Month: February 2014
Swim lessons this session have been so much fun! Alex is over his dislike of them (see here). Teague is so excited to be swimming “just like Alex.” I love seeing Teague’s stubbornness come to play in a positive light. Due to our crazy schedule today, Wade got in the pool with the boys while Granny, Pop, and I watched. (This also provided the perfect opportunity for me to take pictures.)
How is it possible that my little boy is 3? He knew exactly what today meant and couldn’t wait for his “car cakes” (translated to cupcakes with cars on the liners) and candles. We started the day with donuts and candles. Then we had a little guy play date with Glenna and Grant. The celebrating continued all day with Granny, Pop, and Daddy’s arrival.
The weather has been amazing the past few days – high 30s! (My biggest complaint about this winter has been the brutal temperatures that have kept me enjoying the snow from inside.) I loaded up the boys after nap and we headed for the sledding hill. There was one other family there and they had a snowboard. Their kids wanted to use our sleds and my boys loved trying out the snowboard. Teague was a natural and after falling once he continued to make run after run, staying on his feet the entire time! I was impressed at what my 2 year old (for a few more days) could do!!
The boys could barely contain their excitement for the big gymnastics birthday party this afternoon. Rachel (of Baked Custom Desserts) made an awesome cake and the boys helped me to prepare goody bags. We loaded up the car and headed to Swiss Turners Gymnastics.
Everyone was a little grumpy and out of sorts after nap time (or maybe that was just me). We decided on a family outing and then an early dinner at our favorite Mexican Restaurant. We surprised the boys with a trip to the Domes. Their winter train show is definitely one of their favorite activities and the parents enjoy it too. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot Alex figured it out. The first three pictures capture his excitement pretty well.
It has finally happened. My oldest has given up naps. I know I shouldn’t complain. My 5 year old was taking a 3 hour nap every day till last week. Our new routine is he reads books on his own for an hour (thank you nap feature on his clock) and then he can have about 45 minutes on the iPad (only reading books or playing letter games). So far the arrangement seems to be working. Teague is still napping and I have my time to do things (and pretty often take a nap).
I wash shocked to discover a few weeks ago that my cheese dip recipe is not posted on my blog. One of Wade’s co-workers had asked for it and Wade (smart man that he is) had gone looking for the recipe on my blog. I found the recipe in Southern Living in 2006 and have been making this cheese dip ever since. I have tweaked the recipe just a bit, but it’s super easy and very yummy – definitely my most requested food dish and recipe. (My tweaks are included below. Use the link above for the original recipe.)
Ingredients
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles (I use Red Gold)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds American cheese slices
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a 6-quart oval slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 2-3 hours, stirring gently every hour. Stir before serving. Serve with assorted tortilla and corn chips.
Thankfully Alex told me yesterday that he wanted the house really decorated for his birthday (like mine last April) and I had just enough time to get decorations and make it happen. Alex woke up to powdered donuts (a favorite treat) and candles. We spent the rest of the day catering to Alex – lunch at his favorite hot dog place, presents, a scavenger hunt for a big present, pizza for dinner, and a lego cake with the neighbors.
Book reading before naps.
(Today’s book of choice – Knuffle Bunny)