Bye-Bye Baby

The other night I showed Ryan a picture of Davis from a few months ago.

"Remember when he used to be such a good, easy baby?" he commented. "I miss those days."

{Sigh}. In the last month or so my baby boy has turned into a master at throwing tantrums, getting jealous, pulling hair, and squawking "NO!! NO!!" while simultaneously running away from me.

Every one of my children has gone through this stage and every time I forget just how sad it is to kiss their babyhood goodbye. Not that I want Davis to be a baby forever. But I'm just not ready to rejoice in his independence quite yet.

He knows how to use those baby blues to get exactly what he wants, exactly when he wants it.

See what I mean?

When he is happy, he is really, really happy.

He is walking everywhere and getting into everything, including garbage cans, toilets, dishwashers, and dirty laundry baskets. He has decided to follow in his older siblings' footsteps and show no fear on the playground as well, attempting to dive head first down slides and staircases. And he has the bruises to prove it.

But I do love his determination.

And even though he has a flare for the dramatic, he gives the best hugs ever, so we'll keep him.

Most of the time, Ike and Maddie don't think he's half bad. Most of the time.
All photos taken by Miss Chrissy Jo Parkinson.

Chinese Coleslaw

This is another famous Aunt Shelly Salad. It is quick and easy, yet I almost always come home with an empty bowl whenever I take it anywhere. And it makes the perfect summer dinner when tossed with shredded chicken.

For the dressing (best if made the night before but in a pinch I have done it right before serving the salad and it still works):

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp Accent (a seasoning salt/salt substitute)
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup oil

Mix all ingredients together and shake vigorously until sugar and spices are dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve salad.

For the salad:

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 2 packages Ramen noodles (discard the spice mix packet)
• 1 package coleslaw mix (1 lb bag)
• 4 chopped green onions

Crush Ramen noodles and roast them in the oven with the almonds at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, just until they are both golden brown. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together. Add dressing just before serving and mix well. 

*P.S. This marks my 400th post. Hooray!

Easter 2011

We had a great Easter here in Des Moines. We ate delicious food, hunted for eggs, spent time with great friends, and celebrated the significance of the resurrection.

Davis practicing his stair-climbing skills before the Easter egg  hunt. He never seemed to tire of going up and down, up and down. Probably a good thing he gets some solid practice in, since these are the stairs he will be climbing on a daily basis when we move to Connecticut next month:

It wouldn't be very fun to take a tumble down those...

Maddie during full-fledged finding mode. She learned her lesson at the neighborhood Egg hunt yesterday when she insisted on only picking up the purple eggs and got short-changed. She wasn't at all particular about color this afternoon. 

Nora, although she is older than Maddie and Isaac, is always such a good friend to them. Maddie and her share a special "Dora bond" because Nora used to be a die-hard fan just like Maddie is now. I'm sure Ike and Mads loved that she was willing to push them on the swing for so long.

Mariah  is always so kind to her as well. She takes Maddie under her wing and is such a little mother to her. That cute blue dress Maddie is wearing was once Miss Mariah's.  

Davis joined in on the hunt as well.

Harrison and Ike checking out their loot.

Tyler gave an Easter message to the kids while they filled up on candy.

Davis bounced from basket to basket and kid to kid, looking for as much candy as he could. Ike didn't appreciate it.

Easter candy is by far the best holiday candy there is. 

We hope your Easter was a happy one!

Moments

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

--Elder M. Russell Ballard

"We need to remember that the full commitment of motherhood and of putting children first can be difficult. Through my own four-generation experience in our family, and through discussions with mothers of young children throughout the Church, I know something of a mother’s emotions that accompany her commitment to be at home with young children. There are moments of great joy and incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony, and frustration."

--Elder M. Russell Ballard

As a mother of three I can definitely relate to the feelings of inadequacy and frustration that often accompany the day-to-day life of caring for children. For me, the most discouraging moments often come not from how my children behave, but instead how I react to their behavior---patience really is a virtue! Elder Ballard's words come to my mind often--especially lately-- as I remind myself that the joy of motherhood really does come in moments. Not years or months or even days of pure bliss, but in small, significant, touching  moments that make the tantrums and the teasing and the messes and the trying times all worth it.

“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”---Anna Quindlen

All photos courtesy of Miss Chrissy Jo Parkinson.

A Little Bit of Common Ground

Like many couples, Ryan and I don't exactly have the same taste in movies. 

His top rental choice might be something like this:

 or this:

I don't mind these "inspirational and highly entertaining" films, but I would much prefer to watch something like this:

or my all-time favorite, this:

While I think my husband would rather eat grass than watch anything to do with Jane Austin, he will give into the occasional chick flick once in awhile because he loves me. Recently, though, we have found some common ground when it comes to movies--documentaries. Often we put the kids to bed and have a "date" which usually consists of soda, treats, and a Redbox. We recently rented this movie:

...and we are afraid to send Isaac to kindergarten next year.

Just last night we watched this movie:

I can't stop thinking about it. It details the financial crisis that began in 2008 and the cause of it. As one critic said, "A powerhouse that will leave you both thunderstruck and boiling with rage." It was highly entertaining as well as thought-provoking. And it's a good thing we don't have any money, because I would be scared to death to invest any of it.

Now pick this gem up today and watch it after you put the kids to bed (if you've got 'em), then call me tomorrow so we can chat about it.

Lucky Me

We just found out that my sister, Brooke, and her family (Jeremy-the hubby, Homer-the turtle, and Peewee--the chihuahua) will be moving to Massachusetts just before we move to Connecticut. 

We will be a short hour away from each other. I can't tell you how very excited we are about this! Spending holidays together...girls' nights...pillow fights...dropping my kids off at her house so I can get pedicures and go on weekend getaways with my hubby...the list is endless!

They just bought this beautiful home, so there's no turning back now!

I plan on spending many many nights in their sweet guest bedroom.

We can't wait!