Mass Production

Yesterday was sugar cookie day. The Jones girls and Nobmann boys (plus me--I'm a girl) have been preparing for the last few days for the event. Dough was made on Wednesday, slept in the fridge (the dough, not the kids) and cut out, baked & frosted yesterday. Easier said than done, but the kids were champions and Stephanie and I picked up the tail end of about 1000 cookies. Small exaggeration there, but sometimes I wonder if I scare Stephanie away with some of my ideas of fun. Anywho, it was a good crazy fun time and we made enough that we walked the neighborhood and made many little rug rat's day.Then we piled in the car and delivered some more (maybe 1000 isn't an exaggeration).The best part, minus Oshyn crying right before bed because of eating soooo many cookies and feeling the sugar pain, was when the older two (O & Bella) talked about how good their hearts felt from sharing with so many people. Thanks again to Aunt Judy for instilling the sugar cookie within me!

P.S. To anyone who cares--I mastered the GF version of the delectable cookie--WAHOOIE!

SUGAR COOKIES (Aunt Judy style)

Cream together:

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

Add:

1 cup sour cream

3 egg yolks (beaten)

1 tsp vanilla

Add:

3 cups flour (GF= 1 cup rice flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, 1 cup corn starch, 1 1/2 tsp xantham gum)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Chill overnight

Roll out using flour (GF=potato starch) so it doesn't stick and then cut out with cookie cutters. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes @ 375 degrees.

Bernastics

Cruz loves "bernastics". The first 1/2 hour is obstacle course city and the last 15 minutes is FREE TIME!! Miss Megan is great with the wee ones. O got to go watch yesterday because of fall break and was thrilled when Megan asked if he wanted to have a jump too. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to jump, but she didn't ask me. Apparently many adults have gotten stuck in the mass amounts of foam. Does 30 make me an official adult? or would I just get stuck from having this massive addition attached to my midsection? Like I said before, she didn't ask me anyways. Go Bernastics Cruzmeister!

Coming out of the Woodwork

After seeing me "coloring" by the basketball court on Monday, a few of the neighbor girls asked if they could color too. I didn't have enough stuff for all of them and told them that on Tuesday afternoon they could come over and we could make Halloween crafts to suffice their desire. Tuesday came and at about 3pm or so, Oshyn went outside to look for them. One of the girl's brother was near and said, "Tell your Mom to give me 10 minutes, I think I know where 'so-and-so' is."10 minutes (or less) later the girls were here...and so were the ALL of the rest of the kids from our complex. Preschool to 6th grade. We broke out the paper, paint, scissors, glitter, etc. and they went NUTS. 3 hours worth of nuts. My favorite was the older boys. They got the most into it all by tracing their bodies and making scary something or others. By 6pm I told them they had 10 more minutes because I needed to make my family dinner. As they were leaving one of the boys said, "Are you going to do this again for Christmas?" I kind of giggled and thought...with WHAT?!? there isn't anything left!

After hosing down the sidewalk all that remains is the mass amounts of glitter in the grass to show for the insane afternoon of "crafts". What a fun way to finish off some paint. Thanks for the help Steph.

Here's a sampling of what was done. The pictures are all courtesy of Oshyn. He was amped on the fact that he got to use the camera, yet he told Stephanie that I was making him take pictures. Kind of funny. At dinner when we told our 'highs' and 'lows' his high was that he got to use the camera. His 'low' was that he only got to make one craft. Rough life my son, but thanks for all of your hard work.

Distractions

No wonder it took you so long to fall asleep today (and many other days). Too much recreational diversions (aka "things to do" in your room). Better luck tomorrow.

Close Camping

After many weeks of planning--or maybe about 10 minutes, Beau and Sam decided to take the little ones on an adventure. Last Saturday, the tents went up, the fire burned--very safely, mind you (I'm not sure it is kosher in our HOA rules to burn a fire near the bball court, but what they don't know, won't hurt 'em), and the s'mores were roasted. You would have thought all of the kiddos died and went to heaven. They had a ball and danced the night away to the beat of their own drums. Good thing the morning sprinklers didn't put a damper on it.

The Grape Festival

Friday was "free" day at the Grape Festival (the local Lodi fair) if you went before 5pm. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for anything "free". I think it is in my Herzog jeans. So at about 4pm the little men and I trekked in the heat to make it before 5. After I almost died of heat stroke in about 5 minutes--it must be the pregnant thing--or not, I was thankful to get a call from Beau saying he wanted to go. So we got in...FREE!, went to the bathroom and turned around to walk out--getting our hands stamped for later of course.We returned when the sun went down which made a world of difference in the heat factor. I would be lying if I said I couldn't tell/smell all of the bodies that had been there before 5 and sweated their little hearts out (could also be the hyper sensitive pregnant nose too :)

The boys were jazzed to go on the "spinning wheel" aka a suped up version of the ferris wheel--the biggest ride they saw when we went earlier in the day. As soon as we got there Beau put Cruzer by the measuring sign to see if he was tall enough. He tripped out as if Beau was selling him to the circus right then and there. No worries, he was too short so even if he truly wanted to, he couldn't have gotten on. The rest of the night was an interesting one.

I learned much as we waited in lines and partook of the rest of Babylon...I mean the Grape Festival.

#1 I want my boys to stay LITTLE forever. The groping brace-faced teenagers freaked me out

#2 Cruzer made it in the port-a-potty (#2 that is)

#3 O's not afraid to go on a ginormous ferris wheel and waved to me everytime he went around

#4 Did I mention the teenagers?!?! (let me clarify

not just the ones with braces---ALL OF THEM)

#5 The old school ferris wheel was about 5 rides away and probably cost $4 less (I'm sure just as much fun)

#6 Pregnant people aren't allowed to go on ANYTHING, even little munchkin rides that barely move. If you try, they look at you like you were asking to go on the "Zipper".

#7 A $6 train ride for Cruz (and Beau) was worth every penny to see the excitement in his eyes as it went 1/2 mile/per hour

#8 Watching Beau on the above ride made me laugh aloud. He was by far THE BIGGEST kid on the train and his head towered above all

#9 Oshyn is a serious race car driver. Hopefully

in 11 years when he gets his license he won't crash into walls or other cars quite so much. He couldn't believe how cool he was and how fast he drove (possibly 1 mile/hour :)

#10 We were good to go after 3 rides--O could have stayed all night

"No Child Left Behind" Ski School

We had a great time Labor Day weekend in Redding (as always). One of the greatest parts was seeing all of the boys ski. They weren't all super thrilled before ski school began, but boy did they feel pretty dang good afterwards when they ALL got up. Beau and Nikki are definitely tricky...

The "Veterans" Beau & O

"Why does everyone think it was so cool when I skiied?" (Isaac commented, accompanied by a smerky grin)

Don't let Lukie fool you...I'm sure he was having a great time. He was the MOST excitedbeforehand.

Dean "the BIG dog" Panttaja made it the easiest/hardest. Hardest to see at the get go, but easiest to ski with because he could actually put some good weight on the skis.

Next years upcoming students.

This is the usual drive home after a nice ski day and fun filled weekend. Ahhhh! Peace.

Know-it-all-isms

(a bit old, but too funny to forget...)

On our way to the pool we saw some of our 11-year old neighbors up on top of their minivan hanging out. Cruz trailing behind Oshyn and I looked right up at them and with his deep angry voice & big lips said, "HEY! You need to

get down from there RIGHT NOW!" Oh were they scared. :)

At the doctor's office last week (for his way over due well-baby check-up, not the ER) the nurse came in to weigh him. She asked me if his diaper was soiled. Cruz looks up at her and says in his charming--ha! I mean I-should-own-this-joint voice, "I DON'T wear DIAPERS! Diapers are for BABIES!"

Later another nurse was coming in to give him immunizations. She said, "Would you like to give baby his immunizations in his legs?" In his same wonderful voice as before he informed her, "I'm NOT a BABY, I'm a BIG BOY." The nurse replied, "Well all right then BIG BOY, you can get them in your arms."

Cruz has a way of surprising people. He is just a little guy with A LOT to say and isn't afraid to say it. I have yet to meet another 2-year-old like this one and I wouldn't trade him for the world, even when he's cheeky.

All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Does that include growling? Because that is the most prominent thing that Oshyn has acquired from his 5 day/week, 3 1/2 hour day...

Smashed by the 8 pounder

We had a nice easy going Saturday morning. Delicious pancakes with fruit faces just like IHOP (but of course better at home). All was well. Then Cruz decided to pump some iron behind our backs. 8 lbs. we found out is more than he can curl. He dropped the weight on his toe, started screaming and all we saw was the bloody mess--no idea where it all came from. Once we figured out it was his toe and tried to check it out--it looked as though maybe his toe nail was just going to fall off. Pop goes the Motrin. After a call to Aunt Marcy we soaked it in cold water as he cried for 30 minutes straight. We took his little feet out and I was ready to put a band-aid on and call it painful but good. That was when I saw the lovely little fat coming out of a 1/2 inch slice down his 3rd toe. Disgusting and sad. Another call to Aunt Marcy & Kaiser and we were off to the ER. All Cruz wanted was for someone to hold his toes (he is still asking for that request, I think it relieves the pulsing). In we went, x-rays first and then to a little room with a stretcher. Have I mentioned yet how thankful I am that Beau was home? Well--I am. The doc came in and said, "Wow, that's bad...you know when the Doctor says that, its bad," I guess that was our clue to how bad it really was. Nice, honest guy, but I was hoping they could just use the glue. The doctor then went on to tell us he just did this same procedure on a friend and how extremely painful it was--that she was screaming. There was no easy way around and that they would need to stick the numbing needle right in where it split. AHHHHH, makes me cringe just thinking about it and brought tears to our eyes to think our little munchkin would soon be going through this torture he was explaining. He told us they would need to put him in a burrito (aka straight jacket) so he wouldn't move. Luckily Beau asked if he could just hold him and that worked--I didn't even think that was an option...thankful for Beau--oh yes, once again. A few minutes later everything began. Pitches of cries not heard before emerged, but after the numbing set in things calmed down. It is amazing at crazy times like these how much you are reminded how immensely & deeply you love this little person. Cruz was a trooper. He (and we) made it through 4 stitches and some crazy glue sealant. Oh and did I mention his toe was fractured? The goal is to keep the stitches in 2 days--ideally 5. That shouldn't be too hard, eh? Well the rest of Saturday was pretty chill...but, Sunday Cruz ran straight off the stage at church--not on purpose, busted open something that made him bleed through his band-aid (we put on a new one & are hoping for the best) then for good measure decided to drink mouth wash when he was supposed to be in bed. Today I kept him pretty controlled. He wanted to ride scooters to pick up Oshyn--so he could do tricks, but I wasn't that naive.

About 1/2 hour ago Beau found him upstairs climbing the stair railing with drink coozies on his hands. Why? "Cuz I'm a strong monkey." We will pray to make it 5 days. He needs it.

Mr. Jim strikes again

He dances, he prances, he sings, he's over the top SILLY and the kids LOVE Mr. Jim. Cruz, just as Oshyn was, is happy to see the Children's Librarian at story time. I will pretend I don't have all of the songs & stories memorized and just smile when I get a good seat for the show every Wednesday.

Patience is a virtue

Potty training this little man has definitely taught and reinforced this lesson for me. He got the whole deal in about 3 days--did awesome--then got bored and lazy for a bit--I started going crazy (WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!?!) so I brought in the reinforcements (bribery by the marble jar-Cars) & ONLY positive praise--he was easy money again--then #2 laziness--more marble bribery--yada yada yada time flies when you're having fun--the "power struggler-I want to do things my way-head strong-2 but seems 10 year old kiddo" now has Potty Power. Cruz knows when he needs to go and does it with minimal reminders (if I said he never missed, that would be lying, but there is usually a decent reason behind it). The other day he went, emptied his mini port-a-potty, flushed it and came out. Beau said (with a silly grin), "Man! What do you do all day--these kids are so self-sufficient!" That was a good laugh.

I am thankful to have been 100% diaper free for over 2 months. Wahoo. And as challenging as this guy can be with his variety of attitude and spunk, I know that I will be even more thankful come December when a new squirter arrives and the diapers begin again.

For a while he had a "public-bathroom-phobia" so this was the $4 answer. Thanks Ikea.

Easy Peasy Goodness

aka Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

I have been wanting Cinnamon Rolls. Who really knows why...maybe because I can't just go out and buy them or because I remember everyone and their mom making them in Hawaii and the wonderful smell and soft yumminess on my taste buds. So I came across this recipe and after a few weeks of intimidation & Beau out of town on a Sunday, I bucked up and tried my hand at these beauties. Thanks to the expertise and moral support of Steph, they turned out easier and better than I thought. This won't be the last time I make these babies. Mmmmmm!

P.S. Lacey--CJ might change his GF mind after these...

Trash to Treasured Rockets

We took Ashley's advice and dug out the egg cartons, some paints and vvwwwola! Rockets. I couldn't believe how excited Oshyn was to paint (he used to last about 2 minutes when I got it all out). He kept commenting about how fun it was to paint, worked hard on making the perfect rocket and even drew a plan up for us before hand. Cruz lasted 2 minutes painting, but has played with it for hours since.

Tot Tossing

When this is happening Sophie and Cruz can't wait for their turn to fly. They love it, wear huge grins on their faces and squeal with delight. What trust they have in their Daddies.

Cherished Saturday Mornings

After only a few weeks of Kindergarten I have realized that our lives are forever changed. We now once again belong to the "Weekends-are-priceless" club. Having to wake up Monday thru Friday, quickly get ready and off to school by 7:55a is all of the hazing necessary to belong. Its been over 7 years since I've been a part of this organization, but I am rapidly remembering all that this association entails. Oshyn was thrilled to get to stay in his pjs for a bit and watch Saturday morning cartoons. Cruz came down and joined him while I ran off to the store to get some final goods for banana bread/muffins. They were highly content as Beau slept and continued to be until I got home. All of this brought me back to my own Saturday mornings growing up...

I would wake up I'm sure pretty early and watch Saturday morning cartoons (isn't that a given for all kids?). Later my Mom would make pancakes for Chad & french toast for me or sometimes my Dad would go get some fresh glazed donuts from the store and we'd eat them with a glass of cold milk. Either way, a weekend treat. My Dad would read the newspaper and I would read the comic page on the patio outside. Most places this would only work for a few months, but in Arizona we enjoyed the fresh morning air year around (maybe with the misters on in the summer). Simple, yet I fondly remember these mornings and I guess not having them everyday is what makes them so cherished.

So I guess it won't be so bad making our own favored Saturday morning rituals. Besides, who said we had a choice about the Monday-Friday anyways?

As for the Banana Bread/Muffins, they were delicious and easy.

Here's the recipe (from Tricky Nikki):

5 tbsp butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 lg egg

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 c chopped walnuts

1 1/2 super ripe mashed bananas

1 3/4 c flour (works with rice flour too)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 c heavy cream

Beat butter, add sugars--beat well, add eggs & vanilla and beat again, add bananas--beat again. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl and alternate adding d.i. with cream--ending with flour. Pour batter into greased and floured bread pan (or put in muffin tins) and bake at 350 for 1 hour (or about 20 minutes for muffins). Enjoy!

Simply Thursday

Here's to a $5 paddle boat ride on Lodi Lake where Cruz quickly realized, "It"s not scary it's really FUN!" (along with some duck chasing, dock holding, and paddling in circles),

"Stop peddling Mom, I can do this" hidden strength from the O-man (after I peddled 25 out of 30 minutes),

Rolling down the grassy hill & itchin' to take a bath,

Two "prince-says-is" aka Mermaids--(thanks Sophie, Uncle Beau is so happy Cruz got to borrow them and they loved the paddle boat ride),

and two left slippers (oh where oh where can the right slippers be?)

Thankful for a phone with a camera

I would hate to forget these moments.

Only Sophie...

would find this as fun and entertaining as the guy tipping her out for 1/2 hour straight. Thanks for being you Sophie. (What you can't see is her cracking up...but I PROMISE she was).