Sweet Peas

Last night I made peas with dinner.  Travis doesn't like many vegetables, so he didn't put any on his plate.  I know Aiden doesn't like peas, so I didn't give him very many.  I never make him finish every last bite of food on his plate, but I do have a rule that he try everything.  You never know when your tastes will change!  So when Aiden asked if he could get some yogurt (his dessert), I told him he had to eat a bite of peas.  He popped one in his mouth and swallowed it whole.  He's learning how to swallow without chewing already.  Cracks me up every time.  Travis asked Aiden if he could have some, so he took a bite and chewed it.  

Aiden said, "Ewwwww.  Don't chew it.  Just put it in your mouth and do this." He then mimed swallowing it whole.

Travis asked, "Why?"

"Because, if you bite it, this comes off," he pulls off the outer shell, "and then it goes pfth," and he makes a wet sound denoting the innards of a pea coming out.

We DIED.  I love it when we get a little insight into the inner workings of Aiden.

Homemade Pies

One night while my dad was here we baked homemade pizzas.  Ariel and I used to do that all the time as a kid, so it brought back some fantastic memories.  Aiden and my dad shared a pizza.  I think it worked out good because Aiden wanted every topping my dad wanted, so they had lots of goodies on top. 

I think Aiden enjoyed himself.

I used dough that came in a pouch for the first time - I just had to add water.  It wasn't too bad!

He watched his pizza bake in the oven and then scarfed down his slices like we hadn't fed him days.  Gpa was impressed. 

Belated Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a good day of love.  Or as the radio DJ called it, Singles Awareness Day.  Mine was a little more stressful than I would have liked, but there's nothing I can complain about.  I had enough time at work to take a coffee break (I actually got decaf).  When I picked Aiden up from daycare, he had a Valentine's goodie bag.  We sat in the car and went through all his fun stuff.  His favorite "candy" was the Valentine's fruit snacks, shaped like hearts, and his favorite card was from his best friend with Captain America on the front.

When we got home, I spoiled Aiden and let him watch TV until dinner was ready. I knew it would be later than normal and I didn't want him to badger me constantly. He watched an hour and a half of Kung Fu Panda, which has quickly become his new favorite show. The last couple minutes are usually the beginning of Spongebob Squarepants and he has started to show interest in that series. I set it to record a few shows last night, so it looks like Spongebob may be in my near future. I'm so not looking forward to that. I feel like that character has the most grating laugh EVER. Yaaaayyyy.

Travis came home with a dozen white roses mixed with lilies and chocolate covered strawberries for me and a Transformer for Aiden. I got Travis a heart-shaped box of Reese's chocolates and two cards - one from Aiden and one from me. We cooked dinner together while Aiden sat glued to the TV. I made a baked potato casserole that I just found the recipe for. Potatoes have been simply amazing since I've been pregnant, so I thought it was delicious. Travis cooked fillet Mignon under the broiler since he didn't feel like messing with the grill. We also had a side of asparagus and Caesar salad. Aiden only ate steak and salad. He flat out refused to try the potatoes. Such a weird kid. What kid doesn't like potatoes?! Well, unless it's the fried kind, of course.

I seriously despise this computer - can't get the photo upright.

I was stuffed by the time we got done eating. For dessert, even though it was really late, we gave Aiden a cupcake. Actually, I only gave him half because I was concerned he would have trouble falling asleep. We didn't get him to bed until 9 pm. Needless to say, this morning was a little rough. But we had a good time gorging ourselves on delicious food.

Teasing Daddy with his icing.

 

Half a cupcake, strawberries and his Valentine's cup from daycare.



After Aiden was in bed (we let him go to sleep with his new Transformer), Travis and I ate a little dessert.  I bought turtle brownies with ice cream.  I had a serving and a strawberry, but Travis didn't have room for all that.  He found room for a strawberry and a Reese's. 

My sweet tooth this pregnancy is OUT OF CONTROL.  All I want is sugar.  I can't get enough cookies.  I go through an insane amount of Monster Trail Mix from Target.  It comes with chocolate in it, but I add MORE dark chocolate chips because it's not enough for me.  I constantly crave sweet coffee, so I've started drinking some decaf so I can have more than one cup a day.  The coffee is not so good for my constant Braxton-Hicks contractions.  It's a diuretic, plus drinking coffee means I'm not drinking water in it's place. 

I can't wait for a contraction-less day.  Travis asked if I thought that was possible.  I said, "Yes, when I'm done being pregnant."  Even then it will be a while because there's that week after you have the baby where the uterus contracts back to normal size.  Plus, I'm thinking about getting Mirena after I have Mila which is known to cause serious cramping.  Sorry if that's too much information for some of you.

If there were uterus strength contests, I bet I'd win. 

T-day in Galveston

Thanksgiving was so easy going this year, it was amazing.  We went over to Ariel and Robert's house in the morning to help them clean and cook.  Since it was nice out, Ariel decided to do the seating outdoors. 

Hostess with the mostess

We ate around 4 pm, an hour later than planned.  Not too bad, considering how things have gone in the past.  We invited our friend Scott to dinner since he doesn't have any family nearby.  Ariel's roommate Bettye and their friends Brandon, Blake and Christy came as well. 

Dinner was FANTABULOUS.  I couldn't believe it, but none of my green bean casserole was left at the end.  I don't usually feel like that's a popular item, but apparently everyone liked it the way I made it with fresh green beans.  The canned mushy green beans gross me out.

I also made a new sweet potato casserole this year.  I don't generally like the sweet potato casserole, so I took control of it it this year.  The bottom layer is mashed sweet potatoes, the middle layer is a pecan crumble (basically it's pecan pie) and the top layer is toasted marshmallows.  The toasted part was an accident, but it turned out really great.

Ariel and Robert fried a turkey and roasted a turkey.  The fried turkey was more firm and really hit the spot.  Travis and I heated up the honey baked ham he got from his boss.  It turned out really great as well.  Thankfully we were able to reheat it right before the meal.

Christy and Blake

Aiden LOVES Brandon.  Brandon is so good with kids, so I know that helps.  Aiden sat in this hammock with him for a good 20 minutes and held on while Brandon rocked the "pirate ship". 

After dinner we ate pie: pecan, pumpkin and apple.  I made the pecan pie because I was hell-bent on getting it right.  For some reason I am only capable of making pecan soup.  The stinking thing never firms up.  Of course it was pecan soup again this year.  We still ate a quarter of the pie.  I took the rest of it home and baked it for another 35 minutes.  That did the trick.  FINALLY.

As we were eating dessert, the Luck's stopped by to say hi!  They were in town to visit family for the holiday.  Logan hung out with family while Sara and JR brought Landry over to visit with Aiden.  They colored with crayons and played with a magnet set that was Robert's when he was little.  Too cute.



I hope everyone had a great holiday!  I enjoyed my 4-day weekend and was quite reluctant to come into work this morning.  If only every month had a 4-day weekend...

Easter in Photos

The Friday before Easter, we set up the supplies for dying Easter eggs outside on Aiden's picnic table. We couldn't figure out what to dye the eggs in, so we settled for our whiskey glasses. HA. Next year I'm using Dixie cups. Not only are they NOT glass, but they seem a little bit more family friendly than booze tumblers.

Travis had Saturday AND Sunday off this weekend, which was amazing. It's been a while since we've had Daddy around that much. We took advantage of those daylight hours together and got a lot of things done around the house. Travis put together his new grill/smoker that he used to cook a pork loin for Easter. He bought all the materials to finish laying out the drainage in the yard and for building the patio. He also got some fun stuff for the yard work. The mulch makes the potted plants look fantastic and he got new hoses to replace the ones that have been hit by the lawnmower a few times.

I spent a good part of the day cleaning the house in preparation for our guests on Easter. Travis even made it inside to dust while I baked homemade mini espresso cheesecakes. That was my first time to ever make real cheesecake (as opposed to that no-bake boxed kind).

Saturday, we met the Ramby's at their church for an egg hunt. After the boys filled their quota of eggs, and a tour of the church, we headed over to a restaurant on the bay for dinner. The kids were a bit rowdy - the boys were being boys and Skylar is teething - but the food was great. I'd like to go back again sometime, but I don't know if we'll ever be able to find the restaurant again!

Skylar sat up at the table with us.

Ariel, Robert and the Ramby's came over for Easter in the afternoon. Totally unplanned, all the guys wore teal polo shirts. Every time they stood together I started laughing again.

We had appetizers while the last of the food was cooking. The problem with appetizers is I'm not hungry by the time the main course comes around. Part of that could be because I always put out way too many options to snack on.

After the meal, we headed outside for another Easter egg hunt. With the boys still being so young, that mostly consists of a bunch of eggs strewn around the yard. And since Smarties don't fit in Easter eggs (darn it), there were also rolled candies thrown out there too.

The onlookers

After the Ramby's headed off to another Easter celebration, we sat in the backyard, wishing the patio would just finish itself.

I gave Aiden a few bites of candy and that kid was off like a rabbit on speed. He kept running back and forth down the sidewalk and then started throwing all his toys into the dirt pile that is currently taking up a portion of our yard. (Travis spent last week digging a trench for the drainage system that will divert rain water away from our backyard and patio. This week we will put the pipes down and fill up the trench that is threatening to eat my son alive.)

I think this was the first time Aiden has really had much candy. Occasionally I'll gave him a piece, but it's only one piece and those times are far and few between. He even spent a good five minutes telling us an animated story:

Aiden adores his Uncle Robert. Anything Robert does, Aiden wants to do. When he was at their house Friday morning (I had to work, but the daycare was closed), he wanted to share Robert's morning bowl of cereal. When Robert took his shirt off, Aiden wanted to take his shirt off. When Robert put on his shoes when it was time to leave for work, Aiden wanted to put his shoes back on.

And Sunday, when Robert sat in the hammock and ate a hard-boiled egg, Aiden joined him.

Wine and a Movie

This was Brenda's last weekend in town. Friday night, I went to see Gnomeo and Juliet with Rachel and a few of her friends. It was pretty cute. My favorite character, BY FAR, was the flamingo. Whom I never saw in any of the previews, by the way.

While I was at the movie Brenda, Travis and Aiden went to the Kemah Boardwalk. Aiden got to pet the sting rays, ride the train and see all the fish in the aquariums.

For dinner, they went to a seafood restaurant. Brenda wanted to get some fresh seafood before she left the area. Here's Aiden saying "Cheeeeeeesssseeee...."

They said Aiden did REALLY good the entire time. He didn't throw a single fit. Which for him, is huge. He's been nothing but cranky for the past couple of weeks. I keep expecting a tooth to pop through his gums somewhere. He keeps chewing on his fingers in the back. He has yet to get in his bottom canines, but I have a feeling his 2-year molars might come in first. Why does teething have to be so unbearable?

Saturday we went to the local winery, Haak Vineyards and Winery, in the afternoon. Jenna and her daughter Jandi met us there, along with Aiden's babysitter Sue and her family. Half of us did a tour of the winery while the other half sat at a table outside with a bottle of wine. When the tour was over, we grabbed some wine and cheese of our own and headed out to the covered seating.

After the winery, we headed to Olive Garden for dinner. It seemed only fitting that we have Italian for dinner after an afternoon of wine.

Saturday, throughout the night, Aiden developed a barking cough. It went away for the most part after he woke up. We dropped Brenda off at the airport in the morning and continued on to Ikea in Houston. We really want to up our storage space in the house, so we went in search of bigger and better things. More on this too come...

Calgon, Take Me Away

Aiden seems to be doing much better in the anger department. It's still not okay, but at least he's not trying to pull off my skin every other minute. I made sure to spend lots of time on the floor with him last night, playing with toys. He was in a great mood the entire time. Maybe this is a sign he needs a live-in play buddy? Ha! Soon, but not just yet.

One of his canines has broken through the gums, so I'm hoping that's a huge culprit here. He hasn't been eating well for a week or so, but last night, he ate like we'd been starving him on purpose. It was awesome to see him happy to eat again. He's been sitting in a booster seat with us at the table for a couple days now. It's fun, but I worry about needing the seat when we have guests over. I'm thinking about switching his high chair into a regular seat, so we have all the seating possible.

I started giving him probiotics in his morning milk this weekend. I'm not sure that it is helping just yet, but I'm pretty sure it will take a while to balance out his natural flora. He's still pooping in the bath tub at every bath. (Although, I don't think I've mentioned that on here before.) Alexa pointed out that the warm bath water might be softening things up and relaxing him enough to let it go. Makes sense. But it would be great if he would stop doing that. It's gross and that means we have to deal with letting all the water out, cleaning the tub, then filling it back up. Gah.

It's cold. I know it's not as bad as up north, but it's cold. It was 26 degrees on my drive into work this morning. According to the weather channel, it was 20 degrees when I woke up, with a wind chill of 9. Just so you know, we are not equipped for such temperatures. Our water heater is in our unheated garage. That means it has to work extra to remain heated. Then the water has to flow through underground pipes and in the exposed pipes under our house. Needless to say, it takes several minutes for the water to warm up on the faucet side of things. We put a blanket on the water heater a year or so ago and I know that helps a bit.

This wind is a little ridiculous. I was grateful when Travis pointed out that our house was on the first block with electricity this morning. I guess the wind took out a bunch of power lines. Half of Galveston island is included in this. I was all excited to actually make it out the door on time this morning, and then I didn't have a flat tire. Yay! Only problem is that every stop light on the island has been turned into a 4-way stop. It took me forever to get from one side to the other.

Speaking of tires, Travis had me put on my repaired tire last night. So now I can change a tire with confidence! It wasn't that hard. I think my only problem will be getting the lug nuts off. It took a lot of jumping and kicking for me to get them loosened. Travis informed me that this was a good way to break off a lug nut stud. You win some, you lose some.

I heard Chicago has 13 inches of snow and counting. My mom is stranded at my aunt's house up there this week. (Fun place to be stuck!) My dad has 8 inches of snow so far and it's still falling from the sky. He went without power for a while, but that's back on so everything's coming back up to temp. My brother's got a snow day from school, but it sounds like the entire county is having a snow day. Stay warm folks!

The Second Half

I'm sure you are on the edge of your seat wondering what I did for the last half of the 4-day weekend. Am I right? HA.

Friday night, we rented Grown Ups and laughed our butts off before bed. I recommend it. Did you hear that Adam Sandler bought each of his co-workers from that film a Maserati? NICE.

Saturday, we did a some shopping in the morning. Then we spent the afternoon tidying up the house and enjoying a little more couch time. That night, Jenna and Jandi came over for dinner. We sat at the table and ate Wing Stop boneless wings. Aiden loves Jandi, and vice versa, so when Jandi came to sit at the table, so did Aiden. Funny thing was he went straight for the chair directly next to Jandi - not his high chair. It was so cute that we let him sit at the table with us.

We liked having him in a regular chair like us, so I think we are going to break down the high chair into his booster seat. It will be nice to have that huge chair out of the way. The only nice thing about it is that we can fit more people at the table when Aiden sits in his high chair. So we'll probably keep the high chair component handy. Especially with the Christmas holiday around the corner.

Aiden was quite cranky that evening. He only took two short 15 minutes naps during the day, so he was on edge by bedtime. I think we put him down a few minutes early. He was out within seconds. And when we went to check on him before we went to bed, he was laying in the exact same position as we laid him down in. Covered up with his blankets and everything. The blankets are a big deal because those usually get kicked off immediately. And he's too young to be able to cover himself back up properly. He was definitely tuckered out. I think it helped that Jenna and Jandi were there. He always does better when we are around other people. I've decided that's a good thing.

Sunday we did even more shopping. It was our annual family Thanksgiving shopping spree. My dad likes to give each of us $50. We get to spend $40 on our self and $10 on whoever we draw out of a hat. This year, I had Robert and Travis had Alex. I was able to purchase a new pair of boots that I so desperately wanted. My chiropractor will be so proud that I am no longer walking on those worn heels anymore. Robert lost his wallet right before Thanksgiving, so I found him a replacement wallet. Travis bought a few things from Academy for himself (hooray for Thanksgiving weekend sales!) and two 80's comedies for Alex. We will have to wait to exchange gifts when everyone gets here for Christmas. It's easier than mailing them.

My dad likes to do this little shopping spree to get us thinking about Christmas presents for ourselves and others. It makes it easier to get an idea of what everyone would like each year. Plus, I'm always up for a paid-for-shopping-spree. ;)

After Aiden woke up from his nap, we played outside and then went for a walk. The rest of the evening went by entirely too quickly...