From the Mouth of My Babe

"Cheeeeeeeeese!" Davis playing outside the morning after the first snowfall of the season.

The other morning I overheard Isaac having a conversation with one of his friends. "I can't wait til I'm a dad," he said. "then I'll get to do whatever I want...eat all the candy and popsicles I want...drive a car all by myself...and role down the windows whenever I want--even on the freeway!"

Currently Loving...

• Mormonchannel.org. There are tons of programs for all ages but our fave around here is the Scripture Stories for children. There's even a smart phone app. We listen to them on my phone often...while running errands...eating breakfast...or during quiet time. The kids like them and I feel like I'm doing something important while all I have to do is click a couple of buttons on my phone. If you haven't already, check it out. I bet your kids will like it too.
• Menu Planning. Here's the deal with my love/hate relationship with menu planning. I love it because it saves money and helps me plan out 2 weeks worth of meals at once, but I hate it because it is never fun to sit down and plan 14 meals at a time--or grocery shop for them (especially with three helpers in tow--recently we tipped a cart over onto it's side while in line at the Walmart pharmacy---with Davis inside it). My favorite food blogger at Mel's Kitchen Cafe has a menu plan template here that I have been using since Ryan started his residency training and I love it. I do the two week plan which means I only do two big grocery shopping trips a month. Ryan usually picks up milk and sometimes a couple of produce items on the off-weeks. Less trips to the grocery store means Sara spends less money. Plus, it allows me to try new recipes every two weeks while still keeping some things constant (like Friday night pizza, or brinner once a week). And I don't have to feel overwhelmed with what to cook for dinner. 

• The Classics Writing Claw. Helps preschoolers learn how to hold a pencil correctly.

• Crayola Dry-Erase Crayons. No more hounding the kids to constantly put the caps back on their markers so they don't dry out!

• Silverlicious. Victoria Kann was sitting on a goldmine when she first came up with the idea for Pinkalicious. She has since written Purplelicious, Goldalicious, and now most recently, Silverlicious. Maddie loves them all.

• I know OneRepublic's song, Marching On, was released a couple of years ago, but I just became acquainted with it in the last month. I can't help but jam out to it every time it comes up on Pandora.  I think I might make it my theme song for our Connecticut years (who says residency can't have a theme song?). Put one foot in front of the other...my sink is to swim--that is my new mantra, baby.
• And last but not least, I am loving that my sister and her hubby are coming to visit in 5 short days! It's been almost a year since we saw them and I can't wait. Thrilled about sums up my emotional status.

All apple orchard photos courtesy of Ms. Kami Brown.

From the Mouth of My Babe

Isaac and Maddie imitating the "Toy Monster" (me) who comes and takes away their toys when they won't clean up.

After today's primary program at church there was a little party for all of the children in the primary room. The president asked the children to raise their hands and share what their favorite part of today's sacrament meeting was. When she called on Isaac he responded by saying that his favorite part of today was "being reverent."

Interesting...just out of curiosity, was that your favorite part of the program before or after you almost jumped off the stage before one of the musical numbers? Or maybe when you made a makeshift trumpet and binoculars out of that piece of paper? Just wondering...

Some Current Favorite Photos

Maddie and Isaac have recently taken to wearing their bicycle helmets around the house.

While eating popcorn...

And for Maddie, even while going on a nature walk (where no bikes were present). I kind of agree with Ryan: where Maddie is concerned, it's not such a bad idea, considering how often she takes a tumble on any given day. 

Even the D-Man capitalized on his sister's head gear when he noticed she was occupied with a different toy. 

From the Mouth of My Babe

Maddie, practicing her super-princess jumping skills. When Ryan saw this photo his reply was, "Wow. That looks kind of dangerous..." Maybe this will be the end of them jumping from the vanity onto the old crib mattress lying on the floor...

I gave Isaac a hug yesterday and he said to me, matter-of-factly, "Mom! I'm not your baby anymore, and Maddie isn't a baby, and Davis isn't even a baby either." "Well who is going to be my baby, then?" I asked. Maddie replied, "I guess we'll just have to go buy another one at the store sometime next week." "Is she crazy or what?!?!" exclaimed Isaac. Crazy indeed. And for the record, no one around here is considering buying any babies.