Toad in the Hole

I do not like useless gadgets. I periodically go through my kitchen tool drawer and toss odds and ends that I don't use. You would think that I wouldn't be so nuts about infomercials then, right? Wrong. I never order from them, but I catch myself watching them over and over. If the shipping charges weren't so high, I would probably order things off of the television quite frequently (yes, I know they sell "as seen on TV" items in the stores now, but it isn't the same). One infomercial that always catches my attention is for the GT Xpress 101.The new version is called the "GT Redi-Set-Go". Long story short, my grandmother received an extra GT Xpress 101 machine when ordering a recipe booklet for the machine she owns and gave it to me. So far, I have used it to make french toast, grilled cheese, and this morning a "toad in the hole". The kids loved it! It bakes everything up much fluffier than a pan or oven. I am hooked!

Sweet Caroline's Birthday: Part III

We had a party with family. We had cupcakes on her actual birthday. We had a party with friends. We have milked Caroline's third birthday for all it was worth! I guess it is only fitting that when you turn three, you get to celebrate three times (but we sure can't continue at this pace every year!). It was a wonderful day at the park; the weather was lovely and the company terrific! Thank you to everyone who wished her a happy birthday!waiting for guests to arrive Caroline and Brayden walking to the picnic tables...too cute!

Jillian

Sophia and Clara (with their cousin)

Caroline and Brayden enjoying some juice

the last chrous of "Happy Birthday Dear Caroline" for the year!

getting ready to tend to some foilage at the park

Caroline on the swings

Caroline's school friends:

Ava, Audrey, Jillian, Brayden, Caroline, BJ, and Camden

Camden on the Carousel

Caroline on "the couch"

Brayden

Ava and Audrey on the boats

Camden and BJ on the train

Caroline and I on the train

Great Grandparents

My children are fortunate for many reasons and one of the biggest is for grandparents and GREAT grandparents. Our kids have five great grandparents (three from my side and two from Matthew's). Two of mine, Gigi and Gramps, were up this week for a visit and we all were quite spoiled by their love and attention. They stayed and played with Sam and Emma while Caroline and I celebrated her birthday at the park with her friends and classmates. We all went out to eat, we played cards, and enjoyed watching the twins walk all around the house. What a great few days we spent together!Caroline and Gramps reading...do you not love the look on their faces?

Sam and Gigi enjoying his first pair of real shoes, thanks guys!

Interview

OK Nancy, this one is for you! On my friend Nancy's blog, she interviewed her daughter, Anna Jane, all about her and posted her responses. This was so cute that I had to grab Caroline and ask her the same questions. Not so easy! She was dancing all around during our interview. Some of the answers made sense, some were random and left me wondering. I will note that while I was typing her replies, she had a computer cord around her neck like a stethoscope and was pretending to be a doctor fixing me. Here are her replies...I'll jump in and explain where I need to!

How old is your Mom? 20 (off to a good start)

What does your Mom look like? she's tall and she has a circle head
What does your Mom do for fun? jump rope (can't recall doing this since grade 3)

What do you like best about your Mom? Diego (her new bedtime allows her to stay up and watch him)

What does your Mom do for you? gives me chocolate
Why does Daddy love your Mom? because he loves Kristen

What is your Mom's favorite color? pink (it's blue)
food? strawberries (not EVEN close)

drink? Coca Cola (Diet, thank-you-very-much)
restaurant? Dinnertime
friend? Daddy
animal? A cow piggy (huh?)
song? B-I-N-G-O (note to self, time to get on iTunes)
What is something that your Mom says to you? no!

What makes Mom happy? "Please I can come in there?" (mimicking how I expect manners...she's right)

What makes Mom sad? losing me at Target (our own inside joke. never actually happened!)
What makes Mom mad? Reynolds (our dog who is always taking food out of Emma and Sam's hands)
What makes Mom laugh? funny faces

What does Mom do to make you laugh? sing
How tall is Mom? so little
What does your Mom do when you are not around? gets some more milk
If your Mom became famous, what would it be for? dancing a dancy dance on Yo Gabba Gabba
What is something that your Mom is really good at? trying a new game
What is your Mom not very good at? puzzles (I beg to differ)
What does your Mom do for a job? playing on the computer (busted!)

What do you do that makes your Mom proud? eat like a big girl

What makes you proud of your Mom? stays in bed to watch TV with me
What is something that you and Mom do together? print and color "Yo Gabba Gabba"pages

How are you and your Mom the same? we're not
How are you different? because you love me (that one stings a little. I'll ask her again later :)
How do you know your Mom loves you? I just know she does a lot

all in all, not bad. Surely Katie Couric has had harder interviews. Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and Mother in law, and to all my Mom-Friends!

Cat napping

Our children nap well at nap time, but aren't the kind of children who fall asleep in the car during a ride or on the sofa while watching television...unless they are sick. Today our Sweet Caroline is a bit under the weather with a sore throat and fever. Luckily, her three year old check up was today, so we got to have her looked at (nothing more than a pesky virus that requires rest and Motrin). She was sweet but pitiful today, falling asleep every hour and only wanting apple juice in her purple cup.

She has always been in the 90th percentile for height and 50th for weight, but her curve is leveling out, which is normal. She is currently 37 1/2 inches tall, which is the 60th percentile and is 28 pounds, which is the 25th percentile. She passed all of the hearing and vision tests and really would have enjoyed the appointment if she had been feeling better (although the lollipop and Cinderella sticker went a LONG way).

Cupcakes for all

so, there was a little to clean up, but they had so much fun!

Caroline's Birthday: Part II

Hard to believe that Caroline is three!