Superchikk

Deep Thoughts from Caedmon

2012-02-22T09:59:00.000-05:00

Discussing getting dressed, Caedmon asked if he could wear sweat pants. I said, “I think you need to wear something a little nicer than sweat pants.”

He replied, “Ok, that’s fine. Do you want me to be ‘awesome’ or ‘cool’?”

“Whichever you choose is fine with me.”

“Ok, I am going to be awesome.”

****

Caedmon was pretending to nap on the couch while Honor and I were hanging out in the kitchen. His head popped up over the back of the couch and he said, “Momma, can you keep your baby quiet? I’m trying to take a nap.”

If only that were true, son.

****

I was still in my pajamas and robe one morning and we were all in Honor’s room. Granted, it was past my normal time to get dressed, but since we were having “pajama day” (which usually means I wear sweats), I wasn’t in a hurry to change.

Caedmon, however, must’ve had different ideas. He picked up Coconut, the Build-A-Bear he made for Honor. “Momma, Coconut’s outfit is better than yours today.”

Truth.

****

Sleeeeeep

2012-02-20T10:08:00.000-05:00

Y’all. for almost a solid week, I have slept all night. Sleeping all night shouldn’t seem like a big deal at this point in my life, but it is. (And I probably just jinxed myself.)

Remember Caedmon’s fear issues? He’s gotten much better. I can’t really say what magic thing it was that helped. Because goodness knows we tried a little of everything. And we still have some challenges from time to time, but that’s mostly habit and stubbornness. I have no idea where he gets it.

I finally changed my strategy in dealing with him getting up and being scared in the middle of the night. I started walking him back to his bed. And because my intention was to help him feel secure (and he asked), I would sometimes lay down next to him. And would promptly fall asleep.

It probably took him longer to fall asleep than it did me. Seriously.

I’d wake up at some point and stumble back to my own bed, hoping that was the only time he got up that night. As it stands, he is up and going by 6:30 or 7:00 anyway.

I really hope his sleeping issues are worked out. At least for now.

Honor is waking up early these days too. She’s learning to pull up, so she was up at 6:30 yesterday morning, trying to stand up in her bed. She did figure out how to get herself down, but she never went back to sleep. And was cranky by 7:30. Coincidentally, I kind of was, too.

At least Caedmon has stopped going to visit her when she wakes up that early. We had a few days when they were both awake super early and he would go “visit” her. Which didn’t work well for anyone. But in his defense, he was just trying to love on his sister.

The first morning she woke up early, he went into her room and talked to her. Sure, it’s 6:30am. Why shouldn’t they have a little sibling chat? Except that he knows he’s not supposed to go into her room. So we talked about that and he said he wouldn’t go into her room again in the mornings without asking.

The second morning, Honor woke up, and after a while, kicked her fussing up a notch. I checked the monitor and noticed her door was standing wide open. Not cool. So I asked Caedmon about it and he said he opened it. He didn’t want her to be afraid of the dark. Sweet boy, trying to take care of his baby sister. I hadn’t specifically addressed that the morning before, so we talked about not opening her door, and he said he wouldn’t do it again.

The third morning, Honor was again awake very early. As was Caedmon. And again, instead of settling down on her own, she got angry. I checked the monitor. Her door was closed all the way. Definitely not the way I left it. So I asked Caedmon about it. He’d closed the door. Why? Because she was too noisy. Again, I hadn’t specifically told him not to close the door, so this time, we talked about it. We talked about everything. Don’t go near her door. Don’t touch the door. Don’t breathe in the general direction of her room.

The fourth morning was the real test. Honor woke up at 6:15. Caedmon, miraculously, was still asleep. I snuck down the hallway and closed his door so she wouldn’t wake him up. Honor finally settled herself back down and went to sleep.

A little while later, Caedmon came into my room, very unhappy. “Who closed my door?”

I can’t win for losing. Unless I get to sleep all night. Then it’s a win no matter what.

Cheap Entertainment

2012-02-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

We’re easy to please at our house when it comes to entertainment. An empty box or a cardboard paper towel insert is all it takes to spark imagination that lasts all afternoon.

This, however, was something completely new. And apparently hilarious.

You’ll notice that Honor’s hysterical laughter didn’t keep her from continuing to shove food in her mouth. Sister doesn’t mess around when it comes to food. She was also sitting lopsided because she’d been laughing so hard, she literally couldn’t sit up straight. Caedmon is definitely the creative mind behind this little game, and I am both excited and dreading what happens when they take it to the next level. Because it always works that way.

10 Months

2012-02-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

Who’s 10 months old? This girl!

I can’t believe Honor is just two short months away from being a year old.

And I might be freaking out just a little because, as I mentioned yesterday, I haven’t been able to find “the” outfit for her one-year photos. The girl needs a stylist. Her Momma is clearly lacking in that area. Anyone?

Honor is commando-crawling and periodically tries to pull up. She’s still learning how to use her legs to help her out with that. The girl has some mad upper body strength. She pulled up at the coffee table yesterday to get to the ULTA catalog. Which means I’m in trouble in more ways than one. But she hasn’t figured out how to go back to a sitting position from her belly. That will probably come soon – she’s *this close* to crawling for real.

Honor’s room is right next to Caedmon’s. When I put her in her room to play, if she thinks he might be having more fun, she quickly makes her way out into the hallway and heads toward Caedmon’s room. I’ve heard on more than one occasion, “Mom! Honor’s coming in my room!” Honestly, it’s more of a you-told-me-she-can’t-do-this kind of thing than an I-don’t-want-her-in-here kind of thing. And for that, I’m glad. I love that they love each other so much.

These two are a hot mess.

And I love them.

Thoughts of Randomness

2012-02-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

1. I’ve started about a hundred posts that are probably more interesting than this one and never finished them. They’re all outdated and old now, thus fairly worthless. It kinda makes me sad. One of them goes as far back as when we moved. I’m thinking about posting it anyway, just for posterity’s sake.

2. Honor’s 3rd top tooth is just about to break through. It needs to hurry itself on up because the fourth is not far behind. We’d like a few days in between the misery.

3. Honor tried to pull up in her bed for the first time yesterday. I have a feeling that naptimes will be cut short here fairly soon until that new skill is mastered. I know I shouldn’t rush things, but I am kind of excited about the standing thing. It’s one step closer to her not using her shirt as a Swiffer cloth on the kitchen floor.

4. Yes, I will admit that I’ve come *this close* to actually attaching a Swiffer cloth to her belly.

5. Caedmon told me yesterday that something was “lame.” And he was correct, I just didn’t expect him to use that term.

6. Caedmon is all about playing games lately. His most favorite? Twister. The boy LOVES it.

7. He also loves the chocolate he got for Valentine’s Day yesterday. All he wanted to do yesterday was eat chocolate. It’s a good thing I have my stash where he can’t find it.

8. Honor’s birthday is in just 2 short months. And I have nothing planned yet. It’s kinda freaking me out a little. I am waiting for all the fun Easter stuff to hit the shelves, though. That should provide some spring inspiration.

9. Also, the girl needs a stylist. Who wants to pick out her 1-year photo-shoot outfit? Seriously. Who wants to do it? Because I am having major trouble. I want something classic (maybe white) that won’t look horribly dated in a few years. I’m up for a fun outfit too, but that will be easier. Or so I think. I went to Old Navy the other day looking for this top, and of course they didn’t have it. The website is out of 6-12 mo. size, which is what I think she would probably need for pictures. (If I was buying it to wear, I’d buy bigger, but buying for photos, I want it to fit.) So, since that’s out, I need another idea.

10. I spent last night working on taxes. I hate taxes. I’ve often thought taxes were like vegetables – nobody liked them but everybody had to deal with them. But that’s not necessarily true. Because some people like vegetables. Even the vegetables that I don’t. Nobody likes taxes. And if you do, you wanna pay mine?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

2012-02-14T11:36:00.001-05:00

We like Valentine’s Day at our house, but we don’t go crazy. We believe that you should tell your favorite people you love them every day, and Valentine’s Day is just a little extra special.

Yesterday, Caedmon made some toilet paper roll hearts for us.

And we got a special package in the mail from Cini and Papa Duke.

They sent a book for Honor…

…and a Lego fire truck for Caedmon.

This morning, we had our family Valentine’s Day celebration.

Caedmon had specifically asked for a heart-shaped box of chocolate. I usually get him the little $1 box with about four pieces of chocolate. But Husband saw Yoda and declared it a must-have.

Caedmon thought it was super cool. He also purposefully dressed like his Daddy today. So sweet! Caedmon didn’t even want to put on his new…Star Wars shirt…because he wanted to still wear his shirt like Daddy’s!

Honor got an Iron Man Valentine’s from Caedmon and some Yogurt Melts. (I’m not quite ready to give her chocolate yet. Although, on second thought, maybe I should’ve gotten her some so I could eat it.)

And Caedmon helped me pick out a Valentine sock monkey for her. She loved it. Y’all know I’m not a huge fan of stuffed animals, but this was perfect for her.

I gave Husband some “dude” chocolate.

And a Darth Vader t-shirt. (Do you notice a pattern here?)

And he got me a new phone case with my littlest Valentines on it.

(You can customize your own phone case at Casemate.)

The kids also gave each other Valentine’s cards. (You saw Honor eating hers.) Caedmon was surprised to get his card from Honor and enjoyed it.

The gifts are fun and we all love candy. But I think it’s important to purposefully express our love for each other – even between the kids. As they grow, I want my kids to know that, 1) God loves them so very much, 2) Mom and Dad love them *almost* as much as God does, and 3) they are loved by each other. I never want my kids to feel like they have to seek love outside of God, our home, and family. Sure, they’ll grow up and hopefully find special people to marry. But that’s a long time from now. (And Momma doesn’t quite want to think about that just yet.) But establishing a foundation of love and support is of the utmost importance.

That’s what I want Valentine’s Day to be about for our kids.

Chocolate Wasted

2012-02-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

A little while back, I saw a recipe for Chocolate Wasted Cake on Pinterest from Art of Dessert. (And if you don’t know where “Chocolate Wasted” comes from, here’s a video clip.) I knew I wanted to try my own version, but I was waiting for just the right time. A game night with our Life Group seemed to be the right occasion. And apparently this cake has caused quite a ruckus. So I thought I’d share the “recipe,” as it were.

First, I made a chocolate cake. And while many of you might prefer to use a scratch-recipe, I will confess that I ~~usually~~ don’t.

While the cake was cooling, I made Fluffy Chocolate Frosting.

(I didn’t want to use Chocolate Buttercream. I’m not a huge fan of Chocolate Buttercream unless it’s on a cake by itself. I also didn’t want the cake to be too heavy or rich. I know it sounds ridiculous, knowing the amount of chocolate I was going to be putting on this cake, but I wanted to be able to eat it and enjoy the chocolate, not choke on it. Does that make sense?)

I frosted the cake and set it in the fridge for a bit for the frosting to firm up a bit.

Then, came the fun part. I smashed semi-sweet chocolate chips around the sides. And used bite-size Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, and Crunch bars on the top (I cut them into pieces first). Then, I used the last 1/3 cup or so of chocolate chips to melt and drizzle chocolate over the top.

I made the cake a day ahead, for two reasons. First, and most importantly, I prefer to let the frosting sit overnight. I think it tastes better that way. Second, I didn’t want to have to worry about getting it done on Friday afternoon while I had other things on my To-Do list. Just being honest.

I will admit that cutting into this monstrosity is a challenge. You can’t exactly cut through the giant chunks of chocolate on the top. So it’s not necessarily a “pretty” cake once it’s cut and on the plate. But that doesn’t keep it from tasting oh, so good.

You know you want some!

Chocolate Wasted Cake

1 Betty Crocker Devil’s Food cake mix, made with chocolate milk using Hershey’s Special Dark syrup instead of water; Baked in two layers.

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting:

2 sticks salted butter, room temperature

Scant 1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp milk

1 8oz tub Cool Whip (refrigerated, not frozen)

Beat room temperature butter until smooth and fluffy. Add cocoa and mix well. Mix in vanilla. 1 cup at a time, mix in powdered sugar. Frosting may be a bit dry and chunky. Add milk 1 tsp at a time until a smooth consistency is reached. Fold in Cool Whip.

Frost cooled cake, and refrigerate a little while to allow the frosting to set.

Semi-sweet chocolate chips – press onto the sides of the cake, reserving 1/3 cup for chocolate drizzle, if desired.

Candy bar pieces for top, cut into bite-size pieces: I used Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, and Crunch. Use your favorite! Pile them on the top of the cake.

Melt remaining chocolate chips and drizzle chocolate over the top of the cake.

Refrigerate leftovers – if there are any!

This Week in Pictures

2012-02-10T11:03:00.001-05:00

This pretty much sums up our week.

Sick boy. Who’s finally well.

He was probably watching Star Wars. We’ve watched a lot of Star Wars this week.

A busy sister.

From whom nothing is safe. (Well, nothing low to the ground, anyway.)

(Yes, she crawled onto the bottom shelf of the changing table. Sister wanted a book pretty badly.)

This is what the kitchen table looked like one morning. Who am I kidding, it looked like this most days this week.

I made a Chocolate Wasted Cake (more on that later) for our LifeGroup fellowship tonight.

And since Caedmon is feeling better now, he spent some time with Honor in her room this morning. They’ve missed playing with each other this week.

Now, to keep everyone else well so we can enjoy a fun, busy weekend!

Blog Book Study: Sacred Marriage, Chapter 8

2012-02-10T10:36:00.001-05:00

Jenn is hosting a link-up of other bloggers studying Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. If you’d like to see what they have to say, check it out. If you want to read my previous chapter reviews, go here.

Chapter 8: Embracing Difficulty in Order to Build Character

Chapter 8 continues the theme of perseverance as introduced in Chapter 7. But with a little bit of a different angle. Mainly that our natural tendency in relationships is to avoid conflict. However, conflict is the very thing that causes us to grow as a person, as a couple, and builds faith and character over the long haul of life. If things are easy, they’re not usually as meaningful as something we had to struggle for. Of course, that doesn’t make it fun.

I particularly enjoyed the illustration Thomas used of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. When she married Charles, Anne was unaware that for the rest of her life, everywhere she went, everything she did or said, would be an open book. (There was paparazzi even then!)

Anne was a private person who enjoyed writing, especially about her thoughts and feelings. She couldn’t even write letters to her sister about Charles without using a code name and/or words because they were afraid the letters might be stolen and used in the media. In order to have a private picnic lunch, Charles would have to fly them to some remote location where nosy reporters couldn’t follow. (Not everyone had a plane in those days. Imagine that!) And the greatest price came when their 18-month old child was abducted, held for ransom, and killed.

Their marriage was not easy, either. Even without the stress of the public eye, Charles was not the easiest person to get along with. Yet neither of them gave up. And undoubtedly, there was a lot of work that took place to maintain the relationship.

Thomas asks if Anne knew all of those things were to take place, would she have still married Charles. Maybe, maybe not. But that’s not really the point. Nobody knows what lies ahead of them when they get married. There’s good and there’s bad. Thomas points out that’s probably why wedding vows include “richer or poorer, sickness and health” and “until death do us part.” Because human nature is sometimes to quit, change, or run when things get hard. As Christians who make those vows to each other and a holy God, we believe that quitting isn’t an option.

Early on, Anne had written in a letter to a friend, “…if you write me and wish me conventional happiness I will never forgive you. Don’t wish me happiness – I don’t expect to be happy, but it’s gotten beyond that, somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor – I will need them all.”

A profound statement from a young woman who had no idea what trials life was to bring. Yet, it’s not untrue. We always think that a “good marriage” is a “happy” one. But as we’re learning, marriage isn’t about “happiness” as we know it.

That’s not to say that makes things any easier. Because it doesn’t. But if you know there’s no quitting, maybe you don’t allow the little things to get big. And when the big things come, you’re more suited to deal with them. And when we realize that everything isn’t about our personal “happiness” but about holiness, it gives us the proper perspective.

Floor

2012-02-08T09:53:00.001-05:00

**Caedmon’s fever continued on all day yesterday, but he felt much better. We still watched Star Wars, though. A lot. But he’s a good little patient. I think the ice cream for breakfast helped. **

Do you remember when Caedmon discovered the tile floor?

He was about the same age Honor is now. She discovered the kitchen floor the other day. And she thought it was hilarious.

What? This isn’t funny? Wait for it…

…wait for it….

She decided to blow zrbts (raspberries) on the floor.

Ok, so we all thought it was funny. And no, the floor ~~probably~~ wasn’t very clean. But a little dirt never hurt anybody.

Since then, she’s figured out how to blow a zrbt on your cheek. It’s quite slobbery, but super cute.

Yesterday

2012-02-07T09:45:00.000-05:00

Caedmon’s fever came back yesterday. And for a while, he felt pretty lousy. So yesterday turned into a hang-out-at-home-watch-TV-and-accomplish-nothing day.

We watched the last part of Star Wars Episode II about eight times. Because Yoda kicking some tail makes you feel better when you’re sick. Or so I’m told.

By the end of the day, Caedmon was feeling a bit better. He ate popcorn, a granola bar, and some chocolate ice cream for dinner. If he didn’t feel bad after eating all that, he’s better off than I am.

Today was supposed to be another chapter of Sacred Marriage, but I didn’t get that written yesterday. So it’ll come later. We all got a good night’s sleep last night (and Caedmon even slept late this morning!), so I’ll be catching up today on lots of things…maybe.

Weekend Recap

2012-02-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while since I did an actual weekend recap. So let’s.

Friday, Honor and I went to Target while the guys went to the library and playground. She was a great shopper. It’s only the second time I’ve let her sit in the cart, and she really enjoyed it. Of course, it was a little easier since we were by ourselves and she wasn’t trying to reach over the side of the cart to play with Caedmon.

Saturday, I got to sleep in while Husband took care of the kids. I can’t tell y’all how much I absolutely love that. If sleeping late was a love language, that’s definitely what mine would be.

When I got up, it was all Star Wars, all the time, for the rest of the day. Caedmon is slightly obsessed and Husband doesn’t mind feeding that obsession. We enjoyed just hanging out together as a family on Saturday.

Also? We had to turn our air conditioner on. In February. Remember last year at this time? We were dealing with Snowpocalypse ‘11. It’s not that I’m complaining about not having tons of snow. But, you know, winter would be nice.

Sunday, I kept Honor home from church. She’s been waking up super early and not going back to sleep, has been hit with head congestion and “the snots” again, and has started coughing. I think it’s mostly due to teething, but I didn’t want to take the chance of sharing germs with other babies in the nursery. And she didn’t feel well. So we dropped Caedmon off at church so he could go to class and ride home with Husband, and I brought Honor home and put her down for a nap. She slept for over two hours. Tired, hoarse, snotty-nosed little girl!

It was not a very good afternoon-nap day. In fact, I don’t think Caedmon has napped more than two days in the past week. The official daily nap may be coming to an end for him. But don’t think I’m giving up “naptime” just yet. He may have “naptime” until he goes to college.

We watched the Super Bowl and the kids went to bed early, but we missed watching with Brandon and Jill. I tried to get them to come for the weekend, but they had some excuse like…jobs…or something. That’s what we get for being friends with responsible people.

And then we stayed up too late watching The Voice. Love that show.

Monday usually means groceries and chores at our house. But Caedmon woke up at 3:30 this morning with a little bit of a fever. It’s gone now, but he says his throat hurts. And from the looks of it, I don’t doubt it. So I’ve decided to keep the kids home today and venture out for groceries later. We’ve already watched the last part of one Star Wars movie and Caedmon is begging to watch it again. I guess there’s nothing wrong with a good dose of Jedi on a Monday morning.

This Week In Photos

2012-02-03T10:04:00.000-05:00

Caedmon and Husband had an epic tabletop battle.

This is how we left the grocery store.

Honor had her first teething biscuit.

I think she liked it.

We made cookies to send to NLB and Squirt at school.

Caedmon “read” a Star Wars book to Honor.

One afternoon, I put the kids in the bath tub to play. We were desperate. Caedmon asked if “his boy” could join them. Of course, I agreed. But then he insisted on having a rubber ducky for him, too.

Honor found out that commando crawling on the kitchen floor is much easier than the carpet.

And Caedmon took a few self-portraits with my phone.

What did you do this week?

Babies Shouldn’t Have to Have Disclaimers

2012-02-02T10:06:00.000-05:00

I feel like every time I’ve taken Honor to the nursery (or out in public) recently, I’ve had to provide a disclaimer: “She’s having a rough day.”

It seems like we’ve had a lot of rough days lately. Honestly, not every day is like that. And for that, I’m thankful. But in some ways, it makes those (lately, quite frequent) hard days even worse. Because I know that’s not “her.”

Yesterday, I even had to take Honor out of the nursery before Bible Study was over because she just couldn’t get over herself and kept crying off and on. For a baby who doesn’t cry a lot, that’s really not her.

I thought that since two of her top teeth (of the four that are coming in) had broken through, we’d be in better shape by now. Clearly I was wrong.

I have such a loathing for teething right now.

I hate that this stupid teething junk has got her so “off.” I hate that she seems to have as many rough days as good days lately. And even worse, there’s really not much I can do about it.

A Momma’s job is to “fix” stuff. I can’t fix teething. Of course, we try all the stuff. Cold teethers, teething tablets, ibuprofen, etc. Everything works for about *that long* and she’s miserable again.

Honor has to be weary of this whole thing, poor girl. I know I am. I’m ready to have my sweet, happy baby back. And I think she’s ready to be back.

I am hoping we are on the downhill slide. At least for a little while.

Something Special

2012-02-01T09:54:00.000-05:00

Last week, we received a special package in the mail.

My friend Holly sent some goodies for us. And she wasn’t shy with the bubble wrap.

As I continued to unwrap, I became more and more excited.

And when I got through all the careful wrapping, I had a pile of the cutest cookies that have ever graced my kitchen table.

I couldn’t wait to dive in. Caedmon was napping, and I thought maybe I should wait for him to get up. But that thought was fleeting. Very fleeting. This cute little Razorback was too much to resist.

It was so good.

To the last…

…bite.

And when Caedmon got up, he tested one of Holly’s cookies too.

And he approved.

We so appreciated getting to help Holly experiment with shipping. That little bit of Razorback love was good for us that day.

Holly makes awesome cookies. She made some super cute Angry Birds cookies for Brayden’s party and some sweet little diaper cookies for Hayes’s baby shower. And the good news is that you can order cookies from Holly too! She now has a website at thedoughmestichousewife.blogspot.com (It may still be under construction, but she’ll be there eventually!) Or you can email her directly at thedoughmestichousewife AT gmail DOT com.

I just want y’all to know that Holly didn’t ask me to give her a plug on my blog and she didn’t pay me to say nice things about her. But I’ve known Holly and her family since…forever. And I’m more than happy to do whatever I can to help her with her new venture. So order some cookies. You’ll be happy you did!

Honor’s Turn!

2012-01-31T09:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I promised a video of Honor. And this would be me, delivering on that promise.

I started out with the intention of making a video of her crawling across the floor and all that jazz. But she was quickly distracted by something…shiny. She’d been watching Caedmon all morning and knew exactly what to do with it.

Caedmon Tells Stories

2012-01-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

I promised some of Caedmon’s stories. And here they are.

He asks every night if we can tell stories and record them. Here are two of the stories we’ve recorded in the last week. He wasn’t coached, and these stories are all his own. He’s much more creative than I am!

This one might be my favorite. It involves a Razorback and a bear going deer hunting.

This story has a friendly T-Rex. And visual aids.

Hopefully I’ll have a video of Honor tomorrow. But she won’t be telling stories.

1,000 Words

2012-01-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

Thoughts of Randomness

2012-01-26T10:05:00.000-05:00

1. I mentioned the other day that Honor is loving her some Oz lately. And it seems the feeling is mutual. Oz has always “checked” on her when she cried (which isn’t really that much), but he seems to be hanging closer to her lately. He voluntarily comes over to her at appropriate times and sits still while she pats him and grabs at him with her jerky baby arms. I don’t know if his increased fondness is due to her being more like a “kid” now or directly proportionate to the amount of crumbs she’s left on the floor around her high chair lately. Either way, they’re both happy. And I love it when kids and dogs love each other.

2. I’m still working on Caedmon’s “stories” he tells me at night. He gets a little camera shy. Well, that’s not true. He’s never been camera shy. Hello. Have you seen his photos? He gets a bit tongue tied when I turn the camera on. When we’re laying in his bed with the lights off and his Buzz Lightyear tap light under his chin, he’s much more creative. Still, they all seem to begin with “One night” and usually involve camping. I have no idea where that comes from.

3. We’ve started watching Alcatraz. My LOST void was never filled after that show ended, even with other JJ Abrams shows floating around. This one, I think, is going to work that magic. And maybe we’re reading too much into things, but we’ve noticed several LOST-esque scenarios. That, we love.

Also, one of our friends suggested that maybe all the guys were on The Island.

4. I was watching an episode of Friends the other night and saw my favorite mug! I don’t know the name of the episode, but Rachel was holding it in her office at Ralph Lauren. I knew I had good taste in mugs.

5. Clearly, I’ve been watching too much TV lately, but I am loving the Direct TV commercials that relate cable to waking up in a ditch or having a grandkid with a dog collar. They make me laugh every time.

6. Have I mentioned how warm it’s been here? I have? Well, let me say it again. Yesterday, Caedmon played outside in shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt. Barefoot. Honor played outside in the exersaucer, too. It was nice to have that time outside, but it’s a little strange to be *this close* to turning the air conditioner on in January.

7. Honor is officially commando crawling now. And she mostly goes after Caedmon’s toys that he leaves in the floor. He still hasn’t figured out that if he leaves stuff in the floor, she’s going to get to it. Her favorite items of late are Matchbox cars and Light Sabers.

8. I have this random thing with my eye that’s been going on the last few months. Sometimes at night, after I’ve taken my contacts out, my left eye starts burning and stinging, and waters like crazy. As if I were boo-hoo-crying. I can’t stop it. I have no idea what causes it and nothing seems to stop it. It’s never both eyes, or even the right eye. Perhaps I should have it checked out by a doctor instead of just talking about it on my blog, but…not today.

9. I was able to get an appointment for Caedmon with a new birthmark doctor. In May. It’s a long time to wait, but hopefully it will be worth it. And maybe we can get in earlier if there’s a cancellation.

10. After hearing/reading about lots of friends watching Downton Abbey, I watched an episode on Netflix the other night. I think I’m hooked. I just don’t know if I can come to terms with watching a PBS “Masterpiece Theater” show.

11. (Yes, there’s an 11 this time because it’s just so good.) Celebrity Apprentice is back in a few weeks and I can’t wait. We saw a commercial last night and I have two words: ~~MC Hammer~~ Dog Pound. I was misinformed – Arsenio Hall, not MC Hammer, will be on Celebrity Apprentice. Along with a spectacular cast.

Blog Book Study: Sacred Marriage, Chapter 7

2012-01-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

Chapter 7: Sacred History: Building the Spiritual Discipline of Perseverance

In fact, some experts suggest it takes from nine to fourteen years for a couple to truly “create and form its being.”

As Gary pointed out in this chapter, as our lifespans have increased, so has the time in which we have to be married. People live longer now, giving us more time to live with our spouses. Still, God didn’t create marriage for “life or 15 years, whichever comes first.” He created it for a lifetime, no matter how long that happens to be at any given time.

Gary also points out that we are creating history. I’d never thought of it that way in regard to my marriage. I’ve often wondered how future generations will be taught about the politics and world events of our day. But never have I thought that I am daily creating the history of my marriage. What kind of history and culture are we recording for our children, grandchildren, and future generations of our family? And because we are Christians, our marriage has eternal significance. So there’s no way I can ever dream of quitting.

I can’t stand a quitter. Growing up, I knew someone who would always quit when he was tagged “it.” We all knew it was going to happen. We’d tell him before we started playing, “Don’t quit when you get tagged.” He always promised he wouldn’t. And maybe the first time he didn’t, but if he got tagged again, he certainly would. Even as a kid, quitters irritated me. And now as an adult, I live among a bunch of quitters. Our culture can’t stand contracts and commitments. Sadly, there are many who treat their marriage like a cell phone contract – one that you can “get out of” if you’re willing to pay a fee.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 says, “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

Christ’s perseverance. He is the ultimate example of never quitting, even when things were hard. I’d like to be able to say that I had Christ’s perseverance when it comes to my marriage, and really, my whole life.

These Crazy Kids

2012-01-24T10:11:00.000-05:00

So here’s what we’ve been up to lately.

Honor loves Oz. And I think he’s developing a fondness for her, though he isn’t sure he likes it when she grabs at his ears. She’s spent the last week or so figuring out how to commando crawl and she made use of it to try to get to Oz. It didn’t last long. He got nervous about the whole situation and left.

These two are so sweet together.

Even when Honor is trying to grab Caedmon’s face.

Then they erupt into laughter.

And Honor tries to pose like Caedmon.

I got Beauty and the Beast for Honor. She was excited about it.

You may also notice she’s wearing a barrette. In her hair. It’s like I don’t even know myself anymore. Who am I, putting barrettes in my daughter’s hair voluntarily when we’re not even going out in public? It’s madness, I tell you.

Also? Honor is trying to pull up. She’s not yet figured out how to get back to a sitting position from her tummy, but she is determined to pull herself up. And help Momma with the taxes, apparently.

And yes, she bumped her head right after I took this picture. First head bump!

Caedmon and I have snuggle time before bed each night. He loves to tell me stories he’s made up. He likes the idea of “ghost stories” but he doesn’t really even know what they are. I’m trying to get one on video, and if I do, I will post it. The only thing I got from our attempt to video last night was a few goofy pictures.

I hope his goofiness never ends.

Photo Books

2012-01-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

For three years now, I’ve made photo books for Caedmon and given them to him in his stocking at Christmas. I had a couple of people ask about it, so I thought I’d share the details.

I know there are fancier ways of making photo books, but I started this with Caedmon when he was 2. I wanted it to be durable, and was afraid that if I made an actual photo book, it wouldn’t be able to handle the wear and tear.

My motivation behind making the first one was to help him recognize people and get over some of his shyness. It helped. And he enjoyed the book so much, I decided to keep making them. I think I like the photo books as much as he does!

These are the three books I’ve made for him, the oldest on the left, newest on the right.

See how they’ve been excessively loved? The one on the left lost its cover long ago. But Caedmon still loves to look at the pictures in it.

So here’s how it works:

Each year in late November/early December, I go through my photos and choose 100 to put in Caedmon’s book. I try to start where I left off the previous year, but I usually end up just starting in January and going through the end of November/first of December – whenever it is I’m making the book. I tried to choose a certain number from each month, but some months just have more fun things in them than others. I copy all of the photos I want to use into a separate folder, then see how many I’ve chosen. If it’s more than 100, I have to delete some. If it’s less, I know I can go back and choose more. I’ve never had that problem, though.

So what kind of photos do I choose?

Family members, and Caedmon with family members. This photo is from Caedmon’s first book. He and NLB were bear crawling because Caedmon didn’t like his knees in the grass.

Fun places and events. These are from last year’s book, when we visited the fire station. Caedmon still talks about when we went, and loves to look at the pictures.

Family and friends. We have photos from birthday parties and playgroups, holidays and family gatherings. The group photo is from Caedmon’s 3rd birthday party, and Brandon and Jill are our special friends who are like family to us.

Big events. From this year’s book, we have pictures of when Caedmon and Honor met for the first time.

I am also sure to include a family photo, photos of Husband and me together, and photos of each of us with Caedmon. Most of mine with him are fun self-portraits. And this year I included several of Caedmon and Honor together. Next year, she’ll need her own book!

I also put the photos in chronological order. It just makes more sense to me that way. Not that I’m Type-A about it or anything.

Yes, ordering 100 4x6 photos can get expensive - about $20, depending on where you have the photos printed, plus the cost of the album. It probably costs about the same as making a photo book from a site like Shutterfly (which I may look into this year since I will need to make two). But this year I was able to use Pampers reward points and got all the photos for free, and I ordered with some other prints and got free shipping. So all it cost was $5 for the book.

Caedmon keeps his photo books in his room. He looks at them regularly. And we look at them together sometimes at night before bed. He loves to talk about what else was going on the day those pictures were taken, and of course my detailed child remembers those kinds of things!

Like I said, I put these in Caedmon’s stocking each Christmas. You’d think he would toss it aside in favor of candy or a toy. But he really is excited to get a new picture book.

I love that Caedmon gets to see himself with family members and friends, especially when we can’t be with them a lot. It helps us keep them close when we have to be far apart. I hope this is a tradition I can keep going for a long time for both kids!

Philly Cheesesteak Soup

2012-01-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

I love soup, especially in winter. I love it any time really, but I can get away with rotating different soups into our menu plan about once a week in the winter. I don’t want to have the same ones all the time, though. That’s why I was so excited to find this one last year. I’ve made it several times, and it gets the seal of approval from Husband and Caedmon – most of the time.

I originally found this recipe at my-extraordinary-life.blogspot.com. It’s super easy and goes great with some crusty bread.

Heat butter and oil, saute pepper and onions (and mushrooms, but I usually leave those out).

Then you add milk, broth, etc. and simmer until thick.

I completely cheat when it comes to the roast beef. Instead of trying to make it myself, I buy this:

I shred it up and dump it in. It’s cost effective and easy!

So yummy and hits the spot on a cold winter night.

Philadelphia Cheesesteak Soup (original recipe from my-extraordinary-life.blogspot.com. My changes are in italics.)

3/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon oil

1 green pepper (or 1 cup frozen, diced)

1 medium onion (or 1 cup frozen, diced)

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I leave the mushrooms out.)

2 tablespoons corn starch

6 cups milk (I’ve found that whole works best, but any will work.)

1 can beef broth

1 beef bouillon cube (I leave this out also since I haven’t found any without MSG.)

2 cups leftover roast beef, diced

8 ounces cheese (provolone, Velveeta, or any) (I have used Velveeta each time I’ve made it.)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter and oil in large heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat.

Add green peppers, onions and mushrooms and saute until tender (about 5 minutes).

Add cornstarch to milk, stir to dissolve (Or make a slurry.). Add to vegetables and stir in bouillon, slowly whisking to incorporate. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened. (It takes a long time – probably 45 minutes or so.) Add salt, pepper and beef.

Slowly stir in cheese until all is melted.

Serve with some warm, crusty bread. It’s creamy and so good! Enjoy!

Birthmark Update

2012-01-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

I suppose it’s about time for a birthmark update. And this may or may not make any sense - it’s sort of a stream-of-consciousness thing.

Caedmon’s last treatment was in June, before we moved. We saw a new specialist here in the summer. We liked him, but he told us he prefers a more conservative approach. He even thought that Caedmon’s birthmark might possibly be a different kind of birthmark than a Port Wine Stain, but wanted to watch it for a while before deciding. Since Caedmon had already had 11 treatments and LBD had told us we’d be ok to wait a little while for our next treatment, we were fine to follow his suggestion of waiting until January (now) to check it again and see where things stand.

Honestly, in the time between, we’ve kind of struggled with our decision. And his recommendation. Knowing that we’ve come so far with Caedmon’s treatment is super encouraging. But thinking that maybe we are getting too conservative too soon is scary. Because we can’t get this time back, and when it comes to treating a birthmark like his, the younger the better. And we don’t want the last three years of treatments to be in vain.

The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation has a once monthly conference call with birthmark experts. The topic is different every month, and you can send information in about your particular situation and have the doctors discuss it with you. I was privileged to be able to join in a conference call this month with two experts who deal with PWS and Hemangiomas (one of them even invented something now used for procedures just like Caedmon’s). They both agreed that his birthmark is definitely a Port Wine Stain and advised a medically necessary, more aggressive course of treatment than the new doctor suggested. Which in one way was comforting (because we’ve done the right thing with his previous 11 treatments), and in another way, made me want to kick myself for not pushing with this new doctor. I know, they’re just seeing pictures and getting a brief history. But this is what they do every day, all day. The new guy has an excellent reputation as a physician and does treat a lot of birthmarks, but that’s not his main thing.

Fortunately, the birthmark experts on the conference call personally know two doctors in our area that they recommended we see for a consultation. Knowing that we had an appointment with the new guy coming up, we decided to wait and see what he had to say.

We saw the new guy yesterday. We like him. He’s a very nice guy and told us that when it comes to children, he medically treats each patient as he would treat his own child. I really respect that. He said Caedmon looks great and suggested we come back in a year. He also said he’d do a treatment if we really wanted him to, but he doesn’t see an urgency. I appreciate that he will do a treatment if we want him to, but I’m not quite sure what to think about a doctor that says, “I don’t think we should, but I’ll do whatever you want.” But maybe that’s because he’s used to doing a lot of elective procedures. Again, I appreciate his honesty and his approach. But at this time, I really would like to see what someone else has to say.

Because yes, it does look great. And I can’t say it looks any worse than it did 6 months ago, but since the danger with these birthmarks is not always on the surface, that doesn’t mean as much as one might think. The goal is not to make it look better, though that is a pleasant side-effect of treatment. (It’s about time the side-effects of something are pleasant.) The goal is to keep Caedmon healthy and keep the birthmark from affecting things like his vision, hearing, brain, bone structure, and mouth. See? Kind of a big deal.

My dream would be that we could just fly back to Children’s every three months and see Laser Beam Doc for treatments. Which is not really possible if we plan to continue to do things like eat food and have running water.

So our next thing is to jump through the hoops necessary to get a consult with one of the two doctors recommended by the birthmark experts. We’ll see what they have to say. At this point, it will cost a co-pay and the hassle of getting the appointment.

I’ll be honest, this has been one of the hardest parts of moving. New grocery store – fine. New places to find stuff – no big deal. New pediatrician – ok. But new specialist that deals with a birthmark on my child’s face that if not treated properly can cause all sorts of medical issues? Hard. Super hard.

Being a responsible adult and parent isn’t always fun. But I’m so very thankful for this kid. We prayed for Caedmon long before we knew his name or saw his face. I love him to pieces and can’t imagine life without this happy, sweet, thoughtful, loving, goofy kid.

Glowing Review

2012-01-18T10:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a rainy day. I’d like to throw “winter” in there, but it just doesn’t seem like winter here. In fact, I let Caedmon wear flip flops to Walmart on Monday when we went to get groceries.

It was a little cool, but we didn’t need coats. And he was actually wearing long pants (instead of the shorts he’s been insisting on) and a sweatshirt. I thought we were doing pretty well. Until a concerned, older lady in the check-out line asked, very seriously, if he owned any shoes that covered his toes.

Really, lady? With all the other fashion indiscretions that were going on at that store, you are worried about my kid wearing flip flops?

Perhaps she also noticed that his toes were hanging of the end of said flip flops. He’s a growing boy, what can I say?

I kindly told her that I didn’t think his choice of shoes were worth fighting over that day. He was wearing long pants, and I considered that a win. She wasn’t impressed with my answer and chose not to say anything else. It was probably for the best. I can’t imagine she thought too highly of my mothering skills at that point.

But I digress.

Again, yesterday was rainy. And we spent a glorious day at home. But that also meant that Caedmon needed a little extra help with keeping busy. So I surprised him with a glow bath.

He loved it.

He’s in there, I promise.

And honestly, that picture appears darker than it really was.

Caedmon played in the tub until the water was cold and he was beyond wrinkled. Those glow sticks were light sabers, straws, drumsticks, and several other things during that bath.

You can bet I’m picking up more glow sticks and bracelets in the $1 spot the next time I go to Target. That’s money well spent.