What do you think?

So...what do you think? This isn't real. It is photoshopped in...but I'm thinking about getting my nose pierced like this. Seriously. Of course it won't be this bright. Andy brightened it so you could see what I'm talking about. And I know I look rather glamorous here in my unshowered state. Hadn't even brushed my hair yet! I'm not joking! I think it is the looming 30th birthday. But I also think a small stud would be cute and tasteful - much to some family members dismay! No, not my parents or Andy. I have full support from Mom and Dad and Andy says hey, if you want it, do it! Be nice!

Homemade Marshmallows!

My happy helpers!

Notice Luke's facial expression - and it looks like Wilson's eating one!

Forgot to rotate this one! A plate of fluffy homemade marshmallows!

Yesterday the boys and I used my new stand mixer to make marshmallows. I didn't even know you could make them until I saw them on a food blog I read! They were easy to make (with a stand mixer- lots of mixing). Then they had to set overnight. This morning we got the powdered sugar out (and got it everywhere!) to cut them. One mistake I made is not oiling my 9x13 well enough. So it was rather difficult to get them out of the pan. The marshmallows were so fluffy! If you ever make these make sure to thoroughly oil your pan. I cut the marshmallows apart and the boys were in charge of rolling all the sticky cut sides in powdered sugar. Then they each ate one to test them out and I got a thumbs up from Wilson! We'll be dipping these in chocolate fondue tonight for our family New Year's Eve Party. We're staying home and making homemade pizza and chocolate fondue! We'll be dipping marshmallows, pretzels, graham crackers, strawberries, and bananas in our chocolate. I'm making a few changes the the recipe- omitting water and using coffee in place of the water and instant coffee. I'm cutting the recipe in 1/2 and I'm going to use chocolate chips instead of cutting up a chocolate bar...we'll see how it goes!

* If you use google reader click on my blog to see the picture Andy had framed for me for our anniversary. I just added it to the I Do post!

I Do!

8 years ago today Andy and I were married! It was a cold snowy evening that I remember well. We were surrounded by our family and friends on a perfect evening! I married a great man and look forward to many, many more anniversaries! The memories we've shared in these short 8 years are amazing- especially the ones involving our 3 beautiful boys! This morning when I woke up, there was a large framed picture that Andy had taken outside this fall. It's a great picture! He not only took the picture but also matted it himself. I was surprised! It is now hanging on the wall in our bedroom over our bed. I love it! He is so sweet to have done that for me. Tonight we went out to dinner at Red Lobster (with Ty) while some friends of ours kept Will and Luke. It's been a great day! Happy Anniversary, Andy! I love you!

Fun in the Kitchen

Here are a couple of good recipes I tried using my new cooking stuff! Chocolate Chip Cheesecake using my new springform pan and electric mixer! Soft Garlic Knots using my new mixer. I love my stand mixer! It is a-mazing! The first time I used it I couldn't stop smiling. No more will I turn on my hand mixer to mix-turn it off-set it down-crack the egg-pick up the mixer to mix- turn it off- set it down- etc! Stand mixers are glorious!! Both were pretty good recipes- that was my first real cheesecake to make using a springform pan and all. It turned out pretty good. I think I overmixed the garlic knots. Andy thought they were good as did the boys but they weren't light and fluffy. I'm still new to bread doughs! The new soup I tried was okay but not a recipe I'm going to keep. It had leeks in it- which I had always wanted to try in a recipe, but it wasn't our favorite! I enjoyed it but can live without it. Andy didn't care for the texture of the leeks which I think are like big green onions without the onion flavor. We also made fondue Sunday night in the new fondue pot Dan and Carol got me for Christmas. It was fun! The boys were so excited but as it turns out, they didn't care for the cheese fondue. Andy and I enjoyed it - though it was expensive to make! Here is the recipe for Three Cheese Fondue. I served it with a big platter of cut up baguette, potatoes, broccoli, zuchinni, carrots, and green apple. That was dinner! I was able to find 2 cheeses at Meijer and the 1 at Whole Foods. The fondue pot works fabulously- it is electric so you don't need a flame or anything. The boys really had fun adding the shredded cheese to the pot and watching it melt as we whisked it into the liquid. I promised them next time we'll do a chocolate fondue! I really want to make homemade marshmallows to dip into the fondue. I'll keep you posted! But I did find a good chocolate fondue recipe I want to try.

After Christmas

We're keeping busy around here! On the 26th we went back to my mom's to celebrate Christmas with Cara & Co since they were feeling better. Then that evening the women on my side of the family met at Panera. My cousin, Allison was in town from LA. It was great to see her! Cara and I stopped at Old Navy for a quick shopping trip on the way home. I got Wilson a new winter coat for $13! I also got an outfit for me and one for Ty that says "Don't let me size fool you!". It's cute. Yesterday we went bowling with Andy's family. It was Wilson and Luke's first time to bowl. They enjoyed it for about 5-6 frames! I broke in the new Le Creuset last night to make dinner. Yesterday afternoon I planned the boys birthday party and cleaned in the kitchen. Then last night Andy and I went birthday shopping for the boys! I'm trying 2-3 new recipes today (gotta use all my new cooking stuff!!) so if I find anything delicious I'll post it! Tomorrow I get to go to dinner with my fabulous team (our 2nd annual!) at PF Chang's. We decided to do this last year instead of exchanging gifts. I'm really looking forward to the food and time with my friends! Then Tuesday will be mine and Andy's 8th anniversary! This time of year brings so many celebrations for our family! I'm going to enjoy them all!

Winter Break - Days 5 & 6

On Christmas Eve we hung out at home and had an enjoyable day. We let the boys open a gift from us around lunchtime. Wilson got a mail airplane Lego and Luke opened his discovery toys shovel. We went to my sister's around 3pm for appetizers and games. That was fun. I made the Cheese Queso from the Pioneer Woman Cook's website. It was good. I also took home made chex mix. We played Buzz Word which was a great game. We went to our church's Christmas Eve service and my parents, Cara, Madelyn, and Silas came too. Caroline was sick so Jason stayed home with her. Read about their not so Merry Christmas here. They all ended up with a stomach bug. After church we set out cookies and egg nog, sprinkled reindeer food on the yard, and put the boys to bed. Then Andy and I traded stockings and did the Santa thing! It was fun! In my stocking Andy gave me a silicone whisk, an apron, a label maker, ghiardelli dark chocolate with caramel, a new knife for cooking, and fuzzy socks. It was a great stocking! Andy's had 2 photography magazines, a gift card for netflix, itunes $, a chocolate orange, gum, and a 12 pk of moutain dew. I love stockings!

We had a wonderful Christmas Day! The boys woke up early, around 6:50 am. We let Tyler sleep in but the boys were ready to see what Santa brought. Wilson got the Police Station Lego set and Kung Fu panda movie plus several stocking stuffers. Luke got a basketball, a camera and stocking stuffers. They were both thrilled with the things they received. Then Andy and I opend gifts. Andy really spoiled me this year! He got me a set of Springform pans so I can finally make cheesecake, the movie 27 Dresses and a Le Creuset dutch oven. I've wanted one of those for a couple years and he was so clever in tricking me when he wrapped it! He used a DVD case (since I asked for 27 dresses) and inside the case it said "Gotcha! Go look in the oven...". There he had placed my new dutch oven! It is beautiful. It is Carribean blue (teal) and 5 1/2 qts. I love it! It is the exact one I wanted. Then in a bigger box he had wrapped the movie! I'm making dinner using my new dutch oven tonight! Andy got a Canon backpack for his camera, 2 long sleeved tshirts from Eddie Bauer, and a couple camera accessories he wanted. Ty woke up around 9 and we opened his stocking. He got a new winter hat, a baby book, new passies, and a couple small toys. We then went over to my mom's for brunch and presents. We ate delicious food but missed Cara & Co. who were all home sick. We opend gifts there and played on my mom's Wii. I got a Kitchen Aid Stand mixer!!! I've wanted one of these for a long time! It is black and I can't wait to use it. I'm using it tonight. I received so many cooking things (which I wanted!) and I can't wait to use them. When we left my mom's we went over to Danny and Stephanie's to hang out for a while. Then we came home and relaxed before going over to my Grandparent's for Christmas Dinner. We again had delicious food and fun with the family. It was a great day! I'll post a picture slide show later because there will be lots of pics I want to share!

Winter Break - Day 3 & 4

Day 3 (Monday)
On Monday we went back to my mom's to decorate the Gingerbread Men cookies. Here is a sampling of what they look like!

Silas enjoyed eating the icing instead of icing the cookies! They also made some Christmas crafts at Gamma's house. In the afternoon I tackled a few stores for my last few gifts/stocking stuffers. I finally found a stocking for Ty that would suffice. I had looked at Target, Hobby Lobby, Meijer, Walmart over the last several weeks. Ended up getting one at J.B. It doesn't coordinate with Wilson and Luke's but it was the best I could find. Monday night we hung out at home, I tried a new recipe which we weren't crazy about and made this gingerbread tree from a kit my mom had.
Day 4 (Tuesday)
We woke up and went to Panera for breakfast, thanks to a gift card from school! We sat by the fireplace and all enjoyed a bagel (except Lukie - he always gets a pumpkin muffie!). Three seperate people talked to Andy and I and told us the following: we have such a nice family (heard that twice!), you've got your hands full (twice too), you've got a great daddy, and I raised two sons, mine has done that too (in reference to Wilson crawling under the stall on the bathroom floor to get to me and Luke). People were so kind and friendly! Love the holidays. After Panera we drove around (hey, kids were buckled in, calm, quiet, and not fighting!) and explored in the country. After a while we turned our GPS on and told it to find our way home. Fun! We're loving the GPS. In the afternoon we went to Walmart and got groceries and some organizing tubs and new laundry baskets. Then came home and made chex mix (had to use crispix, Walmart was sold out of wheat, corn, and rice chex). Also made pepperoni rolls and soup for dinner. Here is a picture of Tyler when I was making dinner - he decided he loves Tarn now!
After dinner we got the kids ready for bed and drove around looking at Christmas lights. We picked my mom up and she went with us to see the lights downtown. Then we dropped her off and drove around a neighborhood. Wilson fell asleep in the car. But not Luke. Stubborn thing. He fought the sleep and stayed awake!

Breaking News!

At 6:04pm Alyssa's missing hairbrush was found! Wilson, an almost 5 year old said "I found the hairbrush under the couch!" Alyssa was thrilled to hear the great news though she had gotten a new hairbrush 4 days ago. Alyssa also said she wishes she had thought to look under the couch last week.

Winter Break - Day 2

On Sunday afternoon we headed over to my moms for some cookie baking. It was fun! Cara made sugar cookie dough and I made gingerbread cookie dough. My mom had tons of cookie cutters and cookie decorations. We rolled out the dough and let the kids cut and decorate. On the sugar cookies we used an egg wash to paint the icing on. That was super fun for the kids. Then mom and I cut out the gingerbread men and baked them. The kids were done with cookies by then so we didn't get them decorated until Monday. We all took turns playing my mom's Wii and Guitar Hero. Then we ate chili that my dad had made. On our way home we stopped by a local firestation to watch their light show. They had their garage door open and Santa was inside so Andy took Wilson and Luke in to see the trucks and Santa. They thought that was great!

Winter Break - Day 1

Matt & Elise

The boys playing Guitar Hero!

Elise & Tyler

On Saturday we loaded up the van and went on a day trip! We were going to visit some friends who had a new baby! Matt and Olivia had sweet little Elise 4 weeks ago. We stayed and visited for a couple hours. Elise is precious! She has lots of hair and is so tiny! We couldn't believe only 4 weeks separated Ty and Elise. Olivia didn't think she was up to Ty's birth weight yet! We had lunch together, watched Wilson and Luke attempt Guitar Hero (soo cute!) and talked.

When we left their house we used our GPS to find the Masonic Home (nursing home) where my grandmother lives. It led us there and we surprised her with a visit. We were so close by we decided to stop. She was thrilled. She met Ty and held him in her lap. We went up to the dining room to see the Christmas tree and also the birds and fish that are near the dining room. She doesn't see hardly at all anymore but she navigated pretty well through the hallways. Luke even sat on her lap and she rolled him down the hall. Wilson and Luke don't remember going there even though they've been twice but they handled it nicely. They were a little afraid but warmed up quickly. They each chose a stuffed animal from her bed and had fun looking at the train with Daddy under the Christmas tree. It was great to see Grandma and to see how happy she was to have us visit. We should go back more often.

At this point we were all hungry. Andy had heard of Bluegrass Brewing Co. (they make their own root beer) and thought it would be fun if we could go there for a snack. So we looked in our GPS and it was less than 2 miles away! Score! So we went there to share a couple appetizers. Andy got a root beer and I tried an Altbeir. Then we had a big soft pretzel with beer cheese and a Chicken Quesadilla. Both were yummy. The boys ate most of the pretzel and Luke even liked the beer cheese! The restaurant was neat - they had a kids play area which looked like a small stage with toys out. They sat us near the play area and the boys were able to get up and go play. Great feature!

14 Weeks

Tyler is growing so quickly! We can't believe how big he is getting. He was 14 weeks on Friday. He is alert a lot more often now. He loves to sit at the table with us in the high chair (with it leaning back) and see what the family is doing when we eat dinner! He is smiling and giggling a lot now. He loves to be tickled and given raspberries. He also loves to sit and stare at the Christmas tree. He is absolutely perfect and we are enjoying every minute! His big brothers are still doing well around him and usually love to help with TW. Look at those thighs in the picture - see the rolls?! This boy hasn't missed a meal yet! We are so blessed to have 3 precious boys.
*We go to Cincinnati Children's on January 6th. Pray for good news :)

This one is so good!

*These take a long time to make but are very easy. They are delicious. I think they are worth the long prep time due to cooling!

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
Ingredients:
For the crispy crust: (Andy and I thought it might be good to double the crispy layer next time)
1 ¾ cups crisped rice cereal
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
3 tbsp. butter, melted

For the chocolate peanut butter layer:
5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter

For the chocolate icing:
3 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ tsp. light corn syrup
4 tbsp. butter

Directions:
Lightly spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray and use it to rub the bottom and sides of an 8×8” square baking pan.

To make the crispy crust, pour the cereal into a large bowl and set aside. Pour the water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and the corn syrup (do not let any sugar or corn syrup get on the sides of the pan) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined. Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235° F.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan. Using your hands or a silicone spatula, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides). Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.

To make the chocolate peanut butter layer, in a glass bowl set over a pot of boiling water, combine the chocolate and peanut butter. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.

To make the chocolate icing, in a glass bowl set over boiling water, combine the chocolate, corn syrup and butter. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled chocolate peanut butter layer and spread carefully into an even layer. Put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the topping hardens.

Cut into 16 squares and serve. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Holiday Recipes

Caramel Corn
3 pkgs popped microwave popcorn
1 stick butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
Pour popped popcorn in a large bowl. Discard unpopped kernals. Melt 1 stick butter in saucepan over medium high heat. Add sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stir until boiling. Turn down heat and let mixture bowl for 5 minutes without stirring. Then add soda and vanilla - it will bubble up- and stir. Pour mixture over popcorn and stir to coat evenly. Put popcorn on two cookies sheets. Then bake 1 hour at 250, stirring every 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Patties
Ritz crackers (reduced fat)
Jif Peanut Butter (reduced fat)
Chocolate Almond Bark
1 T shortening

Make peanut butter cracker sandwiches. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, adding 1 T shortening to thin the chocolate. Dip sandwiched crackers in chocolate completely, shaking excess chocolate off. Let cool on wax/parchment paper until chocolate is set. I usually throw them in the freezer on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to speed the process along.

The missing hairbrush.

My hairbrush has been missing for days. DAYS. I don't even remember how long, but since the beginning of the week I think. I love my brush. It is in my house, somewhere. So after going a couple days trying to use Andy's comb (it's a flimsy kind too) and finger through my hair I'd had enough. So I went in the boys room and stole their hairbrush (my old hairbrush). I used that one for a day or two and then IT went missing. Is someone sneaking in my house and stealing my hairbrushes?! I asked Wilson about them and he said he didn't know, he hadn't used my brush. I asked Luke if he knew where my brush was. He said yes. So I asked him where are they? and he said They are hiding. Somewhere. Well that could mean 2 things. Either he used them and doesn't remember where they are or he has no idea where they are and he was just making stuff up. If you haven' t noticed, my hair is the longest it's been since I was a sophomore in highschool. Yep, you read that right. It has been this long since I was in the 10th grade. That was like 13 years ago or something. So I need my brush. I've looked under beds, under dressers, in toy tubs, etc. Help!

Snow Day #1

It's me! No fancy shmancy writing today like all those big vocabulary words by sweet, intelligent husband uses. I teach second grade ya'll, our writing is more elementary! Just kidding, I loved his post and he was correct in why I wanted him to guest post. I told him I've never seen the word poop so many times in one paragraph. Anyway! Had to tell you about our fabulous snow day!

I got my text that we were out of school around 4:15am. So I rolled over and went back to sleep. Was up at 5 to feed Ty and then turned off both alarms. After I fed Ty I went back to sleep and Andy let me sleep in until 8:30! It was wonderful. Today was spent in the kitchen. Pretty much all day- cleaning the kitchen, baking, cleaning, baking, etc. I made two batches of caramel corn today which takes for.ev.er. Then I made Peanut Butter Crispy Bars because it was a recipe I was wanting to try- yum! That one also took a long time because it has three layers and needs 2hours of cooling total. I had to use a candy thermometer for those and that was fun! Andy bought me one at Walmart today because I'd never needed one before. The teacher gifts are ready and the caramel corn for snack day at school is ready. After so much time in the kitchen today I didn't feel like making dinner. So I called Puccini's and order to Chicken Bada Bing Calzones. Yum. You should try one. They are delicious. We had salad with them and Andy picked up a frozen pizza for the boys. I never left the house today. That was kind of nice! I've really enjoyed being home with Ty - he has another cold. Lots of boogers, a runny eye, and he has sneezed several times. Poor thing. So I was glad to be home to take care of him. The big boys helped in the kitchen and drove us crazy today! So when Andy went grocery shopping I reserved Horton Hears a Who from Redbox and he picked that up. They were quiet and content during the movie with popcorn and hot chocolate. That gave us the break we needed! Luke talks SO much. It's nonstop. And he repeats himself over and over and over until you respond! Sweet but some days it's too much! Andy picked up our Christmas cards at Wal-mart and those are almost ready to go out. I've been able to cross several things off my list. I really this snowday to stay caught up. Though the house is a mess and I still have to make Cowboy Caviar for my small group Christmas Party and I still need to make homemade Peanut Butter patties. I'll post the recipes if anyone wants them!

What kids say...

guest post by Andy

This morning while Wilson, Luke and I were eating breakfast, Luke in all seriousness told Wilson "It's okay Wilson. We can buy more poo-poo."

Let me back up and share the rest of the story that led up to Luke's consoling remark. We were shopping at Walmart on Saturday and someone (can't remember who) spotted a great gift for the youth group Christmas Party gift game. Maybe you've heard of it-the Super Duper Reindeer Pooper.

It's a plastic reindeer that poops brown jelly beans. Well, Wilson was so fascinated by the toy that he didn't like the idea of giving it away as a gift. So Wilson talked his way into going to the youth party so he could try to win the toy. Wilson won the toy in the gift game and spent the rest of the night pooping the candy out of the reindeer. He was happy to show everyone just how it worked.
This morning at breakfast, Will was lamenting the reality that he had eaten all the reindeer poop and had no more reindeer poop to poop out of his toy. This is what prompted Luke's sweet but hilarious comment.
We'll just attribute all this to my Uncle Bill who years ago bought the boys the book "Everyone Poops."

(I think Alyssa had me guest post this story because she didn't like all the poop references...girls)

Letters to Santa!

Last week we drove through downtown and noticed a huge red mailbox for putting letters to Santa inside. I thought that would be really fun for the boys. So this morning we decided to write letters to Santa and take them to the mailbox. Wilson and Luke each told me what to write in their letter. Luke said he wanted a camera and that's all. That he had been a good boy. Wilson listed all of the Lego sets that he likes so that Santa could choose which one to bring. He also said that he had been a good boy. Then they each drew pictures on them and Wilson wrote his own name except for the s. On the envelope they put some Christmas stickers in place of a stamp and we were ready to deliver! We parked and walked over to the big red mailbox. The boys were pretty excited! They each put their letter to Santa in the mail slot. Then we took them across the street to Starbuck's and got them kid hot chocolates. They thought that was a pretty great outing! Enjoy the pics!

Ty is ready for Christmas too!

What a sweet sound!!

State Quarters

Andy found the last quarter he needed. Yea!!

They Called!!

CCH that is! Finally!
Here's the scoop-
Tuesday January 6th we have two appts 1 with the opthamalogist and 1 at the Hemangioma and Vascular unit. Then we go back on JUNE 15 to meet with the neurologist. That was the first available appointment! Crazy. I'm so glad they called and we have Ty's appointments scheduled.

More stuff.

- Luke has an ear infection too. Andy took him to the doctor this afternoon.
- Wilson made us playdoh pizzas for dinner. As he was setting them on the table he said "That's just the way life is mom."
- I am a little upset to find out that my sister still has numbness from her C-section which occurred almost 4 years ago. Wow. And here I thought still have numbness after 12 weeks was weird! Live and learn.
- I haven't started my Christmas cards yet.
- We're thinking of getting cable since I passed National Boards and will be getting a raise. We haven't had it our whole married life - 8 years this month. Should we get it?! We're both so used to not having it now...once we get it there will probably be no going back!
- I'm losing my voice and have lots of gunk. Not feeling well. But I don't have any sick days! Used them all for Tyler. Hopefully I can make it through 8 more days.

Stuff

- Ty laughed tonight for the first time- Andy tickled him under his arms!!
- Wilson went back to the dr today, has a double ear infection. Poor thing. He just finished an antibiotic on Thursday.
- Luke smashed his finger in the door yesterday - pretty bad - has a cut on it and it swelled a lot. Not broken though!
- Andy and I are both not feeling well. It's that time of year...
- 9 more days of school before Winter Break
- The boys helped me wrap lots of presents tonight. They were so excited to wrap their teacher gifts!
- Luke cracks me up. He has been peeping in the potty a lot! He says I peeped in the potty mommy! It always brings a smile to my face!
- Have you had a C-section? Is it normal to still feel itchy around the incision from time to time- from the inside, like it's still healing? And it's still kind of numb in the incision area and I still have occasional pains etc. It's been 12 weeks. Is this normal?
- We did not hear from CCH Friday or Monday as they told us we would. Guess I'll have PAA call there again.

12 weeks!

I know it's a little blurry, but Silas loves Ty so much I had to share this picture!

Ty is doing great! The last 3-4 nights have been great- only waking up 1 time to feed Tyler around 2-3am. Then he sleeps until 5:30-6:30am before needing to eat again. On school days I am up by then so I only have to wake from sleep 1 time to feed him. That has been great - and much needed. I'm so tired still, all the time. Thursday night I couldn't even stay awake to watch Grey's, had to tape it because I was SO tired. By the way, what is the deal with Izzy and Denny? I sooo don't like that story line. HE's DEAD. Come on!

Ty is smiling lots and getting better head control. Still not quite ready for his new Bumbo seat he got from Mimi and Poppy and Chirstmas. He likes to try to watch tv if he can but we don't let him! Every now and then he'll sneak a peak while Wilson is holding him and watching a show. Today I have on a striped shirt and he has stared at the stripes a lot! He is doing great and is such a snuggle bug. We love holding and cuddling him. He had his first big brother induced injuries this week - both very minor but still! Wilson hit him with a fire hose off of one of his toy fire trucks (on purpose) and had to go to time out. Ty had a red mark on his forhead for a few minutes. Then the next day Luke kicked him when he was laying on the floor - not very hard, but still! Both times Ty cried a pitiful little cry. It was awful!

Thanksgiving Pictures

Yeah...so...I didn't take very many pictures! I'm used to Andy taking tons of pics on my camera. But now he has a new fancy shmancy camera of his own! So he doesn't use my little Canon Elph anymore. So here are the ones I have! We had fun at Nanny B.'s in WV. I was spoiled by getting to stop at Frost Top for Root Beer travelling to and from Nanny's! Yum! We had a delicious turkey dinner and lots of relaxing.

Updates

I'm feeling a little less stressed since my last post- it's Friday! I get to "sleep in" tomorrow! I've bought most of my secret santa gifts. This weekend I need to write my clues and get the gifts ready. Last night I did some online shopping for Christmas so that was a good feeling. Still have a few more gifts to go buy. I called our Dr.'s office on Thursday and had them call CCH to check on Ty's appointment. (Thanks for the advice, Tricia!) Cincy said they would call us this afternoon or Monday afternoon with an appt time. They are trying to schedule the appointments with the neurologist and opthamologist at a time when the ENT will be available if necessary. Why would we need an ENT? I wasn't sure, they hadn't mentioned that before. Anyway, they didn't call today so I'm hoping to hear from them on Monday.

Dinner tonight was GOOD! I tried two new recipes. First, Carol's pepperoni rolls. This was a big success for me! I have always avoided yeast dough recipes because they didn't turn out for me the couple times I had tried them. Well over Thanksgiving I sat and watched Carol make her dough- and took notes!! She was making cinnamon rolls but her basic dough recipe can be made into cinnamon rolls, pepperoni rolls or dinner rolls. I have always loved her breads- and this time it tasted right! On a 1-10 scale Andy gave them an 8 1/2, which I thought was pretty awesome! If anyone wants the recipe let me know and I"ll post it.

I made Cheddar Broccoli Potato Soup to go with the rolls. Yum! It was easy and delicious and Andy and I both really enjoyed it. Here is the recipe. Perfect for a cold night! If only we had a fireplace!

This Sunday night the boys will be in our church's Christmas program. Luke will be a sheep and Wilson a shepherd. I love watching them in the play! Afterwards the youth group host a Coffee House. It's a fun evening. Hopefully tomorrow I can post some pictures from Thanksgiving.

Feeling Stressed

Do you know how difficult it is to get any shopping done with three BOYS under 5? I'm sure it would be difficult with any children under 5 but you know. So I still have quite a bit of christmas shopping left to do. I've done some online and we finished shopping for Andy's family because we celebrated Christmas this past weekend at Thanksgiving. BUT I still have lots to do for my family, Andy and the boys. I realized yesterday that Secret Santa at school is NEXT week and I hadn't even started shopping. On Thanksgiving break the only store I was near was Dollar General and there wasn't anything I wanted to get for gifts there other than a few stocking stuffers. Tonight was somewhat successful- the boys have a new haircut and almost all of my secret santa shopping is done. Just need to buy the ornament. I guess having 3 small children, working full time at school which is non-stop every minute, and now adding the upcoming holiday my plate is feeling VERY full. Usually Andy and I are able to get the tree decorated in an evening. We've worked on it for 2 evenings so far. I keep moving ornaments that Wilson and Luke have hung because on some branches there are 2-3 ornaments! And then the rest of the time I'm saying "be careful!". Hopefully this coming weekend I'll be able to get a lot done.

* Tomorrow I am turning in all of my paper work for my National Board Certification! Think Rank change! Thing retroactive pay! Think raise!
* We have not heard from CCH about Ty's appointment yet. Still waiting.

Yummy Recipes

Last week I tried 2 new recipes. We had a bake sale at school to raise money for our Helping Hands account. I took that as a good way to try some new recipes I have in my huge stack of recipes I want to try! I made Cranberry Bread and Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake. I received compliments on both so I figured the recipes were good enough to share! Oh and my two contributions made $23 at the auction!! I did tell Andy that I won't be making the Crumb Cake again until I have a stand mixer. It requires a lot of mixing! I have linked the Crumb Cake above. Here is the Cranberry Bread recipe:

4 T unsalted butter, melted (plus more for pan)
2 cups flour (plus more for pan)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 12 0z bag cranberries, wash and throw out bad ones
1 T turbinado sugar for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine butter, egg, and milk. Add wet mixture to dry and whisk to combine. Fold in cranberries. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with turbinado sugar if desired. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool 30 minutes. Invert onto rack and immediately turn right side up to cool completely.

*I didn't have any turbinado sugar so I left it out. I'm sure it would be tasty though!
*This is taken from Everyday Food Magazine.