Snakes Poop

Last week Marshall and I finally made cookies together. I had been promising to make Banana Bread with him...but every time we went to make it...there were no bananas to be found (there must be some monkeys living here or something!)

Once the dough was all put together, I gave him his own pan, and scooped 10 little balls of dough for him to do what ever he wanted. At first he was rolling them all out into 'snakes'. He made a bunch of different shapes and designs with his snakes.

Meanwhile I am making the rest of the dough into what I hoped to be yummy looking cookies. Halfway through Marshall holds up three of his snakes....

and says "Look Mom, Poop!"
"What?!?" I asked
"POOP" he replies with a giggle in his voice
"I thought you were making snakes" I questioned
"YA snake poops!!"

What a silly boy! Now, Marshall loves.loves.LOVES to have videos taken of him, and loves watching videos of himself. We could honestly sit down at the computer allllll day and watch videos of him...and probably the same one over and over and over!!

He was getting right into playing with his dough. I decided to take a video. This is my boy playing with his snakes poop!

 

We had a fun time making cookies, and Marshall enjoyed making his very own cookies...aka "snakes poop" all by himself!!

Nachos - SAAM

Yay, look at me, finally remembered to get on my blog and post a meal ON Monday!

One thing you must understand is, I.LOVE.NACHOS! MmmMmmmmMM! Honestly Nachos were a staple in my house when I was growing up!

I will not order them when we are out, because quite frankly...I like mine better!

Unfortunately Irish doesn't exactly share this same obsession (yes it is an obsession) with me. He will eat them once in a blue moon...It's not that he doesn't like them...but he just prefers to eat chips and salsa. So in fact it's not quite a bad thing...because then I don't have to share! haha! Although it is nice to have some one appreciate the goodness with you!! Lucky for me, Marshall likes to have Nachos with Mommy!

Every now and then I will make Gourmet Nachos for supper. Irish's remark is always "Is this your way of making me eat Nacho's?" I reply "No, not exactly. But I'm the one making supper, so I get to choose what we have...if you would like something different, please feel free to make it for us!" (all in a very fun loving manor!)


What you need in order to have grrrrreat nachos!
-Evenly spread out chips. (Tostitos bite size round ones to be exact!)
-Evenly spread out cheese. Don't leave any chips out! They all like to be covered in cheese
-Melting the cheese to perfection! (first this can not be achieved in the microwave. If you want good nachos you MUST do it in the oven. Just until the cheese is all nice and bubbly, but before it starts to go hard)
-Pace Picante Medium Salsa (NO chunkies please!) (p.s. the no-name brand tastes just as wonderful as the Pace brand, cheaper too!!)
-Sour Cream
-Refried Beans

 When I make 'gourmet' nachos for supper, I add:
Ground Beef
Tomatoes
Peppers
Shredded Lettuce
...really you can put what ever you like on them! I mean come on, they are Nacho's...so versatile and yet so delicious every time!!

I'm Linking up to Michelle's Blog. Go and check out the other recipes!!

While the Cat's away the Mice (mouse) will play

...OR while Mom is in the bathroom...Paisley will climb up onto the table!!
Seriously this crazy little girl  is a monkey!! I thought I could go and "talk" to Mother Nature for a quick second. Wrong!  I come back into the kitchen only to see this!

I asked Marshall how she got up there, but he didn't know. I asked him if he helped her, and he told me no.

Apparently all she wanted to do was help Marshall with his 'marker stick'...what a nice sister!

I love my kids! It's so awesome to see them playing together!...Even if it means that one little monkey makes it onto the table! (I guess she did climb up there all by herself! Irish saw her do it later again tonight!)

Ta da dalaaaaaaa

This morning as Marshall was cuddling in our bed with us...as he does every.single.morning...he was saying how he was hungry and he needed cheerios. I told him to go and put some socks, long pants and either a sweater or long sleeved shirt on.

About 3 minutes later he come back into our doorway and as he approaches sings "Ta da dalaaaaaaaa". I look at him and he is wearing socks, shorts and a short sleeved shirt.

I tell him "Marshall, go put pants and a long sleeved shirt on silly, it's cold outside"

He replies "oh that's funny" and walks away.

About another 3 minutes pass and he comes running down the hallway and as he gets closer to our doorway sings "Ta da dalaaaaaaa" Pauses and asks "How bout this guys?" while tapping his legs with his hands.

Both Irish and I start laughing, because all he did was go and put on a different pair of shorts!

Oh what a silly boy! He seriously wants to wear shorts every day!

P.S. He also sings "Ta da dalaaaaaaaaaa" all the time. Whenever he finishes something and wants to show us he brings out the ta da dalaaaaaaa

Awesome Giveaway

A super talented photographer friend of mine is having a giveaway for MOM'S. Go check out her Blog and enter for yourself as well! :)


Mandy Baker Photography - giveaway

Have fun and good luck!!

SAAM x2

For the past two weeks I have not been able to get on here and post my meals! For one reason or another, the day would come and go in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it the whole week was gone!

But here are TWO recipes! (To make up for lost time!)

First: Pancakes!
It is tradition in our house to have pancakes every Sunday for supper! We love it! It's easy, SO yummy and the best part of it is...Irish makes them! Yup that's right, I don't have to make anything on Sunday!

Perfect Pancakes (which we got from this website)
Makes about 8 medium sized pancakes, enough for about 2-3 people with good appetites
1 1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup milk, at room temperature
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside. Break the eggs into another bowl and beat well. Mix in the melted butter (make sure its cooled so it doesn’t cook the eggs!) the milk and vanilla, and stir well. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and combine using a large metal whisk. Stir only until just combined. Let the batter rest for a few minutes while you heat up your griddle. With a little melted butter or vegetable oil on your griddle, pour out about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake. Flip ‘em once they’re golden brown.



And for my Second recipe: Homemade Pizza

We love making pizza around here. When ever we make pizza we usually tend to make two different kinds. The first has become our favorite! It is a homemade version of one of the local pizza places here in Lethbridge (Two Guy's Pizza). We like to try and make their 'Honey Almond Chicken' pizza. If you have not yet tasted their pizza...it is a must.

For the crust: (again this comes from my MIL- really good recipe!)

Mix together:
          2 cups flour (I usually do 1cup white and 1 cup whole wheat)
          1 Tbsp instant yeast

Mix and add to the above:
          1 cup very warm water
          1 tsp salt
          1 tsp sugar
          3 Tbsp oil
Knead until medium soft dough is formed, adding flour as needed. Let rise 20 minutes (I always just cover the bowl and put it in my oven with only the oven light on). Flatten out on greased pizza pan, pushing edges up the sides. (Makes on large cookie sheet or two round pizza pans)
Bake 10 min @ 425 or add toppings, bake as directed
(Softer crust - add toppings to dough, then bake 10 min)
(Crispier crust - Bake 10 min, add toppings and bake again until cheese is melted and toppings are warm)

This is our Two Guys wanna be pizza

Toppings:
for the sauce I use Hickory Smoked BBQ sauce
Cubed chicken
Pineapple
Cheese
Peppers (if I have them, I use any colour)
and Almonds on the very top

This past week we tried a NEW pizza, I found the recipe here. It wasn't a HUGE -OH MY GOSH this is AMAZING pizza, but we all enjoyed it and I'll probably make it again.

Sausage, Tomato and Artichoke Pizza
1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed and sausage crumbled
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped fine and drained
1 (6 ounce) jar marinated artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper


Saute the sausage in a skillet until cooked and lightly golden brown.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl.
Add the onion, garlic, oregano, and basil to the skillet.
Cook over low heat until the onion is soft and starting to brown.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the sausage. Mix well.
Season with salt and pepper.

Spread the sausage mixture evenly over the pizza dough.
Top with the tomatoes, artichokes, both chesses, salt and pepper.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Well that's it from me! I will try not to let this 'slip' again! I'm linking up to Share a Meal Monday over at Itz Mitz!! Go and check out the other recipes!

hazardous to their health

...Okay so maybe not to their health...but for their well being!!

So as you know Paisley is now up and walking everywhere! (click here to see the video) She was...(key word *was*) doing good, no falls, no trips, no bruises...until day nine of walking....day nine, and ten were not that nice to my Paisley girl. In two days this is what my little girl managed to have happen to her

My poor girl! I felt so bad for her!!

Now take Marshall, he's been walking for over 2 years...you would think he'd get the hang of it by now...it must have been one of those days. On the same day that Paisley got her first two 'beauty marks' Marshall got one of his own, it wasn't too bad. I think I just like the story that goes with it!

 

We (Marshall and I) decided that we were going to go and clean the van out (believe me it needed it). Marshall was walking to the van with garbage bag in hand. Just like a true boy he was caught up in his 'day dream', swinging the bag up and down in the air, while twirling in circles. I tell ya, it takes talent...but he twirled right smack dab into the middle of a tree! Poor boy, he was totally taken off guard! It took everything within me not to chuckle out loud!

I am happy to say that since these incidents, both of my children have been doing very well in the walking department :)

Daddy's song

Usually everyday Marshall does something to make me laugh! For a while now when we get into the van he will ask for me to put music on. Since it's just me and the kids I usually put on country music, because I like it and they can't tell me no. (other wise, I would never get a chance to listen to it!)

Every time Marshall will tell me "No Mom, that's Daddy's song".
I've tried asking "Why is it Daddy's song?"
                         "What makes it Daddy's song?"
                         "What is a Mommy song?"
All he gives me is "No that's Daddy's song"

It doesn't matter if it's a female or a male singing, or what station it is on...it's Daddy's song!

on her own two feet

So Miss P is walking now, and loving it! In fact she starts to 'cry' when I pick her up as we are leaving work because she would rather walk the long long hallway. BUT since her brother is a lot faster than her and likes to "wait for Mom outside"...as in outside the building...we have to 'book it'.

Here are her first steps. (not her very first, as she did those on August 28th, and then didn't take anymore until October 3rd! (this video)

I love watching this, i think she looks like a little drunk person...but the cutest one you ever did see :)

his favourite

Marshall LOVES the Pixar movie 'Cars'. He has a lot of the cars from the movie and a Mack truck. He plays with them allll day! If it's not that, he's playing with Buzz lightyear...who is usually flying with Lightning McQueen. In fact most mornings he is more concerned with finding his two Lightnings, two Sallys, Buzz, Woody and Mack so he can put them on the counter (...it's high enough that Paisley can't reach them!) than he is with eating breakfast!

Lately I've noticed more and more dialogue from the movie coming into his play (and honestly he doesn't even watch the movie all that much, I'd say he's probably seen it 3-4 times in the last 2 months). It just amazes me how much he actually remembers from it. I love to stop what I am doing and listen from the other room. I have attempted to get a video of it for a while now...but as usual, when the camera comes out...whatever it was you wanted to catch, stops.

Although today was different. We were sitting down for lunch, and he starts quoting Cars. I listened to the whole scene where Mator is trying to convince Lightning to go tractor tipping with him. Not only is it just dialogue, but he's got the sound effects down to a T! You can't hear it that well on the video, but he even does the whole part after the tractor has been tipped, and makes the noise (gluging) of their gas being all jerked around from tipping and then the whole  'letting the pressure out'. I don't know about you, but I get a kick out of it!

This video isn't as good as what I listened to the first time...but it was the best he would give me of the tractor tipping scene!

Points of Interest

06 seconds- Mator "bawking" like a chicken cause Lightning doesn't want to scare the tractors
18 seconds- Lightning reving his engine, to tip the tractors
30 seconds- the tractor noises (after being tipped)

The next 'bid' he did for me was the very opening scene of the movie where Lightning is giving himself a prep talk before the race!! I love this one, he's added sound effects for this as well!!

Points of Interest
0 - 30 seconds- Lightning's self prep talk
40 - 1:26- the song that plays right as Lightning enters the track (Keep your eye on him at 1:09, as he even does the "UH" in the song with his lip moving over to the one side...just like the car)
2 min 13 seconds- it clicks!

Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!

Growing up too fast

Three weeks ago, BOTH my babies out grew their car-seats and moved up into the next "size"! It was great timing. We bought Marshall a new one, and Paisley took over the old one!

(Although it only took Paisley a whole 14 months to move to a forward facing car-seat!)

We done good!

As I am sure many of you do, we at Thanksgiving go around the table and each get a turn to say some things that we are grateful for.

This year we had two Thanksgiving dinners, one at my In laws, and the other at my Aunt and Uncles.When it came to Marshall's turn at our second dinner without hesitation he said "Umm, I'm grateful for Jesus Christ, Amen"

Both Irish and I looked at each other and Smiled! "We done good!"

Marshall is such a sweet and caring little boy, and already very protective of his little sister. While we are at the gym, if anyone takes a toy from her, or knocks her down, he will march right up to them stick his face a little too close to theirs and say "You be nice to my sweetie pie"

Once during snack time in nursery she was sitting at the table with all the other kids, he gets up off his chair, goes over to her, puts his hands or her shoulders and proudly says "This is my beautiful girl"

When he gets the chance he LOVES helping her have her bottle.

Lately they have been playing sooooo well together, I love it!

Tortellini Soup

This weeks recipe comes from my Mother-in-law, therefore you know it's gonna be delicious!

 

Tortellini Soup

1 # Italian sausage  - remove meat from casing (Unless you buy just the sausage meat), 

 Brown & drain.  

Add the remaining ingredients & simmer 30 minutes

1 c. chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

5 c. beef broth

1 c. water

2 c. canned tomatoes

1 c. thinly sliced carrots

1 c. tomato sauce

1/2 t. each basil & oregano

Then add: 2 t. chopped parsley

1 1/2 c. diced zucchini

2 c. cheese filled tortellini

1 green pepper chopped

Simmer 40 minutes or until tortellini is tender.

Enjoy!

 

*This time we made it we didn't have any tortellini. Instead we used 3/4 cup of Barley and 3/4 cup of Orzo noodles. It was OH.SO.GOOD!

 

I'm linking up over at Itz Mitz, go check out the other yummy recipes!

Weeknight cheesy pasta skillet

My Friend Michelle has this wonderful idea! She is calling it SAMM (Share a Meal Monday). Every monday you post a meal that you had the previous week. Then when it's almost supper time, and you can't think of anything to make...just hop on over and check out all the yummy meals!! I'm really excited about this!

So here it is, my first SAMM!


weeknight cheesy pasta skillet
what you need:
3 cups rotinit pasta, uncooked
1.5 LBS boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
3 cups frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots,) thawed and drained
1 cup salsa
2.5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you feel like using)


make it:
Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook and stir chicken in large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until chicken is done.
Add vegetables and salsa, cook on medium heat for 3 minutes or until heated through.
Drain pasta, add to skillet with cheese, stir until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

(This particular time we just added the cheese on top instead of mixing it in the whole dish)

Joke of the day

...or every day for that matter!


Marshall likes to 'tell jokes'.

 Everyday, usually when we are at the table eating a meal (...so yes, this happens three times a day) Marshall will say:


M: Knock Knock
Usually me: Who's there?
M: Grandma, Great Grandma and Grandpa!!
and then lets out this big laugh, followed by "oh that funny mom"

Everyday, when I am "talking with Mother Nature" Marshall will:
Knock on the door while saying "Knock, Knock"
Me: Who's there?
M: it's ASTRO BOY! (followed by laughing)


I love my little guy! I'm glad he thinks he is so hilarious! We all laugh with him...well mostly it's with him, but usually it's at him, but only cause his facial expressions and his actions are so.darn.cute.

Marshall, I love you so much. I enjoy watching you grow everyday! I hope you never stop telling us your jokes!!

doughnuts

Last week it was really cold in our house and our pilot light wasn't lit, so I couldn't turn the furnace on, and Irish wasn't home to light it.....SO I decided I needed to bake something so we could warm ourselves up...and have a yummy treat!

I was looking through my recipe binder (which i LOVE) and I saw tons of things that looked good...but I didn't have all the ingredients needed for it. So finally i decided we would make something that I've kind of wanted to try for a while now - Apple Cider Doughnuts!

Paisley was sleeping and Marshall was bored, so it was perfect. We got the bowls out, measuring cups & spoons, and got to work. Marshall was so excited he got to scoop and pour all of the ingredients into the bowl and mix!

Finally we got to the point in the recipe where we needed to fry the doughnuts. I told Marshall that he could watch, but this part was kind of tricky and only Mommy could do it. It ended up M just playing in the sink of water with all the measuring cups, spoons and bowls (he had a blast...and didn't even get that wet!!)

Here is our end result. Not as pretty as the picture from the magazine...but I'm sure just as tasty!!

Apple Cider Doughnuts


With the 'left over scraps' we made Apple Cider "Timbits"


Here's the recipe if you want to try it yourself! These actually weren't even that hard!!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup apple cider (I just used apple juice)
4 Tbsp butter, melted
Vegetable oil for frying

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp apple cider (again, I used apple juice)

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and cider. Stir in the melted butter. Make a well in the flour mixture and stir in the wet ingredients.

Turn the soft dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1/2-inch-high round. Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot over medium heat.

Use a doughnut cutter to form rings (or just use a glass and poke holes into the rings). Once the oil begins to bubble, use a spatula to carefully lower a doughnut into the hot oil. (you can do more than one at a time, just don't crowd the pot)

Once the doughnuts rise to the surface and begin to brown, flip them with the spatula.

Remove after 2 to 3 minutes, or when the doughnuts are golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

For a glaze, stir together the confectioners sugar and the cider. Spoon the mixture over the doughnuts.

Enjoy :)

Most Amazing Brownies!

Tonight I made "the most amazing brownies"...well they could have been a little better but I think I baked them a little too long. (or maybe it was my oven) (so keep an eye on them near the end when YOU make them)

ANYWAYS, other than the outside ones being a little crunchy, they were DELICIOUS! Brownie, Chocolate, and Caramel all wrapped into ONE, what could be better?!?

So here it is, I give you, the recipe! (OH and I must give IRISH the credit, he FOUND the recipe!!)

I only give you two warnings
1) Handle with care
2) Eat responsibly :)

ENJOY

The Most Amazing Brownies <-- Click

How to become motivated!

I've seen this video floating around the world wide web for a bit now and each time I get a chuckle out of it. This little girl is sooooo cute!

I think if we all did this each morning, we would have better days :)

Enjoy a dose of 'Daily Affirmation'

Stripper time

Tonight I had a chuckle.

We finished bath time and I was getting Paisley all lotion-ed and into her P.J's. Irish was told by Marshall that "You need go downstairs, I put my jammas on by myself". SO with that Marshall was left in his room to put his P.J.'s on all by his big-boy-self. Paisley and I waited downstairs on the couch for him, and Irish went back to cleaning up the basement.

Quite surprisingly Marshall came down to the living room not too much longer after Paisley and I. He was indeed in is 'jammas' and as an added bonus they were on right side out and forwards.

I told Marshall to go and tell Dad that it was Scripture time.

So obediently he goes to the stairs and yells down to Irish "DAAAAD, IT'S STRIPPER TIME"

His Laugh

His Laugh is so contagious! I love it!

Today Marshall was downstairs watching Sesame Street while I was doing some cleaning and getting lunch ready. I hear him giggle, and then just burst out into his cute, adorable, real, contagious laugh. I didn't even know what he was laughing about, but from upstairs I was laughing too!

I love that he can make me laugh without even knowing it!!
Love you Big M!
Love Mom :)

crazy, terrible, no good day

It's been one of those days...who am I kidding it's been one of those weeks!! I honestly don't know what has happened with Marshall. It seems as though something has just snapped inside. He is absolutely crazy! Running everywhere, non stop jibberish (aka noise) coming from his mouth. The thing that is driving me crazy the most is the fact that he is not listening at ALL. I seriously have to repeat everything 10 times.

Today I was way past the end of my rope with him. It doesn't help that this week is that.time.of.the.month for me so I'm already a little more 'moody' & (by choice) I'm at my SIL's house so therefore no parental trade offs to allow me a cool down!!

Not a thing I said today made any sense to Marshall. He did not listen at all. I was so worked up, and frustrated with him! I have no clue what to do. How do I discipline with love, while still letting him know that I mean business!

Bed time was a gong show! We are all in the same room, so the hecticness is a little crazy. I put P in her playpen, got M in his bed, told him to stay in his bed and not to bother P. Five minutes after walking out I see the light go on, then the talking started, then laughing...and then crying. I then go in, re-settle the kids into their beds. This happens about five different times and each time trying to get through to M that he can not bother Paisley and he needs to stay in his bed!! Finally after getting P settled in the playpen, I remove M from the room and make him sleep on the bathroom floor (just until P fell asleep). When it's time to put M back in the room I slowly and sternly tell him that he must not make any noise what.so.ever!

After I get M back into his bed, I'm leaning over him with my forehead to his. I tell him that if he wakes Paisley up or bothers her at all it will make Mommy so very sad.

What he does next, melted my heart. He puts his arms around my neck and in the sweetest voice he has he says "Don't cry Mom"

I gave him a kiss and told him I loved him very much, and I needed him to go to sleep.

Afterwords I was thinking to myself. What happened that made today the way it was? Why was I so incredibly lost with him? Where did my patients go?!

Then out of no where the scene from Legally Blonde comes to mind when Elle is trying to convince her team that Brooke is innocent

"Exercising releases endorphans, endorphans make you happy, happy people don't just kill their husbands"

It was then I realized that I didn't get to do my work out today....If this is how my day turns out when I don't exercise....I will never miss another workout again!!

Don't call me names

You know I try to be a good person, Christlike and giving of my time/possessions. But when it just gets thrown back in my face with no thanks at all, it drives me crazy!

This morning I've been trying to tackle this still-not-unpacked-and-organized-house of ours! I left the front door open because it was letting in a wonderful breeze.

I was washing out my garbage pails in the kitchen sink when I hear a loud "HELLO!?" from the font door. I walk towards it to see this young lady, who has large black bags under her eyes and seems like she is hung over/recovering from some sort of narcotic, missing multiple teeth and most likely homeless or something close to it.

She asks me if I have 5 bucks to give her. She's starving and needs food. Marshall then comes to the door (he always needs to investigate who comes to the door). She sees him and then says she needs the 5 bucks for her kids, their hungry. I ask her how many she has, she replies 3.

I say "You need food? I'll give you food. I have lots of apples, crackers, I'll make them sandwiches"

I go into the kitchen to grab some apples. I put them in a bag, and while I'm in there she yells

"I don't need food hunny, I need money"

I replie "I'm not giving you money hunny (just because she called me that, and I detest that 'pet name') But I would be more than happy to give you food"

I hand her the bag of apples, she rolls her eyes and starts to mouth me off using words I don't want to hear and really don't want Marshall to hear. I promptly shut the door and lock it! I then hear a loud thud, I peak out the curtains and this girl has chucked the bag of apples at my stairs!!

So to the girl who came by my house this morning:
I'm not stupid, I know what you want the money for! Sorry but I won't support that. If in fact you are hungry, come back and I will gladly share my food with you, and maybe bring your kids this time so that they can have some too, I don't like to hear that children are going hungry! Oh and don't get any ideas of vandalizing my property because I will remember what you look like! And please, don't call me names, especially in front of my child!

...now back to making some order in this house!

Boys

I don't know what was different about today than any other day, but boy oh boy was Marshall OFF the wall!! He was absolutely nuts! I don't know where he got his energy from, but I wouldn't mind a bit if he shared with me, even just a little!!

We just moved into the other side of the duplex and I still have some organizing to do, so needless to say there are still boxes everywhere. This morning I was trying to get the dishes done and figure out how I wanted my kitchen set up/re-arranging cupboards.

Paisley was down for a nap so I was trying to make the most of the time by getting stuff done. Marshall was seriously here, there and everywhere. Running around inside and out. He asked for a snack so I cut up an apple for him and told him to eat it on the steps outside!

I don't think this kid knows how to talk quietly-at all! (which is something I am currently working on with him...INSIDE voice...PLEASE!)

So I'm doing to the dishes when I hear-

"Maaaan....MAAAAAN....maaaan" I knew right away he must have seen the Mailman!! I quickly run outside and tell him to stop yelling at the mailman, that he couldn't talk to him right now because he was doing his job, which was to give everyone their mail. I tell him to calm down and NOT to yell at people.

A little while later I hear more yelling. My brother-in-law Jay comes in (he's here re-doing the bathroom) and asks
J-"Did you hear Marshall?"
K-"I heard him, but I don't know what he said"

He then goes on to reenact what Marshall said/did.

Marshall is standing outside by the front stairs holding a stick in one hand with it raised up in the air above his head. He then starts to yell while looking around to see if anyone can hear him "I FOUND A STIIIIIIIIICK" (repeating it over and over)

All morning I kept saying "oh my goodness, I don't know what is up with Marshall today, he is crazy" Finally at lunch time Jay says "I think he's just being a boy"

My conclusion - Boys are crazy!! But crazy or not I still love mine!!

This was too cute not to post!

It's quarter after 10, waaaaaay past the time Marshall should be actually sleeping in his bed. I am downstairs watching TV and I hear foot steps upstairs. I go up to check things out and see Marshall standing by the fridge. This is our following conversation:

Me: "Marshall, what are you doing?"
Marshall: "umm just looking out the window (while he points to it), umm looking at mack & lightning & this"
Me: "Marshall do you need to pee?"
Marshall: "No, I did already"
Me: "what?! where?" (slightly panicking as he went to bed in his underwear)
Marshall: "Come here Mom, I show you"

He then walks towards his bedroom, but turns into the bathroom and walks towards the toilet.

Marshall: "See mom, i pee here (pointing IN the toilet bowl), not there (pointing at the seat), there (IN the toilet bowl).
Me: Relieved "Okay, Marshall thank you SO much for peeing on the toilet! Now it's time to go back bed, okay?!"
Marshall: " Okay Mom, goodnight...(and then yells from his room) You go downstairs and watch basketball, okay!?"

So funny! I wonder if he knows there is more on TV than basketball!

I love my little boy! I love his developing personality, his increased speech/comprehension, and imagination!

running

Ok, so I've really been trying to get back into running lately. I would really like to run some races, i think eventually a half marathon...but right now that is looking next to impossible! I just want to be able to run and run and run...and feel great about it...AND while doing it! I would say I'm somewhat motivated to run...I get going on a semi-consistent basis...and then it rains! I'm not THAT motivated to go out running in the rain!

Latley I can barely make 5K. To be honest, I hate every second if it, I feel like such a whimp because I want to give up...or just stop. But the feeling I get when I'm done my run, knowing I just ran ___ (so many K) makes me really happy. I love how I feel for the rest of the day after I run!

I need to figure out a few things though.
1) a breathing pattern...so I can feel like i'm getting SOME air while I run
2) how to pace myself
3) what I can do to make my knee not hurt for the rest of the day after I run!

Right now, my current goal is to run 5K on July 3rd...and not even joking...the main reason I want to do a race...is for the shirt!! how lame is that!! haha!!

Ohh goodness! ...so if any of you out there are runners, have some good tips for me, I would LOVE to hear them!! :)

i know

The last little while Marshall has acquired a few favorite sayings
1) why not (to absolutely everything!!)
2) dat (that) funny mom/dad
3) I love it (to everything!)
4) I know

He picked up the first three by himself, but the fourth one he picked up from me. I didn't realized how often I said this phrase until Marshall started saying it. When I say it, it's usually because Paisley is getting tired or hungry and she is crying. Or I am helping Marshall in some way and I can't get to her right away and so I say "I know, I know Paisley girl" or "I know hunny/sweetie pie"..etc just to let her know i hear her...but am occupied at the moment.

Marshall has now picked up the same saying, and uses it in almost the same way. If we are driving in the van and she starts crying he will say in the sweetest little sincere voice you have ever heard "I know...i know paysee. It's okay we going home/grandpas house/store" followed by "it's otay sweetie pie".
Seriously just to hear him be so concerned with his little sister brings a smile to my face! Since Paisley is beginning to be a little more mobile and play on her own a lot better, the two of them have started to play so nicely together. I could just sit and watch them play together all day. I hope they will be able to hold on to this friendship that they have as the years go by.

One for the baby book

Okay, so I am aware that it was just good timing, and nothing really that Paisley did knowingly...but tonight my little girl (10 months) POOPED on the potty.

It was bath time, Marshall was all done and I just put Paisley in. She started playing and splashing like she usually does...and then she sat there very still! All I had to do was look at her face and I knew what she was about to do! Without thinking I grabbed her and sat her on the potty. I told her "no pooping in the tub missy" and she actually kinda giggled! She sat on the potty for a couple minutes...and then she did it! I was so happy!

UGH!!

Sooooo frustrating! Taxes, why do they have to be so complicated?!? Why do we have to be so cheap that we try to to them ourselves and cause our own headache when we could be paying someone else who KNOWS what they are actually doing...to do them FOR us!?!? Seriously!

I just found out today that I actually did not submit my taxes for this year....I thought I did, like 3 WEEKS AGO! Irish already got his return back, and I have been patiently waiting for mine. I didn't understand why he would get his back so fast when we submitted them on the same day! So today I was checking my account on the CRA website...and noticed that for the 2009 tax return it said it had NOT been received!?!?! I was so confused!

I then go searching, because I was pretty sure I had paid for it, and printed out and filed something! (I should learn to read the fine print)

At the top of the paper that I printed it says "This receipt confirms payment for your QuickTax return preparation. This payment process does not netfile your return with the CRA. Please proceed with printing or netfiling your return" Man do I feel dumb!!

So I then login to send off my taxes, thinking it's only going to take 10 seconds because everything was already entered and ready to go.

WELL I get to the end and it tells me that I can't NETFILE it because 'the province I was self-employed in is different than my province of residence'....well that was the case for 2008....but not for 2009, I wasn't even self-employed in 2009. I then go back to look over my personal/work info. NO WHERE do I have selected that I was self-employed in 2009....it's just pulling the info from when I filed my taxes last year. I can't find anywhere to delete that! So frustrating. I could just print it and mail it...but right on the front page of my T1 it says that my province of self-employment is SK....I don't know how the CRA office feels about white out...but I am tempted!!

I'm calling it quits tonight...hopefully I can figure something out tomorrow! I really DON'T want to have to snail mail it, because then I have to provide a copy of ALL my slips and things...maybe i'm just lazy, but that is more work than I am willing to do right now!

5 years of Happiness :)

Yesterday Irish and I celebrated our 5th year of being Married! We have reached half a decade!! What a milestone :)

I remember when we were newly engaged and people told us to 'just remember the first year is the hardest'...so we braced ourselves and willingly took on the 'challenge' :)

After we came upon our 1st anniversary we both looked at each other and said "well if that was the hardest year, bring on the rest!!" Neither one of us thought that it was all that difficult!

Now 5 years later we have two wonderful children, Irish has one year left here at the UofL (hopefully) and we are just one happy family :)

This morning I looked back on previous anniversary pictures, just to see how we have changed, what situations we were in at the time, and where we were living. It was fun....here is how the last 5 years have been for us

April 28 2005- we got MARRIED :)

We lived in Lethbridge for our first 2 years, in 2 different places. 1st a cozy little apartment so close to the college I could walk there in less than 10 minutes. Our 2nd place was a cute house that Irish's parents bought, which we helped touch up the upstairs (the previous people smoked...so washing and repainting the walls was necessary!) renovate the basement. We lived upstairs with my sister (Kristi) and rented out the basement to college students.

Our 1st Anniversary

We Went to Banff, rode the Gondola, went into almost every shop, had an amazing meal at 'The Keg' and just had a nice relaxing weekend away!!

Our 2nd Anniversary

For our 2nd anniversary we decided to go to 'The Keg' again...you can never go wrong with a meal there! We didn't do too much else as I was almost full term with Marshall (He was born 10 days later!)

Two days after Marshall was born we moved to Calgary for the summer (May-August) and lived with My Aunt and Uncle, until we moved to Regina for School!

Our 3rd Anniversary

We actually don't have a picture of just Irish and I on our 3rd Anniversary as we moved back to Lethbridge two days before our Anniversary and were busy unpacking and getting settled in with Irish's Brother and family. As I recall I ended up making supper for everyone and some of their friends on our anniversary...oh well!

Our 4th Anniversary

We hired a babysitter, and went out for sushi...except I didn't get sushi as I had never had it before and didn't think it was the best thing to try while I was 6 months pregnant with Paisley!

Our 5th Anniversary

With the help of Marshall I made Irish 5 Black forest cupcakes, as that is his favorite cake...so I thought I would make him a mini version of the cake...one for each year we have been married



Irish surprised me with this beautiful bouquet of roses at the restaurant we went to, which also was a surprise! All I knew was that I was picking up the babysitter at 6:45!!



I love my man! :)

Flirty Apron

A while back my Aunt was in Utah and saw these cutsie aprons! Being the smart and talented woman she is, she bought one and then took it home to figure out the pattern. In her ward she is the RS president, and they decided to make these for a 'non-enrichment' activity...lol.

Shortly after I was at her house and saw hers, I LOVED it so much I decided I was going to get the pattern and make one for myslef!

Yes, I made mine reversible :)




(This picture is courtesy of Marshall...notice is head in the picture too!!)

So this past Valentines day I made Irish a list of 100 things I loved about him. I knew at that point I wanted to do something more with it...i just didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. This past week I was scrapbooking with two different sister in laws, and I finished my mini album!



I decided to 'highlight' a few of my favourites....


#03 You hold me tight
#25 You have amazing eyes


#66 You let me squish your smooth shaved face
#80 You are a fantastic father



#100 You took me to the Temple so we could be together forever


There are two pockets which hold the entire list (1-100 in no particular order)

Gave it my best shot

Well I am somewhat happy, but somewhat sad to say I am DONE. By done, I mean done breastfeeding Miss P. On one hand it's really nice to not be the only person who can take care of her when she is hungry, it gives me so much more flexibility and freedom that I had somewhat forgotten about! But on the other hand it was something so special and a responsibility that I didn't mind doing...especially because sometimes it got me out of things I didn't necessarily like doing...like dishes :)

Before Paisley was born I wasn't nervous at all about having another baby. I thought I knew what it was all about and that I had everything somewhat under control. Boy did I learn my lesson that no two babies are the same.

With Marshall I didn't have any issues with nursing. He latched extremely well, ate 10 minutes on both sides every time he nursed his whole 11.5 months of nursing, when we introduced solids he was such a good eater, he ate anything we put in front of him. We had no issues with weaning him, and it only took a couple days before he figured out his sippy cup...which was no big deal as it wasn't a real necessary thing that he be using one.

Paisley on the other hand was pretty much the complete opposite! From day one she wasn't latching properly but soon figured it out. We were doing pretty good until somewhere around 3.5 months where she decided she would eat on her own schedule...which meant she sometimes would go 7-8 hours between feedings during the DAY. This was a very stressful time for me as I KNEW she needed to eat more often, especially with her being so tiny weight wise. I would try to feed her every 3 hours, sometimes trying to get her to latch for 40 minutes at a time. Sometimes she would scream and cry, turn her head everywhere but in the right direction and just flat out refuse to eat!

After about two weeks of this non-sense and going to the Dr multiple times ( I thought maybe she had an ear infection, but did not) she was back to somewhat on a regular eating schedule.

Sometimes she would nurse fine, other times she wouldn't nurse very long at all, and often she would refuse.

She got to be very picky about the places and circumstances in which we could nurse. If there was noise - forget it, sometimes she would only nurse if she was covered, but then other times she would only nurse if she could see my face...but I could not look at her! If she could hear Marshall or if Marshall got too close while she was trying to nurse it was game over! -needless to say I was at my wits end!

After "playing her game" for almost 4 months I couldn't do it anymore. I wasn't sure if it was me (milk supply) or her. Prior to this I was doing everything I knew to try to increase my milk supply: stopped working out, drinking TONS of water, eating healthy foods, taking herbal supplements, TRYING to nurse often, and trying to pump in between everything else!

SO at the beginning of March I finally decided that I NEEDED to monitor how much our little girl was actually taking in! I borrowed a pump from a friend and started exclusively pumping. Although at this time Miss P still wasn't taking a bottle...but after putting up a hunger strike for 9.5 hours she finally realized that the only way she was going to get anything was from a bottle!!

We then ventured into the world of pumping!! I started to learn a lot about my body!

[travel back in time for a minute] When Marshall was nursing I never felt let down at all, not once. I had no idea what it was...My first appointment with the health nurse she asked me if i had felt 'let down'..."Let down, what's that" was my reply...she explained and said it was okay as some mom's just don't feel it!

WELL after Paisley I knew what other mom's were talking about -wow!...I guess I never put 2 and 2 together...I think i felt let down for about up 3.5 months...which is the time Paisley started having nursing issues!

After I started pumping and could actually see what was going on I realized that Paisley wasn't nursing long enough to allow the let down happen (as I realized it took a full 5 min for something to happen....no wonder the poor thing was so frustrated!!

I seriously felt like that's all I did....ALL DAY! Pump, feed Paisley, drink water, play with the kids, put Paisley down for a nap....and the cycle started all over again!!

After doing this for 3 weeks I was at the end of my nursing days...I dried up! We made it to 8 months...I gave it all that I had, and I'm okay with that! The most important thing is that she is eating relatively well, enjoying her solids and bottles (although this does now depend on her teething status!!) I love our little girl :)

Sibling Love

It's really late, so I should really be in bed...but i've had the 'itch' to blog something for a while now...just haven't found the time to do so.

First off, It makes me so happy that Marshall is such a caring big brother. He absolutely LOVES Paisley. He is constantly hugging and kissing her, getting toys for her, making her laugh, and now that she is a little more mobile on the floor he is helping her get 'un-stuck' from underneath the couches!

But today, it just melted my heart when I was making supper and looked over into the living room and saw this...



He was just 'hangin' out' with Miss P, giving her loves!! (SO glad I had time to grab the camera and snag a picture)

I know the squabbles will come...but I hope for the most part they can be best buds and continue to keep on 'hangin' out'.

Too fast!!

It's crazy how fast your little babies grow up! Our Paisley girl is already 6 and a half months! She a rolling machine, she giggles at most anything and usually greets anyone with a big wide contagious smile! (...unless you have a big bushy beard...then she's a little hesitant!!)



This week she is now 'sporting' TWO new teeth!! Her first tooth cut through on Wednesday. I could see the second one and didn't think it would take that long for it to follow suit...but I didn't expect it to pop through the very next day!! So our little girl cut her first two teeth in two days! Now that's what I call "gettin' it done!"

I'm sure she is quite happy to have them through now, cause let me tell you the past week has not been to pleasant...for her or myself! It's so hard to see them in so much pain! She would usually have an okay morning, but come afternoon and evening...she would be hurtin' pretty bad.
These are some pictures I took of her in the morning on the day she cut her first tooth (i LOVE the lighting that window gives into our living room!!)

I feel my tooth!


I'm a poser


I can fly!


...Mom your making me sick with all these pictures!! (sorry I just could leave that one out!!)

Couldn't ask for a better day!

Today was seriously such a good day!! I enjoyed every minute of it! Both Paisley and Marshall were SUPER good ALL day today! It was amazing! There was hardly any whining at all! Marshall was so happy about everything we did, and had such a great attitude!!

It possibly had something to do with the fact that we kept so busy...you know what they say about being idle! Here is what our day looked like:

-We got up and had some breakfast (Oatmeal, made by Dad - THANK YOU)
-Cleaned breakfast up, and got ready for the day
-Put Miss P down for a nap
-Had some quality time with Marshall (Worked on his ABC's, Colors, Shapes, and Opposites)
-Helped Marshall play some Fisher Price toddler games on the computer, while I did some paper work
-Ate lunch
-Went to Bootcamp (Had an AWESOME workout!!)
-Went to the bank
-Came home and had a snack
-Read some books with Marshall (while Miss P was down for yet another nap)
-Got supper going while playing basketball with Big M
-Picked Irish up from downtown, went and checked out some b-ball shoes for him
-Ate supper as a family (the best part of our day)
-Cleaned supper up while Irish gave M a bath and cut his finger and toe nails...and picked out his toe jam!! (It's so cute, but Marshall gets the biggest kick out of his Toe Jam!!)
- Read scriptures and said bed time prayers with Marshall and put him in bed
-The banana bread baking began
-Started to learn some Creole (SO EXCITING!) while I was being a "patient" for Irish (practicing taping ankles)

And to top off the day...I'm going to go to bed BEFORE midnight!! I hope for many more days like this one, it was spectacular!!

...Too bad I don't have a cute picture to go with it....

Lost, if found please contact ME

Lost: Patience
Contact: ME
Need by: ASAP

I don't know what it is, but lately I have NO patience for a certain little boy in our house! Everything is driving me crazy. He's being too loud, he doesn't want help...OH but wait YES he does, everything has to be done a certain way, he is the only one allowed to say the prayers (and NO he doesn't need help with that!), all he ever wants to do is watch movies, he NEEDS a nap but won't take one, everything is a race and if he isn't in front of you/doesn't win - OH DEAR! He KNOWS how to put his underwear and pants on after the potty but lately it's "this way, this way, this way"...after being told what way they go on, instead of telling me he "has to go", his signal is jumping up and down on the spot and whining, and why oh why does he have to POUND his feet into the floor as he runs across it?! .....

I have to keep reminding myself that he is my CUTE, ENERGETIC, TWO YEAR old boy whom I LOVE...and somehow we get through the day without me exploding.

SO if you have seen my patience please tell it to get it's lil bum back home NOW! Thank you

Preschool Verdict

First off if you are reading this and you are one of the many that posted your comments on my Facebook, thank you.

I didn't even realize that Marshall would be old enough to attend preschool this September until a friend asked me if I was putting him in this year. After she asked, I got thinking about it and really the only reason why I would consider it is so Paisley and I could have some one on one time...is that selfish of me?!

After weighing out all the for and against sending him, keeping him home seems like the best idea. I think right now the best thing for him is to be able to be at home with us and bond with his sister...and me :)

As far as the interacting with other children is considered, I really don't think he will have a hard time making friends. (The other night we took him to a basketball game and he just went from one group of kids to the next group running and playing right along with them.)

I think right now I am exposing him to a variety of different learning situations within our community. We attend a Mommy and toddler workout class where he sees the importance of exercising and being active, while learning to listen to another adult. Time for 2's at the library where we have circle time, sing lots of fun hand game rhymes and read books. We also go to "Gym time" at the YMCA where he can just run around and jump and be the energetic kid he is.

...So as it stands right now preschool is not for us, after all I only get to have him home with me for a short time...then before I know it, he will be in kindergarten!!

A long time coming...and only half way there

Soooo I've been trying to make a quilt for Marshall for just over a year now. I had my cousin purchase the material in the states in December '08, cut the material out with my Mother-in-law just after Christmas (2008)....and then I was sort of 'stuck' for a while trying to find the right images for the pieces I was going to applique!

It wasn't until this past November ('09) that I actually got started on the applique part, and go figure just as I was on a roll getting them done one by one...my machine decides it doesn't like to 'zig zag' anymore!! I was really wanting to get this quilt done for Marshall for this Christmas ('09)...but with my machine in the shop, I lost two weeks of quality sewing time!

So I didn't REALLY get started until December 22, when we were on our Christmas holidays and I was able to sew alllll day for two days! Even then I still get it all done!

As of right now I have the entire top done, just need to add buttons for wheels, the word 'STOP' on the stop sign and get the back put together!

Here is what it looks like so far!


and close up's of the signs & vehicles...