Dustin

I have been thinking about my not-so-little brother Dustin a lot lately. He is living with his dad in Virginia. A couple of weeks ago he ran a 10k marathon. That just blows me away because I absolutely do not like running ( I get the worst shin splints).

He ran the 10k in 49 minutes. That is just so awesome! You are amazing Dustin, keep up the good work. We love you!

Get togther

Our friends Chris and Jana and their cute kids Gabbi and Jack were in town this week from Kansas City.

So we decided to get everyone together and catch up over some pizza on Wednesday evening. It was so good to see them again .

Here is just a cute random picture of Mathias giving us a cheeser while being stuck on his chair.

I love having the club house so we can fit everybody in one big room comfortably and also because it has an indoor racquet ball court that keeps the kids entertained for hours. They love running around in there and screaming to hear their echos.
All in all it was a fun evening and we enjoy getting to hang out with everyone. Hope you all had a good time.

Which movie mom are you?

Which Movie Mom Are You?

My Result: My Big Fat Greek Wedding's Maria Portokalos

Maria Portokalos may not have been the focus of the movie, but that's the only way she would have had it. You, like Maria, are the backbone of your family, but you do it without ever wanting to be the center of attention. You know what we're talking about — your kids always seek out your well-thought-out and sincere advice, and your husband knows who really wears the pants in your house.


You consider motherhood a delicate balancing act — you're strong and tough when necessary, but it's tempered with love and respect. Fiercely loyal, you always act with your family's best interest at heart. And that's just the way you want it.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=moviemomogt&c=50652

Scooter

We sold our scooter today to the very first person to look at it. Go us! We will miss the great gas mileage it got but are looking forward to paying on some debt!

SNOW

Will someone please tell me why it is still snowing in the last week of April?!

Toddler Talk

Mathias sticks out his tongue all the time while he is doing something lately. I just love it and think it is so cute.

Mathias' vocabulary is just growing everyday. It amazes me all the time. Yesterday Devin and I were talking and I said "obnoxious" and Mathias copied me, we both thought that was pretty cute. He will still copy just about everything he hears when the mood hits him just right.

The phrases he has been using a lot this week are:

"What dat" or "What dis." He says this to EVERYTHING! He will ask it even if he knows what it is, like he just wants to hear us say it.

"Mommy have it" or "Daddy have it." Depends on the object or the day as to who gets what or everything. He is very particular about who gets what and gets upset when the other tries to get it from him.

No______. He is finally telling us no but it is not to bad yet. It is mostly to food that he does not want. Oh, and don't even get me started on that. He thinks he is going to live on peanut butter and jelly or honey sandwiches and fruit. I can't seem to get him to eat anything else. Any suggestions?

He can now sing the ABCs from the beginning but usually leaves out the "k" for some reason. He will sing along to the radio too, even if he does not know what they are saying; he will just hold out a note. I love this, there is nothing cuter than hearing him sing.

He is suddenly not shy AT ALL. When we go to the store he will say hi to everyone we pass until they say it back. Last Saturday at Devin's soccer game, he went on the step below me and sat right next to a lady and just started telling her about the big trucks and cars. It was cute, but kinda scary - I better keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn't talk to the wrong people. Anyways, I just love the growing vocabulary of my growing boy and thought I would share.

Strawberry Salad

2 bags (10 oz. each) torn romaine lettuce

2 cans (15 oz. each) mandarin orange segments, drained

4 cups sliced strawberries

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 cup caramelized almonds*

1 cup poppy seed dressing (Litehouse)*

6 oz grilled chicken breast

Toss lettuce with oranges, strawberries and onion in large bowl. Sprinkle with Caramelized Almonds. Add Poppy Seed Dressing; mix lightly. Serve immediately.

*Caramelized Almonds

1 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds

6 Tbsp. sugar

Preparation

Toss almonds with sugar in nonstick skillet; cook on medium-high heat until sugar is caramelized, stirring frequently.

Spread into single layer on greased baking sheet or sheet of wax paper; cool at least 1 hour.
Break into small pieces. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

If you want to make your own Dressing here are the ingredients.

Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. whole milk
2 tbsp. poppy seeds

Dressing:

Place ingredients in a jar. Cover and shake until blended. Dressing keeps several days in refrigerator.

Sunny Days

I had the day off of work yesterday and was kinda excited that it was finally nice out for once. It seems those days are hit and miss and they are usually nice when I am working, then cruddy on the weekends.


We started the day off with a walk. Mathias pointed out or picked up everything and asked "what dat" or "what dis." It is so fun to see him so curious about everything and so eager to learn.


We were headed over to the play ground but got sidetracked by the rocks. Such a boy! We stopped and played on them and tried to get some pictures, however he was not in the mood to look at the camera. We made it over to the park eventually and played there a bit before continuing our walk.

As we continued to walk we came upon a construction site! This is one of Mathias' favorite things. He could just sit and watch them and try to go help them all the time.

He absolutely loves "big twactors." He points them out all of the time no matter where we are. Maybe his future is in construction?

Sunny days part 2

After our walk and trip to the park, we went over to "Aunt Kelly's house." Mathias asks for this almost everyday. He absolutely loves to go and play over there. So we went over since figured it would be less crowded than the parks since it is nice outside and spring break for all the surrounding schools. We jumped on the tramp for a while then blew bubbles.


Mathias would puff up his cheeks and try to blow bubbles. Half the time he was not even blowing on the wand but he quickly figured it out.


He then decided to see if he could blow on two of them. This was pretty funny to watch and did not work out so well, so he went back to just one wand. Man, I love this nice weather! I wish it would last longer than just one or two days at a time though.

Sunny day finale

After Kelly's, we came home to eat some dinner and go on a little bike ride. I had to learn all over again how to ride a bike. I have not been on a bike since junior high. It took a minute for me to get it down and my bum is a little sore today. Mathias loved it though.

It was perfect. By then the weather had cooled down some and it was a little breezy. Mathias had a blast spending most of the day outside. If it were up to him, this is how everyday would be. I loved it too because he was so worn out by the end of the day he went right to bed and even slept in a bit!

P.S Happy Birthday Kevin!!

Scattergories Tag

So My friend Betsy Tagged me with this fun tag.Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following...they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. Then tag 5 friends and enjoy!

What is your name............................Tanessa

4 Letter Word...................................Tall

Vehicle............................................Tundra

City.................................................Tacoma

Boy Name........................................Trenten

Girl Name.........................................Tatum

Alcoholic Drink..................................Tahiti Club (had to look this one up since we don't drink)

Occupation......................................Teacher

Something you Wear.........................Tank Top

Celebrity.......................................... Tom Cruise

Food................................................Tomato

Something found in a bathroom..........Towel

Reason for Being Late....................... Traffic

Cartoon Character.............................Tasmanian Devil

Something You Shout.......................Time Out

Animal.............................................Tiger

Body part.........................................Tongue

Word to describe you.........................Tired.. at the moment

It is kinda harder than I thought it would be!

I tag Jana, Jeri, Dollie, Emily and Kelsey

Sleeping

I went to get Mathias up for the morning and he was still asleep. He was laying in the cutest position, on his side with his legs curled up and his hands under his head laying by his "gaff". I decided to let him sleep a minute longer while I got his clothes ready and his bag packed for the day and also to take a picture or two.


I think it might be time to get the little guy his first very own pillow.

Toddler talk

Some explanation about his clothing. He had messed his britches so we had to throw a load of jeans in the wash resulting in him wearing his pajama bottoms. While I was typing this up he had apparently put on his rain boots (and on the right feet I might add, if even by accident) and came in here to tell me he wanted to go outside. I thought the outfit was just too much and had to take a picture or two.

Mathias has become such the jabber box lately. He will copy just about everything you say and when the mood hits him just right he will copy every sound you make as well. He is starting to put three word sentences together.
"ride dad jeep"
"ride momma's car"
"watch monster trucks peas" or "monster trucks on"
"more e-o peas"
"go away Puka"
These are just some of the few I can remember right now.

He can count to ten the whole way through and in order all by himself. We are currently working on counting to twenty (which he mostly has down). He is also our little singer. He can sing "Twinkle twinkle" the whole way through all by himself and some of "Old Macdonald." The latest thing we have been working on his the alphabet. So far he starts from "H" and goes the whole way through (in order) he even sings "now I know my abc's, next time wont you sing with me." I have not caught this on the video camera yet (every time I pull out the video recorder, Mathias hams it up and just wants to see himself on it saying, "see Mat") but I am working on it, I promise. I can not believe how quickly he has grown and how fast he learns. It amazes me everyday!

MESS !

After being told he can't have anymore "e-o's' Mathias decided to take things into his own hands. "Mess, mom" he screamed when I found him. I then told him we have to put them away and that is when he preceded to stuff his face as fast as he could!

BUTTONS!!

Too big. Too smart. Too Fast!

Light on!

As I was leaving the room the other day, Mathias said, "light on." I told him that the light does not need to be on, but I was out of the room for just a second and came back to see this.

Mathias has a fascination with lights lately. He always says "light on " even if he means off.

He is getting too smart though and figuring out that if he wants something that he will just do it himself. Although this is pretty fun to watch, I am pretty sure it is the end of the world as we know it. (Dev's note: but I feel fine?)

Nakey bum bum

Mathias likes to run from us when he gets out of the bath so that he won't get lotioned up, because he knows that leads to bed time, which he's been resisting lately.

Although he insists on having his towel with him, he obviously does not carr if it covers his little naked bum bum. I thought it was cute to see him running with his towel hanging down, so you get to see his little bum whether you like it or not.

Fabulous Wet Burritos

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound ground beef
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
* 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
* 1 (15 ounce) can chili without beans
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
* 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
* 6 (12 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
* 2 cups shredded lettuce
* 1 cup chopped tomatoes
* 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
DIRECTIONS
1. Crumble ground beef into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Add onion, and cook until translucent. Drain grease, and season with garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir in the green chilies and refried beans until well blended. Turn off heat, but keep warm.
2. In a saucepan, combine the chili without beans, tomato soup and enchilada sauce. Mix well, and cook over medium heat until heated through. Turn off heat and keep warm.
3. Place a warmed tortilla on a plate, and spoon a generous 1/2 cup of the ground beef mixture onto the center. Top with lettuce and tomato to your liking. Roll up tortilla over the filling. Spoon a generous amount of the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas.