Without sounding redundant, I hate Tuesdays. And we had a few things to do yesterday, but with Trevor and his growth spurt or whatever he is going through where he just does not want to listen, we had a long day yesterday. We had the doctor appointment where he had his shot. It went as good as could be expected. He woke up today asking if today was the 14th. He was very happy to know that it was because it was the day after his shot. And he won't have to deal with any more shots until at least he is 6.
He is feeling more and more independent, and would rather do things for himself than listen to what I want him to do. But with Disney coming up, I'm still trying to clue him in on how important it is to stay with us rather than running off and doing his own thing. I know part of it is the familiarity of knowing where he's supposed to go, and that Disney won't be the same. But he is at the age where he thinks he is a big shot, and I've been told it will not change until he goes to school in September. DAMN if that isn't going to be a long time from now!
Anyway, he's already starting to piece things together like asking where babies come "out" of. And then there is the whole understanding what is alive and what is not. I got a little frustrated trying to explain that the Death Star from Star Wars is not alive because he wants to say that he (and Luke) go and KILL the death star. I try to explain you can't kill the death star because it is not alive. It seemed to sit with him until he was listening to the description on a nintendo game where the scene is the rogue squadron go and "kill the death star". SERIOUSLY....#1 that he wants to prove me wrong and #2 who says that???
And now today, he says, "Are penalties alive, mom?" I say "No, they aren't Trevor." Quickly followed by, "Then how come the hockey players KILL the penalty." Oh good grief.
The final questions come care of The Muppets Take Manhattan. There is a scene where a robber takes Miss Piggy's purse and runs off with it. Now I'm getting all the "why" questions about that. And thankfully after he gets caught a police officer comes and takes him away which went right along with what I told him. However, it still does not compute that anyone would want to take the purse (or the money in it) from anyone else. Boy to I feel bad about crushing his perfect view of the world.....
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I've been debating
Silly I know....I've been trying to decide if I should let "everyone" know about how Gwen's appointment went. For some reason I feel a twinge of guilt if I start bragging about the kids. But I've decided to go ahead and do it. If you don't want to read about it, than skip it, but I'm very proud of both of the kids and can't wait to brag about them many more times.
So far, this season, we haven't gotten hit very hard with illnesses. A few colds here and there, and they were sick for almost a whole month in late September, early October. So maybe that's going to be it for the tough sickness this year. Anyway, I was really happy to report when we were with the doctor yesterday that Gwen has gotten a few colds and has been able to fight them off herself well enough so that she hasn't gotten an ear infection. Very unlike Trevor. This was the time when Trevor seemed to get ear infections every other month.
I do have a few things I need to take care of with her. Namely getting her off her bottles. I'm keeping them for now only because I am concerned about her milk intake. She will not take any from a cup, even if it is a sippy cup or a straw cup. So when we go to disney in THREE WEEKS!!! I won't be bringing the bottles. He suggested watering down the bottles if I wanted to get her off of them sooner. She actually isn't that bad off for calcium. She likes cheese and yogurt, and she is pretty good with broccoli, pears, and grapes. I just wish she would eat more meat or things for breakfast.
But when it came to her development, based on all the things she is doing or has done, she is developmentally a 2 year old already. (So does that mean I can start to give her modified time outs because she really seems like she needs them already!!!! JOKING......) She is supposed to have 3-4 words in her vocabulary. I told him she is good to at least 30 words or so. She can run around now. She uses a spoon and loves to do it. She likes to point out things and knows what is coming in the books that she reads. She uses the words "yes" and "no" (and no too too much for my liking). She can say "hi" and "bye" to people. She can kick a ball.
She is definitely going through her bouts of stranger anxiety and the doctor said that now will be her peak time. But she goes through it pretty quick. It usually lasts all of about 2 minutes at most. She knows she'll still have fun once mom is gone.
Well, I hear the little girl now. Time to battle the cold for the day today!
So far, this season, we haven't gotten hit very hard with illnesses. A few colds here and there, and they were sick for almost a whole month in late September, early October. So maybe that's going to be it for the tough sickness this year. Anyway, I was really happy to report when we were with the doctor yesterday that Gwen has gotten a few colds and has been able to fight them off herself well enough so that she hasn't gotten an ear infection. Very unlike Trevor. This was the time when Trevor seemed to get ear infections every other month.
I do have a few things I need to take care of with her. Namely getting her off her bottles. I'm keeping them for now only because I am concerned about her milk intake. She will not take any from a cup, even if it is a sippy cup or a straw cup. So when we go to disney in THREE WEEKS!!! I won't be bringing the bottles. He suggested watering down the bottles if I wanted to get her off of them sooner. She actually isn't that bad off for calcium. She likes cheese and yogurt, and she is pretty good with broccoli, pears, and grapes. I just wish she would eat more meat or things for breakfast.
But when it came to her development, based on all the things she is doing or has done, she is developmentally a 2 year old already. (So does that mean I can start to give her modified time outs because she really seems like she needs them already!!!! JOKING......) She is supposed to have 3-4 words in her vocabulary. I told him she is good to at least 30 words or so. She can run around now. She uses a spoon and loves to do it. She likes to point out things and knows what is coming in the books that she reads. She uses the words "yes" and "no" (and no too too much for my liking). She can say "hi" and "bye" to people. She can kick a ball.
She is definitely going through her bouts of stranger anxiety and the doctor said that now will be her peak time. But she goes through it pretty quick. It usually lasts all of about 2 minutes at most. She knows she'll still have fun once mom is gone.
Well, I hear the little girl now. Time to battle the cold for the day today!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Movie Time!
With some Christmas gift money, I purchased the movie "Honey I Shrunk the Kids". I moved over a stack of 12+ movies that we should watch before going to Disney due to the fact that there are rides or shows based on the movies and it would be helpful to know what they are talking about.
Trevor started his usual routine of protest when we got the movie saying that we could watch that movie "on Saturday" so that he wouldn't have to watch it. But we finally got him (with the typical bribe of popcorn) to watch the movie with us. Trevor then proceeded to ask questions throughout the movie either about what was next or what was going on. His big question was "Why did the scientist shrink his kids?"
I can say now after testing my own memory, thanks to my brothers, I have seen that movie enough times to know the entire plot and actually could recite most of the lines once the scene was set. The big moment near the end of the movie when Nicky was swimming in his dad's bowl of Cheerios was when Trevor started screaming out. "NO! Don't eat him!" Almost to the point of crying before the dog stopped him, and all was good. And then, after the movie was done, as is Trevor's way...he wanted to watch it again.
So this is doctor visit week for both of the kids. I'm still planning on getting a few more things organized for the disney trip....it doesn't really ever end until a few weeks after we are back....
Have a great week everyone!
Trevor started his usual routine of protest when we got the movie saying that we could watch that movie "on Saturday" so that he wouldn't have to watch it. But we finally got him (with the typical bribe of popcorn) to watch the movie with us. Trevor then proceeded to ask questions throughout the movie either about what was next or what was going on. His big question was "Why did the scientist shrink his kids?"
I can say now after testing my own memory, thanks to my brothers, I have seen that movie enough times to know the entire plot and actually could recite most of the lines once the scene was set. The big moment near the end of the movie when Nicky was swimming in his dad's bowl of Cheerios was when Trevor started screaming out. "NO! Don't eat him!" Almost to the point of crying before the dog stopped him, and all was good. And then, after the movie was done, as is Trevor's way...he wanted to watch it again.
So this is doctor visit week for both of the kids. I'm still planning on getting a few more things organized for the disney trip....it doesn't really ever end until a few weeks after we are back....
Have a great week everyone!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Ahhh...the good old days
There is two ways this has been happening recently. Facebook has been being a big "good old days" reminiscing outlet recently. First by talking with and "seeing" friends I went to school with and work with. Then pictures started to come out. Not even necessarily of me, but of my friends from way back when.
Then last Friday, I was able to get together with a friend I have known since I was 5 years old. She was able to come over before our dinner reservations to say hi to the kids. Immediately, Trevor became his tour-guide self. I get that he thinks that whenever family comes over, he thinks they are coming over to see him, but even when I told him about "my" friend, he didn't act any different as if it would have been one of his friends. He asked her to play Lego Star Wars, go up and play in his room, eat dinner with us.... Gwen took to her right away too. She is a girl after all. Our dinner was wonderful. We went to my favorite restaurant, and the conversation was great. But again, it took me back.....high school, Jr. High, elementary school....ahhhhh
This past weekend, I found an old scrapbook that I had made of all my younger elementary school years events. T-ball, dance class, and even a few rolls of film that I took with my camera of my friends, family, and trips we took. I found a 5th grade picture where we were visiting the state capitol. I tried to name all the kids without the help of a yearbook. I did pretty well! And the rest of the kids, other people helped me name. Blast from the past I tell you!
Finally, Trevor headed back to school yesterday. Granted I can't exactly call the days way back last year, "the good old days" but it sure felt like it had been forever since he was in school. The strange thing was that both kids slept in pretty late. Which was something they hadn't done all break. I had to wake Gwen up a little before 8:30 just so I could be sure she was going to be dressed before we had to go.
Of course this morning, they were both up at 7:30 or earlier.... But back to the routine we are. Still working on a schedule for Disney. It is going to be here quick!
Then last Friday, I was able to get together with a friend I have known since I was 5 years old. She was able to come over before our dinner reservations to say hi to the kids. Immediately, Trevor became his tour-guide self. I get that he thinks that whenever family comes over, he thinks they are coming over to see him, but even when I told him about "my" friend, he didn't act any different as if it would have been one of his friends. He asked her to play Lego Star Wars, go up and play in his room, eat dinner with us.... Gwen took to her right away too. She is a girl after all. Our dinner was wonderful. We went to my favorite restaurant, and the conversation was great. But again, it took me back.....high school, Jr. High, elementary school....ahhhhh
This past weekend, I found an old scrapbook that I had made of all my younger elementary school years events. T-ball, dance class, and even a few rolls of film that I took with my camera of my friends, family, and trips we took. I found a 5th grade picture where we were visiting the state capitol. I tried to name all the kids without the help of a yearbook. I did pretty well! And the rest of the kids, other people helped me name. Blast from the past I tell you!
Finally, Trevor headed back to school yesterday. Granted I can't exactly call the days way back last year, "the good old days" but it sure felt like it had been forever since he was in school. The strange thing was that both kids slept in pretty late. Which was something they hadn't done all break. I had to wake Gwen up a little before 8:30 just so I could be sure she was going to be dressed before we had to go.
Of course this morning, they were both up at 7:30 or earlier.... But back to the routine we are. Still working on a schedule for Disney. It is going to be here quick!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
What we have been doing...
Really not much. We have run a few normal errands this past week but otherwise we haven't done anything different than playing with the new toys. All of our decorations are put away and the house looks good for just last week having a big celebration with toys and such.
From all the toys and things the kids got there have been a few surprises. Trevor likes his EZ Bake, although I think I need to allow him to do a little more. It does say that it is for ages 8 and up (or was that 11...oops) so it might not be the best gift for him right now. He does love his diecast ships and yesterday he got out his old X-wing and told me to be the tie-fighter.... I got Trevor a set of glow-in-the dark planets that hang from his ceiling that he surprisingly enjoys. He was a bit confused the first morning he woke up where they weren't glowing anymore. But now he explains to everyone who sees it, that they need to charge up from the lights before they will glow.
Gwen has surprised me in that before the new year, she really liked my cat calendar. Trevor had a Cars calendar. But now, Trevor has a Star Wars calendar and I again have a cat calendar. She could stand in front of Trevor's calendar all day. Granted it is on Luke Skywalker for this month, so she will walk over, say "Luke" and ask to have it turned to "Bacca" who is on April. Goodness....we are going to have to get a calendar for her next year or something.
Trevor already has the calendar full of family birthdays and some activities as well...weddings....trips to Disney....doctor visits and shots for both him and Gwen....
In the mean time, I'm giving our trip in a month the last final touches....I made another dining reservation and I might make a few more. I had forgotten about our $200 gift card we will be given when we arrive. We just received our luggage tags and hotel reservation information in the mail the last few days. It makes it that much more real.
I have to share a funny Trevor thought that happened the other day. His underwear was getting a little threadbare so I decided to have him get a few more packs during one of our trips to Target. He got Star Wars and glow-in-the-dark Cars. So we washed them the other day and he tried out the glow in the dark Cars and really enjoyed them. After deciding that he was going to start wearing them he said me: "Mom, tomorrow I'm just going to wear underwear, no pants." It was obvious he wanted to be able to show off his new underwear. And what other new piece of clothing can you not show anyone? And...the glow-in-the-dark ones? How are you going to be able to enjoy them if they are under your clothes the entire time?
From all the toys and things the kids got there have been a few surprises. Trevor likes his EZ Bake, although I think I need to allow him to do a little more. It does say that it is for ages 8 and up (or was that 11...oops) so it might not be the best gift for him right now. He does love his diecast ships and yesterday he got out his old X-wing and told me to be the tie-fighter.... I got Trevor a set of glow-in-the dark planets that hang from his ceiling that he surprisingly enjoys. He was a bit confused the first morning he woke up where they weren't glowing anymore. But now he explains to everyone who sees it, that they need to charge up from the lights before they will glow.
Gwen has surprised me in that before the new year, she really liked my cat calendar. Trevor had a Cars calendar. But now, Trevor has a Star Wars calendar and I again have a cat calendar. She could stand in front of Trevor's calendar all day. Granted it is on Luke Skywalker for this month, so she will walk over, say "Luke" and ask to have it turned to "Bacca" who is on April. Goodness....we are going to have to get a calendar for her next year or something.
Trevor already has the calendar full of family birthdays and some activities as well...weddings....trips to Disney....doctor visits and shots for both him and Gwen....
In the mean time, I'm giving our trip in a month the last final touches....I made another dining reservation and I might make a few more. I had forgotten about our $200 gift card we will be given when we arrive. We just received our luggage tags and hotel reservation information in the mail the last few days. It makes it that much more real.
I have to share a funny Trevor thought that happened the other day. His underwear was getting a little threadbare so I decided to have him get a few more packs during one of our trips to Target. He got Star Wars and glow-in-the-dark Cars. So we washed them the other day and he tried out the glow in the dark Cars and really enjoyed them. After deciding that he was going to start wearing them he said me: "Mom, tomorrow I'm just going to wear underwear, no pants." It was obvious he wanted to be able to show off his new underwear. And what other new piece of clothing can you not show anyone? And...the glow-in-the-dark ones? How are you going to be able to enjoy them if they are under your clothes the entire time?
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy 2009!
In case I don't get back, I wanted to make an official 2009 post! Happy New Year everyone!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
It was Christmastime!
We'll see how far I can get into the past week or so of activities. It has flown by! Currently I'm trying to dig myself out of all the new toys and clothes that everyone got.
Christmas Eve was "started" with church at 3 o'clock. Bubba and Brian were able to come out and sit with us. And we got a homily primarily composed of Christmas jokes (What is the difference between a Christmas alphabet and a regular alphabet? The Christmas alphabet has no-L.) Gwen really got into the shaking of the bells. Trevor was as interested as ever in the nativity scene and had to go and see it when the service was over.
After church we headed up to visit with Grandpa and Grandma and family for a nice dinner and opening presents. Trevor was a bit confused as to how we would open presents if Santa hadn't come yet. I'm pretty sure he thinks that all presents at Christmas come from Santa even though I tried to convince him that people other than Santa can give you gifts. So I think he might have gotten it. Just before opening presents, Trevor and dad put on a performance of Twas the Night Before Christmas followed by How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Trevor read/recited the stories while dad acted them out. They both did an excellent job ;-)
Christmas morning was very nice. Trevor was only up 15 minutes earlier than Gwen. I had him come into our bed and lay down with us while he was waiting. It was pretty cute to see him know at the exact moment Gwen made a sound that we could go downstairs. The words he uttered after looking under the tree: "Mommy! I was a good boy! Santa CAME!!!" Oops...maybe I shouldn't have made him feel that guilty about not being a perfect kid.
Then Christmas afternoon/evening was spent at Bubba and Papa's house. I'm still not sure why, but Trevor didn't want my birthday to be that day. He said it would be fine if it was the next day, but not that one. I wonder if it was because he has been talking about getting older and dying and didn't want me to get a year older....or if he just wanted it on a different day...that part I'm not sure about. But he did like the frosting and ice cream after dinner.
Soooo....as I'm trying to organize all the toys and wash clothes and such, it is interesting to see how and what things are getting played with. Trevor enjoyed opening presents just like he did a few years ago. But unlike recently, he wanted things out of the box so he could play with them right away instead of opening the next gift. This year we had to convince him that not all the wrapped gifts were his. We did let him help open Gwen's things, and he has since been having a good time playing with those toys as well. She got an Elmo driving toy that Trevor loves to run around with. She got a Little People carnival playset that has turned into a ramp for his cars. She has been playing with her purses and putting things in and taking them out of the purses. Trevor got an electric Nascar track set, although before we left in the afternoon he was pushing the cars around the track instead of using the "guns". He has loved the diecast ships that were in his stocking and the x-wing fighter with the little figures.
It is easy to see that dad got a favorite gift as well....he got his G1 phone that he had asked for and has been playing on it plenty. I got motherhood rings, stackable rings for each baby with their birthstones on them. Best gift EVER! (Well minus the first Nintendo game console I got when I was like 11). So now we just have a few things that we can get with our gift cards, then there is the continual clean-up until everything is back in its boxes and put away...then bring on Disney!
Thank you to everyone for their great gifts for our family and the kids. We love the time we spend with all of you.
Christmas Eve was "started" with church at 3 o'clock. Bubba and Brian were able to come out and sit with us. And we got a homily primarily composed of Christmas jokes (What is the difference between a Christmas alphabet and a regular alphabet? The Christmas alphabet has no-L.) Gwen really got into the shaking of the bells. Trevor was as interested as ever in the nativity scene and had to go and see it when the service was over.
After church we headed up to visit with Grandpa and Grandma and family for a nice dinner and opening presents. Trevor was a bit confused as to how we would open presents if Santa hadn't come yet. I'm pretty sure he thinks that all presents at Christmas come from Santa even though I tried to convince him that people other than Santa can give you gifts. So I think he might have gotten it. Just before opening presents, Trevor and dad put on a performance of Twas the Night Before Christmas followed by How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Trevor read/recited the stories while dad acted them out. They both did an excellent job ;-)
Christmas morning was very nice. Trevor was only up 15 minutes earlier than Gwen. I had him come into our bed and lay down with us while he was waiting. It was pretty cute to see him know at the exact moment Gwen made a sound that we could go downstairs. The words he uttered after looking under the tree: "Mommy! I was a good boy! Santa CAME!!!" Oops...maybe I shouldn't have made him feel that guilty about not being a perfect kid.
Then Christmas afternoon/evening was spent at Bubba and Papa's house. I'm still not sure why, but Trevor didn't want my birthday to be that day. He said it would be fine if it was the next day, but not that one. I wonder if it was because he has been talking about getting older and dying and didn't want me to get a year older....or if he just wanted it on a different day...that part I'm not sure about. But he did like the frosting and ice cream after dinner.
Soooo....as I'm trying to organize all the toys and wash clothes and such, it is interesting to see how and what things are getting played with. Trevor enjoyed opening presents just like he did a few years ago. But unlike recently, he wanted things out of the box so he could play with them right away instead of opening the next gift. This year we had to convince him that not all the wrapped gifts were his. We did let him help open Gwen's things, and he has since been having a good time playing with those toys as well. She got an Elmo driving toy that Trevor loves to run around with. She got a Little People carnival playset that has turned into a ramp for his cars. She has been playing with her purses and putting things in and taking them out of the purses. Trevor got an electric Nascar track set, although before we left in the afternoon he was pushing the cars around the track instead of using the "guns". He has loved the diecast ships that were in his stocking and the x-wing fighter with the little figures.
It is easy to see that dad got a favorite gift as well....he got his G1 phone that he had asked for and has been playing on it plenty. I got motherhood rings, stackable rings for each baby with their birthstones on them. Best gift EVER! (Well minus the first Nintendo game console I got when I was like 11). So now we just have a few things that we can get with our gift cards, then there is the continual clean-up until everything is back in its boxes and put away...then bring on Disney!
Thank you to everyone for their great gifts for our family and the kids. We love the time we spend with all of you.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Dear Hasbro
I would like to inform you that you need to make the requirement of your EZ Bake Oven needing a 100 watt light bulb AT LEAST as big as half of your package. I know you are wondering where you are going to put something of that nature, and I have a suggestion for you: Please remove the frilly looking girl and replace with the required but not included warning of the light bulb. My son, upon opening, thought it was a girl gift because of the picture. After discovering what it was, he was excited enough to want to start playing with the oven this morning! So we opened the box, looked at the instructions and discovered that we needed a 100 watt light bulb and NO OTHER. No high efficiency, fluorescent, or lower wattage bulb would work. After searching through our stock of light bulbs and running through our house thinking we must have some old bulb that hadn't been switched over to fluorescent yet, we were almost ready to check a nearby gas station or ask a family member if they might have one.
Thankfully, I remembered that our overhead garage bulb had just burned out this week, which I knew was not fluorescent, and I also knew we had at least one left that had not burned out. SUCCESS!!! We were finally able to play with the toy and make our first sugar cookie in it. We are very happy that you brought this fun toy back to life! It is a very fun and hunger satisfying thing to do! But really, do you think you could make the "not included" warning a bit bigger? Especially in this day and age.
Thank you!
**And for those of you that are wondering, no I'm not going to send this letter...just a little vent by me. It is a very cool gift. Thank you Santa! Plenty of more updates and fun things to come...
Thankfully, I remembered that our overhead garage bulb had just burned out this week, which I knew was not fluorescent, and I also knew we had at least one left that had not burned out. SUCCESS!!! We were finally able to play with the toy and make our first sugar cookie in it. We are very happy that you brought this fun toy back to life! It is a very fun and hunger satisfying thing to do! But really, do you think you could make the "not included" warning a bit bigger? Especially in this day and age.
Thank you!
**And for those of you that are wondering, no I'm not going to send this letter...just a little vent by me. It is a very cool gift. Thank you Santa! Plenty of more updates and fun things to come...
Monday, December 22, 2008
Time is flying!
And yet some times seem to crawl by....oh well. The kids both have a cold, and hopefully it will be done with quickly. Couple updates for what has been going on with us.....
Thursday night I had the annual mom's swap of cookies and subsequent gathering. We always say we wish we had more of an excuse to get together more often than once a year, but still....I'll take the fun whenever I can get it. I remember last year I had to leave pretty early because I had to come back and help put the kids to bed. But this year I was able to hold out until the end. 10:30 baby!!!! I even partook of the White Elephant game. Because of it I got a fun blue scarf for Gwen to play dress-up with. And she loves it....it is so soft and fluffy!
Then on Friday, Russ and I were out for his company's Christmas party. Again childless, I felt like I didn't know what to do with myself! Granted by this time I was exhausted because both kids had been up due to their colds. It was nice to see some of the family again without kids. Even if we go somewhere with the kids to visit, I can't stop myself from wondering, if it happens to be too quiet where or what the kids are getting into.
The food was great, the company was better and a fun thing to do once a year.
Saturday was low key....hopefully the kids were able to rest up and we stayed inside all day because it was very cold. Sunday, we ran some errands, and got ready for dinner. It was a dinner celebration for "Grandma" at Benihanas. We haven't been there since last year and this time we went to the new one open in Maple Grove. I am very thankful for the distraction of both the scenery and the many people that were in attendance. Both kids enjoy the attention, but right away Trevor was asking about the chef and when he was going to come out. (If you aren't familiar with Benihana's - they are a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant that also serves sushi.)
So we ordered our drinks, got our soup, followed by the salads before the chef came out. He started to do his thing, and Gwen looked a little frightened. But as soon as people started laughing and clapping she settled down. Trevor was really excited. It was interesting trying to watch Trevor who was very hungry, you could tell. And he REALLY wanted to use the chopsticks. So he asked for them to put a rubber band on the end so he could use them that way. He ate some vegetables and then the shrimp he was given. Now, he has always liked fish, occasionally liked crab meat, but I've never gotten him to try shrimp. I'm guessing it had something to do with the way the chef prepared it in front of him. But he ate all of it and asked for more. Thankfully everyone was offering him their appetizer shrimp to him and I had ordered shrimp for him as part of his dinner. The other interesting tidbit...he was determined to eat "octopus" for dinner. Derek ordered it and said he could have some if he wanted...so he tried it and of course had a few more pieces. I think everyone thought that it was going to be more squid shaped, but it came out in square patties. So I guess we have a few options for future foods.
So not only did Trevor have a good time, but he played "Benihana" for a good portion of the morning today. That kid is so funny. And we begin our Christmas celebration in two days. Merry Christmas all!
Thursday night I had the annual mom's swap of cookies and subsequent gathering. We always say we wish we had more of an excuse to get together more often than once a year, but still....I'll take the fun whenever I can get it. I remember last year I had to leave pretty early because I had to come back and help put the kids to bed. But this year I was able to hold out until the end. 10:30 baby!!!! I even partook of the White Elephant game. Because of it I got a fun blue scarf for Gwen to play dress-up with. And she loves it....it is so soft and fluffy!
Then on Friday, Russ and I were out for his company's Christmas party. Again childless, I felt like I didn't know what to do with myself! Granted by this time I was exhausted because both kids had been up due to their colds. It was nice to see some of the family again without kids. Even if we go somewhere with the kids to visit, I can't stop myself from wondering, if it happens to be too quiet where or what the kids are getting into.
The food was great, the company was better and a fun thing to do once a year.
Saturday was low key....hopefully the kids were able to rest up and we stayed inside all day because it was very cold. Sunday, we ran some errands, and got ready for dinner. It was a dinner celebration for "Grandma" at Benihanas. We haven't been there since last year and this time we went to the new one open in Maple Grove. I am very thankful for the distraction of both the scenery and the many people that were in attendance. Both kids enjoy the attention, but right away Trevor was asking about the chef and when he was going to come out. (If you aren't familiar with Benihana's - they are a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant that also serves sushi.)
So we ordered our drinks, got our soup, followed by the salads before the chef came out. He started to do his thing, and Gwen looked a little frightened. But as soon as people started laughing and clapping she settled down. Trevor was really excited. It was interesting trying to watch Trevor who was very hungry, you could tell. And he REALLY wanted to use the chopsticks. So he asked for them to put a rubber band on the end so he could use them that way. He ate some vegetables and then the shrimp he was given. Now, he has always liked fish, occasionally liked crab meat, but I've never gotten him to try shrimp. I'm guessing it had something to do with the way the chef prepared it in front of him. But he ate all of it and asked for more. Thankfully everyone was offering him their appetizer shrimp to him and I had ordered shrimp for him as part of his dinner. The other interesting tidbit...he was determined to eat "octopus" for dinner. Derek ordered it and said he could have some if he wanted...so he tried it and of course had a few more pieces. I think everyone thought that it was going to be more squid shaped, but it came out in square patties. So I guess we have a few options for future foods.
So not only did Trevor have a good time, but he played "Benihana" for a good portion of the morning today. That kid is so funny. And we begin our Christmas celebration in two days. Merry Christmas all!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Making cookies
Yeah, you would think that would be simple. I can follow a recipe. Thank goodness for the allrecipies.com site where if I have an idea I can look up what I need. I even tested out a trial batch with the family a week or so ago.
I am baking cookies for the 3rd Annual Swappalooza put on with a group of mom friends. Granted I waited until the last minute for this. Someday I'll remember that it is BAD to procrastinate.
I am making a to-do list a lot. It updates, changes, things get crossed off, things get added, I just don't want to forget or get too far behind on things. And for the party (which is in two more days) I need to bake cookies, make a appetizer, and get a white elephant gift. At least one has been taken care of. But I thought tonight I could take care of the baking cookies part. I had went to the grocery store once already this week but with Trevor's preschool program, I didn't get a good shopping session in because I had to hurry back for his program. I also probably should have taken a good inventory of things I might need before I went back a second time to the grocery store.
So this evening started as I was going to the grocery store to get a few more things I needed for the party. Then I started to make the cookies. I had to double the recipe and put it into a larger bowl than I usually did. And MAN did I make a mess! Cocoa and flour on the floor, eggs, butter, and sugar on the counter, a random assortment of cookie batter on my shirt and pants....and it was HARD to stir the batter at the end. I should have built up my muscles or something.
I took a break to put the kids up to bed. Came back down to actually bake the cookies. Actually I'm in the middle of it right now. I almost ran out of white sugar (one of the things I didn't get onto my list) and am about to run out of Pam cooking spray. I know there are other ways to grease cookie sheets, but my goodness. Bad planning by me.
Then I needed to make some room for the cookies to cool and be taken off of the cookie sheets. So I put away all the ingredients. Including the extra brown sugar and flour I bought but didn't end up needing. Good job again Krissy. And as I was putting all the stuff up on the shelf and smooshing it rather than nicely organizing it, stuff began to fall off of the shelves. Ooo look....plastic bottle of sesame oil. No problem. Back on the shelf. Balsamic vinegar...glass bottle...ok. No problem. Didn't break....back on the shelf. SHOVE....Oops. There they go again....this time the top broke off of the balsamic vinegar and dripped onto the counter, onto the floor and somehow onto the back part of my jeans at the knee. SWEET.
So now, not only am I crossing off the "getting the cookies done" but I'm adding, "clean the kitchen, soak clothes, buy replacement vinegar, cooking spray, and sugar". The party is going to be just what I need......*SIGH*
I am baking cookies for the 3rd Annual Swappalooza put on with a group of mom friends. Granted I waited until the last minute for this. Someday I'll remember that it is BAD to procrastinate.
I am making a to-do list a lot. It updates, changes, things get crossed off, things get added, I just don't want to forget or get too far behind on things. And for the party (which is in two more days) I need to bake cookies, make a appetizer, and get a white elephant gift. At least one has been taken care of. But I thought tonight I could take care of the baking cookies part. I had went to the grocery store once already this week but with Trevor's preschool program, I didn't get a good shopping session in because I had to hurry back for his program. I also probably should have taken a good inventory of things I might need before I went back a second time to the grocery store.
So this evening started as I was going to the grocery store to get a few more things I needed for the party. Then I started to make the cookies. I had to double the recipe and put it into a larger bowl than I usually did. And MAN did I make a mess! Cocoa and flour on the floor, eggs, butter, and sugar on the counter, a random assortment of cookie batter on my shirt and pants....and it was HARD to stir the batter at the end. I should have built up my muscles or something.
I took a break to put the kids up to bed. Came back down to actually bake the cookies. Actually I'm in the middle of it right now. I almost ran out of white sugar (one of the things I didn't get onto my list) and am about to run out of Pam cooking spray. I know there are other ways to grease cookie sheets, but my goodness. Bad planning by me.
Then I needed to make some room for the cookies to cool and be taken off of the cookie sheets. So I put away all the ingredients. Including the extra brown sugar and flour I bought but didn't end up needing. Good job again Krissy. And as I was putting all the stuff up on the shelf and smooshing it rather than nicely organizing it, stuff began to fall off of the shelves. Ooo look....plastic bottle of sesame oil. No problem. Back on the shelf. Balsamic vinegar...glass bottle...ok. No problem. Didn't break....back on the shelf. SHOVE....Oops. There they go again....this time the top broke off of the balsamic vinegar and dripped onto the counter, onto the floor and somehow onto the back part of my jeans at the knee. SWEET.
So now, not only am I crossing off the "getting the cookies done" but I'm adding, "clean the kitchen, soak clothes, buy replacement vinegar, cooking spray, and sugar". The party is going to be just what I need......*SIGH*
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