Day #2 of being sick....but Caroline did perk up for some ciniminis....and she is finally out of her PJs....found this great recipe for mini cinnamon buns using a can of crescent rolls...the kids loved the name and how itty bitty they were.....and it was a great recipe for caroline to help with......don't worry Rob, we saved you a couple!

yesterday...snow day
today...sick day

Mom on a mission today....I have been steaming, pureeing and freezing veggies all day....I just purchased a new cook book...Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld....all about sneaking veggies into everyday dishes....my four year old eats ok....our challenge these days is the 2 year old....he only wants hotdogs...little does he know that they are turkey and tofu. I made the peanut butter and banana muffins yesterday and the whole family gobbled them up...healthy ingredients included whole wheat flour, organic peanut butter, bananas and carrot puree.
Applesauce muffin....not bad....healthy ingredients include oats, applesauce, and butternut squash puree! Tomorrow I will try the banana bread with cauliflower puree.

Embracing the winter (trying anyway....)

There is snow in the forecast....again. This winter has been tough on me....and its only January! So, to survive the cold days I have been trying to keep busy....getting the kids outside as much as possible, lots and lots of baking......

this one was a huge hit when we had all the neighbors over last weekend....New Orleans, double chocolate with praline topping....from Southern Living......the kind of cake you gain a few pounds just looking at it.Cooper wanted me to take a picture of his new john deere shirt....he just knows it as his "tractor" shirt.....and that it makes mommy smile.

Trying

Trying to stay warm, trying to keep healthy, trying to keep up with the laundry, trying to get the kids to eat healthy, trying to exercise, trying to get Cooper to stop hitting, trying to stay calm when Caroline has an attitude,trying to keep the house clean, trying to talk Cooper into taking a bath... trying..trying...trying.... now this word is starting to look funny..ya know when you say a word over and over, it sounds funny. One last thing...trying to get this pit out of my stomach....last night Cooper tumbled down the stairs....he is ok....but I can't stop thinking about it....I try as a mom to keep my kiddos as safe as possible and we finally have normal stairs after replacing the ones that were only 6 inches deep...an accident waiting to happen we thought....I am happy to report that there isn't a scratch on him after he went head over heals like a rag doll...I couldn't get to him fast enough and I couldn't stop looking at him sleeping peacefully in his crib last night.....I am just trying to be the best mommy that I can be.....and its alot harder than I thought.

Winter Luau

Trying to stay warm.....we had fun at a friend's Luau Birthday Party..... Lots of kids!Lots of dancing!

and Cooper taking it all in....

So cold

watching the weather report is depressing...temp today is a high of 7, with the wind chill it feels like below zero...tonight -10 degrees and tomorrows high will be 9. I am trying to embrace the winter...I really love the snow....I am trying to put up a brave front for the kids....so that they don't grow up detesting the winter as much as their mommy. I just want to put on PJs and crawl into bed.....hibernate like a bear in winter....speaking of bears...

When Cooper wanted to go outside yesterday my first response was "no way..too cold!" But he loves his "care bear" snowsuit....and he could spend hours outside digging in the snow.....So, I couldn't say no....and out he went...

Crib intervention

There needs to be an intervention of sorts.....Cooper is running out of room in his crib, he doesn't mind though. I have even gone in after he falls asleep to take things out.....and he wakes up in the middle of the night...and I see him (we have video monitors) taking inventory of what is in his crib....and screams when something is missing. His new favorite thing is flashlights......we can turn this into a game....guess how many flashlights are in the crib....

more snow....and the snow blower broke down....so I took a turn shoveling our driveway....and within 10 minutes I had the neighbor snow blowing it for me....so, after being outside for 20 minutes I came in..."the driveway is done!" Rob just shook his head. So, now I had time to try a new recipe that I had seen on Meg's blog Whatever....apple puff pancake....yummy! Mine doesn't look as pretty as hers, but it is delicious!

Wall art

Now that the holidays are over, and Rob isn't working crazy hours.....we are busy putting the final touches on our new space. Check out the cute vinyl wall art I ordered from lewasdesigns.com I could have ordered a dozen different designs for every room in the house, they have the cutest designs! Our new addition has so much wall space....so many possibilities!

The weather outside is.......icky.

School was cancelled today.....which usually means snow, but all we have gotten so far is sleet and rain...which didn't stop us from going outside....above freezing is warm around here....the kids outlasted me though...and stayed outside for over 2 hours this morning.
They had fun with the playhouse and all the beach toys...who knew!A couple pictures of Caroline in her ballet class...she is in pure heaven when she enters the dance studio....and I smile the whole time I watch her....I am so happy she has found something that makes her completely content. We are hoping to sign her up for an Irish step class....we'll see if they take 4 year olds.

Ice Skating

A cold, sunny day on the lake.....Cooper had fun playing with his trucks, while Caroline skated for hours!
Cooper got all ready for skating....wanted to skate with the big kids...but his little ankles could only skate for a few minutes. Check out the itty bitty skates!

Caroline didn't mind the cold one bit, and she has blisters on her ankles from skating so much....she can't wait to go back out there!

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!