Camping

Yes, I realize that this post is on the late side. It was nice to get away for the weekend, without phones, computers, TV, Judge Judy, random drop-ins, etc. Just peaceful, warm, sunny, wide open spaces, beaches, ponds, and Snickers ice cream bars...

Here's Kian locked in the camper while we set up:

Kevin's bass:

Big boy cups:

(his shirt says "I get my muscles from my dad"!!)

This is how you cook bacon while camping:

Passed out on the boat:

That is a helicopter in the distance, dropping off a parachuting/sky-diving Santa. Yes, Santa! It was "Christmas in July" weekend at the campground.

Patrick, Savannah and Zoey on the paddle boats (Zoey=dog):

Kevin on the paddle boats, yum:

A weird bug Kevin found, eating a fly:

Not-so-good, nighttime picture of all the campers with Christmas lights on them, around the lake:

Big boy sleeping, with his fave dog:

Pre-breakfast fishing on the lake:

Is he a big boy or a baby? Because I can't tell anymore. Yep, he's got wifebeaters, just like daddy:

Well, since Savannah was sitting in her chair having coffee, Kian figured he should be too. Only, it's juice:

Making home fries/hash browns, hash fries is more like it, whatever they were, they were delicious!

Here's the finished product, so good!

Here's one I played around with. Patrick looks like he's standing on the water. And I really liked Zoey in the foreground. I put different filters on it for fun. This might be the filmgrain filter, but I forgot which order I added them in-oops!

This is the colored pencil look. I like it.

A new recipe

I whipped this up tonight after a long, busy weekend of camping, laundry, unpacking, you know the drill. So, in lieu of my Saturday Morning Posts and my camping pictures, which are yet to be uploaded, I give you this:

It doesn't have a name. If it did I'd call it Delicious Chicken & Spinach w/beans...or something.

1 pkg wheat wide noodles
1 can cannelini beans
1/2 pkg frozen spinach leaves
3 chicken breasts
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves-crushed
pinch of salt

I used my awesome stainless steel skillet (with high sides too!)
Cut up chicken breast, cook in skillet with olive oil, add in garlic after 5 mins. I did add a bit of water while chicken cooked also. Throw in a pinch of salt.
Boil water and cook noodles while chicken is cooking.
Add frozen spinach, when that is about cooked, add in beans, (half drained) and cook until warm through.
I did need to add a bit more olive oil, and then added the noodles into the chicken/spinach/beans, and topped it all off with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

I also threw in some artichoke hearts halfway through the meal because I remembered I had them.

Kevin liked it and Kian loved it! And it made enough for 2 meals for the 3 of us. Score.

Kian update

Kian is doing cool new stuff lately, so I thought I'd just throw up a quick post, mostly so I don't forget! I am not too good about putting it in his baby book either!

He isn't walking just yet (this is weird to me as I walked at 9 months and Kevin walked at his first birthday, I was so sure he would walk early!). He is taking 3-4 steps at a time, throughout the day, and loves to walk with hands held. He still realizes that crawling is much faster at this point, and when he needs to go somewhere, gets down and crawls fast. There is a block table (holds blocks, but has a top to build the blocks on) and he throws all the blocks out of it and climbs in there. Or he'll climb in with the blocks and throw them out one by one. Recently, he's started to put things back in their containers. First steps to cleaning up! He climbs on and over everything, would rather walk down stairs than crawl down them, and throws a ball really well. He's also started kicking at a ball.

I feel like I am writing my progress reports on one of my clients... I think Kian has good fine motor skills. He is able to use a spoon with oatmeal and yogurt. Other foods don't stick well to the spoon or fork, so he has trouble. He knows a fork is for stabbing food and stabs it repeatedly in his bowl or at his food, which he thinks is very funny. He's been turning pages of books since 8 months, but now has great control over just getting one single page, even really thin pages!

If I was writing an update on my client I would just make a run-down of all the domains (cognitive, social/emotional, self-help, motor, language) so I might as well just continue on down the list right? (I do plan on doing a little mini-series on EI, as many don't even know what it is) The boy's cognitive skills blow me away. His problem solving is amazing. I show him something once and he's got it down, just like that. He tries so many different ways to do things, get to things, get things to him, make them work, etc. He is figuring out puzzles, just needs some help getting them properly in place. He has a lot of pretend play skills coming out. Every toy can become a phone or a cup, but he chooses toys that resemble those shapes. So smart!

Receptively, he understands everything we say. If I ask him where something is he gets it, or points to it. He points to pictures in a book when I ask him "where's the cat? where's the cow?" etc. Expressively, he tries to imitate what we say. I have scolded Kevin for saying "huh" all the time (drives me nuts!) and having him say "what" or "I didn't hear you". And of course Kian did it yesterday, Kevin said "huh?" to me and then Kian said "huh". Ugh! He says: bye bye, uh oh, cat (cah), a cat sound (doesn't really sound like meow, but it's his cat sound) dog (ahg/og), woof (woo woo), mama, dada, daddy, boom (for fireworks), thank you (dake-oo), all done (aw DUH!) and he tells the cats 'get down' all the time! It sounds like "eh ow!" or "eh dow!" And he points to them, it's too funny. He's recently started trying down, go, no, book-these are all approximations, as obviously he won't be perfect with sounds for a few years yet.

I think he's going through a tiny bit of separation anxiety all of a sudden. He never had it when all the books said he would around 9 months or so. But, lately he isn't thrilled about being left at daycare and keeps an eye on me when we're around people he's not too familiar with. He hugs and kisses us all the time. He waves and says bye all the time and today I got him to say hi to me when I picked him up. He used to say it, but then got focused on everything else.

He loves to open all the cupboards, sometimes taking things out, sometimes not. One cabinet is all our plasticware, big bowls, lids, etc. He plays in that while I cook or clean in the kitchen. He turns the bowls over and creates a big drum set for himself and just bangs away. Sometimes I give him some spoons for drumsticks. Kevin thinks I'm crazy when he comes home to the noisy concert, but Kian loves it. He likes dancing to music too, it's so cute. His body just kind of jerks back and forth, with a big grin on his face. He also loves pushing things around now. First it was a book, then he realized he could push anything across the floor. Finally his truck has a purpose now! He'll spend forever pushing it around the house. Puts people in the back, books, whatever he can find, pushes it back and forth, dumps it, comes back for more. It's too cute.

We've been done with bottles for awhile now. He only had them for 3 months at daycare while I pumped and after his birthday they were gone. He's used the sippy cup for awhile--I love the Nuby ones-great trainer cups. He prefers the old style ones though. You know, the ones we all ahd as kids from Tupperware, no valves, just a pinched spout. He loves open cups and drinks really well from them--something I've noticed in a lot of breastfed kids, for whatever reason.

There's jsut something cool and amazing he does everyday. We're always telling each other to "come look" at whatever new trick he's just learned or something he figured out. (Like when we took him fishing and he touched the fish and thought it was great and said "ish) It's so fun. This is a great age. We are loving it. I do miss the snuggly newborn feel and smell and smallness, but Kian's so interactive and fun right now, we just love it. I'll have lots of new pictures from his camping adventures this weekend! His new things will include: paddle boat rides and so much more!

Envy

Maybe I should be sitting in a confessional somewhere. I've got to admit that I sometimes deal with envy. It's not that it takes over my life, but I notice it and throw a few sarcastic remarks around, about whatever it is I am feeling envious over.

I suffer from blog envy. Which stems from my photoshop envy (I have a serious secret love affair with it from a distance) and that probably comes from my financial envy. That seems like a lot, but I don't think it is really. I see other blogs with cool backgrounds, layouts, headings, poetic writing and I feel a little underachieving in the blog department. Then, I realize I don't have expensive cameras or expensive photoshop programs (I can't just shell out $600 for one or both!) as much as I'd like to have them both. That in turn, makes me realize a lot of other things I don't afford. Not that I necessarily want or need them. But, I know quite a few adults whose parents still pay for many things for them, buy them things, or just hand over money. It can get a bit frustrating when I see that, knowing I work my tail off to pay my student loans back, pay my mortgage, etc. Yes, I know that some of those adults don't even have a mortgage, which probably lets them afford other things.

Of course, I always am envious of those skinny girls, especially the ones that drop sizes 2 months after giving birth. I am proud that I lost all my pregnancy weight and then some (I haven't seen this number since freshman year in college!), but then feel deflated when I realize it took me almost a year, and took others mere months.

It's a vicious cycle. I am envious that I don't have money handed to me, or things, I don't come from a wealthy background obviously. But, then again, growing up I learned to earn, to work hard and save. If I wanted something that wasn't a necessity then I needed to go above and beyond and figure it out. There's a trend lately, especially in the upcoming generation, of entitlement. I never had that, never experienced that, and I am thankful that I learned about hard work and standards and good work ethic. But still, we all would love to win the lotto wouldn't we?

Reflective

These days, the days that go too fast, that end too soon, that make me want to pause life, make me think more. Each day I drop my baby off with a kiss and head to my office for 8 hours, I realize those are 8 hours I am missing and will never get back with my child. Or my husband. Or any friend or family. It saddens me.

Our conversations at work of late have been about the mind-boggling work system. Who, and why, created a 5 day work week and only a 2 day weekend? It seems we worship our jobs, money, acknowledgement, etc. more than our families and homes. It's not true, it's just the reality of survival. Again, who came up with this system?

My child was counted in days, then weeks, then months, and now in years. He's one. He'll be one for 11 more months. Somehow counting the weeks and months made him seem smaller and stay younger longer. I don't know why that is. Now, he's a toddler. (Although he's not quite toddling yet.) I miss him during the day, I miss his smile, his laugh, his sloppy, wet kisses. I miss watching those "ah-ha" moments, trying out new sounds and words, his attempts at mastering walking. It doesn't seem fair, yet it is what it has to be right now. This sadly either makes me long to be home or long for a tiny baby again. At this time, Kevin approves neither. (Just you wait!)

I've also been realizing I've been missing Kevin. Yes, he's here, daily, nightly, picking up my slack, er laundry. But, I haven't really looked at him lately. We've fallen in that "old married couple" trap, which I despise. Mostly, because I am not old, but too because it's just boring and wrong to be in that rut. I've been remembering him and us and we've been reminding each other to still be 'us' and ourselves along with all our new roles we are now. Instead of sighing, I actually laugh at his strange humor. And praise him for changing a dirty diaper instead of telling him how to do it properly. (Even if i mutter the other parts under my breath.)

Strangely, when I say my sister's name or talk about her the image that comes to mind is that scrawny, long-haired, freckle-faced little girl with braces. (Please don't tell her I just said that.) She's not those things anymore, luckily for her. I don't always embrace change, I like to hold on to good things and good memories and keep them all tucked in close. I'm learning that you can still keep those memories and embrace change. That people grow and change, but they're still there and still them. I'm learning to slow down, to stop. That my dishes don't always have to be done, my floor might be scattered with toys, but it's better to sit amongst those toys with that blue-eyed giggler, instead of calling "I'm coming in a minute" to him from the kitchen scrubbing pans. To take a walk with Kevin and just be, instead of nagging about the garbage. It makes us all happier.

I can't stop time. I can't always stop the guilt for things I do, don't do, forget to do, or do wrong. I can make up for it. I can relax and stop expecting so much. It's not always easy, but it can be done. And I always have time to pat a cat before I leave the house...

Saturday Morning Post

A late, very late, Saturday morning post.
I shall go backwards, this time, I think. Instead of starting with Monday and working towards Saturday, I shall start with today and remember backwards, the events that happened over the week. So, here we go.

Today we had Kevin's cousin's college graduation party. All Kevin's dad's side of the family was there, lots of aunts and cousins. More babies on the way. Not too crazy, not too boring. Just dandy. Before that, we stopped to see his grandma at the nursing home. It didn't go so well because Kian, being at the almost-walking stage, and being one, wanted to be in everything. He wanted to rip the little knick-knacks off her shelf, wanted to drink out of her cups, and crawl on the dirty floors, you get the idea. And when he couldn't, became...irritated. So, we cut that visit short. But, I warned Kevin that was going to happen. You can't take a toddler into an 8x8 room with nothing to do and expect him to be happy.

Friday I went to a training/conference with work. It was about diversity. Now, I have to be honest here, whenever we have a "diversity" training at work, it usually means "cultural diversity". And, no malice intended, just honestly, that 'cultural diversity' has always been surrounding the black/white issue. I get so tired of it. Like, why not Jewish diversity trainings, why not Hispanic, or male/female diversity, etc. You know what I mean? But, this was just diversity in general. Between races, genders, supervisors vs. employees, generational gaps, etc. It was interactive, there was movement, there were participation exercises. And it was actually, just plain fun. It was also catered by Dinosaur BBQ, but again they disappointed. I've given up. Sticky Lips is so much better.

Friday night, because it was hot out, or supposed to be, but wasn't really, we went to Gravel Ponds for awhile. We bought a membership to swim, fish, picnic, etc. there. There are a lot of older, retired, permanent campers, so that makes it nice and quiet. But there are some children too. So we ate dinner quick, and went out there for a few hours to swim, fish, walk, etc. Nice to get away from home, chores, nosy people and just relax.

Thursday, this may have been the night we played tennis with Paul and Elissa, but honestly I can't remember! I also had a call from the daycare that morning, and Kian hadn't been feeling well so I expected they wanted to tell me he now had a fever and I would need to get him. Not exactly, what they wanted to tell me was the he fell and hit his cheek, just below the eye, on the corner of a toy shelf and it bruised immediately. He was fine but they wanted me to know ahead of time about the bruise. Wonderful.

Wednesday, I had an interesting day at work. I am supposedly getting "fired" off this case, for who knows what, but still had to facilitate a team meeting at the family's home. That's not awkward or anything. This happens a lot in our job actually. Parents want immediate action, feel every thing about their child is urgent and should have happened yesterday. Mind you, we are talking about speech therapy, physical therapy and such. We don't do any magic, medical miracles or anything here. We, as service coordinators, never know that there is anything wrong, until the parent calls someone else to complain about us. It is highly irritating. Just tell me and I'll fix it. I can't fix what I don't know. But, really, we are usually glad to get rid of those cases anyway.

Tuesday my morning meeting was switched from 9:15 until 9:45. Well, I had 9:15 on the brain and left at that time, which put me 15 minutes early for my meeting. I am not going to show up at a family's house that early. So I sat at Burger King for a bit, watching the movement on Mt. Hope Ave. I had a view of Country Sweet, but I can't recall if it was even open yet. I like to watch people and activity, and not be in the center of it. Must be the psychology major in me. I do recall that Tylere brought me to this place in my first semester of college and being a country girl, was scared of "the city". How silly, Mt. Hope isn't in the "scary" part of the city!

That brings us to Monday. Do I even remember what I did on Monday? Obviously, it wasn't much, or of much importance, since I cannot recall it.

Tomorrow I want to squeeze in: church, grocery shopping, house cleaning, laundry, packing bags for the week, weeding.... I know, I'm funny. But, I will post pictures from this weekend. And, if you're extra lucky, a silly video I took in the car when Kevin didn't know I was taping him...shh!

WWWaT--finally! Summer/4th of July

Unfortunately, with all the work, home, random events, activities and responsibilities I just haven't had time-or energry- to participate in Rachel's Wordless Wednesday With A Twist contests! I am this time! Having some time off for the holiday allowed me to get some pictures finally. Head on over to Rachel's to view more, and lovelier, WWWAT entries--after viewing mine of course!

Here's how we spent our long, summery weekend:

First order of business-napping!



Then, finding the only, lonely dandelion left in the yard

A little fishing and swimming

And outdoor playing (practicing walking!)
Fireworks over Canandaigua Lake

With all the fam-
I really tried to figure out how to get the lake, the dock and the fireworks...it was the thought that counted right?


More fireworks at Gravel Ponds the following night (much better-an hour long show!)

This was the grand finale that went for 2 minutes and lit up the entire sky-

And finally, we finished up by creating a collage of Kian's first fireworks shows:

And I tried to include the (sideways) video capture of that finale for your amazement:

(and NO I did NOT zoom in, we were a 100 yards or more away and it really did get THAT BIG! I tried backing up, but couldn't in time!)

4th of July fun

I had wanted to camp this weekend, but Kevin said it was going to be too busy, noisy, etc. and did not want to camp. So, we didn't really have plans. Finally around 3 o'clock after Kian woke from his nap, we decided to go to my parents' to eat, go on the boat, and watch fireworks on the lake.

This is actually Kian's spaghetti face from the other night. Pictures don't do justice to the orange face and it does not show the amount of noodles on his lap:



Aunt Savannah gave Kian this dog, he's so soft and squishy. Kian loved it right away and sleeps with it every night:

Kian loves to pick strawberries and eat them right off the vine. These are a different type of strawberry that I planted that are very small, but perfect for Kian.

The boat still wasn't working yet when we arrived, so we grilled steak and had our nice picnic, complete with patriotic ice cream cake and brownies of course! By the time we were able to go on the boat it was starting to cool off. Kian decided he needed some sand time before getting on the boat:


Then it was off to Kershaw to watch fireworks. We actually parked at Wegmans and walked behind the store to the little lagoon. There was a little bridge on the water and it was empty so we watched from there.

Here's the thing about fireworks put on by Canandaigua...simply, they're not so great.
There aren't many going off at once and the show is very short.
I found the fireworks setting on my camera. Granted, I just have a point and shoot digital and couldn't manually adjust settings and focus; I just had to click and try to hold very, very still and hope I got something.
Not too bad I'd say.