Farewell 2011

Cooper is napping.  Up at 5am.

James is napping.  Up at 5am.

Grady is laying on the couch watching Max and Ruby.  Maybe a couch nap?  Probably not.


I just sat down to have leftover pizza for lunch with a clean kitchen.  Family room still looks like a bomb went off.

Brownies for tonight are cooling, waiting to be iced.

Casseroles have been made and placed in the freezer waiting to be eaten over the next few weeks while we adjust to me being a working mama.

The house is silent except for the purring of the dishwasher.

What a great way to end 2011.


Quiet time before we head over to good friends to have a family sleepover.  Grady and Cooper's first friend sleepover.  Grady is over the moon excited.  We went by buck or 2 and got some nontraditional NYE decorations including blowers, clappers, balloons, and toy story cups.  All chosen by an excited 3 year old.

When I look back at 2011 I think I will remember it as the year I spent with the boys.  I was off work for the entire year.    Without giving it much thought or looking back to see what we actually did this year I will remember it as the year we went to San Diego, the year Grady started school, and the year Taiya was born.  Some of my favorite moments were the kids birthdays, our family Christmases, and every single holiday that has been made better by having kids to celebrate with.

2012 is a year of change for us and I am ready.  I would be lying if I said I didn't think about going back to work in 4 days and dropping the kids off for the day.  I would also be lying if I said I didn't think about the latte I was going to have my first day at my desk, by myself.

I hope 2012 will bring good things for our family.   It will bring a new job, a new niece or nephew, a new sister-in law, many weddings, a trip to Pheonix, and hopefully a beach vacation!  And these are only the things I know about already!

Am I sad to see 2011 come to an end?  A little.  But I am more excited to see what 2012 has to offer.....

Happy new year everyone and all the best to you and yours in 2012!

Christmas 2011: The one where everyone got the flu

Christmas 2011 was one to remember!

We headed back to SK to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family and it did not disappoint.  We started a few days early to celebrate with my niece who got a brand new karaoke machine.  From this picture, you can tell that her Daddy enjoyed it just as much as her.  Maybe more!

Cooper and Taiya were a very attentive audience.

Santa arrived shortly thereafter and showered the kids with gifts.  Madison and Grady were excited to see Santa and tear into their gifts, Cooper and Taiya... not so much!

This was miss Taiya's first Christmas and Cooper was busy showing her the ropes.

Right after gifts Grady wanted to go in the hot tub.  We went in every day at least once.  This little guy is a fish these days!  He even went right under the water once by accident and didn't cry.  Now that is progress!

The day was uneventful with the adults eating and the kids playing with their new toys, until.... Cooper threw up on the table.  Multiple time.  Cooper had the Christmas flu.  He was sick on and off until midnight when he finally settled in for the night.  For the next few days he still had runny poops (sorry... tmi!) and was tired and grumpy.  But for the most part it was over.

Christmas morning, despite Cooper being grumpy, we headed over to my Dad's to do Christmas all over.

Then, everyone else got the flu.  It started with John who was up several times during the night while I was up with Cooper.  Then it moved on to my Dad's entire family, my brother, little Taiya, and even extended to Sheila's family.  This flu was terribly contagious and quite violent.  James and Grady were spared surprisingly and I only got a mild version.  Christmas 2011 will be remembered as the one that everyone got the flu.

Despite illness, we still managed to have a lot of fun.

James played and snuggled with Layla.

Cooper became a Grandpa's boy.

We attempted to get some family shots at our non-traditional Chrismas dinner of chicken with mashed potatoes and creamed corn. Yummmmmy.

If only James were more photogenic...  this was the best we could get.

The kids made friends with the dogs.  Grady did great with them this time.  Cooper always loves the pups!

Overall, the week went really well.  The kids didn't sleep in and we got the flu but Christmas is about family and we had lots of that!

Family Photos

I can not say enough good things about Fuller Edge.  They took Grady's one year pictures so of course we called them up when it was time to do Cooper's.   When we went for Grady's we didn't expect to get 2 canvases.. but we did.  So we knew going in that we needed to get some matching ones for Cooper with the intention to split them up and have one of each boy.  We got more great choices than we could have asked for.

Canvas #1

Here are the first 2 canvases together. I LOVE them!  I think they match perfectly.

Notice Frosty 'hiding' on our TV??

Since we have 2 of Grady, we got 2 of Cooper's.  I fell in love with this picture instantly.  James wanted a different one on canvas, but in the end I won!

Canvas #2

These 2 are in our playroom downstairs.  They don't 'match' as well but I love each individually!

Here are a few others from the photo shoot.  Cooper and his baby blues.

A family picture where everyone is smiling.  Everyone.  Even the kids.

I love how this pictures captures Grady's fun spirit.

What a big boy Grady is!  He was quite concerned that a train may come.

I am not going to lie... I love how this one captured my red shoes!  We hung this one in our bedroom next to a similar picture of Grady except he is up side down.

 

We didn't plan to get 2 more family pictures framed... but we also didn't plan on getting the canvases last time around.  Like I said, there were just too many great photos.  I hoped to take a picture of these 2 on the wall but we won't get them up until after Christmas since my card holder is currently hung there.

What I love most about Chad and Erin at Fuller Edge is that not once did they tell us to stop, look, and smile.  Not once.  All the pictures are natural, and I think it shows.   I have 2 very unphotogenic people in my family,  not mentioning any names......  cough Grady cough James..... so it is a miracle that so many turned out.   The cartwheels and somersaults that Chad did to crack Grady's shell and get him acting like himself may have helped.  They stopped at nothing to ensure that we got the best family pictures possible. 

There is no doubt in my mind that in a few years we will be back for more Fuller Edge photos!

Brothers

 Our photo shoots usually start like this:

And end like this:

Merry Christmas!

From our littles elves

to yours

Merry Christmas

and all the best in 2012!

Christmas #1

This past weekend we celebrated Christmas with James' family. It was a great taste of what Christmas with the kids will be like this year. Let me tell you, it is going to be a great Christmas!

We started of with a Mexican meal on 'early' Christmas Eve. A few years back Margaritas became a tradition on Christmas eve and this year didn't disappoint.  I even remembered to have ice on hand unlike last year!

Another tradition that we have is opening one Christmas present the night before Christmas.  Always PJs.

Grady ripped into his.  Cooper took time to examine the paper but eventually did get the present open.

We spent the rest of the evening, watching the Elf on the Shelf movie (of course) and giving Grady airplane rides.  It was a good way to tire him out and hope for a good nights sleep.

I am not going to say it worked as Grady was up before 6am which seems to be the new normal these days.  This year, Santa left one present for each of the boys at our house to open.  It is hard for a 3 year old to wait from 6am to 9am to open the gifts when they know Santa has already been at Nana's....  He asked over and over if Nana was up yet!

I love these PJs!  Grady told me he preferred Cooper's because they have Santa on them.  Noted for next year.  Get kids same PJs.

Cooper was less interested in his toy from Santa, but the $8 I paid for it a second hand sale was still worth it.  Each day the boys play on it more and more.  Cooper does seem to like the music it plays but I think it will take just a bit longer before he can appreciate riding the zebra.

The coveted Santa PJs are pretty darn cute to!

At 9am sharp we departed for Nana's house and by 9:15 the boys were tearing into their stockings......

Grady was fast and very excited.  Cooper was slow and very interested in the paper.  If he couldn't get into the current present he would just move on to the next.  In all honesty, all the presents went into the same basket and it was hard to determine whose was whose.  Probably a good thing in our case.  Everything must be shared!

After socks, Uncle Dave pulled out his remote controlled helicopter which was a big hit. It was hard to get a picture of the helicopter in action but this shows how interested the kids were.

Grady was just so much fun with the presents this year.  He was so excited to get new toys.  I am pretty sure he just thinks Santa brought him everything.

During our wait to go to Nana's, I asked what Santa was bringing Grady for Christmas and he told me a talking garbage truck.  We saw this thing months ago and thankfully Santa bought it a few days later.  In the past week he had started talking about it again.  Santa (and Grady!) were pretty lucky to remember about this toy....  He was thrilled when he opened it.

Cooper needed a little more help but was quite content.  For the past several weeks Cooper has been very Grumpy and whiny which is very out of character for my easy going young man.  His teething is really affecting his mood.  The evening before he cried on and off the whole night. It was a relief that the presents were a big enough distraction that we had a relatively cry-free morning.

After presents Grady has his first Wii experience.  From the picture you can tell he took it very seriously.

He bowled and played golf.  It amazes me how quickly kids catch on to these types of things.  He had a great job and had a fun time playing with his aunt and uncle.  Cooper toddled around the condo over and over and didn't sit still at all! He must have been working up an appetite for turkey!

We also went sledding which Grady is loving this year.  Besides that outing we stayed in all day with the family and treated the day as if it were really Christmas day.  Grady stayed in his PJs all day until right before turkey was served because he spilled water on his shirt.  He wore the pants home to bed for a second night!

What a great start to Christmas.  We are so lucky to get to do it all over again tomorrow!

A Success....

...except it broke and fell off the wall once.  It was easily fixed with a little more duct tape :)

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Baking Edition

Meet Frosty

Frosty is our Elf on the Shelf.  If you haven't heard of it you have either been living under a rock or don't have young children. Everyone seems to be talking about it.  I can't remember where I first heard of it but I read about it on several blogs, Facebook, and especially Pinterest.  The theory is that your elf reports back to Santa each night to tell whether your kids have been good or bad.  Then he flies back to your house and hides for the kids to find them in the morning.  You can not touch the elf or he will lose his magic.  I use the word 'hide' very loosely.  This is where we found Frosty hiding on his first morning.

Not exactly the best hiding spot.... better luck next time Frosty

So far, Grady has found him all on his own each and every morning.  Which I actually think is the point.  You can use the elf to get your kids to behave by telling them that Frosty is going to tell Santa they have been bad, but my kids didn't buy into that.  We have chosen to add Frosty to our family purely as a fun hide and seek Christmas tradition.  So far it has been embraced by my kids.

We introduced it by PVRing it on TV first.  We watched the 30 minute movie and then I gave it to him wrapped from Santa.  Ever since that first day, we watch the elf movie 3 times a day.  He loves it!  As does Cooper who up until this point has been interested in very few shows.  The elf also comes with a book that we have only read a hand full of times but may get used more when they are older.

Grady has been heard telling his friends about Frosty and explaining that he can't be touched or he will lose his magic. 

I look forward to adding Frosty to our Christmas traditions!

Coconut Curry Chicken

Let me start out by saying that this is a lame picture.  I didn't realize I was going to blog about it until after we had eaten half of it.  Then as an after thought I took a picture fully intending to pass the recipe on.  Had I planned on blogging it, I would have taken more pictures.  And better ones.

I was looking for chicken recipes on line since that is my favorite meat and that is what I cook the most of.  I am the cook so I get to choose :).  I think it was the coconut that led me to actually try this recipe called 'Whistling Marinated Chicken' on allrecipes.com.  Notice that I changed the name.  I have no idea where their name came from.  All I know is that the chicken is really good.  One I will make over and over and actually serve to others.  Even James agreed.   So without further a due, here is the recipe.

Coconut Curry Chicken (renamed, modified from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup flaked coconut
2 tablespoons lemon juice (I didn't have any)
1 garlic clove, minced (I added 2)
1 teaspoon curry powder (I added extra curry)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil


Directions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. 

Add chicken; seal bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (I marinated overnight). 

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the chicken in oil. 

I brushed some excess marinade over the chicken before frying.

It was seriously good, especially if you like curry and coconut.  Hence, my recipe name change.  I actually plan on making it for the second time this week which is what reminded my to post the recipe!

Bon Appetit!

Change.

I am not one for change.  Those of you that know me know I don't accept change willingly.  I am a fighter and I fight change with all my might.  Over the past 3 years of being a parent I have slowly accepted that change is a part of life.  Just when the kids get into a routine that I get used to one of them starts teething, the other gets up at 530am, or one becomes a bedtime fighter.  Nothing stays the same.  Change is inevitable.  It isn't always as bad as I expect it to be.  Sometimes it is even ::gasp:: good.  With that being said, our family is about to experience change yet again.

I am going back to work.  In 3 weeks.

There.  I said it.  Saying it actually makes it just a little more real.  I have been off work for 15 months.  After my maternity leave with Grady I accepted a 1 year contract covering a friend's maternity leave fully expecting to be expecting my own little bundle by the end.  The timing was perfect.  She came back to work and I started my own maternity leave.  It seemed like a great idea at the time but I ended up in the same position as with Grady... at the end of my maternity leave I was jobless.  I had to motivate myself to look for a new job where I would have to earn respect, learn a new role, interact with new people,  all while worrying about how my baby was doing at daycare.  Over 2 years later, I was in the same position.

In my head I planned to look for work after Cooper's first birthday.  I wanted to celebrate his first year of life without stressing about going back to work and interviewing for a new job. I also secretly hoped that by waiting until mid November there was no way I would have to go back before January which was the earliest I wanted to return to work.  Well.... just before Cooper's birthday a friend emailed and asked if I was looking for work and that she knew of a position I might be interested in.  My email back said that I didn't want to start before January and I wanted to work part-time (among other things of course).  They wanted to meet with me anyway.


Two interviews and a job offer later and I am re-entering the work force working 4 days a week.   The thought of leaving the boys behind still scares the crap out of me but the possibility of finding a job that has a great work life balance and allows me one extra day of fun with the kids and I am actually a little excited.  I try to focus on the fun things... getting dressed up in the morning, wearing earrings, going for lattes, shopping at lunch etc etc rather than the leaving the boys at daycare and how they will adjust to the change.

I have struggled being at home for the past month.  I don't even know if struggled is the right word, but it has been hard.  Between Cooper's teething, job interviews, nanny searches, day home searches, a stolen purse, and Christmas, I have been overwhelmed to say the least.  With all the big decisions made and 2 new teeth, things are getting better.  I think the timing of the job couldn't come at a better time.  I am as ready as I will ever be to being ready to go back to work.

What am I going to miss most about being home?  I will miss picking up and dropping Grady off at school.  I will miss staying in our PJs everyday until we have to get dressed.    What I will miss most about being at home is just knowing what they are doing at each and every moment.  Are they happy?  Are they crying?  Do Cooper's teeth hurt?  Did he have a good nap?  Did Grady eat a good lunch?  Did he cry at preschool drop off?  It is the little things I will miss the most.

What am I looking forward to about going back to work?  Seeing the kids faces light up every day when I walk in the door.

So with that said, I plan to sit back and enjoy the moments at home with my boys over the next few weeks.  Change is in the air and I think that it just may be good for everyone.

Letter to Santa

Last week we sat down to write a letter to Santa after being inspired by a friend and her daughter.  Se sat down at the table and I asked Grady what he wanted to tell Santa.  The letter is written almost word for word what he told me.

We couldn't just write the letter.... we had to finger paint it to.

This was our finished product.

I sure hope Santa could read it!

A Favorite Quote

“Every day I start out Mary Poppins but I end up Cruella de Vil.”

- Mom’s the Word: Remixed

I went to this play in May with a few of my 'Mom friends' and this quote stands out to me over 6 months later.

Isn't it true?

I hate to admit that sometimes Mary Poppins only makes it to Grady's room and Cruella has shown her ugly face by the time we get downstairs.  If I can make it until noon wearing my Mary Poppins hat it is a very good day.

But let's be honest, if I ever did meet someone that was only as sweet and as kind as Mary Poppins, I might just gag.  No one is that patient and nice :)

The one where the kids meet Santa.

This weekend was James' children's Christmas party which involved a visit from Santa. We have seen Santa at Heritage Park and at the mall but this would be the first time this season that the boys would sit on his knee. I have no idea how this was going to go. Last year, Grady refused to sit on Santa's knee and Cooper was too young to care.

What happened this year?

Grady sat on Santa's knee all by himself with not one tear!

Grady's name was called out about half way through the kids. During this time he watched each kid as they marched up and sat on Santa's knee and got a present.  He sat quietly with an unsure expression on his face.  I really had no idea what he would do when his name was called.  Then it happened, his name was called. He hopped off my knee and reluctantly went to Santa all by himself.  I was so proud of him.

This Santa was fantastic.  He talked to each and every one of the kids and asked them how old they were, what they wanted for Christmas, and a multitude of other questions.  Grady didn't say a word the whole time he sat on his knee.  Maybe next year!

Cooper was a little more hesitant.

So James ended up sitting on Santa's knee to.

We managed to grab a family shot at the end.  What a change from last year!

It was a great way to spend a snowy afternoon.  Christmas is really on its way now... Santa said so!