Vita Mix

Writing about my blender made me think of my new excitement about the Vita Mix.  (I know what this says about me!).   

One rainy day, Mr. Mister and I went to Costco to eat free samples for lunch.  While we were there, a guy had a huge booth set up, demonstrating the Vita Mix.  Usually I'd just keep walking, maybe stopping to take a sample.  But because we were in no hurry, I stayed to watch the whole thing (we were the only ones there until he started pouring the samples).  It was fascinating.  He made hot soup, a smoothie, and ice cream all in the same blender (not at the same time).  But what was really amazing was how he just threw in the items, not cut up at all.  When he made the smoothie he added whole pieces of fruit and then put an entire apple on top of everything else, not even close to the blade.  But in a few minutes, it was all a perfectly smooth and tasty treat.  Then when he made tortilla soup right after that with whole vegetables, I was really convinced.

I don't get excited about many things like this.  And I know it looks and sounds cheesy.  But it really is very impressive.  You can check it out here!  (Costco sells them for less than this website).

Eating.

Mr. Mister's eating habits are beginning to change. Much to our surprise, he no longer eats anything we put in front of him.  He also actually asks to get down from the table instead of eating until we make him get down.  While it seems like a relief from the never-filled-belly syndrome, it is actually just a change in the battle.  Now I see what other parents go through all the time!  Making something only to have it refused or thrown to the floor, never knowing what he's really going to eat, and hoping he's getting enough of what he needs.  

For example, the other day, I think he ate mostly Cheerios.  I don't know how he's not bored of plain Cheerios yet, but he still eats a lot of them.  Thankfully though, he also still loves good things like bananas, yogurt, tomatoes, cheese, and strawberries.  I know it could be worse!  

signs of aging.

I've noticed that as we near our 5 year anniversary this summer, many of our nice wedding gifts we received 5 years ago are showing signs of aging.  For example...

• The number one sign you need a new vacuum:  You have to pick things up off the floor before and after vacuuming.  
• The number one sign you need a new blender:  You have to crush ice with a rolling pin before putting it in the blender.

Too bad you only get to register once!  

A Hot Day

Today was so hot it felt like summer. We went to the park for a fun playdate with some other mommies and their kids and had lots of fun playing and running around. I think that every other mom who has been cooped up inside with kids all winter was at the park too.

By the time we got in the car to head home, poor Mr. Mister's cheeks were bright red and his head was all sweaty from wearing his hat (which he thankfully kept on!). I had to stop at the store for a few things on the way home, so I picked up some popsicles for a fun treat on a hot day.

When we got home, I was all excited to give Mr. Mister a popsicle. But before I could get them out, he had dug the bananas out from my shopping bag that was sitting on the floor and tore one off from the bunch. I tried to convice him to eat a popsicle instead (now that's an ironic mom moment), but he cried and just wanted the banana. So he passed up cold sugar on a stick for a healthy piece of fruit. I wonder how long that will last?

Pretending and Telling Stories.

Those are the two big milestones Mr. Mister has hit recently. He's learned how to pretend to have a snack and a drink, which works well for us when he's hungry in the car but we don't have any snacks. It's really cute...he uses his pincer grasp to pretend to pick a piece of food out of our hands and then puts it up to his mouth and makes an eating noise. He'll do the same thing pretending to take a drink out of his hands. He thinks it's funny and it is fun to watch him do it!

He's also been starting to tell me a lot of stories about things that have happened recently. The other day, he fell off his Hot Wheels bike outside. Later that day he said, "Boom. Ouch. Bike." My favorite was when we were driving in the car in PA and out of nowhere he said, "Woah. Nick. Beep, beep." and then made the all done sign. It took me a minute, but then I realized he was telling me about when he and Uncle Nick were in the water at the beach. They were saying "woah" when the waves came. Then when it was time to get out, Uncle Nick set his watch for one minute and when it beeped, they were all done. Isn't that amazing that he remembered that a week later and summarized the story like that? I just love watching him learn!

Teacher of the Year

Last night I went to a banquet where my mom was honored as Teacher of the Year for her building, along with the teachers from the other buildings in her district. She teaches in the special needs preschool where she has both typical students and those with special needs in her class. The wide variety of abilities and needs makes her job very challenging, but she does it so well. Her students are blessed to have her in their lives. I wish Mr. Mister could be in her class!

I was so proud of her as she stood on stage and as her principal shared why she is their teacher of the year. I had tears in my eyes as the principal described how hard she works, how much she cares for her students and their parents, and how much knowledge she brings to her fellow teachers.

I have known for a long time that she is an excellent teacher, as I've seen the hours she puts in writing IEPs, coming up with new ideas, creating activities, and communicating with parents. I am so happy that she was recognized in front of her district. She is very deserving and I'm so proud of her! Congratulations, Mom! I love you!

More Pics

Here are a some more pictures from our weekend in Pennsylvania....

The birthday boy and his wife.

Three generations of fishermen.

Enjoying the lake.

Learning from the expert!

Learning from the not-so-expert.

I like their reflections in the water.

Enjoying some grandma time.


We finally got a picture with all three of us in the air!

P.S. In case you're wondering, the yellow tag on Mr. Mister's hat is his fishing license. Papa made him one to match the other men's hats!

Celebration of Life

You may remember my posts this time last year about a sweet young woman named Meredith who battled colon cancer at such a young age of 25. (click on these links to read the first post and second post). Today is the one year anniversary of her death, but as her family notes in their Caring Bridge blog entry, it is really the one year anniversary of her victory over death as she is now enjoying the fullness of eternal life with Jesus.

I encourage you to read the blog entry that her parents wrote today as they reflect on the pain that is still so real with faith that is just as real. Her story still brings me to tears, yet it is a beautiful picture of the hope and life that can only be found in Jesus. Where else is there such security and promise?

As I think of the peace that Meredith's family has even in the midst of such pain, I am reminded of God's promises in Isaiah 61:

"to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair."

This is not an empty promise. In Luke 4, Jesus reads from this same passage and says, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." In Jesus we have all these things - beauty for ashes, gladness instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. Does it make pain less real? No. But it offers hope in the victory we have in Him who conquered death so that we could live. Here and for eternity.

Another Fun Trip!

A few days after we got home from the beach, we drove out to Pennsylvania for a fun weekend with family. It was our brother-in-law's 30th birthday and the weekend was filled with fun surprises. On Friday, his family flew in from the west coast and showed up at the restaurant we went to for dinner and on Saturday night, his wife hosted a surprise party in their backyard. It was a beautiful weekend and we had such a fun time with everyone. Saturday was also the first day of trout season (a big event in Western Pennsylvania) so Daddy got some good fishing time with his dad Saturday morning.

Ironically, this was the second weekend in a row that we tried to go home from a family gathering, only to return for another night. We departed Sunday afternoon but hit a HUGE traffic jam when we found that a section of the highway was closed. We knew it would be a long, stressful trip with Mr. Mister if we tried to stick it out, so we turned around and went back for another night. It ended up to be a good decision, as we enjoyed a cookout and a crazy game of family kickball.

We took a lot of great pictures, but I thought I'd start with just the ones that show Mr. Mister doing all the fun activities that life in western PA has to offer!

Lots of Beach Pictures!

Here they are...just a sample of the many great pictures we (mostly my husband) took at the beach. You'll notice lots of blue t-shirts...my mom and dad had those made for our inaugural beach vacation. Enjoy these pictures of Mr. Mister, the family, and some sunsets.

The Hugging Cousin

That is what my brother's oldest son named Mr. Mister during our week at the beach. He gave hugs to everyone who was willing to receive them!

Back from the Beach

We just got home from a wonderful week at the beach! My entire family spent the week at my parents' new house on the beach in North Carolina. It was an amazing week - having the whole family together (all 16 of us!), seeing the new house, playing at the beach, watching all of the cousins play together, meeting my new niece, and enjoying some sunny days. We have hundreds of pictures from the week, so as soon as I sort through them, I'll be sure to post a lot.

Mr. Mister LOVED the ocean. One day, he sat for almost an hour at the edge of the water, just letting the waves flow over him. The water was only 61 degrees, but he didn't even seem to notice. He just loved being in the water.

He also had a fun week playing with all his cousins. The boys are all close in age, with 4 of them under 4. And of course, he loved the two babies. He would kneel next to them and wave and say hi or baby over and over.

Here were the highlights of the week:

• Monday - we were the first to arrive and had a great dinner with my parents at a restaurant overlooking the Intracostal Waterway.
• Tuesday - went to a local vineyard for a tour and wine tasting with Aunt K, Uncle N and my dad. That night, the Colorado clan arrived. I hadn't seen them since August, so I was very excited to see them again!
  
• Wednesday - my older sister's family arrived. Mr. Mister was ecstatic to see Cousin Ney Ney.
  
• Thursday- we took a ferry to Bald Head Island, where we drove golf carts to the beach and enjoyed lunch and sand for the afternoon. Sadly, Mr. Mister's new blue baseball hat blew into the ocean on the ferry ride back.
• Thursday night - we watched Miami University's hockey team advance to the National Championship finals! (the first ever Miami team to compete for a national championship in any sport.)
  
• Friday - spent the day at the beach. The water was rough from a storm the night before and we had lots of fun playing in the waves! (after we were too numb to notice the cold.)
  
• Saturday - another morning at the beach before leaving for the airport.
• Saturday night - as we arrived at the airport, we found out our flight was delayed and we would miss our connection in Charlotte. So they re-booked us on a flight for Sunday morning and we drove back to the house for another night with the family!
• Saturday night - we watched Miami's heartbreaking loss in overtime of the national championship game. They were winning by 2 with a minute to go...we thought we had it. But way to go, Redhawks!
• Sunday - we flew home this morning, enduring 2 short but stressful flights with a little boy who was tired and wanted to run through the aisles instead of sit in our laps. The plane got a taste of Mr. Mister's screaming abilities. Not fun.

So after a great week, we are glad to be home and are looking forward to going back again!

Many fun pictures to come...

young love

I think this picture speaks for itself.

An Outside Day

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful. We spent the entire day outside except for Mr. Mister's meals and naps. Here are all the fun things he got to do and see:

• We walked to the tennis courts where we threw and chased tennis balls. We also watched the garbage truck pick up a dumpster and put it on the back of the truck. Mr. Mister was amazed and enjoyed all the noises the truck made. We also saw some geese there and he learned to say goose instead of duck.
• We talked to one neighbor who has a small pond with goldfish in her backyard. Mr. Mister loved watching the fish and asked about them the rest of the day.
• We talked to another neighbor who has a cute little dog named Baylor. Mr. Mister pet the dog very gently and talked about Baylor all day, too. The cute thing is that he says it with his teeth clenched...don't know why, but it's super cute.
• We pulled some weeds in the front yard. Mr. Mister learned how to use the shovel and successfully threw lots of dirt around. By the end we were both dirty, but it was fun

Isn't it amazing how new and fun the world is for a toddler? I love watching him experience and learn all these new things. So it was a great day, but by the end I was exhausted from being outside so long. Mr. Mister, on the other hand, would prefer to live outside if we let him.

Here are some cute pictures of him yesterday in his new baseball hat (that I got for $1!)

Cutie

My brother just sent me this picture of my niece. Isn't she adorable? I love the hair.