Several New Favorites

I'm not sure what it is that is making my tastes change so much lately, but pomegranate is the new flavor! Anything with a trace of pom in it is awesome to me! I love the fruit, the smell, the flavor, all of it. Now I am anxious to see what else I can find that has pomegranate embedded in it. If you haven't tried one, you should! At this time, many stores are out of the actual fruit itself due to the odd weather in harvesting areas. Hopefully, they will make a comeback soon.

About a month ago, I found a recipe for open faced Reubens in an Irish cookbook. Being as I had never had one and am not a fan of deli meat, I though Iwould venture out and give it a try anyway. You know, confuse the old tast buds for a change. Jared and I have eaten Reubens every week since. There are many variations to this sandwich, but we have finally come up with the one that tastes the best (we think.) Rye bread with swiss cheese and corned beef (as much as you want) toasted at 450 for 6 minutes. When finished, top it with cole slaw and Russian dressing (you can use Thousand Island or a mixture of mayo & brown mustard.) The combination of these flavors is unbelievable together. They blend very well! They are fun to eat because they are messy and VERY filling. Not the healthiest sandwich, so enjoy! Nothing beats a good ole PB&J, though.....

Here are a few pictures of the kids from this past week.

(Hayden is ALL boy, even at two years old!)

I hope everyone has a eventful and exciting weekend. See you all soon.

Does Anyone Have As Much Fun As We Do?

As I was choosing what pictures to add to this post, I began to think about how fast my Babies are growing up! If I am only good at one thing, it would be taking in every moment. I was given this advice years ago, and I have tried to instill it in myself as well as others.

The Babies and I traveled to my parents house last weekend to visit with my Uncle who journeyed up from the coast. It was wonderful to see him and to hear his amazing stories and views on raising kids. There are so many facets to child rearing that are sometimes confusing; but listening to him, it all seems so simple. He was and is not a perfect parent, as none of us are, but I think after visiting with him, raising his children years ago, is helping him now in his daily life and struggles. I tried to take what all he said and apply it to my life now, as a parent. This was not at all meant to be a sappy entry, but I have had that on my heart for the last week or so. Thanks for enduring!

While we were there, an amazing thing happened! My son, who is "Captain Independent" (and I'm glad) enjoyed playing with his cousins, as he always does. We were all outside enjoying the nice weather, and jumprope became the "item of the hour." After watching his older cousins jump for a time, I guess he felt he was missing out. Grandpa held one end, and Aunt Brandie held the other end for whoever dared to jump. Well, out of nowhere, here comes Hayden (who had been watching from afar.) Guys, he just jumped in there like he was a professional, Olympian jumproper! Of course he couldn't quite get the rhythm, but for a first timer, he did pretty darn well. I was so proud of him for his coordination, is perseverance, his comfort, and his excitement! You could tell on his face that that he had done something big! What a big boy!

On Valentine's Day, Hayden & Kaylen Rae attended a wonderful Valentine's Party hosted by our neighbor. She runs a daycare next door, and does a fabulous job as well. She has loved the kids since day one, and treats them like her own. Hayden just went on in and made himself at home with the others. He is truly a party animal! Way to break it down with the three and under crowd there Son! Kaylen Rae pretty much slept through the entire event but the others enjoyed walking by her saying, "BEBE, BEBE!" What a wonderful time we all had! Thank you, Tami & Angelica!

We finally were able to enjoy a nice day outside with minimal wind! Hayden had a good time playing with Carli & Sandy, and climbing on his playscape. Kaylen Rae just took in the light breeze and giggled when the Girls would come by and lick her feet. They both are such outside kids and I am so glad! I pray for many more days to come like that one! We can only handle inside so much!

This week I have seen so many wonderful things happen! Hayden had suddenly become interested in the moon, and so we go and look at it every night before bed. His favorite color is green and he can say his ABC's and count to seven (with prompt!) A car is now called a "Hun," I guess because really, it goes, "hun, hun." Oh, sweet innocence! How creative!

It has been amazing to watch Kaylen Rae discover her hands. They have become a BIG part of her life in the last few days and I know she is glad to add them to her "Friend List." She is the happiest baby I have ever seen, and has a beautiful smile! She is loud and squeely, and I love it more than anything!

Tonight as Jared and I sat, exhausted, in the living room sourrounded with toys of every kind (all going off at the same time,) and with two Babies being loud, we just looked at each other and laughed! How different our lives have become. It's definetely worth all the chaos and noise in the world!

"The Invisible Crumb" Has Returned

For those of you who know Hayden even a little bit, you might remember the "Invisible Crumb." From the time he was about fifteen months old until this past summer, he had what we called an "Invisible Crumb" that he carried with him everywhere he went. It would show up at random, for instance when people would try to give him high fives and such. Occasionally he would pull it out of his pocket or out of the air, or from perhaps behind a shelved item at the grocery store. It would usually appear when he sat with us in the living room where he seemed to keep it under a blanket. I guess if he thought he was a bit hungry, he would decide it was time to take a bite.

Tonight, as I lay in the dark with him trying to get him to go to sleep, it miraculously appeared out of nowhere! Now, we haven't seen or heard of it since June (and it is probably stale by now.....) As it was very dark and very quiet, I felt his fingers on my palm as if to take something from me and then I heard him smacking!

I know by know you all are probably thinking I am some sort of wierdo or nutjob, but that is honestly not the case at all. I wish I knew where the "Invisible Crumb" came from, where it goes and how long it will be until it shows up once more. Until then, who knows.....

Hayden's First Trip To The ER

As I was finishing up my daily chores this afternoon, I headed to the bedroom for a moment. Hayden followed in like normal and immedietly climbed on the bed. I have told him time and time again not to jump and not to get close to the edge. Well, both happened at once, in slow motion it seemed. As I turned to look at him, he jumped/slipped off and suddenly became wedged in between the bed and Jared's night table. I lundged for him just in time for him to unwedge himself and fall to the floor. I pulled him out from between the two pieces just in time to see more blood than I have seen in a long time. As a Mommy, your first instinct is to hold them as tight as you can. I carried him in and began trying to think of who to call first. 911 was not an option due to the chaos that arises in the neighborhood. It never occured to me that medical facilities would turn their phones off as early as 4:00 on a weekday.
I was appauled and astonished at this. After making several disappointing calls, I finally got through to a new facility- 25 minutes away. In the meantime, Hayden had gone from crying hysterically to getting pale and quiet to climbing the walls. 30 minutes or so later we arrived, covered in blood, in which the unit clerk was waiting for us and had forms ready. Jared arrived 10 minutes later, still working, because I could not handle all of this alone. Throughout ALL of this Sweet Kaylen Rae, who by this time should be sceaming due to hunger, is just as content and happy as she could be. She remained this way until 7:15 when we got in the car to come home. What an awesome baby! Have you ever tried to catch a greased pig barehanded? Well, this is what it was like! Try containing a toddler who hasn't had a nap, in the ER for nearly three hours. By the end of stay in the waiting room, I think he had made friends with everybody! Mothers, never say never during an emergency. I swore my child would never be barefoot in a public place, nor would use a public restroom... How dirty is my child tonight?! When we finally were called back, it took another 30 minutes or so for the staff to get it together. Once they finally figured things out, it took Jared, myself, two nurses and the doctor to hold down a papoosed two year old. Being the fighter that he is, he still broke free. He screamed and sweated for the entire 2 minutes it took to Thermabond is right eyebrow. Bless his sweet little heart. He was so tired that I don't think he felt pain, just being tied down was bad enough.

The staff at this facility were somewhat slow, but extremely thourough and the facilities were absolutely spotlessly clean. I was very impressed! Once we were in, he was given rock star treatment by ALL of the staff. I think they must have felt bad for him (not to mention he is so darn cute.....). He recieved stickers, juice, jello, chocolate milk, apple sauce, more stickers and high fives! He walked away with a glued wound and steri-stripes.

At the moment I can see my sweet husband and two beautiful babies asleep in one room. It will remain that way tonight for peace of mind. As much chaos as one afternoon brought, the sight of the three of them sleeping so peacefully is calming to me. If I were to rest now, I know that I would rest peacefully as they three are doing. I guess if this situation taught me anything, it would be that I was not as organized and prepared as I thought. Living where we live, there is nothing remotely close for something of this magnatude. Being his first emergency of this calibur, I felt very lost. Next time, I will have numbers ready and available.


On a positive note, Kaylen Rae sat in her Bumbo chair today for the first time! She absolutely loved it! Does anybody know how long you are supposed to let them sit in it at a time? I think she'd go all day!

Goodnight.

...What A Weekend It Was...

This past weekend was what I considered to be the weekend of a lifetime. I was not so sure that it would be, due to my impending aging process, but it ended up being unbelieveably fabulous and I will not soon forget a single moment of it!

Friday night, the boys had their usual ritual of tinkering with ATV's in the garage and finishing off with some X-Box. In the mean time, Kimberly and I attempted to make Sprinkles Cupcakes. Now, for those of you who have not heard of Sprinkles Cupcakes, now you have and you have no excuse not to try some! These cupcakes have been made famous by a popular cable TV show, and they are packaged in Beverly Hills, CA. A coworker of Kim's bought her a package of the Pumpkin Spice flavor,and I was honored that she wanted to bake than at my house, in my kitchen! Topped with cinnamon and vanilla cream cheese frosting and a Sprinkles signiture dot (which I ate, but still think might have been plastic,) they were the best cupcakes I had ever eaten (notice I said cupcakes; plural!) I am anxious to try them again soon without the signature "dot."

On Saturday, the kiddos and I traveled to my parents house for a day of fun. I was given the memo to arrive and expect the best, but I wasn't sure what that meant exactly. When we arrived, I was given the day's itenerary which included a manicure, a haircut, lunch and a movie, as well as presents and a homeade carrot cake complete with cauliflower and carrot puree (it was excellent;) all of the things that I don't, can't or won't do for myself! I should turn 30 more often! I found out later that Jared was in on the plans, and that is why I couldn't get him come with me. It was such a busy day filled with laughter and memories that will stay with me forever. Thank you all for a wonderful time!

When I arrived home Saturday night, I was greeted by a bouquet of flowers from Gene & Donna (Jared's parents). They are absolutely one of the most beautiful arragements that I have ever recieved. They are still sitting pretty and I am enjoying them emensily. Thank you Gene & Donna!

On Sunday after church, we headed to Georgetown so that Jared could look at some auto parts. My first thought was a pitiful, "What a birthday!" He asked if I cared if we went to Romeo's

for lunch, which happens to be one of my absolute favorite eateries! When we arrived I was TOTALLY surprised by none other than- MY FRIENDS! Kimberly and Jared had planned a get together with several of our closest friends! I was genuinely surprised and obviously oblivious to what was on the works! How clueless am I?! We had a wonderful time over some unbelievable italian food and good conversation! Jared gave me the most beautiful watch that I have ever seen! Thanks, Babe! It's beautiful! Now, I'll always be on time!

Looking back over the weekend, I still get so excited! I get chills when I think about how exciting every moment was. I have been truly blessed in my life with family and friends who I love beyond measure. I am so thankful for all of you and every moment with every one of you is awesome! Thank you all for such a fabulous and exciting weekend! I will never forget my 30th!