I finally have a moment to myself and thought that since you've been neglected for far too long, I'd sit down and let you know that I haven't forgotten you. I've been adjusting to our new schedule with school starting (They've been in school for one month now!), O'Henry's I-have-to-touch-climb-eat-everything-now stage and everyone hitting a growth spurt so they're eating all the time. It may not sound like a lot but between getting homework done, hearing about all the drama at school, trying to fit in time to go play with their friends, Cubscouts and getting school stuff set out the night before we hardly have any down time.
And then there's O'Henry.
He went from swaying as he walked one day to climbing up on top of the dining room table and pelting everyone with crackers the next day. He is into absolutely everything! I'm used to all the kids sort of keeping an eye on him but now that they're all at school, it's just me. It's exhausting. Especially since Tater tot seems to be in cahoots with him. The other day I found O'Henry playing in the pot cupboard with Tater tot sitting around him whilst he poured the salt shaker all over him. It looked like he'd been out in a blizzard. And they have this little sensor in their head that tells them when Mommy begins to pull up her blog. Let's just say that there have been many times I've attempted to write but was interrupted with a situation that required my immediate attention.
Can I just say how grateful I am that they've managed to coordinate their nap time today!
The other day I made 36 muffins and 2 loaves of zucchini bread on in addition to all of the regular meals. Within 12 hours we only had 12 muffins left. My mind still has a hard time wrapping around it. Teeny is complaining constantly of being hungry. O'Henry is so hungry that if I don't read his mind quick enough, he goes scrounging in the garbage for food. And since that's gross, I've had to start feeding him every 30 minutes or so just to keep him out.
Have I ever mentioned that Mr. Ella gets super grumpy and mean whenever he's hungry? And have I ever mentioned how he passed this trait on to all of our children? So if anyone is super dramatic or grumpy, we feed them. Within 15 minutes we have a peaceful household again.
On the plus side, the food I make is always appreciated! Which makes me feel special.
Ella
copyright Ella's Place
Showing posts with label tater tot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tater tot. Show all posts
October 11, 2012
May 31, 2012
Ice Cream
So I just got home from a very long ceremony at my children's school. We were outside for over 2 hours and it was hot. And I walked. All I can say is thank goodness for an amazing baby stroller that made everything so much easier. I had the two younger boys in their seats and Sweet Cheeks sitting on the foot rest. It was perfect! So after I put the two boys down for a nap, Sweet Cheeks and I decided to reward ourselves with ice cream.
I love ice cream! I love ice cream with nuts and chocolate even more. Throw a little caramel in and I'm in heaven. The only problem is that I want a bit of nuts, chocolate and caramel in every bite. But that never happens. So I'm one of those people. You know those people that dig out the nuts and chocolate bits but leave the rest of the ice cream behind. It always annoys me to no end when someone else does that. But I just can't stop myself. We need to send a petition to the ice cream companies demanding nuts and chocolate bits in every bite! I might even stop digging around if that actually happened.
I love serving ice cream to the younger kids because they don't realize that I've already eaten all the good bits out of their portion. I'm sneaky! I can't get away with it when it comes to the older kids though. So I have to take advantage of it now while Sweet Cheeks, Tater Tot and O'Henry are still gullible. I don't know what I'm going to do when my children are all old enough to realize what I'm doing.
So, I have to apologize to you yet again. So much has happened in the past 2 weeks that I've neglected you. I went to San Francisco for 5 days and it was so much fun but I'll post more on that later. Than I had decided that I needed to make and freeze lots of meals because the summer heat was going to be too much for me to want to actually cook (we don't have air conditioning) so I decided to get all of the hard stuff (meat) out of the way. I cooked over 250 meatballs, 2 batches of pulled pork, 3 batches of pork burrito meat, 9 batches of sloppy joes, 4 batches of BBQ beef, 3 batches of taco meat, 7 lbs. of chicken (cubed), a whole turkey (shredded), chocolate mint cookies and snickerdoodles. The cookies are already gone. Then I had to try to catch up on all the blogs that I follow which is way too time consuming. Then I procrastinated a bit. Oh and I read a lot of books. And that was what I've been doing the past 2 weeks.
Ella
© Ella's Place
I love ice cream! I love ice cream with nuts and chocolate even more. Throw a little caramel in and I'm in heaven. The only problem is that I want a bit of nuts, chocolate and caramel in every bite. But that never happens. So I'm one of those people. You know those people that dig out the nuts and chocolate bits but leave the rest of the ice cream behind. It always annoys me to no end when someone else does that. But I just can't stop myself. We need to send a petition to the ice cream companies demanding nuts and chocolate bits in every bite! I might even stop digging around if that actually happened.
I love serving ice cream to the younger kids because they don't realize that I've already eaten all the good bits out of their portion. I'm sneaky! I can't get away with it when it comes to the older kids though. So I have to take advantage of it now while Sweet Cheeks, Tater Tot and O'Henry are still gullible. I don't know what I'm going to do when my children are all old enough to realize what I'm doing.
So, I have to apologize to you yet again. So much has happened in the past 2 weeks that I've neglected you. I went to San Francisco for 5 days and it was so much fun but I'll post more on that later. Than I had decided that I needed to make and freeze lots of meals because the summer heat was going to be too much for me to want to actually cook (we don't have air conditioning) so I decided to get all of the hard stuff (meat) out of the way. I cooked over 250 meatballs, 2 batches of pulled pork, 3 batches of pork burrito meat, 9 batches of sloppy joes, 4 batches of BBQ beef, 3 batches of taco meat, 7 lbs. of chicken (cubed), a whole turkey (shredded), chocolate mint cookies and snickerdoodles. The cookies are already gone. Then I had to try to catch up on all the blogs that I follow which is way too time consuming. Then I procrastinated a bit. Oh and I read a lot of books. And that was what I've been doing the past 2 weeks.
Ella
© Ella's Place
April 20, 2012
Tater Tot
Tater Tot is one of my sons. It's not his actual name. But it is a fairly obvious nickname choice since he was born in Idaho where the potato reigns supreme. My Dad thought it would be funny. And it's stuck. We'll see for how long.
I've actually talked about him quite a bit on here. He is the one who broke his leg and managed to ignore pain and lack of mobility to overcome any and all obstacles in his way. He is the one who refuses to say more than a few words and rarely any with consistency although we are up to 15 words now with only 8 understandable to others. He is also my almost two year old who just celebrate his 2nd birthday. It was Elmo themed; as if there would be any doubt.
What you don't know about him is that he refused to wear shoes until this past winter and only conceded because his toes would get too cold. Now, he's obsessed! Not only does he insist that he has shoes on at all times when he's outside but he parades around the house in any pair of shoes that he can get a hold of. Why is it that little boys are amazing at walking around in oversized high heels?
He also LOVES being outside! The moment he discovered it was warm enough to not completely freeze his fingers off, all he wanted to do was be outside. He spends every minute I allow him outside and has to be dragged in against his will.
And I can safely say that he does not like strangers. My sister moved in with us a year ago and it took him 3 months to allow her to hold him for a short time. He still avoids her if she tries to touch him. It took 18 months and much licorice for him to allow my Dad to hold him occassionally. There is a man at our church who has made it his mission to get my son to look at him for more than 1 minute. It hasn't happened yet.
He also terrorizes his older sister, Sweet Cheeks. It's so funny because she would terrorize Teeny and now it's come back to bite her in the butt, sometimes literally. He chases her around while growling and yelling at her. If she hits him (the same way she would hit Teeny), he slugs her right back. If she takes away his toy, he bites her; for which I don't approve. But he also adores her. If she gets dressed up in her tutu and dances around the living room, he borrows a tutu so he can join in the fun. He follows her around trying to do everything that she does. And when he gets caught being less-than-nice to her, he always gives her a kiss and hug to say sorry.
So this is my not-so little Tater Tot. (The doctor just said that he's all set to be as big as a linebacker when he grows up.) He's loves to laugh, is an amazing cuddler and doesn't allow small things to get in his way. He loves shoes, getting dirty outside and ignoring everyone but family. And if you see him with his sippy cup, take a step back and leave him alone; it's his sacred time.
Ella
© Ella's Place
I've actually talked about him quite a bit on here. He is the one who broke his leg and managed to ignore pain and lack of mobility to overcome any and all obstacles in his way. He is the one who refuses to say more than a few words and rarely any with consistency although we are up to 15 words now with only 8 understandable to others. He is also my almost two year old who just celebrate his 2nd birthday. It was Elmo themed; as if there would be any doubt.
What you don't know about him is that he refused to wear shoes until this past winter and only conceded because his toes would get too cold. Now, he's obsessed! Not only does he insist that he has shoes on at all times when he's outside but he parades around the house in any pair of shoes that he can get a hold of. Why is it that little boys are amazing at walking around in oversized high heels?
He also LOVES being outside! The moment he discovered it was warm enough to not completely freeze his fingers off, all he wanted to do was be outside. He spends every minute I allow him outside and has to be dragged in against his will.
And I can safely say that he does not like strangers. My sister moved in with us a year ago and it took him 3 months to allow her to hold him for a short time. He still avoids her if she tries to touch him. It took 18 months and much licorice for him to allow my Dad to hold him occassionally. There is a man at our church who has made it his mission to get my son to look at him for more than 1 minute. It hasn't happened yet.
He also terrorizes his older sister, Sweet Cheeks. It's so funny because she would terrorize Teeny and now it's come back to bite her in the butt, sometimes literally. He chases her around while growling and yelling at her. If she hits him (the same way she would hit Teeny), he slugs her right back. If she takes away his toy, he bites her; for which I don't approve. But he also adores her. If she gets dressed up in her tutu and dances around the living room, he borrows a tutu so he can join in the fun. He follows her around trying to do everything that she does. And when he gets caught being less-than-nice to her, he always gives her a kiss and hug to say sorry.
So this is my not-so little Tater Tot. (The doctor just said that he's all set to be as big as a linebacker when he grows up.) He's loves to laugh, is an amazing cuddler and doesn't allow small things to get in his way. He loves shoes, getting dirty outside and ignoring everyone but family. And if you see him with his sippy cup, take a step back and leave him alone; it's his sacred time.
Ella
© Ella's Place
February 20, 2012
She Said
I love my children. I love the fact that I get to stay at home and be there for them. I love laughing and dancing with them. I love watching them turn into amazing little people. But there are times when I get frustrated. Times when I just want space from them.
Last week was one of those times that I just wanted space from my children. There was no specific reason for it either. I was just tired of picking up toys and whatever else they decided needed to decorate the floor that day. I didn't really want children clinging to me every single moment.
So there I was, feeling closed in while serving lunch to my 5 & almost 2 year old. I was putting pretzels on their plates and then my daughter said the most random thing.
Her: Mom, you know you're serving God.
Me: What do you mean?
Her: Well, because you're serving us. You serve God when you serve others.
After establishing what a smart girl she is, I thought about what she said. I started to feel less closed in.
After lunch I sent the two of them to take a bath. After I handed them both their own wash cloth, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "You're still serving God." She then turned away and started splashing her brother, acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
In the days after this I've thought a lot about what she said.
I've come to realize many things. First of all, I have an amazing daughter who most definitely listened to the promptings of the Holy Ghost that day. How else could she have known what to say at that moment to uplift me and make me feel better? Not just once but twice.
Secondly, my Father in Heaven is aware of me and the little things going on in my life. Sometimes it's so easy to feel like He has so much to do and so many people to help that your small feeling of frustration won't be noticed. But He does notice. He does care.
I also gained a new way to view taking care of my children. Everytime I helped tie their shoe or washed their face, I was really helping my Father in Heaven. It's not a new concept but the time it was said by the person who said it has had a rather profound effect upon me.
I haven't yet finished wrapping my mind around this new concept. I'm not yet sure how it will change me as a Mom and as a person. I only know that it has changed me.
Ella
© Ella's Place
Last week was one of those times that I just wanted space from my children. There was no specific reason for it either. I was just tired of picking up toys and whatever else they decided needed to decorate the floor that day. I didn't really want children clinging to me every single moment.
So there I was, feeling closed in while serving lunch to my 5 & almost 2 year old. I was putting pretzels on their plates and then my daughter said the most random thing.
Her: Mom, you know you're serving God.
Me: What do you mean?
Her: Well, because you're serving us. You serve God when you serve others.
After establishing what a smart girl she is, I thought about what she said. I started to feel less closed in.
After lunch I sent the two of them to take a bath. After I handed them both their own wash cloth, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "You're still serving God." She then turned away and started splashing her brother, acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
In the days after this I've thought a lot about what she said.
I've come to realize many things. First of all, I have an amazing daughter who most definitely listened to the promptings of the Holy Ghost that day. How else could she have known what to say at that moment to uplift me and make me feel better? Not just once but twice.
Secondly, my Father in Heaven is aware of me and the little things going on in my life. Sometimes it's so easy to feel like He has so much to do and so many people to help that your small feeling of frustration won't be noticed. But He does notice. He does care.
I also gained a new way to view taking care of my children. Everytime I helped tie their shoe or washed their face, I was really helping my Father in Heaven. It's not a new concept but the time it was said by the person who said it has had a rather profound effect upon me.
I haven't yet finished wrapping my mind around this new concept. I'm not yet sure how it will change me as a Mom and as a person. I only know that it has changed me.
Ella
© Ella's Place
February 15, 2012
Another Reason Why I Love My Husband
I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned how wonderful my husband is but can I tell you how amazing he is too? It's true; he is AMAZING. It's not only because he started celebrating Valentine's Day on February 1st; I got my first Valentine's card in the mail then. Or the fact that he took off the whole day yesterday to watch the children so that I could do whatever I wanted; I slept in 'til 11:45 (utter bliss). Nope, it's because he didn't get upset that our son threw up on him as soon as he walked in the door tonight.
My 1 year old must have caught a stomach bug and spent the day being miserable. He was so excited to see his Daddy! Not only does he love his Daddy but Daddy is a good cuddler and all my son wanted to do today was to cuddle. So my son met him at the door. As soon as he was in his arms, it happened.
Now, being covered in foul smelling body fluids is never fun but as soon as you walk in the door is even worse. You're just not prepared for it. I was very impressed that my husband didn't yell or get mad. He just changed his clothes, clean up the mess and cuddled up to my son again.
It just made my heart happy.
I am fully aware how fortunate I was to marry my husband. I must have done something good in my childhood to deserve him.
Ella
© Ella's Place
My 1 year old must have caught a stomach bug and spent the day being miserable. He was so excited to see his Daddy! Not only does he love his Daddy but Daddy is a good cuddler and all my son wanted to do today was to cuddle. So my son met him at the door. As soon as he was in his arms, it happened.
Now, being covered in foul smelling body fluids is never fun but as soon as you walk in the door is even worse. You're just not prepared for it. I was very impressed that my husband didn't yell or get mad. He just changed his clothes, clean up the mess and cuddled up to my son again.
It just made my heart happy.
I am fully aware how fortunate I was to marry my husband. I must have done something good in my childhood to deserve him.
Ella
© Ella's Place
December 12, 2011
Outside the Box
I mentioned my little boy broke his leg last month. They gave him a pretty cast and told us to come back in a month. During the visit, they mentioned that other toddlers would come back walking with their broken leg in a cast; I was amazed. I mean their leg is broken! Wouldn't that hurt?
We quickly became amazed at how well he got around. Nothing stopped him. If anything, it taught him how to think outside the box. He became even more creative in his antics. Great! And amazingly enough, it took around 2 weeks for him to start walking on his broken leg. Needless to say, I wasn't happy. I mean what if he interrupted the healing process or damaged his leg in some way by not waiting the full month. It didn't take long to discover that short of tying him to a chair, which is frowned upon, I couldn't stop him.
Now he's running in his cast. Somethings just should never be said and running in a cast is one of them. My mind is boggled by my son. I mean he broke his leg. He should not be walking much less running.
So to make myself feel better, I try to justify what he's doing. I tell myself that if it hurt, he wouldn't do it. Then I remember that right after he broke his leg, he would flip himself head over foot or just throw himself off the couch without so much as an exclamation of pain. He's tough. He will take a running start towards you just to head butt you. He doesn't even flinch! And he comes back for more until he forces you to say no more. Are little boys made of steel? Or rubber? Or maybe both?
Whatever they're made of, thank goodness his doctor's appointment is just a week away. We'll find out if all the guilt I've been feeling is justified or if it's been unnecessary. I'm hopeful that his leg will okay because he wouldn't be walking on it if it hurt, right? And they say that putting pressure or weight on your bones will strengthen them. I'm hoping that the pressure of walking will have strengthened his bones and the doctor will tell me that I've been a good mom by not being able to stop him from walking.
Can you tell I'm nervous?
Ella
© Ella's Place
November 18, 2011
Double Stuff Oreos
I'm emotionally eating right now. I've had 3 double stuff oreos and I'm not sure I'm done. Why?
I just spent the last 30 minutes cleaning up my son and his dirty diaper (#2). Normally diapers are no big deal but my 19 months old broke his leg on Wednesday. This is the same little boy who doesn't walk if he can run. He has so much energy! And now he's going crazy and taking me with him.
But back to the why of the oreos, he actually fractured the front of his femur. Thankfully, it's a small fracture! Things could have been so much worse. The only problem is that he has this cast/splint thing on his leg that goes from the bottom of his foot all the way up to his hip bone. Therein lies the problem. Since he isn't potty trained, the top of his splint is inside his diaper because it has to be. I won't go into details because it's gross but I'm sure if you think about it you'll understand why I am stressed.
I earned those oreos.
He'll be getting his cast on Monday which will make me feel a bit better when he flips himself off the couch. Head. Over. Feet. He's already done it 3 times. Or when tries to stand up. He's done that more times than I care to remember. Or when he finds yet another way to try to hurt himself.
I think I need to buy more oreos.
Ella
© Ella's Place
I just spent the last 30 minutes cleaning up my son and his dirty diaper (#2). Normally diapers are no big deal but my 19 months old broke his leg on Wednesday. This is the same little boy who doesn't walk if he can run. He has so much energy! And now he's going crazy and taking me with him.
But back to the why of the oreos, he actually fractured the front of his femur. Thankfully, it's a small fracture! Things could have been so much worse. The only problem is that he has this cast/splint thing on his leg that goes from the bottom of his foot all the way up to his hip bone. Therein lies the problem. Since he isn't potty trained, the top of his splint is inside his diaper because it has to be. I won't go into details because it's gross but I'm sure if you think about it you'll understand why I am stressed.
I earned those oreos.
He'll be getting his cast on Monday which will make me feel a bit better when he flips himself off the couch. Head. Over. Feet. He's already done it 3 times. Or when tries to stand up. He's done that more times than I care to remember. Or when he finds yet another way to try to hurt himself.
I think I need to buy more oreos.
Ella
© Ella's Place
November 14, 2011
Love You!
I've been contemplating how I wanted to begin this blog. I wanted the first post to set just the right tone. I wanted it to be perfect! But in my world, perfection tends to equal procrastination. Sad but true. But something has happened today that I just couldn't wait to share before I put all the "finishing" touches on it. In fact, this something happened just moments ago.
My 19 month old, who doesn't feel the need to talk yet because his older siblings can interpret his every want and need, just told me that he loves me! My heart somehow is bursting with love and melting all at the same time.
It wasn't done in a big or special way but in a small way that means all the more to me. I was putting him down for a nap. I kissed and cuddled him all the way to his room. I put him in his crib and covered him with his "blanket." I told him that I loved him before I turned to go and then it happened. He said it with a big smile on his face, "love you."
These moments are right up there with the first kiss they give you, although each kiss after is just as precious. Or when they run towards you with their arms open with smiles on their face shouting your name. From kisses to cuddles and everything in between, these moments are infinitely precious. They are what fill the cracks in your heart. And yes, tears of love are running down my face as I recount this little piece of heaven to you.
So, I'll work on that perfect post that I mentioned earlier. You might even get to read it, maybe. Til then, I'll share little bits and pieces of my life here at my place.
Ella
© Ella's Place
My 19 month old, who doesn't feel the need to talk yet because his older siblings can interpret his every want and need, just told me that he loves me! My heart somehow is bursting with love and melting all at the same time.
It wasn't done in a big or special way but in a small way that means all the more to me. I was putting him down for a nap. I kissed and cuddled him all the way to his room. I put him in his crib and covered him with his "blanket." I told him that I loved him before I turned to go and then it happened. He said it with a big smile on his face, "love you."
These moments are right up there with the first kiss they give you, although each kiss after is just as precious. Or when they run towards you with their arms open with smiles on their face shouting your name. From kisses to cuddles and everything in between, these moments are infinitely precious. They are what fill the cracks in your heart. And yes, tears of love are running down my face as I recount this little piece of heaven to you.
So, I'll work on that perfect post that I mentioned earlier. You might even get to read it, maybe. Til then, I'll share little bits and pieces of my life here at my place.
Ella
© Ella's Place
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