Garden Bounty

The spoils of our labor.

Today was a day of harvest.  Laney, Liam, Shesh, and I went to check on our organic vegetable garden after lunch and were pleasantly surprised to find so much to pick from our plants.  We found that we had loads of snow peas, green beans, and blackberries to be picked.  Our very first summer squash was ready to be plucked from its vine.

The first summer squash from our vines.  Laney promised to try a bite of it (steamed and with butter and  parmesan cheese of course)

Laney also found a few strawberries to pick, as well as some mint plants (not sure what to make for her with mint!?!)  She also harvested some oranges from the orchard so we can squeeze her some juice in the morning.

Our corn stalks are about 2 feet tall, the pumpkin vines are spreading and have small green buds that promise to grow into nice orange beauties, and our tomato plants have gone crazy!  Seriously, I am going to start searching the internet for instructions on how to can homemade tomato sauce.

Liam snagged a blackberry from the basket and began an impromptu epicurean adventure with berries.

Still deciding if he likes that blackberry.

There is something so peaceful and rewarding about kneeling in the dirt and harvesting produce.  At one time in my life I was not a lover of gardening.  Now that my kids can play in our yard, I have really enjoyed transforming it into a peaceful idyllic "secret garden" of sorts.  Spending time outdoors with the kids is very relaxing and special to me.  The love of gardening is an amazing gift to give your children. Laney loves picking snails off the bushes, digging holes for plants, pulling weeds, and watering.  She begs to go outside daily to use the hose in our backyard.  I am hoping that growing her own vegetables will help her want to eat them.  Right now she seems to shun anything green that crosses her plate.  I can't wait until tomorrow when we put our aprons on and cook up something yummy with our well-deserved treats!

Lovey Love

It's no secret that my kids are addicted to their loveys.  Laney's lovey devotion is so notorious that Liam has ended up with no fewer than 11 of them to love on.  Laney herself has 4 that she cuddles with, but her exclusive favorites are Doggy Lovey and Pillow (also known in our house as Plovey since they travel together).

Plovey goes in the car, but has to stay in the car to take naps while we shop.  Plovey goes to bed and cuddles with Laney and can only be left at home on the rare occasion.  Don't worry, if Plovey stays home then Bunny Lovey, Elephant Lovey, or Ella (2 separate elephant loveys) get called up from the minors to pitch the big game.

Liam has become really attached to his loveys (currently with yellow froggy, blue monkey, blue doggy and others in heavy rotation) too.  He gets to cuddle them at naptime and bedtime.  In fact, you can accurately predict whether puttting him down for nap will be successful by how he greets the lovey in his room.  If he pushes it away, you are in for a fight.  But if he breaks into smile, you can guarantee that he will gather it to his face and gleefully begin to chew on a lovey limb or ear as you tuck him into his bed.  The cutest reaction by far is late at night during his dream feed.  I feed him a bottle then gently put him back in his crib and tuck a lovey into his arms.  He smiles in his sleep as he gathers that lovey back to him.

Thank God for loveys and security blanket/pillows.  We all had them.  Everyone I have met had a special toy that they cuddled until it fell apart.  Mine was a pillow called "dees".  It is now in tattered shreds but I can still recall the feeling of the ruffle gathered in my hand as I sucked my thumb and comforted myself.  Patrick had a special blanket, my sister dragged "bankie boy" around with her.  I can't wait to see what Plovey and others look like 30 years from now as my children tuck their own kids and loveys into bed.

My handsome little man

7 months and Liam already loves the ladies!  Such a flirt.  He flashes his megawatt smile at women everywhere we go.  Can't wait to see him in action as a teenager...

Make a cow face

Laney and I had a girls day out not long ago.  We went to Sea World on a preschool field trip and then to Panera for lunch (Laney's favorite lunch spot).  While we were there she announced to me that she was making a face just like the cow on her milk.  I had to capture the moment!   Thank goodness for cell phone cameras :)

Long days

Today was one of those days where I felt like I ran a marathon inside my home.  Seriously, I think I might have met my 10,000 step goal without even hitting the gym.  Every time Liam fell asleep, Laney woke up and vice versa.  I never got more than 2 minutes to myself today.  Then Patrick had to work late so my day job turned into a double shift.  Somehow, I manged to make lunch and dinner for the three of us, and even bathed the children tonight.  These are the kind of days that no one tells you about when you mention you are thinking of having kids.  If you knew about these days and the overabundance of them, well, having kids may not seem as appealing.  Even still, I got a chance to have some one on one time with each of my kids and I know that made them both feel special!

I will now sit down with some knitting needles and my brand new iPod (thanks mom!) Nano for some R and R.  This thing is so small and it still blows my mind that ALL of my music fits on it.  

I still remember my college days of flipping through CD collections housed in giant black Case Logic notebooks, making mix tapes for long drives, and having to lug my collection back and forth from my car.  Now I can just clip that entire collection to my arm band and away I go.  Can't wait to try it out at the gym tomorrow.  That is, if my kids will actually allow me to leave the house...

Unbelievable delicious lunch

Never once in my whole life did I ever think that putting deli meat in a frying pan would be delicious.  Then I listened to the DSC on Jack 100.7 Friday and today my life was changed.  After feeding the kids I rummaged through the fridge and found tortillas, shredded cheese, and a scant amount of sliced turkey.  Recalling that Sam the Cooking Guy was on the radio Friday morning spouting about these late night grilled turkey sandwiches, I pulled out a skillet and started cooking.  2 tortilla/cheese/fried turkey sandwiches later, I am hooked.  I now have a new lunch favorite and I can even make it while holding a baby in one arm :)


Late Night Grilled Turkey Sandwiches
Ingredients

• Deli turkey, thinly sliced
• Muenster, provolone or whatever cheese you like, thinly sliced
• Bagel, toasted
• Mayo, mixed with honey mustard or horseradish or whatever you like
• Tomato slices

Steps

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat
2. Take a big handful of turkey and put it in the pan
3. While this is grilling, toast bagel
4. Mix mayo with mustard or horseradish
5. When turkey is lightly browned place cheese on top and allow to melt - you might need to cover the pan for this
6. You want it gooey - so don't skimp on the cheese or the mayo mustard/horseradish stuff
7. Remove turkey, place on mayo'd bagel, top with tomato and away you go

Don't forget the KEY!

I tried to post this since Wednesday, but Blogger has been down at night since then.  So, finally on Saturday, here we go!

Today started with an early wake up call from the kids, and never seemed quite right from the beginning.  Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you are out of sync with the universe?  That was me today.  I struggled through our morning routine only to find that if I did not have the car packed up and kids strapped into their car seats in the next 13 minutes, Laney would not be on time to dance class.

Fast forward to me rushing through the house with wet hair, no shoes, makeup bag in hand trying to gather all of the crap the kids would need during the day.  I dashed to the garage followed by a whining Laney to start the packing process and then I heard it:  the metallic click of the garage door locking behind me.  Somehow Laney managed to lock me in the garage as she was crying and pounding on the door.  No phone, no keys, no shoes. Kids locked inside.  Me stuck outside.  After several minutes of trying to talk Laney through unlocking the door I gave up and ran across the street to the neighbor's house to call in reinforcements.  15 minutes later my mom arrived with a key only to find me wearing rain boots (stored in the garage) and watering the pots on the front porch.  Once inside we found both kids crying hysterically, especially Liam who happened to be an innocent bystander in the whole mess.  I managed to finish the packing job, warily keeping 2 doors to the outside unlocked this time, just in case.  We arrived half way through dance class, but made it for the tap dance portion, which is Laney's favorite part anyway.

I try to make sure that I have everything I could possibly need in my car.  I have snacks, wipes, diapers, strollers, lip balms, DVDs, toys, crayons, hair ties, and more.  I over-pack every day, trying to foresee any situation that might come up so I can be prepared.  It seems that in my effort to follow the Girl Scout adage to "always be prepared," I had forgotten to always be prepared

What a weird feeling to be locked out of the house as your children are screaming for you inside.  Helpless and absurd, I almost felt like laughing at the whole situation.  Almost.  I also felt like diving straight to the bottom of a wine glass as I imagined all the things that could have happened while I waited outside.  Sometimes you just get lucky.

The moral of this story:  head to The Home Depot tomorrow and get a spare key made.  Hide it away somewhere good because you never know when a whiny toddler is going to get back at you.  Oh yeah, and always be prepared.

Mothers Day

I had such a wonderful day being honored by my family.  Somehow the hugs and kisses, giggles and smiles are just sweeter on Mother's Day.  Playing with your children seems a little more magical as the day progresses and you realize that God's plan for your life is just right.  Thanks to my mom and to all the mothers out there who have helped to make me the mother I am today.

Life's Little Moments

Today I found myself pulling out my camera to snap photos of my children at such a random time, but one that felt so perfect that I wanted to record its passing.  Liam was sitting in his high chair happily munching on Puffs and Cheerios while attempting to master a sippy cup of apple juice.  Laney had just fallen asleep on the couch and was dreamily slurping on her thumb while cuddling her lovey.  I really needed to capture the essence of the moment, the perfection that was a house in order, flowing through the afternoon as God intended.  Some days nothing makes me happier than the mundane orderliness of being a mom going about my business on a sunny afternoon, watching my kids grow up before my eyes.