ducky

Today we celebrated Ducky's birthday.  In case you're wondering who Ducky is, he's one of Mason's stuffed animals.  You see, Mason got a calendar around Christmas time.  We went through it and put in all our family member's birthdays.  A few weeks later, Mason grabbed a pencil and wrote in all his stuffed animal's birthdays as well.  So, Ducky's birthday is March 18th.  Mason decided that we should celebrate tonight since he had Awana's on Tuesday.  So, him and Emma set up the party with all his friends.  Then we made pudding for dessert.  We sang, Mason did a few magic tricks, and everyone had a good time. 

This isn't the first party for his stuffed animals.  About a month ago I came home from school and Mason told me that he and Emma and Grammie had celebrated Pup-pup's birthday.  Grammie made cookies and they celebrated all day long.  After I had been home for about an hour Mason came up to me with a huge grin on his face.  "We tricked Grammie!" he announced triumphantly, "Pup-pup's birthday isn't until June!"  Then he ran off laughing.  Sure enough, after a careful check of the calendar, Pup-pup is written in his cute handwriting right there close to his.  So, now we check the official stuffed animal birthday calendar.

PS...as I'm writing this, Mason comes out of his bedroom with Pup-pup (his smallest animal that is always getting lost) and says, "Pup-pup missed all the birthday fun.  He was under my pillow!"  Then the big tears start to slip down his face.  So, I show Pup-pup the above photos and we sing to Ducky one more time and all is well.   

four

 Happy Birthday Mason man!  It's really hard to believe that you are four!  You are becoming such an amazing young man.  You have grown so much this year in so many areas. 

 You have such a sweet, caring spirit.  You are very aware of how others are feeling.  You are the first one to give a hug if someone in our family gets hurt.  You love to help around the house.  You are amazing at cleaning and organizing.  Sometimes when it's time to clean up, you ask me to leave the room because you want to surprise me.  When everything is put in its spot, you proudly come get me to see "how clean it is." 

 You are becoming more outgoing (I think because of Emma).  Just over the past couple months we have watched you become more adventurous.  You are still a cautious person, but are learning to love the thrill of new things (usually after watching Emma do it first.)  Just last night we heard you both laughing and screaming with glee as you rode your bikes down the dirt hill and crashed into the patio.  Over and over again.  You are still a rule follower though...and love to make sure everyone else is following the rules.

 You love to be outside.  You love watching the chickens, helping around our little homestead, and most recently, playing with Indie.  You two are pretty much inseparable.  You are patient with her and love to help train her.  I think you two are going to be buddies for a long time. 

 I can't believe you are going to preschool this next school year.  You are excited mixed with a little hesitation.  But once you get there I know you will love it.  You love to learn and are so curious about the world around you.  You love love love numbers.  You can count to 100 (and sometimes beyond).  You can count by tens.  You can add 1 and 2 to any number and you know all your double addition facts.  Counting is definitely your thing. 

You also have a great memory.  I can usually ask you to remember something we need at the store or where I last put something and I can count on you to tell me.  You memorized over 20 bible verses this year at Awana.  You can hear a book read one or two times and then retell the whole story without missing a beat.

It's fun to listen to you play.  You are very creative and love to build things.  You can turn anything into a tool.  You love to do art projects and right now your favorite thing to do is paint with watercolors.  You are good at writing all your letters and love to make lists. 

You are so fun to be around.  You make us laugh with your clever sayings.  We never know what you are going to come up with.  We love you so much, buddy.  We are excited to see what this next year will hold for you.  Thanks for all the hugs, kisses, songs, and laughs.

xoxo,
Mommy

butterfly birthday & easter

We spent the weekend celebrating Emma's birthday and Easter.  Emma's party was sweet and fun.  Emma was a little overwhelmed by all the people and was pretty quiet through the whole thing which was so unlike her.  She had fun opening her presents and Mason tried his best not to help unless she asked.  

 

 After the party cousin Karly stayed and helped all the little cousins dye Easter eggs. 

 Jackson couldn't quite get enough of the dirt! 

It was so fun celebrating together with my sweet family. What a gift Christ has given us through His death and resurrection. 

two

 Happy Birthday sweet Emma-girl!  What a fun two years this has been!  You are so full of energy and personality.  You are a constant source of joy and entertainment. 

You are also stubborn.  You know exactly what you want and won't stop until you get it.  You can express yourself well.  You talk in (mostly) complete sentences and have an ever-growing vocabulary.  You amaze us with the words you use.  When you are doing something you know you aren't supposed to (like spitting during dinner) and we ask you to stop, you usually respond with "I was just pretending!" When you don't want to do something you usually say "me no do that" and whenever I'm in the kitchen you pull up a chair asking to help. 

You love to sing and make up your own songs by combining bits and pieces of all the songs you know.  Some of your favorites are Jesus Loves Me, ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  You love to color and paint.  You love to work alongside Mason and daddy.  Just yesterday Mason led you all around the yard on an adventure looking for rocks.

You can count to 20, know most of your colors, and are always on the move.  You hardly have any interest in movies.  You would rather look at books, play with your dolls, or fix something with your tools. 

 You seem to always have a mischievous gleam in your eyes.  You are spunky and full of attitude, but we can't imagine you any other way.  You are also so tender when you are petting Daisy or the baby chicks and you have a soft spot for all other babies you encounter. 

You eat most anything but you really like fruit, fried eggs, olives, granola, oatmeal, and cheese. 

You love for us to sing Rock a my Baby (rock-a-bye baby) every night before you go to sleep.  You sleep with your favorite stuffed animals and blanket and are finally starting to sleep through the night.  You are an early riser and are rearing and ready to go as soon as you wake up. 

We can't get enough of your chubby cheeks, crazy giggles, huge smile, and fun personality.  We love you so much.  Happy Birthday!

xoxo,
mommy

last weekend

It seems like I'm always a little behind here on the ol' blog.  Here's what we were up to last weekend:

 

Playing in the snow. 

 

We have a future weather forecaster on our hands.  This last week the kids were all bundled up and ready to go to daycare, but we had a few minutes to play outside.  When I called them in to head to the car, Mason was carrying two of his big trucks in and Emma was following along with another truck in her hands.  When I asked Mason why he was bringing his trucks in he responded (as serious as can be)..."Mom, it looks like an early frost."

 

Next up it was two birthday parties.  On Saturday we headed to Olivia's minnie mouse party.  Emma hasn't taken her cute little ears off since.  Then we stopped to visit the newest little member of our extended family, Ella, a precious, tiny baby that is a huge answer to prayer after a complicated pregnancy for my cousin and coming quite a few weeks early.  Then we continued up to Greeley for Jackson's Thomas the train party.  We had dinner at an awesome chili cookoff (my brother-in-law entered some amazing green chili) and hung out with Nana and my sister and the boys.  The kids are getting way more into birthday parties, which is so fun.   

 

This weekend we're hanging at home, cleaning this house, and getting ready for company coming this week.  More cousin time!

three

Three!  Happy Birthday Mason, a couple days late. Mason spent his third birthday with Grandpa and Grammie and it sounds like it was a very special day.  He ordered oatmeal for breakfast and french toast for dinner.  We chatted with him on the phone since we were in Hawaii.  Then we flew in the next day an hour and a half before his birthday party (a little tired!). We celebrated with him a day late, which he didn't seem to mind at all.   A big thank you to the grandparents for planning an awesome fish-themed party for our sweet boy! 



 Bubbles, swimming, fish cupcakes, friends, family and lots of sunshine =one happy birthday boy!

 



I really can't believe how much you have grown up in these 3 years.  You are such a sweet, smart, observant, silly boy.  You take everything in.  You can see or hear something one time and will repeat it in context at a later time.  Your vocabulary amazes me. You talk all the time unless you are around a large crowd of people. Then you sit back and watch before you jump in. 

You love to be outside.  You are potty trained except for you still wear a diaper when sleeping.  You love to help daddy and mommy with whatever we're doing around the house.  You fix things all the time with your tools.  You love to sing and read books.  You are always on the go, working on something. It's fun to watch you playing and interacting with Emma. 

I asked you about a few of your favorites, just for fun:

favorite breakfast: oatmeal (more specifically 3-fruit oatmeal (it's what you call it) complete with apples, bananas, and craisins)

favorite lunch: cheesy roll-up (quesadilla)

favorite dinner: you wouldn't answer this one

favorite book: Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? (we just finished reading it...I would guess it's your collection of winnie the pooh books because we read them at least once a day)

favorite thing about emma: trying to understand her

favorite thing to do with mommy: read

favorite thing to do with daddy: paint

You are so much fun, Mason.  We love you bunches! Happy birthday!

little lamb

We had a little lamb birthday party for Emma yesterday.  It was such a blessing to be surrounded by close friends and family to celebrate her birthday.  It was so nice to just hang out and be together.  All the kids kept us plenty entertained.   

Emma loved her cupcake.  She wasn't sure what to do with it at first, but once she tasted it there was no stopping her.

She also had a blast opening her presents.  She got a little help from her friends, which was sweet.

The sunglasses were a big hit (thanks marylin!).  Mason got some too. 

It's hard to believe your first birthday has come and gone.  What a special day with special people. 

birthday girl

Happy birthday sweet girl!  It's hard to believe it's been an entire year since you entered our lives. You fit perfectly into our family and it's been a blessing to watch you grow and change. You bring such delight to our daily moments.  We celebrated your day with a picnic at the park with friends. 

When daddy got home from work we had fajitas and birthday ice cream.  You loved the flame on the candle and kept trying to grab it.  You licked your bowl clean (liteally!) and smiled and giggled at your brother. 

You've changed so much from that tiny baby I held at the hospital one year ago.  It was hard to envision the little person that you would become, but I can't imagine you any other way.  Precious and wonderfully made.

At one year,
~you are a walker, you haven't really crawled in weeks
~you love to eat and will eat most anything
~you are moody (but we love you for it), you are such an animated opinionated girl already
~you love to chase mason around, and be chased by him
~you have four teeth
~you drink from water bottles and sippy cups, but are still learning how to tip them up by yourself
~you love to move and dance and be tossed around
~you are fearless
~you have the best belly laughs
~you are daddy's girl and reach for him the most often

We love you more than we can express.  We look forward to the ways you will bless us this next year.

xoxo,
mommy

12 Days of Christmas: Budino

Day 9: Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Budino
Another recipe from Baked Explorations. And it doesn't really involve baking. But it does involve 3 bowls and a pan. Budino is just a fancy name for pudding. Ever since I saw my first pudding recipe I have always wanted to try to make it from scratch. It's actually super easy and way better than the box stuff. Today is my cousin, Marylin's, birthday. We celebrated last week because she is currently out of town. I made birthday budino. Complete with a solo of "happy birthday" where I made a complete fool of myself. This would make a great dessert after your Christmas meal. You can make it early and let it set in the fridge.
Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Budino
from Baked Explorations

1 Tbsp. bourbon
1 vanilla bean
4 oz. milk chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch, sifted
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. whole milk
1 Tbsp. butter
whipped cream to serve (I just used the rest of the heavy cream and added a touch of vanilla and sugar)

Choose eight small wide-mouth glasses for serving. Put the bourbon in a medium heatproof bowl (bowl #1). Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and using the tip of the knife, scrape the seeds into the bourbon. Stir to combine.

Place the milk chocolate in another medium heatproof bowl (bowl #2). In a third heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs, and cream.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until it just begins to boil. Whisking constantly, pour a third of the milk mixture over the egg mixture. Then add some more (about another third...you don't want cooked eggs in your pudding.) Transfer the tempered egg mixture back to the saucepan with the milk mixture, and whisking constantly, bring it to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until pudding is very thick.

Pour half of the pudding over the vanilla bean mixture and half over the milk chocolate. Add half of the butter to each mixture. Stir vigorously to release the heat.

Divide the vanilla pudding among the serving glasses. Chill them for 20 minutes. Keep stirring the chocolate mixture about every 5 minutes. Spoon the chocolate layer on top of the vanilla. Cover and chill until firm (about 2 hours). Top with whipped cream if you like.


Happy Birthday, Marylin!!