Wordless Wednesday: Fall Clothes

HOLT Muffins

Around September I begin to salivate for all things pumpkin: muffins, cookies, waffles, ravioli, lattes...just not pie. Last year I was pumped to find a recipe on the online adoption forum. That forum has helped me keep my sanity but also lose it...there were days where I would refresh it a number of times each few minutes (did I think my travel call would come through the forum??? and then get anxious if other members got their news before me)

So last fall someone posted this easy recipe and called it the HOLT Muffins (adoption agency in US/Korea..Parker is a Korea Holt baby)

HOTL Muffins

1 box of cake mix

1 15oz can of pure pumpkin

1 cup water

mix, spoon in muffin tins, and bake at 350 for half and hour

really...that is it. So less fat tons of vitamin A, no eggs, oil...you can use a low sugar or organic cake mix to make it even healthier. I like a spice mix with the pumpkin (you can throw in white chips! or cream cheese frosting) a chocolate cake mix is equally good (add chocolate chips and you can pass them as cupcakes) The possibilities are endless.

I made these a bunch of times last season as I waited...today I made them with my son. (okay, making them with my son is a relative term...)

Anyone else have some good pumpkin recipes?

He loves to help

He did not want to bake them..thought the batter was good. When I put them in the oven I told him it was hot, so he kept saying hot, hot, hot.

I gave him half a muffin as a snack and he cried when it was gone-while pointing to himself, as in I baked them let me have more!

Married...without children

This past weekend we attended my cousin, Brad's wedding reception. He and his beautiful bride, Carrie, got married last week in Las Vegas. It was nice to see family at the reception and play around in the photo booth. In lieu of a cake, they had a cupcake tower. Red velvet with chocolate chips and cream cheese icing...seriously!

Notice there is no Parker, he was at home with his first "night" sitter, she put him to bed and based on report the night went pretty well. He has almost been home 8 months, I am not sure if there is ever a good time but sometimes necessary.

My cousin Colleen, she's darling! I know I need the dress top taken in, sorry for any indecency.

My lovely Mom, sister in law Nicole, brother Steve, and Me

Every single Persic cousin, together, for the first time in 15 years! My cousin Callie (the beautiful lady on the right) lives in Ireland.

My brother and the groom

My sweet husband

Congrats Brad and Carrie!

Happy Chuseok

Chuseok is the largest of the major holidays in Korea. In the interest of time I will allow the Korean Tourism board to explain. This year, the holiday began September 21 and runs through September 23. Families journey to their home towns to enjoy food, family, and give thanks for the harvest. As I was told by a Korean, there is major traffic, due to the journeys home!

A typical food eaten is the Songpyeon, a crescent moon shaped rice cake. I think they are delicious! and Parker got very excited the last time he saw them...I wonder if he had them his first Chuseok in Korea.

Last year, holidays in Korea meant no news from Korea, as most offices are shut down for the holiday. There seemed to be no end in sight to the waiting...and yet I am anxious to wait again!

The Terrible Tuesday

It was inevitable, he was too sweet...the terrible two's have arrived. The librarian had to ask what was wrong, as we left craft time kicking and screaming, with real tears. Reason? He did not want to put the play-dough away. As we left it got worse because he was not able to take books from the friends of the library sale...we walked to the car bawling.

Despite the seat belt, he can turn in the grocery cart and grab items. They end up all over the floor...this week we broke a spaghetti squash.

Today we went for his 18 month pediatrician visit...they give us a sheet with what to expect at this ago. The highlights were tantrums, becoming a picky eater, and smacking parents (yes, he saw me spank the dog and thinks it is hysterical!) He burst into tears when the nurse came in and again when the doctor entered. I told the doctor that he hugged his ENT the day before...probably because there are no shots! He got a few more vaccinations today, including Hep A, since we plan to travel to third world countries. Sadly, Jim and I have never gotten this....probably should have before traveling to the Eastern world, due to their farming...oh, well we made it.

As for food, I cannot yet complain. He shocks me on what he will eat...lunch last week was broccoli, 1/2 a vegan corn dog (w/ Dijon mustard), and lentil soup! recently we had black bean pizza which he ate and another day butternut squash macaroni and cheese. I continue to make an effort to eat less processed foods, I am trying to get away from "bags and boxes". He loves soup over rice. I am going to start making a new soup each Sunday, the first one will be minestrone...I'll make Jim mini meat balls to add.

Our new favorite snack is plain greek yogurt mixed with 2 teaspoons of natural peanut butter (we are eating things with peanut butter but not a sandwich, we are clear on allergies but still worried about chocking!) We use this as a fruit dip for apples and strawberries...it is delicious.

We have a wedding reception this weekend, so my family will be in town! Parker will have his first night time sitter...

Here's some photos from today, don't let the sweet face fool you!

Running along the couch, despite being told "no"


Mommy woke me early from my nap! to get shots...

Wordless Wednesday: Sitting with Scissors

My little MOPPETT

Today was my first MOPS meeting, I am very thankful I found this group. Why don't they tell every Mom about it?...hmmm maybe at the pediatrician. Not sure how they could disseminate the information-but needed. Our guest speak at the next meeting...SARA SNOW! I hope you do not have to ask who she is! (Jim did and we have watched her on TV...she's an Indy girl!) While the Mom's are at the meeting the kids attend age divided daycare rooms, hence Moppets. So if Parker had any trouble, I was right down the hall. He did not...was nice to the other children and played with a toy vacuum for a long time. (the room teacher asked me if he had one at home, well of course!) The is a diversity of Mom's (and kids) and one Mom even lived in Korea! I LOVE fellowship, I seriously thrive on it, so this is perfect.

I wanted to get his picture on his first day of Moppetts...he was not too thrilled and wanted to run around the front yard.

He must have played hard because he slept for 3 hours. That nap gave me plenty of time to pick up around the house and made me realize...I will have lived here 2 years this weekend. The only thing I have done to decorate is buy furniture and had a few rooms painted. Our house is "builder bare" they painted and that is about it. When I run, I am super nosy and look into the other homes..they have colors and things on their walls. Looking from the street that is. Since we are in the process of finishing the basement I am going to let it inspire me to some other projects.

I am listing them here, because if it is public I am more likely to follow through.

-Mosaic tile back splash in the kitchen (I bought the tile already)

-Wainscot the living room and dining room.

-Chair rail in the guest room and paint

-Create some canvas pictures of our Korea trip and a good family photo...hang

-Get some things to put on the walls.

-Find some rugs I love not just ones to throw on the wood

-hang the things I bought for Parker's room

So maybe I better start visiting some stores other than Baby G*p and Janie and J*ack!

Get ready for some before and after pictures!

18 Months

We are in the middle of another busy weekend, Jim trying to get things done on the basement and I have an extra shift tomorrow. I had a training run today and a baby shower. I have officially become the woman I despise...chiming in with "my son has that, Parker loves that, Parker is so cute....blah blah blah.

In honor of my handsome guy turning one and half I want to make sure I document where he is at, developmentally.

He can run...and loves to be chased. He does a great job of safely going up and down stairs. Supervised, of course.

He loves to tickle, he will come at you with his little hands scrunched and say ti, ti, ti, ti

At swimming lessons they count to three before they jump into the pool, so he holds up one finger and says one, da, da...I guess he is counting.

He will bargain for one more book at bedtime by holding up one more finger.

He has fallen in love with one of his blankets, and will look for it if it is not in his crib at bedtime.

He INSISTS on feeding himself, I will give him a spoon, and use one myself to feed him and he will wrestle it out of my hand and use both.

When he sees me start dinner, he knows it is time for the dogs to eat. He will get their dishes and stand by the dog where their food is kept. I will fill it and he will take them back, but then he gets upset when he cannot feed them a second time.

He would subsist entirely on fruit if we let him. The produce section causes trouble at the grocery store. He attempted to climb out of the cart for a pear.

He loves his toddler music, will dance, clap, and laugh. He will dance to Mom's Ipod too, he will come running if he hears music.

He is very affectionate and loves to give us kisses, he will say Baaa (that is Mwah) and will blow kisses saying it. Sometimes he goes out of control and will blow kisses at animals...ba, ba, ba over and over.

He loves to look at/read books, mostly ones about animals or other children.

When he cannot find something..he will shrug his little shoulders and say uh-uh?

His current list of words includes:

Daddy
Dog
Duck
Choochoo (trains)
Shoes (Dooess-is what it sounds like)
Uh-oh
Owiee
Up
Moo (cows, sounds like boooo)
Hi
baby
Bye-bye
Mommy (Bobby, he's only said it twice)
He will repeat things, but only when prompted...if we have pizza and he hears us say it, he will say ZZAA.

He actually posed

Two spoons

Running circles around the couch

New haircut

Quick Update

It has been a busy two weeks with work and volunteer work (which I need to know when to say enough!) Parker made his first trip to the Emergency Room, after falling on top of his sippy cup and gashing his under eye. As I drove him, he kept pointing to the band-aid and saying "owiee". Of course, the women in the ER were fawning all over him..as they put his hospital bracelet on he pointed and said "owiee"

The Doctor put glue on the cut and said the scar should fade! Parker was a brave boy, but looked like he had a rough day. the accident also resulted in a black eye. I thought I got a picture but guess you cannot see it. I was pretty freaked out at the blood but held it together (I knew I was meant to be an ER doc)

Jim and Parker went to the lake this weekend, so I was alone for a few days. I assumed I would have time to shop and clean the house, and maybe get a pedicure. Sadly, it did not work out that way. I got a bit of house work completed but did not make it to the furniture stores I wanted. No shopping tomorrow, as I work...Labor Day is my hospital holiday, so not too bad.

These past two nights were my first, ever, away from Parker. I did miss him, and he said "Hi" to me over the phone. This week I want to catch up with some developmental posts, Parker is talking more and I do not want to forget these milestones.

Have a great Labor Day, I plan to picnic with my boys before I head to work!

At dinner tonight, you cannot see the "owiee"

He loves Meg, our back lab, she tolerates all of his "affection"

Last week, at the Beatles Symphony (look at him in his Beatles shirt, doesn't he look taller?)