Tonight we celebrated our favorite things in grand Oprah style during our 4th annual Favorite Things Party. I am going to miss Iowa so much and the people in it even more! Thanks ladies for a great night!
Chrissy is definitely one of my favorite things. She has taken hundreds of pictures of my children and family, but this is the very first picture I have of the two of us together. She strategically planned to be on vacation when all the graduates make their grand exodus so that she doesn't have to say goodbye to anyone. Pure genius if you ask me. No need to say goodbye to her since she'll totally be visiting me in Connecticut.
Obligatory picture of the crowd of ladies.
I know this picture of Robyn is blurry, but seriously, isn't it classic? Totally hoping she gets her name drawn out for a gift. Every year Robyn wins the award for most enthusiastic. Tonight was no exception.
Liz wins the award for most creative with three different favorite things. Every year I cross my fingers that I will win one of her gifts because they are always the hit of the party, whether they are homemade aprons, a cd of sweet jams for a road trip, or tonight, a Cooks Illustrated magazine, among other things.
Nikki, myself, and Erin. Nikki works for DMU and is one of my local Iowa friends--I scored one of the cupcakes she brought as her favorite thing...muy delisioso. Erin and I met four years ago when her husband started at DMU the same year as Ryan. She's headed to Indianapolis and I'm already planning on inviting myself out to visit her.
Hilery and I. My only regret with this woman is that I didn't get to know her better years ago--she is such a reliable friend! I am praying for a Hilery or two in New Haven. I could really use a friend like her! I was lucky enough to win some of her sweet favorite nail polish and facial lotion. Don't hate me because I like to post multiple pictures of myself on my blog. It is my blog after all, isn't it?
Since our time in Iowa is running short, we have been trying to cram in as many play dates with friends as possible. Yesterday it was our turn to head up to Iowa Falls to spend the day with the Bernards. Laura has been a great friend to me ever since we moved to Iowa, even though she has lived over an hour away for the majority of the time that I have known her. Her twin boys, Anson and Jonas, are just months older than Isaac, and Owen is less than a year younger than Maddie and less than a year older than Davis. It has been really fun to watch our kids play together. It will be hard to say goodbye.
Dog pile on the trampoline. Today was the first warm day we've had this year while visiting Iowa Falls so we spent a lot of time outside.
D couldn't quite get his Fred Flintstone feet moving, but he was determined to do it over and over and over again.
Owen sticking close to his mama.
Anson and Jonas were both so great about sharing their bikes. I don't think there was a single fight over a toy that day. Pretty impressive considering there were three 4-year-olds, two 2-year-olds, and a 1-year-old. Gotta celebrate those little victories.
Davis and the John Deere.
Ike was so in love with riding the bikes that he wouldn't get off of them long enough for me to teach him how to drive the battery-operated car. Maybe next time.
D was a lot more successful moving the car around when he wasn't sitting in it.
Maddie having the time of her life with Jonas behind the wheel.
When all the boys headed off to jump on the trampoline, I caught Maddie sneaking away to try and drive the jeep on her own. As you can see, she got herself stuck before too long.
Off-roading it. Overall it was a great day, and all three kids played so hard that they all fell fast asleep on the drive home. I don't think that they have ever done that simultaneously. A cinco de mayo milagro. As Maddie would say, BEST.DAY.EVER!
With this year's 4th (and final...sniff...sniff) annual Favorite Things Party coming up this Saturday, I have been thinking about what I want to share with my Iowa girls this weekend. While none of these faves seem appropriate for the party, I wanted to share the love with the blogging world just the same.
Insect Lore
This Easter my kids received a butterfly garden in their basket. We are currently harvesting baby caterpillars that get bigger and bigger each day. In the next couple of weeks we will get to watch the caterpillars grow, build their cocoons, and eventually hatch into 5 different Painted Lady butterflies. They love watching them and can't wait to transfer them to their mesh butterfly garden in the next week or so. Here is the link to their website, but I bought mine at Amazon for less than $15. A great educational experience for a small price.
Greek Style Feta Dressing
Since my beloved Bleu Cheese Vinaigrette is nowhere to be found here in Iowa, Trader Joe's Feta dressing has taken it's place. My dear friend, Laura, introduced me to it's goodness and now I can't get enough. It seriously makes for an amazing salad. And it's only $1.99 a bottle.
Cinnamon Schoolbook Cookies
Also from Trader Joe's (can you tell I really like that place?), Cinnamon Schoolbook Cookies are such a fun snack for my kids. All of the cookies are shaped like letters and numbers, and Ike and Maddie love it when I make small words for them to sound out. Davis is a pretty big fan as well. My friend Hilery was the one who helped me discover these, and now they are a special treat around here, and they are only $2.49 a tub (who knew Trader Joe's was so affordable?). The only problem is, they don't stay around very long.
Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons
Speaking of sounding out words, Isaac has been doing a lot of that lately. While I'd like to think it's because he's a super-genius (he totally IS), I owe it more to the design of this great book. Some of my teacher-friends told me about it years ago, so when Ike started showing interest in reading a little while back, I purchased the book (less than $13 on Amazon), and we are currently on lesson 40. Each lesson takes around 10 minutes and he loves it. It is his "school time." I know he would learn to read in kindergarten, but the educator in me wanted to be the one to have the experience of teaching him myself. So if you have a pre-reader who is showing interest, I highly recommend this book. And four years old seems to be the perfect age. I haven't tried it with Maddie and probably won't for another year.
Here is a little video of the Ikester reading the story from lesson #39. This was his first reading of the story.
Could you just see the pride in that little boy's eyes?
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.
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.
