Thank You, Dolly Parton!!!

 When Clare was a baby, we signed up for Dolly Parton's "Imagination Library."

 Every month, for the past 3.5 years, Clare has gotten a FREE BOOK in the mail.

 It comes as no surprise that Clare loves reading, 

and it turns out that many of the books from Dolly are among her favorites.

 She will receive books until she turns five, 

so that means she will have 60 books thanks to Dolly Parton.

So...

Thank You, Dolly!

St. Patty's Day in Our Irish Home

These three have Irish blood.

 That makes St. Patrick's Day a pretty notable date.

 There were plenty of kisses going around...

which probably contributed to all the sickness that we're currently experiencing.

I don't know if Isaac is upset about all of the green...

or about being posed for FAR TOO MANY pictures in one day.

 He was happy, however, about playing in the mall with his NEW SHOES 

(THANKS, Mema!).

 The next picture is far from blog-worthy, 

but it just shows that taking a decent picture is a workout.

 This one is a little better.

 Mema spoiled Clare by letting her go on the bouncy thing again...

and it didn't even take a chart or seven nights in her bed.

The little man watched from the sidelines...

anxiously awaiting the day when he can join the fun

ALL TUCKERED OUT!

 Since this picture was taken a week ago,

Isaac has been treated (with steroids) for Croup and Stridor.

 They are both being treated for ear infections, sinus infections, and probable strep throat.  Perhaps my calling was to be a pharmacist.

Needless to say, we didn't have the Luck of the Irish this year!

Cheeseburger Eggrolls

Thank you, Racheal Ray, for the inspiration behind this tasty little appetizer.

We made it a few weeks ago, and it will certainly be made again.

Here you have Cheeseburger Eggrolls...

 I've become an "eyeball-it-kind-of-cook."

Not that I'm "kind of" a cook, but I'm the "eyeball it" kind.

Okay, enough with the play on words...

Here's the dish (couldn't resist that last pun)...

without all of the specifics...just eyeball it.

Brown some meat.

(recipe calls for 3/4 lb. sirloin...I used a pound of whatever was in the freezer).

Recipe suggests that you brown it with onion, but I used onion flakes.

 While the meat is browning, you can prepare your dipping sauce.

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 rounded tablespoons pickle relish
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• Salt and pepper

Set aside for later.  Yum!

You will need the following to complete the meat mixture:

- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

- 1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

- 1/2 T. grainy, whole-seed mustard (I'm sure any would do)

Once the meat is cool, mix the above ingredients together.

To wrap the egg rolls, brush water around all four sides of a wrapper to act as the glue.

Place 1/3 cup (eyeball it...don't dirty a measuring cup)
of the meat and onion mixture into the center of the wrapper.

Fold two corners into the center.

Then wrap the other corner to the next, creating a long skinny roll.

Place the finished rolls onto a sheet pan with a wire rack.

This allows them to cook evenly.

Spray the top of each eggroll with cooking spray,

 and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the eggrolls start to brown.

Serve with the dressing you made earlier.

Tasty, unique, and fun!

Here is a link to the official recipe from Racheal Ray.

16-Month Update

 Isaac is 16-months (and a few days) old!

 He is active, adventurous, fearless, and opinionated.

He LOVES:

- Being outside

(He bangs on the door until we finally let him out...as if he's a dog or something.)

- Going to the park

- Going down the slide head first (see video below)

-Putting little things on the end of his fingers

(i.e. Duplo pieces, caps from different snacks, pen caps, etc.)

- Smiling with all of his teeth

 (although that isn't represented very well in these pictures).

He's UNSURE About:

- Dogs

- Books (sometimes he sits still...

but he's usually too wiggly to make it through an entire book).

- Oatmeal (he is very hot and cold with this one...

unlike his mother who eats it nearly every day).

He HATES:

- Having his teeth brushed!

- Being dropped off in any form of child care (Bible study, YMCA, etc.)

- Waiting for food or drink (clearly he hasn't missed too many any meals).

- Getting his hair cut.

- Being held still (church is a weekly challenge).

 Papa has been taking Isaac to the park every day, and he rules the roost.  I couldn't believe how daring and adventurous he was when I joined them one afternoon.

 Who do you think taught him to go down the slide like this?

He's starting say a few more words:

- Mama (although not very often)

- Dadeee (he really holds on to that final "eee" sound)

- Papa

- Ball

- Uh-oh

- Bay-bay (baby)

- Book

- Dun-Dun (Done or All done)

- Jaff (this is what he says when he sees a giraffe)

- Bababa (banana)

He does sign language for:

- All done

- More/Please

- Book

  He absolutely loves his Mema and Papa!!!

 He's an "on-the-go" kind of guy.  He adapts well to changing schedules (something that can't be said for those in our house with estrogen), he is very LOYAL to those who give him love and attention (it takes him a while to warm up to people, but then he's hooked!!!), and he loves keeping up with (or trying to) his big sister.

It was March of 2010 (TWO YEARS AGO) that we learned that we were pregnant with this little miracle.  He has certainly changed all of our lives, and we love him more than he'll ever know!

Whose Reward Was It?

   Our imaginative Miss Clare has been troubled with "bad" dreams lately.

There were several nights of interrupted sleep (for the whole family) because she couldn't understand why "the lady at the ice cream place wouldn't give her a napkin," or why "the worm crawled into the hole," or why "only Papa (where was everyone else?) was eating pizza with her."  NO JOKE!

These sleepless parents came up with a plan:

Give Clare an incentive to stay in bed...for 7 nights!

We made a special chart that she got to check off every morning, and she chose the reward of going to "The Bouncy Thing at the Mall" at the end of seven successful nights.  There was only ONE night that she didn't get a check, and the following morning resulted in at least 20 minutes of tears, begging, and pleading.  Anyhow... after 8 days, she had 7 checks, and we were feeling rested (as much as can be expected at this stage of life) again.  SUCCESS!

So...last night was the long awaiting reward 

(she has wanted to do this thing ever since she spotted it at the mall).

Clare had a BLAST...

...but I think Daddy had just as much fun!

Do you think that Phil was going to let his 3.5 year-old
be the only one to have all the fun?

Phil impressed us with his Moves like Jagger...

or at least moves like a former collegiate diver.  :)

We finished off the fun night by letting Clare pick ANYTHING she wanted from the Dollar Store.  Big time, huh?!  Well, she picked the Sponge Bob Popsicle.  We thought she would pick something that she could take home with her...

...and I suppose she did.

I think Sponge Bob's eyes were made with Squid Ink, or soemthing like that, because her mouth was stained black for the rest of the night.

I'm happy to report that she made it through the night last night...

without her reward chart or bad dreams.  :)

YEAH!

All Before 8:00 AM Today...

We had an "exciting" morning.  

Phil ran his first half-marathon, and I ran my seventh (although first one in six years).

My dad has run more races than we can count, and I'm sure it has something to do with his runner's diet.  This, a bowl of Cap'n Crunch (at 4:30 AM), is the breakfast of champions!

 We woke up VERY early in order to make it to Tampa in time for the 6:00 AM start.

 Despite the wretched conditions, 

Phil still had a smile on his face as we drove through the wind and rain.

 As we were pummeled with heavy rain and blustery winds, we seriously reconsidered our participation in the 13.1 mile run.

Here's a glimpse of our drive into Tampa: rain, wind, congested runners (Phil and I have been stuffed up all week...perfect timing), and realizations that we're CRAZY!

Just another shot of the weather...since we were all in disbelief. 

This is FLORIDA...not Michigan...

we're supposed to have perpetual sunshine and blue skies.

 BEFORE the race...

 AFTER the race...proudly donning our finisher medals.

By the grace of God, we managed to stay DRY.  The rain ceased just moments before the race started.  We're all walking a little funny this afternoon, but at least we're smiling.

P.S. Thank you to Mema who stayed home with the kiddos and had an AWESOME brunch awaiting us upon our return.