Do You Want Fries With That?

RECAP

A few months ago:
"Mom, when is it my birthday?"
"Not for a long time."
"Mom, when is it my birthday?"
"No really, like a lot of days away, it's not worth asking."
"Mom, when is it my birthday?"
"Not until summer."
"Mom, when is it my birthday?"
"Not until after we go swimming, and don't ask until we do go swimming"
"Ohhh ok, so after we go swimming it will be my birthday?"  (mostly, we still had to review in there, but mostly the battles were much shorter)
"Yes."
....
"Do I get a cake?"
"Yes, what do you want your cake to be?"
"A hamburger."
"Really?"
"Yup"
"Ummmm, ok."

About a month ago:
We go swimming....
"Come on Reid, let's go make a birthday countdown chain."  (so that if he asks, I tell him to go count the chain)

He had fun taking a chain off each night, and got excited each time he got to a new color.

About a week ago:
"Hey Reid, what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?"
"A cheese burger."
"So you still want that, huh?"
"Yes."

Monday morning (party on Saturday):
"G - how hard do you think it is to make a hamburger birthday cake?  I've looked at it on pinterest and there are some ideas there."
"I think we could do it.... I can come help.  How's Friday?"  (and by help, she did it all!!!)
"YOU ARE THE BEST!"

Today (Friday):
I woke up at 7am and baked 2 cake mixes, into 3 round cakes (2 confetti and 1 chocolate).
10am G shows up and we start to work.
Make a bun colored frosting and set aside some others for other colors.  And here's how it went.

Started with the flatter of the two confetti cakes, covered it completely with bun colored frosting.
Then drizzled red and yellow on just the sides.
Then we cut the rounded top off the chocolate layer cake, cuz well, meat isn't usually round on top.
Added the chocolate layer.  (we opted to not frost the chocolate layer because it gives a nice texture to the "meat patty")
After we added the chocolate layer, we filled in spots that needed more "ketchup and mustard".
Added red and brown (cocoa powder) to the yellow frosting and make the cheese color.  It was so realistic is kinda grossed me out to look at it.

Added ruffly green frosting for the lettuce.

For the tomatoes - we sorted the red fruit gummies out of this, flattened them, and stuck them around the edge.
To give the top bun a more lifted look, we actually covered the whole cake with green frosting and flattened gummies.

Added the second confetti cake layer.

Putting frosting on the top was tricky.
So we put wax paper pieces in between the gummy candy and the cake layer while we frosted the top. 
She had to get it mostly smooth and covered everywhere, then we removed the wax paper.

Then used water to smooth the top.

She did awesome... totally looks like a bun.

Added small white sprinkles to the top for the added touch.

It looks AWESOME and Reid really likes it and can't wait to eat it at his party tomorrow.    Thanks so much G!!!!!

Amid moving (just a couple miles away), Daddy going to be out of town 6 out of the next 8 weeks, and vacation in the middle of that.  I don't have time to do much for his birthday.  We're doing a really chill birthday party at the pool with watermelon, and you guessed it French fries!   So this will be a fun way to remember his 4th birthday and I hope it feels like a special one for him, and he knows how much I absolute adore him!

Happy Birthday Reid!

Geek or Jock?

Found a fun helmet at a garage sale and all of the sudden he can ride by himself?  Before we were always having to hold on to the back of the seat. 
(Bonus: Now I don't get dirty looks from the neighbors for letting my child ride his bike helmet-less.  :)

One night he just walked over and pulled it out, and perused it a few pages at a time.... Circuit Diagrams already?  Really?

What 18 months old looks like the second time...

Weston turns 18 months old in less than a week.  His time with us is flying, except at church.  Sometime around 16 months, I could just tell he's ready for more than keeping quiet for 3 hours or wandering the halls.  We are very excited for nursery to start, so he can have lots of interaction and playing with toys time.

I am loving and still being surprised at how different two boys can be.  Some major recaps of Weston's life.

- Sleeps all night long.  Once his teeth came in, I rarely hear a noise from him until morning
 - Got his teeth in the order of: Bottom right center, top left center, then the following bottom and top teeth to give him four.  Then it looked as of the bottom right one was going to come in for forever, and he was so darn cranky, then one night I noticed he had  a bottom left and top left molar broken through!  The right molars weren't far behind.  The next four teeth are kind of a blur, but by 16 months he has all four top and bottom teeth, and molars.  We are still waiting on canines.
 - Runs everywhere, especially after big brother

- Is trying to WALK down the stairs... he is super fast on his belly, but he likes to be like everyone else.
- He says: uh-oh, whoa, yay! (sometimes with clapping), yeah yeah, Da-ddy, Mom-y, no, hi, bye,  buh-boo (peek-a-boo) and then tries to repeat almost anything we say that is 3 syllables or less
- He loves to say BYE, and wave really big.  Any car leaving or person passing us, clearly need a "BYE!" accompanied by a large arm wave and opening and closing hand
- LOVES to read books and make animal sounds
- Still loves to play cars, especially right next to big brother
- Learning how to push toy trains along their tracks (instead of just destroying the tracks)
- Uses pacifier for bed time and church only (although, he is really sneaky and goes and gets it out of his crib often)
- Climbs on tables as much as possible
- Often goes digging in the trash can... I have to careful watch him, so he doesn't eat any of it.
- Healthy eater  (when he's not throwing his food)
- LOVES sweets: after Reid who didn't like sweets, this kid is a pro at conning anyone into giving him dessert, and he DOESN'T stop... he loves the sugar!
- Loves to dance.  Any music anywhere, he's dancing.
- He's VERY ticklish... and he loves being tickled
- Loves to be held and cuddled while drinking milk and/or watching TV, he rarely will sit by himself (this makes for jealous sibling rivalry)
- Is a thrower.  I'm wondering if we have a soccer player (Reid) and a baseball player (Weston) in our family, because wow, they very much do one or the other.
- Has just started showing interest in coloring


Things that are different with the 2nd one:
- When he screams because he doesn't get what he wants, I am much more calm
- He is tricky, he wins over the hearts of everyone by being SO SNUGGLY!, but then when he is hungry and I try to make dinner, he will stand at my feet and scream because he needs snuggling
- We are much bigger suckers for the cute stuff.  When I go get him out of his crib, he usually puts down his pacifier and elephant and monkey stuffed animal blanket things.  On occasion, he'll hold on to one of them, and just give you this "please I can keep holding him" look, and he wins everytime

The oh so loved monkey (and blue elephant) that he loves to carry around

- All the bad things that brother does, he immediately mimicks
 - Is easier in some ways because it is was big brother does, so he automatically does it too.  It's kinda nice.

But regardless of any struggles or pains, we love having him.  His smile is infectious.  His laugh is too much to take. Reid does enjoy having a playmate, while it is often one-sided, there are multiple times I LOVE to hear them giggling together, and I confess to even letting them get away with something they shouldn't do a little longer, just because they are bonding and having fun together.  Weston is so tender and gentle, he's much kinder to the dogs, and will some day be a great big brother to some one else.

Because who doesn't love a bum in the air sleeping pic (I actually think he was awake and was hiding)

My Current Excuse (WARNING: pictures may disturb you)

You know, I'm not really sure where I've been. 
I have a list of posts that I need to do, like my baby growing up, my child's 3rd birthday, self-improvement ... etc.  But really, I'm not sure.  Some of it is swimming, some of it is summer fun, some of it is .. well, Diablo III.
And then there's always workout group which by the time I get the kids in the car, to the time I get them home out of the car, it's usually 2 hours, but who goes home after they sweat profusely?  NOT ME!  No no, I go to the grocery store and share that blessed smell with all.  Because, I'm a mom of TWO small children, and I am going to maximize my time out of the house!  Then we go home for lunch and nap time, while I do my house chores, then dinner is here before you know it!  And then I feel like my night is over.  Busy life of a mom.

Anyways, the other news... in case you haven't heard... I went on vacation to visit my brother and attend my family reunion.  While carrying Reid (now 3 years old) on my shoulders, I mis-stepped and took a fall.  While trying to brace myself and my child, I heard a crunch when my hand hit the pavement.  When I looked over, this is what I saw:

me at the ER... I'm in pain, don't look at my face, these are possibly the worst pictures of me EVER!

Here's the x-ray:

After surgery here's what it looks like now.

1 month later, here is what my scars look like:

I promise to update more later, but that's it for now!

Baby 2: 5 months going on 9

Where?  Where did this last month go?  He is growing so fast, and loving life that I just can't believe we are at the end of January!

- Weston is constantly rolling from his back to his tummy.  He has rolled from tummy to back a few times, but I'm assuming those were on accident, cuz lately he'll just lay on the floor face first screaming.

- He LOVE LOVE LOVES to be hung upside down, especially if you kiss his cheek and squeeze his legs at the same time.

- He loves when mom, dad, and Reid pay attention to him. Some strangers he likes, some not so much.

- He is not a bath boy.  Reid loved baths, but Weston has decided he's ok with them, but not loving it yet.  (I wonder if this is cuz I rarely have time to sit and play with him in the bath like I did with Reid)

- He has been the happiest boy.  He got easier all of the sudden.  It seems like he is more content now that he can play with toys and maneuver things a little more.

- He has started that hard stage of dropping naps.  Sometimes he sleeps in between every feeding and sometimes he's not tired at all.  It is mostly hard cuz it makes my day less predictable.

- At the beginning of the month he got really congested, I think he might have allergies here.  Every time we went outside his eyes would water and his nose would just run.  Well, I couldn't give him anything, so we brought the stroller in his room and he slept in that for a week.  The significance of this is that he now sleeps in his car seat... in PUBLIC!  My non-social homebody is finally doing better with sleeping in public and being happier in his car seat.  Halleluhah!

- He's already starting to grow out of some of the 6months clothes.  Bring on the 9 month clothes... this younger brother is gonna be the tall one!

- He rocks himself.  No really, if you put him on your knee, he'll kick his legs forward, then throws his back towards you, then kicks his legs, and then shifts his weight.  It really is comical.  But he keeps him happy for long times, so there really are worse things, right?

- We started solids!  We were eating rolls and he grabbed my hand and put it in his mouth and kinda sucked on it.  He seemed happy, so I broke off a tiny piece and gave it to him.  Oh man, he wanted more!  Then after acting hungry a few afternoons, I broke down and finally started the cereal.  So far he's had a little roll, a few puffs (not quite ready for these, had to break them in half), and oatmeal cereal (with formula for flavor).  He is definitely interested and hasn't rejected anything yet.

- The other day I tried to show Reid how Weston can't sit up on his own by placing him on the floor... well, he proved me wrong and sat there for like 8 seconds before toppling over.   I've started doing this more, and he's getting better and better. 

- Weston very much knows my face.  He lights up when I walk into his view.  I am surprised how special it makes me feel each and every time.

- He loves to jump and bounce and rough house.  He loves to be tossed in the air, or swung by a leg and arm, or spun around... all crazy things that a baby can handle.

- Weston is grabbing and reaching for toys, and gets frustrated when they don't stay when he knocks them. 

The Sweetest 2.5 Year Old

- Reid started singing songs with us.  At first, he would just say the last word, but now he knows almost whole songs.  His favorites are: Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, John the Baptist, Christian Soldiers, Country Roads, Love is Spoken Here, and the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song.  Truth be told, Country Roads is the cutest.
- Reid is starting to learn about sharing.  According to nursery leaders, he's pretty good most days at sharing.  Other than the Lightning McQueen car, black train and his ride truck, Reid is good at sharing his own toys here at home.- Reid has mostly adjusted to having a brother, but I think one thing  that helped was that her learned how to ask to have mom to himself.  "I need a mommy hug.... No, Weston down... need a mommy hug".  I try to support his need for some mommy attention, but trying not to baby him... it's a tricky balance.
- Reid is starting to learn cause/effect.  So we are trying to teach him consequences.  Reid spilled his drink the other day, so I went through the motions of helping him get a rag and clean it up, and what to do with the rag afterward.  I was pleasantly surprised when the next time he spilled and I told him to go get a rag... he did!
- Reid is starting to like his brother.  When Weston sees him, he always smiles and Reid gets excited that he can make him "happy" or "smiiiiwwing" (smiling).  He will often share a car with Weston, and we've started teaching him about asking for a toy and then trading for another toy.

 - Reid has really starting understanding and responding to our requests.  He understands that we want something, or when we explain why he can't have what he wants. His comprehension has expounded.
- We have constantly worked on colors, but had no luck, until he started asking for me to draw Thomas (with a blue crayon), or James (with a red crayon), or Percy (with a green crayon).  Success!  Our child is not colorblind!  So, we worked on it for just a bit, and then BAM! he knew all of his colors all of the sudden.  Pink and purple still need a little help (but well, we don't use them much, they are girl colors), and orange and yellow are a little confusing, but he's getting better.
- One of my favorites is that like every 2 year old, Reid whines.  But we have talked about being happy and saying things in a happy and nice voice.  He gets this cheesy closed mouth smile and tries to show mommy that he can be happy, so he can get what he wants.  I love the face... I can't help by smile myself.
- Ever since about a week after Christmas (when Reid got really sick), he takes Lightning McQueen to bed with him.  This was such a surprise, cuz Reid does not like stuffed animals, so I thought he would never want a toy in bed with him.  Well, Lightning McQueen has won the cherished place of bedtime with Reid.
- Reid goes through phases of bringing his blankets out of bed.  We started with him leaving his bed blankets on mommy's bed, and slowly moved it to his bed.  But occasionally he still likes to bring them to mommy's bed.  But it is comical now, because with the colder weather we have added a full twin size blanket on his bed and watching him drag it to our room makes me smile.  But then I ask him to put them back on his bed and he does it right away.

Reid shows his love unconditionally for mommy and daddy.  He is my friend and buddy right now.  He is behaving so well and rarely gets in trouble.  If he does, its to the corner and before his 2 minutes are up, he's in the corner apologizing or saying what he should have done differently.  I know this won't last forever, so I am enjoying every moment I can.  We made it through the months of adjusting to moving and then adjusting to a baby brother, and now we are just enjoying being us... at home.... and he's the sweetest boy.  I want to never forget these precious moments.

(Reid helping Daddy play "robots"

a.k.a. Daddy doing his robotics hobby by tearing 

apart our broken DVD player for parts) 

Something Fun We Did Last Month

My friend G from college came to visit us in August,... although friend from college doesn't quite explain it. Its more like sympathetic estrogen support / college companion (similar to a mission companion cuz of the 24/7 thing) / intellectual yet aethestic stimulus / and (last but not least) bathroom buddy all rolled into one.

Anyways, I digress, we had a wonderful day at the Air & Space Museum. This consists of over 300 planes, and also space exhibits. It is a pretty cool place to visit, but going with children makes everything more fun! See her blog for pictures. (I'm lazy, I know)

Afterwards, we went to Eegee's for lunch, its a local franchise known for its slushee drinks, mmmmm. There her son got a hot dog. And silly me, I sat next to him. Much too my surprise, he too wanted to share his hot dog with me! See this post. Continued to try to shove it off on me! Well, I was all practiced up, and pretty much had it down to where I could keep the hotdog on his serving plastic wrapper. But then he did not feel like eating. So we gave up.

That night, my friend brought his hot dog to the Mexican Restaurant for him to eat for dinner. Well, the kind friends that they are, they put themselves in between their children and Matt and myself. Well, dinner proceeded for the most part un-eventful because the tortilla chips seemed to entertain the children. Well, once that ran out. Not only did her son try to share his hot dog with me, he chucked it past his mother and it hit my leg and fell to the ground!

So, I now have accepted, when eating with children...

WARNING: May have hot dogs flying my direction!

Should Kids Really Share?

OK,... so I don't have my own kids thus I have to take advantage of this fun story...

Today we had a work lunch.... basically someone who works remote was in town, so a bunch of us wanted to go out to lunch. Well an old co-worker of ours decided to come. She's a stay at home mom now, and in fact also does day care for one of the working moms in my department. And since the working mom's day care giver is coming to lunch, the working mom is also bringing her child. So now, we have 3 children coming to our work lunch. Cool... sounds fun to me!

So, we have two tables, 1 with high chairs and booster seats all ready, and 1 with no childern amenities. Well of course as people file in it turns out that I move from the all adult table to the 'kid' table. I'm sitting next to the 2 year old girl (who's at the head of the table), and her 4 year old brother is across the table from me. Well, naturally the stay at home mom is excited to see everyone and strikes up conversation with the other 3 adults at the table. This leaves her son, who is hiding under the table, and daughter with no mother to watch their every move.

Naturally the restaurant gave the kids crayons and paper menus to draw on. So for about 5 minutes that entertained the daughter. Well, thanks to my 18 nieces and nephews, I've learned that it is much more enjoyable to sit next to a 2-year old if you play with them a little. So I started asking her about the crayons. Then she started sharing them with me, and asking me to draw. I thought, how nice she's sharing! Then I hung onto the crayons because she had clearly lost interest.

Then her mom starting giving her bites of muffin, which entertained her for yet, another 5 minutes. Then she decided she needed to share her muffin. And not just hand it to me nicely, but to put it on my little muffin plate... you know, that little place for your bread? So, wow! I thought, what a great girl! But I still did not really want her muffin, so I showed her my muffin that I was 'conveniently' eating at the same time.... so she knew I didn't need her muffin pieces.

At this point, we resort to the little back pack that mom brought full of toys! YAY for prepared moms! So we bust out the groovy plastic slinky. That I think actually worked for 8 minutes. Then her mom finds the wind up toys, which finally gets the son to come out from under the table. And wow, about another 8 minutes passed!

Then lunch comes! And the daughter and son were having hot dogs and french fries. Well, as a good mom would, she grabs the son's hot dog to cut in half. In the mean time I don't know if the daughter thought the hot dog was too big (which it was!), or if she didn't want it. So she tries to put the hot dog on my plate! Uh, no. So then, she puts it on the table right next to my plate. I try to hand it back to her. But nope, she beats me and tries to put it by me again. At this point the mom is aware and grabs the hot dog to also cut it in half, so daughter happily starts on the french fries.

Then she decides that after she has enjoyed multiple french fries and has good greasy-ketchupy hands, that she needs to share again! At this point she has taken a french fry and mushed a it up and down on her plate, so that its that nasty squishy type of fry and then tries to give it to me! So she starts to put it on my plate... even though she can clearly see that I too have french fries. So I politely tell her I don't want it. (This argument works much better on my nephew when he's whining and says, "BUT I WANT ...." and I say, "But I don't." It's like he never thought about the fact that I might think differently than him... its fun!) She tries again, again I say, "No thanks, I have my own fries." Well, that worked for maybe 2 minutes, and then she tries again with a new french fry! And I still have my own fries.

Then when she's done with her sippy cup.. and her brother's sippy cup, she doesn't want them near her... infact she wants them near me. Now, I'm starting to realize... maybe she doesn't want to share... maybe this really isn't about giving and being nice.... she thinks I'm the all purpose garbage can! Dang-it! How could I have fallen for those adorable eyes, and gorgeous curls! This whole time I thought she liked me... but alas, I'm just a useful big person! hahahaha.

Oh well, I guess I have a lot to learn with kids, but I did learn a very important rule in Denver from my sister-in-laws.... NEVER and I repeat NEVER share drinks with kids... otherwise, you are sharing their BACKWASH! YUCK!