Anne loves to make "treats" with me. Too bad she fell asleep before dinner last night, because we had plans to make Candy Corn Cookie Bark.
I made it with Sambo at my feet instead. He enjoyed eating the stray Oreo bits. Yeah, he's my kid.
I brought the entire yield to school today. Hopefully my colleagues will scarf it down so I don't have a pile of sugar to take home and eat by myself!
This stuff is the nutritional equivalent of pure corn syrup, but it's Halloween weekend! Have a little sugar binge.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Dinner!
Four dinner recipes that we have used lately. Three are vegetarian (2 are even vegan!) and only one requires a lot of prep/time (but it is totally worth it).
1. Cowboy Stew (from A Man, A Can, A Plan)
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 15-oz can turkey chili
1 14-oz can baked beans
Brown ground beef and onion, then drain. Add chili and baked beans. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with cheddar cheese.
This is the easiest "chili" recipe you are ever going to find, and it tastes so good!
2. Baked "Ziti"
1 16-oz box pasta (I had elbow macaroni)
1 jar favorite red pasta sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the pasta and place in a 13x9 dish. Stir in ricotta cheese while pasta is hot (to help it melt and distribute evenly.) Stir in pasta sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and golden--10-15 minutes.
Both of my kids scarfed this down. Sammy had 3 helpings! I had to laugh because it was so cheap--about $4 worth of food and it filled us all with some left over.
3. Peanut Noodles (adapted from Fitness magazine)
1/2 box spaghetti or angel hair pasta
2 cups water or chicken broth
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup cooked peas
Juice of one lime (optional)
Cook and drain the noodles. In a large pot or skillet (wherever you cooked the pasta--fewer dishes), mix the water, peanut butter, and soy sauce until emulsified. Simmer the sauce until slightly thickened. Add in the pasta and peas; toss to coat.
Kids love these, too. And I love making pseudo-Thai food without having to buy fish sauce, hoisin sauce, or any other random Asian ingredient that I'd never use up.
4. Butternut Squash Soup (the hard one) (again from Fitness magazine)
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
6 cups (2.5 lbs) diced butternut squash
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 15-oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups low-sodium broth
2 cups water
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and curry powder and cook for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender until almost smooth.
Notes:
--I used vegetable bullion for my broth
--I chopped all the veggies/fruits the day before and stored them in the freezer
--I made my own beans in the crockpot (I know. Overachiever.)
--This soup freezes very well. I had some for lunch today and it was just as good as the first night. It makes a TON of soup, so have some freezer bags on hand.
We made cheese toasts to go with the soup. I'm sure you could use any bread/cheese combo for this:
Cut bread (sourdough) into small finger pieces. Butter each piece, then top with a slice of cheese (swiss). Toast under the broiler, watching them VERY carefully to avoid burning. Serve with warm soup.
Enjoy!
1. Cowboy Stew (from A Man, A Can, A Plan)
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 15-oz can turkey chili
1 14-oz can baked beans
Brown ground beef and onion, then drain. Add chili and baked beans. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with cheddar cheese.
This is the easiest "chili" recipe you are ever going to find, and it tastes so good!
2. Baked "Ziti"
1 16-oz box pasta (I had elbow macaroni)
1 jar favorite red pasta sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the pasta and place in a 13x9 dish. Stir in ricotta cheese while pasta is hot (to help it melt and distribute evenly.) Stir in pasta sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and golden--10-15 minutes.
Both of my kids scarfed this down. Sammy had 3 helpings! I had to laugh because it was so cheap--about $4 worth of food and it filled us all with some left over.
3. Peanut Noodles (adapted from Fitness magazine)
1/2 box spaghetti or angel hair pasta
2 cups water or chicken broth
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup cooked peas
Juice of one lime (optional)
Cook and drain the noodles. In a large pot or skillet (wherever you cooked the pasta--fewer dishes), mix the water, peanut butter, and soy sauce until emulsified. Simmer the sauce until slightly thickened. Add in the pasta and peas; toss to coat.
Kids love these, too. And I love making pseudo-Thai food without having to buy fish sauce, hoisin sauce, or any other random Asian ingredient that I'd never use up.
4. Butternut Squash Soup (the hard one) (again from Fitness magazine)
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon curry powder
6 cups (2.5 lbs) diced butternut squash
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 15-oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups low-sodium broth
2 cups water
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and curry powder and cook for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender until almost smooth.
Notes:
--I used vegetable bullion for my broth
--I chopped all the veggies/fruits the day before and stored them in the freezer
--I made my own beans in the crockpot (I know. Overachiever.)
--This soup freezes very well. I had some for lunch today and it was just as good as the first night. It makes a TON of soup, so have some freezer bags on hand.
We made cheese toasts to go with the soup. I'm sure you could use any bread/cheese combo for this:
Cut bread (sourdough) into small finger pieces. Butter each piece, then top with a slice of cheese (swiss). Toast under the broiler, watching them VERY carefully to avoid burning. Serve with warm soup.
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Pumpkin Waffles
With my excess pumpkin, I made pumpkin waffles last night. The recipe below is from "Vegan with a Vengeance", a cookbook my brother Travis bought me for Christmas a few years back. I made the following modifications: I halved the recipe; I used pureed pumpkin and some homemade pear sauce (since I didn't have enough pumpkin); I left out the cloves; and I used regular milk, rendering this recipe non-vegan. Sorry, Trav! They were delicious, and we froze the leftovers.
Pumpkin Waffles
(makes 24 regular waffles or 12-14 belgian waffles)
(I got 6 belgians out of a half-recipe)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups rice, soy, or cow's milk (I used skim)
1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat your waffle iron. Sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well-emulsified. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix. Prepare the waffles as directed on your waffle iron.
I did notice these cooked a little bit faster than my "regular" waffles. Our iron takes 7 minutes to cook, usually, but these were done in 5 minutes. Perhaps due to the presence of brown sugar? Who knows. I do know that they were delicious and we will definitely make them again.
Pumpkin Waffles
(makes 24 regular waffles or 12-14 belgian waffles)
(I got 6 belgians out of a half-recipe)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups rice, soy, or cow's milk (I used skim)
1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat your waffle iron. Sift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well-emulsified. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix. Prepare the waffles as directed on your waffle iron.
I did notice these cooked a little bit faster than my "regular" waffles. Our iron takes 7 minutes to cook, usually, but these were done in 5 minutes. Perhaps due to the presence of brown sugar? Who knows. I do know that they were delicious and we will definitely make them again.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Pumpkin Adventure
There's a lot of buzz around the blogosphere about pumpkin puree. People add it to all kinds of food to up the fiber and decrease the fat. I've always been a little curious, but never done anything about it.
I have also read that you can make your own pumpkin puree. Buy a pie pumpkin, cook it, and whiz it in the food processor. Sounds easy enough, right?
WRONG!
I have been seeing pie/sugar pumpkins at the grocery store for weeks now and have been intrigued by them. They met my produce standard of less than $1 per pound (78 cents, to be exact), so I bought one yesterday. Apparently I was a bit over-zealous in my desire to be productive over my 4-day weekend. I thought "I'll cook it and puree it and freeze it to use in so many delicious, healthy recipes."
Yeah. Sure you will.
The trouble started with me mis-reading the produce scale. I guess when both kids are talking/screaming at you, it is hard to pay close attention to the weight of fruit. So when the cashier rang it up, it was $2.64 for a 3.4 lb pumpkin. That's accurate, but it was more than I was expecting and it wasn't the "great deal" I thought it was.
So I brought the beast home and ignored it until the kids were napping. Then I went Googling and found this site, which walked me through how to cook this thing. Step one: cut the pumpkin in half. Easier said than done. I don't know if pie pumpkins are naturally tougher than jack o'lantern pumpkins, but I could not chop into that thing to save my life! I tried 3 different knives, 2 of our pumpkin carving knives (one of which snapped right in half as I tried to saw with it) and even brought in the saw from the garage!!! Nothing would penetrate the fortress of pumpkin.
Clever girl that I am, I thought "I've seen smashed pumpkin in the streets before--I'll take it out to the deck and give it a good whack." I tried holding it and smashing it on our deck railing. Nothing. Not even a dent. Finally, I went Planet of the Apes style and smashed the pumpkin on the edge of the concrete step. Bingo! It cracked, I hit it again, and then pried it apart with my hands. I'm guessing I looked pretty stupid out there.
I brought the destroyed fruit back into the house, scraped it clean, and put it on the pan to bake. This was the best part, as our house smelled amazing for about an hour while it cooked.
I scraped the soft pumpkin flesh into the blender and started to whiz it. This made both children cry (naptime was LONG over by this point), and it didn't really work. Not enough moisture in the blender to make anything move. So there I am, blending and pushing the pumpkin around with a rubber spatula, listening to my kids cry, when I push the spatula down too far and the blender blade chops off a half-inch chunk of rubber. Great. Now my labor of love has been tainted with green rubber bits. I wasn't about to give up (I had invested WAY too much time and money), so I poked around and (hopefully!) removed all the bits.
Now it was time to see the fruits of my labor. I got a few containers out and started measuring the pumpkin. What was my yield? The equivalent of 1 and a half cans of pumpkin. All that work to save, like, 20 cents over buying the *(&#!@ stuff.
Never again, pumpkin. Never again.
I even tried roasting the seeds--they taste like unpopped popcorn. Gross.
Lesson learned: Sometimes, making it yourself just isn't worth it. Also, it was a blessing in disguise that my pumpkin vines didn't produce anything. I could've been staring at a pile of pumpkins to process :)
I have also read that you can make your own pumpkin puree. Buy a pie pumpkin, cook it, and whiz it in the food processor. Sounds easy enough, right?
WRONG!
I have been seeing pie/sugar pumpkins at the grocery store for weeks now and have been intrigued by them. They met my produce standard of less than $1 per pound (78 cents, to be exact), so I bought one yesterday. Apparently I was a bit over-zealous in my desire to be productive over my 4-day weekend. I thought "I'll cook it and puree it and freeze it to use in so many delicious, healthy recipes."
Yeah. Sure you will.
The trouble started with me mis-reading the produce scale. I guess when both kids are talking/screaming at you, it is hard to pay close attention to the weight of fruit. So when the cashier rang it up, it was $2.64 for a 3.4 lb pumpkin. That's accurate, but it was more than I was expecting and it wasn't the "great deal" I thought it was.
So I brought the beast home and ignored it until the kids were napping. Then I went Googling and found this site, which walked me through how to cook this thing. Step one: cut the pumpkin in half. Easier said than done. I don't know if pie pumpkins are naturally tougher than jack o'lantern pumpkins, but I could not chop into that thing to save my life! I tried 3 different knives, 2 of our pumpkin carving knives (one of which snapped right in half as I tried to saw with it) and even brought in the saw from the garage!!! Nothing would penetrate the fortress of pumpkin.
Clever girl that I am, I thought "I've seen smashed pumpkin in the streets before--I'll take it out to the deck and give it a good whack." I tried holding it and smashing it on our deck railing. Nothing. Not even a dent. Finally, I went Planet of the Apes style and smashed the pumpkin on the edge of the concrete step. Bingo! It cracked, I hit it again, and then pried it apart with my hands. I'm guessing I looked pretty stupid out there.
I brought the destroyed fruit back into the house, scraped it clean, and put it on the pan to bake. This was the best part, as our house smelled amazing for about an hour while it cooked.
I scraped the soft pumpkin flesh into the blender and started to whiz it. This made both children cry (naptime was LONG over by this point), and it didn't really work. Not enough moisture in the blender to make anything move. So there I am, blending and pushing the pumpkin around with a rubber spatula, listening to my kids cry, when I push the spatula down too far and the blender blade chops off a half-inch chunk of rubber. Great. Now my labor of love has been tainted with green rubber bits. I wasn't about to give up (I had invested WAY too much time and money), so I poked around and (hopefully!) removed all the bits.
Now it was time to see the fruits of my labor. I got a few containers out and started measuring the pumpkin. What was my yield? The equivalent of 1 and a half cans of pumpkin. All that work to save, like, 20 cents over buying the *(&#!@ stuff.
Never again, pumpkin. Never again.
I even tried roasting the seeds--they taste like unpopped popcorn. Gross.
Lesson learned: Sometimes, making it yourself just isn't worth it. Also, it was a blessing in disguise that my pumpkin vines didn't produce anything. I could've been staring at a pile of pumpkins to process :)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sammy Punks Us All
You think he's going to walk, but he's not!
Anne walked about a week after she was 14 months old. That means Sambo has until the end of the month to figure this out.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Amazing!
Anne was reading recipes with me, and all of a sudden she said "Mom, that says 'milk'." And sure enough, it DID say 'milk'! It is the first word she has read besides her name.
This achievement reminded me that "milk" was Anne's first sign when she was little. She would do the little fist-squeeze for "milk" all the time. There was a time when she saw a picture of a glass of milk in a book. She pointed to it, then did the sign, and we were amazed.
To summarize: Anne loves milk, and desires to communicate about it in any form :)
This achievement reminded me that "milk" was Anne's first sign when she was little. She would do the little fist-squeeze for "milk" all the time. There was a time when she saw a picture of a glass of milk in a book. She pointed to it, then did the sign, and we were amazed.
To summarize: Anne loves milk, and desires to communicate about it in any form :)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Pumpkin Farm 2010
We made our annual trek to the pumpkin farm today. We didn't make it on any of the nice-weather weekends! Nonetheless, we had a good time.
The highlight of the farm is always the petting zoo. Ponies, chicks, bunnies, kittens, goats, pigs, and a calf filled the barn. Here are Anne and Sammy checking out the chickens. Sambo smacked the top at one point and scared those birds pretty bad!
Ever adventurous, Sammy crawled through the hay.
He was pretty messy when he emerged.
Anne's favorite part this year was the maze. She ran through it about a dozen times and thought it was hilarious. Sam and I were shocked that she excelled at a spatial/motor activity ;)
No, we didn't really let the baby climb the hay bales. He would've liked to, though.
We ended our trip with a popcorn snack and a couple of squash to take home. All in all, it was a wonderful fall day.
The highlight of the farm is always the petting zoo. Ponies, chicks, bunnies, kittens, goats, pigs, and a calf filled the barn. Here are Anne and Sammy checking out the chickens. Sambo smacked the top at one point and scared those birds pretty bad!
Ever adventurous, Sammy crawled through the hay.
He was pretty messy when he emerged.
Anne's favorite part this year was the maze. She ran through it about a dozen times and thought it was hilarious. Sam and I were shocked that she excelled at a spatial/motor activity ;)
No, we didn't really let the baby climb the hay bales. He would've liked to, though.
We ended our trip with a popcorn snack and a couple of squash to take home. All in all, it was a wonderful fall day.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Another Anne Moment
Anne walked out of the bathroom, attempting to pull up her pants. She was twisting around, trying to see her backside, and said "I can't figure these things out!"
Yes, elastic-waist pants are quite complicated.
Yes, elastic-waist pants are quite complicated.
Monday, October 11, 2010
An Annie Moment
A conversation:
Me: Anne, it is time for bed.
Anne: I SAID I don't WANT to go to bed!
Me: (gruffly pick up and dress child for bed)
Later....
Me: I am upset with you.
Anne: What should I say?
Me: (pause...think...)
Anne: What will make you happy?
Me: I would be happy if you would speak to me nicely. When I say it is time for bed, you should say "Okay, Mom", not "I said I don't want to go to bed!"
Anne: I was just kinda grumpy.
Me: (laughing) Oh, Anne. We all get kinda grumpy, don't we?
I can't believe my 3-year-old asked "What will make you happy?" She didn't mean "What will appease you and get you off my back?" but was genuinely concerned about improving my mood. What a kid.
Me: Anne, it is time for bed.
Anne: I SAID I don't WANT to go to bed!
Me: (gruffly pick up and dress child for bed)
Later....
Me: I am upset with you.
Anne: What should I say?
Me: (pause...think...)
Anne: What will make you happy?
Me: I would be happy if you would speak to me nicely. When I say it is time for bed, you should say "Okay, Mom", not "I said I don't want to go to bed!"
Anne: I was just kinda grumpy.
Me: (laughing) Oh, Anne. We all get kinda grumpy, don't we?
I can't believe my 3-year-old asked "What will make you happy?" She didn't mean "What will appease you and get you off my back?" but was genuinely concerned about improving my mood. What a kid.
Menu Plan and Recipe Round-Up
Here's what we're eating this week. The challenge to myself was to spend $40 on groceries and NOT GO BACK. No "emergency" trips to the store. We will make-do with what we have. I was successful in my budget shopping trip; hopefully the rest of the week goes well, too.
Monday: Hamburger Helper (sing it with me: Makes a great meal!)
Tuesday: Fried rice (my favorite way to use up the odds and ends in the freezer)
Wednesday: Lentil tacos
**EDIT**Lentil tacos were good, not great. We ate them in burritos and both agreed that they tasted more like chili than tacos. Perhaps when we thaw the leftovers we will eat them with Fritos. :)
Thursday: Homemade pizza
Friday: Black bean soup
Saturday: Mac and cheese lunch, pancakes for dinner
Erin, you would be proud, since I can now make that pizza dough from memory--no need for a recipe.
I have had a lot of recipes to share lately. Earlier in the fall I was rich in pears, so I made pear sauce (like applesauce) and used it for many things. Anne ate it with vanilla yogurt, and we made a pear sauce cake and homemade fruit leather. It was all awesome. The fruit leather was made without any added sugar--just pure fruit--and it was so sweet! In a world of Oreos, you forget how sweet fruit can be. Since it is just pureed fruit, I tossed in the last of Sambo's baby food, so that it didn't go to waste.
Last night we had a veggie revelation. Roasted broccoli. I had half a bunch of broccoli in the fridge and didn't know what to do with it. Answer: chop it up, toss with oil, salt, and garlic, and roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Amazing! I will never steam broccoli again.
Need a veggie your kids will eat? Mine ate squash and I was thrilled. Peel and cube half a squash (I had an acorn squash), then dice one apple (I had a Gala). **EDIT** Microwave the squash (10 minutes for frozen, 5-6 minutes for fresh) This gives the squash a head-start on cooking. Roast at 425 for 15 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and a little cinnamon. When the squash is done, toss it with the sauce and serve. So good, and tastes like fall.
There you have it, I guess. I hope you find some inspiring recipes here--try something new!
Monday: Hamburger Helper (sing it with me: Makes a great meal!)
Tuesday: Fried rice (my favorite way to use up the odds and ends in the freezer)
Wednesday: Lentil tacos
**EDIT**Lentil tacos were good, not great. We ate them in burritos and both agreed that they tasted more like chili than tacos. Perhaps when we thaw the leftovers we will eat them with Fritos. :)
Thursday: Homemade pizza
Friday: Black bean soup
Saturday: Mac and cheese lunch, pancakes for dinner
Erin, you would be proud, since I can now make that pizza dough from memory--no need for a recipe.
I have had a lot of recipes to share lately. Earlier in the fall I was rich in pears, so I made pear sauce (like applesauce) and used it for many things. Anne ate it with vanilla yogurt, and we made a pear sauce cake and homemade fruit leather. It was all awesome. The fruit leather was made without any added sugar--just pure fruit--and it was so sweet! In a world of Oreos, you forget how sweet fruit can be. Since it is just pureed fruit, I tossed in the last of Sambo's baby food, so that it didn't go to waste.
Last night we had a veggie revelation. Roasted broccoli. I had half a bunch of broccoli in the fridge and didn't know what to do with it. Answer: chop it up, toss with oil, salt, and garlic, and roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Amazing! I will never steam broccoli again.
Need a veggie your kids will eat? Mine ate squash and I was thrilled. Peel and cube half a squash (I had an acorn squash), then dice one apple (I had a Gala). **EDIT** Microwave the squash (10 minutes for frozen, 5-6 minutes for fresh) This gives the squash a head-start on cooking. Roast at 425 for 15 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and a little cinnamon. When the squash is done, toss it with the sauce and serve. So good, and tastes like fall.
There you have it, I guess. I hope you find some inspiring recipes here--try something new!
Terrible Twos? I don't think so.
We love, Anne, we do, but Sam and I looked at each other last night and said "Yeah, I think I liked age 2 much better than 3"
And she's only been 3 for 6 days!
She's suddenly got a little bit of attitude and sassy-ness, none of which I am a fan of. I guess we are going to have to really start laying down the law and not thinking "She's still a baby"
And it doesn't help that Sambo has been quite moody for the past few days--irritable, screaming when he is angry, doing the horrible "arch my back and scream bloody murder" when you deny him something.
To summarize: The honeymoon is over; time for real parenting.
And she's only been 3 for 6 days!
She's suddenly got a little bit of attitude and sassy-ness, none of which I am a fan of. I guess we are going to have to really start laying down the law and not thinking "She's still a baby"
And it doesn't help that Sambo has been quite moody for the past few days--irritable, screaming when he is angry, doing the horrible "arch my back and scream bloody murder" when you deny him something.
To summarize: The honeymoon is over; time for real parenting.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Third Birthday Party
We celebrated Anne's birthday on Sunday the 3rd, with all of her grandparents and some of her aunts and uncles. Our theme was "orange" and so we had orange plates, cups, napkins, cupcakes, punch, and even the candle was orange! Anne says orange is her favorite color, so we ran with it.
Here's the birthday girl with her treat.
My handiwork--various orange toppings for white cupcakes. Jimmies, sugar sprinkles, orange 3s, and tinted orange frosting.
Annie wore a dress that Oma bought last Christmas, hoping it would fit for this day. It did! Thanks, Oma!
The whole fam-damily, as they say :) You can get a glimpse here of how hyper Anne was feeling during party time.
Dinner is done, presents are open, song has been sung...commence stuffing your face.
Thanks, again, to Opa, Oma, Will, Adrienne, Nana, Parva, Sarah, Grandpa Steve, Melissa, James, and Rebecca for celebrating Anne's birthday with us and bringing her such wonderful gifts. She loves all of you!
Here's the birthday girl with her treat.
My handiwork--various orange toppings for white cupcakes. Jimmies, sugar sprinkles, orange 3s, and tinted orange frosting.
Annie wore a dress that Oma bought last Christmas, hoping it would fit for this day. It did! Thanks, Oma!
The whole fam-damily, as they say :) You can get a glimpse here of how hyper Anne was feeling during party time.
Dinner is done, presents are open, song has been sung...commence stuffing your face.
Thanks, again, to Opa, Oma, Will, Adrienne, Nana, Parva, Sarah, Grandpa Steve, Melissa, James, and Rebecca for celebrating Anne's birthday with us and bringing her such wonderful gifts. She loves all of you!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Great Football Mind in Action
The insights of Coach Sam Westphall, at about 6:30 in this video.
Also, enjoy the face-morph at 9:00. Made me laugh.
Also, enjoy the face-morph at 9:00. Made me laugh.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
She's 3!
Anne Meredith is 3 years old today. She graced us with her presence on October 5, 2007 at 8:51 p.m. If you recall, she was a chunky 9 lbs, 8 oz and 22 inches long, with dark hair and dark eyes. She was (and still is) perfect, and she was worth the 2 days of waiting/labor in the hospital.
At exactly 3 years old, Anne is speaking very well. She has an interesting sense of humor, and will change her tone of voice or rhythm to make something funny. She speaks in full sentences and is good at labeling emotions. Last night she had made me a play birthday cake, and she walked it into her bedroom, then tripped over Sambo and dropped it. She started bawling, but through the tears she said "I dropped your cake! It is wrecked! Now I can't give it to you! Because I tripped over Sambo!" Oh, she was so upset.
Anne received a Beginner's Bible for her birthday, and we have been reading it quite a bit, because she loves it. We've read about 90 pages, up through the story of Jacob and Esau. This morning we were talking about it and she said "Esau is on 'Dora'". Gimme a virtual high-five if you get that joke.
According to the official measurement taken at daycare, Anne is 39 inches tall, and she weighs 30 lbs. She'll get measured again at the doctor's office on Friday.
She can run with a funny gait, jump, and walk up stairs, though probably not as well as she should. She still lags in the gross motor area, but she's catching up.
She draws circles and zig-zag lines, and Oma has been teaching her to cut on a straight line.
Anne loves to read, and as we read to her, we'll leave out words and she can fill them in with amazing accuracy. She has a strong memory. Tell her something once and it is in her brain forever.
Opa introduced Anne to the song "Brown-Eyed Girl" and it is now her favorite. She asks for it in the car, and can't grasp why I can't control what comes on the radio.
She is totally, 100% potty-trained. Dry all night, no diapers ever. Occasional accidents, but they are few and far between.
We moved her out of the toddler bed and into a twin bed for her birthday. I think she really likes it--she hasn't gotten out of it at all.
She still eats like a bird. Loves milk, cheese, and yogurt (yo-grit, she calls it). Also loves fruit and crackers. No vegetables except baby carrots (with "branch" for dipping) and no meat or eggs ever. Fruit snacks are her absolute favorite, and are a powerful tool for behavior modification :)
She knows her name and can tell you her birthday. She knows Sambo is her brother. She knows all her letters, colors, and shapes. She can count to 14.
Anne loves to sing and dance and play the piano (pahn-yo). We sing the songs from "Annie" quite often, and sometimes we add the Wild Anthem just for variety.
So there's more than you wanted to know about our daughter at age 3. The lack of pictures is a result of our broken camera--I'll try to get you an updated shot soon.
Happy Birthday, Annie.
At exactly 3 years old, Anne is speaking very well. She has an interesting sense of humor, and will change her tone of voice or rhythm to make something funny. She speaks in full sentences and is good at labeling emotions. Last night she had made me a play birthday cake, and she walked it into her bedroom, then tripped over Sambo and dropped it. She started bawling, but through the tears she said "I dropped your cake! It is wrecked! Now I can't give it to you! Because I tripped over Sambo!" Oh, she was so upset.
Anne received a Beginner's Bible for her birthday, and we have been reading it quite a bit, because she loves it. We've read about 90 pages, up through the story of Jacob and Esau. This morning we were talking about it and she said "Esau is on 'Dora'". Gimme a virtual high-five if you get that joke.
According to the official measurement taken at daycare, Anne is 39 inches tall, and she weighs 30 lbs. She'll get measured again at the doctor's office on Friday.
She can run with a funny gait, jump, and walk up stairs, though probably not as well as she should. She still lags in the gross motor area, but she's catching up.
She draws circles and zig-zag lines, and Oma has been teaching her to cut on a straight line.
Anne loves to read, and as we read to her, we'll leave out words and she can fill them in with amazing accuracy. She has a strong memory. Tell her something once and it is in her brain forever.
Opa introduced Anne to the song "Brown-Eyed Girl" and it is now her favorite. She asks for it in the car, and can't grasp why I can't control what comes on the radio.
She is totally, 100% potty-trained. Dry all night, no diapers ever. Occasional accidents, but they are few and far between.
We moved her out of the toddler bed and into a twin bed for her birthday. I think she really likes it--she hasn't gotten out of it at all.
She still eats like a bird. Loves milk, cheese, and yogurt (yo-grit, she calls it). Also loves fruit and crackers. No vegetables except baby carrots (with "branch" for dipping) and no meat or eggs ever. Fruit snacks are her absolute favorite, and are a powerful tool for behavior modification :)
She knows her name and can tell you her birthday. She knows Sambo is her brother. She knows all her letters, colors, and shapes. She can count to 14.
Anne loves to sing and dance and play the piano (pahn-yo). We sing the songs from "Annie" quite often, and sometimes we add the Wild Anthem just for variety.
So there's more than you wanted to know about our daughter at age 3. The lack of pictures is a result of our broken camera--I'll try to get you an updated shot soon.
Happy Birthday, Annie.
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