Melia's Tortillas

WHOOPIE!!

2011-02-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

Through the holiday season I was frantically searching for one of my favorite recipes. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. Apparently it fell from the sky and landed on my desk this morning. It made me say "Whoopie" and I knew I better preserve it digitally.

The Whoopie pie maybe found across the nation now (I hear it is the new cupcake) but when I moved to Maine over 6 years ago I had never heard of it. Here in Maine, Whoopie pies can be found at almost every convenience store, pizzeria, bakery and grocery store. Often located right by the cash register.

My "Cooking the Maine Way" source tells me that Whoopie pies originated in the lunch boxes of industrial era mill workers. Whoopie pies were made from leftover breakfast cakes and a filling of lard and sugar. When a worker found one in his lunch box he would shout "Whoopie."

The recipes have really evolved since then. And this is my absolute favorite.

Pumpkin cookies (A friend of mine gave me this recipe. I omit the chocolate chips for Whoopie use.)
1 small can of pumpkin
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups of sugar
4 tsp baking powder
4 cups of flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 pkg. chocolate chips (omit if making whoopies)

Blend the pumpkin, eggs and oil. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Add all other ingredients and mix.
Bake at 375 F. I have made larger cookies and smaller cookies and adjusted the time accordingly. Start checking at 8 mins. Cookies should turn golden and puffy. Eat one, it should be soft and cakey.

The filling- Cream cheese-
here is my favorite cheat.
1 can of prepared cream cheese frosting
1 pkg of cream cheese
Whip them together until light and airy
Sandwich two cookies together. Experiment with your favorite amount of filling.

Yum yum!!

10 random bits about the kiddies

2011-01-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

1. When Benny sees Sage after her school day, he greets her with a quick, "woof woof."

2. Sage enjoys pbs animations of in the inner workings of human bodies. She pretends she can see inside her own body sometimes. And sometimes (without giving you TMI) medicine will give certain internal organs high-fives and grilled cheese sandwiches high-five the bad guys in her tummy.

3. Benny is obsessed with snowboarding. I have used this to my advantage in every way feasible. A shirt that he doesn't want to put on is quickly called a "snowboarder shirt." Soup is food for snowboarders, etc. It works like a charm.

4. Benny refuses to be put in his bed. No matter how tired he is, he must climb (and sort of drop himself) into his own crib.

5. Sage has learned to do laundry and give herself a shower. I love it. I am sometimes surprised that she has showered. She has also become independent about helping herself to mascara, which, I do not love. Occasionally she has done a good enough job that I don't notice for half the day.

6. Sage dresses in a princess gown (for a whole day) almost every weekend.

7. Breakfast is the only meal that I can count on Benny eating.

8. Sage is a rule follower to the extent that I had to make a rule called "Just have fun" so she wouldn't get stressed when friends are over. Benny, on the other hand, gives a mischievous smile and breaks the rule immediately.

9. Sage falls asleep to the same 5 audio recordings of The Magic Treehouse series for the past three years. They never seem to get old.

10. When Benny asks for "Jack and Annie" (the Magic treehouse characters) during nap-time, he wants me to put on the audiobook and leave so he can climb out of his crib, grab the iPod, and use it to play games like "Snowboarding".

And what is Benny "on" about

2010-05-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

1. Fight any form of restraint. Seat belts, diaper changes, clothing.

2. Be as "outside" as possible. Being on the deck is okay, the lawn is better, being in the trees is even better. If there is a fence or gate being outside that is the best. It gets a little confusing at the track, there are many layers of gates, so just keep going in and out of them till you feel very free.

3. Say as many cute phrases as possible, "Oh man!" and "Hey you guys!" make most family members laugh.

Sage was "on" today

2010-05-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

Sage totally kills me. She is funny, smart and a total character. All day she has been spouting off lines that deserve to be saved for her prosperity and your enjoyment.

"Mom, is today a track practice? Oh good, I know just what I want to wear." (practice was freezing! I had to lie and say the coach told me she had to wear the sweatsuit I brought her.)

At track practice and at the starting line for the 100- "Now remember everyone, this is not a race." The coach almost died!

And an epic story about Martin L. King. I wish I had recorded it, but I am sure I will have another chance. She has been asking me to tell it at least weekly since January.

Here is my synopsis of her version.
"MLK lived after fairy tales and fairy tales happened after the dinosaurs. He also lived far away from Maine cause there are not enough black people in Maine for this story.

There was a lot of slaver that was happening so long. MLK liked going to school but he wanted to go with his friend who was white but he couldn't. Then he remembered he was an adult so he didn't go to school, but did have to go to the grocery store and everyone has to go there sometime. But slaver kept happening longer and longer and that made MLK very sad.

So he taught everyone about their skin and how there are different colors. And then a bad guy shot him but the best part of the story is that his wish came true. Slaver got shorter and shorter until it ended and there was no more slaver."

I know much of this story is flawed but she also explained to me today how blood takes food down to your toes before the bad stuff goes out your booty.

I am usually just impressed that she is so determined to verbalize all of these difficult concepts.

Photos of the week

2010-05-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Who wouldn't be this happy about a lollipop?
I love all the little flowers that pop up in the yard. It makes the first round of mowing bitter sweet.
Sage loves to bring me a bouquet of meadow flowers and Ben is always surprised to see them. He says, "Whoa! Flouwees!"
Benny loves to wear shiny shoes like Sage. Here he is very frustated that it is so hard to walk in heels. Ben also will bring me detangling spray and a hair brush. He says "Ow! Owwee!" as I brush since that is what Sage says.
Sage has been bouncing around with glee over track. They run the kids hard but there is enough time to socialize with teammates so Sage loves it.

Big Fat Teeth and other news.

2010-04-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yay! Benny has 7 enormous teeth. My crystal ball shows braces in Benny's future. I am not sure how any more teeth will fit into his little mouth. But we are all ga-ga over his toothy grin.

Sage is still tons of fun. Usually giggley and joking around. We recently saw Suessical put on by our local Art Center. She loved it and wants to do a play there this summer. Maybe acting but when she makes a play with the Barbies the character she plays the most is the "Stage Manager". It is a very fitting job for her.

Preschool is going well. Sage's teachers really appreciate her candid comments and caring demeanor. Benny and I spent most of a morning in the classroom this week. Sage told everyone at breakfast that Benny was coming as a special visitor. Sage loved showing him off. He had a huge flock of kids playing with him. The kids were getting ansty waiting for recess so the teacher asked them to sing to Benny. Every kid hopped to it. Benny was a little surprised to have such a large group singing at him and edging in closer. Lots of fun and LOTS of little kids.

Benny's Teeth

2010-03-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

At 16 months the boy has 4 teeth. That and 4-7 right below the surface... actually a thick swollen surface over top of the protruding teeth. I joked about getting out an Exacto knife this morning. Scott was appalled. I guess it was not that funny.

Meanwhile... B cries and hits and kicks and BITES. He also sleeps and cuddles. I guess you never know what you will get.... hopefully teeth... hopefully they are pushing through right now, as he sleeps.

Kiddie Updates

2010-03-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Benny my boy!

I am so happy that I have a little baby boy. He is a lot of fun. He is really looking to Scott for guidance these days. He picked up Scott's occasional "um.." He uses it when he is trying to think of the right word. In the middle of the night last night Ben saw a plate of cookies on the counter. He eagerly reached for them and said, "Ummmm, ummm, hab cookie?" This may be his longest string of words yet :)

Sage is just awesome fun. Funny, creative, helpful girl. She is either making a huge messy project or declaring a chore day or cracking jokes. Anything she is doing you can also be sure she is talking. When we ask for more quiet she is quick to smile and say, "Oops. Yeah I am a talker." It is charming.

A new cooking show ala Sage

2010-03-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

Another Sage Production

2010-02-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

We are on Winter Vacation this week. The first day off Sage brought me a piece of paper and pen and told me to list everything we would do during the week. I listed 10 activities. That very day she pushed us through 6 of the activities. Making a movie was the last thing on the list so I am ready for school to start again. Sage is a very busy girl.

Benny has been equally busy. He often wanders around the house finding electronics to stick in the dog water dish or things he can climb and attempt to jump off of. He pretends to know his letters. He points to them and says, "A-O-O," and then smiles proudly.

They are both such awesome kids. I am a very lucky momma.

Olden Days at the Young Family Cabin

2010-02-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

My sister Carrie dug out some old family movies and put them on youtube. This was a really fun trip to the cabin since we had so many cousins there. I am 3 or 4 years old and the cute chubby kid with braided pig tails and white ribbons.

I noticed in the film the deadly teeter totter we used to ride as kids. I am not at all surprised to see that it is as high as I remember. After all we are still testing our luck with the crazy zip line that goes across the property today.

I also like how kids are constantly running around, into and out of the cabin. Nothing really changes.

Sage's first production

2010-02-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen Incredibles? Sage loved that movie and one day had an itch to watch it. Since we didn't have access to it she wanted to make it herself. We have no plot but the special effects are awesome.

Mental Pictures

2010-02-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

I like to take pictures but there are so many quick moments in life I wish I could capture. Sometimes I run after the camera but the moment is over or the kids become hams or camera shy, so more often now I just watch and try to remember.

Today I asked Sage to take Benny's shoes off for him while I made a few sandwiches. My heart melted as she carefully sat him on the step stool. Benny was unusually docile while Sage undid the velcro and slipped his shoes off. Then Sage gave him a little kiss and put his shoes away. I was a very happy mama.

Benny loves to sing. I am trying to capture a few on video but so far its a no go. There are even a couple pop songs that include a chorus that babies can sing. Here are his favs: Boom Boom Pow (Boo boo boo), Umbrella Ella Ella-eh eh eh (Ella ella ella ella ella ella ella ella), Ring around the rosies (Ahis, ahis, Boo boo GO!), Row your boat (Impossible to transcribe).

And now on to video editing... Sage has been producing some cooking shows and a super hero show. I cannot keep up with the editing but filming is always fun for both of us.

Benny is a walker now

2010-01-20T07:31:00.000-08:00

Favorite times from our holiday season

2010-01-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

1. Thanksgiving in VT. It was really awesome, everyone cooked and we met Kevin's super family.
2. Another trip to VT for some crafting, cooking and girl time.
3. Going to Auburn. I got to spend a lot of time with my awesome in-laws. Cammy and I shopped and cooked and had a good time. The kids really liked being outside without bundling up.
4. Sage decorating a little christmas tree in the cousins' clubhouse and the excitedly waiting for the elf to come visit it.
5. Christmas caroling and Karaoke
6. Eating a lot
7. Rock climbing
8. Getting a cute hair cut.
9. Seeing far-away friends.
10. Mexican food and in and out burger.
11. Being with my momma on her birthday.
12. Seeing my Grandma.
13. LION KING with my sis, mom and Sage.
14. My kids flying happily without much fuss.

Latest News

2010-01-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome holiday season that feels like it is still going on since we are on the Birthday Circuit now. Since we have been home we have been busy managing the growing pains that effect little kids. Both kids seem to be on the upswing thanks to antibiotics, frozen teething rings and major amounts of fiber.

What I really want to remember about this week is:
1. my kids have been playing together very well,
2. Benny has been walking around a lot more and talking a lot more.
3. I finally got Benny to hold still while changing his diaper. I just had to ask.
4. Sage coming home on a rough day and saying, "I am glad that is over."
5. Sage begging me for a unicorn pinata for her party and then begging me not to let the kids break it because it is too beautiful.
6. Sage excitedly telling me who "R.S.V.P. ed" to her at school.
7. Baking my fluffiest batch of bread yet and then cutting it with my new electric knife and keeping it fresh in my new bread box.
8. X-C skiing and even taking on a hill several times until I could ski down it without falling and a few more times until my heart resumed normal BPM.
9. Scott moved his big computer into a better spot for me on my birthday. I love it. I am still working on cleaning up the hard drive so I can edit more movies and working on the ergonomics of this new spot.
10. My birthday was great.

Blowing a nose has never been so cute.

2009-12-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Benny is almost 13 months now. He is a little ball of joy.

I think if I got to choose a name for this developmental stage it would be the peek-a-boo phase. Life is fun. For just a little while I can use simple distractions to keep my little explorer happy. When he is upset about coming back inside I can just ask for a high five and suddenly that high five is all the matters. Everyone is smiling and having fun again. Having a sister is really fun during the peek-a-boo phase. She is nearly always ready for a tiny audience to entertain.

Benny's biggest achievement this week is blowing his nose. Somehow he learned how.

He is still not quite walking. At eight months he could walk holding one hand. Not much has changed since then. Someday I know he will find a reason to walk around on his own.

First Crush

2009-11-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Puppy Love has stricken Sage even though she has no idea what it is. It is too cute.

"The Boy" is Reggie. The new boy in class. She talked about him for days. He is "the same tall" as Sage (important because Sage is conscious of being taller than every other kid in her class. "Mom. Am I too tall?" - No you are just right!) He has curly hair and a "dark face". And one day, Reggie even got to be the special helper. Wowee!!

One day Sage was droning on about Reggie again... Trying to stay engaged I said, "It sounds like you really like Reggie."

"No. I LOVE Reggie."

We got to meet Reggie at a Halloween Party last weekend. Afterward Scott asked Sage about Reggie. "So he is your friend huh?"

Sage said, "I am just so excited every time I see him and I don't know why."

Yes. That is my Sage. She can sum up just about anything. Even puppy love.

Dinner at Home

2009-11-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

Monday and Tuesday nights I am on my own with the kids for evening. I try maintain sanity by doing make-ahead meals while Benny is napping. It usually works perfectly.

But early on yesterday I knew my dinner was unlikely to impress anyone in my family. Hockey puck rolls and chicken noodle soup, which is usually okay but the chicken shredded itself into something that didn't need chewing. Everything was edible but nothing was great.

I thought I would spice up dinner for Sage by playing Restaurant. Sage was delighted. I gave her a menu. She ordered the soup and bread. I brought it to her fixed my own and sat down. Sage said, "Okay, now lets pretend that you are my mom and we are eating at the restaurant."

"Okay. Sure."

"Mom. I don't really like this restaurant. I think we should have gone to Stone Dog or Applebees."

News and Views

2009-10-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

Scott- Busy, busy, busy. This a semester is filled with documentation, evaluation, paperwork blah blah blah. He his sorting through the last few years of his professional life and we are all proud. He is missing summer fishing, looking forward to skiing, and doing his best to be around here and involved the kids.

Sage- the true academic- She is very interested in understanding the why of everything. I feel I can be very honest with her even at four because she doesn't accept the watered-down version of things. She absolutely loves school. I thought she would be exhausted after a full 5 hour day, but she comes home full of ideas and she puts me to work with projects of all kinds. She is still impartial to handedness, which makes writing the letter S very difficult. I am equally hesitant to pick a hand for her. I have tested writing letters in flour, pencil grasp, finding the dominant foot (left- like me) etc.. no conclusions yet. I am going to find her a pair of lefty safety scissors to see if they are easier for her... after that ????

Benny- Moving up up up. I think our home will have to undergo another round of baby-proofing. Benny climbs like Sagey never did. He also ROARS and head-butts! Is it testosterone? He is a much shier than baby Sage was. The one thing I can see that is similar is the ability to talk. He uses mama, dada, dog, cat, sissy, cracker, bath tub, this, that, baba, roar, ball, slide, all done, hi, hello, bah-bye.... I am always amazed at what he says at home... but in public it is a stoic gaze and slight frown and if anyone talks to him he hides his face. He also loves shoes like Sage did. If anyone leaves their shoes on the floor Benny will find them and wrestle with them until they are on his feet.

Me- I keep putting exercise on the back burner and kids, crafting and cleaning at the front. Sleep needs to be reclaimed too. We have had a couple of weeks of sick kids and I am looking forward to a few weeks of normalcy so I can catch up with my goals again.

Careful Consumer

2009-10-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

In the past 2 months I have read 1000's of consumer reviews. It is not a phony-internet-scam-job or a new hobby. I just had to replace a few key products in my household. My zeal for the reviews began when I found a beautiful used wood pellet stove. Scott was lined up to go test it and buy it when we found a splattering of horrible reviews for that very stove. Eventually we found much better reviews for a much less attractive stove and we bought it.

Next I had to replace my mop, then the frying pans, a space heater, boots for Scott and finally the vacuum. As each item popped up I dug into consumer reviews and mulled over my options until the obvious answer popped up. I think I must love window shopping more than the actual buying. My research for mops, frying pans, and boots would have been a little quicker if I would have known there would be more products to look for later... but I am also very happy with every new choice so far.

Our biggest decision this week came after we won the lottery! $32,000,000! Should we keep on trucking through our life here or grab the kids and head to Palau for some scuba diving adventures..... hmmm..

Just kidding... we don't play the real lottery but Sage did get a spot at our government-sponsored preschool, so it kind of feels like winning the lottery. There were a few things that made the switch a difficult family decision but now that it is made we all feel happy. Sage is very excited about her new school. Me too... here is why:
1. It is free!
2. Sage can ride the bus to and from school which means I don't have to wake Benny up from his nap to pick her up.
3. They will be serving breakfast and lunch to the kids. Sage loved the "egg mc-muffin" she had there on Thursday. She loved pouring her own milk from the measuring cup and picking up toast with tongs.
4. The kids will brush their teeth after breakfast. Wow! My mornings are going to be a lot easier.
5. Sage will be in school with kids from our own (tri-town) neighborhood.

So today is Sage's last day at the Art and Science preschool. She has loved it and been so happy since she started there.

Baby Tears

2009-09-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Benny cried his first real tears yesterday. They were so precious and plump. I wanted to jar them and save them forever. Those first tears were also very powerful. I didn't see the incident but Sage apologized to Benny and gave him the puzzle that was denied him. It was very cute. Sage said he could keep the puzzle forever and she was sorry she made his tears come out.

Squash Cam: Edition Two

2009-08-26T09:39:00.001-07:00

Forget-me-nots

2009-08-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sage asked for a desktop for Christmas. She doesn't think it is too early to ask. She is clear on what a desktop is.

Benny loves to laugh. He has laughing sessions where he will find humor in almost anything, like the edge of the rug.

Squash Cam: Edition One

2009-08-22T17:01:00.002-07:00

Go Benny Go!

2009-08-22T17:01:00.001-07:00

Another Talker

2009-07-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

It's Benny! Yesterday was chalk full of "mum-mum"s. He has used , mama, da-da and hi before but not consistently. I remembered that Sage really caught on to using "mama" in the matter of minutes. One "mama" and my reaction was so much fun that she said it again and again. The first time Benny said "mama" he got scooped up and snuggled by me. The next time he said "mama" he was slightly mauled by an excited and loving big sister. I would be a little scared to talk again too.

Thinking about the future

2009-07-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

"Mom, will I get old?"
"Yes. But you have a lot of time before that happens and you will do lots of things before then......."

For the next 20 minutes she planned out her life as a momma.

She would like 2 kids, twins, named Tick and Mudge.

She plans on having lots of jobs like, cleaning the floors, feeding the babies, dressing the babies....She named about 20 jobs a mother might do.

Her husband will help by holding the babies so she can cook dinner.

She will bring them to visit their Grandma everyday. I told her I liked that idea since I would be the Grandma. She wondered who the Grandpa would be. I told her it would be Scott. She thought Scott better get a motorcycle so that he could take the babies on rides.

Sage also wondered what would happen to her grandparents in this scenario. I explained that they would be the great-grandparents. She said, "they better get a smaller house."

The Bark that says, "Come and get your kid!"

2009-07-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

I am having a great summer. We have had plenty of beach time which makes me happiest of all. With all the fun things to do computer time has diminished. I want to keep tabs on memories that are important to me so I continue to blog in that spirit.

Benny is so much fun. He has a great sense of humor and is loving life as a mobile adventurer.

Sage is having a great time at summer camp this week. She also had a great time with her Dana cousins this month and is super excited to see her Fuller cousins soon too.

Scott has caught a lot of fish this year. He is getting to know the area quite well. He just might know the biggest fish from the cleanest ponds.

Blogging on a Friday night

2009-06-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in my living room at 8:32 P.M. The time is important because Benny is being forced to remain in his crib against his will. He is screaming. My neighbor is using his chainsaw. I am not sure who is louder but at times like these I wait 10 minutes before I allow myself to feel any guilt. If nothing has changed at 8:42 I will most likely feel a great sinking sensation and then try to figure out a plan B that does not involve saving Benny from crying himself to sleep.

Lucky me. Both noises stopped at 8:38!

More Memories of Grandma- Written and compiled by Carrie.

2009-06-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Memories of Grandma Young
I've been asked to share some memories of Grandma that my brother and sisters and I have. Last Mother's Day Dottie's family put together a book of memories for her, so I will mention some of the memories we've written there.

Some of my first memories of Grandma were of visiting her in Las Vegas. She had an orange cookie jar and there were always cookies in it for us. Her house was always spotless and she always got up early to work at the hospital. She was a hard worker and one of the best cooks ever and I loved going to her house for Thanksgiving. She made the best rolls and she'd tell me she'd made plenty mashed potatoes, because they were my favorite.

Of course all of us have great memories of spending time with Grandma at the cabin and of playing California Rummy with her. Melia said, "Your sweet charms hide the fact that you are a true card shark." My husband, Allen said, "Shortly after Carrie and I were married I was trying to help with the dishes. I thought Grandma was going to wrestle me away from the sink. I was surprised how such a small lady could push with her hips. She always made sure I had plenty to eat."

Jeff remembers "Grandma's cooking is some of the best I have eaten, especially the brownies with caramel at Christmas time." When Jeff and Courtney were first married they lived at Grandma's house for the summer while she was at the cabin. Courtney said, "Jeff was hopeful she could teach me how to cook. The week or two together wasn't long enough to teach me to cook, but I loved dinner with Grandma. Not only was the food delicious but Grandma entertained us with stories from her childhood and her years as a young mother."

Dionne remembers distinguishing Grandma from her other grandma by asking mom if she was the one who gave her the pink frill panties. Apparently she had given her some really cute underwear for Christmas once.

Grandma babysat Melia and Ruth when my mother started working again. Melia said, "I felt like I was an extra lucky kid to get to have you in my life. It was always special to get to go to your house and play. Multiply that joy by 1000 and that is how I felt about being at the cabin with you." Ruth remembers, " When I was a kid and my dad would bring me to your house, I was still asleep and I would cuddle up next to you for the rest of the morning. I have good memories of you babysitting me then."

Some other memories of Grandma:
Golden liquid Chamberlain Lotion, that smell will always remind us of her.
"Fiddlesticks" and "Oh my land!"
Hearing the story of how Grandpa stole her away from her fiance.
Receiving birthday cards from her every year without fail, and knowing that she cared for each of us individually.
And my favorite: watching her enjoy your great-grandchildren.

We love you Grandma, thank you for being ours.

Benny Crawling

2009-06-18T12:59:00.001-07:00

Dance Recital

2009-06-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hey yall,

Here is a video of Sage's dance recital. She looked really cute. I included two dances in the video. In case you recently had to sit through your own 2.5 hour recital and can't even pretend you are interested in watching a poor quality video of one, I will recap.

The first dance is to Bradda Iz's "over the rainbow". The little girls in the class obviously are enjoying their fluffy tutus and the audience's praise.

The last dance is House of Pain's "jump around". At this point it was 9:30 pm. Sage was TIRED which made the dance a little bit more comical.

A baby wrangler's diary

2009-06-16T04:20:00.000-07:00

Bawling to Crawl- Benny is crawling. Sometimes he goes sideways, sometimes backwards and sometimes all the limbs get in a big knot in the middle. Most of the time he sounds frustrated and miserable. Poor kid. I give him a quick tight hug and he starts practicing again.

More Practice- I have been impressed by Sage's determination. She has been practicing the trickier gymnastics moves at home and getting much better in class. Her spring board vault this week was very smooth. Unfortunately if Sage knows I am watching she gets distracted. I only catch glimpses. A parent and Sage's coach told me she was awesome. She has also been practicing the wheelbarrow, crab walk, and yoga. Wheelbarrow has been her favorite and my back is killing me.

Routines and Sleep- I love it and want some more of it. Thankfully everyone has been cooperating. No miracles or anything but it has been easier to predict what the little people need. Benny is doing well at night and he takes a full-length nap in the morning.

Sage Asks- "Do adults cry?"
"Yes they do. I have been crying because I am sad about my Grandma .... But I usually cry when I am alone because I have time to think about her and miss her."
"Were you being sneaky? Its okay. Just tell me the truth."

A letter to my grandma

2009-06-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Grandma Veda-
I have been looking forward to seeing you at the end of this month. It makes me sad to know I missed you. But I have really enjoyed thinking of you while anticipating our reunion. I have a lot of happy pictures in my head of times in your home.
I think of your pretty house and yard. Yellow and white, and the in the everything was organized and behind doors. All you saw was cheery blue paint covering every surface. Even the floor. Everything entirely spotless and gleaming.
I think of “The Price is Right.” It really is a fun show. I think about all the many times you tended me. It was so much fun to spend time with you. I also think of the matinee on Saturday afternoon.
Becoming a woman, I thought of you being engaged a few times rather than just once. I was glad you were able to be silly, young and flirtatious and then able to share the stories with the grandkids.
On the card of my wedding gift you wrote, “Just be happy.” I treasure these words. Following your advice has made my life richer. Thank you for offering such a simple and wise blessing.
Today I planted a lilac bush to remind me of you. It should bloom at the beginning of June every year. I love you and will always cherish your memories and stories.
Love,
Melia

Zero point Five-

2009-06-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

Benny is six months old! Well actually almost 7 months old but I've been a little busy in the garden

Current tricks-

Sitting up!! I am so glad. It really makes things like dinner and shopping easier. Plus he is less likely to cry when I put him down if I can sit him up and give him a few toys.

Shaking his head no. I am still working on yes with him

Moving onto all fours. He may be crawling soon.

Removing and reinserting his binki (I know.... these are some wicked awesome skills...)

Making new sounds like "Iwabbawahwah."

Aren't babies awesome?

Would you call this swimming?

2009-05-23T19:33:00.001-07:00

1244th Place

2009-05-10T12:16:00.001-07:00

Today is a hallmark for me. My first of many races (I hope). I started my training program strong but got a little sidetracked this past month (who wants to run when you can stop to smell the flowers- especially after a long winter.)

My time was respectable 31:03- I am excited to break 30 minutes next time I race.

Sage getting ready for the fun run. All the kids were #1!!!

Sage having fun and running. What could be better?

Sage finished first.... well not really.... we ended the race for her after a 1/4 mile. We thought a whole mile might be a little much.

Sage was so excited for her medal.

Sage and Bam

Me in the masses of the starting line.

That is a lot of people!!! I guess 1244th place isn't so bad after all.

Benny Bubba Buster Boy

2009-05-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

We are a family of nicknamers and nicknamed.

The most nicknamed is Benny-
Sage calls him: Buster, Bubba, and Benny Boy
Scott calls him: Boy and Benny Lava
I call him: Benioni (BENNY-OH-NEE), Bobby B. and Benny Blue

Sage has some endearing names as well-
Scott calls her: GahZoo
I call her: Sagey, ZooZoo and Sissy (I am trying to stop the last one since there are a lot of Sissy's in the world.)

Scott calls me: Dean and Deana- I don't think anyone remembers why. and sometimes Mel-Z-5
Sage calls me: Mamma and occasionally Mah-Wee-Ah. (Melia with a little mispronunciation)

Scott is Scott, Dad or Scotty to Sage and I. He is the ultimate nicknamer but is seriously lacking unusual monikers for himself. I guess I better get creative.

New Video of Benny

2009-04-29T13:20:00.001-07:00

Easter Road Trip to NJ

2009-04-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

We had the best time in NJ this last weekend with my brother's family.

THE DRIVE
First I have to say that the driving went very well. I was overly worried (this runs in the family) but I practiced some visualization techniques and ABRACADABRA everything worked out in a positive way. Sage was a rock star. Benny was very patient and a good cat napper. Scott said that tending to the kids while in the passenger seat made time go by much faster. In the traffic jam we took pictures, awing and oh-ing over anything we could see that was NYC. I took a picture of what I thought was the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge but I am sure I got it wrong.

THE PLACE
Sunny, suburb of Philadelphia. There were cherry trees blossoming and green lawns. Jeff and Courtney have a great rental and a gorgeous house that they are buying and moving into. The town has fun attractions. We hit some shopping, a kid's museum, and their amazing recreation center (indoor/outdoor playgrounds and pools +++.)

THE COMPANY
Jeff- my conscientious older brother. Now a dad of 5 small kids! Scott and I were very impressed with his ability to feed 6 kids in under 3 minutes. It was really amazing.
Courtney- Supermom with a smile. She can run the household while smiling and after only minimal sleep (I don't think she even got an average of 6 hours a night). Plus no caffeine or complaining. Amazing. She is also a great blogger and photographer.
The Kids- Seth (6 or 7), Paige, Kate, Ellie (5) and Chase (2). The kids are all a lot of fun. Seth was so sweet with Benny. The girls included Sage and were excellent about sharing their toys. Chase is a cutie. I loved seeing him run around like he was one of the big kids.

THE VERDICT
4 thumbs up! We hope to visit again soon. There are more pictures to be seen at fiveunderfive.blogspot.com

Benny News

2009-04-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

I am attempting to keep track of Benny's milestones in the safety of the digital world.

Today he rolled from his back to his tummy. :) It is exciting that he is learning to get around. Soon he will be able to retrieve his toys and crawl around the yard this summer.

The other big news is that I ironed a shirt for myself today. Wow!! 10 min. later Benny blaffed on it. Murphy's law, for sure, I think the last time I ironed clothing for myself was for Laurel and Ricardo's wedding. And now that I think about that, I am reminded that Sage yacked all over me in that dress too. hummm.. maybe ironing is not such a great idea.

Happy April Fool's Day

2009-04-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

We hit up some classic fools tricks this year. Sage thought it was hilarious and I even got Scott (for a split second)
Prank #1- Not pictured- I put a Crayola fizzy yellow bath tablet in the shower head for Scott. GOTCHA
Prank #2- Pinning a chicken to Scott's favorite hat. I don't think he actually got it on before seeing it.

Prank #3- Dining Throne- I bought a new toilet seat during the day. Scott came up with the joke for Sage. She loved it.

Dinner and Dancing

2009-03-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

In my dreams

2009-03-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

I have great dreams. They are vivid, with great characters, and usually have a good story line. Sometimes I wake up and think that my dream was so entertaining that I should write it down and sell it as a novel. (then I really wake up and realize I have things to do and I forget the plot).

The funny thing about my dreams is that I am not in them very often. It is more like watching a movie rather than experiencing the story.

Last night was different. I was the main character of my dream. Are you ready for the story line? I was mopping the floor.... and that was all that happened. I even think the dream was in black and white. Bland Bland Bland.

The contrast is so extreme that it is funny. Any dream analysis experts out there?

She's come a long way

2009-03-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today I felt like I was putting the kids need for my attention off quite a bit. Benny still got a lot of attention but Sage was put on tasks and on hold for about 1/2 the day while I muddled through Benny maintenance, a 20 min workout, housework, cooking, feeding and a few phone calls and emails.

Finally I said, "Dinner is in the oven. I have 20 minutes for playing and caring for you and Benny." Sage was happy. I had to feed Benny through half of our pretending "animal shelter" time but there was no complaint from Sage.

This made me think of Benny's first week home. I remember Sage being very frustrated with all the time I spent feeding Benny. Her exact words were, "No MOM!! Not again!" Those first weeks were rough. Things are getting easier everyday.

I am very proud of her great attitude toward her brother.

The Circus

2009-03-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

I just found out that we are allowed to make up gymnastics classes, but only for the next two weeks. We have done 2 classes this week and have 5 more to go before next Sat. It seems like a lot but it will be good for her skills. I told her we are going to play circus for a couple weeks.

She loves to pretend and I am circus obsessed since reading "Water for Elephants" last week. At night she has to go into her train sleeping car and rest up for the next stop.

This morning I had to wake Sage up for a gym class that meets 2 hours earlier than usual. Benny and I woke her up gently. When she realized she had to get out of bed to go to gymnastics she had 3 or 4 tears roll down her cheeks. She really wanted to go but she really loves to sleep in.

She had a lot of fun. She had a different coach this morning. It was good for her to have a different perspective.

This afternoon is dance class. I think I will need to put her in the sleeper car for a nap time today.

Rain of Toys, Reign of Terror-

2009-03-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

It happened. My first born hurt my baby. Actually everyone is fine. Sage knows that throwing toys is against the rules and a big "safety violation". Now she also knows that letting toys "rain" onto her brother is also against the rules. Luckily Benny is very vocal and dramatic. The shrieks were very scary for everyone. The redness and bump on Benny's head was minor.

persuasive arguments

2009-02-25T15:22:00.000-08:00

sage: "mom... you know what wish???"

me: "what's that baby?"

sage: " wait, wait, wait...... um..(wheels are turning...)...... Don't you think that everyone needs a friend?"

me: "yes."

sage: "well I think we should get another dog and another cat so that johnson...."

me: "what!?? no way..... I thought you wanted a snake and a bird..... and a sheep. No more animals....."

Overdoing it?

2009-02-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

Okay now I have a little video of Scotty "throwing snow" and Benny, myself and the animals watching him from the comforts of the indoors.

You can see what 16 inches of snow looks like in action.

Re-arrange-oholic

2009-02-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

The last arrangement did last a year. Great for watching TV but the room had more potential.

The family agrees that the new room is good.
Oh yes- we have some extra stereo equipment (soon to sell on craigslist).

Sleeping Benny

2009-02-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

I wish he could sleep on a pillow all the time. He looks so comfy.

He is just learned to suck his thumb. It has done the trick a few times on the road.

No Power for 36 Hours

2009-02-24T09:35:00.000-08:00

The culprit:

16 1/2 inches of heavy snow.

The fireplace was toasty. Kids were snuggled. The living room became a pretend world where you can cross the ocean on a bridge. We even cooked food with fire which is no easy task. Luckily Scott is quite skilled with survival skills.

Scott worked hard. He plowed all the snow, hauled wood, and then went skiing. Also he had to cook the water and trek out for survival gear-- including pizza.

We all slept in the living room. I fell asleep before Sage. It was a nice long nights sleep. I learned that Sage talks a lot in her sleep. She giggled and talked for about 20 minutes.

All was well.

This morning felt like we had been camping out. There was no way to clean dishes or bathrooms, so I wanted out. We quickly put away our beds gathered up soaps and fresh clothes and headed to Scott's school for a shower. I was a little but embarrassed to ask but I was told that everyone was coming out of the woodwork for a shower today. The Seniors Aqua Fitness class finished while we were getting dressed. I think Benny's cheeks got pinched a few times. He loved it.

When we got home the house was 45 degrees. But luckily Sage wished really hard for a long time and then the power came back on. All my cleaning appliances are just finishing their cycles. I am very grateful.

Benny Can Roll

2009-02-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

Video from Bam's Camera

2009-02-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

We had lots of fun with Bam on a stop over on her way to see Cousin Alex in a play. We had great company and great weather. Here are some videos Bam took.

a list of random things...

2009-02-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

why no capitalization? usually one hand is busy holding benny.

our town has banned black trash bags from the dump. we are not sure why.

benny is a "johnny jump up" kid now. he loves it. video coming soon....

i am not 19 anymore. when i fall on ice repeatedly my joints get very cranky. (i was trying to snowboard our sled around the yard like scotty does..)

would you eat a bag of oranges left on your doorstep in a heart motif bag without a note? i hope my neighbors will. we dropped off 5 bags today and only got caught twice. partly i wanted to be anonymous, partly i just needed to get it done and was too lazy to write out notes. last year we did write notes but from secret admirers.

When she grows up...

2009-02-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

Sage has narrowed her career options: for a long time Sage has claimed that she would be a Dr. when she grows up. Yesterday she casually mentioned she will be a video doctor. I thought little of this since she is 4, but today it resurfaced. Apparently a video doctor is a ultrasound technician. She described it as a person who takes videos of babies when they are in their mamma's bellies.

I started to wonder if she realized there were many careers to chose from rather than just those in the medical field.

I asked, "What do you think it would be like to be a librarian?"

Sage said, "I think it would be very boring." Especially funny since she loves all of our librarians.

(Being a teacher, coach, and working in a store are all equally "not-as-good" as a video doctor.)

My Big Sister is 40!

2009-02-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

I can see Carrie now climbing to the top of The Hill. Oh boy we are growing up.

Having a sister that is 10 years older than you definitely has its advantages (especially when said sister is terrifically fun and kind.)

Here are some fun things of note.
-She used to wash my hair for me in the sink since I was too scared to get in the shower.
-She let Allie and I come stay with her every summer. This was a lot of work especially when she had her own new family. We always had a lot of fun.
-She inspired my love of making videos. She is a master and an occasionally paid professional now ( I have a lot to learn). We made a dinosaur movie together when I was just a kid. We had some major special effects but not much of a plot.
-She is an awesome mom. I know she must be because her kids are smart, talented, kind and loving.
-I also quote two pieces of parenting advice she gave me quite often..
1. "It is just a phase" Don't worry about the bad times because they will end. Enjoy the good times because they will end too.
2. "It is not babysitting. It is parenting." Referring to the dad's role. It is good to remember not to feel guilty about leaving daddy with the kids every now and then.
- She is sporty and quite competitive. She loves playing softball, volleyball and is even coaching her daughter's basketball team.

Happy Birthday Carrie

Another Video

2009-02-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

Perfect timing. Benny is 3 months old today.

New Videos using iLife 09

2009-02-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

First video of Benny on youtube.

2009-02-04T18:54:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited!!!

2009-02-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

iLife '09 software just arrived. I am so excited to start making some new movies. I am feverishly making DVDs of all my old movie projects so I can clean up the hard drive a bit before installing. Making DVDs takes a while. I am on my last copy and the time remaining has been "about one minute" for a realllllly long time....

The Secret or the Power of Threes.

2009-02-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

I really am a Science type of gal. Superstitions haven't come in to my mind since I was a girl. But this is funny because it is true.

We have had some home repair life lessons.

1. Mystery smell in the bathroom requires gruesome but simple repair job. This was diagnosed by our new friend Kevin. It was rather embarrassing that our house guest could diagnosis it from the next room. Ugh!

2. The heat seems to go berserk. it keeps getting warmer and warmer. I replace the thermostat but it doesn't fix the problem. We spend another night overheating and worried about oil and global warming. Our dear friend Dave comes over and assesses the situation and fixes it, literally by banging on the pipes for a while.

Then I think, "That is two annoying things this week. Where is number three? It is lurking somewhere and will probably sneak up on us."

3. Oven stops reaching temperature. I didn't notice. I thought I did something wrong while preping the meal. I was cooking 3lbs of salmon rather than 1 lb since we had lunch guests. The salmon took forever to cook. Everyone must have been starving. The same thing happened the day before while everyone was waiting for a beautiful breakfast. Guests wait hours for their meals..Still I am clueless.... I didn't think about the heating element until today while making dinner.

Next time I will remember to "think-positive" and then "knock-on-wood".

Story Time

2009-01-28T13:47:00.003-08:00

Now I am pleased to present photos from Story Time. We are lucky enough to have Auntie Melinda with us and she is a wonderful photographer. I will be post more of her visit with us. As soon as *blogably possible.

Gonzo, who lives on the library shelves. Sage likes to find him. He helps "peck" books. Every book we take home is pecked by Gonzo and then picked by Sage.

After the Story Lady reads a book we do a craft. This is a monkey.

* here this word is meant to convey the meaning that sometimes my family sees less importance in blogging than I do. I am sure most blogger moms can relate.

The Kids and the Food

2009-01-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

It is official. Benny has grown. 2 feet long and 10 pounds 7 ozs. His dad likes to "roar" at him to make him laugh.

Sage is ever creative. She hounded me to help her make these "fruit snacks". I think I liked them the best. Orange slices and grapefruit juice frozen on a stick.

I have been making bread for my family.

Here is the last bite of the delicous omelet I just learn how to make.
I thought I was the only person obsessed with the treatment of my egg pan. I am glad this article cleared up the matter.

Quirks- Another idea stolen from Carrie

2009-01-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

We are still in the infirmary. It is a lot less cute now that I am sick too. Anyhow, after two weeks of germs and isolation I have nothing to blog. Luckily, my big sis is also feeling like she is running low on blogging fodder and offered up this quirky solution.

5 Quirky things about me-

1.
I am prone to light-headedness and fainting. I especially avoid hot tubs and anything that has to do with pain or blood. I cover my eyes during movies and medical tv shows.

2.
I have never had a cavity. I probably don't deserve this distinction but my teeth are supernaturally strong.

3.
I am a slow auditory processor. I usually need phone numbers, dates, spellings repeated if I am trying to write them down. And when Scott does the parental trick where he spells something so that Sage doesn't know what we talking about, I also won't know what we are talking about until he spells the word again s-l-o-w-l-y.

4.
I am a picky eater. Pineapple, shellfish, melons are all out. The list used to be much longer but I am trying to diversify.

5.
I tend to squint and have a high sensitivity to light. I blame it on growing up in always sunny Las Vegas in a school system that banned sunglasses. My MIL Cammy knows how hard it is to get a picture of me with my eyes open. My eye dr. in Hawaii made me compose and sign a waiver since I refused to have my pupils dilated. The one time I allowed the dilation I was out of commission all day with a horrid headache and nausea. Even with small pupils it is quite a struggle to look into the light during the examination.

I wish more of my quirks were positive. At least I have my smile and ability to chew on tin foil without getting shocked. Let me tell you how many times that has come in handy..... Plen-ty.

so what are your quirks?

Notes from the Infirmary

2009-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

I know this may sound strange, but I am going to blog my favorite moments of our recent and on-going family flu.

-Sage sounds so cute when she has a stuffy nose, My favorite word is "mudder."
"Tanks, mudder."

-I loved having the house to myself during the rare occurrence of both kids being asleep.

-This morning Sage is a bit perkier- She has a Dora movie on and is playing on PBSkids.org. I walked into the room and felt happy to see her look colorful and perky and surprised by the multimedia-festivities going on. I commented, "Look at you!"
Sage replied, "I know. Isn't it great."

-I was able to quickly tidy the linen closet since most of them were cycling through the system.

-I loved hearing how much Scott and Sage missed holding and playing with Benny. I realized how much Sage and Scott help me with him.

I think everyone is out of the thick of it.

Happy Benny

2009-01-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

Benny at nine weeks

The Fun Never Stops....

2008-12-27T18:02:00.000-08:00

Sage is 4 today! We had another fun filled day of presents, sugar and merriment.

Sage added the Halloween decorations to her cake. It was quite festive.

We went to a dance class party. Complete with loud music and a strobe light. Wish we could say we made a graceful exit but there was a last minute squabble over a pink balloon. Both girls got one in the end but Sage still had a lot of tears to shed. We will be sure to bring a pink peace offering to the other little girl next week.

merry christmas

2008-12-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

Trying out Sage's new snowshoes and snowball makers. Check out all those perfectly formed snowballs!

Our new Christmas figures, my "new-to-me" treadmill (deal of the year $20 bucks and some handy work by Scotty), Sage ready to head out to play

Christmas decorations, opening presents, making cookies for Santa, and yummy oranges from Bam's house.

2008-12-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Benny will be 8 weeks old on Christmas. I cannot believe how fast he is growing.

This is Benny and I in our outdoor gear.

He wasn't so happy about it today.

Sage is having fun.

Scott is doing a great job clearing the yard solo style. I am glad to have a break from helping.

Freeze Dance Costume

2008-12-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

Sage was going for a look inspired by the song, "monkeys jumping on the bed."

canine vs. feline

2008-12-20T18:44:00.001-08:00

Here is a little commentary on the furriest Fullers.

Johnson (dog) has picked some new battles....
She hasn't been eating her food. She prefers to sit by it and growl away April (cat) from the entire room. Our little dog Max used to do that to Johnson. Does this mean April is the top dog and Johnson is just fighting for a spot in the house?

Johnson also motivates me to do the dishes right away. If I don't, she will harass me until I do. My best guesses on this matter are 1. The smell of yummy food she cannot have bothers her. Or 2. She is protecting the area from April Kitty who does not mind being caught on the counter sampling whatever crumbs are left around. Johnson wold love to sample the crumbs but wouldn't dare hop up to do it...

April likes to push the boundaries. I often find her sleeping either on Johnson's bed or Sage's bed. Although J-dog doesn't fight these matters she does keep the cat away from Benny. I am sure everything will settle down soon enough. And I am glad Johnson is doing her part to keep April in-line.

Holiday Stuff

2008-12-13T18:23:00.000-08:00

A cute holiday survey... found on the great Carrie Blogger Wallace's site.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I have never had eggnog. I am not anxious to try it either.

2. Do you wrap presents or bag them? Anything that is not in a box or a reasonable shape should be bagged. I have quite a stockpile of holiday bags from years past so-- I probably bag boxes too.

3. Colored lights or White? Both.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you decorate? When I get the bug. I like to clean out before decorating so I usually get delayed quite a bit.

6. Favorite holiday dish? Stuffing

7. When and how did you learn about Santa? I don't know. The line has been blurred since I was quite sure if I fessed up my haul would be greatly reduced.

8. How do you decorate your tree? Put lights on and then the ornaments.

9. Snow...love it or dread it? Love it in December, Jan and Feb. I start to get a little weary in April.

10. Can you ice skate? Yes, Last year I skated my driveway.

11. Do you remember your favorite gift? A Barbie daybed and desk.

12. What is the most important part of the holidays? Love and fun.

13. Favorite holiday dessert?
Chocolate covered nuts-- especially See's

14. Favorite memory?
It is hard to pick just one. I have had some awesome Christmas's. As a kid I remember getting a big kick out of going to Mt. charleston to play in the snow on x-mas eve and then to my grandparent's house for dinner with cousins. The next morning was torture since I would be so excited that I would wake up at 3 or 4 and have to wait hours for presents.
I also like the non-tradional x-mas trips. Cammy and Art took us to Belize and Guatemala one year. That was an awesome trip. We went repelling and floating through caves, scuba diving, ruin exploring-- you name it we did it. Fun fun fun.

15. Do you have a special ornament? I think my mom has some I really like. She croceted beautiful snowflakes that we used to put on the tree. They were hardened with sugar. I remember sucking the sugar off one ornament at a time.

16. What do you do on Christmas Eve? No real traditions set up yet.

17. If you could have anything for Christmas this year what would it be? That is a tough question. A staff maybe or millions of dollars. I really asked for a baby sling if I can find one that will hold Benny in his favorite position.

18. What do you do for neighbors and friends for Christmas? We have made cookies or given oranges.

"It's going to be a merry Christmas"

2008-12-13T17:33:00.000-08:00

Scott has line that he likes to use around this time of year, "Its going to be a lean Christmas."

Sage corrected him by saying, "No Dad! It is going to be a Merry Christmas!"

How wise.... How very sage.

It really takes the pressure off to stop worrying about lean or plentiful and just focus on being merry.

So don't call our tree a "Charlie Brown tree" unless you are referring to how our love for it made it beautiful.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now a ramblish journal entry-

I gave Sage a dollar at our local Family Dollar store last month. Man, oh man, is she a careful shopper... We picked through the dollar bins over and over as she sized each toy up. "Wow. These Barbie clothes are great... But I already have a lot of Barbie clothes." "I like this little phone but I don't think it works very well." Finally she settled on some super bouncy balls. They are lots of fun.

And Benny is really truly smiling now. I know because it was in response to my smile and attention rather than the mobile on his swing. My mom was witness to Sage's first real smile which occurred when she was no more than 3 days old so I feel like I have been waiting on Benny's smile for a long time. He has been interactive just mostly with grunts and scowls. So maybe the boy finally likes us...

Ice Storm '08

2008-12-13T17:21:00.000-08:00

We had a little ice storm Thursday night. I love the effect of ice coated trees and sunlight after the storm. We only lost power a few times so I am sure the sight of ice is a lot more pleasant to me then the 1000's of folks without power all day and night.

Benny Smiles- i think

2008-12-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

stream of bloggishness

2008-12-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

Mr. Fussibritches- This is my nickname for Benny. If you like holding babies 24/7 you will love Benny.

Baby bjorn- Great for life. Not so great for eating.

Pandora- A online radio station you can shape by giving the songs it chooses for you thumbs up or down. Right now I am listening to a mix of stations inspired by Coldplay, Macy Gray's Christmas album, and Miles Davis. Very fun. Can't beat the price...0.0 dollars.

New software from apple- Scotty got a added bonus from a computer that his school purchased. An iPod touch. We can now play pandora on this iPod which means we just dock it and stream over the WiFi. The dock is in the kitchen so dishes have become fun again.

Gymnastics and Dance- Sage is now the queen of our routine. For quite a while activities and even story time at the library were put on hold so that we could go to the gym everyday. The gym will not babysit Benny so we are done there for at least 9 months. Too bad for me but Sage is loving her life. Her gymnastics class is challenging. The veterans of the class are doing pull ups, hand stands and back somersaults. Sage is currently being assisted to do these things.

Benny Boy

2008-12-06T11:23:00.001-08:00

Is it really Dec. 3rd??

2008-12-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

Oh my... I was just reading my SIL's blog, fiveunderfive. I was quite impressed with her preparedness for the holiday's especially since she stated that she was feeling lazy....

I however have done nothing about anything..... I practically cancelled Thanksgiving and now the thought of decorations and Christmas excitement just makes me tired. Luckily Scott will be out of school soon and I am sure he can be counted on to save yet another holiday.

The benefits of a lobster Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

1. They cook very quickly and never need basting.
2. You can have lobster races as pre-dinner entertainment.
3. Much like turkey, lobster is a tranquilizer.
4. Less leftovers. On black Friday when everyone is at the mall, you can go to the grocery store and score a great deal on fresh turkey.

___________________________________________

Ruth was here for our Thanksgiving week. It was great to have an extra adult to help wrangle the babies around here. She also makes a mean lasagna.

The family is sleeping in...

2008-11-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

So here is the scoop on how things are with the new baby.

For the past week or so we have had the help of Cammy a.k.a. Bam. It has been heavenly to take naps and be fed and cared for. Sage has taken a new liking to breakfast since Bam makes the best breakfast. I guess I am not into cooking early in the day. My family may get some baked good once in a while.. but other than that choices are eggs, toast, tea, cereal, fruit or oatmeal. I am the only one who regularly eats breakfast. Hmmmm.... But nobody skipped Bam's breakfast.

Editor's Note
I wrote this a while ago... It is about time it is posted.

To add to this stream of thought.... Cooking has not been so easy. It is not so much a time or energy issue but more a inability to focus. I have burnt a few meals and used the wrong measuring cup. Scott is such a good cook that it makes me feel guilty to serve such unsavory meals. Oh well. I have claimed a month of amnesty for absentmindedness. I am trying to get it together.

More Pix of Benny

2008-11-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

Birthing in Denial

2008-11-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

Wednesday afternoon I was (still pregnant and) put on bed rest for preeclampsia. I had often thought during the last few months that I really could use about 3 days of bed rest. I thought my wish was coming true since I still had 4 days until my due date.

But at 8 P.M. I started having contractions. I had similar "cramping" for weeks and didn't think much of it. I tried to get the cramps to go away with rest and water. By midnight I started timing them although I confirmed my theory that is was false labor with a quick google search. At 1 a.m. I called the on-call midwife and convinced her and myself that yes I was in labor but still a ways off from a hard labor. I planned on heading in to the hospital around 5 am.

But at 2:30 A.M. I realized I was ready for my epidural. I never got it. We raced down the turnpike to the hospital, Sage in tow. During the one minute interludes I had between contractions I put Sage's fears to rest and gave Scott directions to a hospital I had never been to. When we arrived at the hospital Sage and I cheered, Scott raced in for a wheel chair. Security really sprang into action when I collapsed into some sort of birthing position on the side walk.

Due to my bad planning and labor-denial Scott and Sage had to go bang on the door of our dear friends in the city. I am sure they thought there were crazy people at the door but Sage was smart enough to yell, "Bennett, let us in." Scott said Sage was quite relived to be back in a bed on the couch rather than headed back to the hospital.

Meanwhile back at the hospital I was pushing. I had already given up hope for an epidural and realized that Scott may not make it back in time. But he did... Like a superhero. Minutes later Benny was born.

I never thought I was cut out for a natural birth but it was pretty awesome. Scott and I both agree that it was at least 20 times easier than Sage's dramatic birth.

Three new videos

2008-11-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

Scott and Sage invent a new swing. I like their attention to safety gear.

Sage the puppy tries to stay in character, eat breakfast and be the star of a home video.

Waiting for the election results, Sage calls the winner....

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T04:23:00.000-07:00

Repunzel

Those seeds are hard to grab.

Halloween Hero

From left to right- Baby belly, Jack-o-latern, Sage's cute head

Family photo

Yeah for Friday Halloweens!

Scott was home nice and early to lead the festivities. Pumpkin carving, ghost hunting, dog walking, porcupine nest building. He made Sage's day. He made mine too. My to do list was halfway done, which for me means each task is half-done rather than having half of the tasks complete.

I did join in on the trick-or-treating. It is nice to get out an see the neighbors. Now that cold weather is here we don't see them as often. We hit 4 houses and we were invited in to chat at each house, even the dog. Not like the Halloweens of my childhood. I guess when Sage is older she can go on her own and go for quantity rather than quality. For now she has to wait for Mom or Dad to catch up.

The walk was nice. Sage likes the dark. She even wanted to lead us down the dark dirt road to hunt ghosts, and find more houses with candy.

Some pictures

2008-10-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Sage's First Trophy

2008-10-27T05:19:00.000-07:00

This was a truly thrilling moment for Sage. She has had trophy envy for about 10 months now. Not that it was always on her mind but every once and a while she would bring it up and come up with a new plan to get one.

The first plan was to win a swimming trophy, but then I explained that she would have to be able to swim the entire length of the pool first. Sage thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I can get a running trophy instead. I am great at running."

So the girl got her trophy and was content to stare at it for several hours yesterday. She also needed to wash it because apparently trophies get very dirty.

Overall soccer was fun this year. I think Sage learned a few things and had a lot of fun. Out of all the skills, I think she has mastered the fake fall. Nobody had to teach her this one, she just thinks it is really funny.

Another Zinger a la Sage

2008-10-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Wow! The girl has been on a roll.

After a long day and a discovery that we had no fresh veggies in the house I suggested a trip to Subway. Sage was very excited. Here is the gist of her monologue.

"Wow Mom. Subway is a great restaurant. And it is really big! Yeah! There is even enough room for you and your big belly."

With neighbors like ours, who needs Santa?

2008-10-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Sage has been the lucky recipient of some very nice hand-me-down play things this month. Our neighbors just sent their second kid out into the world and have been clearing their nest.

Gift number 1- The American Girl Dolls- Sage has been gaga about her new dolls (Molly and Kristen for you fans and then a Hawaiian doll from another maker). She had no idea who they were but was appropriately impressed by the gift.

Gift number 2- A play structure- labor included!! Scott and the gifting neighbor spent 5 hours moving the structure to our yard. Luckily we have another helpful neighbor that I called to help with the main structure. All the men folk were very patient while I guided the placement, "Can we angle it a little more?" "Maybe 1 foot toward the fence." Anyway it has been very fun. Sage wanted to go outside after dark last night to check and see if it was still there.

Three random photos on a rainy day

2008-10-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

We have been shut in today but very productive.

Sage's new half a haircut. She freaked out half way through and then had to go take a nap. I guess she will let me cut the rest at some point (like when she wants something from me).

This is the first time Sage has climbed into the kitchen cupboard. It is also the first time there has been room for her to fit in.

Sage is ready for anything in this stylish outfit.

Sweet, Silly, and Sassy Sage

2008-10-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know where Sage gets her sassiness. I think she was born with it. When she throws a a zinger I can't help but laugh (I will pay for this someday)

Here are some recent lines-

S-"Mom, it is a good thing you are a two-seater."
M-"What do you mean?"
S-"You have room on your lap for two babies." (my interpretation- She is planning on space for her and her baby brother.)

------

M-"Sage, I think your body is trying to tell you it needs to go to the bathroom."
S-"No. It is telling me I can wait a little bit longer if I don't sit down."

------

S-"Mom. Let's see how fast you can get me some milk. Ready....Go!"

------

S-"Why do your pancakes taste like chewy rocks? My grandma makes them much yummier." (I used to tell Sage that I didn't know how to make pancakes. I guess I proved myself right.)

------

S-"Why is my french toast all black and burnt?" (We are definitely sticking to oatmeal from now on)

Rocket Ships and Nipples- We are headed for a wild ride!

2008-10-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

Sage is on the verge of great discovery.

Last weekend we had our friends and their 5 month old baby boy over. Sage was very interested in the baby- especially with regards to the great mysteries....

During diaper changing time, "Wow he has a rocket ship!"

The next day she asked how she could find the nipple and if I would feed both her and her brother "boo boo milk".

What to do on self-prescribed bed rest?

2008-10-14T01:05:00.000-07:00

1. Read Self-Help Books
I have finished my parenting self-help books and am now ready to "help myself" prepare for the next adventure.
I am so grateful my friend Carrie lent me a new book. Birthing from Within. It is focused on relief of birthing anxieties. I have been gleefully disaccociated with this topic until recently so the book will be helpful. But mostly I am excited to have something to read.

2. Television
Thanks to TIVO I am current on the following series
-Gossip girl
-Privileged
-90210
-Heroes
The first three shows are on the nights that Scott is working. After Sage is in bed, its just me and teen drama. The CW and Tivo know how to advertise. When a preview comes on Tivo asks you for a thumbs up to record it for you. "Sure! Why not?" And then BAM! you have a new teen drama you are hooked to. Bravo has not been as smart. I have noticed a few times when they switched the TIVO listing for one of their new shows with a repeat of Project Runway's season finale. This will not sell shows, it is not very polite.

3. The internet
I have followed my siblings into the realms of facebook. Well- at least I know how to add friends now. And of course there is blogging and general internet surfing. Both can be educational. I am glad that blogging keeps me writing. The language arts have always been a struggle for me. I don't think I really knew how to write until my freshman year of college. It is a good thing that I have a venue for practicing.

Well, well, well

2008-10-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

I could not be happier about being in my 9th month!!! (unless I could somehow skip the birthing part)

Melia's Pregnancy Factiods- for inquiring minds....
1. I can still touch my toes without bending my knees (thanks yoga)- But I cannot breathe and shave my legs at the same time.
2. I officially began nesting. I am very grateful that my instincts pointed me in that direction because I put a lot of routine de-cluttering and projects on hold hoping it would seem more important later when the right hormones kicked in.
3. I am on bed rest between the hours of 8pm and 8am daily. It is self prescribed.

Warm Fall Day

2008-10-09T12:43:00.001-07:00

I am trying to be a better picture taker. Scott left his camera at home and I skipped yoga class so I had enough energy to move around and squat as needed to get the shots. It paid off. Here are 2 of Sage. I was really lucky to get a natural smile from her. She usually likes to put on a fake smile and look anywhere but the camera.

I also wanted to share a picture of my favorite fall foliage tree. It is just getting started. I will try to remember to photograph it when it is orange and red. Such fun.

Sewing projects

2008-10-07T12:01:00.001-07:00

The weather turned cold this week. This got me motivated to finish up the last sewing project in my to do basket. Here are some pictures of the two blankets I made for our new baby boy. Sage picked out the shark and gecko material and donated a couple of her pink baby blankets to use as the batting for the new blankets.

I also decided to sew pants for Sage this fall and winter as part of my "No crack for kids" campaign. Once kids are out of the 5T size pants start fitting tight and low. Even the simple black leggings I got for Sage this season have a low rise that would be more appropriate on a pop star. So these are my first two attempts to keep Sage's booty covered. I will admit that the yellow pants are a little loud but I got the fabric on clearance for $1 since I needed a little sewing practice. Now that I have them sized right I am ready to make some fleece or flannel lined versions for winter. Another benefit of these pants are that they are perfect for the potty training kid who likes to wait until the last second.

Two new videos

2008-10-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

We went apple picking two weeks ago. Ever since we have been baking apple muffins. Sage's favorite job is to use the apple peeler.

Budget Bucky (our skeleton) is in the middle of his annual trip to the upstairs area of our house. Sage used to know all the major bones but since we have not practiced since last Halloween she has forgotten most of them. Of course it is much more fun to sing the hinges song.

New Kid by Friday- update

2008-10-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Sage and I survived a rough week of behavior training aided by the book Have a New Kid by Friday.

Today is Friday and I do have a pretty calm well mannered kid (knock on wood). I can see how the title helps to sell books but it is a bit of a misnomer. I really had a new kid everyday this week.

Monday's child had a lot of Sage's old habits, including defiance, crying, baby talk, and bed time struggles.

Tuesday's child was well behaved and tried her best to do her best. She helped me clean kitchen drawers and closets during the better part of the day. She went to bed without much fuss.

Wednesday's child did really well all morning and turned into a "power struggle" monster that afternoon. The little monster did learn to apologize and then learned that "sorry" doesn't mean you get out of trouble.

Thursday's child waged war. Forget sorry- she replaced apologies with poopy pants (5 times!), rolled eyes, a strong Maine accent (she knows how to get to me), defiant words and actions. I learned that behavior training in public is extremely stressful. Here is one little story from our adventure. - Leaving the gym Sage refuses to leave the drinking fountain. I am trying to follow the book which says give your directions once, turn and walk away. Your child will follow since they do not want to be left behind even in public. Well I do not think the author of the book expected the kindly ways of gym grandmas. As I sat at the bar around the corner the old lady on the stair-master told Sage, "Don't worry. Your mom is waiting for you. Do you want help with the water fountain? You can do it by yourself too. Go ahead let's see you do it honey. Your mom won't leave you." --- Thanks for calling my bluff lady! Things really went down hill from there. Luckily most of the war was over by the time Scott got home.

Friday's child still has clean pants. She is also has been helpful and polite. It is 4 p.m. and I have not had to remove any privileges yet. In all fairness I did cancel our trip to the gym since I did not want anymore help from the lady who I am sure believes I am a terrible mother who is trying to keep her child dehydrated.

I hope Saturday's child is just as nice.

Mac stream or Mainstream?

2008-10-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

What to do? My website is giving me problems in the comments area. Plus everyone and their grandma is on blogger now. I should just move back here.

Good things about moving back-

1. I will get the little "B" icon next to my name when linked to by another blogger.
2. I can update my blog from any computer in the household.
3. I can add cool gadgets around my blog like my sis Carrie
4. Readers would not have to navigate through 3+ pages to read the latest and greatest tortillas.
5. I finally learned how to change my header to something more original. (I made the graphic 2 yrs ago maybe...)

The downside-

1. iweb is really so easy. I click and drag things on the page rather then searching and uploading.
2. I love arranging my photos on the page rather than looking at html language for each picture.
3. I will miss the making cute links and such for the holidays...

---

The jury is still out.