Happy Birthday Boys!

I can't believe it has been one year since our little Jack came to us. Jack is pretty lucky to share his birthday with such a great dad. I am very grateful for my little family. I can't imagine life without them I love watching Jack learn new "tricks." Yesterday was their birthday. My mom, my sister Carlie and my little niece Halle were all here. It was fun to watch Jack eat cupcakes, sit in his new big boy car seat and to watch Chuck pick out some new clothes at the store. Halle was a great help opening Jack's presents for him. He seemed pretty disinterested until they actually became toys. I am very proud of Chuck and I for surviving this year. Motherhood was if possible even harder than I expected and I was amazed how much I needed Chuck through this experience. I am just beginning to realize what a great thing we have decided to do by having a family. I have so much respect for all the young, poor students and non-students who decide to have a family. No amount of money or life experiences could replace the joy they have brought to my life. I love you Hun and Little Boy.

...raindrops on roses

Hi, it's one thirty in the morning and after 4 cans of diet coke I'm still buzzing around the house. I know tomorrow I'm going to regret staying up so late. So what did everyone think of those bizarre pictures Chuck posted of him and Jack? I asked Chuck why he took pics of Jack's belly but he said that wasn't his intention. Huh? Anyway, I'm up because there is a really good storm going on and I'm afraid we're going to get swept away in a tornado. The whole house keeps shaking from the thunder. It's pretty cool. I guess May is supposed to be the worst month of the year for tornados. Does anyone else secretly want to skip around their homes during thunderstorms?

Getting ahead of our selves

Today I went to the party store and bought a few things for Chuck and Jack's Birthday. I decided I better practice my balloon hats. Jack loved it but I was so nervous he would pop it, I didn't let him play with it for long.

Brussels Sprouts!

Before

After

I know. Brussels sprouts. Gross, right? No, they’re not! I first had these when I was pregnant at work. One of the girls I worked with made these and they were a huge hit. I hadn’t tried making these until fairly recently, and now I’m hooked. Even my mother loves these! (We’re not really veggie girls, if ya know what I mean.) Since I’ve started making these, I’ve seen this recipe all over, including The Barefoot Contessa and Paula Dean (except Paula uses butter instead of olive oil, of course.)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim the bottom of the sprouts and remove loose leaves. Place the sprouts on a baking sheet. Cover with olive oil, course kosher salt, and pepper. Shake the pan to cover. Bake for 30-45 min. Shake every 5-7 minutes. The sprouts should be blackish brown.

Jack and Grandpa Platt

Did I inherit Grandpa's big ol' head?

What were we thinking?

Yumm peas, my favorite.
I think mom was smart to take off my shirt.
Would you believe he's only in the 20th percentile for weight. Look at those chins.

We've been letting him practice feeding himself. He uses the wrong end of the spoon.

Some very late pictures

It's a dirty job...

Warning: This blog is about poop, among other nasties! 

My morning began before seven o'clock so I could clean up cat poo (Chuck's job) and clean up fluffy white insulation in the garage from a recent flood we had in our kitchen. I'm not really allowed to complain about Chuck since I've already forgiven him for forgetting to clean the litter boxes but I can still complain that I had to do it. Some men were coming by this morning to fix the dry wall. They then told me they couldn't fix it because the ceiling was still leaking. What,?! is what I thought. The plumber came a week ago. Turns out we're still leaking. Jack has been relocated from his room because it smells like mold. Anyway, after they left I went to clean my bathroom in case the plumbers came back because we're having issues in there too. I decided I needed to go. Ya know. And then the toilet flooded. Now, I have a pretty good record on not flooding the toilet but not today. I ran to grab the newly washed and folded towels to sop up the mess. Then for some brilliant reason I tried to flush it again. This time was even worse and poopy water was covering my bathroom floor. Yhuck. I called Chuck and he laughed as I cried. After bleaching everything in there I still feel disgusting. I  am also currently encrusted with snot and graham crackers from Jack. My house smells. Thank goodness for long naps in the morning.

Fud

So remember my blog awhile ago about how bored I was. Well I've started cooking. A lot. And... Chuck and I have both noticed that we've both put on a couple pounds. So I think that new hobby is out and I'm back to being bored.  It's a shame to because I've found some really fun recipes.