Lovie, MD

Lucy is walking around with the pager from her doctor kit saying "Paging Doctor Coco." Coco is the pink poodle lovie. Greg thinks Dr. Coco is a plastic surgeon. If so, I have to make a consultation.

Cranberry Sausage Stuffing

My mother's stuffing recipe got rave reviews at our Thanksgiving feast, so I thought I would share. Just in case, you know, you are feeling like a whole lot of stuffing and turkey.

1 15 ox Arnold stuffing (dried bread with spices. I could only find Pepperidge Farm)
2 eggs, slightly beaten (for some reason the idea of slightly beating something amuses me)
4 med. onions, finely chopped
6 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1/2 stick butter
1 lb. pork sausage, pan fried and drained
1 8 oz can jellied cranberry sauce, beaten thin
1 to 2 cups apple juice
salt and pepper
optional - craisins, toasted chopped pecans

Saute celery and onion in butter. Mix all ingredients except apple juice. Add apple juice, a little at a time, until mixture is damp but not mushy. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in covered casserole for 30 minutes at 350.

Turkey Day

We had a really fun Thanksgiving holiday over at the Klanns. Christine, Eva, Chris and Lola were all in attendance as well. I was very thankful that all my friends are such fabulous cooks. Everything was delicious.

Thankful

A random list of things I am most thankful for:

- My funny, thoughtful and studly husband. Your fathering skills have far surpassed expectations, and I had pretty high expectations.
- My family who add so much to the girls lives, even though we don't get to see you nearly enough. I am so happy we got to see you over the last month on such fun vacations, but I'm missing all of you today.
- My mommy friends. For emotional, and sometimes physical support. I never realized that motherhood would bring so many special, funny, caring people into my life. A happy side effect.
- My pre-children friends. For letting me be more than Mommy. Lifesavers.
- Murdoch. For being so gentle and sweet with the girls. For being my running partner, and floor cleaner. (I would thank the cats, but am still bitter that Angus recently shat in my bathtub)
- My health. I might often disabuse the package, but its been pretty good to me. Giving me the best gift of all...
- Lucy and Harper.
- God (see all above)

Ooooooommmmm

H&L&I went to a toddler/mommy yoga class today. I filled out new member forms for them. Goals of yoga... hmmm. Not stress relief yet, I hope.

This was the third class we've done. They were cute. They didn't participate too much, but seemed to enjoy it. At one point Harper tickled my bare feet and said, "tickle, tickle, tickle." She loved walking on the path of yoga blocks and then dove into handstand (assisted) where Lucy wouldn't do the handstand the first round. So interesting how their personalities manifest differently.

The best part was the final savasana. I was laying down with a two year old head on each shoulder under my arms. Bliss.

How mornings go around here

Lucy: Mommy, my need it all (in reference to the many stuffed animals in her crib that she wants me to remove so she can tote them around in the cart)
Mommy: (silence. not again)
Lucy: Come on. Get up. Get up! My want it all.
Lucy: Come on. Pleeeassse. My want them all.
Mommy: sigh. (starts loading the animals into the cart)
Harper: My want crackers
Mommy: We just had breakfast. Do you want more eggs?
Lucy: My want Princess. Teddy bear. Blankie. Pillow.
Mommy: Pillow too?
Lucy: My want them all
Harper: My want crackers.

All of them


Moving to the couch


Breakfast round 2

Posers

Our new fun baby trick is getting the girls to pose with their hands on their faces. They've got the hands on the cheeks look down, and we're working on the chin on the locked hands pose.

Trying to get an X-mas card shot

Christmas might not be happening at our house this year.

goofy


serious


typical


frontrunner

Cottages

When we were in Watercolor we took a short drive up to Rosemary Beach to visit kids cottages. It was a collection of some of the most creative playhouses you've ever seen. It was an interesting charity event. Local architects/builders created the playhouses. They were for sale (some in the 10s of thousands)for a local kids charity.

Cousin Henry especially loved "Fury of the Deep" which recreated a mini submarine complete with giant squid.

Submariners


Swinging


On the lookout


Making pizzas


Fury of the Deep


Soda can fishscales

Beach babies

I have really been slacking on the posting, but I've been up to my ears sunbathing and reading the Twilight series.

Last weekend we returned from an amazing trip to Watercolor, FL which is on the panhandle. White sand beaches, beautiful and changeable grey to aqua water, mid-70s, the trip couldn't have been better. And it was empty. We often had the heated pool all to ourselves.

Watercolor is a planned community with gorgeous houses and ample bike paths and amenities. We got a bike trailer and toted the girls around Seaside and to the beach that way. I forgot how much fun it can be to ride a bike.

The girls had a blast with cousins Henry and Lucas. Between running on the beach, swimming in the pool and playing with their cousins, I didn't think they were going to let us leave.

We drove, and thanks to the dvd player we borrowed, it was a relatively easy (as easy as a 13 hour drive can be) trip.











Paradise

Overheard

Harper: Lucy, ok?
Lucy: No, my grumpy.

BFF

Harper and Lucy have a new BFF - Lily. They have known Lily practically since birth, but today at the park decided that she needed to go do everything with them. It started out as swinging. We arrived and Lily was already in the swing and Lucy and Harper got in next to her. She was looking a little grumpy and the nanny said she was not herself. When we left the swings, H&L insisted she come with, and she really lit up. If she was out of sight, I heard "Where Lily go?"

It was like a little pack. Lily is a triplet and has four brothers, so she is used to rolling with a crew, but it was really cute to see all the girls giggling and when we left, hugging goodbye.

Two minutes

Lesson: anything you use on your children they will use agains you. I like to give the girls "choices" as all the parenting books tell me to, so I say things like "do you want to leave now, or do you want to leave in two minutes?"

I just told Lucy I needed to change her poopy diaper. Her response, "two minutes". Guess she needed to finish up business.

From the Patch

Goldfish Snarfer

Harper got upset the other day when, hours after she had strewn her goldfish all over the floor, she found them gone. Eaten by our vacuum, not Roomba, but Murdoch. She sat on the floor and tried to open his mouth saying "Goldfish back". She has done this to me in the past when I've stolen a fry, often accompanied by a tantrum.

My do myself

Inside out and upside down.


Lucy has really taken to dressing herself. She has become pretty good at getting the shoes on, but has some trouble with shirts. Pants only get put on up to the bum bum.

Harper is more into "doing" the five point harnesses on strollers, carseats and her chair. Which is a little more annoying because I'm usually in a hurry. With the dressing, I can just let Lucy go for it while I get Harper dressed. I'm not sure how this will work when they both want to dress themselves. Start 10 minutes earlier and use the time to unload the dishwasher, I suppose. Or snap entertaining photos to embarass them later.