4

I haven't told you, but my Peanut turned 4 at the end of September.


See?



Yeah. 4. Four. Doesn't she look bigger?

She had a whole weekend of celebrating, starting with a present from big sister in the morning before school.



Then we brought the treat to school, and Peanut's friends sang Happy Birthday to her, and she chose a horse as her present from the gift box. After school, Peanut got to open presents from Grandma Sharon, Sally and Kirsten, and from Derek and me. Adorable outfits, purple suede fringed boots, little black shoes, a huge box of crayons and a new coloring book, stickers, Polly Pocket--all sorts of good things were well received. There was also a funny kitty card from big sister.



At last came the big box.



~*gasp*~



"It's Ruthie!!" and a very happy Peanut. :)

After this, we packed up and went to Chuck E. Cheese for a pizza lunch and some game playing and had tons of fun. That night Ruthie slept in a place of honor, on the pillow on her bed where no other of Peanut's "guys" ever get to sleep. Ruthie got two nights there actually. No other "guy" has ever had even one night.

The next day we went to Grandma Sue's house, where more celebration and fun was had. Super cozy pjs came home and adorable Hello Kitty slippers. Being a tired momma, I also was a bad blogger and didn't get any pics.

The following day, and last of the birthday extravaganza was celebrated by Grandpa Steve, Grandpa Dale and Grandma Marcia. This is the day mom almost ruined the birthday. I decided to make the American Girl Rainbow Cake as she was receiving her first American Girl doll, with hair to style, unlike her Bitty Baby. It was from an issue of the magazine and I first saw it on Boogie's blog (she also dyes all that wonderful fiber I have!) So I set out, started making it. Hmm, these layers aren't very thick...but it smells good. Just bake it. Here's what I got:



There's a red layer, orange, green and blue, and they are each a 1/4" thick. As it was baking, Boogie's blog words rang in my head "blah blah blah...Jell-o...." Jell-o! Jell-o!? I freakin' used Kool-aid! What was I THINKING?!?! Well, it still smells good. :/ The layers are still thin. Let's put it together and see what we have.



Aw, it's super adorable, and really, when your kiddo looks like this when she blows out the candles,



and like this when I cut into the cake for the first piece,



I just didn't care that I put the wrong thing in. It was adorable and she loved her cake.



I only wish it tasted as delicious as it looks. It was very fruity tasting, but sour. Luckily, Derek had run out the night I baked it so that we'd have the backup cake. *sigh*

All in all, it was a fantastic birthday weekend. We can't quite believe our baby is four. Though when we look back on pictures and it's hard to imagine her being so little. I think we have a happy four year old though, and for certain we had a tired one!

More Firsts, One Last

Well, it's official. I now have two girlies in school. Here's how Peanut looked as she was ready to head out the door today to her first day of Preschool:

She was really just ready to go! When she got to school, she hugged daddy and sister goodbye and went right in to find her locker~Whoa! Her own locker! (Well, she shares it, but while she's there, it's ALL hers!)

Hard to reach.

"There! That's good!"

And in we went. Dropped off the folder, picked up the name tag, chose a seat at a table. Began to color, happily. lalala. Her friend came in then, the only one she knows in the class of 16, and she sat at the same table. Yay! Then it was circle time: calendar, sing happy birthday to the friend who had hers last week. Notice that Peanut's is on the calendar for a week from Friday! Her teacher said "Someone else is having a birthday on this day..." And Peanut piped up, "IT'S ME!" :) Very sweet! She sat, smiling, as she learned the "Good morning" song and sang along. Listened well to "The Kissing Hand", and listened intently as she was directed to go to one of four places to do different activities. She rocked the colored tangrams. She built some impressive things with the blocks. She colored intently and wrote that she was "excited" to come to school this morning.

She also copied off her friend's paper at this time however~she looked to see how her friend drew HER portrait and emulated. Hmmm...let's not have this be a habit Peanut...

She loved getting her hand painted to make a hand print and then cut out a heart to place in the palm of the hand, in theme with the book they read earlier. This was her favorite part of the day. Next came snack, and she was hungry and thirsty boy, let me tell you! Then came recess, and it was super cool because big sister just happened to be on the playground too. She ran out there, yelling "Goooosieee!!!" and big sweet sister hugs happened. It was adorable. It made me feel like she was happy and confident and she sees that sister is close and sister was watching out for her. Ah, sweet moments for sure.

My friend said to me, "She'll do just fine!" It was a relief to hear, and just bolstered my confidence that Peanut will do just fine. That she will adore preschool and make friends and have fun and learn lots. I'm so proud of how she did and I'm so looking forward to how this year unfolds.

So, another first day down, and the last time I'll send a kiddo off to Preschool. I know each year will be a major milestone, but the very first time of putting a child in school~there's something special about that. :)

The other first happened this weekend. We all went to my dad's place on Saginaw Bay. It's a lovely place and we had such a nice time! Check out the boat~

Check out the little fisherladies!

They were super cute with their Barbie fishing poles that Grandpa got them, practicing their casting and reeling in to see if the minnow was still there. :) SO cute and fun! It was chilly and windy though, so we didn't head out to the lake. Such a bummer. (Of course today's weather was gorgeous, but while we were there? Ugh!)

No one caught a fish--well, I did, a little perch right before we called it a day, but we won't talk about that. Goosie was way too sad she didn't catch a "Goosiefish" and Peanut was bummed she didn't catch a "Peanutfish". We call the fish my dad gives us "Grandpa fish" and the girls love eating it! But my little perch was little and I didn't mean to catch it before the girls got to catch one! I sure wish they were biting more. How fun it would have been for them to catch one! But, good lesson learned, right? Besides, technically, the girls both DID catch a fish or two...in the minnow bucket!!

Haha! All in all, it was a wonderful time and all that really matters is this

Right?

Week of Firsts!

Oh where does the time go? We spent the summer being busy and having fun, not blogging about it. But I want to get back to it as it's such a nice way to keep track of it all, to keep others up to date. So, back at it.

This week, firsts. Goosie started gymnastics! She approached me, saying, "Mom, can I talk to you? I want to take gym classes because I want to do cartwheels and I know you know how, but I think it's hard for you to teach me." Um. Yeah. "Sure honey, that sounds like a ton of fun! Let's talk to daddy about it." And...class on Tuesday. :) She was super cute, though I forgot the camera and took crappy phone pix. :)

That's her, flipping over the bar. And here, attempting a butterfly hang.

She learned lots of new vocabulary and actions-table, bridge, straddle, V-sit, stick!, and she did them all very well. She did a forward roll down a soft wedge into a pit of foam! So fun! She bounced on the trampoline, arms in a basket, jump-jump-jump-stick! Awesome fun.

But not for Peanut, who was not impressed that she wasn't going to have class too. Derek and I didn't want to enroll her just because big sister was. We wanted her to want to do it. However, after some fast conversation, we quickly decided to try her in a class today. We were able to try before we buy. Would she like it? Would she listen and follow directions? Let's see...

Ready to go!

She rocked the rings.

She boogied on the bar.

She cracked me UP on the trampoline!

She loved her class, and her new leotard! So momma signed her up for more classes, and said "I need to get a job to keep these girls in new leotards and me in full tanks of gas!"

Perhaps a larger event that happened this week though also happened today. Our Goosie started Kindergarten. Already? Yes. Really? Yes. Is home school an option? No. Let me start from the beginning for this one.

We knew it was coming. We did a little school shopping: backpack and lunchbox, school supplies and some new clothes and new shoes. We did the Open House. But really? She did the countdown: 15 days, 14 days....suddenly, last night, it was down to "TOMORROW!!" So I tucked her in last night, talked to her of excitement and fun that would come with her first day. I packed her lunch and had my first little freak out.

"Is it enough food? Will she be hungry? Will this be enough milk?"

I wrote the love note first and put that in there. Did salmon and crackers, apple Fig Newtons and grapes, a string cheese (that finally! she likes). I added a heart-shaped dried kiwi on top of the crackers, just for decoration, because she doesn't like dried kiwi. I froze little milk ice cubes to add to her drink bottle to keep her milk cold. All set. Still, the whisper "Homeschool?" No, I couldn't manage. She needs instruction from others. I need to knit-er, clean. Something.

So, I woke early this morning and got all ready before anyone was awake, like a normal mom. Peanut woke though, and crawled in bed with Derek. She snuggles so well. I came down, made tea, read emails and Ravelry and sipped my tea. For an HOUR! First day of school and the girls sleep in?! Yes, Peanut fell back to sleep, and Derek left her in our bed when he came down. I ate my breakfast first. Finally, signs of life from the kiddos. Breakfast in bellies. Teeth brushed, faces washed. Goosie gets dressed in the clothes we laid out the night before. I help Peanut get dressed. Hair done. We're ready, with time to spare (unless Peanut had school-she starts 25 minutes before Goosie, but not until next week!). Beautiful girl, all ready to go! So grown up! So sweet!

So we all pile in the car, Derek holding Goosie's hand.I forgot the camera, crap. At school we see friends, but they aren't in Goosie's class, which is a bummer. We get in line and the bells ring. Time to go in! Walk Goosie in, find her hook/cubby. Backpack hung, lunchbox hung, jacket hung! To the table! Exciting!! Find her seat, sit, hug and kiss and cry. She cried. Oh no, no honey, don't cry, it's going to be fun! New stuff and new people--not helping mom. Reach for a kleenex, apologize if my arm just got in the other mom's pic of her kid at the table not crying. Yes, I think our Goosie was the only one who cried.

Wipe tears, kiss cheeks and paddies, and off I went...to peek in the window at her. :) Derek and Peanut were out there watching the whole thing, and by the time I got out there, she was done crying, but not really playing. She will though, right? We left. Glad I forgot the camera! :(

So, how did the day go? I thought of her all day, regardless of how busy Peanut tried to keep me with all her gymnastic adorableness. Will she be starving? Tired and crabby? Did she have fun? Get to see her friends on the playground? At pick up time, we were there. The door opened-oh man. Is she happy?

YES!! Here's proof:

See, that's her hand. She's running toward me, yelling "I LOOOOOVE SCHOOOOLLL!!" and she bowled me over and this is the awesome happy picture I got of her. I am an awesome blogger. ;)

Sisters missed each other.

We rode bikes and walked home. I heard all about the day. It was great! She ate almost all of her lunch, said "I saw your note. My teacher read it even though I knew what it said." She ate the kiwi heart. Peanut and I told her we made her a special first day of school snack.

Mmm snack, I'm starving mom!

How adorable is this? The Apple cupcakes were delicious. Seriously. Make these. Add whole wheat flour, cut back on sugar. Substitute apple sauce for butter. Eat happily, make your kids happy, and relish the days we have, frantic and flurried as they may be. Take lots of pictures, and occasionally, blog and share the moments.

Thanks for reading. :)

Goosie Learns to Knit

Goosie Learns to Knit
Originally uploaded by bethanygknits

She asked if I'd teach her. I cast on for her, showed her 2 rows, and off she went. Her first project? A blanket for her little sister's doggy. Love her!

Productive Tuesday!

Hello! I did do "It's a Crock Monday" this week, but didn't snap a pic. This week it was baked ziti with italian sausage and it was tasty. One half box of ziti, some tomato paste, a can of crushed tomato and about half a jar of spaghetti sauce. Mix that in the crock pot. I added some oregano and mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Then I browned italian sausages and put those on top. Set it to low and let it go. I added canned mushrooms to it and let those warm through, and ate it up. Really tasty.

Yesterday then was Tuesday. We had some company over in the morning for a lovely visit, had lunch and I went to go find my red Red Heart yarn for Valentine Day crafts. Two skeins were MIA. Hmmm. SO, I decided to get all my yarn and fiber together, to consolidate and get it into two spots vs. five. :) I have to keep the cabinet full of pretty fibers in the dining room! So, to the basement we went. Ugh. The one room is storing everything in our basement right now, and it was ugly!

After some rearranging, I found the desk! And the doll house!


It was to get things put together better, encouraging to see all my fiber, and the girls played for hours in the basement and asked to do it again today. Still more for me to do down there, so we'll all be busy!

Crazy Day!

CRAZY day:

Done:

comfort crying/coughing/snotting/ear-achy kiddo

try to steam her in the shower, have her hide her face in a towel as she doesn’t like the steam on her face

feed her a breakfast she vetoes

have power go out while hair is still wet

freeze, fret, call DH if he can see what’s up as I have no internet, freeze more

DD2 wakes, start gas burner with match (eep!) feed her breakfast which she happily eats

dress girls, fold laundry and put away

Power back on! wooo!! Quick! Dry hair

laundry in washer

off to doctor-now 2 girls with ear infections

to Target to fill script, more Puffs plus, vicks plug in things, acetaminophen and ibuprofen and juice

grab taco Bell, have girls take 3 bites then cry, get Goosie in PJs, tuck them into beds, retuck Peanut who doesn’t stay in, throw laundry in dryer

write Round Robin letter, read on Rav, start mom’s email

have girlies wake, come down, discuss otitis media, how we hear, sinuses, marvel again at the internet
get snacks, turn on Scooby, get water and a spoonful of Nutella-why, hello stress eating

To do:
really decide dinner-I bought tortillas, black beans and Ro-Tel tomatoes-I sense a theme, but not really. Think I want buffalo chicken wraps. But I want to cook with wine so I can drink some…hmm…. ;P

finish mom’s email

post this list on the blog-heheh

post on Chore Wars

knit

exercise

finish drinking water-behind today but went way over yesterday-yay!

fold towels and put away

knit-why yes, I did put that twice.

really think more about that wine.

It's a Crock Mondays: Ham and Scalloped Potato Edition

But on Tuesday, because of technical difficulties yesterday-my apologies.

We've been sick here, starting last week Thursday night when Peanut started coughing. By Friday morning, she was very sick, Derek and I were too, but Goosie was ok. She went to school, Derek stayed home. I went shopping after I dropped her off and picked up 4 boxes of Puffs Plus. By Saturday we'd gone through all 4. Ugh. The worst part was that we had to cancel Goosie's 5th birthday party. She was such a good sport about it, but man I feel so bad for her. We were redoing parts of her room, so we spent some time doing that over the weekend, which made her awfully happy. We'll reschedule her party when everyone is healthy. It may have not been so bad if she was sick too! But she was still fine at that point.

So, come Monday, I'd not planned the weekly menu, hadn't grocery shopped. I checked the freezer and pantry and decided it was time for scalloped potatoes with ham in the crock pot. I busted out the mandolin and sliced three potatoes-not too thinly, as they were going to cook on high for about 3 hours. I'd say I sliced them about 1/8" thick. I drizzled olive oil into the pot. Layered the potatoes with half an onion, slice more thinly than the potatoes. I did four total layers, then added the ham pieces.

In a sauce pan, I mixed 3 TBLS flour with 3/4 cup milk (I used 2%) and 3/4 cup chicken stock (I had homemade). Seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and about 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (Parmigiano reggiano), and let it get all good and melty. Then I poured it over the potato-onion layers and covered it and let it go!

It really turned out great, though I was nervous because this is not a favorite in our household. (Well, I love it, but...) Derek ended up having seconds. Goosie didn't like the potatoes, so I whipped out a secret weapon--seasoned rice vinegar! She ate all she had, then had seconds! It was really tasty, like warm German potato salad. MMM

I really think the homemade cream sauce, with the homemade chicken stock made a huge difference too.

As dinner was cooking, I took Peanut to the doctor. She has an ear infection.

Off to Target we went to fill her prescription and get a bunch of stuff to make everyone feel better. Like new crayons, and a yoyo ball for Peanut. After dinner, a dose of her medicine and a dose of pain reducer, refilling all the humidifiers, Vicks plug in vaporizer nightlight things, glasses of water, Puffs Plus at bedside, we tucked the girls in and expected the girls to drop right off.

Goosie did. Peanut did not.

I hope everyone has a good week. I hope if anyone else is sick, you start feeling better. I hope if you are caring for someone who is sick, you get some time off! Be well!