Cabin Fever

I just deleted a post I've been working on for the past 10 minutes or so, because when I went back and re-read it, I was basically yammering on, not making much sense. This sort of goes with how I've been feeling lately. Long story. I'll spare you the details and instead just tell you that I am SO ready for spring, and ready to get out of the house. There is not a lot to do in this town (with small children), and driving to the city every day just isn't practical. So, while we wait for spring to officially arrive, we'll keep taking advantage of nice breaks in the weather as they come. Today it is supposed to reach 44 degrees, so we'll be packing up the stroller after lunch and heading out for a long, long walk. In the meantime, here are some recent photos:

Camden's new obsession: Paul Bunyan

Two of the reasons I don't get a lot of sleep. As you can see, there isn't much room for me.

Camden discovers the joys of Nutella

My boys

A picture from Steve's recent camping trip. Yes, in the snow, and it was 20 degrees below zero. Not kidding. That's Steve's partner in craziness, Chuck. At least they camped next to a hot spring!

Question of the Week

After only one week, Friday Fill-in-the-Blank has morphed into Question of the Week. It hurt my head too much to come up with another fill-in-the-blank. Sorry. So, I give you the Question of the Week:

Do you have a favorite weird food or weird drink combination? If so, what is it? If not, did you ever have one when you were growing up?

Recipe of the Week

Many, many months ago, I claimed I was going to post a recipe every week. I think I did it three times, I can't remember. I'm going to go ahead and give it another try, because I'm always cooking and trying new recipes. Today I am going to share a couple of my favorite bread machine recipes. I use my bread machine three or four times per week - - I love my bread machine.

This first recipe is for Oatmeal Pizza Crust. I use this every Monday, because Monday night is "pizza night" in our home. I love pizza night because it is so simple, and the boys love it. My Aunt Jean shared a recipe for veggie pizza with me a few years back, and this is the crust from that recipe.

Oatmeal Pizza Crust

3/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp. peanut oil (I usually use canola)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oats (I like to use different things here - - sometimes rolled oats, sometimes steel cut oats, and for extra crunch, some 7-grain cereal)
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. yeast

Add ingredients in bread machine as suggested by manufacturer; select "dough" cycle. When cycle is complete, remove dough to a lightly floured surface. Flatten out and roll into a 12" circle. Place on pizza pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Form a rim by pinching the edges of the dough. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with some oil, and prick dough randomly with a fork. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and par bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Add desired toppings and return to oven and bake for 10 minutes.

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This next recipe is the bread I make each week (2-3 times!) for our standard loaf of bread. This one is Steve's favorite. I like it too, as it stays quite moist, and tastes great. I love to toast it for breakfast, and spread some cashew butter on it.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread
(1 1/2 pound loaf)

1 cup, plus one tablespoon of warm water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. shortening
1 tbsp. dry milk
1 tsp. yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine and press start! I prefer to use the "dough" cycle, and when the cycle is over, I knead the dough lightly, then place in a bread pan and let rise to double. Then, I bake it in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Happy 40th Anniversary, Mum & Dad!

My parents were married 40 years ago today. Over the five years that I've been married, I've often thought about the fact that maintaining a marriage is work - - each person has to contribute to it to keep it going. I know I never thought about that, pertaining to my folks, when I was growing up. I think when I got married, I grew to respect my parents a little more, and when I had children, I respected them ALOT more. From my point of view, there are little things about my parents' marriage that mean the most to me. My parents never yelled at each other, or disrespected each other, in front of my brother and I. Ever. When my father came home from work at night, the first thing he always did was to go to my mother, and kiss her. Once, many years ago, my mother and I took a trip to Texas to visit friends. We were only going to be gone for a week. When we said goodbye to my father, my mother cried, because she was going to miss him. I think that was the first time that it dawned on me that they weren't just my parents, but something much more than that.
Happy Anniversary, I love you more than you could possibly know.

Camden and Papa, 2003

With Mum at the Boise Race for the Cure, 2004

Camden getting fitted for shoes by his Papa, 2004

With Nana, 2004

(I had a bunch more pictures picked out, but Blogger won't let me post them! Shucks!)

Friday Fill-In-The-Blank

Please go ahead and post your answer in the comments. Please note that I am using "word verification" in my comments section now (I was getting too much spam) - - just follow the instructions as stated - - very easy.

• The one non-essential item I simply cannot live without is ____________.

100 Posts!

This marks my 100th entry into this blog...I can't believe it! When I started this last April I never would have guessed that I would still be writing. At times I find it therapeutic, to say the least. I feel like it has given me the opportunity to become closer with all kinds of people, whether they are lurking in this blog irregularly, or reading it every day. I love reading everyone's comments, so please continue to leave them if you are so inclined. Thanks for reading!

Cousins

I can't help myself - - I had to jump on and post this photo, taken by my sister-in-law, Kasey. As I mentioned yesterday, Kasey came to my rescue during the Squashed Finger Debacle. Apparently, Banzer and Griffin wasted no time yukking it up while Camden and I were at the hospital. Please witness, two of the cutest boys on the face of the earth (in my humble opinion):

Banzer, soon to be 8 months old...Griffin, almost 4 months old

Wasn't I Just Here?

Seriously. Wasn't I? I think it was a mere 7 hours ago. Usually, I make myself stay up for Griffin's "last feeding" of the evening, usually somewhere around 10 p.m. - - sometimes earlier, sometimes later. Last night, silly me, I fell asleep sometime after 10:00, BEFORE feeding the boy, only to be awaken at 12:00. If I'm woken up so soon after going to sleep for the night, I'm all messed up the next day. I don't know why, I just am. My eyeballs hurt, I can't form complete sentences, and sometimes I even drool a little, without realizing it (okay not really, but I might as well be drooling). What I THINK happened the rest of the night: Somewhere around 2 a.m., after Griffin had awoken for the second time, Son Number One let out a cry from across the hall, and then proceeded to stumble into our bedroom. Luckily, Steve sprang to action and got him tucked back in. Ahhhhh. Sleepy time. Not for long. Somewhere around 4:00, Griffin was up again, soon followed by Camden, AGAIN. What was waking Camden up? Why, the "scary choo-choo train noise", of course. Don't try to reason with a 3 1/2 year old at 4:00 a.m. - - it won't get you anywhere. That's when Steve told Camden he could get in bed with us. Fine. I was all for it, provided the offer would make Camden stop talking and go back to sleep. So, there I am at 4:00 a.m., sitting up in bed, breast feeding Griffin (who, as luck would have it, proceeded to have a "pee blow out" which would require a clothes-change as soon as he was done eating), Steve is next to me, snoring, and Camden is next to him, thrashing. When Griffin was fed, changed, and back to sleep, it was quite clear that there wasn't any room for me in the bed, so I threw in the towel and decided to get up and enjoy some "quiet time". Well, not long after I'd tiptoed downstairs, Camden appeared in the doorway, with his Naughty Chair in hand (this would be the little wooden chair we use for "time out", made with love by a convicted felon, purchased at the Maine State Prison Showroom). I asked him what he was doing up at 5:00 a.m., to which he replied, "Daddy told me to get out of bed!" I had seen that one coming before I had gotten up.
So, today ought to be interesting. I haven't been out of the house in days, and at this point in time, I'm rather sleep-deprived. My preschooler got up WAY too early, which usually leads to some sort of crazy melt-down later in the day. Luckily, Steve has the day off, so I have reinforcements. Let the games begin!

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

So I was minding my own business this morning, happily spanking the disaster that was once my beautiful bedroom, into submission. Suddenly, I hear Camden's closet door slam shut, followed by a high-pitched squeal, followed by mass-hysteria. This happens quite frequently in our home - - those of you with boys know full well that they like to climb on things they aren't supposed to, wedge themselves into spaces they don't fit into, and hurl their bodies off pieces of furniture, no matter how many times they are told not to. I attempted to calm the boy down - - told him he'd be fine. That was, until I actually looked at his finger. The tip looked like a little club and was alarmingly large. Although some will tell you I tend to be melodramatic at times, I'm blessed with the ability to remain calm, cool, and collected when it comes to Medical Emergencies Involving My Children (okay, except for the time when Camden was 1 1/2 and decided to jump on the sofa, subsequently pitching himself head first over the back of the sofa, landing behind it on his head - - I freaked out that time). ANYWAY, Camden was still screaming as my eyes popped out of their sockets at the sight of his Gigantic Clubbed Finger. I decided to place a quick call to my dear spouse, who was safely away at Army drill, and therefore missing all of the drama. After a quick consult, I informed him that I would be taking Camden to the emergency room. That's when Steve reminded me that he had the car (yes, it is true, we only have one car). Plan B...I called my sister-in-law and thank goodness she was home. A few minutes later she was at my house to watch Griffin, while I took her car, and Camden, to our local hospital. Luckily, the finger wasn't broken, just slightly squashed. At one point, as the two of us sat in the emergency room waiting, it dawned on Camden that he, at long last, had me all to himself, which perked him right up. His mood was further enhanced when he realized nobody was going to amputate his arm. An interesting side note: As Camden and I arrived at radiology for an x-ray, we found the "x-ray table" (sorry - - I don't know the technical term) smeared with fresh blood - - not just a drop or two, either. After a few minutes the x-ray tech mumbled something about "cleaning up after the last patient" and proceeded to wipe the table with a teensie-weensie wet wipe. I am not kidding. Our old friend Lew had told me at one time that he'd rather keel over than set foot in our local hospital, and I'm beginning to understand why. Ick.
I'm happy to report that Camden has recovered, although I'm quite sure he'll lose a fingernail before it is all said and done.

Saturday Smorgasbord

Thought I would post a few pictures and give a quick update on everyone here. First, the pictures:

Here's Camden last weekend in Fairfield, trying out his new snowshoes (from Aunt Dani and Uncle Aaron)

Here's Camden, trying out our friend Dennis's four-wheeler. We went to Fairfield last weekend to see Dennis's new house - - it is beautiful (Dennis was Steve's commander while they were in Iraq)

Steve, trying out his new daypack on Christmas day

Griffin, trying out his Bumbo seat, while Riley checks out Griffin's new sweater

Love this one of Steve and Griffin...

I hijacked this picture from my sister-in-law, Kasey...love this shot of our nephew, Banzer with Steve.

Steve has drill this weekend, so the boys and I are "homebound" for three days. I thought I would go insane without a car this weekend, but so far I'm happy to report that I am completely sane. Besides working all the time, Steve has a ski trip coming up next weekend. He and his friend Chuck are going to ski quite a few miles into the wilderness and camp out near a hot spring (yes, in the snow). Steve's friend Dennis has decided to go too, and he is currently boarding a team of sled dogs on his property. The sled dogs are going to go along (with their handler) and haul the guys' gear in, so they can get a workout (these dogs have done the Ididerod). So, it should be interesting to say the least. Steve's got some business travel coming up this month as well, so we won't be seeing too much of him it seems.

Camden is busy, as usual. He informed me last night that he would like a baby sister. This morning, he added that he'd like her to be named Jessica. I told him he would need to bring this up with his father, which I'm sure will thrill Steve to no end (insert sarcasm here). Recently, Camden's become very interested in clocks, asking what time it is, etc. So, we are working harder on our numbers these days. He is still very obsessed with the movie "Cars", and everything that goes with it. He is all boy, and he keeps me hopping, pretty much around the clock.

Griffin is almost 15 weeks old - - I can't believe it. About two weeks ago, he started sleeping about 6 hours at a stretch during the night, which is a huge breakthrough for him because he had been getting up every 2-3 hours since he was born. He is also getting better at taking naps. He smiles all the time, and this week he figured out how to blow raspberries, so he is pretty much covered in spit at all times now. He is growing much too fast for me.

As for me, things continue to fall into place. The boys and I have a pretty good routine each day, and the time seems like it flies by. Next week will be particularly busy with gymnastics, dentist, Mom's group, etc. I've also decided to try out a couple of classes, which I am really looking forward to. One is this week - - baby sign language. Then, next week I'll go to a "snowshoe for women" class. Thought I'd try something new. It is going to be good to get out and do something just for myself.

That is all from here, for now. Happy weekend!

Running

I've been thinking about running quite a bit, recently. The other day, when I was thinking about my hopes for 2007, I thought about how much I use to enjoy it. About seven years ago, I set a fitness goal of running in a 5K, although I had never run before, nor had I ever been particularly athletic. So, I found a race to run in (The Close to the Coast 5K in Freeport, Maine - - I remember it well) and started running. Slowly at first, but gradually building up to a respectable pace. I completed that first 5K, and I kept entering races, even running in Joan Benoit Samuelson's Beach to Beacon 10K. Then, I got married, moved to Idaho, gained some weight, and sort of forgot about exercising at all. In the spring of 2002, Steve and I started running together, and entered a couple of races. I started to get that old feeling again. I ran my last race in September of 2002, with my fastest 5K time ever. I got pregnant with Camden a week later, and have never run another step since. Sad, but true.
There is something about running that is hard to explain. I guess for me, the best way to sum it up is, as a kid, I never felt comfortable in gym class - - I didn't like group sports, felt awkward, uncoordinated, and above all else, self-conscious. I just never felt like I fit in. When I started running, though, I felt like an athlete for the first time in my life. When I would participate in a road race, I didn't stand around at the starting line wondering if I was the fastest, strongest, thinnest, etc. - - I was just a plain old runner, like everyone else there. Another thing that I have always loved about running is that familiar acknowledgement that occurs between two runners when they meet on the road (you'll know what I mean if you've experienced this yourself) - - a quick smile, nod, or wave, but it is more than that. It is almost like a secret handshake is contained within that knowing glance, that nobody else knows about, unless they run, too.
I ran for a few minutes this morning, while taking my morning walk on the treadmill. It felt a little weird, which I'm guessing comes from the fact that I am still carrying extra baby weight, as well as the fact that this old bod hasn't done much exercising this past year, until recently. There's a 5K in Boise in March - - the first "official" race of the spring...maybe I ought to enter.

Somebody Has a Problem

Okay, so maybe this is payback for the countless times I've snickered to myself (or with my husband) about Other People's Children, or, Bizarre Parenting Choices Made by Friends. I dare say all parents are guilty of this - - perhaps witnessing something at a friend's house and thinking, "I would NEVER allow MY child to do THAT!" or "Can you believe THEY are raising their child in THAT manner?!?" I'm quite sure that I've had this smug attitude for awhile now - - most likely from when Camden entered the world, right on through until Griffin came along. Then, it happened. Maybe it is the utter lack of sleep. Maybe it is my "advanced maternal age". Perhaps it is the 3 1/2 year old cyclone, otherwise known as Son Number One. I don't know, but for whatever reason, I find myself doing all kinds of things I swore I would never do, just to get through the day.

I give you Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:Exhibit C:

For those of you who are wondering what the heck I am babbling on about, Griffin is a bit of a, oh, how shall I put this? A Mama's Boy. There. So now you know. He wants Mommy. All the time. Cries when I'm out of earshot or peripheral vision. It is getting bad. Thus, the various pictures of him strapped to my body, for I cannot hold the boy 24/7. Strapping him to my body only encourages him to want to be held more, you say? While the sensible part of my brain knows that, the part of my brain that hasn't slept through the night in nearly a year doesn't give a rat's you-know-what. And it isn't just the baby-wearing. There is a seemingly growing list of things I do, against my better judgment, in an effort to Preserve My Sanity and/or Prevent Both Boys From Melting Down At The Same Time. Having Griffin nap in his swing. Putting Griffin in bed with us because then I don't have to get my sorry behind out of bed x number of times during the night, when he wakes up. Bribing Camden with miscellaneous treats to ensure proper behavior in public. Sticking Camden in front of a video because I feel like my head will explode if I don't get a few minutes to myself. I could keep going, but I'd be here all night. Time to go. I need to give Griffin his nightly snort of chardonnay. I can't get over how much better he sleeps after he drinks it. Just kidding.

A Quick Update...

Everyone has gone to bed, and I am about to go and mop my kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. I'm starting to realize that if I want to get anything done around here, I have to stay up after everyone else. That is probably more a reflection of my poor time management skills than anything else, but right now my house is a mess and it is making me crazy. I'll make time tomorrow to post about Christmas, as well as the trip we took to Fairfield, Idaho today. I think I have some new pictures to share, too. Off to find my mop!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Cooking vs. Baking

Do you cook, or do you bake? Both? Neither? I would have to say that I am definitely more of a baker than a "cooker". Some of my favorite things to bake are cookies, muffins, scones, biscotti, and granola. Though I haven't done it in a while, I can also make a mean wedding cake, as well as just about any kind of birthday cake (thanks to some Wilton classes I took, many years ago). That being said, I long to be more of a savory chef. When I made the decision to stay home with my boys, one of the things I told myself was that I would take this opportunity to become better at planning and executing meals. I would teach myself more of the basics so that I could be more successful in the kitchen. Steve claims to love my cooking, and with the exception of one meatball recipe I prepared for him, has never said that he dislikes anything that I make (thank goodness).

The root of my problem seems to be in my timing. I can plan out a menu, but inevitably, I end up forgetting to put something in the oven (or take it out), forget an ingredient, or I just get plain frazzled. Both of my parents are fabulous cooks - - they each have their own style, but can equally prepare delicious, lovely meals. They can both bake, too. My dad is known far and wide for his famous peanut butter fudge, and my mother makes beautiful cakes (she was my inspiration for learning to do it myself) as well as cookies, bars, candy, etc. I have always admired the elaborate meals that my Aunt Jean prepares. From appetizers, soups, chowders, roasts, breads, and elegant desserts, she does it all.

Back to my idea of becoming a better cook. So far, I haven't accomplished much of anything that I thought I would do, once I quit my paying job! I think I still have a couple of months of fitting in a "new baby" before things run as smooth as I'd like. Okay, so Griffin's three months old now and doesn't exactly qualify as new, but we're still working on getting nap time down pat, keeping Camden happy, etc. However, I have recently begun studying different cookbooks, trying to figure out where to start. I think one thing I need to do is to simply be a little more adventuresome. If I read a recipe and it sounds the least little bit complicated, I'll immediately think, "Well, I can't make that!" and I move on. So, I think I will start by tackling some recipes I've had my eye on for a while, and see what happens. I will keep you posted!

I Love My Boys

Camden, checking out our "first snow" today

Sweet Griffin, napping this morning

Camden, visiting his Dad at "Army work" yesterday

Griffin likes to hold his binky cock-eyed, like he's smoking a cigar

The Sounds of Christmas

I'm talking about Christmas music, folks. I think I have a slight addiction to it. I often wonder if Steve cringes when he comes home at night, because for the month of December, there is usually Christmas music playing throughout the house. I can't help it - - I love it. I have quite a collection going at this point in my life, but here are a few of my favorites:

• The soundtrack to the movie, "Elf". If you haven't seen this movie, I think it is worth renting. Cute holiday story, and I love Will Farrell anyway. My favorite song on this particular CD is, "Baby, Its Cold Outside"
• "White Christmas"/Martina McBride - this one is full of all the classics, and my favorite is her version of "O Holy Night"
• "A Scottish Christmas" - this one is traditional Scottish carols, wassail tunes, etc., all done on bagpipe. I'm sure it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I love it
• "When My Heart Finds Christmas"/Harry Connick, Jr. - this is a must-have as far as I'm concerned, if you are obsessed with Christmas music like I am. Best track: "It Must've Been Ol' Santa Claus
• "A Christmas Together"/John Denver and the Muppets - uh-huh, THE Muppets. This was an album (yes, an actual record album) that we had growing up. Now I have it on CD and love it as much, if not more, than I did back then. This year, Camden has decided he loves it, too. The other day while it was playing, he sat in the recliner and listened to the whole thing.

Some honorable mentions would include a mix that my father made me of Charlie Zahm, then of course Peggy Lee, Elvis, Willie Nelson...who am I kidding - - if someone is singing Christmas carols, I generally love it. If you are having a hard time "getting in the mood" for Christmas this year, just play some Christmas music and you won't be able to help but feel festive.

Odds and Ends

It's a bit quiet around here today...Steve is off skiing so the boys and I are at home, attempting to get a few things done around the house. I was supposed to go Christmas shopping by myself yesterday, but that turned into grocery shopping with Griffin instead, so hopefully I will figure out a way to get what I need to get done, sometime next week. I have been feeling for quite some time now, the need to get out of the house by myself, but for some reason it hasn't worked out yet. For some reason I am the type of person that needs time by myself from time to time - - time when I can drive the car and blast the radio, browse lazily through some of my favorite stores, sit quietly and sip a mocha - - just collect my thoughts. I've talked with other women who claim they absolutely do not need "me" time, but not me - - I NEED it. Not a lot of it, but just once in a while. I wish it didn't feel like it was so hard to come by.

Last night, Rex, Kasey, and Banzer came for dinner. They leave on Wednesday for Christmas in Maine, so we exchanged gifts last night and had a great time visiting. I love this shot of Steve and Banzer. I can't get over how quickly he is growing. He has the longest, most beautiful eyelashes you have ever seen. He is 4 months older than Griffin, so as you can imagine, next year at this time, we'll have a mess of busy boys on our hands!

I've been pondering cloth diapers for many months now- - I've done a ton of research on them, but haven't quiet decided to take the leap yet. Cloth diapers have gotten quite high-tech. There are so many to choose from that it hurts my head just thinking about it. I did find a woman in Boise who makes them, so I bought one (modeled here by sweet Griffin) and we are currently in "test mode". This particular diaper is called a "pocket" diaper - - there is an opening inside the diaper that you stuff with a terry insert. The lining is microfleece, so when it gets wet, the moisture is drawn into the diaper and the fleece feels dry. They are pretty bulky, but I've done the math and they would save a ton of money over the length of time Griffin will be in diapers. I'm giving myself until he moves up to size 2 diapers to make up my mind. I think I need to try a couple more types of cloth in the meantime.

I love this time of year, not just because I love Christmas, but because Starbucks serves Peppermint Mochas! Yay! If I could drink them all day every day, I would. If you haven't had one, please visit your nearest Starbucks and try one. Yum! At times I fantasize about working at Starbucks, just so I could drink mochas and frappuccinos to my hearts content. Most of you already know that I have a slight Starbucks problem. What can I say. I love froo-froo coffee. I can't help myself.

Camden and I baked some Christmas cookies today. As I suspected he would be, he was mostly interested in trying to eat sprinkles. I did manage to get him to put some on the cookies, but he would have been happier if I'd just let him drink the sugar crystals right from the bottle.

The End of Another Week

It's about 6:30 a.m. and I've snuck downstairs to the computer, as Camden is still asleep, and Griffin is quiet, but not yet screaming to get out of bed. It was a long night - - I'm guessing (or hoping) that Griffin is having a growth spurt, because he was up every 2-2.5 hours to eat last night. He had been sleeping for 3.5-4 hour stretches, so going back to getting up 3 times per night is wearing me out. You may be wondering what I am doing up, if I didn't sleep much...I don't really know - - I think I just wanted a few minutes to myself before I start the day. Ooops, must run upstairs and check on Griffin - - this may be the end of this post. I'm back, Griffin is still asleep, but Camden is now up. He's having a glass of milk and watching Thomas the Tank Engine, so that I can finish this post.

I can't believe that Christmas is in 10 days! I have a huge box to mail to Maine, but still have a few items to track down, before I can mail it. Christmas shopping has proven to be a bit more difficult this year, for sure. Tomorrow morning I'll head out by myself in hopes of finishing up our shopping.

Yesterday, I checked out a local MOPS meeting (MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers). Okay, it wasn't exactly local - - it was about a 20-minute drive from our house. Unfortunately, the town we live in has absolutely NOTHING for stay-at-home moms or children, except for a music class one day per week. I can't believe the library doesn't even offer a story time for little ones. Anyway, the meeting was great. There are about 30 members, and I found everyone to be very nice, and welcoming. Basically, when I got there I dropped Camden off at the "3 & 4 Year Old Room" where he got to play with a ton of other kids - - they had gym time where they got to run around, play time, and then they decorated cookies (just had to run BACK upstairs again - - Griffin is stirring). During that time, I attended the meeting (with Griffin sleeping in his carseat). We were supposed to watch a DVD about parenting but the player was broken, so instead we all just visited, which was nice, too. There was lots of food, and we did a craft (right up my alley). I think I will join the group - - it was really good. Camden loved playing with all of the kids, so it was great for him, too. Lately I've been trying really hard to find some set activities for us to do. Camden is needing so badly to interact with other kids, and I need out of the house (Griffin is now in my lap, so we'll see how much more I can type). It has been terribly dark and rainy here the past few days, which I think has contributed to my blue mood. Hopefully there is some sunshine on the way in the near future!

Camden started gymnastics this week - - he'll go every Monday from now on. This is the same outfit that provided the "Magic Tumble Bus" at his old preschool, so he was familiar with how things were run. We had a great surprise when we arrived for class in that one of his classmates from his preschool was in his class. This is a little girl that he had been in "school" with since he was 13 weeks old, so he was thrilled to see her, and they had a great time together. Another big development for Camden this week is that he is now a "meat-eater". Believe it or not, he's never eaten meat (aside from hot dogs - - if that qualifies as meat, and an occasional dinosaur-shaped chicken nugget). I'm embarrassed to say that he is an extremely picky eater, but we are working on it. Anyway, this week he's had chicken twice (an actual chicken breast), a pork chop, and yes, even an elk burger. So, I feel like we are finally making strides in the right direction. The Christmas tree continues to taunt and frustrated the boy - - he asks at least 10 zillion times per day if he can open a present. Yesterday, he even asked me if I would call Santa on the phone and ask if it would be okay to open the presents. The boy is getting desperate. I hope we both survive until December 25th.

Griffin, as I mentioned earlier, isn't sleeping so well at night. He still isn't napping well either, unless we are out running errands, in which case he sleeps the whole time. It would be great to get him on a napping schedule, and I'm just hoping that it will happen sometime soon. He's full of smiles these days, and loves to "talk", too. He's beginning to put weight on his legs when held upright, and has started grasping for things, too. I just can't believe how quickly he is growing and changing.

Steve is as busy as ever, between work and command. He's excited to start skiing, and will be going with his friend Chuck this weekend. He has a couple of ski trips in the works over the next couple of months, too.

I'd like to post some pictures, but that will have to wait for the weekend, when I am not trying to complete a post with a crying baby in my lap.

Ode to My Kitchen Appliances

I have a "thing" for kitchen appliances. Okay, kitchen ANYTHING. Ask my husband. Gadgets, dishes, utensils, cookbooks, recipes clipped from magazines...you name it. I know that secretly it makes him crazy, but he's learned over the years not to say anything about it. I'm thankful for the large pantry in our new house, which provides ample room for all of my kitchen toys. In no particular order, my favorites are:

1. Crock Pot - How can anyone live without a crock pot, I ask you? I currently own a 5.5 quart Rival digital model, and I fear it is a bit too big. I think I may need to get a 4-quart one, also (don't tell Steve). My favorite crock pot is the kind that is all one piece (rather than the removable stoneware type). While this large one that I have is great, I think it would be handy to have a smaller one, too.
2. Food Saver Vacuum Sealer - Seriously, I love to vacuum seal. Thank goodness the special bags are a bit on the spendy side, or everything in our house would be sealed in tidy little bags.
3. Bread Machine - I use my bread machine 1-2 times per week. I love it. I love to make pizza dough in it, and I am trying to get back to making our bread, rather than buying it. I use to love to make bagels, but haven't attempted it since having children. Lots of steps to bagel-making and I can't yet envision being able to complete all the steps without having to stop and feed a baby, change a diaper, or play with a preschooler.
4. Folding Electric Griddle - This thing is great. It is just very handy that it can be folded up for storage.
5. Smokeless Tabletop Grill - Okay, so I've only ever used this thing once, in the 2+ years that I've had it, but it is so nifty. It is basically along the same lines as a fondue pot - - it is a round non-stick grill plate that you place over a can of sterno, and then everyone at the table can grill their own food (bite-size pieces of meat, veggies, seafood, etc.). My sister-in-law and I had a grand time one night with this thing.

I've recently decided I'd like to have a digital toaster oven. Maybe Santa will bring me one. Are there any appliances out there that I failed to mention, that maybe I should add to my collection?