Soup

I've been eating quite a bit of soup since I'd like to button my jeans again one day. It's actually quite convenient to microwave it and drink it from a mug while giving newborn her nourishment. I love it when I can do two things at once.

My favorite soup lately is Acorn and Butternut Squash soup. I'd bet you'd like to make it too. It's really super easy, and good. In a pot cook up an onion and then add the pulp from a roasted acorn and butternut squash. Add a couple of cups of chicken broth and blend until nice and creamy, put it back in the pot and add more broth until it's the thickness that you like. Let it warm up and then add a bit of cream cheese, maybe 3 or so Tablespoons. Let that melt all in and add whatever salt, pepper or spices you want. Once I put in some cayenne- super good but I think it made baby fussy (because there must have been a reason- right?). Anyways, make it or you'll never know the deliciousness that it is.

Granddad is 60!

Happy Birthday to the smartest man ever. The only bit of hogwash I've ever heard him say is that as a parent all he did is keep us warm and fed. HOGWASH.

Ten things my 60 year old dad taught me, in no particular order.

1. how to shingle a roof (age 10- or 11 maybe and I'm sorry but I might have forgotten)
2. to have study class
3. how to walk like a marine (I do remember this lesson, given when the van broke down)
4. algebra (okay, he attempted to)
5. how to find ancestors
6. how to ski
7. to love oldies
8. how to change a tire and the oil (sorry, definitely forgot this one)
9. to say amen after the speaker
10. that he loves me enough to go look for me on a special snowy morning.

Love you daddy, Happy Birthday

Growing to Fast

This picture isn't fabulous, but it is the first smile we've been able to capture with the camera.




And, I thought these pictures were worthy of sharing too.

She loves the bath, and only cries when she gets out into the cold air.

And, this picture is of brother who ate and nibbled at his graham cracker to shape it into a gun.

Family Songs

I found myself singing this song this morning as I washed dishes:

Sunshine, Snicklefritz and Tiger went for a walk one day
They met a Bear with a girl named Susie Ba-Nusie
And, Gumdrops, Gumdrops, Gumdrops and Cocoa
Gumdrops, Gumdrops, Gumdrops, and Cocoa
And they hurried on down the lane.....

That's all I know. Surely, there must be more! Where did this song come from? The Monte Cristo trip? I can't remember, and if that's all there is then I propose we make a new verse.

Wait- I do faintly remember:

Sister Babe, Sister Babe, B-Buff and Pokey.

Even still, someone should make a new updated version. The song really needs a papio- nubis.

Home Improvement

I figured that maybe someone is a little curious to know what the momma received from Santa. I only asked for two things: First, a new ceiling light so I wouldn't have to stand on my bed to fix the broken chain on our ceiling fan everytime I wanted to illuminate- or darken our bedroom. There were some days during the pregnancy where I just left the room dark, or light or however the light was at the moment because I didn't want to crawl on the bed so that I would be tall enough to fix the light when I knew that husband could just stand on the floor and do it himself, and so I'd wait for that moment. Yeah, very lazy of me but after a couple months with the broken light chain I was just SO annoyed. Needless to say, we have a new pretty ceiling fan and light that is controled by the switch on the wall (can you imagine!)

The second thing I asked for and received was also a home improvement item. This was our fireplace one year ago.

And, after three days of grouting, two days of painting and a year of waiting, this is our fireplace now.

Thank you Santa, so much better!

Newborn

This is Newborn on Christmas day. She even got a little homemade wooden doll cradle from Santa. Speaking of Santa, he is now Two-year old's favorite man. Now that he understands what is going on when someone brings toys and leaves candy he just loves the man and has asked every day since Christmas day if Santa is coming again tomorrow to bring him more dinosaurs.
The nine year old got a very cool bike ramp and told mom and dad that it has one side going up, and another side going down- "but in the middle there is a cool platform where you can stand on it to sing and dance". We're looking forward to seeing that.
Ten year old was very happy to receive an artist's easel with all kinds of paint and canvas... she likes it a lot, but I'll be looking for someone to teach her a thing or two since I don't know the first thing about art.
And, six year old is getting very smart (in her own words) using her Santa gift which was a leapster. I was worried whether or not an educational toy would be exciting but it seems to have passed the test. Good job Santa!