deception

Mashed kidney beans hidden in mac and cheese...



And...deception complete. :)

bed head

In most pictures, you'll see Kendall sporting a cute bow. The main reason is that it looks so cute. The other reason is that I have to contain her maniac mop somehow...

our day

Today we decided to skip church as I wasn't completely confident in Cam's bladder to withstand the entire service. He has done GREAT the past two days and hasn't had any accidents since yesterday morning (and even pooped in the pot!). So when Cam woke up, Chris took him to get a donut (since he would miss his "church donut") and then to the park. Later in the morning we headed over to my mom's for lunch. My dad is in Ethiopia so I know she was glad to have the company.

Once we got home, we hung out while I baked A LOT for Chris's birthday this weekend. His family is coming down for his 30th. These are his all time favorite cookies which I've blogged about before (let me know if you want the recipe). Seriously, you'll fall over with delight if you eat one.



Later Chris and Kendall went to Staters to get ingredients for fajitas. Why fajitas? Because I've been craving those AMAZING tortillas from El Burrito ever since we had them a couple weeks back. On the way home from my mom's, we stopped to get a few. Interestingly when Chris asked for 4 tortillas, the woman told him he could only buy 2. Huh?? Can a restaurant do that? Chris felt like saying, "Um...you do realize that I'm wanting to give you more business, right?". However he kept quiet and we left with half the amount we wanted. :) Here is my carne asada cutter. It took him forever because I like my meat in super tiny pieces.



Now we are about to finish "Lions for Lambs". For some reason we get Showtime free for 2 months, so we tivo'd this the other night. It's pretty good so far...

boot camp

Yesterday we finally started potty training. We have had things the past few weekends and I wanted a clear schedule to give it our best shot. We started yesterday after school and basically gave him a little more liquid than normal and took him to the potty every 30 minutes. I think he could care less if he peed on the floor, so we aren't doing the nooty booty method, just underwear (he hates feeling wet). I made the mistake of having Chris take him on an outing to the golf store. We thought Chris could take him to the potty when they got there, then again when they left. The problem we realized was that Cam wasn't a fan of going in a public restroom. Oops. Accident #1 at Sports Authority.

Success #1 happened last night when he told us he had to go, then actually went! This morning we are doing more of the same. I braved a walk with the two. Boy was I bookin it in order to make it back during my 30 minute window! Just now he did half a stink bug (that is our name for it) in his underwear, then asked for help and finished in the toilet. Partial success!

Here he is during one of his successful potty appointments. Sometimes he'll ask for his "potty candy" (one chocolate chip and one Reeses chip) and sometimes he won't. :)

pet peeves

Here are a few totally petty and non important pet peeves I've noticed I have lately:

*Often when I read an interview with a celebrity or even someone I am talking to, they'll say, "Well, I'm _______ (Greek, Italian, from the south, etc.), so food is really important at our family gatherings." I feel like saying, "At what family gathering ISN'T food important???" Food is always focal at our gatherings. What family gets together on a regular basis and doesn't enjoy feasting on either a homemade meal or a good meal out? Food isn't JUST important to a certain ethnicity or people from a certain region of the America! :)

*I HATE when Cam's high chair tray is dirty. I usually clean it right after his meal because I hate walking by it later seeing it filled with crumbs and smeared peanut butter.

*I was recently watching The View and the women were talking about how outraged they were at the senator who said, "You lie!" to Obama. They thought it was extremely disrespectful. I completely agree...HOWEVER, did they not regularly call Bush things like "idiot" and "retarded"??? While it is slightly different because of the forum in which the senator made the comment, it does seem a little hypocritical on their part.

*I don't like clutter (papers, food, etc.) on our island in the kitchen. It makes the whole kitchen seem cluttered.

*We have one of those useless stop signs in our area due to construction. Two sides are blocked, making it impossible for any two cars to run into one another because you can't go opposite ways. I get irritated when people make a complete stop. Yes, I know I have no right to get irritated b/c they are obeying the law...but it still bugs me. :)

totally random pictures

This was the last time I saw my sister (Jan. 08). They are missionaries in Germany and came back for a few months. Gosh, I wish she lived here (obviously I know they feel called to live there, but you know what I mean). We stayed at the beach for a week together and I hope we can do something like that again when they come out in 2011.


Back in 2004 (or maybe 05) we went on one of the most fun trips Chris and I have ever taken. I've mentioned how much we love Vegas, right? Well, our friends (Glen and Jessica) treated us to the most amazing weekend...including a suite at the Bellagio, tickets to "O", a super fancy dinner, etc. We truly will never be able to go on a trip like that again, so I look back on it with super fond memories!


I really miss my early morning bike rides with Cam. I LOVED these since he enjoyed them and the early morning is such a peaceful time. Hopefully once Kendall gets a little bigger, we can continue the tradition.


These are some of our favorite people, Peyt and Liesl. They are also our "Cheesecake" buddies as we all share an equal love for the restaurant. I was pregnant here with Cam.


I love this picture...

some new favorites

Snack: Craisins and Wheat Thins

TV Show: Flipping Out- reality show following a former house flipper who now does interior design. Sounds boring but he is super eccentric and fun to watch.

Thing Kendall Does: Smile at me when I go in to get her from bed, even if it is to her disappointment when I try to get her back to sleep. :)

Thing Cameron Does: Wanting to wrestle with Chris every time Chris comes into the room. I love seeing the two of them act like boys and seeing Cam's pure excitement when Chris steps into the room.

Meal: Burrito from El Burrito. Jessica blogged that she had gone one day so I had to try it since she mentioned they make their own tortillas. OH MY GOSH, those are the best tortillas EVER. Next time forget the burrito, I'm just ordering the tortillas!

Thing Chris Does: Debrief with me. I'm so thankful he doesn't mind me peppering him with questions about the softball game last night, his conversation with a friend, etc. He had learned how much I love every detail of everything!

Magazine: Food Network Magazine

new hair cut

Cam hasn't gotten his hair cut professionally for over 2 years. He HATES the sound of the buzzer, so it just wasn't worth it. We have always done it ourselves, assuming it was better for him to get upset at home than at a salon. Chris has wanted to get him a real cut for a while and decided today was the day. I would have been too chicken, but I was all for it if he would do it. Here was our ammunition, chocolate gold fishies and our ipod with his favorite songs.



It actually went better than expected and Chris didn't even need to bust out the music. Yes, Cam did get upset, but not too bad and the woman even had a super silent razor. I caught a picture of him afterwards when he was rewarded with an episode of Toot and Puddle. :)

The reason he looks a little zoned out is because he is sick and has very irritated eyes. Poor thing has woken up the past two nights and needed me to come and clean out his eyes.


On a sidenote, after the cut, Chris handed the woman a $20. The cut was $14 and she brought him back a one dollar bill and a five dollar bill. Hmmm...awkward. $1 was obviously not enough of a tip...but $5?? He ended up giving her the $5 (which I would have too), but that sure seems like a hefty tip for a cut that literally took her about 7 minutes! :)

a week of meals

I don't know about you, but I'm ALWAYS interested in what other people make for their meals. I like to get ideas, plus I just think it is interesting. Here is a list of our last week's meals with my thoughts afterward.

Tuesday: Meatball subs (AWESOME sundried tomato chicken meat balls from Costco).

Wednesday: Made a spontaneous purchase that day at Costco and bought Bacon Wrapped Turkey Tenderloins (they look like little Fillet Mignons). They are only 230 calories and 5 grams of fat. I loved them. Chris thought they were so-so. I made Orzo for the side.

Thursday:
I ate the yummiest corn dog ever (with some mixed veggies thrown on the side to counteract the complete unhealthiness!). Chris's mom brings them down every once in a while. Her friend makes them from scratch. Chris had leftover pizza after getting home later from his softball game.

Friday:
Shredded beef tacos (beef we bought at Costco and cooked in the crock pot all day. Sprinkled Lipton's Onion Soup mix on top before cooking).

Saturday:
Date night...Macaroni Grill. I strayed from my usual (spaghetti and meatballs) and shouldn't have. I swear my meal could have fit into 3/4 of a cup. They spread it all out on some fancy rectangular plate, but they weren't fooling me!!!

Sunday: Leftover Tacos

Monday: Spaghetti with homemade sauce (I'll have to blog this recipe as it is the cheapest, easiest, and yummiest sauce ever!), sauteed zucchini

Tonight: Mini Chicken Calzones. I'll take some of our pre packaged chicken breasts (that we make when we bbq up a whole Costco bag) and make calzones with Pillsbury pizza dough. I'll put some cheese and bbq sauce inside also. I'll probably serve them with veggies for me and fruit for Chris.

You can see that veggies are severely lacking in our dinners. Chris doesn't like very many. He loves broccoli salad, but it is rather time consuming, so I don't make it often. I need to, though, because that is such a healthy veggie and one he not only eats, but enjoys. I don't have the "complete" meal on our plates every night...meaning a main dish and a couple sides. Honestly, sometimes I don't have a side at all...like with the tacos. I feel like I cook pretty low fat in general, but I'm not the best at using whole grain things (I don't think Pillsbury pizza dough has many nutrients!).

Cam typically has his own meal before we do since we eat once the kids are down. I know the whole "family dinner" thing is important. I think one day we'll do that. However since Chris works from home, we are with Cam at all his meals, even if we aren't actually eating. We get an abundance of family time, just not all at the table. This will change once the kids are older as I do feel it is super important to have that "dinner" and debrief about your day. But for now, Chris and I love relaxing together and eating our meal at night. We look forward to it. :)

ducks

I often tease my sister for being too much of a rules follower. Here is our recent email exchange:

Susan: Kelly -did you know that it’s bad for ducks to feed them bread? It expands in their stomachs.
Me: That must be German ducks. American ducks are supposed to eat bread.
Susan: I saw this on the internet and it’s what I’ve heard too….Bread is really bad for ducks. If you want to feed at a local pond, buy a small, cheap bag of birdseed. Bread makes ducks feel "full" and then they don't eat the healthy natural things they need for nutrition
Me: Chris said maybe you need to have another kid so you don't have too much time on your hands to research things like this.
Susan: I’m not kidding!!!! Look it up. I was told this a long time ago and I looked it up again tonight. It is true – it’s bad for them. You REALLY shouldn’t feed them bread! How can you do it with a good conscience now that you know it’s bad for their bodies – just because your child thinks it’s fun??!!!! I will report you.
Me: Again, go get pregnant. I will buy birdseed the next time I'm at Walmart.

p.s. In case you are wondering, I do believe her theory on ducks and I will buy birdseed from now on. I just wanted to give her a hard time because she has popped up with all sorts of things like this..."Kelly, it's bad to turn off the microwave mid cycle....Kelly, that hurts the chair's legs to sit like that..." I've started saying, "Quote your source!!". Hehe :)

sweet

What is it about just watching them sleep?

as of late

*Tmoms (my church's MOPS) started yesterday, which I was so thankful for. I love going and was anxious to get back. It was Kendall's first time in the nursery and she did well.

*I pulled a muscle in my back a couple days ago. The pain was so bad that I went to Urgent Care last night, thinking maybe it was something more serious. Thankfully I was the only one there and got seen right away. They did an EKG because the pain actually started as chest pain, then spread to my back. Luckily a pulled muscle was the diagnosis, but it is still VERY painful and I really feel for those who struggle with back pain on a regular basis. Chris was planning on golfing today, but offered to stay at home to do the Kendall holding. It also makes me feel for single moms. I can't imagine not having as much help as I get from Chris.

*We rented "State of Play" last night but couldn't watch it because of my Urgent Care visit. We'll rent it another time as tonight we got our sitter so we could go out to dinner. We haven't had her since Kendall was born. Whenever she came before, Cam was always in bed and she would sometimes ask, "Do I ever get to play with Cameron?". :) I joked with her that if she thought Cam went to bed early, Kendall actually goes to bed at 6:00, so the most she'll see of her is a possible visit in the dark to stick her pacifier back in!

*Potty training is moving back another week because Chris is taking Cam up to his parents next week. Didn't think it too nice to say, "Here Debbie, could you do some potty training boot camp during the visit?" :)

*We started buying Gordita tortillas. They are extra thick, which equals extra good.

*My computer button broke a while ago (ahem...Dad) and now it won't work at all. Hopefully we can get it fixed to at least get on the computer as I have a few documents I really need.

*Did you know that a head of lettuce will last 2-3 weeks if you don't take off the outer layer and don't wash it? It is after you wash it that it only will last a few days.

*When you put oil into pasta water so the pasta won't stick together, it only serves to coat the pasta, making your sauce not stick as well (thanks for the tip, Rachel Ray magazine)

*Took Cam to feed the ducks this morning. I think I need to bring an entire loaf next time as he LOVES it.

list

Today's Costco list:

*Crackers: Basically you'll find two types of crackers in our house, Wheat Thins and Cheez-its. The reason is due to the fact that this is the choice we get from Costco. We tend to alternate. Today is Wheat Thins.

*Paper Plates: No, these aren't good for our environment. Yes, we buy them because we are lazy and it cuts down on the amount of times we run our dishwasher. Sorry, Susan.

*Milk: 2 gallons of milk are $3.23. Just one gallon at the store is nearly that much. The only thing I don't like is that they don't sell 1%.

*Eggs: I actually used all 18 the last time we bought them because I've started making Chris egg burritos in the morning (egg white burritos that is).

*Bananas: We get bananas EVERY week at Costco and use them all.

*Beef: Every few weeks, we like to get a cut of beef, cook it in the crock pot, then shred it for tacos (we also have plenty to freeze for future meals). I couldn't tell you the cut because as I've mentioned before, I'm not a red meat fanatic.

*Chinese Chicken Salad Kit: This is for some girlfriends and I who are getting together tomorrow for lunch.

*Chocolate Chips: I always buy them here. Not sure if they are cheaper...I guess I just assume they are because it's Costco, after all. :)

30th

Chris's 30th birthday is coming up in about a month. Several weeks ago I had an idea and I ran with it. I've been sooo anxious to tell him and I finally did yesterday. The reason I told him so early was because I wanted him to be able to plan for work. I like to have something like this to look forward to, so I wanted that for him also. I made it kind of fun by creating a treasure hunt. Here were my clues:

(please excuse the grammar as that wasn't my top priority)
Whether you are telling a story, or kicking a dog you named “Punt”, (if you are on FB, you'll get that)
you bring so much fun to my life, so I’m sending you on a treasure hunt.
For your first clue, let’s start in a pretty easy place.
Please go look under the mat where Kendall looks at her pretty face!

The 7 Layer appetizer we made for Cam’s party came out pretty hip
Please go look in the bag of what you used to dip

We like to watch movies, but I think we like TV more
Go look in our favorite sitcom DVD case…season 4

Why the hunt? Well, it actually is your birthday gift from me.
So go look behind our living room tree.

I thought long and hard about the perfect present to give to you
More than a tangible gift, I wanted it to be something you could do!
Hmmm…what does Chris like? What makes him light up in the eyes?
I know, what about a trip to Vegas with his guys?
On Oct. 16, you and Jeremy won’t be heading too far…
Just to Sam’s Town, and you’ll be taking Jeremy’s car!!
But you have to make a stop along the way, just a detour of sorts
Because you’ll have to pick up your friend, Noah, at the Vegas Airport!
2 nights of fun await you…gambling, eating, anything you please
Why? Because you have made being married such a breeze! I love you!!!


Well, he was SUPER surprised and is very excited. I feel quite proud of myself with this gift as it is usually so hard to pick something out for Chris that he'll truly love. :)

birthday

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions for potty training! Makes me excited to try...not really, but I'm glad to have all the tips. :) We want to go to Disneyland next Monday, so I think we'll start the following weekend as I don't want to have to hassle with it there!

So Saturday we had our family birthday party for Cameron. It was sooo much fun and pretty much the perfect day. Cam did amazing and seemed to love having everyone here. This is in sharp contrast to past parties, so we were thrilled. We had a fun weekend overall with Chris's parents and it was a special treat to have his grandma come down. They left a couple hours ago and both Chris and I always feel a little blue when they leave. Vacation is over. Back to reality.

Here are some pictures from our day...

I tried to go with our balloon theme with the cake. I think it turned out pretty cute and Cam seemed to like it...




Chris and his mom, playing corn hole...


The cousins...




Grandma Wanda seemed to be a big fan of Kendall...and vise versa :)


Happy 3rd Birthday Cam! You have come so far in your short few years. Dad and I simply could not be more proud of you. Thank you for making our lives so fun! You bring us more joy than you will ever know and we simply cannot imagine life without our little man!!

potty training

We celebrated Cam's birthday today. I'll blog about that once I get some pictures, but I wanted to post this because I would love some feedback. I'm in the process of deciding how to tackle potty training. I'm working with his pre school teacher as she will be implementing whatever strategy I decide on while he is at school. She suggested pumping him with fluids, then sitting him on the potty for 10-15 minutes every half hour. To be honest, making him sit for that long so frequently seems REALLY overwhelming and difficult.

Do any of you have a good book you went by, especially for boys? I'd love some strategy help. Everyone told me to not even try to potty train until he was three. Well, the magic birthday has come and I need to get going on this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

wow

The last 4 days Cam has had pre school. The last 4 days he has taken 2+ hour naps. Wow. I guess intellectual stimulation is more draining that our parks and playtime. Go figure.

p.s. In case you are wondering...I'm not complaining. :)