Fifty-Nine...

Hangin' out with Elmo and his cozy!

Fifty-Eight...

We went and got Bodie's hair cut on Wednesday and I just had to share the photos.

I attempted to make a slide show and it is below. It didn't turn our very clear so I have posted some of my favorites here too. He just looks too cute with his new "little boy" hair cut.


The above photo is the after that my friend Kim requested. I didn't take a offical before shot in the Barber Shop because Ron just kind of swooped him in the chair and Ray started buzzing away. So if you want a before just look at the last several posts of Bodie. Man, was he overdue for this.

Fifty-Seven...

I just liked this photo and I needed a random post to fill in a day that I skipped in the month of February. This was taken at Auntie Steph's and Uncle Byron's house during Nolan's first birthday party. I just thought it was cute.

Fifty-six...

I had a little glitch in my numbering of my posts. Instead of going in and editing each title I am just moving this one up and posting the recipe with it. Original post was made on 2/4/09.

So this post is not about Avery. However, she did help me make this yesterday. I did the Weight Watchers program several years ago and there was one important concept that I took away and have tried to implement daily. In WW, vegetables are free. You can eat as many as you want. This soup is called "Zero soup". I make it from time to time when I feel like I am not getting enough veggies or I need more food with my meals. A cup of broth is only 30 calories and the veggies are in my mind because of WW, zero. I will try to post the recipe later.


Zero Soup:

Over medium heat spray a large pot with non-stick cooking spray
Add 1/2 of a small diced onion and a few cloves of garlic diced until they sweat and soften
Add 1 can of chicken stock (I used the 99% fat free)
Then add veggies of your choice and bring the soup to a boil and then turn down to simmer and cook the veggies. Just eye ball the amount.
The combo of veggies I like are celery, carrots, zucchini and sometimes green beans.
Add veggies that cook faster last.
Then I just divide it up into some little serving sizes and have it handy to add to any meal. You can freeze it too!

Really you can adjust the amounts of all of the ingredients to your liking.

Sometimes, if I have some leftover pasta and chicken breast (dice it) I just take some of both and throw it in the soup for a perfect complete lunch.

Enjoy!

Fifty-five...

I used to be into learning how to cartoon. And I used to wear scrunchies.

Fifty-four...

If you look close you can see where the doctor sprinkled some "magic" (glitter) on Bodie's cast.

I was hoping they wouldn't have to cast it. But it is a precautionary thing. The doctor said he would probably be fine without it, but just in case.

Where's your owie Bodie?

Paging Dr. Shinkle...

Fifty-three...

With all the nice weather we have been having the birds and frogs are confused. They think it is spring. The frogs have started to sing at our place. I remember when we moved in almost two years ago, falling asleep the first night in our new house to the sound of the frogs singing. If you haven't heard this sound, it is really loud. I never want to become immune to hearing it. It is really pretty and relaxing. They are singing right now and there is this overall buzz and then every once in awile there is a croak, croak, croak...in a pattern.

We also found four or five Kio fish in our pond the other day. I saw one when we first moved in but hadn't seen any since. We will have to keep our eye on them.

Fifty-two...

My mom came to visit this weekend because she is going on a trip soon and wanted to see the kids before she left. Bodie knows my Mom even though we only see her a few times a month, if that. He gave her the nicest hug when she got here. He just went right into her arms and glued his head on her shoulder. We love The Grandma!

Fifty-one...

Tuesday mornings Avery, Bodie and I just hang around the house doing chores. Most the time in our pajamas. Avery doesn't really like the chores part. It is a standing appointment I have with myself so that I don't get too behind on the deep cleaning. If Avery helps me willingly she gets to watch a little show or play her Wii Princess game.

The game is really cute and makes the player problem solve to find things in each of the princess worlds. You can make your own character and choose all the things she is wearing, right down to the earrings. Above, she is exploring the market place from Aladdin. She is trying to find the little monkey (Aboo - sp??). The bottom two pictures show her using her wand to perform "magic" to make things happen on the screen.

It is a shame that the Wii remote won't perform "magic" on my toilets.

Fifty...

Does anyone else think that the word "congruent" is kind of a big word for a first graders homework? Don't get me wrong I am all for challenging my son but I just don't think I heard that word until much later in my education.

Forty-Nine...

Bodie is such a CHAMP. He really hasn't missed a beat. He has adapted to his little splint so well. When he eats he just kind of lets his arm dangle there and doesn't use it. Each time I pour his milk I have to remember to put it in a cup with a handle.

He takes his medicine willingly. He opens his mouth like a little bird when he sees me coming with the syringe. I let him hold them when he is done. Oh, did I mention when we were at the ER they discovered he had a slight ear infection too. Lovely!

Forty-Eight...

Pretzel Sticks, Kix cereal, peanut butter sandwich, ranch,

berries, bananas, bananas, berries,

cottage cheese, sandwich, sandwich, carrots for the ranch

Sometimes we have muffin tin lunches to mix things up. They are simple...you take muffin tins (any size) and you fill them with lunch. It is really fun to try to find something to put in each spot. I cut their sandwiches small so they would fit in the cups. It is fun to put something unexpected in too, like mini marshmellows or chocolate chips. There is something about eating out of those little cups that makes it so f-u-n!!! These photos were taken this summer but I thought I would share in case you want to try it.

Forty-Seven...

The following image is

really, really, really sad

and has his Mother

very sick to her

stomach because....

...she is the one who left him on

the bed by himself just for a minute

and he fell off.

The doctor said he will mend quickly. He had a great morning of trying to boss his older siblings around and was his normal self actually. He proved he is ambidextrous because he ate his breakfast with his left hand like a champ! The doctor told me to give him Ibuprofen for pain, but he didn't offer me anything for my broken heart. Not my best moment as a mother.

Forty-six...

He knows some sign language. It comes in handy and since he isn't very verbal I thought it was a good idea. He is asking for me to blow "more" bubbles. He knows, more, please, thank you, eat, water, milk, book, dog, milk and finished. He made one up for poop. He points at his chest or tummy. The funny thing is he signs "poop" sometimes before he has even gone. I hope that is a sign he will potty train easy. He has been known to go get a diaper and the wipes for us and lay down to be changed...really can you blame a guy!

I apologize for talking about poop!

Forty-Five...

Both Avery and Rowdy (and when he is old enough Bodie) have attended MICP. It is a co-op preschool. We have really enjoyed it. It is times like this that I am so happy that we have done preschool with the kids. The teacher at MICP has been doing this for over 17 years. She is a very resourceful teacher and likes to use recycled things for the kids to create with. We just adore her and all the hard work she puts into the preschool. This week Avery got to, among other things:

• Make pretend chocolates with Chocolate Playdoh and even put them in empty candy heart boxes
• Play musical heart (instead of musical chairs)
• Play sorting games with candy hearts
• Show her love for her friends by giving them Valentines
• Trade friendship bracelets with her friends (see above)

Sometimes around Valentine's Day you hear people expressing that it is just a commercial Holiday for card companies, jewelry stores and candy companies to make money. Even if it is...I don't care. Avery was so busy making Valentines for people it keep her busy for two days. She put each one in an envelope, added a chocolate or two and sealed it with a sticker. It was very serious business to her. In fact, the best part was walking into my office and seeing one especially for me just sitting on my printer. So what if I contributed to the candy companies profit margin...my daughter had fun expressing her love for those she cares about and that is important to me.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

Forty-Four...

Some Mom's take their kids to the park to play, I took him here and brought my camera. I had some time to kill waiting to pick Avery up from pre-school.

Forty-three...

FRUIT = My list of responsibilities, priorities and goals.

RICE = Anything I do that distracts me from my list

BOWL=My Life

My "fruit" and "rice" might be very different than yours and it might be similiar in one way or another. But, lately I have been trying to put my fruit in my bowl first and then add in my rice. My hope is that I will receive the blessing of more free time.

You see, when I fill my bowl with rice first the fruit doesn't fit (see the first row of photos). I have tried the rice first for a long time and guest what, it doesn't work. It leaves me feeling guilty and grumpy. But if I put the fruit in my bowl first, the rice just falls in and around the fruit so nice and neat (see the second row of photos). Leaving me feeling proud and like I have earned some rice, if you will.

If I have lost you with this little analogy that I like so much. Here it is a little more plain and simple:

My Fruit: Prayer and Scripture Study, FHE, keeping my house neat and clean, working out, quality time with my kids and husband, Church Callings

(all things that should come first in my life)

My Rice: Being idle, Developing Talents, Photography, Photo Editing, Scrapbooking, Blogging, Wii, Basically any other form of goofing off that I enjoy

(all things that would be more enjoyable if I put the fruit first)

Forty-two...

Because this is blog entry number 42 I have decided to write about my husband's need for:

Everyone has a thing that they do to take a break from the daily grind. Everyone has a place they like to go that is a retreat from the everyday pressures of life. Some people play a round of golf, some may read a good book or take a walk. My husband straps himself into a stock car with a 5 point safety harness and speeds around a quarter mile dirt track.

This is how the car generally looks at the beginning of the season:

Sometimes it comes home looking like this:

His #1 fans are these two:
Last race of the season 2006 - Medford Oregon

And this little guy, who didn't want to get out of the driver's seat!

I have to tell a funny story about Avery in the photo above. I will never forget that night. We were sitting between turn 1 and 2 and Ron was racing on the track between turn 3 and 4. Basically, he was on the opposite side of the track. He was gaining quickly on another driver and Avery must have been watching her Dada race very closely, because all of a sudden she shouts "My Dada is passing that guy!"
Mind you, she was 2 1/2. These were her exact words. I was so impressed that she...

• was able to recognize her Dada's car that far away on the track
• was able to articulate what she saw in a full sentence
• was able to actually commentate the action on the track correctly and
• was paying that close of attention to her Dada's racecar considering it was among many other fast moving cars.

Here are just some oldies but goodies...

Although Ron has sponsers that help fund a small portion of his racing. I still claim to be his number one sponser because I hold down the fort when he is racing.

Forty-one...

Maybe you already knew this but I don't get out much. I went to the post office yesterday and found out that they sell these stamps that are "forever" stamps. You buy them at whatever the current price is for stamps and you can use them even if the price goes up. What a good deal. By the way the price of stamps is going up in May...so stock up on the FOREVER stamp.

Forty...

The scene on Sunday night...a few chapters of "Captain Underpants" before bed. These books are very funny and maybe a little irreverent. Bodie would have been in the picture but he was to busy tumbling all over Dada's back.

Thirty-nine...

She was here...

Thirty-eight...

Do you think maybe she is blogging about her birthday party...or possibly posting a comment on facebook?

Thirty-seven...

Honestly, does it get any better than this.

Thirty-six...

This was Avery last year in Hawaii on her 4th birthday. This is one of my favorite photos of her. I am looking forward to her party tonight. We are going to have pasta, one of her favorites, with alfredo and meat sauce. And a Costco cake with huge pink and purple flowers on it. I can't wait for her to open her presents because I want to play the Enchanted Princess Wii game she is getting.