Dance Party

One thing that happens every single day, at least once, without fail is a spontaneous dance party with the kids. I don't know if all kids are this way, but Troy and Reese respond really well to music. I find that it is a great distraction and a fabulous way to burn off some energy. The kids get really into one song for a while and that is all they want to listen to and then for some reason they move on to something else. I am happy to say that a lot of their musical preference is the same as mine and we listen to a lot of 80's music and really anything with a good beat. Right now Troy seems to like Eddie Murphy's song Party All the Time. I have a box of instruments for the kids which they get a big kick out of. Reese seems to be into castanets lately.

Troy still prefers the recorder- and a teacup apparently.

It is hard to imagine a time when Troy wasn't talking since he talks constantly now. Seriously from the moment he wakes up, until the moment he goes to bed, that kid is telling me a story about something. Many nights after David and I leave the room from tucking him in we can still hear him singing and talking to himself for quite a while before he finally crashes. Despite being quite the chatty Cathy now, there was a time when I was wondering when Troy would talk. I introduced a little bit of sign language to Troy when he was pretty young and it really helped me communicate with him and prevent a few tantrums. When he really started talking, he definitely signed less, but he still occasionally uses and remembers all the signs from before and what is interesting is that he will now use it with Reese. I think the Signing Time videos I checked out from the library had something to do with the kids' continued interest in signing. These short videos incorporate a lot of catchy songs and dancing and are really well done. Even though Reese started talking a lot earlier than Troy did, she also seems to enjoy learning and using the signs. An added bonus is that I find even David and I use the signs to communicate with each other when we are in a loud place and can't hear each other, etc.

On another note, I never thought we would be, but the four of us have become quite the Crocs crowd. It started with swimming class when we all needed some shoes to get on and off quickly that could get wet. Slowly, Troy started preferring his Crocs to other shoes and now he doesn't wear anything else. I don't really mind since the boy mostly wears sweat pants, but if we need to go some place dressy I am not sure what we will do. Reese loves her Crocs too, but at least she will tolerate other shoes when I put them on her. I think David would wear his Crocs every day too, but since he can't wear them to work, he just throws them on as soon as he gets home. I wear my Crocs the least, but I can't deny that they are comfortable and convenient. We actually got our Crocs cheaper on the Crocs website using an online coupon code rather than Amazon- just in case you are in the market for some. I am considering getting some of the Crocs that change colors in the sun for the kids for summertime.

I will end with a picture of Reese from lunch time today. David put out some Trader Joe's guacamole for the four of us to share and Reese just grabbed the entire container and her spoon and went to town. That's my girl!

Lately

The past few weeks, David has been working very hard on a problem that came up at work and consequently he has been working longer hours than usual. When he calls to tell me he is going to be late, I am always disappointed because I love seeing him and having that family time, but I also know that he makes every effort to get home as soon as he can. For that, I am very thankful.

The kids have been great during these long days especially since the weather has been rainy and we haven't been able to go outside much. Legos continue to be a favorite activity for them, although there always seems to be some kind of dispute over our very scarce Lego farm animals.

David has been helping me a lot with the cooking lately as I am usually anxious to get off my feet when he gets home. The other day he made a delicious homemade pizza using our bread machine to make the dough. Unfortunately there was a little confusion about how many pizzas the dough was supposed to make so instead of two large pizzas, we made one pizza with a very, very thick crust. This picture doesn't even show you how insanely thick this crust was. The pizza came out great though and I am happy to share the recipe if you are interested.

On days when Troy is at preschool I try to let Reese call the shots as much as possible since it is our special one on one time together. Today she started this rather peculiar thing of drinking her milk and diluted apple juice at the same time. Well, at least I know she is hydrated...

She decided to end the morning with some puzzles and no shirt. Whatever you want Reese! This is your day.

Transitions

It seems like with kids you are always transitioning into or out of something. One thing that seems to be constantly changing is what type of diaper/training pant/underwear my kids are wearing. Troy is in a mixture of underwear and occasionally pull-ups and Reese is doing cloth diapers. With potty training Reese on the horizon and Troy still occasionally wearing pull-ups, I have been rethinking training pants. It is very frustrating that I so diligently use cloth diapers for the kids just to turn around and put them in disposable pull-ups. Besides the cost and the exposure to chemicals, I am thinking that the kids are getting confused because they don't get the sensation of being wet in a disposable pull-up. However, I have already invested a fortune in cloth diapers, cloth wipes and accessories and the idea of buying an entire set of cloth training pants is somewhat unappealing to put it lightly. Well, after a few weeks of debating this, I went ahead and purchased this reusable training pant on Amazon. I really liked it and it served it's purpose well. My plan now is to get just a few of these to supplement with underwear and hopefully I will be able to use them with Reese too.

I also have a great muffin recipe that I would like to share. David and I made a double batch of these this weekend and they have been a huge hit with the kids. Carrots, pumpkin and flax seeds? Oh yeah baby! I love having homemade muffins in the freezer that I can pull out one at a time and defrost for the kids. I did not make the optional sweet cream cheese frosting since the kids were happy without it, but I am sure it would be good!

Pumpkin Carrot Cake Muffins

makes 36 regular sized muffins

1 cup packed brown sugar

10 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/3 cup low fat vanilla yogurt

2 cups pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons orange juice

3 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups of carrots grated

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cold milled flax

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Sweetened Orange Cream Cheese (optional)

16 oz cream cheese

7 tablespoons powdered sugar

5 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin cups with non stick spray. Grate the carrots (I use a box grater and use the second largest sized hole). Set aside. In a medium sized bowl, combine the carrots, flours, flax, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and allspice. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

Combine the brown sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat using a mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated. Stir in the yogurt, pumpkin, orange juice and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar/butter/egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed, but do not over beat. Add a scant 1/4 cup of batter to each muffin cup, making about 36 muffins in all. Bake muffins at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a toothpick. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

To freeze: Place completely cooled muffins into gallon sized freezer zip bags in one layer, about 9 will fit in a bag. The muffins will be good for up to two months, though the double batch I made last weekend is already more than half gone! Remove as many muffins as you need at a time and either thaw at room temperature or heat in the microwave. Frost with sweetened cream cheese if desired.

For the sweetened cream cheese: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Cream cheese will store for up to a week in the fridge.

Afternoon at the Park

There was nothing special about this afternoon- just good old family time spent at the park. For as many times as I catch myself saying, "I can't wait until Troy can ..." or "It will be so much easier when Reese can ...", I really, truly want to savor every moment with them at every age and stage. Reese is so incredibly smart and sensitive right now. Troy is freaking hilarious and so determined. I know I will look back very fondly on this time of my life and these park days and remember just how lucky I am to have had them.

Wagon ride over to the park. It got a little dicey when the kids finished their granola bars...

Throwing the ball- a park staple.

It's good to be a kid!

We finished up the afternoon by feeding the ducks.

Overall, a great day!

Fishing trip

Today my parents, David and I took the kids to Ed Levin park for a little fishing excursion. Troy has gone with David and my dad many times, but this was the first time we all went together. It was a little bit cooler than I would have liked, but it was still really fun.

I am always surprised with Troy's attention span when it comes to fishing. He loves casting the line and looking for worms and digging in the dirt. He also makes Papa really proud by taking fishing so seriously. He whispers because he doesn't want to scare away the fish and he is happy to be Papa's trusty assistant.

Reese didn't do any fishing but she was happy to be outside. She did get really tired by the end and ended up wanting to "drive the car" for a while. After the kids have been sitting in the driver's seat, you have to start up the car with a great deal of hesitation because almost all the lights and wipers are on, the hazards are going and the music is blasting. Although, I am sure in the not too distant future, I will be sitting in the front passenger's seat with a great deal of hesitation as my kids are learning to drive for real for the first time. Thankfully I have many many years until I have to cross that bridge. :)

The Little Things

I knew that I needed to come up with some fun things to do today since David said he had an early morning meeting and we couldn't take the kids to their usual aqua babies swim class. I considered taking them both by myself for about half a second before deciding that it is both unsafe and totally unmanageable to have them both in the water with just me. So, after taking them out to bagels for breakfast, I decided to take the kids to the mall to walk some energy out. We ended up at Kohl's in the toy aisle. They had these little indoor/outdoor folding chairs for kids which Troy and Reese instantly loved. Reese even grabbed a stack of books from their shelf and started reading them in her chair. So, being the softy that I am, I bought them and they have ended up being the hit of the day. It is really the little things that make such a big difference with kids.

After Reese woke up from her nap, she pulled up her chair to the window and had a great time watching our cat outside. I am not sure who was more entertained- Reese or the cat.

Now, I know what you are thinking. After my post yesterday, did I really just buy a princess chair for Reese? The short answer is, yes. Even though I am very interested about the subject matter of the book I am currently reading, I only just started reading it and it is going to take a lot for me to completely stop everything having to do with princesses cold turkey. I tend to think most things are okay as long as used with moderation and so far I think princesses are no exception. However, I will write a follow up post after I finish the book if my opinion dramatically changes.

Anyway, after the kids woke up from their naps, I decided to really make their day by giving them a bath (which they love anyway) and let them have a Popsicle at the same time. I hardly ever give the kids Popsicles so this was a real treat. I usually prefer to make them myself with applesauce or something, but since I only had the store bought ones on hand, that is what they got today. I think from now on I am only going to do Popsicles outside or in the bathtub since they tend to get everywhere as they start to melt. I think the pictures do a really good job of showing just how much fun the kiddos had.

The swim lessons are really paying off for the kids as they are getting so comfortable in the water. Troy is going twice a week and it is amazing to see his progress. Neither of the kids complain when I was their hair (like they used to) or if they get water on their faces. Reese is getting really good at blowing bubbles which is very entertaining to watch. I should really try and get some video footage of that.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter

I am currently reading a fascinating book called Cinderella Ate My Daughter which David suggested we read after hearing about it on NPR. It essentially addresses the recent girly girl explosion and its emphasis on princesses and the impact (both positive and negative) it is having on our daughters. I am not very far into it, but I am really intrigued by it.

First, a quick disclaimer- I was a princess for Halloween for about ten years when I was a kid completely by my choice. That being said, I think the princess concept has gotten even more intense since I was growing up and I am curious to do some research about it. I love everything pink myself and I love dressing Reese up in super girly clothes and playing with her and her tea sets and baby dolls. However, it will be interesting to see if this book makes me change my mind about that and if it inspires me to do anything differently. Here is a picture of Reese when she was just a few hours old:

There's an awful lot of pink there don't you think? It is my favorite color, but Troy didn't have so much as a pink sock when he was first born. Hmmm, I guess I have some reading to do.