Air Show!

all right all right. For all of you bugging me...at long last, here's a new post! Life has just been crazy lately...between taking care of the kids, yard work, endless house showings...yadda yadda yadda...
BUT
Andra and I had a lot of quality time over the weekend at the air show! It was really such a good time and some nice one-on-one time with my little gal.

Friday night, we went to the balloon glow. There wasn't much "glowing," because it gets dark so late, and they had to deflate the balloons when the wind kicked up, but we still got to spend plenty of time checking them out. It was pretty cool seeing that many in one spot. We tried to go to the State Fair balloon glow last year, but it was rained out...so it was nice to make it happen on our second attempt!

This was "Sad Andra" after we found out that she was too short to go on a tethered balloon ride. I know it's heartbreaking, but no worries...A little distraction and she was over it a few minutes later. She has to be 48 inches tall to ride, so I'm afraid it's gonna be a few years! :)

On Saturday, we went to the actual air show...just the last couple of hours of it. She got to see two light weight planes do some really cool tricks (red and blue, her favorite colors!). And the Blue Angels were the grand finale! I'd never seen them before, and they gave me goosebumps several times...and I'm not even a plane person! It was pretty incredible.

Here's Andra checking out the inside of a helicopter...

And below, an illustration of my motherly ingenuity. I knew the planes would be loud and that Andra wouldn't tolerate ear plugs, so we brought along her ear muffs...and they worked like charm! :)

It was a busy weekend, but we made some fun memories...and I'm sure we'll be attending future air shows! And maybe next time we'll let the boys join us. ;)

Gimme the Sweet Stuff

Just when you think you've seen it all in the Hoosier state... we discovered the National Maple Syrup Festival! Yep...right here in Indiana. Who knew?

A whole festival for maple syrup? Yes. And this had Dave's name all over it. He LOVES maple syrup. We actually buy bottles of pure maple syrup at the grocery store that cost $18. Yes, you read that right. $18. For a SINGLE bottle of syrup. The boy loves his syrup.

So the highlight of the festival is indulging in the syrup they make at the farm. It was divine. Our choices were a maple pork chop or pancakes with syrup. So we all chose the pancakes. Obviously. Something about eating hot pancakes in the crisp (almost!) spring air just warms the soul...and definitely fills the belly. Mmmm...it was delicious!

Getting ready to dive into our plate of pancakes! They were definitely homemade. And since I usually don't eat the pure maple syrup, it tasted especially rich to me! (and no, that's not a scoop of ice cream on the side...that's a generous scoop of butter!)

It really was a beautiful day to be outside...breezy but sunny, and it felt so good to fill our lungs with some fresh air after the horrible winter we've had! The pancakes made it even better. :)

So we learned a little about maple syrup (I still don't think Andra's convinced it comes from a tree), walked the wooded grounds, went on a horse and carriage ride, and indulged in a delicious brunch! It was a good day...definitely worth the trip. oh....and we bought pure maple syrup too. Dave forgot the check book, so we had to limit ourselves to one measley bottle. For $15. :) But we'll savor every last drop!

Did I Dream This?

Was it really 60 degrees?? In February?? Praise the Lord for the warm temps, snow melt, and breaths of fresh air for all of us!!
'nuff said!

Getting ready for a walk around the 'hood!

Making "Solid" Progress

Well, I'm embarking on a new adventure in motherhood. I've decided to make--as in homemake--all of Alec's baby food. Yes...peeling, slicing, dicing, blending, and storing. :) I feel a bit like Dianne Keaton in Baby Boom...you know, that 80's movie where she gets rich making baby food. Anyone? Anyone? Well, I happened to LOVE that movie for some weird reason when I was young.

To be honest, I was really nervous about this new goal of mine. But I know other mothers who work full-time (hello, guilt), and still managed to make all of their baby's food and PROMISED it was super easy. And to be honest, I've been pleasantly surprised...mainly because my friend Shannon and I went in together quite a while back and bought this awesome Beaba baby food maker. They say it's all the rage in Europe (and really, how would we know otherwise? It's not like I've been to Europe recently)...and this awesome gadget has now crossed the pond. Shannon used it first with her baby, then passed it down to me, and now I'm learning how to master this mighty little machine.

It intimidated me at first, but now I think I've got the hang of it! So here's the deal...you just prep the food (like I peeled and diced the above sweet potatoes...or even better, dump in a bag of frozen peas!). Then, it steams the food, then blends it...all in about ten minutes, AND, all in one dish...very little clean-up. And WAY cheaper than the jarred stuff. And I must say, I feel a sense of pride making his baby food. So Alec's first taste of "real" food was the above sweet potatoes. And let me tell you, he is INHALING them. Since the sweet potatoes, he's also mastered squash and carrots. Next, we'll add in some fruits!

He's a happy little guy in his high chair. He's becoming quite the little consumer of solid food, and I'm so proud. It's fun to add in new foods and watch his reaction. And he's been an EXCELLENT eater since the day he was born, so it's nice to have more fun with the whole eating-thing this time around (Andra was a horrible eater, which equaled a stressed out Mommy at most feedings!) So, Bon Appetite!

Baby Dedication

It was a special weekend for our little family of four! We had Alec dedicated at our church on Saturday night. Since everyone keeps asking me...it's not a baptism (although I certainly pray he makes that choice someday!), it's where parents make a promise in front of the congregation to raise their child in a Christian home. We did this with Andra as well...although the girl refuses to pray with us before dinner, we're trying our best!! :) *sigh* The wills of three year-olds... :)

So the moment was significant...although I must admit,we were more than slightly distracted. You see, my typically shy, quiet three year-old decided to show off some less than desirable behavior as we stood on stage. in front of the entire church, mind you. *more sighs* It was nothing incredibly dramatic, but still humilating for a mommy. She refused to stand still, and kept trying to make a bee line for family next to us. You see, each family had been given a baby's bible for the child being dedicated. All the families were standing on stage, and the baby bibles were sitting on the floor in front of each family. Well, Andra decided SHE wanted the bible of our neighboring family because it had a pink post-it on it. Our pink post-it wasn't good enough. She wanted it BAD. So she kept trying to make a run for it and grab it, and Dave had to keep physically pulling her back.
She resisted...
Squirming and arguing ensues...
note to self: trying to reprimand a three year-old in a whisper doesn't work very well...
this is starting to feel like the longest five minutes of my life...
Dave spots an old lady in the congregation shaking her head disapprovingly, as if we have no control over our children...

See? humiliating. (clearly, this woman has either (a) never had children, or (b) long since forgotten the challenges of toddlerhood)

Funny thing is...my sister's family was also having their newborn dedicated. As we're physically wrestling with Andra, I look down a few families only to see my sister also manhandling her three-year old, Garrett! I had to chuckle. The joys of parenthood! My parents were in the congregation, and I wanted to burst out laughing...their hearts must have been bursting with pride knowing THEIR two grandchildren were the two worst-behaved kids on stage! That said, Andra and Garrett are both outstanding, usually well-behaved kids. I think they were in cahoots together to embarrass their parents that night! :) (I was really glad Alec and Callie were being dedicated together...Andra and Garrett, as newborns, were also dedicated together the same night!)

Despite the drama...mission accomplished. We introduced Alec to our church and made a promise that will impact his life and every detail of it. Now I just pray, every day, for wisdom to guide him to God...what an awesome responsibility.

(check out Garrett's face in this one! haha! note: click on the picture for a full screen view to truly appreciate his face-making skills)

Winter Doldrums

I think we've got a case of the winter doldrums...at least that's the excuse I'm using for not blogging in so long. My "to do" list has seemed a mile long post-holidays. Christmas always brings lots of great new things (and toys!) for our house, so I had to do some serious purging and reorganizing. We have really outgrown our little home, and clutter makes me crazy, so home reorganization had to be completed before blogging. For the sake of my sanity. :)

So we don't have much new to report. Other than happy meal boxes on toddlers' heads....



...and lots more gummy grins from our jolly little guy. He is the most happy-go-lucky baby ever.

Nothing seems to rattle him...other than the blood curdling screams that come from our three year-old on occasion when she's having a tantrum. :) I know parents out there can relate. I think the winter makes it worse...we all need some fresh air and outside play time to blow off some steam! And it's only January...

We did "get out of dodge" over the weekend for a short trip to Purdue to visit my little bro. He's still kicking some serious academic and extra-curricular booty at school. And he's got his own digs too...he's living in an apartment with friends off campus. It was fun to hang out, catch up, and have an excuse to indulge in pizza together.

Until next time!...and I promise to not make it as long. hopefully. :)

Mission Accomplished! (Barely)

We did it! We got Andra on Santa's lap. By the skin of our teeth. :)

Let me back up. Andra refused to get within 20 feet of Santa last year. She loved seeing him in books and movies, but wanted nothing to do with him in "real life." But this year, she was talking a big talk...saying she'd sit on his lap on one condition: that her blankie could come with her. Fair enough. :)

So we headed to the museum today to see Santa and see if Andra was all talk. She was. Once we got within view of him, she said she didn't want to sit on his lap afterall. So I scooped her up and we started chatting with Santa. Then I plopped Alec on his lap. I think once Andra saw that her baby brother was sitting on Santa's lap and not afraid, she decided she could handle it too. So I plopped her in his lap (with her blankie, of course) and snapped a picture before she had a chance to change her mind. And despite weeks of practicing her list to recite to Santa, I think she was a little star struck once she was on his lap; she couldn't remember a single thing on her list to ask him for!

To be honest, I was a little bah-humbug today. You see, the entire purpose of our trip was for Andra to ride the little train in the Christmas exhibit (her train obsession continues). We'd been talking about the train for several days. When we arrived, we heard a nasty rumor that the train was...BROKEN. And wouldn't be running for a couple more days. I refused to believe it. Upon confirmation of this nasty rumor, I had to break the bad news to Andra. It didn't go over well, and I had a heartbroken, lower-lip-quivering, crying 3 year-old on my hands. She had her heart set on riding that train. My attitude soured even more when an old blue-haired lady declared that my heartbroken little girl was being "crabby." I almost unleashed my mommy fury on her. Crabby?? No. Heartbroken? Definitely.

I squelched her tears with a snack from my purse. Only to be told snacking was not allowed in the museum. So then we decided a fancy lunch in the tea room would help cheer her up. Come to find out, you MUST have reservations to eat in the tea room. Lovely. Next was the Santa visit, where I was required to turn MY camera over to Mrs. Claus to take some crummy pictures from a great distance. Or, of course, I could pay $18 for the professional one (even though I'd just paid FULL museum admission, despite the broken train!). I sweet-talked Mrs. Claus into PLEASE letting me take ONE photo...only to be told I had to stand a certain number of feet away from Santa to be allowed to take my photo with MY camera. Seriously?!? Merry Christmas to you too, Mrs. Claus. Oh, and Santa was right next to the sad little broken train, which was just like rubbing salt in Andra's wounds.

So we settled for greasy pizza in the museum cafeteria, a bit mopey, then headed toward the exit...only to experience our Christmas miracle. A staff member stopped us to tell us the train had been repaired!!! I'd like to kiss the engineer who repaired that train!

This was Andra's response to the good news. :) Too bad old blue-haired lady couldn't see my "crabby" little girl now.

So all was well again in Andra's little world. I guess I should've kept the faith. Lesson learned. :)
Merry Christmas to all, and to all skilled engineers nearby!