Breakthrough

She finally did it! We have this system of placing this ottoman in-between the chair and the couch on either side of the entry to our living room to block Sierra in to one area where we keep only things within her reach with which it is safe for her to play. Or try to. Whenever she gets tired of playing or being confined in that area Sierra will crawl over to the ottoman and stand there reaching out to us, or even trying to climb over it - she actually managed that once when Lily piled a bunch of stuff right next to it on her side. I caught her as she came over the other side. The funny thing about this set up is Sierra could have crawled underneath the thing the entire time.

We've just been waiting for her to figure that out, and today she did! Now we'll have to stick a pillow underneath to keep her in, and we'll see how long that lasts before she finds another way to escape! She has an eye to climb, and she's just growing taller and smarter!

Some pictures of Sierra getting her feet from earlier this month:

She's not walking yet, but she's getting up and around and into whatever she can. This face spells TROUBLE! :)

Little Miss Cool.

Miss Pronunciation

Lily called her Dad totally on her own for the first time last week! I was rather proud of her...except perhaps for the reason for her call...

She was mad and being disobedient to me and going to him to complain and see if he would give her a different answer. He, of course, is a better dad than that. I knew what she was up to. I was nursing the baby and Lily was supposed to be in time out, but she stormed upstairs and got the phone and dug out a business card of Mike's that he once gave her. I heard her dialing, but just waited and listened to see what would happen - I didn't want to interrupt dear Sierra. It took Lily a couple of tries before she got through, but she remembered to dial the 1 and as I was sitting downstairs I could hear her side of the conversation to her dad, and then his as he got out of the car out front. I was a little too happy that she managed to make a successful phone call to be annoyed. (We didn't have to dial so many numbers when I was a kid, so I was impressed.)
Sometimes I let Lily call her Dad in those situations just to let her get that confirmation that yes, she does need to listen to me and yes, her Dad would tell her the same thing...but also to give her practice using the phone. I've been telling her the numbers to dial for some time, or explaining how she could find her Dad's name in the phone log of the phone or the redial - because he's pretty much always the last person I've called. I figure if she has some experience with the phone it could help in case of some emergency. She doesn't only call him when she's mad at me. Usually it's just to see how he is and when he is coming home. One time she left him a message to bring her donuts when he came. He did. She's pretty good at leaving a message. She sounds just like a grown-up...but with a cute kid voice. "...so call me back when you get the chance - talk to you later!" The funniest thing about this story though is that after Lily hung up with her Dad - she raced downstairs to tell me that her Dad was coming in to talk to me, and then all excited with herself - she described how she called him from the card she had and that if you don't dial the 1 you get Dr. Chu's office. ...Somehow something in the message you get if you don't dial the number right sounds like "Doctor Chu" to her. I listened to the message, but couldn't see where that came in :)

I think one of the funnest things about being a parent is seeing things through a child's perspective. Lily gives me the impression that she understands so much more than she really does because she listens to everything and she puts things together really well, but much of the time she's just saying stuff she's put together from different things she's heard that she doesn't really understand the meaning to. Sometimes it can be pretty comical, and sometimes pretty embarrassing. We don't know where she gets some of the stuff she says. But it's always so fun to hear her different little turns of phrases...

She's determined ever since I can remember and in spite of our corrections to end her prayers with a "Hey men." One time after church she told me she learned about the "grass plates". She still loves eating out at or playing that she's running a "Resternaut." She's a big fan of "fruit cottontail" - especially the maraschino cherries :) When things are going a little slow she says: "This is born."

I wish you could see and hear her talk about how something is so "fashiony" or this is "stylier" than that (with the little flick of her hand.) The other day she ran into the kitchen with the flag from her big wheel saying excitedly: "Look, Mama, I poisted my first flag!"

I get frustrated with her daily, but she is truly a delightful little girl. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be her mom and get to know her so well. Sometimes I think she may turn out to be more like me than I think, and maybe we butt heads as much as we do because we are so alike, and both stubborn. When I was a teenager I remember having this kind of personal revelation that since all people are children of God, brothers and sisters, that when I became a mom I should remember to treat my children as my equals, not like I was above them even though I was older and raising them. It's hard to find the right balance of how to be a great parent. I want my kids to love me and grow to be close to me, but I know as I teach them they won't always like me or what I have to say, and I won't always go about it quite right. I want to be their friend, but it's also my responsibility to be their parent. Even though I know more than they do (now) I think I treat them with more respect and patience when I remember I'm their sister, not just their mom, and that someday they will most likely be smarter than me. It's tough not to go into (a somewhat bossy) mom-mode and never come out -- I find myself giving instructions and warnings so much of the time. My favorite times with (my one talking kid) Lily are when we get to really talk and listen to each other. Need to figure out how to create more opportunities for those good conversations.

What's up

So I had a goal to do more and blog more, and things have been going pretty well. Part of my goal (inside my head) was to just be happy with what I did get done each day even if it wasn't as much as I'd hoped for. I have been trying to do at least one extra (non-basic) thing each day - though some of my non-basic things are probably other people's basic things...

I actually have been blogging more - I just haven't posted all that many. I have a hard time keeping things short - and sometimes as I start writing things and getting personal I have to think about what I really want to include for the public eye and what not to, or I just want to add some photos or more stories and don't have time to. So I have a few unpublished drafts.

Just wanted to do a quick (for me) update unpublished drafts aside. Some random things so I don't go overboard with it.

I've started exercising again! I'm using TV shows I can watch on my Ipod to motivate me - saving them up for when I'm riding the recumbent bike.

It seems like whenever I especially want to get more things done the thing I most need to do more is sleep. However, I think when I do get more sleep it actually helps me lose weight. Just need Sierra to consistently cooperate.

Sierra has passed the 9 month mark and I need to post some new pictures because I have some super cute ones! She has 6 teeth and is working on 7 - 10. Today I walked out of the living room for a second and when I came back in she was standing on top of a storage container of toys Mike sticks in front of a little decorative table of my parents in order to block her from it - hands up on the table to reach some books she wanted to eat. Man, she looked tall. They just grow faster, I think, the more kids you have. She still hasn't figured out that she could easily crawl under the ottoman that we use to block her in the front room, but unfortunately she is getting closer to learning how to crawl up and over it. She is so much more into everything than Lily was as a baby. I figured that would happen - though Lily is getting more into everything now!

Lily has been running a non-stop valentine shop for 3 days - making valentines for friends and family. She couldn't wait for me to help. She is so excited for tomorrow. We're spending the day as a family and planning to use our passes to go to the zoo. Mike has been working so hard trying to launch his new career - like all day every day...he is either working at it or thinking about it - it will be nice to have a day just to think about our family and have some fun!

Lily got to a hard spot in the reading lessons we have been doing. Not that the material was that much harder, maybe just a little monotonous. She's been having a hard time staying focused on her lessons so much that they started to take about 4 times as long as they should with us all getting way too frustrated. I really didn't want to give up on them when she hadn't finished them all and she was so close to getting her promised reward, but I seriously considered it. I don't want to make reading something she dreads - though with her love for library books I doubt that will really happen once she gets more proficient. We tried different unsuccessful methods of motivating her, and then switched things up by alternating days with some math lessons too. Finally I figured out just reformatting the lesson in the book on a piece of paper so it didn't have all the instructions for the parent and it looked shorter, and skipping some of the repetitiveness has helped her get though it much better. I've also learned a few techniques in the way I talk to her about it that help her get back on track. If I can just remember what worked and what didn't :) I think she will make it through the end and get her trip to the movies. And she's gotten better at counting and recognizing numbers - she no longer skips 15!

So we're plugging along, thoughts of Kindergarten looming on the horizon. Getting used to being a family of four and trying to get used to new responsibilities and make new routines. Oh, life! I am so glad for silly little holidays that mean so much to kids and the kid in me and remind us to do a little something extra fancy and fun now and again. Hope you all have a lovely Valentine's!

Breakfast Deliciousness

Mike and I make elaborate breakfasts probably a bit too often. Not super elaborate, but more than the usual cereal or toast. You know, Pancakes or waffles with bacon and eggs, french toast, breakfast burritos, that sort of thing... I was a picky kid. When I was a kid I didn't like pancakes or waffles. Honey nut Cheerios were my staple - with the occasional bowl of Apple Jacks. I've gradually come to like a lot more things as I've grown older, and particularly since I've been married. Unfortunately I still don't like oatmeal or yogurt, and I had so much cereal as a kid I just got so tired of it I can't eat it anymore or very rarely. My staple breakfast now is a piece of toast with peanut butter on it. But on the weekends and sometimes other days when Mike is home for the morning we make a bigger breakfast together. We have a goal to cut back on it, but not to cut it out altogether. It's nice to have a good hearty breakfast together! Mike is usually head chef at breakfast. He's good at it. I have a hard time getting the pancakes just right, but I do make a pretty mean muffin. Mike has started calling me "Mom McMuffins" to the kids ever since we tried those blueberry zucchini muffins I once posted about, and then tried them again (and again) with chocolate chips - so good! 

Anyway, we'd gotten kind of tired of our standard breakfast fare. So for Christmas I got Mike an aebleskiver pan. My roommate Melissa in college introduced them to me - back when I was pickier - I didn't even try them then, but lately they have been on my mind...  Mike was not super excited to get this cast iron cookingware, until we tried it -- now it is his favorite Christmas present! Success! Always nice to surprise someone with something they never knew they always wanted :)

 Well, in case you've never heard of the aebleskiver... It's like a hollow round pancake ball you can fill with whatever you want. It's originally from Denmark - as is my family line - so I'm just going back to my roots loving these things! Actually, I kind of stink at cooking them - Mike is the pancake man, which is really why I gave him the pan. Originally you would put a slice of apple in the center which is how Aebleskivers got their name, but we tried bacon and eggs versions, and whip cream ones, all rolled in powdered sugar. Think bacon and egg donut - awesome! We also tried vanilla pudding, and aebleskivers with Nutella in them with some friends - the first time I'd tried that stuff, well - it was made for aebleskivers! It was like a soft homemade Ferraro Rocher. We tried cream cheese too, but didn't like it as well - maybe with a different batter. I'd love to try some potato based pancake recipe with less sweet of fillings!

You can buy a mix, but I just looked up a recipe. Here's the one I went with for other interested parties:

Aebleskivers

2 egg whites

2 egg yolks

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1-2 tsp cinnamon to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups milk or buttermilk

Melted butter or vegetable oil for frying

Powdered sugar

Fillings (whip cream, fruit, whatever sounds yummy to you)

Directions

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they can hold a stiff peak. Set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, egg yolks, melted butter and milk at one time and beat until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites last.

Brush melted butter in each aebleskiver pan cup and heat until hot. Reduce to medium heat. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each cup. As soon as they get bubbly around the edge, turn them quickly (Danish cooks use a long knitting needle, but one of those long two prong kitchen forks or even just a regular fork and spoon will work). Continue cooking, turning the ball to keep it from burning. Roll in powdered sugar and fill with your favorite things. 

Always like to share the goodness. Enjoy!

 

Love these kiddos!

Just turned around and Lily was doing this - she didn't know I was filming at first :)



Sierra does the cutest trill these days - trying to get it on camera!