Picture update!!!!

Harrison scooting...


And now crawling...



Lily napping...




Harrison sleeping...














On the move...



Lily eating "farties" AKA smarties...



Thankfully Max has a high tolerance for babies...




I wasn't being dramatic...kitchen one minute, laundry room the next...



Finally our backyard comes to life...

I just had to document that I'm at work...early...8 minutes early. I even checked my email already. Wow, it's going to be a good day.

The little man is FAST

Did I mention Harrison is crawling?

Did I mention he's a crawling maniac?

He is fast and wants to be even faster, evidenced by squealing, arms and legs moving fast, but falling down because he's not coordinated enough...yet.

He is ALL over the place. He'll be in the kitchen one minute laundry room the next.

He is pulling up on the couch and even better, his crib at 5:30AM.

He was tugging on a highly insecure side table that houses a heavy statue. Why would people with 2 kids own such a thing? Cuz the first one NEVER touched it.

Two weeks ago Harrison sat playing for 45 minutes straight. Haha...not anymore.

Lily's version

Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a dinosaur in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

Cute, huh?

Once a month blogging

Wow, it's been a while.

What would keep a person from blogging?

1.) Selling a house
***a.) Renting storage unit
***b.) Boxing stuff for storage
***c.) Delivering stuff to storage
***d.) Boxing stuff for donations
***e.) Delivering stuff for donations
***f.) "Phone interviewing" realtors
***g.) Shopping for house stuff for "staging"
***h.) Randy finished spare bathroom remodel
***i.) New concrete patio completed
***j.) Cleaning

2.) Assuming larger role at work due to boss leaving
***a.) Increase in meetings from 2 a month to 2 a day
***b.) Increase in number of emails from people wanting something
***c.) Increase in responsibilities to assume boss' duties without an increase in pay.

3.) Sick kids
***a.) Lily was puking and had a fever for 3 days and had diarrhea for a week.
***b.) Harrison had a fever and was fussy the past 2 nights (teeth, maybe?)

4.) Isn't that enough?


Harrison is now crawling. Video to be posted soon.

And yes, we are officially moving. There I said it. I wasn't going to yet (work stuff) but it's out there.

Harrison update-
Harrison loves to play games like peekaboo and I'm going to get you. He will squeel and try to get away but his lack of mobility doesn't help. Speaking of mobility he has been a mover for a while now, not crawling, but spinning 360s and somehow getting from one end of the family room to the other. Over the past week he has been getting up on all fours and rocking. It's fun to see him advance but not so fun when he wakes us up at 4AM and find him in his crib on all fours rocking and fussing. He is still my cuddle bug and I even got to nap with him laying on my chest yesterday. When we are in public he flashes smiles for everyone which is in contrast to his super shy sister who barely acknowledges people's hellos. He mastered blowing raspberries and will make sounds while I pat his mouth.

Lily update-
Lily is a cute package of energy. She has the ability to jump straight out of bed and is ready to play, play, play. She now talks about monsters but I'm trying to keep them friendly, not scary. She adores her baby brother and will bring him toys without us asking and when she talks to him she has the biggest smile and talks in the highest voice possible. She even shares her blankie with him. She still loves gymnastics and we can't tell her we are going to gymnastics until it's time to put her coat on otherwise she asks to go every 2 minutes. She loves to use her stool (AKA stoolup) to wash her hands and bathe her water baby in the sink. She loves to dance and breaks out some impressive moves that sort of resemble break dancing mixed with ballet. One day she put her hands together over her head and said "I'm a ballerina." She is pretty girlie but at the same time won't pass up playing in the dirt.

Parent update-
Randy is busy remodeling the spare bathroom and I'm busy trying to organize a house. We have a lot to do in the next few months, some major changes ahead. The changes are very exciting but a little overwhelming to think about. About 3 weeks ago I was telling our friend that I was ready for a change. Something not sure what but I was feeling the need for change...hahaha I got what I asked for!

Crazy hip blog mamas ask

What gets me through the day?
Let's pick my day apart.

Coffee gets me through the mornings. Occasionally I splurge for Starbucks but lately I've been happy with my own concoction of 1/2 milk, 1/4 coffee and 1/4 vanilla caramel creamer. Plus I'm usually late to work and waiting at Starbucks is 10 minutes at least...annoying but saves money.

My kids get me through the afternoon. I can't wait to leave work and pick them up. Lily greets me with the biggest hug and seriously defends her territory (MY mommy)when the other kids come to greet me. Harrison flashes his big grin when he first sees me too.

Bedtime gets me though the evening. From 5PM-7PM it's hard work! Dinner, playtime, baths, house hold chores, brushing teeth, breast feeding, and constant negotiations with Lily wear me out. I'm seriously beat by 7:30PM and peel myself off her floor to go to the bathroom ONE MORE TIME before bed. But amazingly after those adorable kiddos are sleeping peacefully I get a huge burst of energy. :) It's surprising how quickly my tired state fads once those little eyelids are closed. It doesn't mean my house is sparkling clean but it means the day to day chores get done and I get to hang out with Randy for a few hours. Until he falls asleep. Haha.

Cooking during the week, not a good idea...

Last night...

Picked up kids from daycare. Gave Lily a library book I picked up over my lunch hour. She read the book all the way home. I carried her inside the house (very unusual given her toddler independence to do it herself) facing away from me while she continued to read. I placed her inside the door to the house so I could go back to the van and get Harrison. Harrison and I had to squeeze through the door because Lily had sat down right behind the door and continued to read while still wearing her coat and hat. For 15 minutes. I used that 15 minutes to get Harrison in the high chair and tended to the dogs (fresh water and a bathroom break). I soaked a couple cheerios and let Harrison entertain himself trying to pick them up. I gave him a couple pieces...he made a strange face but liked them. He was entertained for approximately 10 minutes.

I had some chicken I needed to use and I had a recipe I have been meaning to try so I decided last night was the night. Started boiling the OJ and cooking wine but had to tend to a hungry Lily. The boiling mixture boiled over so after giving Lily some goldfish I cleaned up the mess and started cooking the rice. Harrison was getting hungry and since he couldn't get any cheerios into his mouth I started to feed him his winter squash. You have to continually spoon feed him until the jar is gone or he will let you know his displeasure with your relaxed pace. Lily was done reading so I put on a CD that goes with another book. This is our first book on CD so she didn't quite understand but enjoyed hearing the story and looking at the pages, although out of order. Wonder how much liquid escaped from my over boiled pot and if it would significantly impact my recipe...couldn't do anything about it so I added the maple syrup. Cut up fresh rosemary, mix with S&P. Heard the garage door. Yay!!! Randy was home early. Instructed Randy to finish feeding Harrison his 2nd (smaller) jar of baby food.

Rub rosemary/S&P onto chicken breasts, heated olive oil and butter in pan and cooked chicken. Gasped at the book on CD when the evil step mother said Snow White must be killed and she wanted her heart to know she was dead. Randy stopped CD and started preparing Lily's plate. I added the liquid mix to the chicken breasts to cook a few more minutes to thicken the sauce. Got Lily some creamed corn (which she loved) and rice, then she tried the chicken. Randy and Lily both loved the rosemary chicken and gave it a thumbs up so I'll keep the recipe close for future use. But I'll attempt to cook it without distractions. If it's good without the full recipe just imagine what it could taste like with all the ingredients!

For anyone interested...

Rosemary Chicken with Orange-Maple Glaze Via Allrecipes.com
SUBMITTED BY: LINDA W.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup maple flavored syrup
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1.Bring orange juice and wine to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat slightly, but keep high enough to continue a low boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in maple syrup and continue boiling for another 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until glossy and just slightly thickened. Set aside.
2.In a small bowl mix together the rosemary, salt and pepper. Rub mixture on both sides of chicken breasts, and set aside.
3.Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts, cover skillet and saute for about 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Pour orange-maple mixture over chicken (mixture will boil and bubble). Reduce heat to simmer; cover and let cook for another 10 minutes, basting occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has turned into a rich, thick glaze.

Crazy hip mama's recipe rally

Because I need help with blog topics I opted for the recipe rally today. We are supposed to post a favorite potato recipe. It took me a while to think of a favorite potato recipe until I remembered my twice baked potatoes. Delicious!

When I first started cooking it was difficult to get recipes from family members (my mom and mother-in-law;). They wouldn't use exact measurements and instead used approximate measurements or the "taste" measurement. As a new cook that was hard but now I've turned into that cook, the one who uses a big spoon and calls it a tablespoon or throws in extra brown sugar because you can never have too much brown sugar. :)

So from memory without any specific measurements here you go:

Twice baked potatoes

4 large potatoes
3/4 cup (ish) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (ish) bacon bits
1/2 cup (ish) sour cream
1/4 cup (ish) milk
2 Tablespoons (ish) butter

Pierce potatoes with a fork and cook in the microwave for approximately 8 minutes or until middle is easily pieced with fork. Cut a oval shape on one side and remove potato while maintaining the skin in a boat shape. Mix potato, milk, butter, bacon bits, and cheese and spoon back into the potato skin boat. Sprinkle some cheese over the top and cook in the oven (350 degrees) until heated through, approximately 15 minutes.

Good luck with that recipe!

Memory preservation via the blog

On the way to our nephew, Payton's, basketball game we stopped at a playground. Randy stayed in the van with a sleeping Harrison while Lily and I went and played. We were swinging side by side and she was looking at me with the biggest smile on her face. I wanted that moment to freeze forever. It was a beautiful day with the final moments of the sun warming us as we laughed together.

Yesterday I was laughing at Lily and caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye...Harrison was smiling at me with a big grin...big enough to extend past his binkie. He wasn't directly facing me but his eyes were on me. When I looked at him he giggled. We played this little game for a while and his smile never faded.

Harrison now copies us. He has a fake cough that is sort of a laugh. He will do the fake cough/laugh, then Lily will laugh, then Harrison repeats his fake cough/laugh. This can go on and on for a while and it's really cute to watch. Harrison also reached his foot rest on the high chair and started bouncing up and down. When he stopped I pretended to bounce and he started doing it again.

Randy and I have been getting "told" by Lily. For example, Randy was being a little noisy and Lily told him "You be quiet, baby is sleeping." Yesterday at the park Randy told Lily I was being mean to him (joking of course) to which Lily told me while pointing her finger "You don't be mean." After we've been told Randy and I get a good chuckle out of it and say "You got told by a 2 year old."

After a wonderful trip to visit family in SD (sorry extended family...not enough time...but I'll post more pictures soon to tide you over until our next visit) and Iowa I was hit with a head cold and body aches. I felt miserable enough that I didn't play any April Fool's Day jokes. My brother called to say he got my mom so I should wait a while to play a joke on her. I had one ready but never got around to calling. Can I declare tomorrow April Fool's Day?

I'll post more about our trip soon.

Easter 2008

Happy Easter to my babies.




The family.



Adorable little old man.






She was only that close long enough for me to take a picture.



Lily loved her chocolate bunny.



Pretty girl on her new trike.

Another comparison

Harrison, 7 months old!!!

PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See my teeth...















I was busy in another room when Harrison started fussing. I asked Lily to give him a toy and this is what I found...















Our community had an Easter egg hunt last weekend. Lily liked seeing the Easter bunny from a distance and she loved finding the Easter eggs.



































Lily drinking milk...not soy milk...milk from a COW. She's also eaten pizza, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese all at daycare. Hmm...maybe being allergic to dairy isn't so bad in terms of healthy food choices. ;)
















Harrison's first wagon ride

Beethoven inspired

Just a little something for ya...

To help motivate Lily to brush her teeth we started saying her teeth are so pretty and we need to keep them pretty by brushing them. This morning as I was brushing my teeth she said "Momma, you brushing your teeth so pretty."



Harrison has figured me out...not only does he babble "momma" but now he started putting his head on my shoulder. Awwww. My heart melts every time...even 12:30AM and 5:00AM this morning. At 5:00AM he was crying pretty hard and Randy already tried to comfort him but it didn't work. I went into his room and when he saw me he changed from crying to "momma" and after I picked him up he put his head on my shoulder. How can I resist that?

Harrison was content but awake after I fed him. I needed more sleep so I brought him into our bedroom. Before normal waking time Randy, Lily, Harrison and I cuddled and slept all together in our bed. Thank goodness we have a king bed.

7 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT JENNI

My friend Kelly tagged me from her blog to do 7 random facts -

7 random facts:

1.) My first official job (besides years of babysitting) was at a greyhound racing track in North Sioux City, SD. I was 13. Before leading the dogs on the track and into the stall we had to walk them around these little fire hydrants so they would pee before their race. Well one decided my leg was a fire hydrant and peed on me. I had to work the entire night with a pee soaked sock and shoe. Yuck.

2.) My best friend, Mel, and I went to Washington D.C. our junior year in high school for a National Young Leader's Conference. I was the National Security Advisor in our role playing group. My first experience with politics.

3.) Most might know this but I'm still proud...I rode the tilt a whirl for 9 hours at Six Flags for a radio contest. Randy tried too but he was the first person off and was dizzy the rest of the day. Heehee.

4.) I participated in about everything possible in high school- volleyball, basketball, soccer, dance squad, cheer leading (football and basketball), student council, and drama (acted in one play). I think that's it.

5.) Even though I grew up in a small town (500 people) that was surrounded by farms...I have never tipped a cow.

6.) Someday...I would love to go to a third world country on a medical mission.

7.) I have 16 good friends that I talk with daily...that I've never met. Hi Andrea, Alana, Amie, Amelia, Asha, Ann, Becky, Dawn, Christina, Kelly, Heather, Frances, Jill, Josephine, Julie,and Michelle. We met on babycenter.com and all have babies within a month of each other.

Becky...I'm tagging you...you're turn.

Conversation this morning...

Harrison--"Momma...Mom...Mommmmmmmaaaaa...Mom....Momma."

Me--"Yeah...did you hear that Randy?" "Momma!!!!"


Lily said "dada" first so I needed this one.

Conversation this morning...

Lily--"Momma, what are you doing?"
Me--"I'm putting on make-up." as I was applying my foundation with a sponge.
Lily--"Do you want help?"
Me--"Sure." and I hand her the sponge.
Lily--dabbing the sponge on my face--"Close your eyes momma."


Girlie things come natural to her. I can't help it. Randy is in for it.

Yesterday after work the weather was nice so we played outside. Lily had made bird feeders last weekend and they were hanging in the tree without a bird in sight. So...she began yelling "Birds, come eat my food." When they didn't hear her she told me to "say it louder." Finally when the birds still didn't come eat her food she decided we needed to walk 3 houses down to the bird nest in the neighbor's tree to tell those birds.

I'm sure the birds enjoyed their pine cone bird feeders in peace after the 2 year old stopped yelling at them.

More pictures...

Playtime gets serious...




















Lily wanted to ride Max, the "horse", this morning...





















Before his trip to the pediatrician (and shots)...




















When baby is happy momma is happy...

















The boys...
















Ted teaching Lily about youtube videos (kid friendly of course) after he tried to recruit her to WOW.
















Momma and her precious babies...
















Not a green bean fan...

Harrison & Lily

The tooth fairy delivered a tooth

Harrison got his first tooth last night. It's a sharp little booger and on the bottom.

Exiciting time in our household...his first tooth!

I could eat him up

Try not to laugh at this

Last night we were having fun during dinner. A few times lately Lily will get laughing so hard she's crying. Of course I'm acting absolutely ridiculous and last evening I was "bumping into the walls" which resulted in deep down belly laughter.

The helpful big sister

What were you doing 6 months ago?

I was pushing a 10lb. 1oz. baby boy out into this world.

Happy 6 months to my snuggle, cuddle bug, Harrison.

Catching up

Lily: "Momma, guess what?"

Momma: "What, Lily?"

Lily: "Momma, guess what?"

Momma: "What, Lily?"

Lily: "Momma, guess what?"

This can go on and on.
**********************************

Lily is very into her friends lately. As I was dropping her off at daycare I saw a little boy going into daycare at the same time. I told Lily she could walk with Brayden to which she replied "I love Brayden." Saturday night we hosted a get together and Heather brought her daughter who is a year or so older than Lily. They ran throughout the house and Lily would call her "my fwend Manda."

A huge gain of independence has hit our house...Lily can open doors. It's a whole new story now. We used to shut her bedroom door because of the humidifer and the dogs but now she can (and does!) open the door preventing bedtime from happening by about 15 minutes each night. It's a fun game for her and she frequently will open and close doors, just because she can.

Lily has also been coming into our bed during the night. I'm not sure how long this will continue on the parents side but I do have to say she is very snuggly. As a baby we were very strict with her sleeping in her bed. She was so used to her own crib that when we needed her to sleep with us a few times she tossed and turned and played and hardly slept (as did her parents). Now she is used to it, will open her door, walk into our room calling out for momma or poppa and we pull her into bed. She snuggles right in between us and last night I woke up twice to her arm on my shoulder. I loved it. But...she also rotates 180 degrees and sometimes I wake up to a nice kick in the face.

Harrison is almost sitting on his own. He will sit up for 10-15 minutes without falling over but I can't leave his side just yet. When laying on a blanket he has the amazing ability to move from one side of the blanket to the other in the blink of an eye. He is a very happy baby and loves his big sister. He watches her every move. The other day I was carrying Harrison up the stairs and Lily was walking in front of us. For some reason he cracked up every time we all moved up one step. Harrison has become more vocal in the past few weeks. He will be "talking" in the car and Lily will laugh and talk back.

Harrison has been eating like we expected...like a champ. So far he has tried carrots, sweet potatos, squash, and peas. He hasn't yet met a food he hasn't liked.

Lily's recent adventure has been climbing. She will use her step stool and climb up the bar stools and sit on top of the kitchen island. She will push her step stool up to the high chair (we got out of storage for Harrison but big sister took it back over) and climb right in. This morning she bounced out of bed as Randy and I took our sweet time waking up. Lily went to brush her teeth but called out "I need help!" She climbed up the sink, turned on the faucet but couldn't get back down...her belly was stuck on the sink.

Harrison is sleeping pretty darn good. He is ready for bed between 7:30-8:00 PM. He does require 1-3 binkie replacements and might wake to eat around 4AM but it's much better than what it was. Last night he didn't wake to eat until 5:45AM but Randy did have to do binkie duty around 4AM when Harrison was probably expecting to eat.

Yesterday was an unusual day. Daycare was open and Randy worked but I didn't! I do have some feelings of guilt for not spending the day with the kids but I took a "mom mental health day." I used last year's Mother's Day gift certificate and got my nails done. I ran some errands and took a nap. It was very nice. Last night Lily noticed my toes and proclaimed "Pretty nails momma!" and then I showed her my fingernails and she said "Wow, pretty paint!" It's natural I tell ya!

22 Minutes of Fame

Happy Valentine's Day!

Do you have Valentine's plans? If not, spend it with my family!

Watch us tonight on HGTV's Carter Can.
AIR TIMES:
• February 14, 2008 8:30 PM ET/PT
• February 15, 2008 12:30 AM ET/PT
• February 23, 2008 11:30 AM ET/PT


Blog world meets real world.

Obama Baby

Picture Update

Randy laughs about this but I love when my babies play with their feet. It's too cute.


Good thing Harrison can hold his own when it comes to his big sister. Soon they will assume opposite roles and Lily will be crying for him to get off her as he's laughing away (and probably farting, being a boy and all).


Yummy carrots. He loves them so much we have to trick him with oatmeal before we give him carrots or else. Lack of clean bibs mean holiday bibs are put to use on "normal" days.


John Deere girl. Lily learning to drive at the Stock Show.


Harrison hanging (literally hanging) with momma by the rabbit exhibit.


Lily checking out the animals from afar.


It's cute to see her on her tippy toes, such independence those tippy toes bring.


Someday Randy and Lily will fight over who gets to mow the lawn. When we have a lawn big enough to require a John Deere mower. Actually I can see Randy using it on our lawn now and mowing all the neighbor's lawns too. He does that with his new snow blower, he goes up and down the sidewalks helping out the neighbors. He thinks its fun.

Lily's Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Harrison's Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy websites - Old pictures

Thingy Thursday

Crazyhipblogmamas "Thingy Thursday" --- what thingy can you not live without!


Harrison-pacifier. Never leave the house without it. Life saver.

Lily-blankie. Never leave a a room in the house without it. Life saver. Tear reducer.

Randy-chocolate milk. Seriously. First he did say his family---sweet.

Jenni-Harrison or my breastpump. :)

"If I had an entire weekend to myself I would”

I would sleep. I would sleep in. I would nap. I would go to bed early and sleep all night uninterrupted.

I would curl up with a super comfortable blanket and nice pillow.

I would scrapbook. I need to catch up on Lily's and start Harrison's.

I would see a girlie movie.

I would shop. I love to browse but lately I'm on a time frame so I run around like mad.

I would get a massage from the denver school of massage therapy. Randy and I did this frequently before kids. Unfortunately you have to arrive early on the weekend to get in (first come first serve for $12.50 hour long massages)and that isn't an option anymore.

I would end the night renting another girlie movie and drinking some wine. And painting my nails. And taking a heavenly bubble bath.


The question came from crazy hip blog mamas. What would you all do with an entire weekend alone?

Life with milk allergies

Go to the store for milk

Spend $20 on 5 half gallon milks (soy milk, lactaid, soy chocolate milk, etc.)

I don't mind the money but hauling those milks around is a pain.

Colorado's caucus

Per Heather's request...

I have never been to a caucus before last night. It wasn't what I was expecting. It took place in a local middle school gymnasium. The precincts were separated by tables. After I found my precinct table I signed in and chatted with the precinct captains. The doors closed at 7PM, no one in and no one out. We filled out a "straw poll" which basically said which candidate you were leaning towards. Then we separated into Obama and Clinton groups (oh yeah, I was at a Democratic caucus), nominated a speaker, and had 2 minutes to prepare a speech to the other group to persuade them to vote for our candidate. After each group gave their speeches we again voted, the final vote. I don't think anyone changed from their straw poll vote but I guess that is what the caucus is about.

Thankfully we had a nice guy take the speaker role and everyone participated in voicing their opinion to why they were voting for the candidate. What turned me off was the fluffy stuff like "Candidate X is for change, or Candidate Y gives me hope." I'm sorry but when we are trying to persuade someone to vote I would like to hear real, concrete facts. So not only did I vote to get my "voice" heard but I became a democratic delegate to help persuade others with specific examples. The delegate role is very basic and I'll attend a day long gathering to support my candidate and educate others. Didn't think of me as a delegate, right? Neither did I.

Super Duper Tuesday

GO VOTE!

I AM!!!