Time for Another Haircut

For some reason, Freddy's hair took a turn for the curly last weekend. We'll see if I manage to get him a haircut before we leave on our trip, because this crazy hair is making him look like a girl again...the too-small shirt probably doesn't help. :)

Boys and their Trucks

I didn't even entertain the idea of letting him climb on these tractors. Does that make me a bad mom?

Fun at th Farm

On Saturday, Freddy and I cruised out to Wheeler Farm, a working farm south of town where there's a lot of 4-H stuff happening. I actually have no idea what else they do there, or how it stays in business (it's free except for special events). Freddy saw baby lambs - which were SO cute - cows, horses, goats, pigs, and his favorite: geese. Of course, we could have just gone to the pond at the park to see geese, but what the heck. You can see from one of these that one big sheep was trying really, really hard to get his attention, but he just kind of ignored him.

Freddy Discovers Ketchup

He will kill me one day for this photo...and I, like a good parent, will make it part of his wedding day slide show. For a while I tried to keep the trains away from the dinner table. After the 5th or 10th meltdown followed by a refusal to eat, I decided there were more important battles to fight. (sigh)

We're Back!

Well, with the help of a little anti-nausea medicine for me, and some long naps and nights' sleep for Freddy, I think we're back in the game (more or less). Not sure why I even need the anti-nausea stuff, but I can't seem to quite kick this feeling...and no, I'm not pregnant, for those who are wondering.

Bill left Friday for a week+ in Romania! I got a short e-mail from him, which I think he must have sent from his guide's cell phone. It said "arrived safely...skis did not...no worries, borrowed some gear from a guide" (or something like that). Oh brother! Billy was so prepared for this trip - gear, etc. - I hope he's having a good time and got what he needed there.

Freddy and I leave the day before Bill returns for a 1/2 week in DC, where I'll do some arts lobbying, and 1/2 week in New Jersey, where hopefully I'll do some cooking and cleaning, and Freddy will get to hang out with his cousins Caitlin and new baby Lloyd! Freddy sure will be glad to see his daddy when we get back on April 5. :)

Ok, enough of an update...more photos coming in the morning! Love to everyone.

GEESE

Freddy calls them ducks, and I can't decide whether to correct him or not....

Baby Bush stats

9 lbs, 4 oz
19 1/2 inches
lots of dark hair! Gotta imagine it'll fall out.

Apologies

I'm sorry I haven't posted any new photos lately - Freddy and I have both been really sick (he with a bad cold/fever and me with some kind of stomach bug). Thank goodness Bill has off on Tuesdays and was able to stay home with both of us yesterday!

The great news is that Steph had a baby boy last night!! Lloyd Harrison Bush III (after Rip). They haven't decided what they're going to call him yet (probably not Lloyd or Harry). Mommy and baby are doing well, and I think Caitlin gets to meet him today. Hooray!

No, It's a BALL

Apparently this is half of the kind of ball that the huge tigers play with. Freddy thought it was cool. I thought it was a pumpkin.

Bad Influence

Blame Julie and Greg when our kid starts climbing up fences an launching himself into pens of pecking birds....

Video

I'm not sure if you can see the video in the e-mails of the post I put up last night (if you're subscribed to the e-mail feed), so if you want to watch it, try clicking on the link at the bottom of the e-mail to take you to the actual blog page!

Dance Party

Dancing with Daddy...not very coordinated yet. And no, this is not our dog (we were dog-sitting for our neighbors). But I hope they give us Ruby in their will, because she is an AWESOME dog.

This is a movie - hopefully you'll be able to see it. If you mouse over it, you should see a play button (a sideways arrow), if it doesn't start playing automatically. Sorry it's sideways! I can't figure out how to rotate it.

Fun at the Zoo

We're missing daddy this weekend - Bill is in Philadelphia for a long weekend, and Freddy has me all to himself! Good and bad, as you can imagine. This fun photo is from last weekend at the zoo with Papa and Grandma Julie. Today, Freddy and I took 2 walks and he got to spend some fun time with one of his favorite babysitters while I had a work event. :( Come home soon, Dad!

A few more...

Ok, I think this is the last of the Doug and Christine photos - sorry, Dad - still not sure how I didn't get more photos of your visit! We had some great weather with everyone, and are really spoiled now. What are we going to do without everybody?

Lucky Billy is going to Philadelphia for a conference this weekend and staying a little extra to see Steph, Rip, and Caitlin, so he gets to continue the fun family times. I get Freddy solo for a long Fri-Tues weekend, and then Bill goes away again on the 20th for his trip to Romania!

Books

Anyone have any suggestions for good new children's books? Freddy is LOVING reading these days (we love it too!), filling in the blanks if you let him, requesting specific books, and sometimes trying to read them by himself. I love that he now knows if a book is upside-down and will flip it if it is. He likes to make the noises (like "chicka chicka boom boom") and thinks it's funny if you say them out of context. We need to figure out how to get a bookshelf in the den!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Upon request, I'm posting my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Don't skimp on the size - they're best when they're big (3-4" across). You can do the fancy shaping, or do like I do - just grab a big rough clump of dough with your hands and plop it on the parchment paper. This recipe is easily doubled! And I don't think it matters what kind of baking sheet you use.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 1 1/2 dozen 3-inch cookies.

These truly chewy chocolate chip cookies are delicious served warm from the oven or cooled. To ensure a chewy texture, leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool. You can substitute white, milk chocolate, or peanut butter chips for the semi- or bittersweet chips called for in the recipe. In addition to chips, you can flavor the dough with one cup of nuts, raisins, or shredded coconut.

Ingredients
2 1/8 cups bleached all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 t table salt
1/2 t baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 - 2 cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi, dark or bittersweet)

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chips.

3. Form scant 1/4 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball using fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halves ninety degrees and, with jagged surfaces exposed, join halves together at their base, again forming a single cookie, being careful not to smooth dough’s uneven surface. Place formed dough onto one of two parchment paper-lined 20-by-14-inch lipless cookie sheets, about nine dough balls per sheet. Smaller cookie sheets can be used, but fewer cookies can be baked at one time and baking time may need to be adjusted. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month—shaped or not.)

4. Bake, reversing cookie sheets’ positions halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes (start checking at 13 minutes). (Frozen dough requires an extra 1 to 2 minutes baking time.) Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.

Visit with Papa and Grandma Julie!

Well, I'm not sure how we got through a great, long visit and only took about 8 pictures, but here are a few of the ones that represent what we did! Freddy had fun chasing a peacock at the Aviary, checking out birds and giraffes at the zoo, and reading books with Julie and Dad. He's really getting good at saying everyone's names (Ju-yee, Papa, Gammy, Dug, 'Steen, etc.). It's so fun!

We took a short stop at a playground on the way home today and Freddy got to slide down the slide (which, strangely, he pronounces as "sh*t") and run around. Then, of course, we came home and played with Thomas trains. Story of our lives.

Catching up on Doug & Christine's trip

I just realized I had more photos from Doug & Christine's visit last weekend! Hope you enjoy these - I especially like the one of Doug & Christine skiing. They are so cute together.

We had a great visit with my dad and Julie this weekend! They arrived on Thursday night and left Monday morning. Apparently, somehow the weather here and on the east coast switched...they flew back into a snowstorm, but still managed to land on time. Long drive back from Baltimore, but they arrived safe and probably just a little cold. I'll upload some photos from their visit later this week! We went to the aviary, zoo, took walks, and generally had a nice time. We love having visitors! (hint hint)

Ruby

We 'dogsat' our neighbor's dog, Ruby, for a few days a week or so ago. She is possibly the best-behaved dog I've known...probably a pointer/lab mix (they adopted her from a shelter). I think her 'dad' gave her some tough love her first year to train her well, but she is gentle with kids, sleeps next to you all night and doesn't get up until we do (which, granted, is early), she can walk with you off-leash, plays well with other dogs, has energy when it's time for a walk or hike but will lie around when you're hanging out at home. And she is really pretty! Witness Freddy with her, here...he had the greatest time feeding her dog food, one kibble at a time, each day we had her.

Belated Valentine's Day

Since Feb 14th has become such a hallmark holiday anyway, I think it's ok that I'm sending these pictures a week late. They were actually taken ON the 14th, when my friends Julie and Anne Carson and I had an impromptu Valentine's Day gathering that morning. We had great intentions for the boys (all boys - Henry, 2 1/2, Charlie, 2, Freddy, 1, and Will, 3 months) to decorate cutout cookies and make some kind of creative cards for their dads. HA.

What they did, instead, was play with trains the entire time. We managed to slightly distract them (especially sweet tooth Charlie) with cookies that we half-decorated for them with icing...but of course, tearing the sprinkles out of their death grips was no fun, and they lost interest after about 1 1/2 cookies. That only left about 4 dozen undecorated hearts and flowers for us to eat. Oh, and the craft project? Again, HA. We had the supplies, but when we really thought through the idea of 3 toddlers with glue and paint, we wisely decided to let them continue uninterrupted with their trains. Next year, dads - sorry.

All Thomas, All the Time

Once Freddy realizes that his middle name is Thomas, his head might explode. Of course, this is bound to happen well after he's through with his Thomas the Tank Engine fixation.

Somehow we went from no TV to a morning routine chant of "Thomas, Thomas, Thomas" followed by a small meltdown if I don't put a DVD in...sometimes before breakfast. This from a kid who LOVES to eat. Maybe our trip to DC/NJ at the end of March can help wean him off this ridiculous silly train whose stories aren't even all that positive or fun.

But in the meanwhile, I'll try to keep taking pictures of our cuddly little guy snuggled on the couch or in a blanket, watching Thomas. I guess there are worse things, and I don't ALWAYS give in, I promise.

Catching Up...

So, I have NO IDEA how I let an entire week go by without any blog posts. For those of you who are entertained by the photos (like Bill and Jan), I blame Doug and Christine and our friend Josh, our long-weekend visitors. 'Cause they were so much trouble to get ready for and entertain. :)

If you're my sister, you're probably somewhat thankful for the extra room in your inbox. ;) Just kidding, Mary!

So, I have some catching up to do and will bring you all up to speed. But for tonight, here are some photos from Doug and Christine's visit that you might enjoy. Sleep tight!

So Stinkin' Cute

How do you resist a kid like this when he asks you to put Thomas on the TV? Freddy has been interested in imitating and pretending lately. He'll lie on the floor, say "nigh - nigh" and pretend to snore (really just with the "shew" part of the fake snore). Do kids just keep getting more and more fun?

Little Buddy

Our friends and former neighbors Virginia & Chris came over for dinner last weekend with their kids, Emmett (7) and Roxy (3). We had a great time catching up, and Emmett was VERY patient with the little guy. E is becoming quite the reader, so he helped put Freddy to bed with a few books. Roxy is spunky and has a head full of blonde curls. She is ADORABLE. At one point, we were sitting around the table with dessert, and she came up to me and whispered in my ear "can you please stop talking?". I have no idea what I was saying, or why it annoyed her, but it was the cutest thing (and a little embarrassing).

Yum, Rabbit Food...

I thought I needed a red pepper for a recipe the other night, and didn't - so I left the pepper on the counter while I was cooking. Freddy spotted it, and although he had plenty of good toddler food on his plate, he decided that what he really wanted was a raw red pepper. So - fine- go for it, kid. He ate about half of it. I won't tell you what his diaper looked like the next morning.

We had a pretty good weekend. Got a lot accomplished, picked up some things for the house, took Freddy to the pool...and Bill is pretty sure he tore his MCL (knee ligament) skiing on Saturday. That might mean no more Sunday night hockey and we really hope it doesn't mean no ski trip to Romania at the end of March as planned. He's going to have it looked at tomorrow. if that's what it is, there's no surgical 'fix' - he just has to go easy on it and let it heal. Raise your hand if you think it's possible for Billy to go easy on it?

I'm Ready...

For some new snow! Come on!

Long-Haired Freaky Boy

Well, as I've mentioned repeatedly, Freddy really needed a haircut. I meant to post these photos BEFORE the posting with the 'after' photos, but I accidentally hit 'post' before I changed the date. Here you can see the full demonstration of how long it was in the back (that, plus the two people at the museum last weekend who thought he was a girl).

Voila!

I guess we could have gone shorter, but considering that he screamed as if Scott, the hair cutter guy, was actually scalping him, we thought we ought to just make sure we took off enough to avoid my putting in a ponytail this weekend. :)

A Rare Quiet Moment

Freddy quietly reading some kind of adult book with no photos. Bill calls this the Abe Lincoln photo (reading by candlelight).

Yogurt

Freddy got to feed himself some yogurt on Sunday morning. As you can tell, he had a great time giving himself a goatee.

Here are a few photos from our trip to the children's museum last Saturday. You can see that Freddy looks a little stunned in the first few photos...but he had a great time in the end! You'll also see his buddy Henry (who has a new little brother or sister due in a few months) hanging out in the kitchen. :)

The Up and Down Weekend

Well, no new photos today. There are some on the camera, but not yet downloaded, so you'll just have to be ok with a verbal report today....

All in all, I'd say we had a good weekend! The weather was good (blue skies, although the inversion pollution is creeping back in). Bill had a 24-hour bug that kept him on his back for, well, 24 hours. Although I wasn't feeling great early in the weekend, Freddy seems ok - for now. I took F to the children's museum downtown on Saturday, where we met up with some other friends. It was his first time there, and after he got over his initial paralysis brought on by being completely and totally overwhelmed by the amount of fun things to do and the number of kids there, he had a great time for about two hours. I'll upload some photos as soon as I can, although I know they won't capture the insane fun that is the Gateway Museum. I think it's most ideal for kids who are a little bit older (at least 2), but F definitely had fun. They have a membership special going on now, so I went ahead and joined because you make up the membership fee with 5 visits.

I got to hit the gym while Freddy and Bill napped, which is always a happy day.

We had a mellow Sat. movie night with Bill still on the couch, but by Sunday we were all feeling well enough for our regular Sunday ski day. Freddy had a great time at Olivia and Tripp's house - their playroom (courtesy of our friends Michael and Robin) is like a kids' museum all by itself! They have a lot of cool toys, and F was in heaven. Then we stayed there to watch the superbowl. Or, at least, it was on TV and we caught glimpses of the game as we played with the 5 kids who were there. So much for my dreams of watching all the commercials.... Oh, and I discovered that Freddy might be the only kid in the world who really isn't interested in pizza.

I got a nice long conversation in with Mary (sister) while at our friends' house last nightk, which might have been rude, but we haven't talked in so long and I was happy to hear that she and Erik had a rare nice weekend away at a cabin in western Virginia. Big thanks to Mom and Jack (brother) for helping take care of their kids so they could get away on a SERIOUSLY DESERVED break!

All in all, a solid weekend, and everyone is more or less healthy this morning! (knocking on wood right now)