Catch up

So we've been a little busy lately.  I mean technically we are always busy with 4 children but lately it appears we are stuck on fast forward.

    Ella is currently on a mission to complete the remaining 16 Brownie badges before she moves up to Guides next year. She is also busy with school and mastering the fine art of rainbow looming. Now only if she would put that kind of effort into keeping her room clean.  

     Camden is now currently being home schooled and is thriving.  The difference from a few weeks back is astounding and reinforces that we absolutely made the right decision for him. Camden just doesn't fit into the school mold at the moment and that's not a bad thing. He just doesn't learn the same way and needs a bit extra reassurance and confidence, which is absolutely OK. He's learning in leaps and bounds at home using things he finds interesting to teach the same things he would at school. He is starting to sound out letters and recognize a few sight words which we never would have thought possible just a short time ago.

      Harmony oh, sweet angel faced Harmony. We are in the midst of the battle of the royal throne or toilet training if you prefer. It is on her terms, well if we are honest everything is always on her terms but potty training even more so. She knows what to do and how to do it. Out in public she tells us when she needs to go. She goes in the middle of the night, first thing in the morning and wakes up dry at naps. So what's the problem, you ask? Well it's what we like to call Harmony being Harmony,  little imp that she is. I randomly hear, Mommy I'm peeing on your counter, I'm peeing on your bath mat, I'm peeing on your floor. Those times are never accidents but just a little taste of Harmony's don't mess with me attitude. Accidents do happen and usually she runs to her room embarrassed and quickly changes before you notice. It's all the non accident accidents that drive me crazy.

     Sawyer is fighting his first cold and ear infection. What a snotty, miserable, non sleeping mess. He is still pretty happy during the day but the night time just doesn't agree with my sick little man. I'm not sure I even want to count how many times I was up but I did see every hour last night maybe half hour as well and by 6 am sleep was a hopeless case. Who needs sleep anyway right? Not me with Mike going back on afternoons which leaves me alone with the kids from 2-1130 pm but if you count the nap he takes before work it's really 12 a 11:30 but I digress. Aside from the cold Sawyer is growing and developing in the blink of an eye. Wearing 12-18 month clothing mostly, sitting unassisted and discovering the vast world of solids. Why can't he just  stay little?

     There you go just a little glimpse into the busy lives of our children. I'd write more but frankly today I am exhausted. 

Let's Bake Bread.

This week we made bread. In fact we made bread 3 times. I'm not talking bread machine either. I'm talking pull out your apron, roll up your sleeves and knead that dough type bread.  Looks good enough to eat, right? It was, its gone. It turns out every time just like the picture. 

Loaf 1 of 3

The recipe we currently love. I found it online last year over at Through The Window Pane. 

 Amish Sandwich Bread

This recipe makes makes 1 loaf 
1 Cup warm water (110-115 F)
1/3 Cup  sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil (any kind is fine but I used Light Olive Oil )
3 C flour (I use white all purpose but will be experimenting with whole wheat shortly or half and half)
1 Tablespoon yeast

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Combine the water, sugar, salt, and oil in a large bowl and stir.  Add flour and yeast all at once and stir until thick. Hand  knead for 6-8 minutes, adding additional flour if needed, to make a smooth elastic dough.

Cover, place in a warm location, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Take the dough out of the bowl and work it lightly in your hands to get the air bubbles out.

Form into a loaf and put in a greased loaf pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, until almost doubled in size.  While you're waiting for the dough to rise, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until done. 

When the bread is done, remove to let cool for a few minutes.  Remove from the pan and place on wire rack to cool completely or if you enjoy warm bread from the oven with butter that melts right on it, slice up a piece and enjoy. 

Adding all the ingredients

Kneading the dough. Camden isn't a fan of sticky hands. 

Harmony isn't a fan either. 

Sawyer doesn't mind as long as he is close to the action. This is how mommy gets stuff done. 

This is our new go to bread recipe. It was a hit with everyone, except Camden. He won't eat anything unless Grandma makes it....*sigh* 

Catch up Day

     So I didn't post once last week, which is just another bad mommy moment from yours truly.   I wish I had some awesome excuse but I don't.  I am not even sure why it was so hard for me to sit down and write.  Anyway, here is what happened this past week, just to catch up.

• Wedding Plans - We've gotten a lot accomplished in the last week.  Favours planned, guest list made, invitations designed (yes I know they really need to be sent out soon), menu decided, cake/cupcakes planned, program started, centrepieces chosen and possibly a few other small details worked out...but I've kind of lost track and its 63 days away. I will not panic yet......*deep breaths*

• Honeymoon plans - We have a kick ass bum (I try really hard not to say bad words) honeymoon planned.  I use the term honeymoon based on the fact we are leaving 6 days after the wedding and that's pretty much the only honeymoon part.  It is pretty amazing though. 10 days in Germany and Austria.  The Austrian part will be spent in an amazing Chalet that we could never afford in a million years but thanks to my niece Kirstin and her connections (her incredibly amazing employer) will have a beautiful chalet in what looks to be mountains (think the Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music).  The time in Germany will be spent cruising the Autobahn in white knuckled fear and exploring everything we can.  Accompanying us on this trip will be Harmony since she is free to fly.  We would have loved to take the other 2 but at $1000 a ticket round trip (and that's on the cheap end) it just wasn't feasible. My far away niece Kiki will be meeting up with us in Munich and exploring Austria with us.  I am so glad she will finally get to meet Harmony.  Also making the trek with us is my parents, little brother, sister and brother in law.  Interesting side note - It is my parents 50th wedding anniversary this year and my sister and brother in laws 25th so what a great way to celebrate all this love...I just hope the walls are thick or maybe I should just pack ear plugs.

• Ghost Busting - Camden has developed an irrational fear of our house lately, which makes it pretty hard to live day to day life.  He has hated this house since the day we moved in and it makes no sense.  Its a million times better and yet he begs to move back every day to his old house. No he has been telling me there are ghosts in our house and is absolutely terrified. He calls up his Gampa Gampa and begs to go there because there house is better and has no ghosts.  He has slept there 2 nights this week because he is happier there and sleeps. At home he whines, cries and has panic attacks at bedtime.  The only night this week he went to bed peacefully is the night we told the so called ghosts to take a hike and then said a 10 minute bedtime prayer.  I am not a believer in ghosts but this kid is freaked out and after what he has been telling me it started to freak me out too. Hopefully things will calm down soon because I can't handle a kids to be afraid in his own house.

• R & R - Not so much for me but for poor Ella who got the stomach bug worse than everyone else put together in our house. She was sick for 9 days.  She is finally on the mend and back to school.  She is down quiet a few pounds which is kinda scary when she now weighs only 45 lbs at 7 years old and she is extremely tall. I know she will start to gain again but the kid looks like she could snap in two.

     That's pretty much it for this week.  I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and I promise to do better with my posts next week.

Babies don't keep!

     My babies are growing up and its sending me into teary eyed mess. In a month or so I will have a 7, 3 and 1 year old. That is not allowed. Harmony may or may not be our last baby and the thought alone is enough to scare the poo right out of me. No more nursing, tiny little diapers, the smell of a brand new baby, first smiles and all the rest of the exciting things that come with a baby.  I'm not ready to pack away all the baby things as my baby is quickly approaching toddler hood and leaving baby hood behind her.

    My niece who is ever so far away in England (and never even met Harmony) posted the poem below on my Face book wall today.  It's a great reminder to cherish the days we have with our little ones instead of constantly worrying about the mundane chores because at the end of my life I will never say I wish I cleaned my house more but I can bet I will say I wish I cuddled my babies more.  So if you stop by and my house is in complete chaos we are too busy making memories to clean.

Mother, O' Mother, come shake out your cloth, Empty the dustpan, poison the moth. Hang out the washing, make up the bed, Sew on a button and butter the bread. Where is the mother whose house is so shocking? She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking. Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue, Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo. Dishes are waiting and bills are past due, Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek - peekaboo. The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew, And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo. But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo. Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue? Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo. The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep! I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep. ~ Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

10 Months

     Another Month has passed already. Harmony turned 10 months old on the 29th.  I'm completely slacking and haven't been on here much and once again the Mommy guilt has kicked in, so here goes another post.

Harmony at 10 Months:

• 16lbs 12 oz - up a few ounces since last month.
• 27 " - a whole inch in a month

Harmony at 10 Months Wears:

• Size 2 Diapers
• 3-6 Months, 6 months and a few 6-9 months that tend to fit smaller
• size 1 and 2 shoes - so really no change in what she is wearing this month

Harmony at 10 Months:

• Wave, Clap, play Patty Cake
• Crawl, Cruise, Climb and stand unassisted for a few seconds
• Has 4 teeth finally - 2 front bottom and her top I teeth.  She looks like a baby vampire.
• Pants like a dog
• Fakes coughs complete with covering her mouth for attention
• Shushes people
• Blows raspberries complete with spit flying everywhere
• Copies everyone
• loves kissing Mommy

Harmony at 10 months Eats:

• Pretty much everything but now has tried Cheese and Egg Yolk
• straight formula since weaning
• anything she can feed herself

Harmony at 10 Months says:

• Mama, Dada, Ella, Baba, What's That?
• Signs - All done, Milk

Things I never want to forget:

• You are always Happy and smiling
• You love attention and to entertain
• You are a complete monkey and are into everything all the time
• How much you love your brother and sister
• How much loves cuddling you in the middle of the night, the only time you allow me to cuddle you
• You always brighten my day! Mommy loves you so much!

Another Month Older - 9 Months

     Well time certainly needs to slow down.  Harmony is now 9 months old.  She is rapidly leaving babyhood behind and seems to be on the fast track to being a toddler. I'm not even sure how that's possible but babies grow up much to my sorrow.

Harmony at 9 months is:

• 16 lbs (only gained a few ounces since last month)
• 26 inches (no change there)

Harmony at 9 Months wears:

• Size 2 Diapers
• Size 3-6 Months, 6 Months and a few small 6-9 month clothes
• Size 1 and 2 shoes (not that she keeps them on)

Harmony at 9 Months:

• claps to music, at the mention of patty cake, when anyone cheers...she is a clapping machine
• waves bye bye every time someone leaves or at bedtime
• dances a funny little wiggle dance when she hears music
• crawls everywhere and anywhere
• pulls up to stand everywhere and attempted to escape the crib
• is working on 4 teeth but nothing has popped up yet
• on her first round of antibiotics for a chest cold
• starting to sleep through the night again occasionally
• has become a complete mommy's girl

Harmony at 9 Months says:

• Mama , Ella, Baba, Dada (sometimes) and is working on Duck

Harmony at 9 months eats:

• All Veggies
• All Fruits
• All Meats
• Bread, Cheerios, Puffs
• Breast Milk, Formula and Water

Things I Never Want to Forget:

• Your big toothless grin
• How you stop immediately when you hear your name
• How you giggle when I tell you No
• How fast you move when you see something you want
• Your adorable laugh
• Your crazy hair that is long in the front and sticks up, so cute!

Someone got into Daddy's closet

Another Month Has Passed - 8 months

     Well another month has passed and my beautiful little Harmony turned 8 months old on the weekend.

Harmony at 8 months is:

• 15lbs 9 oz (She is finally gaining weight)
• 26" long (She grew too)

Harmony at 8 month wears:

• Size 2  Diapers
• Size 3 months, 3-6 months and some 6 months
• Size 1 and maybe some size 2 shoes

Harmony at 8 Months :

• waves bye bye
• plays peek a boo
• plays patty cake
• crawls or slides backwards
• prefers to stand than sit and pulls up on everything she can reach
• loves jumping
• claps and says yeah
• Gives kisses
• Dances to music

Harmony at 8 months says:

• Mama
• Papa
• Ella
• something that resembles bad but we don't say Bad so not sure what it is
• something that sounds like up when she wants up

Harmony at 8 months eats:

• Breast Milk, Formula and Water
• All Veggies and Fruits
• Most Meats
• Toast, cheerios, baby cookies and puffs
• Basically anything she can get her hands on, she is not a picky eater and loves eating

Things I never want to forget:

• How happy you are pretty much all the time, especially first thing in the morning or the middle of the night, always big smiles
• You are a big mommy's girl and I am OK with that!
• How excited you get when you see you brother and sister
• How good you are out in public!
• How tiny and baby squishy goodness yummy you are! (yes I know that doesn't make sense but it does to me)
• Cutest squishy baby bum
• How you love to mimic your brother and sister
• You are baby perfection and I love you from the tips of your toes to the top of you head and everywhere in between

See? Baby Perfection

Blue Eyes, Baby's got Blue Eyes

(Yes that's a line from an Elton John song)

2 Peas in a Pod

     I made the mistake of calling Harmony and Camden "2 peas in a pod" this morning.  I received a very serious talking to by a very annoyed 2 year old. The conversation went like this.

Camden and Harmony were making faces and squealing at each other.
Me: You two are 2 peas in a pod
C: I'm NOT a Pea Mommy I'm a Camden Boy
Me: Oh I am sorry, you are too cute.
C: I AM NOT CUTE, I am Big. Harmony's cute.
M: Yes, Harmony is cute but so are you.
C: NO! I AM BIG. I AM CAMDEN Not a Pea, Not Cute.
M: OK, So Camden is a Big Boy and Harmony is cute.
C: Yes!
M: What's Daddy?
C: ohhhh, Daddy is Mike and He's Big. I am Taller.
M: Taller than who?
C: I Taller than Harmony.
M: OK, So Camden is a big, tall boy, Harmony is cute and Daddy is Mike and he's Big.
C: Yes.
M: What's Mommy?
C: Just Mommy!
M: What's my name?
C: Just Mommy.
M: Am I Tall or Big or Cute?
C: ummm Nope, Just Mommy!
M: OK, then I see how I rank. Just mommy.


See at the end of the day I'm just Mommy, I'm not big, tall or cute, which is fine. I like being Just Mommy. It means he doesn't call me Jennifer when he gets mad. He calls a lot of people by their first names when he gets annoyed but not me...I'm Just Mommy and it suits me just fine. So there you have it. The inner workings of a two year old brain.

Wordless Wednesday - 7 Month Babies

Ella - 7 Months

Camden - 7 Months

Harmony - 7 Months

A Belated 7 Months to Harmony.

     This post is incredibly late but I took a break over the holidays and then the mommy guilt set in. If I didn't post everything about her when she was 7 month old, I will quite possibly be the worst Mommy in the world or at least feel like it anyway.

Harmony at 7 Months

• Weighs 14lbs 6 oz and is 25"
• Sits unassisted
• Pulls up to standing
• Walks holding our hands
• Attempts to crawl backwards
• Says Mama and means it
• Claps and says Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (this is her newest trick and she is still perfecting it)
• Feeds herself finger foods
• Usually puts herself to sleep
• Has given up needing to be swaddled

Harmony at 7 Months Eats:

• Breast Milk , Formula
• Mommy's home made baby food (Rice, oatmeal, applesauce, bananas, carrots, peas, green beans, beets, chicken, turkey, pork)
• Baby Mum Mums , Puffs

Harmony at 7 Months Wears:

• Size 1 Diapers and well just in the last couple of days she graduated up to Size 2
• 3 Months, 3-6 Months and some 6 Months
• Size 1-2 Shoe

Things I never want to forget:

• Those great big grins, every time you see mommy
• The way you yell back at your sister and brother
• The way  your crinkle your forehead when i kiss it
• How those big baby blue eyes just sparkle and shine

See, I'm a big girl now!

A grin for Mommy!

Wild Hair!

Always Happy!!