Humongous Whale

Alli loves school. She loves the singing, learning, playing, her teachers, and all the kids. Everyday when she gets home, she's so excited to tell us everything she did; including what she had for lunch. Her most favorite thing at school though is music. This song, "Humongous Whale" is so funny and adorable. My favorite part is at the end when she burps and says in a deep voice, "Pardon me!" Watch out American Idol, Alli's comin' your way!

The Wonderful World of Food!

I took Reid to his 4-month check up on Friday. He weighed 18.4lbs and was 27 inches long! My baby is growing like a wild sunflower in July heat! He received two shots in his legs and didn't even cry. He's my brave big boy! Oh, his facial expressions! They are to die for! Every thought he has can be read right there on his face. I just love him! He's definitely a mama's boy. It doesn't matter who's holding him, he's looking for me. I can honestly say that I love that about him. :) But really, that's just fair since Allison is such a daddy's girl! Those two together are so beautiful to watch. Just today while I was folding laundry, Reid became upset and started to cry. Allison goes over and kisses him then she starts to sing to him. He calmed right down and was good to go. Watching my children interact like that makes my heart so full!
For about a month now, we've been giving Reid rice and oatmeal cereals. A couple of weeks ago we started on vegetables. So far, he has loved everything he's tried except peas. Now green peas are my favorite vegetable. I rarely serve them at meals though because both Jason and Allison dislike them. I was hoping Reid would be like me and devour them all up but....well, let's just say I'm going to keep working at him! Here's a cute little video of him "enjoying" peas.

Homesick for My Kitchen

     I really miss my kitchen. I miss the way it smells, looks, and makes me feel. My family has been so busy with harvest, working ground, and hay season that I haven't had much time for my favorite thing: cooking. This is probably why I have lost all my baby weight plus an additional 3lbs! Kudos for this accomplishment! But truth be told, if I had time to make homemade pumpkin pancakes slathered with real butter and maple syrup, I would gladly pack those 3lbs back on! Alas, due to heat and time homemade anything isn't happin' much around here. However, during my "dairy" sessions I get 15 full minutes all to myself and I spend them on the computer working on my cookbook. I ran across some recipes that I love. Love. Love. Love! One in particular is Cube Steak Parmesan. I mean look at this baby, isn't she beautiful?! Such a hardy meal too. You have your cube steak breaded with one of my favorite ingredients, Panko, lots of glorious cheese, homemade spaghetti sauce, and pasta.

Cube Steak Parmesan

Last time we had this meal, Alli made Mascarpone stuffed strawberries to go with it.  Anytime you can add Mascarpone cheese to fruit you have a winner, at least in my opinion. Allison is proudly showing off the strawberries that she stuffed herself. Isn't she too cute?!

Proud Chef

She's my chef in training. At 4 years old she can make her own sandwiches, cupcakes from a cake mix (I do the oven part), fruit salads, and is a big help doing numerous other jobs. She's so eager to learn that she's wearing out all of our butter knifes (and using all the cheese) practicing her cutting skills. I'm amazed how much math she's learning too. She can measure ingredients to the 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 cup by herself! I think the Bernstein Bear cooking game she plays on PBS Kids helped with this too. I'm thrilled that she shares my love for the kitchen. I have a feeling that as she gets older, we'll make the perfect team. I love to cook but not so much bake, while Alli seems to prefer baking recipes to cooking. I look forward to the great memories we're going to create from our time together in our kitchen.

Balance

I feel like it's been forever since my last blog. Oh wait, I just spotted the last blog entry date and realized it has been forever. When I reflect back on what all I've done I realize that I need to learn the art of balance. I feel like my time is spent doing one of two things: taking care of family or working. Lately, I've been a tad edgy and overwhelmed. Who would have thought one extra person, especially a tiny little person, could create so much extra work? Reid's lucky that I'm in love with him, otherwise we might have had a problem. ;) But really, this has been an interesting year. I've learned so many things including how to change out the o-rings in the bathroom sink, take apart the freezer to clean out the condenser and fan, and  drill holes in wood planks in order to mount a new mailbox that was maimed by a local farmer. Most importantly I've learned how to enjoy my time with my kids at home or wherever we may be. This is a huge feat because I'm not the stay-at-home type. Since I accomplished all of these things, I'm going to challenge myself with the whole balance thing. I need this. It's July and I haven't spent any quality time with my friends since baby #2 came along. I have no idea where the time went but I'm taking what time I have left back so that I can enjoy some me time over the summer vacation. Now that I've actually put that thought into words I feel a bit anxious because this means having to leave Reid behind. I know that it's important for both of us to have some time apart but at the same time, he's my baby!! He's the last baby I'll ever have, hold, cuddle/sleep in the chair with, stare at for hours...see where I'm going with this? I've become that kid who needs to leave the nest and won't, only worse in real-life I'm the mom who won't leave her kid. Balance. If I can attain this I may actually have a chance at "getting a life" and maybe one day Reid or Alli won't have to tell me to get one!!

Hanging Out

Alli simply adores her brother Reid. She kisses him constantly, tells him he's her bestfriend, soothes him when he cries, and showers him in love. He adores her just as much. I can tell by how he looks for her when he hears her voice and how he smiles when she kisses on him. Here are some random pics of the two together.

Reid's Baptism

On Sunday, May 15, 2011 we had our little boy baptized at Newkirk United Methodist Church. Jason, Allison, and I along with Grandma Irwin, Aunt Sharon, Greg, Stacie, Brenda, and Dennis were all able to witness it happen. Greg and Stacie Fox stood up with us during the baptism as Reid's God-Parents. He did so well. He never cried and in fact he yawned when Rev. Jim Hollifield sprinkled the Holy water on his forehead! We were so excited and proud of him! Afterwards, most of our family was able to stick around and have brunch at Stage Coach Cafe in Newkirk. It was a very special day that we ended by reminiscing over Alli's baptism pictures. I can't help but feel so much adoration, love, and pride for my family. We've been truly blessed.

Rachel, Allison, Jason, and Reid with Godparents Stacie and Greg Fox

Allison, Rachel, Jason, Reid, & Grandma Irwin

Rachel, Reid, Aunt Sharon, Allison, & Jason at Stage Coach Cafe

Gone Fishing

     Sunday deemed a beautiful sunny day. We started the day with Reid's baptism, then had a celebratory breakfast at Stagecoach Bar-b-que, and ended it with fishing. I'll unfold the events of the baptism in another post and move right on to the fishing for this one! We decided to fish a pond on some family land that was full of catfish. Because it was so windy and slightly chilled, Reid stayed in the pickup. Don't feel sorry for him though because he was snug as a bug in his bundle me blanket and car seat. The little stinker slept the entire time to boot!
Jason and I just knew that no fish would be caught today because it was so windy and the water had mini waves on it. But we had promised Alli and a promise is a promise so away we went.
     First, we had to make a quick stop at Wal-Mart for some worms. When we got to the pond Alli dumped all the worms in her little sand bucket. Apparently she didn't know what to expect because when the slimy little creatures fell out she took off running and screaming! Needless to say, Jason baited her hook without any of her help! After casting her line, Alli quickly was reeling in her first catfish! It happened so fast that Jason hadn't finished baiting his own line. The fish was pretty good sized too, maybe 2lbs. There was a little wait time between catching the rest of the fish though. For most of the time Alli repeatedly asked, "Is mine under yet" (referring to her bobber). In which Jason would say no, not yet honey. This occurred roughly every minute and a half! My favorite question of the day was, "Daddy, what kind of worm is that?" Jason, "Well, if a fish would eat it, a dead worm." Alli, "Oh, yeah! A dead worm."
     There were times during the fishing that Jason and Alli were able to really reconnect. I loved seeing them laughing together and getting excited about a fish biting a line. Mostly I enjoyed just watching Jason hold Alli. They have such a special father/daughter bond and I am so thankful for that. Here are some visuals to compliment their little adventure. A total of 6 catfish were caught this day: each scoring 3 apiece!