Freedom Salute

On Saturday, the boys and I went to the armory with Steve for an award ceremony for his company. In the picture to the right, Steve is presenting three of his soldiers with Army Commendation medals, which they earned while in Iraq. Another part of the ceremony was the Freedom Salute, which is one of the largest recognition programs in Army National Guard history. The Freedom Salute acknowledges Army Guard Soldiers and those who supported them during the President's call to duty for Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. The campaign began in December 2003 and has thus far recognized over 100,000 soldiers, family members, friends, and employers for their service and support. Each soldier is presented with an American flag in a wooden display case. The ceremony was really nice, and the Commanding General of the Idaho National Guard (Major General Lafrenz) spoke with each family and thanked them for their sacrifices, which I thought was particularly nice.

Here's Camden at the whiteboard in Steve's office

Trying out Steve's beret

Griffin, almost 6 weeks old

Time to feed Griffin and head off to bed. One more week of Army school for Steve, and then hopefully, life will begin to return to normal for all of us.

Happy Birthday, Violet Jean!

Today is our niece Violet's first birthday...I can't believe a year has gone by already! This photo was taken yesterday by my Aunt Jean, when the family celebrated her birthday in Hollis Center, Maine. We wish we could have been there! My mom and my aunt sent us lots of pictures of the festivities, and it looks like everyone had a great time!

Boo at the Zoo

This morning, the boys and I packed up the car and headed to Boise, for our first official "major" outing. Boy did we pick a doozy! "Boo at the Zoo" is held at Zoo Boise each October, and I'd heard from friends that it is a "mob scene" - - basically it is a huge Halloween party for kids, with air jumps, face painting, loads of good food, vendors, and of course, the animals. I decided we'd arrive at the time the zoo opened, so maybe we could get ahead of the crowds. Well, when we got there, there were literally thousands of people already there. It was crazy! We had to park over a half-mile away (thank the good Lord for our Sit and Stand stroller!) and then waited in line for over 20 minutes (which is equal to about 5 hours, when you are three years old). Camden was quite a trooper, not once whining or acting crazy. We had so much fun! All of the vendors had candy, so the kids could trick or treat throughout the whole zoo. Was it insanely packed with people? Yes. Was it nearly impossible to maneuver a stroller? You betcha. However, we'll be right back there next year. Camden absolutely loved it.
As you can see, Camden took the face painting rather seriously. Once we were done at the zoo, we hot-footed it for Barnes and Noble, for story time. Featured today was Clifford, the Big Red Dog, which is all-important in our home, as Clifford is Camden's current imaginary friend. After the stories were finished, Clifford made an appearance. It was pretty funny, because when Clifford appeared, a smattering of preschoolers began shrieking and running for their mothers. Not our boy! He boldly plowed through the melee, and positioned himself right in line, so that he wouldn't miss his chance to hug Clifford. We had a great day, and I have to say that toting a baby and a little boy around town wasn't nearly as difficult as I feared it would be. It wasn't even difficult really; it just took a ton of packing to get us out the door. I'll have to work on my timing -- it was a bit off this morning.

Time to get dinner ready!

Just Pictures

Sweet little Griffin Peter

The boys, before bed

Check out my Robeez, Papa!

Griffin's new double-chin

Peanut Shell

I do believe my life has just taken on new meaning. The other day, I ordered a Peanut Shell Sling, and it arrived today. I never had a sling with Camden, but since Griffin arrived, I've been struggling with the fact that we are now in a two-story house, I'm running up and down the stairs ALL day, and Griffin also seems to like to be held quite a bit. With a rambunctious 3-year old, I need both of my hands most of the time. Anyway, this sling is made out of microfleece and is all one piece. Easy to put on, comfortable (important for my back), and I think Griffin will love it. The poor boy - - I've been trying to get him to nap all morning, and then this arrives in the mail about 15 minutes after he fell asleep. Silly me - - I actually ripped him out of bed so I could try it out. He never woke up, so I'm thinking that's a good sign. Now, all I can think about is how many things I can actually get done now. Yippee! For anyone interested, you can find the Peanut Shell at www.goo-ga.com . Here's Griffin, all snuggled up inside. Coincidentally, he is one month old today!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Things have been pretty crazy around here lately, new baby and lack of sleep aside. We have tenants moving into our rental property on November 1st, and so there are just a few short days left to wrap things up next door. The floors have been refinished, the 3rd bedroom is almost finished, and the utility room is done. There is a ton of touch up painting to do, as well as a deep clean, and a handful of other odd jobs. Today I called Merry Maids and they'll be coming out on Thursday to give us a quote on cleaning the joint. Steve and his dad are next door as I type, putting a coat of poly on the bedroom floor. It is odd to think about that in a week, Steve will no longer have that house, weighing on his shoulders. Ever since we've been married, he's spend nearly every weekend working on something to do with that house. It will be so bizarre to have the weekend arrive and to be able to say, "What should we do this weekend?" I can't wait!
As you can see from the picture above, the boys took an afternoon off this past weekend so that we could visit the Berry Ranch and get some pumpkins. After that, we stopped at a local winery for their Harvest Festival. The weather was just perfect.
Griffin seems to have his first cold, I'm sad to say. Camden didn't get sick for the first time until he was 15 weeks old, so it breaks my heart to hear Griffin sniffing, snorting, and gagging, but I'm not completely surprised that he got sick. So, we are laying low right now, and I'm hoping in a day or two that he'll be feeling better.
I took this picture of Steve and Camden a couple of hours ago, when Steve got home from work. When I started preparing dinner tonight, Camden announced that he was going outside to "wait for Daddy". When Steve gets home at night, the first thing he does is play out in the yard with Camden. He's such a good father, and Camden loves him to pieces.

Be Careful What You Say to Chubby Ladies...

I believe I discovered the secret to post-partum weight loss yesterday. So I'm at the salon, having a very bad color job "corrected". My hairdresser and I are chatting happily, when she says, "Remind me again, when are you due?" To which I respond, "I had my baby three weeks ago." Her response? "Oh....sorry about that."
Nice.

Getting a Grip

I'm typing this morning with a sleeping 3-week-old in my lap, while trying to finish eating a lukewarm bowl of oatmeal and sip an already-reheated-in-the-microwave cup of coffee. Camden spent the night last night with my in-laws (they have a travel trailer out here), so I find myself with a bit of time to get caught up on a few things, and pull myself together. I'm still struggling a bit, trying to balance my time between a newborn who wants to be fed around the clock and needs me for everything, and a very active 3-year-old who misses his Mummy. I'm looking forward to the time where it won't hurt so badly. I really had no idea that it would be like this. I simply wasn't prepared for the emotional aspect of providing care for two completely different little creatures. I think the bulk of my struggle right now stems from the fact that I have been putting far too much pressure on myself these past three weeks to get everything done like I use to, rather than making adjustments where I need to, and create a new "normal".
I recently taped an article on the inside of my medicine cabinet, in an attempt to remind myself to calm down and let things happen as they are naturally meant to. It came from the September issue of Child magazine, and here is a small excerpt. It was entitled, "Confessions of an Imperfect Mother".

Looking back, I think my performance was mixed. In focusing on one child, I would often neglect another. What seemed like a good idea on Tuesday often proved to be a bad idea by the end of the week. I got tired. I was misinformed. Dare I say it? I was sometimes lazy. And scared. But now, 25 years later, with my children grown and raising children of their own, here is what I want to whisper in their ears.
Be patient. Nothing good you do for children is wasted. Some seeds simply take longer to germinate. Don’t be afraid. Your children’s success does not depend on you. It depends on them. This doesn’t mean you can retire to a bistro and watch their progress over an aperitif from a distance. But they want to come into their own even more than you want them to. Trust them more.

Phyllis Theroux

In other news, the rental next door continues to come right along. We had inquiries all weekend from potential renters. Steve and Dev sanded the floors, and will seal them next weekend. Our contractor arrives bright and early tomorrow morning to finish the third bedroom. We are right down to the wire, but it looks like it should be ready for tenants by November 1st.

I'll pick Camden up around 11:00 this morning, and then I think we'll head into the city for story time at the book store. Maybe we'll even stop by Daddy's office for a visit. I'm happy to report that after nearly a week of waking up every 1.5-2 hours during the night, Griffin slept for a nearly 5-hour stretch last night, so I feel like a new woman today. I am feeling badly for my husband and boys as they have had an unfit wife and mother the past few days. It is scary what severe sleep deprivation can do to a girl.

Time to get to some bill-paying and assorted paperwork.

Story Time

I had to post this picture that I took last night of Steve with the boys. Griffin looks as engrossed in the story as Camden does. You may also notice that Camden is in his Superman costume/jammies again - - he is knee-deep in a "costume phase" right now, and it is next to impossible to get him to put on actual clothes each day. He'd much prefer to wear his jammies all day long. We are currently rotating between Batman, Superman, and Spiderman.

All's well on the home front. Griffin seems to be entering a growth spurt and wants to eat all day long. I'm pretty sure our sofa is going to have a permanent imprint of my butt, because it seems that all I do is sit on the sofa 24 hours per day, nursing. Phew! This morning I am really feeling the effects of not enough sleep last night, but I'm pretty sure I'll live.

Tomorrow we have an appointment with the pediatrician to check Griffin's weight (he needs to be at least 7 lbs.), and for Camden to get a flu shot. I'm dreading that part of the appointment, because Camden isn't crazy about going to the doctor anyway, and I'm afraid a flu shot will throw the poor boy right over the edge. Wish us luck!

Still trying to fall into some sort of routine and I think we are slowly getting there. We've been out walking the past few days, and have been scouring the Treasure Valley Family magazine for fun things to do this month. I cannot believe how many great (and free, for that matter) activities there are for preschoolers. I think we'll also join a Mom's group, which will be good for me.

I don't often find (or make) the time to read, but when I was breastfeeding Camden, I read a ton of books. So, I'm happily reading again, since I spend so much time each day, sitting on the sofa! I recently finished, Still Me by Christopher Reeve, and it was really good. I learned so much about him and his accomplishments as an actor, prior to his accident. The real eye-opener for me was learning about his everyday life after his accident, and what it entailed. Now, I'm reading The Confession by James McGreevey. You may recall that he is the former governor of New Jersey, who resigned in 2004 after announcing that he was gay. He was recently on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and was so interesting. I really recommend his book - - I'm only about a third of the way through it, but he really is an amazing man, and a good writer.

Time for Camden and I to do a craft project, while Griffin is still snoozing.

Pictures

Here are some pictures that I wasn't able to post a couple of days ago:

Camden, shaving with Daddy

Griffin's first bath

Griffin loves his activity mat

Nana, Superman, and Griffin

General Update

My folks left early Saturday morning and we sure do miss them. We had such a great visit and I'm so glad they were here when Griffin was born. I just wish they lived nearby because I know we would spend a ton of time together. I'm already looking forward to our next visit - - I hope it is soon.

Yesterday, my sister-in-law stopped in for a visit, along with our nephew, Banzer. He's grown so much! I see him about once per week, but it seems like he changes so much every few days. He's full of smiles and has the longest eyelashes I've ever seen. We thought it would be fun to line the boys up for this picture. We are creating quite the little posse, I believe! Around this time next year, when Griffin and Banzer are starting to walk, we will really be in trouble! Later in the afternoon, our friends Chuck and Debi stopped by for a visit, with their kids, Aaron and Georgia. Aaron brought his old "big boy bike" for Camden, along with some hand-me-down costumes, which was right up Camden's alley because he is all about dressing up in costumes right now. They also brought us a brand new, never-been-used Baby Jogger double jogging stroller. I guess they got it a few years back when their daughter was younger, but never used it. It is gorgeous and is sure to get lots of use at our house. Yippee!!

Today I found myself feeling quite a bit more human. My dear husband saw to it that I got to sleep in for the past two days, which was wonderful. It really helped a lot. I was also able to get out for a walk with the boys today. I think pushing 50 lbs. worth of boys in a double stroller was a bit much, so tomorrow I'll stick to the treadmill, but it was great to get some fresh air just the same. This afternoon, Steve took us on a scenic drive, and then we stopped off at the river so Steve and Camden could do a little fishing and rock-throwing.

Earlier in the day, Camden informed Steve that he needed a shave, so of course Daddy obliged and "pretend" shaved Camden's face. Camden thought that was about the best thing ever.

Per usual, I have a few more photos to post, but Blogger won't let me, so I'll have to do a separate post for pictures.

Griffin is calling, so this is all for now!

My Boys

Thought I would post a couple of pictures from today. Griffin is having a hard time staying awake at all during the day...the poor boy wakes up long enough to eat and then goes right back to sleep. Unfortunately, around 9:30 at night, he decides it is time to be perky and alert. Last night, he actually slept for a 4-hour stretch (from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.), but unfortunately, Camden woke me up about 2 hours through that stretch, so I wasn't able to enjoy it!
I'm finding the most challenging aspect of this adjustment is that I struggle to find a balance in being sensitive to Camden's needs while he adjusts, and keeping his naughtiness in check. I'm very proud of how well he has handled Griffin's arrival, but he is beginning to show signs of possible jealousy over the fact that my time is now divided. I'm sure it will get easier with time, but right now I hurt for Camden.
Time to get supper started. Steve was able to get an earlier flight home from Arizona, so he should be here before I go to sleep. I really missed him this week and can't wait to see him.
Tomorrow we'll clean house and do some baking, and on Saturday, my folks head back to Maine. I wish they could move in! We are going to miss them so much!

One Week Old

Well our boy is one week old today. He is such a sweet little thing - - I just can't believe I'm the mom of these two wonderful boys. Camden has been great - - he loves his little brother and is constantly asking, "Where's my baby?" whenever he enters a room. He hasn't shown any hostility to speak of, but is having a bit of trouble in keeping himself from constantly poking Griffin in the face, or worse yet, on the "soft spot". I had to take Griffin to the pediatrician today because he was looking a bit yellow (turns out he is fine, just slightly jaundiced), and asked our doctor for some advice in dealing with Camden's constant poking. Hopefully it will work! Griffin has gained 3.5 ounces in 3 days, so he's up to 6 lbs., 14.5 ounces, from 6 lbs., 7 ounces when we brought him home. The doctor was pleased with how quickly he is putting on weight. As you can see, Griffin has the "family chin" - - very round and small, with quite a dimple in the center. He's as cute as he can be.
Yesterday, I had all of my staples removed, which was a great relief. They were pretty uncomfortable. This c-section has been much harder to recover from than my first. I think it might be that I was so exhausted and "drugged out" the first time that I didn't feel much pain! This time though, it has just been a little harder. I am feeling much better today though, so I'm happy about that. I even went for a short walk with Mum and the boys, and it was great to be outside.
Camden had a blast, sliding with Nana. Nana sure was a good sport, going down the tube slide over, and over, and OVER.
Steve is in Phoenix this week at an Army class, and we can't wait until he comes back on Thursday. Steve and my dad painted the old house this past weekend, and today my dad spent most of the day working on the trim. The house has always been white and didn't really stand out at all from the other houses on the street. We decided to paint it yellow with white trim, and then have dark green accents. It came out so nice, and today we got some compliments from two of our neighbors, so that was great. Things are really coming together on the old house, and hopefully we'll have it rented soon.
I have to say, things are going really well. I'm not getting much sleep at all, but I couldn't be happier with my boys.

We are home!

Hello! We were discharged this afternoon, and I'm very happy to be back at home. Griffin Peter was born on Tuesday, September 26th, at 9:47 a.m. He weighed exactly 7 pounds - - needless to say, we were surprised at how tiny he was! He looks so much like Camden did when he was born, although his hair is much darker, and he has a much more prominent chin dimple. He is a very sweet baby, and we are all in love!

Just a few minutes after birth...

Griffin and his sweet big brother

With my wonderful doctor

Getting ready to leave the hospital

Off to the hospital...

Steve and I are about to leave for the hospital, and as you can see, I am ready to go! Didn't get much sleep last night, mostly because I was having so many contractions! So, I'm glad that today is the day. I will attempt to have someone send out an email this afternoon, otherwise, I'll post all of Griffin's stats when I get home from the hospital, either Thursday or Friday. Thanks to everyone for all of the great emails I received yesterday and over the weekend, I was really touched.

Five More Sleeps!

This is something my mother has always said (and still says), leading up to a "big event", such as Christmas, or a trip. I think in this case, it probably would have been more accurate to say, "Five More Nights of Fitful Thrashing, Constant Waking, Leg Cramps, and Tingly Arms", but that's another post altogether. Yes, I'm in the final, ugly week of pregnancy. My body is doing things that I simply cannot share with you, I have about 4 pieces of clothing that I can actually wear, and I want this kid outta me. I don't remember feeling this way, at this point, when I was pregnant with Camden. Maybe it is my age (seriously, I only missed the "Advanced Maternal Age" label by 4 months, folks), maybe I am just a big baby. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure I'll survive the next 5 days just fine, as long as I can keep my whining under control.

Yesterday, I'm afraid I was all but useless. I WANTED to be productive, but I just felt awful. I've come to the conclusion that my severely squished digestive system can only handle small portions of very bland food from here on out, so I'll give that a try and see if it helps. I have a new outlook on life today, and I'm hoping I can actually get something accomplished in this house. I think Camden and I will head to the Big City this morning to do a couple of errands, and then we'll pay a visit to the library this afternoon.

I just heard some little feet running across the floor upstairs, so it must be 6:00 a.m.

Here are some random pictures from the past few days:

The boys, changing lures before their fishing trip this past Sunday

The other boys, sharing some quality time in the back yard

Recently, Camden has been wanting his dad to have "sleepovers" in his room. Since Camden has the World's Best Father, Steve willingly obliges, setting up sofa cushions next to Camden's bed mattress, on the floor in Camden's room. They actually had a sleepover last night, but Steve informed me this morning that this won't be happening on weeknights anymore! Apparently, Cam rolls onto the floor all night long, and Steve feels obligated to keep placing him back on his mattress, therefore, the man gets no sleep.

Must get breakfast prepared and get this day started!

More house pictures, etc.

It has taken me a long time to start posting pictures of the house. No real reason other than my head seems to be in 50 different places at the same time right now. Here is a shot, looking into the living room/dining area, from the front door as you enter the house. There is a door at the right of the dining area that leads to the kitchen, and there is a hallway to the left, that leads to our bedrooms, bathroom, laundry room, and the stairs to the basement. We are excited to start using the wood stoves this winter - - you can see that there is one in the living room, and there is also a great one in the family room downstairs. We need to have the chimney inspected first, and need to order some wood. I love wood heat, and I'm excited that we have it in this house.

This is to the left, when you walk in the front door. I'm anxious to paint the living room a warmer color (it is a very bright room), but won't be getting around to that until next spring, most likely.

This is looking at the living room, from the dining area (obviously). Steve mentioned last night during dinner that it is so nice to be living in a house that doesn't really need any work. Some of you faithful readers are quite aware of what our old house was like - - what it is still like - - it has a lot of work left to be done on it (before it can be rented) so whenever a weekend rolls around, Steve feels like he needs to be working on it. Once it is all done, it is going to be wonderful to have "nothing" to do on the weekends. As I've mentioned before, our new house has a bit of a "'70's" feel to it - - it has been a long time since it has been updated. Some of it works, some of it doesn't. I'm amazed what a new coat of paint can do, in terms of changing the entire look of a room. Once I get settled into a new routine with the boys, I hope to get some major painting done. We think eventually that we'll remodel the upstairs bathroom, as well as the kitchen, but for now they are just fine and there is no need at all to do anything drastic.

Camden and I will be heading to Meridian this morning, for my final OB appointment. When I see my doctor next Tuesday, I'll be strapped to the OR table, ready to have Griffin! Hard for me to believe right now - - I just cannot wait to see this baby. My folks arrive around lunchtime on Saturday, which is great. I'm glad they will be here a few days before he is born.

Steve is as busy as ever at work. This coming weekend is a drill weekend, so he we won't see much of him until Monday. He found out yesterday that he will have to be out of town the week after Griffin is born, but thankfully my parents will still be here.

Riley has decided he prefers to be outside, rather than inside, which is a welcomed change. He stayed out all day yesterday, alternating between lounging under the big tree, and barking at squirrels. He's a little stiff this morning, and I'm thinking I need to give him a little pain medication, as he wasn't too excited to climb up the stairs to go outside. It is hard to see him getting old - - it doesn't seem possible to me that he is almost 10 years old. Sadie is actually a few months older than Riley, but she doesn't act old yet, she just acts crazy. I wish I could give her a pill that would make her act like a normal dog, but alas, no such luck.

Getting Ready for Griffin...

Here we are just a few minutes ago, putting together the stand for the beautiful Moses bed we just received in the mail! I knew it was coming today, so I've been pacing most of the day, waiting for the UPS guy to get here. I felt awfully handy with my Black & Decker power screwdriver - - it got the job done. The bedding is denim, with blue and white stripes - - it is gorgeous. It will be so nice to have Griffin right next to me at night for the first couple of months. The great thing about Moses baskets are that you can take them out of the stand and carry them from room to room with you, and not disturb baby. Thank you so very much, Roland and Susan - - I LOVE IT!

Here is a picture of the finished product, in our bedroom

Camden and I are having a lovely day - - it finally feels like autumn here. Camden broke out his jeans and long sleeves, as it was a bit too cold for short sleeves. It actually feels nice to be a little chilly for a change. We dug out our Halloween shirts today to see if they still fit. We were really happy to find out that Camden can squeeze another Halloween out of his shirt. The sleeves are bordering on being too short, but I think we can get away with it:My shirt, on the other hand, seems to have shrunk a little (warning...not for the faint of heart): We'll see if I can squeeze into it by October 31st! I think Camden and I will head next door to the old house and bring a few things over here. I still have a lot to move out of my closet, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Steve is pretty busy for the next few days, so we won't be seeing much of him until Sunday, unfortunately. We miss you, honey!

I also wanted say hello to my cousin Janet, one of my faithful blog readers in New York...Janet, I got your email and I promise to post more pictures from now on...I'll have pictures of the new house before the weekend is out!

Big Brother Class

Yesterday, Steve and I took Camden to the hospital where Griffin will be born, for "Sibling Preparation Class". It was a hoot. He and a handful of other 3 to 5 year-olds were taught the finer points of being a "big brother" or "big sister". He was feeling pretty bashful at first, but it didn't take him long to warm up and join right in. He learned all about what a new baby is like, how to change a diaper, swaddle a baby, and how to help Mom and Dad.

Here's Camden, learning to change a diaper

Learning to swaddle

Checking out pictures of newborn babies

The kids were also taken on a tour of the hospital, which included a stop at the maternity ward. They got to see a room like where mommy will stay, and also got to go by the nursery and see a new baby. It was a great class, and Camden seemed to like it quite a bit. He mentioned quite a few times yesterday, "I the big brudder!" so I think it made an impression on him.

On the way home, Steve took the scenic route through the hills. The weather was gorgeous - - in the low 80's, so we could ride with all the windows down (instead of having to use the a/c). I stopped and snapped this picture - - the hills were just beautiful. A few little farms scattered here and there. I commented to Steve how peaceful it must be to live there.

Today, Steve is busy next door, scraping paint in preparation of painting the outside of the house. Camden and I are playing and doing chores. We've been putting our Halloween decorations up...a bit early but then again, I'd be pushing my luck if I waited much longer! I made pumpkin spice waffles this morning for breakfast, and the house smells great. I love autumn, and although it is still quite hot out here, I can tell it is not far off.

Peach Cobbler

Our new house came with a big peach tree, so I tried my hand at baking a fresh peach cobbler yesterday. I Googled "peach cobbler", and chose a recipe from The Food Network. Oddly enough, while I was gathering the ingredients, I noticed the recipe's author was Kristina Williamson from Schooner Ellida in Rockland, Maine! I figured that it was meant to be. Anyway, the recipe is great. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and is super easy to make. I'm sure it would taste great using frozen (thawed) peach slices. I do have to say, peeling fresh peaches is kind of a pain.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a 1.5 quart shallow casserole dish.

Filling Ingredients:
4 cups sliced peaches (either fresh/peeled, or frozen/thawed)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. flour

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together until peaches are coated. Pour into casserole and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile combine:

1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tbsp. brown sugar

Then, using a pastry blender, cut in:

4 tbsp. chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Continue cutting until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Then, add:

2/3 cup buttermilk

Stir to form a soft dough. Remove fruit from oven and drop rounded spoonfuls of dough on top. Sprinkle this with some brown sugar and return to oven. Bake until bubbly and crust topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

I served this with some vanilla ice cream on top, and a dollop of Cool Whip.

Wildfires

Idaho is on fire, folks. According to the NIFC website (www.nifc.gov), there are currently 10 states reporting one or more wildfires. Idaho is in the lead with 16 fires currently burning (180,587 acres), with only 3 fires currently contained. Next behind Idaho is Washington, with 9 fires burning. Sometimes, fires occur naturally, ignited by heat from the sun or a lightning strike. However, the majority of wildfires are the result of human carelessness. You may wonder what this does to the air quality. Yesterday, the Air Quality Alert was set at "red", which prompted the Boise School District to have to cancel all outdoor athletic practices and games for school children. Plain and simple, all you can smell is burning wood. It does a number on people with any kind of respiratory trouble. Kids may be affected more, because their little airways are still developing. A couple of weeks ago, there was a huge wildfire in Ola (about 30 miles from here), and when we got up in the morning, the car, patio table, etc., were covered in ash.

After the Ola Fire was contained, we took a drive there to see the landscape. It was pretty sad to see how much land had been affected.

In the above picture, the darker area in the hills (most of the picture) is land that has burned. This was just a portion of what burned.

Here is a close-up shot of some of the burned trees

Last summer, there was a crazy man who led police on a high-speed chase through a couple of Idaho towns. Law enforcement layed down a spike mat, which popped the tires on the man's car, but he kept right on driving on the rims. As you can imagine, driving on your rims causes lots of sparks. As if he wasn't already in enough trouble, he proceeded to set off something like 14 fires, until he finally stopped his car.

The air still smells a little putrid today, but doesn't smell quite as bad as it did yesterday morning. The temperatures are suppose to go down a bit starting tomorrow, so hopefully that will help.

Boys

I must admit, I am beginning to get a little nervous about being outnumbered by boys. I've never really thought about it much, until recently, with Griffin's arrival coming right up. I mean, I'm already outnumbered, but with Griffin thrown into the mix, I don't stand a chance! Steve has had to remind me that some of Camden's behaviors are "a boy thing", such as throwing rocks, rubbing dirt all over himself, being gross, etc. This morning, Camden was playing outside when he yelled to me, "Mummy! I found a wormy!" He was so proud of himself. I gently told him that his "wormy" looked to be dead, but he insisted that the worm was just "resting". After I took this picture, Camden told me he needed a plastic dish and a pillow and blanket for his worm. As I type, "Wormy" is resting comfortably in a small Tupperware, with a cotton ball pillow and toilet paper blanket. I think he's in the living room.
Moving onto this afternoon - - we got out our art supplies, and Camden announced he needed a Spiderman mask. Thank goodness for the internet, and a quick Google search of Spiderman and voila! A Spiderman mask.

So far, we are doing well being at home. Granted, I am still waking up at the crack of dawn, but I guess there isn't much I can do about that for now. I decided that for this week, we aren't going to have any solid plans or structure to our day - - I feel like I need a few days just to unwind and figure out how to manage a household full-time, raise my child (soon to be children), and take care of myself. I am mostly just relaxing and enjoying being with Camden. He is such a good boy, and smart as a whip. I'm already seeing how much I've missed, all those hours that I spent at work.

I'm feeling pretty tired at this point, but only 20 more days to go! I can't believe Griffin will be here in less than 3 weeks. So much to do before then!

Mystery Solved

I can't help myself...this is worth a second post today. Our new house has a great pantry in the basement. You may remember this as the sight of the "plumbing incident" that occurred early last month. It is actually where the hot water heater and sump pump are located, but Lew had built some great shelves along the wall, and the room is just perfect for excess groceries and an assortment of kitchen appliances. As much as I love the room, about a week or two after we moved in, I became painfully aware of a funky odor that seemed to lurk there. I kept saying, "It smells like a dead animal down here!" I told myself that the smell was the result of the gallons of water that had blasted through the room when the pipes broke. I told myself the smell would go away. I bought an air freshener. Then I bought another air freshener. Soon the room smelled like dead animal, with a twist of citrus. I told Steve the smell was getting worse, yet neither of us could come up with a solution.
Fast forward to this morning. I'd been wanting to rearrange a few items in the pantry, namely, our large Coleman cooler, and the big plastic bin that holds the dog food. I never had really found a proper place for either, and figured, I'm unemployed, I think I'll do it today! I grabbed the handle to the cooler and pulled it over next to the freezer - - a perfect spot for it. As I did, there was an audible "slosh". Hmmm. My first thought was that during the "flood", water had gotten into the cooler. Aha! Stagnant water, possibly mold, lurking inside...stench solved! I quickly flipped the top of the cooler open, not even remotely prepared for what I would find. There, sitting in a pool of red water, was a lone package of, you guessed it - - ground elk meat. Rotten to the high heavens. I dry-heaved a couple of times, then closed the lid as fast as I could. Have you ever smelled raw meat, that has been sitting at room temperature for nearly four weeks? I didn't think so. Now, how did a package of elk meat find its way into my cooler, you ask? I'm not one to point fingers, but lets go ahead and backtrack a little. I'm rather pregnant, so I'm quite sure that I didn't move the very large deep freezer over here from our old house, nor did I transport the 100+ pounds of frozen elk meat. That task was tackled by my husband, and my father. Now that I think about it, I do recall my dear father boasting about how nicely he had arranged all of the elk meat, by cut, in the freezer. Apparently, "someone" (remember, I'm not pointing fingers) overlooked a package.
Needless to say, our poor cooler is now out in the alley, next to the garbage cans (with the rotten meat still inside). No matter what you say, you can't make me believe that I would ever be able to get that smell out. Even if I did, it would give me nightmares, for sure. Steve claims he might remove the offending item from the cooler, so as not to surprise some unsuspecting garbage men . I told him I didn't recommend opening that lid, but I'll leave that up to him. Now I must go, and spray some more Lysol up my nose.

Welcome to my new life...

Yesterday was my last day of work. I am now officially a stay-at-home mom! You may be wondering what the heck I am doing up at 5:20 a.m. - - I'm kind of wondering the same thing, too. The short answer is, I'm nearly 36 weeks pregnant, and I don't really sleep anymore, I take cat naps. The other answer is that I am so use to getting up early, coupled with the fact that Steve's alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m. (I'm a light sleeper and once I hear that alarm, I'm pretty much awake for the day, unfortunately).

I had started a post early in the week that I ended up deleting. It seems that I've been struggling with the fact that I wouldn't have a paying job anymore. I don't know that it was necessarily the paycheck I was going to miss, but more the sense of self. I've never not worked for a paycheck, so I don't really know what to expect, going into this new phase of my life. Anyway, a couple of days ago, I started to get really excited about what was about to happen. I'd been spending so much time worrying and wondering that I hadn't really stopped to think about how lucky I am. So today I am sitting here with a big smile on my face, happy to have this opportunity to be with my boys.