Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Snow Day
It's been so warm here this winter that our heat doesn't turn on most days. Wonderful! We did get one morning of snow though which was fun. Erik was so excited and exclaimed, "Mommy, I really, really love winter."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
School Boy
I really enjoy Erik at 4. I think it is a much more enjoyable age than 3. He is pretty well poised and enjoyable to be around (most days - not always). I really love watching him learn. He is like a sponge. It is really amazing.
His vocabulary is expanding, he is starting to read and write, his fine motor skills have improved, etc. It is fun. I try to spend some time with him each day while the other two are sleeping working on "school" or reading or playing soccer. Something that he is able to do but the other two can't yet.
Erik also has an amazing attention span. He is made for traditional school as he can sit and focus really, really well for his age. He has always been pretty good at this - especially for a boy. That makes working on school stuff with him fun.
Here are a couple of drawings he made the other day. One makes me a little sad. The other I find quite comical.
Let me know in the comments what you think they say and mean! Good luck!
His vocabulary is expanding, he is starting to read and write, his fine motor skills have improved, etc. It is fun. I try to spend some time with him each day while the other two are sleeping working on "school" or reading or playing soccer. Something that he is able to do but the other two can't yet.
Erik also has an amazing attention span. He is made for traditional school as he can sit and focus really, really well for his age. He has always been pretty good at this - especially for a boy. That makes working on school stuff with him fun.
Here are a couple of drawings he made the other day. One makes me a little sad. The other I find quite comical.
Let me know in the comments what you think they say and mean! Good luck!
What is the digger doing??
Which one is Erik??
:)
Friday, February 24, 2012
Irresistibly Cute!
Sweet Carson got his first real haircut today. He did great. Against my better judgement I gave him a blue lollipop. NOthing like a little artificial sweeteners and dyes to get your child to sit still during a haircut! It worked! He did really well (on my lap).
I think he looks so adorable with his new 'do!
If you think his hair looks reddish in these photos it is not due to the lighting.
It seems our little Asian baby has some pretty obvious red highlights mixed in his light brown hair.
I just love this little guy!
He is babbling with consonants now and signs "more." Yay!
He is walking more than crawling too.
What a month for our little guy!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Food Challenge: Week 14
This is the last week!! I am kind of sad! The challenge for this week is...
"5 Ingredients Or Less"
For more info go here....100 Days Of Real Food
Not all food with 5 ingredients or less counts as real food though -- chips are still out! :)
This one is pretty easy. If you need ideas for snack food there is a great list on the 100 days of real food blog - click the link above!
"5 Ingredients Or Less"
For more info go here....100 Days Of Real Food
Not all food with 5 ingredients or less counts as real food though -- chips are still out! :)
This one is pretty easy. If you need ideas for snack food there is a great list on the 100 days of real food blog - click the link above!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Violin Song
This is the song Lainey listens to over and over again at nap time. I don't understand the appeal but she (and Erik) loves it.
Miss Lainey
Lainey is such a sweet little girl. She has such a fun personality and is so full of life. She loves music, always has, and requests that we play the same song on repeat before naps and bedtime. She used to ask for the "monkey song" but recently has been requesting the "violin" song. She usually sings herself to sleep. It is so cute!
A year ago we bought her a 2011 style "boom box." She really likes it now and walks around the house singing and dancing. She, unlike Erik, is not camera shy and let me take some video of her dance session this morning. Enjoy!
Lainey is also quite fearless. She likes to keep up with Erik and can most of the time. She is very proud that she can now ride her balance bike "fast." Her is a video of that for her Grandmas....
I hope sweet Lainey never loses her sense of humor, her confidence, or her zeal for life!
A year ago we bought her a 2011 style "boom box." She really likes it now and walks around the house singing and dancing. She, unlike Erik, is not camera shy and let me take some video of her dance session this morning. Enjoy!
Lainey is also quite fearless. She likes to keep up with Erik and can most of the time. She is very proud that she can now ride her balance bike "fast." Her is a video of that for her Grandmas....
I hope sweet Lainey never loses her sense of humor, her confidence, or her zeal for life!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Teething Blues
Poor little guy is just a hot mess this week.
Hopefully, tooth number 8 will break through soon!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
For the K-State Fans!
I didn't go to KSU but both my parents, most of my aunts and uncles, many cousins, my grandparents, and one of my brothers all graduated from KSU.
Please read a super funny story about KSU pride here... Emma Got In Trouble!
For the follow-up story go here..... KSU rocks
Please read a super funny story about KSU pride here... Emma Got In Trouble!
For the follow-up story go here..... KSU rocks
Bless You
Today has been a long one. It started out earlier than normal (5:45). The kids were behaving okay this morning but I was tired. I decided to lay down during their nap time. I accidentally locked my door which must have irritated Erik. He was supposed to be in his room but instead, when he found my door locked, decided to wake up both Lainey and Carson from their naps, 45 minutes into them, and then hoot and holler until I woke up. Errr!
So this afternoon has been just managing chaos. Annoying. I did actually sleep prior to Erik waking everyone up so I am more rested but now all three of my kids are overtired (and Carson is teething).
A bright spot in the day was my sweet Lainey. When I was putting her to bed I sneezed. She looked up at me and with a twinkle said, "Bless you...Daddy!" Hahaha! In response I said, "Thank you... Carson!" She just giggled. I love her sense of humor!
So this afternoon has been just managing chaos. Annoying. I did actually sleep prior to Erik waking everyone up so I am more rested but now all three of my kids are overtired (and Carson is teething).
A bright spot in the day was my sweet Lainey. When I was putting her to bed I sneezed. She looked up at me and with a twinkle said, "Bless you...Daddy!" Hahaha! In response I said, "Thank you... Carson!" She just giggled. I love her sense of humor!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Carson - 11 Months!
One more month until my baby turns one! Unbelievable! It's been a wonderful year.
What's Carson doing now??
Physical Development:
He is walking now. He started taking steps 2-3 weeks ago but is now walking independently for short distances. He walks from the couch to the love-seat without anyone prompting him. We have seen him successfully do a "pivot" turn a few times as well. I love watching babies learn to walk. It is one of my favorite skills. He gets so excited about walking from one person to the next. If he keeps it up he should be a pro by the time we need him to walk down the aisle!
Speech Development:
Carson still isn't babbling with consonants but he is so much more verbal now than a month ago. He is quite noisy and able to communicate his needs fairly well. (Sometimes by biting us!) He does make a "vrmmm" sound when he is driving his toy cars. He also says, "mmm, mmm,mmm" when he is hungry. I really think he will be babbling by his birthday. We will see. At the recommendation of a early intervention speech path (thanks Karen and Julie) we have been spending lots of time singing songs to him replacing the words with mama, dada, papa, baba.
Personality:
Carson is so busy. He is also really independent. He of course likes being held and played with but he is happy to entertain himself too. He loves balls, blocks, cars, and the fridge magnets. He is feisty and makes changing diapers much more difficult than any of my other kids have at this age. If you make him made he actually hits at us. I think at this point it is more of a flinging his arms than actual hitting but it is definitely done out of frustration. He continues to bite people throughout the day. He usually just gets our clothes or blankets but occasionally get skin. I have been telling him no firmly but feel there is little else we can do about it at this point.
I would still describe Carson as easy going and flexible (to an ever-changing daily schedule). He is a really, really happy baby. He almost never cries unless he is tired or gets knocked over by a sibling.
Eating/Sleeping:
He eats three meals a day now. I'm not sure he has a favorite food but he does love beans, cheese, and frozen peas. He is my first kid to throw food on the floor. As soon as he is done or if he doesn't like what I offer him he drops it on the ground and then leans over his seat as far as he possibly can to see where it went.
He doesn't like grapes, meat, or most grains.
He is still nursing 6 times during a 24 hour period. He usually goes to bed between 7:00-7:30 and gets up between 6:30 and 7:00. He nurses around midnight usually (sometimes I feed him before I go to bed rather than being woken in the middle of the night). He still takes 2 naps a day usually totaling 3 hours depending on whether or not we are home.
Thankfully, he doesn't bite while nursing!
What's Carson doing now??
Physical Development:
He is walking now. He started taking steps 2-3 weeks ago but is now walking independently for short distances. He walks from the couch to the love-seat without anyone prompting him. We have seen him successfully do a "pivot" turn a few times as well. I love watching babies learn to walk. It is one of my favorite skills. He gets so excited about walking from one person to the next. If he keeps it up he should be a pro by the time we need him to walk down the aisle!
 |
| Busy, busy, busy |
Speech Development:
Carson still isn't babbling with consonants but he is so much more verbal now than a month ago. He is quite noisy and able to communicate his needs fairly well. (Sometimes by biting us!) He does make a "vrmmm" sound when he is driving his toy cars. He also says, "mmm, mmm,mmm" when he is hungry. I really think he will be babbling by his birthday. We will see. At the recommendation of a early intervention speech path (thanks Karen and Julie) we have been spending lots of time singing songs to him replacing the words with mama, dada, papa, baba.
Personality:
Carson is so busy. He is also really independent. He of course likes being held and played with but he is happy to entertain himself too. He loves balls, blocks, cars, and the fridge magnets. He is feisty and makes changing diapers much more difficult than any of my other kids have at this age. If you make him made he actually hits at us. I think at this point it is more of a flinging his arms than actual hitting but it is definitely done out of frustration. He continues to bite people throughout the day. He usually just gets our clothes or blankets but occasionally get skin. I have been telling him no firmly but feel there is little else we can do about it at this point.
I would still describe Carson as easy going and flexible (to an ever-changing daily schedule). He is a really, really happy baby. He almost never cries unless he is tired or gets knocked over by a sibling.
 |
| First Combover |
Eating/Sleeping:
He eats three meals a day now. I'm not sure he has a favorite food but he does love beans, cheese, and frozen peas. He is my first kid to throw food on the floor. As soon as he is done or if he doesn't like what I offer him he drops it on the ground and then leans over his seat as far as he possibly can to see where it went.
He doesn't like grapes, meat, or most grains.
He is still nursing 6 times during a 24 hour period. He usually goes to bed between 7:00-7:30 and gets up between 6:30 and 7:00. He nurses around midnight usually (sometimes I feed him before I go to bed rather than being woken in the middle of the night). He still takes 2 naps a day usually totaling 3 hours depending on whether or not we are home.
Thankfully, he doesn't bite while nursing!
 |
| He refused to look at the camera but he is still cute! |
Carson is a joy! We are so blessed.
Food Challenge Week 13: Nothing Artificial
This should be an easy challenge this week. We have already really eliminated everything artificial. I did buy a couple of things yesterday, not realizing what the challenge was this week, that I may have to put away. We eat very few processed items but I did buy Cheerios this week (much to Lainey's delight) and I think they have a trace of some kind of preservative in them. I guess she will be disappointed when the box is gone tomorrow.
I wanted to talk more about eliminating sweeteners/sugars. We spent 3 weeks basically eliminating all sweeteners. Only 2 weeks were required but I felt like this is an area that I have been pretty slacking on in the past and wanted to really get an idea of how our diets would have to change.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it fairly easy. The hardest thing to give up was baking. I love to bake. Baked goods taste good and it is a fun activity with the kids. I was probably baking once a week so we always had some type of dessert available. I didn't miss the desserts as much as I thought I would although this week my kids have been asking to make cookies and have been pretending to go to the grocery store for chocolate chips. Ha!
There are lots of things that I found we get used to adding sugar too that don't need it. I think post-challenge I am going to limit baking to once a month. I will continue to buy items with no added sugar. My favorite discovery during the sugar elimination challenge was home made yogurt! It is awesome and so easy to make! The kids thought it was fantastic and ate it plain with a few blueberries mixed in. I think my days of store-bought yogurt are a thing of the past.
Did anyone else join us in our sugar/sweetener free week?? If not, I again challenge you to try it! It is quite eye opening and I think you feel a lot better too.
I wanted to talk more about eliminating sweeteners/sugars. We spent 3 weeks basically eliminating all sweeteners. Only 2 weeks were required but I felt like this is an area that I have been pretty slacking on in the past and wanted to really get an idea of how our diets would have to change.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it fairly easy. The hardest thing to give up was baking. I love to bake. Baked goods taste good and it is a fun activity with the kids. I was probably baking once a week so we always had some type of dessert available. I didn't miss the desserts as much as I thought I would although this week my kids have been asking to make cookies and have been pretending to go to the grocery store for chocolate chips. Ha!
There are lots of things that I found we get used to adding sugar too that don't need it. I think post-challenge I am going to limit baking to once a month. I will continue to buy items with no added sugar. My favorite discovery during the sugar elimination challenge was home made yogurt! It is awesome and so easy to make! The kids thought it was fantastic and ate it plain with a few blueberries mixed in. I think my days of store-bought yogurt are a thing of the past.
Did anyone else join us in our sugar/sweetener free week?? If not, I again challenge you to try it! It is quite eye opening and I think you feel a lot better too.
A Weekend Away
Last weekend Victor watched the kids (for 4 days) while I spent time in San Francisco with mom and Daron. It was a nice weekend. Daron was discharged so we were able to spend some time doing normal things with him which was nice. We ate at a few nice restaurants, the Richmond was my favorite I think, and took a beautiful walk along the coast at Lands End Park. It was gorgeous! No wonder so many people enjoy living there. Someday I hope to have a retirement "schedule" mimicking my Grandma and Grandpa Baker. Spending one to two months a year in California sounds wonderful. I also went to the clinic with Daron so I was able to see a bit of the hospital campus where his residency is located.
Daron is such a trooper. He doesn't feel well but never complains. The strength people display while facing adversity never ceases to amaze me!
We are looking forward to a fun weekend in March for the wedding!
Daron is such a trooper. He doesn't feel well but never complains. The strength people display while facing adversity never ceases to amaze me!
We are looking forward to a fun weekend in March for the wedding!
 |
| Please focus less on the fact that my sweater/shawl may be on upside down and more on the fact that it was warm enough to wear a Tshirt! |
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Still Alive!
I think this is most likely the longest amount of time between blog posts for me. You may not have noticed but I missed my "blog" time this week. I was out of town the first half of the week and then computer-less the 2nd half. I now have a new AWESOME macbook pro so blogging will resume soon. I am too tired tonight but I will leave you with a couple photos of my cute kids.
I took Erik shopping with me today in Annapolis.
We bought a new computer and a new dress for Daron and Feifei's wedding.
The kids tried their clothes on tonight too!
We are looking forward to the big event in March!
 |
| Sweet sleeping baby! He doesn't have an outfit yet, but I thought he needed a photo too. |
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Some of you may be wondering
Some of you may be wondering how we are doing while Annie is out in San Francisco visiting Uncle Daron.
here is your the kids are still alive haiku
we have fun mostly
spices dance in a circle
macaroni butt
Here's visual proof:
Both of them picked out their outfits this morning, Lainey on the second try, and then Peter Pan decided to change about halfway through vacuuming this morning. Carson was sleeping, but he is alive too (much too alive as of 630am this morning, though that is about normal).
We've cooked pretty much every meal with only one kid puking, and we made all our appointments, but we haven't gotten out enough during this 50F winter we're having.
It hasn't been as bad as I thought it might be, but it does give me a better appreciation for what Mom does every day. No wonder Ann is exhausted every night. You do a great job! We love you!
here is your the kids are still alive haiku
we have fun mostly
spices dance in a circle
macaroni butt
Here's visual proof:
Both of them picked out their outfits this morning, Lainey on the second try, and then Peter Pan decided to change about halfway through vacuuming this morning. Carson was sleeping, but he is alive too (much too alive as of 630am this morning, though that is about normal).
We've cooked pretty much every meal with only one kid puking, and we made all our appointments, but we haven't gotten out enough during this 50F winter we're having.
It hasn't been as bad as I thought it might be, but it does give me a better appreciation for what Mom does every day. No wonder Ann is exhausted every night. You do a great job! We love you!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Carson Walking
We captured Carson "walking" tonight. I urge you to turn the volume off of your computers, otherwise you are going to hear my neurotic sounding shrieks! :)
Food Challenge Week 12: No Sweeteners!
We have already done a similar challenge but that week they allowed honey as an occasional sweetener. This week, no sweeteners are allowed. I found this much easier than I expected and really hope I can convince a few readers to try it with us this week. ( I am going to be traveling for 1/2 the week so I am certain it will be harder for me than anyone at home!)
It seems drastic but I think it is important, not to cut sugar/sweeteners out of your diet forever, but to take a week or two to realize how often you are actually eating sweetened products. I have always been quite health conscious and was still amazed at how many products had unnecessary sugars added to them.
Try it! I promise you will survive without your diet coke and dessert for a week!
Daron sent me a link to the "sugar" paper (He reads my blog I guess!). Thanks Daron. Here is the link....
Is Sugar A Toxin??
(Daron, if I shouldn't be sharing this let me know!)
What do you think about government stepping in and enforcing taxes on highly processed sugar loaded foods? Should there be age restrictions on soda consumption?
I am all for overhauling the school lunch programs, eliminating vending machines from schools, and modifying the food stamp program so soda and other unhealthy foods are not paid for by our tax dollars. Those ideas seem like common sense to me but if you have watched Jamie Oliver's food revolution show you will know that trying to implement healthy changes in the food our schools provide, etc will be a very uphill battle.
I want my kids (and the rest of my family) to live long healthy lives. There is nothing we can do to guarantee good health but certainly there are things we can control to point our health in the right direction.
It seems drastic but I think it is important, not to cut sugar/sweeteners out of your diet forever, but to take a week or two to realize how often you are actually eating sweetened products. I have always been quite health conscious and was still amazed at how many products had unnecessary sugars added to them.
Try it! I promise you will survive without your diet coke and dessert for a week!
Daron sent me a link to the "sugar" paper (He reads my blog I guess!). Thanks Daron. Here is the link....
Is Sugar A Toxin??
(Daron, if I shouldn't be sharing this let me know!)
What do you think about government stepping in and enforcing taxes on highly processed sugar loaded foods? Should there be age restrictions on soda consumption?
I am all for overhauling the school lunch programs, eliminating vending machines from schools, and modifying the food stamp program so soda and other unhealthy foods are not paid for by our tax dollars. Those ideas seem like common sense to me but if you have watched Jamie Oliver's food revolution show you will know that trying to implement healthy changes in the food our schools provide, etc will be a very uphill battle.
I want my kids (and the rest of my family) to live long healthy lives. There is nothing we can do to guarantee good health but certainly there are things we can control to point our health in the right direction.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Notable Moments - Erik
Lainey filled out her second chore chart before Erik did. He still needs 3 stickers before earning a prize. This morning when we were headed to gymnastics Erik got into the quickly so I told him he had earned a sticker. He smiled and then said, "I think maybe it was worth 3 stickers." I said, "Sorry honey, just one sticker." His response, "Oh damn!"
What?! Oh dear. I am not sure who is to blame for that word being in his vocab - probably mine. Yikes!
What?! Oh dear. I am not sure who is to blame for that word being in his vocab - probably mine. Yikes!
Sugar Tastes Good But Is It A Toxin??
I would tend to say that added sugars/sweeteners of any form are really a toxin of sorts and need to be limited like one would limit alcohol. This article seems to agree with that idea. It is supported by doctors at UCSF which is where Daron's residency program is located.
http://news.yahoo.com/sugar-regulated-toxin-researchers-180605186.html
What do you think???
Are you willing to cut all sweeteners out of your diet??
We are going to be doing that again for a week (at least) starting Sunday. Let me know if you want to join us?! I am giving you heads up as cutting added sugar completely out of your diet affects the weekly grocery trip.
Here is a link to the actual journal article..... http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7383/full/482027a.html#/access
You have to pay to read the full version though which don't want to do.
http://news.yahoo.com/sugar-regulated-toxin-researchers-180605186.html
What do you think???
Are you willing to cut all sweeteners out of your diet??
We are going to be doing that again for a week (at least) starting Sunday. Let me know if you want to join us?! I am giving you heads up as cutting added sugar completely out of your diet affects the weekly grocery trip.
Here is a link to the actual journal article..... http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7383/full/482027a.html#/access
You have to pay to read the full version though which don't want to do.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I Love Sugar Baby!!
As you know we have cut sugar from our diets for the past 2+ weeks. The kids have done really well with this but this. That being said, I had a dream about Oreo's a few nights ago so I figured I would make dessert one night this week.
I made homemade chocolate pudding and peppermint whip cream. Yuuuuummmm!! Sugar always tastes good but even better after cutting it out of your diet for 2 weeks. We let Carson try a few bites. He was a BIG fan. I did seem to make him quite hyper as shortly after his taste he very excitedly was practicing walking and took 8 steps at once instead of his standard 3.
I made homemade chocolate pudding and peppermint whip cream. Yuuuuummmm!! Sugar always tastes good but even better after cutting it out of your diet for 2 weeks. We let Carson try a few bites. He was a BIG fan. I did seem to make him quite hyper as shortly after his taste he very excitedly was practicing walking and took 8 steps at once instead of his standard 3.
January Budget
How did we do??
Total Saved (of V's federal paycheck): $45
What were the big expenses??
Food: I spent $748 on groceries this month which is the highest our food bill has been during the 14 months I have been tracking. Eating "real food" isn't cheap but we do feel better since eliminating most processed food from our diets.
Medical: $105 -- Most of this is due to the fact we switched pediatricians. All 3 kids and myself had "meet and greet" doctor's appointments which we had to pay a co-pay for ($80). Expensive switch but I do really like her so I think it is worth it.
Gas: $215
Kid stuff: This month we spent $900 dollars on kid activities. This included preschool for Erik, 3 mornings a month for Lainey at "mothers day out", tae kwon do, gymnastics, preschool registration for next year, and a babsitter for one date night. $900!!! I know all these activities are optional but I want my kids to be well rounded and active. This month was worse than normal but it still seems somewhat unbelievable how much kid stuff costs and none of my kids are in daycare or school age yet. Yikes!
Next month we don't have nearly as many kid costs but I am going to San Francisco so that will certainly up our expenses a bit - well worth it of course!
Total Saved (of V's federal paycheck): $45
What were the big expenses??
Food: I spent $748 on groceries this month which is the highest our food bill has been during the 14 months I have been tracking. Eating "real food" isn't cheap but we do feel better since eliminating most processed food from our diets.
Medical: $105 -- Most of this is due to the fact we switched pediatricians. All 3 kids and myself had "meet and greet" doctor's appointments which we had to pay a co-pay for ($80). Expensive switch but I do really like her so I think it is worth it.
Gas: $215
Kid stuff: This month we spent $900 dollars on kid activities. This included preschool for Erik, 3 mornings a month for Lainey at "mothers day out", tae kwon do, gymnastics, preschool registration for next year, and a babsitter for one date night. $900!!! I know all these activities are optional but I want my kids to be well rounded and active. This month was worse than normal but it still seems somewhat unbelievable how much kid stuff costs and none of my kids are in daycare or school age yet. Yikes!
Next month we don't have nearly as many kid costs but I am going to San Francisco so that will certainly up our expenses a bit - well worth it of course!
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