Pizza Night and Taking Charge

Earlier this week I was commiserating with a fellow friend and mother of two about how difficult it is to prepare, serve, and actually get our kids to eat healthy food.  We were swapping ideas, and when I told her of our Pizza Night, she asked me for the recipe.  I started telling her the ingredients and directions, but she quickly stopped me and said, "You have got to write this down.  There's no way I'll remember it all."  She suggested I put it on my blog, sort of like how Darby does.  So here it goes, Kim:

I should start by saying I realize I'm not the first to make pizza for my family, but I think we often categorize pizza as a junk food rather than the healthy (or at least healthier) food that it can be, so I've made a few alterations to "health" it up a bit.

First, I buy the Mama Mary's 100% Whole Wheat Mary's Pizza Crusts (found at HEB and Wal-Mart).  They sell them in a two-pack of large ones or a three-pack of minis.  The minis come with a sauce packet -- BONUS!!!  We prepare the minis since they're sized perfect for little kids and individual tastes.  If we lived near a Trader Joe's, I might even buy their fresh whole wheat dough and roll it out myself.  And if I was really good (and had a gazillion extra hours on hand) I might even make it from scratch...

...or maybe not. :) 

I preheat the oven according to the directions.

I decided to take pictures after I had slashed open the package.  Whoops!

Before assembling the pizzas, I thaw out a few of these under running water...

These babies are so versatile in so many dishes.  Usually I buy the fully peeled and deveined ones, but these were on a mega sale.

Then I start cooking up some of this...

Notice the ingredients...

Pork and spices. 

Sure there's quite a bit of sodium, but I think even Oprah and Dr. Oz would approve.

While the sausage crumbles drain, I saute the shrimp in a little white wine, garlic, salt, and pepper...

These guys only take a minute or so per side.

Shortcut:  swap butter or cooking spray for the wine, and McCormick's Montreal Spice (or any other season salt) for the garlic, salt, and pepper. 

Then it's just assembling them, which can be done with or without the children's help, depending upon your patience level at the time of assembly. :)  Note:  Kids are more likely to eat food that they helped prepare.

I drizzle a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the crusts...

Or pour a lot and then spread.

Basil Pesto for the shrimp pizza...

Some day I'll grow basil plants so big and beautiful that I'll make my own, but until then I buy this at Sam's and use it for tons of recipes.  I realize it's not quite a vegetable, but I figure getting my kids to eat anything green is one step closer to discovering a love for veggies. 

The sausage pizza gets a red sauce, either your own or the one that comes with the crusts.  After the sauce is a good time to sneak in some diced green bell pepper (for the pesto pizza) or diced fresh tomatoes (on the sausage one).  Next up is the shrimp (I cut mine up first) and sausage.  Then the cheese (whatever you have around - mine is a cheddar and jack mix) and McCormick's Garlic Pepper Blend (per my grandmother).  I swear McCormick's isn't paying me...

Notice Steve gets a half and half, cooked to order after the kids are in bed.  Awwww!

Where is mine, you ask?  I don't really do pizza. *GASP*  I know, I'm a big disappointment to my Italian family.

Pop 'em in the oven for seven minutes, slice 'em up, and BAM! (as Emeril would say) you have dinner in less than 30 minutes!  Think of the variations: pineapple and pepperoni, chicken with alfredo sauce, artichoke hearts and mushrooms (okay, probably not that one for the kids).  The leftovers are great for school lunches, too! 

One of the best parts is it's super affordable, about $6 for the three mini pizzas, including the toppings.  Sometimes I cook up a few extra shrimp and throw them on a salad for myself or keep them for quesadillas the next night. And if you cook up a little extra sausage, save it for breakfast the next morning.  Or better yet, freeze the shrimp and sausage so the next time you make pizza, they're already made. 

I'll stop now; you get the point.

Here are my happy pizza-eaters...

In other news...

If you've spent any amount of time with our family recently, you know that we've been struggling a bit with some of Luke's behavior.  At first it was just a little "potty talk" here and a little talking back there, but it seemed to be escalating.  I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say that absolutely no punishment has been working and he's been flat out lying and defying us on just about every little itty bitty teensy weensy thing imaginable.  We've always described him as independent, slightly stubborn, and fairly demanding (among other things...see my last post for his nicer qualities). Even some of his best traits can quickly turn into his biggest opportunities, and lately we've been getting concerned.  Me in particular, as I seem to have the most trouble with him.  I've found myself questioning every parental move I make:  Am I too hard on him?  Am I too easy on him?  What am I doing wrong?  Why is this so difficult?  When and how will things get better?  I even felt completely defeated and at one point and decided this was just how our relationship would be.  It was terribly sad. 

We've also been worried how this would affect Zach, being that Luke is one of his biggest influences.  I'd already been feeling guilty for not giving Zach a lot of one-on-one time, something that I realize just comes along with being the second child, but still, I knew I could do better.  And realizing that he was about to enter the "Terrible Two's" in which I would have potentially two out of control kids, I decided to take charge.  There had to be something I could do to make our family life better.  There had to be an answer.  Surely I am not the crappiest mom out there or the first to feel like all control has been lost.  I was going to quit sitting around feeling sorry for myself, be the adult, and make things happen.  One of the first goals was for me to take Zach to the monthly Toddler Time at our local community resource center.  We went on Wednesday and had a blast!  We're so often doing things geared towards Luke's age, that I forgot how much fun it is to do "toddler" things.  Instead of trying to keep a watchful eye over both boys, I could sit and focus on Zach and the way he interacted with kids his own age.  I met a woman who's six-year-old has been diagnosed with autism and her two-year-old is being seen for delayed speech.  This most certainly helped put things into perspective for me, but I think we also might have made new friends.  After the class, I went to their library in search of Parenting the Strong-Willed Child, a book that had long ago been recommended to me both by a close friend and our pediatrician.  I actually had checked it out from the library twice, both times returning it before ever getting a chance to read it.  Bad Mom!  I borrowed it again with the promise to myself to actually read it this time.  I picked Luke up from school, put the boys down for a nap, left the house a mess, and starting reading the book.  It was incredible!  Within the first few pages I received the diagnosis:  Luke is a strong-willed child!  For sure!  He fit almost every description of the term.  The thing about a strong-willed child is that they're not necessarily bad, in fact many of the behaviors are quite positive: they tend to be independent, determined, social, confident.  They just need to be handled a little differently.  The book is set up as a five-week program.  Again, I won't bore you with the details, but I'm not supposed to even read about the next step until we can accomplish week one's goal.  That works for me! :) 

I've also started attending the Love and Logic parenting classes which have gained popularity lately.  It's early in the course still, but it seems like the goal is to teach parents to guide their children to make good choices by allowing them to learn from their mistakes.  The classes are taught by a Parenting Specialist and are provided by the group, STARRY, which I've found out is a (mostly) state funded organization which "provides services that protect, educate, and promote strong families".  Yet another resource I may look to in the future.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not counting on the book and classes to solve our issues overnight (or even in five weeks), but I do think just being able to recognize the problem and work towards a goal or goals will be extremely helpful.  No longer will I allow myself to feel helpless and defeated; I will take charge and make a change.  And perhaps I will use this blog to recap my weeks and track our progress.  Not because I think you all are interested, but because I have found that writing things down (or typing) is incredibly therapeutic, and if nothing else may help to hold me accountable.  Oh yeah, and that ultimate goal of showing our kids we're trying our best.

And I may not be growing my own big and beautiful basil plants or organic tomatoes, but look at these beauties popping up in our planters...

Spring has SPrUnG!!!!  Thanks for the bulbs, Julie and Gary.  We're loving them!

The BIG 0-4 and other ramblings...

Dear Luke,
        I love you with every smidgen of my being.  You have taught me an aspect of life that until your birth I had only read about in books and heard through my mother's words.  Because of you I view the world differently.  My actions are more important, my carbon footprint is more important, the decisions I make on a daily basis seem more important.  Being your mom has made me want to become a better person and has taught me to love in a way that I could have never imagined before you were born.  You test me and you try my patience, but you wouldn't be you if you didn't.  Thank you for being you, for allowing me to be your mom, for loving me unconditionally, and for going through this crazy ride of life right by my side.  I love you more than you'll ever know.

xo,
Mom

Cookies we made for Luke's school party.

A close-up of the cookie Luke claimed as his own.

Eating said cookie.

That's a happy face, right?

Luke turns four tomorrow* and like most moms probably do, I've been spending the week looking back on the last few years.  From the positive pregnancy test after the year and a half of "unexplained infertility", to bringing home the quiet little bundle who didn't stay quiet for very long, to the now strong-minded and independent four going on fourteen-year-old who has taken over our world.  It's all gone by so fast, but at the same time it feels like it's been a lifetime.  Ha!  I guess it has been a lifetime...Luke's lifetime.  Forgive me, I'm tired.  Luke is both sassy and sweet, rowdy and gentle, goofy and serious.  He is a wonderful big brother, always looking out for Zach (and only occasionally beating him up) :).  He asks a billion questions each day (I've counted), which I absolutely love (on most days) as I know he is soaking up the world.  I swear sometimes I can see the wheels processing it all.  He loves to floss his teeth and thanks me every night for the dinner I served.  He's into recycling and understands that people have less then us and therefore asks for change when we come across Salvation Army cans and random donation jars.  He can change out the roll of toilet paper and when asked who Daddy's boss is, he answers with complete seriousness, "Mommy!".  Goodness, that makes me giggle.  He is a sweet and thoughtful boy, we're just fine-tuning the rest. :)  For instance, he is in the "Potty Talk" stage.  You know, the one where everything has to involve poop, boogers, and butts?  The other day we're driving down the road practicing our address and phone number (he knows both, but I find we have to keep up with it or he forgets).  He tells me our address, "529 River Down... BUTT!"  What a stinker!  Sometimes you can't help but just laugh.

Here are some pictures from his big day.  Luke decided he really didn't want a big party and instead chose to have a fun day with Kayla.  We started at Frank's Hot Dogs (a swanky hot dog joint in downtown Austin), then a visit to the Austin Children's Museum, and ice cream at the park afterward...

And at the end of the day, Luke received his present from us...

A new bike with pedals and without training wheels. 

Go Luke, go!

(Notice Mabel giving a lick off to the side.)

And where was Zach, you ask?  Spending the day with Grandpa Tom, of course.  Thanks, Dad! 

Zach is continuing to change every day.  He's getting chattier and chattier, able to string words together to form partial sentences, which if nothing else has allowed him to tattle on Luke.  Example: "Uke push" or "Uke it ed" (Luke hit head).  He's also in that stage of attaching possession to everything, as in Daddy's shoes or Mommy's tools.  He is definitely becoming more boy and less baby, but he is still a love bug.  He is constantly asking for hugs and kisses and is quick to give them out too.  "Akiss, akiss.  Beeg ugg, beeg ugg."

A few days ago* I came across the blog of a family who's two-year-old was dying of cancer.  I cried while reading their posts, sobbed uncontrollably actually.  I noticed they used Twitter to update family and friends, so I kept checking in.  The little girl died yesterday.  It made me realize how very lucky we are for the things we take for granted, like our health.  Yes, we all know this, but it's just so darn hard to stop and appreciate it as often as we should.  It made me think back to my quest for an answer on how Steve and I will handle religion with our children.  I immediately go to the thought of, If there were a God, how could he do this?  To which I know most Christians answer something to the effect of, God works in mysterious ways and for a greater good. Or something like that.  There was one common thread that ran through the family's posts:  Without God they could not have gotten through it.  And I get that.  How could you go through something as horrible as the loss of a child and not believe that it was all for something, that she'd be going to a better place?  I don't go to church and I don't pray.  I've tried both but always feel guilty because it seems dishonest since I'm not quite sure of my beliefs.  But like anything else, I want to give my kids all of the information and allow them to make educated and well-thought out decisions for themselves.  I know most of you out there have it all figured out for yourselves, but I don't yet, so please don't judge.  However, if you have any thoughts on the matter that may help, I'm listening.  Typically I feel that religion is best kept as a private matter, so why do I choose to blog about it?  This blog above all else is a way to chronicle our lives for the boys to look back on someday.  I want them to know our thoughts and feelings; that we tried like the dickens not to screw them up.  Or to at least keep the screwing up to a minimum. :)  

If you're interested in reading about the Marsh family and the graceful way in which they approached their child's terminal illness, visit laylagrace.org.  I will never forget this little girl and her family.  They will forever be a reminder for me to appreciate every day that I have with my boys, to find the good even when they're being "bad", and to not get wrapped up in the little nuisances of life. 


*I wrote this over the course of several days, so the dates might not match up.

And as if I haven't already put you to sleep with my ramblings, this one is for you, Joni:

How do you like that eye candy, Ms. Webb?!  Ha ha!!!

xo,

Jess

Heartwork

Heartwork.  Get it?  Like artwork?  Hrn hrn. 

(Sigh.)

I'll admit that I've all but given up on crafting with the two boys.  I pretty much leave that to the librarians and preschool teachers these days.  I think the last time I attempted some big craft project it ended in tears...and I'm not talking about the boys. :)  Seriously, it makes me a little twitchy just thinking about it.  But it was the Sunday before Valentine's Day and I knew that we had to make eleven cards, eight of which had to be mailed, so there was not much time to sit in the corner twitching procrastinate.  It was Superbowl Sunday and cold outside so I decided to make due with what was in the house instead of schlepping the boys around in search of materials.  I had half a bag of completely disgusting potatoes leftover from January (and growing scary appendages), some heart shaped cookie cutters, and a bunch of scrap paper and paints.  Voila!  Cards for our beloved family members and teachers. :)  Don't you feel so special now?  And for those of you who did not receive our lovely cards, I apologize, but it was really a feat just to get the teachers', grandparents', great grandparents', and godmothers' finished. 

And for those of you who think I'm joking about the potatoes...

Uh, NASTY!

I'm pretty sure I saw this done with apples in a magazine years ago, but I have no idea when or where.  It seemed like potatoes would work just as well, right?  Well, kinda. 

We used these to make the stamps...

On some we left the hearts, on others we left the reliefs.  We even attempted super-craftiness by cutting one in half and writing backwards.  Pretty fancy, eh?

Anyway, I've learned with these sorts of things to do them in stages since the boys have the attention span of fruit flies small children.  The boys stamped while I tried not to hover...

"Um, no officer.  I promise I didn't slip anything in my baby's sippy cup."

...or maybe it was the paint fumes?

...or perhaps it's not the camera, but the photographer?

I thought this was clever...

and decided maybe I should patent it as some sort of art cover for highchairs...

until the little one tried to squirm his way out of his. 

I guess the Tot Cover is not my ticket to wealth.

The boys then played while the paint dried and I cut out their creations. 

Remember my comment about their attention span? 
Yep, very short.

We later assembled the cards...

I must admit that Luke lost steam after two or three which left me to assemble the other eight or nine; however, I followed his prototype so I still consider them Art de Luke.  He did come check in every so often to oversee things.  Had I been more patient or had more time, I would have left the plastic on the table and materials strewn about so we could finish them over the course of a few days, but let's be honest, we eat our meals here and my patience was about shot at this point. :)

The mess, ahem, I mean the creative work in progress...

Luke later returned for some extra coloring and sticker placing.  Zach helped too.

As you can probably imagine, there was no energy left in the little monsters to help with the clean-up, so I was on my own.  Big shocker, huh?  Let's just say Mommy earned her glass of wine that night. :)

So there you have it, the making of our Valentines this year.
 

Did I mention this all occurred during the "Big Game"?  Yep, life with kids sure does change things. :)

 

Needless to say, there was no way in you-know-where that we were making ten more for his classmates, so we opted for the store bought variety.  In fact, I purchased these last year for 75% off - LOVE that! 

Notice the tongue sticking out.  I think he might get that from his Mimi.

Turns out that Valentine's Day is a great holiday for perfecting name writing...

Isn't he getting good?

Whoops. 
I'm sure Owen didn't notice.

A special thanks to you all for sending Valentines to Luke's school "post office".  He LOOOOVED them!  (Oh, and Zach loved getting to "mail" them.)

Love to all,

Jess

New Handbook 2010

New Handbook 2010




I received this yesterday in an e-mail. I'm not exactly sure where it originates from other than the Handbook 2010. I usually hate these mass e-mails but this is a keeper and a sharer. It has amazing positives for the new year. I hope you enjoy.

HANDBOOK 2010


Health:



1. Drink plenty of water.



2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.



3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..



4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy



5. Make time to pray.



6. Play more games



7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .



8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day



9. Sleep for 7 hours.



10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.







Personality:



11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.



12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your time in the positive present moment.



13... Don't over do. Keep your limits.



14. Don't take yourself so seriously.. No one else does.



15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.



16. Dream more while you are awake



17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..



18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.



19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.



20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.



21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.



22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.



23. Smile and laugh more.



24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...







Society:



25. Call your family often.



26. Each day give something good to others.



27. Forgive everyone for everything..



28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.



29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.



30. What other people think of you is none of your business.



31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.







Life:



32. Do the right thing!



33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.



34. GOD heals everything.



35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..



36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.



37. The best is yet to come..



38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.



39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.




 
credit:  http://kellymcguill.blogspot.com/

xo,
Jess

Playing Catch Up...

...both on this blog and in my life.  Things have been crazy, and I’m finally trying to get caught up after the holidays and a whole lotta sickness around here. Maybe if I’d actually take care of the must-dos instead of writing blog posts about baking I’d get things done. Is that what you were thinking? I know. Call it ADD but whenever I set out to get a project done, more times than not I end up doing something completely unrelated or unnecessary. And more times than not, paint chips and fabric swatches are involved. Oh, well.

So in order to cross one of the 583 things on my to-do list, here goes nothing...
 

Christmas was a blast!  I went to Phil and Barbara's house (Susannah's parents) for a lovely Christmas Eve celebration.  When I got home, Steve and I stayed up late working as Santa's elves.  We really like the idea of getting the boys one big present for major celebrations, and this Christmas we found the perfect thing -- a train table.  Not just any old train table, but an uber cool, super duper train table.  This thing has a helipad, a crane, a police station, and about a million other pieces.  Steve and I were actually giddy as we pulled everything out to put it together.  "Look how cute this is..." and "OMG, the crane really works..." and "Luke is going to love that these pieces are interchangeable...". 

One of Santa's elves. 

Note the beautiful pearls given to me by Barbara and Phil earlier in the evening.

We stashed the table behind the tree and covered it with a sheet.  We I then wrapped the box so the boys would have something to open.  They were tickled....

Not the best picture, but I assure you they were tickled.

I should also mention how excited Luke was to put out cookies and reindeer food the night before.  Here's the note we left for Santa...

As you can see, Luke had some concerns, so we decided to handle them in a letter.

If you're extremely bored you can click to enlarge this picture.

It's really a shame that Santa gets all the credit.  I mean, really.  What a crock?! :)

My dad came over with the most delicious smoked turkey from Central Market.  We had a lovely and low-key Christmas dinner.  This turkey was later turned into sandwiches, quesadillas, and gumbo.  We've decided this may just have to become a tradition.

Tom the Grandpa carving Tom the turkey.

A few days later we headed to Gun Barrel City, TX (Luke called it Gumdrop Barrel City -- love that!) for Steve's dad's 70th birthday celebration.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I have no pictures.  We arrived there and found that my memory card was full.  Bummer!  The party was tons of fun, and I really enjoyed meeting more Boeses and flipping through old photo albums.  And we always love to hang out with Steve's siblings, nieces, and nephews.  I think Gary was touched by the party and the sentiment, which after all was the intent.

We headed home to start preparing for my family's belated Christmas celebration only days later.  Not long after we got home, the sickies hit.  UGGGH!!!  I was miserable, the kids were miserable, Steve and I got snappy, and I didn't get done everything that I wanted to do before the group descended.  Some things were checked off the list, like taking every. single. pillow. we. own. to the laundromat.  Have you ever done that?  Not fun.  Most of the grocery shopping got done but most of it never made it into the house, just dumped in the garage and shoved in the fridge.  Some cooking got done, some didn't.  You get the picture.  We had 19 people packed into our house like little sardines.  I was sick for most of it and spent a lot of time in bed.  We did make it out to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday at Z Tejas.  Again, no pictures were taken by me.  Bad girl! 

My grandparents stayed longer than the rest and I slowly got better.  I always have so much fun hanging out with them.  Gram and I worked on the roman shades I'de been wanting to sew for FOREVER, and Pop tackled numerous other projects around the house.  He is soooo handy!  Here's a sneak peak at the shades.  If you've ever sewed with me (okay, that sounds really weird and incredibly boring), you know that I'm a complete freak about everything being absolutely perfect.  I blame it on the fact that my first sewing projects were quilts, which are practically like a mathematical equation.  But really, I think it's just my OCD that kicks in.  My poor Gram.  She probably wanted to strangle me every time I insisted on measuring something for the umpteenth time, but she hung in there with me and we got them finished.  Sometimes we would just break out into giggles.  I love her!  The kitchen will be finished soon and I'll post more then.  Aren't you on the edge of your seat?  Kidding, of course.  Oh, and don't hold your breath because there are still like, um, five decisions to make so that should probably take me another, um, ten months?  Get it?  I over think everything.  EVERYTHING.  But it's paying off, I love how the kitchen is coming along.

This Christmas our family was showered with many wonderful gifts by many wonderful people, and one of my absolute favorites was my new camera.  Yep, I am a proud owner of one of those fancy schmancy cameras I've mentioned before.  After much research, I decided on the Canon Rebel xsi, and my way-too-nice grandparents purchased it for us.  It was a major splurge.  I never thought I'd own or even ask for such a nice camera, but I'm a sentimental gal and I want to capture my children's youth as best as possible.  From what I've seen, this camera will do it beautifully.  Thank you so much, Gram and Pop.  Your generosity is overwhelming.

(Granted I have no idea how to work the thing. 

I couldn't even figure out how to turn off the flash for this pic.)

And on to the true purpose of this blog, to track the boys' progress...

Zach is 19 months and really coming in to his own.  He went from my sweet little stumbling, mumbling, love bug of a baby to a full-on active, talkative toddler in the course of what seemed like just days.  He's got down all of the important words like "cake", "mine", "hot dog", "golbish" (Goldfish crackers), "Booze Cooze" (Blues Clues), "woovie" (movie), and "watch" (as in he'd like to watch the aforementioned movie, Blues Clues, and yes, sometimes while snacking on Goldfish)  Yet another example of the difference between raising Baby #1 and Baby #2.  What can you do?  And yes, he has many more words including most of your basic zoo and barnyard animals, foods, toys, body parts, etc.  I promise we don't just sit around eating junk and watching movies all day.

What a love bug!

And Luke?  Oh, Luke.  He is smart, he is sweet, he is funny, and he tests me every single day without fail.  I love him with every ounce of my being, but sometimes he really takes me to my limit.  I often feel as if he was put on this earth just to test my patience.  He has an incredible sense of humor, but we're struggling to teach him when it's appropriate and when it's just downright rude.  Grandpa Boese and JuJu, please forgive us if Luke tells you to "Get a grip!".  We're trying.  Easier said than done with a three-year-old (soon to be four-year-old), but we're getting there.  I take parenting very seriously.  Duh!  That sounds stupid, who doesn't?  My goal and my job are to produce intelligent, confident, independent, yet thoughtful, sincere, and humble human beings (sure, there are more things, but these were the first ones that came to mind).  Easier said than done.  I struggle with how to guide him towards these while still letting him be the little spitfire that he is.  A tall order to say the least.  It really is true that, "these things should come with a manual."  :)

Luke's latest and greatest:

Luke and his best friend Kayla.

See why I was in need of a good camera?

It was nice having the two contained, even if just for a bit. 

Thinking about getting one of these for the house. :)

He's playing soccer for the first time after three seasons of t-ball.  He seems to like it, and I like that it's a bit more team-oriented than t-ball.  Kayla is on the same team, and sometimes we have lunch or ice cream after the games...

Much better action shot with the new camera, don't ya think?

Looks like he has a uni brow in the making.

He also has a birthday coming up.  While starting the party plans last month, we discovered he was not interested in a party.  What?  Huh?  I thought all little kids wanted parties.  Maybe he acquired my gene for steering clear of birthday attention?  What he opted for instead, was a "fun day with Kayla".  We've already made plans to do lunch, visit the Austin Children's Museum, and maybe grab some frozen yogurt afterward.  No complaints here, sounds like more money for the college fund (the party venues I priced were in the $400 and up range -- Yikes!)

So, THERE!  I'm caught up.  Thank goodness.  Thanks for sticking with me.  xo, Jess

PS- A big thanks goes out to Gary and Julie for watching the rug rats last weekend while we went out of town for Steve's holiday work dinner.  I hope they weren't too hard on you and you've caught up on your rest. :)