Joy Together

Celebrating Fall: Around the house

2011-11-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin painting is definitely one of our favorite fall activities.

This year, O got to join in on the fun!

She was pretty upset when I wouldn't let her eat the paint.

Crazy girl.

We had fun making apple and pumpkin pie playdough, too.

We've been reading some of our favorite fall books.

Coloring over leaves - a favorite fall craft!

Gourd birds!

Nature walks! Collecting all sorts of fall goodies - red and yellow leaves, acorns, sticks, spiky balls, you name it! (Don't you love the flower hat? He does, too.)

Our thankful tree. The leaves list what we are each thankful for this year.
Some highlights -
"All of the family and me and God and Maxer." Zeke
"Saturday mornings together." Tiff
"God's provision." Jeff
"Zeke, snacks and shoes." Olive

Celebrating Fall: A visit to the pumpkin patch!

2011-11-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

A week before Halloween we were on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin. We checked out the Cal Poly Pumpkin Patch and were super impressed with the selection. We spent some time exploring and brought home a great carving pumpkin!

Zeke and Syd thought pretending to fall off of the pumpkins was hilarious.
Olive didn't really get the humor.

So much fall fun! We'll definitely be back next year!

Celebrating Fall: A trip to the fair!

2011-11-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Way back in September we took a trip to the LA County Fair with some of our good friends. It was a fun way to celebrate the beginning of the fall season!

Zeker with his best friends, Sydney and Sasha.

It was pretty much impossible to get a picture of all 5 kids.

They were lovin' their first taste of cotton candy.

Even O had a little bite (though she really wasn't a big fan).

Can't wait to come back next year!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-03T15:28:00.001-07:00

Hope you enjoyed your Halloween festivities! We sure did. (Although you wouldn't know it from looking at these photos-not sure why my kids hate posing for pictures...)

So, the Kung Fu Panda costume was a tad too small (notice the feet). Didn't matter, though - he loved it.

She, on the other hand, was not a big fan of her pink crayon costume. Most of the pictures we have are of her asking to take the costume off.

So fun to live in the same town with so many people we love!

Auntie Kari loves a good costume.

The next morning Zeke was super excited to see that the Candy Fairy had swapped his bucket full of sweets for some walkie talkies and a book about dinosaurs. She was also kind enough to leave a few pieces of candy behind. What a great fairy!

Gettin' Ready for Halloween

2011-10-30T21:22:00.001-07:00

We carved some pumpkins the other night! Jeff is our official pumpkin carver and Zeke always does a great job assisting.

He's not a big fan of the pumpkin guts, though.

Wouldn't even touch them.

Olive spent the evening making messes all over the house. (I didn't realize it at the time, but she was peeing all over the chair she was standing on as I took this picture.)

Turned out pretty good, huh?

Here he is the next day with the finished pumpkins. (I carved the one on the right. Now you know why Jeff is our primary pumpkin carver.)

Happy Halloween!!

Wedding Season

2011-10-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

We have been celebrating a lot of new marriages lately. It has been a really fun season for our family and our church community. On Saturday, Zeke had the honor of participating in Leah and Armen's wedding as the ring bearer. One of his best friends, Sydney, was the flower girl. They did a great job! Here are some of our favorite pictures from the day.

Breakfast on the lanai

2011-08-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this isn't exactly a lanai.

And, instead of Love's Donuts, we're munching on reduced-sugar, gluten free muffins.

But, for a minute, it kind of felt like Hawaii. And, honestly, we'll take what we can get.

Maybe after breakfast we'll even take a dip in the pool.

Just a few pictures

2011-08-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

I've become terrible at this blogging thing, but here are a few pictures from our summer (none from Hawaii, yet). We've been having fun!

Cake pop from Auntie Kari and Amanda.

Total satisfaction.

She loves these boots.

And so does he.

Whale watching in June. (Not sure what's wrong with Z in this picture.)

Swim lessons for Zeker.

We only look alike when we make this face.

It was her idea to put her brother's underwear on her head. She thought it was hilarious.

Westra pool party at Aunt Betty's! So fun!

Birthday Girl!

2011-05-03T20:18:00.001-07:00

We finally got to celebrate Olive's big day! Here are a few highlights.

Two more hours to kill until Jeff comes home

2011-04-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the days feel really long. And we run out of things to do.

And I have to think of some way to pass the time.

And my kids aren't always happy with what I come up with.

Back with Birthdays!

2011-04-25T13:40:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. It's been forever and I'm a terrible blogger/mother/person. Here are a few highlights from the past couple of months.

The boy turned 3!

And the whole family chipped in to get him his very own bouncer! He had a fun time celebrating with his Westra cousins (Olive, obviously, was not enjoying the photo session).

Then we celebrated Jeff's birthday!

Next, we celebrated the much anticipated arrival of our first Bixby cousin - Sawyer Isaac Scully. LOVE him!!

Finally, our big girl turned 1 last week!

Her birthday party outfit! We'll see if she gets a chance to wear it this Saturday...still hoping the chicken pox make an appearance this week...not counting on it, though.

Even though the official celebration hasn't taken place, we let her open up a couple of presents.

And she and her brother enjoyed some birthday pancakes.

So, I am really going to try to get back on track with blogging. We are just having some issues with children not wanting to nap at the same time, or at all. And more issues with these same children tearing apart our tiny house...

But, I'm really going to try. I promise.

Say "Starbucks!"

2011-02-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

Do you think it's bad that my three year old is asking to go to Starbucks? Do you think it's lame that two of my last three posts have been about Starbucks? I'd say yes and yes.

So, I promised Zeke we would go on Sunday morning since Jeff was working. But it was freezing cold. Seriously cold.

So cold that there was snow on the mountains behind our house and ice on our car.

So cold we had to bundle up and one of us had to dress like a pink teddy bear.

She got over it.

See?

Sometimes life kicks you in the rear

2011-02-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the past month to prove that we're still alive and kickin' back.

Becoming one of those bloggers I no longer follow because of their wordy posts

2011-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

Since entering 2011 our family has been in a bit of a fog. I blame it on the smallest Westra, who has decided that sleep is not a huge priority for her. This will explain the lack of blog posts and, for that matter, the lack of motivation to get out of the house or even out of our pajamas, as well as Zeke's steady diet of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Nick Jr. (which resulted in another broken bone, another bout with the flu, and serious meltdowns over strange things - like me not understanding what he means by "not cold ice"). So, have I justified not updating the blog for 2 weeks?

This week we came up with a plan to end this ongoing nightmare and last night was the beginning of our attempt to get O to sleep through the night. I wanted to reward myself with some good coffee this morning so I convinced Z to get in the car (it took apple juice in the Starbucks cup and goldfish crackers). It was a little more challenging to convince him that O should go with us. He insisted we should leave her at home and that "Jesus will take care of her." We all ended up in the car but a wrong turn on my part led us to Starbucks and not the drive-thru Coffee Bean I had intended. So, into Starbucks we all marched in our pajamas and slippers. Z wanted to hang out for awhile so we sat and watched the nicely dressed (not in their pajamas) customers pass through the store. Z had a question about pretty much every person that walked through the door, "What does that lady got?" "Why does that guy have keys?" And then announced to the entire store that he had to use the bathroom. As we waited outside the occupied bathroom for several minutes I began to dread even more the thought of exposing myself and my children to this public restroom, but Zeke insisted that we wait, explaining to me, "I want to be patient." Awesome.

So, this is really why we don't get out much. Because he is almost three and I am always tired and we both prefer to stay in our pajamas all day. But we are working on it. And I hope things will be different in a couple of weeks or months or years. We'll see.

And some pictures. Because I know that's the only reason you check our blog.

Gettin' out of the house

2010-12-30T13:22:00.000-08:00

This morning, after two meltdowns involving bunny fruit snacks and chocolate milk, we forced our precious children into their car seats and drove to the El Monte airport to watch the planes take off.

O Joy was looking super cute in a new outfit.

While Z was wearing his usual Buzz Lightyear sunglasses and ketchup mustache. Sigh.

We were super classy and ate our fast food lunch on the small deck outside of the airport restaurant.

She loves him. So much.

I was feeling sad that neither one of my kids wanted to take a picture with me.

But, being a Bixby girl, I was totally willing to pose for a picture alone.

We didn't see any planes take off...but Z was super excited to see a guy riding a bike on the runway, exclaiming "Look! That guy brought his Kazam! It has two wheels!"

Happy Christmas

2010-12-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from our Christmas celebrations over the past few days. Zeke's Christmas wish came true - "An Ironman! With two arms and two legs!" Olive was in heaven with so many delicious bits of ribbon and paper to stuff in her little mouth. And Jeff and I were pleasantly surprised to find our exhausted children asleep in bed by 7 on Christmas night. It's been a great few days!

Loving time with his cousins on Christmas Eve.

Up and ready to go early on Christmas morning.

The girls...

and the boys on Christmas morning.

The highly anticipated Ironman.

Yummers.

The Bixby women in our Christmas jammies!

The outfit she would have worn on Christmas day, if we hadn't stayed in our pajamas all day. She wore it to church on Sunday, instead. A cardigan! A headband! I LOVE IT!

Feeling sad that Christmas is over...

BUT, enjoying a trip to the beach to cheer ourselves up!

Santa Clause came to our town!!

2010-12-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight we were hanging out in the kitchen and all of the sudden we heard loud sirens. We live near the fire station, so this isn't uncommon in our neighborhood, but it was unusual to look out the window and see a police car moving slowly down the street with tinsel and garland wrapped around it. What?! Then we realized - SANTA! We grabbed Zeke and ran outside.

Kind of hard to see, but there he is, on top of the fire truck, with a giant sleigh riding behind him filled with merry Monrovians.

Zeke was confused and then so excited when he realized people were driving down our street throwing candy canes at us!

I told him he couldn't have any tonight, but that he could look at it. Well, then he opened it, so I told him he could have one lick...so then he quickly took two licks and one tiny bite.

I asked him, "Are you so happy?" And he said "Yeah! I saw Santa!"

Then he thought for a moment, "But, it's a little bit sad. The candy is spicy!"

Back in Action

2010-12-14T15:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long. We've been busy.

Turning 7 months.

Saving the day.

Starting a small business.

Living in a mess.

Trying to take a Christmas picture.

Finding new ways to get around the house.

Getting ready for Christmas!

Need a gift idea?

2010-12-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of handmade gifts for Christmas, especially when you get the kids involved. Unfortunately, my kids are still a little young to make something worth giving…unless you’re into painted rocks and sticks that resemble swords. Something I’ve done for the past couple of years (an idea I stole from Courtney) is to make a calendar on Shutterfly for both sets of grandparents. It’s really fun to use pictures that correspond to the month—Halloween pictures in October, beach pictures in August, etc. That way, the following year you can see how much your little ones have changed. The grandparents always seem to like it, too. Another great and easy Shutterfly idea is to do a photo book of favorite pictures throughout the year. Or how about a small brag book for grandma to carry in her purse and show all her friends? And once you’ve finished creating gifts for your family (and yourself), you can place an order for Christmas cards. They have several new options this year and they are super cute. Check it out!

Something you could do for yourself after the holidays are over is to create a Christmas photo book just for your family. It is an easy way to document this most wonderful time of the year and when your kids are older it will be fun to look through each book and remember all those great Christmas mornings!

She's all grown up!

2010-11-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

Baby Olive Joy Peanut has been doing all sorts of amazing things lately. Crawling all over the house, using the furniture to pull herself up into a standing position, eating new and interesting foods, and, most exciting of all, establishing a regular sleeping schedule. It is a really fun stage and she continues to be a happy and super laid back little girl.

She liked the peas and carrots.

She wasn't a big fan of the banana.

And he has suddenly become really interested in eating his meals in the booster seat.

Eureka!

2010-11-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was kind of rough. Just a little physically and emotionally exhausting. On Saturday night I was feeling sad and tired and all I wanted for dinner was a cupcake. I, instead, made two dozen cupcakes for breakfast on Sunday morning. The boxed kind...with canned icing...and, you know, partially hydrogenated oil listed as the second ingredient. This may explain why Zeke looked like this by Sunday afternoon...

Anyway, thank goodness for a new week. On Monday I was feeling better and even a little holiday-ish, so I decided to try out a new stuffing recipe to have with dinner. I have been responsible for bringing stuffing (dressing? what is the correct term?) to the Thanksgiving table the past two years. I have gone with the traditional Wallace stuffing recipe, which is delicious and a favorite, but this year I wanted to try something new. I found it! I used the prepackaged corn bread stuffing from Trader Joe's as a base, just to make things a bit easier. It was delicious and I am excited to have it again next week at our Thanksgiving dinner. And, by the way, I am happy to report that Zeker has gone through sugar detox and is looking like a new man.

My friend Praise

2010-11-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we said goodbye to our friend, Praise Goh. It is so strange when someone you know and love is suddenly gone. I had not seen her in over a year and I regret that. Somethings I loved about my friend...when she asked how I was, she really wanted to know and would take the time to listen...she laughed at stupid things I would say, always making me feel like she enjoyed being with me...she wasn't afraid to take risks or to challenge herself in new ways...she was faithful to her friends and to what she believed. I love you Praisy. I will miss you.

Sickos

2010-11-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

Three of the four Westras have been feeling a bit under the weather for the past week or so. However, that hasn't stopped the smallest Westra from getting into some trouble.

Getting on the computer.

Finishing off the last of the bunny fruit snacks.

Attacking Chuck.

I know this looks innocent enough, but she's actually...

watching Blues Clues. She knows she's not allowed to watch TV.

Busy Boy

2010-11-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

This crazy kid has been busy this week.

Jumping in front of the camera when I'm trying to get a cute shot of his sister.

Making sure everyone is wearing a headband.

Opening up a brand new bottle of shampoo and pouring all of it into the bath.

Unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper.

Dumping out a 3 1/2 pound bag of candy (this is seriously the last thing we need) and sorting it by shape and color.

He is driving us all a little crazy.

Trick or Treasure!

2010-11-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

We had two nights of Halloween fun this past weekend. Saturday night was spent with our church friends in downtown Monrovia (with beautiful pictures taken by Megan). Sunday was spent doing a little trick or treating and then heading over to Baseline for the Annual Pumpkin Bash! So, you know what that means...double Halloween fun = double Halloween pictures. Sorry there are so many, but my kids are so darn cute I'm having a hard time not putting every picture in.

"Oh-mazing!" was Zeke's response when he saw the pumpkins Jeff carved. Doesn't my husband have some amazing carving skills?!

Eating a donut with no hands. He did a pretty good job - donuts really motivate him.

He was fascinated with Taylor's costume. He literally could not keep his eyes off of him.

Auntie Cokes was an oven. How appropriate!

Looking forward to consuming all of our leftover candy.

Wacky & Wild Wallace Weekend

2010-10-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

To be perfectly honest, the Wallaces are neither wacky nor wild, but we are pretty fun to be around. These are truly some of my favorite people in the whole world and to have an entire weekend together was very special. We spent a lot of time singing, laughing with and at each other, eating delicious food and remembering Grandpa Tom, who passed away 5 years ago on October 16. When we gather together it still feels so strange to not have him with us, but it is wonderful to share stories about this man we miss so much.

Playing Catch Up

2010-10-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

A few highlights from the past 3 weeks...

Pumpkin carving party at the Kapadias. Zeke and Taylor picking out their homegrown pumpkins - straight from the garden!

A trip to the Arboretum

O stayed in her stroller the entire time and even napped in it! That was a first.

Playing in the rain at Uncle Sam's football game. What an exciting game - and the good guys won!

Isn't this picture scary?

Lots of cold weather meant plenty of opportunities to wear a hat. He couldn't quite figure out how to get it on, though.

O's first haircut! Kari said we could do pigtails. Jeff said it looked like a reverse rat tail. We all agree it looks much better now.

We did, We didn't

2010-10-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Today we did:

Create three artistic masterpieces
Stay within a 1 block radius of our home
Try to keep Olive from putting everything in her mouth
Set up the coolest train track in our living room
Rearrange the furniture in our dining room and kitchen
Try to listen to and have patience with one another
Play Super Cape

Today we didn't:
Change out of our pajamas or brush our teeth until after 4 pm
Fold the laundry that has been on the couch since Sunday
Totally succeed in listening, being patient or keeping things out of O's mouth
Listen to Rent once (...we listened to it twice)
Continue our three week streak of being absentee bloggers

Summoning Jackson Pollock in the front yard

Masterpiece #1

I am getting really good at building these. Seriously thinking about asking for some more tracks for Christmas...if I just had a few more of those double joining pieces I could do SO much more!!

And it's still on the couch.

Masterpiece #2 - the first Christmas tree of the season! And just to the right of it you'll notice Zeke's contribution - "Monster. Have ears. Have nose. Have shooting gun. Shooting people." Fabulous.

Masterpiece #3 - I'm better at building train tracks than painting portraits, but Z liked it.

Pumpkin Muffins

2010-10-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Since returning from our weekend in the cold and cozy mountains, I have definitely been feeling fallish. The display of canned pumpkin at Trader Joe's was also inspiring, but it was really the rain on Monday that sealed the deal. It was high time for some autumnal baked goods. After an exhausting trip to Henry's I found myself stocked up on the necessary ingredients and ready to welcome fall into my kitchen.

(And, yes, he did wear his pajamas and rain boots to the grocery store. And he did, in fact, discover this overpriced bag of marshmallows on the bulk spices aisle and then proceed to carry it around the entire store. And, finally, he did manage to find the display of fresh baked french bread and tear off a hunk then quickly shove it in his mouth. Thankfully, the Henry's employee graciously took the remnants of the loaf to the back of the store while I quickly paid for my groceries and got the heck out of there.)

But, I have to say, it was worth the trouble. They are pretty delicious, especially with a cup of coffee and the sound of rain on my roof.

Here is the recipe, just in case you are also in the mood for a little fall treat.

(If you're not into the whole wheat flour/oat thing, you can find another version of the recipe here)

Pumpkin Muffins
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment: a muffin pan (preferably nonstick) with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter muffin pan if not nonstick.

Whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a wooden pick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool.

Retreating

2010-10-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun in Big Bear this weekend hanging out with our church family! We are so sad the weekend is over.

Babysitter

2010-09-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

The other day, I let Zeke play with the hair dryer while I got ready. I know, I know...this is a bad idea. I'll try not to let it happen again.

We're morning people

2010-09-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

Our day begins early in the Westra home. It works out well for us, though. We like our mornings. We all seem to get excited about the prospect of a new day.

We get to enjoy some time outside.

Before it gets too hot to play in the dirt...

find a roly poly...

or ride a bike.

He gets to enjoy his morning refreshment.

And I get to enjoy mine.

And we sit on our blanket and watch the busy world rush off to work or school. And we enjoy this short season of life which feels full and sometimes tiring, but never rushed. And even though I sometimes day dream about all that I'll get done when they are both in school and I have the house to myself...I know I'll miss these quiet mornings.

Meet me at 3rd & Fairfax

2010-09-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

We had a fun breakfast date with Grandma Evie this past weekend at the LA Farmers Market.

First, we had to get some fresh fruit. Zeker waited in line with Grandma and clung to the stuffed Eeyore she brought for him.

We had a delicious breakfast of french toast, bacon and eggs.

Followed by a little dessert.

Lovin' the fresh apple fritter from Bob's.

We walked around the Grove and Z played in the fountain. We didn't see any of the usual B movie stars, but we did see paparrazi, so someone worth photographing was there. I guess we're a little out of the loop when it comes to movie stars.

We always have a great time with Grandma Evie!

Not what we expected

2010-09-21T21:24:00.001-07:00

We had to forgo the outing scheduled for this morning due to a swollen eye and a tired boy. I was bummed, but we found other things to fill our day. A trip to Walmart (I know, I've sold out completely), a reenactment of the Broadway musical Rent (well, not a total reenactment, the themes are a bit mature for a 2 year old) and lots of eating.

After his nap we were feeling a little snacky, so we made some of these babies.

But making these...

resulted in this.

I cleaned the mess and Z opened the mail.

The five month old refused to stay where I put her.

We had a picnic dinner in the front yard and realized we were still hungry. So we drove to Henry's at 6 pm and bought a rotisserie chicken.

Zeke wore this to the grocery store.

The day was not what we had expected. But it was pretty fun.

Nothing Creepy

2010-09-19T21:43:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I've heard from more than one person that we are tired of looking at Creepster. Here are some random shots from last week. Their first bath together!

I love the way she looks at him. She just loves her brother.

Creepster

2010-09-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

Something for my girl

2010-09-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

I love to sew, especially clothing, but I have put off making anything for Olive because she has SO many clothes. It seems like it would be a waste. However, last week I was inspired to make a little something for her to wear to the Wallace Family reunion. I used the Wallace plaid stored in my fabric box--I had been saving it for something special. This was definitely special. Her first homemade dress and finished just in time to wear to the reunion. I know she's mostly Dutch, but we can't let her forget her Scottish heritage. Pro Libertate!

We had lots of family in town including my Great Aunt Mary.

And Great Aunt Faith (who calls Olive "O Joy" - cute, huh?).

I enjoy every moment spent with these women. I love hearing their stories and remembering our family heritage. I am so glad my kids have the chance to know them and love them, too.

From swimming pools to sweaters

2010-09-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

And we are loving this (brief) change in weather.

Need a Super Hero?

2010-09-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

His motto: Safety first.

Our Indoor Pool

2010-09-05T14:07:00.001-07:00

Highlights from our week

2010-09-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

Olive's dedication was on Sunday. It was such a special time to celebrate her birth and to pray and hope about her future with our family and church community.

Zeke had a successful trip to Disneyland--lots of opportunities to catch up with some old friends.

To steal a line from Mason Jennings...

2010-08-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

"If I have my way, I'm never gonna leave East Lemon Avenue."

Tonight we were leaving the park and our neighbor called to me from across the street. She asked if I had already made dinner. I had sort of started something. She had an extra batch of Chicken Alfredo for us. I don't turn down free food. Especially free, delicious, ready at dinner time when my husband is at work food. As we walked home with dinner in hand we passed a newer neighbor who was out watering her grass. Zeke started to chat with her and then I introduced myself too. We talked for awhile. Zeke scooted down the street and ran into his favorite neighbor, Ana. Both Zeke and Olive love Ana. She kissed and hugged them, asked me how I was and then went inside to eat dinner with her family.

Our verse for this week is Matthew 22:37-39, "Love the Lord...love your neighbor." I love that Zeke really knows our neighbors and that he feels as though our home is not just our house, but the community in which we live. It's a very special thing to know and love your neighbors.

Her First Girls Weekend

2010-08-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

Miss Olliepop had a big adventure last week as she joined the Bixby women for our Quinquennial (go ahead and google that, it's ok) Bixby Girls Weekend.

She learned many important lessons about being a Bixby girl. Things like...

1. Make sure there is a delicious restaurant within a two mile radius at all times, but don't forget to keep lots of back up snacks in your purse, just in case.

2. Never pay full price for anything. (Auntie Cokes isn't always great about sticking to this rule, which brings us to #3...)

3. Don't mention to Uncle Jeremiah how much shopping we did.

4. Stay at a nice hotel, on the Concierge floor, with an awesome "snack room". (Seriously, food is important to us, just ask the men in our life what happens when our blood sugar drops a bit.)

5. And, finally, you can never have too many pictures of yourself...

It was such a fun and relaxing time away. I think we need to make this happen more often. Olive missed her brother a ton, so she brought back a little treat for him. She knows what he's into.

Today was a good day to...

2010-08-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

be naked

drink lots of water

finish a painting

enjoy some ice cream

surprise Daddy

Accessory Envy

2010-08-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

The Westra men have a serious case of it.

Cast Away!

2010-08-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for the Westra clan as we celebrated the loss of an important member of our household.

Zeke waiting for the report from Dr. Hanes.

Despite the look on Zeke's face, the news is good! His femur looks great and it's time to get rid of this nasty casty.

His first bath in six weeks!

Our boy is looking more like himself. He's been pretty cautious and is not using his leg much, but he is one happy guy and, after two baths, he is smelling SO good!

What did we see at the Zoozie Zoo?

2010-08-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you unfamiliar with Barney's "Let's Go to the Zoo", it's a must see. Especially if you are looking for some classic zoo melodies (our favorite - "What Will We See at the Zoozie Zoo?"). Very helpful if you are taking your own trip to the zoo--which we did on Monday!

The cutest (and wildest) animal we could find.

According to Jeff Westra, lions can sleep up to 20 hours a day. This surprising fact put some serious jelly on my face.

The giraffes were my favorite.

Cutest Sasha invited us to come with her on their family zoo pass. So not only was the day fun, it was free!

Sasha's awesome skirt and tennis shoes inspired me to go home last night and make a little something for myself. Just what every girl needs - a Sasha skirt and a pair of Chucks.

A Fun Weekend

2010-08-09T08:44:00.001-07:00

Picnicking in the park with Oma and Opa...

and celebrating Auntie Cokes' birthday!

Stats

2010-08-05T21:50:00.001-07:00

At 3 1/2 months, Olliepop is weighing in at 13 pounds (50th percentile) with a height of 25 1/4 inches (90th percentile).

Today we've got...

2010-08-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

One messy house.
Two happy kids.

Whaddya think?

2010-08-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Zeke thinks he is the coolest in these glasses. Jeff thinks he looks like an old lady. I can kind of see that.

She's a keeper

2010-07-29T21:07:00.001-07:00

Things have been a little crazy around here and I have been having trouble staying on top of everything. This has made me appreciate my youngest child all the more. She continues to be an incredibly mellow, laid back baby. While most days we have been focused on taking care of Zeker, our little Olliepop has continued to grow and change. Her favorite thing to do these days (besides sleep) is talk to anyone who will listen. This morning I walked into the living room and she was looking in the mirror and talking to her cute little self (poor thing). I love this little one so much. When I was pregnant I was so convinced I was having a boy, but this sweet girl was just what our family needed. She has brought a peaceful joy into our home and I am so grateful for her.

Celebrating her 3 month birthday with Chuck!

Oops, forgot to dress the baby.

We're hoping some of her laid back attitude will rub off on her brother.

Reasons to Smile

2010-07-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Endless games of Hide & Go Seek

Just Because Cake

The Wonder Pets (fascinating)

Cute little sister

And a new way to get around the house...

Happy 21st Birthday Kar Bar!

2010-07-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

We love you and miss you so much. Hope your day is special!

Zeker

2010-07-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days have been kind of rough. Zeke is not sleeping well and naptime and bedtime have been so difficult. The lack of sleep has made all of us a little grumpy. We have found that getting out of the house seems to put him (and us) in a better mood, so we have been taking him on short outings. He has also started to crawl a bit and is getting better at moving around in his cast. In fact, this morning we woke up to the sound of him dragging himself across the floor in our room. =)

Getting pretty good at rolling around.

At the park.

Enjoying some donuts while watching the planes take off at Brackett Airfield.

Keeping himself busy at home with bandaids and markers.

Tonight he wanted to go outside, so Jeff plopped him in the Ab Lounger in my parents' backyard. He told us he is sad about his leg. We told him that we are, too. He asked for popcorn, so I made him some. That made him happy. It made us happy, too.

Since we were all in such a good mood, Jeff decided to talk to him a little bit about bedtime. He began, "Tonight, when it's time to go to bed..."

Zeke cut him off, "No thank you."

We love this kid.

Lifted Up

2010-07-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

We have felt so supported and loved by family and friends over the past few days. We've had people bring meals, treats for Zeke and good conversation. We are so blessed. Here are a few specific prayer requests for this week:

That Zeke would be able to sleep. His sleep has been interrupted because of his discomfort. This lack of rest makes the days difficult for all of us.

That we would have wisdom in deciding when Jeff should return to work. Yesterday he went back for the first time and it was a very difficult day for Zeke. He is obviously needing lots of special care and he only wants it from Mom or Dad.

That Jeff and I would have patience with our little man. He is so frustrated by the situation and is very indecisive about what he wants and gets very upset if we don't get it right.

In the midst of this hard stuff we have so many praises and reasons to be thankful. The greatest gift has been our family and church community. Many of them have dropped what they are doing and have been available to help with whatever we need. We are so grateful.

Out & About

2010-07-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last night Jeff & I realized we all just needed to get out of the house so we made a last minute decision to go see the fireworks. We loaded Zeke in the wagon and Olive in the sling and walked to Old Town Monrovia. As we made our way through the crowd gathered on Myrtle Avenue we got lots of stares and lots of comments -"Oh! Poor guy!" and "That happened to my son." and "Look at the princess." (Yikes--looks like we need to cut his hair or get him a baseball cap or something.) The fireworks were great and we had a fun time hanging out with friends. Tonight we loaded him into the wagon again for a quick walk around the block. Zeke got lots of attention from our neighbors. As we left one house, 5 year old Porter yelled out to us, "Remember kid, make sure you get enough sleep!" That is some advice we are hoping Zeke takes seriously.

El Luchador?

2010-07-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

Don't think the irony has been lost on us. And while this post and our previous post are not directly related, we knew it was only a matter of time before our adventure seeker wound up in the Emergency Room. We just didn't realize it would involve something which seems to be just short of a full body cast, necessitating a wheelchair and handicap sticker. It has been a very long couple of days. We are home. We are exhausted. We are loved by family and friends.

Captain Z

2010-07-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

El Luchador!

5 things

2010-06-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Soule Mama will periodically list 10 things she is thankful for...and I am stealing her fabulous idea.

Lately, I have been so grateful for...

1. Some free time to create a fun new art space for Zeker. SO grateful to Cokes, Sam and Ne for that free time...what a gift.

2. Celebrating 2 months with my little girl.

3. The beautiful flowers on my porch.

4. Bug-catching supplies, always at hand.

5. The sweet friendship between the Westra men.

Bye Auntie Kari!

2010-06-29T12:15:00.001-07:00

Auntie Kari is headed to Vietnam for 5 weeks. We will miss her so much! Lubba lubba!

Daniel + Megan Photography

2010-06-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our friends Daniel and Megan launched their photography website yesterday. They have photographed our family twice and have also taken some couple shots of Jeff and me and we have had so much fun every time. Daniel is an incredibly talented and intuitive artist and works as the lead photographer. Megan has a gift for making things truly beautiful--whether it's a meal she has prepared, a room she has decorated or a photo she has taken (she took these pictures of our family). If you are looking for someone to take some wedding, engagement or family photos you should definitely consider Daniel and Megan. Congratulations Lundgrens!

Not so cute

2010-06-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

And just how did a small green handprint appear on my backside? Well, let's just say the two year old was not so happy with me when I confiscated his paints and brushes after finding his artwork on the kitchen cupboards, the kitchen floor and his train set.

Cuteness

2010-06-18T06:17:00.001-07:00

On our hike yesterday we spotted four deer before we even got to the trail! Zeker was super excited and gave the deer his version of a thumbs up. We even saw two cute little baby deer hanging out in a fellow Monrovian's front lawn. Then, later that day, we spotted something even cuter...

Gift from Grandma Sadie

2010-06-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last week Jeff's mom brought us a couple of handmade sweater sets for Olive. They are absolutely beautiful and have made me wish for more rainy weather, as one of them will probably be too small in the fall. She found them in Jeff's grandma's home after she passed away. They were made by his grandma's friend who had gone blind but was still able to knit sweaters from memory! Jeff's mom has been saving them since, waiting for another granddaughter to come along and put them to good use. It was very special for Jeff to have something to share with Olive that came from her Great Grandma Sadie.

Good Friday

2010-06-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

Beautiful early morning hike + blueberry pancakes = happy, sleepy family

This post brought to you by the color RED!

2010-06-09T12:43:00.001-07:00

The color of the week is RED and we have had lots of fun creating with, picnicking on, searching for and eating things that are RED. Grandma Ne even got Zeker these cool red glasses--without even realizing it was our color of the week!

(Smiley is seven weeks today, but, sadly, lacking in red clothing.)

Today

2010-06-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today the boy had his last soccer class and we discovered the girl has gained four pounds, weighing in at 10 pounds, 8 ounces. They both make us so proud.

Oops

2010-06-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

Maybe I should pay more attention when doing laundry. But I guess now it's official--everything in our home is pink.

Funny boy

2010-06-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

When people ask how raising a toddler is going, I always find myself saying the same thing--2 years old has been the most challenging age so far, but absolutely the most fun. This kid can frustrate the heck out of me, but in the same moment do something so surprisingly hilarious that I can't help but laugh--ruining any chance I'd had at correcting his behavior. He has lived up to his name--he is a strong-willed and very determined child. And he is one of my most favorite people in the whole world.

(I've made it very clear that he needs to wear shoes when he plays in the front yard. I guess I should have mentioned that he needs to wear pants, as well.)

The Island of Sodor comes to the Westra kitchen

2010-05-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Like most little boys, Zeker absolutely loves cars, trains and anything that can go on tracks. This week Auntie Amy brought over JP's Thomas the Train railroad tracks and trains. After Zeke went to bed on Tuesday night Jeff set it up in the kitchen so Zeke would be surprised when he woke up on Wednesday morning. The next day I was nursing Olive in our room when I heard Zeke wander into the kitchen and exclaim, "Thomas Train! Look Mommy, Thomas Train!" He was so excited about it and it provided a great distraction on Wednesday while Jeff was at work. (Pay no attention to the expression on his face in the last picture--that is a reflection of his feelings about having his picture taken, not of his feelings about the train.)

Chuck

2010-05-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

During the first year of Zeke's life his friend Chuck was our point of reference when measuring Z's growth each month. Last week we continued the tradition with Olive.

Chuck with Olive at 1 month.

Chuck with Zeke at 1 month.

And, because the only time Z wants his picture taken is when his sister is having hers taken, here are Chuck and Zeke at 2 years, 3 months.

Our family of four

2010-05-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

Chunky Monkey and Bozo the Clown

2010-05-22T18:12:00.001-07:00

One month old and Olive has already put on 3 pounds. This girl is a good eater--just like her mom.

And it's time for another haircut.

Celebrating 9 years and 4 weeks

2010-05-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked two important events in the Westra family--Olive's 4 week birthday and our 9th wedding anniversary.

We celebrated with a candlelit dinner of delicious Thai food and a little Hughes and Wagner. Sounds so cliche, but I love this man even more today than I did on our wedding day. He makes life fun, he always puts us first, he is an incredible dad and husband. He's our superhero.

And a few highlights from the past four weeks. Probably way too many pictures for one post. I am going to get better about posting more regularly. Right now napping is taking precedence over blogging (and cleaning, doing laundry, making dinner...)

Celebrating Olive's birth day! Thanks to Megan for the delicious cinnamon rolls.

One week old.

The infant bath looked like too much fun--he just had to give it a try.

Two weeks.

Loving all the pink!

Three weeks.

Celebrating Olive's 3 week birthday with pizookie. Zeke and I are really good at finding reasons to bake something sugary and stick a candle in it.

Four weeks.

She loves the sling and I am so glad because her very active brother requires a mother with two available hands (or more, if possible).

Birth Day

2010-05-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Finally getting around to posting a few more pictures of the day we met Olive Joy.

Our wonderful midwives--all present when Zeke was born, as well.

our sweet miracle

2010-04-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

I'll post more later, but for now here is a picture, taken moments after she was born, and a quote I stole from Katie's blog, which so accurately describes the experience of becoming a mother.

I believe the act of giving birth to be the single most miraculous thing a human being can do and it is surely the moment when a lot of women finally understand the depth of their power and connection to all of nature. You think it can’t possibly be done, you think you can’t possibly take the pain, and then you do — and afterward you look at yourself in a whole new way. If you can do that, you can do anything.

–Ani Difranco

The Nesters

2010-04-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

So, we're at 37 weeks, which technically means this baby could come any day. Zeke was about a week early, so I am not expecting anything to happen for a couple more weeks, but I have been doing some serious nesting. I am generally a pretty neat person (although not quite as neat as my husband), but at the end of pregnancy something crazy takes over and I have this great need to clean and organize. Thankfully I have gotten a lot of help from Jeff, my mom, Courtney, Jeff's parents and even our sweet neighbor.

Zeke's closet--which Courtney and I organized while my mom kept Zeke occupied.

My flannel from 7th grade!! Courtney made me get rid of this. Can you believe that? I think her exact words were, "Tiffany! That looks horrible on you!" Giving it to Goodwill was like saying goodbye to Kurt Cobain all over again.

Oma and Opa Westra came over with JP and the boys had so much fun. While they played Jeff and I cleaned out the garage. It felt so good to go through everything we own and get rid of stuff!

Another dinner idea...
As I am looking for ways to simplify and organize my life, I decided to try a new Smitten Kitchen recipe. We had this for dinner tonight. It was tasty, easy, inexpensive and (my favorite part) left us with very few dishes in the sink.

Check out our new stroller

2010-04-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

We also decided that today was the day to say goodbye to the mullet Zeke has been sporting for a week or so.

I bribed him with some fruit snacks and in about 15 minutes he was looking much better.

Don't judge us just because our kid has a mullet and prefers to travel around in a cardboard box.

Easter + some time away

2010-04-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from Easter and our last vacation as a family of three down in San Clemente. Despite a major earthquake, a sick boy and a flat tire on the way home, we had an incredibly relaxing and very fun week.

Notice the blue mouth...I didn't realize how much Easter egg dye pellets look like candy.

Easter Sunday fell on Jeff's birthday this year. Here is the birthday boy with his Mini-Me and biggest fan.

He has become absolutely fearless in the water (which totally freaks us out). His favorite pool side phrase is "Look guys!"

Changing the tire on the way home was a big adventure for our little man. Seeing him so excited made it less frustrating for us, although things did seem a bit out of control as he rode his scooter around the gas station parking lot and through the mess of our unpacked car.

We were finally able to keep him contained in the trunk of our car...I know that sounds cruel, but look how happy he is.

Mom of the Year

2010-03-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

I've started to question my competency when it comes to parenting. It seems to me that they should have some sort of test that must be passed before two people are allowed to procreate. Let me just say that things have felt a little out of control around here this week. Allow me to list a few examples:

I've started using donuts to wean my child.

Yesterday I tried to feed my son the world's most disgusting pancakes (I learned the hard way that mixing up the measurements for salt and sugar will, believe it or not, result in something inedible--no matter how much syrup is on it).

Tonight Zeke's teeth were brushed with acne medication.

Our house is just a few more accidents away from smelling like a men's restroom since I cannot manage to get a diaper on my two year old (even though I have about 125 pounds on the kid).

I know there are moments when Zeke looks at me and thinks, "Why can't she just get her act together?" I guess I am teaching him not to expect perfection. I think his wife will thank me one day.

Spring Banner Tutorial

2010-03-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

Spring Banner

(original instructions found in The Creative Family)

Step 1: Hit up your local fabric shop. (In this case, we took a field trip to Michael Levine in the Garment District downtown. It has a much better selection than Joanns.)

Purchase the following items:
2 yards of fabric (I bought eight 1/4 yard pieces)
6 yards of double sided bias tape
thread to match the tape

Step 2 (technically part of Step 1): Feed busy/hungry/grabby toddler lots of snacks while perusing the aisles for your favorite spring patterns.

Step 3: Cut fabric into triangular pieces. I wanted a front and back to my banner and was able to get 3 triangle sets from each 1/4 yard of fabric. Optional: Trim sides of triangle (not the top) with pinking shears.

Step 4: Lay out fabric with bias tape to determine the pattern that works best with your fabric pieces.

Step 5: Sew triangles together (sides only, not the top) with right sides facing out.

Step 6: With your fabric stacked in the order you determined in Step 4, begin to sew the triangles into the bias tape. I found that I did not need to pin the banner together first. I just slipped each triangle in as I sewed.

Step 7: Feel springy as you sit back and enjoy your new Spring Banner! (This picture does not really do the "springy-ness" justice. It was taken at 9:30 at night, after finally getting my sick little boy to fall asleep.)

Back in January I made a reusable birthday banner for Zeke's birthday. I added "Happy Birthday" to the banner by using a very simple applique technique. I really like how it turned out and am excited to use it for years to come.

Sew Fun

2010-03-21T12:37:00.001-07:00

My mom and sisters recently offered to throw me a shower for Westra Baby 2, but since there is really nothing we need, I suggested a fun day together instead. We spent the day eating (homemade quiche and apple fritters for breakfast, Chick-fil-A for lunch, sushi for dinner) and sewing. It was a perfect day. I made a Mama Bag (pattern found in Amanda Soule's book, Handmade Home), Courtney and my mom made a blanket (even has our baby's name stitched on the side--I am that confident this is another boy) and Kari made a sailboat mobile (wish I had a closer picture of it--it is so beautiful). Courtney is also working on a spring banner for her mantle. (I am working on one, as well, and will post about it soon. Just need to finish it.) I had so much fun hanging out with my family, eating good food and creating fun things for this little person who will be joining our family soon.

It was a pretty good day

2010-03-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

We started the day off right with a St. Patrick's Day
cupcake at 6 a.m.

Then off to Disneyland to celebrate Sonia's birthday.

He went on the Matterhorn for the first time today--he LOVED it!

This afternoon he had a chance to cool down a bit
with Dad in the sprinklers.

Sunshine Day

2010-03-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

A few moments from our week

2010-03-12T21:09:00.001-08:00

Dinner Time Dilemma

2010-03-08T13:15:00.001-08:00

I really love the experience of making dinner. It is one of my favorite ways to unwind at the end of the day. I open the windows, pour myself a little glass of wine, turn on NPR and immediately begin to relax. There is a certain someone in our home, however, who can turn this beautiful experience into something not quite as pleasant. I don't want to point any fingers, but I will say that this person is on the smallish side and enjoys running through the house wearing nothing but a superhero mask. (Still not sure who I am referring to? Don't worry, the mystery will be revealed in the pictures below.)

Lately, I have been able to protect my sacred dinner-making time by keeping the little one occupied with one of his favorite pastimes--mess-making. A little bit of flour, water and some mixing bowls and measuring cups and he is a happy camper. A tub of beans, bowls and action figures and he is occupied for at least 20 minutes (this is a miraculous amount of time).

So what if this is what my kitchen looks like at the end of the day? I have had my "me" time and he has had his. We get to enjoy a delicious dinner together. We go to bed happy, less stressed, and with a feeling of accomplishment. So I say, bring on the mess.

Jeff is concerned...

2010-03-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

but I have to admit it can be a little bit flattering to have someone following you around everyday and copying everything you do.

Wearing your shoes...

socks...

hat...

and makeup.

It can be very humbling, too, when I realize what an enormous responsibility we have. He watches what we do more than he listens to what we say. He seriously knows how to apply mascara (ok, not perfectly, but he's getting there, which explains Jeff's concern). It makes me so thankful for all of the adults in his life (family and friends) who love him and daily invest in his life.

Friday Favorite: The Daily Scone

2010-02-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

A great resource for scone recipes is The Daily Scone. The Cripe Sisters post new and delicious recipes a few times a month. Zeker and I are big scone fans and we love trying out their recipes. Lately we have been making the Whole Grain Cranberry Scones. They are really good and pretty healthy. Something you can enjoy guilt-free--especially when your son has started to refer to you as "Big Mommy."

A Week of Smitten Kitchen

2010-02-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I tried a few budget recipes from Smitten Kitchen because I was tired of all of my dinner recipes and I have found that her recipes rarely disappoint. Of course, I have no pictures of any of these meals, as it's hard enough to actually make dinner with a small person wrapped around your leg, let alone to take post-worthy pictures of the process. I also have this fear that if I photograph while I cook, with the intent of later blogging about it, disaster will ensue. This superstition was proven to be true when, a few weeks back, I got the idea to take pictures while making one of our favorite easy and delicious snacks--baked sweet potatoes.

Beautiful, huh? Wait 'til you see the finished product.

Appetizing? Hmmm...not so much.
(For a proper baked sweet potato recipe, check out Barefoot in the Kitchen's latest post.)

Anyway, here is a list of the recipes I tried and my thoughts on each, if you're looking to try something new...

Easiest Baked Mac and Cheese
Delicious! A winner! Probably not the healthiest thing you could feed your family, but it was easy and so tasty. To cut down the cost even more, I used about 2/3 Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar and 1/3 Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend from Costco. I added a tad more dried mustard. I used lowfat cottage cheese because that was what I had on hand. It was good and it was easy.

Arroz con Pollo
This is the Cuban version of what was one of our favorite dishes while living in Costa Rica. I almost skipped the chorizo, but it was on sale at Henry's last week, so I picked some up. I'm glad I did. It added a lot of flavor. I used brown rice instead of white and that added about 45 minutes to the cooking time. I also used skinless, boneless chicken breasts because that is what I had in the freezer. I didn't include all of the spices because I didn't have them all in my spice rack and I didn't think Zeke would like the paprika (although Jeff and I both agreed it would have been better with that extra spicy kick). Even with the omission of some important spices, it still had a lot of flavor and we really liked it.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta
This recipe was extremely easy and pretty inexpensive. The guys weren't big fans, though. I didn't love it either. I think I wasn't too thrilled about the combination of goat cheese and lemon. I did think the cheese melted very nicely into a creamy sauce. I would make a variation of this in the future, but maybe try sundried tomatoes and pesto mixed with the goat cheese rather than tarragon and lemon.

Black Bean Soup
Katie made this a couple of days before I did and said it was just alright. So, I followed part of Smitten's recipe and part of Katie's recipe (Katie makes delicious black bean soup). I sauteed the onion (I used yellow, not red--again, it's what I had on hand) and the garlic and added it to the beans and the chipotle chiles. Put it all in the crock pot and it was ready in about 3 1/2 hours. I couldn't believe I could put dried beans in the crock pot and have them ready that fast. It was too easy. We ate it with fried plantains and crema (no cumin--just plain old crema). We also added avocado and cheese to the soup (a Katie recommendation). It was really good. The chipotles added some heat which we really liked. I think we will have this at least twice a month. It was by far the least expensive of the four recipes and it was also probably the easiest.

After trying all of those recipes, Zeker's favorite is still the pasta and tomato sauce recipe from a couple of weeks back. So, we had it again last night.

Happy Birthday Captain Z!

2010-02-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

This child...

2010-02-05T16:59:00.001-08:00

will be two years old tomorrow. He has made me a more generous, loving and forgiving person. Thank you, Zeker, for being my teacher and our greatest joy.
We love you!

Time with Dad and Yummy Food

2010-01-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Jeff has been off the last couple of days and Zeker has been having lots of fun hanging out with his dad.

Building forts...

and being silly.

But, I have to tell you about our dinner last night because it was so delicious. It was a simple tomato sauce over pasta and zucchini strips (which looked something like this). The sauce was very easy to make. You can find the recipe here. Oh my gosh, it was SO good, and I loved it over the zucchini. I have wanted to try more of her recipes under her "budget" category and this one was definitely a winner. Even Zeker ate everything in his bowl, and then moved onto my lap to finish what was left on my plate. This is a huge compliment considering this is the face I typically get when I try to feed him something that is not crepes...

Z Photography

2010-01-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

Zeker got a hold of our camera the other day and documented the assembly of his new table from Grandma Sherry and Papa Arnie. Here are a few of his better shots (taken without any help from mom and dad).

The table! He loves it. It's great for creating, imagining and, especially, climbing.

Determination

2010-01-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

Even though I am about to celebrate my second anniversary of becoming a mother, I still find that I have to daily give myself a reality check regarding life with a toddler. Each morning I wake up determined to accomplish something. Anything. Which is why we ended up at Michael's on Saturday morning.

Let me just say, that it is always a bad idea to take your almost two year old son to a craft store (and your 34 year old husband, for that matter). Joann's is definitely the worst, but Michael's is up there. First of all, as soon as I walk in the door I am completely overwhelmed by the craftiness. I start roaming the aisles aimlessly, thinking of all that I could create if I only had the time. Then, when I get around to my actual shopping list, I cannot find a single thing on it. With absolutely no employees in sight, I have to again wander the the store in search of what I actually need. In the meantime, Zeke has pulled everything within reach into his stroller. This includes most of the $1 items, all of which are small and easily damaged. We finally got out of there after about 45 minutes, at which point Zeke had somehow figured out how to unstrap himself from the stroller and was standing on his seat, determined to be free. Desperate, I promised him some carrot cake when we got home if he would just sit down.
After a nice long stroll back to our house, I figured he had forgotten about the promise. We went inside and sure enough the first thing he asked for was "Buh-uh". "Broccoli," I thought, giving myself a pat on the back. "My kid not only likes vegetables, but he actually asks for them." I pulled the broccoli out of the fridge.
He looked at me and shook his head, "No."
"Buh-uh? Bread?"
"No."
"Butter?"
"No."
"What? What is buh-uh?"
He disappeared into his room and came back with his stacking blocks.
"Oh, blocks. You want to play with blocks?"
"No."
He points to the box, to the picture of the cow blowing out candles on the birthday cake.

"Buh-uh," he says.
"Buh-uh. Birthday cake." Of course.

I am impressed with my child's resourcefulness as well as his determination. He may look like a clone of his father, but he has some of his mom in him, too.

In other family news....we sent Jack back to Grandma Evie's today. I think he was ready to go.

Friday Favorite: I Heart Freezer Paper Stencils

2010-01-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Recently a friend gave me a copy of The Creative Family and I have absolutely loved reading through it. One of the projects in the book uses freezer paper stencils to upcycle used clothing. You can find lots of tutorials on freezer paper stenciling online, so I won't go into detail about how to do it. I'll just tell you that you must try it. It is so fun and easy to do. I made a few for Christmas gifts and then made a couple more after Christmas. I have also been experimenting with adding an applique to the shirt and I have been really happy with the results. So fun!

Before

In the drying process

After

I painted the tree using the stencil and then added the appliqued leaves.