Snow Day! (well yesterday is was)

Yesterday was a snow day for us. Austin got to stay home with his brother and mommy. We had a good day although Andrew refused to take a nap cause his brother was home and for goodness sakes he may have missed something exciting if he slept!

The previous winters haven't been all that "exciting" for outdoor play. Austin isn't a fan of being outdoors to begin with but every year I'd bundle him up and take him outside to make a snowman. Austin can't walk in the snow because he doesn't have good balance and he won't touch the snow because, well of course, it's cold. So, I'll do hand over hand for about 5 minutes and then I'll let him sit on our front steps while I make the snowman. We'll see what this year has in store for us.

Since Austin could care less about playing outside in the snow, I decided to take Andrew out. Last year, he had just begun walking (didn't walk till he was 18 months old!) so he wasn't able to enjoy the snow quite yet. I was hopeful for some fun this year and I got it! Oh my goodness, I had so much fun with him! He was so excited to play in the snow. He walked through the knee deep piles, he kicked the bankings (and laughed every time snow fell), and he even grabbed the snow with his bare hands (couldn't find mittens in the house). We only played outside for 10 minutes since I couldn't find the mittens and Andrew wasn't happy about it. He kicked and screamed the whole way in the house! I can't wait to play out in the snow this year! Typical kids are so drastically different to raise! What excites Andrew (snow), bores Austin. What excites Austin (the fish tank), bores Andrew. In a sad kinda way, it always shows me just what I'm missing out on with Austin. It just reinforces our resolve to have days with him (without his brother) to do fun stuff that interests him. He did love the Baltimore Aquarium! Oh wait. I guess that is just one big fish tank! LOL


Note: I took pictures of Andrew looking at himself in the mirror cause he thought the snowsuit was hilarious.

dentist update

Well, let's just say the dentist appointment didn't go well. Austin climbed up into the seat without a problem but it went straight downhill from there. He was completely terrified to let the hygenist in his mouth. It was heart wrenching. The only time the hygenist was able to get anything into his mouth was when he took a breath to scream. Yeah, that bad. She cleaned 6 teeth this time so 2 more than last visit. A step forward I guess. Maybe we'll shoot for 8 teeth next time. At least we don't have to do this again for another 6 months. It was a workout in itself. I had to hold his hands done with my elbows and keep his face still with my hands. He did stop crying (slightly) when they offered him a Cars movie sticker after the torture was over.

dentist appt.

Today, Austin has a dentist appointment. This is his 2nd visit and I'm not looking forward to it. I hate having to watch him be scared out of his mind that he trembles! He's not the kind of kid that you can just sit him down and explain it to him and then he'll be ok with it. He's the kind that sees something coming toward his mouth that isn't a toothbrush like at home and it's all over. Not only do I hate having to coax him to let the hygenist brush 3-4 teeth but I hate paying for the visit as well. Our dentist doesn't accept Medicaid and our family's insurance plan doesn't offer dental coverage. Yeah. It's the pits. I footed the hefty bill at the last visit but this time I'm going to beg and plead with Medicaid and see if they'll reimburse me. I'll update after the visit is over and done with. *sigh*

Christmas shopping

I still have my nasty head cold but I decided to blog anyway...

Every year for the past 5(? Amy, just how many has it been?) years, my mom, sister, and I travel to Syracuse (an hour away) to go Christmas shopping all day long. The men hold the fort down with the kids and the women have a full day of shopping, eating out, and browsing without kids. It's heavenly.

People always laugh when we tell them just how long we go shopping for. It's usually 14-16 hours. This year I was gone 16 hours. Left the house at 8am and came home around 12:30am. =) How do we do it you ask? Well, this year we started off at the Christmas Tree shop ( love it!) which opened at 9am. Then we headed to Chicago UNO to eat lunch (yes, we were in the CTS that long). After lunch we shopped at one of the 3 malls near Syracuse then scooted over to Toys R Us by 3pm to get their door buster deals for the weekend. By the way, we save our money all year long to afford this trip so we pay cash for everything! Now that you know that, I can safely say I spent $201.00 at Toys R Us. =) I don't shop for just Christmas, but for birthdays around Christmas as well (there are 5 of them!). Dinner time rolls around so we park ourselves in a booth at Outback Steakhouse. YUM! Dinner finished. Time to go shopping! We stop at mall #2 and stay there till we were unfortunately told that it was closing (Boo!) We hadn't even made it to Sears yet! Well, it's late and all the stores are closing. So what are 3 ladies with a mission to do? Go to the 24 hour Walmart! I think we were in Walmart until 11pm but by then we're getting hungry again. McDonald's is right across the street so we get in line at the drivethrough and my sister (who's driving) turns around to ask my mom what she wants-and the laughing begins. When we're tired-watch out. We can laugh like nobody's business. Why were we laughing? You couldn't even see my mom in the backseat. We had so many packages in that car that the trunk was full, the backseats were full, and I couldn't see anything below my chest. Full to the brim. We laughed so hard my sis couldn't even order our ice cream and had to request some extra time to compose herself! So, yes, we do this every year. The last weekend in October. All day. And no, I'm not finished. =)


I forgot to add I win the "most money saved" prize this year (ficticious of course). I spent $83.00 in JCPenney and saved $187.00. Whoo baby!

Ugh!

I have a cold. I want it gone. Feel like a truck ran me over. End of story.

My 100th post!

Happy Anniversary Ben!

Tomorrow is our 8th wedding anniversary. Has it seriously been that long? Where has the time gone? Of course the Army took a good 3-4 years of that but still! Ben and I sat down one time I figured out how many years we've spent apart due to the Army sending him places (he got out in '05) and it was about 3.75 years. Crazy huh? How do people make a career out of it?!? We're weren't built for it I guess.

Anyway, Ben and I got married on a beautiful 70 degree sunny day, 8 years ago, tomorrow. Whoo hoo! My sister, brother-in-law, and parents bought us a digital picture frame for our gift and I love it! We still need to transfer more pictures onto the memory card but it's so cool! Go figure, Austin appreciates it just as much as we do. He loves watching the pictures scroll by. I'll have to take a picture of it soon. =)

By the way, Andrew declared to us this morning from the back seat of the car "mom, I'm amazing"! LOL Where does he come up with this stuff?!?

My trip to Niagara Falls

Well as I mentioned in my previous post, my husband, Andrew, and I made another (somewhat) local trip! Ben's parents (from Arizona) came to visit us for 4 days so we decided to take them to see Niagara Falls. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive but always worth it. We couldn't have had a better day! The sun was shining, it was 72 degrees, and the bright leaves we saw on the way were goregous! Ben and I have been to Niagara Falls before (and came home pregnant with Andrew!) but it was raining and cold. Way too cold to ride the Maid of the Mist so this time we did it!

Andrew didn't like the plastic hood over his head on the boat ride so he got soaked. =) I was surprised just how wet you get on the tour! It would be a great thing to do on a hot summer day!

NOTE: Where's Austin? We went on a Friday while Austin was in school. Less kids to chase after and Austin would NOT have liked all the walking and the slippery boat!

Never Mind!

I clicked on the host of my background to see if it would work if I changed it and there's a bulletin saying they're experiencing problems and to be patient with them. Now it all makes sense! LOL

Wierd...

Don't know what's going on but my background is all of a sudden gone...hmm. Any clues anyone? I haven't changed anything and the html code is still there!

Tooth update 2:

Austin has finally lost his first tooth! I checked his mouth this morning to see if he had swallowed it overnight (nope) and then I sent him to school. When he came home from school, I checked his mouth again. No tooth. He swallowed it. =(

I'm a bit sad, I will admit. I really wanted to save his first tooth like my mom did for me. I still have mine in a little baggy in my baby items box. Some may think it's gross...I'm just sentimental.

5 Facts

My fellow MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) buddy Sandy has started a new thread and I'm following so those of you who want to join in, please do!



5 facts about my family:



Ben:

-is the youth pastor and music minister at our church, owns his own construction company, and is a part time college student-how does he do it?!?

-was in the Army for 8 years (tours in Bosnia, South Korea, and Iraq)

-had WHITE blonde hair as a child

-loves to talk and does it quite well, just don't give him coffee if you want him to be quiet!

-has a few recontructed teeth (rambunctious childhood!)



Michelle:

-I love computers-games, blogging, IM'ing, typing, you name it! I've had one in my house since I was in early grade school.

-I like doing the laundry but hate doing dishes. I once told my mom that I would rather pick up the dog poop with my hands then do the dishes. LOL

-Music is a big part of my life. I am constantly listening to it or singing along with it.

-I did not like jr./sr. high school. I did quite well (had a 93 average) but didn't enjoy it one bit. I never want to be a student again, unless I'm teaching myself. =)

-I have brown wavy hair but was a curly Q'd blonde until Kindergarten



Austin:

-hates to have his routine changed. Major meltdown.

-loves to lay on his back and bounce up and down on our beds

-loves to go to bed. I've never had to fight with him about it. Ever. If he gets tired and it's not bedtime, he'll march up to his room and climb in bed with all his clothes on and go to sleep!

-loves animals, he especially loves watching dogs wag their tails

-would spend his whole day watching Veggies Tales if I let him. Seriously he would.

Andrew:
-loves numbers and letters and trying to write them
-is terrified of bath time and wall mounted changing tables (he just started this 2 weeks ago!)
-takes his right shoe and sometimes his sock off every. single. time. we. are. in. the. car.
-is very independant, won't ride in a shopping cart-he has to walk at his own pace without holding anyone's hand and if you try to, you better run and catch him, cause he'll take off if you try!
-was such a people person as infant. You didn't have to hold him but if you left him alone in a room, he'd scream!

Tooth update

Update: tooth is STILL attached and Austin won't budge. Jaws of iron people.

No tooth yet!

Well Austin's tooth is still attached. Just barely but still there. I keep trying to get it out for him and now he's clamping his mouth shut! I'll have to warn his teacher that it's hanging on by a thread just in case he decides to hand it to her tomorrow at school. =) That is, if he doesn't swallow it overnight! LOL

It's incredibly hectic here right now and I have a lot of blogging to do! This past Friday I went on another trip (somewhat locally) and I have pictures to share!

He's growing up...

Austin has had a loose tooth for a couple months now and today it's barely hanging on. I can't believe my little boy is starting to loose his teeth! AHHH! It's exciting at the same time though cause in all other ways he's still my little toddler. This new chapter is just a reminder that he is indeed my 6 year old.

Now, I'm hoping he doesn't swallow it overnight. =(

I made a pie!

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a good cook. I do like to bake though! I have never made a pie before and I found a great recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine so I thought, why not try it? Well, it came out perfectly!!! I'm so excited! I didn't burn the crust or anything!

Believe it or not, it tastes sooooooooooo yummy! Reminds me of pecan pie! Here's the recipe:

Maple Nut Pie

1 rolled refridgerated unbaked piecrust

1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup

3 eggs

6 Tbsp. butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1. Cook pie crust according to directions on box. Reduce heat to 350 degrees

2. In saucepan bring maple syrup to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup.

3. In medium bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer on medium to high speed till thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes.

4. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated and brown sugars, beat to combine. Beat in reduced syrup and eggs. Fold in walnuts, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour into prebaked crust.

5. Bake pie on baking sheet in lower third of oven 35 minutes or until set around edges. Cool and serve with ice cream!

Texas pictures!

Ok so I didn't take very many pictures...but here are a few!

The Gaylord Texan where the conference was held...HUGE!

Filing into the ballroom for a "general session". 5,000 moms came!

Ok, I know. What's the big deal with the Sonic? We don't have them in NY!!! I love Sonic! Cherry Limeade Baby! LOL

Me, our Council Coordinator Vickie, and my bud Jennifer

Me and my sister-in-law, Katie (lives in AZ) who also attended the conference!

Ben surprised me with flowers delivered to my hotel room!

Texas people are WAY too proud of their state! LOL Texas waffles?!?

Jen and I made a pitstop at the Rainforest Cafe and chowed down on the Volcano dessert...yep, we don't have the Cafe where we live! LOL

Seeing these pictures made me realize just how much I hate my glasses. I need to either go buy more contacts (I wear the daily disposables) or get new frames...ugh.

I'm home!

Ok so I didn't make it home at 1am this morning. It was more like 2am. Yuck. Our flight was delayed an hour in Newark, NJ and then we sat on the plane for 30 more minutes before take off. I'm running on 5 hours sleep right now but feeling great!

I had a great time in Texas. The MOPS convention went great and I learned a lot. It was such a relaxing time and my friend Jen and I ate great food that we don't get the pleasure of eating here in upstate NY. (more on that later) I didn't take a whole lot of pictures but I will post a few of them later.

Stay tuned!

I leave tomorrow!

In less thank 12 hours I'll be on my way to Texas! I'm really looking forward to the MOPS conference and the relaxation! I'm packed and ready to go!

To help alleviate the problem I noted in my previous post, I hired our babysitter to shuttle my boys to their correct rooms and pick them up on time for church. =) I feel slightly better about the Sunday chaos without me being there now. Please pray that Austin cooperates. He's extremely routine oriented so if someone tells him to go left and I let him go right-major meltdown. I made a detailed outline for the babysitter in hopes that a meltdown doesn't happen. Let's just say, I'll be praying without ceasing! ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Some seemingly silly things (yet important to Austin ) that I had to mention in my detailed letter:

"During church Austin must sit on the end of the row. (He has to have a clear view of Ben playing the guitar LOL) He also must put money in the offering plate (teaching him to give-and now he cries if I forget his money)."

I'll post pictures when I get back home Monday (I return around 1am!). Texas here I come! YEEHAW!