We are back at my mom's house for another visit. A bunch of family is coming into town tomorrow for a visit: Uncle Todd, Aunt Debbie, and my cousins Rachel, Logan and Kyle and also Uncle Dwight, Aunt Martha and my cousin Chloe and her kids Madalynn and Crosby. It's like a mini family reunion around here!
On our way here today, we stopped to visit my grandma, who is currently living in a nursing home. I am always nervous taking my kids to a place like that, because I want them to be on their best behavior! The girls did well. We were able to find a fairly quiet hall where we could sit and visit, and the girls could run around without being in the way too much. Audrey even got to go for a ride with Grammy Lois in her wheelchair.
On a side note, I really need to get my camera back out. Since I got my iphone, I have just been using it to take pictures because it is new, and it is convenient. But the quality is just not the same!
I'm not sure that this is really a blog-worthy topic, but it's all I have for today.
I have been noticing lately how much Audrey is a creature of routine. She loves to follow the same routines every day, and she loves when she knows exactly what is going to happen next. I think it is a fairly normal and good thing for kids this age to like routines, but Audrey seems to have an exceptional appreciation for the expected routine.
Like today, at the library, I realized that we have a very set routine every time we go to the library. I never set out to make it a routine, but we just always do the same things every time, without even thinking about it.
First, we park in the garage under the library. It is a little more expensive than parking on the street, but you never have to drive around looking for a spot. Plus, if we park below the library, we get to take the elevator up to the library. This is still a very fun thing for my girls. Audrey always pushes the buttons in the elevator, and now Isla has decided that she too needs to push the buttons after Audrey pushes them.
Once in the library, we head to the book return slot. Audrey and Isla take turns putting our books and movies down the slide.
Then we go to the children's section. First we look at the books. Audrey has started picking out her own books, and we usually get 4-5 books (though today we came home with 7). After the books, we head to the movie section and pick out two movies. Then, recently, we have been going to the audio CDs and picking out a Disney movie soundtrack. (We then listen to that CD in the van for the entire two weeks we have it checked out, and Mom and Dad are always ready to return it!).
While Audrey and I are picking everything out, Isla loves to just wander around the children's area, going up and down the aisles. There are some toys that she sometimes plays with. Today, she brought her baby doll and bottle, and she spent the whole time carrying her baby around and stopping to feed her in various places. Sometimes Audrey plays with the puzzles or puppets or colors a picture.
I rarely browse the shelves looking for books for me, but I often have a
book waiting on hold for me to pick up when we check out. Our actual library doesn't have a great selection of books. But the system that our library is connected with has pretty much any book you could ever want, you just have to request it.
Then we go back down the elevator and back to the car. The whole process is about 45 minutes total.
And I usually (always) drive through McDonalds on the way home for a Diet Dr. Pepper.
Today was the first day since before Christmas that I have felt productive and motivated. For the past two weeks, we have just been in survival mode. Daniel and I are still fighting some congestion and coughing, but finally today I was able to regain a little sense of normalcy. I crossed several things off my to do list, and I made a real meal for my family for the first time in a long time!
One of my tasks for the day was to start organizing and decluttering the kitchen. I sorted through several cabinets and found a big pile of pans, bowls, and kitchen stuff for the garage sale pile. However, before it made it to the garage sale pile, Audrey and Isla discovered it. They thought this random collection of pans and utensils was the best thing ever! And so they spread everything out all over the kitchen floor and played for a long time.
I'm trying to use the camera on the iphone and test it out. It's not quite the same as the DSLR, but it is probably a slight upgrade from my old phone. Isla looked so cute tonight in her pajamas, carrying around her blankets and ready for bed. I kept trying to get a picture of her, but she just didn't want to stand still!
For dinner tonight, I made baked potato soup. We are big fans of this soup, so I thought I would share the recipe with all of you. I also made these bread machine breadsticks and this crispy edamame. (Notice the small serving of edamame on my plate...I'm not a fan, but Daniel loves it!).
Ok, so here is the recipe for the soup. I adapted it from this recipe to make it lower fat and a little healthier. It is by no means a low fat recipe, but I do think that my version is considerably less in fat and calories than the original.
BAKED POTATO SOUP
8 Russet potatoes, baked, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups lowfat milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup bacon, crumbled (when feeling lazy, I just buy the bag of real bacon bits)
4 green onions, chopped
8 ounces Cheddar cheese
8 ounces light sour cream
In a large saucepan or stock pot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook about one minute. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in chicken broth.
Stir in potatoes, salt, pepper, bacon bits, green onions, and cheese. Simmer over low heat until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream and heat through. You can serve it topped with bacon bits, green onions and cheese if you want.
We took Isla to the doctor today because she has been super irritable and not sleeping well. She has an ear infection.
While there, they weighed her and she weighed in at 20 lbs, 12 oz. If you have been following the saga of Isla's growth here, then you may know that's not good. A weight loss of almost a pound! She was 21 lbs, 8 oz at her checkup two weeks ago. I suspected that she was losing weight as she has been not feeling well for over a week now, and her appetite has not been normal. I'm sure that is why she has lost weight. So as she starts to feel better, she should start to eat better and gain some weight back.
But, the doctor doesn't like to see her weight moving backwards. So we have to go back yet again in three weeks for another weight check (and a recheck of her ears). And it's possible they will go ahead with the bloodwork that was planned for two weeks ago but got cancelled because she had gained weight. Things are just up and down all the time with this girl
She did eat a really good lunch today after coming home from her doctor's appointment. Then she drank two full cups of milk (unusual for her). Grow baby Isla, grow!! Here she is showing off her sticker she got at the doctor's office.
I already rate and review books on Goodreads, and I plan to continue to use Goodreads because I love it. If you follow me on Goodreads, the reviews on my blog will look suspiciously the same as my Goodreads reviews. But I thought it would be fun to have my own little corner of the internet where I could rant and rave about books.
Sorry the year has started a little slow on this blog. My family has just had a rough time for the past week, so there is not much to post. We still aren't well yet. Pretty sure that Isla has an ear infection now, so we will be making a trip to the doctor for her tomorrow. Audrey is back to school and Daniel is working. Other than that, we are just in survival mode trying to keep up and make sure everyone is fed and somewhat clean and rested. Stay tuned, happier times should be coming soon, right??
It has been almost a week since Isla and I first got sick, and we are still not better. Well, we are better than we were last week, but we are not 100% yet. And Daniel and Audrey still aren't 100% yet either. I think I would put us all in the 60-70% range.
All of this sickness and not feeling well has put me in a grumpy mood as we start this new year. I just want to feel good, and I want my family to feel good. I know that we will eventually get back to normal. So to put myself in better spirits, I am making a list tonight of some things I am looking forward to in 2013.
1. My new iphone. I finally got an iphone! This is a pretty big deal, as I have never had a smart phone. I have always had a cheap, free phone with no data plan. I just started texting last year. So I am excited to finally catch up with the rest of the world and be one of the cool kids!
2. Reading new books. I got $65 in Barnes and Noble gift cards for Christmas, and I am starting to stock up my Nook with lots of new books to read this year. I'm also thinking about starting a book blog.
3. Oscar movie season. It's that time of year again! I don't know if I will be able to see all the nominated movies this year (the nominees aren't even announced yet), but there are several that are on my list to see in the near future including: Silver Linings Playbook, Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty.
4. Saving money for a new kitchen. I really want a new kitchen. I don't think it is going to be possible to remodel our kitchen this year, but I have decided this is going to be the year to build up our kitchen remodel savings account. Maybe 2014 will be the year of the new kitchen.
5. Warmer weather. There are still a few months of winter left, but after that...it will get warm again!
6. Isla will talk. I feel pretty confident that by the end of 2013, either with or without the help of speech therapy, Isla will be saying more than she is now. And I really look forward to that day!
7. Possible 10 year anniversary trip. Daniel has been saying for years that we need to go on a big trip to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary (December 2013). I'm not sure how big the trip will be (due to #4 above), but I definitely think we need to make this a priority.
I'm sure there will be much more to look forward to in 2013, but that is a good list to keep me thinking more positively.
I think our family is on the upswing now. Maybe. We all have some congestion and coughs, so we may not be quite out of the woods yet. But at least the vomiting, nausea and fevers seem to be gone.
This is going to be one big long post with an update on all our Christmas travels. I always feel the need to put a warning at the beginning of my long posts!
We started on the Saturday before Christmas with a surprise 70th birthday party for Daniel's dad. Isla was so cute carrying his balloons all over the house.
This ledge is Isla's favorite spot at Mimi and Papaw's house.
After church on Sunday:
Mimi and Papaw and all their grandkids:
Then it was time for our first family Christmas with Daniel's parents and siblings. Audrey just loves presents. She loves passing out presents to people. She loves opening presents. She loves watching other people open presents. She just loves the whole process, and did not get tired of it at all over three days and four different gift exchanges. She gives the best reactions when she opens gifts, "Oh thank you! I just love it!" She always seems genuinely excited about her gifts, and she is very good at remembering to thank everyone. This year, she also added an extra touch by kissing every single one of her presents after opening. I hope she never loses this joy, because it is so much fun to watch.
I don't think we ever got a good video of Audrey opening a present. Here is one of her "helping" Isla.
One of Audrey's favorite gifts of the season was this Cinderella board game. She wants to play it all the time and has not grown tired of it yet (though Daniel and I definitely have)! It is the first board game that has really kept her attention and that she has been willing to sit and play and follow the rules from beginning to end.
Audrey also has been having fun with this dress up kit with earrings and jewelry and shoes and wands and stuff. Isla is a big fan of the necklaces, as expected!
Later Sunday evening, we went to Daniel's aunt and uncle's house for another Christmas celebration...and more presents!
On Christmas Eve, we drove five hours to my aunt's house to celebrate Christmas with my dad's side of the family. Time for more presents!!
Audrey helping her cousin Josiah open presents. Audrey was always eager to open presents for others who might need some help.
With Grandpa John (my dad):
After my dad's Christmas, we drove another hour to my mom's house and hurried to get there in time to get ready for Christmas Eve service at her church. We filled up an entire row, and it was a front row. Sitting in the front row with four small children probably wasn't the best idea, but we made it!
Here is my niece Braxen wearing the same Christmas dress Isla wore last year!
They had battery operated lights for the kids, and Isla really liked hers. She even raised it up high in the air during the final verse of Silent Night; it was pretty cute.
Here are the girls posing with some M&M's at Mom and Marcus' house after church.
Before bed on Christmas Eve, Audrey, Isla and Josiah had new Christmas PJ's to open and wear to bed. (Although we couldn't get Isla interested in opening hers, so Audrey gladly opened them for her).
Then, it was Christmas morning!! The girls opened their stockings first thing.
After stockings, we had breakfast and then I read through the whole Advent book with Audrey and Josiah.
And then, more presents! We could nickname this the Christmas of never-ending presents! The girls opened all their presents from us.
By Christmas morning, Isla was starting to get the idea of opening presents. She was also learning from her sister how to give a good reaction when you see what is inside a present.
Isla thought her present was the perfect seat. She loves anything at this height, just right for sitting!
We took a break and played with those presents, then my mom brought out all her presents for everyone. Then we had lunch and my grandma and brother and his family came over, so we opened presents yet again. I wasn't joking about the never-ending presents!
Here is my nephew Josiah riding his cool new bike.
And my niece Braxen with her new puppy pal.
All the kids playing with their new toys. They really stayed occupied most of the day with all these new things around to enjoy!
Later on Christmas, Poppa helped Audrey and Josiah decorate a Rice Krispie treat train.
And that's all of my pictures. The day after Christmas Isla got sick and it all went downhill from there.
I am really thankful that we made it through Christmas and most of our travels before the sickness hit. It was also nice to have my mom around to help take care of us while we were sick!
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