Bible Bread and Too Short Overalls

I put some "way too small" overalls on Noah today. They were basicall "highwaters".  They were too short, but still adorable.  I actually made him wear them all day….in the freezing cold with his legs hanging out because they were so darn cute.  See for yourself…..

 

 

Seriously, couldn’t you just eat him up?  I guess I am a bit bias, but I do think he is the cutest thing on the planet.

 

Nose kisses for Daisy and he wanted to sit and hang out with Ebony on the couch…..

 

Is that the face of a happy dog or what?

 

Today we visited Whole Foods with Grandma and Grandpa.  I am always on the lookout for healthy snacks for Noah.  Grandma pointed out these "Bible Bread" crackers.  I made fun of them at first then looked at the ingredients and found that they are really healthy.  No added salt, preservatives, fat, or artificial anything.  They are huge crackers and only 85 calories for 2 crackers (0.5 grams of fat).  They have a slight honey taste and great crunch!  They really are fantastic!   Noah loves them!

 

 

 

Snow, snow, and more snow!

We got outside for another day of playing in the snow.  Today we spent some time in the backyard so the doggies could get out and enjoy the snow too!  Daisy enjoyed gnawing on some huge chunks of ice, Ebony ran around like a puppy and chased her ball, and Noah went down his snow filled slide!  We are supposed to get 1-2 inches more tomorrow.  Yay, more shoveling.

 

Here are some of the piles of snow left after shoveling the driveway and sidewalk…can you imagine how long it will take for this to melt?  Spring maybe?

 

Gary’s sister and her husband left last Friday on a Carribean cruise.  I took them to the airport so they left their car at our house.  Look what they get to come home to!  Welcome back to good ol’ Ohio Dawn and John!  Noah and I made an attempt to dig them out.  I literally had to bang on their car to break it free from 1/2 inch of ice!

 

Noah was enjoying a nice "slice of ice" that fell from the car while we were cleaning it off!

 

Noah took a trip down his slide….of course I couldn’t push him and take a picture, so all you get to see is the slide.  He had a very fun time landing in the snow pile at the bottom!

 

Noah and doggies playing in the snow.  Ebony turns into a puppy again when it snows!

 

 

Level 2 Snow Emergency!

We got lots of snow last night and today, as well as about a half inch of ice.  Unfortunately Gary had to go into work today, and we are praying he can make it home safely.  I might have to head out and get him with the SUV if his little car can’t make it through the snow!  Noah and I were dying to get outside and play in the snow, especially when it was coming down really hard!  So, after about 15 minutes of layering clothes, we headed out!  Noah enjoyed riding in his sled and got to go down 2 sledding hills all by himself.  There were two neighborhood kids more than willing to help me out by pushing him down the hill!  Because of the ice accumulation of of the sledding hills had a big "bump" of ice that couldn’t be seen…..Noah sledded right over the bump and went for a wild ride!  He would stay out all day if it were up to him!  I made him come inside for a nap, but we will head out again later today for some more snow fun.

 

Sledding Video’s!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRmAJebMq48

 

Bigger hill with bump!  Listen to my reaction when I see him go over the bump!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqulwPhaBVc

 

Pictures from our backyard. The "tabletop" snow is always a good indicator of how much snow we have received!

 

Our house and Noah ready to have some fun!

 

Pictures from our cul-de-sac….our house is the one in the background with the basketball pole….

 

Noah discovered a new way to ride on his sled!

 

Look at the snow coming down! Helping our neighbor, Dick, with the snowblower!  Noah and I decided to come inside when Dick said "his pacificer has ice on it!"

 

After we came inside and removed all the layers! Noah thought it was fun to eat the ice that came off of his snow boots.  Yuck.  The camera was still cold….notice the "fog" in the picture!

 

Then we settled in for some lunch.  He is in his lunchtime Sesame Street coma….

 

 

Spoon and Rice

Noah tried a spoon tonight for the first time.  He was trying to eat rice.  Probably not the easiest "first spoon" food, but he tried nonetheless.  Lucky for you, we have video!  Enjoy!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX13R9i1pFI

 

I captured the BEST little "man" picture today.  Is this a glimpse into the future?  Is this how men start the "reading in the bathroom" habit?

 

Noah couldn’t reach his sippy cup on the table, so he found his own way to get to it!

 

He also had a busy day of "fixing" the lawnmower….

 

We spent about an hour outside playing in the snow!  We had so much fun making snow castles, snow angels, and stomping in the snow piles.  When we got inside I just had to capture a picture of those adorable rosy red cheeks!

 

Noah is my big helper these days.  He helps me vacuum, sweep, and now even takes out the garbage…or at least gets it to the backdoor!  Yes, he is still in his snow pants from our afternoon of snow playing.  He refused to take off his snow pants and boots!

 

So smart!

Look at how smart our little guy is getting!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apeJoibU4bE

Weight Watchers

I gained 3.2 this week.  Yep, GAINED.  I cringed too when I saw the number.  Oddly enough I had a pretty good week of eating and drank lots of water.  I spent about half my meeting trying not to cry and trying to figure out how I gained that much in one week.  Then I remembered…..I had a doc appt last Friday and my doc prescribed me Steroids for my headaches.  I have been on the Steroids since Friday and she warned me about weight gain.  I hope that’s the reason.

 

At my doc appt last Friday (a yearly physical), I learned that my blood pressure is still reading high, my cholesterol is high, and I REALLY need to lose weight.  On top of all of this we were trying out my parents-in-laws new Wii Fit and it weighs you and figures out your BMI…..it put me in the category of obese….yep, right there on the TV screen were the words….OBESE.  I couldn’t believe it.  It is difficult to explain how overwhelmed, embarrased, frustrated, and stressed I feel about the shape my body is in right now.  How could I let myself get to this point?  Why am I having such trouble turning things around?  Why why why is eating healthy and exercising so hard for me right now?

 

This week, I am going to put one foot in front of the other and take it day by day.  I pray that God takes this burden from me and walks beside me every minute of everyday.  I need His help and strength.  This is the hardest challenge I have ever had.

Man Purse: AKA: “MURSE”

Noah has a new man purse that he loves carrying around and taking in the car.  He carries it on his arm just like mommy carries her purse and it is adorable.  He likes to keep various items in his "murse"…blocks, cars, drum sticks, puzzle pieces, a hammer, and the occasional ball or two. 

 

Sesame Street Zone

Noah has really started to love Sesame Street and looks forward to it each day. He completely zones out watching it….only coming out of his zone to dance when he see’s Elmo dancing.  It cracks me up.  I have to admit I have started to watch it with him and actually enjoy it!  In fact, the other night Gary and I were sitting down for a little TV time after Noah went to bed and I made him watch a segment from that day’s Sesame Street episode because I loved the song!  He humored me and watched.   I got some cute pics of him today in his Sesame Street Zone….

 

 

Look at that sweet face!  So, who do you think he looks more like?  Me or Gary??

 

Here is the beautiful sunset from last night.  It is rare that we even see the sun during Winter in Ohio, so a sunset like this is a real treat!

 

Noah eats a ton of yogurt and I decided today to take a trip to Whole Foods to see if I could find a yogurt without any added sugar or artificial sweetners.  I couldn’t find any in my regular grocery store…..but I did find a brand at Whole Foods!  There are not a lot of flavors (Strawberry, Peach, Vanilla, and Berry) but I feel better giving him this product!   I thought some of you other mommies might be interested, so here’s a pic.

Try this, you will LOVE it!

I get recipes each week at my Weight Watchers meetings.  I have been trying at least once recipe per week.  This week was Moo Shu Beef Lettuce Cups and it was delicious!!  So easy, fast, no wierd ingredients, filling, and low in points!  YAY!  Here is the recipe so you can give it a try, I guarantee you will love it!  I loved these so much that next time I am going to make a mixture with chicken….the lettuce leaves are so sweet they add a wonderful flavor to the whole meal.  If your vegetarian you could even make a mixture with just veggies and it would be just as delicious.  YUM!

 

Moo Shu Beef Lettuce Cups (serves 4)

 

Cooking Spray

1 lb lean ground beef (with 7% fat)

1 cup each of thinly sliced yellow onion, bok choy, red bell peper, button mushrooms

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (I used less than this and it turned out just great)

2 leaves of Bib Lettuce (aka: Boston Lettuce) (make sure you get this type of lettuce, it is surprisingly sweet and holds the filling well!) 

 

Spray large nonstick skillet with Pam and set over med-high heat.  Add beef, onion, garlic; cook until beef is browned and onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add Bok Choy, pepper, mushrooms, and soy sauce.  Cook; stirring occasionally until bok choy is wilted and pepper is tender-crisp, about 3-5 mins.  Spoon about 1/2 cup of beef mixture onto each lettuce leaf.  Wrap like a taco to keep filling in.

 

 

$20 well spent!

  I don’t know why my bare living room windows have just started annoying me, but they have.  We have lived here for over 3 years and I have been just find with our non-curtained windows, until this week.  All of a sudden this week I just had the NEED for curtains on my four living room windows.  So, off Noah and I went to Walmart to find some window coverings!  I was praying I could find the same curtain design that I have in our kitchen since I love them so much….and what do you know….they did have them AND they were on sale.  WOOHOO!

 

I only spent $20 on the four windows and I really can’t believe the difference the curtains made.  The living room feels much warmer and looks somehow more "finished".  Take a look and let me know what you think!