Christmas tree!

2011-12-13T20:32:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, we went with our friends Sheryl, Jonathan and Jack out to the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm. It doesn't open until noon on Sunday, which is a bit crappy since Owen naps about 1:30 and it's a half hour drive. We decided to meet for bbq first, which was great. We went to Meyer's in Elgin, one of two famous bbq places. Best ribs I've ever had. Seriously.

Then, on to the farm. I forgot my camera, but Sheryl used her handy dandy phone to get some pictures. Not much explanation is needed.

Days 3, 4, 5, and 6

2011-12-06T21:03:00.005-06:00

Ok, so much for regular posting. But we are having a good time. One tricky thing I didn't anticipate with activities this year is the small window to do them. Kate is at school each morning and then we come home for lunch and Owen's nap. That means that activities must be done at home, or they have to occur between the end of nap and dinner. That is a small, cranky window. So, we've been doing things we can mostly do during nap time. Here's what has we've been doing.

Day 3: Decorated the house. This was mostly me putting stuff up, but Kate and I also went to target for some more lights and garland. She loved picking stuff out and she also got some Christmas specific art supplies. That is all she really wants most of the time - art supplies.

Day 4: It was Sunday and it was cold and raining. So Graeme built a fire in our little wood stove and we roasted marshmallows. Definite win. And I took pictures. Win again. Here they are:

Day 5: Library trip for Christmas books. Win.

Day 6 (today): Mail all the christmas cards. Kate got to put the stamps on, which she liked and then we walked to the post office and she dropped them in the slot. She liked it, but pretty lame activity. We will try for something better tomorrow. I think gingerbread man making.

Activity advent calendar

2011-12-02T22:04:00.002-06:00

This will be our third year doing an advent activity calendar. The first year, Kate was two and she wasn't that into it. Last year she loved it and this year, even more so. We have done the first two days. Yesterday, the envelope said "open your first present". The first present was a chocolate advent calendar- something she's never had before. Needless to say, it's a hit.

Today, we had a hot chocolate tea party with her friend Felix. There were even fresh homemade scones. Another win.

I'm going to try this year to blog our activities and even (gasp!) take photos. I didn't last year and now I can't remember what all we did. Lt's see if it actually happens, I have not exactly been a bastion of blogging lately. Like, for over a year.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-21T06:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday after nap we went to a pumpkin patch at a nearby church. We went to the same one last year. It isn't the whole farm experience, but it's very nearby, the people are great and the pumpkins are reasonably priced. And the kids love it. It's enough for them. They each picked out some pumpkins and this weekend we'll do some carving.

20 months

2011-10-19T20:23:00.004-05:00

Poor, neglected second child. Kate had frequent blog posts tracking her toddlerhood. Owen? Not so many. Today, our little boy is 20 months old. I don't know where to start. He is both the happiest and most skeptical little boy. He has a stink eye to rival his sister. He gives the best hugs in the world. At bedtime he goes around the whole room for kisses from each person.

He's not talking much, which is weird for us since once K started talking she hasn't stopped. But he's a signing machine. If you show him a sign once, he uses it from then on. Even with very few words, he is very good at letting you know what he wants. What does he want? Books. More books. Pickles. And more pickles. (seriously, the kid likes his pickles). Trucks. Playing with the Flintstone car in the front yard. Sand. Mud. Baths. Doing whatever his sister does. Making enormous messes. Getting into whatever he's not supposed to get into. Pickles.

One of my favourites

2011-09-12T13:22:00.002-05:00

This is one of my favourite moments from the summer. Karen and I took the girls to Santa's Village and they all had their first ever roller coaster ride. It was so much fun. Their faces say it all.

First day of school

2011-09-09T20:50:00.003-05:00

Kate has started going to a new school this year after nearly three years at our little co-op that we helped to create and build. It is bittersweet to leave that co-op and the amazing community there. Fortunately, although she won't be going there, we're still in the community through food swap, wine nights (well, I'm in for that part, not Kate) and play dates. And a few kids from our little co-op are going to our new school too. The new school is also a co-op, All Austin Co-operative Nursery School, and after two visiting days this week, we already love it.

Here she is on her first day. She was so excited, she started asking a full hour before we had to leave if we could go.

I blinked

2011-09-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

...and she's four.

Gardens and birds

2011-06-06T19:24:00.010-05:00

A garden update: Things are bigger in Texas, at least they are in our vegetable gardens. The tomato plants are nearly taller than me and we've picked a few ripe cherry tomatoes. There are a whole bunch that will be ready tomorrow and then we hsould be getting some each day for awhile. I feel like we are missing some, but it must be the birds since the squirrels seem unable to get the ones I'm missing.

Another garden update: remember in that last blog post where I said that the plants that came up from the compost were eight ball squash? That's how it looked, right? Not anymore. Look at them now:

One more garden note: In the front yard, the raised beds are pretty much abandoned in the summer. We had one potato plant that grew in the spring from a randomly planted red potato. It had an infestation of flat legged leaf cutters last month, and I had kind of written that plant off. Didn't water it, just ignored it. Well, today I thought we'd do a little excavation to see. The plant was completely dead (as of yesterday) and look at what we found! Jackpot!

Two weeks ago we hung two bird feeders in our back yard. My sister has feeders and has said how much she likes it. So, I bought two - a standard tube feeder and a nyger seed feeder. I also started changing the water in the bird bath every day (as well as in a large plant saucer on the ground.) The nyger seed feeder is completely ignored, but the regular feeder? Hoo boy. I have to fill it twice a day. If you open our back door, at least 15 birds take flight. Regular visitors include black capped chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, house finches, sparrows, white winged doves (did you know those doves all over Austin that everyone (well, most) seem to think are mourning doves are actually white winged doves? I've been calling them by the wrong name for seven years.), a pair of long tailed grackles and as of yesterday, some rock doves, usually affectionately known as pigeons. We can see the feeder from the dining room table and it has been so much fun for me and the kids to watch the birds.

And amazingly, the squirrels can't get it. They eat the dropped seeds off the ground.

Our gardens

2011-05-25T20:16:00.004-05:00

I have had two raised beds in the front yard for four years now. One is herbs and the other is the winter garden. That is because it's under a huge pecan tree and doesn't get enough sun when the leaves are on the tree to produce anything. But in the winter, we get lettuces, chard, spinach, kale. After watching Kate eat chard right out of the garden back in March, I went the next day to the store to get more lumber to build more gardens.

Most of our lot is shaded, but we do get direct sun in the side yard.

We built a 4'x4' bed there and planted beans and peas from seeds (beans doing well, peas not much. We planted them too late. I may just eat the tendrils soon.) I also transplated to that bed two tomato plants and two unidentified members of the squash family. They were all volunteers that came up from the compost. I had no idea how they would do. The tomatoes are both grape tomatoes, it turns out, and they are doing great. Covered in green tomatoes. The unidentified squash (could have been melon, for all I knew) have turned out to be eight ball squash - a variety of zucchini. And they are going gangbusters.

We also built a small bed for the back yard (2'x2') and planted a grape and cherry tomato (purchased), a canteloupe (also purchased) and some basil. The tomatoes are doing great. The canteloupe has had a lot of blossoms but so far not much happening in the fruit department. I'm wondering if it's not getting enough sun. The basil is gorgeous and we are eating it all the time. And Kate loves it. Tonight she went out and picked some leaves for me for dinner.

I'm already planning next year. Cherry/grape tomatoes again, for sure (assuming they ripen. I may be counting my tomatoes before they hatch.) and cucumbers. Maybe we'll try melon again but on the side yard. I'm thinking of digging up some of the soil along the house and planting some squash there, since the beds are pretty full and we want more. MORE!

45 months

2011-05-24T20:38:00.003-05:00

I realize it's not very balanced to do a monthly (as if they are! ha!) update on Owen and neglect to update on sweet Kate. There are always changes for her too, and maybe they don't seem as momentous as learning to walk, but they are equally fascinating for us to watch.

I don't know if I can pinpoint things that happened this past month, but there a lots of things since I last wrote about what's happening with her. If you'll forgive, I'm going to resort to bullet points.

- Her favourite movie/pretend playing is Cars. She pretends to be a race car or she drives her toy cars around or she draws them. Or I am a car, or the dog, or her brother. She played Cars all day today from morning until bedtime. By the end of the day, I'm pretty worn out by Cars.
- In the last two months she is suddenly willing to try new foods. I'm so proud of her. If she tries it and doesn't like it (which is rare), she doesn't have to eat it. Right now, I just want her to be trying things. She has recently tried (usually not for the first time): cucumber, broccoli, zucchini, hot dog, herbed chicken, spinach pie, celery, chard, tomatoes. Clearly there is a veggie trend happening. She has liked all of them.
- She is writing her name (not a recent development. She's been doing it for almost a year) and her friend's names. She asks how to spell things and we figure them out phonetically.
- She is a great sister and plays with Owen. He is in the hitting stage, but she's getting better at dealing with that instead of just screaming.
- She is really excited about our vegetable garden. She may become a tomato eater by the end of the summer.
- She's excited about starting preschool in the fall even though she doesn't really know what it means. I'm less enthusiastic, mostly because I am having trouble letting go and facing the change.
- She can nearly ride a pedal bike without training wheels!

And, as she always has been, she is sweet and funny and affectionate and I love her more than I can believe. She drives me crazy every day but I wouldn't change her at all.

15 months

2011-05-24T20:27:00.003-05:00

Owen turned 15 months old last week and it's been a month of serious changes.

About a week ago he went from crawling 90% of the time to walking all the time. Once in awhile if he's in a hurry (to chase his sister, for instance), he will drop down and power crawl, but otherwise it's walking. He's quite pleased with himself. He's also started to use some sign language and it's so nice to have a few instances of clear communication. Otherwise, there is a lot of pointing and yelling which gets frustrating for everyone. He has about six spoken words and three signs (more, all done and milk). His spoken words are Baboo (the dog and by extension any other non-human animal), ball, bye, mama, dada, uh-oh). The time between 15 and 18 months were hard with Kate, and I think the same is true this time. He knows what he wants and he understands us but he has a hard time communicating. At 18 months that got so much better, so I'm hoping the same thing happens again.

Owen is super affectionate and a clown and is still in love with his sister. He can play happily on his own for 20 minutes (second child? Kate could not do this at 15 months) and his favourite toys are castanets and the play pots with wooden food.

Since Graeme has been away so much this spring, Owen has gotten really attached to him. I think Owen is starting to react to G leaving all the time. He now gets upset if Graeme leaves the room - crying for him until he comes back into view. It breaks my heart. Fortunately, there is only one more month and G will be home for 1.5 weeks of it.

Nearly every day I look at this little boy and bigger girl and I'm in awe of them. I don't know how I can love two little people so much, be challenged by them so much and be so lucky to be their mum.

Happy Birthday, Henry

2011-05-19T20:15:00.003-05:00

Happy birthday, chunky monkey. You're a sweet one.

Love Aunt Beth
(psst. Your mum could use some sleep. Maybe you can work on that now that you're 1.)

Seven year itch

2011-05-14T08:05:00.003-05:00

We've lived in Austin, and our house, for nearly seven years. A lot of the rooms are just as they were when we moved in (except for paint colour). Suddenly, I've got a bee in my bonnet to change things around. The living room especially. It is a long narrow room that doesn't have a lot of furniture arrangement options. I haven't rearranged, but I did get a new chair (we had one that was too big for the room. The new one will eventually be reupholstered.) and I've made a wall of family pictures. I'm especially happy with the wall.

The office has also been reclaimed now that Owen is sharing a room with Kate. We moved Kate's table in and the spare bed/couch is back. I also put up some curtains, which makes it seem more finished. The change table is still in there, but that's a minor thing.

I have rearranged the furniture in our bedroom too, but I'm on the hunt for a new dresser. Until I find one, that room isn't quite done.

First haircuts

2011-05-10T19:50:00.003-05:00

Today both kids got haircuts. Their first official ones. Owen had had a small trim around the ears and back, but it didn't really count. Kate had never had one. Yep, 3.5 years old, never had it cut. She wasn't goign to get one today either, since she declared she wouldn't get one until she was 4. But when she found out her little brother was getting one, she declared that she was getting one too.

Before:

During:

After:

Cal-i-for-ni-eh

2011-05-02T20:10:00.003-05:00

We went to California about two weeks ago. G is there most of the spring (mid-March until mid-June) for work. He's staying in Venice Beach one block from the most beautiful sand beach. We were there for five days and went to the beach every day. As evidenced by the photos:

Hell must be cold today

2011-05-02T11:10:00.002-05:00

Because I'm writing a blog post. It's been nearly three months, and I'm not quite sure how that happened. Actually, I do. Life has been happening. Fun, busy, child filled life. I am not going to try to write everything, or even any, of what's been going on. I will just say what is going on now. And pictures will soon follow.

- Karen and Henry are visiting right now, although they leave tomorrow. It's been a fun week. We haven't done a lot, mostly hung near home. The boys both nap twice a day and they have fortunately been on a similar schedule. It does mean a lot of tea drinking at home. Which is lovely.
- Owen took his first steps weeks ago but has seemed pretty uninterested in using it as a means of transportation. He's a crazy fast crawler, so I don't blame him. But this weekend he started choosing to walk the small distances between the coffee table and various chairs. Yesterday he took a few steps, stopped and then took a few more. I'm guessing that we have a few more days until he's doing it all the time.
- Kate has been amazing lately. She just gets better and better. We've been figuring out school options for next year. I want her to do a pre-K program since I think she would love it and totally thrive. We were just offered a spot at the UT Child Dev. Center and although it's a whole lot more money than we currently spend on childcare, we're going to try to make it work. It will mean a lot less eating out and being a bit more careful about random purchases at Target.
- Graeme is off in California again. We're half way through his time there. (which also contributed to the lack of posting, I suppose)

Well, that is a good start. Photos and videos coming soon.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy

2011-02-19T19:41:00.006-06:00

My dearest baby boy Owen,
Today is your first birthday. It has been a fun year of watching you grow and learn. You aren't walking, but you're crawling very quickly and walking if you have something to hold onto. You have eleven teeth and love almost everything we give you to eat. Peas, fish and hummus are your favourites. You adore your sister and our dog. You love the bath and the sand box. You have a serious temper and shriek if you want something and have a fit if you don't get it. You are amazingly affectionate and sweet. You love peekaboo and reading books.

We love you so completely. You complete our little family and I'm looking forward to all the years to come.

Love mummy

First day:

One month:

Two months:

Three months:

Four months:

Five months:

Six months:

Seven months:

Eight months:

Nine months:

Ten months:

Eleven months:

One year:

New sweater

2011-02-01T21:27:00.002-06:00

Sink Bath

2011-02-01T21:22:00.001-06:00

11 months and Six years

2011-01-20T09:20:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Owen turned 11 months old. I totally missed his ten month since it was right before Christmas and all the ensuing craziness. In two months, there have been massive changes, of course. He's high speed crawling, cruising the furniture, making a huge mess, eating most food. He started saying 'uh oh', signing 'all done', having stronger opinions and generally charming the pants off of everyone.

Today is the six year anniversary of my mum's death. She would have rocked grandma-hood. She met Emily, but not her four subsequent grandchildren. She would have loved them all to pieces. Recently, Kate has been asking me to tell me more about my mum. It's great to tell her stories and it makes me happy that Kate will know her through those stories.

Her third and fourth grandchildren:

50 letters, 50 weeks

2011-01-18T09:03:00.002-06:00

My sister posted about a challenge to write a letter (real letter, sent in the mail) once a week for all of 2011. I liked the idea but wasn't sure I wanted to commit to it when I was quite sure I wouldn't/couldn't follow through. But yesterday I wrote a letter and sent it off, and it was great. So, I'm going to try. But, since it's already the third week of January, it will be 50 letters/50 weeks.

Keep an eye on your mailbox, you might be getting a letter!

The latest iteration

2011-01-16T18:28:00.003-06:00

This weekend we set up Kate's bunk beds. They can be stand alone or stacked, and since we got them, one has been up in the attic. But next weekend we have some friends coming to visit and my sister and her kids will be coming later in the spring, so it was time to get them set up. Kate has been sleeping on the top since we did it, and she loves it. I'm less than excited about climbing up and down multiple times, but it's not bad. Wait until I have to change the sheets up there, and I might be singing a different tune.

We also removed the table that acted as a change table. I don't know why it took so long to take it out, since it hasn't been used in a long time. It opened things up a lot and let us move things around a bit. The next step is to move Owen in there with his crib, which will necessitate rearranging the furniture again. We have some sleep training to do before that can happen though.

Uh oh

2011-01-15T15:11:00.002-06:00

My messmaker:

A few Sedona pictures

2011-01-04T21:09:00.003-06:00

Clearly weighted towards my children, of course.

The start of the Christmas photos

2010-12-26T08:37:00.001-06:00

Almost as good as the screaming/laughing one of two years ago.

Crawling is so three weeks ago

2010-12-11T09:15:00.002-06:00

25 days of Christmas

2010-12-03T15:08:00.003-06:00

We are doing our 25 days of Christmas again this year, and this time Kate is much more excited. She was a bit young last year to really get it. But this year - woo boy - is she into it. We have done the first three days, but I have failed to take photos. I will try to do better.

On Day 1 we made a wreath for her door. I made a wreath out of cardboard during her nap, and then she decorated it. She's still working on it actually, so it hasn't been hung up yet. That will happen tomorrow, I hope.

On Day 2, we went to the library to get some Christmas books. Big hit. We've been reading them constantly. We may need to do that activity again when G and I are totally tired of these ones.

Today, Day 3, we went out for hot chocolate. It was really fun. The girl gave her HEAPS of whipped cream and Kate loved it. She ordered herself and then carried it to the table.

I've started with easy activities to ease into it, but we'll have some bigger events coming up - going to get a tree, a bike ride to see the lights, family movie night. I think I'm having at least as much fun as Kate!

9 months

2010-12-03T08:24:00.002-06:00

Owen turned nine months old about two weeks ago. I'm a bit deliquent, although I'm sure no one is surprised. In the last month (and a half) Owen has turned from a baby into a little boy. He's crawling and leaving a swath of destruction behind him. He goes from room to room and just pulls everything apart. He loves his new mobility. He also wants to stand up, so he crawls to a chair or table and pulls himself up. But he hasn't quite figured out how to gracefully sit down.

He got a new tooth (number six) which caused a few bad nights of sleep. He is eating like a champ. His current favourites are smoke salmon and pureed peas. He can also now get small bits of food into his mouth, which is a lovely development since he will happily sit with a few snacks and feed himself.

He's babbling and exploring and generally making everyone smile. He's a flirt and the sweetest boy you'll ever meet.

Here is our not-baby-anymore boy and his sister having a snack:

The kids

2010-11-23T21:57:00.001-06:00

Photos from California

2010-11-23T07:49:00.003-06:00

Some photos of our California trip (from Oma)

Crawling!

2010-11-18T21:47:00.001-06:00

Yesterday Owen started crawling. On Tuesday he pulled his knee forward for the first time, but only once. Yesterday morning he went about two 'steps' and by afternoon he was crawling across the room. He doesn't have speed yet, but give him a week or so. He definitely has the motivation. And he really just wants to stand up. He crawls to the table or a chair and tries to stand. Might we have a baby who is crawling at 9 months but walks by a year? Yikes.

(I have video, but the card reader has gone missing. I will put up a video as soon as I find it.)

Hallowe'en

2010-10-31T22:24:00.002-05:00

Duet

2010-10-28T21:53:00.002-05:00

(Please forgive the early morning bright sun and the finger smudged camera lens)

Pumpkin patch

2010-10-28T21:04:00.002-05:00

On Monday we went to a little pumpkin patch at a local church. A lot of churches around here use pumpkin patches as fundraisers for their youth groups. Who knew? I still remember when I was 17 and moved to a city after growing up in a little rural town and having no idea at all where people got their pumpkins. Where do you get a pumpkin if there isn't a farm near by. Where I grew up, grocery stores did not sell pumpkins. I'd never seen a pumpkin in a grocery store, ever. And now, we go to a church fundraiser to get them. Weird.

Anyway, we got some pumpkins. (Sorry about the crappy picture quality. Turns out there were finger prints all over the camera lens. I can't imagine why.)

Date night reports

2010-10-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

We haven't stopped date nights, although G ha been away for a few. We have tried a few new places (and went back to Sago because it was so good the first time.)

Two weeks ago we went to DK Sushi, which is a little hole in the wall on Lamar just south of 2222. I've been wanting to try it for awhile and the stars aligned since we were at the DMV office across the street. It was refreshingly casual and mellow. And the food was good. Nothing fancy, just pretty straight up nigiri and rolls. But it was fresh and delicious.

Yesterday, we went to Foreign and Domestic, which I kept hearing about. It's just around the corner from us, so we decided to try it. If you look at the menu at that link, you'll see they are doing the trendy thing of just listing the ingredients but not telling you the preparation method. And, unfortunately, every entree had one thing that didn't sound good to us. We did get a couple of items from the happy hour menu and they were delicious, as was the white wine sangria. But, we didn't see anything else we wanted to try. So, we did what any Austinite would do. We headed from the upscale trendy restaurant to the taco place.

Torchy's just opened a new location near us. It was perfect. Trailer park, trashy. That's more our speed. Great date night.

8 months

2010-10-20T15:46:00.003-05:00

Owen turned eight months old yesterday. It's been a big month for development. His personality is really starting to show and he's a happy, flirty, funny, mellow kid. He's learned to bum scoot so now he can get to where he wants to go, although slowly and with a lot of frustration. I predict he will be crawling in some fashion by the next monthly update. He also got a new tooth, which brings him up to five.

He still adores his sister but now that he can get to her and to her stuff, she is slightly less enamoured with him. He also adores food and may soon be eating us out of house and home. He loves the bath, gravel, being outside and eating leaves and his dad.

He's not sleeping through the night - we are usually up twice. We've done some sleep training which has helped, but it may almost be time to make a concerted effort to drop the 2 am feeding. He certainly doesn't need it, since the boy is wearing 18 month clothes.

My life list

2010-09-24T17:28:00.000-05:00

I've been working on this for a little while and I have to give up making it perfect or complete. Because that is not the point of a life list. It is also not a to do list. It's a list of things I want to do someday somehow. Things will be added and erased and crossed off. Here is it:

1. Sail in the Greek Islands
2. Learn how to can fruits and veggies
3. Successfully grow vegetables
4. Learn to hula hoop
5. Visit the Grand Canyon
6. Visit all the National Parks in Utah
7. Learn to meditate
8. Take the kids on a canoe trip
9. Do another adventure race
10. Have a plot at a community garden
11. Take a multiday bike trip with the kids
12. Cook dinner every night for a week
13. Decide on a Monday to take a fabulous vacation on Friday
14. Go back to Paris
15. Go to Spain
16. Rent a house in Italy for at least two weeks
17.Go to the full moon swim at Barton Creek pool again
18. Own a piano and learn to play again
19. Restore an old house
20. Own (and wear) cowboy boots
21. Cook at camp with my sister
22. Take my nieces on a trip
23. Go to Africa
24. Wax
25. Pose nude
26. Go on a trip with Ada, Mel, Tasha and Sara
27. Get a massage once a month for a year
28. Run an off road half marathon
29. Have a family portrait taken
30. Visit Stonehenge
31. Try stand up paddleboarding
32. Host an over-the-top dinner party
33. Eat at all the (non-mexican) food trailers in Austin (This is not to be food-ist. It's just that there are hundreds of taco trucks. I don't want to try all of them.)

Things that I've already done that were on my (not written down yet) list:
Run a marathon
Do an expedition adventure race
Make cheese
Go to NYC
Knit myself a sweater
Do a multiday sailing trip
Own a beautiful house
Have a dog
Take a french cooking class
Take a painting class

Seven months

2010-09-21T07:59:00.004-05:00

Owen turned seven months old two days ago, but it took me awhile to get around to writing. Graeme has been away for over a week so my chances to sit and write are very few.

It's been a month of big changes, as all months are at this point. New teeth (he now has four. The first top one came in on the 11th and the second one yesterday. The bottom two arrived four days after he turned five months old.), new sounds, food.

He loves food. He mostly has pureed fruits and veggies but also enjoys Cheerios and small pieces of fruit and meat. He hasn't tried a food that he doesn't like. He eats a lot and enthusiastically. It's very fun. I think it's more fun that when we did it with Kate because the first time we were a bit worried about it. Now it's just fun and no stress at all.

Owen has also started to express frustration and anger if he loses a toy (usually because *someone* takes it). He has developed an intense love of the bath. He is 95% of the time a happy, smiling baby. He makes everyone else smile too. He loves loves loves his sister. She thinks he's ok.

Date nights

2010-09-07T21:51:00.002-05:00

We decided that this fall we would start having weekly date nights. We haven't done this before and now that we have two kids, it seems really necessary. We arranged to have a sitter every Tuesday from 5-7:30. That means we can have an early dinner (at happy hour prices), Ashley will feed the kids and we will be home for bedtime. Today was our second week, and it's been great.

We have also decided to try a new place each week since we intend to go back to our favourite places. I'll be posting about where we go here, mostly so that I can remember.

Last week we went to Sago which is very near by in the Triangle development. We actually got takeout from there once, but that was awhile ago. They have apparently recently changed the menu, although since we didn't know the old menu, that didn't mean much to us. We had a selection of appetizers, which were all really good. Our favourites were the mexican chicken wings and something I've forgotten the name of (the website doesn't have the new menu) but it was seafood in a lemon-grass/coconut broth. Vaguely thai and delicious.

Tonight we went to Simplicity Wine and Eats. It is a new place where the schick is that it is an unpretentious wine bar and it produces less non-compostable, non-recyclable garbage than a family of four. Their menu is tapas and we had a few good things. The samosas were great (although not Spanish by any stretch). The food wasn't as good as Sago, but the happy hour special of $4 glasses of Malbec made up for it.

The next two weeks G will be out of town, so no date night. I will still get a sitter and go run or bike, but no reports of new restaurants for a few weeks.

The best sound in the world

2010-08-31T21:13:00.003-05:00

Sorry, I shouldn't have held the camera sideways. But the laugh is worth it.

Three years

2010-08-20T22:26:00.004-05:00

My baby girl is three years old today. I know all parents say it - but it's amazing how quickly it goes. Three years of this amazing person sharing our lives. It still, after three years, amazes me that we made her. That she once didn't exist. Because she certainly exists now.

She is in the 'I can do it myself' stage. She can talk for days (which she did during our drive to Canada last month). She can write her own name and likes to figure out rhyming words. She loves her brother although she's starting to realize that he will soon be interested in her things and she isn't quite as sure about that. She is funny and smart and caring and stubborn and emotional. Toddlerhood must be very hard. She wants so much to do things herself but she is still so little and needs cuddles and she just can't control the huge emotions she feels.

It's an honour to be her parent. She teaches me things and shows me the world through her amazing eyes.

Six months

2010-08-19T22:00:00.004-05:00

Owen had his first half birthday today. Six months. Someone needs to just stop time for a day or two so I can just breathe my kids in. So I can feel like I'm not missing anything, which is how most days feel.

In the past month, Owen has gotten two teeth, is sitting up on his own, has started eating solid food, has developed a temper, continues to be madly in love with his sister, rolls over sporadically, laughs freely and continues to be an easy baby who makes everyone around him smile. In other words, he's perfect.

Our little fish

2010-07-06T15:32:00.001-05:00

New posts soon!

2010-07-05T22:45:00.002-05:00

I have video of Kate 'reading' a book, swimming and Owen just doing his thing. And photos. And posts being crafted in my head about happiness and the vulnerability that comes with having kids. And our upcoming travel plans.

Soon, I promise.

My favourite people

2010-06-27T21:37:00.001-05:00

Scenes from Telluride

2010-06-25T19:14:00.002-05:00

Four months and neglected

2010-06-19T21:18:00.004-05:00

The last post I did was Owen's three month post. Well, he turned four months old today and I don't even have a (very) recent photo. I haven't taken any photos of Kate recently either, so it's not that he's being neglected compared to here right now. Just compared to her at four months. He's been pretty cranky the past few days. A few nights ago he had a fever (not sure how high, I didn't pull out the thermometer in the middle of the night) and yesterday he developed a rash all over. Ah, roseola. That explains the fever and crankiness. Now that the rash is here, it's over although he's still a bit cranky. I'm hoping he's feeling better (and looking less spotty) tomorrow.

We are heading off to Colorado tomorrow for a week in Telluride. I'm very excited. I'm a mountain person (I think people are either mountain or ocean people. I don't know if which one you are means anything, but I do think you are one or the other.) and it's been a very long time since I've been in the mountains. We are taking my MIL with us, which means a real vacation for me - or at least time off. Graeme has a conference, so he'll be busy in the mornings while we are riding the gondola up and down and up and down and up and down. (Fortunately, it's free.)

As we were getting ready today and pulled the suitcase down from the shelf, I noticed a discolouration on the ceiling that had been out of sight. Oops. The roof is leaking. Graeme went up into the attic and found the spot, put a bucket under it for now (at least we're entering the dry time of year) and while he was up there gave a glance at the AC unit, since we haven't checked it since we started running it about four weeks ago. And there was a giant leak in the duct. We've been cooling our attic for the last month. He got that fixed with some duct tape. (How often do you actually use duct tape on ducts? I think that was only his second time. I don't think I've even had a first time.) So, it was a unexpectedly busy day leading up to our departure early tomorrow morning.

No pictures today, but there will be plenty this week and I will try to post some as we go. This is our first time travelling with both kids, so expect a report on how that goes and wish us luck.

Owen at three months

2010-05-25T22:45:00.004-05:00

I was looking back at the entry I wrote when Kate was three months old. It could, word for word, be about Owen. He's smiling all the time, starting to laugh and enjoys the saucer and playmat. And especially naked time. And most of all, his sister. He loves to watch her and she is the main source of his laughter. It's awesome to watch.

Some photos from the last week or so. Including a couple of Kate, of course.

A nephew!

2010-05-20T22:42:00.004-05:00

My awesome sister, Karen, had her baby yesterday. A boy! I'm ridiculously excited.

(She has some photos up on her blog. He's a cute one.)

Who? Me?

2010-05-08T15:42:00.002-05:00

My babies

2010-05-07T21:39:00.002-05:00

From today:

Update on Kate

2010-04-17T15:47:00.004-05:00

Owen got his update, and so the big sister gets one too. Kate is all kinds of awesome these days, but is also a typical 2.5 year old. Pushing boundaries, slightly defiant and asking 'Why?' about a million times a day. Bullet points for her too? Why the hell not.

- She is still doing great with Owen and loves to hold him and kiss him.
- Swimming lessons started three weeks ago and she loves them. She talks about it all week. Part of the excitement is the two new swimsuits, if I'm being totally honest. But she confidently jumps into the pool (sometimes without letting me know she is about to) and is working on blowing bubbles. Lessons will segue right into the neighbourhood pools opening, so we will be all set for the summer.
- She is pretty much potty trained and only wears diapers for night sleep and nap. We're even diaper free for preschool and errands around town.
- She had her first hair cut this week, although you can't tell. I just trimmed one side of the back where about ten hairs were inches longer than all the rest. Still, big excitement about it.

A photo of our big girl:

Update on Owen

2010-04-17T15:39:00.004-05:00

Owen turned eight weeks old yesterday and will be two months old on Monday. It's one of those weird time lapse things where it seems impossible that it's been eight weeks already, but it's also only been eight weeks? Here is a bullet point update on the little guy:

- At our six week check up (which happened at 7.5 weeks) he weighed 14 lbs! Not quite as chunky as his sister was at this age, but he's getting there.
- The last four nights he has slept from about 10:30 or 11 until about 7. Eight hours of sleep in a row is heavenly.
- He's starting to smile, which is totally awesome. The feedback from a newborn in the first six weeks (or so) is all negative. Just crying or not crying. To get some positive feedback makes a huge difference.
- He will take a bottle of breast milk if the source is not available. We'll try to keep that working, since at some point Kate decided that she would rather starve than drink from an evil bottle.
- He is an easier baby than Kate was. We can put him down for the night while he is still awake and after a bit of fussing he will fall asleep. Kate had to be nursed to sleep for months and months. He's also easier during the day. A big part of it is that Kate had reflux so I think she was just uncomfortable a lot of the time. It's very refreshing to have a baby that doesn't constantly barf.

On that lovely note, some photos of our little boy:

Not so far away

2010-04-08T17:09:00.003-05:00

This afternoon both kids were sleeping and I decided to make some pastry for pies to have in the freezer and so that I could make some quick quiche dinners in the coming weeks. I pulled out the tools I always use and during the process noticed a pattern. I always use exactly the same tools each time. The same mixing bowl. The same wooden spoon. The same measuring cup. The same pastry cutter. I have other bowls and spoons, but these are the ones I use to make pastry.

And what was the pattern? The bowl was my mum's. The pastry cutter was her mum's. She gave me the spoon. The measuring cup and rolling pin were hers. And the butcher block island that I work on every day is the same one that she worked on every day and which was a wedding present to her and my dad.

She's not so far away.

The Easter bunny

2010-04-05T11:40:00.001-05:00

Photo by Cheri.

More weekend pics coming soon.

Baby #1 and Baby #2

2010-03-29T14:59:00.000-05:00

Owen at five weeks and Kate at two months:

Five weeks

2010-03-29T14:51:00.004-05:00

This weekend marked five weeks with Owen in the family. It also marked the end of visitors - my dad and his wife, Donna, left on Saturday morning. We are now settling into a routine of life with the four of us (four and a half, if Westley gets any billing) and so far, it's good. We did some kite flying on Saturday afternoon and had brunch with some good friends on Sunday morning. A great, spring weekend.

Three weeks

2010-03-14T22:13:00.003-05:00

It's been a great three weeks. My sister came to help for a week and now Jannie (my mother in law) is here. We've started a concerted effort at potty training, which is going really, really well. Owen is thriving and we're all figuring out the new routine. We'll have to figure it out again when visitors leave, but right now it's going great.

Some pictures from the last week or so.

First week photos

2010-02-28T22:14:00.002-06:00

Some photos from our first week with Owen.

First day

2010-02-20T09:54:00.001-06:00

Two pictures from Owen's first day. Including one of the proud new big sister.

False alarm

2010-02-17T14:57:00.003-06:00

Yesterday afternoon we had what turned out to be a false alarm. If you don't want to hear about mysterious bodily fluids, scroll down to the cute pictures of Kate at the bottom of the post. Otherwise, read on. Yesterday afternoon during Kate's nap, I laid down and a little while later there was a very distinct gush. I was immediately convinced that my water had broken. I made a few phone calls and then waited for labour to start. And then I started wondering if maybe that was my water that had broken. I think that even if I were to have many children (which I won't) I still wouldn't feel any confidence in this late stage of pregnancy that I had any idea what was going on. Anyway, when I woke up this morning still nothing was happening and the 24 hr clock was running down quickly.

You have to be in active labour within 24 hours of your water breaking or interventions will start (inducing with pitocin, etc.) because chance of infection start to increase. The idea of that started to stress me out and when the midwife called to check on me around 8 am, we decided that I would head to the birth center at 10 to find out if my water really had broken and if it had to start the process of trying to get labour started. It turns out that my water hadn't broken, or if I had lost some amniotic fluid I no longer was and that there was no reason to worry about the clock. Whatever the gush was, it was done and there was no trace of AF. So, although now it means I'm still pregnant a bit longer, it's a relief to know that I'm not on a timer. And while she was checking, we learned that signs show that things are progressing and that labour is going to start sooner, rather than later. That's nice to know.

So, we're back to the waiting game. Official due date is this weekend (I never remember if it's Saturday or Sunday) but maybe we won't have to wait that long.

Ok, if you skipped for pictures of Kate, here they are. From a break in the rain last week.

39 weeks

2010-02-14T21:51:00.001-06:00

There are things going on in life besides still being pregnant, but I can't seem to blog about any of them. So, rather than blog about still being pregnant, I just haven't written at all. But, rest assured we have had a great weekend, Kate is all kinds of awesome and I'm increasingly feeling as though I will be the first woman who is pregnant for ever.

Time shift

2010-01-30T09:36:00.002-06:00

This pregnancy has gone by crazy fast - much faster than when I was pregnant with Kate. Most of that is because you just can't focus as much on a pregnancy when you have a two year old demanding attention. But that changed mid-week and now it's crawling along. Mid-week marked the point in my first pregnancy that I gave birth. I am now more pregnant than I ever was that time. And having a first baby early moves the due date in your head, or at least it does in mine. Now every day seems slow and the weeks are set to crawl by. The due date is still three weeks away, but every morning I wonder 'Maybe today?'. I've had irregular but frequent contractions but nothing ever comes of it. I know that eventually something will come of it, but until then I've become a horribly impatient pregnant woman. I was very zen about my due date with Kate - fully expecting and prepared to go late. Then she came 3.5 weeks early. I don't know how to get into that mental state this time. Any suggestions?

Imagine photos here

2010-01-26T19:19:00.002-06:00

I have some great photos of Kate from the past few weeks and I downloaded them onto my computer on Sunday. Then on Monday morning my computer died and they are trapped on the hard drive. They are safe, just not very accessible. Hopefully we'll figure out if we'll fix or replace my computer and then I'll get my stuff back. Until then, please imagine some very cute pictures of Kate.

Cleared for landing

2010-01-24T14:45:00.002-06:00

Today marks 36 weeks in this pregnancy, which means now if labour starts, we can go to the birth center. Midwives aren't allowed to deliver before 36 weeks since the chance of respiratory issues are high before that point. I have become increasingly uncomfortable the last few days and tonight I can't find any way to sit that doesn't hurt. My upper and lower back, my ribs, my liver are all complaining. I know there are four weeks until the due date, but I'm really hoping it isn't that long. He's less work in than out, but I'm starting to feel ready for his arrival.

Enough complaining. Here is a belly shot.

Five Years

2010-01-20T07:59:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure how it's possible that Mum has been gone for five years. I keep recalculating because it seems impossible for it to have been so long. I miss her. All the time. She got to meet her first grandchild and now she has three with two more on the way. She would have been over the moon to have FIVE grandchildren. She would have been the best nana EVER.

Who I am and how I am is because of you, mum. I love you and miss you everyday.

Coming up for air

2010-01-16T10:55:00.002-06:00

It's been a rough two weeks around here. Right after New Year's Day, Kate came down with a stomach bug that had her vomiting for 24 hours. Then Graeme caught it too, right before his one week work trip to London (England, not Ontario). Then he was gone for a week and immediately upon returning he got sick again with the flu which wiped him out for four more days.

Which explains the lack of blog posts, the cranky pregnant woman and the dirty house. But, you can't see the dirty house from where you are, so let's pretend it's spotless.

Yikes, stuff to do!

2010-01-08T21:19:00.008-06:00

I suddenly had the realization today that there is some stuff to do to get ready for this baby's arrival. It is so different than when we were waiting on Kate when things were done well in advance. Not this time. I do have clothes (thanks, Sheryl!) but no where to put them. And no diapers (or sense of how big my cloth diaper stash is for a wee one) or a change table set up in our room. Kate and I might be making a trip to IKEA tomorrow.

It's so boring, but I need to see the list, so just ignore it if you don't care.

What some of what needs to be done:
- ~~set up changing area in our room~~
- ~~get a dresser for the closet in Kate's room and organize both kid's clothes~~
- ~~buy small diapers and wash/organize cloth diapers~~
- find a bag to use as a diaper bag for two kids
- ~~finalize plan for Kate's care during labour/delivery~~
- fill freezer with meals

33 weeks

2010-01-03T19:44:00.003-06:00

I'm now 33 weeks pregnant, which is kind of crazy. It seems to be going so much faster this time. I feel really good - especially since I started taking medicine for the heartburn a few weeks ago. It changed my whole world. I was suffering a lot from it, which I also did when I was pregnant with Kate. I decided that I was unwilling to suffer for ten weeks this time and asked the midwife for a solution. She suggested an over the counter acid reducer. It's great - two pills a day and I feel so much better. I wish I'd done this the first time.

I was reading over the blog from that pregnancy, and by this point I was already really swollen. This time, no swelling at all (so far). But that was also summer, which makes a lot of difference. Now that the heartburn is handled, I really have no complaints at all. I feel really good. Let's hope it continues for another 7-9 weeks.

(Belly shot, coming soon)

First day of the year

2010-01-02T21:24:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning we headed to a nearby park that we'd heard great things about but had never been to. It was great, and Kate played in some water with a bucket of sand. She probably could have stayed all day. Give that girl sand and water, and she's happy.

Christmas

2010-01-01T21:41:00.009-06:00

Christmas was really fun this year. It's Kate's third, but the first one when she was old enough to hear about Santa and look forward to presents and stockings and cookie making. On Christmas Eve, we made cookies for Santa and she helped measure, mix and then decorate them. We left a few out along with a glass of egg nog for Santa. She was very excited that he would be eating her cookies.

I got to play Santa for the first time, filling the stockings and putting everything under the tree after she went to bed, and I loved it. I think we did a good job in choosing presents for Kate so that she got some good toys, but they are small and will last a long time. I also helped things by putting away a bunch of toys that she seldom played with to make some space for incoming presents. I felt the urge to buy her more things, so hopefully next year I will remember that just a couple of good toys is all she needs, not piles and piles of them.

On Christmas morning, in the usual tradition, stockings were opened first while everyone was still in their pajamas (or less, in one case).

And after stockings, there was breakfast, clothes and caffeinated drinks for the big people. Kate would play with a new present as soon as she opened it, so after awhile of pulling her away from something to open the next, we decided to just wait to open some more later in the day.

Post presents, we headed down to the lake for a walk and to play in the park. It was a sunny, although cool day and it was perfect to be outside for awhile. Westley had needed a bath earlier in the day, and he did his best to undo the work Graeme did to get him clean.

Later in the day, Kate settled into her chair for a show while we cooked a delicious dinner of prime rib, mashed potatoes, Yorkshire Puddings (only my second time making them and they turned out PERFECTLY. I wish I'd taken a picture. They were awesome), kale and brussel sprouts. A delcious Christmas dinner and a really great day.

Welcome, 2010

2010-01-01T20:44:00.002-06:00

2010 has a lot to live up to, after the amazing year we have had. I think it has the potential to match 2009 though, what with an increasingly awesome two year old and a baby on the way. That's a pretty good foundation to build on and I'm very optimistic about the year ahead.

I have a few intentions for the coming year, although they are generally more of the same - be a better person, wife and mother. A more specific intention is to be kinder and more forgiving to myself. Someone please remind me of that after the baby comes and I feel like everything is falling apart around me.

I glanced back at the blog list for this past year and it's been dreadfully slim the last few months, with four posts in October, six in November and only three in December. I will try harder to update the blog more often with stories and pictures. I will start with a look back at the past year in the form of the first line of the first blog post from each month. And I promise pictures from the past few weeks will come soon as well as a pregnancy update.

January: Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2009 is joyous, prosperous and fun.
February: Around American Thanksgiving, Kate went on a nap strike.
March: On Thursday, we (Kate, Catherine and I) went to the zoo.
April: Today was the first swimming lesson of the year.
May: Yesterday morning we went for a hike down to one of our favourite places, a swimming hole on Barton Creek.
June: If Kate takes something potentially messy and ducks out of sight and then gets quiet for five minutes, chances are it will take longer than five minutes to clean up the mess.
July: It has been raining for four days now, but yesterday afternoon the sun came out for a bit.
August: Maybe you are wondering if fell off the planet.
September: Our internet has been out all weekend for some unknown reason.
October: This weekend marked week 20 of this pregnancy.
November: Snapshots of Kate's life - a typical weekend day.
December: Kate and I are heading to Ontario in the morning for a week at my sister's house.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T15:20:00.002-06:00

I love Christmas Eve. I think I like it even more than Christmas. The final preparations, the wrapping, the anticipation. I love it all. I've just finished the wrapping and I had tea this morning with my mamas, groceries are bought (not by me) and everything seems in order. So, I'm going to go poke around some stores. I know that sounds like the most insane idea ever, but I'm going by myself which is a bit of a treat.

Later this afternoon there will be cookie making for Santa Clause. Kate is very excited about the whole thing - although mostly the presents - which I only just explained to her today. Tomorrow will be super fun.

Random things

2009-12-19T08:59:00.003-06:00

When I don't post in awhile, it gets harder to post because where do I start? I will start with a random list, rather than trying to tie it all together.

1. We aren't really doing the 25 days of Christmas thing, because Kate just doesn't care about opening an envelope every day to find a new activity. We are still doing fun holiday related things, just not on a one-envelope-a-day schedule. We'll do it next year when I'm sure she'll love it.

2. Last weekend we went and cut a Christmas tree. It was fantastic and will be our new family tradition.

3. Yesterday, Kate's preschool co-op did a Christmas concert. Imagine 15 two-year olds singing with actions. It was awesome. Our child was the epitome of the rule following girl. Video coming soon.

4. Christmas baking is in full swing. Freezer is filling up with squares and cookies. I only have three more things to make to round out a selection of eleven different baked goods. Brownies, ginger snaps and lemon square, oh my!

5. Baby number two is doing great. Midwife appointments are now every two weeks and I'm kind of freaked out that we're already at 31 weeks. Kate was born at just over 36. Yikes. But, I feel great and everything is going well.

6. I started taking real drugs for the heartburn. Totally changed my world.

7. Kate is having language explosions. She uses words like frustrated, actually and uncomfortable. Just out of the blue and uses them correctly. And she can type her name without help. She loves spelling out words on signs and then asking what it says.

8. On track for Christmas presents - even the knitted ones. I feel very on top of things, which means disaster is just around the corner, right?

9. There were flames in the oven yesterday. Maybe that can count as the disaster.

10. Tenure became official this week. Woohoo!

Ten seems like the right number for a list, right? Let's say yes.

Off we go!

2009-12-01T22:50:00.003-06:00

Kate and I are heading to Ontario in the morning for a week at my sister's house. Yay! I'm super excited and will have trouble falling asleep, I'm sure. I didn't think I was going to be able to visit before the baby comes, but my dad is treating us to tickets through his frequent flier program. Hooray for dads!

We have lots of fun things planned. I will take pictures, but I'm not taking my computer, so I don't know when I'll get any posted. Maybe we'll just post them through Karen's blog. Go over there to see what we're up to.

25 days of Christmas

2009-11-29T20:19:00.000-06:00

This year, I'm really excited about Christmas, mostly because I know Kate will be excited. To add to the experience, I've decided to do the 25 days of Christmas. Go ahead and click on that, and see what it is, and then come back. Ok, are you back? So, that's my plan for December. And today I realized that December starts on Tuesday! But, I get off the hook a bit, since Kate and I will be spending seven days with my sister and her family (and they are doing the 25 days of Christmas project too). So, I have yet to make my envelopes, but that is on the to-do list. I have started our activity list though. The suggested list I looked at was definitely for older kids and a lot of things wouldn't work for a two year old. So, here is my list so far. I still need seven or eight more things, so if you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments. And consider joining us in the project. I think it's going to be fun.

- see the 37th street lights
- see the Zilker Park lights
- ride the train at the park
- get a Christmas tree
- decorate Christmas tree
- make and decorate sugar cookies
- wrap presents
- buy a present for Daddy
- get photo taken with Santa
- go to the library for Christmas books
- go out for hot chocolate
- luminaria display at the wildflower center
-

Turkey day!

2009-11-26T11:56:00.004-06:00

Today is American Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays, and I love that we get two of them! Today we will spend the day with lots of friends and eat a lot of turkey and pie. There is so much I'm thankful for - Kate being amazing and healthy and funny, Graeme who is the best husband I could ever have, a new baby who is getting bigger every day, a great house to keep us all warm, lots of friends who have become my family when I'm far away from my real family, and my family who even though they are far away are never that far away.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Third trimester, round two

2009-11-22T14:22:00.003-06:00

Pregnancy two seems to go much, much faster than pregnancy one ever did. I'm sure it's because my attention is mostly taken up by the two year old who is always around demanding something or someone or something else. But, whatever the reason, this weekend marks the beginning of the third trimester.

I feel totally fine. The usual complaints are beginning - occasional sciatic pain, heartburn, trouble sleeping - but really, I feel great. And the next six weeks should go super fast, since the holidays are upon us and between (US) thanksgiving and Christmas, Kate and I are heading to Ontario to visit family. Before I know it, January will be here and the pregnancy will be nearly done.

To commemorate the start of trimester three, a picture:

That's what it's all about

2009-11-16T14:48:00.004-06:00

(Please note that we do, in fact, have clothing for our child. She just prefers not to wear any.)

Breaking a habit

2009-11-13T14:21:00.003-06:00

I have an expensive habit. Granola. Store bought granola is expensive, but I eat it nearly every morning for breakfast and although it seems like it should be so easy to make a good granola at home, that has not been my experience. When I have tried, it always comes out strangely tough, or bland or bleh. So, I give the store far more money than those oats are worth. Until yesterday. I found a recipe and although I think I need to tweak it a bit (not necessarily because of the recipe - I didn't quite follow it, after all) I think it may finally break my expensive habit.

Let's start with the recipe. I found it here and it apparently an adaptation of a Nigella Lawson recipe, although I haven't seen the original. I'll paste it in, and then I'll explain what I did and what I will change.

Granola
Makes about 2 pounds (1kg)
From David Lebovitz
Adapted from Feast, by Nigella Lawson

5 cups (450g) multi-grain flakes or old-fashioned rolled oats
3 cups (375g) almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup (125g) sunflower seeds
3/4 cup (100g) untoasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup (120g) packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup (180g) unsweetened applesauce (or another unsweetened fruit puree)
1/3 cup (100g) rice syrup
1/4 cup (80g) honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 300F (150C).

1. In a very large bowl, mix together the flaked grains or oats, almonds, sunflower and sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

2. In a small saucepan, warm the fruit puree with the rice syrup, honey, and oil.

3. Mix the fruit mixture into the dry ingredients until thoroughly dispersed, then divide and spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets. (If you have ones with sides, often called jelly-roll pans, use them.)

4. Bake the granola for about 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is deep golden brown.

5. Remove from oven, then cool completely.

Store the granola in a large, airtight container. It will keep for up to one month.

Ok, so there is it. If you read the original blog entry linked above, you'll see he states that using the fruit puree rather than oil, as most granola recipes do, gives this one the crunchiness of commercial granolas (and is the thing that other recipes have always lacked). But, of course, when I went to make it, I didn't have enough applesauce in the house, so I made up the volume with oil. It still turned out crunchy, but next time I'll use all fruit (or veggie puree. I wish I'd remembered that I had sweet potato puree in the freezer. I think that would work great.). I also increased the ginger a bit, since I love it.

I also didn't have enough sunflower and sesame seeds, so I made up that volume with pumpkin seeds. And I used walnuts and pecans rather than almonds, because, again, that's what I had.

The mixture ends up wetter than other recipes I've tried which I think is what makes a lot of difference. It's also a lot less sweet than commercial granolas, which is also nice.

So, how was it? Delicious. It's kind of annoying to have to stir it every 10 minutes, but it really is necessary to get it to cook evenly. And it gets dark really quickly at the end. I should have pulled it out a bit sooner than I did. But, I do think I will no longer be buying granola. This is really good. Kate even liked it and asked for seconds. Homemade granola with homemade yogurt. Just call us crunchy. Or granola.

A day in the life of Kate

2009-11-10T18:05:00.002-06:00

Snapshots of Kate's life - a typical weekend day. (Minus eating and sleeping, of course)

Alive, not that you can tell from this blog

2009-10-27T21:39:00.002-05:00

All is well here in the Reyburn-Henkelman family, despite the complete lack of updates here on the blog. Graeme's mom arrived today for a visit and Erika was here a week or so ago. So, we've been busy. Let's do updates as a list, shall we? That's always annoying.

- Kate is awesome. She sings all day, loves doing puzzles, reading books, the itsy bitsy spider, the hokey pokey, oranges, noodles, and is a total mama's girl.
- Graeme is travelling a lot between now and the new year. New York this week, France two weeks ago, England in a few weeks, and another one that I can't remember without a calendar. We're not going to make the same mistake as we did at the end of the pregnancy with Kate though - no travelling after mid-January.
- Speaking of the pregnancy, it's going great. He's getting more and more active, but is also putting more and more pressure on various organs. Which means that the heartburn is increasing. Bleh.

I guess that's the Reyburn-Henkelman family. Oh, Westley. He's the same as always - wishing for more walks and more snuggles.

Today

2009-10-15T07:13:00.000-05:00

We're about to head to the surgery centre. Kate's surgery is scheduled for 8:30. We should be home for lunch.

A quote

2009-10-07T10:42:00.002-05:00

Karen posted this quote on her blog today, and I love it.

Just as a woman's heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.
Virginia Di Orio

Half way

2009-10-05T21:04:00.002-05:00

This weekend marked week 20 of this pregnancy. That's the half way mark of a full 40 week pregnancy. I'm kind of hoping that number two decides to come a few weeks early, but I know that's unlikely.

This pregnancy has been great - no complaints at all. He's an active one, and I feel him moving around all the time. This pregnancy is different because while with Kate I was thinking about getting a baby, now I think about getting another person. I wonder what he'll be like. Kate has such a strong personality, so we wonder what he'll be like. One thing I do know: Kate will be a bossy big sister, but will love him completely. I can't wait.

Wonky eye surgery #2

2009-09-29T14:09:00.003-05:00

Kate had a check up with the opthamologist today. Maybe you remember that she had eye surgery seven months ago to correct her crazy wonky eye. Or maybe you don't. But, either way, although it was much, much better after the surgery, it's not totally better. It still wanders off, especially when she is tired. So, we had it checked today and the surgeon recommends we do the surgery again to correct it all the way. We have it booked for Oct 15th, which is only two weeks away.

It's much less stressful this time since we know how it works and that Kate responds well to the whole thing. She was back to her normal self later in the day after the first surgery, and I expect it will be the same this time.

Thank (insert diety of choice here) for insurance.

Phew, crazy week around here.

A Boy!

2009-09-28T21:05:00.003-05:00

Yep, we're having a boy. We had our mid-term ultrasound this morning and everything is perfect. The right number of fingers and toes, a properly developed and function heart, kidneys, etc. And boy parts. Distinct, obvious boy parts. Of course, I knew I might have a boy, but I guess I never believed I would. I only have a sister and my mom only had a sister and my sister has two daughters. See, girls. Just girls. And now a boy. Either his sister and cousins will pick on him, or spoil him rotten. Probably both.

Even though it's pretty surreal, we're of course, very excited.

Ah, right, the pregnancy

2009-09-23T14:12:00.002-05:00

I started this blog way back almost three years ago when I was pregnant with Kate. I took weekly belly photos and reported on how things were going. Reading the blog now, you would never know that I'm 18 weeks pregnant. But, here we are. If this baby comes early like Kate did (unlikely, I know) then this would be half way. But, since it won't, I'm a few weeks from the half way mark.

This pregnancy seems to be going much faster, likely because I am distracted by a two year old who demands my attention most of the time. But, I am definitely showing now and next week we get a pronoun for the baby, which will be very nice. Calling it 'it' just never feels right. See, how that didn't feel right?

I'm feeling great. No complaints at all. They will come though, don't you worry.

Kate's new room

2009-09-20T13:40:00.003-05:00

Well, it's not new, it's just rearranged. This weekend we finally found a set of good bunk beds on Craigslist. We've been looking for awhile and last weekend we even went to a couple of furniture stores and looked at new ones. That convinced us to wait until we could find a used set. And we did! And they are great. We realized that it's furniture we're going to have for 18 years, so we'd better like it and it should be good quality. And it is. And we do.

We set up only one bed and the second one (they stack) is stored in the attic until we need it. I headed off to Target for bedding while Graeme and Kate set up the bed. I'm really happy with it, and Kate seems to love it.

Pictures of every angle:

The proud owner of a big girl bed:

Photos from last week

2009-09-15T14:03:00.002-05:00

So proud

2009-09-10T22:03:00.002-05:00

Kelly and Marissa's wedding

2009-09-08T14:54:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, we headed out to the hill country for Kelly and Marissa's wedding. It is risky having a wedding on Labour Day weekend in Texas since it is likely hot enough to melt all your guests. But the weather was PERFECT. Cool(er), a breeze and some sun. It couldn't have been better.

The wedding was beautiful and lovely and full of all the things weddings are supposed to have - love, family, friends, good food, dancing, margarita machine, cake, and more love.

Alive

2009-09-08T10:04:00.003-05:00

Our internet has been out all weekend for some unknown reason. I had grand plans to update the blog (no, really) but they were stymied. I will definitely do it later today since we have some weekend photos to post.

It was weird not having internet access while at home. At the cottage, it's totally fine but in Austin I depend on it for all kinds of things. Is the library open? Is it likely to rain while we're out tonight? What is going on around town? Any road closures I should know about (that one definitely got me yesterday. I didn't know there was a triathlon downtown.)? Maybe I need a phone book.

Anyway, photos to come later.

What is happening 'round these parts

2009-08-27T20:36:00.003-05:00

Perhaps you think I had some sort of exam at the midwife by that strange title. Nope, I guess I'm just feeling a bit southern today. We had a lovely thunderstorm this afternoon that gave us real, actual rain. We've had a tiny bit of rain the last two nights, but not enough to even hit the ground underneath the pecan trees. But this afternoon it was real rain for more than half an hour. Now it's crazy humid, so maybe that's where the southern twang came from.

But what is happening around here? I went to prenatal yoga for the first time this pregnancy. I went at least weekly last time and really enjoyed it. Today was great. I was reminded of how lovely it is to be in a room full of pregnant women. I am going to go twice a week. This Thursday morning class is taught by my favourite instructor. Going to this class depends on help from some friends, so I'm really hoping it works out ok for everyone.

We have officially started potty training. Three times this week during her frequent naked time, Kate has declared she has to pee and has run off to her potty and done the deed. I have made no effort so far, but I knew I had to follow her lead. Yesterday I got some M&Ms as bribes and today I bought some big girl panties. (Actually, big boy panties because I refused to buy princess or Dora panties.) So far, we have only had one accident but it followed a very bad head bonk. We were snuggling and she peed on both of us. Oh well, we'll try again tomorrow.

I guess that's the main news. I'm sure there will be exciting pee related updates soon.

Details

2009-08-23T08:06:00.003-05:00

For those not satisfied with just a picture announcement and who want more details, Baby Texan #2 (or Double Trouble as Howard is calling it) is due Feb 21, which puts me at 14 weeks, the start of the second trimester. I feel great. Better than I did when pregnant with Kate, but that might be partly because I'm not riding 30 miles a day to a full time job. I am definitely showing earlier. Looking back at the weekly belly shots, I'd say I'm looking like I did at 19 or 20 weeks, which kind of freaks me out. I'm planning to go get some maternity clothes today because nothing is very comfortable anymore.

I think I felt the baby move yesterday, which would be freakishly early but not unheard of. I felt Kate at 17 weeks which is very early for a first pregnancy. I won't be totally sure until I feel it again, but it is a rather distinctive thing.

We are having our anatomical ultrasound on Sept 30 and will find out boy or girl then. Names haven't even been thought of yet, we'll start talking about it when we know which gender we're getting.

Did I forget anything people want to know?

Happy Birthday, sweet girl

2009-08-20T07:24:00.003-05:00

Kate,
Today you turn two years old. It has been an amazing two years watching you grow up from a tiny baby into an opinionated, joyful, smart toddler. You make us smile and laugh everyday. I have been amazed by you lately as you have suddenly grown up in the last few weeks. You are talking and learning and figuring things out and insisting to do things by yourself. It is so fun to watch you grow up and become a whole little person. And I really like the person you're becoming.

I've said it before, but you are the best thing we've ever done. We love you, sweet pea. Happy birthday.

love Mummy

An announcement

2009-08-18T15:52:00.002-05:00

Bike trip day three

2009-08-12T13:16:00.004-05:00

Day 3: Gouda to dordrecht
On the third day we woke up to another sunny day so we put on the sunscreen and headed towards central Gouda. It was Sunday morning so it was very quiet. There were other people out on bikes but most of them seemed to be heading for church.

When we got to he central market area it was deserted except for the pigeons which Kate set out to chase. I am sure the night before the square was lively and full of people since it is ringed by restaurants with outdoor seating. We ran around for a bit before heading south out of town.

The next 10 or so kilometers were pretty boring, just zig zagging through pasture land so we picked up the pace a bit and sped through. (which does not mean that we didn't stop at the first palce that was selling ice cream. This is vacation after all.). Pretty soon we got to the ferry to take us across the river to the Kinderdijk, the famous place where 24 windmills stand and still work. It is a world heritage site and it was really amazing to see. (It was my first world heritage site, I think. And I also think visiting all of them would be an amazing bucket list.). We went Inside the one that is open to visitors and we were all really fascinated. These windmills have been standing there for 240 years. Through wars and amazing changes in the world . But they are still here and generations of people make sure that they are all functional (for historic reasons. The pumping is all done with modern pumps now.). Really, it was rather humbling.

From the Kinderdijk we finsihed our ride to Dordrecht and arrived there mid-afternoon. It was nice to arrive early enough to get cleaned up and then head into town for dinner at a reasonable time. Dordrecht was really lovely with a huge number of old buildings. Many of the buildings on the oldest narrow streets are designed with a wedge facade so that the buildings lean into the street a bit. It is pretty freaky. Unfortunately we didn't get a good photo of it.

We found a tapas reetaurant on th square that looked good and since neither of us had tried it before we got a selection. We loved it. Enough to search out another tapas place later in the week.

We all got to bed a bit early and planned for another short riding day for day 4.

Bike trip day two

2009-08-09T15:20:00.006-05:00

Day 2: Amsterdam to Gouda

Everything looks better in the morning. The night before we were exhausted and had even talked about taking the bikes on the train for part of the trip to Gouda, but after an amazing breakfast at the hotel we set off south out of a-dam.

Once we cleared the suburbs, we were really glad we had gotten on the bikes. The scenery was beautiful. We followed the river amstel which was much less affluent than the vecht. Small houses, lots of farms and houseboats.

We also rode on some very narrow paths and in between canals so that we were surrounded by water, even sometimes below the water level in the canal next to us. It is hard to describe just how much water there was. In the towns it is as though every house is on an island just slightly larger than the house. Essentially, everyone has a moat. There were cows, sheep and horses everywhere. Then we reached the nurseries. Greenhouses and fields growing house and garden plants for the world.

We again got into Gouda pretty late and our hotel was on the edge of town so we decided to eat at the hotel and to explore the town in the morning since we would be biking through on our way to Dordrecht.

Day 3: Gouda to Dordrecht