Happy Thanksgiving!

Can it really be Thanksgiving already? Wow... where has this year gone? In no particular order, here are ten things that I am grateful for this year! Wishing you all a very wonderful Thanksgiving!

1. I am so thankful for a healthy pregnancy and delivery of our sweet Caleb.
2. I am thankful that despite lots of budget woes at the city of Denver, Rob was able to keep his job that he loves and allows him to be home so much with the boys and me.
3. I am thankful for Noah's blossoming speech. It is so much fun to be able to have a conversation with him and have a little better idea of what's going on in that head of his.
4. Thankful for the overall health of our family and wonderful friends (lots of healthy babies born this year!).
5. I am thankful for naps!
6. Endlessly thankful for all the help our family gives us with the boys. It may not take a village, but it certainly takes some willing grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.
7. I am thankful for DVR. Whoever invented that has saved my sleepless late nights!
8. Oh... those sweet first smiles from Caleb. Makes all the spit-up, sleepless nights (see above), and poopy diapers completely worth it!
9. I am thankful that Noah has wonderful manners. He loves to say "thank you" and "please" and "you're welcome". I'd love to take credit for really pushing it, but he just sort of picked it up and we just encourage and praise it. He's so polite!
10. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband. Even though there are moments were he makes me absolutely crazy (and I know that feeling is mutual), I don't know what I would do without him. He is the best support and partner that I could ask for.

I could keep going (and going, and going), but then it wouldn't be a "top 10" list.

Enjoy your turkey and pumpkin pie! I'll try to take more pictures over the next few weeks. I realize I've been terrible at taking photos and updating the blog lately!

2 month stats...

Where does the time go? I can not believe that Caleb is 2 months old!! I wish we could slow down time just a little bit! I'm especially feeling that way since I'll be returning to work in about a week and a half. Get the kleenex ready now.
Anyways... took Caleb to the doctor last Friday, on the 20th, and he got a great report!
He gained almost 3 pounds in a month! Wow, no wonder I sometimes feel like all I do is feed him!
Weight: 11 pounds even, 35%
Height: 21.5 inches, 5% (our little shorty!)
Head: (can't recall the measurement) in the 35-40%

The best part about the appointment (because it certainly wasn't the three vaccines he got) was that he ROLLED OVER!!! Yes, you read it right, at two months, our busy little guy is rolling from tummy to back!
The first time he did it, I barely believed what I saw (we were playing while waiting for the doctor), so, I layed him on his tummy and watched him do it again. Then, he did it a third time for the doctor (I even had a witness), who was equally impressed with his skills! She said he seemed a little ahead of the game with the rolling and his head/neck control. He is also very, very alert, and spending a lot (sometimes too much) time awake!

Happy Birthday Jackie!

We had a great time at Jack's 5th birthday party last weekend!

The robot theme was accentuated by the Wall-E cake that Erinn made. We're impressed! And it tasted great too!

The life of the party!

Noah didn't want his picture taken, so I settled for a photo of the "robot" that he made. He is very proud of it, and has shown it to everyone that has come over this week. The funniest part is that he calls the robot "dad" (told me that was the robot's name). Yep, looks just like him.

now hiring: one full-time maid that wants to work for free

Below is our darling first-born following a dinner of angel hair and marinara. It should be noted that just a few hours before this meal, Rob and I had scrubbed the floors and spent most of the day cleaning. (Why I decided on spaghetti for dinner, I still can't recall.) Because we let Noah go "half-neki" from the waste-down (for potty-training purposes) when we are at home lately, I just decided to remove his white t-shirt for dinner. Smart, no? So, he ate his dinner in the buff. When he was finished, he was so filthy (his legs actually had noodles stuck all over them), I decided I'd give him a shower in the downstairs bath (trying to avoid him walking on any carpet, since the bath is only about 15 feet from the table). He got about half-way there, realized how much spaghetti he had stuck all over his body, and started shaking to get it off. Picture a wet dog shaking after getting a bath. Spaghetti went flying off our little one, sticking to the floors, cabinets, chairs, you name it! Nothing like scrubbing the floors twice in one day!

random shots of Caleb

Who needs a pack 'n play? The most portable crib is a laundry basket!

Here's a half-smile! He refused to give me a big grin on camera... I just wasn't fast enough to catch it!

He's getting so big, and is so good at holding his head up already. He is really enjoying his time in his "Bumbo". He likes to be part of the action!

babysitter

On the 15th Caleb and I celebrated Monica's 50th birthday at Erinn's house (Erinn is my BFF, Monica is her mom). Lydia could not get enough of holding and playing with Caleb. In fact, she told me she'd like to trade in her brother Carter for Caleb. Nice.

She said she wanted to come home and do "baby duty" at our house. Think she works nights?

an apple a day...

Here's Noah and I making another batch of apple sauce. He helped me count them and peel off all the stickers. He also kept telling me to go faster while I was peeling them!

Cute video below... you can really see how much Noah is talking. I love how he tells me "don't worry". We've been having fun with some iron-ons, and put some robots and other designs on some of his under-shirts. He was really excited about it and showed it to everyone all day.

take a hike...

Ok, so more of a gentle stroll than a hike.
We wanted to get out and take advantage of the amazing weather that we've been having! Such a mild start to the winter (minus two little snow storms). On this day (around the 6th or 7th, I believe), it was in the low 70's.... in November!!!

We have great "open space" adjacent to our neighborhood!

I was trying to document or stroll in the record-breaking weather, but none of my boys were feeling very cooperative.

Yep, shorts in November!

from the kitchen of...

My maternity leave has been such an amazing time to bond with Caleb, play with Noah, hang out with my hubby, and also rekindle my love of cooking and baking. It’s amazing how much more enjoyable it is to try new recipes and make old favorites when you haven’t been at work for 10 hours. I’ve got a whole new arsenal of delicious recipes and have rediscovered some things I hadn’t made time for in ages.

A few people have asked for some of the recipes that I’ve been cooking up, so here they are...

Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:

2 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. warm water
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. honey
1 tsp. salt
1 packet of yeast
1/4 tsp of sugar

Dissolve the packet of yeast in the warm water with the sugar. Let it sit for 5-7 minutes, until it’s risen/foamy on top.

Mix the flour, olive oil, honey, and yeast mixture for about 5 minutes (I use the dough hook on my KitchenAid mixer)

Place in an oil bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm spot for about an hour (until dough has doubled).

Roll out the dough and add toppings. Cook for 15-18 minutes on 475.

Dough makes 2 rectangular (cookie sheet size) pizzas.

If you like a crispier crust, you can prebake the crust for about 5 minutes before adding the toppings, and then bake directly on the rack, rather than the pan.


Classic Focaccia Bread:

2 tsp. rapid-rising dry yeast
1 c. warm water
2 tbs. sugar
3 1/2 to 4 c. flour
1 tbs. salt
1/4 c. olive oil
fresh rosemary
coarse salt
fresh-ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
assorted toppings (kalamata olives, roma tomatoes, shredded parmesan, carmelized onions are all delicious)

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and any other desired toppings. Bake on the bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cinnamon Applesauce:


3 pounds apples, peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (I use half Granny Smith green apples because they are tangy, and then half a sweet, crispy apple like Fuji) (Usually about 8 medium sized apples)

1 cup water

1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon



Combine apples, 1 cup water and brown sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are very tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover and simmer until almost all liquid in saucepan has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cinnamon. Cool 30 minutes.

Use a food processor or blender to get the consistency that you like. If you prefer it really chunky, you can just use a fork to mash it up. Serve it right away, nice and warm, or let it cool a bit and keep it in the fridge for the week. One batch just about fill a large jar perfectly.

before and after

BEFORE:

Two big bellies at Carol's baby shower in June!


AFTER:

Two sweet babies in November!
Here's Caleb hanging out with Emmerson Jean. I think they might get married someday! Sure, Emmerson's an older woman (8 weeks approximately), but age is just a number!

Ok, so Emmie doesn't look too happy, and Caleb looks confused, but they're HOLDING HANDS! Cute!

We're so glad to have friends like the Ingrahams!

pearl st.

After last week's snow, we were back into the mid sixties today (with 74 in the forecast for tomorrow!!!). It was the perfect day to get outside, so my mom and I loaded up the boys to go wander around the Pearl St. Mall in Boulder.

Caleb is bundled up and ready to go!

We had to stop and play with these animals! Noah pretended to feed all of them the pebbles from the ground.

Riding on the snail...

He wanted me to chase him...

Then he had to teach me how to feed the rabbit. (This rabbit ate through the top of his head apparently.)

My favorite street performer! This Jamaican folds his into body into that clear box and that tube! Crazy! Noah said he was "spooky" (just about everything is spooky since Halloween!), and then clapped for him after his tricks!

Not typically a big fan of the stroller, Noah was so tired after our exciting morning, that he actually asked to get in the stroller. I planned for the off-chance that this would occur (I love it when wishful thinking pays off). I moved Caleb to the Baby Bjorn (front carrier), and Noah rode in the stroller.

Thanks Grandma, for a fun day!

Only 4 1/2 weeks until I have to go back to work, so we have to make the most out of every day!

Success!

Noah LOVES to take photos with our camera. Sometimes, he actually captures his subject. These are a few rare photos that you can actually tell what he was trying to take a picture of. Today Noah told me, "That my cam-a-ra Mommy!"

One of his new cars he got on Halloween!

Getting closer! I was pulling up some music on my iTunes because Noah wanted to dance!

Wow! He got us in the frame! (Ignore how awful I look, we're just celebrating Noah's artistic accomplishments here!)

A blurry shot of his "brudder".

our sweet baby is growing like a weed!

I'm completely in denial that Caleb will already be 7 weeks old on Tuesday! He's getting so big!

No flash made this blurry, but his face still looked so sweet!

This is, hands down, my favorite outfit for him, I've decided!

another satisfied customer!

Noah and I made a new recipe for a whole wheat pizza dough tonight!

Here's the dough rising in oven.

And our homemade sauce simmering away!

Baking! Nice and browned and bubbly (how mommy likes it)!

Noah loved his pizza! He's saying "cheese"!!!

Just because! Who doesn't love it when big bunches of flowers are only $2.99 at the grocery store?

bad mom... (and how Target sabotaged my Halloween!)

... I didn't get a single photo of the rest of our Halloween festivities, but here's what they included:
After "Boo at the Zoo" my parents came over with some Halloween treats and to check out the boys in their costumes. Unfortunately, Noah was exhausted and didn't want to put his pirate coat back on at the moment, but was happy to see his Grandma and Grandpa.

Chris, Lauren, and Steven came over in the afternoon so that the boys could play, with the intention of getting the boys dressed up for Halloween and trick or treating after dinner. PoPo, GG, and Uncle Ron were able to join us for dinner too, and I got to try a new recipe that turned out great!

You know what they say, something about the best laid plans... Well, Steven absolutely refused to even look at his costume (or one of Noah's old costumes, for that matter). Noah put his back on (after just a little bit of convincing). We went out to trick-or-treat, and after three houses, Noah just wanted to stay in the wagon and watch Steven get candy. Needless to say, we didn't go very far, just around the park in front of our house. It will be nice next year when they "get it" and are excited to dress up and trick or treat. We still had an awesome day though, and I didn't have to worry about Noah wanting to eat too much candy, because he only got three pieces! Although they didn't really understand saying "Trick or Treat", it should be noted that the boys both said cute "thank yous" to everyone without even being asked.

And, you're probably wondering what any of this has to do with Target?
Well, to put it blatantly, someone at Target was trying to ruin my Halloween. It started on Friday, when I waited until the VERY last minute to put up the Halloween lights around our door (I figured as long as they were up for Halloween night, during trick-or-treating, that was all that mattered). So, I got the lights up (took forever, because I'm a perfectionist, and didn't like how they were spaced out the first few times I did it). Finally, the lights were up to my liking, I plugged them in for the big reveal, and.... NOTHING. After all that work and anticipation, they didn't work! Urgghh! And of course, I waited so long, I wasn't able to take them back to trade them out for a new set.

I hadn't planned on dressing up Caleb, at only 6 weeks old, it seemed almost cruel to put him in any sort of fussy costume. But then, I was at Target and saw an adorable little pumpkin costume that was just like a hooded bundler. Nothing that would be uncomfortable for the little guy. I bought him the 0-3 month size for babies 8.5 to 12 pounds. So, last night, I started putting him in it, and was shocked that it didn't fit! Not even close! Wouldn't even zip. Did I mention that he only weighed 8 pounds 1 oz. at his last dr. apt. I know he didn't grow 4 pounds! Stupid Target!!!

Happy Halloween!

Noah was not thrilled about getting into his Halloween costume. Although he chose it himself, to be a pirate, and he expertly says, "Argh!" After much bribery, a few wrestling moves and tears, he was in his pirate outfit. Minus the hat, he wouldn't even look at the hat (and it wasn't worth the battle!).

Noah and our little bear. You can still see the tears on Noah's face. This is one of the better photos I was able to snap.

Noah sure loves his brother. Caleb is starting to smile. It is so sweet!

We met the Jimmersons at "Boo at the Zoo". It was a lot of fun. Notice Noah and his BFF Carter holding hands. They did this for quite a while! Made it easier to keep track of the two of them in the crowds!

It seems like a lot of our trips to the zoo have been filled with sleepy animals or species hiding inside, but we got to see a lot of "action" at the zoo on Halloween. Above is a tiger feeding! Nothing like some rare read meat for breakfast!

Noah and Carter checking out some lizards or something.

Our little bear enjoying his first Halloween in the Bjorn!

Diaper bag... check
Baby in carrier... check
Bucket of treats... check
Mom or pack mule? Some days I'm not sure!

Noah having a sample of some of his goodies. He didn't like the tootsie rolls!!! Who's kid is this?

We didn't even lose one of the seven kids! Pretty good, huh?

Noah's favorite event of the day... watching the elephants get a bath! He hasn't stopped talking about it!

boo!

A few decorations around the house...

play dough!

Noah has been really into making our own play dough lately. From the photo below, you can see how serious he is when he's sculpting with it! The other day he told me he made a bug, a robot, and a fish ("pish"). The three things looked strikingly similar!

Salt Dough:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
1 packet of unsweetened "Kool Aid" powder (for color and yummy smell!)
Easy and edible (that's for you Steven!)

silly!

Noah and I were cuddling and playing with the "Photo Booth" application on my computer. He thought it was so funny. He would never look at the camera though, because he was always looking at the screen!