In the kitchen with velcro monkey...

So I saw some fresh cherries at the grocery store, and thought they looked really good. My kids are very good eaters (Andrew's allergy issues aside...) but I'm always looking for different, healthy foods for them to try. The sign above the cherries said something like $3.49/lb, so I grabbed a bag, thinking no way is this more than a pound.

Well, apparently it was quite a bit more than a pound, since preppy hubby looked at the receipt and politely pointed out that the cherries were a little over $8.00!! Yikes!

So, in an effort to make sure each and every cherry gets used, I made a cherry coffee-cake. I took a recipe for a blueberry coffee cake, substituted cherries and added a little almond extract. It turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

This was the scene in my kitchen as I stood at the counter trying to cut up cherries into tiny little pieces for the coffee cake! "Let me see, Mommy - let me see!"

PS - Andrew is kind of a Mommy's boy (which is fine with me!) He likes to know where I'm at all the time, and is prone to running up and attaching himself to my leg, no matter what I'm trying to accomplish!! I've learned to do a lot of things (as I'm sure many of you out there have!) with a toddler hanging off my leg! I've heard the term "Velcro-monkey" and didn't really know how appropriate it is until now!

Target...

Ah, Target!!! Did I ever mention I love Target? Preppy Hubby hates Target, because we (and by we - I mean me and the kids!) can't seem to leave that place without our total bill being at least 3-digits! My friend once jokingly referred to Target as her $100 store...so true!

So today, as Elizabeth and I are going to the gym, I felt my fake-Adidas-Target-knock-off flip-flop feeling a little funny (I thought the velcro was just loose)...so I look down and see the one side of it has fallen completely off...as in, the glue (not stitching) holding it together had completely disintegrated. Crap...now I have to wear my shower flip-flips into the gym (because it was raining, and I didn't want my running shoes to get wet, then I'd slip and fall on the treadmill, blah, blah).

So, after the kiddos are in bed, I swing on over to my local Target to look for the Adidas-Target-knock-offs. Which, btw, I saw earlier at a discount shoe store (the real ones, mind you) for $29. Called hubby to see if it was ok to get them (since I was already getting a new pair of more expensive running shoes) - he started hollering, so I took that as a "no". (Turns out, he was in the middle of a hot hand of on-line poker, and was yelling at the German across the table, not at me!!)

Anyhoo, so I go into Target for the flippy-flops - which now of course they don't have in my size. At least 1 pair in every size but mine...how is that for irony? So I left Target with a pair of pajama pants (on clearance for $3!!), a t-shirt, and some other random goodies from the dollar bins...my total was $30...and NO FLIP-FLOPS!! ha-ha. Somehow I don't think hubby will find this is as funny as I do...did I mention I love Target?

Fun at the grocery store...

It takes so little to keep Andrew and Elizabeth occupied while we are grocery shopping...we don't need to use one of those fancy carts with the t.v. inside, we don't even have to bring along snacks. All I have to do is promise they can look at the goldfish, the lobster tank, and ride the pony on our way out.
Today, we were getting close to the lobster tank, and they could see it - but I had one more aisle to go down. Andrew didn't understand and thought we were bypassing the lobsters, so he starts yelling, "Monsters...I wanna see da monsters!" ha-ha! Some fellow shoppers thought he was pretty funny!

Note for Grandma Berg who had eye surgery today...hope you are feeling better soon! We love you!

Also, note to self: must watch mouth...hubby informed me that tonight as he was taking Elizabeth to ballet, she told him that her little brother was "really pissing me out"....yikes!! Even I have to admit she didn't get that from Wonderpets...

Happy Mother's Day!

I received this beautiful flower from Elizabeth for Mother's Day (it was a Sunday School project!)

She was so proud of herself.

I also got this card...

I'm still not quite sure which stick figures represent which family members, but it's cute all the same. I love stick people!

Here's a cute story about Elizabeth...on Sunday (Mother's Day) I had to go to early service at our church to play in the bell choir, and then had to play my flute at the later service. Since the kids are so little, preppy daddy and Andrew come for the late service, and since we live pretty close to church, I run home between services and bring Elizabeth back for Sunday School. (Makes you tired thinking about it, doesn't it??) Anyway, everyone was still sleeping when I left for the early service, and when I came back to pick up Elizabeth, she was standing in the kitchen looking so cute, just beaming because she knew it was a special day. Preppy Daddy says, "Elizabeth, do you have something to say to Mommy?" Without missing a beat she says, "Well, while you were at church and Daddy was in the shower, I snitched a couple of marshmallows." - Of course what daddy meant was to wish me Happy Mother's Day, which she did!! Kids just can't lie - they rat themselves out every time!!

Andrew

We are home from the hospital...Andrew had another gastroscopy procedure done today, to check the progress of his eosinophilic esophagitis (EE). It's basically a scope of his esophagus to check and see if there is more damage, or if it's staying the same - they also took a biopsy to check the white blood cell count. Doctor said the esophagus looks good (just some minor acid-reflux damage), we should get the biopsy results back in a couple of weeks. Then, we'll probably have to follow up with his allergist. Poor little guy is allergic to so many foods, we are concerned that he's getting enough nutrition for an active toddler!! ha-ha! He has been drinking his rice milk, though - so that is good. I am going to try to sneak in some of the neocate (amino-acid based formula), so we'll see. (Last time I tried, he declared "that's not good" and refused to drink it...)

The nurses sure loved him & paid lots of extra attention to him - he was the littlest patient today! (They all loved his bed-head!) He did very well coming out of the anesthesia...he's just a little groggy from having to be up at 5:30 a.m. - he's kind of stumbling around like a drunken sailor! We're going to watch Sesame Street now and maybe have a nap!

More birthday fun...

(This is our little friend Kendelia!)

As I was emailing some of these pictures to my friend, Jenny, it occured to me that I should put some of them up here. Her daughter, Kendelia, turned 1 last weekend and we had lots of fun at her party. It was at a place called Gymboree...the kids all had lots of fun playing and helping little Kendel open her gifts!!

Elizabeth enjoying a juice box!

Elizabeth posing among the presents...with Andrew monkeying in the background!

I heard that this Gymboree place was for sale and thought it sounded like a neat business venture (plus, think of all the cool birthday parties we could have!) I mentioned this to Preppy Hubbby, and he acted like I just asked him if was a good idea if I went out and hooked on 8-mile..."OMG, are you KIDDING me??" "We don't have time for that...maybe some day when the kids are grown." When the kids are grown, I am not going to want to be hanging around the Gymboree crowd...I will want to be on a beach somewhere!! Oh well, it was a good idea for a minute...too bad about the parties!!