May the Force be with you

Nine months old!

Caroline is going to be nine months old on Tuesday! Where has the time gone? She's cruising around, standing whenever she gets near something to hold on to, and claps and waves 'bye-bye'. She even SAYS 'bye-bye' when she's waving, usually in response to someone telling her no.

Easter!

Wow, I'm a bit late, huh? I thought I had posted about Easter, but then I uploaded my pictures from the camera and realized all of the pictures from dying eggs were still on it! So, have a look at the egg coloring festivities. Henry didn't figure out too quickly that throwing the eggs on the floor was NOT the way to go.

Friday Five

It's Friday again! Yeah, I've missed a few, but here's today's five...
1. My friend Tracy, who has traveled a long road to get to this point, adopted a baby girl earlier this week and gets to celebrate her first Mother's Day this weekend!
2. I think I have figured out a great birthday present for Ed's 40th.
3. My Swiffer Wet Jet.
4. My first repeat client ever!
5. Replacement windows.

It's my party and I'll...

mop the floor! That's right folks, it was my birthday yesterday! I'm 29. For real. Don't check with Keith though, he'll lie to you and tell you I'm older than that. Anyways, it was a good day. Henry has figured out how to talk so he's been jabbering to make up for the last 2 years. All day he'd come up and say "Mom, it's YOUR birthday?" like that was the strangest thing he had ever heard. Keith was so excited to give me my present. He kept telling me how much I'd love it, how great it was, so I had to open it first. Guess what it was... a Swiffer Wet Jet! So, and I quote, "you don't have to use a BUCKET when you mop the floor anymore, mom! You just PUSH A BUTTON!!!!" Gotta love kids - how sweet is that? Now, if it was Ed who gave me a mop for my birthday it wouldn't have been as cute. Caroline gave me a giftcard to the book store, and Henry gave me, to quote Keith again, "a box that you push a button on that wine comes out of." Gotta love Henry. I think the little guys had a bit of help from their father. AND I got a midwifery book that I've wanted for a while from my parents, AND flowers! I haven't gotten flowers since I had Keith! So we spent the day mopping the floors. I guess that's what moms do for their birthdays! Oh, and I almost forgot - a former client of mine called the day before my birthday needing to hire me - my first repeat client! So all in all it's been a good birthday!

The end is near

Caroline is STANDING UP. It's all over. Next thing you know she'll be cruising, then walking, then in preschool, then driving.... ACK! She pulled herself up on the couch yesterday with the biggest smile ever. Then she did it again. And again. And of course, Keith and Henry are encouraging this behavior. Help me!

Another late Friday Five

I was at a birth Thursday night/Friday morning, so I came home and slept the rest of the day. Sorry I missed posting, but, you know, it wouldn't have been a coherent Friday five. I was pretty tired. Anyways, I'm thankful that...

1. A baby girl was born on Wednesday!
2. A baby boy was born on Friday!
3. Wednesday and Friday are not the same day, nor are they consecutive days.
4. I don't have any babies due at the moment so I can sleep and not wake up in a panic that I missed a phone call.
5. Easter is tomorrow and I won't miss it this year!

Yardwork

It was a nice day today so we decided to do some yard work. Ed got a new lawn mower from my parents, and today was the perfect day to try it out for the first time, seeing as the grass was getting to be a bit on the long side. But first we had to weed. and clean up the flower beds. And rake the leaves (did you know leaves don't just disappear if you ignore them in the fall??). Henry "helped."

Fun at the park

The other day it was really nice out (one of the first nice days in a while!), so Ed took the kids to the park. They had a blast. Some lady was riding her horse (pony?) by the park and let Keith sit on it - he was thrilled.

Henry's favorite video

Cross your fingers that Henry wants to grow up to be like Elmo!

Since I've been slacking...

And Jane was kind enough to point out that I've missed, oh, a month worth of Friday Fives, I figure I'll do one today. I meant to post more this week, but my hard drive on my computer died. Sound familiar? Why yes, I *did* just replace a hard drive back in December. And no, it wasn't the same computer. And yes, I *did* learn my lesson in December about backing up your work so I didn't have to repeat that lesson. So my computer was in the shop and I only just got it back this morning. So, anyways.
I'm thankful that...
1. I have a working computer, again.
2. People sell used books cheap on Amazon.
3. Villanova is in the Final Four.
4. Ed took Caroline out last night so I could go to bed early. At 6:30.
5. Henry can talk!

Wow... how time flies!

Where have I been? It's been 2 weeks since I last posted! Oops! Caroline turned 7 months old on the 12th. She's crawling, has 7 teeth, pulls herself up on stuff. I'm taking bets as to when she starts walking. I'd post a picture but Ed has the camera. Henry started talking in sentences yesterday. That one blew me away. Up until, oh, the day before yesterday I was pretty much the only one who could understand him, and I couldn't even understand him too well. Then yesterday he came in and said "Mom I want chocolate milk. Caroline bumped me in the head." Umm... WHAT? We went from "I choc mik" to a whole sentence in less than 24 hours? Go figure! I'll take it though. I attended a birth last week, and I'm on call for a couple more. So I might disappear again - births can take a lot out of you! So that's what is going on here... pretty uneventful.

Amy's Risotto

Last night we had risotto for dinner. I absolutely love risotto. I found a recipe in Rachael Ray's Orange cookbook that I was planning on making - butternut squash risotto - but about 10 minutes before our friend arrived I found out that we didn't actually have the butternut squash for said risotto. So I improvised. And this is what I came up with. Make it. It is good.

Chop up a medium sized onion and a couple of garlic cloves. Saute them in olive oil over medium high heat for 5 or so minutes. Add 1 1/3 cups of arborio rice (whatever it's called. You know, risotto rice.) and saute for a minute or two. Add half a cup of white wine and cook for about a minute. Oh, while you're doing this have some chicken broth simmering on another burner. Then, once the wine cooks off, ladle in some chicken broth - about 3 or 4 ladles. Cook it down, stirring frequently. Repeat. Repeat again. Keep repeating until the rice isn't hard. Takes about 1/2 hour or so. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the burner, add in 3 handfuls of parmesan cheese, a can of artichoke hearts (drained and chopped), and a can of black olives (drained and chopped). Oh, and a splash of lemon juice. Let it sit up for a minute or two, then eat. It's good. Really, really good.

Friday Five

1. Even though the kids are sick, I'm not. Knock on wood.
2. Mail. I love mail.
3. Henry started talking in complete sentences!
4. Sentences which I can understand!
5. Risotto. I love risotto, too.

It's a long wait for the bus!