Christmas Time

We have been talking with the boys about the birth of baby Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas. So, this morning filled with excitement Joshua says, "Mom, Jesus is going to come to Austen's Birthday".

It's just milk, Mom

Joshua got his haircut today and sat so still so we got a treat from Starbucks afterwards. On are way out we were talking about treats and I mentioned the milk being a treat. This was his response, It's just milk Mom...that's not a treat!
No wonder he thinks that, getting coffee at Starbucks is so frequent in our household that it really doesn't seem like much of a treat but rather a way of life.

Grandma has arrived! She is settling in very well and we are enjoying her company! Joshua and Austen have been sharing a room, that has been going GREAT!! Last night they both went down with out a beep. Yesterday, I got to go to a Matinee with Grandma which was a great treat! But, I can see I am going to have my hands full so blogging and responding to all the bloggers blogs I read is NOT going to be on my list of priorities in the next week or two.
I will miss you all!!

Amazing Meatloaf!

I have NEVER been a meatloaf fan...so before you shrug, you must at least try! Last year a friend of mine gave me her meatloaf recipe, Thanks Rachel! I made that recipe a few times and it is good. Which got me thinking...meatloaf isn't as bad as I thought. But, I have been wanting to work on finding more vegetables to hide in it. I am happy to report I have found an amazing meatloaf! I have taken ingredient's from two different recipes to come up with this. I served this with mashed potatoes. The wonderful thing about this meatloaf recipe is you can almost always find the ingredients in your pantry. Well, mine you can.

Meatloaf:
FYI-Not all my measurements where exact.
2lbs of ground beef (I didn't have quite 2lbs)
1 green pepper, chopped
almost 1 small onion, chopped
3/4 cup bread crumbs- Italian or plain
1 egg (which I totally forgot last night and thought I ruined the entire dish!)
1/4 tsp pepper1 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic (I used powder)
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (More would probably work well too)
1/2 cup of carrot puree
Sauce:
1 cup tomato sauce (I used a homemade sauce that had various spices, pureed zucinni, carrots, mushrooms ect)
2 tbsp of brown sugar
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp of dried mustard
1 small can of mushrooms, drained (which I forgot last night but it was in my tomato sauce)
Mix loaf ingredients. Spray baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Drain fat. Spread sauce mixture over loaf and bake for i more hour.

Mashed potatoes: recipe from the Dceptively Delicious cookbook (which I have been LOVING, stronlgy recommend it)
1 pound baking potatoes
1 tsp of salt
1/2 cup cauliflower puree
2 tbsp of butter
1/2 cup of buttermilk
I sort of eyeballed these ingredients

Enjoy, I would love to hear how your loafs turn out!!! FYI- I do not tell the rest of the family these recipe had pureed vegtables in them. One more thing to add....the other night I made lasagne and used my homemade tomatoes sauce and it was yummy, yummy. The best part of all is that know one knows what's hidden in the food they are eating!!!

Morning times

I'm awake with my cup of coffee, monkey bread is in the oven and the boys are still sleeping...I love these morning!!

Yesterday, we spent no money. We would have if I would have gotten the times right of our costco visit....this happens more than I would like to admit!

It's Friday!! Joshua is up now and I want to give him a good morning snuggle.

We found a Doctor!

I took the boys to the Doctor's today. We were all so hungry afterwards plus I told Joshua if he was a good boy that we could get Burgerville...which he thought was cool. We are new to Kasier (still figuring out how they do things) and in the last month I have made more calls to the advice nurse then ever before...plus a visit. Our first visit did not go well the nurse and the Doctor were not firendly and seemed very annoyed I had come in but today's visit was GREAT!!! I think we found our facility as well as our Doctor. Joshua normally hates going to the Doctor and I don't blame him. But, he didn't fuss ONCE, not once!!
So, after our visit we went to Burgerville! We don't eat fast food very often and the last time we ate Burgerville they messed up our order. Once we got home I realized they had messed up our order again..they gave us bacon cheese burgers instead of tillamook cheese burgers...no wonder I thought we were paying to much! I called and now our name is put on a list for the next time we come in, what does that mean??? John and I have been experiencing a lot of "mess ups" lately with everything. Why is that?? Has any one else been experiencing the same??

Our spending was $19.23 at Burgerville...now that was not worth $20.

Our Family spending

Over the last few weeks John and I have been talking about trying to cut out or limit our extra spending on items that really aren't necessary. We have also been discussing how to teach are children they have a choose as to how to spend their money. That they are not slaves to it. Instead of saying, we can't afford that (weather it's true or not) we are trying to say things like, This month are family is choosing not to spend our money on that or we didn't budget for that this month. We would be happy to put this on the list of things to consider buying next month. (Maybe, if they have to wait for something they want they will either realize they don't want it or realize they do really want it). We really want are children to be Thankful for what they have and we don't want them to have the "deprived mentality" when they don't get what they want or feel they need. Somehow we have aloud ourselves to feel this way. There is far more to life then "stuff". We are going to start to have a small budget every month that John and I can use to bless other with when we see a need. We would also like the boys to do the same, this will allow are focus not to always remain on ourselves and our needs but the needs of others as well.
To keep us accountable I am going to be posting our discretionary (food, clothing ect)spending every day. Being accountable to making a post daily will make me think twice about the unnecessary purchases. Example; Just this weekend we spent almost 10 dollars in one day on coffee and the funny thing is it was at 3 different coffee shops...I don't even remember going to 3 different coffee shops? Why is it when something becomes such apart of your life routine it's harder to change or to see that you need to make a change?
Here goes yesterday's spending:
Starbucks: $12.95 1 pound of ground coffee from (They have Christmas Blend now!!! Yummy.
OFC: $16.22 John has not been feeling well so I had to buy him some Tylenol PM which was about $7.00 dollars for the generic brand as well as some soup he could take to work for almost $3.00 but while I was there they had 10 for 10 deals on things I would normally buy so I bought a few things.

Our family's total spending for the day: $29.17
This is also going to help me balance our account on a daily basis...since I will already have the receipt's out! Wohoo! (I am good about doing this every few days but every day would be better so I don't miss anything)

Dessert

Last night I went out for Dessert with a friend. It was so fun to be out without children drinking my latte, eating yummy dessert and talking with a good friend. It has been awhile (since Sarah moved) and today I am feeling very refreshed....guess I need to do that more often!!

Grandma comes in a few more days, I am getting excited!!!

Jedi Moves

Jedi Moves, originally uploaded by johnandtana.

Like I said, I had a months worth of pictures on my camera that I just downloaded.
This picture captures all his favorites (at least at the time it was taken). Daddy's lego hat, Mr. binks (I am hoping this will become a thing of the past in the very near future), Jedi cape aka starwars blanket, lightsaber aka place mat and we can't forget the BOOTS!
Now if you could only hear him this is what he would say, "dark side"..... We were hoping he would choose the other side. But as Yoda says, do or do not, there is no try.

Great Grandma comes in a week!

This week we are getting ready for Grandma Deanne to come. Boy are we all excited and anxiously awaiting her arrival. We have beds to make, bathrooms to clean and goodies to bake. We haven't seen Grandma since she moved to L.A., almost a year ago. And Ever since we told Joshua she was coming he hasn't stopped talking about it...he misses her a lot and so do I!!!
We can't wait to see you GRANDMA!!!!

CUTE COUSINS!!!

CUTE COUSINS!!!, originally uploaded by johnandtana.

I am just now loading pictures from a month ago. I just love this picture of Joshua and his cousin. They are just too cute!!!

Waddling with the ducks

Waddling with ducks, originally uploaded by johnandtana.

While Joshua had class on Saturday we took Austen to feed the ducks. He loved it!!

Consignment

Today, I went to Spanky's to consign some of my winter clothes that no longer fit. Because they are TOO BIG!!! A glorious feeling. I found some super cute things for the boys. In the past I haven't been all that impressed with their selections...things always seemed too wore, not cute and priced higher than I wanted to pay for such things. But after today I will be back.

I have a large bin of very nice higher quality little boys winter clothing to sell but I am trying to decide if I should post it on craigslist or take it to spanky's. I'm thinking craigslist.

Ham and Asparagus Chowder

This was the perfect dinner after a cold, wet and rainy day. It was especially a hit with my hubby.

1 1/2 cups cubed unpeeled red potatoes
1/2 cup of water
1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 pieces of frozen or fresh asparagus spears
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham
1 can (103/4oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of milk
Freshly ground pepper if desired

1) In 2-quart saucepan, heat potatoes and water to boiling. Reduce heat to medium. Cover, cook about 5 minutes or until potatoes are crisp-tender.

2) Add asparagus and ham. Cover, cook 3 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in soup and milk. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with pepper before serving.

This was super easy to make. I measured everything out ahead of time...you could even make this the day or night before.
Enjoy!

My Joshua these days!

This afternoon I gave Joshua some spicy jerky which he kept thanking me for so I know he liked it. He then asks me for a glass of water which he drank all of.....he then closes his eyes and says, I pray my owie away, amen. Mommy, I pray and it's gone.

The other day we were in the car and Joshua said, can we pray for daddy?? So, we did and later when I was telling John about it he asked, What time did you do that at?? John had been having some obstacles with a project at one point during the day and all of a sudden he felt gods grace over the situation. Now, that is powerful!

This just melts my heart. Thank you Jesus for my Joshua!

I think we are making strides??

Joshua has been doing so good about using the potty when we have been at home. We haven't been accident free but he seems to be getting it and enjoying it. Tonight was the first time he told us he had to go poop and he really did!! Wohoo!!! Then, when I put him to bed he told me that tomorrow at class he was going to poop in the potty for his teacher. Wohoo, Joshua! I told him that would be very cool and that his teacher would be very proud of him. However, his track record for using a public potty or any other potty for that matter than the potty at home has been nothing short of a major fit. It has only been a week since we have embarked on the "potty journey" so I'm sure with time he with begin to feel comfortable using public bathrooms, I just hope it's sooner than later. What have you all tired to make this transition more comfortable??

Austen is walking!

We knew it was coming soon and sure enough today at a friends house Austen took steps. We caught him doing so a handful of times. Then tonight he stepped for Daddy and not just one step but two and almost a third!! Go Austen go. I am sure by the end of the month he will be running. What will I do??

I'm invisible

Last week at MOMS group this was shared with us and it stuck a cord in me......

I'm invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satelite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude- but now they had disappeared into peanut butter, never to be seen again.
She's going she's going, she's gone!!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry fro myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a bananna clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I bought this."
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me unitl I read the inscription; "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."
In the days to come I would read- no, devour- the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four-life changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who biult the great cathedrals- we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."
And the workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make everyday, even when no one around does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is an antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friends he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Need I say anything else?

Music Adventure

Just wanted to share this email from Joshua's music teacher. This is our first year of classes and it has been exciting for us all. Joshua loves telling us what he learned each class. We are thinking that him being around his peers without Mommy or Daddy as given him the confidence to use the potty. Wohoo!!

Hello Tana,

I just wanted to let you know that Joshua did very well in class today. He participated in all the activities and seemed to enjoy himself - particularly the instruments. I was happy to see that he felt comfortable to be on his own and had enough confidence to join in our singing. He was a very good listener!

Yeah, Joshua. Mommy and Daddy are so proud. John and I were looking at pictures of Joshua from 4 months ago and he has grown up so much since then. How is that possible?? Really makes you want to savor the moments even more!!

Potty time!

I wrote this yesterday and then my computer crashed:

So, at one point we were attempting to potty train Joshua and nothing seemed to be sticking. He never got excited about any of the rewards we were trying so we kind of gave it a break. (Well, maybe we were giving up :)) But, that has all changed today. This afternoon on a whim I asked Joshua if he wanted to pee and poop on the cherrios in the toliet and his eyes were wide eyed! Honeslty, I was shocked at his respone but went with it. Not only did he try but he really went pee and a little poop!! I was shouting inside and out!! :) We were literally on our way out the door so we had our celebration and into the car we went....before I could even get Joshua buckled he was saying, oh, no. He had to go more...awesome. So, in we went and he went a lot of pee and a bit more poop. Wohoo! When we were in the car Joshua starts asking about spending the night at Grandma & Papa's house..I thought what a great potty reward! So, If Joshua uses the potty for the next few days then he gets to spend the night at Grandma & Papa's house!

Today's potty tales have been just as fabulous! Way to go Joshua. We even braved it out today without a diaper or pullup and he did great! He was more then happy to use the potty at Cafe sip-n-play....we had quite a few shouts and high fives over that!

Some of our favorites this time of year!

Cream of tomato soup

1 tablesppon butter
2 tablesppons flour
1 3/4 c evaporated milk
3 cups tomato or vegtable juice
4 tablesppons tomato paste
Dash of oregano
Dash of basil
Salt & pepper to taste

Melt the butter on low heat. Add the flour and blend, stirring constantly for 2 min. Then gradually add the milk until thickens. Stir in tomato juice, the paste and the seasonings. Continue to cook on low heat. Serve warm and top with parmesan cheese, cottage cheese or wheat germ.

Mac & Cheese

1 cup uncooked pasta
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons of flour
2 tablesppons of butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup cheese
1 cup water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything except cheese. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes. Stiring often. When done add cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes or just serve and eat!! We love mac and cheese with johnny's seasoning!

Pumpkin cookies

2/3 cup of sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat, sugar, brown sugar, butter and vanilla. Then beat in pumpkin, eggs. Then flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

These can also be made with browned butter frosting (which is YUMMY!!!) 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk and 1/3 cup of butter. Mix all ingedients over medium heat.


Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we have!!!!

Fall is officially here and I LOVE it!

For those that don't know fall is my favorite time of year! I love all the colors, the foods, the baking, the weather, the traditions. I just love it all! This weekend we are headed our families anual fruitloop trip. This year Aunt Chritine and Unlce Danny (John's siblings) will be joining us. Ever since John and I have been married we have always gone to the fruitloop with John's parents. It's a tradition we love and look forward to every October.

Well, Joshua started his music class last week and this week his busy bees class. He seems to have enjoyed both. I am super excited about his busy bees class. The Teachers are SUPER friendly and nice. Plus, they have things set up some what like a monterorri does with all different activity stations and for the month of October they are focusing on leaves, pumpkins, letters and numbers. Joshua has already learned things from after one day. The program is academic which I didn't expect...not sure why maybe because of the price??? Anyhoo, I am super excited. Did I mention this class is 2 hours long and very close to wonderful downtown Camas:). Giving me a much needed time for errands and one on one time with Austen.

Next weekend, Daddy is going to be out of town so we are going to have a baking day at Auntie's house. I am very excited about this. There is some very yummy recipes I want to make and a few new ones I want to try. Fun times :)

From the mouth of my 3 year old

Joshua: I pray my nose Amen! It's all gone, Yeah!!!

Beyond myself

There is FREEDOM yet to come. I have been feeling quite overwhelmed in my circumstances and the demands of motherhood latelty. Never a dull moment in my house. From the laundry to the dishes to the kids there really is no rest for the weary. Until I realized just how important my Job as a Mom is and that I am infact impacting my children everyday. To my credit I am sure it hasn't helped that both my children are now mobile and quick. But knowing my Job as a Mother is important and holds a real power of influence in my household on a daily basis really strikes a cord. So, how I choose to use this influence is very important because it's going to have lasting effects both negatively and positively in the lives of my children and husband. It's up to me to create, set, culitivate the tone or atmosphere in my household each day. This sounds exhausting doesn't it?

But, I know that I am not alone. My purposes may be beyond myself, My circumstances may be beyond myself and even my daily demands but with the power of the holy spirit I can do ALL these things! In Christ I can do what I can't.This is so refreshing to my spirit. This truth couldn't have been more timely. Guess, that's always they way it goes...our God sure knows what he is doing. AMEN TO THAT!!!

"For he is doing something in your day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it." Acts 13:41

Getting ready for fall, how about you??

About this time each year I get into an "organizing mood". Today, we went through all the toys and changed up the room toys with the living room toys to get some variety goin. I also bought a few more baskets and created new homes for everything. We also sorted through Austen's clothes and I finally bought him some baskets for all his clothes. It only took my 9 months but now his changing table looks put together. Our next project is our front door/porch. I am getting a vision so hopefully I will have a picture of that soon.

Oh, Monday Miss Organized is coming to help us organize few areas we really slack in and are just clueless as how to manage. I am also hoping she can regularly clean for us. What a glorious thing that would be!!! I acually don't mind cleaning but I am running out of time for it these days.

A long night....

Last night was rough. I am not sure if Austen is/was teething more (goodness the kid has 7 teeth and he is only 9 months) but he was having the HARDEST time getting to sleep and I can't tell you how many times he awoke during the night. I think his longest stretch of sleep was from like 12ish to 3am. It seems like he waking up congested and just needed snuggles from Mom. Maybe, his first cold/runny nose/ cough (although there is no evidence of a cough yet) when he woke up this morning at 6:30am he didn't have a fever.

So, I went to the store today and I bought a humidifier for just his room, pedicare for stuffy noses and vapor rub. I was hoping to find a hylands all natural product for infants but no such luck. I may be over reacting but I am making sure all the basis are covered. My sleep is very precious to me.

Birthday Shopping

My birthday shopping trip was a success. I haven't shopped all day in a very long time. I left the house about 9:30 and got home at about 6pm. I met my Mom, Aunt & cousin at Washingto Square and we shopped, had lunch, shopped, shopped and shopped some more. I found some really great things. If your like me once I got home I marveled some more at my new clothes and then took the clothes to my closet. It's amazing what new clothes does for a woman!!!

I also have a yummy salad recipe to share. We had this last night and it was yummy!!!

Apple-Cranberry Salad

Romaine lettuce
1 apple, chopped
sweetened dried cranberries
chopped green onion (I didn't put these in last night)
poppy seed dressing

Mix all the ingedients with a small amount of the dressing and ENJOY!!!

Oh, and Joshua crashed about 6pm last night while the rest of us crashed at about 8:30pm. We are all sure feeling refreshed after some much needed rest!!!

It's Friday!

Friday is here and it's a beautiful day outside! Today we are having lunch with Grandma Kathy (my Mom). And possible Daddy may join us for a bit too.

I am really looking forward to this weekend. My sister in law is coming into town tomorrow for the day. We are going to have a girls day out. (we will have the littlest boys with us my austen and her eli) But, I am super excited. We get to shop with My Aunt, cousin and Mom. I haven't bought much of any things since I have lost weight and I just turned 30! So, this is going to be a nice treat for me.

Recently, I have been going back and forth about preschool for Joshua. And I don't think the time is quite right. It's a relief to have finally decided on this. Instead we are going to be enrolling in a music adventure class, hopefully gymnatics (we missed are try out apt yesterday) and or soccor. Anyone have any other ideas??? What did you guys do with your busy, busy toddlers??

Have a great weekend!!

Tired

Right, about now I am feeling super overwhelmed!! My 9 month old will not fall asleep on his own for the life of him. I have been trying to get him down for a nap for about the last 45 min....he is so tired but just keeps crying. I am guessing he is over tired and getting over stimulated by his older brother. Currently he is in his crib crying, crying and crying. When bedtime rolls around it's the same deal. My husband and I recall our oldest son going through a similar faze (although, I must have blocked it out of mind because I have no recollection of it). Let me tell you it's emotionally draining. My oldest son is definatley having his own set of issues as well. He's 3 and I know his behavior is very much the norm but I am out of tricks and exhausted.

But, tomorrow I get a spa day. THANK YOU JESUS!! The timing couldn't be more perfect. So, I guess I can muster up the energy and grace to make it through the rest of the day and tonight (my husband will be working late) for some much needed rest and relaxation tomorrow.

I better go get the little guy!!!

Some exciting news to share.

It has been a while since I have made a post. Where does the time go? Some changes to announce in the Davis household.

My husband, John got a new Job!! The opportunity presented itself and John took it. WOHOO!! I am so excited to watch him flourish in this new position. So, maybe the original plans we had in mind will be put on hold for a season.

Plus, I'm turing 30 in a few days. September 4th to be exact. Those two number didn't seem like a lot until now.

Summer is coming to an end...so sad. But, we sure have enjoyed the cool summer nights outside on our patio furniture (thanks to some good friends of ours!! :)).

Oh, and I got baptized!! That's right. We were swimming with some friends who happened to be moving out of state the next day and viola. It was a very special moment for me and I couldn't think of a better way to have spent our last night with these dear friends. Thanks guys!!

Well, both of my boys are napping now so guess what I am going to do?? TAKE A NAP TOO! Or at least attempt one if not some rest and relaxation in my bed would be just as good.

FREE Movies

That's right, FREE!!! Regal Entertainment group has this program called, REG free family film festival...who knew?? It's been going on all summer long. Go figure!

Here our the details:

Go to www.REGmovies.com (to locate a theatre in your area)
Every Tuesday & Wed @ 10am is a G or PG movie. It's on first come first serve basis and I think they may even have kids meals you can purchase but the best part is it's FREE!!!

Tomorrow we are going to see Everyone's Hero!

Austen at Nehalem Bay

Austen Summer 2007, originally uploaded by johnandtana.

Patiently waiting in the car.

Nehalem Bay Camping Trip

Sand CastlesSand Castles, originally uploaded by johnandtana.

Can you say Monkey, Monkey, Monkey?? Joshua can!! This weekend went camping at Nehalem Bay and it was a blast!! :) Let me start by saying, Nehalem Bay is nothing short of being family friendly. They have bike trails, a playground, a great beach, bathroom facilities and THE VERY BEST trees for little monkey's to climb! Joshua spent most of the first day climbing in the trees pretending to be a monkey. The rest of the trip was spent going on walks, exploring the woods, playing at the park, learning to kick a soccer ball, building sand castles at the beach and roasting marshmellows with Dad, did he ever love that. Austen enjoyed watching Joshua play and he too loved watching dad build a fire which he watched with amazment. There is nothing more satisfing than seeing your little ones so excited over the simple things...like getting to sleep in a tent?? Needless to say, much fun was had by all and we are looking forward to at least one more camping trip this summer!

His Peace which transcends all understanding

will guard my heart & my mind. The Lord gives me his perfect peace which is not the peace the world gives. So, I should not be troubled and not be afraid. But, I am. A heart at peace gives life, life to the body. I want life!! I should not worry about my life, what I will eat, where I will live, what I will do tomorrow...isn't life more important than that?? But, isn't that we humans or should I say I do best, worry. I want to sow his words of peace deep into my heart.

All right Lord, I am presenting my petitions, requests and prayers to you! (RIGHT NOW!!!)

A Summer tradition

My friend, Sarah and our boys have this wonderful tradition of getting sushi and then going to the park. I think this will be the tradtion I remember this summer by. The sad, yet wonderful part is that Sarah is moving!!!. They have a wonderful opportuniy and I am so excited for them!! But, I am going to miss her so (so so much)...and seriously who will I eat sushi with??? I think it's all sinking in about now.

The cup seems to be working.....

I have been having success with "the cup"...Wohoo! We have tried 2 times this weekend and Austen seems to really enjoy drinking water from the "the cup". Infact, he waits eagerly for more....this is a wonderful milestone. I am going to keep doing this through this week and next week we will try breastmilk, formula or even juice and see how that goes over! Mama may just get a day out with her girlfriends by the time her Birthday comes :)

Thank you for all the helpful advice!

No thanks, MOM!

Well, there is really no tale to tell. I didn't end up needing to give Austen a bottle....I did however try! The fluids they were using for testing were not being injected into my bloodstream so they said I wouldn't have to pump & dump. This was quite a relief to me. Because, he just wouldn't have it! Now, I love breastfeeding my little guy but now that he is almost 8 months I would like to be able to have a night out or a day out. I want to have lunch and go shopping with a girlfriend or get a facial & a bodywrap...that's not a lot to ask is it?? I know my time will come in just a few more months! :)

Today is the day, HE MUST learn to take the bottle!

I'm going in for some testing today and won't be able to breastfeed my 8 month old for 24 hours. We have tried giving him a bottle in the past but has been resistant to taking it. As you can imagine I'm very nervous about how my little guy is going to react to this sudden change. But, he has been doing very well the last 2 weeks with solids so I know he isn't going to starve. Pray for us, wish us luck and any advice would gladly be received to help us through the process!

I will be posting on our experience in 24 more hours!! :)

This weeks offering....

For those that don't know I have been attending weight watcher meeting for about the last 8 weeks and currently I'm working towards becoming a life time member!!! WOOHOO!! I have 3 1/2 weeks to go.....this has been a personal goal of mine and one I plan on keeping for a lifetime! My leader sends out weekly emails that inspire and keep you focused on the task at hand. I though this weeks offering was particularly interesting and wanted to pass it along.

It's a lot to digest but read it all. Enjoy :)

Anti-obesity initiatives failing to bear fruit
Government not persuading kids to eat well, studies show
Associated Press - Originally published July 5, 2007 PANORAMA CITY, Calif. //

The federal government will spend more than $1 billion this year on nutrition education -- fresh carrot and celery snacks, videos of dancing fruit, hundreds of hours of lively lessons about how great you will feel if you eat well.

But an Associated Press review of scientific studies examining 57 such programs found mostly failure. Just four showed any real success in changing the way kids eat -- or showed any promise as weapons against the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

"Any person looking at the published literature about these programs would have to conclude that they are generally not working," said Dr. Tom Baranowski, a pediatrics professor at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine who studies behavioral nutrition.

The results have been disappointing, to say the least:

• Last year, a major federal pilot program offering free fruits and vegetables to schoolchildren showed fifth-graders became less willing to eat them than they had been at the start. Apparently, they didn't like the taste.

• In Pennsylvania, researchers went so far as to give prizes to schoolchildren who ate fruits and vegetables. That worked while the prizes were offered, but when the researchers came back seven months later, the kids had reverted to soda and chips.

• In studies in which children tell researchers they are eating better or exercising more, there is usually no change in blood pressure, body size or cholesterol measures; they want to eat better, they might even think they are, but they're not.

The studies don't tell Leticia Jenkins anything she doesn't know. She had her seventh- and eighth-graders chop tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and limes for a lesson on salsa and nutrition.

Still, she understands the futility of what she is trying to do.

"Oh, it's so hard, because at the end of the day sometimes I take a moment, I think, 'Gosh, I did all this, and we still see them across the street picking up the doughnuts and the coffee drinks,'" she said.

Nationally, obesity rates have nearly quintupled among 6- to 11-year-olds and tripled among teens and children ages 2 to 5 since the 1970s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The medical consequences of obesity in the U.S. -- diabetes, high blood pressure, even orthopedic problems -- cost an estimated $100 billion a year. Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr., nominated as the next surgeon general, says fighting childhood obesity is his top priority.

The challenges to changing the way children eat are as numerous as the factors that have prompted the obesity epidemic in the first place.

The forces that make kids fat "are really strong and hard to fight with just a program in school," said Dr. Philip Zeitler, a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher who sees "a steady stream" of obese children struggling with diabetes and other potentially fatal medical problems at the Children's Hospital in Denver.

The obstacles are daunting:

Experts agree that although most funding targets schools, parents have the greatest influence, even a biological influence, over what their children will eat. Zeitler says when children slim down, it's because "their families get religion about this and figure out what needs to happen."

But often, they don't.

"If the mother is eating Cheetos and white bread, the fetus will be born with those taste buds. If the mother is eating carrots and oatmeal, the child will be born with those taste buds," said Dr. Robert Trevino of the Social and Health Research Center in San Antonio.

"If we don't reach a child before they get to puberty, it's going to be very tough to change their eating behavior," said Trevino.

Poorer kids are especially at risk, because unhealthy food is cheaper and more easily available than healthy food. Parents are often working, leaving children unsupervised to get their own snacks. Low-income neighborhoods have fewer good supermarkets with fresh produce.

"If Mom can't find tomatoes in her local grocery store, nothing is going to change," said Zeitler.

Meanwhile, it's harder for children to exercise on their own. Parks often aren't safe, and sports teams cost money. "Calorie burning has become the province of the wealthy," said Zeitler. "I fear that what we're going to see is a divergence of healthy people and unhealthy people. Basically ... it costs money to be healthy."

Children ages 8 to 12 see an average of 21 television ads each day for candy, snacks, cereal and fast food -- more than 7,600 a year, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study. Not one of the 8,854 ads reviewed promoted fruits or vegetables.

Makes you see things a little differently huh??

The Boy's hang'n out with Uncle Chad

the boy's hang'n out with uncle chad, originally uploaded by johnandtana.

Too cute!

The miracle of BABY WIPES!

I never knew a baby wipe had so much "power to clean". I feel silly even saying that given I use them everyday to clean poopy bottoms. But, the last few days I have gotten old stains out of the carpet, couch, and smudges on the walls. So, today I put my wipes to work again & VIOLA! The microwave is clean again. I realize this is probably not the most envirnoment friendly method but my microwave REALLY needed help....I promise this will not become my routine. Needless to say, we mamas can rest assured our little ones bottoms are probably a lot cleaner than we think!

Oh, I hope I'm not the last mom out there to discovery the glory of the baby wipe!

What are the rules in your house?

I'm struggling here. My oldest son, Joshua really likes Star wars. Quite often we find him imitating the sounds of lightsabors and using some of his toys for lightsabors. My struggle comes with not knowing what behavoir is out of hand and what is just play & curiosity? I don't want to forbid him from using his imagination but we have pretty firm rules about not having toy guns as toys in our house and not pointing toys at others. I don't think lightsabors are any different than swords really, do you? Should I just let him go all out and bye him lightsabors (then there will be sword like fights) to play with and set aside some time each day or when needed for Star wars/lightsabor play and take the opportunity then to talk about the time and place for this kind of behavoir? My son is young enough that he does not understand exactly what Star wars and lightsabors are about. Is this just a boy thing that I need to let go of? What are the rules in your house?? Your complete honesty is desparetly needed on this one!

My Daddy, My Uncle!

MyPicture, originally uploaded by johnandtana.

My favorite boys on a Saturday mornin. Joshua, his daddy and his cousin.

"Best Thai in Vancouver"

John and I visted a Thai resturant of Friday night called, Thai Lotus on Se McGillivray across from the Albertson's. The service was wonderful and the food was so yummy....it's our new favorite for Thai. Joshua even made a new friend and got invited to his birthday party the following day....we went and got to eat more yummy Thai food!

Homemade baby food

I had always wanted to make my own baby food with my first son but just never did. Homemade baby food is more natural and much more economical. Not to mention I can ensure that only healthy, whole foods are used as ingredients. So, guess what I have been doing this week, making a homemade brown rice cereal for my 6 month old son! I have been surprised at how easy it has been and not very time consuming....which were some of the things that kept me from doing it with my first son.

What to do:
1) First measure a cup of water on the stove to boil
2) While the water is heating to a boil, measure 1/4 cup of brown rice into a blender. Grind it very well, for about 2 minutes. The blender will make a lot of noise and may get hot but rest assured your blender is meant to work like this. The fine grinding is necessary for your beginning eater. (My first attempt left my little guy choking a bit because I did not grind enough)
3) When the cup of water starts to boil on the stove, turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Sprinkle the ground rice into the water and stir with a wire whisk. Cover and keep over low heat for about 10 min. You may need to stir frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom or to remove lumps.

The thickness is easy to adjust by either adding breast milk, formula or water. If it's to thin add wheat germ, ground oatmeal or commercially powdered baby cereal. The wonderful thing about this basic homemade cereal is the base could be changed (barley or oatmeal) or the older your little one gets the more things you can add to it. Such as lentils, split peas, tofu, cheese, egg yolk, fresh fruits and the list goes on. I am going to have a lot of fun with this....and will even attempt make this to replace the oatmeal my older son usually eats for breakfast.

The Poppins Principle

"In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. Find the fun and "snap" the jobs a game."

I love this principle and so does Joshua. When he is not into doing what mommy asks of him I can usually get him to do what I want if I make a silly game of it. The bigger challange for me is remembering that "silly games" do work in getting the mandane jobs done with little to no resitance.

Camping Adventure at Frog Lake

Joshua and Austen got there first taste of the great outdoors this weekend on our family camping trip and fun was had by all. Joshua loved having the freedom of exploring the woods and playing fetch with our friends dog. While Austen sat back and cooed at the trees. To are surprise the weather was quite chilly the second day we were there (38) and we were not prepared for that kind of weather, it would have been far to chilly for our little boys that night so we packed up the car and we were off to our next adventure, Home. But, first we had some sight seeing to do in Hood river:)

I will admit I was a bit nervous for our camping trip having an active toddler and an infant didn't seem like the best mix but we can't wait till our next camping trip and on that trip we will be sure to take some pictures...guess we were just having too much fun!

Happy Memorial Day

Potty Training in Just One Day

Is is really possible to potty train in a day? Did the potty party work for your little one? Did you get a toliet-training doll? For those who have successfully potty trained your child, what words of advice/encouragement can you give me to help make this transition as smooth as possible?

Hello to all my mama friends!

I'm a Mother of two boys. I have a nursling who happens to be the sweetest little guy ever and a drama-king who is nearly three years old that never stops going. I have enjoyed watching my three year old evoling into his own little person. He is learning new things everyday and constantly blows me away with the words that come out of his mouth. The other day I asked him to sit down in the shopping cart and you know what his response was? "Would that make mommy happy?" You can imagine how stunned I was. "Yes, Joshua that would make mommy very happy." And so he sat down. Who would have thought you could ever love someone so much. The Lord sure new what he was doing when he created little boys. Being a mother is one of the greatest gifts I will ever recieve and being at home with my boys is the only place to be but it's not always easy to embrace the mandane. Recently, I have been finding my days getting crazier and wondering how do other moms do it? What is that we mamas aren't sharing with each other. Thus, the reason for this blog.