Piggy Tails

still a little messy

but they were adorable at church yesterday

Happy Birthday Wade!

Last week we celebrated Wade's 3o (4th cough cough) birthday. He really doesn't like me doing much for his birthdays - he would LOVE it if I would just forget about it all together, but strangely enough, that never happens!

I did manage to keep it fairly low key this year. (unlike when he turned 30, I threw him a surprise party and handed out 30 suck suckers!)

We manged to make him his favorite cake! German Chocolate, in a pan (he requested it that way?). After a failed attempt at a all from scratch cake I opted for a box mix and real homemade frosting. No matter the outcome, Noah took care of the dishes.

I have to say I will never EVER go back to store bought frosting after making coconut pecan frosting from scratch! It tasted soo good and really wasn't that hard. The boys didn't like it at all. I told them it was like candy. Noah took one sniff of the bowl and said, "Mom, it sure doesn't smell like candy!"

Thursday night we took the kids out with us to celebrate. We went to one of Wade's favorite places, Panera Bread. He loves it because it's actually good for you and I love it because the boys eat everything on their plate and ours if they can a hold of it before us! Then on the way home Noah and Avery both fell asleep so Gage was the only one that got to stay up and have cake with us.

We were out of candles - so we "created" homemade candles with some matches! haha!

Saturday Wade and I were able to celebrate his birthday on a date! Ever since we moved to Washington Wade has wanted to try The Crab Pot in Seattle. He saw it on Man Versus Food and is fascinated with it!


So, if you haven't seen the show or know what The Crab Pot is about - this is the deal...you can order a real meal, or you can order by the pot! It's nuts, they bring out butcher paper and cover your table and then dump all your food out, hand you some mallets, forks, some cutting boards and let you go to town!

And - did I mention that they put bibs on you? Wade said he wasn't going to wear his but our waitress came up from behind and put it on him. He had no choice. It was great. My first wack at the crab made me feel a little silly but then I looked around and everyone was wacking away. I know the crab should have been my favorite but I really loved the shrimp in the pot we ordered, but they still had their heads! I felt so bad looking into their little eyes! hehe! The one couple at the table next to us was dressed up for a formal dance I felt a little bad she was so dressed up and wearing a bib and eating with her fingers, but they looked like they were having a great time! It was so much fun.

We totally loved the whole experience even the wait to get in the door! Wade ended having a great birthday! We decided it would be a fun place to take the boys - besides, they would LOVE it that they hand you hammers with your meals! So, if anyone is up for a trip to Seattle - we'll meet you at The Crab Pot!

Valentine Recipe Swap!

Tonight while kneading the dough for our bread sticks (a recipe I got from a swap similar to this one!) the thought struck me - what a perfect dinner we would be having for the first day of February! Homemade bread sticks, penne pasta with alfredo sauce...I just needed to find some candles and turn down the lights to celebrate! Of course, bouncing boys jumping on the bench and a giggling baby throwing food from her tray deterred the mood just a tad, so the candle sticks will have to wait until later.

However - I did think a fun recipe swap was in order! The big question was to do desserts or main dishes - but why not do it all! Let's have fun with this!!!

Valentine Recipe Swap

Who can do it: Anyone - blogger, facebooker, anyone!

How to sign up: Send your mailing address to me - wadeanddebbi (at) gmail (dot) com.

You can include anything about yourself - what you love to cook, who you usually cook for, anything!

What to swap: your favorite dessert recipes and/or fun romantic meals that you love!

When: NOW! Sign up by Friday, February 5

How it works: Saturday, February 6 I will email you a swap partner. This will give you the weekend to think about and gather your recipe cards. Then mail off your recipe cards on Monday, February 8 so everyone can recipe their cards by Valentine's weekend!

Happy Swapping!!!

The tale of some chocolate chips, camels, lego star wars and a potty

Noah on Monday night with his new toys, scripture action figures, King Noah and Abinidi.

Let me just start by saying I wait a long time to begin the whole potty training business..long time meaning - after 3. Some might think that is crazy. However, I find it VERY easy, that there is no fighting, reminding them every few seconds, no losing patience on my end and not a lot of accidents. It really comes down to the fact that it works for me and my kids and that's all that matters.

We've talked to Noah about the potty but nothing too serious. He had some undies that we would let him wear around on Sunday's before or after church, as he felt the need. For a while he really liked wearing them over his diaper.

Last Thursday he decided it was time. He told me he wanted too. I pulled the potty seat from the bathroom and put it in on a side wall of the living room (because no boy of mine wants to stop playing to actually walk in the bathroom to sit!) I pulled out some random candy that we had and explained the benefits....a chocolate chip for sitting and counting to 20 or saying the abcs. A caramel candy if he pees. He calls them "CAMELS" so he got pretty excited when he finally earned a "camel" that day. He also can play Lego Star Wars with Daddy if he stays dry the whole day and doesn't have any accidents!

Thursday came and went - we had to take Gage to and from school so Noah got a pull-up for these outings. The pull up came home soiled one time and dry the next. Besides going in the pull up we only had one accident that day.

Friday - he went to a friends house while I did my volunteer work in Gage's classroom. I put him in a diaper and it came home soiled, but I didn't expect much he was there 2 hours and he plays really hard when he is there. He stayed dry the whole rest of the day in undies. He was SO excited when Wade came home and could play Lego Star Wars with him. I bought him some toys that sat by his potty seat that he could open if he pooped, he was really excited to get these.

Saturday - dry the whole day, even with a pull up when we went out! He started to get lots of "camels" and I've noticed I don't have to ask him every 30 seconds to go he just goes when he needs too.

Sunday - good dry day! He wore a pull up to church and it came home dry! He wore a pull up to some friends house for dinner and it came home dry! What a stud!!!

Monday - the big day, he stayed dry the whole day, pull up or not. Then Monday night when I was fixing dinner I couldn't see him and I asked Gage where Noah was. Gage told me that he was sitting on his potty - which had been moved around the corner, a little bit closer to the bathroom and out of the living room. Then Noah did it! He came out from around the corner yelling and so excited that he pooped in his potty! He got to open his new toys and was so excited. We all cheered and celebrated. Lego Star Wars got a lot of game time that night!

Tuesday - I had some errands to run in the morning but since it involved visiting some girls houses from my church that have small kids I thought we better just try it... I packed some towels, extra clothes and diapers but left Noah in his undies. He stayed dry! He stayed dry to and from school, at the store and at friends houses! Did I mention that Noah is a stud?!?!

Wednesday - every Wednesday we have playgroup at the church. I was a little nervous so I put him in a pull up but he came home dry. We went grocery shopping in the afternoon and he stayed dry. The potty seat is now moved into the bathroom and I don't remind him to go, he goes when he needs to or when we are leaving to go someplace.

SO - A week into it, just one accident on the floor, a few soiled pull ups, a handful of chocolate chips, some caramels, and 2 toys later I deem operation potty train - DONE!

He decided to do it and it was SO easy!

Way to go Mr. Noah, silly faces and all you are such a big boy!

Port of Tacoma

Saturday we spent the morning in Olympia visiting with my parents. My mom is doing much better. She felt up to going out for a little bit and so we visit the playground at McDonalds and she even managed to eat a little bit herself (sounds silly, but really, for her to eat those tiny kid hamburgers is a great thing right now!)

On our way home we seemed to come out of the clouds when we got closer to Tacoma and decided to take a little drive on a road past the hospital and down by the waterfront. I had been on it once when I took the wrong turn and was late for the appointment - apparently from all the excitement I heard from the backseat..."look at that!, A Train! A Boat, Look! Look!" It must have been a good road, but I was too stressed about missing our appointment that I didn't really pay attention, I was just trying to find a way to turn around and get back to the hospital.

Long story short - Saturday explored a little and were able to find some cool things, enjoy the weather and had a great afternoon together.

This is the first fire boat on the west coast! It worked in Tacoma and did spectacular color water shows each 4th of July until 1983. The boys loved looking at it.

This cracks me up! I told the boys to go stand by the water so I could take their picture. Wade calls this the "I'm giving you a wedgie" picture! haha!

We loved playing on the docks!

Wade says Avery and I have a pair of dimples between the two of us, mine on the right side and hers on the left side.
There was an awesome rainbow that we could see.

The fishing rules - you can bet Wade will be back!

It was such a fun Saturday afternoon, we saw lots of fun places to eat too, you can bet we will be back!

ps - have I mentioned how much I love the "winter" weather here? It's January and we barely needed our jackets!

11 Months

Little Princess turned 11 months old this week (Monday to be exact). It's hard to believe that 11 months ago I was packing boxes, moving stuff into storage, getting ready to move (again), and Wade was interviewing for the position he has now.

Avery Ann is such a joy. She loves laughing - and giving courtesy laughs when other people think she is silly or cute. She can stand on her own and cruises on furniture like it's going out of style. She loves pushing around and walking behind the bar stools. She can crawl up a few stairs, but not down - I really need to get a gate!

She is now weened and drinks whole milk from a sippy cup. She goes to bed at 6:30 every night and sleeps until 6 - occasionally waking up once at 5 for a drink of milk.

She can stand up in grocery cart seats and must be buckled tight. I found that out the hard way one day, and luckily before she fell.

She loves to dance, she dances all the time, in her car seat, in her high chair any random times though out the day. She loves to eat - she will eat anything but raisins, she doesn't like them.

She loves to look at pictures of her family, she really loves when I pause going down the stairs with her so she can look at each person in the family in our pictures on the stair way. She points at each person and smiles and laughs. She loves to point with one finger at all kinds of things - if you touch her finger (like ET) she really giggles. She can now wave with her hand instead of using her whole arm. She claps but it's a very silly clap and I need to get a video to explain it.

We all love Miss Avery Ann and can't believe how fast she is growing up!

6 am floss

Mr. Noah is an early riser.

It's not out of the normal to hear him get out of bed at 5:30, run in the hall and then bound into our bed. Lucky mornings he will sleep there, as close as he can possibly get to Wade, until 6:30. In the summer when it gets light outside we would hear him wake up around 6am and go down the stairs, jumping the last steps on each set - because DUH, those are the "Hot Lava" steps and will burn you! On those days he will play downstairs by himself until we decide to get up or he gets bored and comes and gets us.

This morning was no different. On the dot at 6am I heard Noah get up and get out of bed. Then I heard a light switch and I had to sit up to see what was going on. I really didn't want him turning on his own bedroom light and waking up Gage, or Avery's light and waking her up. It was the bathroom light. Hum.

I knew there were some toys on the floor drying from bath time last night so I didn't bother getting up. A few minutes later I heard Gage get up and come down the bunk bed ladder. He then came running into our room and told me,

"Mom, Noah is in the bathroom FLOSSING and he is using MY floss holder."

So there we have it, what Mr. Noah likes to do at 6 am.

Pebbles, Curls and Milk

Big news on the Avery Ann front. Her hair has gotten pretty long and has such a curl, I finally decided I better start doing something with it - so I introduced the Pebbles Rubble (Flinstones) look. As you can tell, she is super excited about this new do.

Little Princess is also a milk drinker now. (Yes, I am blogging about the subject of breastfeeding, skip ahead if you like.) I at Christmas when I got sick with mastitis I really started to think it was time so I set off on the weening adventure. New Years rolled around and I got serious about it and made a two week plan that included 3 days - down to 2 days, down to 1 day, etc. It went WAY faster then I thought and we were done in about 3 days total. She likes her milk. She turns 11 months tomorrow and I feel great to be done. I believe this happened around 11 months with Noah as well. (Gage was bottle fed)

Don't let the picture fool you - she really does like her sippy cups of milk. Notice her curls too - this is right after a bath time and it cracks us up. Both Wade and I have straight hair so we aren't sure where this is from - my mom informs me that she had curly hair as a baby and so did my baby brother. No matter where it came from it's pretty darn cute, I'm so glad that our girl got it!

Primary

My not so little Noah started Primary! We were a little hesitant about this move because of his late birthday in the year he would be the youngest in his class and this boy really loves his nursery!

The big day came last week and we were so excited that Noah was so excited! I got out a new Book of Mormon for him and put his name on a label just like Gage's. (A little background - Gage got his own Book of Mormon with his name when he "graduated" from nursery in Iowa. Forget any set of scriptures that we might buy or give him, he loves this set, it has his name on it and he still remembers Sister Brown who gave it to him. Who ever thinks that a nursery calling isn't important or impressionable is just wrong! That Sister Brown was just awesome in Iowa, we loved her so much!)

Fast forward and back to the story - I presented Noah with his own book right before church and he acted so proud!



Noah lined up with the rest of the kids in the hallway and waited his turn to go into Primary. He shook the hand of the member of the bishopric who meets the primary children every week like he had been waiting to do this all his 3 year old life. Then he didn't even turn around to wave at us. We watched from the back door for a while but the kid was so big! He sat reverently and loved every minute of it.

We also have switched time slots to 1-4 church so this Sunday he was a little tired and fell asleep in the pew during Sacrament. We sat with him during Sunday school and as soon as he woke up the first words out of his mouth where, "Where is Gage? In Primary? I need to go to Primary!" He then got up (couldn't even walk straight he was still so sleepy) and tried to run off to Primary.

Mr. Noah - we love you, you little Primary attending stud!

Daddy Date

Wade is on a rotation this month that allows him to be home a little bit more than his usual. We've been trying to take advantage of this - so last week on Gage's morning Kindergarden day Wade took Gage out on a Daddy Date. (the kids here go every other wednesday and in the morning, even if they are a PM class? confusing? We know!)

Gage got picked up by Daddy and then they headed to McDonalds. I guess they had fun, neither of them would really tell me about it, but he came home very excited about his happy meal chipmunk toy.

Noah's turn is this week. Yeah for Daddy Dates!

Kids 2010 Goals

Last night for Family Night we enjoyed a yummy dinner with the missionaries from our church. Then we had a lesson on goals. Each kid came up with some goals that they want to accomplish this year and we made some posters. A few of the goals from last night were:

Avery:

learn to walk (she will very soon!)

learn to talk

go to nursery at church (and like it)

Noah:

say prayers

learn letters

share with friends

ride bike more

go potty (okay, he didn't say this one, but I put it on there anyway)

Gage:

learn more site words

Read

memorize more Articles of Faith

help clean the bathroom (? that is what he wanted to put down?)

ride skateboard

Silly String Extravaganza 2009

New Year's Eve at our house holds one very dear and favorite tradition. Sure there is food, sometimes games, sometimes movies, sometimes friends, but the hit of the party every year is: Silly String.

(This year I made sure it happened in the garage, half full of old couches and toys, but much easier to clean up with the shop vac than trying to find every single little piece in my living room before Avery puts it in her mouth.)

Let the silly string extravaganza 2009 commence:







Avery Ann screamed the whole time. For some reason she did not approve of this behavior. It could be that I was holding her and taking pictures so we became the easy target. Noah had a hard time at first but once Wade showed him exactly how to hold it he had a full can and the rest of us were on empty. So not fair!

The rest of the night was spend with video game and movie zombies. After watching and losing a few brain cells on G-Force (from the redbox) we told the boys they could stay up "late" and play Lego Star Wars. Late being 9pm, after which they crashed and Wade and I watched movies into the New Year.

~

New Years Day activities included. Eating (or complaining) about black-eyed peas.

Avery lining up with all her new dolls for a viewing of Baby Einstein.

Friday was the first day the entire break that Wade didn't have to work at all! He cleaned up the garage for me! We also went to Best Buy and spent our gift card (thanks Ken!) and got something for everyone - XBox live card for Wade, Narnia one for the boys (we already have number two), Snow White for Avery and an i-Tunes card for me.

Happy New Year! We are very excited for what 2010 has to offer!