Field Trips

When ever the kids have a field trip for school I try to go with. Their school is small so they rely on parent drivers for all field trips so I usually get to go. Here are some photos from Annaliese's trip to Goeberts Farm. It was pretty cute. All the kids got to feed all sorts of animals and take a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and pick out a pumpkin. Fun!

Avrie and Adeline took a trip to the Swedish American Children's Museum. We had never been before and were very impressed! The play areas were adorable. They made a craft and learned songs and learned all about what farming was like in America and Sweden.
We'll be going back for another visit one of these cold winter days coming up for sure.

I didn't have the chance to really read any of the books that they had at the museum but they looked adorable. We love good picture books at our house. I'll have to take a trip to the library and check them out. Maybe we've found some new books to add to our collection? I hope so!

Little Pea

We checked out the book LITTLE PEA from the library. Avrie loves it. In the book Little Pea has to eat 5 bites of candy for dinner before getting dessert(spinach). My little Pee-Wee is (still) a very picky eater. Thanks to this book, I we have a new trick for mealtime. Just a little reminder of this story and she will enthusiastically take 5 bites of dinner. Funny little Avrie! You are my favorite Little Pea! Here is a list of some of my favorite & most recent Avrie Moments.

09/28/2008 - All week Avrie has been asking me if she is a baby or if she is a big girl. She is determined to be big! "I'm a big geel!"
09/28/2008 - Something changed...my Sweet Avrie is back (has been for 2-3 weeks)! Is it the moon? She has been THE sweetest and THE cutest child I have ever seen!
09/27/2008 - I think she is ready for potty training, for sure! Tonight she was sitting on the toilet and she said in her oh so cute 2 year old toddler voice, "The poopoos are sleeping in my bum. They don't want to come out and play with their friends. They're scared." =)
09/28/2008 - The last few weeks have been a riot listening to her talk. First of all she has the cutest voice I've ever heard, second she can talk and talk and talk. She is beyond using language to get her needs met...she has stories to tell!
09/27/2008 - Avrie and Addie (and Annaliese for the matter) play so well with each other. I love to hear the little conversations that they make their toys have with each other. Very cute!
09/10/2008 - I took her for her first dentist visit. She gave me a scare because she mentioned a few times to me that her teeth were hurting...but good news, no cavities! She did great for the dentist too! Good job Avrie!
09/10/2008 - Cute little body on this girl. She was exercising the other day by punching her arms out in front of her and kicking her legs out one at a time. She was panting and so proud of herself for eckersizing. Too cute!
09/10/2008 - Okay, another thing I need to record is this girl singing Happy Birthday. SOOO CUTE! She loves to "make cakes" from Sand, or blocks, or other objects and sing happy birthday. Then she makes you blow out the candles. When you blow out the candles she knocks down the blocks, or dumps the sand, or destroys what ever the cake was made from. Too cute! Sweet voice too!
09/10/2008 - Likes to play with the doll house. Still enjoying dress ups but not as often as she used to. She is loving learning to draw. Whenever she draws herself...she always includes her birthmark. Cute as ever!
09/10/2008 - LOVE her little voice! She has been telling the cutest little stories lately! Sooo incredibly sweet! Need to get this on tape.
09/10/2008 - It's official, as soon as I admit Avrie has chilled, she sneaks back to her old tricks! NO more will I comment on Avrie's temperament good or bad! No more jinx!
08/16/2008 - It's official, Avrie has chilled out. She is a happy little girl with a little bit of spunk. Parenting her has become so much easier these past few months. I never finished the parenting books, I think she is just growing up.
08/16/2008 - I'm listening to her sing, "Old McFarmer had a pig, ei ei o." =)
07/15/2008 - Sings "Someones in the the kitchen with dinah strumin on the old banjo, singing, B - I- Bidel e i o. B. I. Bideli I OOOO B. I Bidleio OOOOO...."
07/15/2008 - Sings "There was a farmer had a dog and Dingo was his name-o. D-I-N-G-O..." =)
06/15/2008 - Loves dress ups. LOVES IT! (So does Addie)
07/15/2008 - We have been working on manners with all the girls. Finally understanding that grunting is not the proper way to demand a drink of milk. She politely says, "mommy, may I please have a drink of milk." =)
07/15/2008 - Has decided she wants to be sweet 90% of the day these days. I can handle that! =) Love that sweet little Avrie.
07/15/2008 - This girl is so ready to potty train. Waiting until we are back from all summer travel and she'll be golden!
05/28/2008 - At her developmental eval she did great. She scored right where she should for her age. Knows most of her colors too. Good job Avrie! =)
05/26/2008 - I was cracking up this week watching her march around the house banging 3 different musical instruments simultaneously, singing random songs. Very funny!
05/26/2008 - Still very much into her dress ups. Got some good pics this week!
05/26/2008 - Very much into hugs and kisses. Love it!
05/16/2008 - Very independent girl. Must dress herself.
05/16/2008 - Says her name "Aidwie" - very cute!
05/16/2008 - Says, "Clicke, clock" instead of tick tock.
04/28/2008 - Love her sweet little toddler voice. Just precious! I've got to get it recorded!
04/24/2008 - Has been sick! Luckily I took her in with me when Addie had a doc apt. to recheck for ear infection....Avrie has a double ear infection now!
04/15/2008 - Today Avrie saw a young baby picture of herself and Addie. She immediately pointed to herself and said, "That's Avie. I have birthmark owie right there." Then she pointed to her forehead. I asked who the other baby was and she didn't recognize Addie. I told her who it was, but she didn't believe me.
04/10/2008 - Has started that darn 2am awakening game again!
04/10/2008 - Has discovered my shoes. All day today she clacked around in some shiny white heals. Also today wore her sunhat and ballerina skirt all day. A sight to behold.
04/10/2008 - I can't get this one to eat anything but white doughy bread and hotdogs! She has texture issues I think.
04/10/2008 - Had her first hemagioma bleed a few nights ago. They weren't kidding when they say that they bleed! Avrie loved wearing a Dora the Explorer bandage. I think she just scratched it?
04/01/2008 - Great at counting to 20. Knows many of her colors.
04/01/2008 - Her language is getting so good! You can practically carry on a real conversation with her. Very fun!
04/01/2008 - This girl has the best head of hair! Love her long locks and curls at the bottom. I love how her hair sways back and forth when she runs.
04/01/2008 - I'm reading the "strong willed" parenting book. She seems to be responding positively already. Separately, she is getting better at ASKING for things nicely. =)
03/17/2008 - Still loving her pink blankie. She has two and has recently decided she likes one over the other. She will let Addie have the other one.
03/13/2008 - The last month, she has been sleeping much better at night. At last!
03/13/2008 - Hemangioma is getting lighter & smaller! =) It's still there of course, the pics of her without it are photo shop, but it really is looking so much better!
03/13/2008 - Loves to read. She will go pick out some of Kermit's books from the bookcase and just flip through and look at the words I guess.

Deception....Shhh....

So a few months ago I bought Jessica Seinfeld's new cookbook Deceptively Delicious after my sister in law, Shannon recommended it.

I was skeptical but desperate. My strong willed and picky eater Avrie does NOT eat fruit or veggies, period. Adeline eats all fruits, some veggies. Annaliese will eat some fruits, and a vegetable or two on occasion. It's pretty pathetic. What's a mom to do.

This book seemed to be a start in the right direction. So far we've tried both pancake recipes and love them both. I now sneak cauliflower into boxed mac n cheese. I've made the chickpea cookies...they were okay. I've tried the brownies...gross. I also tried the turkey burgers...not a huge hit. Banana Bread, I liked it but the kids wouldn't try it.

Today Annaliese asked for brownies, so I'm trying something new....The Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mix, with 1/4 cup spinach puree (in Jessica's recipe you add a 1/2 cup, too much for our liking) and then 1/2 cup carrot puree. We'll see if this tastes any better. The batter was runny, so I added flour. This might be a disaster. How do you know unless you try. I'll know in a couple of hours.

BROWNIE RESULTS: So the brownies are now done. Not bad at all. Annaliese had about four. Unfortunately, Avrie and Addie wouldn't touch 'em. That left me with about 16+ to eat by myself (until Kermit gets home). The good thing is that they aren't so yummy that I devour the entire pan alone. I just ate 2 and was done.
It seems my twins only like the hidden veggies in their breakfast foods. Maybe I'll have to try finding my Grandma Bev's Zucchini Pancakes recipe! Jessica wasn't the first to come up with the idea of veggies in the pancakes!

Have any of you out there tried some of these recipes? Which ones do your kids like?

Finished!

I did it! I read a book! It took me an entire month but I did it! Sounds like a joke but I am serious! I haven't given myself the time to read a book just for fun in years!!!! (I'm not sure I should be bragging about this...) I'm really excited for this small accomplishment- can't you tell!

I just finished "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Loved it! Non Fiction written like a novel! It is the true story of the World's Fair in Chicago 1893 and the architect and designers that made it happen (the white city reference). So interesting- really! I loved learning about some of Chicago's history! The part that really made it a page turner was the fact that across the street from the fair lived a serial killer...ahhh...(the devil). I thought it was pretty amazing!

A year or so ago Kermit and I enjoyed a 4 disc documentary on Chicago's history. It was fun to be reading along in this book and learn new things but also be able to say "I already knew that!" (I felt so smart!) The author really made the history come to life for me! I kept trying to imagine what it would have been like to have lived then and to have attended the fair. The whole serial killer thing was just crazy and I can't believe he got away with it for so long! Creepy but so intriguing! It really made me appreciate our modern communication, technology and police work!

So what's next? Maybe a certain vampire book. I've heard so much buzz and am curious.