A note from Tristan

Dear Mommy,

I will never let you sleep again.

Love,
Tristan

P.S.
Thanks for the food, sorry it always ends up all over your pants….

Cake recipe!

Nick's birthday cake

1 package Reeces no bake bars

1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350

Beat egg yolks, butter and sugar until smooth.  Add vanilla and milk and powder.  Mix in flour, then beat in egg whites slightly.

Cover round cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with pam.  Pour in batter, smooth top, bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool one hour and remove from aluminium foil to drying rack, keeping foil intact.  Cut off top to make flat on both sides.

Prepare Reeces crust as on box.  Shape into aluminum foil.  Immediately place cake top down onto crust and press gently.  Turn over and remove foil, place desired tray ontop of crust, and turn back over to place on table.

Prepare peanut butter filling according to box.  Spread over top of cake until smooth.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Frosting:  Melt chocolate package from box.  Add in powder sugar, butter, and milk until desired frosting consistency,  Spread over whole cake.

Decorate and enjoy!!

A bad day

Poor Nick, he always gets puked on.

Tristan has been, well, let's just say a big fat pain in the rear today.  He won'y sleep, wants to eat constantly, screams and makes himself puke when he's pooping, won't eat if he has to poop, gets mad if I take food away while he is pooping because he chokes since he's straining so hard…..and he was awake all night too.

Is it just me or has every post revolved around Tristan and my lack of sleep???

Then the  booger projectile vomited all over Nick…..and I mean all over…..and the computer chair.  Gotta admit it was pretty funny.  But so here we are, still awake since 4 yesterday morning……ulgh!!!!  And poor Bastian is feeling so neglected all he does is cry all the time too.

He is cute, but man!  Babies!

Tristan and the "banana" to keep his neck straight, I finally got sick enough of him crying and just laid him on the floor….it actually got him to stop!

Nick and Tristan took a shower

Mad after the shower (4th outfit bytheway….)

Ain't he cute?

Nick's Birthday

Nick went fishing on Tuesday, so Tristan and I took the opportunity to go out birthday shopping.  And it was an adventure….first of all, I still don't know how to open and close the stroller, second, I've never taken Tristan out by myself.  And I ended up carrying his carseat everywhere.  He's a heavy little booger.  He actually did just fine until about 3 blocks from the house on the way home when he started screaming.  Well, at least it wasn't in the store.  First stop was Walgreens where I picked up the monkey picture Nick likes the best.  Then we went to the game store and picked out a game called The Hive (Nick likes bugs…hahaha) And last we went to Hobby Lobby to pick out a frame for the picture.

Once home, I had about 2 hours until Nick got back, so I started wrapping his gifts.  I had also gotten him a desk lamp for his fly tying.  Then the door opened, and i threw everything into the closet.  The silly boy got home early.

This is where it gets funny.  I started cleaning the house a couple days later, and Nick started helping me.  Luckily I had wrapped the gifts when Nick took Phil to Walmart…..because Nick sheepishly came into the bedroom and said, was I not supposed to look in the closet?  I laughed, and said, no you weren't, but I figured you would so that's why I wrapped everything.  Then of course he wanted to open it…and of course I let him.

And last night, I couldn't find the ziplock bags in the kitchen, so Nick offered to.  He got to one of the cupboards and said, hey! We have a Reeces cake mix! Then paused and went, oops.  I just shook my head.    I had hid the cake mix with the candles and a bag of Reeces behind my instant breakfast box.  So much for my surprises!

Then Karl and Amber came over to have dinner and cake with us.  Amber made an awesome tasting roast for dinner, and we also  had corn and potatoes.  Then we ate the amazing cake I made (so humble I know).  It was the no bake Reeces mix tweaked a bit.  I made an actual vanilla cake, put it on top of the Reece crust, spread the peanut butter filling over the top and frosted with with chocolate icing.  Way rich.  It was funny when Nick tried to blow out the candles, he ended up blowing sprinkles everywhere  And then we played hand and foot for a couple hours, a game we tend to get competitive at!  Nick also got a remote control helicopter fro Karl and Amber, which he is still playing with right now.  Bastian loves it almost as much as Nick does, and he talks to it like he's making little bird noises.  It was a very fun evening!

Happy Birthday my husband!  I love you!!!  

Birthday Nap

Pretty Sunday suit

Twinkle toes

Tasty birthday cake

Blowing out the candles

My cute husband

Karl and Amber and Nick eating the cake

Tristan's one eyed stare

I've had an "apostrophe"

Once upon a time, my life was simple.  All I had to worry about was myself……I've started to realize that things tend to get complicated with age.  I've become well acquainted with heavy responsibility, financial hardship, death, balancing family and work, seeing my siblings go through devastating illnesses and going off to war, seeing my parents age, being overwhelmed with a new baby.  I remember when stress was "oh my gosh, there's a zit on my chin!"

But still, growing up has its rewards.  I get to be married to my husband, whom I have loved for years.  I get to have a beautiful baby boy who has filled my life with such joy I can't even express.  I'm able to have meaningful conversations and interactions with my siblings who are older than me.  I can see the sacrifices my parents made to help get me where I am and appreciate it.  And I can own furry pets and no one can stop me.

Then I look at Tristan, and realize, in 6 years when he is starting school, I am going to be 30.  What changes are going to happen in my life and the lives of my family in that time?  Where will I be?  What will I be interested in?

Last year, a lot of my family members passed away, and it occurred to me that I had been being selfish.  I wanted to put off having children because I wanted Nick and I to have alone time.  We needed the time to just be together and grow together right?  I mean, I wouldn't change how it happened, we did learn a lot about each other, and I think we were pretty well prepared to add to our family.  But how much time have I taken from Tristan to be with his grandparents?  Aunts, uncles, cousins?

I'm not trying to sound pessimistic.  Rather, I've realized just how precious every moment is.  I love my life, I love my family.  I wish I got to see them more often than I do.  I've discovered there is more than just clothes and movies to make me happy.  And there are more important things than how much time I spend on my hair and makeup.

What makes life meaningful isn't what we own or how much money we make, but the relationships we foster, the service we render, the love we share.

Out the nose

Last night, or well, I should say around 3 this morning, Tristan decided he wasn't tired, but hungry.  He had just eaten, so we tried changing him for like the 50th time and swaddling him.  He wouldn't have any of it.  So we tried laying him in between us which seemed to work for a minute, then his binkie fell out and he spit up all over himself.  And I ended up changing him…..again.  So I tried rocking him for half an hour, then feeding him again.  Usually that will put him right to sleep.  Did it?  Of course not!  Then, frustrated beyond belief because the little booger doesn't stop crying when he wants something, I laid him down with Nick and went to the bathroom.  I heard Nick scream from the bedroom, and ran in to find him and Tristan and the bed soaked in puke…..it had even shot out his nose.  So then we made him mad by syringing the milk curdies from him nose.

Finally,  Nick got him to fall asleep with him on the couch.  What a booger!!!  I keep saying I want to keep him awake all day to train him to sleep at night, but I'm just so dang tired when he sleeps, I try to sleep.  It's going to be soo fun when I have to go back to work and I'm only operating on 2 hours of sleep.

He's out right now, he had his second physical therapy appointment this morning, so he's all tuckered out, little dear.  The doc says his neck has improved dramatically and to basically keep up the good work.  And that is all thanks to Nick!  It makes me too sad when he cries,  We also have to get him to spend more time on his tummy to help strengthen his neck muscles.  That's going to be fun, he actually tolerates it all very well.

And my wonderful husband, before he went to work today, picked me a sweet smelling yellow rose.  I'm pretty sure today is going to be a good day.

Crabby….the onesie that suits him best

Bastian found a new hiding place

Physical therapy was too much work!

And he officially fits 0-3 mo! Well, length wise, not girth…haha

Baby update

Tristan has been an exceptionally good baby lately.  Apart from the fact that he doesn't sleep at night.  So Nick and I have become accustomed to sleeping all day.  We aren't very productive, but then again, what new parent is?  I am proud to say though that I got my room cleaned up finally yesterday and some of the dishes done.  Then Tristan woke up.  I also tried taking a shower.  I put him in his bouncer and brought him into the bathroom with me.  He was happily asleep until I got all soapy……then started screaming.

It's funny how quickly you figure out what each little scream means.  He has the "I'm trying to fall asleep and I hate the world" scream, the "feed me or I'm going to wither away" scream, and my favorite, "the what the heck? I'm pooping again?" scream.  The last one reminds me of a squealing pig.  But then he poops and is happy as a clam.  Oh the stories we are going to have for him one day.

Today Amber came to visit, and enjoyed holding him while we chatted.  The best part was when she was about ready to leave, he had a blowout.  Luckily nothing got on her, but I got to take care of it when she left, haha…….lets just say it was one of his better efforts.  Then he started screaming to be fed and halfway through eating…..had another blow out.  Where does it all come from????  Ah well, he's still darling.

Mmmmm, got milk?

He turns into a zombie when he eats

Sweet cowlick and lots of hair

At the end of a long day