Ramblings about food and the kids

Mason and Lily's lunch

Happy New Year!  Here is a lengthy update!

For the last few months I have been trying really hard to cut out processed foods eat more veggies etc.  The kids and Danny have been doing really well.  Since new years I have really taken it to a different level where the kids and Danny drink a green smoothie everyday and eat a salad at dinner before the "main course." Some days are good and some are bad.  It is frustrating to get my kids to eat the salad but I am not going to give in because I know they can learn to like it (and have liked it somedays).  I tried a really yummy salad tonight but the salad dressing had vinegar and I don't think the kids liked that.  I think I am going to just give them salad without dressing and see if they will eat that since they are so good at eating plain veggies anyway at lunch.  They liked the homemade ranch I did the other day maybe I just need to do more of that.  Besides the salad fiasco they are really great at drinking green smoothies, I am slowly making the ratio to be 50/50 fruits and veggies but I think we are still at about 60/40.  It is crazy how many greens we are going through but I am happy because I can see the benefits already.

Lily and her twin, Mirida from the movie BRAVE

The benefits including Lily's behavior is turning for the better.  Now don't get me wrong she was never too bad but I can tell she is happier, listens more and so playful and excited about everything.  Tantrums have reduced DRAMATICALLY for her.  It really is amazing I keep telling Danny that Lily had such a great day.  It could be a phase but I have to think it has to do with the food. She LOVEs to help me do anything, especially prepare the meals.  And all of the sudden instead of fighting the smoothies she drinks them right up in about 5 minutes it is great.  She is so fun and princessy.  I love watching the new tinkerbell movie with her ( I LOVE the tinkerbell movies!)  Lily is always excited about everything and she comes up to tell me how beautiful I am, ahh I just love her!  Her cousin gave her a cute tea set for Christmas that changes color when you add ice water.  She often comes up to me to "play tea with her" and she brings me a little cup with water in it.  She is doing great at being careful and not spilling.  She loves pouring the "tea" herself it is really cute.  I love the way she says things still, some of my favorites are "mommy I want to hold you" (when she wants me to hold her) "its ok mom we can do it to-later" (I think she got that from tomorrow, it is so cute that she adds the "to" in front of it)  When I ask her to do something or if she wants something she always responds with "sure" example "will you get me a diaper" sure "do you want to eat lunch" sure "will you be nice to Oliver" sure.  When we go shopping everything she sees is "adorable" or "gorgeous" and she says it so girly and sing songy "oh mom look this is adorable" "oh so adorable"  Lily loves her daddy and demands a hug and kiss everyday before he leaves and gets so excited and runs to the door or outside when he comes home.  Her hair is funny in the winter, the dry static air is zapping out the curls.  But it does make it look really long.

Lily getting into my makeup while I was at the store and Danny was "watching" her

 Mason is doing well eating all the stuff I give him mostly because I explain that it is healthy and he wants to be healthy.  Don't get me wrong when preschool parents bring lucky charms or ICE CREAM (what the heck) as a pre-k snack he will gobble it right up!  He is like his daddy and wants to know WHY and he will be good.  He also likes to follow the rules so I told him a new rule at our house is to eat a smoothie everyday and a salad and so he goes with it especially if I remind him about it.

Mason's green smoothie lip and forehead mustache 

Mason is so sweet, the other day he told me that he didn't think that santa had brought the presents that "santa" left for them Christmas morning.  I asked him why he thought that he he whispered to me "remember the other day when Lily and I were fighting, Santa doesn't bring toys if you aren't good so it must not have been him who brought them"  Oh goodness I just wanted to squeeze him tight because he is such a good boy.  I told him that it was ok, I talked to Santa and I know he is good most of the time even if we should try and fight with Lily less.  Part of my wanted to spill the beans right then and there but that would have made him sad.  And even if I don't totally like the idea of Santa I am not ready to make the leap and tell him the truth just yet.  The craziest part was that Danny and I never said "if you aren't good santa won't bring you toys" and we don't do elf on the shelf but I am sure he learned that concept from Christmas songs and Christmas movies.

He is a flying ninja, this is his battle face!

I can always trust Mason to do what I ask and follow the rules it is so great.  Mason has so much fun with Oliver and Oliver LOVEs him.  Auntie Keri got Oliver this little car bike thing that Ollie can push around or sit on it and be pushed.  Mason loves to push him on it.  Mason is so patient with him, I am wondering how long that will last because he certainly not patient with Lily haha.  Lily pushes his buttons so easily it verges on the point of hilarious.  I hope one day he will learn not to react so badly and she would stop but that is not likely to happen.

More flying ninja, notice the change of cloths, he thinks he is funny!

I am teaching Mason to read using this book.  I really like it and I am so glad my good friend told me about it.  Mason has been wanting to learn to read for a while and I had tried a few different things but so far this book has been the best.  I just need something to guide ME as well as him.  We have only been doing it for a couple of weeks and even though he does it begrudgingly somedays I can see him sounding things out and writing words by sound which is cool.  I would love to have him reading well for his age before he goes to kindergarden.  He can now count to 100 all by himself and he does it all the time.  He got a watch from cousin Judah for Christmas he tells me what time it is ALL the time, like every minute.  It can be annoying but he is learning his numbers faster with it so that is good.

Lily likes to get Danny and I "ready" for everything it is very sweet

Oliver that cute little stinker.  He got really sick right before Christmas.  I even ended up taking him to the ER because it was a Saturday night and his fever was high and he kept turning pale with bluish lips.  Everything was fine and the doctor thinks he was have "chills" from the fever since the pale/blue thing would come and go.  It was my first visit to the ER and hopefully the last one for a while, I was there for 3 hours, yikes.  It was funny because he was very sick and snuggly when we first got there but I had given him a dose of tylenol before we left.  About 45 minutes into the event I could tell the fever broke because he was crawling around and being so happy.  Then about 45 minutes after that he got feverish and snuggly again, poor baby.  I think he had roseola because a few days after his fever finally broke he got a rash all over his back and belly.  Either Lily or Mason had that at one point so I am glad to know what it was and didn't freak out because it was Christmas Day haha.

Oliver asleep on me at the ER

Because of being sick and then right after cutting a tooth he was sleeping was terrible (up anywhere from 2-6 times a night!).  He would only go to sleep if I nursed him first, which was fine when he was sick with such a high fever, but it lasted way to long after that.  The funny thing is that he wasn't actually nursing to sleep.  He would nurse then I would give him a binky and lovely in his bed awake and he would go back to sleep.  Well I am over it now that the tooth is cut and he is healthy so he has been crying it out again.  The last few nights have been rough but he is getting better.  He slept 9 straight hours last night.  My goal is 11 which I know is possible because I am pretty sure Mason and Lily were sleeping about 12 hours at this age.

Wide awake at 10pm, when you are sick you get what you want apparently!

Like I said earlier Oliver got that bike thing from aunt Keri and I think it is the best present yet.  He LOVES it, he will push it around everywhere he goes "ride it" and sit on it like a chair.  He loves to sit on things.  He has been taking steps for a while but never really more than 2 or 3 at a time and then he stopped doing it completely.  I was just telling my friend Allison yesterday that he forgot how to walk and then I am not kidding you later that night he started walking around the kitchen.  It was so funny.  I finally got it on video when I bribed him with a cracker.  He now is walking around the house 50% of the time, crawling is still faster so we will see how long it is until he is walking full time.  Oh incase any of you are curious he is 11months old, I can't believe he will be 1 in a few weeks!!!

His favorite toy that car/bike thing.  He is also taking to crawling/walking around with things in his mouth haha

He is so cute and his personality is really starting to show.  He is taking on to signs a little which is fun. He waves hi and bye and is learning to blow kisses but really he just presses his hands to his face and squishes it.  He loves to clap and loves to shake his head back and forth.  Oh goodness I love him even if he doesn't sleep haha.

Alrighty that is a lengthy update, bravo to you if you read all the way through :)