Surgery in our future

In less than two weeks, January 12th, Eli will be having surgery. Prayers please. After we loaded up the boys in separate cars this afternoon, I took Eli to the Ear Nose & Throat doctor, Doug brought Nic home for his nap. When you push and push your pediatrician to do something about the constant ear infections after two years it was time for a change. We decided to switch pediatricians last month and our new one immediately referred him to the ENT. When we arrived Eli had to do a few tests with the audiologists and when you are setting there watching your child take a hearing test and notice he isn't hearing some of the beeps and whistles your heart starts to sink a little. We go back out to the waiting room and I call Doug and tell him and we wait to see the doctor. Next is the doctor and he tells me what I have already figured out Eli doesn't hear very well in his right ear (because of fluid build up) and in his left he hears perfectly. We have noticed he has been talking a little louder and now we know why, he can't hear as well in one ear. The solution is to take out his adenoids and put tubes in his ears and this will fix the problem. So early on the 12th we will take Eli in for a simple surgery that is supposed to take about 30 minutes and be able to bring home later that morning. Just thinking about it makes my stomach knot up but it is the right thing to do and what he needs to get rid of these pesky ear infections. Sometimes you just have to follow your parental instincts and do what you think is best even when your doctor doesn't agree with you.

Anniversary Celebration..

With our Anniversary being yesterday, my husband made plans weeks ago without including me in them, but I found out anyway. How do you ask? Well for one you have to schedule a babysitter (i.e. Mimi & Papa or Mama) to watch the boys. So I ask what time so that I can call to see if one can watch the boys and put them to bed or we go out earlier in the day so we can pick the boys up and bring them home to bed. A few weeks ago apparently this was already handled, without my knowledge. I was informed to not worry just have things ready so the boys can spend the night at their Mimi & Papa's. What did I do? When those words were uttered I felt like my heart dropped into my stomach and then my stomach started twisting and turning in knots. Let's just say I have never spent the night away from my children, except to be in the hospital two nights when Nic was born. That's right, over four years and I have only been away from Eli while he was at Mimi & Papa's (I worried the whole time). It's a mother thing, yes we have gone out before on our Anniversary and Valentine's Day but never over night. But never fear Dad had it planned out, we would stay in town at a hotel and if the boys needed us we would go over there. Easier said than done it still took me some time to get used to the idea but all is well. We loaded up the boys (Eli's mattress from his bed with his pillow and blanket & Nic with the portable crib with pillow and blanket), their pajamas, toothbrushes, nightlights, toys and a change of clothes. I stopped and got them dinner on the way, dropped them off, left my car with the car seats and we were off.

We enjoyed a great meal at Polo Grill (if you have never been you definitely need to try it), our favorite for our Anniversary and Valentine's Day that is the only time we go there, between appetizers, salad and entree it can get very expensive. I enjoyed the tomato bisque and facasia bread, Caesar salad and new york strip with Yukon gold potatoes (always take your appetite). Doug had the same except for entree and he had the surf and turf (a Filet with lobster tail), he loves it. I do not do fish, so the only time he gets it is when we go out. We had a great tea, I am thinking they said it was call a passion fruit tea, delicious. Afterwards we went and checked into the hotel and called the boys to talk to them and tell them goodnight, mommy was still doing okay. We then went to a movie (Marley & Me), it was such a great movie, be sure to take you Kleenex you will need them, there was not a dry eye in the house. I am glad to say I slept good and didn't worry as much as I thought I would. The boys ate breakfast with their Mimi & Papa and we brought them lunch and loaded everything up to come home and mom and dad decided to do this again, you need a break every now and then.

Happy 8th Anniversary Honey!!!!

Who would have thought that when we went on our first date (March 2, 2000) that we would be getting married 9 1/2 months later? You walked into my life and I was completely head over heels from the start. To express how much I love you would be impossible but I try everyday and our love has grown even stronger as each day passes. Knowing that I have you to fall back on when things don't always go the way we want makes me a stronger person, your love is all I need to get me through the day. The most important thing you could have ever given me is your love and our love has brought two wonderful boys into our lives, the most precious gift we could ever receive. I have enjoyed the last eight years and I look forward to the future because without you I am not complete.

Through eight wonderful years we have experienced so much and I can't wait to see what our future together holds. As we walk hand in hand through our journey in life all we need is Faith, Hope and Love and I love this wonderful life with you.

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

Flashback Friday.... on Monday?

Because the last week has been crazy I didn't get to post my Flashback Friday pictures, the theme is still Christmas so I decided to post a few of the boys from last year. It is amazing how much they change in such a short time.

Behind on Blog..

It has be one long and hectic week as I am sure with everyone else, so glad to see I am not the only one. The earlier post is pictures from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day of the boys having a blast, thought you might enjoy (to listen to the song along with the slide show you will need to pause or lower the volume of my music player at the bottom of the page). I hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoyed time with family and friends. We have had such a good time so far and are staying so busy with Daddy at home on vacation. We did go see Rhema lights last night and it was so very cold for our little walk, we warmed up with so hot chocolate then came home. Our Christmas Eve was busy, I got up early to work on some items for Christmas Day dinner for the four of us and then we went over to Doug's mom and dad's to open gifts. After that went went to Doug's Grannie's to open gifts and the boys had so much fun. Once we were home we had to write our letter to Santa and leave out cookies and milk which meant getting them to bed was not an easy task that night. The next day we opened gifts and celebrated Jesus' birthday then ate our wonderful Christmas lunch, so much food for four people. After nap time we went back over to Doug's mom and dad's to visit with everyone, eat and have a good time. We have not been home one complete day since last Tuesday and we have decided tomorrow or actually today that we are staying home to relax. I sure hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Christmas 2008

Christmas Meme

I was tagged a week or so ago by Dana and I am finally getting around to it between the laundry and wrapping gifts. So here it goes.

1. Eggnog or Hot chocolate? I love hot chocolate, especially mexican hot chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? It depends on how things are going that year and how many other things need to be done as well.

3. Colored lights on house/tree or white? Our are always white they are so beautiful.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? We didn't this year not quite sure where it is at.

5. When do you put your decorations up? We try to have them up by the first weekend in December.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love sweet potato casserole.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? I loved going to my Aunt Linda's house on Christmas Eve (mom's sister), we would always have a huge dinner and then open gifts.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Are you kidding me, no Santa!, that is horrific!

9. So do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We go over to my in-law's and exchange gifts with each other on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Right now with very minimal decorations at least until the boys get older.

11. Snow. Love it or dread it? I love snow as long as there is no sleet or ice associated with it.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes...But it has been a very long time.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Doug got my a pair of beautiful earrings for our first Christmas after we were married, I wear them every year.

14. What is the most importand thing about the holidays for you? Spending time with my family and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? It has to be pumpkin pie with cool whip. What else is there to have?

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Staying home on Christmas morning and watching the boys open their gifts.

17. What tops your Christmas tree? An very beautiful angel that Eli picked out.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I love giving presents and watching their reaction.

19. What is you favorite Christmas song? "O Holy Night"

20. Candy canes. Yum or yuck? They are ok, but we love the peppermint cake ice cream bars, they taste like Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies.

21. What do you want for Christmas? For my family to be happy and healthy as we celebrate Jesus' birth.

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? No we do not.

23. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear PJ's? We kind of dress up it is more so casual, we go to my in-law's and then to Doug's grandmother's house as well.

24. Do you own a Santa hat? Me personally no, but the boys each have one.

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? It is just Doug and I with the boys on Christmas, my in-law's have a get together Christmas Day night as well but we are not sure if we are going or not.

I am supposed to tag someone but with it being so close to Christmas and everyone so busy if you would like to do it then I would love to read your answers.

Flashback Friday.. Two days late!

I have been participating in flashback Friday's with Melinda over at Bloggin it from the Burbs, but I wasn't even near my computer on Friday, so I am participating a few days late. Hope you enjoy!

Christmas 2006 this is Eli's 3rd Christmas and yes he is sitting in the dump truck.

Mr. Nic's very first Christmas, only two months old.

Eli's 2nd Christmas, isn't he adorable.

Busy Busy Busy

The last few days have left us unbelievably busy, no thanks to the lovey ice we had at the first of the week and stranded at home. The boys had fun, although Eli hated not having school on Tuesday. Late Wednesday afternoon we braved the store to pick up everything we needed for the cookies for school, that night I made 9 dozen cookies (yes you read correctly). The parents were supposed to bring two dozen cookies with them for a cookie exchange at the end of the Christmas program. Eli and I then put together a cookie container for his classmates and teachers, they each received one of each, there were two kinds that I made (Sugar & chocolate candy cane), 36 more cookies gone. The Christmas Program was adorable and the church was completely packed with barely standing room only. Our little man is growing up so fast, when they called the children up to the front of the church, they said they know what to do. Eli just took off he almost ran over us trying to get to the front of the church, nothing shy about that boy anymore. I took a ton of pictures and some even after I edited red eye the kids look like they have ghost eyes, but when you have so many parents taking pictures at the same time, you take what you can get. Afterwards was the cookie exchange and each child was supposed to be able to take home 2 dozen cookies, that is if all the parents did their job. I know we ended up with too many cookies on top of what we have left over from my baking extravaganza. On Friday, Doug was of so after Nic's nap we loaded up and headed to the mall for our final shopping of the season, mainly for both of us, you always seem to forget about yourself and remember everyone else. So we figured why not? With such good deals right now, a few new clothes for each of us would be great. The boys loved it because we went into the Disney Store and they didn't complain a bit, my boys love to go shopping or maybe they like to see all the different people, I am sure not going to complain about that. Before the mall we enjoyed dinner at Abuelo's, very good if you have not been there, at least we love it anyway. Saturday the boys and I headed to the grocery store, pure madness, the traffic was not so bad it was the waiting in line forever so we could come home to our sanctuary of peace and quiet. This morning we loaded up and headed out to church in this blustery cold weather. There were so many people there this morning, it was almost hard to find a seat but I was sure glad to see all of our church pews full. Now for dinner in a few hours and it looks like the next few days will be a wrapping marathon for me. Doug will be officially on vacation starting tomorrow at 4 p.m. We get to have him home for eleven whole days, what in the world are we going to do? Right now we are planning on relaxing, possibly going to the aquarium (we haven't been in a year), Rhema lights and taking the boys to their first movie at the movie theater (an early matinee) to see Madagascar 2. Well that is what has been happening the last few days, better get back to wrapping presents (they sure won't wrap themselves).

Writing our name with bingo markers.

Just dabbing away, in no particular order.

He had so much fun and did such a great job.

He decided to color instead.

Pajama day at school on Thursday, he loved wearing them all day. Who wouldn't?

Eli was too excited about giving us the Christmas present he made at school.

Our beautiful new ornament from Eli.

Being silly before we leave for the Christmas Program.

His class sang 'Jingle Bells' at the Program.

The two Tuesday & Thursday classes combined sang 'Three Wise Men'. These three are inseperable when together, although they are in seperate classes they share the same room at school. (eight children per teacher.)

He had so much fun and this was such a great picture.

Singing 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' at the end of the program.

The boys made these for us at Church this morning.

Cabin Fever is over!

After being iced in for 2 1/2 days I am so glad we were able to get out yesterday afternoon. My poor husband was out driving in this horrible weather, he loves helping people and regardless of weather people still need their medicine, he is such a wonderful man and I hope he knows how much his family appreciates him. We had a ton of things to get at the grocery store to make for classmates, teachers and also the cookie exchange for Eli's Christmas program tonight. Needless to say I was baking all evening and finally decided to stop at 10:30 last night. All I had left to do was package individual items and make chocolate and vanilla covered pretzels. After dropping Eli off at school, Nic and I rushed home so that I could finish the pretzels and pack everything and we got back to Eli's school 5 minutes before pick-up, just in time to pass out everything to everyone. Eli had such a ball helping me make the sugar cookies and icing them last night, he is such a good helper and a wonderful giver. He loved passing the little Christmas tins out to everyone and his teachers loved their gifts as well. I can't wait for tonight's program it is going to be fun to watch, I have my camera battery charging (I also have a completely charged backup battery) and my camcorder as well. Today was also pajama day at school and Eli got to wear his new Batman pajamas, all of the kids were so cute in their pj's. I was told Santa also came to visit but Eli would not sit on his lap (he just stood beside him) or tell him what he wanted for Christmas. He said Santa already knows what he wants, pretty brilliant if you ask me. I will be sure to post pictures it will definitely be adorable. We still have a few more little things to get and I think we decided we are always buying stuff for everyone else, why not us? Doug wants a few things for work and some new jeans and I need clothes that fit me all mine are too big, so nice to say that, although I would like to lose five more pounds but I am not going to complain.

Tasty Tuesday

I forgot to share a recipe last week but I am on top of it today. So here it goes. I have only made this ham once and we loved it. Now I take the easy route and go get it from the Hamlet. I know I know but it is one less thing for me to worry about on Christmas Day. So I hope you try it over the holidays and you enjoy it.

Pineapple-Glazed Ham

Prep: 20 min. Chill: 8 hours Bake: 2 hours

1 (10lb.) smoked ham
3 Tbsp. whole cloves
1 (20oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup bourbon (that's right alcohol)
1/2 tsp. salt

Remove skin and excess fat from ham. Score ham in a diamond design and insert cloves at 1 inch intervals. Place ham in and aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Stir together pineapple and the next 4 ingredients; pour over ham. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake ham at 350 for 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.

This recipe is very simple and delicious and feeds a ton of people. I put the ham in the refrigerator over-night but this all depends on when you will be eating dinner. Hope you enjoy!!

Little Update..

I can't believe I haven't made a post in a few days, things just need to be done and you can't always get to the computer. We tried to find tickets for Dry Gulch for this Friday and they are sold out but I was hoping to find some in the paper or on Craigslist and I am not having any luck. That's what you get for waiting until the last minute to get something. On a lighter note, Doug and I were able to go shopping on Sunday afternoon, by ourselves (hip hip hooray!), my mom came and stayed with the boys. The only down side was the weather on our way home it started getting bad and that slowed us down (sleet will do that to you), and then mom decided she needed to drive the hour home and it took her two and a half hours. We had fun and we are completely done shopping for the boys and only have a few things left to get (actually cooking supplies to make cookies for teachers and classmates). We are doing it simple this year and who doesn't love homemade goodies, homemade cards and we will also give the teachers gift cards to go out to eat. Eli is out of school today and I am hoping they have school Thursday because his Christmas program is that evening and he is so looking forward to it, actually we are too. I have been so tired the last two days, yesterday especially, I guess that's what happens once everything catches up to you and you finally have a break.

Eli loves puzzles and he does the same one everyday, the bigger pieces, and we usually do the one with 100 pieces together. Well on Friday he decided that he was going to do it without my help and sure enough he did and in record time. I am so glad he loves puzzles, they can be really relaxing at time, at least for me anyway. I am also starting to work with him on his writing skills. To teach kids to hold a pencil and write the correct way can take work but if you make it fun they can always pick it up in no time. So we do construction paper with his name (only word I have done so far) written on it and you can use bingo markers, markers or crayons and have them trace, this is supposed to help with their writing mechanics. The bingo markers is a new trick I saw on Jon & Kate plus 8 yesterday, pretty clever, we are trying this out today. So, this is an idea to make as an activity and not homework per say, I personally think you learn better when you are having fun but that is just me.

Working on his puzzle.

Flashback Friday

I was able to find a picture of Eli on his very first Christmas, he was three months old on Christmas Day and what a very long day it turned out to be. As you can tell by the picture we are both very tired and we were finally opening the gifts at our house on Christmas night after being everywhere else all day. He saying, "Mommy and Daddy please feed me and put me to bed!" We now stay at home all day so we can just relax and enjoy such a wondrous day.

Oh how the blogging posts fly by......

It hasn't been that long ago that I started my blog and I am loving every minute of it. There is nothing like letting it all out and feeling better in the process even if it is for something simple. I love to write and talk about what is going on and how the boys and our family is changing everyday. And there is nothing like meeting other moms via the Internet and reading about their lives as well. So thank you very much ladies, it sure has been a lot of fun and hope it continues to be. It is hard to believe that I have over 100 posts, well at least a few over by now, I am running behind on a few things. I was also tagged and I am getting to that project as well. I tell Doug all the time that there needs to be a Mommy Starbucks, just for moms and children (play area included), you know I would be there all the time. But, the Mommy Starbucks via the Internet will have to do for now. So, thank you for reading, that is if you are and if not then you are missing out. With that I better get back to finishing a few things. Happy 100 blog posts!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

On Monday night we decorated our Christmas Tree. We have shatterproof ornaments a very good deal when you have children, the boys picked out the colors they wanted very beautiful red and gold. Dad and the boys did all the decorating while I took pictures. There's not a lot of decorations but until the boys get older and do not grab them off the tree this is what we will be having. A lot of the decorations are around the bottom of the tree and what tree would be complete with Disney cars and NASCAR decorations on the bottom.

Needing help from Dad

Now my turn

Reach a little higher

Our beautiful tree

Eli and Nic smiling for the camera, the picture wouldn't be complete without Nic eating in it.

This time last year....

This was the lovely seen at our house this very day last year. Who doesn't like cold weather? Well then throw in quite a bit of ice and this is what you have. For those of you who remember this very day or the next know exactly what I am talking about. When we woke up this Sunday morning this was the our neighborhood and we were good until about 10:00 a.m. when our electricity went out, this stinks when your house is all electric. After about an hour and bundled up in the cold house we packed up everything (lots of clothes, diapers, wipes and lots of toys) and went to my mother and father-in-laws until our electricity came back on. Little did we know it wouldn't be for six days that our electricity would be working. All was good until Monday morning when the electricity at my in-laws went out, we then loaded up and went to a hotel for four days, man did that get old fast and very expensive. By late Thursday afternoon my in-laws electricity came back on and we stayed there for the night, ours came on late that night but we decided to stay where it was warm and loaded up the next morning to come home. During our stay in the hotel the boys and I came up to our house everyday to check on the dogs and believe it or not bring in all of the Christmas gifts I had ordered online the week before that were setting on our front porch. It was an unforgettable week and I hope everyone else made it through okay like we did and I can tell you this is something I never want to go through that again.

The scene in our neighborhood

Our neighbor's tree

Our front yard

The look from the end of our driveway

The view from our driveway

Celebrating the Sooners!

On Saturday evening we did what most Oklahoma fans did, we watched the game on T.V. Yes, I did cheer for OU, I am a fan except for when they play OSU, and our boys did too, although Eli is partial to OSU. He asked me the other night when I put on his OU jersey, "Where is my Cowboys jersey?" My response, "Don't worry son you will have one soon." Isn't it grand our family is split right down the middle, if the boys went to their respected colleges when they get older our family dinners could get real interesting in the future.

After the boys where in bed, Doug and I started talking about how much fun we had eight years ago at the Big 12 Championship game. Exactly four weeks before our wedding, where were we? Not at home getting any last minute wedding plans in order, we were on the road to Kansas City to see OU play Kansas State. It was the first OU game I had been to with Doug and it was a ball. It was also very cold and we were bundled up like there was no tomorrow, I am not quite sure how many layers we had on or how much hot chocolate I drank during the game. But I can tell you this, we could see everything around us. What am I talking about? Well, we kind of got our seats at the last minute and they were at the highest point in the stadium you could go, but as I said we could see everything. We always joke about being closer to the clouds than we were to the field. If you have every been to Arrowhead Stadium you know what I am talking about, we were way up there. That was the longest walk from our car to our seats in the stadium and I will never forget it. I told Doug last night if they play like they did eight years ago OU will win the National Championship next month. So, I am willing to cheer for the Sooners because they did so great the year we got married. You better believe I will be cheering for my Cowboys when they go to the Holiday Bowl to play Oregon and of course the game is on our Anniversary. Big decision, go out with my husband or do we stay home and watch the football game (of course I am only joking we go out, I love our dinner at the Polo Grill on our Anniversary). But first we need to get a babysitter. Anyone offering?

Striking a pose in their OU apparel

The boys deciding to show their OU Christmas spirit

Flashback Friday

I could only find one of me of when I was little, guess I better try to get some from my mom and I will definitely need to get some from Doug's mom. In this picture I was three and who knows what I am holding up but I obiviously thought it was great. Oh the joy of being three.

My Poor Little Man

As you know Eli has been down and out lately, on the upside it appears he is starting to feel better. No fever since last night, yeah!! Nic is responding to the antibiotic just fine, Eli was not. After not being able to get his temp down from 102, we went to the doctor on Wednesday afternoon. As the doctor put it, his ears were still bad but starting to respond to the medicine and his upper respiratory infection wasn't going anywhere. That's when he brought out the dreaded word any child does not want to hear, a shot. The verdict was to get a penicillin shot in the rear end hoping this would help and to speed up the process. Did it work? Not at first, he was still not wanting to eat or drink and his temp would not go down for anything. He was wearing t-shirts and shorts and cold wash clothes on his forehead at bed, a resistant little virus was hurting my poor baby. Yesterday morning we still had a fever and he still would not eat or drink anything and starting telling me his teeth and tongue hurt, he was getting dehydrating and to top it off the antibiotic's side effects on children, going to the bathroom all the time. I call the doctor and talk to the nurse she tells me she will call me back and let me know what to do but be prepared in case I need to take him to the hospital. The doctor, not the nurse, calls back and tells me to force him to drink Gatorade or pedialyte (he threw it up) every twenty minutes or we will be going to the hospital for blood work and an iv. I get him to drink a little bottle of lemon lime Gatorade throughout the day, two teaspoons every twenty minutes. I know he was hating me and gagging sometimes, but who wants to see their child in the hospital, been there done that too many times for about six months before and after he turned one. By yesterday afternoon his fever had gone down and he didn't have one by the time he went to bed and right now it is only 99.5, yeah. He is starting to get his appetite back and even drinking lots of water. By getting that penicillin shot, I am thinking this got him over the hump, but know I need to fatten this boy up, he has lost two pounds this past week, not a lot for some kids but a lot when he was only 28 pounds to begin with. He asked me this morning why his pajamas weren't staying up and I told him because he wasn't eating from being sick. He responds, "I just need to eat so I can get bigger." He knows he missed two days of school and hates it, they are preparing for a Christmas program in a few weeks and he wanted to be there so bad. Now that he is getting better he can go back to school on Tuesday. Thank goodness because getting out of bed twenty times at night really puts a damper on getting sleep. Finally I just decided to put those little children's character couches together (you can get at Wal-Mart or Target) and sleep in his room that way I wasn't getting up multiple times and so that Doug could get some sleep. Oh what a parent will do to comfort their child and still try to get a little sleep for themselves. I am hoping we are on top of this lovely little battle that has taken over my boys for the last week and a half.

Tasty Tuesday

With Thanksgiving over and Christmas right around the corner I figured I would share a recipe for a wonderful meatloaf. If you are tired of leftovers, which I am, then this is a good change of pace and I hope you bring your appetite because it is a whopper, enough to feed a big family or have plenty for leftovers.

Easy Pleasing Meatloaf

Prep: 10 min. Cook: 1 hour

2 eggs, beaten
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken
1 cup water
1/2 cup Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce, divided

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, beat eggs lightly with a fork. This makes it easy to incorporate them into the meat mixture, so you won't have to over mix.

2. Place lean ground beef, stuffing mix, water, beaten eggs and 1/4 cup barbecue sauce in large bowl.

3. Mix all ingredients with spoon just until blended.

4. Shape meat mixture into an oval loaf in a 13x9 inch baking pan.

5. Top meatloaf with remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce.

6. Bake 1 hour or until cooked through when center has reach 160 degrees.

It is supposed to make eight servings but I feel like it makes more than that or maybe I don't cut the pieces very big. My boys love it and they are very picky eaters, hope you enjoy.

Happenings around here

As you know this holiday weekend has been filled with an ER run with fever and now not one but both boys are down with this fever that won't go away. After much debating and a very sleepless Saturday night, I knew going to church was out of the question, I decided to take the boys to urgent care to find out what was going wrong. I call Doug, who is in Arkansas, and tell him the urgent care is packed and they had just opened, now what. He calls the new pediatrician and gets the answering service, before he gets off the phone to call me back the pediatrician was calling me. I tell him everything that has been going on for the last week and he tells me to come into the office that afternoon, that's right on a Sunday afternoon, they see children on the weekend. Boy did we ever make the right decision to switch pediatricians. The boys and I make our way home for a couple of hours and then off to see the doctor. We get there and find out Eli has had a two inch growth spurt on top of being sick and so has Nic, go figure. The diagnosis, Eli has a double ear infection and an upper respiratory infection. And Nic, a right ear infection with a very horrible looking left ear to boot. Solution, both receive antibiotics and Eli is getting a referral to a ENT specialist to get tubes in his ears. With Nic it is a wait and see game because the doctor wants to see him a few times, especially with the whole having to do breathing treatments every time he gets a cold/pneumonia. We are not saying it is asthma but lets wait and see what happens and until he gets a little older and go from there. Needless to say I am much more impressed with our decision to switch pediatricians, our gut feeling turned out to be correct and not only that there are two other doctors in the practice and they rotate weekends for appointments (such a blessing). If only we could get rid of Eli's fever now but hopefully once the antibiotics start doing their mojo we will all be better.

On a lighter note. What happens when Daddy brings the boys home a snow globe and they can't decide who is going to hold it or drop it instead? See for yourself.

The mess.

Fun to vacuum up by the way, blowing all

over the place and sticking to everything.

This is what caused the mess.

This is what one might look like unharmed.

Christmas Cookie Swap

I am participating in the Christmas Cookie Swap being held by Melinda at "Bloggin' it From the 'Burbs". I have a lot of favorite cookie recipes and many I haven't even tried yet, I should get on that with three taste testers in the house. Anyway, this is the cookie recipe I have chosen for the great swap. Hope you enjoy!

Cardamom White Caps

Makes: 4 1/2 dozen Prep: 15 minutes Chill: 2 hours Bake: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light-brown sugar
3 eggs
1 & 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or pure vanilla (whichever you chose)
6 squares (1 oz. each) white chocolate
1 & 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cups of confectioner's sugar
7 teaspoons milk

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Set aside

2. In another large bowl, beat butter for 1 minute. Add sugar and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beat in vanilla. Melt chocolate in microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Cool, then beat into sugar mixture.

3. Beat sugar and flour mixture on low speed until combined. Fold in chopped nuts. Cover dough; refrigerate for 2 hours.

4. Heat oven to 350. Drop dough in heaping teaspoons onto 2 ungreased baking sheets, about 12 to a sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until set and lightly golden around edges. Cool a few minutes on the baking sheets on wire rack. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat baking with remaining dough.

5. Mix confectioner's sugar and milk until smooth and consistency of honey. Drizzle over cookies when cool. Enjoy the deliciousness.