Wisconsin Snow!

Ok, so I know this is late, but just wanted to share some cute winter photos of Blake and some of our great snow. Hopefully we won't have to refer to it as our only great snow of the winter of 2012/2013!

So, I decided to take Blake out in the snow and get some pictures for our Christmas card. I then ordered the cards and wouldn't you know, the very next day we got DUMPED on. Oh well, at least it was white in the background!

 

One of my absolute favorite things is to be snowed in. Scott's final was canceled, so it was a true snow day in that sense! We really enjoyed spending time together in our warm house and frequently watching the snow blanket the yard in all its beauty. At times like these, it is easy to thank God for his marvelous creation!

 



Child's wonder at the outdoors. Wish I still had that for my front yard!

Thinking he can take off by himself...

I seriously can't get enough of this kid!!

I was disappointed he was so washed out in this photo. This would have made it to our Christmas card, otherwise!

Our little family--makes me happy.

The great 18" snow of 2012!! It was just gorgeous.  

Snow depth on our patio table when we woke up.

Snow depth on our patio table near the end of the storm.

And, this wouldn't be a complete post without mentioning Blake's first sledding trip the day after the snow. Scott was bound and determined to take the little guy out, and wouldn't you know it, Mom had to come with. Let's just say I was still in my "snowed in" mindset which meant I wanted to be warm and cozy. Anyways, we ventured out to the park (the backyard wasn't good enough). :)

Yay, look how much fun Blake is having!

Again Daddy, again!

Blake didn't have a scarf and it was windier than we expected, so we put Scott's neck warmer around his neck. He couldn't move. :)

Face of pure joy.

Me and my baby. Note that we were walking through the park in deep snow, no plowed trails or anything....



Hmmm, note to self. Don't wear Scott's hat again and make myself look like a cone head....

This is our "mad at Daddy" face for making us come out here

Blake, should we try that again?

"Mad at Daddy" face, take 2.

This is the new path we found on the way back...better? I guess...slightly...but it WAS beautiful!!

Trying unsuccessfully to get a picture of the depth by taking a picture of my boot...

Mailbox on our walk back.

Yay! We're home!

Plane trip to CO

December started out pretty mundane with not a whole lot going on. The middle of December is when it took off! Blake and I flew out to Denver to watch my youngest brother graduate from college and to stay with my oldest brother and his wife, who is expecting. Yea!! Another cousin for Blake who will be his age :) Blake's cousin, Sam, who is currently closest in age to him, but about 7 months older, loves to tell Blake "NO!" He has 3 older siblings, so you can guess where he learned that word. It is quite funny b/c no matter what Blake is doing, Sam will find a reason as to why Blake should not be doing it. He also thinks that Blake always has a toy that he shouldn't have and takes it upon himself to correct that matter. It is kind of funny to see them fight, but sometimes I have to intervene b/c Blake is significantly smaller than Sam.

Our family had dinner at Casa Bonita, a restaurant that specializes in fun, not food :) The kids loved it, as did Blake! He couldn't face us while eating, he HAD to watch the waterfall and divers.

Blake while eating--notice the direction he was facing the whole time!

So, my Dad took him for a closer look :)

The plan ride went really well on the way to CO, but was quite stressful on the way back. I tried to put Blake down for a nap beforehand, but he wasn't interested, so I brought a tired baby to the airport. He loved loved loved practicing his newfound skill of walking the halls at the terminal, so that was ok. Actually, that was my only option b/c he put up a fuss otherwise, and I thought, why not tire him out for the plane ride. Well, to my dismay, it tired him out, but did not put him to sleep! The whole 2 hour flight I tried desperately to entertain him so he didn't cry the whole time. For the record, those organic baby puffs do wonders to keep a baby occupied. Blake opens the container, takes a couple, closes it, and repeats. It can preoccupy him for a good half hour I'd say. The great thing is, they are not filling in the least, so he can keep eating :)

The other thing that took up his time was eating an apple. I just give it to him whole and he gnaws at it for quite a while. The lady next to me asked if she could take his picture with his apple. I'm always caught off guard by these questions and never know quite how to respond. No, I'd prefer you not take a picture of my baby, but I always say yes at the spur of the moment, and then wonder if that was the right move...she was a photographer, so that was her normal inclination. That was fine, but the biggest pet peeve of mine is when people touch Blake at the store. These people do not ask you, they just reach out and touch your baby's hands or face. Both bother me b/c babies suck on their hands and their faces are off limits, in my opinion. People I know aren't always considerate when they are sick and they hold your baby anyways, so who knows about strangers! Ok, enough ranting :)

We had fun in Colorado--everyone but Scott was there. This is a feat in itself! David and Kristi were great hosts and kept us well fed while we were there. Several times I've craved David's homemade hummus. I've tried once to duplicate it with his recipe, but failed miserably the first time. I didn't use fresh garlic, I used the bottled stuff and put way too much in, plus, I don't have a food processor...I just bought more chickpeas to try it again and plan to try using Blake's baby food puree device, which looks like a food processor, so hopefully it will work :)

Top ten Results to "What's Wrong with this Picture" quiz

Just realized Blake and I will be in CO tomorrow through the weekend, so I need to post the results of "What's Wrong with this Picture" from yesterday. I got an overwhelming number of responses to my post, so I might as well post now...oh wait, there were no responses. Please note this picture was in no way posed or set-up for this list. Ok, the top ten you've all been waiting for!!!

TOP TEN What's Wrong with This Picture:



10). Stuffed falcon in dishwasher

9). Cabinet open in background

8). Child confused as to Mother's distress

7). Multiple sharp objects near toddler

6). Multiple breakable objects near toddler

5). Seemingly unattended child clutching knife

4). Child with an innocent look while clutching knife

3). The color of the cabinets is ugly

2). Breakable objects within toddler reach hoovering over a hard tile floor, which would be sure to break any dropped object.

And the number one top reason as to what is wrong with this picture.....

1). Child with an "I didn't do it!" look while wearing a "Small but Dangerous" shirt, clutching a downward pointing knife towards a falcon in a death sprawl.

Dishwasher fun

Oh shoot, I think I just heard Blake. He's down for a nap and I always have such ambitious plans for these times when he is sleeping, but it looks like I'm not getting done nearly what I was hoping.

Ok, so that makes this post short! I'm finding I have some faithful readers--I actually have 6 views from Poland and 1 from Germany!! How crazy is that?! I'm assuming the German reader stumbled upon my blog by accident, but 6 from Poland is interesting. I'll have to check back and see if there are anymore in a few days. If so, welcome Polish reader to the inside life of a stay at home Mommy. :)

Here are a couple fun shots from yesterday.

Interesting spot for a falcon...

"What are you looking at?"
Ok, so here's a test as to if my readers will actually comment on my blog. Find out how many things are "wrong" in this picture--results to be posted in a couple days, so go ahead and comment!

Let's see how he enjoys cinnamon remains from that dirty measuring spoon...

Oh how Blake loves the dishwasher. I try to quickly add or remove dishes while he isn't around, although sometimes I let him explore with is. If it is empty, he usually pulls the bottom rack off completely and moves it back and forth constantly. An empty dishwasher is ok, but hey, one full of dirty dishes is not the ideal play area!

 

Well, I have a number of things to check off my list before Blake and I head to Colorado to see my baby brother graduate from college, so I guess I should start on that list. Updating my blog is not actually on the list...

 

 

Snow & Molasses cookies!

Although Blake has seen snow at a very young age, this is the first time he's been able to experience it. We had our first snow cover yesterday, and Scott being the big kid that he is, couldn't wait to get outside. So, we bundled up our little bundle of joy and headed to the great outdoors (ok, the backyard). Blake was interested at first, but soon found it to be a little much. BUT, we had time to build a snowman!

Looks like winter caught Mommy unprepared!! Used the good 'ole tried and true method of plastic bags over the shoes!

Cute little hand

Adorable face

All bundled up!

Ok, so the coat is a little big and the snowpants a little wide, but it will do!

Grrrr. I'm a bear...or, a more accurate statement--Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

This is fun...I think :)

My two loves.

I can stand, but I can't move.

 

Tell me again what I'm doing out here in the cold?

Wow, my Daddy's so cool!

Got a nice broad figure with his winter gear, haha.



Having fun!

Helping Daddy

That's better--I prefer to be held :)

Why do people gain weight in the winter? Is it because of the holidays? Not entirely. For some reason, we've created this desire for "cozy winter nights curled up with a blanket, a fire and some hot chocolate." Doesn't that sentence just make you want to do exactly that??? Well, obviously it needs some modification, so change that to a "cozy winter night with some hot, home popped popcorn, Christmas lights, a candle and a good movie." Yes, I did exactly that last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. But of course, it needs yet another modification because after the popcorn is gone, I'm still feeling like I'm missing some gingerbread for the season, so I decide to make some delectable molasses cookies and eat too many to mention on this blog. :) I'm blaming this on Trader Joe's because they had a sample the other day of some gingerbread cake, which I have been unable to get out of my head since sampling the gingerbread.

If you like cookies with a punch and a recipe for the only cookie recipe that I've ever made that calls for PEPPER, then make these cookies. I love them! They have the perfect crusty outside, with a soft and chewy inside.

This recipe is taken from America's Test Kitchen (page 507 for those who own it).

Molasses Spice Cookies

1\2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup light or dark molasses (I used blackstrap!)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 375 degrees. Set aside 1/2 cup sugar for coating.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup sugar til light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla for 30 seconds and add molasses until just incorporated.

Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Roll 2 Tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Bake one sheet at a time and rotate halfway through cooking and bake until edges are set and the tops are cracked but the centers are still soft and underdone. Cook 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!!

For some reason I struggle to make chocolate chip cookies turn out perfectly, but these seem to work for me...oh, and molasses is good for you, so bonus!!  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=118&tname=foodspice

Random

A few videos I thought were pretty funny. The first one gets a little long b/c Blake has quite a bit of patience when hiding from me.

Blake and the Christmas Tree

100%

 

Peek-a-Boo--Again.

100%

The promised Christmas tree shot

 I found a new setting on my camera that lets you focus on a subject and blurs the background, so here are a few of my shots. For some reason, it isn't working when I focus on a face, but I have to monkey around with it a bit more and then maybe I can get it to work.

13 month old hand

32 year old hand (with ring :))

Hat. It lets me focus on the hat, but not his face :) This is at the zoo in December!!

Another hand shot. You can tell I'm not a professional!! :)

 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, How Picky are Your Owners!

I'm not one to sleep in real late, but I do have a hard time getting up most mornings. Blake has decided to help Scott and I in this area. He wakes up and I bring him into our room to feed him. When he is finished eating, he is ready to play. Scott and I typically just lay there, grab him and play a bit, and then try to just relax before having to get up. Blake sometimes goes on the floor and plays with his toys, but other times, he is crawling all around us. Pulling hair, sitting on faces, finding cell phones and biting them, pinching neck skin, pulling Scott's chest hair, sitting and then falling onto his back (whoops, Mom's head was in the way of Blake's head...BONK), screeching, etc. This morning, he was sitting on our heads a lot, and he got Scott really good right on the mouth that I just had to laugh, and say, "That was the best one yet!" Seconds later, Blake shifted and I saw a big butt coming down onto my face...

 

So thankful that we can have nice relaxing mornings with our son. 

 

This weekend, we put up our tree. Scott and I are polar opposites when it comes to our decorating styles. Scott likes garlands, multi-colored lights, and tons of ornaments (purchased or homemade), regardless of whether they are color coordinated. The more the better.

 

I like blue or white lights, with minimal, color coordinated ornaments. I don't prefer homemade, and I like tinsel.

 

Last year Scott decorated the tree and it was...ok. I asked if I could do it my way this year and he agreed. Picture of tree to follow in next post--I need to upload it and right now my baby needs me :)