A half birthday, the first day of the last year of my relative youth, and a two-year old

3/28/10

Well, guess who came to visit this weekend? (Besides lots of calories.) Father Time. Yes, that old guy. I turned 29, people. And had to yank another gray hair, I might add. Sigggghhhhhhh....

But regardless, we partied hardy for three days and not only is my house a total wreck, I am behind on posting.

Firstly, my big baby Luke turned six months old!

Weight: 17 lbs. 15 oz.
Length: 27 inches

New skills: rolling over, blowing raspberries, giggling, sitting up for a few seconds, drinking out of a cup
Loves: watching the fish tank and DVD screensaver, eating rice cereal, fake coughing, eating mom and dad's face, grabbing and trying to eat mom's hair, playing with his sister

And right on cue, he cut his first tooth on his six month birthday. He was fussy for that one day but otherwise didn't seem to be bothered (SCORE! Madelyn was a terrible teether). In fact, right now he has a cold besides teeth coming, and he's still mostly happy and smiling. I have the best baby in the world. Oh and his eyes are still blue! Some brown has come in, but I'm holding out for the blue to prevail.

He tries very hard to sit up. Either that, or he wants to get rid of some belly flab like his mom...

Enjoying some delicious toes

One week old...

The ten pounds gained between these two pictures has made marked improvements to his thigh area. I can't until it's warm enough for him to go without pants! I can nibble on his baby chub all day!

Trying peaches for the first time. Haha...

See? Blue.

To sum up my birthday: I woke up to three more inches of snow after several days of thinking (stupidly) that spring had finally arrived. Madelyn and Luke helped me bake a birthday cheesecake, then Mark brought me chocolates, roses, and the new Emma. Swoon! I'm so excited. Later, he took us out to The Pizza Factory, where we ate way too much and so didn't even get the cake out of the fridge at home. I got lots of phone calls and cards and goodies and presents and well wishes. It was splendid! Thanks, all!

The next day we went to Hurricane to have cake and ice cream for my niece Hattie, who turned two. Luckily for her, her birthday is the day after mine so she gets her own special day. She is our little Goldilocks and we love her to pieces.

So now it's back to boring normal life, which is good because I'm getting too old for all this nonstop excitement.

Spring flashback

3/24/10

April 2005, Washington, Utah. Madelyn was 16 months old.

A near catastrophe...or two...or three...

3/21/10 ** Long post warning

Oy....where to begin?

First of all, I'm lucky to even be back on here posting. The folks at Google (who apparently monitor everyone's blog) had issues with my last post and decided to disable my account without warning and without telling me why. I figured out that they probably thought I was encouraging you all to illegally download Angels and Airwaves' new album. (Which, by the way, is NOT illegal--downloading it is the only way you can get a copy, and they are just choosing not to charge for it. And it's a really good album, so you should take advantage.) So I had to email them explaining this and then spent a very tense couple of days wondering if I was ever going to get my blog back or if I'd just have to start a new one from scratch. (Gaaak! The horrors!)

Thankfully they checked it out, saw that I wasn't making it up, and I just had to reset my password to regain access on here. Whew. It would have been so upsetting to lose my blog. A full on freak-out would have been in order. Especially because....

My Roberts store is closing! Nooooooooooooooo!! Not ALL Roberts Crafts stores, just MINE. As if Cedar City's shopping district weren't abysmal enough, now if I want anything cute and crafty I have to go drive an hour to St. George. I used to work there (before and during my nausea-fraught pregnancy with Madelyn---ahhh the memories) and although the pay was lousy, it truly was/is a magical store. Everything is 50% off this week, and I believe they are shutting down for good at the end of this month, so I'm going to take advantage and go crazy buying ribbon and cake pans and scrapbook paper and silk flowers and jar candles and paint and yarn and picture frames and beads and crayons...sniff! So sad.

Lame thing #3 this week: we missed Madelyn's kindergarten registration (because I am such a genius). I had researched registration dates in January and had it down on my calendar as March 18th. When Madelyn's preschool teacher sent a flier home with the (real) dates on it, I ignored it because I thought I already knew the information. So we showed up on the 18th to find out that it had already happened on March 11th. The dates I saw on the district's website were from last year! I felt so STUPID. Ugh. So we are having to register her at a different school this Tuesday (don't let me forget) and they'll send her papers over to where she's actually supposed to go. I know it will turn out fine in the end, but both Madelyn and I were pretty upset.

So hopefully, this week will be better--we'll get Madelyn registered, celebrate Luke's six month mark, and I'll turn 29. (I'm making myself a raspberry mousse cheesecake. And maybe a chocolate marshmallow cake. It may help to make up for the aforementioned quasi-disasters.)

Anyway, I have to get caught up now. We have officially started on some home projects that we've been wanting to do for about nine months.

We got some nifty new bar stools

We're girl-ifying Madelyn's room (end results to be shown sometime later when we finally finish)

We think we've found our dream (a.k.a. non-beige, with an absence of dog reek) laminate (Ooo!) floors. It was a real challenge finding something that went with our cabinets that didn't cost a bajillion dollars. Anyone want to help rip out some tile and carpet??

Mark brought his big fish tank home from his office. Luke thinks it's the greatest thing ever.

It snowed. Again. If the bog in our back yard ever dries out, we'll start landscaping. Madelyn routinely goes outside and just gets stuck in the mud.

I went and saw my friend Annie's new baby. We grew up going to ballet together. I've known her for about 20 years. Luke looks like a giant next to her 6-week old Kayley. I just find myself thinking "Fi-Fi-Fo-Fum..." when I look at him.

(Apparently, it was a fluke that I caught her smiling--her parents hadn't been able to before. High fives for me!)

Annnnd, just the regular old shenanigans my kids have been up to:

Well, the baby, the rice and the pork chops are calling. Hope you have a good week!

A little snack for the zombies

3/16/10

Luke's shirt reads: "FEED THE CHILDREN TO THE ZOMBIES--IT MIGHT GIVE YOU TIME TO ESCAPE." Thanks, uncle Paul! Your, um, legacy lives on...

Something remarkable just happened. I HATE mornings and I HATE when we switch to daylight savings time, and so I spend the first couple of weeks after the switch being extra grouchy when I get dragged out of bed by my children. But I got on facebook just now and saw that Angels and Airwaves have released their first music video of their new album and spent the next four minutes and forty-seven seconds watching it with a big smile (!) on my face and also maybe a little bit of drool.

Then I went right back to being a grouch because I haven't had breakfast yet and Madelyn is so so so so so so bossy and impatient when I'm trying to blog. But anyways, the song's called "Hallucinations" which you can see HERE and you can still download their whole album LOVE for free if you click HERE. May the lasers and blue lighting and awesomeness of Tom ♥♥ and co. brighten your day.

Now I need some cereal.

Awesome things

3/14/10

Check out the Top 1,000 of the 1,000 Awesome Things blog! I came across it the other day and got a good chortle out of a lot of the things on there--I may have to buy the book. (Click on links to see the full entries)

#557 When you fold a piece of paper so it fits in the envelope perfectly
#969 Tire names
#945 Spending all your money on candy
#916 The sound of scissors cutting construction paper
#905 Using all the different shampoos and soaps in someone else's shower
#914 Surprise two-ply
#863 The perfect egg crack
#883 Ugly actors
#953 When cashiers open up new check-out lanes at the grocery store

I have a few more to add:

#1001 When your floor is clean enough to vacuum


Because it means that you've already picked up the dirty socks, spoons, books, artwork, diapers, magazines, blankets, DVDs, crumpled tissues, crayons, princess dresses, grape stems, empty juice boxes and those teensy little rubber clothes and shoes that go on those 3-inch dolls your daughter can't seem to get enough of.

AWESOME!

#1002 When you get the rice cereal to water ratio right on the first try

Say you start out with three tablespoons of dry rice cereal--then you add a little water from the tap and stir it around. It lookin' good and you bring it on over to the baby, who is so ready to eat he's shrieking at you and waving his arms and legs around all at the same time. Then you look down and the cereal has congealed into a thick lump. So then you have to go add more water, but then it's too soupy, so you add more cereal, and before you know it you have six times the amount that you really need.

Perfect cereal on the first try = happy, non-shrieking baby.

AWESOME!

#1003 When you have exactly enough batter for 24 cupcakes

This almost never happens. The back of the cake box always instructs to only fill the paper cup thingies "2/3" full, but if you do, then you bake your two batches of cupcakes and still have enough batter for an odd four or five (or even worse, three) more. Do you take the extra time and effort to bake the rest? Then how much time should you do it for, since the pan is mostly empty??? Do you really NEED more cupcakes?? And then of course if you use up extra paper cup thingies, you'll end up with too few for the next time you make some.

Similar to this is the issue of making cookie dough and you either being too hasty in stirring your chocolate chips or simply not having enough bicep power to get them all the way to the bottom, and then you always end up a few with chip-less, flat, unappetizing cookies from the last of the dough you've scraped from the bowl.

So properly proportioned baked goods?

AWESOME!

#1004 When your baby naps in his car seat the whole time his sister is in preschool

This happens on very serendipitous occasions when the little guy is fed, changed and tired when you plunk him into his little portable car seat to take big sister to school. You run a few errands after the drop-off and the lull of a Car Nap is too much for the baby to resist. The portable car seat allows mom to take him in and out of the car with her without disturbing him, and much productiveness (or lazy time at home in the peace and quiet) results, sometimes for the whole 2 1/2 hours that preschool is in session. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's

AWESOME!

I can think of more: When those band-aids you've been carrying around in your purse actually come in handy, when you have enough milk to last you till Monday without having to go to the grocery store, when your baby needs feeding, changing or a good stroll in the hall during a boring RS lesson/church talk.

What do you think is awesome?

A fine day

3/12/10

What could be better than this rice cereal-besmudged, crumby, sticky post-lunch, pre-bath face?

We got our federal tax return today!!!!!!!!!!! (OK, so I still wouldn't choose money over my precious boy, but it's still SO DANG EXCITING!) Wooooooooo!!!!

DH does well

3/11/10

Just have to brag about Dear Husband (DH), who got rave reviews on myRegence.com (Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance website). You have to log in and do a search for Robert K. Dowse, M.D. (Mark's boss) to see it, but I have what it says. Both reviews were left by the same lady, who apparently is a big fan.

"Felt so good to have an exceptional PA. Pros: Great communication and explanation."

"This was one of those bad croup problems, but with my 9 year old son. The PA was amazing. He was concerned and compassionate. Explained everything. Most of all he did not act hurried which gave me the peace of mind to ask the questions I had. The nursing staff was very helpful and kind. Pros: Caring and informative. Knowledgeable, experienced, comfortable...PA is excellent and exceptional."

(There were no cons that applied to him)

High fives, Mark! This deserves brownies for dinner at the very least. :D

"Mom, I made a surprise for you."

3/9/10

Oh My Cheesecake

3/8/10

Folks, we have a winner!! If you're in the market for some high calorie heaven, you've got to try this. For the first time in (my) cheesecake history, I was able to get really good results. Here's why:

#1 You must let the cream cheese soften completely as to not have lumps. I let it sit on the counter for an hour and that did the trick. You can also try nuking it, but then you risk overheating it and making the texture all funny.

#2 I cooked it in a water bath:

Cheesecake is essentially a custard and needs slow, gentle heat. The water bath provides a moist cooking environment and ensures a steady, low temperature. My cheesecakes always turned out either too dry or too runny in the center before, but his time it was silky smooth and even. (By the way, if you normally use a springform pan for cheesecakes, you'll need to wrap it in foil to keep water from seeping into the batter.)

Raspberry Mousse Cheesecake
recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

*This recipe makes a huge 13x9 cake, but it can easily be halved and made in a 9-inch pie pan. You can use graham cracker or Oreo crumbs for the crust.

Crust:
5-6 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Filling:
4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened (don't use low-fat or whipped versions)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup sour cream

Mousse topping:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup seedless raspberry jam (can substitute strawberry or blackberry)
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip or whipped cream
fresh berries

Preheat oven to 325° F. Combine melted butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Press into bottom of 13x9 baking dish*. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Pour batter on top of cooked crust. Place cake pan inside of a large roasting pan. Place on oven rack. Fill the space between the two pans with hot water about halfway up the cake pan.

Bake for 80-90 minutes or until center is almost set. Check by sticking a toothpick in the center. Look for moist crumbs, not runny batter.

Slide out oven rack with cake still on it. Use turkey baster to remove some of the water surrounding the inner pan before removing it to cool completely.

For the mousse topping: In a medium bowl, beat together softened cream cheese, raspberry jam and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip until well combined. Spread over top of cooled cheesecake and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Garnish cheesecake with fresh berries. Serves 15-18.

*If halving the recipe, bake in 10-inch pie pan or 8x10 baking dish for 60-65 minutes.

See, what did I tell ya?

3/7/10

Five little cousins + "Pose for the camera!" = about as productive as trying to corral a bunch of squirrels.

Ava, Hattie, Madelyn, Nathan, Grandma Carolyn and Luke

Well, at least we tried. I guess it's a true snapshot of how the kids actually behave. Maybe the aftereffects of birthday cupcakes, cheesecake and rice crispy treats had something to do it....

Hope you had a fun party, mom!

This, that and the other

3/4/10
Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! (And sorry I posted it so late in the day--technically it's still your birthday for another 45 minutes...)

I have been blessed to have such a beautiful, smart, kind, talented, creative mom. We are excited to go see her on Saturday to celebrate and have some raspberry mousse cheesecake. We are hoping to get some pictures of the grandkids all together then, so let's cross our fingers that the little munchkins cooperate (although who am I kidding--there's five of them and Madelyn is the oldest and their ringleader).

I am way behind on posting all the pictures that I normally would. We Yoders were rather preoccupied by the Olympics. We especially made sure to tune in to every race Apolo Ohno was in. (Click his name for links to all his racing footage. You might bite a few fingernails off.)

That kid is smokin' fast and really knows his way around a track. I still cannot believe he was disqualified in the 500m race when he should have won silver. Dang those Canadian refs!!!!! Nevertheless, he has an American record of eight Winter Olympic medals over three Games. I kick myself that we didn't make an effort to go when the Olympics were in Salt Lake in 2002.

Anyway, I also just finished rereading all seven of the Harry Potter books, which was immensely entertaining and satisfying for me, but I think my family was a little annoyed because my nose was always buried in a book while the kids ran wild and laundry and clutter multiplied around me unnoticed. I mean, who cares about real life when you can be at Hogwarts? I've already admitted to you that I'm a dork. This is just confirmation, that's all.

(Me trying to finish The Deathly Hallows last night. I eventually had to shut myself in the bathroom to get some peace and quiet for the last two chapters.)

Can I just give a shout-out to J.K. Rowling?? That woman is a genius. I find myself wanting to go back to those last few chapters because everything comes together so brilliantly. She must have had such a far reaching vision of the whole story from the beginning. Book one (Sorcerer's Stone) is my favorite as a stand alone novel but Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows are so gut-wrenching. I can't wait till Madelyn is old enough to read them herself. She already loves the movies and goes leaping around the living room brandishing an invisible wand shouting "Expelliarmus!" and "Expecto Patronum!"
Atta girl.

OK, on with my post. SNOW. We keep getting nice warm days (around 50* degrees, anyway) and then we go right back to blizzarding and winds. My brother Tyler, his wife Monica and their kids Nathan and Ava came to play in our pile a couple weeks ago.

This was a pattern I saw in my sidewalk through melted patches of snow that looks exactly like Africa and the eastern hemisphere. That's pretty darn amazing! Admit it.

Ava with her lovely black eye she had sustained earlier that day falling down some stairs

Studmuffin Nathan surveying things from the top of the heap

We don't have this much snow anymore--but this is how it looked for a verrrry long time. Sheesh. Can spring get here any faster??

Cousins are so cute. Ava thought Luke was a great big baby doll. And who doesn't love matching jammies?

More of my little niños, of course:

Apparently, being clothes-free is the way to go these days. The better to show off one's rolls (or lack thereof, in Madelyn's case...).

Ah, yes. What every mother wants to see when she comes into the garage.

Mark cut a hole in the ceiling and brought up plywood to lay on the rafters so we could store a bunch of our junk up there. It actually freed up a lot of space in the garage--there's even room for a car(!) Madelyn has always been very fond of heights.

I think we've found a lookalike--this is Luke's uncle John Yoder, who also has blue eyes and drooled copiously as a baby. Or so I'm told.

And this is auntie Kathryn (Yoder) Moster, who flew out from North Carolina to help when Frank (my father-in-law, her dad) had surgery again to reattach his colon back together. It went fine and he is recovering well. Although ending up with 30+ staples across my abdomen is not the way I'd want to spend my weekend...

Madelyn zonked out, again.

Yawn! Yes, that about covers it. Expect more in a couple days when mom's festivities are over and I know whether that cheesecake recipe is worth sharing. Toodle-oo.