March Recipes

One of my goals for 2011 was to try one new recipe a month. Check out the January recipes here and February recipes here. Turns out it wasn't such a hard goal to accomplish. Now that I've started finding new recipes, I can't stop!

Breakfast
Oatmeal Bake. (4 stars out of 5)
Shawn and I both really liked this. The real fan though? Samara...I've never seen her eat breakfast so quickly...I'd say it was just as quick (if not quicker) than pancakes!
1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup canned pumpkin or applesauce
1/3 cup milk or creamer
pinch of salt
Optional: raisins, walnuts, brown sugar for the top

Combine and pour into a small baking pan or 1-cup ramekin. Cook for 15 minutes at 375F. Then, set your oven to “high broil” for 3 more minutes (or simply just bake longer, but broiling gives it a nice crust).

Banana Bread (4 stars out of 5)
My blog friend Sarah recently blogged about her favorite banana bread recipe. I told her it sounded good but I could never cheat on my regular favorite because it is amazing and has taken me many years of trying numerous recipes to find just the right one. Well, she challenged me...so I just had to try it. And it is good. Really good. It's completely different than my usual though, definitely a lot spicier and a different texture.

Main Dishes
Crockpot Potato Bacon Soup. (4 stars out of 5)
I got this recipe from a different blog friend, also named Sarah, and it was delicious...very creamy and rich. I used real bacon and couldn't find cream of onion soup so I substituted it with cream of mushroom. It makes a lot, which is great because now I have 2 additional frozen meals in the freezer!

Chinese Basic Stir Fry Sauce. (2.5 stars out of 5)
I went to make a steak stir fry and realized I was all out of teriyaki sauce (my usual sauce for stir fry). Instead of going to the store, I decided it was a good excuse to try a new recipe. This was pretty good but a bit salty. Was it worth all the work compared to opening a jar of sauce? No.

Salmon with yogurt-ginger sauce (5 stars out of 5)
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 salmon fillets
In shallow disk, whisk yogurt with spices. Reserve 1/4 cup. Pour remainder over salmon and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Grill turning once halfway through. Serve topped with 1/4 cup reserved yogurt sauce.
AMAZING. This was so simple and so tasty. I couldn't find any fresh coriander at the store so I used an extra 1/2 tsp of ground coriander. Loved it.

Chutney Chicken (4 stars out of 5)
Delicious and super easy to prepare. I didn't have fresh coriander so I substituted it with 1 teaspoon of ground coriander. I did use the sour cream but didn't add the peas. This would be a good recipe to double and freeze portions for later.

Sweet Mustard Glazed Ham (3.5 stars out of 5)
Very easy to prepare since it's a crockpot recipe. I liked the glaze and would recommend this recipe. I didn't give it more stars simply because I really like ham plain.

Quinoa Turkey Meatballs (4 stars out of 5) with Honey-Garlic Glaze (3.5 stars out of 5)
I love using ground turkey in place of ground beef for a change. And I super love quinoa. These were very aromatic. They were more like a falafel than a traditional meatball. The glaze was good but not really a match for the spices that were in the meatballs. I should have just followed the recommended suggestion of a pasta sauce.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup (4 stars out of 5)
Maybe not so much a Springtime soup but would be perfect for Fall or Winter. It had just a bit of a kick to it but not too overpowering. A good recipe to double and freeze portions for later.

Roasted Portobello and Prosciutto Lasagna (4 stars out of 5)
This was a lot of frigging work. So much prep work before you can combine all the separate layers to make the lasagna. It was really delicious but very rich and decadent. Not something you want to be stuck with leftovers for 2 additional nights...save it for when you have company over and serve with a salad!

D's Salsa Chicken (5 stars out of 5)
Package of chicken breasts (cut each breast into 3 pieces)
1 small jar of salsa
1 package of cream cheese
1/2 cup - 1 cup of water
Fry chicken until partially cooked. Add ingredients and simmer. You can make this on the stovetop or in the crockpot. Serve over rice. Mmmm...this was so creamy and good. I could eat the sauce by itself...I basically did, when we finished the chicken I just kept eating the sauce over rice.

Side Dishes
Thyme and Cheese Biscuits. (3 stars out of 5)
I was looking for something to go with my tasty cajun chicken caesar salad. I didn't feel like going to the store for good bread to make garlic bread, so instead came across this recipe. I didn't have fresh herbs, in fact, I only had dried thyme so I used 1.5 tsp instead. I ended up needing closer to 1 cup of milk. They were okay but really need salt added to the recipe. I'll try it next time and then would bump them up to a 4 star.

Cornmeal Muffins (5 stars out of 5)
I couldn't find my usual recipe and I thought cornmeal muffins would go great with the potato bacon soup (I was right). This recipe was the best I've tasted. The perfect amount of sweetness and the edges were deliciously crisp. Eat them warm with butter. The next day? Not so great...I warmed them but they were still a bit dry.

Italiano Cheddar Muffins (Pizza Muffins) (5 stars out of 5)
Incredibly good. Even recalling them right now, I just want to make more and eat them all.

Desserts
Puffed Wheat Squares (5 stars out of 5)
This is one of my all time favorite desserts. For a long time, if I ever got a treat from 7-11 or Macs, it was always one of the prepackaged puffed wheat squares. Oddly enough, I've never made them from scratch before. They turned out SO well. It took everything in my power to share with the rest of the family.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (5 stars out of 5)
Out of desperation, I cooked these cookies...you see, we had nothing "junky" in the house and I was craving something sweet. We didn't even have chocolate chips which is our go-to sweet fix. I googled best oatmeal raisin cookie ever and came up with this recipe. And it really is. I've made quite a few over the years but this topped them all.

Vanilla Cupcakes (5 stars out of 5)
When Chelsey was visiting, we had a birthday celebration for her and her choice for dessert was vanilla cupcakes. These were amazing...definitely the best vanilla cupcakes I've ever made. Paired with this icing? SO SO close to the Va Va Vanilla at Crave Cupcakes (Sheena, take note!).

Wordless Wednesday

Tell Me Tuesday

Hosted by Canadian Mama

I'm playing along with my friend this week. My question that I need help with:

This will be Samara's first Easter that she kind of "gets" what's going on. I'm definitely not opposed to treats and she WILL get some...but what other fun things could we hide that isn't candy? Keep in mind that anything super small is still a hazard around her. Any suggestions?

Some Days...

Some days aren't easy. In fact, they're hard. Being a mom is the best thing I've ever done but it is also the hardest.

Today is one of the hard days. I've lost my temper multiple times and locked myself in the bathroom to cry when it all got to be too much. I've considered leaving the house and never coming back (though not seriously).

I've said many times that this blog is for the girls. This is their baby book. While I love to focus on the positive things (of which there are many), I also want this to be real and reflect all aspects of their childhood. I want the girls to know that it's not all sunshine and lollipops. If and when they become mothers, I want them to know that their mom struggled some days too...that it's normal to struggle...that it's okay to struggle.

So there's my admission. Some days I suck at being a mom. Some days just suck. And that's okay.

Friday Night Leftovers

• An update on Presley's friend, Nyana: You might remember from this post that she was getting a G-tube inserted on Tuesday. Well, their surgery got bumped to yesterday (talk about an emotional rollercoaster to prepare for surgery and then find out it isn't happening) but I'm pleased to report that Nyana was a complete champ and is doing well. She will be home with her parents before we know it!

• Aunty Chelsey was supposed to return to Yellowknife in the wee hours of the morning today...but her flight got cancelled so she gets to stay another day!

• I think I'm going to have to get a part time job for Sammy's love of clothes. I took her to the mall the other day and she kept stroking clothes and saying, "nnnnniiiiiiice!!"...this could get expensive!

• I mentioned before that we have white noise machines in both of the girls' rooms. Well, now we have it in our room as well. It's really helping with my momsomnia. I only hear the girls if I'm needed, not for every little sigh.

• We obviously are not first time parents but we still act like it! We were concerned (paranoid?!) about Presley's flat spot on her head. I had visions of her wearing a helmet 23 hours a day to correct it...so off we went to the doctor. Turns out we were overreacting and she's completely fine. Better safe than sorry, right?! We do tummy time so often with Presley that Samara has started making her dolls do it too.

• The day Presley turned 4 months, she turned into a cooing, giggling machine. Now I don't have to work at all to get those sounds from her...love it!

• Hungry for more leftovers? Have your fill here!
  

My Girls

I just can't get enough of these two!

4 months!!

Presley is 4 months today. Time is going by unbelievably fast. I saw a newborn at the library yesterday and couldn't believe Presley was bigger because in my mind she is still that little!

At 4 months, Presley is a very calm, quiet and happy baby. She is super smiley, shares her smiles with everyone (even strangers) and giggles if you work really hard for it. She can sit on laps really well unassisted and can sit on the floor for increasing periods of time on her own. She definitely prefers standing though. I even burp her in that position. She still is not enjoying tummy time. If you give her a 2 handed patting back massage, she will endure it but you can tell she's not happy about it. She is now grabbing at toys and bringing them to her mouth for a taste.

Her favorite activities are being in the Moby (she prefers this to the Beco lately so that she can drool and suck on the fabric, yummy!), having hot baths, hanging out in the Jolly Jumper and the exersaucer.

Presley is still eating every 3 hours or so and is exclusively breastfed. She gets a bottle of breastmilk once a week just to make sure she can...I am a bit delusional in thinking I will ever be away from her long enough for her to need a bottle instead of breast!

Sleep has been atrocious since the last month (3 month growth spurt?). We just haven't recovered from it. Nights can vary from 1 wake up to eat to numerous wake ups for a soother insert (clearly the soother needs to go but that is terrifying because then things will get worse before they get better). Naps can be amazing or dismal and you just never know what it will be when you put her down. Looking on the bright side though is that she can put herself to sleep and goes down in her crib drowsy but awake.

Presley weighs 12 pounds and 12 ounces which is around the 25th percentile. She is 25 inches long which is in the 90th percentile. She is super long and lean! She wears mostly 3-6 month clothing because of the length but they are all wide on her. She is still in size 1 diapers during the day but size 2 overnight.

Things I never want to forget:
-how closely Presley watches what Samara is doing. You can tell she just can't wait to get up and start playing with her big sister!
-how happy Presley is when you devote time to just smiling, talking and making faces at her. I think she could do this for hours at a time and not tire of it.

Randoms

- The signs are popping up everywhere...I think Samara is almost ready for potty training. What is your #1 tip/suggestion/warning/bit of advice when it comes to successful potty training?- Presley's birth club buddy Nyana is undergoing surgery to get a g-tube inserted today. Please send positive thoughts her way!

- This was Samara's sleep at Presley's current age. I'd say Presley is trying to beat it (and not in a good way).

- Samara's latest favorite video here.

- Tomorrow would have been my doggy's birthday. She's been gone now for 1.5 years and I still miss her.

The Others

My dear friend Janice posted a really good article the other day about mothers and how we can't seem to stop comparing ourselves. We set such impossibly high standards that we are constantly bogged down with feelings of inadequacy. Why do we do this? Why is what we do never enough? Why must we constantly look at how others are doing to see how we match up?

At the end of the day, will it matter if our house is spotless, if we baked our kids' snacks from scratch or if we put on lipstick and straightened our hair to run errands? I really doubt it. Will it matter if our kids felt ignored because we got more consumed with "doing it all" than enjoying them? Yes.

I confess...I am guilty of the "supermom" attitude. I knock myself out on a daily basis getting the girls dressed in perfect outfits, taking them to every activity possible, keeping the house spotless from top to bottom, always having fresh baking for treats, new meals on the table, working out 5 days a week...I need to remind myself that while these things are nice IF I can get them done, it's really not the end of the world if I don't. So, my pledge is to let the small things go...so we stay in our pajamas for the day and play with mega blocks and have tea parties and eat goldfish for snacks and lounge and watch silly videos all day...I'm not going to feel guilty about it. Instead, I'm going to soak up every moment and be thankful that this is my life.

Frog?

She's saying frog...though every time she says it, I still wonder if I slipped up and she's copying me.

Yes...we're clearly more immature than our kids!

Friday Night Leftovers

• Aunty Chelsey is here!!!!!! She's staying for an entire week (maybe longer if I refuse to drive her back to the airport).

• We had an incident this week. Regular blog readers know that Samara is obsessed with clothing. She is constantly going through her dresser drawers and trying on outfits. Well, the other night, she had all the drawers open and was reaching (and leaning!) to get something out of the top drawer when the whole frigging thing came crashing down on her. I was in her room with her tidying up and I nearly had a heart attack! She's okay...she managed to only get a minor scratch on her knee. Scared the crap out of her though. The rest of this week she hasn't touched her dresser and keeps pointing at it, then the floor, then back it again saying, "fall...dresser...fall...FALL! Fall? FALL!". She has even apologized to it. I really don't think she realizes that it was her that caused the dresser to fall. She thinks it launched itself at her unprovoked.

• I wish walkers weren't outlawed. I think they could be a lot of fun for babies (if properly supervised, of course!).

• I really dislike how spirited babies get a bad rap. They are never "good babies"...because they voice their dislikes, take months to become good sleepers and need constant activity. Well, I'm speaking up for my "bad babies"...they aren't bad! They are still good babies, even if they are not super quiet and just lay there!

• Speaking of sleep...I'm not getting any. Is there a 3-4 month sleep regression? Probably. How do I fix it? How do I get naps longer than 45 minutes? How do I manage on so little of sleep without losing my mind? These are the questions that go through my head on an hourly basis.
  

• For more leftovers, head here.
  

Same coat, different girl...

Samara - 7.5 months
Presley - 3.5 months
At this rate, Presley will catch up to her big sister in no time!

Wordless Wednesday (Mostly!)

I've got a bit of picture catch up to do (not a whole lot though since our good camera was sent away TWICE and I really don't like our point and shoot).

Presley - 3 months and starting to look chubby!
Kisses from Mama.
Presley's impression of a deer in the headlights.
Daddy and his girls.
Presley 2 weeks later and has lost her chub. String bean...long and skinny.
Sammy's favorite thing to do lately...build "tall towers".
What?!
Pretty girl. I swear she gets prettier every day. (I know, I have to think that cause I'm her mama!)

Tell Me Tuesday

Hosted by Canadian Mama

My friend, CanadianMama, asks a question every Tuesday to get answers. I've got a dozen questions going through my head right now concerning Sammy's 2nd birthday so I'm playing along this week.

Please help! I have to get started on planning birthday party(ies?) and need inspiration.

- should I have a separate friend and family birthday party? Is more than one party too much for a 2 year old? How many guests are overwhelming at that age?

- theme? Should I do a theme or just keep it as a regular birthday party? Themes can be super fun but also a lot of work.

- grab bags...these will be a lot of work/fun to do. I'm trying not to include anything plastic or candy. I'm thinking a book, I'll make little purses for the girls (what about the boys?), maybe make a felt game to take home?

- keepsake gift ideas? Last year Shawn got Samara her own real little size guitar. We'd like to stick with the non-plastic keepsake gift ideas. I was thinking one of those really cool swing sets/play sets from Costco...but they are VERY expensive and take up a lot of room so am open to other ideas!

- what was your most favorite birthday present ever?

Thanks for your help!

Baby Snuggles

We moved Presley to the crib in her room pretty early (around 4 weeks, I think?). I just couldn't sleep with all her noises and felt I was responding to her when she didn't actually need me. She's been a pretty decent little sleeper from the start (though inconsistent at times). It's important to me that she sleeps in her crib and knows it is her "sleepytime" place. But, every so often, she will fall asleep on me. And instead of putting her down ever so gently in her crib, I snuggle in...inhale her sweet baby goodness...and enjoy every single precious moment.

Standing Girls

Presley might not be rolling yet but she can stand holding onto something:



Not to be outdone by her sister, Samara learned a new way of standing too:

Friday Night Leftovers

• Speaking of leftovers, do you have a "leftovers" night? We don't because Shawn takes leftovers for lunch the next day.

• In case it wasn't obvious in yesterday's post, I got sick. Shawn doesn't normally tell me I look like death! It is really hard to get better when you can't get enough rest. Remember the days when you were sick (or hungover!) and could just lay on the couch and watch movies all day?

• Speaking of getting sick, Shawn caught it too.
  

• I mentioned in this post about white noise machines and got a few questions about them. They are amazing. Basically it's just "white noise"...static...fuzz. You don't even need to buy a machine. You could point a fan at the wall, find a non-station on the radio, burn out your blowdryer or vacuum, whatever works for you! I bought machines for both girls so we could take them with us when we're away from home. They're small and portable. When we lived in Calgary, it was impossible to find true static on the radio as there were too many radio stations.

• There is construction going on in the empty lot across the street. Samara is PUMPED. All day long she gets to look at the bulldozer and big trucks carrying away the dirt.

• Here's a pet peeve of mine: people that post a trillion pictures on Facebook of the same pose...whether it be of themselves (always with the pouty lips!), their pets, their kids, etc. Can't you choose the best one and post that instead of subjecting everyone to looking at your entire memory card's contents? And how about deleting the blurry ones that are impossible to make out while you're at it?!

• For more leftovers, visit the host HERE.
  

Thankful on Thursday

My blog friend Mrs. Z does a lovely post every Thursday about the things she is thankful for. I have had a hard week so felt it was a perfect time to reflect on what I'm grateful for.

• Healthy kids. We have been very lucky (knock on wood) that neither girl has had any medical problems. Having cranky babies who at the moment aren't sleeping very well is a pretty minor issue in the grand scheme of things.

• A fantastic husband. This has been a rough week and I have survived because of him. I even forgave him when he told me I looked like death last night and needed to go to bed ASAP.

• Smarties. I bought a gigantic bag for potty training rewards. The bag is almost gone and Samara hasn't peed or pooped on the potty once. Interesting fact...did you know that Smarties stopped using artificial colouring? That means they're practically healthy for you now!

• Mr. Rogers. Samara chose a DVD when we went to the library on Saturday and yesterday I think I let her watch it 3 times because I was dead on my feet. Thank you, Mr. Rogers, for being educational and only slightly annoying...but mostly thank you for not shouting at me through the whole program like Dora the Explorer does.

• Warmer weather. Goodbye, Winter. Hopefully until December.

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday (Mostly!)

Whenever we try to get a picture of the girls together, Samara always puts her arm around Presley's shoulder and says, "nuhddies" (buddies!). Cutest thing ever? I think so!

Goals Update

Well, it's been 2 months since I made these goals. How am I doing?

- doing something for myself (quilting class, cake decorating class, running clinic, photography class).
FAIL! I still have yet to sign up for anything. I keep meaning to but just haven't gotten around to it. I will though. I WILL!

- start working out.
Success! For the past 8+ weeks, I have been working out 5 days a week for 30-60 minutes. They are not easy workouts and I feel like a million bucks after completing them.

- stay at a healthy weight.
I've been pretty careful with this...making sure I'm eating enough to keep at my current weight, taking into account that I'm breastfeeding and super active. So far, so good.

- Skype regularly.
So-so...we've got a weekly date with Papa Jim and Grandma Jill and have had some dates with Poppy and Mimi. We are up for more...here's your chance to check in on us, make sure I haven't shaved anyone's head!

- keep stepping outside my boundaries with books.
Successful as shown here and here!

- have regular dates.
Hmm...not so great. We have had 2 this year (only about 1.5 hours long during the girls' naps but it counts, right?!).

- try a new recipe a month.
Can you say overachiever? See here and here.

- spend one on one time with each girl.
This has been really fun for Shawn and I. As of yet, the person who spends time with Presley just stays home so she can nap/eat/sleep on a schedule while the other person takes Samara on an outing. We do it every week, without fail. It's fun (though challenging) to come up with activities to do outside the house during the winter in a VERY sleepy city that shuts down early.

- to relax more.
Ahem. Why did I even put that up? For my "free time" today, I cleaned out the fridge. But, I went for a massage on Saturday, that counts, right?!

How are you doing with your resolutions/goals for 2011?

5 Things You CANNOT Live Without

What are 5 things you can't live without (excluding the necessary things like food, clothing, love, family)?

1. Chocolate. Can't live without it. Seriously, I've tried and I almost died. Well, I didn't but those around me almost did!

2. My Blackberry. It is never far away. I use it to surf the net while I'm breastfeeding and I am always in constant contact with friends and family. Apparently the iPhone is better...I'm tempted to convert but Shawn, my sister, my mom and my dad (the people I talk to most) all have blackberries and we're constantly using messenger.

3. White noise machines. There is one stationed in each girl's room. These ensure my darling babies have good sleeps...and when they don't, that they don't wake each other up. I love that they can go to bed early (7ish for both girls) and we can carry on our evening without having to worry about being quiet. I love that the phone can ring and I don't want to shout at the person on the other end for disturbing naptime. I love that I can receive a package from Purolator and be excited instead of wanting to strangle the delivery guy for ringing the doorbell.

4. My bed. It is the most comfortable bed in existence. Years ago I splurged and bought the best of the best. Now it is molded perfectly to our bodies. I never cheap out on sheets and am a compulsive bedding washer (once a week, without fail) so they are even softer and always smell clean. Seriously, some nights I can hardly wait to crawl into bed and just sigh in contentment when I do.

5. Books. Regulars to the blog know that I am a book lover. I couldn't live without them and wouldn't want to try. I broke up with them for a bit when I was going to school and getting my degrees as I was so tired from school reading that I couldn't handle enjoyment reading. But it was short lived and now our relationship continues.

What are your 5 things?

Friday Night Leftovers

• My kids either hate me or love me too much. I am so tired. Samara has gotten in the habit of waking in the night a few times and wanting to be visited for assurance (something we readily did when she was sick last week). It's a quick visit: cover her with her blanket, readjust her bears, give her a kiss and a stroke of the hair. It's still getting up though when previously we didn't. Presley, while still only needing 1 feed a night, is now also getting up somewhere between 430-6 and needing (wanting?) to be held for the remainder of the night. I'm so tired that I just do it because at least I get a fitful sleep that way instead of either listening to her cry or rocking her to sleep, putting her down and having her awaken just about the time I fall back asleep. I know (know for certain!) that this is creating terrible sleep habits and yet I'm just too exhausted to care right now.

• We already got our camera back. I was so impressed with Canon's super speedy repair service. ..until I went to use it and had the same error come up immediately. Off it goes again.

• Most baked chicken breast recipes call for chicken to be baked at 350F for 30 minutes. I have never once had chicken cook completely in that time.

• I was rewarded with a first true belly laugh from Presley this week. I sure needed it!

• Why is it that Presley's miniature 0-3 month jeans have pockets? Do babies really have a use for pockets?

• What possesses some dog owners to not clean up after their dogs? Do they truly believe they don't need to? Lazy? Ignorant? Or because it's winter that somehow the dog poop melts to nothingness with the snow? Because that does NOT happen. Instead there are little piles of thawing dog turd everywhere that I must try to avoid...and get my toddler to avoid as well. Makes a walk in the park not exactly enjoyable.

• As I sit here writing this, it's snowing...again. I am SO over winter.
  

• For more leftovers, visit the host here.
  

Sammy's Future Career?

Sammy visited Daddy's work a couple of weeks ago. For those of you not in the know, Shawn works for 2 radio stations in Lethbridge as a broadcast engineer. Sam LOVED it.

"Get me somebody...anybody! And get me somebody while I'm waiting!"
This ladder escapade was not a staged photo...Shawn turned his back for a second and found her like this.
Reading the news ON AIR.
Kidding...she wasn't really on air!

22 months!!

2 months until Samara turns 2!! I can't believe it...time to start planning a party!

This past month, Samara:

- is really working at speaking in sentences. Before she would string 2-3 words together but now it's much more...however, I'm having a tough time understanding all the words. When it was just 2-3 words I had no problem. It goes something like this: Mutter mutter DADDY mutter COAT mutter MOMMY'S mutter OUTSIDE mutter TRUCK LOUD mutter THERE IT IS.

- is exploring her emotions...more specifically the anger part. She has been having some spectacular meltdowns lately if she doesn't get her way. It can be quite entertaining, depending on what kind of mood I'm in! I try to remember that she doesn't know how to handle all the overwhelming emotions she's feeling.

- is really into clothes. She goes through about 6 outfits a day...complete wardrobe changes including socks. She is really particular about what clothes she wears and will refuse certain items. She has taken to wearing one of two t-shirts to bed and I have to do my best to make sure they're clean and ready to go!

- has developed a love for hockey. Seriously. If you ask this girl if she wants to watch hockey, she will jump up and down shouting, "Hockey! Hockey! Hockey!"

Favorite things this past month:

- still with the dance parties. I should mention that dancing isn't really dancing anymore...it's listening to music loudly and running around the island as fast as possible.

- her bears. She has 2 favorites. One is a little straggly thing we got from Shawn's work at Christmas time. The other is a cute build-a-bear from her Poppy and Mimi. She sleeps with them both and when you greet her in the morning, leave the house without her, kiss her goodnight, etc, you must also kiss each bear.

- jumping off chairs into your arms, jumping off stairs into your arms, jumping off couches into your arms, etc.

- making herself dizzy by spinning over and over and then walking so she falls over.

Things I never want to forget:

- if she farts, she pumps her arm and says, "toot toot!"...I will not take credit for teaching her that! I try for "excuse me" but obviously she gets a better reaction with the first. I'm sure she will love that I posted this when she's about 14!

- if you make a strange noise (while stretching) or stub your toe and howl in pain, she worriedly asks, "okay? okay?". So sweet.

- how she will run across the entire length of the house with her arms wide open, shouting, "HUG HUG HUG" and then plow you over with the biggest and best hugs. She even did this at the library yesterday. Melt my heart!