Funny Little Dude

Jack is a funny kid.  Lately, he is getting to the stage where he will say anything on his mind and while this is okay at home, it's not so okay out in public.  And so begins the years of public embarrassment and apologies.

The other day at the store, a man was wearing a knit hat.  Jack pointed right at him and yelled "Snowman mama!".  I have no idea where he came up with that but it was pretty funny.  The man just looked at him and then looked at me and smiled.

There are so many examples of funny stuff he says.  He is super inquisitive and also will correct you if you answer a question incorrectly.  For example, I was changing his diaper the other day and he farted.  Loud.  I giggled and said "Nice fart Jack".  He looks at me very seriously and says "No Mama, that toot".  I guess toots and farts are different in his mind.

We were at the grocery store the other day and I picked up a butternut squash to put in my cart.  Jack was with me, saw the squash and says "Peanut".  Well, it DOES look like a rather large peanut no?

He also has an amazing memory.  I don't know what is typical or normal for a 2 1/2 year old but he remembers everything.  ::Mental note:: Don't ever tell him something that you want him to forget.  Because he won't.

We drove by a gas station and he says "Get gas Mama!".  I explained that I didn't need gas but used the opportunity to teach him something.  "Do you know why cars need gas Jack?".  "So they can go".  Okay, I did not teach him that.  He already knew.  Maybe Curious George taught him?  At any rate, somewhere along the line he learned it and remembered.

I wish I could document everything he says because when I am having a rotten day, I could read the post and feel better.

This kid cracks me up.

Randoms Post aka I Am Tired

Today will be a randoms post because I am tired and don't have a whole topic that is interesting enough to write about.

* Jack has an ear infection.  The only reason I knew to even take him in to the pediatrician is because he woke up in the middle of the night on Sunday asking for me to clean his ears.  "Tatos tatos".  Which meant potatoes because we always joke we are digging out potatoes when cleaning his ears.

* His left tube was in his ear canal so the pediatrician actually pulled it out.  That is the ear with the infection. The right tube is still in place and was free of infection.  I really hope he doesn't need new tubes.  We shall see what this winter holds for him and his poor ears.

* CAL HAS A TOOTH!  It finally popped through three days ago.  And because he has to be different, it's a top tooth.  Don't babies typically get their bottom teeth first?  He was absolutely miserable the night before it broke through.  He would not sleep.  I had to hold him from 3:00 to 6:00 while he pretty much screamed in pain.  Nothing helped him.  Baby Advil, teething tablets, being rocked, Orajel.  It all around sucked.

* I worked 62 hours last week.  Let me tell you how thrilled I am about that.  I worked every single day including Saturdays and Sundays.  Notice I put that in plural. Work has been stressful.  I won't blog about work for privacy issues but it's been rough.

* I attended my knitting class on the 20th and had to leave after 5 minutes because I got a page for work.  I am heading back this week and am very happy about that.  I scrapped my original project because it had too many mistakes and I am a perfectionist.  Instead, I am working on a mouse hat for Jack.  It is going to be so super cute!  I already have two more projects lined up too!

* We have had some fun new recipes lately.  I will do a post about that soon, I swear.  I also made a neat Fall themed snack mix yesterday as a special treat for the boy.

* Jason and I are celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary on the 11th of November.  Guess what?  We are going away for the weekend.  The entire weekend.  By ourselves.  Eeeek!  More to come on that as well.

* It's raining here which is completely normal.  It will be an interesting Halloween tomorrow with two small children and ran.  We are heading to our in-laws' house to go Trick-or-Treating since our neighborhood is kind of scary at night.

Upcoming posts (I swear!):

* One Funny Kid
* More tasty recipes
* Our Anniversary
* Halloween

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Jack had his first field trip of his life when he went to the pumpkin patch with his preschool class.  Families were welcomed to attend along with their student so Jason, Cal and I went along!

We had such a good time.  Jack was excited about picking out his very own pumpkin to take home.  Side note:  $3 covered the cost of any pumpkin the child wanted to take home plus a goodie bag from the farm.

The kids all got to listen to one of the farmers talk about how they grow pumpkins.  It was a short talk (these are 2.5 year olds after all!) but the kids looked really interested.

Here are some pictures of our morning.  Enjoy!

Jack insisted on wearing his new tiger hat.  And the rain boots were a necessity.  We live in Oregon after all.

In awe of all the pumpkins

I love this picture.  It was overcast but didn't rain on us!

Jack admiring a tiny pumpkin

A terrible picture of me but I am rarely in pictures with my kids.  Hello boobage!

"Mommy what is this?"  It was a plastic skull.

Cute baby alert!

Stomping through the mud

Picking out his pumpkin

Checking out the hay bales

King of the mountain!

A rare family picture

Cal loved checking out all the people

Little boy on a big hay pile

Listening to how pumpkins are grown

Cal is 9 Months Old!

Wow, 3/4 of a year already.  It's getting harder and harder for me to post these monthly updates because I am in denial that Cal is getting so big so quickly.  I thought Jack grew up quick, but Cal is speeding by in the blink of an eye.

This month has been challenging but it's just a phase.  Here are a few things that Cal is up to this month:

* He has quite the temper on him.  If he doesn't like what you are doing (diaper changes lately or being confined in the Exersaucer), he growls.  Loudly.  He actually threw a tantrum the other day.  I must actually admit that I laughed hysterically because it was FUNNY.  He was crying but he was PISSED.  In that moment, he reminded me so much of my brother.

* No teeth yet.  Seriously, is he ever going to get one?  The pediatrician doesn't seem concerned.

* Naps have basically gone by the wayside.  We used to be able to lay him down in his crib for afternoon nap and he would sleep for about an hour.  Now if we lay him down, he screams, cries and snots until we go get him.  This will last for up to 30 minutes.  We have tried letting him cry it out but after a while, it's exhausting and not doing him any favors.  He still goes down fine at night though.  What's the deal?

* Oh my goodness, this child opens everything.  Doors, cabinets, drawers, the refrigerator.  Time to re-install all the cabinet locks.

* He still eats pretty well.  Three meals a day with an occasional snack.  He will basically eat anything that's in front of him but now he's starting to decide on flavors and whether he likes them or not.  Lately, he has been decreasing his milk intake.  I think it's because his toofers bother him.

* Jack is still his favorite person.  He loves to play on the floor around Jack.  It's so sad when Jack takes a toy away from him or pushes him down.  He gets the saddest look on his face and just cries.  Poor guy.

* Cal is cruising on everything, and he will stand unassisted for several seconds at a time.  It's funny because you will let go and he won't notice.  As soon as he notices you aren't holding on anymore, he plops right down on his butt.

* It cracks me up that I can hear him coming from anywhere in the house. His crawl has a distinctive sound and his hands do this "slap, slap, slap".  He also pants like a dog when he's crawling or excited.  So funny!

* He has four words, three of which we understand or know the meaning of:  Mama, Dada, Bubba (brother) and Nawnaw.  We don't know what nawnaw is.  Nana?  No?

* You are starting to fight diaper changes and clothing changes.  It's a little frustrating because you will roll and try and squirm away and screech because you are mad.  It makes diaper time a little longer than it should.  Oh well.

I brought Cal in to the doctor a week before his scheduled well-baby check.  He had a cold and I was worried he had an ear infection. He didn't thankfully so the pediatrician ended up just doing his check then.  Here are his stats:

Weight: 21 pounds 8 ounces (70th percentile)
Height:  29 inches (70th percentile)

Perfectly proportionate!

And to wrap up this post, a few pictures!

Tasty Tuesday

I have been cooking lately but most of the recipes are repeats.  Our dinners are in a rut so I am making an effort to meal plan ahead of time, not on the day I am shopping.  That way, I have time to find fun recipes and make a good list.

Here are a couple of things I have made lately.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

I used a variation of the recipe linked above.

I should have put the sauce on the bottom of the pan rather than over the chicken breasts.  I think the chicken would have been crispier.  Also, I didn't use fresh mozzarella.  I always have shredded cheese on hand so I didn't want to buy fresh mozzarella just for one recipe.

I could have had about 8 servings of this because it was so good.

Reuben Noodle Bake

Don't get grossed out.  It's honestly good.  If you like Reuben sandwiches, you will like this casserole.

I have made this once before many years ago and Jason insists he doesn't remember it.  Oh well.  At any rate, I don't have a link to the recipe so you have to see it the old fashioned way:  All typed out.

From: Favorite Brand Name Best Loved Casseroles

8 ounces uncooked egg noodles
5 ounces thinly sliced deli-style corned beef
1 can (14.5 oz) sauerkraut with caraway seeds, drained
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 slices pumpernickel bread (I used rye for more of an authentic Reuben)
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted (I omitted this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut corned beef into bite-sized pieces.  Combine noodles, corned beef, sauerkraut and cheese in large bowl.  Pour into prepared dish.

Combine dressing, milk and mustard in small bowl. Spoon dressing mixture over noodle mixture.

Tear bread into large pieces.  Process in food processor or blender until crumbs form.  Combine bread crumbs and margarine in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over casserole.

Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through.

I love that I have a glass of wine in this picture and that it's mere inches away from Cal's plate.  Ha!

Frittata Primavera

This was a fun recipe to make.  It's like eating a crustless quiche and as you can see from the picture, we served it with cinnamon rolls (not homemade - I am not that ambitious).  Breakfast for dinner!

This was super good.  Jack helped me make it and I thought maybe that would encourage him to eat it, but alas, it sat untouched.  Cal liked it with the exception of the cream cheese.  

I will definitely make this again but with different veggies.  I think it would be delicious with spinach, tomatoes Feta cheese, and Kalamata olives.  

I am already planning ahead for the next couple of weeks and making my list.  So far, I have the following meals picked out:

Slow Cooker Pork and Green Chile Stew

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Apples

Mediterranean Chicken Stew with Polenta

Fall is in the air with all these rich, fall flavors.

Yum!

Monday Miscellaneous

Wow what a weekend we had! It's been a pretty crazy week all around but we had a great weekend.

* The family attended my cousin's daughter's birthday party this weekend.  Jack had a blast playing on the cool playground and eating the rainbow cake.  I don't want to post any pictures yet because I don't want to steal my cousin's thunder (we have a couple of the same blog readers).  I can't wait until she posts!

* I am doing a really good job of sticking to my plan of being less boring.  I went to a party on Friday, the birthday on Saturday and start my knitting class this upcoming Saturday.

* Cal is miserable.  I am ::thisclose:: to calling the pediatrician about his teething symptoms.  He is almost 9 months old and no sign of a tooth. He drools, is in pain, has an eruption hematoma, hardly sleeps anymore and is generally cranky.  The hematoma is what concerns me the most.  I am starting to worry that something is wrong.  Purple gums are not cool folks.  And they hurt.

* Do you know how hard it is to find quality and cute Halloween costumes for kids?  I was hoping to do a theme with the boys but didn't have much luck finding costumes that weren't cheap looking or matched.  I thought Elmo and Cookie Monster, or Yo Gabba Gabba or animals.  I would find one costume for Jack but than there wouldn't be a matching one for Cal.  I finally gave up my search and just bought two costumes at Costco.  They were very high quality and cheap!  Cheaper than any place I have found.  I am totally spoiling any surprise but here are their costumes:

How cute is he?  Real reflective tape, real brass buckles and you can't see but there are adjustable suspenders on the pants.

Roly poly pumpkin for the roly poly baby.  How cute are those leggings?

* Jason's parents mentioned that our anniversary is coming up and that we should get away for the weekend.  I think I was too much in shock to react.  Take our two kids for an entire weekend?  So we can sleep?  And relax?  I just don't know what to think........I doubt we will take them up on an entire weekend but we might for overnight.

* I got a new cookbook that I have been eyeballing for a while.  I love using my crockpot and this will hopefully give me some inspiration to try something new.

* I have posted before about donating milk. Well, twice now this person insists that she needs milk desperately and yet, she has failed to show up.  She gets a third chance today and if she doesn't pick up, the milk is being donated to someone who is more in need.  It's frustrating!  If you don't have common courtesy to tell someone you can't make it, you don't really need this gift as much as you say you do.

* I want to try a new restaurant that opened up the street from me.  I drive by it awesome and it's always packed.  I was shocked because new restaurants in my area don't typically do well.  I looked up this restaurant and it's apparently a place that went out of business years ago that has reopened.  The menu looks awesome - who doesn't love burgers and milkshakes?  I believe this might be our next date night trip.

* I am feeling a little bit of jealousy when it comes to other people's sibling groups.  I hear all about how so-and-so just LOVES their younger brother or sister.  Jack does not like Cal.  He is constantly taking toys, pacifiers, trying to block his way by putting toys around him, and while he doesn't outwardly hit, he does push his hand and try to "gently" knock him over.  He doesn't play with him.  At all.  Ever.  I want my kids to like each other.  Cal adores Jack but the feelings aren't mutual.

That's all the semi interesting stuff I have for today.