Trains at the Gardens

For the first time this week Peter and I ventured out of the house. With the weather, lack of car and him just getting over a cold we have been indoors a lot. Anyway, we went to the Botanical Gardens to see their Christmas train exhibit with some of the moms and kiddos from church. Peter had a blast. For the first little bit you could find him either looking like this...

or like this.

He thought the trains were very interesting and kept going from one exhibit to another. And then his stored up energy kicked in and the child was a constant blur of motion!

I don't know how many times he made laps around the room, but he was in heaven. He did stop every so often to admire the flowers, trains or as you can see from the video someone else's things. But for the most part he just did laps.

I did get him to hold still for about 10 seconds to have a friend snap this picture of us. (Peter really needs a haircut but I just can't brind myself to cut his curls off!)

Bling

I was trying to wrap some Christmas presents while Alan was gone to school one day and Peter kept trying to help. So I pulled out this long strand of gold beads that I have for Christmas decoration and said here, have fun. So he did-and this was the result. Doesn't he look so pleased with himself? I don't know what it is about putting things around his neck but anything that will stay is fair game. And I love that he is wearing it over his football sweats. Oh, my silly little man.

Horsing Around

Peter has discovered a new way to play with dad. All we need is a saddle and he will be set!

Family Fun

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we got to spend at the Temple here to attend my sister's family sealing. I love attending sealings and it was of course made extra special because it was family. Her girls were just adorable. We are so happy for their faith to desire to unite their family eternally. It was also very nice to see our Aunt and Uncle-we are so glad they made the drive and were able to celebrate the day with us.

And here is a picture of Issac and me-since I realized I don't really have any prego pictures of me this go around. I am in the home stretch now of the 3rd trimester at 30 weeks. Except for the fact that little Isaac likes to hang out as low as possible in my uterus this pregnancy has been even easier than with Peter. I just have to go to the bathroom ALL the TIME.

Thanksgiving

I apologize for the lateness of this post, but Peter and I have been trading off colds the past couple of weeks and well to be honest I have been too tired! We had a very low key Thanksgiving this year. Alan had Thanksgiving day and the day after off of school and with his crazy hectic schedule we decided to stay home and have some family time together which was perfect. I can't remember the last time we just got to spend leisure time together. Peter was in heaven. He was in total daddy withdrawal yesterday and I can't even count how many times he has asked me where daddy is today.

As I was cooking for Thanksgiving dinner, I walked outside to take the garbage out and this is what greeted me...snow! I can't remember the last time we had snow in November! It made for a chilly day but we where all warm and toasty inside and we ate ourselves silly with all kinds of yummy goodies. I love cooking for Thanksgiving! Most of the week this is how you could find Peter accessorized. I have always tried to have him wear a tie to church so he gets used to it and I don't have to fight that battle later and lately he has been very excited to put on his tie, especially since he put two and two together and realized that dad wears one to church as well. So if Alan leaves a tie around Peter insists on wearing it. I think it is totally adorable, and he is pleased as punch with himself.This particular day he would not take it off, so we wore it everywhere and well no outfit is complete without Lightening McQueen sunglasses.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving-I know that I have SO much to be grateful for that I could fill pages with my blessings. But most importantly I am thankful for my husband and boys, for my family, the gospel and having a temple so close. I am grateful for those who spend countless of hours in service of others in so many ways and I am thankful for all those small and big moments when the Spirit touches my heart and I remember what is really important in life.

Building Forts

Peter's new favorite day is vaccum day because he has discovered that the cushions make great climbing blocks. Which is fine with me because he plays and I can actually get some cleaning done! Of course with some breaks when the fort falls apart or he falls off. :)

Funny little toes

Ever since Peter was born has has done this funny little thing with his big toes. I thought maybe he would grow out of it, but he hasn't so I think this is just a permanent part of him (which he probably gets from me since Alan does not have this kind of toe dexterity). We call it his hitchhiker toe and he will sit like that forever. I think it is so funny, thankfully it does not seem to bother him wearing shoes. :)

Little Rebel

Peter received some socks from his Uncle Daniel and Aunt Ashley that they picked up on their honeymoon and as you may have guessed they are Boston Red Socks socks. Not really a big deal, unless you live in St. Louis were the Cardinals are almost like a religion! But we brave the potential muggings and wear them anyway! What a little rebel he already is!

(Just don't let anyone from St Louis see this post! )

Sunday Morning

In the mornings before church I have always liked to play music and since we have BYU TV I started recording the Music and Spoken word so that we can watch/listen to it on Sundays. We don't really have the TV on much especially when Peter is awake so I think this is the first TV he really ever watched. And he surprisingly really likes it, some mornings he will just sit in his chair drinking his milk and enjoy. A few weeks ago this is what I caught him doing during the music portions, no clue where he picked it up but he was waving his arm like he was in charge!

I thought it was too cute to not catch on film!

McGuyver in Training

Who knew that a one year old could do this?! One minute he is playing with it and then the next I look over and it is in pieces on the floor and he was chewing on the inside ink part. I guess next he will be making explosive devices with pen parts, chewing gum and a Popsicle stick! :)

New Teeth

So in the past 3 days, Peter has cut 3 new teeth and I think a fourth is on the way! Finally-he has been working on these teeth FOREVER it seemed. They came to the surface and then would disappear and then come back a few weeks later. It was driving me and Peter crazy I think and well Alan never believed me that he was teething for that long. Hopefully we will get a few months break before the next round starts! And hopefully he will stop chewing/biting on whatever is in sight! The other day I walked into the kitchen to find him chewing the kitchen cupboard doors...try explaining that to the landlord! :)

Pumpkin Streusel Cake

I had a few ladies over the other evening when Alan was on call for 24 hours and with it being Fall I thought I would try a new pumpkin recipe. I think it is one of my new favorites. I could probably eat the whole thing in one sitting and not feel guilty.

I added a little caramel drizzle as a topping instead of just powdered sugar. :) If you can't read it just let me know and I will email you the document.

Dress up

The other day Peter found this hat when he was dumping out his bottom drawer and decided to wear it around that morning. It was pretty funny because he doesn't usually leave hats on and well it wasn't cold so his little head was quite sweaty by the time it was nap time. But he sure looks cute!

The next day he found his sunglasses that I have unsuccessfully tried to get him to wear for a longer period than 5 secs and spent a good amount of time walking around the house looking at everything-and bumping into a few things.

I am not sure what his sudden interest in playing "dress up" was but it was entertaining. He of course now will not wear either again so I guess we are back to normal!

Happy Halloween

Yesterday was our ward chili cook-off/Trunk or Treat and it was a fantastic evening. We had my niece with us so she could have some fun while her mom was working and it gave me a taste of what next year will be like! The chili part of the evening was so much fun, I think we got to sample 17 different chili dishes from burn your mouth off to meatless and bean less. We did not win, but I did have a nice case of heartburn later in the evening to remind me of my samples!

We ended the evening with the trunk or treat, which was huge since the other ward was invited as well. I think the entire parking lot was almost full of cars. For Peter's first real Halloween he scored in the candy department, not that he will actually get to eat any! He was a little green dragon and so adorable I thought. The costume even had a built in roaring element. He had so much fun running around with all the other kids in their costumes totally oblivious to what was actually going on.

Alan was brave and took both kiddos around to get candy while I manned the trunk. I think he spent most of the evening trying to keep them from stealing each other's candy. (And yes, those are Wal-Mart bags you see. I remembered to bring everything we needed, expect his trick or treating bag! )I really enjoyed seeing all the little kids in their cute costumes.

Me and my little Dragon-who kept trying to steal my hat because it was apparently hilarious that I was wearing it.

And here he is with his dragonskin shed trying to calm down after such a fun evening. He was on cloud nine. You would have thought we actually let him eat some of his candy he was so wired.

Egg Noodle Recipe

After a few requests I have decided to put some of my favorite recipes on here as I try them out.

I wanted to make chicken noodle soup the other day and I decided I would try it from scratch. I know, tons of work, but I had the time so I thought why not. I have made chicken soup before but I used rice instead of noodles and I was craving real homemade noodles. I realized then that I did not have Grandma Kissling's recipe that I remember so much from growing up and amazingly my Joy of Cooking did not have one! A quick phone call to my mom and with recipe in hand I went for it. The recipe was super easy-really, the easiest recipe I think I have ever tried. It was totally nostalgic for me to roll the noodles and break them apart since that was our job as children. And I think they turned out pretty well although I think they were a little bland so I would suggest adding some salt, which I have added to the recipe.

If you have any questions about this recipe just ask. I know I have a few of Grandma's recipes that everyone might like so I will try to post them as I use them or remember! Enjoy!

Learning Stories

Here are some funny little stories that I don't want to forget but I don't have pictures for them.

It is amazing to me what things our little man picks up, for instance. I have been teaching him to sign (which by the way is the most fabulous thing, it cuts the tantrums down by like 75%) and he has done really well with single signs. But a few weeks ago he started putting signs together. For instance we were at the coffee shop around the corner playing with some friends and I was holding him because we were getting ready to go. He signed that he wanted down and I told him no, we were getting ready to go. He then grabs my face and pulls me in for a kiss and then signs "down." Very adorable and a nice try at trying to get his way!

Another one; we were sitting at the dinner table finishing dinner and lets a big fart rip. He looks at me and then Alan and laughs a big man laugh. Were he learned that I do not know, must be a boy thing. Needless to say Alan and I about fell out of our chairs laughing so hard, which I am sure only encouraged him more.

Alan takes Peter to nursery even though he is not old enough because he is such an active little one that sitting through Sunday School and Priesthood is torture for him and dad. He has learned a few things...like to steal other people's toys and if someone tries to take his toy that if he yells at them they leave him alone. So the other night he was playing with this big truck that he got for his birthday and Alan tried to start playing with him. And was promptly yelled at. Apparently not even dad is immune.

Peter also still loves bath time, so we have to be very careful as to when we say that word because if he hears it he will run straight to the bathroom door and start pounding on it and pulling at his clothes. Many tears are shed if it really is not time for his bath.

The Hungry Caterpillar

As many of you know, Peter is an eater. For instance a typical breakfast for him could include a waffle, and egg, a banana and a cup of milk...where he puts it all I do not know, but I guess that is his mom in him. I am usually pretty ravenous in the morning as well. Anyway, I guess it is only fitting that he has recently discovered the Hungry Caterpillar book that has been on his shelf. This is the first non cardboard book that he has really been interested in and surprisingly he has been pretty gentle with it.
Until of course after I took these photos, and he ripped one whole half of the butterfly off! To his credit he was not being mean, just trying to turn the page. Oh well, I guess that is what tape is for! I am sure this will not be the last of the pages that I have to tape up after my little bookworm goes through them!

Fall Fun

Peter and I hopped a ride with my sister to go visit my parents house for a few hours to let the kiddos run around outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. In his playing Peter stopped to pick some green beans with my mom. He decided to try a few but I think he likes them better cooked. :)Peter also found my mother's flower bed and was so cute bending down to smell the flowers. After a summer of working on just touching flowers and not picking them he is surprisingly very gentle with flowers. His aunt Amy did pick one for him that he carried around in his chubby little hand the rest of the day, it actually ended up coming home with us.(Not sure why this paragraph is underlined but I can't find a way to turn it off)

Amy was all prepared for our visit with a huge pile of leaves to play in. These pictures are a bit deceiving because he was not the biggest fan of sitting in the leaves, I don't think he quite knew what to do with them. And he had leaves everywhere afterwards...really, everywhere!

Recently Peter has really just loved swinging, he has always liked it but the other day we went to the park and I couldn't get him off. So he was super happy to have a go on grandma's swing. He even did pretty good on the big boy one-although every time the dog would run by he would let go and reach out for it which made me a bit nervous but he always seemed to keep his balance so we did not have any swing falling off drama.

It was nice to get out and let Peter just run. He loves to visit the chickens and still doesn't quite know what to do with the cows, especially since during this visit we were petting the babies that are in the process of getting weaned from their bottle and one of them must of thought his had looked like something good to suck on because he sucked Peter's hand right into his mouth! Peter just looked at it like what are you doing? Needless to say we had a good hand washing after that!

It was a good visit with aunties, grandma and cousin, Peter played so much he didn't even want to stop to eat-which is saying alot for him!

Fun with a Blanket

Alan got home a little early from class one day and while I was working on dinner he and Peter had some fun. It is amazing what you can do with one fuzzy blanket, a hardwood floor and a long hallway! This first video is not the best picture but it captures Peter's squeals of delight the best.

I wish I could have captured his ear to ear grin, but they were moving too fast!

The next day Peter pulled out the blanket and wanted me to play this game with him, apparently I am not as good at this game as dad because he got bored after one ride. Oh well, at least I have a freshly polished floor now...

Rockin Away

We inherited a great little rocking chair from Alan's family. I believe he got it for Christmas one year and his parents have kept it for him all these years and now Peter is the proud owner. It is still a little big for him but he has learned to just recently get into it, getting out sometimes is a different story. But he has so much fun with it, I think he really likes that he can sit in a chair that is just his size.

I have been initiated into parenthood today...

Caution-This post is not for the weak of stomach!

(Due to the content of this post, a picture will not be provided-just use your imagination)

So we had a first tonight. Peter was taking his bath as normal splashing around and having a good old time. Well apparently too much fun because as I was standing him to get out of the tub he starts pooing! This is a first so I had a momentary brain freeze of what to do as I watched it floating in the water touching all his bath toys. (At least it was solid, I am thankful for that!) My momentary freeze allowed Peter to notice the said floaty and reach out and try to pick it up-Yuck! As I snatch his hand away in horror he then proceeds to step in some of it. I knew I needed help so I ever so calmly asked Alan to come and help me get Peter out of the tub without spreading the mess and so I can clean up and sanitize the tub. Alan's response was "This is so disgusting-this is why I left bedside nursing!!" After cleaning Peter off and sending him with dad to get a diaper on I proceed to douse the tub and toys in scalding water and bleach. Peter in the meanwhile having no clue as to the drama he had just created and feeling pretty good I think because he sat gibber-jabbering happy as a clam while date got him ready for bed.

I guess it is official-I am now truly a parent. I have cleaned poop out of the bathtub-Gross!

Apples, apples and more apples

I blame my lack of blogging this week on apples. My family goes and picks apples at an orchard near their house where they can get them for like 30 cents a pound so they asked if I wanted some and I of course said YES! well they went a little crazy picking this year and we ended up with a bushel of apples. Which when I first saw them on Saturday I thought wow that is a lot of apples but I will dry a bunch and make some into apple pie filling and we should be good, well it is now Thursday and I have been working on these apples everyday. It reminds me of Mary Poppins bottomless carpet bag-I swear I work up like 20 or so apples and then I look in the bag and there is barely a dent gone. But I am down to the last few today so hopefully I can return the apple peeler I borrowed. That is definitely a handy tool by the way, my parents have one that suctions to the table and it makes life super easy! Not that I or Alan are complaining he is especially in heaven since we now have 18 quarts of apple pie filling ready to go! And one great by product is that our house smells like cinnamon and apples the perfect autumn sent. I am just glad I am done, who knew I would spend all week up to my elbows in apples!

Quiet Book

I have wanted to make a quiet book for Peter since we lived in Texas. Our good friends had one for their little girl that she would sit quietly during sacrament and play with. Up until recently I have not had the time but since I quit working completely I have a few extra hours a day to utilize. I quickly realized that this was going to be a big task because after letting Peter play with the first page I had finished it became apparent that glue was not going to cut it with my active don't know my own strength little boy. So I borrowed my mom's sewing machine and after a few weeks of battle between the machine, felt and myself I am almost done. I had to reinforce everything and hand sew a lot but it is finally coming along and I am hoping that the book will at least make it to the next kiddo.





I did use this great blog which I have posted on the side of our blog to help with ideas and patterns.

Here are the first four pages.

History Repeats Itself...

Which we are thrilled about, because we are having another little bundle of boy! I am excited for Peter to have a little brother to play with, or fight with or laugh with or get in trouble with...whatever the case may be!

So I am now officially outnumbered...which I don't mind at all. :)

Peter's distractions

Peter is really good at entertaining himself. I sometimes wish it did not make such a mess but it keeps him happy, allows me to get some things done and I think is great for his little imagination. Here he is working ever so hard to arrange the Tupperware cabinet. He likes to take of the seals from the lids and wear them as bracelets. Which I think is hilarious and Alan frowns at. Here he is trying to help me make his blanket. I made him a pillow and blanket for his birthday out of fleece because he loves fuzzy material and I wanted a lightweight blanket for him. It was quite the task trying to work on it while he was awake because he kept trying to steal the material and run off with it to play with.

And his most recent favorite is playing with the yarn in my yarn basket. He occupied himself the other day for half an hour with this red yarn and then of course started crying when he couldn't figure out how to get out of it!

I sometimes wonder why we even buy toys....:)

Summer Fun

We went to the international festival again this year and instead of being huge and pregnant we strolled around with Peter. I think he had fun, he even made a little friend which was so cute.

He also went walking with Dad a lot which was fun since Alan does not have much free time to spend just walking with Peter. Since Peter is getting so good at walking we have spent a lot of time at a local playground. He loves just walking around and banging on the poles and just exploring.

But his most favorite is the slide. He can now go down all by himself and he loves it!

Has it been 1 year already??

Peter turned one yesterday and I can't believe the time has gone so fast. As I was putting Peter to sleep Saturday evening I was silently reminiscing over his entrance into our lives and all of the wonderful moments of this past year. He is such a happy, joyful, silly and loving little man that I cannot imagine one day without him. It makes me very grateful for a husband who supports me in my decision to stay at home and not work even though with him in school my income would be very helpful! Here are some pictures of the festivities.

It was fun to have Grandma McKinney and his aunties and cousin Emma join us for dinner which Peter got just as messy eating lasagna as he did with his cake I think. But my goal was to stuff him with real food so hopefully he would not be full of sugar only right before bed.

We then moved on to presents and it was fun to have Grandma and Grandpa Jensen join us via web cam. Peter is one very loved little boy he received so many fun presents I think he wanted to play with them all at the same time. But apparently if you look at his expression, orange ribbon is not his favorite! :) After presents we stripped him down for his birthday cake. Which was a feat in and of itself. He was quite upset with me that I was trying to take him away from his toys but once we got him seated and he saw what was next he was pretty focused.

Alan was a little disappointed I think that Peter needed some "help" digging into his cake. At first he just tried to pick off all the red and yellow icing dots. But once he realized that he could make more of a mess he was a little more enthusiastic, especially once the sugar started kicking in!

And he he is before daddy went and hosed him down in the shower. Doesn't he look so pleased with himself?Happy Birthday my little peanut! We love you so much and are so glad you are forever part of our family! Life would not be as full without your smiling face and contagious laugh!