The Tooth Fairy

Abby lost a tooth at school the other day. She was super excited about it and this spawned a great conversation about what would happen if you lost a tooth on Christmas Eve. Abby's opinion was that The Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus would fight if they found themselves at the same house at the same time. She wasn't sure who would win the fight, though.

As she got ready for bed, Abby was playing with the little tooth necklace they gave her at school to carry her tooth home. She tried to open the plastic tooth box, it came open suddenly and her tooth went flying. We looked everywhere for the missing tooth and Abby's eyes started to well up with tears.

My suggestion was to write the tooth fairy a note and explain what happened. She didn't think it would work but did it anyways. Her note was very cute and basically told the tooth fairy she was sorry for losing the tooth and that she had looked everywhere for it.

In the morning, she was pleasantly surprised to find the tooth fairy had left her a note in return:

Dear Abby,

Thank you for telling the truth. I have left you a dollar for the tooth you lost. If you find the missing tooth, please mail it to me.

Love, The Tooth Fairy

My clever little girl could tell the letter was composed on a computer. So we had a lengthy discussion in which we decided that the TF has a laptop, with spreadsheets, that she uses to keep track of all those teeth. We also think that WCES has a computer system that messages the TF when a student loses a tooth. Wow - 6 really is a magically age. :)

1/365 Challenge

I stole this from another blog but I am claiming it as my own! ;)

Starting January 1st, 2011, I am challenging myself to take one photo everyday. The goal is to take a photo of a subject that is unique to that day. It doesn't have to be anything crazy - it can be a picture of someone new that you meet or some new place you went.

Now, I am not naive enough to think that I will end up 365 photos by the end of the year but, I am going to try to be diligent and get as many days as possible. I think it will be a great way to look back at the year when it is done. Hmm... maybe the photos could even be compiled in to a book at the end of the year.

This is a challenge that anyone can do (as long as you have a camera, of course). You don't have to have an expensive camera or be a professional photogragher. Just set your camera to record the date and start clicking!

Best Soup EVER!

It is that time of the year, so I thought I would share the best soup recipe ever, courtesy of Ms. Paula Deen. And yes, there is a stick of butter in it.



Poblano Chicken Chowder

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
5 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/8 cup minced garlic
2 to 3 small poblano peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or more to taste
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
3 quarts chicken broth
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, minced
3 cups diced (large pieces) grilled chicken
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste
1 cup heavy cream

Directions
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, poblano peppers, salt, white pepper, cumin, and thyme. Saute for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the chicken bouillon. Add the chicken broth and cilantro, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chowder is thick and the chicken is heated through. Shortly before the chowder is done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes to cook the flour. Do not allow the mixture to brown! Ladle 1 cup of the hot liquid from the stockpot into the skillet, whisking constantly.
When the first cup of liquid is incorporated, add another 2 cups of liquid, 1 at a time. Pour the mixture in the skillet into the stockpot, whisking to blend. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the hot sauce, then the cream, and serve.



I have a couple of recommendations. We double the amount of chicken because Josh likes a heartier soup. Also, taste the poblanos (just touch to your tongue) to see how hot they are. Then adjust how many you use based on their heat. I have ruined a couple of pots of soup by putting in too much hot poblano.

We LOVE this soup and it gets better after it sits in the refrigerator for a day or two. We had it last night and it even got Owen's seal of approval. He really liked it and he is notorious for turning his nose up at anything that is not milk. Enjoy!

The No-Cry Sleep Solution - Week 1

Last night was just like most of my nights have been recently. It was an all night haze of crying, nursing, kicking, whining and back pain. Yes, my name is Dixie and I co-sleep with my infant son. The attachment parenting folks describe this a beautiful experience. Our experience with co-sleeping is not so beautiful.

We have a full size bed. Let that sink in. Two adults and a baby in a full size bed. Two adults and a baby who doesn't want anyone to touch him while he sleeps in a full size bed. Owen is not a snuggler at bedtime. If you touch him, he will kick you until he wakes himself up crying.

The other thing about my little guy - he loves to nurse. While most kids start to stretch out their time between nursing sessions as they grow, Owen still begs for a "sip of the good stuff" pretty often. Well, lying in bed in close proximity to boobies equals an all night buffet to Owen.

I decided I needed a little help figuring out how to get him out of our bed and sleeping in his own bed for most of the night. His crib is in our room, so fussing himself to sleep wasn't really an option - no one would be getting sleep that way either.

So a friend recommended a book, "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. I am a bit of a skeptic, but I am going to read it and give it a try. Here is a link to info about the book if you are interested:

http://www.amazon.com/No-Cry-Sleep-Solution-Gentle-Through/dp/0071381392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289840025&sr=8-1

My plan is to follow the steps, keep a diary of Owen's sleep and report my progress each week. This is officially week 1. This week my mission is to read the book (much harder work than it actually sounds- haha!). Owen is recovering from being sick, so I don't want to start ANY kind of sleep training while he is not feeling well. We will try to start working on things next week and hopefully he will be feeling better.

I will try to post any updates on Mondays. Wish all of us good luck and good sleep! :)

Dear Owen

My Dear Owen,
Happy 9 month "birthday"! It has been an interesting 9 months. We love you sooooo much and love having you as the baby of our family. Do you think you could let me know, though, when you plan to start sleeping through the night and going longer than a couple of hours between nursing sessions? I am starting to get a little worried...

Love,
your frazzled, yet loving, Mother

Recent Finds

This one is actually Josh's...

Broken indian blades and scrapers...

These are mine and Josh's. I found the large one, Josh found the two smaller ones.

Just a weird rock but I really like it. I have been told it is a geofact, which is basically just a natural formation.

This is not a recent find, but is one of my best. It a fossilized shrimp.

Lets Go Predators!

The kids went to their first NHL game of the season the other night. It was very special because it was Jacob's first game ever. He enjoyed all of it, well except for Gnash. That's okay, though, Abby used to think Gnash would bite and scratch her - now she loves him!

One of the highlights of the evening was Abby getting her face painted. Keep in mind she usually just gets a little pawprint painted on her hand or her cheek...

Owen - the sockless wonder boy

Okay. I am going to put something out there that is extremely controversial. Here it goes. I only put socks on my infant son when it is cold outside. GASP. I know it is shocking and you are struggling not to judge, but there it is. I say this because a random lady at the grocery this week told me my kid needed socks. Well she didn't come out and actually say it. Instead, she told HIM in her most annoying babytalk "your little toes are so cold, you need socks." and then looked up at me. I get your point lady, although I totally refuse to listen to you.

The reason I bring up this story is because it seems like everyone has something to say about children these days. For me, it always happens at the grocery store and it is getting super old. What really bugs me is getting "the comment". I cringe everytime I hear it and I hear it multiple times during every grocery trip.

Apparently having two, or heaven forbid three, children is a lot these days. If you take your children to the store you will be stared at like a local version of Nadya Suleman or the Duggar mom. The first thing that must pop into the minds' of innocent bystanders is "WOW - you have your hands full." I know, I know - that isn't that bad. But trust me, after you hear it 6 or more times (yes, I have) it starts to tick you off. I feel like I have things under control and my kids are pretty well-behaved so I do take a little offense. In full disclosure I must say that my "wagon train" approach to shopping probably doesn't help my image. Owen rides in his stroller. I push the stroller, pull a cart and Jacob walks. I guess it is a little funny, but my kids don't cry, scream, knock things down (often)or cause problems in general. So I don't understand why 2 well-behaved kids in a grocery equals a handful worth commenting on constantly.

People feel compelled to comment on others' children all the time. In the relatively short period of time that I have been a mom (6.5 lovely years), I have received stranger advice on what my child should wear, eat, play with and how I should nurse them, hold them and clean them. I am starting to think that every new mom should come home from the hospital with a "Comments and Suggestions" box that she can wear around her neck. As far as I am concerned, all annoying strangers are free to give me suggestions, but my glassy-eyed look should tell you that I am not listening to anything you say...

Baby Blues

For Abby and Josh

Another one bites the dust...

The world has lost another "Jacobism" and I am really bummed about it.

First, "Na" became "Mom". I had mixed feelings about it. I loved "Na" and knew I would miss it because it was Jacob's word for me. I was glad to hear some progression in his speech, though.

Then "Gee" became "Gammy". More progression. Of course I realize that this is a wonderful thing.

Last night, Jacob and Josh were snuggling and watching tv on the sofa.

Josh: "I love you, Jacob."

I waited to hear Jacob's usual response. It is so sweet and my favorite Jacobism.

Jacob: "I love you, too, Dad."

I honestly felt my eyes well up with tears just a bit. That was not Jacob's usual response. His usual response has been "Love me, dad." This was totally new and unexpected.

Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke...

Me: "I love you, Jacob."

Jacob: "I love you, too, Mom." And another Jacobism bites the dust.

Jacob will probably be starting speech therapy soon and I guess I need to go ahead and prepare myself. Soon, more of those cute little things he says will gone. They will be just another example of how bittersweet parenthood can be.

Randomness

Our huge pile o' sticks. We have a fire pit and like to have a "campfire" a couple of times a week. The kids love to zoom around on Grandma and Grandpa's golf cart collecting sticks.

Anywhere there is a small patch of gravel or dirt, you will find trucks and trucks and more trucks.
Some people have gargoyles protecting their home. We have a porch turtle. I can't wait to move our porch turtle to a new porch. Soon, I hope!

Owen amusing himself while I clean out the car...

Okay, I cleaned out the car. The large rubbermaid storage tub contains everything I removed from the car (excluding a half full garbage bag of trash.) Sigh. I thought of posting a list of everything I found in the car but it was too embarassing.

Feet

Mompetitors

I saw this on a birth board I frequent. It is pretty cute. I think we have all met a "mompetitor" at some time or another. I even think I have been guilty of participating in "mompetition" occasionally...

We are building a house! ...well sort of...

We are in the process of building a house. The process is moving very slowly at the moment...but first a little background info.
Right now, we (family of 5) live in a tiny 2-bedroom house next door to Josh's parents. It was great for when we were "starting out" but now it is not working out so great.

A few years ago, we bought a beautiful 5-acre lot down the street. It half wooded and half field (or whatever you call that). It also has a gorgeous year-round running creek. We recently attempted to sell our lot because I wanted to move ASAP and didn't want to wait around to build. The lot wouldn't sell (grrrr...) so we decided to get started on the home building process.

So far we have pre-qualified for our construction loan, gotten our septic permit and bought our plans ( http://www.frankbetz.com/homeplans/plan_info.html?pn=3809 ). We have also found our builder/general contractor.

Now things have started to slow down. We have to get our driveway permit before we can go any further. Unfortunately, the current driveway is too steep. Josh and his dad have been attempting to grate it out but have run into several huge rocks. They tried busting them up with a sledge hammer but it didn't work. Now we have to rent a jackhammer attachment for the bobcat - geez!

The contractor is also working on the bids, which takes time. I am just anxious to get everything finished up so that we can get our loan and break ground. Honestly, the whole process makes me nervous and it seems that the longer it takes to get going, the more I worry. I just can't wait until we get to the actual house building portion of the house building process.

Sorry Jake and Owen...

It has recently come to my attention that I have done a terrible job keeping up with milestones for the boys.
Jacob had a speech evaluation yesterday. On the information form, you are asked to include developmental milestones. I thought I would be able to fill those in easily because I had his baby book with me. Not so - it became painfully apparent to me that there were a lot of blank spaces in that book. I had to guess and estimate several milestones.
Owen's baby book is even worse. I don't think I have entered ANYTHING in it. Eeeek! I am hoping that between facebook and my memory I can get caught up. I also took him for his 6 month portrait today. The bad thing is that he is 7 months old!
I don't understand why keeping up with these little things is so difficult for me. Abby's book has pages of acheivements - some which are even questionable as achievments! I used to take Abby for portraits on the day of her turning 3 months, 6 months, etc. **Sigh** My poor boys... I am just hoping that they won't care. After all, I have looked at my baby book often, but I know my brother has never really looked at his. Just to be on the safe side, I might make up some entries for the boys' books. Shhhh... just don't tell them. That doesn't make me a terrible mother does it? ;)

Things I Love about Tennessee

Tobacco Barns. I don't know what I like more - the smell of the smoke, the smoke drifting through the sunlight or the way it hangs in the hollows every evening. The only problem I have is explaining to Abby what tobacco is grown and used for. That is a little bit more complicated.