Namaste!

Yesterday I successfully attempted a bound side angle at my yoga class!

I remember first seeing the pose in an Athleta catalogue.  I didn't think it looked too difficult, so I tried to replicate it.  Within .005 seconds, I said to Kris, "Oh yeah, that's never gonna happen."   What looks so effortless is quite a contortion of the body.   Until yesterday.   Woo hoo!  (Not me....although, she does kind of look like me).

Dance Party

We've been trying to limit the amount of TV the boys watch.  We used to always have the TV on, even if just to provide background noise.   When I left my former job, I placed the radio I had had in my office in the kitchen and started turning the radio on when I was cleaning.   Now that I'm cooking also, I turn the radio on when I arrive home and we listen to the radio all through dinner, and even sometimes until the kids go to bed.   So now the boys are being exposed to music more than TV, and even better, it's good music....classic rock.  :)  

Whenever a song I really liked would come on, I would pick up one of the boys and dance (mom dancing...awesome when you're a toddler, mortifying when you're a teenager).   The boys have become so accustomed to these impromptu dance sessions, they're even taking the initiative themselves when they find a song that "moves" them.

Last night, Matthew was mid-meal when a Steve Miller Band song came on.  He climbed down from his chair, squealed "dess" and ran into the kitchen, where he started to do his gallop dance in circles in the kitchen.   Then he held up both hands, smiled at me and said, "dess, mommy!"  ("Dess" is "dance" not to be confused with "dis" which he says to mean "this").  

Naturally, when Luke saw me swing Matthew up to dance, he also ran into the kitchen and started busting a move. 

The only unfortunate thing about kitchen dance parties is that the dance move of choice for both boys is to be swung around in circles by their hands.   Kris and I get dizzy WAY before they do.

Pumpkin

I love pumpkin.   Pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin lasagna, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice lattes.....(interestingly, not a huge fan of pumpkin pie, but I lean more towards chocolate desserts).

I cite pumpkin as the reason I gained about 5 lbs this past weekend.  I had some leftover pumpkin from the pumpkin chocolate chip bread I made last week, so I made pumpkin pancakes on Saturday.   They were heavenly.   I could eat pumpkin pancakes every day for the rest of my life.   I really need to make sure I avoid buying canned pumpkin in the future, so I avoid googling various pumpkin recipes which I will inevitably love and eat in great quantities.

And weirdly, the boys loved the chocolate chip pumpkin bread, but spit out the pumpkin pancakes.  Oh well, more for me!

My precious boys

Despite the complete lack of any Irish in their blood, I dressed the boys in green for St. Patty's day.  I love it when I get the brotherly love photos! 

Matthew has put together quite the ensemble.  He struggled to walk a bit in big brother's slippers, but he was happy nonetheless. 

My apprentice chef

As Kris will joke (inevitably, at every family function like a holiday version of the movie "Groundhog's Day"), I am not a cook, and the first (and last) time I cooked a meal was the first time he met my family.   Once I reeled him in, the cooking ended.

Well, my 11 year drought recently ended.   There is this miraculous invention called "CrockPot."  It's glorious.   It allows me to throw a bunch of things independently into a pot, and when I return at the end of a day of work, I have prepared a delicious and healthy meal for my family.  

I've realized through doing this that I actually don't hate cooking.   There's something very satisfying about it.  And I've even started experimenting and coming up with my own ideas.   I don't always know how to turn my ideas into something edible, so I frequently google the two or three ingredients I'm thinking of to produce a recipe. 

The recipe I made last night was Chocolate Chip Pumpkin bread.   I had canned pumpkin left over from the fall/winter (where I was convinced I'd one day attempt to make pumpkin soup...never happened).  

I waited until the boys got home, and then my little apprentice chef (Luke) help with dinner.  He is an accomplished pigs in a blanket roller.   But the real treat for him was helping me make the pumpkin bread.  

Matthew also tried to help, but his involvement was ultimately limited to eating some of the chocolate chips I set aside for my "helpers."  He enjoyed them.  So much so that he slid off his chair during dinner and crawled under the table to retrieve one he must have dropped.   And because he's the second child, I didn't stop him from eating it right off the floor.   

He goes to daycare.  I'm sure there are worse things he puts into his mouth during the day.

My favorite part of the day

My favorite part of the day is when the boys return home from school (school sounds so much more....educational...than daycare!)

I usually only arrive home shortly before they do, and I use that time to (hopefully) get dinner ready so we can all sit down together as a family.  

I hear the garage door open and know they're home, but I wait in the kitchen until Luke barges in through the door.   Once he's inside, he stands there and smiles at me until I acknowledge his presence (usually with a giant smile myself).  Then he launches himself into my arms for a big hug.    A few seconds later, Kris walks in holding Matthew.   Matthew will also smile and say, "hi mommy" but he runs off the second his feet hit the floor (there are so many more interesting things to a 21 month old than a mommy hug, I suppose).   I have to chase him down for his hugs and kisses. 

I look forward to that moment every day! 

Aloha!   I finally "convinced" Kris that we should travel to Hawaii in honor of his 40th birthday.   I believe his present is probably more that I've stopped nagging him every 2 minutes about it rather than the trip itself.  

This will be Matthew's first time at the beach!   Luke has been quite the little traveler and has experienced beaches in Florida and Aruba.   I suspect Matthew will be a fan of the sand and the water.   He is fearless and wants to try everything!  

I could stare at this picture all day (it's a photo from the resort we'll be staying at).