Fall

 How is it Fall already?  I haven't been doing much in any measurement.  

We've hit a groove with school.  The marking period ended.  Little Miss has straight A's after taking a bit to acclimate to virtual learning.  Captain doesn't really get grades, but he's improved so much and has taken to virtual learning (with a lot of help and guidance from us).  

I've been mostly "catching up" on The Big Bang Theory.  I watched the first two seasons, but then I drifted away so I picked up at Season Three and am steadily making my way through the seasons.  I still enjoy it, but I think I'm hitting some fatigue.  

I haven't read one book in months, but I may have to make myself sit and do it to get back in the groove.  On the plus side, my book buying has slowed (though not stopped).

We celebrated Little Miss's 13th birthday.  We tried to make it as special as we could without going out or seeing people.  She briefly saw some friends outside to receive gifts.  We gifted the friends with cupcakes.

These cupcakes were very involved, similar to the other cupcakes and cake I made earlier in the year.  I don't think my meringue was perfect.  It wasn't thick enough, but it was starting to separate, and I didn't want to redo it so I just stopped where it was.  It was still smooth and tasty, just not the right texture.  I don't think we also heated it high enough, but the cake part is delicious.  I don't always find plain cake recipes that extraordinary versus doctored box mixes, but this one was so good (it may have helped that I paid a lot for the gourmet cocoa).

Here is the recipe if you are interested.

Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

Ingredients

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 6 Large Egg whites
• 1 1/4 Cup Sugar (250 g / 8.5 oz)
• 1/4 tsp Cream of tartar
• 2 Cups Unsalted butter, soft (454 g / 16 oz)
• 20 Oreo Cookies

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 Cup AP Flour (180 g / 6 oz)
• 1/2 Cup + 2TBS Cocoa powder (65 g / 2.5 oz)
• 1 1/8 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Large Egg yolk
• 3/4 Cup Milk (180 ml / 6 oz)
• 1/3 Cup Canola Oil (90 ml / 3 oz)
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/3 Cup Sugar (275 g / 10 oz)
• 2/3 Cup Boiling Water (150 ml / 5 oz)

Instructions

To Make the Buttercream

1. In a bowl of a standing mixer, pour the sugar then add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Use a hand whisk to blend it all.

2. Place the bowl on top of a pot with simmering water on the stove. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

3. Use a hand whisk to stir the mix and cook until it reaches 130F or when the sugar has dissolved.

4. Remove bowl from stove and back to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

5. Mix until a stiff meringue has formed and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch of your hand.

6. Reduce speed to low-medium and add the butter a piece at a time, gradually increase speed to medium-high and mix until a smooth creamy buttercream has formed.

7. Measure 1 cup of buttercream and place in a medium bowl

8. Separate the Oreos cookies remove and place the filling in the bowl with the small amount of buttercream.

9. Use a fork or a hand whisk to blend the filling and buttercream then in a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

10. Place the separated cookies in a food processor and process it into a very fine meal. Remove and lumps or large pieces you notice.

11. Sprinkle the ground Oreos on top of the buttercream and mix until a cohesive buttercream has formed.

12. Fill a large piping bag fitted with a large tip (your choice of shape).

Baking The Cupcakes

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix to blend.

2. In a bowl of a standing mixer, place the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla pour the sugar on top then add the dry ingredients.

3. Use the paddle attachment to mix on low until completely smooth then pour the boiling water and mixing carefully until smooth. Let sit for 15 minutes. (do not over mix)

4. Fill cupcakes liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out dry from the center of the cupcakes.

5. Preheat oven to 350F, line 1-12 cup muffin tines with cupcakes liners.

6. Remove from stove and allow to completely cool before filling and decorating.

Filling and piping the cupcakes

1. Using a sharp knife, cut an inch sized circle at the center of each cupcake. Make sure you insert the knife 1" deep and as you cut around, create a cone-shaped piece you can easily remove.

2. Use the white buttercream to fill the center of the cupcakes then the dark buttercream to pipe the cupcake.

Week asdlkjfa;slkdjfasdklfj

So, we're still being socially distant and sheltering in place.  We've got a little routine down, but the days run together.  

Captain has taken to it well. He has taken a lot of coronavirus information in and processed it, and he's been strangely cool. He's got all his stuff, all of his people. He still hates Zoom calls, but he's been getting better. I think having a birthday helped - new toys especially video games. This house has always been a videogame-free house, but that's over.  He's doing ok with school.  He hates reading and writing and it's hard to keep him motivated.  Luckily, I've found some worksheets online and an app he really likes that has actually helped him write.  It's too early to see if it's been helping him read.  He's very behind the milestone with reading and writing.  He does love being read to though.

Little Miss is all over the place. She's ok depending on the minute of the day. She misses the structure of school and her friends. We've been doing some cooking and baking which helps. Nothing major, but I think the whir of the mixer helps calm her. 

The photo below is from a visit with my parents who dropped some presents off while maintaining distance in the parking lot of our building. My mom crocheted The Child from The Mandalorian for me (well, the kids, but we're sharing custody).

View this post on Instagram

2020 #thechild #facemasks

A post shared by April Moore (@princessapr) on May 10, 2020 at 3:03pm PDT

Quarantine Life

Whelp, the novelty has worn off.  Or life with a pre-teen has hit a valley, or peak.  I don't know.  

It turns out, Captain really likes to have a schedule and a plan.  He gets frustrated with writing and not being perfect which hinders him trying.  He prefers staying home.  Even when we've offered him to go get the mail or take a walk, he prefers to stay inside.  There was some chalk painting on the balcony, but that's about it.  Today, we got a little creative with lessons.  Even though it's Spring Break, I still like to keep him busy.  Today, he got to watch some Penguins of Madagascar and then had to write about his favorite part.  In the afternoon, I had him write a letter to his great-grandparents.  

Little Miss has been super great and making cookies for the family by herself or super emotional.  So, 12 is fun.  She gets a little cooped up and does like to get out to run around the block or walk down to get the mail.  She has been allegedly working and keeps in contact with many of her friends.  

All in all, I can't complain.  They've been good.  It's hard to keep them learning and motivated, but I think they (at least Captain) like the interaction and being around us.  

Husband and I have been having Zoom calls with family.  We've started Schitt's Creek.  I've watched Glow Up, Next in Fashion, and Making It but having trouble concentrating on finishing an actual book.  We've also been listening to the Scrubs podcast and doing a rewatch along with it.  So, that's been fun.

So, we're hanging in there as I hope you all are as well.

Hanging in There

So, this has been a fun month.  I hope this isn't "going out like a lamb."  We've all kind of adapted ok so far.  

We wake up.  The kids start school work around 10AM.  Little Miss has set their room up with two trays as desks and two chairs.  She guides him through his lessons and does her own work.  They come out for lunch.  Normally, this is when they are done for the day, but the work load has ramped up this week to be more interactive so they went back to work after lunch time.  We've been very consistent with bedtime which has helped at least.  

They've been pretty calm.  There are some questions here and there.  In general, they've been more active with us though.  You'd think close quarters would make them crankier, but it hasn't really.  Maybe it's the extra sleep.  Little Miss has been getting up 2-3 hours later than her usual school schedule.  We've played some board games, watched movies, popped popcorn.  We've had some interesting conversations about guns, politics, passing on germs.  Captain has a lot of interesting perspectives.  For example, he may need a gun to protect himself from bad guys... or just a shield.  So, maybe he just thinks he's actually Captain America.  

Captain Update - Week 2

2 full weeks!  No accidents at school or at home.  He has taken to peeing standing up which is a new development.  BUT he has also successfully pooped at home, at school, and while we were out running errands.  This is a big corner and has made for a much happier household.  The household is still full of rampant hormones of the toddler and teenage variety, but this looks to be improving.  

Now we just need to work on his aim... 

Daily Life

Captain was born with an imperforate anus.  He was lucky that it wasn't very severe and, with surgery at around 6 months, he had all working parts.  However, he is easily constipated and any change in diet really affects his body.  As a baby, he didn't have banana, applesauce, and had restricted dairy which are all foods babies eat first.  Keeping weight on him was always a challenge.  Starting last year, we started giving him fiber vitamins and probiotics as well as a weekly stool softener - except you don't want to over-correct either.  It's a delicate balance.

As a slow potty trainer, it was difficult to see how his condition would affect him long-term.  We know that the constipation is a daily, constant issue, but the bowel management/control is relatively new.  He's been trying, but we don't know what else to do.  There's either an accident or a little poop on his underpants at least 5 out of 7 days of the week.  The school seems to be impatient with it which I completely understand, but he also can't help it.  We see the doctor to see what else we can do this week.  

I've done some research online, but there are so many with such severe conditions and challenges, but I'm hopeful we can control this by diet and possibly medicine.  The next stages are much more physically taxing (daily enemas or X-rays or suppositories).  He already receives frequent suppositories which he hates.  As a picky eater, it makes diet tricky, but I think we would be able to adapt to any conditions we need to add.  So, here's hoping we get to the bottom of things.  See what I did there?  

Science Fair

We avoided the Science Fair every year Little Miss was in elementary school until the 5th grade where it was mandatory.  By then, she was old enough to do it all by herself.  However, Captain loves science and wanted to participate so bad in the Science Fair.  Except he's in Kindergarten.  Which means that an adult needs to supervise and, well, do most of it.

So, we signed up for the Science Fair after which I forgot all about it until last Sunday.  We got an email telling us about the procedure for Thursday night.  Thursday.  Night.  4 days from when I read the email.  To put this into perspective, Monday is hockey night.  Wednesday, I was having minor outpatient surgery.  Thursday was baking club.  And Science Fair.  Luckily, we had almost all of the materials.  Monday, we did the science experiment and half of the presentation.  Tuesday, I forgot to print out the photos so I ran to Staples where they allow you to email photos to print and it was seamless and easy.  Then, we finished the project Tuesday night.  Wednesday, we dropped it off at school.  Thursday, we got a participation ribbon.  I mean, Captain got his participation ribbon.  

His experiement was to see which method inflated a balloon the best.  We filled one bottle with hot water to see if the steam would inflate the balloon.  It did but only slightly and not enough to raise the balloon.  We filled one bottle with water and placed an alka seltzer tablet in there.  It inflated the balloon to standing.  We filled a third bottle with vinegar and added baking soda.  It inflated the balloon to standing and almost bursting!  Captain's prediction was correct.

Third Grade, Here We Come!

I don't know how, but Little Miss is entering the third grade! This morning, she got up early, got ready on time, did her own hair for goodness' sake.  She was a little nervous, but I know she'll do great.  I can't wait to hear all about it.  It's still gratifying to see brand new school supplies - backpack, lunch bag, and water bottle all clean and shiny!

Captain was not excited.  He sobbed as she left for school.  He's so adored her being with him all summer.  They love each other so much.

Obligatory #firstdayofschool photo. #ACPS #teacher @Rob_Sawicki

A photo posted by @princessapr on Sep 6, 2016 at 5:31am PDT

May 2016 Weekend Update

May seems like months ago - because it was. May and June were ridiculously busy for us (as was the rest of the summer honestly). The first weekend, we had our annual Kentucky Derby party. It was on the small side this year, but we still cooked about the same amount of food. We watched the race and then played Cards Against Humanity which was a lot of fun - good group. On Sunday, we had the in-laws over for a cook out. Our apartment added a few grills and gave us a proper patio so we tried that out for the first time.

May the Fourth be with you. #starwarsday #cisforchewie (@Rob_Sawicki)

A photo posted by @princessapr on May 4, 2016 at 5:39am PDT

The second weekend was our nephew's birthday. It was a lot of fun. Captain enjoyed the food, and Little Miss enjoyed ruling all the kids around her as the oldest. It was a day of fun and chaos as all children's birthday parties are. The next day was the Taste of Arlington. Captain tried a soba salad which I thought was a little too strong for me, but he loved it. The lotus root always creeps me out, but he ate it up. The wind took his plate which made him sob, but I bought him another. Little Miss mostly liked rock climbing and gathering as much free stuff as she could. She had swimming, and then we actually went back to the Taste of Arlington where we scored free food from some vendors.

More soba salad to make Captain happier.

A photo posted by @princessapr on May 15, 2016 at 11:59am PDT

The third weekend we did the Fun Fair at the elementary school. Little Miss loves being around her friends. She got her face painted, tried her hand at the cake walk (many times), and loved seeing her teachers outside of school hours. The next day, we did Truck & Bus Day. It rained, but that didn't stop Captain from freaking out all over the bus and trucks and other vehicles. Little Miss also really enjoys this event. After, I took the kids to book club and then we all went to get frozen yogurt and then ended up at my parents' for a jam packed weekend!

A photo posted by @princessapr on May 21, 2016 at 6:23am PDT

The last weekend of May, Memorial Day, we just ran errands, had more frozen yogurt, and went to the pool. It was a little chilly for the pool, but that didn't stop the kids from staying in until it started raining. All in all, it was a good month.

Following Papa's footsteps. Gotta start somewhere. (@Rob_Sawicki)

A photo posted by @princessapr on May 29, 2016 at 3:46pm PDT

Kid Update

I promise to be better at updating!  Truthfully, it's more for me.  I use this blog a lot to see what we did the year before.

Let's see, I'll update with Little Miss.  Below is the photo I took of the three of us while watching the Oscars.  Little Miss is doing great in school.  We just came from her parent/teacher conference.  She is being taught to her level which is well into the third grade.  Her teachers love her.  She's motivated, applying her lessons across the board, listens well, and is very social.  She doesn't get caught up in classroom drama and loves to help other children learn.

Little Miss may not be a future hockey player, but she is loving the fact that she gets to play this year and wear pads.  She's motivated enough to get up at 6AM.  She's been doing well with her swimming, and I believe she'll be swimming by this summer.  Plus, this is the most we've used our indoor pool since we've moved her a zillion years ago.

@theellenshow has nothing on our #Oscar selfie #academyawards (@Rob_Sawicki)

A photo posted by @princessapr on Feb 28, 2016 at 5:31pm PST

Captain is coming into his own.  He adds new words to his vocabulary everyday (finally).  He could still be a little clearer when he talks, but he's getting there.  He loves singing and dancing.  He has gotten way into Frozen and Little Einsteins and, as we found out last night, Bubble Guppies.  He can climb up a step stool - but can't climb down.  He is not a great sleeper, but he will.  I think his rough phase is over at least.  

He still has some issues with constipation, but we are careful with his diet.  Plus, if needed, he gets a laxative with his juice.  Otherwise, he's a great eater and has gotten really good at using utensils and feeding himself.  He loves playing with big kids because he really only has big kids around him.  He plays with the big nephew and some of Little Miss's friends.  He spends most of his time trying to use the computer or our phones or a tablet.  He's obsessed with electronics (only because he's not allowed to touch them), but he also loves Brown Bear, Brown Bear and cars and trains and music.  

Blowing kisses to you!

A video posted by @princessapr on Mar 2, 2016 at 3:32pm PST

Update

We've been busy just like every single other family during the holiday season, but here's a quick update.

We managed to put up a tree and decorate it.  We purchased presents for everyone (and then purchased a few more).  We did cooking and baking.  

Captain is teething and getting those wretched canine teeth in.  It's resulting in either a cold or congestion.  He is also badly constipated this week so the combination is rough.  He hasn't slept and has been an emotional mess.  Last night was better than nights before so I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  His vocabulary is finally increasing.  He can say mama, dada, baba (for drink), his sister's name, bus, car, ball, girl, and now he says cracker, thanks, and good.  He's slow to talk but so was Little Miss.  Because of the age difference, it's like having a first child all over again.  He doesn't have to talk because there's no need to - he has 3 people catering to his every need.

Little Miss is wise beyond her years.  She enjoys mindless YouTube videos and reading Harry Potter with me.  She's doing extraordinary in school.  She hasn't mastered third grade level work yet, but she's never gives up.  She's well above her grade level in both math and language arts.  She speaks Spanish and sign language at home.  She's learning coding on her school iPad.  She knows pretty much what I knew in middle school.  She's incredibly helpful around the house.  If anything, her only fault is not being a good eater, but she eats.

Status quo with Husband.  He freelances from home.  I, however, got promoted this year which is exciting.  I love where I work, and it's nice to receive encouragement back.  

Here's to a happy and healthy 2016!

Conversations with an almost-8-year-old

Backstory - K was in Little Miss's class in kindergarten and is in her second grade class as well. They were going to get married in kindergarten if she didn't marry this other boy. 

Little Miss: You know, K, right? Me: Aren't you going to marry him? Little Miss: Ugh, no. Hashtag fail. 

 Seriously. The girl just said "hashtag". Where does she come up with this stuff? I don't even know if she knows what it means, but she's always been good at figuring out correct context even if she didn't know the meaning of words. She's done that since she was learning to talk. She keeps us on our toes - and growing up too quickly.

First Day of School

I don't think I posted this!  Little Miss started the second grade.  She wanted to be a chef this year when asked.  She was nervous that she wouldn't know anyone this year, but that only lasted a short time.  Her good friend from first grade is in her classroom again.  Plus, it turned out she knows many of the kids - one of which is even at her bus stop.

She has two second grade teachers who switch depending on the day, but the kids seem to be ok with this.  The teachers both seem great.  they had nothing but awesome things to say about Little Miss at the conference.  

Little Miss is already at the upper end of her grade requirements if not testing above her grade level.  She's outstanding in reading and spelling, but she is pretty solid in math as well.  She loves Spanish and art.  

There was some drama with her friends, but it seems to be typical girl drama.  It seems to be over (for now).  It's just a little introduction to mean girls.  Little Miss knows how some people are just not for her.  She will separate herself from the drama if it becomes too much or find other friends to play with, but in this case, it was a little complicated.  Either way, it has resolved itself - as most playground things do at this age.  

I know she'll love second grade, and I love watching her grow - even if it means I'm not her favorite parent (which is what she told me last week).

If I Was President...

You can view the actual photo larger if you'd like here.

Little Miss has been writing in a journal all summer.  The teacher gave her some suggested topics.  One topic was If I were the President, I would...  This is what she wrote:

Make sure everyone can go to a good and safe school.  Make sure everyone can go everywhere.  Give moms and dads more time off to be with their kid.  Make sure everybody does the right stuff.  Make sure everyone has food.  Give kids Monday off.

I've really enjoyed the writing assignments because it's really given us insight to what she thinks about.  I'm feeling much better about taking a day off to do some sightseeing with just my Little Miss next week now.  

June 2015 Weekend Update

June was really busy! I didn't take many pictures though. I spent early June in Louisville/Nashville for a work trip. It was quite a bit of fun. I met clients I hadn't met before. We got to go to Churchill Downs. I saw a part of Nashville I've never visited before. All in all, it was a successful trip. So, that first weekend was spent traveling home and catching my breath.

The second week in June was fun! A friend and I saw Mumford & Sons and had a blast. On Friday, the In-Laws, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, the nephews and the four of us went for Asian food. The food was plentiful. We did not give the baby sushi, but he liked edamame and tempura. The next night, we went out with our friends. Husband went golfing with the boys. A friend, Sister and I went to a brunch that was fantastic. Then, we met Sister-in-Law at the movies. After, we met up with the boys for happy hour and kept hopping from there. It was a lot of fun. On Sunday, we went to my parents' pool.

The third weekend, Little Miss and I met Sister and Nephew to see Inside Out. My mom watched Captain while we went out. We did some light shopping, too. That Sunday was another quiet Sunday. We've made an effort to keep the place relatively tidy. I think the lighter Sundays have helped.
In the last weekend, we went to Sister's house on Saturday to celebrate my dad's birthday. The kids baked brownies. I went to the mall to pick up Little Miss's flower girl dress for Sister's wedding next year. Then, we all just had an enjoyable evening. On Sunday, I met friends for lunch and some girl time.

Other items of note is that Little Miss had her last day of first grade (the picture above is misleading because it's really the last day on the left and the first day on the right). I really liked first grade (and she did as well). She grew so much - both physically and academically. She's so very bright and so eager to please. I hope she is as lucky with her second grade teacher.

Meanwhile, Captain has no desire to walk. He will very occasionally walk assisted and can walk alongside the couch, a cabinet or in the crib. He'll just fold up his legs until you let him go so he can crawl. I know his legs can support him and he knows what to do so, until he wants to, not much else to worry about. He is a fantastic eater. He'll eat anything. He's had jambalaya, many meats, fruits. He's ate shrimp last weekend for dinner. He loves fruit and pretty much anything I'm trying to feed myself. He even tried some of Husband's buffalo chicken. We've been having some constipation issues. It turns out that he needs a healthy diet of fruit and daily prunes. At least once a week, it's a big struggle so hopefully we'll have it straightened out soon. Poor little guy.

7-Year-Old Relationships

Little Miss and I were talking.  She just came home from a sleepover with the inlaws and three little cousins (almost 5 years old and 2 1-year-olds).  She mentioned that she wasn't sure she wanted kids.  They were a lot of work.  I said I understood.  It's her choice.  I asked if she wanted to get married.  She said no.  I asked if she wanted to have a boyfriend or girlfriend.  She said, "Well, there is someone who already said we're going to get married."

Now, we're talking.  So, I push a little more but still stay conversational.  She goes on to say that it's the same little boy last year who said they were going to get married.  However, there's been a constant boy who is pushing for a date when they turn 18.  She kind of thinks they're both a little silly (as well she should).  I asked her what she thought.  She said, "Well, I like them, but I don't like LOVE them, you know?"

Ugh.  She's so grown up.  

May 2015 Weekend Update

Let's see. We had a ridiculously busy May. The first weekend, we had our annual Kentucky Derby party which involved crazy cleaning and cooking. We had chicken parm, pasta, egg rolls, salads, a wide range of foods. Then, some stayed for the fight. It was a lot of fun. The next day, I met a friends for lunch which was always fun.

The second weekend of May, we hit up the elementary school's Fun Fair for a brief time before heading to our Nephew's first birthday party. It was crazy hot but a lot of fun. The next day was Mother's Day. We went to Sister's house for a Mother's Day brunch. We ate a ridiculous amount of delicious food. We celebrated the oldest Nephew's birthday as well.

The third weekend in May, I took the kids to the park. Little Miss met up with a friend there by chance and had a blast. Captain did not like the slide and couldn't really do much as he's not quite walking yet. Also, we got eaten up by mosquitoes which was unfortunate. 

On Sunday, Little Miss had a playdate in the morning. So, I dropped her off before taking Captain to The Taste of Arlington. It was very hot, but he was a trooper. I gave him doughnuts and a lot of other tastes. I would have given him chili, but that was scalding hot so I was a good mama instead. Later, I picked up Little Miss, dropped Captain at home and took her to Taste of Arlington in the evening so she could play games and try some food. Lots of good food. I refused to stand in long lines which is why I like to go when it opens, but there were some great restaurants there. I felt the variety was better than in the past, but the lines are still obnoxious after 2PM.

The fourth week of the month, we hung out at Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law's pool with the In-laws.  It was great.  The weather was a bit cool, but the kids went in the pool anyway.  We ate a lot and chatted.  On Sunday, we went wedding dress shopping with Sister.  We were all very successful.  She chose a dress.  The attendants chose dresses, and we have an idea of what to do for Little Miss.  On Monday, we hit the driving range before going to my parents' pool.  Captain walked around the baby pool for a long time, fighting sleep.  Little Miss had a good time, but I think she missed someone to play with.  

The last weekend in May, Little Miss and I woke early to clean up the school's courtyard.  Every bug seemed to get a taste of me.  After, we wanted to go to the pool, but we were too tired (read that as I was too tired).  So, I took a nap and chose to do nothing instead. 

On Sunday, Little Miss woke up sick so she stayed on the couch with Husband while she recovered.  I took Captain to my parents' house so he could see my grandparents.  They were tickled by him - as they should be.  It was an exhausting month.  June seems busy but not nearly as busy.

Big Show

Give it up for these lovely ladies, indeed! The elementary school extended day program holds a little show every year. Little Miss and a friend sang Taylor Swift's Blank Space. It's amateur video and I had to compress it to link to the blog so it seems low-res. Many children were intimidated being on stage, but the audience seemed very encouraging and she did great. She was more subdued than she is singing at home, but she said she got better by the end of the song. She's definitely a solo act. She didn't look at her friend once during the performance.

February 2015 Weekend Update

February was a good month and, as always, flew.  Good golly, February went by quickly.  The first weekend, Little Miss and I did Bingo Night at her school on Friday.  She won a game and had great fun with a couple of classmates.  The next night, she had a sleepover at the In-Laws' apartment with her cousin.  

The second weekend was Presidents' Day weekend.  My office closed early on Friday so we took advantage of that and went to Maryland.  My aunt, cousin and his girlfriend were there and got to meet the baby for the first time.  The kids were showered with gifts.  The weather was bitter, bitter cold though.  We stayed in and played on Saturday, and the couples went out to dinner on Valentine's Day, but we were stir-crazy by Saturday.  Sister, Brother-in-Law (to be), Nephew, Cousin and his girlfriend and Husband, Little Miss and I all went bowling and to the arcade.  It was a lot of fun and nice to get out.   

Surprisingly, Baby was really great in the snow.  He really liked it and giggled even though he's kind of, well, a baby in the cold usually.  It must have felt funny to sit in it.  He also enjoys wearing his snow suit.

The third weekend of the month, Husband's friend came over.  It was cold out so we were pretty happy just staying inside and eating our way through the cold weather.  That's pretty much what we did the next day, too.

I'd like to say we had a blast the last weekend of the month, but it was cold again, and we did nothing.  On Friday, Little Miss and I went to Family Gym Night where Little Miss wore herself playing basketball, jazzercise and scooter hockey.  It was tiring to watch her.  Unfortunately, I had plans, but we wisely cancelled due to the ice storm we received.  So, we kind of just stayed in and played games.  Little Miss did her homework.  All in all, it was a nice, quiet weekend. 

January 2015 Weekend Update

The first weekend in January, we hosted a sleepover with Nephew.  He and Little Miss ate some junk food, played loudly and then crashed together - in an air mattress built for one.  They were really great, and they had a lot of fun.  That next day, Little Miss had a playdate with a classmate which thoroughly knocked her out for the evening.  The next day, my mom and I went out to lunch and to a movie.  We kicked off January right!

The second weekend in January, Husband had to go out of town.  So, the kids and I laid low.  We had a blast, cleaned a bit.  I cooked some new recipes.  It was nice and low-key.

The third weekend in January was ridiculously busy.  We started by having the In-Laws over Friday night for Mother-in-Law's birthday.  The next morning, Little Miss had a birthday party and painted some pottery.  Straight after, we drove to the trampoline park where Little Miss had a blast, and I felt every single year of my life.  We then met up with friends for frozen yogurt.  When we got home, I immediately fell asleep.

The fourth weekend in January was another classmate's birthday.  Little Miss played laser tag for the first time.  She had a blast despite no natural talent.  She did not come in last though!  The next day, I met Sister-in-Law for a movie and then went to my mom's house in the afternoon.  Before we made it to my mom's, we took a brief detour though.  Little Miss got her haircut!  She also donated it.  I don't have a great after photo, but I have the photo below showing the length.  They had a special day where the kids dressed like their favorite character, and Little Miss dressed like Mo Willems's character, Piggy.  Her classmate dressed like Gerard, and they were the cutest things ever.

The last weekend of January we did very little.  Friday night was First Grade Readathon at school so Little Miss got to hear a lot of books read, and I got to learn a lot about the first grade reading program.  Saturday, we cleaned.  Sunday, Little Miss's friend came over to play, and then we watched the Superbowl (and ate too much).