We made it!

We made it to California!  It's so much fun to be "back at home" for a couple of days.  We're really having a great time!  I have some great pictures to share of Moose and us at the different state lines, as well as some FOOD pictures, but alas, I forgot my camera.  We don't have internet where we are staying, so we came down to Starbucks to catch up.  I fully intended to bring my camera with me so that I could could at least post the pictures from the way down here, but it's sitting on the counter at my grandparents.  What can I say...I am very forgetful lately!  As for now, I better get going.  I have more things to see and do before dinner tonight!

Dancing today in the car!

Windy day!

It's very pretty out today.  The temperature is just a touch under 60 degrees, but it's very windy.  Moose loves wind, so I took him out to play for a while.  He had a lot of fun throwing rocks ("die!!") and "escaping" from Mommy.  It tuckered him all out and he's now taking a nap.  It crossed my mind a few times that it was almost windy enough to blow the baby away.  The gusts are up to 40 mph out there.  He was thrilled though, and kept laughing and crawling into the wind!

California!!

This week has suddenly changed from a happy but normal week into a so very exciting week!  My grandparents bought a new truck from Branden, but the catch is they are in California.  The solution?  We are going to deliver it to them, and drive their trade-in back! 

Moose is excited, too!

 So not only do I get to go visit California for a couple of days to see friends and family, but I get to go on a fun road trip, AND I'm going with my two loves...Moose and Branden!  I'm busy this week rescheduling appointments, packing, planning snacks, and being excited!  I can't wait for Sunday, when we hit the road!!

Hopefully we see a lot of this from Moose while on the road!

Meal Plan for Week of January 23

Monday:  Roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas with my parents

Tuesday:  Cheeseburgers, french fries, fresh fruit

Wednesday:  BLTs, BBQ chips, fresh fruit

Thursday:  Tilapia, brown rice, apricots

Friday:  Frito Boats, green salad

Saturday:  Spaghetti, pork n beans, green salad

Sunday:  Grilled chicken, baked potatoes, blackened corn

Vroom!

Tonight my parents were going to come over for dinner, but Mom wasn't feeling well, so Dad came by himself.  (Side note:  I made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, roasted Brussels sprouts, and banana pudding.  It was so delicious!!)  Moose was so very excited to play with his Grandpa!  He showed off his walking and how he can ride his little train.  The most exciting part of his evening was his Grandpa feeding him dinner.  He had a blast with the "airplane" game!  He had lots of fun with Grandpa, and was reaching for him to be held.  I think Grandma might have lost a few points tonight by not being here! :)

He just melts my heart...

...when he sleeps with his little butt in the air!

...with his adorable little smile!

...with his precious face!

...and his sweet way of concentrating!

Oh my precious baby!

You are just too cute!

Walking (14 1/2 months) and firemen!

Yesterday Moose went to playgroup again, and I guess watching all those other kids walking around got him to thinking that maybe he should be doing the same.  He's been walking holding our hands for a while, but has been very stubborn about trying it on his own.  Yesterday he just decided to go for it, and walked 6-8 feet a whole bunch of different times.  He's a little unsteady, but he is actually walking!!  Of course, but the time his Da got home to help me video him, poor Moose was tired and cranky.  The video only shows him taking a few steps, and he's half crying in it, but at least I was able to get some video of his first official day walking!!!  Yay Moose!!

On another note, yesterday just after his nap he was playing in his crib, kicking the sides like he loves to do.  I went downstairs to get him a bottle, and while down there he started screaming.  I hurried back upstairs and discovered that he had managed to completely wedge his knee in one of the slats of his crib.  I tried to get it out, but it was very stuck and he screamed louder every time I tried.  I attempted to get a hold of Branden on the phone, but he was with a customer and didn't answer.  Poor little Moose was nearly hysterical at this point, and I was afraid he was going to injure his knee.  I called 911 and after what seemed like forever a firetruck showed up.  It took 3 firemen to get his knee loose, and of course he was shrieking the entire time.  Branden showed up a few minutes after they got him out.  Moose was very happy to see Da, and clung to him for comfort.  The firemen were very nice, and gave Moose a little stuffed bear.  We call it "Fire Bear" and he slept with it last night and today at his nap.  This morning Branden went in to change his diaper and Moose was petting Fire Bear.  Based on the last year, I have a feeling that we might as well get used to Moose needing emergency services.  Maybe if he wasn't quite so inquisitive and into everything, he wouldn't have these type of things happen to him.  I am starting to hope that this little one inside is a girl, if only for the hope that she might be a little less rowdy! :)

Moose's new radio controlled car

Tonight Moose and his Da got a little radio controlled car.  Da drives it around the living room while Moose chases it.  Once he catches it he brings it over to Mamama and hands it to me!  They had a lot of fun with their new car!

Moose being silly in the bath ("die duck!")

Notice, baby nudity in the video! lol  But it's a really cute bath video!

Giggles

Silly Moose at lunch!  He was cracking up watching this video after I uploaded it.  He loves seeing himself in video!

Meal Plan for Week of January 16

Monday:  Smoky Bean Soup, homemade bread

Tuesday:  Grilled chicken, sauteed squash, roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes and gravy

Wednesday:  Meat gravy and potatoes, mandarin oranges

Thursday:  Cheeseburgers (really liking these lately!), chili beans, tater tots

Friday:  Homemade waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage

Saturday:  BLT Sandwiches, BBQ chips, fresh fruit

Sunday:  Eating out, quite possibly Wing Shack!

Let it snow!

This afternoon a storm moved in and it started snowing!  I think it's supposed to snow off and on all evening until around midnight.  It was so beautiful right after it started snowing!  Moose was standing in the front window banging on it, wanting to go outside.  I bundled him up and we headed out for a half an hour of fun in the snow!  He loves the "white stuff" falling from the sky.  Never fails to make him laugh!

All bundled up to go out in the snow.

I love his smile and the snowflakes in this picture!

Hi!!

Hmm, I guess I can move in all this snow gear!

Having fun!

First words and other cute things

Moose has been saying "Mamama" and "Da" for a while now.  He also says "Uh-oh" and shakes his head every time we tell him no.  It's really cute!  He's begun branching out in his talking, and has said his first real phrase that we can understand.  What is this wonderful first phrase?  Well, it's not very conventional, I can tell you that.  Moose says "Die duck!"  The reason for this is a game we play with him in the bath tub.  We take his little rubber duckie and throw it against the wall while exclaiming "Die duck!"  He thinks this is hilarious!  It figures he'd start imitating it.  So there's our cute little guy in the bath tub, playing with his duck, when suddenly he throws it and yells "Die duck!"  Yea, probably not most parents' choice of first words, but it does crack us up!

Today we went to play group, and he had a ball.  It was his first time at this group, and he was in awe of how many kids there were and all of the amazing toys and things to climb on!  Shortly after we arrived he was playing near the ball pit, when he spotted a doll on the bench.  He quickly crawled over to it, knocked it to the floor while yelling "Die!!"  :)  What can you do but laugh, right?  Hopefully no one at play group thinks he is on the fast track to juvenile hall! 

It seems like he is growing up more every day.  He discovered how to open the doors to get in and out of the house, so we have to make sure they are locked all the time.  Yesterday morning he was busy hanging on the door handle trying to get out, when Branden said "Bye bye Moose."  Moose quickly turned around and started waving at him.  So cute!!  Today after lunch Branden got out of the car and said bye to Moose, and the same result, he got a vigorous wave goodbye from the little guy!  Mommy never gets waved at, probably because Mommy is never really apart from him, so he has no idea that sometimes I might have to go somewhere, too!  The few times I have been apart from him briefly usually result in shrieking and full on tears.  We're working on that. :)

Moose is becoming quite the helper in the house.  A few mornings ago he helped me unload the dishwasher.  He grabbed each utensil one at a time, and handed them to me, as I said "thank you baby" after each one.  It took us a while to unload all the forks and spoons, but he was so proud of himself for helping!  He also likes to bring me other random things around the house, and presents them so happily.  I always take each one and tell him "thank you baby."  It's fun to see what he comes up with next, as it's always something surprising and adorable!

Such a precious little guy!

Tonight Moose was being so smooch-able, cute, and precious that I just had to snap a bunch of pictures!

He loves the washing machine!

He looks like trouble!

Helping Momma!

Beautiful blue eyes!

Such a lovely baby!

Momma loves baby!

I must have kissed him 50 times in the space of 10 minutes! lol

Getting sleepy.

He was standing on his own staring at the camera.

Swing that door, Moosie!

Whatcha doin' Momma?

So tired!

Snowflakes are falling!

It just started snowing a few minutes ago, and already the street is starting to get white!

I love the big snowflakes falling through the sky!

Just as it started snowing I got my beef stew ready to put in the oven.  It'll be perfect on a cold, snowy evening!

Sharing an ice cream cone with Da!

Meal plan for week of January 9

Monday:  Golden Corral

Tuesday:  Grilled chicken quarters, garlic mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts

Wednesday:  Sunday Beef Stew, cornbread, mandarin oranges

Thursday:  Chili Dogs

Friday:  Waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage

Saturday:  Smokey Bean Soup with Ham and Bacon, green salad

Sunday:  Peanut Butter Chicken, rice, sauteed squash, green salad

Homemade Donuts

I made homemade donuts this afternoon.  They are so delicious, and are smaller than a regular donut, so I can eat twice as many! :) (Maybe you are only supposed to eat a couple, and save the calories, but what is the fun in that?!)  Moose had two for a snack, and loved them, too!  I did set aside a few for Branden when he gets home from work.  I didn't want him to totally miss out!  I can't wait to make these for Valentine's Day and decorate them in pink and sparkles!  I have so many ideas for these little guys!  Here's the recipe that I used today.

Homemade Basic Donuts

1 1/2 cups of plain flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

9 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat donut machine.  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Mix in the butter, milk, and egg until mixture forms a smooth batter.  Spray donut machine with cooking oil.  Fill bases of preheated donut rings with batter.  Close lid and cook for approximately 6 minutes (until golden).  Cool before icing them.  This recipe made 20 donuts.

Basic Glace Icing

2 cups confectioners sugar

3-4 tablespoons of milk

Put confectioners sugar into a bowl.  Stir in enough milk to make a soft, "drizzle-able" icing.  If desired you can add food coloring to the icing while mixing it.  Drizzle icing over cooled donuts and sprinkle with decorations if you would like to.  

Also, here is the donut maker that I have.  It's so cute, and really fun to use.

Click the picture to get more information about the donut maker.

(Recipes adapted from the Sunbeam Donut Maker user manual.)

Surprise visit!

This evening Moose got a surprise visit from not just Grandma and Grandpa, but Uncle Shiney and Auntie Beth, too!  He was a little shy at first, but warmed up and had a great time!  He showed off his walking skills (still working on walking alone), played catch, and even shared his donuts with them!  It was a fun visit! :)

Happy little guy!

I took this today at lunch.  He was being such a smily, cute little guy!

Further unzipping his pajamas, which is really funny to him!

Just a couple pics

Supervising Mommy picking out sausage at our favorite store (Target)

Kicking it with his new "kicks" on!

Moose is such a little pig!

Moose just ate, at one sitting, the following:  1 scrambled egg with homemade guacamole on it, 6 fresh blackberries, 6 ounces of whole milk, 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt, and a whole banana.  I have no idea where he puts all of it, but as you can see, he is quite pleased about his big lunch! 

Little Thing at 11 weeks!

I had a check up today, and was able to get an ultrasound at the appointment!  "Little Thing" is measuring right on schedule at 11 weeks.  Development is totally normal and healthy so far and no hernias.  The little sweetie was very active, kicking, stretching and waving his or her's little hands around!  I have been able to feel flutters for about a week now, which makes sense seeing how active the little tyke is.  Watching Little Thing on the screen just melted my heart!!  So precious!!

Our little angel at 11 weeks!

New Year's Day

We woke up and went out to breakfast, and then went on a drive through several towns in the area and then up into the mountains.  It was beautiful!  We ended the day at Joe's Crab Shack, which was delicious!  We went there two times on our honeymoon in Tucson, and were excited to be able to eat there again!  Moose was really happy eating his shrimp until he tasted crab legs.  Those got a big "Mmmm" out of him, and all he wanted to eat after that was crab legs.  So it looks like from now on when we go there we'll all be eating crab legs. Yum!!

Napping in the car on our drive.

Up near Nederland (above Boulder).

So pretty!

Moose happily playing with his tractor!

Checking out Joe's Crab Shack.

"Get this bib off of me!"

Clapping after everyone sang Happy Birthday to someone eating there.

Getting tired.

Mommy and Moose

An attempt at getting a picture of all three of us.  Moose was too interested in something else!