FRA - GIL - EE

It's crazy to sit and think back on all the reasons I used to tell myself that I wasn't ready for kids yet (years ago). "I'm not ready to give up my cool, pretty, or pricey house ornaments and replace them with pieces of toys, broken crayons and kiddy books strolled out all over the floor"... You'd think that I was being insanely materialistic, but actually it was just because I just wasn't ready for children yet and I'd use the dumbest of excuses to let myself off the hook.

That's strange to me, especially since I've had nieces and nephews way before that time and if they broke something I thought was important to me, it took all of 2 seconds to get over it. Because actually, their feelings and importance of exploration was 10 times more important than some meaningless object I'd probably paid too much for anyway. I should've guessed that I'd care even less about my own child breaking my pretty things.

This Christmas has been a test to that thought. So far Dax has put the following Christmas Decorations out of commission:

1. Crystal C-mas Tree embellished with sterling silver ornaments placed on a musical stand.
2. Bisque porcelain Santa Clause .
3. My favorite "Best Stressed" Dolly Mama's (he opened the presents she was holding - ha ha ha and pulled off the lights)


4. "A Christmas Story" Leg Lamp brought back from Ohio (where the movie was filmed) by my Aunt Sheila [salvaged by crazy glue and a little black paint]
5. Ceramic Japanese Geisha tree ornament that my Late Grandmother made (this one will actually survive thanks to crazy glue as well).
6. Santa Clause Candy cane holder.
7. Tall whimsical ceramic Santa Clause (Little guy must have something against the jolly man - that probably won't last. Especially when he figures out that Santa is the one that checks his list twice. He'll stop being Naughty and give a tryout to being Nice.
8.  Huge Bowl Apple Cinnamon Candle


I know there was more, but right now I'm hard pressed to remember. Why? Because they are, of course, only things.  It's safe to say I passed this test with flying colors.  I had to act upset more than I was to be sure he understood that it's not okay to break things.

I like to look on the bright side:  It was taking me way too long to put up all my C-mas decorations anyways and another thing is that I still have plenty of stuff left to put back into storage and break out next year for their next fight for survival.

A Compromising Recipe

Would this make you  mad?

Finally after years of having and never using my springform pan, I found a recipe that called for one - well one that I liked anyways.  So, I made the cheesecake put it in the fridge b/c it was supposed to be chilled overnight.  Went and put D down for a nap - decided to join him.  Woke up, went to the fridge to get something to drink and this is what I saw...



HA HA. Clint must have went to the fridge for the same thing and saw this and thought JACKPOT. He pulled the springform off of it too soon. Like 3 hours too soon.

Since, I didn't get to have the fun of pulling the springform off myself. I made another one. This time it was done right and spent the necessary 4 hours in the fridge. We ate dinner with my parents last night. So at least we won't be consuming two cheesecakes back to back. We don't need to gain anymore weight!



Clint's crazy pay is Cheesecake.  My weakness is Pumpkin Pie.  Everything about mine and Clint's 11 -12 year relationship has been about compromise being that we are polar opposites.  So why should recipes be any different. 

Our dessert compromise:
 
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

(just like everybody else, I change recipes to make it perfect for us. * I've typed out what I used beside what it called for)

• Nabisco Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1 1/2 cups) / INSTEAD I USE *1 1/2 cups of Oats and Honey Bars finely crushed (like Nature Valley)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Pecans
• 1/4 cup butter, melted / I JUST USE *1/4 cup Fleshman's made w/ Olive Oil - no need to melt
• 4 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softfened
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• Dash ground cloves

PREHEAT oven to 325F.  Mix ginger snap crumbs, pecans and butter; press firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.

BEAT cream cheese, 3/4 cup of sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.

REMOVE 1 1/2 cups plain batter; place in small bowl.  Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter.  Spoon half of the pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of half of the reserved plain batter.  Repeat layers.  Cut through batters with knife several times for swirl effect.

BAKE 55 mins. or until center is almost set.  Cool completely.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.  Cut into 16 slices.  Store leftover cheescake in refrigerator.

Makes 16 servings, 1 slice each.

HOW-TO:  Don't have a springform pan?  You can bake this cheesecake in a 13x9-inch baking dish.  Line the dish with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan.  Prepare as directed, decreasing baking time to 45 min. or until center is almost set.

If you need visuals for making cheesecakes, go to kraftfoods.com and search for "cheesecake."

Kissin Kousins, Terrible Two's, Box Forts and Hair Do's

NOT!  But I thought that would get your attention...   
 Huggin - Lovin Cousins is more like it.

Dax and Hannah, who are 3rd cousins, are going to be really good buddies.  They both get so excited when they see each other.  It's so precious to see them constantly hugging each other. 

This picture was taken when Clint's Aunt Marsha, (Glenda's sister and Hannah's Grandmother) Clint's Mom, Glenda, and Hannah came down to eat lunch with us.  We had a hard time getting them in the car because they didn't want to stop playing and when we split them up to go in separate cars he cried "Hannah!!" all the way to our Burger King.  Too bad we don't have pics from there, because Clint and I both had to climb in the huge slide in order to help Dax and Hannah climb the steps.  Quite a sight, but so much fun.  I can't believe Clint didn't get stuck because I barely had room myself and I'm half the size of Clint.






I know I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I've got to explain - AGAIN.  Updating D's page on a "normal basis" has become just about impossible.  You couldn't imagine how much time it can take for some posts (especially update ones).  It's a shame too, because this is such an extremely fun time in our lives.  I've not given up hope on updating what I've missed posting during the Summer and Fall, but if I don't let it go for now, I'll never pick up posting again.  So to fix this, I'm just going to give you the quickest "bringing you up to speed" I can and then start posting from here on and HOPEFULLY - maybe later (yeah right!! wishful thinking is an understatement) I'll fill in the blanks of what has become our Summer Season ending and Fall Season all together.

Let's get this party started...

Terrible Two's? Not so far. I braced myself for them as I knew they were coming. I thought they'd actually come early at one time when Dax had a couple of meltdowns a while back. That is until I figured out the problem.

While pregnant, I read mountains of parenting information to ready myself.  Though I think for the most part it's wasted effort since every child can present VERY different circumstances, it was interesting nonetheless.

Some of the knowledge I gained by doing this did actually help in keeping me calm when circumstances did arise that would have seemed very abnormal had I not read about strange things such as "night terrors."

Not sure that Dax has them, but he does wake up crying and distraught off and on since he was probably around 9 mos.   When we'd try to awaken him and calm him down is when these meltdowns would occur.

I finally figured out that even though his eyes were wide open and that he was screaming words while stomping around, he actually wasn't awake.  I think he is still asleep when he does this.  So now when he's asleep at night or during naps and starts crying or screaming, I don't try to awaken him.  I just turn the TV on or up until he comes to.  If the TV doesn't work, I have a series of steps I go through until he is really awake and stops crying.  Worse case scenario leaves us on the last step of driving around in the car until he's really awake and calm.

Thank goodness for the Crane family's Home Christmas Light Extravaganza on MO Rd., because the last one was one of the worst and it took sitting in their driveway, tuned to their 88.1 station (for the music that the lights are timed to) before he came to.

Hmm [finger taping] Let's see, what else happened over the past 2 seasons that was big enough to mention?....  Two big things that come to mind (well, big in the world of a toddler mom anyways).

1.  Dax started sleeping in the bed with Clint and I.  He's slept in his own crib in his own room since 4 mos.  But back in August, we had a house guest for a couple of weeks.  So, instead of putting our house guest in the finished attic room upstairs (which is really hot during the summer because of heat rising) we let him stay in Dax's room.  So, Dax started sleeping in our bed and has done so since;

and

2.  Time for Dax to give up his pacifier. (Any mom knows, this one is a dreaded biggy!!) I dare you to say it's not.

Here we are with two habits that needed to be broken, one old - one new.  There was no way I was going to tackle them both at the same time.  Somehow I thought they'd both be equally difficult.  WRONG!!  Oh, thank goodness I was wrong.

I decided to get rid of the paci first because, to be honest, Clint and I LOVE Dax sleeping with us.


So I'd heard horror stories of paci weening failure.  I personally know of parents who tried to avoid the paci from the beginning altogether just so they wouldn't have to go through weening their kids off.

Dax loved his paci and I just knew it was going to be hard.  You are so not going to believe this  -  But, like Honest Abe (or was it George...?) anywho, Tero cannot tell a lie.  Exaggerate in the name of good story telling - MAYBE.  But lie?  Never.  Although I don't even have to exaggerate this.  It's the honest to God truth that Dax cried one time during the first nap without his paci and never cried over it again.  SERIOUSLY!!

Now, he did ask for it from time to time for about a week.  I don't even think that long, but after we'd tell him that paci was gone gone. He'd go right to sleep or move on.



Totally awesome but I have to admit I'm a little scared about having to trade that dodged bullet in later on...


As far as the co-sleeping?  Still going on.  Like I said above, we love it.  It's special to get in bed, say our prayers together, have him curl up between us, say our good nights like the Waltons (Me: "Good night Daddy" - Clint: "Good night Mama" - Me: "Good night Dax" - Dax "Good night Mama")   Okay, you get the point... Turn off the TV and the lights and then have Dax start shouting "where's pooh"  "where's race car" and just about 10 other toys he thinks he needs for bed.  It's just fun.  We don't intend on breaking that habit anytime soon - especially with this cold winter... ;o)


Okay kids, story time is now over.  

Time for Pictures.  HOORAY!  

Nothing funner than Box Forts in the den - If you think this is just for his fun, you'd be wrong.  Mama LOVES box forts or blanket forts/houses -whatnot.

Now as far as all the toys, that's D's idea. I just love the way he properly organizes them neatly in his new temporary digs. Thus proving OCD is completely genetic. Guess which one of us he got that from?

Dax eventually got a hair cut. Actually it was just a trim, but at least it calmed his wild hair down a bit.

At Grandmother's. Early Christmas present.


Christmas on the River 2010 with Clint's mother, Glenda and his sister, Diane: husband Cale. Their 3 sons of course: Austin, Anderson and Ashton

Austin

Anderson
Ashton


They love their Grandmother

Cale and a much MUCH better version of the light saber

What do you get kids that have everything? Aunt Tero took a chance on Nano Hexbugs...
Boba Fett's Helmet - How cool is that??
 
I guess by now you've picked up that I'm a Star Wars nerd.  

Quick, what's worse than a Star Wars nerd?? A "female" Star Wars nerd.  

However, I did have to look up how to spell Boba Fett's name. I would have put Bubbafet - though that doesn't make me any less of a nerd.  Does it?  Maybe a little bit?...

Clint, Glenda and Diane

Grandmother and ALL Grandsons. Maybe Clint and I will give her a granddaughter someday? After 4 grandsons though, she's probably given up hope.

He must have pooted...


That's all the time I have for now. But don't get too disappointed. I've got a couple of recent posts coming real soon and OH GOODY GUMDROPS - A recipe too! 

Nope, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. A recipe... And it's a cheese cake recipe. Don't fall of the edge of your seat! I'll be back in a jiffy.