Olive Bracelets

When I returned from maternity leave, I saw many of my Greiffenstein School family wearing Olive Hope bracelets. I have been touched by this silent sign of their love and support. Though not everyone was at school the day we took this picture, this gives a little glimpse

at some of my caring coworkers. Love you guys!

Easter

Today, we enjoyed celebrating Easter with Ted and Sue.

The little lady talking to Grandma.

Grandma even planned an egg hunt just for Tyler.

Here he is showing off his baskets of eggs. (He shared his loot).


We had a good day. :)

Easter Monsters

This year we decorated eggs to be Monster Eggs. Though not in keeping with the meaning of Easter, they sure were fun to make and cute to look at.

little updates

I just wanted to write a few notes about Little Miss Aubrey... already 11 weeks-old ...before I forget. The last three consecutive nights, I have gotten 8 hours of sleep and Aubrey has had 10-11 hours/night- only interrupted once to re-insert her pacifier. I have probably jinxed it, by putting it in writing, but I have really enjoyed it.

Little Miss sleeps best in her crib, on her belly (which still makes me nervous, I admit) with her pacifier. She seems to sleep better if she has had some outside time during the day, so I'm glad it's warming up. She runs her hand back and forth over the sheet and turns her head from side to side and, usually without crying, she quickly falls asleep. Of course, some times she has an upset tummy, our schedule has been different or she just needs some extra rocking.

She LOVES any ceiling fan or mobile to look at, but especially loves the butterfly mobile above her changing table. She kicks, arms flail, eyes are wide and she squeals and grunts in delight.

She HATES putting on sleeves. After her bath, during which she smiles and coos, and I lay her down and begin putting on her sleeves, she cries. Every. Time. Hates those sleeves.





I love these two.

Little Ty Man

Last evening, Tyler had been trying my patience. When it was time for his shower, I told him, "Tyler, it's time for your shower. No yelling in the hallway, and I don't want to hear any lip."

I heard him making smooching sounds and then he said, "I'm going to do this all day."

What a squirt! He gave me a good laugh, which I needed.

Coos and love

My little Love changes so much so quickly. I was looking at pictures of her a month ago and it's hard to believe how much she's filled out. She is a great little sleeper. She is usually easy to lay down and sleeps for nice stretches at night. She loves those ceiling fans and squeals with excitement when we turn it on for her. How exciting! ;) She is cooing and seeming to be more aware of our "play" with her all the time, which we all love. Daddy has especially noticed and enjoyed this recent increase in awareness and interaction.

She loves to be sung to and her favorite song seems to be Sweet Sweet Baby, by Michelle Featherstone. She heard that song a lot when we were in Indiana for Olive's funeral. Lynette sang it to her and I loved it, and began singing it to her too. When I start singing it to her, she usually calms down, watches me intently and often lights up with a smile. I feel connected to my sister, Lynette, and her baby, Olive, when we share these little moments.

Grits

I'm not sure why, but I've been in a baking mood lately. I've tried some old recipes, and some new, including these Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins. So far so good.

This morning, I tried a grits recipe from the old More-With-Less Cookbook. I am in love. This recipe has everything that I love about grits (even cheese and Tabasco). Sadly, I am the only one in my household with an affinity for grits, so I have quite a bit leftover. So, if you are also a lover of grits, you must try this recipe. On second thought, come on over and help me eat my leftovers.

Grits and Cheese Casserole

Bring to a boil in saucepan:
4 c. water

Add:
1 c. hominy grits

Cook over low heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Add:
1/3 c. margarine
2 c. shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
6 drops hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
1 t. salt
3 eggs, beaten

Turn into 2 qt. casserole. Sprinkle with paprika (or not).
Bake at 275 degrees for one hour.

Two Months

How did it happen that my little Aubrey is already 2 months old? She is filling out and smiling more all the time. (And starting to re-grow hair on that little balding head). Tyler sure loves his little sister a lot. He showers her with kisses and songs. She lets him know she's had enough with a pout.

Here's the little sweetness today.

Tooth

After a couple of weeks of wiggling it around, on Thursday Tyler finally lost his first tooth. A new tooth was already poking up through the gums...and I'm thinking we'd better start saving for braces. :)

Luckily, the tooth fairy remembered to visit, and Tyler was excited to find what the tooth fairy had left. (Though he had to be reminded to check under his pillow...I'm guessing he will remember the next time around).

Here's my ornery boy showing off his new gap. :)

Family Picture

Every day after preschool, we ask about Tyler's day. Sometimes, it's hard to get much out of him. I love when he tells us more, like last week when he described how a classmate was "driving Ms. Julie crazy." (And from his description of how he could tell, he appears to be able to tell when a child is driving an adult "crazy." Though I can attest that he also knows how to disregard this knowledge).

One thing I enjoy is looking at the art he brings home. I particularly enjoyed the family portrait he brought home last week.

He explained, "here's me, here's you - you're sweet, here's Daddy - he plays games with me, and here's Aubrey - she likes me." I'm not sure why Daddy doesn't have arms. Or why Aubrey looks like a bean attached to Daddy's leg. Sorry Daddy! :)