and he's off!

I can NOT believe it...my little monkey is walking! Maddox has been taking steps for a few weeks now but only 3 or 4 at a time until he would fall and realize that crawling would get him where he wanted to go a lot faster. That is until last night, when he started walking all over the house in his grand attempt to grab the dog's tail!


We are in Alabama visiting my mom and I am so glad we were here when Maddox started walking because my mom does not see us nearly as much as she would like, since we live halfway across the country, and she feels like she has missed out on a lot. So she is more than thrilled to be a part of this huge milestone!

I just can't believe he caught on so soon!! He is only 9 months old and I really didn't expect to be chasing him around this early. Needless to say...he is now into EVERYTHING. HE NEVER STOPS GOING! I don't know where he gets the energy but I wish he would channel some of it to me since I am the one trying to keep up.

"Autumn, the year's last, lovliest smile."

I can already smell the spicy and sweet perfume of pumpkins, apples, and cinnamon oozing from my oven. I long to feel the chill of early morning, crisp air as I walk out the door, coffee in hand. I welcome Fall, and urge you not to hesitate...I have, after all, been waiting since March!

one down, 19 more to go

After many, MANY months of teething, I stuck my finger in Maddox's mouth this morning to dig out the mysterious black thing that he found under the refrigerator (I know, its gross, but it happens) I couldn't believe it when he chomped down on my finger and there it was! I had almost given up hope that we would ever see teeth in the little guy's mouth, but seeing as how Maddox now refuses to eat anything that he can not feed to himself, I guess it is a good thing that teeth are finally coming in.

I really tried to take a picture but I had no luck...he sees me coming and refuses to open up for anything but food.

"of course they are homemade.."

I try to make it a point to send my husband something baked or bad for him at least once a month. I am not exactly know for my amazing homemade cookies...so of course, he usually requests chocolate chip. My cookies always seem to come out a bit extra crispy so you add on the travel time it takes for them to make it to the other side of the world and they become personal weapons. My husband never complains but I can imagine him excitedly opening the package only to find a bag full of cookies hard enough to use in combat. So I started trying out different cookie mixes and refrigerated doughs. That is how I fell in love with Betty Crocker "Homemade cookies in 20 minutes". It's just cookie mix in a bag and you add 1 egg and a stick of butter, stir it up, scoop them out onto the pan and bake. Not only are they super easy, but each batch costs less than $2.00. The cookies come out moist and slightly chewy and I even kept a few in a bag for about 2 weeks to see what my husband could expect and they were still soft and just as yummy! The best part...Brandon can't tell they are not really made from scratch...I guess he thinks I have just gotten better at baking.

this little piggy had pancakes, this little piggy had none

Maddox loves his feet. He is constantly finding new ways to use them and incorporate them in everyday tasks. Just last week he started pushing the buttons on his miniature grill with his toes and always has his feet up on the shopping cart when we shop. So it's only obvious that his feet should be included during mealtime as well...I mean, don't piggies have to eat too?

pancake day!

Several weeks ago, after an emotionally exhausting week, I decided to make pancakes to reward myself for surviving another week. The maple syrup sugar rush seemed to help my mood so after that, I thought it would be a neat idea to make pancakes every weekend, kind of like a way to celebrate that we are one week closer to Brandon being safe at home. I wanted to make the pancakes as healthy as possible since Maddox helps me eat them, so I tried several whole wheat recipes but didn't really get the light and fluffy pancakes I was hoping for. This morning I just winged it and I have to admit, I was impressed with the outcome!

Slightly Healthy Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup 2% milk (I'm sure they would turn out fine if you used skim or whole milk, this is just what I used)
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce


First, mix all of the dry ingredients together

Next, mix the wet ingredients in a seperate bowl


Pour the wet mixture into the dry mix, and stir just until there are no dry spots.
Be careful not to stir the mix too much, the batter should be lumpy.


Heat a skillet over medium heat.
Pour the batter onto the buttered (or PAM) skillet once it is hot enough.
I use a 1/4 cup scoop to make the pancakes all about the same size and I ended up with 10, medium sized pancakes.


Flip the pancakes once the bubbles on the top start to pop. Once you flip, try not to mash the pancake with a spatula to make it cook faster, it can the pancakes tough and they lose their fluffiness. They should cook for about 1 1/2-2 min. on each side.


Pour yourself a cup of coffee, smother the pancakes with
your favorite toppings, take a deep breath, and enjoy!


**I prefer peanut butter and maple syrup on mine (so much for healthy) but

Maddox thinks they are great with just sliced bananas.

remembering

As I was driving to the doctor's office this morning for Maddox's 9 month checkup, I flipped the radio to the local station that brodcasts NPR. As the voice on the radio listed names of the many soldiers that had been killed overseas, just in the last week, I couldn't breath. I talked to my husband yesterday so I know he is safe, but as these young men, and the wives and children they left behind were discussed, I couldn't help but think "what if?"

We are lucky, Brandon has a much safer job now than he did a few months ago, and I find myself forgetting what it was like to lie awake at night wondering what he was doing and if he was okay. Or when the phone would ring, and I would hesitate to answer because I was afraid it could be bad news. I was sure I would have gray hair by the end of this very long 12 months. Of course I still worry, but I feel like I have become somewhat numb to the danger...my way of coping maybe.

granola: take 1

One of my favorite things to do during the fall is make granola. I'm not sure why I only really do it in the fall but the smell of oats and cinnamon oozing from my kitchen probably has something to do with it. So it has become somewhat of a tradition for me to make yummy cranberry granola at the first sign of Autumn. (since we live in Texas...there really is NO chance of cool weather and crunchy leaves anywhere in the near future but that is beside the point)

Granola is really easy to make so it's only natural that I would mess it up. I never use the same recipe...and I sometimes change the recipes I do use so the first few batches of the season usually don't turn out the best. Last night, I started rifling through granola recipes but didnt see anything that really said "this is the ONE" so I just threw some things together. The result was edible but definitely not a winning combination. I won't give you the exact measurements, for obvious reasons, but I used honey and brown sugar as sweeteners, rolled oats, a little wheat germ, just a splash of water, some pecans, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and oil. Oh, and I added dried cranberries and dates once it cooled down a bit.

My first mistake was the oil. I used peanut oil which, by the way, I never cook with, but had some in the pantry leftover from when my husband tried to fry something. Brandon often gets in weird moods and decides to fry whatever he can find...anything from the typical fried dishes like fish and onion rings, to green vegetables that should NOT be fried...but thats another blog. Anyway, so I thought I would use peanut oil, I mean what difference does it make really? Well, the smell killed my cinnamon buzz for starters, and my granola tastes a little like scorched peanut butter. I will definitely stick to canola or veggie oil from now on.

My second mistake was temperature and baking time. I cooked at 350 for 25 min, stirring every 10 min. 350 was a little too hot...I think next time I will cook in a cooler oven for a little longer. The granola came out a little too brown and like I said, tasted a bit scorched.

So I am going to keep experimenting and will update on my adventures in granola making!

to the market, to the market

I.
Love.
Grocery.
Shopping.
Just making a list of produce, canned goods, and other items currently missing from my fridge makes me giddy. I just love being surrounded by the rows and rows of everything from fresh fruits and veggies to imported dried pastas and loaves of crusty bread. I could spend hours walking up and down each aisle comparing ingredients of jarred sauces, organic kettle chips, and cake mixes.
Maddox is at the age now where he will sit patiently in the cart while I roam aimlessly through the store but I do worry that as he gets older he will cease to be fascinated by the bright lights and unfamiliar faces. I guess I will savor my last few months of peaceful shopping...or maybe dad will have to babysit while mommy has alone time at the market :)

...and the ducks go 'quack quack'

I guess you could say our trip to the zoo was a bust. We drove an hour to the zoo, walked around for 2 hours in sweltering heat just to see sleeping primates and a lot of animals hiding in the shade. On the way out, we saw a couple of ducks...lets just say that it was the highlight of the day for Maddox.

going home

I just bought a plane ticket to visit my family in Alabama. I have been putting it off because of the fear of flying with a baby. I have only flown 4 times in my life so I am not that familiar with airports and usually manage to get lost and begin panicking over the thought of missing my flight. So the prospect of doing that with baby in tow is enough to make me queezy.

I have only been home once since my son was born, and I drove, alone, with a 4 1/2 month old. What was I thinking? I don't know but I do know that I will NEVER do that again. We did break it up into two days, stopping half way to stay overnight, but it was still hard! I listened to several audio books to keep myself from dying of the boredom that comes with being in a car for 13 hours without anyone to talk to....other than the screaming child in the back seat who, after the first day, decided he never wanted to be in a carseat again. So lets hope that we have better luck on the plane.

missing him

"Instead of thinking about what you are missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing."

This is my new mantra. I repeat it to myself daily, sometimes hourly, and recently it has saved me from many exhausting meltdowns. I use this quote in a more literal sense than the author intended, but it works for me. What is it that I am missing? My husband left for Iraq 8 months, 2 weeks, and one day ago. But it feels like he has been gone for years. For the majority of this deployment, I have been drowning in my own loneliness. I miss him more than I would have thought possible to miss anything, but it's time to lift myself out of this miserable slump.

My husband is definitely the 'glass half full' type. He gives me pep talks quite frequently and after this deployment may have a future as an inspirational speaker...
but I know he is tired of being the sunshine in the relationship so I am trying my hand at optimism (as I write, the pessimist inside is laughing and saying "yeah right, you?")

I should be more thankful for the amazing things my life has recently been blessed with. My husband of course being one of them. And our beautiful, healthy, 8 month old son. I am so grateful for my new family and the relationship my husband and I have...we actually like each other which is becoming rare among married couples, and he is my best friend. So this is what I am focusing on, and the fact that we only have 3 months left. I WILL pull through this...maybe even with a smile on my face, or at least not a scowl.