Hats

I don't think that I will be one of those Mamas who always has her kids being matchy - but I couldn't resist making one of these cute hats for H and his baby brother-to-be. It is a little hard to tell from the picture, but they have a little brim on the front. I love the texture that the pattern gives the hat. I used the Newsboy Cap pattern from Speckled From Crochet. Too cute! And they came together pretty quickly. The little one almost looks too little! I hope it will fit the new baby!

The Birthday: Part 1

H's birthday is not until Wednesday, but we decided to go ahead and have a little party this weekend. It was just a small gathering of friends, but we had a great time! H loved all of the attention, and loved playing with his friend Henry from down the street.

We had burgers for supper - one of H's favorite foods!
A carrot cake with cream cheese icing - it was a big hit.

Mmmmm. I think Henry liked it too.

He is quickly getting the hang of opening gifts. It didn't hurt to have Henry helping either.

I think his favorite gift of the evening was an Elmo card that sings Happy Birthday to you

He would play it over and over and sing and dance along.

Watching a little video - too cute!


All of this attention is getting to me!!!

Reading with Henry and his mama

Our little family

Whew!
All of that partying will wear a little guy out!

Garden Chowder

This soup is so good! And hearty too! And full of veggies! Perfect for a cold day (or for a mama with morning sickness - this was all that tasted good to me for a little while). And H likes it too!

I wish I could remember where I got the recipe from. Somewhere on the internet. I am not normally a measurer or one who follows recipes exactly, but I have found that this one is perfect when followed - it comes out just the right consistency.

Garden Chowder

• ¼ C Butter
• ½ C Diced Onion
• 1-½ C Potato, Peeled And Diced
• 1-½ C Broccoli Flowerets, Cut Into Bite Sized Pieces
• 1 C Carrots, Washed And Thinly Sliced
• 1 C Celery Ribs, Thinly Sliced
• ½ C sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 3 C Chicken Stock
• ½ C All-purpose Flour
• 2 C 2% Milk (do Not Substitute With Skim)
• 1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the veggies until they begin to soften. Pour the stock into the veggies bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Combine flour and milk, stirring until smooth. Pour milk mixture into the pot. Increase heat to medium. Add mushrooms.Bring to a boil, and cook for two minutes, or until chowder thickens; stirring constantly. Just before serving, remove from heat, and add the cheese. Stir until it completely melts. Season to taste.

I usually add just a little milk when reheating it to keep it from getting too thick.

This would also be delicious with other veggies - zucchini or whatever might be in season!

Snow!

Within about an hour today we went from no snow on the ground to quite a few inches. The last time it snowed, H hated it! We were a little worried that he would again, but he seemed to enjoy being outside in it and even tolerated the mittens and scarf that we put on him.

We saw our neighbor outside and H went to say hello and then started knocking at their house to go inside. Maybe he wasn't as happy outside as we thought.


So pretty!

We are hoping for enough snow or cold that Daddy would have another snow day tomorrow!!!!

Updated

I made a few changes to H's room. It was time for something a little different, and I was thinking about a cute idea since the boys will most likely be sharing a room.

I started with a fabric banner: on one side it is just the fabric and on the other side it says "brothers." So, after baby brother is born I will just turn it around and have a cute brothers banner flying in the room.

And then I got the idea of pinwheels, and how cute they would be, so I made some of them too.

And then I realized that there was sort of a 'flying' theme going on - banners, pinwheels, there are dragonflies on his bedding...and thought what better to go with that than a kite!

(It just so happens that H's diaper bag is made with some of the same fabrics I used in the kite and banner. Nice coincidence.)

And, it also matches nicely with the growth chart that I made for H about a year ago....

One room updated: the rest of the house to go!
Am I having early nesting symptoms?

Helper

H likes to be a "helpuh" (helper) and put laundry and dishes away. Today he was very helpful with the dishes...

And every dish that he put "away" ended up here:

I don't mind that - it keeps him happily occupied, and I want to encourage his desire to help. It just means that I have to work a little harder to put things away in their proper places, and then change his shirt because he laid down on the dishwasher door and got soaked....

I was going to just delete this picture, but when I looked closer I couldn't help but chuckle. Nathan took H out to try to show him the snow falling, and H whacked him in the face. Such a typical parenting moment!

It is snowing again here, and they canceled school for N for the rest of the day. YAY!!!

Ribbit, ribbit