Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Monday night, Weston, Helen, and I made some scrumptious Chocolate Chip Banana Bread! 
My hubby works pretty late and usually does not get home until around 7:30 in the evening. By 5:00 I am done. DONE! I am usually drained and ready to collapse on the couch, but with a toddler and infant there is no way that can happen. So I try to make our afternoons eventful. That way it goes by faster and before we know it Daddy is home!
Monday morning I went grocery shopping for the first time with two kids! I brainstormed the night before how I would manage it all. There were two grocery carts with the car in the front of it. Thank goodness! Weston "drove" the car and Helen was in her car seat carrier in the cart. I tried to fit her carrier in the seat of the cart, but for some reason it would not fit. Maybe the car carts are made differently?? So all of my groceries had to be piled on the seat of the cart. Good thing I only had to get a few things! The trip was very successful. Helen slept the whole time and Weston stayed in the car in the front of the cart. However, I have decided I will be ordering my groceries online and picking them up (Shoprite from Home) for the weeks I have a larger grocery list. It only costs $10. So worth it!
After dinner on Monday Weston asked me if we could bake cookies. Instead of cookies, we decided to bake banana bread instead. Like I said in previous posts, Helen loves to be held all the time. So she went straight into my Ergo baby carrier and we all worked together to make this yummy bread! It was a lot of fun! It made four mini loaves of bread and we are already down two loaves. I am the ONLY one eating it. Great. So much for losing the baby weight. 

Cloud Cupcakes- Baby Shower

This past weekend we celebrated my best friend who is pregnant with her first child! She is due at the end of April. Her husband and her decided that they are not going to find out what they are having... it's killing me that I do not know what it is!! I think she is having a boy, but a girl would be great. Helen and her could be best friends! Anyway her shower theme was hot air balloons. I ordered these adorable invites from Etsy. 

Her mother made the most adorable hot air balloon centerpieces out of mini baskets and chinese lanterns. I was to make a dessert and wanted to do something related to the theme. Cloud cupcakes would be perfect! 

I took the easy way out and made the cupcakes from a box mix. The buttercream icing recipe I found online and it was pretty yummy! - Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe

PHONE DUMP

Mommy School- Fire trucks!

This week was my first week all on my own with two kiddos! I decided it would be the perfect week to start Mommy School again. Weston really enjoys it and it makes our day a lot more fun!

This week's theme was Firetrucks and Firefighters. I knew my little man would love it. Monday was Presidents Day and Chad had off. So we started on Tuesday instead. A few of my friends have asked me to post crafts, lessons, and songs that we do for each theme. I do not spend much time at all in planning for the week and usually just plan the night before for the next day. Thanks to Pinterest, teacher websites, and my old lessons/activities when I was a teacher! In addition to the theme each week, I plan to have Weston work on identifying a specific letter and color too.

Theme: Firetrucks and Firefighters
Color: Red
Letter: F

Pretending to put out the fire!!

Tuesday:
Book- Fire Truck by Peter Sis
Art- Color a firetruck
Activity- Find all the firetrucks around the house. Park them in the "fire house" (under the heater). Have them put out the house fire.
LA- Show letter F. Hide and Seek F.

Coloring a firetruck.

Hide & Seek F

Wednesday:
Book- Curious George and the Firefighters
Song- I'm a Little Firefighter
Art- Firefighter hand print to go with song
LA- F is for FIRE! Tissue paper/ construction paper fire glued to F.
TV- Caillou the Firefighter

Thursday:
Art- RED collage
Song- I am a Fireman
I am a fireman dressed in red.
With my fire hat on my head.
I can drive the fire truck, fight fire too,
And help make things safe for you.

I cut out pictures from a magazine that were all different colors.
Weston picked out the red pictures and pasted them to the red construction paper. 

Friday:
Book- Fireghter Frank by Monica Wellington
Song- The Wheels on the Fire Engine (Instead of bus. We use the siren, ladder, seat belts, and so on and so on. Just use your imagination with everything on the truck!)

We had a blast this week learning about Firetrucks and firemen! 
Next week we are looking forward to exploring big machines and construction!

3 weeks

My little Helen is 3 weeks old today! Just a few of the MANY things I love about her:
- her sassy personality- I can aleady tell she is going to be a little drama queen!
- the adorable little smiles she makes when she is sleeping
- her "kitty cat" sounds as Weston would say
- her loud burps... she cracks me up!
- her chunky face :)
- her snuggles- she loves to cuddle (if she could be held 24 hours a day, she would)
- the way she looks at me (melts my heart every stinkin time)

He did it!

He did it!! Weston filled his BIG BOY chart!! His  chart first started off as a reward chart for when he sleeps nicely in his big boy bed without getting out but then when Helen came along he started acting out so it quickly changed into a big boy behavior chart. Pretty much anytime he makes good choices we reward him with a sticker/smiley face. We explained to Weston that when his chart is full of stickers, he gets to pick out a new train to go with his train track. 
Saturday after naptime, Weston earned his final sticker and he got a new train and train tracks!!! We already printed out a new chart and are working for the next train. This is working out so well and his behavior is getting better each day! Thank goodness!!

PHONE DUMP

Happy Valentines Day!

2.14.13
We had such a fabulous time celebrating Valentines Day this year! Helen is a really good sleeper in the morning and will stay in her cradle until usually after breakfast time (I hope I did not just jinx this). So Weston and I headed downstairs to the kitchen where a surprise was waiting for him!

He was definitely happy to be able to eat a few pieces of candy in the morning. We also gave him "Go Ravens" purple Model Magic. If you have not heard of Model Magic and you have kiddos, go out and buy some! It is a lot less messier than Playdough. :) 

Then we made Valentine pink pancakes with sprinkles!

We had a great morning! Helen woke up and we played with her a bit on her playmat. I love seeing the LOVE in Weston's eyes. He adores his baby sister. 

My Little Valentines...

Happy First Valentines Day Helen!

Bath and play!

Days are just flying by! We are so busy around here changing poopy diapers, feeding little ones, comforting, playing, and smiling (maybe a few pouts here and there too). 
Helen had her first bath on Sunday night. Weston wanted to share his bath time with her so it made it even easier for us. We reminded him that he had to be a good boy while Helen was in the tub with him. He did such a great job and Helen actually liked her first bath experience. 

When I am not nursing or holding Helen, I try to make playtime fun for Weston. Playdough comes out at least twice a day. The vacuum comes out a lot too ;)

Any little noise Helen makes, big brother Weston is right by her side comforting her...

Monday Phone Dump:

Helen Josephine

She's here!!!
Helen made her debut on Thursday January 31, 2013 at 6:25am. I was supposed to be induced that morning at 6am, but she decided to come on her own. I started having contractions around 11:30 the night before. By 12:30 my water broke and we headed for the hospital. At 4am I had my epidural and by 5:15 I was fully dilated!!!! It all happened so fast. The doctor who examined me did not even call the doctor who was going to deliver Helen until she had checked me. So needless to say I had to fight the urge to push for a little over an hour! It was extremely painful and uncomfortable. Thank goodness he finally showed up and 2 pushes later Helen was born!!
Of course we think she is just the cutest little thing there is! I love her round, chunky face and can just kiss her cheeks a thousand times a day. I love rubbing my face against her fuzzy, dark hair and even her cry is so stinkin' adorable! Weston loves her to pieces. I caught him the other day talking to her and saying "What's the matter, Sweetheart?" So cute! 
Life with two kiddos is a challenge. Right now Helen needs me at all times. She nurses every two hours and if I am not holding her she is pretty crabby. She likes to snuggle. :) I LOVE snuggling with her, but Weston also needs attention. Last week my mom helped out. This week my grandmother will be helping out two days and my mother one day. So I will be on my own a few days. Ahhhhh! A little nervous. Weston is wonderful with Helen, but he is definitely acting out. Not sure if this is the case of the terrible twos or jealously? Maybe a little of both. Whatever it is, I need to nip it soon or he will be totally out of control. The past few nap times in the big boy bed has not went over too well. Today it took Chad 45 minutes to get him to stay in his bed. He just laughs at us. Lil' stinker. And the child has been in time out multiple times this weekend! Ahhhhh (again)! My super mom powers will need to be here by tomorrow morning. Not sure how I will handle it all? TONS of moms do it, so I can too, right? I think I can, I think I can...
Enough complaining! We are SO blessed and so excited to welcome Helen into our family. Life is amazing and we are loving every minute... time outs, tantrums, poopy diapers, and all! :)