Where a kid can be a kid

If you haven't been to Chuck E. Cheese's lately, you are missing out! We went for a friend's birthday party a few months ago and we've wanted to go back almost every weekend since. We finally did go last Friday and it was awesome! They did do away with that ball play pen thing since we were kids, but it's probably better because that thing was always mysteriously moist on the bottom. Just as long as I get to play that game where you put the tokens in and a pushy thing tries to knock tokens over the edge! Definitely addicting!

Tagged by Natalie AND Dani!

Ok, I've been double tagged so I figured I'd better reply before someone else tries to tag me. I think 6 facts and tagging 6 people is excessive (and leads to double tagging) so I'm going to modify the rules and cut it to 3. So list 3 habits/little-known facts about yourself. Then tag 3 more people, post their names, then go to their blog and leave a comment telling them they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog for these instructions.

1. I LOVE sending and receiving mail! Checking the mail is often the highlight of my day and I usually have something fun thanks to a nice mother-in-law, online shopping, and the fact that I sign up online for at least one free sample almost everyday. Yesterday I received a sample of Sunsilk "anti-flat" shampoo/conditioner for me and a free Schick Quattro Titanium razor for Brad. I think it would be fun to be a mail carrier and might consider doing it after the kids are older? Maybe if they do part-time.

2. I HATE umbrellas. That doesn't work out so well since I live in Portland. They are big and annoying and I'm always getting hit in the face by them. I think they should be frowned upon in crowded public places.

3. I HAVE to multi-task while brushing my teeth. It's impossible for me to just stand in the bathroom and brush. I will put my shoes on, get the kids dressed, clean up clutter, anything I see that needs to be done. I also love to floss and do it every evening but it's harder to multi-task when my hands are so tied up.

I tag Jaime, Jessica, and Stephanie!

Hubba Hubba Husband

Making spinach pasta--it's just pureed spinach, whole wheat flour, a little EVOO, and a lot of yummy!
Sewing curtains for the office. Brad is far overdue for a tribute. I know many of you have amazing men of your own so I’ll try to keep it short, but that won’t be easy. This stud seriously does it all! He can cook, clean, iron, sew, and fix and does it all well. He does great at Chiropractic school and makes plenty of time to save me from insanity at home. Brad comes home from school and plays with the kids (they get excited when he walks in the door), then makes dinner, bathes the babies, and puts them to bed. I’ve mentioned a couple times that he cooks, but you don’t understand. He takes “delicious and nutritious” to a whole new level—his food is extremely yummy and unbelievably healthy. Our freezer is always stocked with a variety of super soups and homemade whole-wheat bread. Brad is so good to me. One evening last week while I was out shopping with a friend, he hid little notes all over the house where he knew I’d find them eventually. Over the week I’ve found sweet notes in my diaper bag, robe pocket, jeans pocket, make-up bag, running shoes, calendar, scriptures, chocolate stash, favorite cereal box, even folded up in a fresh diaper and I’m still finding more! Then the other night when I was hungry at 10:30 he catered to my craving and whipped up a scrumptious snack: sauteed baby portabellas with mozzarella on toasted hazelnut bread. Thank you, Brad, I love you! Saying I’m spoiled is an understatement. :)

Sneaky Mac and Cheese

With the depressingly cold weather and rain that we've been having, I thought it would be a good idea to make a classic comfort food last night...some yummy mac and cheese. Galla loved it and Finn was eating it faster than I could get it to him, making me a happy mommy! At one point I got up from the table to refill Finn's tray and Brad started to eat off my plate. Galla immediately tattled on her dear daddy and dutifully reported to me that he was eating my food. Now, you have to understand that Galla is a "good little monkey and always very curious" like the way her good friend George is described. Brad and I try to encourage her exploring but are always telling her to not be sneaky (taking things she knows she's not supposed to have and the such). So when Galla told me that daddy was eating my food, I said, "He is?" and she said, "Yes. He's being sneaky!" Pretty funny! We were glad to know that she knows what we mean when we tell her that. Maybe you should set a better example, Brad! :) Here's the recipe:

Sneaky Mac and Cheese
I didn’t measure anything, so just throw it all together—it’s faster that way!

Boil a big pot of whole wheat elbow noodles (cheap in the bins at WinCo).

In a medium saucepan (over med heat) combine ½ can cream of mushroom soup, some milk, a few big spoonfuls of pureed pumpkin (it was leftover from the pumpkin rolls I made and a great way to sneak in some veggies and makes the dish a nice color), small cubes of cheddar and small cubes of mozzarella. Stir it for a while until it is all melty. Then stir in some fresh broccoli cut into very small pieces.

Drain the noodles when they are done, pour the cheese sauce in and stir. Try not to eat the whole thing at once because you will want to—it’s so good!

Stowaway Baby!

Many people asked me who I ran the marathon with and I said, "myself." But it turns out that our suspicions were correct and I had a stowaway! Baby #3 was truckin' along with me! I presented Brad with his pumpkin baby to give him the news. Galla likes playing with the pumpkin baby and telling people that "mommy has a baby in her tummy." We figured since Galla knows we should tell people before she beats us to the punch. I feel like having one baby is a huge life change. Having 2 babies is like, "well, we have one so we may as well have another." But having 3 is like, "whoa, this is getting serious here!" I'm due June 12 we are super excited!

Marathon: Mission Accomplished

It's over and I finished! Sorry I don't have any pictures--when I ran past Brad at the end I guess I was running too fast for him to snap a shot. I was hoping to be sub-4 hours but gastric distress and 5 trips to the porta-potties during the race (and again at the end) set me back a bit. The whole experience is some-what of a blur, but I feel it can be summed up by quoting the t-shirt of the guy running in front of me: "Life is short. Running a marathon makes it feel longer." Now I'm just limping around, waiting for my knees to bend again.

Princess Paradise

We got to go to Disneyland a couple weeks ago during Brad's break from school. I think Galla felt as if we'd been fooling her for so long..."you mean to tell me that these people are REAL! Why didn't you bring me here sooner?!" Notice in the pictures that she couldn't take her eyes off the castle and she was ready to go home with the Fairy Godmother. Nothing is as magical as Disneyland with a character-loving little girl.

Finn's First Ride

Finn loved the infant-appropriate rides (that's Brad's mama in the background), but spent most of the day being a good sport in the stroller.

Ecstatic/Exhausted

Oh the emotions experienced at Disneyland!

Shoe Deal

Ok, so I just got an awesome deal on shoes for the kids at The Children's Place. Galla and Finn are both short on shoes this fall (time to retire the green Crocs that Galla has worn almost every day for over a year) and I've been shopping around a ton. I've been disappointed to find that shoes every where are either not cute or too expensive. I checked out The Children's Place and they are having great sales right now. I got 2 pairs for Galla and 3 pairs for Finn. It was going to be $36.45 (including shipping), but first I checked out one of my favorite websites www.retailmenot.com and found a coupon for $10 off an order of $30 or more bringing my grand total to $26.45! For 5 pairs of shoes! I'm trying to convince Brad to be as excited as I am.

On my Toes

Many of you know that one of my odd hobbies is painting pictures on my toenails. I painted these a couple weeks ago and thought I'd document them before I take nail polish remover to them. The big toes were just for doodles, the Mickey was in honor of our trip to Disneyland (blog on that to come), and the foot was to keep me motivated for my marathon (9 days to go). Halloween toes are next and they are one of my favorites, but after the marathon I might be too sore to get my feet into painting position!

Family Photos

We recently took family pictures and there are a whole bunch I'd like to share. Galla didn't let us down in continuing to be the most difficult little girl to catch on camera. She intentionally looks the other way when she sees a camera and when she does look towards the camera, getting her to smile is like trying to get a cow to say oink. So, here are some highlights and I'll post others every so often.

Panties in Public

Galla is making steady potty-training progress. She has been wearing panties (she prefers princess or Curious George) when we're at home for months now, but a couple weeks ago I got brave and decided it's time to go public. We've been all over the place including playgroup, Target, Costco, the grocery store, the park…all of the usual locales. Each time I've been prepared for the worst, but she's been accident-free!

I don't consider myself a germaphobe, but I don't enjoy the nasty public bathrooms and the fact that Galla insists on me not holding her on the toilet so she holds on to the sides of the filthy toilet seat to prevent her cute little bum from falling in. But apparently she didn't hold on tight enough when daddy took her to the bathroom at the Olive Garden and she fell in--in the men's bathroom mind you--gross! Anyway, she's so cute and likes to announce to anyone within earshot that she went pee-pee on the potty. I'm really proud of her and also pleased with the dip in the diaper bill!