Mom and Dad have been a bit sleep deprived lately; Keaton hasn't been the best sleeper...One night she was actually up at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 12:30, 3:30 and 4:30! (Thankfully all the nights haven't been that rough-but goodness!) I think I snapped this shot one early morning -- just when your on your last leg she gives you this ornery smile...oh well, surely we are getting close to a full nights sleep! (although I was a bit disheartened when pjw's cousin said her boys didn't sleep until "6"...I said, "well she's already 6 months"...and she said, "no, 6 years!)

I have some video of her crawling that I'll post soon!

A couple of pictures of C from over the weekend....

1. On our way to yia yias for her annual St. Nicks party, sporting her new red coat yia yia got her. Im thinking we may need to install the larger car seat to accomodate winter coats....

2. UB taught her a while ago how to drink the milk out of her cereal bowl...she is now big enough to do it; and does-EVERYTIME!

Blah....

So Chaney had been eyeballing the gifts all day. Moving them around the house, dropping them in her diaper bag, peoples shoes, etc. I thought i was going to bust her shaking one of the gifts but I caught this instead. ("blah" is the word she uses for "yucky" or "dirty" -- turn your volumes up)

Miss K went to Lucy's today and I kept C at home for a change. After lunch we made our first batch of Rice Krispie Treats. She helped pour all the Rice Krispies in and of course, lick the bowl!

So I found out over Thanksgiving more people check in with the blog than I knew, and sadly they have been disappointed at the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks. (I'm not really counting Dad's post of C's favorite song as a legitimate post. It was really just a way of putting the link somewhere with easy access so when C comes up to the computer singing "oh,oh,oh" at the top of her lungs we can respond with the song in a timely manner...)

So a recap...

We had a great Thanksgiving. We did PJW's family on Thanksgiving Day, ending up back at our house late afternoon where we did dinner with Granny and UB. And then it was to bed early as the girls were on their last leg, and on mom and dad's last nerve...(we are talkin' wiped out-C even fell asleep in her car seat on the way home and she NEVER does that!) Friday morning we headed to KC for the Luna Thanksgiving/MU v KU football game. The girls stayed behind this year, allowing mom and dad a fun weekend. MU won, I wasn't pregnant for the first time in two years - a good time was had by all...

AND THEN, Monday, Great Granny B and Grandpa B came up along with "Aunt Missy" and we had another yummy Thanksgiving meal! Shew, it was a lot of eating but spread out over a few days seemed justifiable.

The girls are doing great. I swear C is growing an inch a week! And K is sitting up and almost crawling already! She is scooting everywhere and gets on her little knees and hands and rocks like shes ready to go at any moment. (and I dont want to jinx it-but she actually slept till 5:45 this morning-yes, just over 5 months old and we still aren't consistently sleeping through the night...sigh)

We tried our hardest to take a family picture on Thanksgiving...this very well might be where we started the day off on the wrong foot...

Chaney's Favorite Song

She likes to sing the Oh, Oh, Oh Oh....

We have been taking advantage of the last few days of nice weather. Here are a few pics from possibly our last trip to the park this season! We have learned in our trips that Chaney is not timid - going down the slide by herself and running after the ducks, even after a swan got a bit aggressive with the offered cheez-it! Wondering if this is a sign of things to come in her teenage years?

Keaton loves to be outside too, thank goodness it seems I have two outdoorsie girls! Can't imagine what we will do all winter!

Wow-the last few weeks have completely escaped me!

Things are going great here; we have been busy. PJW and I went to MU last weekend for the Kit Bond Alumnae party and tailgate. It was great to see everyone we haven't seen in years. Its funny to think that 11 years ago when I started in Kit's office that it would lead to all this-a hubby and two little girls later! PJW always said I wasn't his first choice for that position - thank goodness he came around and hired me! :)

The girlies are getting so big. Here are some pics of them in their winter hats--and C hanging out with Dad...

Halloween

A few pictures from our Halloween activities...Keaton was a monkey and Chaney was, can you guess?...a piggy!

Whew! Its been one of those days when you look at the clock and you think it should be about 8:00 in the evening and its only 2:00 in the afternoon. Then you start playing the "only 5 more hours till the girls go to bed" game...

About a week of uneasy sleeping from Miss K finally caught up with us. Thank goodness for Granny who took Keaton to her house during Chaney's afternoon nap so we could catch up a little on our sleep too. (Im not sure pjw and I said one word to each other; as soon as Granny stepped out the door with K we dimmed the lights and both crashed.)

Here a couple of pictures of the little angels from the week...stay tuned for some Halloween pics...

Keaton is almost sitting..she can do it for a bit but just cant quite hold the pose for long. Her life will be so much more exciting when she can sit and play...




About 90% of the pictures I have of C are of her making this face-"smiling"...

We loaded the girls up this weekend and took a day trip to Columbia to tailgate for the OU game. It was the girls first trip to Columbia and Chaney had a blast rolling down the big grassy hill with Dad and running around in the parking lot dancing to our neighbors strange 80's rock tailgating mix. K mainly slept and hung out on mom's lap, but got a chance to meet some family members she hadnt met yet, including her cousin Lola. It was a perfect afternoon, but I do think we need to set aside at least one game a year that is adults only...with all the new additions to the family the scene has changed a bit! However, a fun time was had by all and we made it back in time for mom and dad to put the exhausted girls to bed and catch the kick-off of the game!

Oh and the link isn't available yet for PJW's Fox 2 interview, as soon as it is I will upload it...for those who have asked...here are some pics from the weekend...


This is C's excited face on our way there...


Catching up on some sleep after our big trip...

"Hail Mary at best"... PJW's news clip from last night... Stay tuned and I will post his full interview that will run Sunday morning 8:30 AM on Fox 2...

 

Anyone need some help around the house?

We also hit the pumpkin patch this weekend....

We had quite a time on Friday trying to get some pictures taken of the girls. Apparently Chaney has reached the "no way in hell am I going to sit still for you" stage. The photographer said we could take good pictures again when shes about three... Hours later this is the only picture of the two of them barely worthy of printing-oh well. The afternoon frustration was worth it in the end as we did get some cute 3 month pictures of K. (ahh, the age where they smile and coo but cant move yet...perfect for picture taking!)

Ahhhh...I have the house to myself...Patrick is at a meeting tonight, both girls are sleeping and Nel is hanging outside enjoying the weather - so here I am. (also some gentle hazing from my father last night reminded me of my "at least once a week" commitment-one week into it and I'm late with my second post, oh well...)

The girls and I rode down to Springfield last week with mom to see Great Granny and Grandpa B and spend the night with Grandpa and Laurie. It was a whirlwind trip, as they always seem to be, but a fun time. Sometimes the drive can make the girls a little crazy, but thankfully we had happy kiddos the entire trip. We ate cookies, fed the donkeys and chased the cats around. We also broke out the old creek shoes and spent some time throwing rocks.

We also made a side trip down to Branson to get Chaney some new shoes. I was really surprised, but she loved shoe shopping! Pulling pair after pair off the shelves running them over to me and plopping down on the floor to try them on. This of course makes Patrick very nervous.

The week ended with another quick road trip, this time just me to Columbia where I met up with my girlfriends from MU. It was a great end to a hectic week!

Heres a pic of C feeding the donkeys and an "after" picture of her once we finally made it back to the Lou....worn out! (she slept till nearly 11:00 our first morning home!)

Apple Picking...

Our whole clan, Aunt Kel, Uncle Scott, Cousin Tanner, Yia-Yia and Granny all headed out to do some apple picking at Eckert's Farm this morning. We brought home enough apples to last us longer than they will probably keep (I even plan on making pjw a pie tomorrow) but it was the extra curricular activities that made the trip.

There were piggy races, one of C's favorites of course, pony rides and a petting zoo....it was great weather and the tractor ride into the orchard was a big hit with Chaney. Keaton spent most of the trip asleep in Granny's arms, but I'm sure she enjoyed being outside.

I was also thoroughly impressed with Miss Tanner's pony riding skills...I think she may need to join us for the big Ava Celebration next year. (Perfect riding posture!) C also loved the ponies and spent the entire ride making horse sounds. (In fact I had a hard time getting a picture that looks like she was having fun because she was constantly smacking her lips making her very realistic horse noises. We have already vowed to teach Keaton to make more cartoonish animal noises; neigh, oink, etc. Chaney sounds like the guy who takes Steve Martin and John Candy to the train station in Planes Trains and Automobiles...."Train don't run outta Whitchita lessin' you're a hog or a cattle"...does anyone else get that reference?)

Some pictures from the big outing...

Chaney is still sleeping....

I am recommitting myself to the blog this morning; at least one post a week...

As I type this it is 10:16 and Chaney is still sleeping. She had an extra large day yesterday, hitting her first parade in the morning and then parting with the Dirksen and Flemming girls at the Movies in the the Park last night. (that is 7 little girls...yes all girls for PJW and his two buddies...think thats God's payback for misbehavior in their younger days?)

All else is great here. Keaton is a happy baby, sleeping well and making our lives fairly easy. Chaney is hamming it up at every opportunity, bocking like a chicken, woofing at nellie-and every other dog that she passes....

Here is a picture of C at the parade yesterday....(it is now 10:27 and still not a peep from C)

First of all...HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLA! Congrats to the Wade family...now one member larger! Yeah!!!

So we have been having all kinds of fun since my last post. We've been to the Zoo, The Botanical Gardens and Chaney is a regular at the City Children's Garden. (I've posted several pictures of all our adventures below) Needless to say we have all enjoyed the recent cooler weather!

The Lafayette Square bike race is today so we have plans later this afternoon to venture out into the streets to take in all the festivities. One of the races prior to the professional race is a tricycle race for the kiddos. I cant wait until the girls are big enough to enter; there are a couple of neighborhood boys who are regulars and i look forward to being able to tease their trash talking dads when my girls smoke their boys!

As I am sure you all have marked on your calendars, Tiger football starts tomorrow! Great Aunt Johnna (GAJ) sent the girls some new Tiger wear and we are all very excited about getting geared up for the big game. (They have had some pink Tiger gear in the past, but this is their first real black and gold team wear.) Getting into the football spirit I wanted to share a recipe for what is officially called "TACO SOUP"....but its become my new chili recipe...yummy! (Its super easy and taste even better reheated.)

Enjoy and GO TIGERS!!

1lb Ground Turkey
1 Small Onion (i use red)
1 pkg Ranch Dressing Dry Mix
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Chili Hot Beans
1 can Whole Corn
1 can Mexican Flavor Diced Tomatoes
1 can Regular Diced Tomatoes

Brown the turkey with the onion and ranch mix then just dump everything into a large pot. (don't drain anything, dump juices and all) Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.

A few pics from the last couple of weeks....

PJW got K a cow to be a companion to C's Piggy. But based on this picture I'm not sure she's loving cow as much as C loves Piggy.

I picked up some of those frozen "flavor-ice" ice pops at the store the other day thinking they would be a fun treat for Chaney..not only does she love them but UB, Dad and Mom have enjoyed them too! (a lot of after dinner, "What color do you want? What flavor is green? Didn't you have red yesterday; was it cherry or strawberry?") Which made me wonder why do we stop eating the yummy things we used to love? How good are animal crackers, peanut butter on soft bread, grilled cheese?? Another benefit of having kids...

Below is what Granny calls the "best banana bread recipe ever". She says shes tried "at least a hundred recipes". Im not sure about the numbers, but she does have a big birthday coming up so it might be accurate. (C, and by proximity Nellie too, has eaten about a loaf already this weekend!)

BEST BANANA BREAD EVER!

Oven 350

1/2 stick (4-5 tblsp) butter - softened
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
Cream together

1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
1/4 tsp powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and stir into creamed mixture with wooden spoon - Don't use mixer

2-3 RIPE bananas (I often use those I have frozen that were going bad before I could use) Smash - get as creamy as possible so no banana chunks (I use fork)- Stir into above mixture

Makes 2 small loaves or 1 large - 30 min for small - 50 min for large
Freezes Super! Wrap in plastic and then in foil if freeze.

Here is an recent picture of Keaton. She's doing much better with her eating and turning into a fat and happy baby. (or we are just getting used to her constant spitting up and its not so stressfull anymore!) She is sleeping usually till 5:00ish and then chugging a bottle and passing out again, except for last night when she was up at 1:30...And unfortunately for Patrick,before we went to bed last night he was trying to be helpful and offered to get her when she woke up. Because he had to work this morning I made him a deal that if she got up before 2:00, which she hadn't done in a couple of weeks, he could get her...otherwise I would get her. I think it was exactly 1:38 when she woke up-ha!

Its been a while since my last post, we have been a bit crazy here! I have officially left Sonnenschein and have been focused on signing up a few clients to keep me busy while I spend most of my time with the girls. We have also had a house full of sickies. Patrick and Chaney have been fighting colds over the last week and Keaton now seems to be coming down with one herself. I have somehow managed to avoid the bug. Its refreshing for me, after 18 months of pregnancy, to be the healthy one in the family that is taking care of everyone else.

Even with all the chaos, Patrick and I were able to get away to Kansas City last weekend. We had a great time, mostly catching up on sleep, eating some good meals and have a few drinks. However, The good times were interrupted with a call from Uncle Blake letting us know the AC was broken. Ug, oh well....

While we where gone Chaney stayed Friday night with yia-yia and poppy and Saturday with pa pa and Annette. Keaton stayed with Granny in her new place off the park. (very handy) The picture below is of Chaney and her acorns. She loves her acorns. She has acorns and pa pa Werner's and walnuts at Grandpa Luna's. Grandpa Luna is convinced she is going to grow up to own a chain of Walnut Bowl stores in Lebanon. I wonder if there's money in walnut bowls?

I also wanted to post this picture I snapped of C and Dad "napping" while in Pontiac...

We have had a busy few days! Last week we all loaded up and set out on our first trip as a family of four to Southwest Missouri. Our first stop was at Granny's house in Springfield where Granny B and Grandpa came over to visit and meet Keaton. Unfortunately Chaney was in a bit of a "mood" and we visited just for a bit before we thought we better get back on the road and head to Pontiac. And while I would have loved to show off Miss Keaton to the Ozark County crew, she stayed behind with Granny and Granny B. (We are still working through some reflux issues and thought the trip would be a bit much for her. Turns out it was a good call, Granny didn't get much sleep over the next 48 hours!)

In Pontiac Chaney and I attended a shower for baby Lola and then sunscreened up for C's first trip on the lake. I was a bit worried about the boat ride, wondering if she would be scared of the sound or annoyed with her life-jacket. I should have known better; she did great! She loved the ride as she sat with Dad and waved "hiiiii" to the water as we cruised down Bull Shoals. We tied up with some Pontiac friends and floated with everyone for a while. Chaney even sat on the swim platform on one boat and "jumped" to dad in the water. She also loved Grandpa's old water squirting hand trick and had her first 30 second swim lesson from Laurie, a collegiate swimmer in her day...we have always ignored the fact it was at Oklahoma State.

Thanks to "Aunt" Jabet and "Uncle" Matt for taking us out!

The weekend wrapped up with Granny in a U-haul and a caravan back to St. Louis! The boys got her all moved in to her new place just off the Park Sunday night...shew, long day!

Here are some pictures from the big weekend taken with Aunt Jabet's cool water camera...looks like I'm going to have to get one for future trips!


Ready to go!


Lunchtime...grilled cheese and chips from Jackies!


"Jumping" off the boat with Dad.


Some floating time....

I'm feeling like a neglectful mother...it seems like there has been a lot of postings of Chaney lately and none of Miss Keaton. So here is yet another picture of her sleeping. She's doing great. We had a Dr.'s appointment this week and she is "thriving"...already over 10lbs! She is, however, still working through some reflux which has not been too much fun for mom and dad; although we are getting used to changing clothes, both hers and ours, on a regular basis. (and doing way more laundry than typical in this house) But between spit ups at meal time shes a very happy and contented baby girl!

So far C's favorite thing we brought home from the hospital last month has been this cup...

We celebrated the baptism of Taylor Nicholas last weekend...after church we all gathered back at Niki and Adam's were we had these yummy sandwiches. I'm calling them "Niki's Sandwiches" in honor of their creator...(Niki is, i am sure, a very capable, but resistant cook)

I am passing them along because I'm thinking they could be easily added to any lake or tailgate menu pretty easily. (I had my second sandwich at room temp and it was still as yummy as the first warm one!)

I have also posted here a picture of the little man...I didn't get any good pictures of the baptism because I was chasing Chaney up and down the pews, but here is Mr. Taylor in his soccer gear. Dad says "getting prepared for 2014"...(Next World Cup)...



Ingredients:
2 packages of Hawaiian Rolls (12 per package)
1 ½ lbs. Shaved Ham
1 lb. Swiss Cheese shredded finely

Sauce:
1 ½ sticks of melted Butter
1 ½ Tbs. Dijon Mustard
1 ½ Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1 ½ Tbs. Minced Garlic

Instructions:

Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil. Cut rolls in half and place bottom on foil, fill with ham and cheese. Place top half of roll on top. Whisk together sauce ingredients and pour over sandwiches. Cover pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove foil for the last 2-3 minutes of baking time for the cheese to melt and slightly brown.

They are also great reheated in the microwave! Enjoy!!!