Grant's Farm on Steroids

Last Tuesday, I was out of town and thankfully Scott & the kids were kept in good company by the Peach Family. Megan & Nate really like each other and can pretend for hours in our back yard. Well, this pretending session involved picking leaves and pretending they were food. Unfortunately, poison ivy doesn't make for a very good meal. On Wednesday afternoon when we got home from school, Nate showed me his neck and said it was itching. I brushed it off thinking he got into something at school that irritated his skin.

I should have put two and two together then, but instead it hit me in the face the next morning when he woke up and his whole face and lip were swollen. Poor thing! Off to the doctor he went and was put on an oral steriod. Nate on steroids. It's a fun thought to process. You should be very very scared when both the doctor and pharmacist look at you with straight up pity.

The first night wasn't so bad, it just took him a few minutes to fall asleep. Then he was up at 4:30 AM singing. Yes, singing. We were scheduled to meet the Baker Family at Grant's Farm and I thought of canceling but I really wanted to see them and what was the alternative? Have Steriod Man destory my house some more?!

Off we went and although it was a little tough, I kept thinking it could have been worse (a common mother's rationalization I presume, even when it can't get worse). Nate was 90 to nothing at some moments and then at other moments very tired and cranky. I love his little personality but he's a bit irrational and high maintenance on a day without steriods. Just imagine, if you will.

Nate & Myra in front of the AB sign...

Nate suggested I take their picture here - one of the nicer moments of the day.

His face was so red and we had already eaten lunch so I promised he could get Dippin Dots. It kept him non-whiny for a few minutes. Not many.

Exactly one time through the mister which usually brings lots and lots of fun!

I'm happy to say the poison ivy is clearing up and we are starting to wean the steroids (thank goodness!) It sure has been interesting!

Recipe Monday

I have a confession y'all...I only cooked one time the entire weekend. The rest of the time we either picked up something to eat or fended for ourselves at home. I actually find that I miss cooking when I don't do it. Oh if I only had a few more hours in the day.

I'm thinking of making manicotti this weekend when Mimi & Paka are here. I've loved manicotti since my mom made it when I was growing up. Her manicotti tastes just like Pasta House. I'm not sure mine does, but this is the recipe I use to make some pretty yummy manicotti. Works very good to freeze too!

Click here for the recipe. Enjoy!

Lucky 7

Lila is 7 months old! I would ask if you can believe it, but I think we all know the answer to that question.

Here are a few of Lila's notables for lucky number 7:

• Lila is almost ready to crawl! She actually wishes she was already crawling. Soon enough, soon enough. If she crawls this month, it will be a month earlier than Nate.



• We think Lila is cutting her first tooth. The agitation at night is pure loveliness, let me tell ya.



• Lila got to meet her first girl cousin this month!



• She takes great naps at school. Not so much at home, even though we are not doing anything different. I like to think it's just because she likes being around me too much to be away from me:)



• Lila can cause pain with her hair pulling skills. Her favorite is when I'm holding her and Nate walks up to us. Just the right height for her little hands to reach out and yank.



• She is still the bearer of many nicknames - Lulu, Sisty Lulu Bits, Lila Lulu Bell. Oh my, I need to stop.



• She is finally an eater! Her favorite food is sweet potatoes and second runner up apples & bananas mixed with cereal.



• Lila loves to stand up and is trying to pull up on things.



• Lila is doing great at school and they all love her so much. She has transitioned so well and loves her friends.



• She says "Hi" or something like it, sometimes. But does not say much else. I mean she makes a lot of noise, just not noise that forms into words.

Lila, we love you so much and are excited for the next few months to really see you take off! I hope our house (and our cat) are ready!

Non-Kid Accomplishment!

Our house had a big accomplishment this week. And it didn't involve the kids for once! Scott's paper got accepted by the journal where it was submitted. The best part was that it got accepted with minor revisions and does not have to be submitted again!! Scott takes so much time making sure that everything is perfect that he is definitely rewarded on the back end with pristine paper submissions. We are all so proud of him! Congratulations Scott, now you can enjoy one of these...oh okay, I'll let you have a couple. Just this once:)

Transformation

I often think I should write some "day in the life" posts about what we do all day. Except most days that would be pretty boring with the exception of 6:00 AM - 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM - 8:00 PM, when the kids are home and we are doing things besides working. Well this week I had a, we'll call it, a "contrasting" day.

Tuesday morning, I rolled out of bed at the ripe hour of 4:30 AM. Quickly showered, got dressed, then kissed the kids and Scott while they were sleeping and hopped in my car. Drove on auto-pilot t0 the airport (we are in fact BFF these days - me and the airport that is). After parking, rushing into the ghost town of an airport, and getting strip searched (just kidding, but isn't that what it feels like these days? Not complaining, just saying), I boarded my flight - after only a slight delay due to thunderstorms, another recurring theme for my travel these days.

3 hours and a short taxi ride later, I'm sitting in the board room on the 33rd floor of the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. As the meeting faciliator started speaking, I looked out the window to see the statue of Paul Revere (I don't know if it's Paul Revere, just looks like him standing atop a very tall building in downtown Philly) and I started thinking.

Not too many hours ago, I was changing diapers, cooking dinner, and trying to make sure no one was eating anything off the floor. A quick transformation and I'm not only somewhere else, I'm actually someONE else. Not technically someone else, but I doubt I'll have to tell any of these gentleman not to eat off the floor (yes, I was the only female there and a good 10 years younger than everbody else. I'd like to say this doesn't happen to me very often, but it does. The financial services industry is still pretty male dominated.)

After about a 3 hour meeting, it's off to the airport in a stifling cab ride to catch my flight home. It was delayed due to thunderstorms, big surprise, but I did make it home about 10:30 PM. Exhausting day, but I was thankful to sleep in my own bed. As I drifted off to sleep, I reflected that although it takes definite coordination, a great husband and well adjusted kids, I have it all. At least for today. Tomorrow will be a different day in the life.

And A Half...

You know when you were a kid and it was a big deal to be able to say how old you were and then add "and a half?" Well that time has come for Nate. He started asking when he would be 5 and a half months ago. This week he finally turned 5.5. We wanted to do a little something for him not only because he knew it was his "half birthday" but also because I always feel a little bit sorry for him when his birthday falls so close to Christmas.

He had actually forgotten the day of his real half birthday. So Scott & I didn't say anything but instead surprised him after dinner. I think he was actually surprised, which with Nate is hard to do.

Cupcakes from Jilly's!

We got him 2 books - one we told him that he could read to us when he was ready and then of course something that had to do with Star Wars - an activity book.

Our little eater - who was just about at the end of her rope by this point in the evening.

Nate, we truly can't believe you are old enough to know about "and a halfs". But we are excited for the next half of the year and all that you will accomplish! We love you!

Hands

I love the way my own mother's hands look, mostly because they look like my Nana's (her mother's) and because my own hands are starting to look like hers. Here are a few other hands from our family. I love the story they tell.

All About Corse's

This weekend marked the first time that the entire Corse family was together! The grandparents, parents, and cousins graced Snow's Corner, MO for some quality family time. As I said before, I need a vacation from all the fun that was had.

My little Lila, who just isn't so little anymore. And after seeing Bluet, I'm not sure she was ever really "little." She is a ball of energy though - never met a stranger and always has a nice coo or high pitched squeal for ya. That's my girl.

Baby Bluet - such a sweet little princess. Her dark hair and olive skin sure do contrast nice with Lila. Maybe I did pass my olive complexion on to someone!

Lila could just eat Bluet up - in fact we kind of had to keep her away from her so that she would accidentally claw her eyes out. She just loved her so much she wanted to lay right on top of her. I think we are in for a treat when Lila gets school age:)

I just couldn't get enough pictures of the pinkness!

My aunts Lee & Kathy came down for a visit on Saturday and brought sweet Elena. It was so fun to have all the cousins together! Nate quickly took to playing Legos but was happy to be a part of the crowd. He and Elena played and colored well together.

Bluet is truly such a sweet sweet, good natured baby. She eats, sleeps and plays at all the right times.

Pain. I'm tellin' ya. Nate has it down to a fine art.

Nate's preferred time to eat is about 10:30 AM. Elena decided she would join him for a peanut butter and jelly.

Lila and Bluet also got to meet their Great Grandmother Arlene this weekend. Grandma said Lila definitely looks like the Corse children's (my dad and his siblings) baby pictures and got the pictures out to prove it. Um. She was very right!

Unfortunately, Father's Day fell on the tired, cranky day of the weekend. But we managed to salvage. I was going to try to get a picture of Scott and both the kids but it just didn't happen. But I did get this one of sweet Lila and her Dad. Scott is truly her favorite and her whole face lights up when he walks in the room. She will often stare at him until he realizes she is looking at him and then flashes a huge grin. Guess she's buttering him up for her teenage years:)

Happy Father's Day to all the dads in our life. Scott, Wayne & Kevin - you are truly the best fathers our family could ask for - thank you for all that you do for us!

Recipe Monday

I need a vacation from my weekend...how about you? :)

I found this recipe on the top of the new Philadelphia Cream Cheese - Cooking Creme last week. I got the Italian Cheese & Herb variety and it was so yummy! I would love it if they had a low fat version but I just used about half of what was called for instead...since I made a smaller portion for just us.

Baked Penne

1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup each chopped onions and green peppers (I left these out)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 tub PHILADELPHIA Italian Cheese & Herb Cooking Creme, divided
1 cup KRAFT shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
3 cups cooked penne pasta

Heat oven to 350. Brown meat with vegatables in large nonstick skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cook & stir 2 to 3 minutes or until mozzarella is melted. Add pasta, mix lightly.

Spoon into baking dish, top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella. Cover.

Bake 20 minutes or until heated through; uncovering after 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Weekly Randoms

A few randoms from our week...

• The witching hour is in full swing at our house.


• I lost my card to get into the kids' school this week. It vanished into thin air at the school after I let myself in. I had to get a new card. It was traumatic because I just don't lose things.


• Lila is starting to say something that sounds like "Hi" when you say hi to her. No ma-ma-ma-ma or da-da-da-da in sight, despite my efforts.


• Nate is bound and determined that Lila is not going to like Star Wars. I think he just doesn't want her to chew on his characters.


• Kitty P sort of likes Lila. Likes as in does not immediately run away when she comes the room as she does with Nate.


• I'm very very excited to spend more time with my new niece and her parents.


• My sweet nephew's birthday is this week. I remember rushing to the hospital the day he was born 4 years ago.


• Scott & Nate went to "bat school" as I called it this week at the Zoo. They learned all about nocturnal animals. Nate loved it of course.


• I took a walk last night to clear my head. I think I ended up filling my head instead of clearing it.


• Lila Lou's face is clearing up but I can tell we are going to battle this skin thing for a while.

Happy Thursday!

Blond Hair

After seeing the color of my hair, Scott's hair, and Nate's hair, we are often asked where Lila got her hair color and did I have blond hair when I was younger? Well yes, I say, but not as white blond as Lila's! Hamil did have white blond hair and my parents are both blond so I guess it does run in the family. But to say that I was shocked when Lila arrived with blond hair, white eyebrows and hard to see eyelashes was an understatement.

Proof of my blond hair along with the curly hair of my beautiful sister. I was hoping one of my children would get her curly locks, but I'm not sure that's in the cards for the Boyle children.

Eczema, Crawling, & Water Play

I did not take many pictures this weekend. Sometimes (I know it's hard to believe) we do not have any photo worthy moments. And besides, Lila's face was completely broken out with eczema - where the heck did she get this skin?? Oh right, my loving husband. Nate and I both have skin of steel so dealing with a sensitive skin kid is a new one for me. Not that she still wasn't the most beautiful girl baby we've ever seen, but poor thing looked pitiful. Thankfully it is getting better this week. Any of you out there that have experience with baby eczema, your comments are appreciated!

She is trying so hard to crawl and she is close to mastering getting up on her hands and knees. When Nate was a baby, we had mostly carpet so I didn't worry about him bonking his head every other minute. Well, since we have mostly hardwoods now, Lila takes a scream worthy tumble about every other second but she's surviving. She loves to skooch over next to you when you are sitting down and grab you to pull up to a standing position. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking she might not have much use for crawling. Nate didn't really either and if you all remember, he never did crawl properly...it was kind of like a modified army crawl, dragging one leg behind him at all times. I'll have to dig up the video on that one.

The kids started water play at school which entails wearing a swimsuit everyday to school, slatering on sunscreen before they leave the house, and packing a change of clothes everyday. Thankfully this is the 4th time we've done it with Nate so we are pretty good at it. If I just had a baby and they told me I had to do this everyday, I think I'd quit 'em. But Nate loves it and Lila is really warming up to the water, so it's all good.

Why does one of my children always look pained in pictures??

Recipe Monday

I love this recipe - so simple, easy, and meatless! We try to have one meatless night a week, if not more, so this is a keeper.

Creamy Bow Tie Pasta (Taste of Home)

1 cup uncooked bow tie pasta
1 1/2 tsp butter
2 1/4 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp all purpose flour
Dash salt
Dash dried basil
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
3 tblsp milk
2 tblsp chicken broth
1 tblsp water
2 tblsp shredded parmesan cheese
1 tblsp sour cream

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the oil, flour, garlic, and seasonings until blended. Gradually add the milk, broth, and water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Remove from heat; stir in cheese and sour cream. Drain pasta; toss with sauce.

Enjoy!

Meeting Bluet

A day I've been waiting what seems like an eternity for finally happened on Friday. I got to meet my niece, Bluet. She and Emily made the trip to MO and she is the most precious little thing I've seen since my kids were born of course :) No really, she is so precious. So tiny. And I'm not kidding when I say Lila was never that small. Lila could definitely loan Bluet a leg roll or two.

My mom was in heaven with the 2 girls. And lest you think we didn't invite Nate for the picture, he told us to tell him when it was over and escaped the room. Oh well, we will see them again next weekend and there will be many a picture of all the grandkids, even if I have to bribe him.

Lila was so curious about Bluet. She let out squeals of excitement and talked a blue streak to her. She couldn't really figure out why Bluet wouldn't talk back and in fact it kind of made her mad in the end that she wasn't getting any feedback. That's my child, I raise them to make you talk.

Lila almost wanted to just eat her up and gave her a few kisses. Thankfully Bluet wasn't easily scared and tolerated the encounter with her cousin very well.

Loveliness

Time to get some happy and think about the things I'm loving these days. First up is the pool. We went to the Webster Groves kid time last Friday for the first time. It was wonderful. Nate played in the water like a pro and even branched out to do a few activities by himself. I was so proud and relieved because I wasn't sure how having 2 at the pool would go. Well, let's just say I can't wait to go back this Friday. I love getting our swimsuits on, the sweet smell of sunscreen, the splashing and playing, and even the way your dry clothes feel after you've been swimming. Yes, I'm truly a swim nerd.

This is not our pool, just A pool to illustrate my point...

I don't know if they had these or not when Nate was little. But they are a lifesaver. Lila is still kind of hot and cold on baby food, but she loves these. And they keep her busy in the high chair while I'm making dinner. Score.

With our hard wood floors, we have to have a vacuum that can be easily run at least once a day. I had one when we first moved to STL but it died last year and we replaced it. But the replacement just never worked the way I wanted it to...well...I finally found a suitable replacement. It is a Shark and it works great! And it's purple!

I said all I wanted for Mother's Day was some new dish towels. I got an iPhone. I'd say I traded up on that deal. But the fact remained that I needed new dish towels. Scott picked these out and they are my favorite dish towels of all time. You wash them in bleach to activate the microbial protection. Yes, I believe that they are cleaner than most towels. The marketing worked on me.

Do you love anything that I would love if you told me you loved it????

Disclaimer: I am not receiving any compensation for the product likes listed above. Just passing on the love from my heart to your computer screen!

Revelation

You know, sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking I do it all. Having two kids is a little more work that I planned for it to be (isn't it always?) and of course there is always something to do. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you do more than your co-parent. Well. This weekend, I realized, if you live in a glass house, don't be throwin' no rocks. Scott left early Saturday morning to go to Atlanta to attend a wedding party for a dear friend of ours. A dear friend who's wedding we will not be able to attend later this summer. I encouraged him to go. I mean, it's only Saturday & Sunday and then I take the kids to school on Monday morning. He would be back on Monday afternoon. No problem, I say. It won't be any different than every day, right?

Well. Well. Well. And some more Well. Since I'm off on Fridays, I was with the kids all day Friday. I saw Scott for about 30 minutes total on Friday night because Nate and I went to the movie and then we all headed to bed shortly after we got home because frankly I was tired and Scott had to get up early on Saturday morning. Then I was with the kids all day Saturday. And Sunday. And Monday morning. I'm used to doing Fridays by myself. But Scott always comes home and we are all together for the weekend.

To say it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be is a huge, bigger than huge, understatement. I did not have time to do one single thing for myself from sun up to sun down. And since I let Nate sleep with me, I couldn't even go to bed when I wanted to because I had to stay up past him to get a few minutes to myself!

Lila would not sleep for more than 20 minutes in her crib (a new development in her sleep habits) and gets up at 5:30 AM. And Nate is not hard when he's awake but gosh dern he makes you talk, all.the.time. And if I had to talk about Star Wars much longer, well, let's just say, I might as well be dating Luke Skywalker. And if I remember, he's not that cute:)

When one kid would go to sleep, the other one would get up. When one kid wasn't screaming, grunting, or whining, the other one was. Or both at the same time, even better. Lila was on a new antibiotic that was doing fantastic things to her unmentionable output. And Nate decided he wanted to be sitting in my lap any time I was sitting down (which was about 2 minutes on Sunday morning, or when we were in the pool).

But there is something about this weekend that made me appreciate my children more and the little things they do. Like Nate's soft breathing while he is sleeping or Lila starting to put her head on my shoulder voluntarily. Or Nate asking what he can do to help me. Or Lila waking up happy as a lark, even if it is early.

I love my kids. Wow, I love them so much. I told them so many times this weekend. They didn't ruin my weekend, they enhanced it. They made me appreciate motherhood in ways that I've never appreciated it before. And they made me be very, very, very, very, very thankful that I am not a single mother. All those things I thought I was doing all by myself? Yep, not so much. Scott does a million billion things that I probably don't give him enough credit for - including whisking the kids away when I think I'm going to lose my mind. And taking out the trash. And cleaning the kitty litter box. And picking up the 5,987 Legos that collect themsevles on the coffee table. And entertaining the kids while I'm cooking dinner. And holding Lila so I can eat dinner. And playing with the kids so I can pick up the house so my OCD doesn't go into overdrive. And reading Nate's books before he goes to bed. And washing the bottles out at night so I don't have to in the morning. And keeping the kids so that I can go to the grocery store and Target by myself. And watering the tomato plants. And taking the kids to school. And finding things we lose, like bike helmets. And telling me that Lila is not allergic to the antibiotic, just a mirage I made up.

And most of all being there to tell me I'm doing a good job. Thank you Scott for all that you do. I hope your weekend away was fun! Cause you can never go away again. Just kidding...sort of:)

To Swim or Not to Swim?

Swimming, swimming, swimming. It's no secret that I was less than thrilled with Nate's trepidation with the water when he was younger. He's still not a huge fun of putting his face in, but at least he likes to go swimming now so we've made progress. But I have to admit, this was a hard one for me to get over - him not having an instant love affair with the water and all. I mean, by age 4 (going on 5), I was on the swim team. At age 5 (Nate's age now), I was swimming in swim meets. Sigh. We aren't there yet with him, but I'm okay with that. To each their own.

But Lila...now, that's a different story. I'm bound and determined she is going to take to the water faster than Nate. We went to the pool on Friday for the first time this year and I was pumped to give her a taste of pool life. Well. She cried when I put her feet in. Awesome. What is the deal with my kids and water???? She was happy to sit on the side though and the whole trip was a success so I had to be happy about that at least.

We filled up the pool at home and again I tried to impress on her my love for the water. And whaddayaknow? She squealed with delight and wanted to sit, stand, and splash in the water. Success! We played in the pool both days this weekend and had a great time.

Yes, Lila has on a semi-wet suit. The child is as pale as a white bed sheet. Another thing that I was not able to impress on her. Olive skin tone.

Nate looks a little pained. But trust me, he's not. That's just his smile when I ask him to smile, smile. Awesome, isn't it?

That's better...except my baby really doesn't look like a baby in this picture. Sigh.

Recipe Monday

This is an oldie but goody from my sister-in-law, Amanda. The best enchiladas ever!

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 cup cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup picante sauce
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp chili powder
8 soft flour tortillas
1 1/2 cup bottled taco sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350. In large skillet, mix chicken, 1/2 of shredded cheese, picante sauce, cream cheese & chili powder. Cook on medium until cheese is melted.

Spoon into tortillas. Drizzle with taco sauce and the rest of shredded cheese.

Cover & bake for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

A First

Nate has never really showed interest in going to the movie theater. When we asked him about going, he would just say that he wasn't old enough yet, it was too dark there, the screen was too big, etc...last summer when Toy Story 3 came out, I just knew he would go to the theater. Nope. He politely replied, "Mom, I'll just wait until it comes out on DVD."

Well, this summer, I decided I was going to softly prod him to go because I knew he would love Kung Fu Panda 2 and Cars 2. And yes, he still tried to play the waiting for it to come out on DVD game. But he finally gave in.

And so we went...just the 2 of us. It was heaven. We do operate on the split up, each take one child technique around here. I mean, you have to sometimes to get things done. But I usually take Lila and Scott takes Nate. Nate usually prefers it this way. So I wanted to do something just with him. I forgot how easy he really is and how nice it is to have a walking, talking, potty trained companion.

The before picture that wasn't meant to be...

We went to eat before heading over to the theater in the mall. I didn't realize it was 3D but that just sweetened the deal for Nate. He loved it. I could tell he was timid at first but he really got into the 3D effects and the story.

I appreciate Nate so much and can't believe the big boy he has grown into. I can't see any of his baby face anymore and that could make me sad, but I have to say he is the the most handsome little boy around and he makes me so happy.

Squeal Worthy

Lila Lou is just growing up so much these days. She even looks bigger to me most mornings. She loves to stand up when you hold her hands, so I put her in her crib to see if she could hang on to the side. She loved it! Soon after she was holding on by herself, Scott & Nate came in the room. She squealed the biggest squeal and was so excited to be standing at Nate's level. Thankfully Scott had the camera ready.

Lulu, please slow down. Please. Thanks. Love, Mom.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies!

Yes, I've already done a recipe this week, but I had to share this scrumptious treat that I made over Memorial Day weekend. Oh.my.word. These little morsels are so divine. I got the recipe from my Taste of Home magazine. Check it out here.

But the magazine also goes on to say this little tidbit about where they got their name...

"Wondering how whoopie pies got their name? One story has it that Amish women prepared the tasty cookie sandwiches and tucked them into farmers' lunch boxes. When the farmers discovered the sweet sensations after a long morning of hard work, they shouted, "Whoopie!"

Taste of Home, February/March 2011