plans...generally we will know we plan on going on a hike on a particular day, but often times we plan where to the day before.  Next time we will purposefully plan something with at least a week or two notice, so we can invite others to join us and perhaps have better success.

It was a great day for a hike...warmer than we had even thought it would be.  The hike itself was about 2 miles roundtrip...more uphill on the way there and downhill on the way back.  James did a wonderful job hiking on his own!  He hiked the entire way to the lake and was so proud of himself.  It was adorable to watch him raise his arm into the air and shout "I did it!"  On the way back James choose to ride in the backpack carrier, and I can't blame him...he was pretty worn out from the hike and all the playing at the lake...not to mention his very short nap in the car.

At the lake we choose to cross over the water...my husband and I walking in the water, the boys being carried...so we could relax at a nice shady location with some shallower water for the boys to dip their feet in.  James and Sam had fun walking in the water, throwing rocks in the water and just exploring our little area.  We all agreed it was a day well spent.

Feeding Ducks

This morning we took the boys to a local pond and fed some ducks.  We just bought some of the cheap loaves of white bread to throw to the ducks.  This is the first time we have taken the boys to feed ducks, and I think my husband and I had more fun with than the boys did.  Both boys did have a good time...I just think my husband and I were a bit more into the feeding of the ducks.  As the boys get older, I am sure they will enjoy it more as well.  If nothing else, it is a nice, calm activity we can all do together as a family that isn't too far from home.  Just something else to mix things up every once in awhile.

Language Development

A little update on both boys and their language development...

James can be a chatterbox when he feels like it. He can have full conversations with you and enjoys telling stories.  James also has developed quite the imagination when he plays which is very fun to witness.  It is amazing to see his verbal skills at work in his interactions with others and as he highlights his day to us.  Not only is James excelling in his speech, but he is also not afraid to ask questions when he doesn't understand a word or when he is trying to understand parts of the environment around him.  He is an extremely bright little guy, in my opinion, of course.

Sam also amazes me in the vocabulary he has been picking up lately.  He is so eager to try repeating words you say to him and is excited when you express enthusiasm to him.  At the zoo today, Sam pointed at every bird and would say "gobble gobble".  Too cute!  There are wild turkeys that frequent our neighborhood, so we have spent plenty of mornings chasing after them.  Anyway...here are some of the words Sam has been using pretty regularly: "ma ma, da da, brother (this is cute because if you ask Sam where James is, he shouts out "brother!"), no, trash can (Sam seems fixated with trash cans and must point out every one he passes and tell you it is a "trash can"), bye bye, hello, dog, hee-haw (he will tell you what a donkey says), gobble gobble, rock, stick, shoes, car, bike, book, giraffe (he has a stuffed giraffe he sleeps with), uh-oh (generally when something falls on the ground), baby, up, thank you" and I am sure there are others I am forgetting as well.  Granted everyone would not be able to understand Sam at this point in time because the speech is not perfectly clear (it never really is with beginning talkers), but my husband and I are both wowed with Sam's speaking.

Brown Lady

Today on the way home from a park play date with our moms group, I swung by a grocery store to purchase a few items for dinner.  While we were waiting at the check stand for our turn, James turned to me and said "That's a brown lady." referring to the cashier behind the counter.  She was African American and brown was a very accurate description referencing the color of her skin.  Instead of being horrified or flabbergasted (neither of which I was), I got down to James' level, and told him, yes, that lady does have brown skin.  Then I went on to explain that skin comes in many colors, and we even did a quick comparison of our skin colors and how they are different.

Sometimes I think people like to make a big deal out of something that can be addressed with a little knowledge.  I thought this was a perfect opportunity to talk about skin color, and I used it as a teachable moment.  Had I instead hushed James or acted embarrassed, not only would it be a confusing message to James...as in it is not okay to have different colored skin or that skin color is a cause for embarrassment...but I imagine the lady behind the counter would have felt more awkward as well. 

I have heard it mentioned by someone with special needs that they would rather have someone answer their child appropriately rather than ignore that they are obviously different.  I try to keep this in mind when I volunteer with special needs kids at church.  I have had young children ask questions like "Why does she sit in this chair (wheelchair)?" and I explain that her legs do not work the same, and she must use the chair to get around or other such questions/answers. 

I think the same applies in many situations...this being one of them.

Piggy Banks

When James turned one, my husband and I took him to a local ceramic shop to paint a piggy bank.  We showed James the few options available, and he seemed most excited about the dog piggy bank, so we choose that one.  James did help paint the bank...mostly hand over hand, and when he got tired of doing that, he ran around the store closely monitored by one parent while the other parent finished up the painting job.

 

When Sam turned one, it only seemed right to do the same activity with him although James joined us, of course.  Sam didn't seem interested in the piggy banks at all really, so James choose the monster truck one for him, and we allowed James to pick out the colors as well.  Then Daddy and Sam started painting the truck...technically Sam mostly just ate his paintbrush...good thing for non-toxic paints while James and I worked on putting hand prints on the grandmother's mugs (mentioned in an earlier post).  Then we switched, and Sam put his hand prints and James took over the painting of the truck.  We were a little concerned that James was going to think the monster truck was now his, but even when we left the ceramic place, James asked "Where's Sam's truck?" and it hasn't caused any problems, so that is nice.

Both piggy banks are proudly displayed on our fireplace mantle, and James loves to add money to them.  I think they are perfect, special little keepsakes of our boys' first birthdays.  Who knows how long they will actually last, but I will enjoy them as long as they do.

Little Defender

Last week we made a trip to the WIC office to attend a class and pick up our vouchers.  It was James, Sam and myself.  There is a small area with some toys for the children to play with while they wait, and thankfully the classroom has been updated with a few more toys as well because there were quite a few children in tow at our visit.  While we were waiting for our name to be called at the end, a child happened to pull out a fancy cell phone and start viewing a movie.  Well...of course, all the kids gathered around to see the video.  The boy with the phone, who happened to be a good size bigger than the rest of the kids, started to get upset that other children were watching his video.  He shoved James out of the way, and James just stood there and looked at him, but he didn't react or respond in any manner...this is generally how James will respond to confrontations like this...unless of course it involves his brother, Sam.  Well...the boy then shoved another child out of the way, this child was slightly smaller than James.  When that happened, James stepped in and shoved the bigger kid back.  I was so proud of him in that moment, but I was also grateful we had collected our vouchers and could leave that disaster.  Lo and behold, though, the bully's parents never stepped in or said a word.

When I shared the story with my husband, he was beyond proud of James for sticking up for another child against a bully.  I will tell you what...our children will never get in trouble for defending others, or for that matter, defending themselves as well.

Mother's Day Recap

Before I tell you about my mother's day, I want to wish every mom out there a Happy belated Mother's Day!  For those of you who dread Mother's Day because it brings up painful memories or unfulfilled desires, I truly am sorry.

To start off our day yesterday my husband made breakfast burritos before we headed off to church together.  Then we drove to the beach for the day...well, technically for a couple hours.  It was a fun afternoon at the beach even if it was a little chilly (thank goodness for sweatshirts!) and a bit overcast (of course, the sun made its glowing appearance as we were leaving).  The boys had a blast playing in the sand, chasing the waves, eating sand (actually Sam didn't eat very much of it, so I was grateful for that) and just enjoying being children outside at the beach.  My husband and I enjoyed the time spent at the beach playing with our boys too.  We had a picnic lunch at the beach while we were there.

On the way back home, we had to pick up my parents' vehicle from a parking lot.  They are going on an Alaskan cruise, and their travel company has everyone meet at a parking lot to load onto buses, and instead of leaving their car there for over a week, we picked it up and will be parking it at our house until the day they return.  Next we tried to go to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, but alas, the line was too long, so instead we went to a quick more fast food style Mexican place to eat.  After dinner, we stopped by my in-laws to say "hi" and give Grandma her Mother's Day gift.

For both of our moms we made them ceramic mugs (we didn't actually make the mugs...just decorated them) with our boys' hand prints on them.  When James was one, we had made a mug for each mom with his hand prints along with his name and the year.  Since Sam turned one, we figured it was time to do another hand print mug for the moms this time including both grandsons.  As far as we can tell, both moms really liked their gift.

My husband was so sweet to me.  He had me pick what we would do on Mother's Day and took care of all the meals for the day, getting the boys ready, most of the packing, and he helped the boys make me a hand made Mother's Day card...so precious.  I sure am lucky to have such a great husband.  : )

Food Tour

Today my husband and I went on a daytime date.  We dropped our boys off at my parents' house and then headed to a quaint little historical town about an hour away for a food tour.  We were able to walk around this historical town learning about the historical aspects as well as stopping in at several restaurants or shops to sample some locally produced food items.

We started off sampling a potato boat, as the restaurant called it.  Basically it was home style potatoes with fresh veggies (carrots, snap peas, broccoli, red cabbage) and pesto sauce mixed together sprinkled with cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  This was actually my husband's and mine favorite sample we had the privilege of trying today.  Next we sampled two flat crust pizzas at another location...one was a meat pizza and one had pear, Gorgonzola, and balsamic vinaigrette.  Third we stopped at an artisan ice cream shop and got sample sized portions of ice cream.  The lemon custard was wonderfully creamy and delicious...it was essentially vanilla ice cream with a nice hint of lemon throughout.  The mint chip ice cream was too earthy for me...way too intense of a flavor.  The mango sorbet was alright.  A winery was the next stop, but my husband and I decided against the wine tasting; however, we did sample the olive oil and balsamic vinegar available.  Following this stop, we hit up a truffle shop and were given the ability to choose any flavor we would like.  Both my husband and I got the dark bittersweet chocolate truffle, and it was creamy and delicious.  Finally we stopped at a family friendly pub and had samples of their onion straws and a pulled pork sandwich.  My husband did the beer sample at the pub, but I opted out.  Those who partook in the beer sample were given small glasses of a light and dark beer to try.  My husband decided he likes beer as much as he always has...not very much at all.

Overall it was a fun experience, and we enjoyed the quaint town thoroughly.  The food tour itself was interesting in both the historical and culinary aspect.  We are glad we signed up for this non-typical date, but we don't think we will sign up for any of the other food tours this company offers...not because we didn't enjoy ourselves and not because of the tour leader...she was wonderful, but mostly because the other food tours are nearby to our own town, and it doesn't seem nearly as fun as the town we did visit today.

Sharp Teeth

Once again last night I was reminded that Sam has sharp teeth.  I was holding him wrapped in his towel after his bath, and he snuggled his head into my shoulder, and the next thing I knew, he had bit me!  Ouch!  Those are sharp little teeth!  The dentist described baby teeth as razors because they are so sharp.

I had been wondering for the past couple days if Sam was teething again because he was starting to exhibit signs...being a little extra clingy, crying out in his sleep, and then last night Sam bit me, and it was all confirmed...although technically his crying out during his nap earlier had already confirmed my belief in Sam's teething. 

Thankfully Sam only bites when he is teething...at least at this point in life.  Just to give an idea of Sam's sharp teeth, Sam bit me last night around 7:30 p.m.  Today at almost 2 p.m. the spot I was bit is still sore if you gently push on it.  I am grateful that so far my husband and myself are the only ones who have been bit by Sam...except in the instance where James chooses to stick his finger in Sam's mouth (that is asking to be bit).  I will feel bad if Sam's teething affects other innocent children or family members by getting bit as it is not a pleasant experience; however, based off how Sam usually does, I don't think that will be an issue...I sure hope not anyway.

New Visit Supervisor

I received a call last week informing me that a new visit supervisor has been assigned to the sibling visits.  The new supervisor is the same lady that used to supervise Tony's (Sam's brother's) visits with his birth parents.  We had to cancel the original sibling visit date scheduled for this month and establish a new one.  At first I was being asked to consider the afternoon (after 1 p.m.), but I said I can only do mornings due to the boys' nap schedules.  So we finally settled on a Monday morning that worked for both of us.

I am working out the details now of getting a baby-sitter lined up for James as my regulars are unavailable.  My husband and I both don't like taking James to the visits...I have had to a couple times, but it is not ideal.

Thankfully Sam's adoption should be taking place soon and then we can have more say in the visits...how often they take place, where they take place, etc.  The visits definitely won't be as often as they are right now.  Besides it always seems like the other foster mom is calling last minute to either cancel the visit or hoping I will do so, and I imagine she won't do a good job keeping visits in the future either.

Speaking of calls, I got a call from the other foster mom this morning asking if there was a visit today or not.  This would have been the visit day if the supervisor did not change.  I returned the phone call and let her know when our next visit is scheduled for.  She went on to tell me she will call closer to the date to make sure we are still having the visit.  It is frustrating to me...I assume the visit is taking place once scheduled unless I am told otherwise.  I have a feeling that will be another ploy to attempt to cancel the visit. We will see.

The other foster mom also mentioned Tony has been asking her "Where is my daddy?" a lot lately.  She seemed quite distraught about this and said the first time he asked, she just cried.  She is going to talk to her worker about how she should handle this situation.  I am of the opinion that she should have been prepared for this question...I don't think it is necessarily tied to the birth parents but instead because Tony lives in a home with two moms, and he probably sees the other kids have both a mom and a dad.  In my mind, this is a normal question for Tony to ask.

However, on that same note, I want to be open and honest with my boys as they get older when they have questions about their birth families.  I am limited in my knowledge, and not all of it will be age appropriate (depending on how old they are when they ask), but I want them to have access to everything I know when they grow up.

Mud Puddles & Bubble Baths

This morning the boys and I started off by playing in the backyard in our pajamas for awhile.  Then we came inside, got dressed, packed sippy cups and a snack and headed over to our neighborhood park.  Since it is going to be a hot day (compared to the weather we were having), I wanted to get us outside to play early on.  It was a good call too because already there was only one slide that wasn't burning hot.  We played on that slide and walked around.

We just happened to stumble up on a mud puddle created by the sprinklers, so I let the boys go to town walking, stomping, and splashing in the puddle.  They had a blast!  Not only were they able to cool off, but the puddle was located in the shade too which was nice.  Sam slipped and fell on his bottom in the puddle, so James had to copy him and do the same.  The puddle was definitely the highlight of our trip the park this morning.

Back home we took the muddy clothes and hosed them off setting them in the sun to dry.  Then once inside, I made a bubble bath and put the boys in it to wash the dirt off their bodies in a fun way.  They rarely get bubble baths, so it was a special treat, and the boys had a blast playing in the bubbles together.

Nothing quite like starting the day with mud puddles and bubble baths.  : )

Children are Magnifying Glasses

I was thinking the other day about how my children seem to act as magnifying glasses to me in respect to the condition of my heart.  When I find myself exasperated at the same questions repeated over and over, when I find myself raising my voice a little louder than intended, when I become discouraged in my ability as a mom, I stop, say a little prayer for help and try to change my attitude.  How much patience, wisdom, and direction I still need in my life! 

Parenting brings out the best and worst in me sometimes.  I just hope the best is displayed more often, and my children will grow up feeling well loved, appreciated and cared for.  I desire to have a good relationship with my boys as they mature into adults and parents of their own.

But, boy, do I have a lot of work to do on myself!

Waterfall Hike

We went on a hike yesterday to a beautiful waterfall.  It is a fairy short hike (1.2 miles roundtrip), so we figured it would be a perfect hike for testing out how long James was willing to hike on his own without being put into the backpack carrier.  James did amazing!  He hiked the whole way to the waterfall and the entire way back as well.

Although James is young, we made a point of discussing what James should do if he were to lose Mommy and Daddy on the trail...sit on the trail and wait until Mommy or Daddy came.  In order to make sure he understood, my husband asked "What should Daddy do if he looses James and Mommy?" and James responded "Sit on the trail and wait for James and Mommy."  We also reiterated that waterfalls are dangerous (a word we try to reserve for seriously dangerous stuff), and we do not play in the water near the waterfall.  Amazingly James already remembered some of the information about waterfalls being dangerous from some of our hikes and camping episodes from last year.

After the boys had a snack, we did allow them to play in some of the run-off water far from the waterfall area.  James mostly enjoyed throwing rocks into the water and climbing the rocks although he did walk around in the water a little bit.  His feet would get too cold pretty fast, though, and he would return to throwing rocks into the water.  Sam, on the other hand, loved walking through the water, and he could last quite awhile before he was getting too cold and needed a little break.

It was a beautiful day for a hike, and we enjoyed just getting into the outdoors as a family.  We are looking forward to many more hikes and camping trips as a family now that the weather is getting warmer.

Settling In

The last few weeks, James has been happy to attend church, and there have been no issues at drop off.  We had been told by some of the adult helpers that James would calm down within thirty seconds of us dropping him off, but even so, it makes you feel guilty leaving your child like that.

I am thrilled to see James excited about church again.  It was just so weird to me that he started not liking church all of a sudden.  Other parents I have talked with said their children went through phases like that as well at this age.  That makes me feel a little better.  I am still not sure what exactly evokes James' reaction to church, but I am happy he has settled back into attending church again.

I dread June because of the classroom promotions.  I have a strong feeling we will have at least a few weeks of resisting church again due to not handling transitions well.  It doesn't help that James has spent a year in his current classroom, so the new classroom will be a pretty big change.  James is a trooper, though, so I know we will get through these changes as well, and I am a little more prepared that these changes may cause issues, so I will try to work on ways to make the transition easier.

Mexican Brownies

I had originally planned on taking Mexican brownies to our moms Cinco de Mayo play date at the park, but I had ended up cancelling because I needed to drive my final cake to my husband's work.  We ended up going to the park and playing with Daddy for a little while that day.

Since I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to put them together last night.  We also made homemade vanilla ice cream to top the brownies.  I had never made Mexican brownies before, and I was a little nervous...not about the cinnamon part but about the cayenne pepper part.  Well...let's just say, the brownies are amazing!  They have wonderful flavor!  My husband says he thinks he enjoys them better than regular brownies because the spices add such a nice taste to them.  I followed Aaron Sanchez's recipe for Mexican Brownies...the only changes being I used the cayenne pepper since I could not find the Mexican pepper.  Also I had intended to add some bittersweet chocolate chips to the batter, but I had forgotten, so after I threw the brownies in the oven, I quickly sprinkled some chocolate chips over the top (I know, I know...you are not supposed to open the oven once you put something in to bake, but I had just put them in, so I figured they would be okay).  Next time I will mix the chocolate chips into the batter.  The brownies are tasty the way they are, but if the chocolate chips were mixed into the batter, they wouldn't have changed to a lighter color.  For my first attempt at Mexican brownies, I was extremely pleased.  Believe me, there will be a next time...and a time after that...and a time after that...etc.

Accident Prone

My goodness...our littlest guy is accident prone!  It doesn't help that Sam is mostly fearless, tries to do everything big brother does, and can climb quite well for his age.  These past two days have just been disastrous in this regard though.

Yesterday morning while my husband was getting ready for work, Sam was in our room hanging out on our bed like he has done many times before.  I was in the kitchen putting my husband's lunch together.  Next thing...you hear a loud thud and immediate crying.  You know Sam is hurting when he cries right off the bat because often he will act like nothing happened...even when it sounds so different.  When I walked over to see what happened, Sam wanted in my arms for comfort, so I picked him up and walked around the house with him until he calmed down.  When I returned to our room, my husband said Sam's mouth was bleeding.  Sure enough, there was some blood soaked on my shirt, and blood was coming out of Sam's mouth.  I gave Sam a wet washcloth to chew on in order to clear up the blood and allow me to take a peek inside his mouth.  It became clear that when he fell from the bed, his bottom teeth pierced the gums above his upper teeth.  This same thing happened to James when he was a baby but to a smaller degree because he had only a couple teeth hit the gums (James took a spill from the couch, not the bed).  Sam's mouth already looked much worse because several teeth cut up his gums.  I managed to get the bleeding under control (his mouth did bleed a little bit when I wiped the food off his face after breakfast), and the remaining part of the day he stayed blood-free. By the later afternoon/evening, his gums looked much worse.

We were thinking we would need to take Sam in to see the dentist, but before setting up an appointment, I sent a quick text to our dentist (the nice thing about your friend being your dentist) to ask his opinion.  Our dentist responded right away via text, but then he actually called me as well.  He reassured us that this is extremely common for young children, and there was no reason to take Sam into the dentist unless the bleeding could not be controlled, the area gets infected, or Sam gets a high fever.  Basically the gums just need time to heal themselves, and it will take a little time, but there is no need to be overly concerned.  I appreciated our dentist's feedback, and I even felt a little more relieved to see that Sam's gums are already looking a little better this morning.

Well...this morning the boys and I went to our neighborhood park to play for awhile before returning home for lunch and naps.  James and Sam were having a blast playing together!  James started to climb up the spiral slide, and Sam quickly scrambled up to follow him; however, Sam lost his footing and fell over smacking the side of his head into the side of the slide.  More tears and wanting comfort, and I held him as long as he wanted until he signaled he wanted down.  When I set Sam down, he got upset and reached out for me, and as I walked over to pick him up, Sam threw himself back and hit the back of his head on the concrete sidewalk.  Of course this hurt...you could hear the impact and the crying was immediate.  I soothed him with singing, walking and swinging together.  When he finally decided to join James playing again, I got a chance to look him over a little better (since his face was buried into me the whole time), and he must have hit right at the side of his eye because there is a small bruised bump there now.  I looked over his head carefully and felt gently with my fingers and couldn't find a knot from him hitting the sidewalk.

When it rains, it pours.  These incidents were all stockpiled together.  My poor baby!  At least Sam was his normal self once he had calmed down, but I feel bad that the poor little guy is having to deal with so many mishaps in just two short days.  Hopefully this bombardment will cease and not continue throughout the remaining weekend.

Running Away

When James is put on time out, he will say things in order to evoke a response.  Lately the expression of choice over the past week has been "I want to run away."  I am not sure where this is coming from.  As far as I know running away hasn't been highlighted in any of the television shows we have watched (mainly Curious George or Word World), and I doubt it has been a topic of conversation with the other children at the park.  Is this just something children instintively know about?  Does it go far deeper than that? 

I believe the intention behind James' words is to cause someone else to feel as badly as he does about getting a time out.  I don't know if that makes sense or not, but it where my thoughts lie.  It used to be James would say something like "Mommy is stupid!"  He has been told that word is not nice, so he would use it to release his anger.  Other times James will raise his voice and say something along the lines of "No, you go to time out right now!"  He has been told it is not okay to talk to his parents that way.  It is amazing how early the backtalking seems to start.  For some reason I had thought this stage would come in later years.  Apparently there is a small tinge of it in the early years, and I imagine it just grows and manifests itself differently as children get older.

It doesn't necessarily bother me that James says some of these things.  He is trying to express himself.  Don't get me wrong...sometimes the words James chooses to use can be hurtful, and I am not condoning being disrespectful or calling people names or anything of the sort.  At the same time, though, I know James needs an outlet, and somehow I need to figure out a way to allow him an outlet that is more acceptable.  At the moment, we have chosen to just ignore what James shouts out, and once he has quieted down we start his time out.

James really is a love bug though...even if this doesn't paint him that way.  I love the boy to pieces!  He has such a tender heart, and part of me wonders if that is a small reason why he lashes out during consequences...because it breaks his little heart that he got into trouble, and he is hurting, so he is trying to hurt others.  I will probably never know for sure, so I wonder.

Cake Class #4

Tonight was the final basic cake decorating class.  We learned how to make a ribbon rose which I still need lots of practice with, but they do look extremely pretty when created correctly...as I could see by most everyone else's attempts.  Writing was another topic that was covered, but to be honest, I didn't give much thought to this portion because I have written on cakes before without needing to add piping gel to make the writing work well.  Then the remainder of the class was our final project...decorating a cake using some of skills we learned in class.

For this class we were asked to bring an iced cake with us, and we would use our frosting to decorate it during class time.  I promised my husband my final cake could go into work with him since his work hasn't seen any of my cake decorating accomplishments.  Since it is bike month, and my husband will be riding his bike to work tomorrow, the boys and I will drive over and hand deliver the cake...hopefully we will be able to steal Daddy for lunch at the nearby park, but we will see how busy his schedule is. 

As I have mentioned before, I am using these cake classes as an excuse to test out recipes that intrigue me.  For this go around, I decided to bake this Coconut Cake by Tender Crumb.  I also choose to fill the cake with this Lemon Curd by Kitchen Confidante.  I had seen a few coconut cakes filled with lemon curd online, and I have never attempted a lemon curd before, so it was calling out to me.  Personally I think the lemon curd tastes delicious, but a few others (my husband, my mom and James) thought it was a bit too sour.  I am hoping the sweet cake and the sweet frosting will help ease the tartness of the lemons.  For the frosting I just made a butter cream using coconut milk in place of regular milk.

I wanted to decorate my cake in a tropical theme since it is a coconut cake, so I decided to focus on palm trees using the leaf tip (super neat!) we learned about in class.  I did try out the shell pattern for the border of the cake where the islands were not.  Also I added some coconuts to the palm trees and a few flowers down below.  I am pretty pleased with the overall look of the cake...even if it is a bit uneven and not precisely what I originally imagined.  For some reason I thought I was going to have room to add the sun and clouds and other additional items, but it didn't work that way, and I think I am happy with that.  If I had put all those things on the cake, it would have taken away from it...in my opinion.

Update: We dropped off the cake (and got to sample a little) at my husband's work.  I was already receiving rave compliments right away from my husband's coworkers.  The coconut was not very noticeable (at least not to me, and I don't like coconut), but the lemon sure stood out.  Overall I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Trip to the Zoo

Today I decided to take the boys to the zoo.  We hadn't been there in quite some time, and I wanted to get us out of the house and moving around.  I figured this would be a fun way to do it, and I wasn't wrong about that.  I set the boys loose in the zoo, and they had so much fun looking at all the animals as well as meeting new friends.  Sam was pretty adorable...he would get super excited when he saw an animal, and he would probably have stayed in certain places for much longer if we didn't need to keep up with his older brother.  Sam was also quite happy about all the trash cans.  He would walk over to each one, touch it and say "trash."  James met a boy close to his age, and they had so much fun together...running around, playing follow the leader, exploring the animal areas.

Before we left we took the train ride around the park.  It has become almost a requirement since I started doing that with James when he was younger.  The train ride is looked forward to by James, and it makes it easier to exit the zoo...although usually we don't last terribly long in the zoo, so I don't know that the train is a good reason to leave the zoo.  However, once we start hearing the train whistle, it isn't super long before James is ready to depart for his train ride, so I suppose it plays a role in it a little.  After our train ride I allowed the boys to play on the bleachers for a few minutes before we loaded up in the car and headed home.

Sam fell asleep on the way home which I had expected, so I had made sure to pack lunch for the boys (they snacked on it throughout the morning...James finished his in the car) and also to change Sam's diaper before leaving.  James stayed awake, but at our house, he turned his head to the side and closed his eyes (his signal that he wants to go to sleep).  Both boys are currently out for the count, and now I need to prep the cake for my cake decorating class tonight. 

Interactive Playing

We went to a play date at the park today which we do a lot with our moms group.  It has become more evident lately how interactive James is playing with his friends now.  For the longest time, James would just do his own thing and occasionally follow a friend around or copy them.  However, James is all about playing with other kids now, and he will pair up with a child or a couple children and run around interacting and playing with them.  Usually he will ask about that specific child throughout the remaining day and often in days following.  I guess it is just so neat to watch him start to develop friendships at his young age.  I am happy to see him having fun with his friends.