My Little Stinker!

So Tyler is really enjoying having his mommy home all the time for summer break. So much so that he doesn't think he should have to have any milk from a bottle. Ever. Saturday night he refused a bottle from my mom. My dad and I had gone to the LHS band reunion. Fun times. Monday and Tuesday I had PD at school. My mom brought Tyler up to school so I could feed him before his morning nap. She didn't want to try the bottle again. Tuesday Carol kept the boys while I had PD. She tried the bottle and Tyler wouldn't take it from her either so he was brought up to his mommy at school so I could feed him. It used to be that Tyler had a bottle every day while I was at work (pumped milk). It got to the point where he would only take said bottle from Andy...so not sure if he would still do that for his daddy or not! Good thing he'll be 1 in September because he can't come up to school to be fed this fall!

In other feeding news Tyler has tried many new things including: mac & cheese, little bites of green beans, grilled cheese, little bites of cooked carrots, rice, maw-maw's cinnamon apples, and many different types of bread. He is a fan of them ALL. :)

Did you hear a high pitched scream?

Just letting you know if you keep hearing a high pitched scream and you aren't sure where it is coming from, it's just Luke. He has started screaming any time something makes him mad or upset. It's shrill and LOUD. I am doing everything I can to make it stop other than spanking him every time he screams. Not sure what else to do. He screams 1, 456,999 times per day. The only other thing he does about as much as screaming is spill everything. I have cleaned up juice, applesauce, chocolate milk, white milk, coke - basically anything in his reach, even if it has a lid on it can get spilled around my little Luke. I love him so but ahhhhh!!!!!

He doesn't want to pull up his undies or dress himself. When we're getting ready to go somewhere I'll tell him to go find his shoes and put them on. Then he starts crying. He is NOT independent and doesn't seem to have any desire to be independent. Wilson is growing up so much and is actually able to help me a lot. He gets dressed, puts his shoes on, takes care of bathroom issues by himself, etc. (I just wish I could get him to start taking showers...) I'm hoping Luke will begin to develop some independence soon...any suggestions? The "don't you want to be a big boy?" angle doesn't work. Neither does saying "I bet you can't put these shoes on". Nope he's tricky! But I love him so!

Luke was so cute at VBS this year. He attended his first preschool VBS. He participated! He sang songs and did hand motions! He didn't have a fit everynight! He didn't care that he wasn't in my group! You can see that the 3 years Wilson has been in preschool VBS were a little different. It was nice to see that Luke was involved and carefree at VBS. Wilson enjoyed VBS and had a lot to say about it at home but there is something about him that in public he pulls back from the group and doesn't want to be away from me. I love Wilson so much too!

Running errands with 3 boys...

So today we went to take Lottie to the vet to get her stitches out. She is doing well. Then we went to the library. Then to the mall to buy 2 birthday presents. Then to the dr for Ty because he still had a bad cough. It is now a sinus infection. Then to Meijer for his prescription. Finally got home around 1pm. Tyler was exhausted and sleeping in the van. The boys and I were starving! I wish automatic car seats were already invented. If you could just set them in and press a button!! Know how many times i buckled someone in or out of a carseat today? 20 times. Thank goodness Wilson can buckle himself.

Happy Father's Day!

A day late but I still wanted to post about two very important men in my life! My dad and the wonderful daddy Andy is to our children!

To my dad: You are a wonderful dad and I always know that you love and care about me. Thank you for always being there to help me or Andy out when we need you! I also know I can tell you anything and you will love me just the same. I think you are hip, supportive, and very talented. I'm so proud of you- an extrememely talented musician and instrument repairman, a wonderful grandfather, father, and husband, and a great teacher. I'm glad I followed in your footsteps as a teacher even though you and mom tried to talk me out of the teaching profession! I love you! Happy Father's Day!

To my Andy: You are the best dad our boys could have. I don't tell you enough! You have stayed home with our boys and taken such good care of each one of them. I love that you are so involved with our children. You know them so well and love them immeasurably. They are so blessed to have you as a daddy. I am so glad that our jobs allow us to raise our boys together. I love how you spend time talking and explaining things to them, building legos, and making them pancakes! You are a GREAT dad and I am so glad we are in this together. I couldn't do it without you. I love you! Happy Father's Day!

Funny things from today!

Before I forget these funny things I want to share them with you! We went to the ballpark tonight to pick up Wilson's new t-ball trophy and medal. He was soo excited to get another trophy. He now has 3 t-ball trophies, 3 game balls, and two medals. When we got back home he decorated the fireplace mantel with all of his t-ball stuff. It's hilarious. He has his trophies, game balls, medal, two Reds uniforms, his t-ball hat, and his team picture spread out on the matel. He did this all on his own, completely his idea. I was laughing and rolling my eyes in my mind!! He cracks me up because from this you would think he was a die hard t-ball player. But not so much. There were many times this season and last that we had to make him attend a game or a practice. He enjoys it once he's there (usually) but he is a strong willed child and when he doesn't feel like doing something, he doesn't think he should have to...

Luke's funny things from today were: wearing his sunglasses and pajamas while I read him his bible stories before bed. The boys are both completing the summer reading log from the library and a summer bible reading log for church. The other funny thing was at dinner. Luke was eating an apple slice and because he eats SO slowly it was starting to turn brown. He asked me why it was turning brown and I said because it is peeled and in the air. He asked me to please turn the air off so his apples wouldn't turn brown! I laughed out loud!

The Major Project

Notice that all the cast iron pipes are gone, replaced with white PVC pipes!

Here is a look at what Andy has been working on night and day. He finished up this phase at 2am. Now the pipes are all replaced and the air condition condensation drips down into a pipe and out the cleanout drain instead of into a bucket that Andy was emptying at least twice a day. Already great progress has been made! I am amazed that Andy can do anything around the house...including major plumbing changes. He bought a book and used the internet and it looks like its professionally done. You are awesome baby!

What a Week.

It's been a rough week. Andy marked a trench from the front of the garage to the back to set the pipes for moving the washer. Then he used a concrete saw to cut the trench and a jack hammer to break up the concrete. All of this = thick layer of concrete dust throughout my house. It came in through the vents and got everywhere. In doing this he found the main clean out pipe for the house. It's old and was cast iron and now had a couple holes in it from jack hammering. He was going to just repair the holes but then decided to replace all the cast iron under the garage and downstairs bathroom to PVC pipe. This was a great decision we found out because the pipes were rusting from the inside and were nasty and narrow. He has also fixed the plumbing for the downstairs bathroom and sloped it so it will all work appropriately. So what was going to be a remodel laundry room project has now turned into something MUCH bigger - but for the best! It's been a long hard week for Andy. Thankfully my dad and his uncle have been over helping. One night Andy and Uncle Bill worked all night, until 5:30 am on the pipes. Crazy. I'll post pics soon. They are finishing the pipes tonight. So this week was rough because Andy was working night and day on the project. The house had concrete dust EVERYWHERE. I was helping with VBS every night from 6-8:30 which just makes dinner and bed time tough. The DVD player broke. I had times without water - couldn't flush the toilets or use the kitchen sink. Thankfully we can use water everywhere now. The washer and dryer haven't been useable for a couple weeks. Thank you to my mom, Stephanie, and Ma-maw for helping with the laundry this week. So I'm hoping to spend some time with Andy tonight or at least tomorrow to celebrate Father's day. He definitely needs a day of rest and relaxation!

Tyler had his 9 month appointment and weighed 23 pounds, 7ounces (87%), was in the 91%ile for height and get this...99%ile for head circumference!!

Nine kiddos in 1 picture!

Cousins on Andy's side of the family!

9 Months!!

Tyler is now 9 months old! He is sitting up really well and starting to try to get up on his knees. Not rocking on the knees or crawling yet! He has 2 teeth and is trying to cut more right now. His gums are really hurting him. He still loves to eat and is eating more finger foods. He likes yogurt, cheerios, puffs, bread and even tried little bites of chicken nugget today. He is finally sleeping through the night again. His neurology appointment at CCH went well. He is developing as he should and there are no concerns at this point with his port wine affecting his brain! We go back to the neurologist in 6 months for another check. He is one happy, sweet boy!

Ginger Veggie Stir Fry

I made sweet and sour chicken, rice and this veggie stir fry for dinner on Saturday. We really enjoyed the flavor of the veggies! I didn't use the veggies it called for but instead used sugar snap peas, red pepper, green onions, and water chestnuts. Also I didn't have fresh ginger on hand so I probably used 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder instead. This is a keeper!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

This pie was delicious! My homeroom mom at school made a homemade fresh strawberry pie for the 2nd grade team the last week of school. It was heavenly. We all enjoyed it at lunch one day. I asked her for the recipe and then tried it out myself. Gayla said mine was just as good as my homeroom mom's! I was thinking her crust was better but I'll go with Gayla's opinion! I took Gayla a piece of pie to her pool when the boys and I went swimming there. It was great to see you Gayla! I miss my teammates! Speaking of teammates, Abby was married a little over a week ago!! Can't wait to see her after her honeymoon and first few weeks of married life! She was a beautiful bride and was soo happy!

Jenn, Abby, Gayla, Me

Okay, here's the recipe!

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces

ice water

Preheat oven to 425 if pre-baking the pie shell. Stir together flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter. Squeeze between your fingers, until the mixture is in crumbs. Add 2 Tbl of ice water and quickly mix in, pouring off excess water. Turn out on heavily flour wax paper. Sprinkle with flour, flipping and mashing ball flat. Place another shee of wax paper on top and roll out. Check frequently to keep paper from sticking, adding more flour if needed. Roll to proper size, flip onto plate, and crimp edges. If pre-baking the pie shell prick the bottom with a fork. Bake for 5 minutes then turn down oven to 350 and bake for another 5 minutes. Check for brownness, leave in longer if you want it browner.

Filling:

1 quart starwberries (washed and hulled)

1 cup sugar

3 T cornstarch

3/4 cup watter

Reserve 1/4 of strawberries for glaze. Place remaining hulled berries into the piecrust and gently press into the crust, without breakeing the crust. Crush reserved berries in a saucepan and stir in sugar. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch and water and add to saucepan. Cook approx 5 minutes, until it thickens, stirring constantly. Pour over berries and refrigerate overnight. Top with whipped cream.

Whipped Cream:

Beat on high 3/4 cup heavy whipping and 2 T sugar.

3 Cheese Calzones

These are great for dinner and the boys love them! They even have fresh spinach inside. Don't tell!

3 Cheese Calzones
1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed and roughly chopped (or just buy a bag!)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 pound thinly sliced salami
2 T olive oil
jarred marinara sauce, warmed

Heat oven to 400. Divide dough into 4 equal portions and roll out into 8 inch rounds. In a large bowl combine the 3 cheeses, spinach, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Layer the salami on one side of each round of dough and top with cheese mixture. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges to seal. Brush the tops of the calzones with oil. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and back until golden, 12-15 minutes. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

The second time we made this we used 2 cans of pizza dough, and broke each into 3 equal pieces to get 6 calzones. I also used bagged fresh spinach to save time.

Delicious Pasta Salad

I'm trying to get caught up on blogging, can you tell?! This is a great recipe for pasta salad. It is delicious! I made it last night and we really enjoyed it.

Pasta Salad
1 box bowtie pasta, cooked al dente
1 pkg/jar of sundried tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
4-8 garlic cloves, minced ( I used 4 since they were pretty big ones)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
2 T. chopped fresh mint
1 t. salt
1 t. fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (recipe calls for 3/4 tsp)
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil (I used about 1/4 cup but recipe calls for 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 pkg pine nuts, toasted



Mix all ingredients except pine nuts and add to cooked pasta. Just before serving add in pine nuts so they aren't soggy. When I made this I used 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (original recipe calls for 3/4 tsp.) and it had a bite. It would be delicious with grilled chicken breasts to make it a full meal. Could also add black olives!
I really need to make myself take pictures of the recipes I post.

Laundry Room/Bathroom Remodel

Above: Where the tub goes. Below: toilet/sink

When we moved into our house the downstairs bathroom had been changed from a 1/2 bath with washer/dryer to a full bath. The washer and dryer had been moved to the garage. We knew there were some problems because the dryer had no where to vent and the toilet downstairs overflowed. Also when I washed the dishes in the kitchen it smelled bad in the bathroom downstairs. Andy knew there was going to be a lot of plumbing problems. We decided we wanted to move the washer/dryer back into the house and fix the bathroom so it can be used. Andy is going to wall off a section of the garage with drywall to make a small laundry room downstairs. The pic below shows the part of the garage that used to have a workbench. Now it will have a wall to make the laundry room. The next picture shows where Andy will cut out a door to the laundry room.

Here is the tub in the garage for the time being. Anyone need a shower?

Poor Lottie

Yesterday Lottie went back to the vet to follow-up on the last appointment. She got her teeth cleaned and thankfully none of them were rotted so no teeth pulling! They did have a lot of tartar on them and 1 is slightly loose. She had her tumor removed from her eyelid which was really rough on her. She has stiches and is having to wear a cone so she doesn't bother the stiches. It's pitiful! She is on pain medicine, eye drops, ear drops, and another pill. Poor thing! In the picture her right eye is the one that had surgery. It's shaved a little around the top and kind of droopy. When she walks around the house it is pitiful, she runs into everything with her cone. She is breaking my heart. But I know that this will help her eye to not be so irritated. Dr. D checked her leg while she was under anesthesia and she does seem to still have a slight tear in her ACL. Good to know that we're in the same place as last year, doesn't seem to have gotten any worse. She's resting on one of Tyler's blankets right now!

Yummy Snack Recipe

My friend Jenn makes a great snack mix. I've now made it twice and everyone who has tried it really likes it. Yesterday I made a batch. I had left it on top of the stove in the glass 9x13 to cool. I sent Cara home with some and Andy and I ate a little as it cooled. Then I ruined the rest. :(
I turned on the wrong burner to cook spaghetti and burned the mix. Thankfully the glass didn't shatter. All of the snack mix tasted charred so I had to throw it away. I sure was mad at myself!

Jenn's Snack Mix
8 cups Quaker Oat Squares
1 1/2 cups chow mein noodles
1 1/2 cups cashews
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 T soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 250. Combine cereal, noodles and nuts in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over dry mix. Stir. Pour into 9x13 and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Strawberry Picking!

Yesterday the boys and I went strawberry picking with Cara and Co. It was fun! A very hot morning but we didn't pick berries for very long. The kids had a great time. When we were done picking berries Silas had a red mouth! He picked to eat, not fill a basket!! Wilson was more into picking berries than Luke. Luke just wanted to hold the basket for me! Wilson was off picking on his own - for about 10 minutes! We bought enough to make 1 fresh strawberry pie and to eat berries this week. It was a great morning!

My Handyman

My handy-men with their weedeaters! (Wilson is a PVC pipe!) Notice they are ALL wearing Safety Glasses.

Andy has been steadily working on our new house. The light switches now turn on the lights they are supposed to and work correctly! He has fixed a bubble in our pergo by adding another threshold where it should have been installed. He has been working on a plan for our laundry room and just got the permit to start the project this past week. I can't wait to have a laundry room in the house and to have the downstairs bathroom working properly. He has also had to fix the washer and dryer. It is so nice to have a husband that can pretty much do anything around the house! Thanks babe!

An upclose of Luke! What a cute thing!

*Disclaimer: There are probably more projects Andy has done that I can't remember right now. I've been wanting to write this post for like 3 weeks!

Just a random one of Ty because he's a cutie-pa-tootie!

School's almost out!!

One. More. Day.

So looking forward to being home with MY kids and taking care of them!! It's going to be a great summer!