The Burning Question

What did we see today? 










Did The Seed reveal him or herself and let us see  if we are thinking blue or pink? 










Was Daddy right or was Mommy?









Is it a brother or a sister for HootOwl?








The answer is in this bag:

A Note for my little Seed

Dear Baby Appleseed,

We need to have a little Mommy to Seed chat about tomorrow.

It is your big day, Angel – it is show time.  We want to know if you are a son or a daughter.  We simply cannot wait until September 1^st  to know if you’re a he or a she.

This is the only day of your life that I will beg you to make your private parts public knowledge.  Believe me, we will have a similar conversation about exhibitionism someday when you are around the same age as your big sister and you figure out how to remove your diaper, just like she recently has.  At that time I will beg you NOT to show whatever parts you have to anyone.

But tomorrow is different.

Tomorrow you are expected to bare all, show us all of whatever it is that God gave you.  Let us know if we should paint your room blue or unpack some of Hoot’s baby girly clothes.  We even think that (after a considerable amount of waffling around on the subject – mostly on your father’s part) we have a name for you, kiddo – you just have to show us the goods so we know which one to call you.  As cute as it is to call you Appleseed, we think you will like what we have for you, my Little Sweetie.

Also, we have been trying to teach Hootie to say “brother” and “sister”.  She says brother pretty well, but if you are a sister, she will need the next 21 weeks or so to practice.  Daddy says you are a girl, Mommy says you are a boy.  Whatever you are, we love you to pieces, but we want to settle this once and for all – and preferably long before September 1st.

We love you and we can’t wait to get a good look at you tomorrow – all of you of course, but we are really looking forward to that one shot.  Do your thing, Baby.  Mama and Daddy already know that you are a genius, so we are confident that you can handle this one no problem. 

Love, Your Mom

First day of Spring, Nevada Style...

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, which for most brings to mind visions of like these I took sometime last week:

Visions of daffodils and children skipping in the sun, little fuzzy bunnies and green plants showing themselves after the long winter.

In Nevada, we get little teases of this, but for the most part, Spring means 50+ MPH winds and out-of -no-where rain, freezing cold temps, and, as we were privy to last night, even a blizzard....

So this morning, all of my daffodils are frozen and totally squished under a layer of snow and ice, the drive way is a muddy mess, and we are tucked snugly under a blanket of melting snow....

This morning I walked upstairs into Hayden's room and I thought, "Looks weird in here...  brighter."  Growing up the entire side of our two story house is beautiful green ivy, which mostly covers the window in Hayden's second story room - but this morning it was gone. Like GONE.   It has been growing there for probably 15 years and was two stories high - growing all the way to the roof!  This snow is SO heavy and wet, it just pulled it right down....  See the diagram below. LOL

So now comes the task of removing it ASAP so it doesn't kill our lawn...  these pictures don't do it justice, but it is hundreds of pounds and has branches in places that are 5 inches think.  Poor Garrett - he has a job ahead.

We are sad that this happened - it added a lot of character to our house - but we are really glad (and really lucky) that it didn't pull the stucco down with it.

So, Happy Nevada Spring, folks.  We hope "real" Spring has sprung for some of you out there - and that our friends and neighbors are faring better than we are through the unpredictable weather in our neck of the woods!

Dirt Girl

Garrett's Motocross racing season is in full swing.

Last time Hoot was at the track, she was around 5 or six months old, and the noise of the bikes was scary so she cried the whole time.  I have (understandably) been wary of a return to Moto for the HootOwl.

We decided that we would give it a shot today.

And you know what?

Hoot thinks it was the best day EVER. 

Turns out getting beyond filthy and hanging out at the track is super fun.  Who knew?

Super Hoot to the rescue!

Ever since Hoot was a few days old, when she gets out of the tub, I wrap her all up and say, “Time to get cozy!” while I wrap her up as tight as I can, her head and face all covered up as I dry her. Then she walks around with her towel, being “cozy”… 

And for some reason, this is HI.LAR.I.OUS to her.  She giggles little a little maniac.

Lately she has been asking me for a towel at odd times, or bringing me a blanket and saying “co-co” to be wrapped up in it.  So I got the idea that she needed a blanket that was like a cape…  but it had to be safe (I don’t want her to get hung up on something with something around her neck) and easy for her to figure out.  A Baby Cape.

So we picked some fabric at WalMart and I did some planning. 

I used the idea of a hooded bath towel and after some research on how you would make one of those, I winged it.  It is double weight flannel. So it is extra cozy, or “co-co” as Hoot would say.  (The word “co-co” can get a little tricky, because it means blanket and cozy – but it sounds a lot like cracker, Cookie Monster, and her sound for water…  decoding Toddler-ese = like learning Latin or Esperanto or some other dead language… very tricky.)

The picking of the fabric was a funny thing.  You may be thinking that this looks an awful lot like boy’s fabric pick – that is because I did not pick it.  I liked some cute pink with giraffes, some Care-Bears, some froggies, some lavender with puppies on it.  But Hayden liked THIS ONE.  Primary colored Sesame Street.  And every one I showed her she swatted at and said, “Bye-bye!” to – and then pointed at THIS ONE. 

So, to please my willful child, we have a primary colored Sesame Street baby cape… 

And she likes it so much, she fell asleep – wrapped up all cozy. 

Man, I love this girl.  LOL

I think it turned out pretty good, especially considering I was making it up as I went along.  I can already see a few things that I would do differently, mainly with the hood, but I like it.  And of course, what Super Baby would be complete without a letter on the back?

 Super Hoot to save the day!  Her super power? 

That’s easy – it’s making me smile.  J

Spring Fever is starting up early this year....

We are in the midst of a day warm enough to go out andplay in just our short sleeves.  Knowing our crazy Nevada weather, it won't last....  We'll be getting the parkas back out very soon, teeth chattering, but days like today just fuel our wishes for an early Spring!!

Appleseed on the move!!

I have been feeling Appleseed doing his or her baby business in there all day today.  I felt the telltale thumps and flutters for the first time while Garrett was in Chicago, but last night and today he or she is surely  on the move!

I felt Hoot at around 14 weeks, so this is right on schedule! (today is 14 weeks and 5 days)  At this point it is so so tiny – like a little flick.  I told Garrett that it is like when you were a kid and you’d catch a grasshopper and hold it between your hands and it would hop in there.  Nothing like it on earth!

It is nice to know that there really is a little someone in there.  Of course, he or she has made him or herself known in many other ways all along, but it is nice to finally have a pleasant one!

It seems like time is going much faster this time around.  I can’t believe that on Thursday I will already be hitting 15 weeks!

And, just like Appleseed him or herself, I am growing.  Rapidly.  I think that I was more excited for the bump and the “looking pregnant” the first time – I think that this time I am truly aware of how big one is capable of getting and it is still fresh in my mind. Also, this time it has snuck up on me.  I just sort of woke up round.  And it is noticeable.  LOL

Last night I was standing in the dining room in my pajama pants and a t-shirt when I noticed that Garrett was burning a hole in my midsection with his stare.  Finally, I said, “What ARE you staring at?!” And he tried to cover it up with some answer about how I looked “sort of nice” in my pajamas.  Poor Garrett – it was a nice save, but I am aware of the belly spectacle.  I stare at it several times a day myself. LOL

Playdough Time!

As Hoot gets older, we are always on the look out for a craft or project or activity that she can try, and I try to have one little "surprise" each day for her.  She loves projects - she is her mama's girl, afterall.

Sometimes this is stickers, coloring with markers or crayons, painting, or even just getting out a toy we haven't played with in a while. ( I am crazy about the toys - we have a toy rotation because I can't stand having ALL of the toys out and seeing her playing with NONE of them.  But that is a different blog post. LOL)

As you know, in my previous life, it was in my job description to come up with such projects for kids - mostly kids Hootie's age or around there.  That doesn't make it easier to always have a little something up my sleeve, but I get by with a little help from my friends. ;)

In this case, it is my friend, Timbra. I went to High School with her and I have many fond  memories of good times in theater class.  Now, she is a mom of two little ones herself (who just happen to be about the same age difference as my little ones will be) and she is always coming up with something fun for her crafty little brood to do.  Check out her blog, La-de-la-de-da.  Not only does she have great ideas, but her kids are really funny and her stories make me laugh.  :)

At any rate, last night on Facebook, Timbra mentioned making some Playdough - and a little light bulb went off in my head.  Hayden is old enough for that.  So that was our project today - Hoot's first Playdough.

After a minor disagreement about whether or not it was to be eaten, we were off to the races.

 Piper even popped over to make sure we weren't eating anything delicious without her.  Hayden promptly yelled, "Get!! Get!!" every time Piper made a noise or moved a little.  She  didn't want Piper to steal her dough.  Poor Piper. (Isn't she the most adorable and pathetic little creature? I think so.)

 This actually kept her busy for a good half hour or more, allowing me to cook dinner without a screaming banshee attached to my leg.  So Playdough gets two thumbs up from me.  And I think she liked it, too.

Bonus: Hoot even cleaned up her own mess.  (btw, I think that these are the same kind of Playdough toys I had when I was a kid.  <3!!)

 And what mom isn't on board with that!?  :)

Here is our Playdough recipe if you don't have one of your own yet:

2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (do you use cream of tartar for anything besides making Playdough?)

1 packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid, your choice of color/flavor

Mix all of the ingredients together in a saucepan, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes.  Well, blue mashed potatoes in our case... LOL This step smalls good too  becasue of the Kool-Aid. :)

When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the center, as shown below, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if your playdough is still sticky, you simply need to cook it longer!
Keep stirring and cooking until the dough is dry and feels like playdough.

See, easy-peezy! Enjoy! :)

Come home, Daddy!!

Little Hoot and I have been bachelorettes for the past three days with Daddy in Chicago on a business trip.  He left us on Wednesday morning before the sun was up and will be home late tonight.

We have admittedly been quite lazy without him here.  We have been eating TV dinners and SpaghettiO’s to avoid cleaning up dishes.  We have been enjoying Sesame Street marathons thanks to Instant Netflix.  After I put Hootie to bed, I have been watching sappy girly movies and eating chocolate and lingering and staying up late.

It sounds like paradise, I know – but I miss my husband.  It is lonely here without him.  The conversations that Hayden and I have are pretty limited, seeing as she really only has around 25 words in her vocabulary to choose from (her favorite of which right now is, “snack”) and she finds most things I want to talk about boring.

It has been hard here without someone to give me a little break like Garrett usually does when he comes home in the evenings and I am running out of entertaining things to do.  She is great at playing independently, but she likes company too, of course.  But Daddy plays differently than Mommy, and my feeble attempts at imitating Daddy-Play haven’t been received with the same excitement.

Yesterday morning, before the sun was up, Hayden was wide awake a ready to start the day.  It was a little sad when she looked at Garrett’s side of the bed and said, “Dada? Dada?” with a puzzled expression on her little face.

We have kept ourselves occupied as best as we can while Daddy has been away.  We went to Wal-Mart and bought these little tiny dollies (maybe 3 inches or so, and they have stuffed bodies) and their accessories yesterday and they are defiantly a hit.  Hours have been spent putting them into their little swing, on their rocking horse, in their high chair, and in their little crib. 

We even sewed them some little beds that they can be tucked into and cut some blankets for swaddling from some of her old receiving blankets. 

My very favorite is when she bounces them or taps them on something and tell me, “Dancey-Dance! Dancey-Dance!” Haha!

She seriously loves them. 

But that is not a surprise – she loves to play babies, no matter what size they are.  She cooks for them and rocks them and plays peek-a-boo with them, she pushes them in the stroller and gives them hugs and kisses.  She even shares her crackers with her babies on occasion.  I think it is all adorable and it is another reminder of how big and smart she is now.  I love it.  She is growing up so fast.

So here we wait for Daddy to return, playing babies and doing all of our most important baby business while we count the hours! Hurry home, Daddy!!  We miss you!!