Underwear

We are very slowly tip-toeing our way into the world of potty training. Underwear has been purchased, worn, even (by both Anderson and his blue dog), the potty book has been read (and even requested), and the step stool sits by the potty. But still we wait. And wait. And wait some more. It seems that it is not enough for mommy and daddy to be totally fed up with diapers; turns out the boy needs to be as well. And, well, he's just not quite there yet. Something about him looking you in the eyes and screaming, "NEVER! I will NEVER go poopy on the potty!!!" kind of makes you re-think the whole thing. But time is ticking. Not only is he about to turn 3, but he must be completely potty trained by the time he goes to school in the summer. Oh my. I sense a couple of long days couped up in the house with a naked boy are on the horizon.

Turquoise cheetah socks, alligator boots, balls, and bungee cords

The weather has been nice here (despite it being "ski week") and we have had the whole week to play. Plans to potty train were thwarted, a visit to the preschool turned into a full-fledged temper tantrum because someone wants to "go to school RIGHT NOW!!!" instead of in the summer, the boys made new friends in the sons of one of mommy's old ones, and 2 birthdays were celebrated. Some favorite moments from the week:

Re-connecting

Today I saw a friend from college I have not seen in over 15 years. It never ceases to amaze me how powerful a tool the internet truly is (thank you Facebook and Pinterest!). To be able to not only re-connect with someone, but to {hopefully} create a new relationship at a totally different stage in life is incredible. Of course I forgot to take even one picture to remember the day, but somehow I doubt this will be the last time we bring ourselves and our boys together.

Late nights, This American Life, and Filtered Shade

There comes a time when everything old begins to look, well, too old. As much as I love my house there are certain cosmetic issues that just drive me crazy. Nothing major, it's just that some things are past their prime. Wood stains and fixture choices that were once all the rage (hello, white washed wood and terra cota-ish tile!) are now dated and not really in keeping with our style. Speaking of which, do we even have a "style"? Can we actually refer to our haphazard mixing of random colors, patterns, and design eras as a style? Probably not. But I remember once hearing some famous designer say that if you just put together everything you love, it will somehow work out; that those things will always "go together" well. We're kind of hoping that happens for us over here in the Palmer house. Because if it doesn't, we clearly fall into the "non-style" category of "eclectic", which is the word people use to describe people that don't actually have any real style. "Oh, wow, that giant orange macrame hanging chair mixed with the 1920's curio cabinet and lacquered coffee table is so 'eclectic'". But I digress.

So it was time for a little change. Nothing major. And nothing that would cost over $50. It only took a year to get these walls and this mirror painted, but 3 late nights and many episodes of This American Life later, and the walls are no longer "latte", but rather the calming cool gray shade of "filtered shade". And it's a good thing I am happy (though not necessarily in love with) the color, because there is no way I am painting that room again for a very long time. How is it even possible that it took me an accumulated total of nearly nine hours to paint one room?! And I am not even necessarily finished. Whether the hallway will become shady as well is still up for discussion. Something tells me I'm in for a few more late nights.

Glutony

As I type this I am over-indulging in two scoops of 31 Flavors in part because it is "Dollar Scoop Night" and, more importantly, because Lent begins tomorrow. Every year for as long as I can remember now I have given up sweets of any kind for the 40 days before Easter. My only exceptions are that I allow hot chocolate and permit one piece of cake for the family birthdays that fall within this time frame (which, thanks to Baby Beck, is FOUR this year!) Today I marked this occasion with not one, but TWO gluttonous adventures. The ice cream dinner came after a pretty sinful tequila-lime bar lunch (that's it- no actual food to accompany either one). Which would have been bad enough, terrible, really, had both of those not followed an impromptu "Rosa is here with the kids and I have the day and Gabe has the morning off so let's go out to a very greasy, but oh-so-good" breakfast. And, just to mix things up a bit this year, I am also putting myself on a self-imposed tv diet. Unless there is a program I am sitting down specifically to watch (crappy as it may be given my fairly horrendous viewing habits), I will not be sitting in front of the tv wasting time watching just for the sake of watching.

And so begins tomorrow my Lenten journey for 2012. A time when I choose to give up something I love to experience the feeling of sacrifice. A time where I truly do make the effort to think about what is important and what it mean to "give up" those things which seem so necessary. Though my sacrifices are more than likely viewed as completely trivial to most anyone, they are mine. They make a difference to me and they test my devotion and commitment on a daily basis. They teach me that sometimes in the sacrifice comes the reward and that nothing is beyond a little will power.

Happy Chic

This little guy came to live with us this week:

A sweet Valentine from a pretty sweet husband.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A little Valentine with the boys that have my heart. I love them to bits.

Valentine's Craft Day

I had an idea. I wanted to get some of the friends and cousins together for a little Valentine (Valentines? Valentine's? Who knows. I swear, I hate this holiday for that reason alone) craft party. In my mind it was so simple- they would happily sit at the table and we would craft a couple of cute Valentines for friends and family. Then I thought it would be fun to make cookies, too. Then I decided that I could probably make more than just one treat. And, while we're at it, why not individually pipe said cookies with royal icing? And, if you're going to go to the trouble of making cute rice krispie treats, shouldn't they be dipped in chocolate and sprinkles, too? Pinterest is really causing me to overestimate my crafting/baking/DIYing capabilities. Having a sister who has the same problem is certainly of no help, either.

In the end it all turned out pretty well, but next year will be a one project year. And no more sugar cookies. Ever. I will gladly fork over $5 the next time I want a frosted cookie. I don't even like frosting.

Oh, and the kids didn't even actually make any Valentines, save for Sully who did manage to sign his name on all of his ready-mades for his class. They played and went crazy and came in every few minutes to samle the multitude of sugar snacks. I'm pretty sure Anderson ate half his weight in sugar.

Weekend Randomness

Baby Beck likes to grab the camera and make monster noises (while wearing his monster shoes, appropriately enough). Anderson loves the park, but is not so keen on naps these days. Oh, and I learned the hard way to never give a kid a red lollipop in the backseat. It was a nice weekend.

Chili night

I am no way ready to enter a chili cook off, but I was pretty pleased with my first ever batch of chili. Made in the Crock Pot, no less. And vegetarian! Seriously, being married to a vegetarian has proven to be beyond frustrating at times, but I am getting better at altering what I know and love to accommodate my meatless better half. Though I did comment during dinner that this would be even better made with meat, I didn't miss it. Now, the fact that Gabe will go on to add veggie crumbles to it tomorrow to make his a "fake-meat meat version" does annoy me a bit as I do not have the luxury of just pouring some defrosted crumbled protein mass into my leftovers. Can't win them all.

Vegetarian Crock Pot Chili
1 1/2 large onions, chopped
3/4 green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can each black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz crushed tomatoes
1/2-3/4 small can tomato paste
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
3 T chili powder
1 1/2 T cumin
1/2 t oregano
1 cup water
salt and pepper
grated cheddar cheese for garnish

Sautee onions, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add to crock pot with remaining ingredients, stir and set on low for 6-8 hours.
Recipe adapted from this one from The Lazy Vegetarian.

Baby Beck : 10 months

Oh my gosh- we're almost there! Just two short months more before you are no longer my little baby. I am savoring every last moment of being able to refer to you as my "baby" and not my "toddler" as I know it won't be long before you are up and walking. This month started a bit rough with teething, being sick, and, in general, just a couple of rough days. This is the month in which you became a toothy, formula-drinking, crawling baby filled with curiosity and the impulse to explore anything that catches your eye. This is also the month in which we have really been able to see your personality shine through and I think it's safe to say you may give us a run for our money. Here's the breakdown:

Teeth: You have gone from barely one to four in one month's time. Two on top and two on the bottom. It was rough going there for about a week and a half, but we all managed to get some sleep and you have finally started eating normally again.

Eating: You were teething and then sick at the beginning of last month and you all but stopped eating. Now that all of that is behind us you are back to consuming quantities of food that rival the size of my own meals. I have not added to many things formally into your diet, but I have been much more liberal with offering you whatever we are eating. You still are a bit of a choker so everything is in extremely small pieces, but you love anything you can feed yourself. Current favorites are cheese, chicken, and beans. You still love yogurt and your staple veggies (carrots, spinach, green beans, and peas), but you don't care much for fruit. Mangos, blue and blackberries, avocados, and bananas have all been a bust.

Drinking: You are bottle-fed 100% of the time and you LOVE it. We are still able to provide at least one bottle of breast milk a day, but those reserves are going fast.

Crawling: You are into everything. You set your sights on something and you are on the move. You are incredibly fast and you have now consumed more than a couple of handfuls of cat food as a result. There's fiber in it, I suppose.

Sleeping: We seem to be back to a routine here.You are down for the night by about 5:30, you wake up around 4:30 and I drop off a bottle (the best advantage to bottle feeding EVER) and you go back to sleep until about 7.

Crying: You don't really cry anymore unless there is good reason. Anderson dragging you around or pushing you out of the way seem to be good reasons.

Random cuteness: You are becoming a copy cat. Most recently you have begun to copy daddy and sing into the microphone on Anderson's kitty cat piano. Oh! And I nearly forgot- you said "ma ma". You did! I swear! And even Rosa heard it. You don't use it regularly or necessarily in the right context, but you say it. And that is good enough for me.