It's Official - He's Mobile

He's still not crawling, but he's got a  pretty good forward motion

with his belly flop, especially on the kitchen floor.

Close, but No Cigar

Poor little Sour Cream.

He tries so much to move forwards, but just hasn't quite

figured out how to crawl.  He can, however,

scoot.

Backwards.

Darn it.

This poor guy has found himself in this very spot

several times in the past 3 weeks.

And what did Mommy do?

Grab the camera.

Arsenic in Rice

My mom told me that she saw a snippet on the news

that said there has been an increased amount of arsenic in

rice, including baby cereal, and that

it is recommended that we should cut down

our consumption of rice, and vary our diets a little more.

It was also said that if you have an infant eating

rice cereal, that you shouldn't give it to them more than once a week.

Our is now in the trash, and
Sour Cream has been enjoying the switch to oatmeal.

Backyard Progress - Retaining Wall DONE!

That's right, you heard it here first.

(Of course - where else would you hear it?)

We (of course I mean Kidney Bean - have you 

seen how big a 6x6x8 is?  There's no way that lil 'ol me could lift

one of those babies - my arms are like noodles)...

but I digress.

The wall is complete!

And here's the proof:

I am unable to take a picture of the whole thing, but the top picture is

the right side, where you can see the wall is shorter, 

a little higher for the curved part, and then

5 boards high across the back.

In the bottom picture, you can see the rest of the wall.

It's not exactly symmetrical, but we knew it wouldn't be

when we started out, since we were going to 

continue with the areas that someone

else had tried to start something.

The green on the cut angles in the top picture

will fade with time - it's the wood preserver.

And yes, we do have several (I think 7) boards

leftover -- oops! -- so I think

we'll use them in the front yard to clean up the landscaping there a little bit.

Backyard Progress - Retaining Wall

 We (of course I mean Kidney Bean) dug a trench and filled most of it with gravel.

 Here's the view of the remaining gravel and the drainage pipe that will

be behind the retaining wall.

 We ordered 46 (!) boards from the hardware store and had them

delivered - which enabled us to see an awesome fork lift.

Three big wheels - you could tell it can do the tough stuff.

Thank you to our neighbor who saw Kidney Bean carrying the boards and came

over to help carry them all to the backyard.  It was no easy task.

They are heavy!  I can help move one, sort of.

 Here's the stack of boards at the end of that night.

And here's what it looks like today.  We have one row of boards all the way across,

with the second row almost done.  Although as I type this, Kidney Bean is still

out there finishing row two.

What a guy.

Camera Trouble

Seriously, this is getting a little ridiculous...

I keep meaning to post something on my blogs, but I want to include

pictures, especially since it's usually more fun to read

(and write it) with pictures.

But, we are having some issues with the cameras around here.

One camera has not been willing to connect to the computer,

and now the other one that was working splendidly

was drenched while in the diaper bag.  The

screen will no longer turn on, but it still

takes pictures.  But of what?

So I don't want to use camera #2, but after using

#1, I have to switch the memory card and battery, since there

isn't a way to hook it up.

I guess the most important thing is to keep the camera's straight, so I know

which one to take places and which to leave.

Speaking of which, I left the camera home last weekend when we

went to Idaho and threw Tomato a birthday party,

(She's 5!!)

but at least someone had a decent phone on their camera

(thanks, friend!)

and they will be sending me the pictures in the next few days.

But to tide us over, I'll find one to stick up now.

 This is the cutest Sour Cream I've ever seen!!

He can almost sit up...I had to keep an arm to steady him

while I took the picture because he's on the footrest, not the floor.

This Boy...

 - is growing fast.

(Please understand it's little Sour Cream I'm referring to, and not his daddy.**)

- is a happy baby.

- has been on formula for a month and a half now, and is doing great with it.

- still has stick up hair.

- rolls over.
- is near the top of all the growth charts. "He's proportional," is what the doc said - 85% or more
for head, length, and weight.

- scoots backwards, but not on purpose.

- is loved.

**Many of these do, in fact, apply to Kidney Bean.  But not all.  That's all I'm

going to say about that before I get cooked.

Pierce County Fair & Reading Prize

Last Thursday, we took advantage of the Pierce County Fair's military discount

and went to the fair.

Kidney Bean was free, since he has a valid military ID,

it was $5 for me, $5 for parking in their lot,

and kids 5 and under are free.

So we paid $10 for our family of 5 to see the sights.

It was great!

The theme this year was "Psychedelic Summer" - one I've never seen

used before.  The theme was found all over, in decorations,

exhibits, and a whole lotta tie dye.

Out by the horses, we happened upon a groovy photo booth, so we stopped

and snapped a few pictures.

Kidney Bean wasn't interested in sticking his hole in the board, but now we all know

what the girls and I would look like as hippies...or not.

 Noodle & Olive

 Noodle & Tomato

We also allowed Tomato to go on one ride.

I thought about taking a picture of the fairway here, but didn't.

But I will say that it was the nicest one I've seen in quite some time.

The grass was well-kept, booths were very organized, and 

ALL of the Carnies were neat and tidy.

Seriously, no long hair, visible tattoos, matching white uniform shirts and black pants - 

can you really call them Carnies??

Old and young, male and female - they were all pleasant.

It was great.

 

 Tomato checking the view from her helicopter.

 While she was waiting in line, a little boy came up and asked if

she wanted to ride together.  She agreed.

I thought it was great, since Olive is too short for any of the rides.

It always helps to have a buddy for a new experience.

On the way back to the car, we found another photo stand,

this time near the Fire & Rescue booth.

 Officer Tomato & Firefighter Olive

 Officer Tomato

 Officer Olive

AND we finished our summer reading program from the library!!

In late June or early July, we signed up for the

reading program.  I was a little intimidated at first, since to complete it

required FIFTEEN HOURS of reading for 4-year-old Tomato,

with prized at 5 hours, 10 hours, and then the final one.

Olive's chart had between 20-30 lines,

and you could mark one off for every day that she read a book,

or one mark for a library visit.

When we had reached the 5 hour mark, we were really excited.

We headed off to the library to claim the first prize,

and I was pretty disappointed.

It was a temporary tattoo.

For 5 whole hours of work, that was it.

And since we don't do tattoos around here, it was even worse.

But I asked Tomato what she wanted to do with it, and she suggested taping it up

on her chart like a sticker.  So we did.

And when we reached the 10 hour mark, we tried to remember

the paper to claim the prize, but I kept forgetting it.

So we took the 10 hour sheet and the 15 hour sheet in together last week.

And the final prize makes up for the tattoo - 

she earned a sticky hand & $5 off library fines (for 10 hours),

and a zoo pass, free food at Applebee's, free pizza from Round Table Pizza!  

Woohoo! 

Talk about great rewards for

hours and hours of work!

We are excited to use the zoo pass especially, and the food will be great, too.

Thank you library!

A Couple Firsts

The girls enjoy the stairs in our house.

They have invented a way of going down that I have never seen before,

and it's pretty entertaining to watch from the bottom or the top.

So here you go.
Tomato is a little faster, so if you just want to watch one video, I suggest the 2nd.

 Also, I am the only one in our family who has seen the ocean in real life.

So we thought we'd head to a beach on the sound,

since it's close.

I know it's not really like being at the ocean, but we're planning

a trip to the coast after we get the backyard done.

 Kidney Bean's having a great time.

 We found a teeny, tiny green crab under a rock.

Can you spot him?

Don't feel bad if you can't - he was pretty small.

Backyard

A couple weeks ago, we asked a couple companies to come out and

give us an estimate of how much it would

cost to landscape the backyard.

The verdict?

WAY too much.

We thought if it was $3k or less, we might

be able to swing that.

But it wasn't even close - double that figure and then add some more.

So we're going to do it ourselves.

 You can't really tell in these pictures, but all that dirt is higher up than the weeds.

The back fence is about 28 inches or so higher

than the ground level where the weeds are growing.

 And here's the base of the one lonely tree back there.

It's not my favorite, but it's staying.

 Pavers that prove that someone at some point thought about

landscaping back here.

I would've thought it might have gotten a little farther along in the process, since

it's apparently in the CC&Rs that the

backyard must be landscaped within one year of purchase.

But, I guess it's true that when it's out of sight, it's out of mind - 

our house was built 6 years ago.

Here are the before shots, when Kidney Bean grabbed a hoe and 

started hacking away at some of the weeds. 

It's not a big backyard, but it sure is (was) full of weeds.

Wish us luck!

We have been enjoying it so far, and you'd better

believe that we will not be spending $8k back here to get what we want!

Revamp

When we had to switch over to the new blog, I had intended to change the look and the names of family members.  BUT it took a while, as you can see.  But I did get it done, and here is the big reveal.

First thing's first - the name Stanley Pie.

What is it?

No one has asked me, which was a little surprising, but it's what I

named a food dish that didn't have a name.

My mom tried it out years ago, and it was delicious, and when we would

eat it, it was 'That noodle thing' - you know, with the sour cream and cheese.

I first made it for my husband when we were dating.

As I pulled out the ingredients, he was

trying to figure out what we were having for dinner.

It sounds really strange, but is actually DELICIOUS!

 So one day I decided to name it, and that's 

when it became 'Stanley Pie'.

Next, since we use pretend names on here, I thought we could change those nicknames to

match the different ingredients in Stanley Pie.

You can find the names and pictures on the left of the blog.

And in case you want to try eating some Stanley Pie,

this is what you do:

Cook some macaroni noodles.

Drain.

Add a can of kidney beans, drained.

Add a can of stewed tomatoes.

Add a can of olives, drained.

Stir together and cook on low until heated through.

Serve in bowls, topping with

dollops of sour cream and shredded cheddar.

Diaper Rash?

Back in January, when we were living in our free temporary housing as part of the moving package, the girls were sharing a room.  I wasn't ready for it, they were certainly not ready for it, but the options were slim, and we weren't about to refuse the free housing simply because of this inconvenience. 

Bedtime took a long time those days.  We didn't have them sharing a bed (luckily), but Cupcake learned how to climb out of the playard we were using, and the door handles were the kid friendly kind, so both girls had the ability to get out of bed and try to stay up late.  

But, it didn't work out to their advantage. They were (sometimes) repeatedly put back in bed, and on occasion lost the nightlight in their room.  Which I think was a good thing, since it was so bright in their with it - they definitely went to bed easier when it was just outside the door.

One night, the girls were playing and being loud, so Daddy went in to put them in bed again.  I heard a reprimand and the words, "Go show your mother."  I didn't know what to expect, but this is the girl that greeted me as her dad followed her out, trying not to laugh: 

Poor thing!  Her sister had grabbed the Caldesene (seriously the BEST diaper rash prevention) and dumped it all over her and the playard.  So I grabbed the camera and stuck this girl in the tub.  

And tried to keep a stern look on my face when I was near Tooty.  That was the toughest part of the whole thing.

Sweet Baby

This little boy has us all enthralled.

Such a darling, sweet boy.

He is a good eating, the best sleeping baby we've had - has often gone

more than 8 hours at night, and even went

12 a few nights ago...before the latest growth spurt hit and now he's eating around the clock.

 The sticky-up-hair is all natural.

Some of the people at church have commented on how much their older sons

wish their hair would stick up like this cute stuff.

And of course he's all smiles until I pull out the camera, then 

he is all serious.  This boy has a great smile and laugh.

He always has one for this older sisters.

On the way back from Idaho, we were able to stop and see Daddy's grandpa.

It was great to relax and be comfortable while

I fed the baby.  And of course, we all enjoy

seeing Grandpa.

 

TV Console

As much as I love our couch,

my favorite thing in the front room is

our tv console:

We started building this right after we moved here,

and it was done just before 

our son was born.

And for some sad reason, I forgot to post it.  This is the surprise from the garage

that I talked about when I posted pictures of our

first floor.

We got the plan for it free from Ana White.  We will use it like 

this until we are ready to complete it, at which time

it will look similar to the one she made here.

We liked hers so much we used a similar paint color.

And one great thing about the hundreds and hundreds of plans on her site 

(in case you've never been there):

they are all FREE!

Best Couch Ever

We bought a couch from some family friends.

And it might just be the best couch you've ever seen.

I know it's my favorite.

And it can seat a TON of people.  

The first time I saw it was at a party at said friend's lake house.

There were a bunch of women for a ladies night/sleepover

and we were able to fit quite the crowd around and play games

and talk.

And talk and talk...did I mention it was a bunch of women?

I will quit stalling and share this beauty with you.

 The girls obviously love it.

And the two ends that have no back have wheels, which enable you to move them away or

into the center, for a full half circle!!

And it fits perfectly in our large front room.

It's quite strange for the house not to be so empty, since we 

moved our other couch into the fireplace room.

But I'm sure we'll adjust just fine.

Why We LOVE Stephanie

My sister is a superb aunt.  She teaches the kids all about having fun.

We had a great two weeks visiting my parents & Stephanie

while Daddy was in Boise, Idaho with the Army.

 Tooty and Steph washed the cars.

 Do you think she likes it?  No doubt, especially after watching her below.

I don't mind the screaming when it's 

because the kids are delighted - it sounds totally different

when they are angry, even though it's basically the same scream.

 She's willing to read and read and read.

 She lets the girls do her makeup.

 And had a tea party in the backyard, complete

with fancy dresses.

I was talking to Papa during the party, so I was just able to snap a

few after shots.

Thanks Stephanie!  

We love you!

Gross & Delicious

When we moved to the Seattle area, I didn't realize that I would

have to deal with things like this:

 

It was a bit of an unwelcome surprise to look at the patio door and see

a creepy-crawly making its way up the door.

Luckily that's been the only one, and also it's nice to know about that

possibility before we make the backyard nice and want to run barefoot.

I don't think I'll be doing that here.  I can wait until we visit family

in Idaho.

On another note, tonight we are having a 'Pie' night for Relief Society.

We were encouraged to bring pie.  I wanted something unique, but

not necessarily a quiche or pizza pie.  So I looked and looked for inspiration and found it:

Bite-Size Cherry Pie

Super cute and delicious.

I found the idea here, from notmartha.

We are all doing great.

We were able to enjoy some nice visits from family the

week our little boy was born.

Daddy's parents and grandpa came for a quick overnight visit,

and my parents came by for Easter weekend.

It Happened One Night

We've welcomed home our new addition, and he's got quite the story to tell.  My doctor was telling me for four weeks that our baby would be born any day, and he was always surprised when I would show up for my next appointment.  I kept trying to get him to understand that my kids are late, and I wished that he would quit getting my hopes up that my time was more limited than it really was.  Our son proved it to be true (that my kids are born late) -- he just missed his due date by a day.

In the middle of the night/early early Monday morning, I woke up and felt a contraction.  It wasn't anything new, since I had already felt a couple here and there in the preceding weeks.  But they seemed to have some regularity to them, so I checked the clock.  After having three that were ten minutes apart, I went in to the bathroom and realized that my water broke.  So I woke up Daddy and called the hospital.   It was now 430 am.  He jumped in the shower while I tried to convince a nurse that my water had in fact broken.  I don't know if she didn't believe me or what, but she told me to lay down for half an hour and then check to make sure that I still felt it was broken (?!).  So I told her I would.  I called the first person on our babysitting list, and she said to bring the kids on over.

Then the contractions became stronger and when Daddy had some clothes on, he told me to get in the car.  He ran around getting the kids out of bed and ready to go and gathered our stuff.  I was able to make it to the car on my own, but as we were leaving, the contractions were super strong and I started yelling with each one.  We tried for about 2 minutes to figure out where the babysitter lived, but the contractions were 2 minutes apart, so I called her and told her that we were just heading to the hospital and would she please meet us there.

I yelled and yelled and yelled as Daddy drove us down the road, and we hit almost every red light.  And let me tell you something about our town on that particular road.  There are a LOT of red lights.  He was, I'll admit, speeding a little.  We were passed by a cop whose lights were flashing, and almost hit another car as we were trying to get into the turn lane.  In between contractions and yelling, I tried to assure the girls that everything was okay.  I'm not sure if they were convinced or not, but they don't seem to be too traumatized by the whole ordeal.

Daddy didn't know where the hospital was, so I was giving him directions.  He thought it was a mile or two farther than it was, and it's a good thing I was able to tell him where to turn.  He pulled up to the ER entrance and ran into the foyer for a wheelchair.  I had been bracing myself with an arm on the door and an arm on the visor, trying my best not to push.  He asked if I could get in the wheelchair and when I said no, he ran inside for some help.  My contractions subsided and I was able to get down and sat, ready to be whisked away.

A guy came out and took me inside.  I was yelling as loud as ever through the pain.  Daddy went and parked the car and brought the kids inside while I was taken into trauma room 3.  I didn't look at the people in the waiting area, but I'm sure they couldn't help looking at me as I went by.   

The babysitter wasn't there yet, and the doctor and nurses were trying to decide whether or not to move me to the labor and delivery or not.  The doctor did an exam while the nurse was getting ready to do an IV, and then he said to forget it, because the baby was crowning.  Daddy was told he could come in the room, and a hospital security guard stood outside the door with the girls.  And as shy as they can be, I was told that they were pretty talkative with him.

The small ER room was full of people - several nurses, two doctors, and a few other people in scrubs that I'm not sure what they were or why they all stayed.  Maybe it was a slow night in the ER.  The ER doctor seemed a little disappointed that the labor & delivery doctor was able to make it - he probably doesn't get to deliver too many babies in the ER. 

Our little boy was born 5-10 minutes after arriving at the hospital.  It was a PAINFUL ordeal, but it didn't last very long.  I had been considering forgoing any medication, and the fast delivery ensured that I couldn't change my mind. 

The babysitter showed up and took the girls home.  We were transferred to a recovery room and got to settle in a little.  Start to finish, from the time the contractions woke me up as a nuisance until this boy was born was just over 2 hours. 

Here's some pics of the little guy:

I think he looks just like his daddy.

Boy, Oh Boy!

We were (happily) surprised to discover that our little bundle of joy born yesterday was a boy.  We had been thinking for a few weeks that it was going to be a girl (after following our tradition of not finding out).  He looks just like his daddy, and we were thrilled to welcome him home today.  Pictures and the great story will be coming soon.  For now, all you get is the announcement and I'm going to rest.

First Floor

 The long-awaited day has arrived (like you've all been holding your breath for the last month just to see what our house looks like - HA!).  Here's the nickel tour:

First living room (you can see the front door in the right-hand corner of the picture on the left).  The boxes are empty (except for hundreds and hundreds of pieces of packing paper), and just waiting for the moving guys who said they would come back and get them sometime.

Here's the next living room, which is basically completely open to the first, via a wide archway.  There's the fireplace in the corner, which really makes me wonder how to arrange furniture if and when we ever buy some.  If you stand at the front door, you can clearly see the fireplace. 

The second living room leads to the dining room and kitchen.  

 To the left of the diaper box in the bottom corner, there's an awkwardly shaped half bath.

Here's our first major purchase for the house - a fridge!  We tried and tried to figure out what we wanted in a fridge, and were wooed by many really, really, REALLY nice ones.  But in the end, we went with the inexpensive route, and we are quite happy with what we ended up.  I felt ridiculous while we were shopping, since we were only looking at stainless steel (which is nice, but definitely not my first choice), but since all the other appliances are ss, I didn't want to buy a fridge that didn't fit in.  Because then it might be sad.

Finally, to the left of the fridge is a door, and the picture of the pantry is taken from just outside the door.  It leads to the garage (the door is just outside the picture, on the left).  I didn't take a picture of the garage because it's a pretty typical 2-car garage, full of stuff.  And we are also working on something out there that we're not quite ready to reveal.