Thursday, February 28, 2008

Mark your calendars! March 20th - Wear Your Favorite Sweater Day

In just a few short weeks we will celebrating what would have been Mister Roger's 80th birthday! In honor of his birthday, please wear your favorite sweater.


Mr. McFeely has put out the call to everyone! Mister Rogers, "Won't you wear a sweater day?"


Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Mmmmm....COOKIES!

The inherent problem with cookbooks for me is that I like the really junky recipes. You know the sort...breads, cakes, cookies...

I received this book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld for Christmas. It's a pretty darn good read and has some really enjoyable recipes to boot! Out of the 10 or so that we've tried, we've LOVED all but one or two. Really, J loved them all. It was me who was a little pickier. Miss picky-picky (Roo) has had little to do with any of them (let alone any real food). Such is my life!

Tonight I decided to bust out the chocolate chips and make some chocolate chip cookies. These had chick peas in them. Sure, they are no Toll House Cookies, but these suckers were pretty good...and low fat too!


Roo hated them ;-)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

You know where I gotta go???

I've GOT to go to Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah. The Lady and Sons. I really do.

I've always been a lover of foods, particularly ones that stick to my bottom and make my thighs and bottom spread and my face rounder Luckily, I found a man who shares my love of food and often indulges my "inner food junky."

More often than not, it's me making the food. I always try to cut fat and sugar where I can and subsitute healthier options. This is the end of the road for that.

I was watching Paula's Home Cooking this week and she was having a lovely ladies brunch. She made the KILLER of all burgers (literally and figuratively) for it. Here's what it is.... The Lady's Brunch Burger. I am sick enough (read: 10000 months pregnant) and have been good long enough. I am making it this weekend. Ask me how much coaxing "Hoover" (J) will need...HA!

Stay tuned for how it turns out!

Monday, February 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Mimi!

Here's her royal cuteness in a birthday song to my mom, Mimi.



Sunday, February 24, 2008

Nesting? Nesting? 1-2-3

Ok, so I've been busy these last few weeks but NOTHING has compared to the mania that was our weekend.

First, I was off on Friday with Roo (teacher work day) and was able to formulate a plan of sorts. Saturday was full of lists, errands and projects. Sunday was full of returns, room assembly and relaxation :-)

Here are the results...

Roo's big girl room





And the baby's room...
** Oh yes, and I promised a name...but I lied. J and I were so busy this weekend we didn't even discuss "he who shall not be named." Sorry. Stay Tuned...

Friday, February 22, 2008

Our Visit to "The Islands"

It's been a long time since we've been on a real vacation...I mean like before Riley was even born. Sad really! Well today we got our own trip to the islands in our **NEW** "Island Bed."

Hip Hip Horray!!!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

A Whole Week Later

It's been an entire week since my last post. Really because it seems like nothing has been going on. Maybe it's not that so much...maybe it's more that I can't think of anything fun to write about.

For those curious, here's our last week in bullet points... (now I didn't say it was exciting stuff)

  • Roo was sent home with a fever (101.5) and ear ache on Friday. She was later diagnosed with strep and an ear infection. :-( She's medicated ( being bribed with Hershey's Kisses) and seems to be making a come back.
  • I've been having some contractions and lower back pain so I'm hoping this means the dear boy is on his way soon. :-)
  • Roo has slept all the way through the night in her big girl bed for the last few nights. Horray! No night wakings at all!
  • The last and best news is that we *MIGHT* have a name in the works. I'll announce on here when we are officially official. Which may be by the end of the week.

As Roo inches up on 3 years old, she's really turning into a FUN little girl. She's no baby anymore (although she likes to pretend otherwise). This week she's said and done some pretty memorable things. Among those things are...

  • She called Papa yesterday to sing Happy Birthday to him. She made it through the WHOLE song and got every word right! :-) This kid loves birthdays!!!
  • She's started asking what her brother's name will actually be. I take this to mean that she understands that Goofy is a character's name...not a real boy's name. ;-) She even has her preferences. Let's just say, she has very similar taste to her mom and less like her father's. She and I have the same favorite name...which is less than thrilling for J.
  • She was visiting her cousins this week and proceeded to feed baby Natalie with a spoon all by herself. Sure, she's been feeding herself for a long time, but she's never fed anyone else!

Ok, Sorry, my posts have been lacking...hopefully next week will pick up! :-)

Later Taters!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Happy Notes!

Me: Roo, I see that you got a happy note from school today! Isn't that exciting?!

Roo: No.

Me: Do you know why Ms. Crystal gave this to you?

Roo: Because I slept in my bed all night?

Me: No...

Roo: Because I take my medicine like a big girl and ate choc-o-let?

Me: No! (Excitedly) Because you were very polite and helped clean up the learning centers!

Roo: Oh. I want a sad note, not a happy note.

Hmm......



Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day!

This morning Roo and I both woke up to wonderful suprises...Cookie cake, card, balloon and candy for me and a balloon and card for her! She loves cards so this really sent her over the moon! She convinced me to give her a couple of jellybeans...big mistake. She happily ate her 4 and then screamed and cried for the next 20 minutes...until we stepped foot in her school.

**Note to self...no jellybeans for Roo. She likes them too much! :-)



Also, Roo has been a champion sleeper! The promise of a sticker for each day she stays in her bed all night has worked wonders! She really gets it and tries really hard. 3 days and still going strong.

35 Weeks 3 Days

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Learn Something New Every Day

Where'd Ya Get Those Baby Blues?

(CBS) From Paul Newman to Frank Sinatra to Cameron Diaz. From residents of snowy Moscow to Palestinians in Jerusalem.

Danish geneticists say everyone with blue eyes is not just related, but descended from one person, CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports. In the basement of the University of Copenhagen, frozen in vats of liquid nitrogen are thousands of DNA samples.

"This is like our secret, our gold mine," said Prof. Jesper Troelsen, a geneticist. "We dig down and find the samples we are going to use and ask specific questions about genetics."

And this time the question was, "what makes blue eyes blue?"

"All people with blue eye color have a special fingerprint," said gene mapper Hans Eiberg.

Brown, they say, is the default color for human eyes ... produced by melanin. Blue eyes are caused by a genetic switch, programmed to suppress the melanin. It's a genetic mutation.

And in the DNA of hundreds of blue-eyed people tested by the Danish team, they found exactly the same mutation every time.

"And what would the chances of that coming from more than one person? It has to be from one person?" MacVicar asked.

"Yes, we are very sure," Eiberg said.

The first blue eyed person was probably born near the Black Sea just 10,000 years ago when the entire population of the world was less than 50,000.

Those mutant genes spread on a wave of human migration.

Today, nearly 95 percent of Scandinavians have blue eyes.

What scientists don't know is if having blue eyes was some kind of evolutionary advantage … if blue-eyed people could see better in the low winter light of Northern Europe for example. Or, was it just about downright attractiveness?

Genetics really can turn your brown eyes blue, and now, there is a whole new answer to that question: "Where did ya get those eyes?"

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/07/eveningnews/main3805316.shtml?source=search_story

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Some guy named Braxton Hicks...

As the weeks tick along, I have all sorts of fun aches and pains going on. (Thankfully this pregnancy has been so EASY compared to Roo...yikes.)

First, it was my lovely leg and the blue nile that is my vein.

Yesterday brought all new fun! A little guy named Braxton Hicks decided to show up. Ok, ok, it's not really a "guy." More of an thing...seems like my lovely uterus decided yesterday was contraction day. I had contractions from sun up until bedtime. I was EXHAUSTED by the end of the day. UGH! Thankfully J was a peach and took care of Roo until bedtime. What a guy! :-)

Alls quiet for now. 35 weeks and counting.

** Ah yes, and Roo got a sticker this morning because she slept in her bed ALLLLLLLLLLL night. Praise the lord!

Friday, February 8, 2008

Maternity Photo Shoot with Michelle

Last Sunday we had a photo shoot with Michelle. It went wonderfully and everything was perfect. I realized through the whole thing that I'm not a "bare belly" sorta girl.


I'll share a few of our favorites...










Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Shots from last evening...

Roo will RARELY let me take pictures of her but last night was a new day!!! She actually posed and thought of a few "shots" herself.

I swear we don't make her clean the floors!!


Taking a break


Jumping and Dancing


Take my picture! (notice her new baby bangs???)

Monday, February 4, 2008

Pictures and Preschool

In typical fashion, I completely over did it yesterday. J decided that it was a lovely day to go for our large walk (about 3 miles). Well, I'll give him that...it was nice.

After that we came back I tried to rest and slowly get ready for our photoshoot with Michelle. That went wonderfully. She has such patience with Roo and really took some great shots (from what I can tell from the back of her camera). We should get a peek at them this week. All in all she took over 250 shots (thank goodness for digital, huh?!) so there are BOUND to be some good ones in there! :-) I'll be sure to post some if I get permission!

Last night I came home and completely fell apart. I'm STILL sore from the walking and photo shoot. Sadly, this won't be the last time...because that's how I am.


On the preschool front...I JUST got word that Roo has been accepted into the 3 year old program for 2 day a week school. YAY! We've been waitlisted for the 3 day a week so you NEVER know! HIP HIP HORRAY!

The director said this was the first time that they've ever had the 3 day a week class filled with all students from the previous year (moving up) AND the first year they've had a waiting list! Guess we jumped in there with all of the other movers and shakers.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Angels Pick?

J, Roo and I have gone back to church in the last few weeks. It's been great. In true Catholic fashion, we've kept Roo with us, rather than sending her to the nursery.

She's been amazing! Angelic, even. She's using her inside church "whisker" and everything. Tonight, we went about an hour early for confession. Even through all that time, she was great. She was coloring and singing and dancing.

At one point, I look over and see her swaying away. I can't see her face but I know she's enjoying herself. As I gaze lovingly, she slowly turns her face. She has one finger shoved half way up her nose and is pick-pick-picking. UGH!

I have that kid! I have the kid that picks his nose at church while everyone (except the parents) looks, stares and giggles.

So, I ask, Do angels pick? No...Roo has a ways before she earns those wings.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Today is B-Day

Ok, so I stole this from Lia but it's fitting. Today, being the first day of February has been designated as our own family "B-Day." This means a budget. Not a floaty idea about numbers but an actual written down plan. This is not fun. Infact, if I weren't "planning for our future" I'd say forget it. But me being me...I'm a planner.

So, these are the cuts. Minimal Targeting, no Goodwill (sadly our favorite store) and meal planning. We are also on a cash only diet.

Ask me how I feel in a week...


Additional Notes:

We still hadn't heard from the school about Roo's preschool registration so I decided to call. After alot of hemming and hawing, the director confessed...not done. Try again on Monday. Good thoughts...

Also, I have a woman (who is the mother of one of Riley's classmates) coming over to take some maternity pictures this weekend. She's trying to get her business up and running and offered! Luckily it'll be in the 60s and sunny. Now I just need to figure out what to wear!