Hot Dog Octopus & Book Review

I have been blessed with a fun mom and I'm trying to remember the things she did so that I can pass them on to Fynn.  He's being a bit of a picky eater right now.  He takes bites great, and chews them, but then he spits it out and tries to throw it on the floor!  I got him to eat a bit last night, though, by making one of our old favorites: Mac & Cheese and Hot dog Octopus.  Or Quadpus as the case may be.

Take a hot dog and make two opposing cuts about two thirds up like so:

Then hollow out two "eyes":

Boil until the arms curl and use to top the noodles!

I am having so much fun going to the library and reading books with Fynn.  There are just so many I really love, I have a hard time choosing!  I just thought I'd post about some of my favorites for those with similar tastes (and so I can remember them for futures).

Right now Fynn's favorite is Time for Bed by Mem Fox.  (Check it out at Barnes & Noble).  He wants to read it every night!

Ages: 6 mo. - 3 yrs.

Format: Large board book = not easily mangled by sharp new teeth.

Story: Relaxing, rhythmic rhymes of mama animals telling their little ones it's bedtime

Illustrations: (this is really important to me!) Gorgeous!  Large watercolor animals that Fynn loves to look at.  He points out the eyes, ears, nose...

One Year Old!

I'm a whole year old!  My birthday was on the first, but we celebrated on Saturday because we had some other stuff going on.  Poppa told the mine he wouldn't work so he could celebrate with us!  Some of my friends came over for my Puppy Party.  I sure wish I could have had everyone over, it was so much fun!  This is what it looked like.

So here's what's new with me:

I've taken a few steps, but am pretty shaky still.  I get around great with crawling!

I love to toss ball back and forth with Momma, play with trucks, play the piano and guitar, take things in and out of containers, and love to ride on my rocking horse, Copper.

I talk a lot, but my most recognizable words are Mama, Dada, cat, dog, fish, and chicken.

I want to eat whatever Momma and Poppa are, and enjoy spitting my food out as much as I do tasting it!

Most of all I love being outside!  I cry whenever I have to go in.  The only bad part is the mosquitoes.  I'm building up a strong tolerance.

 P.S. here's my birthday present:

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mother's out there, and especially to my very own.  I wish I could have been closer to celebrate with you!

I had a lovely first mother's day!  We got a long nap in after church, then went a nice walk, followed by dinner out at the Loose Moose.  Fynn learned to lick ice cream from a cone and he thought it was so funny, giggling after each lick!

Life walk

I'm seeing all my family and friends back home right now enjoying the beautiful Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (Is this beautiful or what!)  And I find myself a bit desperate for spring.  This is our road now:

  So today we went on a life walk, looking for signs that old winter didn't kill off every form of life! 


1) chickens!

2) silly dog puddle splashing

3)faint green fuzz on the hill

4) buds on branches

5)fresh moose prints

6. grass shoots

7. fireweed sprouts

Bonus: sweet little Fynn lad:

Laudable Lessons

1. I do not have the coordination to drink anything while rocking Fynn in his chair.  Eventually I'll learn to pause the rocking, take sip, resume rocking.
2.  It's the things that aren't toys that make the best ones.
3. I wonder how many times God has heard the prayer, "Oh, Lord!  Please just help him sleep!"
4. Puppy kisses on the face and eating rocks really aren't the end of the world.
5. Not proud of my falls, but it's true what they say: babies bounce.
6. Josh and I have become infinitely more goofy this past year.  It's worth every giggle!
7. Food items are better discovered with your hands, but non-food items should be immediately popped into your mouth.
8. Crackers are for smashing!
9. When trying new finger foods, the dog becomes an invaluable vacuum cleaner!
10. This too shall pass.  And then you'll kinda miss it.

Another fairly foul fiasco

This is what I thought raising chickens was going to be like: 

Sometimes, I wonder what people would think if they would just drop in on random moments of life.  Picture this: me walking through the woods, one barefoot with the baby in one arm and a soggy chicken under the other, trying to keep the two apart.  The dog and cat trail behind and all of us are filthy.  Ok, now here's the back up:


We're out feeding the chickens as usual and one escapes.  No biggie, it's happened before and we just play a nice game of ring around the coop until I catch her (always the same bird).  Well, she got a little braver this time and strayed into the woods.  Meanwhile, Fynn crawls off the blanket I had him set on onto a patch of ground where I had spread fertilizer from the coop over the winter!  


Aagh! No!!!
(Plop Fynn back on blanket)
Clancey stay!!  Do not chase the chicken!
(Resume hunt)
(Fynn crawls after bird)
(Bird runs at Fynn)
Repeat, this time add cat chasing chicken
Repeat...


Eventually Clancy decided he was done obeying and I hear squawking and thrashing trailing back into the woods.   So I pick up my dirty boy and we track them, expecting the worst.  Finally, I caught up with them at the pond a ways back.  The chicken, undoubtedly with help from the dog and cat, had broken through the remaining ice in the pond, but was quite alive.  Oh boy.  I set Fynn down on a lump of tundra moss, took off one shoe and sock, and was able to reach her after only one chilly wade in.  


And here we arrive at the aforementioned scenario.   She's not looking too good, and I don't know if she'll make it, but I got her fairly dried and turned on the heat lamp for her.  I took Fynn in and we both had a bath with lots of soap.  And he stuck his face in it, giving himself the most adorable little baby bubble beard!  And again, I had no camera.  It makes me wish we just had one built in our memories that we could print out photos of anything we saw.


(Note: painting by Robert Duncan)

Discovery

I just love this season of discovery we are living right now with Fynn!  It makes everything new for me, too!  Most of the snow is gone now and new treasures are being revealed daily.  Since we've returned from our trip, here are a few of the things that have caught Fynn's eye.  Or hands.   Or mouth.

The geese, ducks and swans at Creamer's field where we go to walk sometimes.  He calls them all ducks, or at least that's what it sounds like he's saying.

The dirt and rocks in our driveway.  On our walks from the house this week he's noticed the pussy willows, a butterfly, and running water in the ditch.

The chickens out in the run.  He says ccccchhhhhhhhh...ken.

Snow and rain

And then there's the opening and closing of cupboard doors...so much fun!

What will today be?