Aspen Grove 2010

Thomas and I have been to Aspen Grove for Valentine's Day the last 3 years.  We normally go to a Marriage retreat, but weren't able to make it this year.  I thought going up for cross country skiing would still count this year!  So Friday night we went out to dinner and went skiing (better late than never...).  Check out the cute hats my mom made us for Christmas!

Night skiing was a lot of fun.  I was glad it was a full moon; we could see most everything.
FYI:  If you live in the valley the trails are open from 6:30p-10p every Friday and it only cost $5 (per person) including ski rental!

Sleepy Boy

Sleep Training has begun.  He's going cold turkey.  No more binky and no more swaddling.

It's a lot of work to learn how to fall asleep!  Here's the proof:

Don't think me heartless.  He is being cut down to 2 night feedings... yes, still 2 but that's better than 3 or 4 or... Today has already been much smoother than yesterday.

And here's the best part!  I slept for a full 4 hour chunk last night!   It's been weeks and weeks since I've slept for 4 hours in a row.  It was amazing.

Good Mornin'

Macey loves hot air balloons.  This was a fun way to start the morning!  It was a lot closer before I got the camera...  I bet the people inside were freezing though!  Ballooning in February = Bbbrrrrrr!

Craft of the week

Remember those cards and shoelaces that you played with during church?  Well it's the perfect 2/3 year old Birthday party present in my mind.  A little chip board, wall paper stickers and shoelaces (from the dollar store),and Heather's ninja hole punch later...

The little bag to keep it all in makes it complete!

Weekend

Thomas has be SO busy finishing his thesis.  My weekend was made much better by friends and family.  While Thomas worked his heart out day and night ...

Henry and Baby Danger had a play date (and their momma's a lunch date)

Thomas got a surprise pizza lunch at his office Saturday.

Lucy stopped by on Sunday on her way home from my sister in law's.  It was snowing too much down south so she had to spend the night!  Macey didn't mind (and neither did I).

Misty and Nate came to eat pizza and build forts.

Where would I be without so many people to keep my sane?

Ready

Macey came to the kitchen to tell me her and her squids were going for a run.

Train

Today Macey built a train.  I was all of the animals, she was "Miss Conductor".  Every animal had to ask Miss Conductor where thier seat was and she would promptly place them.

When asked where the train was going she simply said.  "To da D.I."

(the thrift store we go to... that's my girl)

Good News and G-pa

Good News!  Thomas will turn in his thesis on MONDAY!  His defense is scheduled for March 5!  I'm going to have a husband again!  Being a single mom is hard work.

And just because:

Macey loves her Grandpa Terry.  He visited last night and she snuggled right up to him and read books while he and Thomas talked.  

First Man Meal

Henry's first meal of rice goo.

Thanks for the photo shoot Heather!

Oh, What a Night.

Let's recap last night:

8:13 pm both babies snug in their beds

2:08 am Henry wakes up to eat

2:22 am Henry asleep; I'm in bed

2:35 am Macey starts screaming bloody murder (I really thought that someone was in her room).  I spring out of bed half terrified to check on her.  She is standing up in her bed pointing at her pillow telling me the "spiders are getting me, right there".  She just keeps saying it.  I pick her up and she is literally shaking uncontrollably.

2:37 Thomas comes to check on her, I'm snuggling her on her couch

2:45 I put her back in bed and go to bed

2:50 She starts screaming that the spiders are getting her; Thomas goes in to check on her

2:53 Thomas decides to sleep on her couch.  Every 10 minutes though she calls out his name to make sure he hasn't left.  This goes on until 4:30am!  No one is sleeping...

4:33am Thomas decides to just let her cry...

From my bed I hear her yelling "Daddy, save me" Over and over and over for the next 45 minutes.

At 5:15 I decided it's my turn to try to help. I get her some water and say a prayer with her.  Asking the Lord to keep her safe from her spiders and to help her find comfort.

We are all finally in bed by 5:30am

Henry wakes up to eat at 6:02am and wakes back up at 8am for the day.

Here's the proof.  No smiles this morning...

The icing on my cake this morning :)

I'm not posting to complain.  I'm posting to remember.  This is what being a mom is about and am glad I have two monkeys to wake me up all night long.  I'm also grateful I can pray when I am out of options (and I should learn to do it BEFORE I am out of other options...)

Here's the complaint:  The Spiders.

Dear Barney (you big purple thing you),
Macey is allowed to watch 1 show a day and normally chooses to watch you.  We love the singing and such. Yesterday your show was about spiders... how they might look scary but are really nice instead!  Great concept.  Well Macey caught on to the scary part and must not have been paying attention for the nice part.  Thanks a lot. Her half an hour will probably be spent else where today.

Love,
A concerned Momma

Nap Time

Nap time is my hour (or 2) where I get to do what I want to do!  I try to have my house cleaned and office work done before naps so that I can craft!  Here was today's master piece.  A pretty skirt for a princess.

Macey went to the fabric store last night and picked out the material.  I have fond memories of picking out material for my mom to make into things I loved.  The cycle continues!

I need a lot more practice until I am the seamstress my mom is.  Starting while she is two is a good idea.  She loves everything I do and doesn't notice the quirks!

Next time I'm getting a pattern though... I hear they make sewing easier :)

Henny Head Band

I came out of the bathroom to find this:

Henry's first hairdo via a sister. 

It's the first of many little man.  I hope your ready, I know Macey is.

She was so very proud of her self.

Mace-face

This is Macey in a nutshell right now.  

Super "helpful", creative, dirty faced, crazy haired, 2 year old.

Henny

Henry is chubby.  I love it.

14 lbs 10 oz chubby to be exact!  Happy 4 months B-day tomorrow.

He has his momma's thighs...

Mother Moment

We were driving home from the grocery store this morning.  I am stopped at a red light when Macey says to me.  "I got sumpbing in my nose."  I told her I would get her a tissue when we got home and asked her to wait to get it out.  She then said, "Not da booggies, I got beads in my nose. Can you get dem out?"  I got a little nervous and a trip to the emergency room flashes through my head in that half a second.  I turn around and there are two chickpea sized beads, one in each nostril.  She starts to get nervous too.  So I reach my buckled in self around and try to get the beads out.  By this time the light is no longer red...  I don't want to get them stuck so I am careful and eventually get the beads out.  The people behind me didn't appreciate my failure to go!  On the rest of the way home we talked about why we can't put things up our noses.  Crisis Averted.

Magic

In between all the fun post has been real life and real life has been a little crazy this week.  My happy baby Henny started waking up around 1 am to eat and then waking up every 10 to 45 minutes after that until 9am.  I was literally waking up 20 times a night.  That is hard! My neighbor Heather met me at our secret meeting place at the fence late one night and tossed a magical book to me:

According to Dr. Marc, Henry was over tired.  What?  Henry is a better sleeper than Macey was... he is happy all day... it didn't make sense.  But the book says he should be awake a max of 2 hours at a time.  Well we went over that a few times a day.  So I buckled down, started writing down his comings and goings, putting him to bed in his bed (not in the car seat or stroller...) and after 4 nights of waking up a million and a half times Henry only woke up 3 times last night.  Much, much, much better.

Now the problem... Henny isn't as portable as he once was, he doesn't fall asleep in the car seat while grocery shopping or while we are on a walk like he used to.  I just assumed he wasn't tired.   Now that I know better I feel a little chained to my house (especially when you mix in office hours in the middle of the day that I can't leave).  If he is napping 4 times a day, in his bed, when am I supposed to leave to get something done?  Saturdays only?  Double edge sword my friends... Henry not sleeping or me not leaving the house.  Both not good.  


Oh, I can't wait to have a backyard!  Won't that be dreamy.  I'll even get crazy and say I want it fenced in... a fenced backyard.  A miracle in the making.  One day, One day.

Blue and Gold Banquet and Cake Contest

Thomas and I are loving being Webelos leaders.  Yesterday was the big Blue and Gold Banquet!  Scouting is celebrating its 100th Birthday this year, and so we had a big birthday party!  All of the scouts were asked to bring a birthday cake for a little contest.  I couldn't pass up the chance to make something too... My amazing friend Veronika came over and showed my the ropes of fondant work!  I am in love!  

Check out V-ron's cake blog here!

Here is what we created:

The badges were done with royal icing and food safe markers.

The competitions was fierce!  Here were a few of my favorites!

There were so many cakes!

I felt like I had a catering company out of my little apartment yesterday!  I made pulled pork, baked beans, and homemade sweet and spicy BBQ sauce for 75 people.

I cooked 18 pounds of pork! Not a pound too much either...

I also made a pinata that was a huge HIT (get it...)  Check out this cute little girl! 

Once it finally broke-

The banquet turned out perfectly!  Everyone had a great time.

Handcrafted Hippos!

My amazing friend Rivka is going to have a baby girl this spring.  They have lots of moving about in their future so I wanted to give her a baby gift that she wouldn't mind backing around.  

Here was the inspiration:

A few hours later I had made the blue and orange one!

This is the one I sent to Rivka.  Not perfect but pretty cute for making them up!  

New BFF

Macey found this huge tumble weed in our front yard.  We played with it for at least an hour.  She liked to pretend it was an umbrella...  She kept telling me it was her "best bend ebba".  What a funny girl!