Day ?

So tired. 

I took tons o' pictures today.  But I'm exhausted so the official photo of the day will be posted tomorrow.   Until then you get this.  I don't want to wreck my roll. And I wanted to stick it to Andrea.

Day 76 - Sleepy

This week has been pure insanity between doctor's appointments, church callings, preschool evaluations, tomorrow's excitement and my parents coming to town Friday.

My house is a disaster.  I have a million things to do in the morning.  My brain is fried.

And of course, I still had to take a picture.

My plan was to take a picture of my sweet sleeping toddler snuggling his blanket and Mike.  Then I opened the door . . .

Nevermind.

Day 75 - Mike Wazowski

Sam has recently fallen in love with Monsters Inc.  We watch it every day.  He mimics tons of the lines in the movie so that makes mom very happy.

Our favorite part is in the beginning when Mike is making Sully exercise.  Sam likes to exercise too. Most days he does the ENTIRE thing but of course that wasn't going to happen with mom holding a camera.  

(I'll apologize in advance for my terrible filming.)

So imagine his excitement when we went to the Disney Store and found this:

He hasn't put Mike down since he got him. He ate lunch with him in one hand.  He plays with his other toys while holding him.  He even tried to take him with him when he went down for his nap.  Unfortunately, he has a mean mother who didn't let that happen. 

 Welcome to the family Mike.  I think we are going to be spending a lot of time together.

Day 74 - Popcorn

Over the last few days we have made seven different popcorn recipes. 

 While I'm not going to explain why today, I will tell you that you may want to check in on Thursday. 

 How's that for cryptic?

I will tell you this.  

Homemade popcorn with freshly clarified butter is possibly one of the greatest things I've ever tasted. 

Popcorn with drizzled milk chocolate and caramel ain't too bad either.

Day 73 - Backfire

Today is Sunday so of course I'm posting about food.

However, I'm not posting a picture of my nightly treat.  

Tonight, I post about my child and his food and how sometimes being creative blows up in your face.

We had pancakes tonight and I thought to myself, "Self, I bet your kid would really love fancy shaped pancakes."  So I made some number pancakes, some letter pancakes and some shape pancakes.  I even made a cute flower pancake with pink petals (food coloring). That one might have been more for mom . . . 

Ya know what?  I was right!!! Sam LOVED them.

However, I failed to anticipate one itty-bitty problem.  He loved them so much, that he wanted to carry them around and play with them.  He didn't eat a single one.  In fact, he became a little bit distressed when his "8" broke.

Next time I'm just nuking the frozen Eggo pancakes that I know he'll eat.  In this case, boring is better.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, tonight's treat is a homemade cinnamon roll. YUM!

  

Day 72 - Breakfast Tacos

Breakfast tacos are one of my favorite breakfast foods.  You can get them anywhere around here but our favorites are at Rudy's BBQ. They are like a breafast burrito but less likely to make you feel sick for the rest of the day because the portion is smaller.   

Here is a picture of Ben's from this morning.  It contained sausage (delicious smoked link sausage), potatoes, eggs and cheese.

I always tell Ben that I know that God loves Texas the most because He blessed us with breakfast tacos.  I hope if I'm struck down for saying that, I'm at least eating one at the time.

Day 71 - Smuggling Chicken Nuggets

Tonight we went to dinner with our friends the McFarlanes.  Dawnmarie and I go WAY back.  Like, back to Target in 1999.  Lucky for me, she lives in TX too and happens to be in our ward.  Happy Day!!!  

Anyway, back to dinner.  We went to Tino's Greek Cafe.  Super delicious.  The only problem is they don't really have anything Sam will eat.  We run into this more than I would like.  Typically if they have fries, grilled cheese, nuggets or quesadillas we're good.  Tino's only has fries.  So we did what I often do in these situations. We stopped at McDonald's on the way over.  Here's the really embarrassing part.  I may or may not have smuggled the nuggets into the restaraunt in my purse.  I can't decide if that is trashy or just self-preservation.  I try to be very discreet.  Unfortunately, I'm still thinking it might be on the trashy side.  Oh well, its better than having a starving screaming child.

Day 70 - Jimmered

Like many of our friends and family (and most of the state of Utah),  we spent the evening watching the BYU game. Our Cub Scout's Pack Meeting was even rescheduled today on account of "The Jimmer Show".  

It is good to see that Sam appreciates sports. Or just the numbers on the screen.  Regardless of the reason,  he gets really wound up when we watch games.  When we cheer, he cheers.  When we yell, he yells.  When we boo, he boos . . . loudly.  Ben is lucky to have such a good buddy to watch games with him.

Day 69 - Minute to Win It

Our church youth group played "Minute to Win It" tonight.  These kids are so cute! They all get along so well and really love being together.  They were all such good sports too!  Such a fun way to spend my Wednesday nights.  Even if it means they make messes like this.

Day 68 - Kid Diseases

I'm slightly embarrassed by today's topic, even though I know that I had no control over the situation.  

This morning Sam woke up with tiny blisters all over his body.  Awesome.  I took him into the doctor and apparently he has a mild case of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.  Even more awesome.  I guess it really isn't as bad as it sounds.  Its a virus that sometimes manifests itself as a body rash.  He also had two big blisters, one on each foot.  So he is mildly contagious but there is nothing you can do to treat it. It is passed by contact with virus infected surfaces. I can just about guarantee that he got it in nursery at church.  That place is a disease factory.  

Day 67 - License Plates

Imagine my non-surprise when my son started to develop an obsession with license plates.  Every time we walk to the car, he has to stop and examine every license plate that he comes within 50 feet of.  Super cute but a little annoying when you are trying to leave. 

This obsession has inspired me to decorate his room with cars and license plates. Ben and I have a couple old plates lying around but I need some more.  So if you have one lying around that you are willing to part with, let me know and I will pay the postage to get it to TX.  Seriously.  He will love it.  Maybe it will help me avoid this  . . 

and this . . .

Some of this . . . 

my goodness, this . . . 

and finally this . . . 

I think the neighbors are starting to wonder why there are always tiny fingerprints on their vehicles.

Day 66 -Texas Sheet Cake

Apparently, Sunday has become "Tracey Treat Night" because this is the fourth Sunday in a row that I have posted my treat for the night.  Mostly because I always forget to take my picture until 9:00 pm.  Oh, well.  

I know that we have previously discussed my love of Texas Sheet Cake but I feel like the time has come to talk about it again.  Seriously people.  This is the stuff.  Chocolatey (is that a word?) without being rich.  So perfect and wonderful.  Plus, we all know how much I love Texas.  Here's a link to the recipe.  Again.  

Why I Love Extra Buttermilk

Day 65 - Sad Goodbye

Before we went to drop the parents off at the airport . . .

Five seconds after they stepped out of the car . . .

I don't think June can come fast enough for any of us. 

Day 64 - Spoiled

Thanks to Granny and Grandpa, someone got a bike today. He is sure going to be sad to see them leave tomorrow. Ben and I are going to be even more sad to see them leave.  There won't be anyone here to sing songs with him in the car (they really love "Deep in the Heart of Texas"), play with him all day long, or spoil him rotten.  

At least until my parents show up in 2 weeks.

Day 63 - Sammy Thursday - So sweet

Short post tonight.  We are all super tired from our fun adventures this week.  Here's some Sammy Thursday for you.

Day 62 - Birthday

Thank you so much for all of the birthday calls, texts, and FB messages. We had a FABULOUS day. We toured all over Austin and the University. Sam loved throwing rocks in the University turtle pond. Granny and I really enjoyed touring the Texas state capital.  We had some fabulous Mexican food for dinner and then Ben's parents watched Sam so Ben and I could go see a movie at an actual movie theater.  Happy day!!!

I think my very favorite part of the day was at lunch.  Grandpa was putting his cash back in his wallet and Sam pointed at it.  None of Ben's family will be surprised to hear that Grandpa proceeded to give Sam a $1 bill.  Sam, however, was not interested in a mere single.  He wanted the $5 bill Grandpa was holding.  Of course, Grandpa handed it over.

Don't you love how he is carefully inspecting the bill?  This kid might have a future in banking.  

Ben

During our fun trip to Fredericksburg, Sam took a little face plant.  Fortunately after we cleaned him up we were able to console him by letting him "take a picture".  Of course, my favorite picture of the day was taken with the help of my toddler.

I'm sure glad I married this guy. He is a wonderful father, a loving son and dynamite husband. He puts up with all of my crazy projects.  He agrees when I want take adventures in random Texas towns.  Plus, thanks to him I have wonderful in-laws and the cutest son you could imagine.

Granny and Grandpa

We are so excited to have Granny and Grandpa here!!! They arrived today.  Sam was soooooo excited when he saw them at the airport. As you can see, Sam and Granny have a very special relationship. He spent the entire afternoon playing with Granny and Grandpa getting tons of attention and affection.  When bedtime rolled around he was so tired that he practically put himself to bed.  

Green

Today marks the beginning of one of my favorite weeks of the year. Ben's parents arrive tomorrow.  My birthday is Wednesday. Thursday is St. Patrick's Day (one of my FAVORITE holidays) and the in-laws anniversary.  SXSW (South by Southwest) is this week and Austin is full of bands and celebrities.

To top it all off, tomorrow we should be able to find out if our April Disneyland trip is going to happen. In honor of Disney and my annual springtime Disney withdrawal, I made Mint Juleps tonight.  Disney-style.  AKA non-alcoholic. So minty and refreshing. Not to mention festive. I honestly get at least one a day when we are at Disneyland. I especially love sipping them while walking through the park at night.  Disneyland at night is one of my very favorite things.  Alright I gotta stop talking about this . . .

Here's a link for the recipe.

The Forbidden

There are certain things in life that are worth risking a mother's wrath.  Apparently, pulling keys off the keyboard is worth the risk.

Scrabble

We usually let Sam take one thing with him when we leave the house.  Originally he wanted to take a tape measure but we vetoed that idea.  Instead he took a single Scrabble tile.

Obviously Mom!  It has a letter AND a number.

My little helper

Sam loves to "help" around the house.  He really likes to sweep and mop. Basically he likes any cleaning tool that has a handle.  Today it was the Woolite Carpet Stick. (which by the way, I'm not very impressed with)  He walked around the living room saying "Brush, brush, brush."  So cute.  I'm glad he's starting to take responsibility for all of the spots he gets on my carpet.

In case you didn't notice, he is holding a 5. Is someone a little predictable?

eShakti

So there is this website that I love. I stumbled across them on a couple of blogs that I read and boy, am I glad I did.

Its called eShakti and my closet and I love it. They are a company based in India that makes darling clothing in all sizes. I do mean ALL sizes. The best part is they customize!!! I'm not kidding. So basically if you have clothing constraints (ya know what I'm sayin?) or perhaps you are not exactly a Anthropology size small, this is the place for you.  You can either order based on your regular size are you can order based on measurements and they will make the clothing to order. Say you find a dress that you love but you need it to have sleeves. They'll add sleeves for $7.50. Want it longer? Done for $7.50. Shorter? Done for $7.50. Say you need some extra room for "the girls". Yeah, they'll do that too for $7.50. When you order in standard sizes they ask for you bra size and your height, just to make sure everything matches up. I have only ordered standard sizes and everything has fit very well.

The construction is good. I haven't noticed any problems and so far I like all of the fabric I have received. Look how darling the embroidery is?!

My only complaint is that sometimes their website it super slow. Also, I haven't had to deal with their customer service so I can't really tell you anything about it or how returning works. I will tell you that they are discount CRAZY! I ordered the first of February and I have received 2 discount codes and a gift certificate since then. But the best part is this.  They gave me a coupon code to give to my friends.  That's you.  So here it is, the code that will give you $20 against your first purchase on eShakti. 

Code: TraceyHanson87

Here are the lovely things that I have purchased.

I also bought another darling dress that seems to have disappeared from the site.  Oh, well.   

Happy Shopping!

NO TRESPASSING!

Every time we walk past the nail salon at our local Walmart I laugh.  While I understand that they don't want people to touch the water feature, I'm not sure a "NO TRESPASSING" sign properly conveys what they are trying to say. I also really like that they used a landscaping fence.  So awesome.

I didn't want the nail ladies to take it out on my feet if I go in and get a pedicure so I we very nonchalantly took a walking photo with my phone instead of using my regular camera that was sitting in my purse.  I'm not very good at getting good camera phone pics.

Deep breaths . . .

Words cannot describe the day that we have had today. 

I'll just let Sam's evening meltdown paint you a picture.

Rootbeer Floats

After a crazy day at church (I got a THIRD calling) I kind of forgot to take a photo today.   Unfortunately, I realized this about the same time (9:30 pm) that I realized that I was going to make rootbeer floats tonight.  

As you can see, I have priorities and the float came first.  

Chicharrón

We went to breakfast with Nicole and Alex this morning at Appetitos (The Mexican House of Pancakes) and Nicole couldn't decide what to eat.  So based on reading the menu she decided to order Huevos Chicharrón.   When it came, it was NOT what she expected.

I seriously could not edit this to make it look appetizing.

Apparently Ben knew what she was getting but chose not to tell her.   So Alex tried it first.  Not excited.  Then Ben tried it.  He said, "Eh, its not bad". Then the waitress told Nicole what it was.  In case you don't know, Chicharrón is a dish made from fried pork rinds. There was no way she was going to eat it after that. I didn't eat it either.

So Ben spent the rest of the meal trying to convince Nicole to try it. He even argued that it was no different the eating chicken with skin.  The best part was that the waitress thought Ben really liked it so she brought him a sample bowl (shown above).  Then he HAD to eat it.

I just sat there and LAUGHED! Growing up my dad was always giving my Grandma Barlow a hard time.  If you know my dad, you won't be surprised.  Typically he harasses her about food. She's not a super adventurous eater. You know how they always say that you grow up to be your parents?  Well, apparently Ben is growing up to by MY dad.

Wicked

Ben took me to see Wicked last night in San Antonio as an early birthday present. The cast was amazing.  It was everything I dreamed of and more.  LOVED IT!  We will definitely be seeing that one again.

Unfortunately The Majestic has a crazy strict photography policy so the only photo I got was the marquee on my camera phone.  The inside is beautiful!  Such a fun experience.

I'm so grateful that my aunt Nicole was willing to watch Sam and let us camp out at her house last night.  We are so lucky to have family around.  

SPRING!!!

Spring is springing in Texas.  

The grass is getting greener everyday.  

Leaves are budding on the trees and blossoms are popping up everywhere.  

Now if the bluebonnets will just have a good year, I'll be in heaven!

In case you're wondering, this is what happens when unscrew your 50mm lens and shoot backwards through it. 

Too much DIY channel

Sam and Ben had the following conversation today.  (At least it is the conversation they would have had if Sam talked more.)

Sam:  Just a couple more inches . . .

Ben:  Hey Sam, whatcha doin'?  (We watch a lot of Phineas and Ferb)

Sam:  What does it look like I'm doing?  I'm pulling out the tape measure.

Ben:  Sam!  Stop pulling out the tape measure.  You're going to ruin it!

Sam:  Dad! I have a very important project I'm working on.

Ben:  Oh?  What would that be?

Take that Dad.

On a side note, here is the finished end table.

Circle or Octagon?

Sam likes it when I make letters, numbers and shapes out of Legos.  Today I made him a circle.  When I asked him what it was he replied, "Octagon."

Guess we know who has the brains in this operation.