Sugar High

We've been baking a lot the last few weeks. First, because it keeps the kids busy and, second, because it satisfies a sweet tooth I've been the victim of lately and makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. We baked some delicious sugar cookies and smothered them with whipped cake frosting. Of course, the only part Tyler wanted was the frosting so the wet and soggy sugar cookie was thrown away after the best part was eaten. He then decided to "christen" another cookie with his sloppy finger and I ended up eating it so no one else had to endure the slobber. I love baking with the kids because they get so excited about helping me dump in the ingredients. Mikayla in her new princess christmas hat enjoying the fantastic decorating job she did on her cookie.

Aside from the fact Mikayla looks like a deer in the headlights, this is the best picture I've gotten of the 2 of them in a while. Getting them both to smile in a picture is like getting up without pain in the morning... (ok, I know it's a strange analogy but so true at this moment.)

Cousin Cheryl came over today for some hang out time and to watch the kids while I had my doctor's appointment. Nothing to report from the doctor's appointment except that they moved my due date back to the 10th (they actually had never moved it to the 7th because they don't go by the ultrasound date). I was a little sad at the fact that I felt like I'd moved backwards 3 days and still nothing is happening, contraction-wise, but I have to be ok with the fact that she will eventually come and God's timing is the best timing. I must admit I shed a few tears imagining having to wait 2 more weeks with all of the pain.

Cheryl is a Godsend to me. She graciously watched the kids and then hung out with me AND colored my hair. It was like going to a spa for the day. Thanks Cheryl!!!!! You're awesome. I'm definitely going to miss her when she goes home for Christmas.

I had to show a picture of Mikayla as I found her in the middle of her "naptime" which really doesn't involve any sleep for her usually. She spends about an hour and a half in her room playing by herself and it got really quite after a while. I opened her door to let her come out and found her dressed in all of her princess finery, asleep on the floor. So precious...

Decorating the Tree

Mikayla and I had already decorated the house for the holidays but yesterday we brought out the tree since Mikayla kept asking about it. It's her favorite part and she already has quite a few ornaments in her collection. Here is me, at 38 weeks. You know, when you don't see yourself from the side, you kind of forget how big you are...Believe me, this picture would not be included except I wanted some remembrance of what I looked like for the holidays this year. Mikayla loved the lights and loved finding just the right spot for each ornament. We went through quite a few light strands that had burnt out before we found one that actually worked.

Tyler was decorating until he found a really cool Santa car and then it was fun to just drive around the carpet with it. He was a big help when he was helping.

We're ready for the holidays!!

Resistance is Futile

When craving Auntie Anne's pretzels, their slogan really does say it all..."Resistance is Futile." I had an Entertainment Book coupon and felt like clogging my arteries so we stopped for 2 cinnamon sugar pretzels and gorged on them all the way home from Dim Sum the other day. Wow, they were good but you don't want to watch them being made. After the hot pretzel comes out of the oven, they are literally submerged in a vat of liquid butter and then doused with enough cinnamon sugar to coat a dozen donuts. That's what makes them so good but it's also what keeps you spacing out the indulgence to once every 6 months.

Mikayla enjoyed hers immensely.

We had the priviledge of having Dim Sum twice this last week and I'm all for that! The chili sauce and the soy sauce are things I have to almost intravenously feed myself during this pregnancy. This last time, Tyler finally got the hang of the chopsticks. Here's a shot by shot depiction of his success.

The Squeeze

The Approach

The Bite

Mikayla's favorite dish is the chicken feet. I can't imagine eating one but she seems to like the fatty, fleshy consistency shaped like the very thing it is. Seeing a bunch of severed limbs on a plate isn't what I would reach out and grab. More power to her...

I'll post the decorating of the house next time. We first have to put up the tree.

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving afternoon and evening, we headed to my parent's house for the "feast." First of all, I've got to hand it to mom. Only a professional chef could cook potatoes, yams, turkey, rolls, green beans, gravy, and pumpkin pie and have it all ready at the same time, warm. Way to go, mom! I strive to someday be able to accomplish the same feat. It was a delicious dinner and so much fun to be with family. I love the feeling of Thanksgiving and gathering together to eat comfort food. Here is the beautiful table. Mikayla and Gramps were coloring pictures in her Mickey Mouse colorbook.

Grammie read the Little People book to the kids. They actually kind of sat still!

Then we played Uno. Tyler won the first time (with the help of a pro) and then Grammie cleaned up the second round. It's fun because now they have a Sesame Street version. The toy companies think of everything.

Yesterday was Black Friday and, yes, I actually went shopping. I really wanted to pick up some fresh decorations and Joann's was having a great sale so I got some new things and actually stood in a looooong line to pay for it. At first I thought, "this isn't worth it" but then I quickly remembered I was without kids and standing in line without saying, "stop touching, come here, stand by mommy," was almost like a vacation. I was actually Happy standing in line...strange.

Later, we went to El Pollo Loco. Daddy got an ice cream cone and had to share with our 2 ice cream lovers. I think daddy got a few licks inbetween but it was gone pretty fast.

After dinner, we went to Target. By this time it wasn't crowded and we had fun looking at all of the toys. I've picked up Christmas gifts but I have yet to find something for Tyler. Mikayla can point out all the stuff she wants but Tyler doesn't really tell me what he can't live without. I'm having trouble finding something just for him that he'll enjoy. He seemed to love the $250 horse that actually eats and shakes his head. What will they come up with next.

This one's for Uncle Dannie. Tyler is attached to his "King" car from the movie "Cars." He doesn't go far without it and he found that it has a convenient hook for those times when he has to suck his thumb and his other hand is full. It's a perfect fit!

Family Blessings

The other day my sister came over and brought her 2 boys with her. It was great to see her since we haven't seen each other in a while. She graciously agreed to drive out here since she didn't want me loading myself and 2 kids into the car. Thanks, Cara!! It was good to hang out and the kids had fun together, as always. Here, they're going through all of my old stickers and pencils. Stickers are always a time consumer for kids. Ethan and Mikayla choosing which stickers they like the best.

On Wednesday, I went out to Will's work to celebrate Thanksgiving with a potluck for all of the workers. There was so much food but all the kids wanted to do was play with their cousins. I'm trying to pace myself with all of the food this weekend so I limited myself to only one plate of Chinese food. It was very good! I just ended up following Tyler around the warehouse so that I didn't stress about him killing himself with all of the stacked boxes. He ended up in the "lobby" area by a potted plant and entertained himself for a good 20 minutes saying, "BIG fish" and "the fish is THIS big." It was pretty cute. He's also pretty cheesy when I asked him to smile for a picture.

The girls were drawn to Hello Kitty on the computer and took turns furnishing rooms for Kitty and her friends. It's so much fun to see their interaction with each other. I'm so glad they all get along. (This is only 1/3 of the cousin bunch on the Lee side). Note Tyler's disinterest with Hello Kitty. He'd rather play with the little toy men in the box.

They actually took time out to smile for the camera. Mikayla, Allison and Danae.

This morning, Thanksgiving morning, we headed out to Dim Sum with Will's parents and the regulars. You know, sometimes Dim Sum just satisfies those cravings, especially smothered in chili sauce and soy sauce. It's such a nice tradition in our family to go with Mama and Yeye at least a few Saturdays a month. Today was even more special, celebrating Thanksgiving with them.

My 2 beautiful babies actually smiling in the same picture! What a shocker!

Later, we're heading to my parent's house for a traditional Thanksgiving feast.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

Tagged

Thanks, Emily...I guess you can tag people on blogs to write about random things and you're the first one to do it to me. I'm supposed to share 7 weird/random things about myself and then tag another blogger to do the same. It may take a little thinking to come up with 7 things due to the fact that I don't feel like I'm that weird or random but I'll try.

1. I'm an identical twin and love sharing my "looks" with someone else (except when I become pregnant and people wonder who the twins are). It has been a blessing to have her as my best friend through life, to be able to talk to her about anything, and share life's experiences with her.

2. I'm a fabric junkie. I could seriously spend all day looking at fabric and daydream about how to use it. The funny thing is that I only started quilting about 2 years ago and now it's become an addiction. I find myself trying to come up with new reasons to go shopping for cute fabrics. I've also bought several quilting books and have yet to make the patterns in them. Sewing is a dangerous hobby!

3. I love my reality tv shows. I'm not into the "let's watch someone live life for 24 hours straight" like Big Brother but give me a show like Survivor, Amazing Race and Top Chef and you've got me hooked.

4. I'm a graphic designer and love anything to do with designing and creating. I do the occasional freelance logo but I really love to design every invitation and baby announcement for our family. It's definitely a creative outlet for me. This love of "layout" leads me to read scrapbook magazines for pleasure and create scrapbooks for each of my children.

5. I used to love the smell of any melon lotion until I got sick with my first pregnancy. Now, the smell reminds me of a lipgloss I bought when I was 6 weeks pregnant in Chicago at one of Will's conventions. I promptly got sick for the next 12 weeks. I mean really sick. Even now, memories come flooding back if I use a melon lotion or soap. Now that I'm on the subject, I also hate weedy salad for the same reason. I'm talking about the kind with those spiderwebby lettuce leaves they call "gourmet." Why would someone go out to the garden and pick weeds to eat? Then they charge double the price while you're looking for hidden bugs...not my idea of "gourmet."

6. I know this one will sound weird but that's the point, right? I don't like going to any store for only one item. If I'm out of Chicken broth, I'll use something else. To think of having to go to the grocery store or any other store makes me want to break down and cry. I think all of you with kids can understand the unwillingness to strap the kids in, drive to the store, unstrap the kids, get the in a cart, strap them in, grab one item (and 10 more on the way), unstrap them, put them in the car, strap them in, drive home, unstrap them, and use that one item. See, it's a headache just reading it!

7. One of my favorite movies is A Few Good Men. This may sound like a strange choice for a stay-at-home mom but, for some reason, it's like comfort food to me. Whenever I'm working on a project or laying sick on the couch, it's just one of those movies that I know and like to watch. I do have other favorites that are more "girly" but this one just comforts me somehow.

Well, there you have them, the 7 weird/random things about me. I'm sure there are many more but I'm having a hard enough time with these 7. I'm tagging Cara, Kristy and Heidi, if you feel like doing it. Good luck!

Supplying the Scavengers...

I finally decided to have a garage sale to get rid of all those big items I didn't initially want to donate. Reluctant to go about it on my own, I was THRILLED when my friend Emily agreed to join in the sale. She's a real garage sale veteran and knows how it's done! She brought over a load of stuff which was great because it made the sale really attractive to those garage sale hoppers. Right away we had hunters who wanted everything for $1 but the day produced a pretty good turnout for Emily and me. I think I only made enough for a reasonable fast food dinner for the family but the fun part was sitting with Emily, chatting while the boys took care of the kids (for the most part). Here we are in the spot I liked the best, the chair. Getting up from this position required a little work but I made it. Note the apron on Emily, I'm talking hard core garage saler!!

Here's Josh, Emily's husband, on kid duty. They did a great job with the kids and even went out and got pizza for their hungry wives in the middle of the morning. What great sports!

Thanks, guys, for your help and your company. We love being with you and to be with you AND make money, what a combo! =)

My Son

Look at this precious face. Today I had the opportunity to be alone with Tyler since Grammie took Mikayla on a special date to Fashion Island. I decided to do a little shopping for Christmas gifts in my alone time with Tyler. Normally, the car ride is filled with 2 voices trying to get my attention and usually Mikayla wins out but I think Tyler knew he could now say whatever he wanted to without Mikayla's interruption. Keeping in mind he is in his 2's, here's a normal conversation... Mommy, mommy, mommy
yes
mommy, mommy
yes, baby, what
mommy, car is outside?
yes, there is a car outside
mommy, mommy
what
mommy, car outside?
yes, there sure is, what color is it?
mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy
yes (while he's still saying mommy) yes, yes
mommy, car is outside?
ya
car outside?
yes, tyler, there's a car outside. Isn't it pretty?
{pause}
mommy, mommy, mommy
what, Tyler (a little impatient)
car is outside? outside?
YES, there is a car outside
mommy, mommy
{silence}
mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy
WHat baby?
car is outside?
yes, you've told me that LOTS of times, sweetheart
mommy, mommy
WHAT???
{silence because mommy's voice was too loud}

For some reason, my son likes to repeat things over and over. Mikayla was satisfied with one or two times. Thirty times isn't enough for him. I'm praying for the patience to make it through this cute, yet exhausting "stage" in his development. Who could be mad for long at those big cheeks and cute giggles. I only wish that daddy could answer for mommy on those days when patience is hard to come by but daddy's answer somehow isn't what he wants.

Anniversary Dinner

Mr. Stox was the site of our 8 year anniversary dinner. OK, our anniversary is really tomorrow but tonight was the only night my parents could watch the kids. Mr Stox has been the location of the last few years of our anniversary dinners, mainly because it's in the entertainment book and you feel really rich when you eat there. It's one of those places where they clean the bread crumbs off of the tablecloth with a crumb knife and a sweep of the wrist.

These onion rings were delicious. It was kind of funny to see onion rings at a restaurant of this caliber but they were one of the cheapest appetizers and they went really well with our prime ribs.

Here's my half of the cow, literally. I will be honest and say that I almost finished it. I left the darker portion (the best part) for leftovers. The busboy was actually going to take it away had I not said, "could I have a box for that?" I didn't know if that was an "uncool" thing to do at that type of restaurant but I had to explain to him that that was the best part. It was delicious!!

Here's a shot of us and our steaks. We had so much fun just being able to chat without children and act like adults. When the waitress asked if there was anything else we needed, Will's comment kind of threw her off. He got so tired after eating that he said, "yeah, a bed?" Luckily, she took that as, "now you're tired from the food," and said, "lots of good food, huh?" Realizing that the comment might have sounded bad, we were both glad that the check was coming.

Before the check, our dessert came. It was really cute and creative. They had taken our names down when we sat down and gave us a balloon at the beginning of dinner and then Baked Alaska for dessert. The writing was done in white chocolate so it thickened and was delicious with the chocolate ice cream under the poof of whipped cream. YUM! All in all, it was a great night and I'm looking forward to many more years with my sweetheart!

Shower of Friends

This weekend, my beautiful, awesome sister and my equally incredible mom threw me a baby shower at my mom's house. I'm kicking myself because I didn't take a picture with my mom but they both spoiled me with yummy food, fun games, and lots of friends. I feel so blessed to have these women in my life and it was good to see some of them after a while of absence. (You know how busy life gets). I got some great gifts which will be very useful for our new baby girl due to the fact that the seasons will be different from Mikayla to this one and clothing needs will change. I also got a few things I've been wanting but haven't wanted to buy myself so thank you, everyone, for your generosity! Beware, there are a lot of pictures following because I had to include everyone-they're all special to me. You might get tired of seeing my face in every shot...

Me and my sister.
Cousin Cheryl

The gang, including 2 sidekicks, Mikayla and Charis.

The High School gang, Jennifer and Kristy.

Jenna

Kathy

Kim, another friend from childhood.

It was fun to have Mikayla with me on this special day, even though she played in the other room with Kim's daughter, Charis, the whole time. She had always wanted to go to a shower with mommy.

The Register crew (Susanna and Talitha) plus one.

Thank you all for coming and for making my day special! I love you!

Jumping Craze

For a friend's birthday today we had the priviledge of going to a "house" of bounce houses. I can be honest when I say I've never seen so many inflatables in one building before. It was a fun time to be with friends and watch the little ones go crazy with the slides and climbing apparatus. Of course, Will had to do all the work since you weren't going to catch me catapulting myself throughout the carnival of playthings. Mikayla jumped right in but Tyler needed a little time to adjust. After a little while, he had fun sliding down the slide (with daddy) and climbing in and out of the houses.

The party came complete with 2 rooms of bounce houses and then pizza and cupcakes afterward. It was a great time for the kids and grownups and we managed to take many pictures. Half of them didn't turn out great due to the excessive movement by the children but there were a few redeeming shots from the day. These first two were a series of pictures taken by Will and then put together to form panoramas. Will is pretty proud of this accomplishment. I think it looks pretty cool.

Here are the jumpers. It's amazing to get a picture of everyone looking at the camera but this one came out pretty well.

Mikayla's favorite part were the "fast" slides. Each slide was accompanied by a Mikayla-sized scream to emphasize just how fun it was.

Tyler sliding with daddy. Daddy started getting tired after a while but Tyler was an energizer bunny and kept wanting to go again and again.

Here's the brave soul going down the slide all by himself. At the bottom, he shook his head back and forth, making it very clear that this would not happen again.

All in all, it was a great morning. Thanks Zach and Jenny! Happy Birthday Alex!