Easter Treats on Friday

Humoring Momma While
Picking Out Colors

Last year, the day after Easter, I went to Target for 50 percent off Easter baking goods. I got this awesome bunny head pan for $2. I have waited almost an entire year to bust that baby out...and Friday was the day!

Xander has a bit of a cold and is a grabby little monster, so Ainsley and I waited until his nap to make the treats.

Doing the sticks. A keen eye will marvel
at my Roger Waters TShirt

I've become an old pro at making Rice Krispee treats. For my other busy Momma friends, I've found  it's much more manageable for you to make treats that are certain shapes if you break the recipe into thirds. Then Ainsley gets to pick multiple colors for her Rice Krispie treats. This particular time, Ainsley just *could not* decide between blue, green, purple, and brown. Thirds is easier because all of the items easily break that way... 2 cups cereal, 1 T butter, 3.5 oz marshmallow. But I love my kid, so I broke out the calculator.

Testing the Quality of the Purple

Then I got distracted by Draw Something: "Are you done with math, Momma?"

Silly Billies

Ainsley's job was to hand Momma sticks and help put them into the bunny heads. She proved moderately successful at that job...except for the stick we had to discard because she decided to put it between her toes.

Each batch made 6 bunny heads with a little left over. Ainsley, of course, was more than willing to test each batch. She, also of course, found the blue to taste best, as blue and yellow are her favorite colors right now. She was actually allowed to pick any color for the treats and yellow was one of her choices, but I vetoed that as a waste of coloring. I have to say I was pretty surprised at the choice of brown.

1) This is how X sits sometimes.
HILARIOUS.
2) What happened to my BABY?!

After Xander woke up, we decided to let him help decorate. Mostly Ainsley fed him sprinkles and he ate them. When we tried  to get him to put M&Ms on the treats he was all "Fool, why in the world would I put this M&M on a treat if I can just eat it? You are crazy people."

He ate about 4 M&Ms and then punked out to go watch Chuck and Friends on Netflix. Ainsley, on the other hand, was ALL about decorating some Rice Krispie treat bunnies!

Bunny noses and bunny eyes

I told Ainsley to give the bunnies pink noses and eyes that matched (though really I knew I didn't need to tell her that. We're on the same wave length, my lil' one and me). Every treat she decorated got blue eyes. My kid loves blue...she's obsessed. I did have to let go of my Mommy OCD issues in that she absolutely refused to put the M&Ms face side down. When I was telling her for the second time to put the words face down I had that moment of "Why?" in my head... I wasn't selling these. They weren't for show. Who cares? I'm pretty proud it only took me 2 times to come to that. (Plus, I put icing pupils on the bunnies to hide the M&M lettering anyway...my will be done. Buahahahah!)

Cuteness. 

The treats turned out pretty well. I had some green left over so I decided to try making a little Easter basket with M&M eggs. It turned out alright. I have to say, I think the sticks seem unnecessary, but I also think the kids would beg to differ. LOL.

Deliciousness at
the Speed of Light

After dinner, the kids bust into the Bunny Treats. Ms. A attacked her treat. Xander ignored it for a bit, then used it to drum for a while...and then somehow he managed a bite...discovered the deliciousness and It. Was. On. I still haven't tried one, but the wee ones seem to approve.  It took them quite a bit of time to eat their treats...they laughed and chewed and licked and had a generally good time. And then Xander started playing peek-a-boo with his. The cuteness became overwhelming. Video evidence below. Ainsley, of course, felt the need to perform for the camera...so have fun with that.

The Rice Krispies treats of our labor

Please to enjoy: The Stewart Children in Rice Krispie Treat Peek-a-bo

Flattery Will Get You Everywhere, Kid

Since I've been on break and Star Wars: Old Republic came out, we've been pretty lazy about, well, everything.

Tonight, I made breakfast for dinner because 1) it's easy, 2) we forgot to thaw stuff earlier in the day, and 3) neither of us wanted to go to the store.

So, I made some scrambled eggs, hash browns, and toast. Ainsley and I also shared an avocado. The XX Stewarts LOVE the avocado, the XY Stewarts, not so much.

*side note* Ms. A has spent most of the break exhibiting her finest 3 year-old biploar disorder, more commonly referred to as being a toddler. Mommy has had more drinks this break than normal; this only confirms for me that I chose my husband wisely as, I've sung his praises before and I'll do it again, he is infinitely more patient than I.

ANYWAY, she was, once again, giving me grief about coming downstairs to eat dinner for no reason whatsoever. Once I finally got her downstairs and in front of her dinner. She sat down, surveyed the plate, took a bite of avocado, and declared: "This is the best dinner EVER, Mommy." It was, admittedly, cute and likely bought her another hour or two of grace.

Since Sean was playing Star Wars, I had to make sure he heard her declaration. Me: "Did you hear that?!"

Sean, to Ainsley, quite generously I may add: "Yes, Mommy is a good cook."

Ainsley, without missing a beat: "Mommy is a CHEF."

Indeed, child. You have just bought yourself the rest of the break with that one.

Thanksgiving Lessons Learned

Deeeeelicious.

So, this year, we spent Thankgiving quietly, just the four of us.  I DVRed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and cooked way too much food for two adults and two toddlers.

Last night, I made deviled eggs and cupcakes. I don't like pumpkin pie all that much, so I decided to make something I'd enjoy more. I've been teaching myself how to decorate cookies and cupcakes over the past few years. I experimented with icing dye this time. These are also the Fundamiddle cupcakes Sean bought. I ate one last night and they're ridiculously good. 

So, this is what I/we learned this Thanksgiving:

Food

• Slow-cooked green beans taste even better if they're slowly cooked in chicken broth, bacon, and onion, instead of water, bacon, and onion.
• Substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream in green bean casserole is acceptable.
• The best method for making simple mashed potatoes is from Yahoo Shine. I say method, not recipe. 
• It's a lot easier to cook a turkey properly if you actually know where the inner thigh of the turkey is.

Entertainment

• The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is still fun to watch; Ainsley particularly enjoyed the musical numbers, Dora's Christmas float, and, of course, Santa.
• The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade announcers are ridiculous self-involved chimps. If I could have reached through my TV and punched Laura Lee Bell in the face, I would have.
• Nickelback ruins everything.
• That Ice Age Christmas special is ridiculously cute.
• Taking a nap from 4:30 to 6:45 is RAD.
• Cleaning the living room is much more fun if it's in preparation for putting up a Christmas tree! 

I barely had time to
grab my phone
for this picture.

We have much to be thankful for this year...and every year really. What I enjoyed most about this year was just being with the Stewarts. I didn't do any work. I didn't have to run any errands (somehow miraculously, we had all the groceries we needed for dinner). I just had a nice day with Sean and the kids.

The kids ended their evening with cupcakes. Xander, true to form, smashed his into his maw in 4.5 seconds.

Ainsley was more delicate...and really hyped up on the Santa sightings. So, I took advantage and got this bit of video.

So...This Just Happened

This is the grin
of victory.

Ainsley and Xander had just gotten up from naps and wanted snacks. I brought down a bowl of grapes and a bowl of Cheerios. While we were watching the Big Bang Theory, Ainsley decided to eat all of the grapes, which are her brother's favorite, while Xander was distracted trying to step over her DVD player cord. (At 1, that requires multiple attempts and all his concentration.)

Me: Ainsley, did you just eat all of the grapes really fast so Xander couldn't have any?

Ainsley: I eat grapes!

Sean: Sweetie, did you? You need to share with your brother.

As we were talking to her about this, Xander quietly got himself past the DVD cord, walked by Ainsley, swiped her chocolate milk, and proceeded to drink it all in the corner.

I suppose we should just let them work it out, huh?

ABC Spaghetti-Os!

The Difference 21 Months Can Make

For today's pajama day, Xander as been removed from his pajamas for lunchtime, as today they finish a can of ABC Spaghetti-Os I bought A when she was sick. (I'd prefer to just buy ABC pasta & serve it with other stuff if possible as Spaghetti-Os are gross.) Ms. A is a much daintier eater now...letter by letter she eats this. But most importantly...SHE EATS IT.

Then I remembered when Ainsley was this age, I fed her some ravioli babyfood and she had a similar approach. They're about the same age in the high chair pictures above. Sometimes I think my kids look very similar and other times, not so much. In this one, I think they couldn't look much more different.

Forks and Common Sense

Forks!

Mmmm quesadilla!

A couple days ago, Xander stole Ainsley's fork.  He'd been rocking the finger food his whole life...but suddenly, he decided, "Screw that noise. I'm grown up now."

So, now he's all eating like a human and stuff. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

He's pretty close to being bottle-free as well..now that we've introduced juice (well, 1/2 water, 1/2 juice) into the equation, he's more amenable to the whole situation.

I can rock a sippy cup too, WHAT?!

Other things you may notice in these pictures:

1. This is yet another picture of Xander eating.
2. Xander is growing hair.
3. I still haven't figure out how to get my phone to take a good picture.

Common Sense and 2 Year Olds

It's like she knows she's going to be on the blog.

This morning, while I was fiddling about on FB, I hear Ainsley throwing a proper fit.

A:  MOM!!!

Me: What?

A: MOOOOM!! Come heeeeere!

Me: (comes here) What?

A: I can't get this!!! (she motions to her books and her baby bathtub which she's been using as a barcalounger to make her reading more comfortable)

Me: What are you doing?

A: (squeals in anger) I want this and my books in the libing room. Here, carry my books.

Me: Make two trips. Take your books in first, then come back and get your bathtub.

A: (grins, happy) Ok!

So, if you were to ask my husband...and well, anyone...I have little common sense. But using what little I have to help my daughter made me proud.

Xander's Birthday

The Spread

So, in June, we had Xander's first birthday party.  As promised, I'm here to report on the festivities...and show some of my sister Alysse's awesome pictures.

First, I must thank Aunt Sarah for letting us use her home..there's no way we would have been able to fit all our friends and family in Casa Stewart.

A metric crap-ton of
awesome people

Please note the beauty that was the taco bar. I think I may have to have taco bar at every party. Mmmmm!

So, we held the party on a lovely Saturday in June. I was very excited for this party and its outcome for two reasons: 1) I didn't get drunk (unlike Ainsley's first birthday, when I pushed myself too hard and raided Aunt Sarah's cabinet) and 2) I wasn't pregnant.  Before you get all judgy (though really, anyone who'd read this isn't judgy), I didn't know I was pregnant at Ainsley's party. I found out five days later, but it definitely explained the stress/need to drink!

Outdoor Fun...and a SPRINKLER!!


As always, Grandma Fitzgerald arrived with chalk. Ainsley and Kaelynn both enjoyed playing with the chalk. Of course, Aunt Jill had to get in on the action, too!

Aunt Sarah provided a sprinkler for some backyard fun.  All the kids loved the sprinkler immensely. It was one of those wacky sprinklers that shot water everywhere...so much fun!  Ainsley ran willy nilly; Faith and Ripley enjoyed the sprinkler.  I think Kaelynn was less enthused. Either that or she was showing her sass-face for the camera!

Friends and Family Are Cool!


So, just like Ms. A, Xander took a big ole nap during his party. Grandma Ballay got her baby hoggin' hands on him, and he passed right out!

CAKE!!

Alysse said Sean was looking
at me in this picture. *grin*

So, for Ainsley's birthday, we ordered from Halls Takes the Cake, which makes delicious...and very expensive cakes.  They messed up the flavors of hers, so we had a discount on file that I'd forgotten about.  We took advantage of that with Xander's cake and it was awesome.

Unlike his sister, Xander was willing to Tear. That. Cake. UP!  I kinda knew he would, Xander enjoys playing with his food.


Presents!


Xander, of course, was showered with lots of presents.  The hat that Grandma Fitzgerald got him was a big hit with the crowd, and he seemed to not mind wearing it.  Sean was in charge of Xander's presents this year, and he did an excellent job. I was particularly thrilled that Xander got a Cookie Monster doll instead of the standard Elmo. Well done, husband.

This is exactly the
kind of cute you can't handle.

 All in all it was a great party, and we were happy so many people could come out and celebrate Mr. Awesome's birthday. Now, I just need to write those thank you cards!

Geniuses and Gentle Giants

Guess I'll be holding that Mensa application a few more months

I am well aware that I often espouse the brilliance of my children.  Tonight during the Twilight Hour, the kids and I started to watch Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. (I haven't finished watching it, but the kids abandoned it. I'm finding it interesting. Plus Jason Stackhouse uses his real Australian voice in it...so there's that.) Anyway, I went to find Ainsley doing this:

For those of you unclear on the happenings, that's Ainsley, rubbing two sticks against her dresser and blowing spit bubbles.

Sabine the Scavenger
Several days ago, Xander and I were finishing up a lazy dinner, he was getting tired and this happened:

After watching the video, I now see where "keeeetty" comes from.

The Perils of Sabine

Catching up on some reading

I took some video today of Sabine and Ainsley (it's below if you wanna skip the text), and I decided that part of understanding the cuteness of Ainsley and Xander is understanding the pets that love/tolerate them. So, here is the first in a three-part series...Dedicated to Sabine aka Fat Blacky, Bean, Beaner, Ms. Fatty Boom Batty and on and on.




Peril 1: Watching Her Mom Die

Aissa (in back) with Sabine

I adopted Sabine in 1999 when I moved into my non-curry-and-ass smelling apartment that was big enough to support two kitties.  I felt that Aissa, my first cat who ran away about 8 years ago, needed a playmate. My aunt Sarah knew someone who found a litter of kittens on the side of the road—the momma had been hit by a car.  We drove out and I got my tiny black kitty.  She got on with Aissa pretty well.  Aissa hated her and hissed a lot; Sabine promptly fell asleep. Eventually, they fell in kitty love, and Aissa became a fauxMomma.

For those of you who don't know this, Sabine is a fatty.  She will cut you for some food. As a kitten, she once tried to attack me for a pizza. I was squirting her with a water bottle, and she was taking it because she wanted pizza. She had this uncanny knack of doing something bad—stealing pizza, for example—then looking at me with these huge "I saw my mom die" eyes that prevented me from being angry with her.

Peril 2: Sadie

Sabine and Sadie in 2003

Sadie actually wasn't too much of a peril for Sabine because Sabine convinced Sadie that she was bigger than her and could kick her ass. In Sadie's defense, when we got her, Sabine was bigger than her.  Once, we were hanging out in the basement, and Sadie tried to go upstairs.  She stopped at the bottom of the steps and whimpered.  Sabine was sitting at the top of the steps giving Sadie the "Yeah, try it." look. It was hilarious.

Sabine and Sadie stand off

Actually, Aissa took the arrival of Sadie much harder than Sabine did; she eventually took off and never came home. Sabine and Sadie settled into a relationship of a married couple who've fallen out of love but can't afford divorce. They tolerated one another, but didn't really like each other.



Peril 3: Boomer and Her Subsequent Suicide Attempts

When Boomer arrived Sabine protested by hiding under the bed.  Then she protested by pissing all over our couch and house. She actually had a really bad infection that we've treated with meds, but she still occasionally gives us a statement pee...and the vet says that her condition is something like 40 percent medical and 60 percent behavioral (read: she's a bitch).

As we started considering getting pregnant, I had to seriously consider whether or not Sabine was going to be a part of our family. As pet owners/lovers, I believe the pay off of pet ownership counteracts the drawbacks (fur, mess, etc.).  But I draw the line at cat pee that ruins $600 couches and contaminates my children.  Ultimately Sabine shaped up...and I got pregnant.

Peril 4: Ainsley

Kitty!

When Ainsley was born, Sabine decided that the baby was moderately interesting, but didn't really care about her. However, once Ainsley started eating food, Sabine became much more interested.  Part of the conditions of Sabine's continued life was that she no longer was given people food—it contributed to her-pissing-on-everything illness.  So, Ainsley's dropping food everywhere was literally manna from Heaven for Ms. Fatty.

Of course, Ainsley's mobility and desire to GRAB the kitty made her less appealing.  So, Sabine sits up in high places or hides under beds until the Ainsley naps or goes to bed...then she comes out to look at us like we suck.

Kitty! Part II

Peril 5: Xander


Xander is just as interested in Sabine as Ainsley is.  When he wakes up in the morning, she's waiting for treats on her dry sink. He greets her with what I think is his saying, "Keeeeeeeee!!!" Even if it's not, he always gets really excited to see her and grabs at her.  He's surprisingly tender with her—she'll let him pet her even. I guess she favors Xander. Of course, he's escalating his need to touch her—I'm guessing he'll be giving her the full-on Of Mice and Men treatment soon.

While Sabine didn't really have much of a negative reaction with the addition of Xander to our family, she did have a weird positive one—she has now decided that Sadie and Boomer are no longer her enemies. I suppose it's because the dogs don't try to pull her tail. Or maybe it's because the kids'll go for Boomer and Sadie before they'll go for Sabine.  She's working under the "I don't have to outrun the kid, I just have to outrun you." method.

I'm working hard to get Ainsley and Xander to treat Sabine well. I want her to bond with Ainsley, partially because A wants it so badly, and partially because I want Sabine to have more lovins.

Today, I caught Ainsley trying to feed Sabine chocolate cake.  I told her that chocolate is bad for kitties, so, naturally, Ainsley decided to give Sabine her leftover taco salad. Once again, I had to stop her and explain that Sabine cant' have people food. So, I let Ainsley give her some wet food...and Ainsley was thrilled.

Xander's First Birthday Celebration....and Then Some

This past weekend, we had Xander's birthday party. I'll blog and post pics from it later—I didn't take a single picture, so I'm relying on my family to share theirs. Alysse took pictures as part of her present, so I know there'll be some kick ass pics to come.

But on Xander's birthday proper I had to work. So on my way home, I picked up some Dairy Queen and returned to my brood bearing gifts. Xander celebrating his birthday with hot dog and french fries and ice cream cake.

He quite enjoyed smearing the ice cream around in his tray....training for Saturday, I suppose. Once Ainsley saw I was taking pictures of Xander, she demanded her 15 minutes of fame.  Mostly it involved her jabbing at the camera and giggling insanely.

Now that Xander is a big boy, I decided to serve him dinner on a plate as opposed to on his tray like always. At Saturday's party, Reece Merritt came—he's 3 months old. I held him for a bit and had several "awww baby!" moments. But tonight, while Xander ate his meal relatively unattended and moderately cleanly and Ainsley ate solely unattended and cleanly, I had a moment of "ahhh."

Ainsley, again, got in on the picture taking when she noticed Xander was having his moment in front of the camera. I think it's pretty awesome that in this picture, she's 1) stolen Xander's birthday present bugs, 2) she's lined up said bugs, 3) she's insisted on a picnic that she's promptly ignoring.

Also, I've noticed that I post a lot of pics of my kids eating. That's weird.