Where's my baby?

Little man got yet another haircut today. It makes him look way too old!

Can you tell we are sisters?

I was about to write all about the fabulous books Lindsey got me hooked on, when I read this. I'm trying to finish the Peter books before HP7 comes out in 10 DAYS(!!!!). And then I'll be moving on to the Sorcery and Cecilia books. By then I might be able to convince her to let me borrow Eclipse. Why is it that I don't realize how much I miss good books until I'm in the midst of one? Then I don't ever want it to end.

My go-to meal

I realized tonight as I was making dinner that spaghetti isn't just one of my easiest meals in a hurry, it's also one of the few ways I can guarantee that my men are eating their veggies. Little man is too young to notice that I sneak them in and Wil only picks out the mushrooms. I've also tried to find a balance between what he likes (homemade, simmer for hours) and what I have the time to do. This is our compromise:

1 lb. bulk italian sausage
1/2 large onion
1 green pepper
1 med size zucchini or yellow squash

Throw in a deep skillet and cook until sausage is brown. Drain any excess fat. Add:

1 small can low sodium tomato sauce
1 jar of your favorite sauce (we go for barilla mushroom & garlic or classico italian sausage)
italian seasoning and sweet basil to taste - about a tsp of each

Simmer while pasta cooks. We use whole wheat angel hair and the whole thing is a hit. By the end of the meal, little man is usually head straight for the tub and Wil has enough leftovers to take lunch all week. The best part for me though is knowing that we had something healthy, that fits comfortably in our budget.


...And I just realized that I wrote almost the exact same post in May. What is it about spaghetti? I promise that tomorrow I will come up with something more original!

Shea's the best

This was one heck of a weekend and I'm far too tired to be writing this. My best friend, Shea, was here to do the wedding photography for some family friends. It was MUCH better than our last visit, since there were no kids with the stomach flu. It was great to just be at home, hanging out, stopping at Bowen's for birch beer fountain drinks and just being. Some of it was oddly surreal... being very comfortable and very foreign all at the same time. Doing the same things in our 30's that we did in high school, except now we are the moms carting our kids all over the county. It also reminded me of how much of a rock she is to me and how having her around just makes things better. I miss her again already.

Next year's plans

Grandmother has FINALLY decided that she can't do the 4th of July family reunion. It's a change that needed to be made at least 3 years ago, since her health just isn't up to having such a big event at her house. This year was better than last, when she spent a few days in the hospital because it was too much. So next year it's at our house! In some ways I think it will be a good change. We can just have one meal (instead of two) and desserts. Plus by then we will have both living areas that we can open up for babies and the great grandmas, who need a break from the heat. AND Dad will have to have something done in the yard because it will drive him crazy to have the whole family coming and a messy yard. I just hope it doesn't mean that my mom will become as crazy as my grandmother is about the 4th.

DOWNSIDE: No escaping to Kohl's or Old Navy for last minute July 4th shopping.

We escaped!

I escaped the family party twice today. Both times it was to go SHOPPING. Kohl's always has great holiday sales and I had gotten gift cards for my b-day to get THIS. Wil and I went over to pick it up. While I was there I saw these for Boo. (Ames, They have hot pink ones online, but these were the only ones in the store...on sale for $12. Will they work for Boo?) When I got back to the house a bunch of the other ladies wanted to go too, so we all piled in my cousin's minivan and went for another trip so we could look at the SHOES. It was so cool when my mom, her sister and cousin all got the same shoes in different colors and they are super cute.

Ooops!

I will definitely be patriotic tomorrow... blue denim capris, a blue and white T shirt, and RED shoulders, arms and back. Who forgot the sunscreen today? Yeah, that was me.

Just keep swimming

This is our one activity that everyone in the family enjoys. Wil loves it and the little man does too. So when they started pool time for an Enrichment activity, I was excited. Today was the first one. We had a little tantrum with the swimsuit, but he's getting much better with his "Ear Band-It". He has to wear it to keep the water out of his ears. I'll have to post a picture of him is his full swim gear, the poor kid looks like a geek, but at least I feel like he's safe. His favorite things are sitting on the edge and throwing things into the pool and sitting on the edge or the ladder and "jumping" in. This usually means that he holds his arms out to Wil or I and waits for us to grab him and pull him into the water. Today though he spent about half an hour in the "baby section". One of the other ladies and I used two lounge chairs to section off part of the deck and gave the littlest ones a big bucket of water and a couple cups. Then I actually got to sit and visit! It was great.

It was a good day...

I'm so happy to have a fabulous husband, friends and sissie! They made today a great day, even with dr's appointments and errands. Wil even did the grocery shopping WITH our little man, so I didn't have to. The best part though was my super fabulous haircut! Lin and I went together and then went to dinner... it was perfect girl time. And the haircut made me feel like me again...not like the mommy who never looks nice. I'm sure that won't always be the case. I still have an 18 month old running wild, but at least I know that when I make the time it will look like me.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream - Part 2

If you remember this post, I have been having a hard time fighting the temptation of ICE CREAM. Today the ice cream declared victory!!! And it was oh, so good. Instead of birthday cake, Mom got the beloved Wattamelon Roll. Happy Birthday to me!