Busy Mama

Jim left yesterday morning for his Seattle business trip. We miss him already. He called last night to talk to us and James told him, "Miss you Dada". He had said it earlier in the day too. Jim comes home late late tonight so we'll see him tomorrow.

So I was home pretty much all day with James and I have to say that its a lot different from last summer already. I know its just the very beginning of the summer and I don't have much to compare it to yet, but already I can see that James is much more independent and active and we'll have lots of fun. I was actually able to get some things done around the house but I did make a lot of time to play with James and keep him entertained. I'm determined to keep him active and busy this summer and not just let the TV babysit him!

I'm making a goal for each day to get something done around the house, usually during James' naptime. Yesterday's goal was to clean out the refrigerator (Rosie-style) and then get groceries. I cleaned the refrigerator during James' nap and made the grocery list and then later James helped me with the shopping. He enjoys going to the store to get his free cookie but I also made it fun by letting him count the nectarines, exclaim over the blackberries, put items in the cart, and then help me put things on the conveyor belt. He was a very good boy in the store. It makes things easier for sure!

A fun thing that I did for myself was make pesto! I have basil growing in my herb garden and I thought maybe I could pick at least a cup or two of leaves to make pesto. I did end up only getting one cup worth of leaves so I made a half batch of pesto. Oh wow it smelled so good!! I have regular sweet basil but also a small lemon basil plant. And to bulk up the amount I added just a little bit of chives, which sounds weird, but the recipe I found online said you could add pretty much any herb to pesto. I wanted to document my plants to see how long it takes for them to grow mature leaves again. So here are my plants with the basil all picked off, I wish I had taken before pictures.



Here's my basil and chives.



Herbs with pine nuts, about to be processed.



Mmmm fresh garlic (ChaCha will be proud!)



A little olive oil and Parmesan cheese.



Yum-o!





Dinner :)



Last week I baked these brownies for the CRMS staff picnic. I'm becoming well-known for great desserts so I couldn't disappoint. I made these Double Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies- a brownie with a peanut butter cheesecake swirl and peanut butter cups on top. They were a hit. I saved some for Jim and myself.



One of our neighbors had his canoe on the pond. I snapped a picture when his back was turned so that Jim could see it and laugh too. We're just jealous maybe :)



So its our first real day of summer vacation today! James and I have already taken a walk and played at the playground. I lathered both of us up with 50+ Aveeno sunscreen and packed up wipes, diapers, water bottles for both of us, a camera, my phone, golf clubs and balls, and finally James into the stroller. For such a short trip it took a bit of time to get organized!

Oh, and I had to dig out some of James' old summer shorts. The 3T shorts I've been buying at Target are just way too big. (Tia Kiki's shorts are just great though because they have an adjustable waist. Yay Kiki!) The last straw was when James' shorts fell to his knees yesterday. That would be embarrassing at the playground so I dug out the old ones, washed them, and they are just right. He seems to need 2T on the bottom, but 3T on the top to cover his big belly!

And one last note, I think James' hair is getting curly! Its getting long and Jim noticed the curl yesterday. We'll probably get his haircut next weekend for our big Santa Barbara trip the following week. We're getting excited!

Today's during-naptime goal: Look through my cookbooks to find some James friendly ideas for lunches, snacks, and other meals. Now that James is home for most of his meals, I really need to get some good foods in him. His menu is so limited lately- chicken nuggets, PB&J, peas, pumpkin, any fruit, yogurt (recently), pudding, cheese sticks, milk, water, crackers, fish sticks (rarely), cheerios, oatmeal, applesauce, and I think that's it. The list looks long but really, we still need variety.

Finally!

Before last weekend's rain, we made it to the park for a bit of golf. I always find it funny that James gets so excited to go to the playground but then golfs like he would at home.



Hi Mama!





On Friday James and I had a day to ourselves because Sandra needed the day off. We headed to the park before we had lunch with Grandma Rosie.



James had no fear when climbing. I was a little scared to let him climb but I didn't want to be a Mom who hovers and gives him no freedom.













Mmmm strawberry rhubarb hand pies. We froze most of them so we didn't pig out.



So it was a rainy weekend and we were sad to keep pointing out the rain when James would ask to go outside and play golf. He understood though and was happy to try new things. Well, not really new, but different from his normal golf! Here he really really got into playing baseball. He is a natural athlete! He would hold the bat correctly and ask for us to throw the ball at him. He would swing wildly but rarely hit the ball. It was fun to watch him!





Lately, he's been very attached to his XL playing cards. Jim thinks he might be a poker fan!





Just a Blankie check. Here is the condition of James' beloved Blankie. Its looking really, really sad. He has chewed the heck out of the corners and its really gross sometimes. He's been much better about not chewing it and so the smell is so much better :)









My herb garden is doing pretty well! Here is some thyme, oregano, chives, and basil. They smell so lovely!



Grandma Laura gave James a great toy. On Sunday we beat the rain and went outside to blow bubbles. I can't describe the pure joy on James' face when he saw the bubbles and would chase them. He loved it!





















James might be a pool shark too. Just recently Jim gave James his tiny pool cue back (it was broken last year but now glued back together) and James loves playing pool. He taps the balls with the cue. Another good rainy day activity!











I taught James how to roll the step stool around the pool table. He's now able to access any of the pockets.



Yay! James bakes! I measured out the ingredients and had James help me make peach muffins.

James added the eggs.



Buttermilk.



Or maybe this was the eggs. I forget.



Stir it up.



Add the diced peaches.



Spoon the mixture into muffin cups.



Add some superfine sugar to the tops.



Bake for 25 minutes.



Eat cookies in the meanwhile because 25 minutes is too long to wait!





Watch and learn golf.



Check email like Mama and Dada.



So I enjoyed my last day of school yesterday. I had a few students who wanted to take "goodbye" pictures with me. I love these kids :)

Lashay and Sirena.



Raymond, Brandon, Harvey, Ekow, Seyi, and Moki.



Me and Moki. I really worry about him going to the high school. He is so sweet and innocent.