Why hunt Eggs....when I can Slide?

Ryder had an Easter Egg Hunt today at Mother's Day Out! I was so excited for him and thought he'd LOVE, LOVE the Eggs since they kind of resemble a ball! We've been practicing putting all of his assortment of balls away at night in their bin....so I thought putting eggs in a basket would be easy-breezy!

I was wrong....I mean really, why would we want to put toys away...or eggs in a basket... when we could run with a bunch of kids our size and go up and down the slide 10 million and 1 times? He had a blast nonetheless! His teacher was also nice enough to evenly split up the eggs among the kids when they got back to their room...so even though my little hunter didn't collect a single egg...he still came home with a little bag full! Is that kind of like every kid/team getting a trophy these days? Maybe.... but we won't go into my mantra of kids needing to understand that sometimes it is o.k. to lose.

Mom of the Year here forgot to take a Basket for him to put his eggs in, but did manage to take some pictures!

Wordless Wednesday

Ryder in a Bag

Did you guys know that Central Market sells really cute kids and bags them right up for you?? Matt's Dad brought one home for us!

Why I should NOT bake banana bread....

....because I seriously ate the entire loaf myself! I can't resist the stuff...it is so yummy!

Yesterday and Today I have had to work all day...a rarity for me these days. Ryder stayed with his Grandma yesterday (What a Blessing), but today was home with me. The poor little guy came down with Pink eye yesterday and is spending the day at home and away from other people...so that we don't contaminate the world.

He has been such a trooper playing in his playroom while I have been pounding away on the computer! Meanwhile, I have made 5 trips back and forth to the kitchen and on my last trip I noticed the entire loaf of banana bread I made late last night is gone. I realize that the entire process of going into the kitchen, cutting another small sliver and putting it in my mouth is what makes the bread disappear...but it is really kind of embarassing! Thankfully, I was weighed at the Doctor yesterday and have four whole weeks to burn it off before I step on the scale of doom again.

At any rate...no more work until Matt gets home tonight...I am going to give my little man some attention, and NO MORE BANANA BREAD! Thank goodness it is gone! Here is the recipe I use should you want to partake in its sinfulness!

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (I use Whole Wheat)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (I half this up and do part Splenda/part Sugar)
  
• 2 eggs (Eggbeaters can be substituted here)
  
• 1/2 cup oil (Applesauce can be substituted here)
  
• 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

18 Months Old & Wordless Wednesday 5hours Early

Weekend Blessings

Weekends are such blessings. We had an awesome weekend with family and there is nothing that I love more! Probably had a little too much good food, but I am so thankful for the time we all spent together. We celebrated my sister's birthday on Saturday at my parent's house and it was really cold so the party stayed indoors, but what a difference a day makes! We spent Sunday afternoon outside in Ryder's grandparent's backyard...he loves the space to be able to run around! Matt even taught him how to drive the 4-wheeler while standing up. He can't reach the pedal sitting down. I was sure that we needed the video camera handy because a funny video had to come out of that lesson...but he did really good to my surprise! As another week begins...the memories of the weekend make me so thankful for my family, the week to come, and what next weekend will bring! Love you all!!

We need a Ryder-sized Chair!

I turned the TV on in the living room while I was cooking dinner last night. I heard his car, which I had stowed away in the laundry room, rolling on the wood. I look out of the Kitchen to see this:
My conclusion is that this little man needs a chair he can climb into! He has short little legs and can't get on the furniture without standing on something or getting a boost from one of us..it really was cute to watch yesterday evening!