The Chronicles of Mommyhood

Newest Yellow Belt on the Block

2010-06-05T15:18:00.003-05:00

The Driving Range

2010-04-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

Jack-Jack gets some pointers from Mr. Incredible:

Watching the shot:
With great intensity:
All the way to the hole:
Jack-Jack CHIPPED IN off the green. That's what I call a natural:
Dash swinging:
Dash setting up:
Incredibaby giving it a go:
Though the rake is more fun than the club:
What goes in must come out:

The Crazy Dance

2010-04-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

Mudding 2010

2010-04-18T19:50:00.000-05:00

Last year Incredibaby was content to observe the happy, squashy mudding fun from his perch:

This year, he is squelch-squerching like the big boys with great gusto!

Skiing March 2010

2010-04-16T19:37:00.010-05:00

Ready for School...

2010-04-13T21:22:00.004-05:00

...As long as it's about dinosaurs!

Self-Sufficient

2010-04-11T20:27:00.004-05:00

The day Incredibaby figured out how to open the refrigerator...

First Kiss

2010-04-03T12:56:00.000-05:00

Glasses: Round 2

2010-02-15T19:50:00.002-06:00

First Glasses!

2010-02-04T14:02:00.002-06:00

We picked up Dash's first pair of glasses! He is super excited about them! We have three rules posted on the fridge: Take off with 2 hands, always hand to Mommy, Daddy or a teacher and KEEP AWAY FROM INCREDIBABY! The glasses are toast if he gets his hands on them!

We also found out that Jack-Jack needs glasses...picture to come next week!

Jack-Jack's 3rd Birthday

2010-01-22T21:06:00.012-06:00

Sushi and Cupcakes on Jack-Jack's birthday:

The Long Anticipated WHIFF cake:

Gift from Momo and Papa:
The birthday party was interrupted when the Fire Department was testing our fire hydrant...very cool:

White Christmas in Texas!!

2009-12-29T14:48:00.001-06:00

T3

2009-12-19T14:31:00.004-06:00

Incredibaby is moving up in the world...he got his own tower for St. Nicholas Day! We are running out of room for chairs at our island...

Superpowers

2009-12-10T20:24:00.002-06:00

Dash and I were discussing what superpowers we would like to have at lunch.

Option 1:

Dash: "I want to fly so I can eat up airplanes and helicopters."

Option 2:

Dash: "I want to be a lightbulb"

Me, thinking what a deep and lucid and morally significant thought this was: "Oh, that's great, so you can shed light on everything, how very nice of you..."

Dash, "No, I'd have guns on the side of my light so I could shoot things."

Snow Day!

2009-12-02T20:45:00.004-06:00

Just when I said our kids don't wear coats here, we had a SURPRISE snowfall in Texas!

No Fear

2009-10-26T15:37:00.003-05:00

If You Can Carry It...

2009-10-23T15:14:00.003-05:00

...you can take it home.

Melts Mommy's Heart

2009-10-20T15:02:00.003-05:00

Brotherly Love:

His Greatest Weapon...

2009-10-14T13:29:00.000-05:00

...CUTENESS

Little Boy Joy

2009-10-13T13:27:00.002-05:00

Happy 5th Anniversary!

2009-09-26T15:46:00.003-05:00

Mr. Incredible and I were able to sneak away for 48 hours to celebrate our 5th anniversary thanks to the help of both sets of grandparents...our first trip since our honeymoon! Mr. Incredible is a husband and father who truly lives up to his name!

The Little Man Has Wheels

2009-09-25T14:50:00.000-05:00

Baby in Boots

2009-09-23T12:05:00.000-05:00

Fall Mudding

Behind on Birthdays...

2009-09-20T14:58:00.010-05:00

For my own enjoyment I need to post pictures of Incredibaby's first birthday and Dash's fourth birthday.

The baby is up first:

Blowing out the candle like a seasoned pro:

Testing the icing:
Shrieking..this is the best stuff I've ever tasted!

Seriously people, why have you been withholding this from me?

Big bite:
The cake is a touchdown:
I can't hear you when you tell me I'm going to be sick if I eat too much:

Game Day

2009-09-20T11:55:00.001-05:00

Building Words

2009-07-23T20:57:00.004-05:00

We watched Leap Frog's Talking Words Factory DVD more than once on our drive to and from Colorado and it really clicked with Dash. Though he struggles to write letters, he shouted for me to come to the learning room today and showed me what he had built with no help whatsoever. He went on to build many more words. The hands-on approach of the Handwriting Without Tears materials really appeals to Dash. He chooses to use them almost everyday.

The Green Giant

2009-06-27T15:45:00.005-05:00

Dash is our "divergent thinker". I gave him fingerpaint and paper.

This was the result:

Money see, monkey do:

Berry Picking

2009-06-22T15:13:00.010-05:00

For Posterity's Sake

2009-06-15T20:23:00.002-05:00

Incredibaby took his first steps today!

But he is still very much my little baby! No rush, little buddy! You can stay little and ride on mama as long as you'd like!

Priorities

2009-06-10T14:06:00.007-05:00

Incredibaby has been ramping up his communication skills recently...he's got all the really important stuff down: Waving bye-bye, blowing kisses, signing milk and, the most recent addition to his repetiore, signing touchdown.

Whew, just in time. It's almost the pre-pre-season or spring training or whatever it's called when people start to talk incessantly about the impending football season...

Overachiever

2009-06-08T11:27:00.005-05:00

At 10 months, Incredibaby is most definitely a climber.

Ladies, Eat Your Hearts Out

2009-05-25T20:46:00.004-05:00

Jersey circa 1977

First Fish!

2009-05-23T13:04:00.002-05:00

It's been a big week for Dash...first book and first fish (actually, they caught 6 perch)!

Dash asked Daddy to stop making the fish flip-flop, then declared "This is the bestest day ever!"

Summer's Here!

2009-05-20T13:15:00.000-05:00

First Strawberry:
Pool Time:

Be Still My Heart!

2009-05-17T12:32:00.006-05:00

Dash read his first book yesterday! We are so, so very excited and proud of him.

He was trying to sound out the words as we read a book together, so I asked him if he would like to try to read a special little boy book by himself (we have done no formal phonics instruction...in retrospect I probably shouldn't have done this knowing how he becomes frustrated if he can't succeed). I pulled out a BOB Book that we had stashed for just such an occasion (though I certainly did not expect it to be so soon!) He read through Mat and halfway through Sam until we were interrupted by the return of Mr. Incredible and Jack-Jack.

If he likes to read half as much as his Mommy and Daddy, we will keep going through books like water around here!

Summer Haircuts

2009-05-10T19:27:00.004-05:00

Future Golfer

2009-05-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

In case Incredibaby makes it on the PGA tour one day, I can show him how he got started:

Mudding

2009-05-03T15:00:00.009-05:00

It's exactly what it sounds like.

What's better than an afternoon squelching around mud puddles?

Even the babe wanted to go into the mud:

Making a splash:

Incrediboys

2009-03-27T15:07:00.001-05:00

Gardening Notes

2009-03-24T14:42:00.008-05:00

We are taking a big step forward in our family gardening efforts this year. We had limited success last year with our raised bed due, mostly, to the rabbits.

I love Peter Rabbit more than most, but I feel a deep sympathy with Mr. MacGregor at the moment.

After consulting with several gardeners in the area, we determined that a physical barrier would be the only way to keep them at bay. Mr. Incredible did a fantastic job rigging up a rabbit fence. I have read up on organic gardening in Texas and went to a class hosted by our local garden club.

Last weekend we got to work and now have a large in-ground garden. We will be planting: corn, carrots, green beans, peas, strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, tons of herbs, blueberries, squash and anything else that sounds good! Part of the fun this year will be seeing what grows well, without the intervention of rabbits.

The boys love to check on our flowers and garden each day and can note even the most minute changes.

Spring is here!

2009-03-17T14:23:00.007-05:00

Inspecting our first tulip:And the rest soon followed:

Swinging in mud boots:

A spring walk through the garden:

This spring's must have accessory: a Princeton umbrella:

The Shirt Says It All...

2009-02-25T14:42:00.006-06:00

"Always Happy"

A tough one...

2009-02-24T13:58:00.001-06:00

I am currently debating whether or not the safety implications of having a broom in the tree house outweigh the fact that our three year old was trying to sweep out his fort. I wonder where he gets it from...

Incredibaby's First Bites

2009-02-17T15:01:00.003-06:00

Yummy avocado!

How To Be Two

2009-02-17T14:51:00.003-06:00

The other day I caught Jack-Jack standing on a stool in the bathroom watching himself pout in the mirror. He was not actually pouting, but he was, I kid you not, practicing his pout. He must have been thinking, "Precisely how much does the lower lip need to protrude for me to best convince mommy to give me what I want?"

Look Who's 2!

2009-01-16T13:11:00.006-06:00

Happy Birthday, Jack-Jack!

Hitting the Slopes

2009-01-13T13:38:00.004-06:00

As we were putting away Christmas decorations, Dash held up an ornament and told me, "These are the biggest skis I've ever seen!"

Oh, how I have failed in educating my children! Dash has been on the slopes, but he's too young to remember.

(Dash at 6 months)

So I instantly ran to get a pair of my skis and boots. "Ohhhh... now THOSE are the biggest skis I've ever seen!"cried Dash.

Dash and Jack-Jack wanted to try them out so I gave them a crash course in Downhill 101 in our living room in Texas. (The sad thing is, my boots almost fit Dash...we officially wear the same size socks!)

I may have to do a follow-up course explaining appropriate ski attire!

I've really fallen behind on blogging, which is sad because I want to remember things like when I told Dash that I had a cookie with his name on it if he held still for his haircut and he went absolutely ballistic when I gave him a cookie that didn't actually have his name on it (I got some icing from the fridge and literally wrote his name on it). Or how Jack-Jack starts meowing loudly whenever he wants to shift attention back to himself. Or how Incredibaby, after sleeping through the night for months, has decided to get up every hour and a half. I love these boys!!

This One's Going to be Trouble...

2008-12-08T14:57:00.002-06:00

At Incredibaby's 4 month check-up yesterday morning I had just finished explaining to our ped that under no circumstances had Incredibaby managed to roll over yet when --flop-- over he went and then he looked up at us with his big grin. Looks like he's going to keep us on our toes...

Three Little Indians!

2008-11-25T07:16:00.007-06:00

I Just Want to Eat Him!

2008-11-18T15:21:00.001-06:00

Terrifying...

2008-11-09T14:41:00.004-06:00

Mommy thought it would be fun to let the boys take a bath in the jacuzzi tub.

I was wrong.

Jack-Jack trying to escape the bubbles:

Sacramental Weekend!

2008-10-28T10:50:00.015-05:00

Though we are all in the thick of a stomach virus, I had to at least get a few pictures of the weekend up for AM...we are praying for a speedy recovery.

Congrats to Aunt R and Uncle T and newly baptized Incredibaby! And a million thanks to Kat and ET, Incredibaby's wonderful godparents!

A Little Sassy...

2008-10-19T15:50:00.004-05:00

Incredibaby sticking his tongue out for the camera...

When Life Gives you Lemons...

2008-10-06T15:13:00.001-05:00

...Eat Them!

He's Everywhere!

2008-10-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it feels like there are this many of Dash...

Still in Love...

2008-10-04T14:41:00.000-05:00

...with our sweet Incredibaby

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2008-10-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

End of summer garden report...our garden didn't do nearly as well as last summer due to heat and drought. Our herbs did fine. Our green beans were entirely eaten by rabbits. Our pepper never turned red. We do have some cute little mini pumpkins. Only a few fingerling carrots. The strawberry plants produced only the tiniest berries, but they are a perennial and aren't really supposed to produce fruit the first year. The rabbits almost killed our tomato plant, but we put wire around it in time. Still, only a few red tomatoes. Now there are dozens of tomatoes, but we have to rip out our garden next week because they are doing our backyard landscaping. So the boys had a blast picking a ton green tomatoes. Mr. Incredible's brilliant plan was to have our garden incorporated into the landscape. It will be about four times the size that it currently is. Can't wait to see it!

A tomato house made of sticks collected from around our neighborhood lake:

My Cowboys...

2008-10-02T16:26:00.004-05:00

The QB (Mr. Incredible) discusses strategy with his running backs:

The running backs take a snack break:

Jack-Jack's First Haircut

2008-09-26T19:23:00.007-05:00

Before:

During:

After:

All in anticipation of a big day soon to come (candy corn anyone)?

Sometimes Mommy Just Isn't Good Enough

2008-09-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

Jack-Jack's reaction when Mr. Incredible left this weekend:

He laid in front of the door for at least 15 minutes. Not even the promise of a snack with Mommy could console him.

Mary's birthday

2008-09-10T10:26:00.006-05:00

From Mary's birthday party on monday:

And the little tiger is 6 weeks old!

Happy Birthday Dash!

2008-08-20T14:52:00.009-05:00

Dash turned 3 yesterday! Highlights from his birthday especially for Momo who was sad she couldn't be here, but is on the road to recovery from surgery.

The birthday boy at breakfast:

The backhoe cake:

Blowing out the candles:

Looking at bird cards from AM and UC:

More presents from the family:

And a big boy bike from Mom and Dad:

Prompting an evening bike ride in a light rain:

Meeting Our IncrediBaby!

2008-08-04T11:18:00.016-05:00

We welcome our newest Incredible BabyBoy!
July 30, 2008
10:17pm
7 pounds
20.5 inches

With Mommy and Daddy:

With Dash:

With Dash and Jack-Jack:

With Dash:With Jack-Jack:

With Grandmom and Granddad:

With Momo:

With Papa:

With Aunt R and Uncle T (sipping margaritas at a bridal shower at 3 days old!):

With Dash and Jack-Jack:

The Incredible Family:

Still Waiting...

2008-07-20T11:38:00.004-05:00

...for our Incredibaby to arrive! Last weekend the boys decorated shirts for the little man so he will look quite dashing when he comes home!

38 Week Belly Shot

2008-07-13T14:51:00.003-05:00

A Symbiotic Relationship...

2008-07-10T21:56:00.009-05:00

...Two year olds and Tomato Horn Worms.

These green caterpillar garden pests are eating my tomato plants! Fortunately, Dash loves to pick them off and play with them.

Jack-Jack has one, too!
Apparently they like to ride in fire trucks:

Today, somewhat inspired by The Creative Family, which I just finished reading (note to self to do a post for Building Cathedrals on it), Dash made a caterpillar house. In case you didn't know and are trying to build a house for one, Tomato Horn Worms like lots of decorations. They are particularly fond of truck stickers.

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-06T13:33:00.019-05:00

Dash and Jack-Jack with flags:

Neighborhood Parade:

Snowcones!!

Snowcone and a grasshopper:

Jack-Jack and Mommy in baby pool with inflatable slide in background:

The Incredible family in the pool:

So many balls!!

Daddy and Dash:

Mommy and Jack-Jack:

Washing a ball:

Dash swimming all by himself at his godparents' new pool!

Aunt B's new (empty) house with an amp and an iPod. Jack-Jack cranked up the music:

Then started a dance party!

Creativity at (Construction) Work

2008-07-04T13:00:00.001-05:00

It began as a "dangerous, spiky space crane on Mars" and has since been retasked as a concrete pumper (note the cement truck filling it up!)

I asked what the concrete pumper was building and Dash's answer was a "Kangoo store," which, I am told is, "a store that sells desserts."

Too Cool for Words...

2008-07-03T12:49:00.001-05:00

The Fruits of our (berry-Picking) Labor

2008-06-29T20:14:00.012-05:00

Blueberry Pie!

Jack-Jack brushing egg yolk on top of the blueberry pie:

Trying to dig out the blueberries:

Dash enjoying the pie:

Jack-Jack with a blueberry face:

First attempt at home canning...Blackberry jam:

Berry Picking!

2008-06-28T20:18:00.009-05:00

Possibly the highlight of our summer to date! The boys had a blast picking blackberries (Jack-Jack's favorite fruit) and blueberries (Dash's favorite fruit) at a berry patch this morning.

I am amazed at how closely Dash's morning followed the plot of Blueberries for Sal minus the bear). Berries were picked, placed in a bucket, then removed and eaten. Mommy's bucket was sabotaged more than once. Tomorrow we will make a blueberry pie and attempt to make and can blackberry jam.

Jack-Jack ate at least his own body weight in blackberries, carefully selecting the blackest, juiciest ones and passing over the red ones. He's a pretty clever 17 month old when it comes to food.

On Bringing Up Boys

2008-06-17T20:19:00.007-05:00

B-Mama posted on Dr. Dobson's book Bringing up Boys over at Building Cathedrals last week.

To be honest, there are moments when I wish I had girls. Like when Mr. Incredible catches frogs and leaves them with me and two very interested toddlers all day. In order not to squelch their masculine curiosity about amphibians and other slimy things that jump, I even recaught them when they hopped away. This was a big sacrifice for this not bug-or-rodent-or-amphibian loving Mommy.

More up Mommy's alley...we went to the library and checked out some books on frogs. That I can handle.

Fun in the Sun (and shade when we can get it!)

2008-06-12T17:15:00.013-05:00

In with a SPLASH!

Lounging in the pool:

Who needs a sippy?

Official summer uniform:

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

2008-05-22T12:51:00.011-05:00

Foundation pouring day....the concrete pumper truck pulled up before Dash was dressed.

The view from our learning room windows...very much a living education!

Pumper truck extends its arm:

Concrete trucks line the street waiting their turn:

An audience on the sidewalk:

I'm not sure what the girl equivalent of watching cement trucks for several hours is. But these boys loved every minute of truck action!

Help is on the Way!

2008-05-21T13:09:00.005-05:00

Apparently there was some water or sewer issue down the block from our house necessitating a backhoe, half a dozen construction workers and plumbers and lots of mud.

But you won't hear any complaints from our house.

Just lots of offers to help the workers dig their hole and a Mommy trying desperately to keep two toddlers from going into said hole.

In other news, the foundation for a new house across the street was poured last week, perhaps the highlight of Dash's life to date. Pictures to come...

It's a good thing I feed my kids organic...

2008-05-18T20:54:00.004-05:00

To make up for when Mr. Incredible dumps this into the sandbox (the result of sending him to the store). The package assures me it is nontoxic, though I am unconvinced...

To the Makers of Child Locks...

2008-05-05T20:07:00.002-05:00

We as mothers trust you.

Not blindly, mind you. We don't put knives in reach behind the locks.

But we may put a non-breakable bottle of syrup on a shelf in the pantry that a toddler could theoretically reach if he could open the door.

I realize that the locks are "not a substitute for parental supervision." However, and this may come as a shock, even us SuperMoms may need to go to the bathroom in the course of a day.

When a 15 month old can bypass a child lock in the blink of an eye, do you think the top of a syrup bottle will give him pause?

I think not.

**I deemed the syrup crisis too grave to pause to take a picture of the debacle. **

Double Trouble

2008-05-04T14:58:00.007-05:00

Two Towers = Two Kitchen Helpers = Two Mooches

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2008-04-29T14:30:00.014-05:00

We have a little garden,
A garden of our own,
And every day we water there
The seeds that we have sown.

We love our little garden ,
And tend it with such care,
You will not find a faded leaf
Or blighted blossom there.
~Beatrix Potter

Joy is...

2008-04-23T16:12:00.010-05:00

The first time seeing the ocean:

Jumping in still fully dressed!

Feeling the sand on your feet:Swinging through the waves:
Having your own private pool and the world's biggest sandbox:
Searching for the perfect seashells:

Making huge bubbles under the palm trees: A great family vacation:

And then a nice snooze:

The Masters

2008-04-21T14:40:00.004-05:00

With 5 spare minutes I realize that I could post Easter pics, beach pics or feast day pics, but instead I am posting Masters pics.

Mr. Incredible's dream is to have one of his sons be the first priest to win the Masters.

No green jackets in our family yet, but we have some sweet green Masters shirts! I should have counted the comments the boys got after mass!

Because with Three Boys Under Three...

2008-03-13T16:01:00.006-05:00

...we are really going to want to encourage golf clubs in the house.

"He's a Funny Looking Guy!"

2008-03-10T14:48:00.005-05:00

...according to Dash.

But we think he's perfect!!

It is such a special consolation to see our sweet, healthy baby boy this week as we remember losing Kolbe Francis just before Easter two years ago.

Mr. Incredible is thrilled to have a complete foresome with his boys, while I remain outnumbered by an increasing margin. He told the ultrasound tech that we could have probably used a little more estrogen around the house. The u/s tech became very grave and said, "You don't know what you are talking about. Come to my house and try to get a word in edgewise!"

He has all girls.

As we were leaving the ultrasound the frugal Mr. Incredible said, "You won't have to buy anything new!"

I hate to tell him that a gallon of pink paint would have cost $20, almost infinitely less than the cost of feeding this boy for the next 18 years if he eats anything like the first two!!

Blizzard '08

2008-03-04T14:55:00.008-06:00

Texas was blessed with its twice a decade snowfall last night (all 3 centimeters of it)! Dash couldn't wait to get outside to build a snowman. Jack-Jack was a bit less excited about the cold, wet stuff.

Or maybe he just thinks that he looks ridiculous as an eskimo.

Our snowman was up by 7:30, which was a good thing because the snow is now gone and it is a sunny 55 degree day. I may still have to serve hot chocolate as a snack just because I never get the chance. We read one of our favorite books, Snowy Day, before naptime, but, unlike when Peter wakes up, we won't have any more snow left.

Tracks in the snow:

Retasking a sand shovel as a snow shovel:

A Carrot Stick nose:

And Blackberry Eyes (we don't keep standard snowman making stuff around in Texas):

Boys Love Dirt.

2008-02-28T13:37:00.007-06:00

As I was preparing to bring the boys a snack on Sunday as they played outside with Mr. Incredible, I peeked outside.

"That's strange," I said to myself. "I know I didn't buy sand yet." (Though I have been meaning to for 3 weeks.)

But there sat the boys in the sandbox dumping and shoveling.

Mr. Incredible ran in to grab the camera, beaming with pride.

"Where did you find the sand?" I queried.

"Oh, it's not sand. It's dirt. From the empty lot down the street. I brought over a bunch of buckets! The boys love it!" he exclaimed beaming with pride at his ingenuity.

I looked at him, dismayed. "But it's....dirty!"

"Boys are supposed to play in dirt," he said matter-of-factly, as if I had just criticized his sons for daring to breathe oxygen. And he disappeared outside.

When I showed up with their snack, Jack-Jack had already found a suitable palate cleanser...shockingly, dirt.

Filling Those Little Bellies!

2008-02-27T22:18:00.005-06:00

Over at Building Cathedrals, MaryAlice challenged us to keep track of what we fed our kiddos for 5 days. Here are our results:

This is a fairly typical week with the exception of the boys getting sick and me not having broccoli around the house. Far from being a "no snacks between meals" home, I struggle to not feed my hungry 100th percentile boys between snacks. As for drinks...Dash drinks tons of water and milk and only juice when he's sick. Jack-Jack will only take water from a sippy and milk from a bottle at this point, so we make sure he gets lots of cheese and dairy. We buy organic milk because I'm not a huge fan of growth hormones. Since we just moved, I have yet to find the best places/deals for organic produce, but would love to join a co-op so we could save $$. I understand there is an organic farmer's market around here in the spring, so I can't wait to check that out. I would like to incorporate a wider variety of grains into our normal diet, like quinoa, barley, etc. Also, we usually have a few more sweets around, but I gave them up for Lent and am less likely to bake a pie when I can't eat it!

We maybe go out to eat once every 2 weeks and throw in a take-out pizza every 6 weeks. After a particularly stressful day requiring this pregnant mama to get an EKG (needing the EKG was the cause of the stress, not the other way around) I declared tonight pizza and broccoli night. There were no complaints. Here's what our week looked like:

Wednesday Dinner:
Black Bean and Chorizo Soup
Ham
Broccoli, Carrots
Small valentine's day cookie

Thursday Breakfast:
Oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar (I use quick-cooking oats and add water from our insti-hot, so it is virtually instant oatmeal without all the sugar)
15-grain Bread (store-bought) with blueberry cream cheese (I realize I need to make more bread as we are out! Thankfully, I usually have some store bought kind in the fridge)
Cheese (not organic, 2lb block from Costco)
Raspberries (not organic, can't find organic berries this time of year. I usually buy our fruit at Costco since the boys go through it so quickly)

Thursday Snack:
Dash: Rest of Oatmeal from breakfast
Jack-Jack: Cheerios and Goldfish

Thursday Lunch:
Ham, Colby Jack and Honey Mustard Panini on 15-grain bread (I use my panini machine at least once a day. I started grilling Dash's sandwiches when he was little because he would just eat the bread and leave the meat/cheese. Now Jack-Jack likes to eat the meat/cheese and leave the bread. Grilling them together, in addition to tasting great, means the kids don't take their sandwiches apart)
Smoked Liver Pate
Smoked Halibut Spread (Halibut, cream cheese, red onion, spices) on wheat crackers
Avocado
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Thursday Snack:
Freshly Baked Dark Rye Bread (I love my bread machine! I don't need one quite this fancy, but it was a gift. I usually go heavy on the rye flour and lighter on the wheat flour and very heavy on the seeds. I've also used it to make pizza/pretzel dough.) with Cherry Preserves
Banana

Thursday Dinner:
Quesidillas (I have not found a good, local tortillera to buy fresh tortillas since we've moved...need to add that to the list of things to find out) with ground beef, red pepper, onion, tons of garlic (this time of year I add lots of garlic to everything to help ward off sickness...as you will see, it failed this time around), corn, beans, cheese (I try to make something like this towards the weekend, b/c Mr. Incredible likes to eat this for weekend lunches rather than sandwiches. I also buy beef, chicken, etc, from Costco. They sometimes have organic beef. Not always, though. Otherwise, I try to get the all-natural kind, which means no hormones, but the animals don't eat organic feed)

Friday Breakfast:
Dash: Oatmeal w/ raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar, Rye bread with Cream Cheese, Cheese, Kix,
Banana
Jack-Jack: Barely touches banana, getting sick

Friday Snack:
Strawberries, Cheerios

Friday Lunch:
Dash: Cheese, bean and corn quesidilla, baked sweet potato
Jack-Jack: Getting sick, refuses to eat anything

Friday Snack during unplanned Friday PM Visit to Pediatrician that confirms Jack-Jack with strep-like virus which I am told can cause blisters on the back of the throat:
Dash: Goldfish and raisins in a bag, sugarfree lollipop from Dr.
Jack-Jack: Applesauce

Friday Dinner: Jack-Jack: Applesauce
Dash: Red Beans and Brown Rice (which your mom probably taught you is a complete protein, make in crockpot which was a blessing since we had our unplanned dr. outing)

Saturday Breakfast:
Dash: Blueberries, Baked Oatmeal (we call it oatmeal cake, which the boys love. I use Penzey's recipe, but use whole milk, whole eggs and cut the brown sugar in half...it makes a bunch and, kept in the fridge, lasts for a few days) rye bread with cream cheese, pasta, OJ (Mr. Incredible fed breakfast, I don't give juice and rarely have it around. Usually only for playgroups at my house. I'm not sure why I feel obligated to feed other parents' kids juice...)
Jack-Jack: Applesauce

Saturday Lunch:
Dash: Quesidilla w/ ham, cheese, beans, corn; Sweet potato, cherry tomatoes
Jack-Jack: Red Beans and Brown Rice, Sweet Potato, Truffle Mouse pate on crackers

Saturday Snack:
Blueberries, Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes

Saturday Dinner (Leftovers):
Smoked Halibut Spread on Crackers, Smoked Trout, Red Beans and Rice, Sweet Potato

Sunday Breakfast:
Baked Oatmeal, Blueberries
Dash: Doughnut after mass

Sunday Snack:
Carrots, Cheese

Sunday Lunch:
Dash: Getting sick, fever; eats nothing
Jack-Jack: Feeling better; Ham, Turkey, Cheese, Pasta, Blueberries

Sunday Snack:
Jack-Jack: Graham Cracker

Sunday Dinner:
Dash: Doesn't eat dinner, just drinks milk and a little juice, plaintively asks for 1 marshmallow since he knew we were planning smores for dessert. Request granted. In bed by 6:30.
Jack-Jack: Osso Bucco (Beef Shanks Braised with carrots, celery, onion, tomato, wine, stock), Mashed Potatoes with lots of Garlic thrown in, Graham Cracker

Monday Breakfast:
Dash: Still feverish; 1/2 Cup Applesauce
Jack-Jack: Baked Oatmeal, Cheese, Banana

Monday Snack:
Dash: some Kix, a few goldfish
Jack-Jack: Blueberries, Goldfish

Monday Lunch:
Dash: Carrots, 1 graham cracker
Jack-Jack: 1/2 Ham and Scarmoza Panini on 15-grain bread, carrots, pasta, beans, 1/2 graham cracker

Monday Snack:
Dash: a few blueberries, keeps saying he hurt his neck, meaning his throat hurts
Jack-Jack: Blueberries, Goldfish

Monday Dinner:
Jack-Jack: "Chicken fingers" (sliced chicken breasts rolled in flour, then egg, then crushed Honey Bunches of Oats with McCormick's Steak Seasoning...a favorite of the boys'), Garlic mashed potatoes
Dash: Can't really eat, a few carrots, 1 graham cracker and begs for a marshmallow again

Tuesday Breakfast:
Dash: Throat still hurts, has 2 "popsicles" made with OJ overnight in freezer
Jack-Jack: Baked Oatmeal, Cheese, Banana, Cinnamon Toast

We're Home!

2008-02-27T22:05:00.006-06:00

We are excited to be settled into our new home with the last box officially unpacked as of this weekend! We are returning to a more normal routine that will hopefully allow me to keep up with blogging these boys!

In the meantime, some Catholic moms and friends from college have started a new blog, Building Cathedrals, where we discuss the joys and challenges of raising our babies. Jack-Jack would like to invite you to visit!

Advent Update

2007-12-16T20:28:00.001-06:00

I wanted to post about our Advent activities so that I have them for my future reference, but I don't have pictures yet, so I will do that after Christmas. Before the boys and I travel for Christmas, I thought I'd post an update. Jack-Jack has taken several steps, but is not terribly interested in walking. I think he knows he will make an even more tempting target for Dash when he's vertical. Here are some steps on film:

We saw some Christmas trains, which was exciting for both boys:

Jack-Jack was saying, "Mama," but gave that up once he learned, "Dada." It is ok by me when he wakes up SUPER early and starts calling, "Dadadadadada." I can just roll over and say, "Honey, he's calling you!"

I'm pretty sure that nothing refined, processed or artificial touched Dash's lips until after his first birthday. No so for Jack-Jack who enjoyed chowing on some (not homemade) pizza:

And our little man Dash is growing up so quickly that he is already trying to walk in Mr. Incredible's shoes (notice the jammies):

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!

2007-12-06T13:24:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we read about St. Nicholas, noticing especially his generosity and willingness to share. Dash put out his shoe, and kindly lent one to Jack-Jack, in the hopes that St. Nicholas would share something special with him. He went to sleep clutching a St. Nicholas prayer card and awoke to find this:

Jack-Jack was also excited to find something in his borrowed shoe:

The kind people at the St. Nicholas center sent along a twinkling St. Nicholas pin with our order that fascinated Jack-Jack:

Dash polished off a large gingerbread cookie before breakfast (as did Jack-Jack):

Jack-Jack checking out his new books:

Showing the brotherly love that St. Nicholas modeled:

Chocolate milk and chocolate coins for breakfast:

Breakfast with St. Nicholas

2007-12-01T10:48:00.000-06:00

Dash making some Advent crafts:

Gluing a Nativity Scene with Mommy:

Checking out the Christmas Trees:

Christmas Lights make us so happy!

Christmas Novena

2007-11-30T14:12:00.000-06:00

Last year I was introduced via the blog world to the Christmas Novena that begins on the Feast of St. Andrew. A dear friend suggested that we offer it for a seemingly impossible intention, which, many months later, was granted! I will be wholeheartedly offering this prayer 15 times a day for another special intention. It appears on my sidebar as it does on many Catholic bloggers' sites.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Feast of Christ the King!

2007-11-25T15:50:00.000-06:00

What a weekend! After inviting a crowd to our home for Thanksgiving several months ago, I bailed since our house is on the market and asked Grandmom if we could do Thanksgiving at her new home. AFTER she said yes, I mentioned that I had invited Dash's godfather and parents. She generously welcomed us all over and I'm sure she wouldn't have had it any other way! She almost teared up when Dash helped his Aunt make their annual "Corn Man."

Dash was very excited about Corn Man. The excitement may wear off when he is still making Corn Man when he's 16, but it was a blast this year.

An overview of the feast:

The happily engaged godparents (I should mention that I had the great honor of wedding dress shopping the day after thanksgiving. Yes, there were tears, but it was so wonderful! Mr. Incredible has tried to pry information out of me, but I won't say a word about anything!)

Family and soon-to-be family:

Dash made a crown today to celebrate the feast of Christ the King. Apparently kings "need lots of cotton balls!"

Dash didn't want to model it, so here is Mr. Incredible:

Random Tidbits

2007-11-20T10:10:00.000-06:00

Jack-Jack, with a confirmed case of RSV, has been sick for several weeks and finally seems to be on the mend. Dash seems to have caught the bug in all its congested, feverish, coughing glory. Fortunately, both boys are doing much better. For the first time in Incredible family history Jack-Jack out-ate Dash. This is good news since he lost some weight while he was sick. Dash caught the bug later and is nursing his sore throat with Popsicles for breakfast, while Jack-Jack tears though cheese, meat, banana, cereal and oatmeal in a matter of minutes.

While convalescing, Dash found time to make some Thanksgiving turkeys for Babka.

Yesterday was Dash's baptismal anniversary. He was very excited about the "Hot and Dangerous" candle, though not his baptismal one. It is already packed and in safekeeping at Grandmom's house. Mr. Incredible thinks we should just get rid of everything that is in storage, but I have actually missed a few things: the bread machine, Dash's comforter, my melon baller (to make kid sized caramel apples), the laminating machine.

This morning Dash built some towers with his blocks. The one on the left is "an astronaut with three heads," so I'm told. Dash is fascinated by all things outerspace. He has been able to name the planets since he was just over 2 (all 9 of them...our books are old and when I grew up there were 9 planets, not 8!).

Jack-Jack keeps growing up. *sigh* His new tricks include crawling up the stairs and waving. He has learned his first two signs...More and Touchdown (it IS football season). He also kind of took his first steps, though Mr. Incredible thought it was more "momentum while falling." This baby is getting big! Here he is tasting the fall foliage.

Many blessings on this fall evening!

Blogging a Saturday

2007-11-10T15:18:00.000-06:00

A swirl of chaos encompassed the last few weeks, but now we can just enjoy fall and be patient, preparing our heart and home for Advent. We bought a house and ours is on the market. Many of our worldly possessions are packed and in storage. We now realize that we don't need many of these things that clutter our lives and we will be making another huge donation as we unpack after the new year. Now it is simply a question of keeping our house immaculate, meaning a vacuum cleaner escort wherever the boys go. We had a showing last night at dinner time, so I planned a picnic for the boys, forgetting that the time change ensured pitch black at dinner time. So we had a picnic in the back of the Tahoe. The boys thought it was hilarious. When Mr. Incredible showed up, he didn't fit in the back so he leaned in through the window. I had to unlock the car every 60 seconds to keep the lights on. It was so fun!

We have had a relaxing morning at home. Here are some highlights.

Dash had a little accident this morning prompting a few rounds of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer":

Dash and Mr. Incredible did some male bonding over cereal:

Dash made a fall collage for his Aunt to congratulate her on her new job!

And Jack-Jack may be getting his appetite back! Or maybe he just wanted to raid the pantry:

The Sweetest Prayer Ever Uttered!

2007-11-10T11:17:00.000-06:00

Jack-Jack has been sick recently. A battle with a lingering virus (likely RSV...awaiting confirmation) and now an ear infection has left us all a little spent. Without quick improvement he may go on breathing treatments as he has started wheezing in addition to his horrendous coughing. Driving home from our latest doctor visit I prayed aloud for Jack-Jack's healing. At the end Dash added his own prayer:

Don't be sick, Jack-Jack
Love you Jesus

Yes, I started tearing up in the car. How could our Lord not hear this prayer for his baby brother?

Because A Light Saber Could Start a Fire...

2007-11-05T15:11:00.001-06:00

I Have a Spoon...

2007-09-24T15:44:00.001-05:00

...and I know how to use it!

(Maybe I need a little more practice!)

A Very Overdue Update

2007-09-10T14:16:00.001-05:00

This blog has been silent recently as we have been extremely busy. Since the adoring fans (read: grandparents) are lamenting the fact that there have been no updates in, so they tell me, three weeks, I will oblige. Below is a summary of our past few weeks.

After deciding to stay in our house for the medium-term, we are most likely going to move within the year. Every spare moment has been devoted to house hunting...on-line and in person. Fortunately, Dash loves running through empty houses and muddy build sites. He insists on finding the dishwasher in each house and proudly announcing "Dishes go there!" We were ready to put a deposit on one, but had an eleventh hour change of heart so we are back to looking.

We have been having birthdays like crazy around here. Dash turned 2 (ahem, twice). We celebrated Uncle B's birthday:

Junior's Birthday,

Mommy's Birthday:Mary's Birthday:

and the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Dash now sings himself to sleep with "Happy Birthday." It is the most hilarious thing we have ever heard. He also begs for cake at least twice a day.

Not wanting the little guy's achievements pass unnoticed, I must mention that Jack-Jack is crawling, pulling up and cruising. He uses his walker only when Dash is napping, otherwise Dash yells, "TACKLE!!!" and charges Jack-Jack, otherwise known as the tackling dummy.

Dash is soaking things in...the little sponge that he is. We have "officially started" preschool. This name is only for my benefit as I hope there is nothing schoolish about it. It just helps me to be more diligent in planning ahead meaningful activities for Dash and preparing the environment such that he can help. Dash has his mat and does one activity at a time.
I put them on trays, which he carries.

His favorite activity so far has been using tongs to sort colored cotton balls into an ice cube tray. We have no shelving to lay out the activities, so they are stored in Mr. Incredible's closet (sorry, sweetie) and I bring them out in the mornings. I am in the process of staining some shelves for our learning materials, but they are not yet sealed (taking over Mr. Incredible's garage space...sorry again, sweetie!). Dash helped me sand the wood a few weekends ago.

We don't have a "learning room" of which I have seen so many beautiful examples. This is a part of the impetuous to move now rather than wait for a few years more years.

I have also been reading and putting together "learning" materials for Dash. I have been gathering ideas from Alison's Montessori, Montessori Services, Timberdoodle, Lakeshore Learning, CSA, and Catholic Heritage Cirricula. I love all the catalogues for ideas as well as I am trying to make some of the materials. [My Reading Stack is threatening to take over our bedroom.]

Among the tons of things that I have wanted to post about, one is my failed material making projects. I tried making the geometric insets. The result was very unsatisfying. I tried making red/blue rods. The paint bled. I tried a different kind of harder wood. Same problem. I may get around to taking pictures of these failed endeavors.

Dash also had his first "official" golf lesson in preparation for playing with Grandpa when he and Grandmom move to the area THIS WEEK. Prayers for their safe travel!

The Sound a Fire Truck Makes

2007-09-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

While Dash and I were eating lunch together today, he was telling me details about a fire truck he had seen.

"See Firefighter Truck!"

"What did it look like?" I asked.

"A Red One."

Thinking some more...

"A Big One."

"What noise does a fire truck make?" I asked.

"WheeeeOhhhhh, WheeeeOhhhh, Hail Mary," Dash replied (with gusto).

"What noise does a fire truck make?" I asked again, not confident I had heard him correctly.

"WheeeeOhhhhh, WheeeeOhhhh, Hail Mary."

Then it clicked. We try to say a Hail Mary when we hear sirens. So, as always, Dash is correct. A Fire Engine driving by our car does indeed make the noise, "WheeeOhhh, WeeeOhhhh, Hail Mary."

Because Mommy Surely Won't Mind...

2007-08-29T20:14:00.001-05:00

...me rooting through her desk if I have a rosary around my neck!

Jack-Jack is checking out Mr. Incredible's Fantasy Football picks:

And making a few changes to the line-up:

When Mr. Incredible asked Dash who he should pick in the first round, Dash replied, "Momo."

Because everyone need a 5'2" Polish Grandma on their Fantasy Football Team.