Ma-Ma Ba-ba

Metal Boy is quite a character. I've been trying to wean him from nursing. Metal girl quit nursing at 7 months, and it wasn't a big deal. We can usually go all day without nursing, but then he decides that he has to throw a few hints. He picks up the boppy pillow (used for nursing) from the floor and brings it to me and says "ma-ma ba-ba". Isn't that funny? Of course it melts my heart, so he's still nursing before going to sleep at night. Maybe this will fizzle out on it's own, I don't know. Gee, it seems like just yesterday when I was worrying about nursing in public. Now we're way past that stage. Sigh.

Would This Annoy You?

I have a long time friend whom I've known since my freshman year in high school. He and I were close friends all through high school and then we went to the same college. He and Mark were college roommates and friends, so that is how I met Mark. He was also our wedding singer. :) To say the least, we've always been close friends and kept up with each others lives.

Well, he is expecting his first child and just found out that the baby will be a boy. He was talking on the phone with Mark updating us on these details and then announced that the baby's name will be the same as our little boy. It's not a very common name. We were very surprised, but even more surprised when our friend was shocked because he'd forgotten the name of our child! He didn't realize that he was choosing the same name at all!

Even though I've sent him several cards and pictures signed with the name, he couldn't remember it! I really don't mind him using the same name because that happens and no one owns a name, but it does surprise me that a close friend can't remember the name of my child. I don't think he remembered the name of my daughter either! Is it a gender thing... remembering details like the name of a child of a close friend? I always remember these things. Mark thinks that it's because he's never met our kids in person. I guess it shouldn't be such a big deal to me.

What a Day

What a day was today...

I hadn't taken both kids out for over a week because of the Winter weather, so I was determined to get out early today no matter what obstacles got in my way.... and there were many!

We were all ready and out the door by 11 AM which is a feat for us. I got ready to put Metal Girl into the car to discover that her car seat wasn't there. We had been using Mark's car and forgot to put it back in mine. I had to put Metal Boy into his seat and go back for MG's old car seat which is still ok for her to use. While working on that, Metal Girl fell off the porch and pitched a fit. She wasn't hurt, but was upset that her pants were wet.

The iced encasing my car's tires looked slushy, so I thought I could get out, but low and behold I was stuck. My father-in-law heard the commotion. I sure hope that he didn't hear me saying bad words...surely not over the tires spinning out. He helped me break up the ice with a shovel. (Sure I'll be sore tonight since I've never broke up ice with a shovel in my life) We finally got my car out thirty minutes later!

When I got back home , most of that gosh-durned ice had melted. It was good to get out, though. I'm so ready for Spring, but really did enjoy getting one snow worth playing in. If only we hadn't had the ice on top of it.

Well, now I'll change the topic and tell you about yesterday. I had been thinking about Britney Spears. When I first heard about her head shaving incident, I kind of thought "how stupid", but I've since changed my mind. Last night I really thought about how she may be having problems with depression and this could even be post-partum depression. Depression and stress can be very hard to deal with, so sometimes doing something crazy can relieve that pressure. I have to think back to when I was in college and did some crazy things to relieve the terrible pain and pressure of depression. It's probably a good thing that I didn't have kids till I was in my thirties. I definitely wasn't ready for the responsibility till now. I hope that she stays in rehab this time and gets help. It can't help to be so hounded by the media concerning every little thing you do. Wouldn't it be horrible to never have any kind of privacy? And to have everyone in the entire world know your every problem. Ugh....what a nightmare.

I finally managed to get a pretty picture of the sunset a few evenings ago. I've been playing around with my camera to figure out the various settings. The snow here takes a long time to melt, so I've seen so many pretty sunsets over the snow.

A few nights ago we had a very starry sky. It was just so gorgeous. The sky looked sapphire blue with the stars glittering brightly. I could also see the white snow glittering on the ground. It looked so magical with everything sparkling.

I guess I got my Winter weather fix, because now I'm anxious for Spring. Spring is my most favorite time of the year. It's just such a wonderful time of the year where everything begins anew.

Metal Boy has been going non-stop like the energizer bunny. I actually tried to lie down for a short time to rest while he played and Metal Girl napped. (Unfortunately their naps do not coincide any more) I fell asleep only to be awakened by Metal Boy pulling my hair and poking me in the eye. I'm glad that he did, though. I don't like to fall asleep when he's busy getting into everything. We have things "baby-proof", but we keep discovering new things to baby-proof.

I've had way too much coffee today trying to wake up and be alert. And it didn't do one bit of good. Sigh.

Happy Feet

Metal Boy has had a lovely week. He took his first steps on Valentine's Day, and has been toddling all over the house. He is so proud of himself and claps and laughs after he does it. He loves pushing this doll stroller around the house. We've been trapped here all week, but MB has taken advantage of it getting lots of walking practice!

Ice Ice Ice

The snow was beautiful, but the ice is yucky. I've had to keep the kids inside because there's a layer of ice on top of the snow! It's just too slick. That's not so bad except that I have an energetic toddler with cabin fever. Actually, I have two energetic toddlers....but the little one is just starting to walk. He took his first steps yesterday on Valentine's Day! :)

Happy Icy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! This picture was taken yesterday during the snow portion of our Winter weather. Last night we had ice and freezing rain! No work for two days! :)

Tomorrow I am going with Metal Girl to her preschool Valentine party to help out. I'm bringing pink milk, pink yogurt and heart shaped cookies. She was very excited to make cards for her teachers and classmates. It's a fun day for treats.

So, do you celebrate Valentine's Day? I did as a child in school. It was fun to make cards for the other kids and to eat chocolates and cookies. During high school, I didn't care too much for it. It was a little depressing if one didn't have a boyfriend when the day rolled around.

Tomorrow, I think that I'll write about my favorite romantic comedy movies in honor of the occasion. This may be a fun Valentine's Day for us! We're expecting snow in the forecast.... possibly a big one! It's supposed to start tomorrow night and last through Wednesday! We'll see. I'll post a picture of it. We have a new sled to pull the kids around in, but I don't know if we'll be doing that if we get more than a few inches. :) If it does snow, it also needs to be just enough to close work. I need a snow day!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad for Valentine's Day

Hello! If you're looking for something really delicious to make for Valentine's day, this is a fun and easy recipe. It may be my new favorite desert. The flavor combinations are so good together! Enjoy! :)

Pretzel Salad Recipe

FIRST LAYER
2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted margarine
3 tablespoons sugar

SECOND LAYER
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 cups whipped topping (small container)

THIRD LAYER
1 lg pkg (6 ounces) strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (10oz) boxes frozen strawberries

Preheat oven to 400°. Put first layer in a 9x13x2-inch pan. Bake 8 minutes. Remove to cool.Second Layer - Beat sugar into cheese, stir in whipped topping. Spread over cooled pretzels.Third Layer - Mix gelatin, boiling water and strawberries together and set aside 10 minutes. Pour over cheese mixture; chill thoroughly.

Laundry Basket Rides

We love it when Daddy gives us laundry basket rides around the house! :)

Little Abner

He's a nice foot warmer on a cold day! He loves to have his tummy rubbed! Isn't he cute?! You can read the story of Abner Kitty on my previous post! :)

Good Morning, Little Abner

Good Morning, Abner Kitty....

This is one of my cats this morning. He was my first baby boy. For the last couple of years he had been a little stand-offish with me since the kids came. Finally, he has started being sweet again and visits with me more often. He was a stray cat when he first arrived on our doorstep. His mother was stray and wild, so she would bring her babies up to our porch to try to find some food. I fed them, but one day she left this one behind. She must have realized that she'd found a good home for her baby!

I have to tell you about the day that Metal Girl came home with us from the hospital. We brought her into the house in the baby carrier. Mark then fed the cats. Abner had come out to see her. Then she woke and was crying. It upset him so much that he threw up! It really shook him up. He still will not let the kids pet him. Maybe one day when they're a little older he'll settle down. :)

I'll tell the story of our first baby girl kitty sometime soon!

Twilight Zone

Metal Boy slept through the night last night! I do not remember if he has ever slept through the night before...maybe once. So now I feel like we're living in the Twilight Zone.

It didn't end there. Metal Girl refused to go anywhere this morning and went back to bed to rest and read books. MB went back to sleep for an early nap as well. Now I'm a little worried that they may be getting colds. I hope not!!!!!!!!!

Here's a picture of me and MB from this morning. He needs a haircut. MG says that he looks like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. I hate to cut his hair, though. It has a couple of little curls in the back.

Ah....I hear MB now....waking from the nap. Gotta run!

Whistle Pigs

My dad used to call them "Whistle Pigs". When we'd go on drives out in the country, we'd sometimes stop along the side of the road and see groundhogs standing up in the field on their hind legs and looking around. Sometimes they make a whistling sound. My dad used to whistle at them and they'd whistle back. What a funny memory.

I never heard much about Groundhog Day growing up, but always thought groundhogs were so cute. Now I live close to the home of Punxsutawney Phil....the famous PA groundhog who looks for his shadow every year to decide whether we'll have an early Spring or longer Winter. Have you ever seen the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray? Well, the real celebration is such a big deal...just like in the movie.

Groundhogs can be somewhat of a pest in your garden. They like to munch on some of the veggies. They're so chubby and so darn cute, though! I've heard of people having them as pets, but they can be ferocious if encountered in the wild. :)

I thought that a gopher and a groundhog were one and the same, but they really are different. A gopher is a small burrowing rodent, while the groundhog is a bigger animal. Groundhogs are also known as Woodchucks.