Monday, May 16, 2011

Tiny feet


As the final piece to our back yard renovation project, we squared off the end of the driveway so that two cars could fit there. While the concrete was still wet, Whitley Ann made her mark! Unfortunately, Naylor was at school and Lalon asleep, so she was the only one to get in on the fun.

What a week!

Cheese! This is Lalon after confirming her fractured collar bone - you wouldn't know she was hurt unless you touched it by accident!
This is what happens when you walk straight into the corner of a wall at full speed.

Boy, am I glad last week is over and hopefully we are starting fresh this week! I'll quickly review all the excitement from last week in this entry, well, as quickly as I can... it was a big week, so a big entry too.

Monday at 5pm Brian calls and says he has to go to Charlotte for work; I immediately hang up, pack up the kids and we head to Wrightsville Beach for a few days. I've been meaning to go down there during the week for a trial run prior to our big family Memorial Day weekend to see what I need to bring / do since the kids have grown so much over the past year... boy, oh boy, what a time! We didn't venture to the actual beach since I was solo with all 3, we just stayed in the house and "lived", which is exactly what I needed to do to see the kids in action and what I need to baby proof.
Naylor is officially jumping out of the pack and play now. Monday night they wouldn't settle down, but figured it was the ride plus a new place... Tuesday at nap time, sounded like the world was coming down, go in there, Naylor is out of his bed and sitting in Lalon's and they've ripped the curtain down. So I put him in my bed and tell him he's a big boy, big bed, go night night. About 5 minutes, CRASH! he's on the floor, hit his head on the table, I don't know what else... I have a toddler aerobed, so I brought it and put it together and tell him again, big boy, big bed, night night - tell Lalon to lay down. 5 minutes, crash - go in, Naylor's in bed with Lalon as well as 3 wine bottles - who knows where they came from?!!? So end up putting Lalon in another room and Naylor back on aerobed with nothing else in the room and put one of those door knob locks so he can't come out... eventually he went to sleep around 3ish (we started this process at 12.30). For bed he did fine, probably because he was exhausted! That was the main excitement, but Naylor can also open the front door now which is not good.

We stopped through Clinton on the way home to drop some things off at Christie's and the kids played for a bit. It was getting late, dinner and bed time and folks were melting down so we loaded up to head home. When we got home Lalon freaked out when I took her out of her car seat (I figured her foot got caught and I pulled on it or something) and then she had another meltdown when I took her out of the bathtub, but at this point, we're well past her normal bedtime so I figured she was just over the day. The next morning (Thursday) she wakes up crying, we go get her milk and when I pick her up to go upstairs, she flips out again... hmmm... Brian says she may have the same kind of strep that he had that feels like arthritis in your joints, so I call the doctor and we head over (Naylor is at school so I didn't have to manage all 3 at the dr office thankfully). After checking her out and doing a strep culture just in case, Dr. Artman sends us over to the radiologist... after an hour of waiting (right smack dab in the middle of her lunch and nap time), we get her images taken, wait a few more minutes and then get confirmation that she has fractured her clavical (collar bone). WHAT?!?! Dr. Artman contacted the orthopedist for us to confirm treatment, but due to it's placement and her age, basically it will heal on its own - we just need to be careful picking her up so as not to hurt her and give her Motrin, hugs and snuggles for pain management. He said within 3 weeks it would be all better. OMG - how did this happen?? We don't know, but she did fall when playing at her cousins (not a bad fall, just a fall) and I'm guessing that's when it happened, hence the screaming when I got her out of the carseat, bathtub, etc... Kudos to Lalon for being such a trooper and good girl during the almost 3 hours we were at the doctor and radiologist offices!

So Friday after our exciting week I decided we'd just stay in, lay low and 'recover' while Naylor was at school. We are doing just that, upstairs doing a little laundry when Lalon walks head first into the wall. Seriously?! Yep, she just walked into the wall. She wasn't even wearing shoes or a long dress to trip on - holy cow Lalon, you're killing me! I take a picture and tell Mama and Christie I'll include it and the x-ray images as my documentation for my Mother of the Year application - ha!

We made it through the rest of the day without any incidents and I thought we were home free and that I would begin my 'weekend of Robin' (another entry for all of that fun), but Naylor put the "icing on the cake" so to speak.

Sunday afternoon during his nap, I guess he got bored. While resting in his room (I don't think he ever actually slept), he pooped which is fine, kids poop. However, when Brian went to get him, he yells for me to come to Naylor's room. So I go up thinking he had put Band-Aids all over the walls (he took a box of Band-Aids for his nap, that's another story). Nope, no, that's not what has happened at all. I walk in to it stinking like all get out and I'm thinking Brian just wanted me to be the lucky one to change the diaper... oh to have been that lucky! Naylor has pulled an Aunt Christie (she did a similar thing as a baby in her crib) and finger painted the window and window sill with his poop. Awesome. Brian cleaned Naylor up and I cleaned the walls / window / window sill while Lalon is running circles around us saying, "ewww, yuck". At least she didn't fall down while saying it and she was right on!

So, what a week!! Each incident on it's own isn't that terribly bad, we just don't usually have so many "large adventures" within on week. I'm hoping we are a little less adventurous this week. :)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Mother's Day and birthday 2011

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Birthday to Robin!

Lalon, Robin, Naylor and Whitley Ann. It's REALLY hard to get everyone looking at the same time; we should probably start taking pictures for our Christmas card now - ha!
Lalon, Whitley Ann and Naylor
Robin and Whitley Ann on Whitley Ann's first Mother's Day

What a fun time we had this past weekend. On Friday night, the sitter came over while Brian and I went out for a sushi dinner with our friends JP and Laura. I haven't had sushi in so long - it was as good as I was hoping it would be!

Then Saturday morning we headed down to Annie & Pa's for some more fun. After the kid's naps, we had a little pool party. The water was freezing, but Brian was a trooper and jumped in to play with the kids. Naylor loved jumping from the edge to Brian, although he too was freezing... he'd climb out, teeth chattering and covered in goosebumps and say, "I wanna jump again!". We pretty quickly created the diversion of snack time and went inside before they all turned blue! We wrapped up the evening with a pizza party with the Hargroves at Annie & Pa's house - lots of fun.

Sunday, (after Whitley Ann slept through the night!) we had a great breakfast that Annie made and then made our way to church. The kids did just as good this time in church as they did at Easter and then headed up to the nursery during the service. Afterwards, we went to have lunch at Ma Ma & Pa Pa's with all of the family. It is so fun to watch the kids playing with their cousins! Uncle Jamie gave lots of rides on the John Deere Gator, so he of course, was the hit of the party! Brian and I loaded up to head home and got to play with the kids in the back yard for a little while just before bed time. Side note: the fence in the back yard may possibly be the best investment we've ever made - it's awesome. We quietly wrapped up the weekend by watching a silly, but fun movie and then off to bed for us too.

A fun weekend all around with great friends, family, food and fun - I couldn't have asked for anything more!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Random cuteness!

Whitley Ann was just too cute in this outfit not to photograph!
Naylor's new "thing"; he'll put socks on his hands when he's down for his nap or bedtime.
He even has a song, seriously... "socks on my hands; socks on my hands"
Stylin' and profilin'
Someone call the exterminator!

Death of Osama bin Laden

A lot of historical things happening this week, so more "non-family" related posts than usual with the Royal Wedding, death of bin Laden and hopefully later this week the final launch of the space shuttle (it should have happened on Friday, but was delayed). All huge events in our world, just on all different levels of emotion, so I'm including them in the blog because as I mentioned earlier, while this is a way to keep family and friends in the loop of our daily goings on, it's really a journal for the kids to have when they are older. So with that being said...

By DAVID ESPO, Associated Press; KIMBERLY DOZIER, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Osama bin Laden, the face of global terrorism and architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was killed in a firefight with elite American forces Sunday, then quickly buried at sea in a stunning finale to a furtive decade on the run.

Long believed to be hiding in caves, bin Laden was tracked down in a costly, custom-built hideout not far from a Pakistani military academy.

"Justice has been done," President Barack Obama said in a dramatic announcement at the White House while a crowd cheered outside and hundreds more gathered at ground zero in Manhattan to celebrate the news.

The military operation took mere minutes. U.S. helicopters flew elite counter-terrorism troops into the compound, identified by the CIA as bin Laden's hideout, and back out again in less than 40 minutes. Bin Laden was shot in the head, officials said, after he and his bodyguards resisted the assault.

Three adult males were also killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials also said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant, and two other women were injured.

The U.S. official who disclosed the burial at sea said it would have been difficult to find a country willing to accept the remains. Obama said the remains had been handled in accordance with Islamic custom, which requires speedy burial.




Paris Puffins


Recently, I've been remembering all the good things Mama made when I was little and have tried my hand at a few. Last week, Naylor and I made Paris Puffins for breakfast - a nice, light homemade muffin with a sugar and cinnamon topping - yummy! These too, were just as good as I remembered them to be and Naylor had a great time helping make them; he loves to help in the kitchen these days.

Paris Puffins, Ann E. Naylor

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 c. shortening (I use butter Crisco sticks for all of my shortening needs)
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. milk

Topping:
1/3 c. butter, melted (I had too much left over, so a little less would be okay)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Muffins: Mix shortening, sugar and egg. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add alternately with milk. Bake in muffin pans filled 2/3 full at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

For Topping: Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Roll tops of muffins in melted butter, then in sugar mixture.

Lemon-Basil Potato Salad


I made this for my book club meeting a few weeks ago and it was delightful! A great side dish that's substantial, but doesn't feel heavy. I think it will be perfect for some summer grilling events!

Lemon-Basil Potato Salad, from Southern Living

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 small Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1 oz.) pkg. chopped fresh basil (about 1/3 cup)
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 medium-size onion, sliced
1 (10 oz.) pkg. fresh spinach
10 thick bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

DIRECTIONS
Arrange potato wedges in an even layer on a lightly greased broiler plan; coat wedges with vegetable cooking spray. Bake at 475 for 20 – 25 minutes or until tender or golden. Whisk together lemon juice and next 5 ingredients; whisk in oil in a slow, steady stream. Gently toss potatoes, onion and 1/2 cup lemon mixture. Wash spinach thoroughly; pat dry with paper towels. Arrange spinach evenly on a platter or in 6 bowls. Drizzle with remaining lemon juice mixture. Top with potato mixture, and sprinkle with bacon.