some fun links and pics

click here to see a movie of petey running around inside his big kid tree house.  he climbs up there on his own using the plastic stairstep rock ladder on the back and once he's inside, its sheer joy. he runs from window to window looking down at the world below. i think he knows its a big deal that he's in there and loves every minute of it.

click here to see a slideshow of a few pictures from our photoshoot last weekend with christopher allison.  that was the beginning of petey's changing nap schedule so he was a zombie most of the photo session. i must say i'm pleased he got a few cute pictures.  we'll get the cd with all the photos in a few days. enjoy!

petey loving his rocking horse from aunt briana

petey loving his new baby doll from my dear friend jen. he is practicing being gentle with all his might. its tough for a 13 month old, as you may have guessed.  he did manage to give her a kiss. and i believe here he was licking her head. i guess that's what baxter does to him so....

take a moment-

today my sweet baby boy is inexplicably attached to a plastic measuring cup. he's been carrying it around on all his adventures for at least an hour. such small things can bring such great joy to a child. this is a wonderful, magical reminder to find joy where you are right now. something is good. perhaps something is grand and you haven't taken time to realize it yet. yesterday afternoon while playing outside, i was sitting on an exercise ball and i stopped and lay back and looked up at the sky. just looked up at the sky. took a few deep breaths. paid notice to the clouds and the color blue up there that day. and then realized how long it had been since i've done that.  enjoy your here and nows today. :)

de plane! de plane!

 

 poor little busted lip and nose from a walking accident.....the transition from the grass to the sidewalk combined with no afternoon nap on saturday was too much and he tripped and forgot to catch himself with his hands...

hearty ham and white bean soup

from runners' world magazine's "the athlete's palate"
recipe by Pam Anderson, author of The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great

"The cabbage in this dish is rich in vitamin C and fiber, as well as phytonutrients that help protect against some cancers." 

Calories per serving: 270
Carbs: 32 G
Protegin: 22 G
Fat: 6 G

1 t olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 1/2 t Italian seasoning
2 large carrots peeled and diced
1/2 (red) cabbage, cored, cut into bite-sized shreds
12 oz lean ham steak, diced into small pieces
1 qt (low sodium) chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can petite-diced tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz each) white beans, undrained (I drained mine)
2 t fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a soup kettle. Add the onion, saute until soft and golden, about five minutes.  Add the Italian seasoning and saute until fragrant, about one minute.  Add the remaining ingredients (except parsley), then bring to a full simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the surface.  Reduce heat to low, simmer gently (partially covered) until the vegetables are just cooked and flavors blended, about 15 minutes.  Stir in the parsley; cover and let stand five minutes.  Serves six.

weekend download

the weather is heavenly. that's the only way to describe it. perfection, particularly in the shade. despite petey's new naptime regimen, which i'm still trying to figure out, its been a great day. a great weekend, in fact.  

would have been a fabulous weekend rather than a great one if reid had been here to share it with us-wanted to make sure he understood that, sometimes its easier to read it than find it written between the lines.

we visited balboa park, one of my top 5 favorite destinations in all of san diego on a day like today with our girlfriends and their kids (ahem...and dog; big love to megatron!)  walking, talking, catching up, catching rays and chasing kids with a picnic blanket and some packed snacks along the way. yep, that's my idea of a perfect sunday noonday activity. have to make sure i start going there more often.

i'm also reading a new book - the tale of edgar sawtelle.  my best gal, alison of anchorage, alaska participates in a quaint monthly book club. upon her invitation, i am participating on the honor system from afar. anything i can do to stay connected with her is a big plus in my world and this is no exception. 100 pages is a big success and more to come this evening, for sure. i may have to rig a reading lamp on the back patio to be sure to get as much of this delish fresh air in my system as possible.  so here's a new goal for 2010; try to read one non-baby/child/parenting related book every month. i'm off to a great start and enjoying it immensely.

i mentioned petey's nap schedule earlier which is clearly in flux these days. the morning nap appears to be a mom-luxury of the past. it definitely offers us more options to enjoy the first part of our day without rearranging activities around that 8 am naptime. but i'll have to get more clever now as that first nap was my designated 'get myself ready for the day' 2 hour timeslot. showering, organizing, to-do-list-accomplishing was always heavily scheduled into that period. now all those things shift. hmmm....this could get interesting.

i'm off to prep the evening dinner, a soup (even though its not soup weather, its what we're having because its easy and delicious and i have all the ingredients!) with red cabbage, ham, rice and white beans. and if i get that done in time, maybe i'll sneak in a few more pages of my book before the petey is ready to play for the evening. and then reid will be home! can't wait for his hug!
sorry to the grandparents - no pictures have been taken, only those in my head. more to come soon, have no fear!

a dog and a tractor

petey's biggest joys in life include his dog and his red tractor.  other things that top his list:
-climbing onto our bed
-opening and closing doors, cabinets, closet doors over and over and over
-stirring the dog food and water
-bobbing his head to music
-climbing into the big boy tree house and running back and forth between the windows to peer at the world below
-climbing up onto the couch to 'cuddle' the dog
-riding in his wagon
-playing in the tub or the pool at swim class - he loves water!

this little boy of mine is so much fun and greets the world with a smile, ready to play! he waves at the old lady at the park, points at the airplanes in the sky and chatters to anyone who will listen.  and as every day goes by, i love seeing him discover new things about his world.  yesterday, he was pushing his tractor and figured out a round block fit perfectly in the driver's seat. so he'd carefully stand the round shape up in the seat and get it situated just so, push the tractor until it fell off and then reset the shape in the seat over again.  its these little things, his growing attention to detail, discovering things that fit into new places (like a cow in the cookie sheet cabinet, for example). each day, a new trick, a new talent, a new discovery. what will tomorrow bring?

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

had our 20 week ultrasound today, reid was able to come, and wow was it awesome! as soon as we saw her little face i got tears of joy in my eyes. i am so thrilled to be a momma to another child. what a gift! and this time the anticipation is more because now i am able to conceive what it feels like to love a child. she is beautiful, even her sweet little spine. she had her right arm up by her face and her left arm at her side and gave us some wiggles while we were spying on her. the tech said everything looks just as it should for this point in the pregnancy and confirmed that the due date was pretty accurate based on her different measurements.  so, we're expecting to meet her sometime in may.  what a great day, we are definitely thrilled and can't wait to meet our little lady!