Titus' Day

Oh little boy, you are no longer "little!"  A big boy, you are.  A whole 2 years old!  Can you believe it?  You made it to 2 years old.

Remember when you decided to be born a whole 4 weeks before you were due?  So Mommy's water broke at 3 in the morning and she had to drive herself to the hospital, and had to walk down the hallway by herself to the maternity wing and check herself in?

Oh sweetheart, what a day.  I think because you were our surprise baby, you decided you wanted to come into the world with shock and awe.  You, dear boy, were only 5.2 ounces and 19 inches long.  Such a tiny, teeny thing.  And born a beautiful sunny Boise day, on your aunt's 16th birthday too.  So glad you were healthy and able to come home with us only 2 days after the birth... You know I was very scared that you were going to have to have a long hospital visit, mainly because of everything we went through with your brother Eli just a year before.

More posts on his birth here and here

We love you, Tiny Titus!  Thanks for making our lives fun and full of color.

4runner Lovin'

Yes, we love 4runners.  Can't get enough of them apparently, because we got a "new" one!  3 weeks-ish ago we said goodbye to the '95, and got an '07.  We LOVED the '95, however the "trip to the Southwest" showed us that it had some major flaws for cross-country moving:
1) Fuel economy,
2) smaller fuel tank,
3) hardly enough "umph!" to just get us over hills at decent speeds.

When Matt saw the '07 in the lot there was no hope for us, he was hooked.  This is his favorite 4runner body type. The end.  He'll be driving '03 to '09 4runners the rest of his life.

Seriously, what a nice ride!  We all love it, and HONEST to goodness, we will drive this one forever and always.  I feel so "middle class" when I drive it.  Almost like I'm lying to everyone about our status--but, hello, we are middle class now!

It's always a good feeling when one takes the vehicle in for an inspection and the car-person comes back saying that it is in awesome condition, even with 100,000 miles.  Haaa... Toyota.  You warm this "driving '03 & '04 KIAs too long" heart.

(And the boys LOVE this thing, too.  First day at our home they named it "Star Scream 4runner," because it's the color of the Transformer character Star Scream.  Hey Star Scream maybe a bad guy, but anything named after a beloved Transformer means that that item is top notch.)

Moments with Food

Last week-ish I was trying to clean out our pantry, so I used some ingredients for some recipes and some worked out.  But this... WOW.  It worked out really well.  "Soft Warm Wrap Bread" from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  For two nights in a row this is all we, as a whole family, ate.  To see recipe, click here

Eli took a bath, by himself, one evening.  And he was exhausted!  Such a long day for this little 3 year old who no longer takes naps.  He was left alone in the tub for a bit while I was (surprise) packing.  I come around the corner and what did I see?  A whole bag of Gold Fish floating in the tub.  And though he didn't get into trouble, he did get embarrassed by mine and Matt's laughing reaction, and did NOT want to take pictures. 

And you know those times where you ask your husband to put the egg in the recipe, so he does?  Yeah... I know those times.

Here's what I was making: Nutella Cookies. When warm, tastes a bit like fudge. 

1 c Nutella

1/2 c Sugar

1 c All-purpose flour 

1 Whole Egg

Preheat oven to 350f degrees.  Blend all ingredients together well. Form into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet. Press down with a glass firmly to flatten. Bake 7-8 minutes. 

Approx. 100 calories each.

"Pre-tool" Party at Park

Isaac's last day of "pre-tool" (as he says it) was May 30th.  There was no class time, just a "party at a park."  Basically a lot of crazy.  We didn't go to the preschool party last year because we were in Bama for my lil sister's high school graduation.  I'm glad we went though.  Able to say "last goodbyes" to all the women that took me in when I had no one to turn to.

This preschool was good for Isaac.  Really focused on how the letters of the alphabet sound using the "Zoophonics."  Isaac's language really improved.  His teachers were very kind too.  He had a good two years with them.  It is a Lutheran preschool, and sometimes he'd come home wondering if God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are the same person... he kind of had a Mormon/Lutheran hybrid of religion. Sometimes confusing, but I'm sure he'll figure it all out eventually.

Here are some pictures of the day's event.  Matt was able to come, and played lots with the boys.

31st of May Pictures

All these pictures were taken on 31 May 2012.
I think they're pretty fantastic, only because of the fantastic subjects.