Coo....

Call me crazy, but I really don't remember Ryder ever cooing much when I talked to him. He smiled a lot, but was a pretty quiet baby....or I guess you could say at this age you got a scream or you got nothing with Ryder.

Today, I was so surprised when I was talking to Rustin and he cooed back at me. I tried my best to get him to reenact his new skills here. Please excuse the way too big pajamas and my ridiculous jibber!

A Lonesome Rustin...

Mommy told me the plan was to take mine and my brother's picture with our big Jack-o-lantern.Instead, my brother only wanted to push his car down the sidewalk.

So, here I am all by my Lonesome. Signed- Rustin

Our Pirate

I didn't forget! Ryder and I (mostly I) finished our Pirate Pumpkin last weekend. Our friend has survived sunshine and lots of rain this week. For your viewing pleasure, please meet our Pumpkin Pirate Friend!

Tasty Tuesday

Did you know that Hershey's makes Candy Corn Kisses? I love Candy Corn and I love Milk Chocolate Kisses, so I had to buy a bag...honestly I had to buy two bags. They have a very interesting taste. The best way I can describe it is almost as a salty-sweet caramel taste. I won't say that I fell in love with them, but the bag did have a recipe for these yummy cookies which we all loved!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups quick-cooking oats, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 66 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Corn Flavored Candies

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Beat peanut butter and shortening in large bowl until well blended. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together 1/2 cup oats, flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in remaining oats; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately place candy piece in the center of each cookie. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Yields 4 dozen.

Tasty Tuesday- Cheat

This is a huge cheat, but I promise it is a yummy cheat!


Go pick up a box of This at your local Costco. All you'll need is water, oil and eggs...add these according to the directions on the box and you'll have one delicious loaf of pumpkin bread! I like to throw in a few chocolate chips to give it a sweet twist! Also, try using Olive Oil or Applesauce instead of any oil for a healthier treat.


Speaking of Yummy...look at these little Pumpkin Pajamas...nothing like a clean smelling baby all snuggled up in his pajamas on a cool fall night!

A Pirate is in our Future

Wow. I just caught up on all my Blogs. Ryder went to Preschool today for the first time in over a week. We quarantined him all last week so that we wouldn't spread the "Pig" Flu (as Matt calls it) anymore than it has already been spread. Ryder gone actually opens up a little bit of time for catch up this morning.

Amazingly it is hard for me to find time to read blogs and blog myself with a 2-year old and a 6-week old attached to my hip all day long, ha! I've kept saying to myself that I need to post something on this lonely page, but so many times I am thoughtless. I find myself going through the motions just to get through each day and have nothing of interest to put on here. That is unless you'd like to hear about how I start my day feeding Rustin, then getting Ryder out of Bed, fixing him breakfast, starting a load of laundry, changing a diaper, checking emails and voicemail really quickly, getting Ryder dressed and Teeth Brushed, enter another diaper change, etc... you get the picture.
Here are a few interesting things:

1. After reading your Blogs, I am praying for a lot of you sweet friends. Prayer is a powerful tool and God works in miraculous yet mysterious ways. You guys are amazing and faithful people who will come through whatever obstacles are before you. Easier said than done, but I remember being so scared when we found out Rustin might have some problems. Prayer brought us closer to God and closer to each other...we were blessed with a beautiful and healthy baby boy.

2. Ryder is 100% Better. I am starting to lose my sore throat finally...after 6 days, antibiotic, and a bottle of ibuprofen later.

3. Rustin slept 7 hours the night before last..Yahoo!!!! Last night he was back to 5..stinker.

4. We managed to make it out to the Great State Fair of Texas with 2 kiddos this last weekend! I know we are crazy for taking a 6-week old baby to the Fair, but we kept him very covered and away from strange people.

5. I got my "All Clear" from Dr. Z and found out that I still need to lose another 10 lbs. of post-baby weight..ick...why do I love Halloween Candy and Cookies so much?

That's all I've got for now...but I am planning on making this cute Pirate Potato Head Pumpkin with Ryder this afternoon! I'll post a picture of the final product!

A New Do!

Ryder hit the Barber Shop with Matt today and exited sporting a new do. Ladies and Gentleman, may I introduce you to the Faux Hawk...

Tasty Tuesday

I was looking for something to help entertain my "indoor bound" Ryder with today. We are "indoor bound" because of the never ending rain and so that we can make sure Ryder fully recovers from his swine encounter. I decided to make some Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treats. Here is what you will need:3 T. Margarine
10 oz. Package of Regular Marshmallows (I had a little less than a package full and that worked fine)
1/2 C. Peanut Butter
1 Box of Captain Crunch Cereal (We used Peanut Butter Bumpers instead of Capn' Crunch)
Sprinkles (to Decorate with if you want)

Melt the Butter and Marshmallows in the microwave for 3 minutes. Stir after 2 minutes.
Add Peanut Butter and Cereal. Stir until mixed well. Ryder Loved helping me stir it all together!

Pat into a well greased 13x9 Baking Dish. We sprinkled the top with Orange and Black sprinkles for Halloween!

It is also always a treat to lick the spoon...

...and help wash the dishes in lots of Bubbles!

Swine '09

Promise to have a new post about what's been going on in "Smithville" real soon! The Swine Flu infiltrated our walls and has occupied our lives since Friday. I am so happy to report that it appears we are on the road to recovery and back to our notorious 2-year old behavior!

I feel so out of the loop, we haven't left the house in over 4-days and you'd think all this time spent at home would have allowed for plenty of "Blog-Reading", but alas...No. I'll catch up on all of you and then catch you up on the four of us!

Better late than Never!

Have I ever mentioned that I have an amazing group of neighbors who have become some of my best friends over the years? I do! The girls I play game night with got together and brought us 2-weeks of meals after Rustin was born. My sweet friend Lisa brought us a dish that is worthy of posting here as my recipe of the week:

Poppy Seed Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts (boiled and cut into pieces)

1 16 oz. sour cream (I used Light Sour Cream)

2 can of cream of chicken

2 T of poppy seeds

Ritz crackers

1 stick of butter ( Lisa used Smart Balance when she made it for us...I made this last night and used Country Crock Light)

Mix first 4 ingred. and put into a baking dish. Cover with crushed crackers. Melt Butter and pour on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

I served this poured over biscuits last night!

One Month In...Our New Normal

It is hard to believe that exactly a month ago today, I was emailing my friend Allison during the middle of the night, awake due to a strange yet dull discomfort I would soon learn was called Labor. My labor was induced with Ryder and I was given an epidural before any "real" pain set in. Crazy, but I did not know what labor felt like. Let me assure you , you will be able to figure it out should this scenario ever happen to you!

That was Labor Day, a day we had planned for swimming and barbecue in celebration of Matt's Birthday, but instead we began our new normal.

We have gained so much over the past month. Obviously, a new member of our family. It is amazing to me how quickly he fit into our "mold". It becomes evident that he was meant for us. I remember when I first became pregnant, I immediately had the feeling of "Oh Crud...what have we done?". I was scared. It was not that we weren't trying for our "Plus One"...we were. That didn't make me unafraid of the change this new addition would bring. I remember receiving an email from my sweet friend Heather after they found echogenic bowel on our 20-week ultrasound. She gave me some very encouraging words which included Psalm 139:

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

This reading provided us great ease during a scary time, but amazingly it still fits. This child was made for us and for his Brother...long before Matt or I knew one another. All of my fears have disappeared as he has created a New and Amazing Normal for our family.

Here are some things I have learned over the past month about being a Mom to Two who are Two and Under:

1. The little person in your house you once thought was a baby instantly grows up.

2. Although Ryder initially did not care for our new addition or his Mom who he felt was responsible for bringing this baby into his life, he loves us both now. My days are filled with hearing him say, "Hi Baby!", lots of very abrasive kisses on his "Baby", constant music from the swing which Ryder feels the need to play even if Rustin is not in the swing, 2-year old tantrums that didn't disappear with the addition of baby, "All Done!" my cue that Ryder needs help just when I have started to tend to Rustin and some occasional newborn cries when I have to address the above "All Done!" issue.

3. A newborn can sleep through anything and a 2-year old will sleep through a newborn crying in the middle of the night. Two big fears I had before Rustin arrived...that Ryder would wake him up and vice-versa.

4. Get ready for this one... I love getting up with Rustin during the night. It is that one part of the day where I can devote my full attention to him. I already know I'll miss our time together when he starts sleeping through the night.

5. When you bring out infant toys, your 2-year old will be more infatuated with these than all of the new toys he just received for his Birthday.

6. Your Brother's Room is waaaay more fun than your own room.

7. Laundry is easier to keep up with if you do at least one load a day.

8. You will set a huge bag of diapers out on almost every Trash Day.

9. You should add at least 1-hour of prep time in order to get out of the house by a certain time.

10. When by yourself...It is easier to get the baby out of the car first. He can't run away yet... a 2-year old can and will take full advantage of the opportunity. Note: 2-year olds also learn quickly that when your hands are tied up with a new baby, this is a great time to try pushing limits...i.e....climbing onto tables and other unauthorized behavior.

11. When Shopping at Target or any other said Grocery Establishment it is easier to carry the New Baby in sling or Baby Bjorne and put the 2-year old in the front of the cart. Putting the 2-year old in back only results in bruised produce and open boxes of cookies.

12. Husband's are a huge Blessing. Especially when they help with dinner mess, baths and stay up to handle the 10:30 PM feeding all after leaving the house at 6 a.m. for a full day of work.

13. I "give in" to Ryder so much more than I should or did before Rustin was here. Sometimes it is just not worth the fight. I struggle with this. I want a well-mannered child who is respectful and pleasant to be around. Is there a happy-medium out there? I hope that there is and that I am finding it!

14. That it is possible to love another baby unconditionally...they both are already so much alike yet so different. It is amazing to see this and experience the love that Ryder has for his sibling.

15. You begin to talk to yourself (in your head) a lot...sometimes it seems your plan works better if you talk it out with yourself...i.e. A scenario like this often runs through my mind: Get Ryder and start him eating breakfast..then start Rustin with his bottle...he'll be satisfied enough by the time Ryder is finished that I can clean him up and start him upstairs ...turn on Wonder Pets...finish feeding Rustin and then I can get them both dressed

As crazy as it can be sometimes... cherish it...it won't last forever.

Gig'em Anyway!

Well Ags...you didn't win....but you still had a cute fan here at the Smith House! Gig'em Anyway!

Recipe Tuesday....On Thursday

It has been a bit of a crazy week here and I totally missed posting a recipe on Tuesday. I'm going to play catch up and just post one today! I had this at a brunch this morning and my sweet friend Jen passed the recipe along...it was Yummy to my Tummy!!! Fall is in the air and I think this one is the perfect Fall appetizer:

Caramel Apple Dip

Melt together 18 caramels and 1/4 cup water on stove top.

Mix together 8 oz. cream cheese and 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Fold caramel mixture into cream cheese mixture.

Jenn said that she refrigerated it over night and then sprinkled toffee chips on top right before serving. Serve with apples or as Jen says, just eat it with a spoon!