The first Saturday in May is like a holiday for my mom and me. It's the Jenks city-wide garage sale day. I tell my mom that though we will probably move back to Colorado in the next year or so, I will try to always try to make it for the first Saturday in May. Don't worry mom. Thanksgiving and national garage sale day...I'll be there :)
My mom is an extremely generous, bargain-hunting diva who finds great delight in running a booth at a local flea market. We're pretty different that way. To me that doesn't sound like fun at all. I'd rather work a shift a month in a hospital than deal with hauling around furniture in my car. But for my mom, it's not about the profit, it is all about the thrill of the hunt. And I have to say...I do have fun finding good deals when I am with my mom, and I feel sad (more for her than for me) when I have a day where nothing catches my eye.
Fortunately, Saturday was not one of those days. I spent less than thirty bucks and came home with all kinds of great things...mostly like-new, name-brand clothes in sizes my kids will need a year from now (including two new guitar shirts for Levi...he loves "strumming" the guitars on his shirts, saying "Brrmmm, brmmm, brmm.") I found a simple, yet beautiful vintage yellow souffle dish for a dollar, a cute skirt for me (also for a dollar,) and an extra baby bjorn potty (just like the one we have in our bathroom) to keep in the car while the kids are potty-training (two dollars.)
And I do mean kids...as in both of them. I've always thought my nana was crazy for claiming that my dad was potty-trained at nine months. Ridiculous! "You were trained, nana," people might say. But low and behold, like good karma, Max started peeing and pooping on the potty (fairly regularly) when he was nine months old. I've heard people say that the second child does everything faster, but this is sort of freaking me out. When I put Max on the potty, he nearly always "produces." Levi says "Good job brother!" and then proceeds to do his business in the guest room closet. I guess I am glad that he doesn't seem jealous of his younger brother's potty genius. See, there is always something to be grateful for :)
Love,
Kate
Showing posts with label simple living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple living. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Happy Earth Day (a couple days late)
When I was pregnant with Levi, we made the decision to use cloth diapers, and I am so happy we did. Not only has it saved us a ton of money, but it just feels right. Sometimes I use a disposable when I am out and about, and I just feel kind-of yucky...poop wrapped in a plastic and then tied in a plastic bag. Seriously, it will stay that way for hundreds of years. For me, it just feels better to use cloth.
The decision to use cloth diapers ended up being the catalyst for some additional earth-friendly changes in our house. When I was researching cloth diapers, I read a lot of good things about Charlie's soap. We were making a significant little investment with the diapers, and I wanted to make sure I was caring for them properly. I am sure that there are a lot of great products out there, and if you make your own laundry soap, you are my hero. But for me, Charlie's soap is fantastic. I purchased a 5-gallon bucket of this magic a couple of months (about $100) before Levi was born. We do all of our laundry with it, and it will last us until he is at least three years old. Just one tablespoon per load. I love not throwing away (or recycling) laundry detergent containers and I especially love not needing to pick it up at the store. It seems expensive, but I did the math, and it's less than half the price of using Tide.
Then, I started thinking about switching to cloth feminine supplies. My sweet friend Kaye is the one who introduced me to the idea. I haven't bought (or made Zach run to the store) for any pink boxes since. It feels better, it's healthier, and it smells better too. Sorry to be graphic, but it's true. Floral-scented plastic and blood just doesn't smell nice. You can throw cloth pads in with diapers or with a load of towels. I use a latex-free diva cup and luna-pads (and again, if you make your own pads...that is awesome.) I still have major sewing-machine anxiety. Someday, I'll get past it.
Let me know what you think. My thought: "I hope my brothers don't read my blog" :)
Love,
Kate
The decision to use cloth diapers ended up being the catalyst for some additional earth-friendly changes in our house. When I was researching cloth diapers, I read a lot of good things about Charlie's soap. We were making a significant little investment with the diapers, and I wanted to make sure I was caring for them properly. I am sure that there are a lot of great products out there, and if you make your own laundry soap, you are my hero. But for me, Charlie's soap is fantastic. I purchased a 5-gallon bucket of this magic a couple of months (about $100) before Levi was born. We do all of our laundry with it, and it will last us until he is at least three years old. Just one tablespoon per load. I love not throwing away (or recycling) laundry detergent containers and I especially love not needing to pick it up at the store. It seems expensive, but I did the math, and it's less than half the price of using Tide.
Then, I started thinking about switching to cloth feminine supplies. My sweet friend Kaye is the one who introduced me to the idea. I haven't bought (or made Zach run to the store) for any pink boxes since. It feels better, it's healthier, and it smells better too. Sorry to be graphic, but it's true. Floral-scented plastic and blood just doesn't smell nice. You can throw cloth pads in with diapers or with a load of towels. I use a latex-free diva cup and luna-pads (and again, if you make your own pads...that is awesome.) I still have major sewing-machine anxiety. Someday, I'll get past it.
Let me know what you think. My thought: "I hope my brothers don't read my blog" :)
Love,
Kate
Here comes the garden
My husband has been a student since we met 10 years ago. Mostly full-time, but occasionally just a class or two. Always busy. And sometimes, being married to a full-time student, one might feel that his or her own dreams are being placed on hold. I don't really feel that way, but sometimes (like this week,) when it is crunch time, i do feel like a single mother with three kids. Zach will graduate with his MBA at the end of July, and we are so excited that he will finally be finished.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to get my degree and we ended up being married for almost 7 years when Levi came along...so even though most of my days are spent chasing my tail, cleaning up endless messes and feeding people, I don't feel that I am missing out. Yes, sometimes I wish I had more time to myself, just to read or to focus on a project, but I really can't complain. Mostly, I just feel grateful and loved (and tired.)
When we moved here, we thought we'd be staying in a 1-bedroom apartment. We sold our lawn mower and weed-eater and all of that, as we were preparing to downsize from our home in Colorado. But, then we came across a great deal on a cute little 3-bedroom, built in the 1930's, and now, with two little boys running around, I am especially grateful to have a nice backyard. I've wanted to garden and to have chickens in our backyard for years, but now it is finally happening. Gathering fresh eggs when I was 18 months old is my earliest memory, and I've always loved the idea of having hens of my own. We've had them since last June and I absolutely love it. I don't think we'll ever be able to live in a community with an HOA again. And as for the garden, Zach is planning on renting a rototiller tomorrow and today I roped off the areas I would like tilled. I am growing cantaloupe, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers. and cucumbers all from seed and everything is looking beautiful. I was shocked to see everything shooting up (O Ye of little faith!) I actually bought seeds whose packages said "guaranteed to grow," and I put the receipt in a safe place :) If we have more of anything than we can possibly eat, I am going to be absolutely giddy.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to get my degree and we ended up being married for almost 7 years when Levi came along...so even though most of my days are spent chasing my tail, cleaning up endless messes and feeding people, I don't feel that I am missing out. Yes, sometimes I wish I had more time to myself, just to read or to focus on a project, but I really can't complain. Mostly, I just feel grateful and loved (and tired.)
When we moved here, we thought we'd be staying in a 1-bedroom apartment. We sold our lawn mower and weed-eater and all of that, as we were preparing to downsize from our home in Colorado. But, then we came across a great deal on a cute little 3-bedroom, built in the 1930's, and now, with two little boys running around, I am especially grateful to have a nice backyard. I've wanted to garden and to have chickens in our backyard for years, but now it is finally happening. Gathering fresh eggs when I was 18 months old is my earliest memory, and I've always loved the idea of having hens of my own. We've had them since last June and I absolutely love it. I don't think we'll ever be able to live in a community with an HOA again. And as for the garden, Zach is planning on renting a rototiller tomorrow and today I roped off the areas I would like tilled. I am growing cantaloupe, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers. and cucumbers all from seed and everything is looking beautiful. I was shocked to see everything shooting up (O Ye of little faith!) I actually bought seeds whose packages said "guaranteed to grow," and I put the receipt in a safe place :) If we have more of anything than we can possibly eat, I am going to be absolutely giddy.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
"Let Food Be Thy Medicine." -Hippocrates
People seem to think that our family has a pretty healthy diet. If that means that we absolutely do not go to McDonalds, they are right. If that means we do not have a HUGE tub of sour cream in our fridge, they are wrong :)
We haven't always been the healthiest of eaters. Like most things that last, it has been (and continues to be) a gradual process; we are becoming more aware and more disciplined and creative with each passing year. Friends keep asking me to post recipes on my blog, so I will continue to do that. It is fun to get new ideas from other families. I am so guilty of thinking things are so hard and impossible and time-consuming (like making tortillas) and then finding out after years of avoiding that "thing" that it really is super easy.
One thing we do, that may be a little different is giving our boys the same food that we are eating, from about the time they are 7-8 months old. Like today, we made taco salad, and instead of giving Max a jar of carrots, or just the cheese and avocado, we take everything that we are eating and blend it up in our mini food processor for him to eat. Maybe we've just gotten lucky with kids that will generally eat anything, and occasionally Levi will tell me, "I don't like that!"...but I think that they have been trained to accept a variety of tastes and textures. For instance, if I am making a somewhat spicy Indian curry, I will blend up the rice and curry and stir it into some whole milk yogurt. Here's a snack tip too. Sometimes we give them the typical cheerios or goldfish, but do you know what is way better? They love snacking on garbanzo beans! I make them from dry beans (from the bulk section at Whole Foods) and put just a tiny bit of salt in the water and that is a great, nutritious (and inexpensive) snack that wastes essentially nothing...no big boxes to throw away or recycle.
Back to taco salads. We eat them a lot. They are just so easy to throw together, especially since we eat vegetarian ones. I think choosing not to buy much meat helps leave room in our budget for buying more organics. I definitely can't afford to buy everything at Whole Foods, but there are a few things that I always buy organic. Like apples, lettuces, parsley, cilantro, potatoes, etc. Things that are not as important to get organically grown (from a nutritional standpoint) are: Bananas, avocados, broccoli, and onions. We often do not buy organic tomatoes, but at Sam's there are ones that are certified pesticide-free. That works for me. I, personally feel so much better when I eat well. Not to mention, my kids are in their formative years, and I really don't want them taking in a lot of chemicals, pesticides, or preservatives.
And a note about Sam's...I broke up with that Walmart big box place several months ago, but we recently got back together. Walmart and Sam's are absolutely terrible in so many ways. They have essentially put out all of the mom-and-pop owned grocery stores, hardware stores, and countless other types of stores and small businesses across the nation. They exploit so many people and nations in order for us to get our cheap things. I hate them for that. I believe that I do vote with my dollar, and I really try to support local businesses as often as I can. I don't buy a lot at Sam's and I rarely go to Walmart (except to develop pictures or pick up Zach's insulin,) but I did the math and figured that I would save about $100 per year on mixed greens alone if I got back together with Sam's. We go through about a container a week, and they are 3.99 at Sam's and 5.99 at Reasors and Whole Foods. So now, when I walk into Sam's, I know that I can only buy 5 or 6 things, and they all have to be ridiculously healthy. Otherwise, it is no longer saving me money or making my life better. I will buy a pack of 5 avocados, mixed greens, a huge bag of fresh broccoli, a 2lb block of Tillamook cheese, and a big bag of almonds or walnuts, or something like that.
I also wanted to share that fish oil is a potent anti-depressant and mood stabilizer. It works for me anyway. I take a couple of teaspoons a day (at separate times) mixed with apple juice. If I stay on my fish oil, I don't need to take any anti-depressants at all. I wish I would have known about fish oil supplementation when I was 20 :) Oh well.
Here are some pics from today's taco salads:
Oh yeah, and in the one with Levi's funny face, he is not crying. He is having so much fun, he can hardly contain himself. In the one with Max's hand at his mouth, he is signing "eat." What a love. Hope you've enjoyed this post. I'd love to hear if you liked any of the ideas and would like to hear if you have any similar ideas for me. Thank you for reading!
We haven't always been the healthiest of eaters. Like most things that last, it has been (and continues to be) a gradual process; we are becoming more aware and more disciplined and creative with each passing year. Friends keep asking me to post recipes on my blog, so I will continue to do that. It is fun to get new ideas from other families. I am so guilty of thinking things are so hard and impossible and time-consuming (like making tortillas) and then finding out after years of avoiding that "thing" that it really is super easy.
One thing we do, that may be a little different is giving our boys the same food that we are eating, from about the time they are 7-8 months old. Like today, we made taco salad, and instead of giving Max a jar of carrots, or just the cheese and avocado, we take everything that we are eating and blend it up in our mini food processor for him to eat. Maybe we've just gotten lucky with kids that will generally eat anything, and occasionally Levi will tell me, "I don't like that!"...but I think that they have been trained to accept a variety of tastes and textures. For instance, if I am making a somewhat spicy Indian curry, I will blend up the rice and curry and stir it into some whole milk yogurt. Here's a snack tip too. Sometimes we give them the typical cheerios or goldfish, but do you know what is way better? They love snacking on garbanzo beans! I make them from dry beans (from the bulk section at Whole Foods) and put just a tiny bit of salt in the water and that is a great, nutritious (and inexpensive) snack that wastes essentially nothing...no big boxes to throw away or recycle.
Back to taco salads. We eat them a lot. They are just so easy to throw together, especially since we eat vegetarian ones. I think choosing not to buy much meat helps leave room in our budget for buying more organics. I definitely can't afford to buy everything at Whole Foods, but there are a few things that I always buy organic. Like apples, lettuces, parsley, cilantro, potatoes, etc. Things that are not as important to get organically grown (from a nutritional standpoint) are: Bananas, avocados, broccoli, and onions. We often do not buy organic tomatoes, but at Sam's there are ones that are certified pesticide-free. That works for me. I, personally feel so much better when I eat well. Not to mention, my kids are in their formative years, and I really don't want them taking in a lot of chemicals, pesticides, or preservatives.
And a note about Sam's...I broke up with that Walmart big box place several months ago, but we recently got back together. Walmart and Sam's are absolutely terrible in so many ways. They have essentially put out all of the mom-and-pop owned grocery stores, hardware stores, and countless other types of stores and small businesses across the nation. They exploit so many people and nations in order for us to get our cheap things. I hate them for that. I believe that I do vote with my dollar, and I really try to support local businesses as often as I can. I don't buy a lot at Sam's and I rarely go to Walmart (except to develop pictures or pick up Zach's insulin,) but I did the math and figured that I would save about $100 per year on mixed greens alone if I got back together with Sam's. We go through about a container a week, and they are 3.99 at Sam's and 5.99 at Reasors and Whole Foods. So now, when I walk into Sam's, I know that I can only buy 5 or 6 things, and they all have to be ridiculously healthy. Otherwise, it is no longer saving me money or making my life better. I will buy a pack of 5 avocados, mixed greens, a huge bag of fresh broccoli, a 2lb block of Tillamook cheese, and a big bag of almonds or walnuts, or something like that.
I also wanted to share that fish oil is a potent anti-depressant and mood stabilizer. It works for me anyway. I take a couple of teaspoons a day (at separate times) mixed with apple juice. If I stay on my fish oil, I don't need to take any anti-depressants at all. I wish I would have known about fish oil supplementation when I was 20 :) Oh well.
Here are some pics from today's taco salads:
Oh yeah, and in the one with Levi's funny face, he is not crying. He is having so much fun, he can hardly contain himself. In the one with Max's hand at his mouth, he is signing "eat." What a love. Hope you've enjoyed this post. I'd love to hear if you liked any of the ideas and would like to hear if you have any similar ideas for me. Thank you for reading!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A Simple Valentine's Day
So, a couple of people have recently asked me if I am doing anything for my kids for Valentine's day, and I guess I was just planning on being a total Valentine's Day slacker :) I hadn't given it a thought, really. We aren't girls (except for me and the hens) and we don't eat candy at our house, so what does the holiday really mean for us, anyway?
A lot more than you might think, actually. Like 10 years ago, Zach and I met on Valentine's Day. Who does that? I had never even had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day, so that was kind-of cool. And after 7 years of being together, our first child ended up with a due date of November 10. You do the math...TMI, I know, I know...But, anyway, if the day should mean anything to any family, it should be ours, right?
So, we need to celebrate. Now, what should we do? Well, we're somewhere between medical school and getting back into the workforce at the moment, so we need to be frugal (yes, it is an ugly word!) My first thought, however, was to log on to Amazon and shop for some little Plan City vehicles (which are about $7-$12 each.) I quickly logged off and thought, "not right now." So, I started to think about other ideas that would cost little to nothing. Heart-shaped pancakes are a given. We'll use our recipe that is kind-of naughty (and way yummy!) and full of dairy (and protein.) It came from my friend, Kelly (who happens to be my Valentine this year, since both of our husbands are in Haiti.)
Here's the recipe:
1 cup cottage cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour, but regular flour is fine)
6 TBSP melted butter
Instructions:
Whip or blend the cottage cheese until smooth. Stir in the eggs and melted butter, then add the flour.
Cook pancakes until golden, then flip and cook for an additional minute. Do not overcook, These pancakes are moist and should spring back to the touch.
And for the topping:
Small bag of frozen raspberries
1/2 cup of agave nectar or maple syrup
heat on stove top until warm. Enjoy!
So, back to our Valentine's creativity....Tonight my kids and I were over at my parents' house watching Hollywood week on American Idol and I noticed how much fun the boys were having, playing with the vintage collection of fisher price little people my mom has at her house. (You know, the ones that don't have arms or legs and that were later modified so that they wouldn't be choking hazards...) I asked if I could wrap a couple of them up for Valentine's, noting that we would be (more than) happy to bring them back as soon as the kids start losing interest. She was delighted with the idea and even hooked me up with cute little Valentine's gift bags. So, there you go.
People sometimes ask how I became somewhat passionate about simple living (and i say somewhat, because I am somewhat passionate about shopping at Target as well)...and it was the combination of several things: living with and becoming close with our simple guru friends Chris and Kaye, living near Boulder, being motivated to live on one income, reading Shane Claiborne's The Irresistible Revolution, and viewing this clever little video called "The story of stuff" with Annie Leonard. I am sure that there were about a hundred other contributing factors, but those are the ones that popped into my head. Additionally, I had this realization when Levi was born that I could not stand the idea of any of our kids' toys or clothing being made by children. Here is a link to the Story of Stuff. It's really cool, so if you haven't seen it already, please check it out.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
A lot more than you might think, actually. Like 10 years ago, Zach and I met on Valentine's Day. Who does that? I had never even had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day, so that was kind-of cool. And after 7 years of being together, our first child ended up with a due date of November 10. You do the math...TMI, I know, I know...But, anyway, if the day should mean anything to any family, it should be ours, right?
So, we need to celebrate. Now, what should we do? Well, we're somewhere between medical school and getting back into the workforce at the moment, so we need to be frugal (yes, it is an ugly word!) My first thought, however, was to log on to Amazon and shop for some little Plan City vehicles (which are about $7-$12 each.) I quickly logged off and thought, "not right now." So, I started to think about other ideas that would cost little to nothing. Heart-shaped pancakes are a given. We'll use our recipe that is kind-of naughty (and way yummy!) and full of dairy (and protein.) It came from my friend, Kelly (who happens to be my Valentine this year, since both of our husbands are in Haiti.)
Here's the recipe:
1 cup cottage cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour, but regular flour is fine)
6 TBSP melted butter
Instructions:
Whip or blend the cottage cheese until smooth. Stir in the eggs and melted butter, then add the flour.
Cook pancakes until golden, then flip and cook for an additional minute. Do not overcook, These pancakes are moist and should spring back to the touch.
And for the topping:
Small bag of frozen raspberries
1/2 cup of agave nectar or maple syrup
heat on stove top until warm. Enjoy!
So, back to our Valentine's creativity....Tonight my kids and I were over at my parents' house watching Hollywood week on American Idol and I noticed how much fun the boys were having, playing with the vintage collection of fisher price little people my mom has at her house. (You know, the ones that don't have arms or legs and that were later modified so that they wouldn't be choking hazards...) I asked if I could wrap a couple of them up for Valentine's, noting that we would be (more than) happy to bring them back as soon as the kids start losing interest. She was delighted with the idea and even hooked me up with cute little Valentine's gift bags. So, there you go.
People sometimes ask how I became somewhat passionate about simple living (and i say somewhat, because I am somewhat passionate about shopping at Target as well)...and it was the combination of several things: living with and becoming close with our simple guru friends Chris and Kaye, living near Boulder, being motivated to live on one income, reading Shane Claiborne's The Irresistible Revolution, and viewing this clever little video called "The story of stuff" with Annie Leonard. I am sure that there were about a hundred other contributing factors, but those are the ones that popped into my head. Additionally, I had this realization when Levi was born that I could not stand the idea of any of our kids' toys or clothing being made by children. Here is a link to the Story of Stuff. It's really cool, so if you haven't seen it already, please check it out.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
Sunday, November 22, 2009
no holiday ham for me, thank you.
We watched Food Inc. a couple of weeks ago and if you haven't seen it, you might want to. We don't eat much meat as it is, but now (i can assure you) we are eating even less. What's worse is that I often do not cook meat at the house, but will have it when we go out. Now, I will try to turn that around a bit. I am still thinking about different parts of the film every day. And I still can't look at the meat in the supermarket. It bothers me. Chickens bred to grow so fast that they cannot even walk. 100 different cows that have been knee-deep in manure, contributing to a single hamburger. The larger the animal, the more I was bothered. Not to mention, the substandard working conditions for meat-packing employees. It is grotesque the things that are done to make a buck. The love of money truly is the source of all types of evil.
The day after watching the film, I placed my order with the Oklahoma Food Co-op for some grass-fed beef (which is super-high in omega-3's) and some local honey and butternut squash. You If you live in Oklahoma, I would encourage you to check it out. Similarly, I have been wanting to take the kids to visit the Swan Brothers dairy farm to purchase some raw milk. If you want to join us, let me know :)
The day after watching the film, I placed my order with the Oklahoma Food Co-op for some grass-fed beef (which is super-high in omega-3's) and some local honey and butternut squash. You If you live in Oklahoma, I would encourage you to check it out. Similarly, I have been wanting to take the kids to visit the Swan Brothers dairy farm to purchase some raw milk. If you want to join us, let me know :)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Levi turns 2!
Who says birthday parties need to cost a lot of money and produce a couple garbage bags worth of trash to be worth-while? Last year we had an eco-friendly 1st birthday party, where guests were invited to give a used toy or book wrapped in newspaper or paper sacks. It was fun. For party favors we got little reusable bags from whole foods and filled them with Annie's bunny treats and homemade play-doh.
This year, we had 10 little friends around our big kitchen table, making and decorating cookies. I think it was a hit. Even though Levi was very focused and serious, I could tell that he was enjoying himself. He is a funny kid. I used a recipe from a cookbook called Deceptively Delicious and included 2 cups of garbanzo beans in the chocolate chip cookie dough. Not bad at all! Then, we had cookie-shaped sandwiches and fruit, opened some presents, and played with balloons.
After all of our friends left, we played outside for a while and enjoyed the beautiful fall afternoon. Levi liked swinging the bamboo poles from our backyard at his birthday balloons. I took some pictures outside, needing to meet my quota for the month. Actually, on the 3rd of each month (for Levi) and the 10th of each month (for Max) I make sure to get some good pics. Just a little something I've done since the very beginning. It is fun to see them morph from baby to big boy in a matter of months. To think that Max will be dancing and saying all kinds of things in a year, just blows my mind.
A couple special moments from Levi's big day...when he woke up, Zach, Max, and I went to Levi's crib and sang "Happy Birthday," and Levi said, "I grow, I grow, I grow. I BIG!" Oh my heart. He gets it. Thanks Little Gorilla! Such a great little book our friends Jill and Zeph Carter gave to Levi for his 1st birthday. Levi played so hard that he took a 4 hour nap on the afternoon of his birthday. At 6pm he woke up and we went over to Grammy and Papa's to have the traditional cake and ice cream deal. Not to mention the big reveal. Levi's face when he saw his shiny blue schwinn roadster trike was priceless. He put Elmo and a toy airplane on the seat and pushed them around the house. He has not stopped playing with it since! He was on the trike and my parents were asking him if he was ready for cake. He said "no." Then when we sang happy birthday to him, he swayed back and forth and kept singing the song after we had stopped. All and all, it was a good day. A sweet day for my sweet boy.
And the good news. Today, during his nap, I went in to peek on him and he was prone with his little booty up in the air...and I thought to myself, "He is still kind-of a baby." And with that, I was happy. Our little miracle baby turned 2.
This year, we had 10 little friends around our big kitchen table, making and decorating cookies. I think it was a hit. Even though Levi was very focused and serious, I could tell that he was enjoying himself. He is a funny kid. I used a recipe from a cookbook called Deceptively Delicious and included 2 cups of garbanzo beans in the chocolate chip cookie dough. Not bad at all! Then, we had cookie-shaped sandwiches and fruit, opened some presents, and played with balloons.
After all of our friends left, we played outside for a while and enjoyed the beautiful fall afternoon. Levi liked swinging the bamboo poles from our backyard at his birthday balloons. I took some pictures outside, needing to meet my quota for the month. Actually, on the 3rd of each month (for Levi) and the 10th of each month (for Max) I make sure to get some good pics. Just a little something I've done since the very beginning. It is fun to see them morph from baby to big boy in a matter of months. To think that Max will be dancing and saying all kinds of things in a year, just blows my mind.
A couple special moments from Levi's big day...when he woke up, Zach, Max, and I went to Levi's crib and sang "Happy Birthday," and Levi said, "I grow, I grow, I grow. I BIG!" Oh my heart. He gets it. Thanks Little Gorilla! Such a great little book our friends Jill and Zeph Carter gave to Levi for his 1st birthday. Levi played so hard that he took a 4 hour nap on the afternoon of his birthday. At 6pm he woke up and we went over to Grammy and Papa's to have the traditional cake and ice cream deal. Not to mention the big reveal. Levi's face when he saw his shiny blue schwinn roadster trike was priceless. He put Elmo and a toy airplane on the seat and pushed them around the house. He has not stopped playing with it since! He was on the trike and my parents were asking him if he was ready for cake. He said "no." Then when we sang happy birthday to him, he swayed back and forth and kept singing the song after we had stopped. All and all, it was a good day. A sweet day for my sweet boy.
And the good news. Today, during his nap, I went in to peek on him and he was prone with his little booty up in the air...and I thought to myself, "He is still kind-of a baby." And with that, I was happy. Our little miracle baby turned 2.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)